ANNUNCIATION GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

Transcript

1 ANNUNCIATION GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH Monthly Bulletin MAY 2017 Inside this issue: From Father Anthony The Ascension Greek Message Calendar Donations/Sacraments Parish News President s Corner Philoptochos Youth News Bookstore Church Services Saturday Great Vespers 6:00pm Sunday Orthros 8:45am Divine Liturgy 10:00am Weekdays Orthros 9:00am Divine Liturgy 10:00am Μ 6:00 8:45 10:00 9:00 10:00

2 Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Reverend Presbyter Anthony Evangelatos George Stavropoulos, Chanter Kristina Yepez, Choir Director Ona Calogrias, Organist PARISH COUNCIL Executive Board Nicholas Babanikas, President George Panagoulopoulos, 1st Vice President Administration William Alexopoulos, 2nd Vice President Maintenance Joanna Stellakis, Secretary Gianna Tiliakos, Treasurer Stephanie Calogrias, Assistant Treasurer Members of the Board Konstantina Boutas Dino Constantinou Ted Ntakoulas Nick Palantzas Leon Papadopoulos Stephen Passias Ilias Potsis Themi Stamboulidis Adamandios Zouroulidis PHILOPTOCHOS SOCIETY Executive Board Pegi Ciulla, President Tina Boutas, Vice President Penny Kazis, 2nd Vice President Anne-Marie Horne, Recording Secretary Erlinda Anthony, Treasurer Lori Stasiewski, Assistant Treasurer Heidi Barbas, Advisor Members of the Board Ana Manos Despina Papadopoulos Ethel Savas Father Anthony Liz Karolemeas Sophia Terzakis S OTHER MINISTRIES Sunday School Penny Buterbaugh John Nenopoulos Phyllis Westcott Greek School Ioanna Andreopoulou Katerina Tsiantoulas Tina Boutas GOYA Jon Buterbaugh JOY & HOPE Barbara Mantalos Gianna Tiliakos OPA! Group Pegi Ciulla Koliva Ladies Philoptochos Coffee Hour Tina Boutas Shut-In Visitations Ladies Philoptochos Basketball Stephen Passias Dance Group Jon & Penny Buterbaugh Oratorical Festival Rhoda Economos Bookstore Pegi Ciulla Linda Sakelaris Poole Stephen Savas Joanna Stellakis Webmaster George Theodossiou

3 Christ is Risen! What a joy it is, beloved in Christ, to greet each other with these blessed words once again. No other phrase uttered by human beings carries the importance and cosmic significance than these two simple words. When we also consider the words of the troparion of Pascha, we further express the entire foundation of our Orthodox Christian faith. The words are simple and straightforward, but carry the fullness of our faith: Christ is risen from the dead, by death trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs He has granted life. If we are totally honest with ourselves, we would all agree that the greatest fear we have in life is the reality of death. If we didn t have the basic belief in the resurrection of Christ, could we even imagine how much more profound that fear would be? In our human weakness we cannot help but be preoccupied with this reality; however, our belief in Christ s resurrection, which grants us eternal life, is what replaces fear with hope. Choosing not to believe in the Risen Christ equates a life of hopelessness, most especially regarding the end of life and beyond. Sincere faith in Christ and belief in the meaning of His death and resurrection, brings us profound hope that no one can take away, unless of course, we allow the Devil to influence us otherwise. Every Pascha we Orthodox Christians with great faith, hope, and love boldly proclaim, Christ is Risen! Those who no longer accept the basic tenets of Christianity, without outwardly stating this, through their unbelief are instead proclaiming, Christ is dead! Even putting these words in writing makes me shudder profoundly. This, beloved, is what the Church means by spiritual death. If the cares and pleasures of life become our main focus to the extent of replacing our faith and hope in God, then we are definitely on the road toward spiritual death. The first danger sign of this unfortunate path is when one s faith becomes lukewarm. In this state, prayer, church attendance, and participation in the holy sacraments is most likely quite minimal or even non -existent. The beauty of our Orthodox faith is that when we are willing to be open to the saving grace of the Holy Spirit, such situations can be turned around, even if just prior to death. The hope and prayer of Orthodox clergy is that we all continually become spiritually renewed, especially through our annual Lenten experience, thereby solidifying our belief and hope in the resurrection of Christ more and more each year. As true believers in Christ, we find the strength and hope within us to deal with the most difficult issues of life, specifically, illness and death. If we have spouses, children, or parents dealing with a serious FROM FATHER ANTHONY illness, we have nowhere to turn for strength except to God and His Holy Church. Physicians can only give us hope for a positive outcome up to a certain point. When it becomes clear that someone will not survive, then only our faith can give us the strength to accept God s will. Knowing that life continues after this life, and without the pain and suffering endured by our earthly bodies, we then have hope for our loved ones who are being called to the next life. Our faith in the Lord s resurrection also gives us strength to deal with the reality of death when it occurs. It is interesting to note that the Orthodox funeral service is always resurrectional in character, no matter what time of the year or day of the week a funeral is held. The service incorporates the theme of the resurrection of Christ throughout, thus reminding us of the blessed life to come. When we attend the funeral of a friend or loved one, we should always carry the hymn of Pascha within us as a prayer to give us strength, and to remind us of the blessedness of eternal life. As I many times mention at funerals, it is necessary for us to mourn our loved ones and shed tears to fully express our emotions. In His humanity, our Lord did the same when he approached the tomb of Lazarus. However, as believers in Christ, we are able to walk away from the grave with a sense of hope and relief that our loved one is now living eternally in the new life. For this reason our Church offers memorial services for those who have fallen asleep since they are truly alive, not dead, and in need of our prayers toward their salvation. My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, hopefully through this year s observance of Lent and celebration of Holy Pascha, we have all been spiritually renewed in order to face yet another year of life with all its ups and downs. The joyous season of Pascha truly fills our hearts with the greatest promise that God has granted us eternal life in His Kingdom which has been opened to us through His empty tomb. In the Risen Christ, +Fr. Anthony MEMORIAL DAY CEMETERY SCHEDULE On Memorial Day, Monday, 5/29, Fr. Anthony will be at the following cemeteries: Melrose 10:00 am Knollwood, Canton 10:45 am Please be ready to hand Father Anthony your list of names removed from the envelope.

