THE ORTHODOX DOCTRINE OF EVIL

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1 Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation Volume 41 Issue 4 Rev. Fr. Paul A. Kaplanis, Dean (frpaulk@atlgoc.org) Rev. Fr. Christos P. Mars, Presbyter (frchristos@atlgoc.org) Elias Lampropoulos, Pastoral Assistant (Elias@atlgoc.org) 2500 Clairmont Road N.E. Atlanta, GA Phone (404) Fax (404) office@atlgoc.org August 2014 THE ORTHODOX DOCTRINE OF EVIL Over the centuries, there have been many periods where the existence of evil or the devil has been in question. In some instances, the antithesis is also true, as we have witnessed the imagination and the intrigue of evil in the entertainment industry. In 1973 the movie, The Exorcist, was released, a film based on an exorcism performed on a young boy in Maryland by a Jesuit Catholic priest in This film does not portray the Orthodox experience in ministering to those who may be possessed or heavily influenced by evil. In this article, we will examine the Orthodox Christian understanding of evil based on scripture, the Holy Fathers of the Church and the prayerful experience of the Church. It is important for us to understand that God did not create evil or the devil. He did create all the invisible and visible beings. The invisible ones include the nine ranks of the angels, which all have specific responsibilities and traits. The chief among the angels was Lucifer. He was blessed by God to be the leader of the angelic powers. In very simple terms, he wanted more, he wanted to be God and the consequences of his tremendous ego and pride led him to oppose God. He, therefore, became the first among the fallen angelic powers and he drew with him other angels/demons who became his followers. The scriptural account of Lucifer s fall is described in two key Old Testament chapters Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14. In the New Testament, a few references to Satan s fall can be found in the Gospel of St. Luke 10:17-20 and in Revelation 12:7-12. St. Paul also makes the existence of evil abundantly clear in Ephesians, 6:10-18, saying, Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Even though many have tried to rationalize away the devil and his demons, He does exist. In the secular world, it is not uncommon for mental health specialists to embrace the presence of evil in some of their patients. In the book entitled, People of the Lie, the author, Dr. M. Scott Peck, a Harvard graduate and psychiatrist, offers a great work on examining evil through the auspices of psychiatry and religion. In his chapter on possession and exorcism, he admits how skeptical he was regarding the existence of a devil and demons. Most purported cases he evaluated for possible possession turned out to be standard psychiatric disorders until his ultimate experience in specific cases where he witnessed as he says, the real thing, a person who was genuinely possessed by Satan. He also witnessed a successful exorcism and he remarked, I now know Satan is real. I have met it. In order to understand the Orthodox view and practice of exorcism, one must know the Orthodox presuppositions of evil and its doctrine of Satan. A good place to begin is to define the terms Satan and Devil. The Hebrew word, Satan means adversary. The Greek words for devil, Diavolos or Satanas, means a slanderer, a destroyer, something that purposely tries to oppose or divide. In the Orthodox Church, patristic evidence points to the fact that the cause of evil in the world is the devil. Satan is a fallen angel and is not evil by nature, but by will and action. In Satan, there is no truth whatsoever; he is absolute falsehood and deception. Satan is not just a negation or deprivation of good, but a positive force with free will that always chooses evil. St. Augustine declared, Satan is the opposite of God. He is hate. While God is love. 1 Continues on page 2

2 The devil has the ability to recognize divine power, as is evident in the account of the Lord being tempted by him in the desert, where he recognizes Christ as the Son of God. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" Then the devil took him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, 'He will give his angels charge of you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'" Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan! for it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'" Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him (Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-3). Satan has under his leadership legions and invisible powers, with their own "satanic teachings." The devil and evil spirits know that God exists and recognize true and devoted Christians, but pious Christians discern the plans of the devil. Evil only becomes effective when we entertain it. The devil, however, constantly employs every method of deception to enslave man to satanic forces and causes rebellion against God. He is the cause of corruption and disorder, a parasitic power in the world that will ultimately be destroyed by the power of God in the "last days." Because there is no compromise between God and the devil, the struggle will continue until the end. The Orthodox doctrine of God is that He is eternal, uncreated and that His nature or essence cannot be fully known to us. We know and experience God through His energies. We see the results of God working in our lives. All other creatures, both visible and invisible, were created by God as free. The power of the devil will ultimately be destroyed by the resurrection of the dead and the renewal of creation. Salvation from all evil will be attained by obedience to God and His plan. This world is a battleground between the acceptance of good and evil. It must be pointed out that the world as the 2 creation of God is not evil. Everything God created is good. What is evil is the satanic power, destroyed by the power of the cross and the resurrection of Christ. THE ORTHODOX TRADITION OF EXORCISING THE PRESENCE OF EVIL After examining the doctrine of Satan in the Orthodox Church, it is imperative to proceed to the method of repelling and exorcising the evil powers. In the New Testament, Christ sent out His apostles to heal and to "cast out devils" (Matt. 10:8, Luke 10:17-20). The power, which Christ exercised over demons He passed on to the Church. And having called His twelve disciples together, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of diseases, and all manner of infirmities. (Mark 10:1) Christ Himself often expels demons from the possessed (Mark 1:23-27; Luke 4:33-35, 9:43; Matt. 10:1; Mark 16:17; Matt. 7:22). There are many examples and here are few: The first example is the healing of the dumb demoniac. And when they were gone out, behold they brought Him a dumb demoniac. And when the demon had been cast out, the dumb man spoke, and the multitudes marveled saying: Never was anything like this seen in Israel. But the Pharisees said: He casts out demons by the prince of demons... [And Jesus said:] And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? (Matt. 9:32-34; 12:27) Another interesting example Is the healing of the epileptic boy. The modern diagnosis would be that the symptoms the boy had point to an epileptic seizure. In any case, Jesus heals the boy by rebuking the unclean spirit. Continues on page 3

