HOLY TRINITY. March Volume 46 Issue 3. The Annunciation of the Theotokos, the Ever-Virgin Mary, and the Mother of God (Feast Day: March 25)

Transcript

1 HOLY TRINITY March 2015 Volume 46 Issue 3 The Annunciation of the Theotokos, the Ever-Virgin Mary, and the Mother of God (Feast Day: March 25) ΑΓΙΑ ΤΡΙΑΣ Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Wilmington, Delaware

2 The Official Publication of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church 808 N. Broom Street, Wilmington, Delaware / Telephone: (302) Fax: (302) Church Office Address: greekorth@holytrinitywilmington.org Church Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00am - 4:30pm His Eminence Metropolitan EVANGELOS of New Jersey, Hierarch Rev. Fr. Christos Christofidis, Proistamenos, fr.christofidis@holytrinitywilmington.org For pastoral emergencies - you may call Fr. (717) Susan Kelleher, Church Secretary (home) Anargyros Liparos, Protopsaltis PARISH COUNCIL MEMBERS George Rassias, President - (610) Georgia Halakos, First Vice President - (302) Tom Hatzis, Second Vice President - (302) Tom Karas, Parish Council Treasurer - (302) John Pennias, Recording Secretary - (302) Yvonne Tsavalas, Corresponding Secretary - (302) Constantine Caras Michael Kirifides Tom Diamanty John Koninis II Leon Fotakos Louis Novakis (610 ) Emmanuel Fournaris Peter Xarhoulakos (856) Vickie Karakasidis Parish Council Meetings - 2nd Thursday of every 7PM CHURCH ORGANIZATIONS Philoptochos Georgia Halakos, President (856) Sunday School Maroula Haralambidis, Co-Director Sunday School Amalea Rassias, Co-Director GOYA Pauline Raisis, President JOY Julie Tsakumis HOPE Hillary Raptis Choir Anthony Pantelopulos, Director The Heart Club Peter Xarhoulakos, President Greek School John Pennias, Director St. Elpida George Righos (609) Terpsichorean Dance Troupes Harry Malapetsas Altar Guild Helen Doukakis, President Editorial Staff Dr. Costas Fountzoulas / Emmanuel Dining Room East Nikkie Tsakataras & Tina Ganiaris King Holy Trinity Food Pantry Steve Nicholas / Adult Bible Study George Righos & John Lazare AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS AHEPA George Hantzandreou, President Daughters of Penelope Gale Kostas, President Hellenic University Club Stephen Karakasidis, President Holy Trinity Website Address: ALL ARTICLES & ANNOUNCEMENTS MUST BE IN THE OFFICE BY THE 15TH OF EACH MONTH. THESE ARTICLES & ANNOUNCEMENTS CAN BE DROPPED OFF, ED, FAXED OR U. S. MAIL.

3 From the desk of Father Christos The Lenten Prayer of St Ephrem the Syrian By Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann Of all Lenten hymns and prayers, one short prayer can be termed the Lenten prayer. Tradition ascribes it to one of the great teachers of spiritual life - St. Ephrem the Syrian. Here is its text: O Lord and Master of my life! Take from me the spirit of sloth, faint-heartedness, lust of power, and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King! Grant me to see my own errors and not to judge my brother; For Thou art blessed unto ages of ages. Amen This prayer is read twice at the end of each Lenten service Monday through Friday (not on Saturdays and Sundays for, as we shall see later, the services of these days do not follow the Lenten pattern). At the first reading, a prostration follows each petition. Then we all bow twelve times saying: "O God, cleanse me a sinner." The entire prayer is repeated with one final prostration at the end. Why does this short and simple prayer occupy such an important position in the entire Lenten worship? Because it enumerates in a unique way all the "negative" and "positive" elements of repentance and constitutes, so to speak, a "check list" for our individual Lenten effort. This effort is aimed first at our liberation from some fundamental spiritual diseases which shape our life and make it virtually impossible for us even to start turning ourselves to God. The basic disease is sloth. It is that strange laziness and passivity of our entire being which always pushes us "down" rather than "up" -- which constantly convinces us that no change is possible and therefore desirable. It is in fact a deeply rooted cynicism which to every spiritual challenge responds "what for?" and makes our life one tremendous spiritual waste. It is the root of all sin because it poisons the spiritual energy at its very source. The result of sloth is faint-heartedness. It is the state of despondency which all spiritual Fathers considered the greatest danger for the soul. Despondency is the impossibility for man to see anything good or positive; it is the reduction of everything to negativism and pessimism. It is truly a demonic power in us because the Devil is fundamentally a liar. He lies to man about God and about the world; he fills life with darkness and negation. Despondency is the suicide of the soul because when man is possessed by it he is absolutely unable to see the light and to desire it. Lust of power! Strange as it may seem, it is precisely sloth and despondency that fill our life with lust of power. By vitiating the entire attitude toward life and making it meaningless and empty, they force us to seek compensation in, a radically wrong attitude toward other persons. If my life is not oriented toward God, not aimed at eternal values, it will inevitably become selfish and self-centered and this means that all other beings will become means of my own self-satisfaction. If God is not the Lord and Master of my life, then I become my own lord and master -- the absolute center of my own world, and I begin to evaluate everything in terms of my needs, my ideas, my desires, and my judgments. The lust of power is thus a fundamental depravity in my relationship to other beings, a search for their subordination to me. It is not necessarily expressed in the actual urge to command and to dominate "others." It may result as well in indifference, contempt, lack of interest, consideration, and respect. It is indeed sloth and despondency directed this time at others; it completes spiritual suicide with spiritual murder. Finally, idle talk. Of all created beings, man alone has been endowed with the gift of speech. All Fathers see in it the very "seal" of the Divine Image in man because God Himself is revealed as Word (John, 1:1). But being the supreme gift, it is by the same token the supreme danger. Being the very expression of man, the means of his selffulfillment, it is for this very reason the means of his fall and self-destruction, of betrayal and sin. The word saves and the word kills; the word inspires and the word poisons. The word is the means of Truth and it is the means of demonic Lie. Having an ultimate positive power, it has therefore a tremendous negative power. It truly creates positively or negatively. When deviated from its divine origin and purpose, the word becomes idle. It "enforces" sloth, despondency, and lust of power, and transforms life into hell. It becomes the very power of sin. Continued next page...

4 Continued... From the desk of Father Christos These four are thus the negative "objects" of repentance. They are the obstacles to be removed. But God alone can remove them. Hence, the first part of the Lenten prayer; this cry from the bottom of human helplessness. Then the prayer moves to the positive aims of repentance which also are four. Chastity! If one does not reduce this term, as is so often and erroneously done, only to its sexual connotations, it is understood as the positive counterpart of sloth. The exact and full translation of the Greek sofrosini and the Russian tselomudryie ought to be whole-mindedness. Sloth is, first of all, dissipation, the brokenness of our vision and energy, the inability to see the whole. It s opposite then is precisely wholeness. If we usually mean by chastity the virtue opposed to sexual depravity, it is because the broken character of our existence is nowhere better manifested than in sexual lust -- the alienation of the body from the life and control of the spirit. Christ restores wholeness in us and He does so by restoring in us the true scale of values by leading us back to God. The first and wonderful fruit of this wholeness or chastity is humility. We already spoke of it. It is above everything else the victory of truth in us, the elimination of all lies in which we usually live. Humility alone is capable of truth, of seeing and accepting things as they are and therefore of seeing God's majesty and goodness and love in everything. This is why we are told that God gives grace to the humble and resists the proud. Chastity and humility are naturally followed by patience. The "natural" or "fallen" man is impatient, for being blind to himself he is quick to judge and to condemn others. Having but a broken, incomplete, and distorted knowledge of everything, he measures all things by his tastes and his ideas. Being indifferent to everyone except himself, he wants life to be successful right here and now. Patience, however, is truly a divine virtue. God is patient not because He is "indulgent," but because He sees the depth of all that exists, because the inner reality of things, which in our blindness we do not see, is open to Him. The closer we come to God, the more patient we grow and the more we reflect that infinite respect for all beings which is the proper quality of God. Finally, the crown and fruit of all virtues, of all growth and effort, is love -- that love which, as we have already said, can be given by God alone-the gift which is the goal of all spiritual preparation and practice. All this is summarized and brought together in the concluding petition of the Lenten prayer in which we ask "to see my own errors and not to judge my brother." For ultimately there is but one danger: pride. Pride is the source of evil, and all evil is pride. Yet it is not enough for me to see my own errors, for even this apparent virtue can be turned into pride. Spiritual writings are full of warnings against the subtle forms of pseudo-piety which, in reality, under the cover of humility and self-accusation can lead to a truly demonic pride. But when we "see our own errors" and "do not judge our brothers," when, in other terms, chastity, humility, patience, and love are but one in us, then and only then the ultimate enemy--pride--will be destroyed in us. After each petition of the prayer we make a prostration. Prostrations are not limited to the Prayer of St. Ephrem but constitute one of the distinctive characteristics of the entire Lenten worship. Here, however, their meaning is disclosed best of all. In the long and difficult effort of spiritual recovery, the Church does not separate the soul from the body. The whole man has fallen away from God; the whole man is to be restored, the whole man is to return. The catastrophe of sin lies precisely in the victory of the flesh -- the animal, the irrational, the lust in us -- over the spiritual and the divine. But the body is glorious; the body is holy, so holy that God Himself "became flesh." Salvation and repentance then are not contempt for the body or neglect of it, but restoration of the body to its real function as the expression and the life of spirit, as the temple of the priceless human soul. Christian asceticism is a fight, not against but for the body. For this reason, the whole man - soul and body - repents. The body participates in the prayer of the soul just as the soul prays through and in the body. Prostrations, the "psycho-somatic" sign of repentance and humility, of adoration and obedience, are thus the Lenten rite par excellence.

