REMEMBER OUR EXPANSION PROJECT! You Belong Here!

Transcript

1 You Belong Here! The MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE HOLY TAXIARHAI AND SAINT HARALAMBOS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 7373 CALDWELL AVENUE, NILES, ILLINOIS PHONE (847) Where there is no vision, the people perish. (Proverbs 29:18) NOVEMBER 2016 REMEMBER OUR EXPANSION PROJECT! In the spirit of Thanksgiving, please consider a pledge to help achieve our target for Groundbreaking in Spring 2017!

2 WORSHIP SCHEDULE November Schedule of Services Tuesday, Nov 1 Ss Cosmas and Damianos 8:30 am Orthros and Divine Liturgy Sunday, Nov 6 9:30 am Sunday 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Monday, Nov 7 7:00 pm Great Vespers for the Holy Taxiarhai Tues, Nov 8 The Holy Taxiarhai Michael and Gabriel 8:30 am Orthros and Divine Liturgy Sunday, November 13 St. John Chrysostom 9:30 am Sunday 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Sunday, November 20 IOCC SUNDAY 9:30 am Sunday 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Monday, Nov 21 The Entrance of the Theotokos 8:30 am Orthros and Divine Liturgy Friday, Nov 25 St. Catherine 8:30 am Orthros and Divine Liturgy Sunday, November 27 9:30 am Sunday 9:30 am Divine Liturgy OUR SISTER CHURCH OF ST. NECTARIOS in Palatine, IL, invites you to Great Vespers on Tuesday evening, November 8 and Liturgy on Wednesday, Nov. 9 in honor of their patron St. Nectarios. (Liturgy will NOT be celebrated at St. Haralambos on Nov 9.) THE MONASTIC COMMUNITY OF ST. JOHN CHRYS- OSTOM in Pleasant Prairie, WI invites you to Great Vespers on Saturday evening, Nov 12, in honor of the Feastday of St. John Chrysostom, and the Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning, Nov 13. (Of course, Liturgy WILL be celebrated on Sunday, Nov 13 at St. Haralambos.) ST KATHERINE OUR SISTER CHURCH OF THE PANAGIA invites you to the Chapel of St. Katherine for Great Vespers on Thursday evening, November 24 and Liturgy on Friday, Nov. 25 in honor of the Feastday of St. Katherine. (Liturgy WILL be celebrated at St. Haralambos on Nov 25.) OUR SISTER COMMUNITY OF ST ANDREW in Chicago invites you to Great Vespers at 7:00 pm on Tuesday evening, November 29th in honor of the Feastday of St. Andrew, and to Divine Liturgy the morning of Wednesday, November 30. (Liturgy will NOT be celebrated at St. Haralambos on Nov 30.) SACRAMENTS AND BLESSINGS MINISTRY TO PERSONS WHO ARE SICK-We urge Orthodox Christians who would like to receive Holy Sacraments but are unable to attend church (hospitalized or at home) to contact the church office so Holy Sacraments can be administered to them. If your loved one is hospitalized please call us, even if the illness is not serious! In a wholistic approach to healing and well-being, a visit from the priest can be very positive. Most hospitals do not inform us when they receive patients from our parish. We depend on you! BLESSINGS OF INFANTS Forty days after birth, a child and its mother come to church to receive a 40 Day Blessing, imitating Christ who was presented in the Temple 40 days after He was born. Please call the church office to arrange this blessing. BAPTISMS Please call the church office to schedule Baptisms. Plan ahead! there are some days when Baptisms are not performed. Keep in mind that there should be only one Godparent and that a child is supposed to be given one name when he or she is baptized. WEDDINGS Please arrange an appointment with Fr. Dean at least eight months before the proposed wedding date to allow time for all necessary marriage preparation. CONFESSION Confessions are arranged by appointment. Please call the church office to schedule Confession. MEMORIAL SERVICES Memorial Services are offered for the eternal rest of persons who have fallen asleep in the Lord. Customarily, these services are offered at 40 days, at 6 months, at 1 year and at 3 years. When three years have passed, the departed are more properly remembered on the Saturdays of the Souls. END OF LIFE ISSUES 1 - The Right to a Proper Funeral It is an honor to have a church funeral. When the funeral does not take place at the church it indicates that someone is not in good order. Sometimes out of convenience, we consider omitting a church funeral for our loved ones, not realizing that we are depriving them of their right to be honored. Let us honor our parents and relatives with the respect they deserve! 2 - About Cremation Orthodox Christians believe that in the General Resurrection, our bodies and souls will be restored to each other. Cremation is the deliberate desecration and destruction of what God has made, and is viewed as the denial of the Resurrection. In cases where there is intention for the body of a deceased person to be cremated, thus choosing to disregard our understanding of the Resurrection, the honor of a church funeral is not given, either in the church, or the funeral home or any other place. Additionally, memorial services with kolyva are not allowed, since the connection of the kernel of wheat as a sign of the Resurrection has been intentionally destroyed STEWARDSHIP YOU BELONG HERE! 2016 STEWARDSHIP UPDATE As of October 19, 643 families have committed $ 331, How about you?