3 Master, I have brought my son to you, having a dumb spirit, and wherever it seizes him, it dashes him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth, and he becomes rigid... [And Jesus said:] Bring him unto me Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him; and never enter him again. And after crying out, and convulsing him terribly, it came out. Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up and he arose His disciples asked him why they could not cast out the demon and Jesus told them, This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting Mark 9:17 ff.). There are many other instances of possession recounted in the New Testament to the effect that molestation by the enemy is manifest in various disturbances of the human body itself, the devil having gained control over sight, hearing, speech, or the physical organism in general. In the Gospel of Mark 5:1ff, we read, about the Gerasene Demoniac, They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when he had come out of the boat, there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who lived among the tombs; and no one could bind him any more, even with a chain; for he had often been bound with fetters and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the fetters he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out, and bruising himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped him; and crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me." And they came to Jesus, and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the man who had had the legion; and they were afraid. The power, which Christ exercised over demons, He passed on to the Church. In the New Testament, when others, who did not believe in Christ, and who thought they had special powers to drive out evil, tried to exorcise demons in His Name, not only did they fail, but the evil spirit overpowered them and they became possessed. We read about this in the Book of Acts, chapter 19:13ff. The evil spirit even mocked the imposters and said, Jesus I know, Paul I know; but who are you? Therefore, up to the present time, in the name of Christ, one is able to cast out demons and to destroy the evil powers (Matt. 10:8). The Fathers of the Church accepted this doctrine and expanded on it. St. Justin the Martyr, Chr istian Apologist of the 2 nd Century, (Apology 85, 1) says that in the name of Christ, the Son of God who was crucified and rose again, every demon that is exorcised is defeated and submits. The satanic powers are destroyed through the power of the cross 3 and the name of Christ. Objects possessed by demons, when exorcised in the name of the living God, are freed from the possession of evil. The patristic evidence is abundant in the early centuries of the Church in the belief in possession and expulsion of the devil by the power of the word of God. The demonic possession of individuals and even of objects, has been accepted by the Orthodox Church today in the Sacrament of Baptism, in exorcising satanic powers in the case of the evil eye (vaskania), and in exorcising the devil in the case of a possessed person. In the early Church exorcisms were performed by a person especially trained and appointed to pray to drive out evil from those about to be baptized. Since the fourth century the place of the exorcist, as well as other functions and ministries, have been taken over by the priest. The exorcisms are prayers that invoke God to expel evil spirits. The priest prays to expel all evil, the spirit of error, of idolatry, of covetousness, of Iying and every impure act that arises from the teachings of the devil. The renunciation of the devil is a standard element in every baptism that is performed in the Orthodox Church. The service begins with three Exorcism prayers that ask God to remove any possible influence of the devil on the person being baptized, not only for the present time, but also for the future. The Lord rebukes you, O devil, He that came into the world and made His dwelling among men, that He might cast down your tyranny, and deliver men; He that upon the Tree triumphed over the opposing powers, when the sun was darkened, and the earth was shaken, and the tombs were opened, and the bodies of the Saints arose; He that by death destroyed Death, and overcame him that held the might of death, that is, even you, O devil. I adjure you by the Living God, Who has shown forth the Tree of Life, and posted the Cherubim, and the flaming sword that turns about to guard this: be rebuked, and depart, for I forbid you, through Him that walks on the waves of the sea as upon the dry land, Who forbade the storm of the winds, Whose glance dries up the deep, and Whose threats melts mountains; for it is He Himself that now forbids you through us.

4 Be afraid, and depart, and absent yourself from this creature, and come not back, neither hide yourself in him (her), nor encounter him (her), nor influence him (her) either by night or by day, nor in the morning or at noon; but go to your own Tartarus, until the appointed day of Judgment. Fear God Who sits on the throne of the Cherubim, and looks upon the depths, before Whom tremble Angels, Archangels, Thrones, Principalities, Authorities, Powers, the many-eyed Cherubim, and the six-winged Seraphim; Whom Heaven and earth fear, the sea, and all that live therein. Come forth, and depart from the sealed and newly-enlisted soldier of Christ our God; for I adjure you by Him that rides upon the wings of the winds, Who makes His Angels spirits and His Ministers a flame of fire. Come forth, and from this creature which He fashioned, depart with all your power and might; for glorified is the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. In our case the Godparent(s), who speak on behalf of the child being baptized, renounce the devil and accept Christ. The priests posing the first of several questions three times to the Godparent(s) saying, Do you renounce Satan, and all his works, and all his worship, and all his angels, and all his pride? The Godparent(s) responds, I do! Following the renunciation of the devil, the Godparents then declare their allegiance to Christ, which includes reciting the Creed of the Church. VASKANIA Another form of evil influence and presence comes originates in one of the seven deadly sins, envy. The Church composed a special prayer for this phenomenon known as Vaskania, the evil eye. Vaskania is simply a phenomenon that was accepted by primitive people as fact. They believed that certain people have such powerful feelings of jealousy and envy, that when they looked on some beautiful object or individual it brought destruction. Vaskania is recognized by the Church as the jealousy and envy of some people for things they do not possess, such as beauty, youth, courage or any other blessing. The Church essentially rejected Vaskania as contradicting the concept of divine providence. The prayers of the Church to avert the evil eye are, however, a silent recognition of this phenomenon as a morbid feeling of envy. The Church forbids people to go to "readers" or other individuals for use of magical rituals to overcome the evil eye. These readers take advantage of the weakness of superstitious people and destroy them spiritually and financially by playing upon their 4 imagination. There is also a secret rite performed by superstitious people to avert the evil eye, which verges on magic. Though the Church encourages even the laity to pray and exorcise evil, it rejects magical practices and rites. This secret rite is described as follows: "The exorcist (not a priest but an old woman) prepares a vial of olive oil and a small glass of water. She dips a finger in the oil, rubs it in a sign of the Cross on the victim's forehead and lets one drop fall onto the water; she repeats the process, making a cross on the forehead, on the chin and both cheeks. If the devil is indeed present, the four drops of oil in the water join to form the ellipsoid shape of an eye. The ritual then calls for the reading of prayers and repeating the four signs of the Cross; the drops of oil will not join in the water, but will disperse." Unfortunately, over the years, many Orthodox Faithful has been carried away with this superstitious practice. St. Basil makes this clear in this excerpt from his homily on envy. "Some people reckon that envious persons inflict harm merely through their eyes...with some destructive current, as it were, flowing from their eyes, causing damage and decay. For my part, I reject this explanation as crude and as old wives' tales; I maintain that whenever the demons, who hate what is good, find intentions congenial to themselves, they twist these for their own ends, so far as to make the eyes of envious people subservient to the will". (St. Basil the Great, Homily XI, On Envy). Although, superstition is not acceptable, prayer for healing and relief of evil influence is always acceptable. The possession of individuals by the devil and demonic powers and the cure in the name of Christ is evidenced in the New Testament (Acts 3:2-8, 9:32-42; 20:7-12; Matt. 10:8; Mark 16:17-18). The Church continues in its liturgical rites what Christ enacted in His ministry. The Church recognizes the influence of evil and renounces it in the name of Christ in prayers and fasting. The prayers of exorcism in the early Church were offered by special ministry through the exorcist. This is evidenced from the early prayers that have survived. From the fourth century onwards, the ministry of the exorcist has been fulfilled by the priest. ORTHODOX PRAYERS OF EXORCISM All the Orthodox prayer books include prayers of exorcism used by priests to fight the power of evil. The Orthodox Book of Prayers (Euchologion To Mega) includes three prayers of exorcism by Saint Basil and four by Saint John Chrysostom. They are read, "for those who suffer from demonic possessions and