4 PASCHAL REFLECTIONS The following is taken from, The Teachings of the Holy Orthodox Church, by Rev. Michael Azkoul; Dormition Skete, The Descent into Hades During the period of His burial, the Lord descended into hades to the surprise of God s angels who guarded its gates and the demonized host within Jesus, His human nature already deified, entered into hades to deliver bodiless souls from the tyrant. According to St. Macarios the Great, death holds fast the souls of Adam and the thoughts of each lies imprisoned in darkness. The Saint composes an imaginary dialogue between Christ and the devil. The Lord says to him, Therefore, I purchase the body that was sold to you by the first Adam; I cancel the bonds. I paid the debts of Adam, when I was crucified and descended into hades; and I command you, O hades and darkness and death, bring out the imprisoned souls of Adam. Thus, the evil powers, struck with terror, gave back the imprisoned Adam. The Sabbath and the Resurrection After His death on Friday, the day of preparation (paraskeve), the Lord s body was placed in a new tomb which was situated in a garden where He was crucified In the Orthodox theology of history, Friday represents the age of the Old Testament, but also the sixth day of the Genesis week, the day on which He made man. The Sabbath on which the Lord was entombed refers not only to the seventh day of Genesis, but also the seventh age of history, the age of the Church. On the other hand, the entombment is the sign of the Lord s rest Clearly, the Sabbath or rest (anapausis) of the Lord Jesus is another kind from the one mentioned in Genesis or the Ten Commandments FROM FATHER ANTHONY Of His Ascension, we learn something very interesting. When He reached the third heaven, the angels there did not know Him. St. Irenaeos says that they were not all aware of God s plan for the salvation of the human race. But because the Word descended to His creatures invisibly, He was not known to them; but the Word had become incarnate. He was therefore visible in His Ascension; and when the principalities saw Him, the angels beneath called to those above, Life up your gates, and be lifted up, O you eternal gates, that the King of glory may enter in. And when these wondered and said, Who is this King of glory? those who had already seen Him testified a second time, The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. SPIRITUAL WISDOM After fulfilling a commandment expect to be tempted, for love of Christ is tested by adversity. (St. Mark the Ascetic) A thorn bush can never produce a fig. Just so, your heart can never be free from oppressive thoughts, words, and actions until it has purified itself internally. Be eager to walk this path. Watch your heart always. Constantly say the prayer Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me. Be humble. Set your soul in quietness. (St. Hesychius the Priest) Our Lord told us to pray in secret that means in your heart and he instructed us to shut the door. What is this door he says we must shut, if not the mouth? For we are the temple in which Christ dwells, for as the Apostle said: You are the temple of the Lord. And the Lord enters into your inner self, into this house, to cleanse it from everything that is unclean, but only while the door that is, your mouth is closed shut. (St. Aphrahates the Persian) The rest of the Crucified Lord points to the eternal Sabbath into which the People of God are already entering (Heb. 4:1-10). The God of David gave to him a vision of this day on which he and his house would rest from all thine enemies and his kingdom would be established forever (II Sam. 7:11). Of course that vision was nothing else than the rest and the kingdom of the Incarnate, crucified and risen God The Ascension With the Ascension of the Lord into the heavens and His session at the right hand of God (Mark 16:20), His earthly ministry came to an end. The pattern of salvation laid down by Christ for His brethren includes their ascension to the Father and sitting down in Christ at the the right hand of God. Christ now makes constant intercession for His Own, wrote St. Gregory the Great in his first Dialogue. The Ascension of the resurrected and deified Christ into heaven was visible to the naked eye, even the cloud which received Him out of their sight (Acts. 1:9). He ascended into the East, The Doctrine of the Apostles (II, 57:5) informs us, a fact which also justifies, in part, the worship of the Church towards the East. When He returns to judge the world, the angels announced to His Apostles and disciples on the Mount of Olives, He shall come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven (Acts. 1:11) A young calf starts to wander after freshly grazing and eventually finds itself stranded among frightful chasms. So it is with the soul, for thoughts gradually lead it astray (St. Mark the Ascetic.) Prayer in church in important. The best feelings and thoughts come in church, and, yes, the enemy attacks more violently in church; however, with the sign of the Cross and the Jesus prayer, you drive him away. (St. Barsanuphius of Optina) IN APPRECIATION Having just celebrated Holy Pascha in mid-april, I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone who assisted during the entire Lenten period, Holy Week and Pascha. First and foremost I wish to personally thank Fr. John for again being with us to assist throughout Holy Week. We also express gratitude to our chanter, George Stavropoulos, our volunteer chanters and readers, the choir, altar servers, decorating group, palm cross weavers, the Parish Council for all their efforts, our Philoptochos for the egg dyeing and general assistance, and to so many others who helped in various ways. May our Risen Lord grant all of you every good thing!

