THE BEACON ASSUMPTION. April 2015 GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY. Attract, Serve, Illuminate

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1 ASSUMPTION GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY Attract, Serve, Illuminate THE BEACON April Ormsby Lane Louisville, Kentucky Phone: (502) Church

2 Assumption Calendar of Events Sunday Monday Tuesday Palm Sunday Orthros 9:00am Divine Liturgy 10:00am Family Worship Fish Luncheon Sponsored by Philoptochos Bridegroom Service 7:00pm GREAT AND HOLY PASCHA Agape Vespers 1:00pm 5 12 Followed by a Pascha Celebration with Lamb Roast Sponsored by the AHEPA and Daughters of Penelope Sunday of St. Thomas Orthros 9:00am Divine Liturgy 10:00am Sunday School Coffee Hour Spring Parish General Assembly Sunday of the Holy Myrrh Bearers Orthros 9:00am Divine Liturgy 10:00am Sunday School Coffee Hour GOYA Meeting HOLY MONDAY Bridegroom Service 7:00pm 13 No Orthodoxy 101 Orthodoxy 101 6:30pm-7:45pm Orthodoxy 101 6:30pm-7:45pm HOLY TUESDAY Bridegroom Service 7:00pm April 2015 Wednesday Thursday Friday No Bible Study Greek School 6:30pm-7:45pm 1 8 HOLY WEDNESDAY Holy Unction 4:00pm Orthros of Last Supper 7:00pm No Bible Study Greek School 6:30pm-7:45pm Greek School 6:30pm-7:45pm Bible Study 6:30pm-7:45pm Greek School 6:30pm-7:45pm Bible Study 6:30pm-7:45pm No Bible Study 2 9 HOLY THURSDAY Vesperal Divine Liturgy 8:00am Passion Service of the 12 Holy Gospels 7:00pm No Bible Study Feast of St. George Orthros 9:00am Divine Liturgy 10:00am No Bible Study Bible Study 10:00am-11:15am HOLY FRIDAY 9:00am Epitaphios Prep Apokathelosis (Unnailing) 3:00pm Lamentations Service (Epitaphios) 7:00pm Holy Confession is done by appointment and may be scheduled by calling Fr. Jon at the Church Office: (502) Saturday 4 Saturday of Lazarus Orthros 9:00am Divine Liturgy 10:00am Youth Confessions, Palm Folding, Church Clean-up & Decorating 11 HOLY SATURDAY Vesperal Divine Liturgy 10:00am Resurrection Orthros/ Divine Liturgy 11:00pm 18 HOPE/JOY Event Great Vespers 5:00pm 25 Metropolis of Detroit Central District SJC Oratorical Finals Great Vespers 5:00pm Fasting Symbols Strict Fast Wine and Oil Allowed Fish Allowed Fast Free

3 Happenings

4 Pastoral Message Dear Parishioners of our Beloved Assumption, In anticipation of the Great and Holy Feast of Pascha, I greet you in our Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! In just a few short weeks, we will be chanting, no, proclaiming: Christ is Risen! For some, the long battle of fasting during Great Lent becomes the joy of feasting. For some, the period of preparation through confession and askesis (spiritual work) is completed in the receiving of Holy Communion. For most, the joy of His Resurrection is expressed within each of us as love towards others, including our brothers and sisters in Christ, our friends and our family members. This love is His love that is so abundant that it flows through each of us! Christ entered Hades so that we wouldn t have to thus with His death He defeated death!!! Christ gives us eschatological peace through His Glorious 3 rd day Resurrection!!! - Let this reality ring within your heart! - Let Christ s love overwhelm you! - Let His Resurrection be for you a source of eternal peace! Believe it! Really Believe it! And Proclaim it!!! Praying for His Grace as we complete Great and Holy Lent and enter Holy Week, I remain, In His Service, Rev. Father Jon Boukis Proistamenos Attract, Serve, Illuminate

