The Vine. Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church. I am the vine, you are the branches (John 15:5)

Transcript

1 I am the vine, you are the branches (John 15:5) The Vine Ἐγώ εἰμί ἡ Ἂμπελος, ὑμεῖς τά κλήματα (Ἰωάνν. 15:5) Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church

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7 To Ελληνικό Σχολείο σας εύχεται Καλό Πάσχα. Η Ανάσταση να φωτίσει τις ψυχές και το µυαλό µας. Μπαίνουµε στην τελική ευθεία της σχολικής χρονιάς. Είναι ώρα για επανάληψη και προετοιµασία για τις εξετάσεις προαγωγής τάξης. Ενηµερωθείτε από τους δασκάλους για την ύλη των τεστ. Από φέτος θα καθιερωθεί η προεγγραφή για το επόµενο σχολικό έτος. Έως τέλη Μαΐου πρέπει να ενηµερώσετε το σχολείο εάν το παιδί σας θα συνεχίσει του χρόνου ώστε να υπάρχει αρκετός χρόνος για προγραµµατισµό βιβλίων και δασκάλων αφού µε χαρά διαπιστώνουµε ότι οι µαθητές αυξάνονται σταθερά.

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11 HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE

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15 Why? My parents said, Why would you do that? Now what are you going to do with your life? And, you re not Greek The people at work said, Well, I know you like liturgical stuff, but the Episcopalians are liturgical, and they ordain women. My friends said, What do you mean, an Orthodox Christian? Why? I grew up in the Methodist Church. My family attended sporadically, but when I was 11, I got be old enough for Youth Group and I became more and more involved. I turned out to be one of the weird kids who dragged her parents out of bed on Sunday morning to go to church. They would have rather stayed home, but I needed the ride! When I was about 12, I announced to my parents, my family, and people at church that I was going to be a United Methodist Minister. I came to that conclusion after considering three important points: I figured, I love God, I love God s people, and I hate Math and clergy don t ever have to deal with Math. (Father Paul assures me that this is not true.) It was around this time in my life when I started paying close attention to the worship services and the theology of the United Methodist Church. During my early teen years I began to feel that something was lacking, that something was missing. I realized that this feeling stemmed from the fact that the worship services were more about making me feel good than they were about anything else; the services were geared toward making the people sitting in the pews feel better about their lives and that rubbed me wrong. Because it seemed to me then (and seems to me now) that the point of a worship service is to worship God not to make yourself feel good. I started reading more about theology as a high school student, and I found that I really loved the Church Fathers. I loved that they spoke so much about the Resurrection and the Incarnation, and what those things meant. Growing up in a Protestant church, I heard often about theological concepts like atonement and about the importance of Christ s death how Christ s death and His blood and His suffering paid my sin ; which is not necessarily wrong, it s just not the entire story. And so, I was intrigued by this new part of the story that focused on Incarnation, on God s presence with us, and the annihilation of death! By the time I was 18, I was the youngest certified candidate for ordained ministry in the United Methodist Church. I had gone before a Methodist bishop, I had gone before an interview board I even had a credit check, which was kind of absurd for someone who was 18 years old and had never had a credit card. They also gave me a psychological examination (thankfully I found out I was perfectly sane!) They gave me their stamp of approval and said, All you have to do is get your Masters of Divinity, and you ll be ordained. So, I went to college in pursuit of a Bachelors degree which would allow me to apply to Master of Divinity programs. While in college, I had more of an opportunity to study theology writings and to learn about the history of the Church. The more I learned about Orthodoxy and the more I read, the more I felt as if I were being given answers to questions I d always had; the things that I was reading were things I had always believed but had never heard said. It was a very strange experience: to always have questions in your heart, or to always think, The church should be a certain way, and then to find out, you weren t the first person to have that thought, that someone in the 4 th century had answers to your heart s questions and had thought the same thing! I will say, though, that during those first years as a college student, my exploration of the Orthodox Church was very much on an intellectual level. I had no intention of becoming Orthodox I simply enjoyed reading about the Church Fathers, and I wanted to bring their wisdom to the United Methodist Church. During my Junior year in College, it was in Boston, of all places, that I actually first set foot inside an Orthodox church. Ironically, I was in Boston for a conference I d been invited to a conference for people my age, who had shown promise for ministry in the Protestant Church. Now, I had known about the Orthodox Church for years at that point, but I had never stepped inside one before when I walked into that Orthodox Church and into the beginning of the Divine Liturgy, I immediately understood a story I had read only a few weeks earlier. The story is that of Prince Vladimir, who in the 10 th century sent emissaries to go explore the religions and churches he had heard of (Orthodox, Catholic, Jewish and Islamic) and to bring back their knowledge to him. When they returned to Prince Vladimir, they recounted their experience at the Hagia Sofia, saying: We knew (Continued on page 18)