5 every other malady." Thr ough these pr ayer s, the devil is exorcised (renounced) "in the name of God Almighty and the Lord Jesus Christ, and commanded to come out of the victim, who is liberated and redeemed by the eternal God from the energies (powers) of the impure spirits. The great ills that humanity suffers are attributed to the devil and demonic power." Two examples of Exorcism Prayers of the two Holy Fathers mentioned above are as follows: First Prayer of Exorcism EXORCISMS OR PRAYERS OF DELIVERANCE St. John Chrysostom O Eternal God, Who has redeemed the race of men from the captivity of the devil, deliver Your servant (handmaid) N. from all the workings of unclean spirits. Command the evil and impure spirits and demons to depart from the soul and body of N. your servant (handmaid) and not to remain nor hide in him (her). Let them be banished from this the creation of Your hands in Your own holy name and that of Your only begotten Son and of Your life-creating Spirit, so that, after being cleansed from all demonic influence, he (she) may live holy, godly, justly and righteously and may be counted worthy to receive the Holy Mysteries of Your only-begotten Son and our God with Whom You are blessed and glorified together with the all holy and good and life-creating Spirit now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. FOR THOSE IMPASSIONED OR IMPRISONED BY DEMONS, AND EVERY MANNER OF DEMONIC ILNESS OR CONTROL First Prayer of Exorcism St. Basil the Great O God of gods and Lord of lords, Creator of the fiery ranks, and Fashioner of the fleshless powers, the Artisan of heavenly things and those under the heavens, Whom no man has seen, nor is able to see, Whom all creation fears: Into the dark depths of Hell You hurled the commander who had become proud, and who, because of his disobedient service, was cast down from the height to earth, as well as the angels that fell away with him, all having become evil demons. Grant that this exorcism being performed in Your awesome name, be terrible to the Master of evil and to all his minions who had fallen with him from the height of brightness. Drive him into banishment, commanding him to depart hence, so that no harm might be worked against Your sealed Image. And, as You have commanded, let those who are sealed receive the 5 strength to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all power of the Enemy. For manifested, hymned, and glorified with fear, by everything that has breath is Your most holy Name of the Father (+), and of the Son (+), and of the Holy (+) Spirit, now and ever and into ages of ages. Amen. From the Orthodox theological point of view, the following can be considered exorcists: 1) Christ is the exor cist par excellence for it is He who won the victory over the power of the devil. 2) Priests in the per for mance of the holy sacr aments and in preaching the word of God follow Christ's example. 3) All Orthodox Christians ar e exor cists as they struggle against personal sin and social evil. In fact, "the whole Church, past, present and future, has the task of an exorcist to banish sin, evil, injustice, spiritual death, the devil from the life of humanity." Archbishop Iakovos, who served as the leader of the Greek Orthodox Church in America for close to 30 years, in a sermon at the Sage Chapel, Cornell University, spoke on exorcism in the following manner: "Both healing and exorcising are ministered through prayers, which spring from faith in God and from love for man... All the prayers of healing and exorcism, composed by the Fathers of the Church and in use since the third century, begin with the solemn declaration: In Thy Name, O Lord.'"(Exorcism and Exorcists in the Greek Orthodox Tradition, March 10, 1974.) The use of exorcism prayers for those who may be possessed or feeling an overwhelming presence of evil in their lives, must be made with discretion, great pastoral care and love. We should not dismiss the power and cunning influence of the devil and his demons. While we should acknowledge that evil exists, we also should use in a prayerful way, all the spiritual tools that our Church offers to keep the evil one from enslaving us. We have probably all witnessed peoples lives that have been destroyed by the devil. The power of evil may appear to be great, but the power of God and His Church is far greater. If we are ever find ourselves in a state of unrest feeling that the devil has his hold on us, we should contact the priest for prayers and spiritual guidance. FATHER PAUL KAPLANIS

6 The Exaltation of the Holy Cross The Elevation of the Venerable and Life-Creating Cross of the Lord: The pagan Roman emperors tried to completely eradicate from human memory the holy places where our Lord Jesus Christ suffered and was resurrected for humanity. The Emperor Hadrian ( ) gave orders to cover over the ground of Golgotha and the Sepulcher of the Lord, as well as build a temple of the pagan goddess Aphrodite (Venus) and a statue of Zeus (Jupiter). Pagans gathered at this place and offered sacrifice to idols there. Eventually after 300 years, by Divine Providence, the great Christian sacred remains, the Sepulcher of the Lord and the Life-giving Cross were again discovered and opened for veneration. This took place under the Emperor Constantine the Great ( ) after his victory in the year 312 over Maxentius, ruler of the Western part of the Roman Empire, and over Licinius, ruler of the Eastern part. In the year 323, Constantine became the sole ruler of the vast Roman Empire. In 313, he issued the Edict of Milan, by which Christianity and all other religions were legalized and the persecutions against Christians in the Western half of the empire were stopped. The ruler Licinius, although he had signed the Edict of Milan to oblige Constantine, fanatically continued the persecutions against Christians. Only after his conclusive defeat did the 313 Edict of toleration extend also to the Eastern part of the empire. The Holy, Equal to the Apostles, Emperor Constantine, gained victory over his enemies in three wars with God s assistance. The night before the decisive battle in which Constantine defeated Maxentius he saw a cross in the sky with these words: in this sign conquer. In Greek, this phrase is εν τούτο νίκα (en touto nika); it is rendered in Latin as in hoc signo vinces. Constantine directed to have a standard prepared in the form of this sign of the Cross. He then commanded to advance against Maxentius and all other enemies. The standard bore the Christian Cross with the Greek monogram of Christ, X(Chi) and P (Pho), the first two letters of the name of Christ. Having a strong desire to find the Cross on which our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, St. Constantine in 326 sent his mother, the pious Empress Helen (May 21 st ), to Jerusalem, providing her with a letter to St. Macarius, Patriarch of Jerusalem. Although the Holy Empress Helen was already seventy nine years old, she set about completing the task with enthusiasm. The empress gave orders to destroy the pagan temple and the statues in Jerusalem. Searching for the Life-giving Cross, she asked the Christians and Jews, but for a long time her search remained unsuccessful. Finally, they directed her to a certain elderly Hebrew by the name of Jude who stated that the Cross was buried where the temple of Aphrodite (Venus) stood. They demolished the pagan temple and, cleared the ground on which it stood. After clearing the ground they found a sweet-smelling herb in a place where it normally would not grow. After praying, they began to excavate the ground. Soon the Tomb of the Lord was uncovered. Not far from it were three crosses, a board with the inscription ordered by Pilate, and nails which had pierced the Lord s Body (March 6 th ). The herb was later given the name basil from the Greek word (Βασιλικός) meaning king. Now there was no way to know which cross was the true Cross that our Savior was crucified on as the inscription was not on any cross. Therefore in order to discern on which of the three crosses the Savior was crucified, Patriarch Macarius saw a funeral procession that was passing by and he had the corpse pass over each of the three crosses. When the corpse passed over the true Cross, the man that was dead returned to life. Having beheld the raising of the dead man, everyone was convinced that the Life-giving Cross was found. Christians came in a huge throng to venerate the Holy Cross. Because there where many of them, not everyone could see. St. Helen asked St. Macarius to elevate the Cross, so that even those far off might reverently contemplate it. When the Patriarch and other 6