5 Parish Council Corner The Best Baklava Recipe Ever Sorry for the deceptive title, but if I told you that this was about stewardship you would have stopped reading. Nobody likes stewardship. That s as close to a four letter word as we get in church. It is, though, vital to our continued growth and existence as a church and a community. We just finished a parish council meeting where we discussed projects as utilitarian as hiring a new office manager to as inspiring as advancing our children ministries. Both are investments in our future and, like all investments, they both cost money. I wish it wasn t as cut and dry as this, but it is. Too often we look at our church as something that is there for us in our times of need. Whether it is a spiritual need or a cultural tie to our heritage, the church is there for us. Have you considered, though, that WE ARE THE CHURCH? Each of us is a member of the Assumption family and, just like at home, we all have to share in the responsibilities and obligations of the family. We are on the cusp of great things at our church and our family is growing, but right now less than 50% of us have filled out a stewardship card. It s imperative for all of us to be involved in stewardship and, even more important, for us to honor that commitment. Our church can neither grow nor meet its current obligations without all of us giving of our time, treasure and talent. Each individual must decide how our church is important to us and to support it accordingly. Please stand up and be counted. Join the rest of the Assumption family and support the stewardship initiative. If it helps I ll give you my mother s baklava recipe. It really is very good. - John S. Harris 2015 Parish Council Joanna Caneris - President John Harris - Vice President Ryan Leathers - Secretary Cosmin Schenk - Treasurer Michael Balakos - Assistant Treasurer Emily Digenis - Assistant Treasurer Milton Galanos Ramsey Nassar Jim Simatacolos

6 Sunday School All children with attendance of 80% or better have hit the mark and will be listed monthly in THE BEACON as with 3 absences or less for the entire year will be recognized to acknowledge their dedication to Religious Education. Congratulations to: Vasilia Boukis George Digenis Mariam Dodd Ulla Dodd Luke Digenis Ally Harris Andrew Harris Matthew Harris Stephen Harris David Schenk Leah Schenk Andrew Taylor Steffi Taylor Youth GOYA: Please watch your s for upcoming service and fellowship events! HOPE/JOY: Tenetatively, there will be a cookout at a local park on Saturday, April 18 th, to give the children time for fun and fellowship for the parents. Greek Market The Bookstore will now make available to you Greek Food Items! Some of the items are: Misko Brand Pastitsio Macaroni, Orzo, Mountain Tea, Eleon Kalamata EVOO, and Mavrodaphne! Ecumenical Fellowship Next Event: The Traditions of Easter Thursday, May 7, 2015 at 6:30 p.m., at the Assumption More information coming soon...

7 Bible Study Bible Study is an opportunity for us to apply the Scriptures to our everyday lives. The Bible is the Good News that enriches our faith and deepens our understanding of every issue that we face. This can only be done through obtaining the mind of the Holy Fathers. Let the scripture come alive in your life today!!! The Orthodox Bible Study will meet on Wednesday Evenings from 6:30pm-7:45pm and on Thursday Mornings from 10:00am-11:15am to study the Book of Acts of the Apostles. Make a commitment to learning His Word! Orthodoxy 101 I have so many questions about the faith! Is this going on in your head? It sounds like Orthodoxy 101 is for you!!!

8 Saturday of Lazarus Saturday of Lazarus Preparations for Palm Sunday, Great and Holy Week and Pascha April 4, 2015 Schedule 9:00am Orthros 10:00am Divine Liturgy 11:30am Breakfast/Palm Cross Folding 12 Noon Altar Boy Meeting Discussion with Myrrh Bearers about Holy Friday 12:20pm Confessions (continuous through grounds clean-up) 12:30pm Cleaning Church Grounds Philoptochos preparing baked goods Church Decoration (following confessions) All members and friends of the parish are invited!!!