3 HOLY TAXIARHAI AND SAINT HARALAMBOS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 7373 CALDWELL AVENUE, NILES, ILLINOIS PHONE: 847/ From Father Dean Dear Stewards and Friends of St. Haralambos, I was reflecting on the Thanksgiving holiday that is coming up soon, and realizing some of the many things that we have to be grateful for. When I came to St. Haralambos in 1982, many ministries that we now have did not exist. There was no IOCC (International Orthodox Christian Charities), no OCMC (Orthodox Christian Mission Center), no Orthodox Prison Ministry, no OCN (Orthodox Christian Network), no Orthodox Christian Synergy, no Orthodox Christians for Life ministry, no Hellenic American Rehab Center, no Outreach Committee, no Meals on Wheels, no Bessie s Table, no Coat Drive, no Toy Drive for DCFS (and more)! Our Orthodox Christians are maturing, and gradually showing generosity, kindness and some self-sacrifice for the betterment of others and for ourselves. We have much to be grateful for, and we are able to share our blessings! In the same spirit of Thanksgiving, we also want to expand our own facility here at St. Haralambos in order to serve our mission even better. We continuously find ourselves asking for your generosity, kindness and self-sacrifice that we may continue and expand our mission to the community and the world! We are grateful to many who have pledged to help us, and wait anxiously for many more to help so that we can break ground in the Spring! St Paul tells us to never get tired of doing good! The annual Symposium (that always takes place in October) was a terrific day of learning and enlightenment. I am so sorry that so few people from St. Haralambos took advantage of it, although we had greater participation than any other Greek Orthodox Church! We have a lot to look forward to in November, especially the Feastday of the Holy Taxiarch Archangels November 7-8, the Christmas Bazaar (November 18-19) and the Pan-Orthodox Thanksgiving Day Liturgy (November 24). As we celebrate THANKSGIVING this year, let s make a greater effort to actually give thanks to God on that wonderful holiday! It soon will be time to start thinking about our 2017 Stewardship! For several years, we have been talking about proportional giving that is, setting a level of giving in proportion to our income and resources, in order to express our support of our church, our love for God, and our sense of worthiness not only as receivers, but also as givers of God s blessings. We are grateful to see that more and more of our members are feeling a sense of ownership and pride in their church, and are responding by connecting their level of giving to their income and resource level. And we thank you! Soon it will be time for Parish Council elections! Serving on the Parish Council is also a form of stewardship, and we believe that everyone should serve at least one term on the parish council! Is it time for YOU to step forward? New faces and fresh ideas are always welcomed. Nomination forms should be arriving soon. The Christmas Fast begins on November 15! For Orthodox Christians, fasting is an excellent discipline of anticipation. Just as we don t eat before going to a party, we fast so we can celebrate the holiday to the max. Let s try to keep this fast in anticipation of our Lord s Birth, and then celebrate the beautiful 12 Days of Christmas in their fullness! With love in Christ, HOLY TAXIARHAI AND SAINT HARALAMBOS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH NILES, ILLINOIS Proistamenos Fr. Constantine