Saint Sophia Cathedral

Saint Sophia Cathedral Greek Orthodox Community God s people, serving God s people Weekly Bulletin Sunday, 2 January 2011 Sunday before Epiphany Very Rev. Father John S. Bakas Rev. Father Bill Tragus

CALENDAR OF THE WEEK Sunday, January 2 nd Orthros.......8:00am Studies in Faith.....9:15am Memorials......9:45am Divine Liturgy...... 10:00am No Sunday School classes today Monday, January 3 rd CLASS CANCELLED UNTIL 1/10/11 Bible Study with Fr. John: Philoptohos Women s Bible Study... Men s Bible Study.. Tuesday, January 4 th CLASS CANCELLED UNTIL 1/11/11 Adult Evening Bible Study with Fr. John: Bible Studies in the Faith...... Wednesday, January 5 th Eve of Epiphany Orthros......8:30am Divine Liturgy...... 9:30am Bible Study with Fr. Bill: CLASS CANCELLED UNTIL 1/12/11 Dinner @ Papa Christos.. Bible Study.... Thursday, January 6 th Holy Epiphany Orthros......8:30am Divine Liturgy...... 9:30am Friday, January 7 th Saint John the Baptist Orthros......8:30am Divine Liturgy...... 9:30am Saturday, January 8 th Hellenic Academy - children.. 9:00am Hellenic Academy adults.. 11:30am Coffee Hour will be held in our Fellowship Tent Join us for Vasilopita EPISTLE READER Vickie Deryiades USHERS Alexandra Georgiou, Christina Georgiou, Rosemary Georgiou 2

DAILY VITAMINS FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH 3

MEMORIALS Irini Popoff, Penelope Faklis, Maria Faklis, Kosta Koumbanios, Evdoxia Koumbanios, Mihalis Koumbanios, Irini Koumbanios, Basilis Fovos, Maria Fovos, Giannis Fovos, George Fovos, Mary Panos, Anastasios Panos, Stefanos Constant, Christine Alexakis, Helen Nicholas, Giannis Nicholas, Helen Sergios, Bessie Borninos (9 months), Stella Kontos, Jerry Dres, John Chilas, Nickolas Chilas, Jeff Ranchire, Penny Boukides, Theophanis Sirus, Anthoula Kalkias, Father Stefan, Father Paisie, Sireaev Family, Pavel Family, Daniel Teofil, Marius, Maria, Antoanette, Nicolae, Rodica, Constantin, Virginia, Dumitru, Ion, Alexandrina, Gus & Jean Apostolos, Keith Strong, Diane B. Morphos, Panos P. Morphos, William D. Belroy, Jeanette Wilcox ALTAR CANDLES Offered in loving memory of Sireaev and Pavel Families, Father Stefan and Father Paisie, Daniel Teofil, Marius, Maria, Antoanette, Nicolae, Rodica, Constantin, Virginia, Dumitru, Ion, Alexandrina by the Siraef Family Offered in loving memory of Diane B. Morphos, Panos P. Morphos, William D. Belroy, Jeanette Wilcox by Paul Morphos & Janet Wilcox CHANCEL CANDLES Offered in loving memory of Daniel Teofil, Marius, Maria, Antoanette, Nicolae, Rodica, Constantin by the Siraef Family Offered in loving memory of Diane B. Morphos, Panos P. Morphos, William D. Belroy, Jeanette Wilcox by Paul Morphos & Janet Wilcox SANCTUARY CANDLES Offered in loving memory of Diane B. Morphos, Panos P. Morphos, William D. Belroy, Jeanette Wilcox by Paul Morphos & Janet Wilcox PERPETUAL LIGHTS Offered in loving memory of Penelope and Maria Faklis by the Zagonane Family Offered in loving memory of Bessie Bornino by the Fovos Family Offered in loving memory of the Fovos and Koubanios Families by the Zoi Fovos Family 4

HYMNS OF THE DAY The Resurrection Apolytikion, Mode Barys By death on Thy cross Thou defeated death and opened to the thief the way to paradise, Thou turned to joy the lament of the women bearing myrrh and commanded the disciples the message to proclaim, that Christ our God has risen from the dead, and granted to the world Thy great mercy. Isodikon Come let us worship falling down before Christ. Save us O Son of God who didst arise from the dead sing we to Thee Alleluia. Preparation Apolytikion Prepare Zebulon and make ready Nefthalim and stand still Jordan to receive with joy the master coming to be baptized. Be delighted Adam with the first mother Eve; do not hide yourselves as you did in paradise for having seen you naked He appeared to clothe you with the first raiment, Christ has appeared to renew all creation. Troparion of Saint Sophia (Holy Wisdom) Blessed are You O Christ our God, Who as all wise the fishermen You showed forth; By sending your Holy Spirit down upon them and through them the universe You drew unto your net. O lover of mankind Glory to You. Preparation Kondakion Today in the waters of the Jordan the Lord has come crying unto John, Do not be afraid to baptize me, for I have come to save Adam the first created man. 5