5 Parish Council President s Message Dear Parishioners, I hope this letter finds you happy and healthy as we enter Great Lent. In recent weeks, we celebrated a very well attended Godparents Sunday with Godparents reciting reconfirmation prayers followed by a luncheon sponsored by our Philoptochos. I want to thank all those who made this day a success and especially all of you for reaffirming that special commitment to your Godchildren. We also enjoyed a wonderful Community Dance sponsored by our Greek School. The dance was well received by many parishioners who attended and made this event a resounding success. Finally, the Community once again shined hosting the annual basketball tournament. For nearly 40 years this tournament has distinguished itself as among the best and this year was no different. We need to thank to the GOYA parents and all the sponsors from the Community for all the hard work in preparing and presenting this event. Congratulations to the GOYAns for hosting a terrific weekend of sportsmanship and fellowship for nearly 350 GOYAns from thirteen parishes. The tournament was, once again, among the largest ever held by Wilmington. Our Festival preparations have commenced in the kitchen. A Festival Committee has been assembled to chair the event and we are moving forward with many new initiatives to further streamline and enhance the Festival experience for our guests as well as our volunteers. Please call the office for information and make it a point to lend a hand in this critical endeavor. The restoration work on the exterior masonry will begin later this month or early in April. Keep an eye out for updates in the Sunday bulletin or special mailings as the work commences/progresses. In the meantime, other improvements and repairs remain ongoing including the rebuilding of a sewer drain in the north parking lot that collapsed (in the vicinity of where the band is situated in the parking lot during the Festival). There is one more similar drain in the rear of the Hall that will be addressed as well as a preventative measure. Finally, the floors to both the walk-in refrigerator and walk-in freezer were replaced to ensure compliance with Code and Board of Health issues. Over the next several weeks, our youth will begin preparations for participation in the Sights and Sounds Festival (March 28 th in Egg Harbor, New Jersey) for junior high school and high school age participants. Please encourage your children to be a part of this unique program. Additionally, our Community will be hosting the District Oratorical Festival competition on Saturday, April 18, 2015 in our Church. Seventh through Twelfth Grade students from throughout the Delaware Valley will gather to make presentations for the right to compete at the Metropolis level and beyond. Please make it point to attend either of these events and see the talents of our young people on display. George Rassias Parish Council President Αγαπητοί Ενορίτες, Καθώς μπαίνουμε στην Μεγάλη Τεσσαρακοστή, ελπίζω αυτή η επιστολή να σας βρή ευτυχισμένους και υγείς,. Τις τελευταίες εβδομάδες, εορτάσαμε με μεγάλη προσέλευση την Κυριακή των Αναδόχων με τους νονούς/ές να απαγγέλλουν προσευχές επαναβεβαίωσης, ακολουθούμενη από ένα γεύμα προσφορά της Φιλοπτώχου μας. Θέλω να ευχαριστήσω όλους όσοι που έκαναν την ημέρα αυτή μία επιτυχία και ιδιαίτερα όλους σας για την επιβεβαίωση για την ειδική δέσμευση για τα βαπτιστήρια τους. Απολαύσαμε επίσης μία θαυμάσια χοροεσπερίδα, χορηγός το Ελληνικό Σχολείο μας, για όλη την κοινότητα. Η χοροεσπερίδα έγινε αποδεκτή με ενθουσιαμό από πολλούς ενορίτες που παρευρέθηκαν και συνέβαλαν στην μεγάλη επιτυχία της. Τέλος, η Κοινότητα έλαμψε για άλλη μια φορά διοργανώνοντας το ετήσιο τουρνουά μπάσκετ. Για σχεδόν 40 χρόνια αυτό το τουρνουά έχει χαρακτηρισθεί ως ένα από τα καλύτερα και φέτος δεν ήταν διαφορετικό. Πρέπει να ευχαριστήσω τους γονείς της GOYA και όλους τους χορηγούς της Κοινότητας για την σπουδαία συνεισφορά τους στην προετοιμασία και την παρουσίαση της εκδηλώσεως. Συγχαρητήρια στους GOYΑ μας για την διοργάνωση για σχεδόν 350 GOYA από δεκατρείς ενορίες., το φίλαθλο πνεύμα και εκδήλωση φιλίας προς όλους, ενός καταπληκτικού Σαββατοκύριακου Το τουρνουά ήταν, για άλλη μια φορά, από τα μεγαλύτερα που έγιναν ποτέ στο Wilmington. Η προετοιμασία του Φεστιβάλ μας έχει ξεκινήσει στην κουζίνα. Συστάθηκε η επιτροπή του Φεστιβάλ για την διοργάνωση της εκδήλωσης και προβαίνουμε σε πολλές νέες πρωτοβουλίες για τον περαιτέρω εξορθολογισμό και την βελτίωση της εμπειρίας των επισκεπτών του Φεστιβάλ, καθώς και τους εθελοντές μας. Παρακαλώ τηλεφωνήστε στο γραφείο για πληροφορίες και προγραματήστε την βοηθείας σας σε αυτή την κρίσιμη προσπάθεια. Οι εργασίες αποκαταταστάσεως της εξωτερικής τοιχοποιίας θα ξεκινήσουν αργότερα αυτόν τον μήνα ή στις αρχές του Απριλίου. Για την ενημερωσή σας για την έναρξη εργασιών και προόδου των έργων θα υπάρχουν σχετικές πληροφορίες στο ενημερωτικό δελτίο της Κυριακής ή ειδικό ταχυσδρομείο. Άλλες βελτιώσεις και επισκευές είναι σε εξέλιξη όπως η επισκευή της αποχέτευσης στο βόρειο πάρκινγκ που κατέρρευσε (στην περιοχή όπου βρίσκεται το συγκρότημα κατά τη διάρκεια του Φεστιβάλ). Υπάρχει ακόμη αννάγκη σε μία παρόμοια αποστράγγιση στο πίσω μέρος της αίθουσας, που θα πρέπει να αντιμετωπισθή, για προληπτικούς λόγους. Τέλος, τα πατώματα, τόσο του μεγάλου ψυγείο όσο και του καταψύκτη αντικαταστάθηκαν σύμφωνα με τον Κώδικα και τις υποδείξεις του Συμβουλίου Υγείας. Κατά τη διάρκεια των επόμενων εβδομάδων, η νεολαία μας θα αρχίση τις προετοιμασίες για τη συμμετοχή στο Φεστιβάλ Εικόνων και Ήχου (28 Μαρτίου στο Egg Harbor, Νέα Ιερσέη) για τους μαθητές του γυμνασίου. Παρακαλούμε να ενθαρρύνετε τα παιδιά σας να πάρουν μέρος σε αυτό το μοναδικό προγράμμα.. Επιπλέον, η Κοινότητά μας θα φιλοξενήσει τον Διαγωνισμό Ρητορικού Φεστιβάλ το Σάββατο, 18 Απριλίου, 2015, στην Εκκλησία μας. Μαθητές/ιες από την εβδόμη μέσω την δωδέκατην τάξη από όλη την περιοχή του Delaware θα διαγωνισθούν για το δικαίωμα συμμετοχής σε επίπεδο Μητροπόλεως και πέρα. Παρακαλώ προσπαθείστε να παρακολουθήσετε και τις δύο εκδηλώσεις και να απολάσευτε τα ταλέντα της νεολαία μας. Γιώργος Ρασσιάς Πρόεδρος Κοινοτικού Συμβουλίου