9 Holy Friday Luminaries HOLY FRIDAY LUMINARY BAGS You may order luminaries for the Epitaphios Service by returning this form or by picking up an order form at the Candle Stand on Palm Sunday, April 5 th. The deadline is Palm Sunday, April 5 th. Candlelit bags honoring our deceased loved ones will signify their presence as we process with the Body of Christ. On each bag will be listed the name(s) of your loved ones who have fallen asleep and from whom the luminary is offered. The names that are offered will be commemorated silently before the Epitaphion during the Friday evening service. The cost is $5 per name (thus $10 for a couple). I would like to donate the following luminary bags: Total number of names at $5 each = $ Donated by:

10 Pascha Celebration Dilboy/Maniatis AHEPA Chapter 129 Presents... AGAPE Easter Sunday Picnic April 12 th / 2 P.M. / Right Here $10/Adults $6/Kids under 10 (Kids under 3 free) Price includes your choice of a lamb or ham dinner, drinks and dessert included. Easter Lily Donations Donations ($10/Lily) will be offered in the following formats: For the health of In Honor of In Memory of Contact Information Priest s priest@assumption.ky.goarch.org Parish Council President s president@assumption.ky.goarch.org Office Administrator's office@assumption.ky.goarch.org Church Website: Church Phone: (502) Office Hour: 9:00am-1:00pm Monday, Tuesday and Thursday

11 Philoptochos Thanks to everyone who donated to St. Baldrick s Foundation. Philoptochos matched the donations and donated $675 in Andrew Taylor s name. Thanks to the community for continuing to donate individual food items for our Chenoweth Backpack program. Please continue until the end of the school year. The bin is located in the back of the church. Philoptochos members are asked to donate a dozen red eggs for the Paschal service. Dye packets are available in the hall on the book case. Please pay $1.50 per packet. (Proceeds are going back to the church.) Packets state that they will color 6 eggs. Father has asked that we not use RIT dye as it is poisonous! Thank you! On May 17 th after Divine Liturgy, we will hold our election meeting. All members are asked to come and vote for the 7 member Board of Directors. After this board is affirmed, the members will meet to decide on officers for the next two years. Please let Alice know if you are willing to serve on the board. While the results are being tallied we will discuss our summer outing to Smith-Berry Winery. Make plans to attend.

12 Philoptochos Thanks to the ladies who made 100 dozen baklava and 45 dozen kourambiethes. (Dana, Alice, Nancy, Kristen, Katherine, Angela, Pres. Doreece, Madelon and Lori) A special thanks to Evanthia who organized it all and Melina who transported it all back to church and grounded the nuts ahead of time for us. A special shout out to Alena and Lia who are not even Philoptochos members, but they were there helping. One last special thanks to Nan Parish and Peggy Grimes, friends of Alice who come and bake whenever they can with us! Thanks too, to everyone who ordered pastries from Philoptochos. The bake sale is our predominant fundraiser that allows us to fund so many great charities. Palm Sunday Luncheon Don t miss the Palm Sunday Luncheon following the Divine Liturgy on April 5 th There will be fish, green beans and rice, bread, salad and drinks. $10/Adults $5/Kids under 12 (Kids 2 and under are free) Sponsored by the Philoptochos

13 St. Mark the Evangelist Mark the Apostle and Evangelist Commemorated April 25 Mark was an idolater from Cyrene of Pentapolis, which is near Libya. Having come to the Faith of Christ through the Apostle Peter, he followed him to Rome. While there, at the prompting of Peter himself and at the request of the Christians living there, he wrote his Gospel in Greek, and it is second in order after Matthew's. Afterwards, travelling to Egypt, he preached the Gospel there and was the first to establish the Church in Alexandria. The idolaters, unable to bear his preaching, seized him, bound him with ropes, and dragged him through the streets until he, cut to pieces on rocks, gave up his soul. It is said that he completed his life in martyrdom about the year 68. He is depicted in holy icons with a lion next to him, one of the living creatures mentioned by Ezekiel (1:10), and a symbol of Christ's royal office, as Saint Irenaeus of Lyons writes. If April 25 falls on or before Great and Holy Pascha, the Feast of St. Mark is translated to Bright Tuesday. Apolytikion O Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark, intercede to our merciful God, that He may grant our souls forgiveness of sins. Kontakion When thou hadst received the Spirit's grace from Heaven's heights, thou rentest apart the webs of the philosophers; and on catching all of the nations in thy net, O all-lauded Mark, thou didst offer them to thy Lord, by preaching the Gospel of divine renown.