7 spiritual leaders raised up the Holy Cross, the people cried out, Lord have mercy, and reverently prostrated before the Venerable Wood. This solemn event occurred in the year 326. During the discovery of the Life-giving Cross another miracle took place: a grievously sick woman, beneath the shadow of the Holy Cross, was healed instantly. The elder Jude and other Jews then believed in Christ and accepted Holy Baptism. Jude received the name Cyriacus and afterwards was consecrated Bishop of Jerusalem. During the reign of Julian the Apostate ( ) he accepted a martyr s death for Christ (October 28 th ). The Holy Empress Helen journeyed to the holy places connected with the earthly life of the Savior, building more than 80 churches including, Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ, on the Mount of Olives where the Lord ascended to Heaven, at Gethsemane where the Savior prayed before His sufferings and where the Mother of God was buried after her death. St. Helen took the Holy Cross and nails with her to Constantinople. The Holy Emperor Constantine gave orders to build at Jerusalem a majestic and spacious church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ, also including under its roof the Life-Giving Tomb of the Lord and Golgotha. The temple was constructed in about ten years. St. Helen did not survive until the dedication of the temple, dieing in the year 327. The church was consecrated on September 14, 335. The festal celebration of the Exaltation of the Venerable and Life-Giving Cross was therefore established on this day. Another event connected to the Cross of the Lord is remembered also on this day: its return to Jerusalem from Persia after a fourteen year captivity. During the reign of the Byzantine emperor Phocas ( ), the Persian emperor Khozroes II in a war against the Byzantines defeated the Byzantine army, plundered Jerusalem and captured both the Life-giving Cross of the Lord and the Holy Patriarch Zachariah ( ). The Cross remained in Persia for fourteen years and only under the emperor Heraclius ( ), who with the help of God defeated Khozroes and made peace with his successor and son Syroes, was the Cross of the Lord returned to the Christians. With great solemnity the Life-Giving Cross was transferred to Jerusalem. Emperor Heraclius in imperial crown and royal purple carried the Cross of Christ into the temple of the Resurrection. Emperor Heraclius was accompanied by Patriarch Zachariah. At the gates by which they ascended Golgotha, the Emperor suddenly stopped and was not able to proceed farther. The Holy Patriarch explained to the Emperor that an angel of the Lord was blocking his way. The Emperor was told to remove his royal trappings and to walk barefoot, since He Who bore the Cross for the salvation of the world from sin had made His way to Golgotha in all humility. Then Heraclius donned plain garb, and without further hindrance, carried the Cross of Christ into the church. In a sermon on the Exaltation of the Cross, St Andrew of Crete (July 4) says: The Cross is exalted, and everything true gathers together, the Cross is exalted, and the city makes solemn, and the people celebrate the feast. Therefore let us come together on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which falls on Sunday, September 14, 2014 and pray that we might be able to venerate this Life-Giving Wood that we are so blessed of which to have a relic. Rev. Fr. Christos P. Mars 7

8 Your Nativity O Holy Mother of God announced joy to the entire world In the above verse cited from the main hymn of the day, known as Apolitik ion, it is very concisely expressed the significance of the Nativity of Theotokos, as the first announcement of the joy to the world. Saint Nicholas Cabasilas in his homily on that day says: Today the entire Creation felt itself to be better and brighter, since the most precious jewel of the universe was born; today is not just the nativity of the Theotokos, but rather the rebirth of the whole universe. Indeed, in his inspired homily, he develops an analogy of a barren woman in relation to the barren creation, as all of Creation became barren after the Ancestral Sin. Thus, if a barren woman could bear a blessed child, then the whole universe can bear the person through whom the salvation of mankind will be prepared. The most known hymn of the Theotokos in all Christendom says: Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women Whether we know this hymn as Θεοτόκε Παρθένε or Ave Maria, most of the times we do not pay attention to the words, or, if we do, we find it to be a stereotypical theological principal of our faith, told again and again. Thus, we never trouble ourselves to contemplate the meaning of the words blessed are you among women. In the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, that is to say in the very beginning of the New Testament, we find the catalogue of the Ancestors of Jesus, starting from Abraham and ending with Joseph the Carpenter, divided into three chronological periods, each one consisting of fourteen generations. In this catalogue no women s names are mentioned exceptfour: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba, (who is mentioned just as Uriah s wife). The stories of these four women in the Old Testament constitute extravagnat examples, both in a positive and negative way. Rahab in Matthew s lineage appears as the mother of Boaz, that is to say the grandmother of King David. Nevertheless, the name Rahab appears also in the Book of Joshua, as the name of a prostitute, who believed in God and for that she did not hesitate to betray her city Jericho and to assist the Israelite spies who were there to collect information. Her name is mentioned both in the Letter to the Hebrews and to the Universal Letter of James as the utter example of faith. A foreign prostitute bore fruits of faith, which no woman bore among the blessed nation of Israel. In her example so to speak, we find the actual application of Jesus words: the publicans and the harlots lead us into the Kingdom of God. (Mt 21:31). Likewise, Ruth the Moabite woman, after the death of her husband remained ridiculously loyal to her mother-in-law. She refused to return back to her home and people, following her husband s death, preferring to remain with her mother-in-law and be one of the servants in a foreign land. On the contrary, Bathsheba (the one that Matthew refers to as Uriah s wife ) did not bother herself with loyalty and surrendered to an adulterous relation with King David, without any hesitation whatsoever. Even worse was the case of Tamar, who, after her husband s death, deceived all of her sixbrothers-in-law, along with her father-in-law, because she wanted to conceive and bear a child from the house of Jacob. THE NATIVITY OF THE THEOTOKOS 8

9 These stories of the four women were chosen in particular by St. Matthew to be included in the list of the Ancestors of Jesus. What St. Matthew strives to teach us, out of this reference, is that God s grace was shown even into the most wretched hearts. God did not make a covenant with man because we as humanity did something worthy, but for this how He loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (Jn. 3:16). (NKJV) That said, mankind, although it was enslaved to sin and corruption, bore a precious gift to God: Our most Holy Lady, Virgin Mary, who is full of grace, blessed among women. The account of her Nativity, as it is found in the apocryphal book of James, the so-called Protoevangelion, narrates that she was a child of prayer and fasting, the answer to Joachim s and Anna s spiritual exercise. The person of our Holy Theotokos was from the early beginning highly respected among the entire Christianity. Martin Luther s frustration in the 16 th century for instance is very characteristic, when a certain papal delegate insulted the person of Mary for the purpose of selling Indulgences (thesis 75). His great respect however, was dropped soon after by Reformation Churches which, presented her as nothing more than Joseph s housewife. On the other hand the Catholic Church in an attempt to confront this impious protestant teaching, reached the opposite edge and argued that the Virgin Mary, herself was immaculately conceived by a virgin mother. This Catholic Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was decreed by Pope Pius the IX on December 8 th, Although our Orthodox Church, pays great respect to the person of the Theotokos, it does not accept this teaching because we firmly believe that purity could and should be maintained in marriage, not only in chastity. Our Holy Mother even though not the child of a Virgin mother; was the child of a pure mother, because, according to Orthodox Spirituality there is no distinction between virginity and marriage, only between purity and adultery. In the Gospels we find very little information with respect to the person of our Greatest Lady. The reverence though, which the Church has given to Her from the early centuries, indicating that she always remains the highest example of holiness and humility. With her sincere submission to God s will she was shadowed by the grace of the Holy Spirit, who surpasses all human relations and all the laws of nature, and became the mother of God. She was born from a barren mother and with her virginity healed the infertility of a wretched creation. With her virginity she brought heaven down to earth and gave birth to Christ, who lifted up the sin of the world. What more can we say to her, what hymn should we offer to her, other than Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, for you bore the Savior of our souls 9