5 GREEK MESSAGE Ἅγιον Πάσχα Ἡ Ἑορτή τῶν Ἑορτῶν Αρχιεπισκοπική Εγκύκλιος για το Αγιο Πάσχα 2017 Πρός τούς Σεβασμιωτάτους καί Θεοφιλεστάτους Ἀρχιερεῖς, τούς Εὐλαβεστάτους Ἱερεῖς καί Διακόνους, τούς Μοναχούς καί Μοναχές, τ ούς Προέδρους καί Μέλη τῶν Συμβουλίων τῶν ἙλληνορθοδόξωνΚοινοτήτων, τῶν Διακεκριμένων Ἀρχόντων τοῦ Οἰκουμενικοῦ Πατρι αρχείου, τά Ἡμερήσια καίἀπογευματινά Σχολεῖα, τίς Φιλοπτώχους Ἀδελφότητες, τήν Νεολαία, τίς Ἑλληνορθόδοξες Ὀργανώσειςκαί ὁλό κληρο τό Χριστεπώνυμον πλήρωμα τῆς Ἱερᾶς Ἀρχιεπισκοπῆς Ἀμερικῆς. Χριστός Ἀνέστη! Σήμερα, στήν ὑπέροχη αὐτή Ἑορτή Ἑορτῶν, τήν ὁποία λαμπρύνει τό ὑπερβατικό φῶς καί ἡ ἀνυπέρβλητη χαρά τῆς Ἀναστάσεως τοῦ Κυρίου, ἐκφωνῶ μαζί σας, ἀγαπητοί μου χριστιανοί, τό ἐπιφώνημα τῆς νίκης, Χριστός Ἀνέστη! Ἀληθῶς Ἀνέστη! Ἡ πραγματικότητα τῆς Ἀναστάσεως τοῦ Κυρίου ἔχει μιά ἀπαράμιλλη σημασία για τήν ἀνθρωπότητα. Ἡ Ἀνάσταση εἶναι ἕνα γεγονός τό ὁποῖο σηματοδοτεῖ πολλαπλές νῖκες, νῖκες πού ἐμπεριέχουν τήν ὑπόσχεση μεταμορφώσεως καί ἀνανεώσεως γιά τόν καθένα μας. Πρῶτον, ἡ Ἀνάσταση τοῦ Κυρίου εἶναι μιά νίκη τῆς ζωῆς ἐπί τοῦ θανάτου. Ἐπί πλέον, εἶναι νίκη καθιερώσεως τῆς Ἀναστάσεως ὡς μιᾶς νέας ἐγκοσμίου πραγματικότητος. Μέ τό Πασχαλινό φῶς, ἀντιλαμβανόμεθα ὅτι ἄν καί ὁ θάνατος ἐξακολουθεί νά ἀποτελῇ φυσικό φαινόμενο, δέν κυριαρχεῖ ἐπί τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος ὡς ἀπόλυτη καί ἀναπόφευκτη μοῖρα. Μᾶλλον, ὁ θάνατος ἔχει χάσει τό κεντρί του (Α Κορ. 15:55) καθώς διανοίγεται δίοδος πρός μία καλύτερη ζωή, μία ζωή ἐν τῇ ἑνώσει, παρουσίᾳ καί αἰωνίᾳ κοινωνίᾳ μέ τόν Θεό. Τελικά, η Ἀνάσταση γίνεται ὁ προορισμός γιά τόν καθένα άπό ἐμᾶς. Ὁ Ἀπόστολος Παῦλος μᾶς διαβεβαιώνει σέ γλώσσα διαυγή, ὅτι ὅπως ο Χριστός ἀνεστήθη, ἔτσι θά ἀναστηθοῦμε καί ἐμεῖς καἰ θά ἑνωθοῦμε μέ τόν Χριστό σέ μιά ζωή μεταμορφωμένη, ἄφθαρτη, λαμπρή και φωτεινή, πλημμυρισμένη ἀπό ἄπλετο φῶς καί μεγαλεῖο. Δεύτερον, ἡ Ἀνάσταση τοῦ Κυρίου εἶναι ἡ νίκη τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἐπί τῆς ἀδικίας. Ὑπάρχει μεγαλύτερη ἀδικία ἀπό τήν σταύρωση τοῦ Χριστοῦ; Στήν περίπτωση τῆς ἀπίθανης ἀδικίας κατά τήν ὁποία ἡ ἀνθρωπότητα σταύρωσε στό πρόσωπο τοῦ Χριστοῦ τήν ζῶσα ἐνσάρκωση τῆς τελειότητος, τῆς ἁγιότητος, τῆς ἀθωότητος καί τῆς ἁγνότητος, ἔρχεται ἡ Ἀνάσταση τοῦ Χριστοῦ νά ὑπερνικήσει τήν ἀδικία καί νά ἐπαναφέρει θριαμβευτικά τόν ἀήττητο κανόνα τῆς δικαιοσύνης τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τρίτον, ἡ Ἀνάσταση τοῦ Κυρίου εἶναι ἐπίσης ἡ νίκη τῆς