EPISTLE READING The Reading is from St. Paul's Second Letter to Timothy 4:5-8 TIMOTHY, my son, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. GOSPEL READING The Reading is from Mark 1:1-8 The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, 'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight" John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair, and had a leather girdle around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." 6

MINISTRY NEWS PHILANTHROPIA MINISTRY NEWS CANNED GOODS AND USED CLOTHING: Please hold your clothing donations and canned goods for a week or two. We are in the process of looking for two adequate receptacles to accept your gifts. Please be patient...we will let you know as soon as we find them. Thank you for your patience. CONFESSIONS: During the Christmas advent season, Father Peter will be available for confessions. Please call the church office and leave a message for Father and he will return your call. A BLESSED NEW YEAR: I join the PHILANTHROPIA team to wish you all a Blessed New Year with your families and loved ones. God Bless you! Father Peter ******************************************* PHILOPTOHOS VIP NEWS PRIZES AND SURPRISES Thursday, January 27, 2011 It s that time of the year when we play our favorite game. Please come and join us at 11:00 AM in the Fellowship Tent for a light lunch. Donation is $10. Following lunch, you can enjoy an afternoon of prizes and surprises with your friends. Reservations are required. Please call Stella Morris, chairman: 818-783-4055 or Kiki Pappas: (310) 472-6591. Everyone is welcome. Seven Day Mexican Riviera Princess Cruise Please join the VIP s of Philoptohos on a beautiful and fun-loving 7- day Princess Cruise sailing roundtrip, departing from San Pedro on March 19, 2011. We will be visiting Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. The following prices apply, PER PERSON, based on double occupancy and include port taxes and government fees: Inside Cabin $750.52, Ocean View $800.52, Ocean View with balcony $950.52, Mini-Suite with balcony $1150.52. To make a deposit and reserve your space, please call Catherine Erwin: 818-783-4811. 7

GREEK FOLK DANCE NEWS MINISTRY NEWS (continued) Saturday, January 22, 2011 14 th ANNUAL G L E N D I An Evening for Friends and Families HOSTED BY the St. Sophia Greek Folk Dance Program Saint Steven's Serbian Orthodox Cathedral 1621 West Garvey Avenue, Alhambra, CA With Performances by Kyklonakia, Sinefakia, Keravnos, Kymata, & Fourtouna, and live Greek music Mezedes: 5:30 PM Dinner: 6:30 PM Adults $ 50.00 12 & under $ 20 Dancers $ 20 Please RSVP by Thursday, January 20, 2011 Barbara Kappos: (626) 358-7536 st.sophia.folkdance@gmail.com Don t forget to place your tribute pages in our ad book this year ******************************************* The Hellenic Society of Constantinople will celebrate their 44th Annual Vasilopita Dinner Dance on January 8, 2011 at the Wilshire Country Club, 301 No. Rossmore Ave., Los Angeles The evening will include music, dancing and the traditional cutting of Vasilopita with the gold coin, plus a 9-day trip for two to Germany. We'll be honoring Billy Zane, the actor who played in the movie the Titanic and who is of Greek descent.. Cocktails at 6:00 pm and Dinner at 7:00 pm For more information, please call Mary Morrison at (818)500-0904 of Jeanette Owens Benedatos at (323)660-5707 8

MINISTRY NEWS (continued) PHILOPTOHOS NEWS GENERAL ASSEMBLY: Our first General Assembly meeting of the new year is set for Sunday, January 23rd after church. We hope everyone will join us, plan to become a MEMBER of Philoptohos and get involved! PHILOPTOHOS OUTREACH: Philoptohos has been helping a very large number of people since January. Many people in our own community are struggling through the economic downturn and with personal issues. We have been helping those who are close to losing their homes, their apartments and their jobs. Meanwhile, families are struggling to put food on the table and buy clothes and school supplies, for their children. Additionally, Philoptohos continues to help those with medical bills, funeral expenses for the poor and still support our own church. The costs are tremendous every month. We feel that many people in our community would like to help those in need, even though they may not be in Philoptohos. Therefore, we are giving you the opportunity to help others. We give families grocery cards, store cards for clothing and gasoline debit cards to help people get to the jobs they have. If you would like to donate toward the purchase of one or more cards, please mail your donation to the church office, with PHILOPTOHOS OUTREACH on the memo line. Please include how many cards of $20 each, you would like us to purchase. We would be very grateful. If you prefer to purchase/donate the gift cards yourself, below is a list of stores with whom we are currently working: FOOD: RALPHS/FOOD 4 LESS, VON S, ALBERTSONS & TRADER JOES CLOTHING: TARGET, WAL-MART, K-MART PHARMACIES: CVS, WALGREENS GASOLINE STATIONS: ANY COMPANY A minimum donation of $20 would help people more than you can imagine. You may remain anonymous if you prefer. This is strictly voluntary on your behalf. Philoptohos also keeps track of many elderly people who are alone and need a helping hand at this time of the year. Your donation could bring real happiness to someone right now. 9