10 Η ΚΟΙΜΗΣΙΣ ΤΗΣ ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΥ Του Ιωάννου Φουντούλη, Καθηγητού Πανεπιστημίου Η εορτή της Κοιμήσεως της Θεοτόκου, πού εορτάζει στις 15 Αυγούστου ο χριστιανικός κόσμος, είναι η μεγαλυτέρα από τις εορτές που καθιέρωσε η Εκκλησία προς τιμήν της Μητρός του Κυρίου, τις θεομητορικές εορτές. Ίσως είναι και η παλαιοτέρα από όλες. Τις πρώτες μαρτυρίες έχουμε για αυτήν κατά τον Ε αιώνα, γύρω στην εποχή που συνεκλήθη η Γ Οικουμενική Σύνοδος της Εφέσου (451), που καθώρισε το θεομητορικό δόγμα και έγινε αιτία να αναπτυχθή η τιμή στο πρόσωπο της Θεοτόκου. Για πρώτη φορά φαίνεται ότι συνεστήθη στα Ιεροσόλυμα την 13 Αυγούστου και λίγο αργότερα μετετέθη στις 15 του ιδίου μηνός. Είχε δε γενικώτερο θεομητορικό χαρακτήρα, χωρίς ειδική αναφορά στο γεγονός της Κοιμήσεως. Ωνομάζετο «ημέρα της Θεοτόκου Μαρίας». Κέντρο του πανηγυρισμού αναφέρεται στην αρχή ένα «Κάθισμα», ναός επ ονόματί της, που ευρίσκετο έξω από τα Ιεροσόλυμα στο τρίτο μίλιο της οδού που οδηγούσε στην Βηθλεέμ. Η σύνδεση της εορτής αυτής προς την Κοίμηση της Θεοτόκου έγινε στον περίφημο ναό της Παναγίας που βρισκόταν στην Γεθσημανή, το «ευκτήριο του Μαυρικίου», όπου υπήρχε και ο τάφος της. Αυτός ο ναός πολύ σύντομα πήρε τον χαρακτήρα του μεγαλύτερου θεομητορικού προσκυνήματος και η ακτινοβολία του έγινε αιτία η πανήγυρίς του κατά την 15 η Αυγούστου γρήγορα να διαδοθή σα ολόκληρο τον χριστιανικό κόσμο σε ανατολή και δύση σαν εορτή της Κοιμήσεως της Θεοτόκου. Αργότερα εξήρθη η εορτή με την προπαρασκευαστική νηστεία και την παράτασι του εορτασμού μέχρι της 23 ης ή και μέχρι του τέλους του Αυγούστου και έγινε όχι μόνο η μεγαλυτέρα θεομητορική εορτή αλλά και μία από τις σπουδαιότερες εορτές του εκκλησιαστικού έτους. Αυτό βέβαια ήταν φυσικό να γίνη, γιατί η Θεοτόκος είναι το προσφιλέστερο και ιερώτερο πρόσωπο μετά τον Κύριο και για αυτό συνεκέντρωσε την τιμή και την ευλάβεια όλων των χριστιανικών γενεών. Αναρίθμητοι ναοί και μονές έχουν κτισθεί προς τιμήν της Κοιμήσεώς της, θαυμάσιες τοιχογραφίες παριστάνουν σε κάθε ναό πίσω από την κεντρική είσοδο σε εκπληκτικές συνθέσεις την ιερά της κηδεία, ύμνοι εκλεκτοί έχουν διακοσμήσει την ακολουθία της και λόγοι λαμπροί και εγκώμια εξεφωνήθησαν από τους Πατέρες και νεωτέρους εκκλησιαστικούς άνδρες κατά την ημέρα της μνήμης της. Ολες οι ανθρώπινες γενεές συναγωνίσθησαν στην προσφορά ό,τι εκλεκτοτέρου είχαν να παρουσιάσουν, για να μακαρίσουν έργω και λόγω την Παρθένο Μαρία. ΤΟ ΕΟΡΤΟΛΟΓΙΚΟ ΠΕΡΙΕΧΟΜΕΝΟ ΤΗΣ ΕΟΡΤΗΣ Για την κατανόηση του εορτολογικού περιεχομένου της εορτής της Κοιμήσεως, όπως και των άλλων θεομητορικών εορτών, της Συλλήψεως, της Γεννήσεως και των Εισοδίων, πρέπει να κάμωμε μία μικρά αναδρομή στις πηγές, από τις οποίες αντλήθηκαν τα θεομητορικά αυτά θέματα. Διαφορετικά είναι αδύνατο να ερμηνεύση κανείς ό,τι συνδέεται με τον εορτασμό αυτόν, τα συναξάρια, την υμνογραφία και την εικονογραφία τους. Οι αυθεντικές ιστορικές πηγές, τά Ευαγγέλια και τα άλλα βιβλία της Καινής Διαθήκης, δεν μας διέσωσαν πληροφορίες για τον πρό του Ευαγγελισμού και για τον μετά την Ανάληψι του Κυρίου βίο της Θεοτόκου. Πρόθεσις των ιερών συγγραφέων ήταν να αφηγηθούν τον βίο και το σωτηριώδες έργο του Χριστού και ό,τι άμεσα συνεδέετο με Αυτόν και όχο να ικανοποιήσουν την ευλαβή περιέργεια ή τα ιστορικά ενδιαφέροντα των αναγνωστών τους. Η παράδοσις όμως της Εκκλησίας διέσωσε από στόματος εις στόμα διάφορες πληροφορίες πού αφορούσαν στον βίο της 10

