After church on Sunday, September 10. Saturday and Sunday, September 23 and 24 3 pm to 10 pm

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1 2017 STEWARDSHIP DISCOVER THE LIGHT by offering your time, talent and treasure to Christ and His Church! 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) After church on Sunday, September 10 Hot dogs! Games! Fun! Watch the Bears vs Atlanta! Sign - up for Sr. Goya, Jr. Goya, Philoptochos, PTA and activities! Saturday and Sunday, September 23 and 24 3 pm to 10 pm At 7373 Caldwell Avenue in Niles 4 great bands, bratwurst, thuringers, German potato salad, sauerkraut For more information, visit Nilesoktoberfest.com 2017 CHICAGO SYNERGY ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM Saturday, October 21, AM 1:30 PM Dr. Eugenia Constantinou What: Dr. Eugenia will offer a two-part lecture titled Search the Scriptures! Part 1: Practical Advice for reading the Bible with Confidence Part 2: Patristic Advice for Reading the Bible as a Sacrament Location: Saint George Antiochian Orthodox Church 1220 South 60th Ct, Cicero, IL Visit our church office for more details!

2 WORSHIP SCHEDULE September Schedule of Services Sunday, September 3 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Friday, September 8 -- Nativity of the Theotokos 8:30 am Orthros and Divine Liturgy Sunday, September First day of Sunday 9:30 am Sunday 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Thursday, September Exaltation of the Holy Cross 8:30 am Orthros and Divine Liturgy Sunday, September 17 St. Sophia 9:30 am Sunday 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Sunday, September 24 9:30 am Sunday 9:30 am Divine Liturgy OUR SISTER COMMUNITY of Holy Cross in Justice, IL invites you to Vespers at 7:00 pm on Wednesday evening, September 13 and Liturgy on Thursday morning, September 14, in honor of their feastday. (Of course, Liturgy WILL be celebrated at St. Haralambos on September 14). OUR SISTER COMMUNITY of St. Sophia in Elgin, IL invites you to Vespers at 7:00 pm on Saturday evening, September 16 and Liturgy on Sunday morning, September 17, in honor of their feastday. (Of course, Liturgy WILL be celebrated at St. Haralambos on Sunday, September 17). 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 - A Proper Funeral Conveys Divine Grace to Our Loved One For an Orthodox Christian, a church funeral is a necessity. As we pray, the funeral service brings divine Grace to those who have fallen asleep, for their forgiveness and eternal rest. Our journey toward perfection (Θέωσις) continues after death! A church funeral is an act of love and it is our duty. What good reason can there be to deny our loved ones from God s saving Grace and the honor they deserve? Let us honor our parents and relatives with prayers and a proper funeral. 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.

3 RESERVATIONS for LUNCHEON BANQUET Premium Sponsor Table (seating for 10).$1000 (Designated seating and sponsor recognition) Preferred Guest Seating (table of 8).. $ 400 Per person... $ 50 Children (12 and under).. $ 25 RESERVATION DEADLINE IS SEPTEMBER 10, 2017 COMMEMORATIVE ALBUM DONOR LISTINGS Benefactor Sponsor Patron Contributor Memorial Well-Wisher Please make checks payable to St. George/ OCCA or Online payment: Donations are very important to the success of this historic event! Your kindness is most appreciated! $1000 $ 500 $ 300 $ 100 $ 50 $ 25