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18 (Continued from page 15) not whether we were in heaven or on earth. For surely, there is no such beauty anywhere on earth. We only know God dwells there among the people, and that their services surpass the worship of other places. We cannot forget that beauty. When I ask myself Why, Why am I Orthodox? I find that my response is Because it s beautiful. Me having become an Orthodox Christian doesn t make sense logically. Like I mentioned earlier, when my parents found out I had become Orthodox, their response was, What are you go to do with your life now? You were going to be a Methodist minister; you had everything set up for you. You were totally approved. You just had to go get your degree and then you were gonna have a steady paycheck for the rest of your life, you were gonna have a housing allowance; and now you re not Greek, but you re Orthodox. Tell me how this makes sense! At this point in my story, people often ask, Well, what have you gained by converting? But. I think that s the wrong question. The better question is, Why have I stayed? And again, the answer is, Because it s beautiful. When I first realized that my answer to these questions is Because it s beautiful, I felt a bit bad about it, because it seemed to be a simplistic answer. I wanted something more profound. I was actually thinking about this answer of mine during Liturgy on Sunday and the words that are prayed by the priest after Communion really struck me, Sanctify those who love the beauty of your house. I heard that, chuckled a bit, and thought, Okay, maybe I m not all that shallow after all. When something strikes us as beautiful, it s beautiful because it s true; it s beautiful because it is the way it was made to be.and that is what I find in the Orthodox Church. Do I understand everything on an intellectual level? No. But I m not supposed to understand; that s why our sacraments are mysteries. When I see the iconography in our church, am I able to articulate all of what the icons have revealed to me? No. But they re beautiful, and beauty speaks to us in ways that are beyond words. It s kind of silly of me, I guess, to stand here and try to speak coherently about something like beauty at the same time, though, I think everyone of us in this room has experienced the sight of a new child or grandchild, a rainbow in an unexpected place; something in this world which God has made, some part of the world that is as it should be. It didn t make any sense for me to become Orthodox. No one understood it. I still don t understand it some days myself, but I m happy I did it, because I have found peace in this church, and hope in this church, and joy in this church that I couldn t have imagined. There is so much beauty here. Imagine, for a minute that you lived in Hawaii. You see all the beautiful landscapes, the beautiful exotic plants, the majesty of the ocean, every day of your life. Then, someone who has lived every day of his life in North Dakota comes to visit you for the first time and with his eyes wide he tells you, Wow, what beauty it s more beautiful than anything I ve ever seen. Yet, one of the great things about Orthodoxy is that we re all converts; it s just that I happen to have converted a little bit later than most of the people in this room. None of us were born Christians, none of us. We were baptized or chrismated; that s when we were converted. I think that, both sorts of Orthodox Christians the ones who converted later, and the ones who became Orthodox as infants have things to teach one another. The people who have grown up in the Orthodox Church have shown how beautiful it is to live a life that has always been in the arms of the church. That is something that I want for my children, and I ve seen that because of you. At the same time, I m glad to know that we recognize the importance of listening to the stories of those of us who metaphorically speaking used to live in North Dakota and have been overwhelmed by the beauty of Hawaii. There are so many perspectives that we all bring, when it comes to our faith. And as part of the body of Christ, when we share our stories, we give a clearer picture of what it is to be Christians, and what it means to follow our loving God; a God who came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and Virgin Mary, a God who became human. I m reminded of St. Paul s words to the Christians in Philippi: Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is beautiful, whatever is commendable; if there is any excellence, if anything is worthy of praise, think about those things. Some of us have been thinking about, or meditating upon the beauty longer than others But I m just so glad it s beautiful. And I m glad that I could stand before you today and say that, while becoming Orthodox made no worldly sense, it was the best decision I ever made. It s something I could never have predicted for my life; certainly not the twelve year-old who proclaimed that she was going to be a United Methodist Minister, but the Lord works in His ways. Here I am. I m here because it s beautiful and because what is beautiful is true.