11 Θεοτόκου πρό της συλλήψεως του Κυρίου και μετά την Ανάστασί Του. Αργότερα διάφοροι ευλαβείς, κατά το πλείστον, συγγραφείς περιέλαβαν τις πληροφορίες αυτές και τις ανέπτυξαν με την φαντασία τους και για να έχουν περισσότερο κύρος έθεσαν στους τίτλους των έργων τους μεγάλα αποστολικά ονόματα. Η Εκκλησία αερριψε και κατεδίκασε τα βιβλία αυτά και τα ωνόμασε «Απόκρυφα» και «Ψευδεπίγραφα». Σε μεταγενεστέρα εποχή πολλές από τις διηγήσεις αυτές, τουλάχιστον στις βασικές τους γραμμές, έδωσαν θέματα στην διαμόρφωσι εορτών, στην σύνταξι συναξαρίων, στην ποίηση ύμνων και στην εικονογραφία. Εξ άλλου, καθώς προείπαμε, ο πυρήν των διηγήσεων αυτών είχε ως βάσι του παμπάλαιες ιστορικές παραδόσεις γυ ρω από το πρόσωπο της Θεοτόκου. ΑΦΗΓΗΣΙΣ ΤΟΥ ΓΕΓΟΝΟΤΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΟΙΜΗΣΕΩΣ Ειδικά το γεγονός της Κοιμήσεως της Θεοτόκου αφηγείται, εκτός των άλλων, και μια απόκρυφος διήγησις, που φέρεται υπό το όνομα του ηγαπημένου μαθητού του Κυρίου, του Ιωάννου. Μια περίληψη του εκτενούς αυτού κειμένου θα παρουσιάσωμε εδώ. Σε κάθε του σημείο ο αναγνώστης του θυμάται αντίστοιχες φράσεις από τους ύμνους και το συναξάριο της εορτής και λεπτομέρειες από την εικόνα της Κοιμήσεως που εφιλοτέχνησαν βυζαντινοί ζωγράφοι. Η Παναγία μετά την Ανάληψι του Χριστού καθημερινώς πηγαίνει στο ζωοδόχο μνήμα και προσεύχεται. Μία Παρασκευή ο Αρχάγγελος Γαβριήλ παρουσιάζεται μπροστά της και την χαιρετά: «Χαίρε, η γεννήσασα Χριστόν τον Θεόν ημών. Ο Κύριος άκουσε την προσευχή σου και θα αφήσης τον κόσμο και θα πορευθής εις την ζωήν την αληθινήν και αδιάδοχον». Η Θεοτόκος επιστρέφει στον οίκο της, θυμιά και προσεύχεται στον Χριστό να της στείλη τον Ιωάννη και τους λοιπούς Αποστόλους, για να παρασταθούν στον θάνατό της. Η προσευχή της εισακούεται και πρώτος φθάνει, αρπαγείς από νεφέλη, ο Ιωάννης και σε λίγο επί νεφελών και οι λοιποί Απόστολοι οι διεσπαρμένοι στα πέρατα του κόσμου. Την Κυριακή έρχεται με την απαστράπτουσα δόξα Του και με χιλιάδες αγγέλους ο Κύριος να παραλάβη την ψυχή της Μητρός Του. Εκείνη ευλογεί τους Αποστόλους και τον κόσμο, δέεται για την σωτηρία όλων και αφού λαμβάνει την υπόσχεσι ότι πάσα ψυχή επικαλουμένη το όνομά της ου μη καταισχυνθή, αλλα εύρη έλεος και παράκλησιν και αντίληψιν και παρρησίαν και εν τω νυν αιώνι και εν τω μέλλοντια, παραδίδει την αγία της ψυχή στα χέρια του Υιού της. Οι Απόστολοι περιπτύσσονται το σκήνος και ψάλλοντες μεταφέρουν την κλίνη με το σώμα για ταφή. Ένας εβραίος ονόματι Ιεφωνίας ορμά και επιχειρεί «κατά της κλίνης», αλλα άγγελος Κυρίου με «ξίφος πυρός» αποκόπτει τα χέρια του από των ώμων, που μένουν κρεμασμένα στην κλίνη. Αυτός μετανοεί και κολλώνται πάλι τα χέρια του, ενώ οι Απόστολοι ανενόχλητοι συνεχίζουν την εκφορά. Το σκήνος θάπτεται σε καινό μνημείο στην Γεθσημανή, την Τρίτη όμως ημέρα μετετέθη εν Παραδείσω. Η ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣΤΙΚΗ ΠΟΙΗΣΙΣ Η εκκλησιαστική ποίησις εξωραϊζει την απλή αυτή διήγηση. Στα τρία στιχηρά του Εσπερινού του α ήχου, το πρώτο αυτόμελο και τα άλλα δύο προσόμοια, του πρώτου, με ένα θαυμάσιο τρόπο εγκωμιάζεται η Θεοτόκος και η Κοίμησί της. Ως υπόβαθρο όμως αναγνωρίζεται εύκολα η διήγησι του αποκρύφου: η Γεθσημανή, οι λόγοι του Γαβριήλ, η παρουσία των αγγελικών δυνάμεων, η μετάστασι από τον τάφο στον ουρανό. Το ίδιο θέμα έχουν και τα τρία στιχηρά των Αίνων του δ ήχου. Στο πρώτο, όλος ο κόσμος, ουράνιος 11

12 και επίγειος, χαίρεται προπέμποντας την μητέρα του Χριστού και ψάλλοντας σα αυτήν την «εξόδιον ωδήν». Στα άλλα δύο περιγράφεται η έλευσις των Αποστόλων και η επικήδεια ψαλμωδία τους, καθώς και η παρουσία των αγγελικών δυνάμεων και η υποδοχή της αμωμήτου ψυχής της από τον Χριστό. Τέλος θα σταθούμε στο πιο ιδιόρρυθμο τροπαριο της εορτής αυτής, αλλά και όλων των τροπαρίων μας. Πρόκειται για το δοξαστικό του Εσπερινού. Το περιεχόμενό του αντλεί από την σχετική απόκρυφο διήγηση. Η ιδιορρυθμία του τροπαρίου αυτού είναι ότι δεν ψάλλεται, όπως όλοι οι άλλοι έκκλησιαστικοί ύμνοι, σε ένα μόνο ήχο, αλλά και στους οκτώ. Ήχος α Θεαρχίω νεύματι πάντοθεν οι θεοφόροι απόστολοι υπό νεφών μεταρσίως αιρόμενοι, Ήχος πλ. α καταλαβόντες το πανάχραντον και ζωαρχικόν σου σκήνος εξόχως ησπάζοντο. Ήχος β Αι Δε υπέρτατοι των ουρανών δυνάμεις Συν τω οικείω δεσπότη παραγενόμεναι, Ήχος πλ. β Το θεοδόχον και ακραιφνέστατον σώμα Προπέμπουσι, τω δέει κρατούμεναι, Υπερκοσμίως δε προώχοντο και αοράτως εβόων ταις ανωτέραις ταξιαρχίαις, ιδού η παντάνασσα θεόπαις παραγέγονεν. Ήχος γ Αρατε πύλας Και ταύτην υπερκοσμίως υποδέξασθε, Την του αεννάου φωτός μητέρα, Ήχος βαρύς Διά ταύτης γάρ η παγγενής των βροτών σωτηρία γέγονεν, η ατενίζειν ουκ ισχύομεν και ταύτη άξιον γέρας απονέμειν αδύνατον, Ήχος δ ταύτης γαρ το υπερβάλλον υπερέχει πάσαν έννοιαν. Ήχος πλ. δ Διό, άχραντε θεοτόκε, αεί συν ζωηφόρω βασιλεί και τόκω ζώσα, πρέσβευε διηνεκώς περιφρουρήσαι και σώσαι από πάσης προσβολής εναντίας την νεολαίαν σου, την γάρ σήν προστασίαν κεκτήμεθα, Ήχος α Εις τους αιώνας αγλαοφανώς μακαρίζοντες. (Από το βιβλίο «Λογική Λατρεία», εκδ. Αποστολικής Διακονίας, Αθήνα 1984). 12