P. Botsis Synefimerios Fr. George Lamberis Pastoral Assistant Deacon John G. Suhayda Chanter Nick Harisiadis Parish Council Officers President Perry Giannopoulos Vice President Nick Andrews Treasurer.... David Loomos Secretary Argy Koutsikos Phase III Chairman... Perry Giannopoulos Stewardship. Budget Committee Chairman...Perry Giannopoulos Building & Grounds Chairman.... Michael Pontikes and Theodoros Karabatsos Decor Committee Chairman...Stephan Aliferakis Finance Committee Chairman Tom Sikoral Outreach Committee John Pierce Board Chairman...Olympia Bournias Audit Committee Chairman Evan Houpis.. Food Fest Chairman. Philoptochos President.....Maria Dimitriou PTA Co-Presidents (Afternoon )....Anna Sikoral and Kathy Ioannidis PTA President (Preschool)......Marianna Memmos PTA Co-Presidents (Saturday )....Melina Papadopoulos and Irene Mohr Greek Principal... Mrs. Anastasia Liapi Saturday Director Mrs. Andrianna Panayiotou Preschool Director Mrs. Rita Petratos Sunday Director...Presvytera Georgia Botsis Athletic Director David Loomos Scoutmaster Vasili Zimbrakos Asst Cubmaster John Frake Little Angels.....Mrs. Christine Blackaby YAL President......Christina Pappadis GOYA President Alex Anton Jr. Goya Advisor Father George Bookstore Manager Jolynn Ruggerio Web Master George Houpis Facebook.....Elizabeth Kotis Office Staff.... Barbara Skaouris, Alexandra Grivas, Anna Sikoral Maintenance Staff..Juan Caro and Carolina Contreras IN THIS ISSUE: Letter from our Priest (pg 3) Announcements/Ανακοινώσεις (pg 4-5 What s Orthodox about Thanksgiving? (pg 6) Christmas Bazaar (pg 7) The Jesus Prayer (pg 9) Calendar (pg 10)

4 COMMUNITY NEWS STEWARDSHIP 2016! What does your church mean to you? What does your church offer to you? What keeps the doors open to serve your needs? How important is Baptism, Holy Communion, forgiveness and the many other blessings you derive from your church? What gives the church the fuel to power its activities and programs? A N S W E R: Your STEWARDSHIP! These are the questions we should ask when we determine our level of stewardship every year! Everyone should have a different stewardship level from everyone else, and every year it should change according to our means and our love! Our stewardship level should be an amount that reflects our growing love of God and our appreciation for the blessings and benefits we derive from our Church. If you have not yet made your 2016 commitments, please do so. There is no minimum, but true stewardship means heartfelt giving in proportion to our resources and income. You belong here! ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHRISTMAS GIFT/TOY DRIVE FOR FOSTER CHILDREN Again this year, the Orthodox Christian parishes of Chicago are collecting new toys and gifts to be given to foster children under the DCFS of Cook County. St. Haralambos has volunteered to provide for 200 children this year! Pick up Gift Forms today! Gifts should be returned by DECEMBER 3rd. Plan to support this worthy cause! MARTHA & MARY MATERNITY HOUSE The Martha and Mary Maternity House is an Orthodox Christian Maternity Home for pregnant women in need of support. As an Orthodox Christian home, the Martha and Mary house provides housing, with privacy and confidentiality, for women (generally 18 and older) at any stage of pregnancy and for an appropriate amount of time after childbirth. A benefit dinner will take place on Thursday evening, November 10 at St. Demetrios Church in Elmhurst, to support this worthy ministry. Your support would be appreciated! The donation