ἀγάπης ἐπί τοῦ μίσους. Ἡ Ανάσταση τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἶναι ἡ καθιέρωση τῆς ἀγάπης ὡς κεντρικῆς πραγματικότητος τῆς ζωῆς. Παρ ὅλες τίς κραυγές τοῦ μίσους, ἆρον, ἆρον σταύρωσον αὐτόν ( Ἰωαν. 19:15) ὁ Χριστός ἐπί τοῦ σταυροῦ ζητᾶ ἀπό τόν Πατέρα νά συγχωρήσῃ τούς ἐχθρούς του οὐ γάρ οἴδασι τί ποιοῦσι (Λουκ. 23:34). Ἡ Ἀνάσταση μεταμορφώνει ἐκπληκτικά τήν Σταύρωση ἀπό ἕνα ἔγκλημα μίσους ἐκ μέρους τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος σέ πράξη ἀγάπης ἐκ μέρους του Χριστοῦ! Ἀνέστη Χριστός καί ἡ ἀγάπη λάμπει ὑπέροχα ἐπί τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος. Τέταρτον, ἡ Ἀνάσταση τοῦ Κυρίου εἶναι ἡ νίκη τῆς σωτηρίας, τῆς ἀπελευθερώσεως καί τῆς ἁγιότητος ἐπί τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἐπί τῆς ἐνοχῆς καί ἐπί τοῦ κακοῦ. Κάποιοι σύγχρονοι ὑπαρξιακοί φιλόσοφοι θεωροῦν ὅτι ἡ ἁμαρτία, ἡ ἐνοχή καί τό κακό εἶναι ὁριακές καταστάσεις τίς ὁποίες ὁ ἄνθρωπος δέν μπορεί να ὑπερβῆ. Με τήν Ἀνάσταση ὅμως ὁ ἄνθρωπος μπορεῖ νά ὑπερνικήση αὐτά τά βασανιστικά στοιχεῖα τῆς ἀνθρωπίνου ὑπάρξεως. Ὁ Σταυρός ἀκολουθούμενος ἀπό τήν Ἀνάσταση αἴρει τήν ἐνοχή καί τήν ἁμαρτία καί ἐπαναφέρει πραγματικότητα μιᾶς ζωῆς ἀπηλλαγμένης ἀπό αὐτά. Ἡ ζωή ἀνανεώνεται λόγῳ τῆς Ἀναστάσεως. Ἀκόμη καί ἄν ἡ ἁμαρτία, ἡ ἐνοχή καί τό κακό συνεχίζουν νᾶ ἀποτελοῦν μιά ἐπίγεια πραγματικότητα, γίνονται πολύ διαφορετικές ὑπό τό φῶς τῆς Ἀναστάσεως. Με τήν χάρη καί τήν δύναμι τῆς Ἀναστάσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑπερνικῶνται εὐκολώτερα καθώς στεροῦνται πλέον τῆς δυνάμεως καί τοῦ ἐλέγχου ἐπί τῆς ζωῆς μας. Τήν σωτηριώδη αὐτή ἡμέρα τῆς Ἀναστάσεως ἀντιλαμβανόμεθα πλήρως τίς πολλαπλές νίκες τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπί παντός στοιχείου ἐχθρικοῦ πρός τήν ἀνθρώπινη ὕπαρξη. Ὅλες αὐτές οἱ νίκες τοῦ Ἀναστάντος Κυρίου, μᾶς ὁδηγοῦν καί πάλι στό κεντρικό μήνυμα τῆς Ἀναστάσεως, τό ὁποῖο εἶναι ἡ δική μας προσωπική ἀνάσταση. Εἶναι τό ὅραμα αὐτῆς τῆς Ἀναστάσεως πού μᾶς γεμίζει μέ ἐλπίδα γιὰ τό μέλλον, ὅποιες καί νά εἶναι οἱ παροῦσες συνθῆκες ζωῆς. Αὐτή εἶναι ἡ ὑπόσχεση τῆς προσωπικῆς μας ἀναστάσεως τήν ὁποία διαμορφώνει αὐτό τό ὅραμα καί μᾶς γεμίζει μέ ἄφατη χαρά καθώς ψάλλουμε Ἀναστάσεως ἡμέρα λαμπρυνθῶμεν Λαοί, Πάσχα Κυρίου, Πάσχα, ἐκ γάρ θανάτου πρός ζωήν, καί ἐκ γῆς πρός οὐρανόν, Χριστός ὁ Θεός, ἡμᾶς διεβίβασεν, ἐπινίκιον ἄδοντας. Χριστός Ἀνέστη! Ἀληθῶς Ἀνέστη! Μέ πατρική ἐν Χριστῷ Ἀναστάντι ἀγάπη, ὁ Ἀρχιεπίσκοπος Ἀμερικῆς Δημήτριος