14 St. James the Son of Zebedee James the Apostle & Brother of St. John the Theologian April 30 James was one of the Twelve, like his brother John (Sept. 26), whom the Lord called "Sons of Thunder," because they became great preachers and because of their profound theology. It was the Saint's boldness in preaching the Gospel that Herod Agrippa, the son of Aristobulus and grandson of Herod the Great, could not endure, and so he took him into custody during the days of the Passover, and slew him with the sword (Acts 12: 1-2); and thus he drank the cup of which the Saviour had spoken to him prophetically (Matt. 20:23). As for Herod, the following year he went down to Caesarea, and, as the Acts of the Apostles records: "Upon a set day, Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration" to the elders of Tyre and Sidon; and the flatterers that surrounded him "gave a shout, saying, 'it is the voice of a god, and not of a man.' And immediately an Angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory; and like his grandfather "he was eaten of worms and gave up the spirit" (Acts 12:21-23) Apolytikion O Holy Apostle James, intercede with the merciful God that He grant unto our souls forgiveness of offences. Kontakion The voice of thy God thou heardest when it called to thee, O glorious James; hence, casting off thy father's love, thou together with John thy brother didst run straightway to Christ the Lord, and with him was granted to see the Lord's most divine Transfiguration.

15 Community Announcements Susan Christoff was raised in the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of SS. Constantine & Helen in Merrillville, IN, and is a teacher at the Kentucky Country Day School. Susan and her family have lived in Louisville for about 14 years and have attended St. Michael s. Recently, Susan s children, Eleni (11) and Aiden (10), have become close with a few children of our parish and have decided to come and worship with us. The kid s friendship has led them to our Blessed Assumption!!! We are truly blessed to have you!!! We warmly welcome the Dennis and Chrisoula Peppas and Family to our Assumption Family. Dennis and his son, Sotiri (Terry 22) have already relocated from San Antonio, Texas, and in June will be joined by Chrisoula, their son, Dimitri (18) and daughter, Maria (17). Dennis is currently serving as the Chief of Pediatric Urology for Kosair Hospital. Prior to living in San Antonio for 10 years, the Peppas Family was 25 years in Washington D.C. Welcome! We look forward to meeting the entire family very soon!!! Daniel and Cristina Tone are formally members of St. Michael s Orthodox Church. They have recently moved into a new home that is pretty close to the Assumption. Daniel and Cristina are both faculty in the Mathematics Department of U of L and they come to us with their daughter, Alessia, who just turned 1 year old a few weeks ago. It is truly exciting to have another baby in our community. We pray that you are as excited to be here as we are to have you!!! Do you have news that would be edifying in a Community Announcement, if so, call the Church office or office@assumption.ky.goarch.org.

16 Stewardship Pledges 2015 From God every family in heaven & earth is named. St. John Chrysostom Sam and Thelma Adams Jason and Elyse Allemang Larry and Nancy Anas Chris and Connie Anggelis * Alena Balakos * Mike and Lori Balakos * Areti and Jack Masero-Baldwin Janice Bellville * Mary Bennett Charles and Patricia Blackford Julia Burden Tom and Joanna Caneris * Joanne Caridis Susan Christoff and Louie Falconburg * Gus and Alice Collis * Ricky and Anne Collis Stanley and Maria Collis * Stephanie Cox and John Hile * Dan and Sarah Cupkovic * Emily Digenis and Hunter Sattich George and Helen Digenis David and Jeanne Doukas * Ron and Melanie Fadel Peter and Angelica Fotos Milton and Kelly Galanos * Johanna Geftos Marcus and Nancy Geromes Thomas Gianacakes * Dimitrios and Margie Gregoriades John and Julie Harris Michael and Deborah Harris * Helen Hellen Elizabeth Johnson John Johnson John and Jean Kallis * Steve and Carol Kapsalis Alexis Karageorge and Rick Buono Rhonda Karageorge * Tom Karageorge * Chris and Karla Katakis * Elias and Marianthe Kikareas Chris and Anita Kounnas Nick Kounnas Stephanos and Kristen Kyriacou Phillip and Cheryl Leathers * Ryan and Laura Leathers * Mary Makris Mark and Pamela Mann Penny Masterson * Joanna Mikos Ramsey and Souha Nassar Jennifer Paulk * Georgia Panaretos * Nicholas and Ashley Panaretos Larry and Becky Racevice Demetra Raptis * Cosmin and Dana Schenk * Constantine and Julia Scordalakes * James and Marsha Serdenis Mary Sharish Chuck Schuff * Jim and Christine Simatacolos * Tom Smith George Soteriou Robert Taylor and Linda Shapiro * Daniel and Cristina Tone * Evanthia Speliotis and Peter Vedder * Chris and Lisa Stavens Richard and Suzanne Travis * Themis and Frances Tsaoussis Lou and Jan Tsioropoulos * Penny VonAllmen Madelon Zady William Zhunga * denotes increase in stewardship pledge As of March 30 th, the Parish has received 74 pledge cards for 4%!!! An Orthodox Christian Steward eligible for voting in General Assemblies must be a Baptized or Chrismated Orthodox Christian and have a signed pledge card on file for the current year.

17 Friends of the Metropolis We are truly blessed to have His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas as our Spiritual Father! Let us show our support for the ministries of the Metropolis and for our Spiritual Father by supporting the Friends of the Metropolis Program this month - not waiting until December. Let us be an example to our sister Parishes by having the greatest number of supporters in the next Shepard s Staff (Metropolis Newsletter). God Bless Your Offerings!!! I am pleased to support the work of Metropolitan Nicholas and the Metropolis through the Annual Metropolis Stewardship Friends Program Please send to: Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Detroit, 2560 Crooks Rd, Troy, MI Do donate to the Friends of the Metropolis online, go to: and click here Greek School Greek School Update: Greek School will be closed on April 8 for Spring break. We will resume classes on April 15. Last day of classes will be May 6; we will have a Greek potluck that day during class and everyone is welcome to join us for some Greek food. Thank you!!

18 Spring General Assembly NOTICE OF PARISH ASSEMBLY TO BE HELD APRIL 19, 2015 An assembly of all the stewards* of the parish will occur on Sunday, April 19, following the DIVINE LITURGY. The draft agenda will be as follows: 1. Call to Order / Opening Prayer 2. Determination of Quorum* requirement of parishioners** 3. Adoption of Agenda 4. Election of Assembly Chairperson 5. Election of Secretary 6. Amendment / Approval of Fall 2014 General Assembly Minutes 7. Reports (Priest s, President s, Treasurer s, Auditor s, Treasurer s and Stewardship) 8. Proposal of 2015 Parish Budget 9. Organizational Reports: Philoptochos Society, Sunday School, Greek School, Youth Ministries, Choir (Reports distributed as Assembly) 10. New Business 11. Adjournment / Closing Prayer *Quorum To be legally binding, a quorum must be present before any meeting of the Parish Council or the Parish Assembly. A majority of the Parish Council shall constitute a quorum. The minimum affirmative vote to pass a motion in a meeting of the Parish Council shall be a majority of a quorum. For a Parish Assembly, at least twenty-five percent (25%) of current members in good standing shall constitute a quorum, except in matters pertaining to the purchase, sale or encumbering of Parish Property, which require a quorum of the current members in good standing per Part One, Article VI, Section 5 of the UPR. The minimum affirmative vote to pass a motion in a Parish Assembly shall be two-thirds (2/3) of a quorum. **Parishioners Parish membership is in accordance with the Part One, Article V of the UPR. An eligible Orthodox Christian may become a member in good standing of this parish by: 1) Submitting a signed yearly Stewardship Pledge card reflecting a contribution that is sacrificial in nature, and; 2) Meeting one s financial obligation in a timely fashion, including an initial remittance at the time of initial yearly pledging. To maintain member in good standing status for the purposes of the two annual Parish Assemblies, a parishioner should fulfill at least 25% of their annual Stewardship Pledge prior to the first annual Parish Assembly and at least 75% of their pledge before the second annual Parish Assembly. To maintain member in good status for any Special Parish Assemblies or ecclesiastical services (such as weddings and baptisms), a parishioner will need to have their pledge current as of the annual quarter in which the Assembly or service takes place.