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20 Καθώς πλησιάζει τό Ἅγιο Πάσχα καί ἑτοιµαζόµαστε νά προσκυνήσουµε τά Σεπτά Πάθη τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡµῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καί νά τόν δοξάσουµε Ἀναστάντα ἐκ νεκρῶν, πολλές σκέψεις κατακλύζουν τόν νοῦ µου καί πολλά συναισθήµατα πληµµυρίζουν τήν καρδιά µου. Θά χρειαζόταν πολύς χῶρος καί χρόνος γιά νά περιγράψω ὅσα αἰσθάνοµαι ὡς Ἀρχιερεύς καί ὅσα συγκλονίζουν τόν ἐσωτερικό µου κόσµο. Πιστεύω ὅτι καί ὅλων τῶν ἀνθρώπων τά αἰσθήµατα, αὐτές τίς ἅγιες ἡµέρες εἶναι ἀνάλογα µέ τά ἰδικά µου. Ὁ Κύριός µας ἀνεβαίνει στόν Σταυρό καί προσφέρει τό Πανάγιο Αἷµα Του κατεβαίνει στόν Ἅδη καί τήν τρίτη ἡµέρα ἀνασταίνεται γιά νά µᾶς χαρίσῃ τήν καινή ζωή καί νά µᾶς κάνῃ κληρονόµους τῆς αἰωνίου Βασιλείας Του. «Μεγαλύνοµεν τά Πάθη Του, ὑµνολογοῦµεν καί τήν Ταφήν Του σύν τῇ Ἀναστάσει, κραγαύζοντες, Κύριε δόξα σοι» (1). Συγκινούµεθα µέ τήν συµµετοχή του Λαοῦ στίς Ἱερές Λατρευτικές Ἐκδηλώσεις καί χαιρόµεθα, διότι οἱ Ἕλληνες ἔχουν βαθειά ριζωµένη στήν ψυχή τους τήν πίστη στόν Θεό καί τήν ἀφοσίωση στήν Ἐκκλησία τῆς Ἀναστάσεώς Του. Ὅµως ἡ χαρά µας, δυστυχῶς, µετριάζεται ἤ µᾶλλον σκιάζεται ὅταν σκεπτόµεθα τόν τρόπο τοῦ ἑορτασµοῦ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πάσχα. Θά ἀναφερθῶ µόνο σέ ἕνα στοιχεῖο. Χιλιάδες πιστῶν κατακλύζουν τούς Ἱερούς Ναούς καί τά πέριξ αὐτῶν κατά τήν τελετή τῆς Ἀναστάσεως καί ἀναµένουν ἐν χαρᾷ καί ἀγαλλιάσει τήν ἀφή τοῦ Ἁγίου Φωτός. Ἡ κτίση φωταγωγεῖται ἀπό τό ἀνέσπερο Φῶς τοῦ Ἀναστάντος καί Ἄγγελοι µετά τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἑορτάζουν ψάλλοντες τόν ἐπινίκιον ὕµνον, ἐπί τῇ λαµπροφόρῳ Ἀναστάσει τοῦ Κυρίου. «Θανάτου ἑορτάζοµεν νέκρωσιν, Ἅδου τήν καθαίρεσιν, ἄλλης βιοτῆς τῆς αἰωνίου ἀπαρχήν» (2). Καί ἐνῶ ὅλα εὐφραίνονται, πολλοί (ἴσως οἱ περισσότεροι) ἐκ τῶν συµµετεχόντων στήν τελετή τῆς Ἀναστάσεως, ὡς διά µαγείας καί πάντως ἐκ συναρπαγῆς τοῦ πονηροῦ, ἀποστρέφουν τά πρόσωπά τους ἀπό τόν Ἀναστάντα καί σπεύδουν νά ἐγκαταλείψουν τήν οὐράνια καί ἐπίγεια ὁµοῦ πανήγυρη, τήν Σύνοδο οὐρανοῦ καί γῆς βιάζονται νά ἀφήσουν τόν Κύριο, θυσιαζόµενον