6 GREEK LADIES PHILOPTOCHOS SOCIETY St. Agape Chapter Dear Beloved Philoptochos Members and Parishioners, ΚΑΛΗ ΣΑΡΑΚΟΣΤΗ As we journey through Great Lent and prepare for the Holy Days of Pascha please consider joining or helping Philoptochos in support of our Philanthropic Charities. During this Lenten Season our next general meeting will be held Wednesday, March 4 th following the Presanctified Liturgy and it will be a Lenten Covered Dish Dinner in the Community Center. Please plan to attend and bring a fellow parishioner. Also we will be hosting a Marriage Wellness Seminar on March 21 st which is open to the entire community and surrounding parishes. Please make an effort to attend and hear Fr Joanides seminar as this is a very important and relevant topic. This is a seminar for married couples of all ages, for those who are preparing/planning to marry, and for single people who want to learn the theology of marriage as the Orthodox Church teaches. (see flyers in this bulletin) As we enter into Holy Week we will again collect donations for the flowers which will adorn the Epitaphio. We will pass a tray on Palm Sunday or you may send a donation to the church office. We will be hosting the Palm Sunday luncheon in the Community Center on Sunday, April 5 th. More details will follow. We will also continue to collect funds for St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Shrine at Ground Zero. On Sunday, March 8 we will host Coffee Hour and will sell frozen Spanakopita and Tyropita and Greek Lenten desserts of which proceeds will benefit St. Nicholas. Looking forward to Spring we will be hosting a bus trip to Agia Skepi Monastery and St. George Orthodox Catholic Church in Taylor, PA on Saturday, May 2 nd. Please respond if you plan to join us so that we can book the appropriate size bus. More details will follow. In Christ, Georgia Halakos ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kollyva for Memorials Our Philoptochos Society would like to thank two of its members, Vasiliki Kromedas, for her generous offer to prepare the kollyva for any family of our community and donate the money for our Philoptochos charities, and Loula Kapordelis for helping her. The cost will be $100 which will include the Prosforon and the wine. Please allow at least a week and call Alexandra Tsaganos at who will contact Vasiliki. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When you pray "THROUGH EVERY PRAYER AND ENTREATY REMAIN IN CONSTANT SUPPLICATION AT ALL TIMES IN THE SPIRIT BEING WATCHFUL IN THIS WORK FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL THE SAINTS." EPHESIANS 6:18 Prayers for Health... Betty Catherine Chris Christine Clara Connie Evangelos Faye George Gus Jacob Kathryn Marika Mary Matina Nicholas Peter Polly Stephanie Taylor Tena We ask that you give baptismal names only.

7 Sunday School Newsletter On February 1, 2015, we celebrated Godparents Sunday with a reaffirmation service and a special fundraising luncheon. Godparents also attended class with their godchildren. It was a wonderful celebration of the special bond between godparents and godchildren! We would like to thank the Ladies of Philoptochos, Demitris Halakos & Kostas Atsidis, and the teachers & parents for their support. We were able to raise $500 for Child Inc. a local charity that supports children and families in crisis. As Lent begins, the Holy Trinity Sunday School is preparing to celebrate Our Lord s resurrection. We will be participating in two processions. The first takes place on Sunday March 1 st, the Sunday of Orthodoxy. Please remember to send in an icon for your child to hold during the procession. The second will take place on March 15 th, the Veneration of the Cross. Children will be making crosses to carry during the procession. Also during the month of March are two events for our students to participate on a Delaware Valley/Metropolis level. On March 14, the Bible Bowl will be held at St. Thomas Greek Orthodox Church in Cherry Hill, NJ. And on March 29, the Sights and Sounds will be held at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. On Sunday, March 29, we will hold our Junior Oratorical Program in our Community Center after the Divine Liturgy. Sunday School students from the preschool though sixth-grade will participate. Also on March 29 th, Markos Zerefos will present his narrative from last year that was recognized on the Metropolis level of the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival. We hope you can all join us! We will again be hosting the Palm Folding on Saturday of Lazarus. After Liturgy, a Lenten fare will be served. Come and join us as we prepare palm crosses for Palm Sunday! There will be no Sunday School on April 5, Palm Sunday, and April 12, Easter Sunday. We will resume classed on April 19. Kali Anastasi, Maroula Haralambidis Director Amalea Rassias Director

8 GOYA NEWS GOYA hosted our annual basketball tournament on President s Day Weekend. We hosted twelve churches and over 400 people. The GOYAns competed in the games on Saturday, socialized at the dance Saturday night, and joined together in worship on Sunday at our church. Our tournament is always a fun way to bring together the youth from the other Greek churches in the area and create memories. I want to thank all of those people in our community that contributed to make our tournament a huge success and to all those who were generous enough to place ads in our ad book. Another thank you goes to all of those who donated to our blanket drive for the homeless during our tournament. This weekend was a joy for everyone involved and GOYA thanks all of those people who made its events possible. Another major youth event is approaching with the Sights and Sounds coming up on March 28 th at Holy Trinity, Egg Harbor. Sights and Sounds is another outlet for the youth in our community to display their many talents and anyone that would like to celebrate in this event is encouraged to join in the festivities on March 28 th. GOYA also has the St. Demetrios, Baltimore tournament coming up on April 25 th /26 th. We will be meeting soon to discuss the rest of the year s activities. Many Blessings Pauline Raisis Goya President Praisis15@archmereacademy.com GOYA BLANKET COLLECTION UNDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2012 Over the next few weeks our GOYAns will be collecting blankets for the homeless. If you have a new or slightly used blanket that would benefit a less fortunate person, please bring it in and give it to any GOYAn during the coffee hour. We appreciate your generosity and your willingness to give!

9 GOYA 2015 Basketball Tournament

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12 Special Thanks to OUR PARENTS OUR PRIEST Fr. Christos OUR FRIENDS OUR FAMILIES OUR COMMUNITY FUTURE GOYAns!!!

13 February 12th at the Emmanuel Dining Room East We sincerely thank the Staikos family who sponsored and served the meal on Thursday, February 12th, in honor of their father, Dr. Dimitri Staikos. 116 men, women and children enjoyed a warm meal with Mary Staikos Zesimopoulos, Nick and Eleni Staikos, and Cathy Ziccarelli hosting and working in the kitchen. Cathy and family will be at the dining room again in March as they sponsor and serve the meal on Thursday the 12th. All are welcome to join them that day. Again, we welcome the Staikos family as sponsors, as we greatly appreciate all who generously serve and give to this charitable cause! Various groups and individuals generously donate the food and host the luncheon meal on the 12th of every month throughout the year. New sponsors are needed to fill a few months, so if you would like to become a part of this worthy service project with your family, friends or church organization, please contact Nikkie Tsakataras at or Tina Ganiaris at for more information. Three Hierarchs Greek Letters Day St. Thomas, Cherry Hill, NJ January 31 HOLY TRINITY REGISTRY Baptisms: Savannah Nagle, daughter of Brandon & Stephanie Nagle, was baptized in our Church on February 7th. The sponsor was Jacqueline Rochonchou. We congratulate her and her parents and welcome Savannah into the Orthodox Faith. Funerals: Peter Andrianopoulos fell asleep in the Lord on January 30th. His funeral was held at Holy Trinity on February 4. Peter is survived by his daughter Alexis and son-in-law Dave Gross, son Anthony and daughter-in-law Debra, and his granddaughter Ella. May his memory be eternal. Mary Kalmer fell asleep in the Lord on February 19th and her funeral was held at Holy Trinity on February 25. Mary is survived by her two daughters, Niki & her husband Robert Paladino and Michelle & her husband Klaus Stoltz; a brother, Gus Orphanos; a sister, Olga Pappas; four grandchildren, Alexis, Derek, Archie (Agnieszka) and Bernie (Melissa); and two great-grandchildren, Asher and Jude. May her memory be eternal. Memorials: Dimitri Staikos ~ February 8 ~ 40 Day Demetrios Kimbiris ~ February 15 ~ 3 Years

14 JOIN US at the site of and then visit the afterwards, be inspired by a Byzantine Choir and a Byzantine Art Exhibit at the WHEN: Saturday, March 14th HOW: KRAPF'S Coach - (54 seater) - Hurry spaces limited! COST: $85 including round trip coach plus tip, admission to Ground Zero Museum and the Byzantine Choir at the Met!! PARTICULARS: BOARDING will start at 10:30am. The bus will LEAVE the 808 N. Broom Street at 11:00am ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RSVP to: Yvonne Tsavalas, 24 Withers Way, Hockessin, Delaware with a check for $85 per person made out to the HELLENIC UNIVERSITY CLUB On or BEFORE February 18th- first come, first serve! NAME(S) Number in the party Amount of check(s) enclosed (NO cash accepted)!! First Paid, First Served!! See you on the BUS!!