MINISTRY NEWS (continued) PHILOPTOHOS NEWS (continued) Please send your monetary or gift card donation to the cathedral, attention: Philoptohos. Our deepest appreciation for any donation you can give. Our sincere thank you to Virginia Noyes for organizing the gift card donations that were given out to the families in need. There is no meeting in the month of December so that everyone may enjoy the holidays. Happy New Year to all! With love, Dina Oldknow and the Philoptohos Board of Directors ******************************************* SAINT SOPHIA CHOIR NEWS Join the Saint Sophia Cathedral Choir Do you find yourself singing liturgical music out loud for no reason? In the car? In the shower? Do you listen to the choir on Sundays and say to yourself This year I d like to be a part of that wonderful group? Or teens do you sing in your high school choir? If you answered yes to any of those questions, it may be time for you to come and join the St. Sophia Choir. Don t wait for January to make that New Year s resolution! You don t read Greek? The first Sunday of each month is an all-english Liturgy and there is phonetics to help on the other Sundays each month. We are looking for 5 new members! Please contact director Jim Kollias: e-mail jhkollias@gmail.com, call or text 714-337-7352. ******************************************* THANK YOU TIMI FRESHMAN & COMMITTEE Our Cash for Christmas event was again successful this year. Thank you to all who purchased tickets and sold them as well. Special thanks go to Timi Loomos Freshman and her committee for the work they did in making the program a success. Every one of us is a laborer in the Vineyard of the Lord working to support the Holy ministry of Saint Sophia Cathedral. May God bless all. 10

MINISTRY NEWS (continued) The Joy of Belonging through Christian Stewardship During this joyful Christmas Season, we are reminded of our blessings, and how truly thankful we are to you and your families for supporting the work of our Church. It is your Christian Stewardship that provides the foundation for our thirty ministries and enables our Church to continue enhancing our spiritual and cultural growth. Stewardship is an opportunity to examine our priorities and values and to express our thankfulness. Please consider this friendly reminder during this season of joy and good will, by reviewing your 2010 stewardship commitment: If you have fulfilled your commitment, we are deeply grateful for your devotion. If you have not fulfilled your commitment or have not yet made a commitment, we ask you to please do so by the end of December, thanking you in advance for your consideration. Pay online at stsophia.org/stewardship, or contact our office office@stsophia.org or 323 737 2424. May the Joy of Christmas inspire you to invest your love in our community of faith and experience the Joy of Belonging! Stewardship Sunday is January 9 th!! 11

COMMUNITY NEWS NEW COFFEE HOUR LOCATION.. While we are in construction, our coffee hours will be located in our new Fellowship Tent. As you exit church through the Narthex, please exit left, towards 15 th street. ******************************************* The Herald Newsletter To All Stewards If your anniversary/birthday is not already listed in our monthly Herald newsletter and you wish for it to be listed in the appropriate issue for your month, please e-mail your information to: Stephanie Caiopoulos Lubian (secretary@stsophia.org). Thank you. ******************************************* Caring Funeral Services In time of need, we suggest you call Terri Harmon from Caring Funeral Services. He is the owner of many funeral homes and can accommodate us from any location. He has taken time to know our Greek Orthodox traditions and has become a supporter of the Cathedral by sponsoring the yearly calendar, putting an ad in the Festival book and the monthly Herald. He keeps his prices affordable for families, is easy to work with and very respectful. ******************************************* Prosphoro We are in need of Prosphoro. We thank all those who take time to bake Prosphoro and bring it to the Cathedral. If anyone would like to have a recipe, please see Jimmy Karatsikis at the Cathedral. ******************************************* Church Parking Lot As you all have noticed, the parking lot is covered with plywood to protect it. It is okay to park on the plywood, but the contractor requests that, for safety reasons, our parishioners use the center walkway instead of walking on the plywood. Therefore we kindly ask all parishioners who park on the plywood to use the Faith in Stone Walkway and NOT walk on the plywood. We appreciate your understanding and patience during this period of transition into our temporary facilities, and during construction. Thank You.. Saint Sophia Foundation 12