ἐπί τῆς Φρικτῆς Τραπέζης καί προσφερόµενον εἰς βρῶσιν τοῖς πιστοῖς, προκειµένου νά µεταβοῦν στά ἵδια ( στούς οἴκους των) ἤ σε ἄλλους χώρους γιά τήν ἀπόλαυση τῆς κοσµικῆς χαρᾶς καί ὑλικῆς τραπέζης. Εἰς οὐδεµίαν ἄλλη περίπτωση αἰσθάνοµαι τόσο λυπηµένος, ὅσο ἐκείνη τήν στιγµή. Εἶναι πολύ µεγάλη ἡ ὀδύνη, ὅταν ψαλλοµένου τοῦ στίχου «Ἀναστήτω ὁ Θεός καί διεσκορπισθήτωσαν οἱ ἐχθροί αὐτοῦ καί φυγέτωσαν ἀπό προσώπου αὐτοῦ οἱ µισοῦντες αὐτόν» διαπιστώνοµε ὅτι φεύγουν, διασκορπίζονται, ὅσοι προηγουµένως ἐδόξασαν τόν Ἀναστάντα. Τήν ὥρα ἐκείνη νοερῶς βλέπω καί ἀκούω τόν Κύριό µας νά ἀπευθύνῃ, ἐπιδεικνύοντας τούς τύπους τῶν ἤλων, τήν ἐρώτηση πού ἀπηύθυνε στούς Μαθητάς στόν κῆπο τῆς Γεσθηµανῆ. «Οὐκ ἰσχύσατε µίαν ὥραν γρηγορῆσαι µετ ἐµοῦ;»(3). Παιδιά µου, µᾶς λέγει, γιατί φεύγετε; Τόσο πολύ κουραστήκατε; έν ἀντέχετε ἄλλο τήν οὐράνια φωτοχυσία; Ἐνοχλήθηκαν τόσο πολύ οἱ αἰσθήσεις σας ἀπό τούς οὐράνιους ὕµνους; Ἐπεινάσατε ἆραγε; Παιδιά µου, γιατί µέ ἐγκαταλείπετε; Λαός µου τί ἐποίησά σοι καί τί µοι ἀνταποδίδεις; Ἀντί τῆς ἀγάπης, τήν λήθην! Ἁντί τῆς θυσίας τήν ἄρνηση! Ἀντί τῆς καθόδου στόν ἅδη γιά νά σέ ἀνεβάσω στόν οὐρανό, τήν ἀχαριστία! Ἀντί τῆς ἀποδοχῆς τῆς προσκλήσεως στό Εὐχαριστιακό Ἀναστάσιµο εῖπνο, τήν ἀγνωµοσύνη! Λαέ µου, γιατί ἀνταλλάσσεις τόν οὐρανό µέ τό χῶµα, τό αἰώνιο µέ τό πρόσκαιρο, τήν ἀθάνατη τροφή µέ τήν πρόσκαιρη βρώση, τήν χαρά τῆς Βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ µέ τήν ψεύτικη κοσµική διασκέδαση; Λαέ µου, γιατί σβήνεις τό φῶς τῆς Ἀναστάσεως καί τρέχεις νά φωτίσης τά σκοτάδια τῆς ψυχῆς σου µέ τά ψεύτικα φῶτα, τοῦ µάταιου κόσµου; Τί θά ἀπαντήσωµε στόν Κύριό µας σ αὐτά τά ἐρωτήµατά του; Καµµιά ἀνθρώπινη λογική δέν δύναται νά ἑρµηνεύσῃ τοῦτο το γεγονός. Προσπαθοῦµε νά ἀναλύσοµε τό φαινόµενο καί νά ἐµβαθύνοµε στήν οὐσία του. Εἶναι ξένο τό ἄκουσµα καί φρικτό τό θέαµα. Παρατηρεῖται δυστυχῶς κατά τίς τελευταῖες δεκαετίες καί εἶναι ἀποτέλεσµα τῆς ἀγνοίας γιά τό βάθος τῆς ἑορτῆς καί τό Μυστήριο τῆς, διά τῆς Ἀναστάσεως, σωτηρίας. Εἶναι προϊόν τῆς ἐκκοσµίκευσης πού µαστίζει τήν ζωή µας καί τήν κοινωνία µας. Εἶναι ἀποτέλεσµα τῆς ἐπηρείας τοῦ παµµίαρου διαβόλου, ὁ ὁποῖος