15 HOPE A final update on HOPE/JOY Souper Bowl of Caring campaign We raised $328, which will be donated to the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) in an effort to help needy children and families around the world. In addition, we collected three boxes full of canned goods and other food items which (with the help of Holy Trinity's Food Pantry) will be distributed to food banks around the Wilmington area. Thank you for all of your support and participation!! Sincerely, Julie and Hilary

16 ALTAR GUILD The Altar Guild would like to acknowledge and thank the following for their donation: Frangia Family Flowers on February 8: Remembering our beloved grandfather, George Manolakis. He is still missed every day. ********** Members on Duty in February: Helen Doukakis, Catherine Faller, Catherine Graham, Stacy Koninis, Mary Mantzavinos Steve Nicholas. Barbara Vassos ********** GREAT LENT OF EASTER AND RESURRECTION Our Lenten season will begin on Monday, February 23. As we enter into this season of self-denial and renewal, we also think about the Lily the flower that we most associate with Easter. By the Saturday evening, Resurrection Service, lilies are beautifying our entire Church with their royal display and fragrance. Flowers are seen in wreaths for special services: the icon of the Theotokos is adorned for five Friday evening services of the Salutations, beginning February 27. On April 5, Palm Sunday evening, a wreath will surround the icon of our Lord (wreath of the Nymphios). Along with flowers on Holy Thursday evening, a wreath will adorn the Holy Cross. The lilies will be placed for the Resurrection Service on April 11 and for Holy Pascha on April 12, as well as the arrangements at the Altar Doors. If interested, please make a selection from the following: Wreaths for the Theotokos at the Service of Salutations: ($40 each): March 6, March 13, March 20, (March 27 ~ taken) Daffodils for Veneration of the Cross ($100): March 15 (taken) Wreath for Annunciation of the Theotokos ($40) March 25 (taken) Wreath for Lazarus Saturday ($40) : April 4 Wreath for Palm Sunday Evening ($40): April 5 Wreath for mystical Supper ($40): April 8 Wreath for Holy Cross ($50): Holy Thursday, April 9 (taken) Purple mums at base of Cross ($30): Holy Thursday, April 9 Wreath for the Icon of Extreme Humility ($40): April 9 Wreath for Icon of Crucifixion ($40): April 9 Wreath for Apolathelosis ($40): April 10 Wreath for Icon of Myrrhbearers ($40): April 11 Wreath for the Lavaro (Resurrection Standard) ($50): April 11 Arrangements (2) at Altar Doors ($100): Holy Saturday Resurrection Service, April 11 and Holy Pascha, April 12 Lilies ($20 each *********** Our efforts are supported totally by donations from parishioners. If you wish to share your memorable events with our Church Community by donating for the purchase of flowers on your special day, please advise the president (Helen Doukakis, ), any member of the Altar Guild or use the form below Name Telephone Please reserve date This special occasion is Enclosed is check in the amount of $ made out to Holy Trinity Altar Guild Mail to: Katherine Coustenis, 62 Springer Court, Hockessin, DE May we publish this in our monthly bulletin? Yes No ICON BOOTH For the convenience of the parishioners, the Icon Booth will be open on March 8 and March 22. Available for sale are icons, cookbooks, the Orthodox Study Bible, A Guide to Greek Traditions and Customs in America and many other interesting items. We also have available beautiful children s books. *****WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED GENEROUS SUPPORT****

17 The next Independence Day Parade is March 22 We will be taking a bus into Philadelphia. If you want to join us please call the church office ( ) to reserve your seat on the bus! Please call by March 16th so we know whether we need 2 buses!! Come support our Holy Trinity Family!

18 Please join us at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church 808 N Broom Street, Wilmington, DE With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos we are hosting A Couples Day Out Workshop About the presenter Father Charles Joanides, Ph.D., LMFT is a married Orthodox priest. He and his wife have been married for 38 years. They have two adult children and four grandchildren. He has a Ph.D. in Family Studies, is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and an approved AAMFT Supervisor. He teaches marriage and family therapy at Nyack College. Topics Why marriages succeed or fail Effective communication techniques What s my arguing style Myths about divorce Attributes of a Christ-centered marriage How our Christian faith helps our marriage Balancing strategies that work Intermarried challenges Why Participate? Here s what some couples have said: It was a blessed, fun day out. I m really glad I came. Can we do this again one day soon? Fr. Charles has been published in a number of journals, periodicals and newspapers. He is author of five books. His recent books are entitled: Attending to Your Marriage; The Journey of Marriage in the Orthodox Church; Pastoral Perspectives: Divorce and Remarriage. He has been a commentator on the Come Receive the Light Radio Program and Ancient Faith Radio Program. He lectures on marital and family issues across the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Registration (Walk-ins are welcomed the day of the workshop) Date: March 21, 2015 Time: 9am - 3pm Place: Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church 808 N Broom Street, Wilmington, DE ~~ greekorth@holytrinitywilmington,org Name(s): Address: Please RSVP by March 16th to reserve your seat! City: State: Zip: Phone: ( ) - A free will offering will be taken

19 Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey Church of Holy Trinity, Wilmington, DE A COUPLES DAY WORKSHOP For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. Matthew 19:5 Protecting Oneness Rev. Fr. Charles Joanides, Ph.D., LMFT Agenda 9:00 9:30 AM Coffee and Registration 9:30 AM Opening Prayers 9:40 10:30 AM Why Marriages Succeed or Fail 10:30 11:00 AM Group Work/Q & As 11:10 12:30 AM Staying Connected: Enhancing Oneness 12:30 1:00 PM Group Exercise/Q & As 1:00 1:40 PM Lunch 1:45 2:30 PM How Your Christian Faith Background Can Make a Difference in Your Marriage 2:30 3:00 PM Final Exercise/Closing Prayers Thank you for attending this seminar

20 Serving in March Narthex Duty: March 1 ~ Group 1 March 8 ~ Group 2 March 15 ~ Group 1 March 22 ~ Group 2 March 29 ~ Group 1 Coffee Hours: March.1 ~ Hellenic University Club March 8 ~ Philoptochos March 15 ~ AHEPA March 22 ~ Heart March 29 ~ Greek School (GK IND Program) Prosforon Offerers March 1 Maria Papanicholas March 8 Sophia Regas March 15 Litsa Anestos March 22 Niki Karaoglanis March 29 Eugenia Zerefos If you cannot meet your scheduled date for Prosfora please contact Loula Holy Trinity Altar Servers Coordinator: To Be Announced ST. BASIL & ST. CHRYSOSTOM TEAM LEADERS Matthew Christofidis & Panagiotis Tzinoudis MEMBERS: Chris Coulaloglou Constantine Krikelis Theodore Fessaras Niko Marinis Constantinos Fournaris Markos Zerefos Nicholas Gianelos Yianni Zerefos Larry Kirifides Festival Preparation underway Thanks to the leadership of Demitris Halakos and to the many parishioners who have come out and given their time and talents in the preparation of the Dolmades for the Greek Festival, we have completed this task. We prepared over 20,000 dolmades. We will start Mousaka & Pastichio next so if you have a few hours to spare come on in and help us out! We work usually Monday -Friday from 9am to early afternoon, and we plan to add some Saturdays in our work schedule to facilitate parishioners who are unable to participate during the week s work days. Work days vary so please call the church office to find out what days we will be working. ( ) No experience necessary - we will teach you all you need to know!!!!we NEED YOUR HELP!!

21 Special thanks to the Dolmades Prep Crew: Our Gals Vickie Karakasides Eleni Aslaouridis Aleka Christou Anna Giannatos Maria Grigorakakis Helen Grivas Georgia Halakos Loula Kapordelis Maria Kramedas Mary Kountourzis Voula Manis Pam Panalopoulos Sophia Psaltis Stavroula Pettaris Sophia Regas Marika Sarmousakis Joanna Tsaganos Yvonne Tsavalas Foula Tsionas Yvonne Vassialatos Evie Volou Yanoula Zotos Our Guys Demitris Halakos Tom Diamanty George Tsavalas Kostas Atsidis Yiannis Halakos George Pettaris John Karakasidis John Koninis Peter Xarhoulakos Please forgive us if we left your name out!!! 20,000 DOLMADES PREPPED

22 HOPE/JOY PARENTS: If your children plan to attend ~ please contact Julie Tsakumis (jtsakumis@yahoo.com) or by to let her know!