HAPPY NEW YEAR Cash for Christmas 2010 A TRIBUTE TO ANGELO PAPPAS WHO CHAIRED OUR RAFFLE FOR 30 YEARS Grand Prize Winner John Fovos $25,000 2 nd Prize Winner Joyce Kokkinides $10,000 3 rd Prize Winner Kathy and Chris Julias $5,000 4 th Prize Winner Aphie Akopiantz $1,000 5 th Prize Winner Mia Makris $1,000 6 th Prize Winner Lannie Julias $1,000 7 th Prize Winner John Stamatiades $1,000 8 th Prize Winner Victor s Market Co. $1,000 9 th Prize Winner Sophia Whiddon $1,000 10 th Prize Winner Kathy and Chris Julias $1,000 11 th Prize Winner Mary and Andy Gallanis $1,000 12 th Prize Winner Mariana Papdopoulos $500 13 th Prize Winner Maria and Ted Maniatakos $500 14 th Prize Winner Milt Pappas $500 15 th Prize Winner Demetrios Zaferis $500 The Cash for Christmas Committee thanks all of you for your very kind support for our Cathedral. Timi Loomos Freshman-Chairperson Harry Vournas, Panos Angels, Nick Bissias, Tina Callas, Chris Daglas, John Dalis, Jim Demetriou, Tony Demetriou, Irene Frankos, Andy Gallanis, Alek Haidos, Chris Julias, Jim Karatsiskis, Joyce Kokkinides, Gig Kyriacou, Ilca Moskos, Bill Papalexis, Ann Pappas, Susan Patzakis, Chris Pelonis, George Preonas, Harry Siafaris, John Stamatiades, Parish Council, Father John Bakas and Leonard Hart 13

Saints of the Month January 7 th Saint John the Baptist and Forerunner is known as the most sacred Forerunner, since he ministered at the Mystery of the Divine Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ. Little is written about this prophet. About the beginning of our Lord's thirtieth year, John the Forerunner, who was some six months older than Our Saviour according to the flesh, and had lived in the wilderness since his childhood, received a command from God and came into the parts of the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance unto the remission of sins. Then our Saviour also came from Galilee to the Jordan, and sought and received baptism though He was the Master and John was but a servant. And from that time forward, Christ took the forefront and John remained a prophet in the background. He would be a Prophet of the Most High and Forerunner of Jesus Christ. And the child John, who was filled with grace, grew and waxed strong in the Spirit; and he was in the wilderness until the day of his showing to Israel (Luke 1:57-80). His name is a variation of Hebrew "Johanan," which means "Yahweh is gracious." January 17 th Saint Anthony, the Father of monks, was born in Egypt in 251 of pious parents who departed this life while he was yet young. On hearing the words of the Gospel: "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell what thou hast, and give to the poor" (Matt. 19:21), he immediately put it into action. Distributing to the poor all he had, and fleeing from all the turmoil of the world, he departed to the desert. The manifold temptations he endured continually for the span of twenty years are incredible. His ascetic struggles by day and by night, whereby he mortified the uprisings of the passions and attained to the height of dispassion, surpass the bounds of nature; and the report of his deeds of virtue drew such a multitude to follow him that the desert was transformed into a city, while he became, so to speak, the governor, lawgiver, and master-trainer of all the citizens of this newly-formed city. 14

The cities of the world also enjoyed the fruit of his virtue. When the Christians were being persecuted and put to death under Maximinus in 312, he hastened to their aid and consolation. When the Church was troubled by the Arians, he went with zeal to Alexandria in 335 and struggled against them in behalf of Orthodoxy. During this time, by the grace of his words, he also turned many unbelievers to Christ. Saint Anthony began his ascetic life outside his village of Coma in Upper Egypt, studying the ways of the ascetics and holy men there, and perfecting himself in the virtues of each until he surpassed them all. Desiring to increase his labors, he departed into the desert, and finding an abandoned fortress in the mountain, he made his dwelling in it, training himself in extreme fasting, unceasing prayer, and fierce conflicts with the demons. Here he remained, as mentioned above, about twenty years. Saint Athanasius the Great, who knew him personally and wrote his life, says that he came forth from that fortress "initiated in the mysteries and filled with the Spirit of God." Afterwards, because of the press of the faithful, who deprived him of his solitude, he was enlightened by God to journey with certain Bedouins, until he came to a mountain in the desert near the Red Sea, where he passed the remaining part of his life. Saint Athanasius says of him that "his countenance had a great and wonderful grace. This gift also he had from the Saviour. For if he were present in a great company of monks, and any one who did not know him previously wished to see him, immediately coming forward he passed by the rest, and hurried to Anthony, as though attracted by his appearance. Yet neither in height nor breadth was he conspicuous above others, but in the serenity of his manner and the purity of his soul." So Passing his life, and becoming an example of virtue and a rule for monastics, he reposed on January 17 in the year 356, having lived altogether some 105 years. 15

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