is $40; visit MarthaMaryChicago.org for reservations! FAMILY CHRISTMAS RETREAT Plan to come with your family to our Family Christmas Retreat on Saturday, December 3, beginning at 12:30 pm. There will be discussions for children and for adults, as well as crafts, projects and food. We look forward to seeing you there! PAN-ORTHODOX THANKSGIVING DAY LITURGY will take place at the Protection of the Holy Theotokos Russian Orthodox Cathedral, 1800 Lee Street in Des Plaines at 9:00 am on THANKSGIVING MORNING, Thursday, November 24. This Divine Liturgy is sponsored by The Orthodox Christian Clergy Association of Chicago & by SYNER- GY, giving all of us the opportunity to celebrate an "American" holiday in an Orthodox way, together with fellow Orthodox Christians from different backgrounds. The outstanding Cathedral choir will sing the responses, and we urge you to attend this beautiful service! All are welcomed! PHILOPTOCHOS HOLIDAY BAZAAR The St. Haralambos Philoptochos will be hosting its annual Holiday Bazaar this fall, on November Lots of help will be needed! Please call the church office to offer your help. By working together, we can have a most successful Bazaar! PHILOPTOCHOS CHRISTMAS PARTY The ladies of our St. Haralambos Philoptochos will have their annual Christmas Dinner Party on Thursday evening, December 8 at the Chateau Ritz. The reception hour will begin at 6:00 and Dinner will be a 7:00. Bring a friend! And don t forget to make reservations! MEN'S SOCIAL EVENT Our Annual Men's Social event will take place on Wednesday evening, the 23rd of November. Tickets are available from our chairmen, Jim Karalekas and Angelo Demeros, or a Parish Council member, or the church office. Plan to join us! GREEK AMERICAN REHABILITATION AND CARE CENTER GALA will take place on Saturday evening, November 19 at the Westin O Hare Hotel, 6100 N. River Road in Rosemont, with cocktail hour at 6:00 and Dinner at 7:00. Entertainment following dinner by Glykeria and Kostas Karafotis! The donation is $225 (after November 7, $275); for reservations, call SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6 IS GODPARENT SUNDAY!! Join us for our GODPARENT SUNDAY LUNCH BUFFET hosted by our Afternoon PTA A great selection of Lunch options! Games and Activities for the Children Photo area for Pictures with your Godchild $10 per person (Children 3 and under are free) Please call the church office ( ) by November1 for reservations!

5 ΕΝΟΡΙΑΚΕΣ ΑΝΑΚΟΙΝΩΣΕΙΣ STEWARDSHIP Πόσο σπουδαία είναι η εκκλησία για σας; Τι σας προσφέρει η εκκλησία σας; Πως παραμένουν οι πόρτες ανοικτές για να εξυπηρετηθείτε; Πόσο σπουδαίο είναι το βάπτισμα, η Θεία Κοινωνία, η συγχώρηση και οι άλλες ευλογίες που απορρέουν από την εκκλησία σας; Τι είναι αυτό που ενδυναμώνει την εκκλησία για να ανταποκρίνεται σε όλα τα προγράμματα και τις δραστηριότητές της; ΑΠΑΝΤΗΣΗ: Η δική σας STEWARDSHIP! Αυτές είναι οι ερωτήσεις που πρέπει να ερωτάμε για να προσδιορίζουμε το επίπεδο προσφοράς του stewardship κάθε χρόνο! Καθένας μας πρέπει να προσφέρει διαφορετικό stewardship και κάθε χρόνο πρέπει να το αλλάζει ανάλογα με τα εισοδήματά μας και την αγάπη μας! Το επίπεδο προσφοράς του stewardship θα πρέπει να είναι ποσό που θα αντιπροσωπεύει την αγάπη μας προς τον Θεό και την εκτίμησή μας για τις ευλογίες και όλα τα καλά που μας προσφέρει η εκκλησία μας. Παρακαλούμε όπως συμπληρώσετε την κάρτα σας για το 2016, εαν δεν το έχετε ήδη κάνει ως τώρα. Δεν έχουμε θέσει όρια προσφοράς, αλλά stewardship σημαίνει να δίνουμε ευσυνείδητα και ανάλογα με τα εισοδήματά μας. Ανήκετε