6 MAY CALENDAR

7 DONATIONS DONATIONS AS OF APRIL 17, 2017 MEMORIALS Bertha Weinberg $620 Theokritos Petropoulos Mrs. Georgia Petropoulos $50 Christine Karavites Nikoletta & Maria Kallis $20 Mr. and Mrs. Vasilios Lucas $50 The Terzakis Family $75 Katerina Mavromatis Nikoletta & Maria Kallis $15 The Terzakis Family $50 Colin Woodyshek Nikoletta & Maria Kallis $20 The Terzakis Family $75 John Giannakoulis Mrs. Pat Giannakoulis $100 Peter & Helen Harris and Joanne, Bonnie & George Mrs. Pat Giannakoulis $100 Ourania Sarantou Mr. Nicholas Sarantou $100 OTHER DONATIONS Organ Maintenance $125 Mr. and Mrs. Tony Calogrias Good health for Pericles, Julie, Stefania & Christina Matthaiou Mr. and Mrs. Frances Cicalis $25 10 cases of water Mrs. Maria Theofilou 6 cases of water and various office/kitchen supplies Nikoletta & Maria Kallis FLORAL DONATIONS The Ascension Mrs. Gianna Tiliakos and Family HAVE A HEART/CHILDREN S CARDIAC FUND Mr. and Mrs. James P. Mihos $2,500 EASTER OFFERINGS Mr. and Mrs. Nondas Gioulis $25 Mrs. Phyllis Georgeu $25 Mr. and Mrs. John Juris $25 Mr. and Mrs. Charalampos Nikopoulos $50 Ms. Anastacia Ellard $10 Mr. Spiro Anifantis $100 Ms. Irene Economos $50 Mrs. Maria Lenton $10 Mrs. Jeanette Hayek Aljamal $15 Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Antoniou $100 Mr. and Mrs. Konstantinos Boutas $25 Mr. and Mrs. John Orphanos $20 Mrs. Pauline Pappas $25 Mr. and Mrs. Spyros Savas $50 Mr. and Mrs. Ted Ntakoulas $100 Mrs. Kasiani Kushta $10 Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Bulgaris $100 Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Barrus $25 Mr. Christopher Morosas $104 Mr. Yiannis Davos $50 Mr. and Mrs. Jon Buterbaugh $35 Ms. Demetria Phillips $100 Mr. and Mrs. Sam Psychos $10 Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Savas $250 Mr. and Mrs. Aristotelis Roussopoulos $10 Mr. Peter Karavites $50 Mr. and Mrs. George Alexis $50 Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Maranian $25 Ms. Heidi Mason $10 Mr. Nicholas Anastos $25 Mr. Irakli Savas $500 PALM SUNDAY LUNCHEON DONATIONS Mr. and Mrs. Bill Alexopoulos Mr. and Mrs. Sotirios Arvanitidis Mr. Kostas Bokas Georgios Pizza Mr. and Mrs. Ilias Lainas Mr. and Mrs. Ted Ntakoulas Mr. and Mrs. Leon Papadopoulos Mr. and Mrs. Ilias Potsis

