Saint Sophia Cathedral

Saint Sophia Cathedral Greek Orthodox Community God s people, serving God s people Weekly Bulletin Sunday, 9 January 2011 Sunday after Epiphany Very Rev. Father John S. Bakas Rev. Father Bill Tragus

CALENDAR OF THE WEEK Sunday, January 9 th Stewardship Sunday Orthros.......8:00am Studies in Faith.....9:15am Memorials......9:45am Divine Liturgy...... 10:00am Monday, January 10 th Bible Study with Fr. John: Philoptohos Women s Bible Study...10:30am Men s Bible Study..12:30pm Tuesday, January 11 th Adult Evening Bible Study with Fr. John: Bible Studies in the Faith......7:30pm Wednesday, January 12 th Bible Study with Fr. Bill: Dinner @ Papa Christos..6:30pm Bible Study....7:30pm Saturday, January 15 th Hellenic Academy - children.. 9:00am Hellenic Academy adults.. 11:30am Please note: the office will be closed on Monday, January 17 th in observance of the Martin Luther King holiday. Coffee Hour will be held in our Fellowship Tent EPISTLE READER Sebastian Opffer USHERS Niki Korbakis, Maria Pelargos Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral 1324 South Normandie Avenue, Los Angeles, 90006 323.737.2424 www.stsophia.org 2

DAILY VITAMINS FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH 3

MEMORIALS Reverend Timothy Zagorianos, Peter Kokkinides (1 year), George Popoff, Christine Xenopoulou, Anthony Xenopoulou, Jenny Zenos, Stanley Funk, Tulla Palaologos Waldron, Joan Lambros-Shainin, Afrati Patzakis (25 years) ALTAR CANDLES Offered in loving memory of my sister Joan Lambros-Shainin, by her sister Electra Koutsoukos Offered in loving memory of Peter Kokkinides by his wife, children and grand-children Offered in loving memory of my wife and mother, Tulla Palaologos Waldron, by her husband and son ALTAR FLOWERS Offered in loving memory of our mother Afrati Patzakis, by Dr. Michael and Susan Patzakis CHANCEL CANDLES Offered in loving memory of Peter Kokkinides by his wife, children and grand-children PERPETUAL LIGHTS Offered in loving memory of Peter Kokkinides by the Zagorianos family Offered in loving memory of Reverend Timothy Zagorianos by the Zagorianos family Offered in loving memory of Peter Kokkinides by his wife, children and grand-children Offered in loving memory of Christine & Anthony Xenopoulou, Jenny Zenos, by Helen Funk Offered in loving memory of Stanley Funk, by his wife Helen Funk 4

HYMNS OF THE DAY First Tone As You were baptized, in Jordon, O Lord, the worship of the Trinity became manifest. For the voice of the Father gave added witness, naming You His Beloved Son. And the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the certainty of that Word. O Christ, Who revealed Yourself as God, and brought light to the world, glory to You. Kontakion. Fourth Tone Today You appeared to the world, and Your light, O Lord, has left its mark upon us, as in fuller understanding we sing to you: You came, You were made manifest, the Unapproachable Light. May the blessing of the Lord, and His mercy come upon you, thru His divine grace and love, always, now and forever more. Amen 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. 5

Υμνος Τροπαριον του Ναου, Ηχος πλ δ Ευλογητος ει Χριστε ο Θεος ημων, ο πανσοφους του αλιεις αναδειξας, καταπεμψας αυτοις το Πνευμα το Αγιον, και δι αυτων την οικουμενην σαγηνευσας, φιλανθρωπε, δοξα σοι. 6

EPISTLE READING The Reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians 4:7-13 BRETHREN, grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men." (in saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is he who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. GOSPEL READING The Reading is from Matthew 4:12-17 At that time, Jesus heard that John had been arrested, He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth He went and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned." From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 7

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. 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 for reservations. 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. 8

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 9

PHILOPTOHOS NEWS MINISTRY NEWS (continued) 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. 10

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. 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. ******************************************* PLEASE NOTE: Because of the recent heavy rains, our phone lines have been damaged. Total repair will not happen until January 16 th. This situation has caused confusion for many of our parishioners. Until final repairs are completed you can use the following lines to communicate with our office: 323-737-2424 323-737-3982 323-737-2350 If you experience a busy signal, please wait a few minutes and call again. Thank you for your understanding and patience. 11

The Herald Newsletter COMMUNITY NEWS 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. ******************************************* 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. BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY ******************************************* For the creative entrepreneur who has interests in restaurants, café and/or deli type development, there is an excellent large multipurpose space available in the EXTRA STORAGE SPACE building ground floor across the street from our cathedral on Pico and Normandie. Outdoor tables can be put on the new mini plaza corner. The space is available for rent. This opportunity is part of the BID (Business Improvement District) program. Should anyone be interested, please call Ted Pastras, our Cathedral Civic Affairs Chairman, at 323-848-8000 for further information. 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 Milton 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 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, & master-trainer of all the citizens of this newly-formed city. 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. 14

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. DIVINE READING: A MUST, TO GROW IN FAITH One of our New Year s Resolutions should be to grow and mature in our Orthodox Christian Faith and draw nearer to Jesus Christ our Lord. One significant way to do this is focused study and divine reading of books and materials that propel us upward. Obviously the Holy Scriptures are a must read to enhance our overall understanding of the faith. We will be recommending books for you to read and also give to friends who may be interested in the Orthodox Church. Before we bring friends to Christ through the Orthodox Faith, we ourselves must know the Faith. We recommended that you read: THIRSTING FOR GOD: In a Land of Shallow Wells by Matthew Gallatin. In addition you will find SURPRISED BY CHRIST, by Fr. James Bernstein of particular interest since he came to Christ from the Jewish Faith and is now an Orthodox Christian priest. Since our bookstore is on hold for the time being, the books are available through AMAZON.COM. Read and Grow!! 15

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