εδώ! ΔΩΡΑ ΓΙΑ ΘΕΤΑ ΠΑΙΔΙΑ Οι Ορθόδοξες Χριστιανικές ενορίες της περιφέρειας Σικάγο συγκεντρώνουν και πάλιν εφέτος Χριστουγεννιάτικα καινούργια δώρα για θετά παιδιά υπό την αιγίδα του OCCA. Η ενορία του Αγίου Χαραλάμπους ανέλαβε να δώση δώρα σε 200 παιδιά! Για περισσότερες πληροφορίες επικοινωνείτε με το γραφείο της εκκλησίας. Τα δώρα πρέπει να συγκεντρωθούν μέχρι τις 22 Νοεμβρίου! P h i l o p t o c h o s C o r n e r ΧΡIΣΤΟΥΓΕΝΝIΑΤIΚΟ ΠΑΖΑΡI ΤΗΣ ΦIΛΟΠΤΩΧΟΥ ΝΟΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ Η Φιλόπτωχoς πρoετoιμάζει τo Χριστoυγεvvιάτικo Παζάρι δια τις Νoεμβρίoυ Χρειάζεται μεγάλη βoήθεια! Παρακαλoύμε τηλεφωvήσατε στo γραφείο της εκκλησίας δια περισσότερες πληρoφoρίες και εαν θέλετε να προσφέρετε την βοήθειά σας. Οταv εργασθoύμε όλoι μαζί, θα έχoυμε έvα πoλύ επιτυχημέvo Παζάρι! Ένας μήνας έμεινε! ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥΓΕΝΝΙΑΤΙΚΟ ΠΑΡΤΥ ΤΗΣ ΦΙΛΟΠΤΩΧΟΥ-Το ετήσιο Χριστουγεννιάτικο πάρτυ της Φιλοπτώχου του Αγ. Χαραλάμπους θα λάβη χώραν την Πέμπτη το βράδυ, 8 Δεκεμβρίου εις το Chateau Ritz στις 6:00 μ.μ!. ΠΕΡΙ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΤΙΚΩΝ ΕΥΧΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΜΥΣΤΗΡΙΩΝ ΕΥΧΕΣ ΝΕΟΓΕΝΝΗΤΩΝ ΤΕΚΝΩΝ--Κάθε μάνα και το παιδί της, σαράντα ημέρες μετά την γέννησή του προσέρχονται στην εκκλησία για να λάβουν την Ευλογία των 40 Ημερών, κατά μίμησην του Ιησού Χριστού ο οποίος παρουσιάσθηκε στον Ιερόν Ναόν σαράντα ημέρες μετά την γέννησή του. Παρακαλούμε τηλεφωνείτε στο γραφείο της εκκλησίας για να κανονίσετε την ευλογία αυτή. ΒΑΠΤΙΣΕΙΣ Παρακαλούμε όπως τηλεφωνείτε στο γραφείο της εκκλησίας δια να προγραμματίσετε Βαπτίσεις. Σχεδιάστε πολύ ενωρίτερα!-υπάρχουν μερικές μέρες που δεν γίνονται βαπτίσεις. ΓΑΜΟΙ-Παρακαλούμε όπως κανονίζετε συνάντηση με τον π. Κωνσταντίνο τουλάχιστον οκτώ μήνες πριν την προτεινόμενη ημερομηνία του γάμου δια τις απαιτούμενες προετοιμασίες. ΕΞΟΜΟΛΟΓΗΣΗ Οι Εξομολογήσεις κανονίζονται κατόπιν ραντεβού. Δια να προγραμματίσετε εξομολογήσεις, παρακαλούμε τηλεφωνείτε στο γραφείο της εκκλησίας. ΜΕΡΙΜΝΑ ΑΡΡΩΣΤΩΝ Ορθόδοξοι Χριστιανοί που θα ήθελαν να λάβουν τα Άγια Μυστήρια και δεν μπορούν να έλθουν στην εκκλησία (βρίσκονται εις νοσοκομεία ή ανήμποροι εις τα σπίτια τους) παρακαλούνται να επικοινωνούν με το γραφείο της εκκλησίας δια να μπορέσουν να τα λάβουν. Παρακαλούμε να επικοινωνείτε με το γραφείο της εκκλησίας εαν κάποιος συγγενής σας είναι στο νοσοκομείο! Τα νοσοκομεία πλέον δεν μας πληροφορούν όταν έχουν αρρώστους από την ενορία μας. ΜΝΗΜΟΣΥΝΑ Επιμνημόσυνες δεήσεις γίνονται για την αιώνιον ανάπαυση των τεθνεώντων. Συνήθως, αυτές οι δεήσεις γίνονται κατά τις 40 ημέρες, τους 6 μήνες, τον 1 ον χρόνο και τον 3 ον χρόνο. Όταν έχουν περάσει τρία χρόνια, είναι πιο αρμόζον να ενθυμούμεθα τους αποθανόντας κατά τα Ψυχοσάββατα. END OF LIFE ISSUES Η Θρησκευτική Κηδεία Είναι Δικαίωμα μας Η κηδεία μέσα στην Εκκλησία είναι μεγάλη τιμή. Όταν μια κηδεία δεν λαμβάνει χώρα στην εκκλησία, υποδεικνύει ότι κάποιος δεν είναι εντάξει με τους κανόνες της εκκλησίας. Δυστυχώς, μερικές φορές (λόγω ευκολίας), σκεφτόμεθα να παραλείψουμε την εκκλησιαστική κηδεία των αγαπημένων μας, κυρίως των ηλικιωμένων, χωρίς να καταλαβαίνουμε ότι τους στερούμε την απονομή της τιμής που τους αρμόζει. Ας τιμήσουμε τους γονείς και τους συγγενείς μας με τον σεβασμό που τους αρμόζει! Αποτέφρωσις Νεκρού Οι Ορθόδοξοι Χριστιανοί πιστεύουμε ότι, στην Γενική Ανάσταση, τα σώματά μας και οι ψυχές μας θα γίνουν ένα. Η καύσις (αποτέφρωσις) του νεκρού είναι μία εσκεμμένη βεβήλωση και καταστροφή του σώματος, που θεωρείται ως άρνηση της Αναστάσεως. Σε περιπτώσεις όπου υπάρχει πρόθεσις αποτέφρωσης του αποθανόντος, αποφασίζοντας κατά αυτόν τον τρόπο να παραβλέψουμε την σημασία της Αναστάσεως, δεν αποδίδεται τιμή της εκκλησιαστικής κηδείας είτε στην εκκλησία είτε στο νεκροπομπείο ή σε οποιοδήποτε άλλο μέρος. Επιπροσθέτως, επιμνημόσυνες δεήσεις με κόλυβα δεν επιτρέπονται, αφού ο σύνδεσμος «του πυρήνα του σίτου» ως σύμβολο της ανάστασης έχει εσκεμμένα καταστραφεί.