13 PARISH REGISTRY BIRTHS Baby Girl Born to Lee & Smaro Economy Baby Boy Born to Petro & Rosario Giannakopoulos Baby Girl Born to Michael & Vasilia Kaplanis (Granddaughter of Fr. Paul & Presb. Evi Kaplanis) CHRISMATION Anna Grace Scaljon Godparents: Mimi Scaljon & Chris G. Carlos WEDDINGS Galen Pierce-Gardner & Melissa Kessler Steven Dalla & Jessica Waterman Alex Panos & Dawn Savage Danny Ryan & Elizabeth Trettel Ardit Curi & Erica Falcione Ivan Mucio & Mary Harfoot Mark Jensen & Katherine Soublis Pete Alexander & Emily Moraitakis Christopher Guven & Maria Tzortzis Joel Rodriguez & Megan Farmer BAPTISMS Parents: Nick & Andrea Windler Baby: Christina Godparents: Jimmy & Michelle Frangis Parents: John and Athena Donkar Baby: Sotirios John Godparent: Nicholas & Lauren Donkar Parents: Andreas & Aikaterini Antoniades Baby: Panayiotis Andreas Godparents: Markos Tsilianos Parents: Thomas & Natalie DeVries Baby: Sophia Rose Godparent: Sophia Stogiannis Jones Beverly Johnson (Mother of Steve Johnson) Lisa Moraitakis Angelo Zatzos Charlie Vlass Ways to stay in touch with us Facebook Twitter YouTube Tout Instagram Like, Follow, Subscribe, Watch and See GOOFS Breakfast Every other THURSDAY at 9:00 a.m. in the Kafenion. Open to everyone!!! Come join us for a full breakfast and great fellowship! Full breakfast includes fruit, waffles, bacon, sausage and much more! Donation $5 per person. Contact the Cathedral office at for the date of the next gathering KAFENION Everyone is invited to come enjoy good conversation, Tavli, Prefa, Xeri & Kolitsina, coffee & refreshments and Greek television every Tuesday morning from 9:00 a.m. in the Kafenion located in the Community Center. ANNUNCIATION CATHEDRAL GREEK DANCE MINISTRY MANDATORY Parent & Adult Dancers Meeting The Dance Ministry and Clergy would like to invite all of the parents of current and new students, as well as all adult dancers, to come to a meeting to review the new Dance Ministry Guidelines and structure. Please be sure to have at least one representative from each family in attendance. We will also be passing out registration forms and the new Dance Ministry Handbook at that time. CONGRATULATIONS Atlanta Laconian Society Report We wish to congratulate Clea Vasilakis and Victoria Vavalides for receiving two Pan-Laconian Scholarships of $1,500 and $1,000 respectively at the annual Pan-Laconian Convention in Chicago on June 29 th. 13

14 A Back to School Drive for Homeless Children of our House, Inc. (A childcare facility for homeless families) Please bring school supplies especially Prize Stickers 3-ring Binders Kleenex Hand Sanitizer Sharpies Construction Paper for Pre-K-Kindergarten Items needed: Scissors Backpacks Watercolor Paints & Smocks Borders for Teacher s Boards Jumbo Crayons *Please bring your donations to the designated shelves in Carlos Hall by August 17 th. THANK YOU! The Annunciation Cathedral Outreach Committee 14

15 Sunday School Registration for is underway! The registration form is available in the Church Office, Sunday School Office and on the Cathedral website. Registration is $20 per family. Classes are offered for students ages 2 and up. Must be 2 by September 1 st. For more information, please contact Susan Marinos at susmarinos@aol.com or Mark Your Calendars for our Annual Meet & Greet on August 17 th, immediately following the Dedication Service in the Cathedral. Parents and students are invited to visit your children's classrooms to meet your Sunday School teachers for the school year. A list of other Sunday School classes and events for August and September are listed below Annunciation Cathedral Sunday School Family Calendar August 17 th Agiasmo & Meet Your Teachers - classes meet for 20 minutes after Dedication Service in the Cathedral August 24 th August 31 st September 7 th September 14 th September 21 st September 28 th Regular class schedule Labor Day Holiday - classes do not meet Parent Open House - *Parents visit each classroom; 6 th -12 th first 15 minutes, PreK-5 th last 15 minutes of class Sunday of the Holy Cross - PreKC-5 participate in procession; 30 minute classes after procession Regular class schedule All Classes: Teaching Liturgy in the Cathedral - classes meet for 30 minutes Celebrating 100 years of Ministry to our Community! Registration is now open for the Annunciation Greek School year. Classes meet on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm. Students in grades Kindergarten through 5 th grades are welcome to register. Please plan to join us for our Open House and Agiasmo to start our new year, Monday, August 25 th at 5:00 pm in the Cathedral. The school calendar and registration form are on the church's website under the Education tab. For more information, please contact Michelle Constantinides via at michelle.constantinides@gmail.com or by phone at

16 Summer Day Camp During the weeks of June 9 th & June 16 th, the gym and Hellenic Center were filled with campers, counselors and teachers! 117 families from our Cathedral, Holy Transfiguration in Marietta, Sts. Raphael, Nicholas & Irene in Cumming, St. Philothea in Athens, Annunciation Day School, and our neighborhood registered their children for Summer Day Camp. We had 71 campers the first week and 104 campers the second week. With that many people, we stayed very busy. On a daily basis, campers attended Opening Prayer, participated in Orthodox Life, learned fun songs and dances, went swimming, made beautiful artwork in Arts & Crafts, and spent time with old friends while making new friends. Campers ranged in age from 3 years old to 14 years old. In addition to our campers, we had our older GOYAns and college age students work as Counselors and Counselors in Training (CITs). Some of the ADS teachers taught the PreK & Kindercamp classes. Orthodox Life was taught by Elias Lampropoulos, Nick Kostopoulos, Natalie Stadnick & Tommy McBride. Arts & Crafts projects were organized by January Stephanopoulos. New this year...dance was taught by Eleni Demos. Campers ages 3-5 enjoyed kiddie pools behind the gym. Campers ages 6-14 went to Emory Pool to swim each day. Each week, all campers also went on a field trip. Week 1: On Tuesday, June 10 th, Adventure Camp (13-14 year olds) went rock climbing at Stone Summit. On Thursday, June 12 th, all campers went on a field trip. Campers ages 3 to 7 went to the Center for Puppetry Arts to see "Dr. Seuss' 'The Cat in the Hat'". Campers ages 8 to 14 went to White Water. Week 2: On Tuesday, June 17 th, Adventure Camp spent the day River Tubing. On Thursday, June 19 th, all campers went to SkyZone. On Friday of each week, Indoor and outdoor Olympic games were held for the older campers while younger campers had fun with water games, chalk and bubbles. Friday of the first week, a non fasting day, we had a fun cookout of hamburgers and hot dogs at the pavilion. The second Friday, we had ice cream sundaes. A Community Family Night was held on Thursday, June 19th in the Hellenic Center. Everyone enjoyed a delicious meal. Since Greece was playing in the World Cup this evening, we also had a big screen so we could watch the game during dinner. After dinner, the campers and counselors sang and danced, under the direction of Eleni Demos. The evening ended with a slide show, created by Steve Alexander III. If you were not there, you missed a great program put on by our children! We look forward to seeing everyone next year! 16