εὐφραίνεται µέ αὐτή τήν στάση τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἐν κατακλείδι, ἡ ἀποχώρηση τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπό τόν Ἱερό Ναό πρίν ἀπό τήν Λειτουργία τῆς Ἁναστάσεως, συνιστᾶ µεγάλη ἁµαρτία καί προδίδει ἐπιπολαιότητα ὡς πρός τά θέµατα τῆς πίστεως. Ὅλος ὁ ἀγώνας πού ἔχει καταβληθῇ µέχρι τό Πάσχα, ἀποβαίνει µάταιος. Κάποιοι ἔχουν ἕτοιµη τήν δικαιολογία. έν χωρᾶµε ὅλοι στόν Ναό, θά εἴµεθα ἀπ ἔξω. Τί πρέπει νά πράξωµε λοιπόν; Θά κοπιάσωµε, δέν ἀντέχοµε. Στό ἐρώτηµα αὐτό στήν πρόφαση µᾶλλον αὐτή - ἀπαντᾶµε. Ἡ Χάρις τοῦ Ἀναστάντος πληµµυρίζει τά πάντα καί τό φῶς τῆς Ἀναστάσεως καταγαύζει καί τά ἐντός καί ἐκτός τοῦ Ἱεροῦ Ναοῦ καί φωτίζει τά πρόσωπα τῶν υἱῶν τῆς Ἀναστάσεως. «Νῦν πάντα πεπλήρωται φωτός, οὐρανός τε καί γῆ καί τά καταχθόνια»(4). Καί ἀκόµη. (Continued on page 21)

21 (Continued from page 20) Ὁ Κύριος ἔγινε ἄνθρωπος, ἐταπεινώθη, ἐµαστιγώθη, ἐφόρεσε ἀκάνθινο στέφανο γιά µᾶς, ἐνεπτύσθη, ἐχλευάσθη, ἀνέβηκε στόν Γολγοθᾶ αἵρων τόν Σταυρό στόν ὦµο Του, ἐποτίσθη χολή καί ξύδι, ἀνῆλθε στόν Σταυρό, κατέβηκε στόν Ἅδη. Ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν γιά νά ἀναστήσῃ τόν πεπτωκότα ἄνθρωπο. Ὅλα αὐτά τά λησµονήσαµε καί φεύγοµε... διότι ἐκοπιάσαµε; Θά ἤθελα νά σᾶς µιλήσω γιά συγκλονιστικές έµπειρίες πού ἔχω ζήσει µέ ἀνθρώπους τῆς πίστεως, οἱ ὁποῖοι ἐπί ὧρες ἀνέµεναν νά ἐκφράσουν τά πρός τόν Θεό αἰσθήµατά τους. Περιορίζοµαι σέ δύο ἐξ αὐτῶν: Ὅταν ὑπηρετοῦσα ὡς Ἀρχιγραµµατεύς τῆς Ἱερᾶς Συνόδου, συνόδευσα τόν µακαριστό Ἀρχιεπίσκοπο Χριστόδουλο στήν εἰρηνική ἐπίσκεψή του στήν Εκκλησία τῆς Πολωνίας. Ἐκεῖ λειτουργήσαµε στήν Ἱερά Μονή «Γκαµπάρκα» κατά τήν Ἑορτή τῆς Θείας Μεταµορφώσεως. Χιλιάδες Λαοῦ εἶχαν κατακλύσει τόν λόφο τῆς Μονῆς. Τήν ὧρα τῆς Θείας Κοινωνίας ξέσπασε βροχή. Ἡ σκέψη µου ἦτο ὅτι ὁ Λαός θά διαλυθῇ. Καί ὅµως οὐδείς ἐγκατέλειψε τήν Φρικτή Μυσταγωγία, ἀλλά ἐν ὑποµονῇ ἀνέµεναν, ὑπό βροχήν, νά κοινωνήσουν τῶν Ἀχράντων Μυστηρίων, ἀπό τούς Ἱερεῖς, οἱ ὁποῖοι µέ τά Ἅγια Ποτήρια µετέδιδαν τό Πανάγιο Σῶµα καί Τίµο Αἷµα τοῦ Κυρίου. Μοναχές κρατοῦσαν ὀµπρέλλες, ὄχι γιά νά προφυλάσσουν τούς Ἱερεῖς, ἀλλά τό Ἅγιο Ποτήριο. Ἡ δεύτερη συγκλονιστική ἐµπειρία, ἦταν στό Βουκουρέστι τῆς Ρουµανίας τόν περασµένο Ὀκτώβριο, ὅπου µετεφέραµε τήν Ἁγία Κάρα τοῦ Ἀποστόλου Ἀνδρέου πρός εὐλογία καί ἁγιασµό τοῦ Ρουµανικοῦ Λαοῦ. Χιλιάδες Ρουµάνων ἀνέµεναν σχεδόν ἐπί δώδεκα καί πλέον ὧρες, ἡµέρα καί νύκτα, ὑπό φοβερό ψῦχος, νά ἔλθῃ ἡ σειρά τους νά προσκυνήσουν τήν Ἁγία Κάρα. Εἶχαν µιά ἐξαίσια ἡρεµία στά πρόσωπά τους καί στά µάτια τους φαινόταν ἡ γλυκειά προσµονή γιά τήν συνάντηση µέ τόν Ἅγιο. Ἀδελφοί µου. Εἶναι καιρός νά ἀλλάξουµε στάση ζωῆς, ὡς πρός ὡρισµένα θέµατα, τά ὁποῖα εἶναι ζωτικῆς σηµασίας γιά µᾶς. Τό κέντρο τῆς ζωῆς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας µας εἶναι ἡ Ἀνάσταση καί τό Ἀναστάσιµο εῖπνο, ἡ Ἀναστάσιµη Τράπεζα. Ὁ ἑορτασµός τοῦ Πάσχα δέν πρέπει νά εἶναι ἐξωτερικός, ἀλλά νά συνιστᾶ ὑπόθεση τοῦ ἔσω ἀνθρώπου. Πρέπει νά εἶναι ἀνακαινιστικός, δυνατότητα καί ὁδός ἐπιστροφῆς στήν Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ καί ὄχι εὐκαιρία κοσµικῆς τύρβης καί τρυφηλῆς ζωῆς. Πιστεύω ὅτι αὐτό τό Πάσχα θά ἀναθεωρήσοµε τήν στάση µας καί θά θελήσοµε νά µείνοµε στό εῖπνο τῆς Βασιλείας, ἀκούοντας τόν χρυσολόγο πανηγυριστή, τόν Ἅγιο Ἰωάννη τόν Χρυσόστοµο νά κραυγάζη ἑορταστικά. «Εἰ τις εὐσεβής καί φιλόθεος ἀπολαυέτω τῆς καλῆς ταύτης καί λαµπρᾶς πανηγύρεως...»(5). Καί ἀφοῦ ἀποκτήσοµε τήν ἐµπειρία τῆς µεθέξεως τῆς ἀθανάτου τραπέζης καί τῆς δεσποτικῆς ἀναστασίµου ξενίας, ἄς ἀπολαύσοµε καί τά ἀγαθά τῆς ἄλλης τραπέζης στό σπίτι µας, πού θά µοσχοβολάῃ Ἀνάσταση καί ὅπου τά δῶρα τοῦ Θεοῦ θά µᾶς δώσουν τήν χαρά καί τῆς ὑλικῆς ἀπολαύσεως ἀφοῦ, ὁ ὅλος ἄνθρωπος ὡς ψυχοσωµατική ὀντότης, ὡς µικτός προσκυνητής κατά τόν Ἱερό Γρηγόριο τόν Ναζιανζηνό, ἁγιάζεται ἀπό τήν Ἐκκλησία τῆς Ἀναστάσεως. Ἀδελφοί µου. Μήν φύγετε τό Πάσχα ἀπό τήν Ἐκκλησία πρό τῆς Θείας Λειτουργίας. Μή ἐγκαταλείψετε τόν Κύριο. Μή διαπράξετε αὐτή τήν µεγάλη ἁµαρτία. Καλή Ἀνάσταση.

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24 Sts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church 2160 Wauwatosa Avenue Wauwatosa, WI ARCHBISHOP DEMETRIOS OF AMERICA CROSSES EDMUND PETTUS BRIDGE WITH PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA