SAINT ATHANASIUS THE GREAT GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

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SAINT ATHANASIUS THE GREAT GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH Metropolis of Boston March 2014 ORTHODOX STEWARSHIP PROGRAM 4 Appleton Street, Arlington, MA 02474 A Rich Man is not one who has much but one who

These wealthy scholars and priests of the East endured danger and traveled a great distance to offer their treasures to Christ.

We thank you for past support of Saint Athanasius as we know there are many worthy causes for your donations.

This year, with the support of our members, we hope to initiate ministry programs in the areas of Youth, Seniors, and Outreach, to those we know that are home bound and sick, as well as those in our

1 SAINT ATHANASIUS THE GREAT GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH Metropolis of Boston March 2014 ORTHODOX STEWARSHIP PROGRAM 4 Appleton Street, Arlington, MA A Rich Man is not one who has much but one who gives much. For what he gives away remains his forever. St. John Chrysostom Dear Parishioner Wise Men offered gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Christ Child. These wealthy scholars and priests of the East endured danger and traveled a great distance to offer their treasures to Christ. What a beautiful and meaningful example of stewardship they set for us, helping us to understand the blessing of properly using and sharing God s gifts. We thank you for past support of Saint Athanasius as we know there are many worthy causes for your donations. In this our 50 th year ( ), we hope to make another leap forward to grow our ministries for another 50 years. This year, with the support of our members, we hope to initiate ministry programs in the areas of Youth, Seniors, and Outreach, to those we know that are home bound and sick, as well as those in our community who are in need. We invite you to please fill out Stewardship card on the back of this letter and return it with your information We ask you to please to participate and share your financial blessings this year as a pledge or donation. In the following months, we will initiate our plan to visit/meet with all of our parishioners to share the current vision of our parish leadership and seek your participation in realizing this vision. Just like the five loaves and two fish that fed the 5,000, we too offer what we can and what we have however great or small our gift. When we do this prayerfully and with humility, God will take our gifts and multiply them in order to feed His people. Please take the time to make your offering today and enable our Church to continue to enhance the spiritual growth of all the Orthodox Christians entrusted to our care. You donation in this our 50 th year, ( ), will be respected and put to good use. Whatever you can do to help us meet challenge, this will be appreciated and cherished. May our Lord richly bless you in every way! We offer you our personal thanks for your love, support, and dedication to our Parish in the work of salvation. Me agape and gratitude, Rev. Fr. Nicholas Kastanas A. Paul Tsitsopoulos Theodore A. Speros Parish Council President Stewardship Fr. Nicholas M. Kastanas Parish Priest Parish Office: Fax: Fr. Nick Voic stathanasiusgoc@gmail.com web: Fr. Nick frnmk@aol.com

2 2014 SAINT ATHANASIUS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH CONFIDENTIAL FAMILY INFORMATION FORM [Type a quote from the document or Please the summary complete of and return interesting this form point. to You the Church can position Office the text box anywhere in the document. Use the Drawing Tools tab to change 4 Appleton the formatting Street Arlington, of the pull MA quote text box.] Name: Address : City: State Zip Home Telephone: I would like bulletin via mail via Member Spouse Children / Age Name: Mobile Tel: E mail: Occupation: Work Tel: / / / / / SAINT ATHANASIUS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH CONFIDENTIAL FAMILY INFORMATION FORM Please complete and return this form to the Church Office Please check those items in which you or a member of your family has some expertise or interest. Place name or initials of the specific family member after each item checked. Bible Study Youth Work Real Estate Management Teaching Sunday School Medical/Nurse Greek School/Little Halos Church Choir Art/Design Services Visitation of Elderly/Infirm Soup Kitchen Youth Ministry Scouting Finance New parents Computer software Legal Ushering / Welcome Web Design Mechanical / Plumbing Reader (in liturgy) Computer Hardware/Systems Electrical Architecture Outreach to Community Evangelism Festival Publishing/Marketing Construction Other Gardening Office Work STEWARDSHIP PLEDGE / DONATION Family Name We would like to pledge $ Monthly We would like to pledge $ Semi Annually We would like to pledge $ Yearly Please accept our donation of $ enclosed for support the efforts of St Athanasius in its 50 th year. You can also pledge at

ANNOUNCEMENTS 2014 Past Presidents Luncheon Time, Talents and Treasures Greetings from the Church Ministries, as we are off to a great start for 2014.