23 ATTENTION COLLEGE STUDENTS AND HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS AND PARENTS Under current higher education requirements for most college major fields, college students must complete two years of a foreign language course. Usually, for most this is not a favorable subject. Disinterest in struggling to complete the foreign language course while trying to concentrate on the major field of study is considered a heavy burden, and in far too many cases the results are limited and quite often at the expense of the major field of study. Now, there is a better way for Greek Americans to fulfill the college two-year, approximately 54-week, foreign language requirement, and with positive attitude and vigor in only 12 weeks, over two summers. At the initiative of the Hellenic Link, Inc., the Greek American since 1974 organization concentrating mainly on Greek language opportunities for Greek Americans, the University of Patra in Greece has developed a unique two-year Summer Study Modern Greek Program for American students. That is, Greek American students can attend the University of Patra for two six-week summer sessions, thus fulfilling the two-year requirement of their home university. There are several significant advantages to this opportunity First, because credits but not grades transfer from one educational institution to another, students completing the course will receive the academic credits without affecting their scholastic average. This in itself is of major importance. Since instruction of the language will be in its natural setting, learning will be much more advantageous than the sporadic classes over 54 weeks in a two-year homeinstitution span. Instruction will be on a 4-hour daily plan, with an extra hour of practice by working in a local store for one hour in conversing directly with the local population a great learning tool. In gaining this study abroad experience an additional advantage advocated by colleges and universities, the students will be immersed into the Greek society and culture, will make new friends while also enjoying two wonderful summers in beautiful Greece, and will sense their Greek identity and heritage. In addition to the academic instruction, the University of Patra will conduct excursions to several nearby historical sites, all included in the tuition cost of 600 Euros approximately $700 for the six weeks. Of course room and board expenses will be additional, but such costs are much lower in Greece, especially in comparison to the United States. This year s first summer course will commence on June 15, 2015 and complete on July 24, However, in order for the program to start it must have the minimum of 20 students for the first summer. There are no intermediaries, therefore there are no extra costs. Interested students and parents are to contact the University of Patra directly to request and to submit application forms, in the very similar manner that students do when interested in studying at a specific university abroad. For complete information and details, students and parents should contact: Department of Philology, University of Patra, 26504, Rion, Greece Telephone: ; fax: web site: mgpatras@gmail.com Deadline for registration is May 1, 2015

24 The 25th of March, Greek Independence Day Dr. Costas G. Fountzoulas The struggle of the enslaved Greeks against their ruthless rulers, the Ottoman Turks, officially started on the 25th of March 1821 in the monastery of Hagia Lavra, Kalavryta. Germanos, the bishop of Paleon Patron, raised the banner of the revolution and blessed the arms of the captains of the revolting Greeks. The beginning of the revolution coincided with one of the holiest days for Orthodox Christians, the Annunciation of the Theotokos. Unofficially though, the revolution of the Hellenes against the Ottoman Turks started one day after the fall of Constantinople on the 29th of May 1453, and continues until today. However, about 20 actual unsuccessful uprisings took place before the 1821 revolution that managed to liberate about 25% of the Hellenes residing in the Ottoman empire. The culturally superior Hellenic world, as represented by the Byzantine Empire in 1453, fell to the nomadic Asian Turk, and further failed to civilize and assimilate this new conqueror as it had previously done with the Romans. The Moslem Turk adopted the material part of the Byzantines but not its Hellenic intellectual and cultural heritage. Under penalty of death, no Turk could be Christianized but many Christians, for their survival, converted to Islam. Thus, the probability that many of today s Turks are descended from the Greeks is high. During the 400 years of Ottoman occupation complete lack of schooling resulted in illiterate, superstitious and ignorant Hellenes (especially in their culture, history and language). Interestingly, the same Turkish policy continues today with the Kurds! systematic abduction of Christian children forming the infamous and cruel Jenisaries, faithful only to Sultan moderate religious freedom was granted to those minorities who accepted the Sultan as their despotic leader and paid their taxes churches were turned into mosques and icons were destroyed (usually by poking out the eyes of the depicted saints, as it is happening in the conquered north part of Cyprus today, at the end of the 20th century). However, the Hellenes living in the occupied Hellas reacted to the oppression, lack of education and freedom by continuous uprisings against their Ottoman overlords (kleftes and armatoloi were a continuous headache for the Turks) obtaining elementary education in the Hidden Schools (for reading and writing only), formed and covertly operated by the church (at the same time the Europeans, through the discovery of Hellenic classics, began the renaissance, after many centuries of darkness) always being reminded of their glorious past and the contribution of their ancestors to the world by the surrounding ruins of ancient temples, theaters and stadia; thus keeping their historical identity alive becoming successful international ship owners and merchants (Turks were not very successful as sea merchants, thus bringing the European ideas of democracy and freedom back to the enslaved Hellenes and at the same time informing the Europeans of their struggle (AGON) for independence and human dignity--the contributions of the fleet of Spetses, Hydra and Chios were of extreme importance to the success of the revolution. The struggle of the Hellenes for independence was coordinated from abroad. The Hellenes of Diaspora were the strategic and financial brains behind the revolution (Secret Society of Friends [Filiki Etaeria], Sacred Band [Ieros Lohos], Ypsilandis, Koraes, Kapodistrias and many others raised the interest of the European and American intellectuals and Phil-Hellenes (Lord Byron, Dr. Samuel Gridly Howe, and Daniel Webster to name a few) The Hellenes of mainland Hellas formed military groups and carried out most of the burden of the fighting against the Ottoman Turks in Hellas; Kolokotronis, Karaiskakis, Papaflessas, Androutsos, Botsaris, Bouboulina, and Miaoulis were some of the heroes and military leaders suffered most of the consequences of their revolution against the Turks (burning of Chios and Psara) proved to the enslaved peoples of the Balkans (Aemos peninsula) that the Ottoman army was not invincible through their determination and self-sacrifice (Souli, Alamana, Messologi, Maniaki) they achieved significant victories over the Turks, thus liberating within 2 years Attica, Peloponnese and Sterea Ellas, which comprised in 1823 the first free Hellenic State forced the allied victory at the battle of Navarino, 1828, thus accelerating the demise of the Ottoman Empire The Holy Alliance, comprised of Austria, Russia, England, France, and Germany, tried to put an end to the revolution. The revolting Hellenes had been characterized, mainly by the Austrians, as agitators or terrorists using today s language. However, their fight for independence inspired many Europeans Phil-Hellenes, who gave their life for their righteous struggle. It is worth mentioning that there were Phil-Hellenes from every European nation except Austria and Czarist Russia ( however, the Ieros Lohos was formed in Russia). The struggle of the Hellenes for Independence eventually resulted in the demise of the Ottoman Empire and the liberation of the enslaved Balkans from the Ottoman yoke --it is also worth mentioning that the only people in the Balkans who fought against the Ottoman Turks were the Hellenes, something never forgotten by the contemporary Turks, and the creation of the contemporary Hellas State, an oasis of peace, democracy and stability, not only in the Balkans but in the Eastern Mediterranean as well. LONG LIVE THE 25TH OF MARCH 1821!!!