6 What is So Orthodox about Thanksgiving? by Fr. Joseph Allen There is no "feast" that seems more "American" than Thanksgiving. Many of us Orthodox also recognize this holiday in some sort of way. Usually we say that it is a day in which "they" remember that the Pilgrims landed in this country. Of course, the "they" that we use in such a sentence refers to any of the non-orthodox Americans that we live with. And yet, this is real chance for us it may be one of the few "American" things that we can truly make Orthodox. We will never be able to totally interpret the secular things of America in an Orthodox way such as hot dogs and beer, or Rock and Roll Masses. But here on Thanksgiving Day is exactly where it should be done. This is so because if you think about and are especially aware of the words and feeling of our Divine Liturgy, there is nothing more Orthodox than giving thanks or "thanksgiving." It is, therefore, on Thanksgiving Day that we have a chance to help America look deeper into itself by looking at this "typical" American holiday of Thanksgiving from an Orthodox point of view. We know that to be Orthodox, if we really know about Orthodoxy, implies that "deeper look." But what is meant by looking deeper? To begin with, if we as Americans, both Orthodox and non-orthodox, fail to see the greater lesson of what "Thanksgiving" means, if it is just the remembering of an historical event, it will remain only a memory and not something that we call a Holiday, or better yet, a Holy Day. This is so because just the memory is not enough. Memory may be helpful, but it does not guarantee holiness. Why do we say Holy Day? When we answer this question, we will have taken that "deeper look." Surely those that landed in America understood why the day was "holy." They were not only celebrating their historic landing as holy, as we do today in this shallow way; they looked deeper and when they did, they gave thanks together in a real communion with each other and with God for all the bountiful gifts with which they were blessed. Perhaps they understood, even better than we do, what it means when we sing in our Liturgy: "for the abundance of the fruits of the earth and for peaceful times." That's it! That's the deeper look; men standing together before God in thankfulness. Men bound by common problems. Men bound by common goals. Orthodoxy, therefore, has the great opportunity to be able to dissect the word "Thanksgiving," to show this fullness. In fact, we are constantly showing what it really means at every Liturgy, for it is here that thanksgiving is not only a memory, not only a day; it is a "state" or a "position" that we are in. What is that "state" which is holy? It is a standing together no, it begins earlier it begins with the procession of each of us from the bed of our homes to the place where we will stand, to be together, even as those pilgrims were, to give thanks. The height of this thanksgiving is when we offer up the gifts of bread and wine "Thine own of Thine own, we offer unto thee, in behalf of all and for all" while we are offered life in return from God. Can we take