11 ANNOUNCEMENTS 2014 Past Presidents Luncheon Time, Talents and Treasures Greetings from the Church Ministries, as we are off to a great start for As VP of Ministries my core focus will be to enhance and enrich our growing ministries. I encourage you to step up and champion a ministry that interests you. Currently we are seeking volunteers to lead our technology ministry, an area where the Church needs your ideas and expertise to improve our IT infrastructure. Ministry of the Month: Respectfully, Plowing Ministry. We are grateful to Mr. Arthur Gillis from Regal Management, for his hard work and dedication during this very busy and demanding snow season. Thank you! John S. Ioakimidis VP of Ministries

50th Anniversary Commemorative Album As we prepare to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of our parish church, Saint Athanasius the Great, in 2014, a commemorative album is being created.

12 50th Anniversary Commemorative Album As we prepare to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of our parish church, Saint Athanasius the Great, in 2014, a commemorative album is being created. Photos of families and various ministry activities will be featured, along with the history of our community. You can reserve your space in the album using the form in this bulletin or online at Please contact George Makredes, with any questions Thankfully and Gratefully, George Makredes, Album Committee Chairperson Geo.Makredes@comcast.net Phone: (781) IOCC Calling all undergrads, recent graduates, and advance degree students who are interested in careers in international relief and development! Apply Now For 2014 IOCC Internship Program Application Deadline Extended to March 10! The program provides a unique opportunity to gain firsthand exposure to the operations of an Orthodox Christian international humanitarian and development organization. Summer internships are available in the US and Greece (must be fluent in Greek). For detailed information and to download an application, please visit YOUTH MINISTRIES UPDATES Sunday Catechetical School All the Christmas singing about Let it snow! came true in January and especially February this year. However, despite the cold and the snow we all enjoyed some very special days during this winter, including the Godparents Godchildren celebration on Sunday, February 9th. It s traditional that for this event the children write personalized notes to their godparents, but this year thanks to the internet we were able to also receive messages from godparents to their godchildren. After the heartwarming candlelight prayer service in Church, godparents and godchildren shared messages, hugs, and cake in front of the 20 ft long board where messages and pictures were displayed. We thank all of the families for their participation to this memories creating event, as well as to the Catechetical Sunday School teachers (Mary, George, Loula, Val, Tina) who provided flowers, balloons, supplies and setup help for this event. We finally thank the Nick Alex family for donating the cake we all enjoyed for this event. The annual teaching Divine Liturgy is currently scheduled for Sunday, March 30th. This is a unique opportunity for everyone including teachers, students and parents to experience the Divine Liturgy in a unique way that helps us understand better this most important

13 celebration of Orthodox Liturgical life. As always, we would like to thank Fr. Nick for this great teaching opportunity he offers every year. Preparation for the annual St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival has started and students in the 4th 12th grades should have received s with information and instructions. This year s Parish Festival will take place on Saturday, March 22nd in our parish auditorium. The District Festival is scheduled on April 5th, with our parish hosting the event. Introduced in 1983, the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival provides Greek Orthodox youth the opportunity to write and speak about their faith. Please, encourage your child to participate in this spiritually rewarding and educational activity. We thank our 2nd grade teacher Mrs. Tina Pavlakis Bowling for her exemplary leadership in coordinating this event and extend our thanks to all the teachers, parents and students that will practice, contribute and participate! On March 3rd we ll also embark on our forty day Lenten journey with destination Holy Week and the glorious celebration of Pascha/Easter. In the Catechetical Sunday School, and hopefully at home, as teachers, parents and students alike we will learn and practice the spirit of the Lenten season and enjoy the spiritual views of our Lenten journey. Each of the five Sundays in Lent will bring us a new opportunity to celebrate, learn and follow the life of the Saints as we proclaim our faith, have quiet time with God, carry our Cross, struggle to grow in goodness and repent from our sins. The next staff meeting is scheduled for Sunday March 9th, immediately after the end of classes. And let us not forget that with the calendar turned to March, we are looking forward to the first day of Spring on March 20th! Greek Afternoon School This is the time of the year when our students are practicing for the March 25 th celebration that concludes with the Boston Parade on Sunday, April 6 th Children dressed in the traditional Greek costumes commemorate this Greek Ethnic Holiday. Many times, students are in need of such costumes and so we are asking families who have such traditional apparel that their children have outgrown to kindly donate them. Your generosity will be greatly appreciated. Please contact the church office at if you have costumes to donate!!! Our classes meet once weekly Monday Thursday afternoons: Kindergarten on Mondays 4:00 6:00pm, 1st and 4th grades on Tuesdays 4:00 6:30pm, 2nd and 5th grades on Wednesdays 4:00 6:30pm, and 3rd and 6th grades on Thursdays 4:00 6:30pm. If you need any further information about our school, program or any of our events, please contact Kaiti Galanopoulos, Principal, at

Little Halos The month of February began with our students attending the Liturgy for the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple on February 2nd.

February was also dental health month. The children talked about their teeth and mouth.

The books that we read were: The Cat in the Hat, One fish two fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Hop on Pop, The Lorax, The Foot Book, Green Eggs and Ham, I Can Add Upside Down, Fox in Socks and Happy Birthday

14 Little Halos The month of February began with our students attending the Liturgy for the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple on February 2nd. Curriculum themes for February included Groundhog Day activities and exploration of the concept of shadows, as well as Valentine s Day and related crafts and activities. February was also dental health month. The children talked about their teeth and mouth. Our studies for the month of February were concluded with the custom of Αποκριές and the Greek carnival that takes place before the lent period. The books that we read were: The Cat in the Hat, One fish two fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Hop on Pop, The Lorax, The Foot Book, Green Eggs and Ham, I Can Add Upside Down, Fox in Socks and Happy Birthday To You. On Thursday, January 30th, 2014 Little Halos hosted a well attended parent/teacher workshop on Second Language Acquisition and Cultural Identity. Dr. Anastasia Galanopoulos, presented the latest research on this topic. *(PARENTING with PERSPECTIVE info@parentingwithperspective.com, anastasia.galanopoulos@gmail.com ) Little Halos Preschool is offering New flexible schedule options are offered for the :30am 12:00noon 12noon 3:pm and 8:30am 3:00pm **Registration for school year has now begun and an Open House is scheduled for, March 19, 20, & 21, 2014 at 10:00 11:00am. For more information and registration materials, call the school at or

JOY JOY is off to a midyear start as a group effort. Lisa Paganis, who worked extremely hard organizing and running all JOY events for the past few years, is moving on to work with GOYA.

15 JOY JOY is off to a midyear start as a group effort. Lisa Paganis, who worked extremely hard organizing and running all JOY events for the past few years, is moving on to work with GOYA. The current team is Loula Boretos, Argyro Tsiaras, Olga Patoucheas and Jane Awad. We thank Lisa for all her hard work and dedication. Please be on the lookout for flyers announcing our fun March event. ADULT MINISTRY UPDATES Philoptochos St. Barbara s Philoptochos welcomes everyone back after a winter break. We will be back on track with our monthly General Assembly meetings to prepare for a busy spring season with many events and visits. Please consider joining us and see what we do! Please see our SAVE THE DATE below to plan. I look forward to sharing time and fellowship with my fellow Philoptochos sisters. Housewarming Baskets for Homeless Veteran s Thank you for all your donations for this project! The Metropolis of Boston Philoptochos will be preparing our church s contribution and deliver to the Bedford VA. This picture displays what items will make up a basket for veterans who are starting fresh and will begin living on their own. This basket will contain a collection of basic necessities for their new home. Our Philoptochos welcomes donations/gift cards to purchase these items, or they can be purchased on your own. Veteran s display in the church hall explains a detailed list of what is needed. This is an on going project, and we continue to welcome donations for the May collection. Please contact Kathy VanKuilenburg at k.vankuilenburg@comcast.net or Stella Kazantzas at in the church office. There are many events coming up SAVE THESE DATES Friday Saturday, March Philoptochos Retreat in Contoocook, NH at the Retreat Center SPACE IS LIMITED and on a FIRST COME FIRST SERVED basis. The Lenten Retreat for Woman will be March Sisters, Mothers, Aunts, Daughters, and of course, Friends are welcome. This retreat will be at the St. Methodios Retreat House, in Contoocook, NH. Suggested Donation is $50/person, which includes 1 night lodging, 3