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20 Annunciation Day School Annunciation Day School Prepares for Another Great Year! We are busily preparing for another great school year! In working together with our Sunday school and Greek School staff, we have managed to make some great changes to the classroom settings for next year! It is our hope that in working together we will continue to strengthening all of our educational youth ministries within our Cathedral. Thank you to Susan Marinos and Michelle Constantinides for being so flexible and helpful as we are working to grow our school. We simply could not do what we do on a daily basis without their input, expertise and dedication to our youth. When students return to school on August 11 th they will notice a new science lab, a dedicated Greek Language Classroom and an updated library with a mini technology center (in progress) as well as an interactive Promethean Board and Projector. A great big thank you goes out to Jimmy Kostopoulos for installing the board for us! As always, academic emphasis on the core content areas of reading, language arts, science, social studies and math coupled with our studies of Orthodox Religion and Greek Language will remain priority. individual student. Because of our low teacher/student ratio we can dedicate time to each We welcome three new staff members into our ADS family! Kalliopi Tsikourika Greek Language Class If you have questions regarding the ADS Greek Language program please contact Kalliopi at tsikourika@aol.com or Brian Gardiner - P.E. teacher. Joann Zepeda - Parent Morning Out Assistant If you are interested in joining our team we are looking for a part time music teacher (6-8 hours a week) and an assistant Pre-Kindergarten (4 year old classroom) teacher! Please contact Stephanie Reid at , or stephaniereid@atlgoc.org I pray you continue to enjoy these final weeks of summer. Stephanie Reid 20

21 PHILOPTOCHOS Summer News The Cathedral Philoptochos is a philanthropic organization that serves the underprivileged in our community. Philoptochos mission is to aid the poor, hungry, disabled, sick and offer them assistance and desperately needed help through donations and other forms of outreach. All women are invited to join Philoptochos. Please choose to be a part of this important philanthropic arm of our church this year. You may choose to be a contributing member, attend a meeting or serve on one committee. Please know that whatever you do is greatly appreciated. Be a friend to the poor and give hope to those who need it most by joining your Cathedral Philoptochos. You will never regret the decision to get involved! If you have any questions about Philoptochos, you can Voula Giannakopoulos, Philoptochos President at voulajg@comcast.net. A FEW PAST AND FUTURE PHILOPTOCHOS ANNOUNCEMENTS: Philoptochos is sponsoring the second annual Phanouropita Lunch on September 7 th. Please plan to stay for lunch after Diving Liturgy. More details in the weeks to come. The following volunteers worked with Philoptochos to sponsor a lunch for the Golden Group last spring! A big thank you to George Skoufis, John Giannakopoulos, Spyros Kontoes, Pete Giannakopoulos who prepared a delicious meal of shrimp, rice, salad and bread for the Golden Group. Golden Group appreciates your hard work! 21

22 Golden Group News Luncheons to Start in September The Golden Group committee is working hard to make the upcoming year fun and successful. By popular demand, the Golden Group will begin in September a month early! Don t forget to mark your calendar for September 11 th. Look out for more information between now and September. Meet Our New Chairman As you probably have heard, Mary Anne Chanos has stepped down as the chairman of the Golden Group. Mary Anne has led us since Don t worry, Mary Anne will still be working with the Golden Group Committee. Ethel Winegar, who has also been on the committee since 2009, is stepping into to the chairmanship. She looks forward to working with the committee and the Golden Group participants. Don t Miss the Golden Group s New Bulletin Board The next time you walk into Carlos Hall, take notice of our new Golden Group bulletin board. The board will have photographs of our members, information on events and many other things. Thanks to Mary Jones and her helpers! 22

23 PARISHIONERS TRAVEL TO CRETE FOR FUNDRAISER Several members of the Annunciation parish participated in Walk the Gorge, a special fundraising event organized by Atlanta s Cretan community which raised well over $25,000 for Cretan charities with a walk of the Samaria Gorge on June 25 th. Twenty walkers from across the United States (Ohio, New York, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.) joined several members of Samaria (Atlanta s chapter of the Pan-Cretan Association) and others from the Atlanta area to walk the 18 km of the Gorge which is touted as the longest and one of the most rugged in Europe. Located within the Cretan prefecture of Chania, the Gorge runs from the Omalos Plateau to the village of Agia Roumeli on the Libyan Sea. Local Walkers gather at Samaria Gorge entrance for group photo members of the Annunciation parish participating in this event were Peter and Alexandra Manos and their daughter Christiana, Michael Vlass, Tina Tzanakis, and Demetri Mazacoufa. In addition to the American walkers, five local Cretans representing various charities on the island took part in the Walk. Also, a special addition to the group were 30 Greek graduate students who are Angelopoulos Fellows (Mrs. Gianna Angelopoulou was the president of the 2004 Athens Olympics and, along with President Bill Clinton, is involved in a global initiative to recruit students for volunteer projects in their home countries, and these Fellows selected the Walk the Gorge event for their 2014 project). In all, there were 55 persons walking the Samaria Gorge that day as part of the Walk the Gorge project. Walk the Gorge attracted worldwide attention through its website of the same name ( Individuals went to this website to register as a walker and then solicited sponsors who also went to that website to make online donations. Over $20,000 was raised online from sponsors across the US as well as several foreign countries, and another $5,000 was raised through the traditional method of direct check and cash donations. All donations were deposited into the account of the Samaria Foundation, a Georgia non-profit organization designed to promote Greek culture in general and Cretan events in particular. Even though the Walk itself is over, the Foundation reports that it continues to receive donations to the project, so a final total is still being calculated. The Foundation board of directors will be meeting later in the year to review the needs of various charities on Crete to decide how to distribute the funds raised by this project. These charities range across the four prefectures of Crete (Chania, Rethymnon, Heraklion, and Lasithi) and include an orphanage, a children s cancer support team, a medical clinic for the indigent, a homeless shelter, and a nursing home for the poor. The Walk the Gorge participants wish to extend a heartfelt thank you to members of the Annunciation parish for their prayers which sustained them during the trek through the gorge and their donations which will help the people of Crete affected by the current economic crisis. Walkers (l-r) Peter Manos and Demetri Mazacoufa close to the end of the Gorge 23

24 Paid Advertising: Locations: 855 Virginia Ave, Hapeville Lawrenceville Hwy, Tucker Old Dixie Hwy, Forest Park Medlock Bridge Rd #50, Johns Creek Chamblee Dunwoody Rd, Dunwoody Visit the website: for our full menu. TAVERNA PLAKA 216 Cheshire Bridge Rd, Atlanta, GA Now Hiring! Experienced Host & Wait Staff Exciting Fun Work Environment UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT IF INTERESTED: Call or Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation 2500 Clairmont Road, NE Atlanta, Georgia Phone (404) Fax (404) EDITOR: Fr. Paul A. Kaplanis, Dean MANAGING EDITOR: Fr. Christos P. Mars DESIGN: Andrea Koulouris PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT: Nickitas Demos All news can be ed to or put on a disk and brought to the Cathedral office during office hours (Mon-Fri 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.) by August 20 th All Cathedral mail goes to the Post Office on the same day. If you do not receive your Annunciator in a timely manner, please call your Post Office and notify them. 24