8 April 13th April 20th PARISH COUNCIL MEETINGS May 9th June 13th July 11th August (No meeting) September 12th October 10th November 14th December 12th SACRAMENTS FUNERALS Bertha Weinberg Efthemia Mylonas May their memory be eternal PARISH NEWS 2017/2018 Floral Needs Following is a list for the decoration of icons on all major feast days of Christ and the Theotokos. This is a blessed way to participate in these major feasts of the Church for the health and well-being of your families, or in blessed memory of a loved one. Please note that the cost for decorating an icon is $60. To sponsor the decoration of one or more of these festal icons, please call the office directly during the week. Feasts of Christ & the Theotokos ($60) 1/6/2018 Holy Theophany 2/2/2018 The Presentation of Our Lord We thank all our donors in advance, and ask God s blessings upon them. Please note that as usual, donors will be acknowledged in the bulletin at the appropriate time CALENDAR OF EVENTS Hungry Friends Philoptochos Food Festival Sunday School Graduation Ministry Awards Banquet Greek School Graduation Annual Golf Tournament Annual Food Festival Fall General Assembly Parish Council Elections Election of Officers and Oath of Office Sunday School Christmas Pageant New Year s Eve Celebration Thursday, May 4th Saturday May 20th and Sunday May 21st Sunday, May 21st Sunday, June 11th Sunday, June 18th Monday, June 26th Thursday, Sept. 14th -Sunday Sept. 17th Sunday, November 12th Sunday, December 10th Sunday, December 17th Sunday, December 17th Sunday, December 31st

9 PARISH NEWS Dear Parishioners, PRESIDENT S CORNER Χριστός Ανέστη On behalf of Father Anthony, and the Parish Council, I hope that you and your families had a joyous Pascha. As you know, we are approaching the mid point towards the 50 day celebration of the Feast of Holy Pentecost. Pentecost in Greek means fifty. On this fiftieth day after Pascha The Holy Spirit descended from the Heavens upon the Apostles as described in the Book of Acts (Acts 2:1-4). The Holy Spirit descending as divided tongues of fire upon the Apostles which enabled them to preach the Word of God in different languages. On Pentecost, let us celebrate the Birthday of The Orthodox Church as declared this day by the Holy Fathers of our church. May we follow in the teachings of our Church and perpetuate our glorious Orthodox faith as did the Apostles. Let us also keep in mind that the Church needs to be the cornerstone of our lives. In past bulletins, I have informed you of the maintenance reserve account the Parish Council has created and have asked you to consider making an additional donation above and beyond your stewardship pledges to help defray a portion of the church's ongoing costs as we undertake additional needed repairs and maintenance work such as: 1. Painting of the inside of the church proper, 2. The purchase of an 8x40 foot storage container to store all of our Festival items and equipment, 3. Landscaping: replanting of trees and lighting in the front of our church, 4. Complete the final stage of the playground by doing some black topping and fencing around the playground area. At this time, on behalf of the entire parish, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Arthur and Sandy Sedell, for their recent generous donation of $10, towards our newly formed maintenance reserve account. We are very grateful for this philanthropic gift, especially now when our church needs it most. Additionally, I would like to thank the president of our Ladies Philoptochos, Pegi Ciulla, Jimmy Sarantopoulos and Steve Passias, who worked on the design and installation of the curtain over the gym stage. As you may recall, the Lingos Family Trust donated the cost for this project for which we are truly grateful. As you may know, on Sunday April 09, 2017, under Fr. Anthony's suggestion and guidance we hosted our first annual Palm Sunday luncheon in our community center. Over 250 Stewards gathered in Christian fellowship taking pleasure in each other's company and enjoying a fine meal as we prepared ourselves for Holy Week and the Resurrection of our LORD and SAVIOR Jesus Christ. A special thank you to the Alexopoulos, Arvanitides, Bokas, Lainas, Ntakoulas, Papadopoulos and Potsis families for donating all the food and beverages at this wonderful luncheon. Also, I'd like to thank the numerous volunteers who prepared and served the meals and cleaned up the hall after the event. Important upcoming dates that we look forward to seeing everyone attend: THURSDAY, MAY 04, 2017 The 225 Hungry Friends Event to be held in our Community Center. SATURDAY & SUNDAY MAY 20th & 21th, 2017 Philoptochos Mini food festival MONDAY JUNE 26, 2017 Annual Golf Tournament to be held at the Easton country club. As you can see, together we are making positive strides in strengthening our involvement and commitment in the life of our church. In closing, I continue to encourage and welcome all of you, both young and old alike, to come forward and join our family of volunteers in Christian fellowship. "We become what we think about"-earl Nightingale Respectfully yours, Nicholas H. Babanikas Parish Council President

