Saint Sophia Axiologa worth mentioning DECEMBER 18, 2016 Sunday before Nativity
- FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES EXECUTIVE OFFICERS George E. Preonas, President; Dr. James A. Demetriou, Vice President & C.F.O.; Constantine M. Boukidis, Secretary; Tina Callas, Treasurer MEMBERS V. Rev. Fr. John S. Bakas, Timi Loomos Freshman, Alek Haidos, Steve Hanna, Gig Kyriacou, Diane Sakellaris Lapa, Tony Natsis, Brent Noyes, John Peterson, Jean-Paul Wardy, Jim Zaferis PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTMENTS Andrew J. Demetriou, Foundation General Counsel John G. Marakas III, Sr. Advisor to the Board ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT Anthony Demetriou TRUSTEES EMERITUS Andrew Evangelatos, Nicholas Bissias and John T. Pappas PARISH COUNCIL BOARD OF DIRECTORS EXECUTIVE OFFICERS Brent A. Noyes, President; Dean Peratsakis, Vice President; Jeanine Hanna, Treasurer; Karen Sarames, Recording Secretary; Dinah Wellington, Corresponding Secretary MEMBERS Bertha Angels; Maria Baltazzi; Jonas Metin; Costa Bargeliotes; Peter Cosfol; Mauro Metini; George Rizkalla; William Bill Striglos; Anna Yallourakis; Paris Yatskar; Chris Stavaridis BOARD OF AUDITORS: Jim Ananias; Anthony A. Demetriou; Tom Moore Saint Sophia Cathedral 1324 S. Normandie Ave Los Angeles, CA 90006 Office: 323.737.2424 Fax: 323.737.7029 www.stsophia.org/bulletin e When you write your will or update it, won t you please remember Saint Sophia Cathedral? Such a gift will live forever as our church ministers to our spiritual needs. It s an investment in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
MINISTRY NEWS 1. Today: Christmas Bake Sale 2. Today: Matthew Tragus Fundraiser Luncheon 3. Today: Parish Council Elections 4. Tuesday, Dec 20: Prayer of the Heart Workshop 5. Saturday Dec 24: Christmas Eve Vesperal Liturgy 6. Sunday, Dec 25: St. Sophia Annual Christmas Celebration LIFE IN FAITH STUDIES Fr. John S. Bakas Increase your knowledge about our faith at our weekly Bible study class. You ll have a chance to ask Fr. John questions and engage in interesting discussions with your fellow parishioners in a casual setting. Don t miss this wonderful opportunity to grow in your faith. Classes meet in the General Assembly Room. Co-Ed Bible Studies class is every Tuesday at 11 am. DONATIONS ARE NEEDED We are in need for donations of the Commandaria wine. The wine may be purchased across the street at Papa Christos or through the internet. The tradition in the church is for parishioners to bring the wine and make the offering bread...the Prosforo. Thank you. Donations are being accepted for gracing our church with Christmas Poinsettias. Please indicate on your personal check Christmas flowers. Donations being accepted for the IKONA "THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD." If you need any additional information please see Jimmy in the Narthex.or call 213-369-8963. 2
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PRAYER OF THE HEART MEDITATION WORKSHOPS Please join Parish Council Member and Meditation Teacher, Maria Baltazzi, as she leads group sessions on an inward journey, using the Prayer of the Heart to discover how contemplative prayer meditation can benefit us and the world around us. The Prayer of the Heart is based on the Jesus Prayer. Each week will begin with a short discussion on spirituality followed by a guided meditation. The meditation workshops are held every two weeks. Next session: Dec 20 (extra session this month) After the New Year: Jan 3, 17, 31 Maria Maniatakos, Pavilion Room, Huffington Center of Saint Sophia Cathedral Next Session s Topic: Having A Joyful, Stress-free Holiday Time: 7pm 8pm Cost: Community Gift 5
Recap Dec 13 Session: Cultivating True Inner Peace Guidelines First. Make cultivating Inner Peace a choice. Second. Make cultivating Inner Peace a daily, hopefully, moment-to -moment choice. Third. Stay connected to God through daily Meditation and Prayer. Fourth. Watch your thoughts especially the negative ones, reframe them to be productive. Fifth. Guard your thoughts especially the negative ones, both internal (i.e., self-criticism) and external (i.e., media, people). Sixth. Be grateful for everything big and small, the good and seemingly not so good -- all exist for a reason, at the very least, it s meant to help you grow spiritually. Seven. Everyday sit in silent observation, just be. Even for a brief moment, release any sort of doing. Eight. Let go of how things should be, including being right. Have faith that things are as they should be. Remember, there s your plan, then there s God s plan. Quote Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 4:6-7 Questions or discussion topic suggestions can be sent to happy@pixhappiness.com. 6