America back to that original meaning, to that deeper look? The pilgrims had it, but we have preserved it! Perhaps now we can say "we" instead of "they" to show that Thanksgiving is not only for non- Orthodox. Certainly, it is at the Divine Liturgy where "we" should begin this Day of Thanksgiving. Is there less that we can do? What's so Orthodox about Thanksgiving? Orthodoxy. THANKSGIVING DAY PAN-ORTHODOX DIVINE LITURGY Sponsored by THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CLERGY ASSOCIATION OF GREATER CHICAGO AND ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN SYNERGY 9:00 am Thanksgiving Day Thursday, November 26, 2015 Holy Virgin Protection Russian Orthodox Cathedral 1800 Lee Street, Des Plaines, Illinois

7 ST. HARALAMBOS PHILOPTOCHOS SOCIETY HOLIDAY BAKE SALE AND MINI-BAZAAR Be Merry! Be Happy! Be Jolly! May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through! NOVEMBER 18 & 19, 2016 Friday, 9:00 am to 9:00 pm and Saturday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm ST. HARALAMBOS CHURCH COMMUNITY CENTER 7373 N. CALDWELL AVE. NILES, ILLINOIS Delicious Home-made Greek Pastries Raffle, Coffee Shop, and a Variety of Vendors LUNCH SERVED BOTH DAYS DINNER SERVED ON FRIDAY ONLY A SPECIAL VISITOR FROM THE NORTH POLE SATURDAY, 11:00 am to 3:00 pm Call ahead to place your pastry order FREE ADMISSION FREE PARKING

8 INTRODUCTION TO THE GREEK ORTHODOX LITURGY You are invited to a special series of presentations to study the Divine Liturgy, on Tuesday nights at 7:30. The study is based on a small book about the Liturgy, written by Fr. Demetrios Treantafeles, and the sessions will include abundant discussion and Q&A. Join us!

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10 November 2016 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Ss. Cosmas and Damianos 8:30 am-orthros and Liturgy 11:30 am Little Angels Playgroup 7:30-Bible Study 2 7:30 pm Philoptochos mtg :00 am Saturday Greek 10:00 am Pilgrimage to Homer Glen 6 9:30 am Sunday 9:30 am Divine Liturgy GODPARENT SUNDAY 7 7:00 pm Great Vespers for the Holy Taxiarhai 8 THE HOLY TAXIARCHAI 8:30 am-orthros and Liturgy (NO Greek ) 7:30-Bible Study 9 ST NECTARIOS Liturgy at Palatine 10 7:30-SYNERGY Meeting 11 VETERAN S DAY 12 9:00 am Saturday Greek 13 St John Chrysostom 9:30 am Sunday 9:30 am Divine Liturgy 14 5:30 pm Family Night 6:30 pm-jr. GOYA 7:30 pm Sr GOYA 15 THE FAST BEGINS 11:30 am Little Angels Playgroup 4:30 PTA Mtg 16 7:30 pm Parish Council Mtg :30-Bible Study 20 9:30 am Sunday 9:30 am Divine Liturgy 21 ΕΙΣΟΔΙΑ ENTRANCE of THEOTOKOS 8:30 am-orthros and Liturgy 22 11:30 am Little Angels Playgroup 7:30-Bible Study 23 6:30-Mens Event 24 THANKS- GIVING DAY Pan-Orthodox Thanksgiving Liturgy 25 ST CATHERINE 8:30 am-orthros and Liturgy :30 am Sunday 9:30 am Divine Liturgy 28 5:30 pm Family Night 6:30 pm-jr. GOYA 7:30 pm Sr GOYA 29 11:30 am Little Angels Playgroup 7:30-Bible Study 30 ST ANDREW Liturgy at St. Andrew Church

11 Saint Haralambos 2016 MEN S EVENT Wednesday, November 23 7:00pm Cocktails 8:00pm Dinner The Fountain Blue 2300 S Mannheim Road Des Plaines, IL Every 10th ticket is a winner! Grand prize is $3000! Join us for an evening of good food, good company, and a chance to win the BIG PRIZE! Donation is $125. Tickets are available from our chairmen, Jim Karalekas and Angelo Demeros, our Parish Council members, or the church office. Plan to join us! HOLY TAXIARHAI AND SAINT HARALAMBOS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 7373 CALDWELL AVENUE NILES, IL Address Service Requested