25 25 η Μαρτίου 1821 Δρ. Κώστας Γ. Φούντζουλας Ο αγώνας των σκλαβωμένων Ελλήνων εναντίον των σκληρών και ανελέητων Οθωμανών Τούρκων, άρχισε επίσημα την 25 η Μαρίου στήν Μονή της Αγίας Λαύρας στα Καλάβρυτα. Ο επίσκοπος Παλαιών Πατρών Γερμανός ύψωσε το λάβαρο της επαναστάσεως και ευλόγησε τα όπλα των καπεταναίων των επαναστατημένων Ελλήνων. Η έναρξη της επαναστάσεως συνέπεσε με τον Ευαγγελισμό της Θεοτόκου, μία από τις ιερώτερες ημέρες της Ορθοδοχίας. Όμως η επανάσταση των Ελλήνων ή ο ξεσηκωμός του Γένους, όπως αλλοιώς είναι γνωστή, είχε αρχίσει την επόμενη ημέρα από της πτώσεως της Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, 29 Μαϊου 1453, και συνεχίζεται μέχρι τις ημέρες μας. Συγκεκριμμένα περίπου 20 αποτυχημένες προσπάθειες προηγήθηκαν της επαναστάσεως της 25 η Μαρίου του Μέσα στα επόμενα 7 χρόνια το 25% των σκλαβωμένων Ελλήνων είχε απελευθερωθεί. Η πτώση της Κωνσταντινουπόλεως το 1453 εσήμανε το τέλος της Βυζαντινής αυτοκρατορίας και την αντικατάστασή της υπό της βαρβάρου και απολιτίστου Οθωμανικής αυτοκρατορίας. Πολλοί Χριστιανοί για να σώσουν το κεφάλι τους και να προστατέουν της οικογένειες τους εξισλαμίσθηκαν (όπως συνέβη με τους Μουσουλμάνους της Βοσνίας). Κατά την διάρκεια των 400 χρόνων Οθωμανικής κατοχής η παντελής έλλειψις εκπαιδεύσεως εδημιούργησε Έλληνες προληπτικούς και αμόρφωτους, επιλήσμονες της γλώσσας των και της ιστορίας των. Η ίδια πολιτική εφαρμόζεται σήμερα στους Κούρδους! συστηματική απαγωγή των αρσενικών παιδιών των Χριστιανικών πληθυσμών (παιδομάζωμα), τα οποία εχρησιμοποιήθηκαν δια τον σχηματισμό των απανθρώπων Γενιτσάρων, πιστών μόνο στον Σουλτάνο περιορισμένη θρησκευτική ελευθερία είχε δοθεί μόνο στις μειονότητες που είχαν αποδεχθεί τον Σουλτάνο σαν αρχηγό τους και επλήρωναν τους φόρος τους εκκλησίες μετετράπηκαν σε μουσουλμανικά τεμένη (τζαμιά) και εικόνες κατεστρέφοντο (συνήθως τους αφαιρούντο τα μάτια, όπως συμβαίνει εξ άλλου και σήμερα στο κατεχόμενο, τμήμα της Κύπρου) Η αντίσταση των σκλαβωμένων Ελλήνων στην καταπίεση, έλλειψη εκπαιδεύσεως και ελευθερίας χαρακτηρίζεται από τις συνεχείς εξεγέρσεις εναντίοντων Τούρκων (Κλέφτες και οι Αρματωλοί ) από την μάθηση στοιχειώδους αναγνώσεως και γραφής στα Κρυφά Σχολεία (σε αντιδιαστολή οι υπόλοιποι Ευρωπαίοι δια μέσου της ανακαλύψεως των δημιουργημάτων των αρχαίων Ελλήνων είχαν αρχίσει την αναγέννησή τους μετα απο έναν πολύχρονο Μεσαίωνα) από την υπενθύμιση του ενδόξου παρελθόντος των και της συνεισφοράς των προγόνων των στον κόσμο μέσω των ερειπίων των αρχαίων ναών και θεάτρων.διατηρώντας έτσι την εθνική ταυτότητα τους ζωντανή απο την επιτυχία τους ως εφοπλιστών και εμπόρων (οικονομικοί τομείς όπου οι Τούρκοι δεν είχαν επιτύχει), μεταφέροντας κατ αυτόν τον τρόπο στην Ελλάδα τις Ευρωπαϊκές ιδέες για δημοκρατία και ελευθερία και ταυτοχρόνως μεταφέροντας τον αγώνα των Ελλήνων για ανεξαρτησία και ανθρώπινη αξιοπρέπεια στους Ευρωπαίους η συνεισφορά των εμπορικών στόλων των Σπετσών, Ύδρας και Χίου ήταν αποφασιστικής σπουδαιότητας στην επιτυχή έκβαση της επαναστάσεως Ο αγώνας των Ελλήνων για ανεξαρτησία συντονίζετο από το εξωτερικό. Οι Έλληνες της Διασποράς ήταν οι στρατηγικοί σχεδιαστές και οικονομικοί παράγοντες της επαναστάσεως (Φιλική Εταιρεία, Ιερός Λόχος, Υψηλάντης, Κοραής, Καποδίστριας και πολλοί άλλοι) προκάλεσαν το ενδιαφέρον των Ευρωπαίων και Αμερικανών Διανοουμένων και Φιλελλήνων (Λόρδος Βύρων, Δρ. Σαμουήλ Χάουη και Δανιήλ Γουέπστερ κ.α.) Οι σκλαβωμένοι Έλληνες της κυρίως Ελλάδος εσχημάτισαν επαναστατικά στρατιωτικά σώματα και εσήκωσαν το μεγαλύτερο βάρος της εξεγέρσεως εναντίον των Οθωμανών Τούρκων. Κολοκοτρώνης, Καραϊσκάκης, Παπφλέσσας, Ανδρούτσος, Μπότσαρης, Μπουμπουλίνα και Μιαούλης είναι ονόματα μερικών ηρώων και στρατιωτικών ηγετών του αγώνα υπέφεραν τις περισσότερες συνέπειες του αγώνα τους (καταστροφή των Ψαρών και της Χίου) απέδειξαν στούς σκλαβωμένους κατοίκους των Βαλκανίων (Αίμος) ότι ο πολυάριθμος Οθωμανικός στρατός δεν ήταν ανίκητος κατέφεραν με την αυτοθυσία τους και τον ηρωϊσμό τους (Σούλι, Μανιάκι, Αλαμάνα, Μεσολόγγι) σημαντικές νίκες κατα των Τούρκων, απελευθερώνοντας έτσι μέσα σε 2 χρόνια την Αττική, Πελοπόνησσο και Στερεά Ελλάδα, τα οποία απετέλεσαν το 1823 το πρώτο ελεύθερο Ελληνικό κράτος ανάγκασαν τους συμμάχους να νικήσουν τον Τουρκικό στόλο στο Ναβαρίνο το 1828, επιταχύνοντας έτσι την πτώση της Οθωμανικής αυτοκρατορίας. Οι Έλληνες είχαν χαρακτηρισθεί από τους Αυστριακούς ιδιαίτερα σαν επαναστάτες ή τρομοκράτες με τα σημερινά δεδομένα. Παρ όλα ταύτα ο αγώνας τους ενέπνευσε πολλούς Φιλέλληνες, οι οποίοι έδωσαν την ζωή τους για τον δίκαιο αγώνα τους. Αξιοσημείωτο είναι ότι υπήρχαν Φιλέλληνες απ όλη την Ευρώπη πλήν της Αυστρίας και της Τσαρικής Ρωσσίας Ο αγώνας των Ελλήνων δια Ανεξαρτησία τελικώς επέφερε την πτώση της Οθωμανικής Αυτοκρατορίας τη απελευθέρωση των σκλαβωμένων Βαλκανίων απο τον Οθωμανικό ζυγό Οι Έλληνες ήταν οι μόνοι που επολέμησαν τους Οθωμανούς Τούρκους στα Βαλκάνια, κάτι που οι Τούρκοι δεν ελησμόνησαν ποτέ, και την δημιουργία του συγχρόνου Ελληνικού Κράτους, το οποίο είναι μιά όασις ειρήνης, δημοκρατίας και σταθερότητος, όχι μόνο στα Βαλκάνια αλλά και στην ευρύτερη περιοχή της Ανατολικής Μεσογείου. ΖΉΤΩ Η 25 Η ΜΑΡΤΙΟΥ ΤΟΥ 1821!!!