Prayer of the Heart Meditation Workshops Half Day Retreat Saturday, January 14th Setting Intentions for 2017: Heart vs Ego You are invited to join Parish Council Member and Meditation Teacher, Maria Baltazzi on a very special inward journey. Start the year with good intentions, ones that come from heart instead of the ego. Through a series of writing exercises and quiet contemplation, Maria will guide you in setting spiritually meaningful goals for the coming year. Your time together will also include an extended Prayer of the Heart Mediation session. Maria Maniatakos, Pavilion Room, Huffington Center of Saint Sophia Cathedral Time: 10:30am - 2:30pm Cost: Community Gift Questions can be sent to happy@pixhappiness.com. 7
The Hellenic Society of Constantinople cordially invites you and your friends to the 50th Annual Vasilopita Dinner Dance is on Saturday February 4, 2017 at St.Sophia Cathedral, Maniatakos Hall Cocktails 5:30pm - Dinner 6:30pm Donation $125 per person - Students $75 per person Vasilopita Prize: "A Gold Coin" Honoring Mr. Ted Maniatakos, Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Proceeds to benefit Philanthropic Institutions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Black Tie Optional RSVP by January 30th, 2017 For further information or to RSVP, please call Mary Morrison (818)500-0904 or Jeanetter Benetatos (323)660-5707 To be assured of a reservation, please send your check in advance to: HSOC - P.O.Box 4739 - Glendale, CA 91222 8
Saint Sophia Annual Christmas Celebration December 25, 2016 following the Christmas Liturgy In the Maniatakos Pavilion of the Huffington Center Complimentary champagne will be served by Jim Demetriou Christmas Celebration Buffet by Nikos Begakis Cost: Free will donation to the John Bakas Endowment Fund 9
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PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS THANK YOU to all the ladies who donated the wonderful cookies for our beautiful Christmas Concert on Sunday, December 4 th. Your generosity is much appreciated! POINTSETTIAS FOR THE INFIRMED OR HOME BOUND. We will have poinsettias at church on Sunday, December 18th for these members. Our Philoptochos chapter would like to remember these members by making occasional visits throughout the year, when we are invited to do so. Please contact us with names of these persons. ANGEL TREE - The Angel Tree will be located in the ballroom during Coffee Hour. Please stop by and pick out a tag to donate to one of the needy families we are sponsoring for Christmas. For questions, please see Christina Peratsakis. DEBUTANTE BALL Sunday, January 15, 2017 Please support our major biennial fundraiser to be held at the beautiful Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel. For Reservations: Cynthia Spears (818) 476-7992 MOTHER OF THE YEAR 2017 - We are accepting applications for Mother of the Year at this time. We will make our selection by February 1st, so please note. Applications will be provided in the church office and on Sundays during Coffee Hour at our Philoptochos table. The Mother s Day Luncheon will be Saturday, May 13, 2017. (See application included in this newsletter) 11
PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS Please note: VASILOPITA CELEBRATION Sunday, January 8 th in the Maniatakos Ballroom after Holy Liturgy. GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING January 22nd PHILOPTOCHOS BOARD ELECTIONS Sunday, May 21 st In order to be eligible to run for the board one must be a member in good standing with the Philoptochos chapter and the church. Also, one must have attended at least 4 meetings during the year. There will be a general meeting each month in 2017 from January - April, so please attend our meetings, especially if you are interested in being on our Board of Directors. May your Christmas Holidays be blessed with much joy and thanksgiving! 12