10 ANNUNCIATION GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH, BROCKTON, MA 2017 STEWARDS YTD APRIL 17th, 2017 Aftosmes, Mrs. Anastasia Deeb, Paul & Elaine Lupo, Mrs. Georgia Petropoulos, Mr. & Mrs. George Aftosmes, Mrs. Thalia Demetriades, Mr. & Mrs. Evangelos Lymberopoulos, Mrs. Eleni Petropoulos, Mrs. George Alexiou, Mr. & Mrs. Nick Demos, Mr. & Mrs. Steve Manos, Mr. & Mrs. Sarantos Phillips, Mrs. Demetra Alexis, Mr. & Mrs. George Economos, Ms. Irene Maranian, Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Pishkin, Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Anastos, Mr. Nicholas Economos, Mrs. Voulas Marathas, Mr. & Mrs. Paul Potsis, Mr. & Mrs. Ilias Anifantis-Ibrahim, Mrs. Stamatia Efremidis, Mr. & Mrs. Charles McAllister, Mr. & Mrs. Mark Pouliopoulos, Mr. & Mrs. Fotios Antoniou, Mr. & Mrs. George Ellard, Ms. Anastacia Mihos, Mr. & Mrs. James P. Psilekaris, Ms. Theodora Antoniou, Mrs. Irene Evangelatos, Fr & Mrs. Anthony Mitchell, Dr. George Psilekaris, Mr. & Mrs. Tom Antonopoulos, Mr. Vaios Figueiredo, Mrs. Christina Mitoulis, Mr. & Mrs. Harry Psychos, Mr. & Mrs. Sam Argyropoulos, Mrs. Bessie Fisher, Mrs. Jean Morosas, Mr. Christopher Regas, Mr. Charles Babanikas, Mrs. Katerina Gagne, Mr. & Mrs. Robert Mroz, Mr. & Mrs. Marcin Sakelaris Poole, Mrs. Linda Babamikas, Atty. & Mrs. Konstantinos Georgantas, Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Nanos, Mr. & Mrs. Odesseas Sarantopoulos, Mr. & Mrs. Demetrios Babanikas, Atty. & Mrs. Nicholas Georgeu, Mrs. Phyllis Nenopoulos, Mr. & Mrs. John Sarantou, Mr. Nicholas Barrus, Mr. & Mrs. Glenn Giannaros, Mr. & Mrs. Nick Nicholaides, Mr. & Mrss. Harry Sarras, Mr. Nicholas Bartorelli, Mrs. Bessie Giannouloudis, Mr. Tom Nickandros, Mr. & Mrs. George Savas, Mr. Irakli Bellas, Mr. & Mrs. Demetrios Ginis, Mrs. Evlambia Nickolaou, Mr. James Savas, Mr. & Mrs. Spyros Bellas, Mr. & Mrs. Elias Giolis, Mr. & Mrs. Nondas Nikopoulos, Mr. & Mrs. Haralampos Savas, Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Besarick, Mr. & Mrs. Scott Grantso, Mr. & Mrs. Gregory Ntakoulas, Mr. & Mrs. Theodore Sever, Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Bloumbas, Mr. George Habib, Mrs. Violet Odierno, Mr. & Mrs. Randy Sharkey, Mr. & Mrs. Bloumbas, Mr. & Mrs. James Hasouris, Mrs. Alexandra Orphanos, Mr. & Mrs. John Sideropoulos, Mr. & Mrs. Anastasios Bloumbas, Mr. & Mrs. Kostas Hasouris, Mr. Phillip Palantzas, Mrs. Vasiliki Siogros, Mr. Steve Bokas, Mr. Charles Hatzidis, Ms. Kyriaki Panagiotopoulos, Mr. & Mrs. George Skenas, Mrs. Jeanette Boutas, Mrs. Fotine Holevas, Mrs. Helen Panagopoulos, Mr. & Mrs. Peter Smiliotopoulos, Mr. & Mrs. Ilias Bulgaris, Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Jaramillo, Mr. & Mrs. Sergio Panagoulopoulos, Mr. George Smiliotopoulos, Mrs. Tina Buterbaugh, Mr. & Mrs. Jon Joseph, Mrs. Louise Panico, Mr. & Mrs. Robert Spyropoulos, Mr. & Mrs. George Buterbaugh, Mrs. Niki Juris, Mr. & Mrs. John Papadimopoulos, Mr. & Mrs. Michael Stavropoulos, Mr. & Mrs. George Capernaros, Mr. Phillip Kallis, Mrs. Nikoletta Papadogianakis, Mr. & Mrs. Konstantinos Syrniotis, Mr. & Mrs. Sam Cariofiles, Mrs. Demetra Kampanelas, Ms. Paris Papadopoulos, Dr. Andrea Syrniotis, Ms. Vasiliki Castle, Mrs. Cleo Kazis, Mrs. Penelope Papadopoulos, Mr. & Mrs. John Tasho, Mrs. Georgia Cleary, Mrs. Elizabeth Kearns, Mr. & Mrs. Mark Papadopoulos, Ms. Maria Theofilou, Mr. & Mrs. Eleftherios Coderre Jr., Mr. Ferdinand Kyranos, Mr. & Mrs. Christos Papadopoulos, Mrs. Panagiota Theofilou, Mrs. Maria Colarusso, Mr. & Mrs. Carl Kyranos, Mr. & Mrs. George Papadopoulos, Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Thompson, Mrs. Jane Conley, Mr. & Mrs. Scott Lainas, Mr. & Mrs. Ilias Papakonstantinou, Mr. & Mrs. Konstantine Tiliakos, Ms. Gianna Constantinou, Dr. & Mrs. Dino Lapsley, Ms. Sofia Papas, Mr. Matthew Tiliakos, Ms. Ragen Costas, Mr. & Mrs. George Lenton, Mrs. Maria Papigiotis, Mrs. Alexandra Tsarhas, Mrs. Ourania Cotter, Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Lingos-Webb, Drs. Tania & Drew Pappas, Mrs. Georgia Tsarhopoulos, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Coutsoumbos, Mr. & Mrs. Chris Liolios, Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Pappas, Mrs. Pauline Tsilis, Mr. & Mrs. Vasilios Critikos, Ms. Athena Livanis, Mr. & Mrs. Harry Passias, Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Tsionis, Mr. & Mrs. Philip Dalkouras, Mrs. Cleo Loiacono, Mr. & Mrs. Edward Passias, Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Tsionis, Ms. Stacy Davos,, Mr. Yiannis Lucas, Mr. & Mrs. Vasilios Petropoulos, Mr. & Mrs. Alkie Twomey, Ms. Thelma