19 Philanthropic Opportunities Are you already Kroger shopper? Your current shopping could be benefitting the Assumption! Kroger Community Rewards makes fund-raising easy...all you have to do is shop at Kroger and swipe your Plus Card! TO USE THE KROGER COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM: Go to krogercommunityrewards.com and register your Kroger Plus Card (if you are already registered, click Sign In instead of Create an Account. ) Sign up for a Kroger Rewards Account by entering zip code, clicking on favorite store, entering your address and creating a password, agreeing to the terms and conditions You will then get a message to check your inbox and click on the link within the body of the . Click on My Account and use your address and password to proceed to the next step. Click on Edit Kroger Community Rewards information and input your Kroger Plus card number. If you use your phone number at the register instead of a card, call , select option 4 to get your Kroger Plus card number. Update or confirm your information. Enter Assumption or our NPO number of and select us from the list and click on confirm. If enrollment is complete, you will see Assumption s name on the right side of your information page. That s it!!! Use your registered Kroger Plus card or phone number at the register and our parish benefits!!! By registering online, coupons can be electronically attached to your Plus Card. Not only do you help the Church, but you save money. Talk to everyone you know about registering to benefit our parish!!!

20 Philanthropic Opportunities Backpack Buddies Because Hunger Doesn t Take the Weekend Off Help feed 10 elementary age kids over the weekend! Make it a habit to bring in an item each week for those children who without help may go hungry. Offerings collected in a container in the back of the church! Please bring foods that are: Non-perishable Shelf-stable Single-serving Nutritious Online Calendar Did you know that the Parish Calendar is available online? Did you know that you could sync it to your Smart Phone? Check it out today - click Calendar at our website: arch.org Take a few minutes and check out what else is available at our site!!!

21 Death as a Gatway Taken from The Prologue from Ochrid (April 30 th ) A devout elder lay on his death bed. His friends gathered around him and mourned him. With that, the elder laughed three times. The monks asked him: "What are you laughing at?" The elder replied: "I laughed the first time, because all of you are afraid of death; the second time, for none of you are prepared for death; the third time, because I am going from labor to rest." Behold, how a righteous man dies! He is not afraid of death. He is prepared for death. He sees, that through death, he passes from the difficult life to eternal rest. When the nature of man imagines itself in its original state in Paradise then, death is unnatural, the same way that sin is unnatural. Death emanated from sin. Repented and cleansed from sin, man does not consider death annihilation, but the gate to life eternal. If, at times, the righteous prayed to God to prolong their earthly life, that was not because of love for this life nor because of the fear of death but solely that they would gain more time for repentance and cleansing from sin in order that they may present themselves before God, more sinless and more pure. Even if they showed fear before death, that was not out of fear of death but the fear of God's judgment. What kind of fear then must the unrepentant sinner have before death? The Prologue from Ochrid contains short accounts of the lives of major saints for each day, as well as homily, something "for consideration", and points to ponder from Old Testament readings. It is a most valuable addition to any Orthodox library. The contents of these volumes are online at or can be purchased in hardback from any good Orthodox bookseller.

22 Icon of the Extreme Humility The icon of the Extreme Humility depicts Christ in the tomb with His head lowered and His eyes shut as though He is merely asleep, even though He has commended His spirit to His Father in Heaven. The icon is entitled Extreme Humility because Christ took the form of and lived as one of the creatures that was formed by His hands. He was placed on death row and was executed by His own creation. Although we know that this was all done for our salvation, His Extreme Humility truly shows the extent of His love for us. Sponsors of THE BEACON Masterson s Catering 1231 Lexington Rd. Louisville, KY ALLEN M. DODD, ESQ doddattorneys.com Captain s Quarters 5700 Captains Quarters Rd Prospect, KY (502) Your ad could be here! FULL COLOR ADS 1.25 x 1.5 Blocks 4 Blocks $250 2 Blocks $150 1 Block $100 Ecclesiastical Year Sept. 1 to Aug. 31 Please contact the Church Office if you are interested in placing an ad and supporting The Beacon