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CHRIS STAVARIDIS I was born in Woburn, Massachusetts to parents who had immigrated from Greece. Shortly after my birth in 1942, I was baptized at the Annunciation of Mary Church, also located in Woburn. As a child, I attended Greek School and was an altar boy for about seven years. And, I continued participating in the church until I moved to California in 1983. I have a BS degree in Industrial Technology and a BS and MBA in Finance. For the past 45 years I have worked developing and producing various new missile and aircraft hardware for the U.S. Government. I retired from the industry in 2014. I have been attending Saint Sophia for over the past twenty years. During this time I have regularly attended Divine Liturgy services, participated as a docent and have been an associate member of the Parish Council for the past year. I believe that my education, work experience and being a member of the Greek Orthodox Church provides a strong basis for my contribution to the Parish Council. 15
ANNA YALLOURAKIS I have been serving on the St. Sophia Cathedral Parish Council Board for the past three years and I am honored to serve again. My integral interest is the instruction of Orthodoxy and its relevancy to our youth, their parents, and parishioners. Thank you so much for this opportunity. BERTHA ANGELS I am an active member of the Saint Sophia Community. I have served on the Parish Council at Saint Sophia for the last five years. I enjoy my service and time I give to our community. Prior to being involved with the Parish Council I have been very active with our Greek dance groups and have made many Greek costumes and continue to make costumes for Greek dance groups. I have also been a costume judge for the past several years for the Folk Dance Festival. I continue to give service to our community. The reason I would like to continue to serve is that I feel I still have a lot to offer our Saint Sophia community. 16
ANGELA ANANIAS - Member of St. Sophia Cathedral since 1974 - Family history member of church from Annunciation (St. Julian street) - Member of Philoptohos ministry for 25 years - Docent for 10 years and currently director/coordinator of docents - Member of V.I.P. Philoptohos board - St. Sophia L.A. Greek Fest volunteer - Coordinator of feeding homeless teens monthly ministry of Philoptohos in association with Children s Hospital, Los Angeles, Teen Clinic - Retired from Children s Hospital, Los Angeles as Research Scientist. Working on research budget with physicians and pharmaceutical companies My business and religious knowledge will be an excellent contribution to the Parish Council 17
GLENN LIANOS I have been a member and steward of St Sophia Cathedral for nearly 30 years now. I met my wife Antonia here and our 3 children Julian, Kyra and Max were all baptized here at St Sophia. I have been active at church as a member of the Parish Council, Stewardship Committee, Greek Dance, Greek School, Greek Fest, & Easter Picnic. My wife was a Sunday School teacher for over 10 years and my boys have served the altar since they were 6 years old. My daughter serves in the narthex and has been a hostess for the Mother's Day Luncheon & Deb Ball. Our family loves being part of the St Sophia family. Professionally I have been a retail executive for over 30 years. I have spent the last 18 years with Macy's working my way through the ranks from Sales Manager to Regional Merchandise Specialist to my current position as a Vice President/Store Manager. In my current assignment I oversee 20 executives and 300 associates. I am responsible for coordinating floor plans, product placement, inventory control, HR, service, sales goals and delivering a profitable P & L sheet. I have been very blessed by our Lord and would like to continue to worship here at St Sophia and give back to this amazing cathedral. I would like to also continue my work with the Youth so that we can foster their desire to grow in our Faith. 18
PARIS ANASTASI YATSKAR REASON FOR SEEKING ELECTION As a committed instrumental member of Saint Sophia Parish Council, I want to continue serving alongside individuals who share the same aspirations, and offer myself to help our church and Parish Council to fulfill its mission and vision. My 2017 year objective goals as a leader are to maintain the outstanding public image and pristine reputation of Saint Sophia, and achieve greater success and higher accomplishments for our high profile cathedral. I m particularly inspired to be part of an institution that shares the same belief system, values, ethics, and community involvement. I feel I have a good understanding of the requirements and commitment entailed; I m confident it will be challenging yet rewarding. I am committed to working with a high level of discipline, determination, and a passion. I m looking forward to continuing to be an integral part of Saint Sophia power family. PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL INFORMATION I have worked as a licensed financial professional and a paralegal in the Financial and Legal sectors for the past 16 years. 19 CONTINUED
I began my career joining a successful export firm in Beverly Hills as a legal department manager and PR director, then worked my way up, ever since. Much of my success stems from the leadership I developed in the companies I worked/work for. I learned business management, client acquisition, public relations and marketing hands-on. My dedication and leadership have earned me several awards and degrees, including MassMutual Rising Leaders, MassMutual Top 50 financial professionals, PsyD in Psychology with honors and UCLA Paralegal Certificate with Distinction. Presently, I m working as a financial officer & Legal Department Manager in the Beverly Hills general office of AEROFLOT RUSSIAN AIRLINES. I also serve within the community as an active volunteer with the US Coast Guard Auxiliary Recreational Boating Safety Program. SKILLS AND TALENTS I m Fluent in speaking, reading, and writing Russian and French. I consider myself professional, bright, energetic, proactive, diplomatic, driven, equipped with strong work ethics, and polished with a can do team attitude. I offer outstanding commitment and hard work. Having resided in Russia, Switzerland and the United States of America, I have interacted with various levels and functions of governments and businesses, managed several companies and demonstrated cultural sensitivity to all. I have a strong background in dealing with diverse ethnicities, and an enormous ability to work with discretion while handling confidential and sensitive information. My fundraising work is extensive, from dealing with diverse philanthropic organizations to tapping into my vast pool of contacts, to managing special projects applying creative input and demonstrating resourcefulness. My extensive work experience managing the financial and the legal departments of various successful companies further bolsters my qualifications. 20
Mauro L Metini was born in Mardin, Turkey, a small village near a 1500 old-year Christian Monastery. He is of Babylonian/Assyrian heritage, dating back to Biblical King Nebuchadnezzar, which he is extremely proud of. His mother tongue is Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke over 2000 years ago as portrayed in " The Passion of the Christ.' Mauro is the second eldest of five children. His mother was a homemaker and his father a construction worker who would spend months at a time away from home in order to find work. At the age of 10, Mauro's family moved to Sweden, where he spent his adolescent years. It was in Sweden that he was first introduced to American cowboy movies and the bodybuilding world as depicted in Pumping Iron which sparked his love and dream to come and live in America (to become both a cowboy and bodybuilder). At age 17, just prior to finishing high school, he left home to pursue his "American" dream while traversing the globe along the way. In all, Mauro circled the globe twice and visited over 25 countries, working odd jobs along the way, before arriving in Los Angeles. He was 20 years old and had only a few hundred dollars in his pocket. Speaking little English, and knowing no one, Mauro lived at first in an old Dodge for 3 months. Working his way up slowly and faithfully Mauro became a personal fitness trainer, a body guard and ended up becoming a Real Estate broker in his quest to always help and serve people. For the last 12 years he has successfully assisted people in real estate and is one of the top sales agents in his office. Only by the grace of God I am where I am today says Mauro. Having served on the Parish Council for the past two years he s grateful and thankful for the opportunity to serve another three year term. Mauro believes that there is no higher calling than to serve God and His people. 21
HUFFINGTON CENTER BLACK AND WHITE NEW YEARS PARTY This event has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. We apologize for any inconvenience caused. If you have any questions please call the office. 22
The Mission of Saint Sophia Cathedral 1. Proclaim and teach the Gospel according to the Orthodox Christian Faith 2. Sanctify and enhance the spiritual life of the faithful through Orthodox Christian worship. 3. Receive persons into the Church through instruction, baptism and/or chrismation. 9:00am Orthros 10:00am Liturgy 23