26 Παραινέσεις Κολοκοτρώνη προς τους νέους Δρ. Κώστας Γ. Φούντζουλας «Κολοκοτρώνης πέθανε στο γάμο του Κολίνου το θάνατό γνώρισε, που θελε ν αποθάνη και του Γενναίου μίλησε, και του Κολίνου λέγει: Πού είσαι, Γενναίε στρατηγέ, Κολίνο σπουδασμένε! Ελάτε, πάρτε την ευχή, με τριγυρίζει ο Χάρος. Σώπα, πατέρα, μην το λες, μη λες πως θα πεθάνης κι έχουμ οχτρούς και χαίρονται και φίλους και λυπάνται. Ελάτε, πάρτε την ευχή, και να στε μονοιασμένοι» «Άπαντα Κολοκοτρωναίων, τόμ. Α σελ. 74, εκδ. ΙΔΕΒ» Στις Πέμπτη 4 Φεβρουαρίου του 1843, πεθαίνει στην Αθήνα, ο ήρωας του Εικοσιένα, ο Θεόδωρος Κολοκοτρώνης, ο Έλληνας ήρωας με την σημαντικότερη προσφορά στην απελευθέρωση του Γένους. Στο παρόν κείμενο περικλείονται αποσπασματα του Γέρου του Μοριά για την Παιδεία και τα παιδιά. «Κάλλιο για την πατρίδα κανένας να χαθεί ή να κρεμάσει φούντα για ξένον στο σπαθί» έλεγε ο Ρήγας και σημειώνει ο Κολοκοτρώνης στα απομνημονεύματά του, διά χειρός Τερτσέτη. «Εφύλαξα πίστην εις την παραγγελίαν του Ρήγα. Και ο Θεός με αξίωσε και κρέμασα φούντα εις το Γένος μου ως στρατιώτης του. Χρυσή φούντα δεν εστόλισε ποτέ το σπαθί μου, όταν έπαιρνα δούλευσιν εις ξένα κράτη». Το ακόλουθο είναι από τον εξαίσιο λόγο του Κολοκοτρώνη στην Πνύκα, το 1838, ενώπιον όλης της τότε Αθήνας,: «Εγώ, παιδιά μου, κατά κακή μου τύχη εξ αιτίας των περιστάσεων έμεινα αγράμματος, και διά τούτο σας ζητώ συγχώρησι, διότι δεν ομιλώ καθώς οι δάσκαλοί σας». Χωρίς να το γνωρίζει ο Γέρος του Μωρηά επαναλαμβάνει λόγια του αγίου Κοσμά του Αιτωλού: «Και όχι μόνον δεν είμαι άξιος να σας διδάξω, αλλά μήτε τα ποδάρια σας να φιλήσω. Διότι ο καθένας από λόγου σας είναι τιμιώτερος απ όλον τον κόσμον». (επ. Αυγουστίνου Καντιώτη, «Κοσμάς ο Αιτωλός», σελ. 101). «Εις εσάς μένει να ισάσετε και να στολίσετε τον τόπο, όπου ημείς ελευθερώσαμεν, και, διά να γίνη τούτο, πρέπει να έχετε ως θεμέλια της πολιτείας την ομόνοια, την θρησκεία και την φρόνιμον ελευθερία». «Παιδιά μου να μην έχετε πολυτέλεια, να μην πηγαίνετε εις τους καφενέδες και τα μπιλιάρδα. Να δοθήτε εις τας σπουδάς σας, και καλλίτερα να κοπιάσετε ολίγον δύο και τρεις χρόνους και να ζήσετε ελεύθεροι εις το επίλοιπο της ζωής σας, παρά να περάσετε τέσσαρους πέντε χρόνους τη νεότητά σας και να μείνετε αγράμματοι. Να σκλαβωθήτε εις τα γράμματά σας. Να ακούετε τα συμβουλάς των διδασκάλων και γεροντοτέρων, και, κατά την παροιμία, μύρια ήξευρε και χίλια μάθανε. Η προκοπή σας και η μάθησή σας να μην γίνη σκεπάρνι μόνο διά το άτομό σας, αλλά να κυττάζη το καλό της Κοινότητος, και μέσα εις το καλό αυτό ευρίσκεται και το δικό σας. Η μόνη σκλαβιά που μας αρμόζει, είναι στα γράμματα.» Το 1824 βλέποντας ο Κολοκοτρώνης το μεγάλο κακό που γινόταν από την «δολερή διχόνοια», αφού σκοτώθηκε ο σπουδαίος γιός του Πάνος-παραδόθηκε και τον «έκλεισαν» στην Ύδρα. οταν εισέβαλε στην Πελοπόννησο ο Ιμπραϊμ τον αναζήτησαν. Στο Ναύπλιο που επέστρεψε είπε: «Πριν έβγω στο Ανάπλι έριξα στη θάλασσα τα πικρά τα περασμένα, κάνετε κι εσείς το ίδιο! Στο δρόμο που περνούσαμε να ρθουμε στην εκκλησιά, είδα να σκάβουν κάτι άνθρωποι. Ρώτησα και μου πανε πως για να βρούνε κρυμμένο θησαυρό. Εκεί, στο λάκκο μέσα, ρίχτε κι εσείς τα μίση τα δικά σας. Έτσι θα βρεθεί κι ο χαμένος θησαυρός!». Η θρησκεία, η πίστη των πατέρων ημών, η αγία μας Ορθοδοξία, είναι λιθάρι ριζιμιό του Γένους διότι «όταν επιάσαμε τα άρματα, είπαμε πρώτα υπέρ Πίστεως και έπειτα υπέρ Πατρίδος». Την πατρίδα μας την απελευθέρωσαν ήρωες, Χριστιανοί Ορθόδοξοι. Όταν του Κολοκοτρώνη του διάβασαν την απόφαση θανάτου στο δικαστήριο των Βαυαρών, είπε: «Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, όταν έλθεις εν τη βασιλεία σου». Το είπε με φωνή άτρεμη και έκαμε το σταυρό του. Στη μάχη του Σαραβαλίου, το 1821, ο Ανδρέας Ζαΐμης είχε καταφύγει στη μονή Ομπλού. Ο Κολοκοτρώνης τον ονείδιζε με τις λέξεις: «κυρ Ανδρέα, κυρ Ζαΐμη, τοις ελάφοις όρη τα υψηλά και πέτρα τοις λαγωοίς καταφυγή». Αγράμματος μεν, αλλά γνώριζε το Ψαλτήρι, γιατί λειτουργούνταν συχνά και όρθρου βαθέος. Μιλά ο Γέρος του Μοριά για την «φρόνιμον ελευθερίαν», γιατί υπάρχει και η άφρων, η ασυδοσία, η ατιμωρησία.δεν γνώριζε ούτε Ευρωπαίους παιδαγωγούς ούτε είχε γνώση των σύγχρονων του κοινωνικών ρευμάτων. Γνώριζε όμως την Ορθοδοξία και ζούσε από παιδί με τα καθαρά ήθη του Γένους, και την ηθική του Ευαγγελίου. Ο Πέκιο, ένας Ιταλός περιηγητής, συναντά τον φυλακισμένο Γέρο του Μωρηά στην Ύδρα, στο μοναστήρι του προφήτη Ηλία. Όταν η συζήτηση έφτασε στις νίκες του Μπραΐμη, του λέει ο στρατηγός: «Ηξεύρεις τι έφερε την νίκη των Αιγυπτίων; Η ενότης της πολεμικής δυνάμεως, ενώ οι Έλληνες αφανίζονται από την μανίαν του να θέλουν να καπιτανεύουν, χωρίς την απαιτούμενην εμπειρίαν».

27 Kolokotronis Admonitions to Youth Dr. Costas G. Fountzoulas Kolokotronis died at the wedding of Kolinos. He died the way he wished of dying. He spoke to Gennaeos (Brave) and he says to Kolinoς: Where are you general Gennaeos, and educated Kolinos? Come to give you my blessing, because Charon is hovering around me. Stop father, don t say that you are dying, We have enemies who will be happy and friends who feel sorry. Come, and get my blessing, and always be united. All Publications of Kolokotronis Family, vol. 1, p.74, IDEB Publisher On Thursday, February 4, 1843, the hero of the War for Independence of 1821 Theodore Kolokotronis died. He was the hero with the most significant contribution to the liberation of the nation. The present article is consisted of quotes of the Old Man (Kolokotronis) of Moria (Peloponnese) about Education (Paedeia) and youth. Rigas Fereos used to say: It is better for someone to be wasted for his fatherland than to decorate his sword with a tassel for a foreigner. Kolokotronis said "I guarded faithfully Riga s counsel. And with God s help to hang a tassel in my Nation as its soldier. Golden tassel never adorned my sword when I was serving for foreign countries." The following is a part from the great speech of Kolokotronis at the Pnyx, in 1838, before all the Athenians: "I, my children, due to my bad luck, due to the circumstances I am illiterate, and for this I ask forgiveness because I do not speak as well as your teachers. Without knowing it, the great hero repeated the words of St. Kosmas: "And neither I am worthy to teach you nor your legs to kiss. Because each of you speech is more honest than from the whole world. "(Letter Augoustinos Kantiotes, "Kosmas of Aetolia," p. 101). It depends on you to correct and decorate the land we liberated, and this to be realized, you must have as the a foundation of the state concord, religion and prudent freedom. "My children do not long for luxury, do not go to the cafes and billiards. Devote yourselves in your studies. It will better to suffer a little for two or three times and live free for the rest of your life of your life than to waste four to five years of your youth and remain uneducated. Enslave in your letters. Listen to the counsel of your teachers and elders, and, as the proverb goes, even if you know myriad things, still learn thousands. Your progress and learning not to become sax only for yourself, but to look after for the good of the Community, and in this good is also your own good. The only slavery that suits us is the education. In 1824 Kolokotronis seeing the great catastrophe that was done by the "cunning discord" after the killing of his brave son Panos-he surrendered to the authorities and was imprisoned in the island of Hydra. When Ibrahim invaded Peloponnese they sought for him. When he returned to Nafplion he said: "Before I disembarked to Nafplion I threw to the sea the bitter the past, you should do the same! On the way to the church, I saw some people digging for something. I asked them why they are digging and they replied that they are searching for a hidden treasure. I told them to throw your hatred the pit as well. You will find the Lost Treasure there! " According to him, the religion, the faith of our Fathers, our Holy Orthodoxy is the stone, the foundation of the Nation because "when he revolted, we said first for Faith and then for the Fatherland. Our country was liberated by Orthodox Christian heroes. When the death sentence was read to Kolokotronis in the Bavarian court, he said: "Jesus, remember me when you will come into your kingdom." He said it in a fearless voice and then he crossed himself. In the battle of Saravali in 1821, Andreas Zaimis had taken refuge in the monastery of Omblos. Kolokotronis reviled him with the words: "Mr. Andreas, Mr. Zaimis, while the high mountains are the refuge of the deer and stone is the refuge of the hares." Although he was illiterate, yet he knew the Psalter, because he was often attended the Orthros very early in the morning. Kolokotronis speaks ofthe wise liberty, because there is a fool, promiscuity, impunity. He knew neither European children educators nor he had knowledge of his contemporary societal trends. However, he knew the Greek Orthodox tradition, he was experiencing the pure morals of the nation, and the morality of the Gospel since childhood. Peccio, an Italian traveler met Kolokotronis when he was prisoner at the monastery of Prophet Elias in Hydra. When the discussion came to the successes of Ibrahim s Egyptian army General Kolokotronis said: "Do you know why Egyptians are winning? While the Egyptian forces are united, the Greeks perish from mania to want to be the leaders without having the necessary military experience".