11 ANNUNCIATION GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH, BROCKTON, MA 2017 STEWARDS YTD APRIL 17th, 2017 Velissaris, Mrs. Dimitrios Velissaris, Mr. & Mrs. George Veiga, Mr. & Mrs. Derek Venuto, Mr. & Mrs. James Vintzileos, Mr. James Westhaver, Mr. & Mrs. Robert Yataines, Mrs. Ann Yiotopoulos, Mr. Steven Zaros, Mr. James MAINTENANCE ACCOUNT DONATIONS YTD APRIL 17, 2017 Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Babanikas $500 Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Bulgaris $100 Dr. George Mitchell $5,000 Mr. Christopher Morosas $200 Mr. and Mrs. Ilias Potsis $200 Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Sedell $10,000 Mr. and Mrs. Robert Westhaver $25 Mr. James Zaros $100 AHEPA LORD BYRON CHAPTER #57 BROCKTON Welcomes the following new members: Joe Ciulla Athanasios Karaliolios John Papadopoulos Leon Papadopoulos Michael Papadopoulos Diamantis Zouroulidis

12 YOUTH NEWS GOYA Χριστός Ανέστη! Christ has risen! As our GOYA year comes to a close, we are looking for an end of year event. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to contact any officer! Our seniors are very busy making final decisions on their colleges! Good luck to our soon to be grads: Dimitra Efremidis Sophia Evangelatos Thomas Maranian Michael Babanikas Jessica Barrus Chris Constantinou Sophia Terzakis HOPE/JOY The Easter Egg Hunt was success this year! Thank you to all who donated candy and helped to fill the eggs that the kids so joyously collected on Easter Sunday! The Joy Hope Youth Ministry and the youth of our parish would like to announce that the new total amount that will be donated to the Boston Children s Hospital in support of their Hellenic Cardiac Fund is now $10,000!!! A representative from the Boston Children s Hospital joined us at the church on March 26 th where we presented her with our original awesome donation of $7500! On that day, Mr. and Mrs. James P. Mihos came forward and offered an additional $2500 to add to the existing donations of $7500. A heartfelt thank you to them for their generous donation!!! We have a dance planned for May 27th! ATTENTION ALL GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS Please have your bios and photos submitted to the office no later than May 10th for publication in our June bulletin.

13 Join us for THE HUNGRY FRIENDS RAFFLE & DINNER To benefit the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Celebrating 100 Years Thursday, May 4, 2017 To be held at The Greek Church Community Center 6 PM Cocktails & Appetizers 7 PM Buffet Greek Dinner (presented by The Arvanitidis Family & Westside Foods) 8 PM Raffle $9,000 in PRIZES Grand Prize - $3,000 Plus 24 Additional Prizes 1st Place $1,500 2nd Place $ 750 3rd Place $ 500 4th Place $ Prizes of $ Prizes of $100 DONATION - $125 Additional Meal only $25 See a Parish Council Member for tickets or call the Church Office at

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16 Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church 457 Oak Street Brockton, MA Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Brockton, MA Permit No. 258 Phone Fax We re on the Web! BABANIKAS, ZIEDMAN & KING, P.C Belmont Street Brockton, MA Phone (508) Fax (508) Nicholas H. Babanikas Stephen S. Ziedman John J. King Konstantinos J. Babanikas Thomas J. Dinopoulos* Praven Shenoy Louis debenedictis Aleksandra Magdziak Lopes *Also admitted to Rhode Island and Florida Richard T. Mallen Of Counsel Boston Office 27 School Street, Suite 400 Boston, MA (617) New Bedford Office 355 Union Street New Bedford, MA (508) Concentrating in: Personal Injury Law - Social Security - Workmen s Compensation Wills & Trusts - Product Liability - Real Estate Law