16 meals, and Retreat program. Please complete and mail the registration form in this bulletin. Sunday, March 16 We will be serving coffee to the residents at the Hellenic Nursing Home, please meet after church to car pool Everyone is invited Plan Ahead: Next General Assembly Thursday, April 10, 2014, 7:00 p.m. Thursday, April 3 Philoxenia House visit (Efhelion Service), 5:00 p.m. We will continue to provide a Pot Luck Lenten meal to share with the guests, 4:00 at church to carpool Everyone invited Parish wide Event Sunday, April 6 Greek Independence Day Parade 1:00 p.m. If you know of anyone who is ill, in a nursing home, or just can t get out and around, please reach Philoptochos or the church office so that we are aware. If you have questions about Philoptochos or any events, please feel free to call Kathy VanKuilenburg at (978) or by at, k.vankuilenburg@comcast.net Homeless and Needy Our Homeless and Needy ministry supports a number of people by sharing food certificates from local supermarkets. Please consider donating a gift certificate in order to help others Pine Street Inn We would like to thank everyone who has been involved in our St. Athanasius the Great Parish's effort to provide meals at the Pine Street Inn over the last 24 years. We are inviting all who have volunteered throughout that time for a group photo to be included in the Church s 50th Anniversary Album. Please join us in the Church's kitchen on Friday March 14th at 6:15 pm. Please bring your friends and family members who have participated. Thank you for your commitment to our church and especially those whom we serve! We continue our long tradition of preparing and serving a meal to the 100 women guests at the Pine Street Inn on a monthly basis. Whether you are looking to make this a monthly commitment or would like to make a onetime visit we encourage you to join us. Please call Randy Fassas for more information. If you are interested in getting involved please call the church office for more information, We would love to have you!! All bulletin submissions for the bulletin must be sent to cchamallas@gmail.com by the 15 th of the preceding month. It is the responsibility of each ministry to submit their announcements; we encourage everyone to be represented each month!

of Nutrition, Simmons College, Boston Women's Health and Nutrition How can the Traditional Greek Diet Keep us Healthy Come enjoy the grounds of the lovely retreat center,

19 Metropolis of Boston Philoptochos Fourth Annual Lenten Retreat for Women Sisters, Mothers, Aunts, Daughters and of course Friends! Friday, March 14 Saturday, March 15, 2014 St. Methodios Retreat House Contoocook, NH Elizabeth Metallinos Katsaras PhD RD, Dept. of Nutrition, Simmons College, Boston Women's Health and Nutrition How can the Traditional Greek Diet Keep us Healthy Come enjoy the grounds of the lovely retreat center, experience the retreat, share a meal and make some new friends Please Join Us!! Suggested Donation $50 Includes: One night lodging in the Retreat House, Three meals, and Retreat program Arrive Friday Afternoon between 4 & 6 p.m. Depart Saturday Afternoon

20 Metropolis of Boston Philoptochos Retreat REGISTRATION FORM NAME: ADDRESS: CITY, STATE, ZIP: PHONE: E MAIL: PARISH: Rooms are double occupancy and first come first serve basis. Singles are available depending on attendance numbers. Would you like a Roommate? Name of Roommate (If you would like a roommate but do not have a name we can assign someone): Do you need a room on the first level? (There is an elevator to 2 nd floor) Would you be willing to give a ride to other attendees from a mutually agreeable meeting place? Would you be interested in a bus that would leave from a central location (i.e. Weston Church?) at an additional cost? Recommended Donation: $50 per person Please make check payable to: Metropolis of Boston Philoptochos Return Forms to: Diane Stamatopulos 3 Pond Street Peabody, MA Any questions you can reach Diane at Or d.stam@comcast.net REGISTERATION DEADLINE: March 5, 2013 Directions are available on the website:

21 ANASTASIA (ANN) AND GEORGE C. DIMITRAKIS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP The Anastasia (Ann) and George C. Dimitrakis Memorial Scholarship was established in 2008 at the St. Athanasius the Great Greek Orthodox Church with a generous gift of $100,000 by the late Ann Dimitrakis, in loving memory of her spouse, George C. Dimitrakis. George and Ann Dimitrakis have long been faithful stewards and communicants at the St. Athanasius Church. The first scholarships were awarded in June St. Athanasius the Great Greek Orthodox Church has established the Scholarship Awards Committee for the purpose of administering this scholarship. The Awards Committee, in its discretion, will award a scholarship(s) to that high school graduating senior(s) who achieve(s) exemplary rankings according to criteria established by the Awards Committee. The amount of the award(s) will be based on the scholarship fund s return on investment, as determined by September 1 st of each year, and as distributed by the Trustees of the Scholarship Fund. Please visit the parish website at ( for all application materials and application instructions. Application information is only available online. Eligible applicants must meet all of the following requirements: (1) be in their senior year of high school; (2) complete in full all application forms (typed) and provide all requested information; (3) family must be stewards of St. Athanasius the Great Greek Orthodox Church for three successive years (if one year has been missed, applicant s family has the opportunity to become current for that year); (4) must have been accepted to a fulltime course of study at an accredited 4-year college or university. Applications will not be reviewed if each of the aforementioned requirements has not been met. Applications are available on-line ( and must be submitted in full by Friday, May 16, Only complete typed application packages will be reviewed by the Awards Committee; it is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all materials have been mailed to the Awards Committee. Please mail complete application packages to the Anastasia (Ann) and George S. Dimitrakis Memorial Scholarship, c/o St. Athanasius the Great Greek Orthodox Church, 4 Appleton St., Arlington, MA The awarding of the scholarship(s) will take place on a Sunday, June 15, The disbursement will take place after October 17, 2014, and only after the student(s) has provided to the Awards Committee an official confirmation of enrollment from the Registrar s Office of the university/college. Awards Committee Dennis P. George, Jr. Dr. Elizabeth Prodromou Kyrou Emmanuel V. Meimaris, Esq. Dr. Valerie Relias Dorothy Zevitas M.Ed. Rev. Nicholas M. Kastanas (ex officio)

28 It s All About Who You Know! We re looking to reach out to former parishioners now residing outside of our ministry area, and hope you can help in that effort. Some of these people may be old friends and acquaintances, either from the neighborhood, or from your Sunday School, GOYA, Greek School, JOY, YAL, Altar Servers, Choir, Philoptochos or Parish Council days. All parishioners, past and present, have participated one way or another, towards our parish s progress. As such, we d like to learn of their whereabouts and doings so as to make them aware of the many special events being planned for this year s 50 th Anniversary Celebration of Saint Athanasius Church. Please take the time to think about someone you know who has moved far off, or not so far off, and let us know. Send any or regular mailing address information to Nick Ypsilantis at nypsilantis@accufile.com Time is of the essence, and so, we look forward to hearing back from you! nypsilantis@accufile.com, Thank you! The 50 th Anniversary Committee St. Athanasius The Great Greek Orthodox Church Four Appleton Street Arlington, MA (781)

Join The Celebration Dear Parishioners and Friends, If you re planning on having your family s photo in the upcoming 50 th Anniversary Album, we urge you to make an appointment today with

29 Join The Celebration Dear Parishioners and Friends, If you re planning on having your family s photo in the upcoming 50 th Anniversary Album, we urge you to make an appointment today with professional and renowned photographer, Areti Bratsis. Areti has made room in her schedule to be available at the church on 1.) Saturday, March 15 th from 10:00 am until 1:00 pm, and on 2.) Sunday, March 16 th from 1:00 pm until 4:00 pm It is recommended that you call her soon at (508) to arrange your preferred sitting time. Areti has graciously offered her services at a special rate for our parish. The fee for a sitting session is only $59.00 Some of her work can be viewed at her website: You are welcome to call Stella at the church office with any questions at (781) , or your questions to SKazantzas@hotmail.com $ George Makredes, Album Chair Fr. Nicholas M. Kastanas

FOOD FOR THOUGHT We are not here merely to make a living. We are here to enrich the world with a finer spirit of hope and achievement and we impoverish ourselves if we forget the errand.

36 FOOD FOR THOUGHT We are not here merely to make a living. We are here to enrich the world with a finer spirit of hope and achievement and we impoverish ourselves if we forget the errand. ~ Woodrow Wilson Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can. ~ John Wesley That best portion of a good man's life; His little, nameless, unremembered acts Of kindness and of love. ~ William Wordsworth "Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it onto future generations." ~ George Bernard Shaw Volume A will Twenty Five, finds a way. Number Orison Seven, Swett March Marden 2014

Youth Ministry Team. Bulletin

Youth Ministry Team. Bulletin Issue No. 3-2011 Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church 457 Oak Street Brockton, MA 02301 (508) 559-0910 and (508) 559-0911 Reverend Presbyter Anthony Evangelatos Youth Ministry Team Bulletin 2011-2012 THIS