28 Holy Trinity Food Pantry There are three drop-off locations for your convenience: one by the church office, one in the Narthex and one on the balcony in the hall. During Lent, make it a habit to share with the less fortunate. Thank you!!! The Food Pantry Committee Για την εξυπηρέτησή σας υπάρχουν τρείς θέσεις αποθέσεως μία στο γραφείο της εκκλησίας, μία στον Νάρθηκα, και μία στην Κοινοτική Αίθουσα. Προσπαθήτε πάντοτε να μοιράζεσθε την τύχησ ας με τους λιγότερο τυχερούς. Σας ευχαριστούμε!!! Η Επιτροπή Κελαριού Τροφίμων

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34 The next Heart gathering will be March 1pm. We meet in the AHEPA Room ~~ Please join us!! DON T FORGET...Save the Date! ~ May 9, 2015 ~ Annual Taverna Night!! DETAILS BELOW... PAME STA BOUZOUKIA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6 th A N N U A L TAV E R N A N I G H T Dinner/Dance Hosted The Heart Saturday, May 9, 2015 Holy Trinity Community Center ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Get-Together/Cash Bar: 5:00-6:00PM Dinner: 6:00-7:00PM Music & Dancing: 7:00-10:00PM Prize Drawings! All this for just $30.00 per person ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For Reservations (deadline May 3nd) Please call: Peter Chris Elaine ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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36 March 2015 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Sunday of Orthodoxy 9am Orthros 10am Divine Liturgy 10am Sunday School Procession with Icons Philoptochos Tray for Metropolis 12:15pm Sunday School Meeting 2 11am Altar Guild Meeting 6pm Compline 7pm Commentary on the Divine Liturgy 3 11am Bible Class 7pm AHEPA Board Meeting 7pm UD Catholic Chapel 4 12:30pm Bible Study 6pm Presanctified Liturgy Philoptochos Covered Dish after Liturgy 5 7pm Dance 6 5pm Greek School 7pm 2nd Salutations to the Theotokos 7 9a-1pm Lenten Retreat, Annunciation, Elkins Park, PA 8 Sunday of St Gregory Palamas 9am Orthros 10am Divine Liturgy 10am Sunday School 9 6pm Compline 7pm Commentary on the Divine Liturgy 10 11am Bible Class 6:30pm AHEPA Meeting 7pm UD Catholic Chapel 11 12:30pm Bible Study 6pm Presanctified Liturgy 12 12pm Emmanuel Dining Room 1pm Heart 7pm Dance 7pm Parish Council Meeting 13 5pm Greek School 7pm 3rd Salutation to the Theotokos 14 Joy Bible Cherry Hill, NJ 15 Sunday of the Holy Cross 9am Orthros 10am Divine Liturgy 10am Sunday School SS Procession 16 6pm Compline 7pm Commentary on the Divine Liturgy 17 11am Bible Class 6pm Girls BBall Practice 7:15pm Boys BBall Practice 7pm UD Catholic Chapel 18 12:30pm Bible Study 6pm Presanctified Liturgy 19 7pm Dance 7:30pm Holy Trinity, Egg Harbor, NJ 20 5pm Greek School 7pm 4th Salutation to the Theotokos 21 9am - 3pm A Couple s Day Out Marriage Seminar 22 Sunday of St. John Climacus 9am Orthros 10am Divine Liturgy 10am Sunday School Greek Independence Day Parade, Philadelphia, PA 23 6pm Compline 7pm Commentary on the Divine Liturgy 24 11am Bible Class 6:30pm Daughters of Penelope Meeting 6pm Girls BBall Practice 7:15pm Boys BBall Practice 7pm Vespers at Annunciation, Elkins Park & Philadelphia 7pm UD Catholic Chapel 25 Annunciation 9am Orthros 10am Divine Liturgy 12:30pm Bible Study 6pm Choir 26 7pm Dance 27 5pm Greek School 7pm Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos 28 Sights & Holy Trinity, Egg Harbor, NJ 29 5th Sunday of Lent St Mary of Egypt 9am Orthros 10am Divine Liturgy 10am Sunday School Junior Oratorical Festival/Presentation Greek School Independence Day Program 30 12pm St. Elpida Emmanuel Dining Room 7pm Commentary on the Divine Liturgy 31 11am Bible Class 7pm UD Catholic Chapel

37 Μάρτιος 2015 Κυριακή Δευτέρα Τρίτη Τετάρτη Πέμπτη Παρασκευή Σάββατο 1 Κυριακή της Ορθοδοξίας 9 πμ Όρθρος 10 πμ Θεία Λειτουργία 10 πμ Κατηχητικό Περιφορά εικόνων Δίσκος Φιλοπτώχου για την Μητρόπολη 12:15μμ Συνάντηση Κατηχητικού 2 11 πμ Altar Guild 6 μμ Απόδειπνο 7μμ Εσπερινός Σχολιασμός της Θείας Λειτουργίας 3 11 πμ Τάξις Βίβλου 7 μμ Συνάντηση Συμβ. ΑΧΕΠΑ 7 μμ ΟΠΦ@ UD Catholic Chapel 4 12:30μμ Μελέτη Βίβλου 6 μμ Προηγιασμένη Λειτουργία Κοινό Δείπνο «ρεφενε» Φιλοπτώχου με τά την Λειτουργία 5 7μμ Πρακτ. Χορού 6 5μμ Ελληνικό Σχολείο 7μμ Β! Χαιρετισμοί 7 9a-1pm Lenten Retreat, Annunciation, Elkins Park, PA 8 Κυριακή του Γρηγορίου Παλαμά 9 πμ Όρθρος 10 πμ Θεία Λειτουργία 10 πμ Κατηχητικό 9 6 μμ Απόδειπνο 7μμ Εσπερινός Σχολιασμός της Θείας Λειτουργίας πμ Τάξις Βίβλου 6:30μμ Συνάντηση ΑΧΕΠΑ 7 μμ ΟΠΦ@ UD Catholic Chapel 11 12:30μμ Μελέτη Βίβλου 6 μμ Προηγιασμένη Λειτουργία 12 12μμ Αγία Ελπίδα Emmanuel Dining Room 1μμ Αειθαλείς Νέοι 7μμ Πρακτ. Χορού 7μμ Συνάντηση Κοιν. Συμβουλίου 13 5μμ Ελληνικό Σχολείο 7μμ Γ! Χαιρετισμοί 14 Διαγωνισμός Joy Bible Cherry Hill, NJ 15 Κυριακή του Τιμίου Σταυρού 9 πμ Όρθρος 10πμ Θεία Λειτουργία 10 πμ Κατηχητικό 16 6 μμ Απόδειπνο 7μμ Εσπερινός Σχολιασμός της Θείας Λειτουργίας πμ Τάξις Βίβλου 6μμ Προπόνηση Μπ.Μπ. Θηλέων 7:15μμ Προπόνηση Μπ.Μπ. Αρρένων 7 μμ ΟΠΦ@ UD Catholic Chapel 18 12:30μμ Μελέτη Βίβλου 6 μμ Προηγιασμένη Λειτουργία 19 7μμ Πρακτ. Χορού 7:30μμ Αγία Τριάδα, Egg Harbor, NJ 20 5μμ Ελληνικό Σχολείο 7μμ Δ! Χαιρετισμοί 21 9 π.μ έως 3 π.μ. Ημέτα Εξόδου Ζεύγους» Σεμινάριο Γάμου. 22 Κυριακή Του Αγίου Ιωάννου Κίμακος 9 πμ Όρθρος 10 πμ Θεία Λειτουργία 10 πμ Κατηχητικό Παρέλαση Ημέρας Ανεξαρτησίας Philadelphia, PA 23 6 μμ Απόδειπνο 7μμ Εσπερινός Σχολιασμός της Θείας Λειτουργίας πμ Τάξις Βίβλου 6:30μμ Συνάντηση Θυγ. Πηνελόπης 6μμ Προπόνηση Μπ.Μπ. Θηλέων 7:15μμ Προπόνηση Μπ.Μπ. Αρρένων 7μμ Εσπερινός στον Ευαγγελισμό, Elkins Park & Philadelphia 7 μμ ΟΠΦ@ UD Catholic Chapel 25 Annunciation 9 πμ Όρθρος 10 πμ Θεία Λειτουργία 12:30μμ Μελέτη Βίβλου 6μμ Χορωδία 26 7μμ Πρακτ. Χορού 27 5μμ Ελληνικό Σχολείο 7μμ Ακάθιστος Υμνος 28 ΗΧΟΙ & Αγία Τριάδα, Egg Harbor, NJ 29 5ηΚυριακή Σαρακοστής Αγίας Μαρίας Αιγύπτου 9 πμ Όρθρος 10πμ Θεία Λειτουργία 10 πμ Κατηχητικό Ρητορικών Νέων Προετοιμα σια Φεστιβάλ Περιφορά Σταυρού Εορτασμός 25ης Μαρτίου, από το Ελληνικό Σχολείο 30 12μμ Αγία Ελπίδα Emmanuel Dining Room 7μμ Εσπερινός Σχολιασμός της Θείας Λειτουργίας πμ Τάξις Βίβλου 7 μμ ΟΠΦ@ UD Catholic Chapel

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