4 HOLY TAXIARHAI AND SAINT HARALAMBOS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 7373 CALDWELL AVENUE, NILES, ILLINOIS PHONE: 847/ From Father Dean Dear Friends and Fellow Stewards, September 2017 I am happy to report to you that our 2017 Greek Food Fest set new records, with more that 20,000 people attending! Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make it such a great success! We will plan to publish a complete report next month! We will start off the new Ecclesiastical and school year with a fun Tailgate Party after church on Sunday, September 10. There will be hot dogs and refreshments, and we encourage you to bring your lawn chairs, games and grills! You can also follow the Bears playing Atlanta on our big screen in the community center! Plan to come and stay for awhile after church on that day! The biggest event and celebration that starts out our year is the 125th Anniversary of Orthodox Christianity in Chicago! It is a major celebration that we should ALL be part of! 125 years ago, in 1892, three Orthodox churches were established in Chicago: one Greek, one Serbian and one Russian. The one, holy, catholic and apostolic Orthodox faith was planted in Chicago the same Faith that sustains us today and guides us to live Godlike lives. There will be a glorious, triumphant Divine Liturgy on Saturday morning, September 30, at the Lane Tech Auditorium to celebrate our anniversary, and a festive Luncheon Banquet at the O Hare Marriott, after the Liturgy. The donation is only $50 per person ($25 for children under 12). Bring your family so they can witness this memorable event! Please call the church office to make reservations for the Luncheon. For more information, review page 3 of this issue. Our St. Haralambos Golf Outing will take place on Thursday, September 21 at the Old Orchard Country Club in Mt. Prospect. Hurry and sign up! For more information, see page 7 of this issue of Visions. Want to have even more fun? Come to the Niles Oktoberfest that we are sponsoring on Saturday and Sunday, September from 3:00 to 10:00 on our church grounds. Tents will be pitched, there will be great music (16 Candles!), bratwurst, thuringers, German potato salad and sauerkraut. This is a new event that we are all looking forward to! Oh yes, we also need volunteers to help make this successful! Please offer your help! Visit nilesoktoberfest.com for more! Our schools will be starting soon. Have you registered your children yet? Our excellent teachers are waiting patiently to get to know you and your children. And we are especially grateful to the parents who are active in our PTA organizations they make such a difference! If you are not involved, please start! We need your help, and it s for the good of your own children. Finally, please mark your calendar: The annual IOCC 5K Walk/Run, taking place on Saturday, October 7 The Annual Symposium, on Saturday, October 21 at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Cicero. Ask and learn about the Bible! Let s have a blessed and wonderful New Year! Faithfully yours, 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 Kathy Apithis Phase III Chairman... Perry Giannopoulos Stewardship George Giolas 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 Inreach Committee... Voula Asimacopoulos,.Elaine Loomos, Jolynn Rugerrio Board Chairman...Olympia Bournias Audit Committee Chairman George Houpis Food Fest Chairman. Philoptochos President Maria Dimitriou PTA Co-Presidents (Afternoon )....Eleni Gonzalez and Mona Giolas 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 Directors..Presvytera Georgia Botsis and Anna Sikoral Athletic Director David Loomos Scoutmaster Vasili Zimbrakos Asst Cubmaster John Frake Little Angels..... Anastasia Liapi YAL President......Christina Pappadis GOYA President Jr. Goya Advisor Father George Bookstore Manager Jolynn Ruggerio Web Master and IT George Houpis Facebook Elizabeth Kotis Office Staff.... Barbara Skaouris, Alexandra Grivas, Anna Sikoral Maintenance Staff... Juan Caro and Carolina Contreras IN THIS ISSUE: Anniversary of Orthodoxy in Chicago (pg 3) Letter from our Priest (pg 4) Announcements/Ανακοινώσεις (p 5) Photos-Greek Food Fest (pg 6) Golf Outing (pg 7) Choices (pg 9) Calendar (p 10) SUNDAY SCHOOL BEGINS SEPTEMBER 10! Register your children now!

5 COMMUNITY NEWS THE 125th ANNIVERSARY OF ORTHODOXY IN CHICAGO will be celebrated with a Pan-Orthodox Liturgy and Lucheon Banquet on Saturday, September 30th, 2017! In 1892, three Orthodox Christian parishes were established in Chicago, one Greek Orthodox, one Serbian Orthodox and one Russian Orthodox. These communities were built with much labor, love and sacrifice, and we are the beneficiaries of their ground-breaking work! We have so much to be thankful for! Let us celebrate this 125th Anniversary together! Please plan to attend the Pan- Orthodox Liturgy, which will take place in the newly restored Lane Tech Auditorium, and the Luncheon Banquet that will follow at the Marriott O Hare. PLAN TO ATTEND THE BANQUET! See page 3 for details. ST HARALAMBOS GOLF OUTING will take place Thursday, September 21 at the Old Orchard Country Club (Mount Prospect). Golf Lunch Dinner--Prizes--Raffles mark your calendar! It s time to sign up! See Page 7 for information! GREEK SCHOOL REGISTRATION has begun for all our school programs for the school year. Our Preschool program, for 3, 4 ands 5 year-olds is daily Mon-Fri from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Our Afternoon is offered on Tuesdays and Fridays from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm, and our Saturday Greek runs from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm. Registration information is available in our church office ( ). PHILOPTOCHOS LUNCHEON--The Annual Philoptochos Luncheon for the Metropolis of Chicago will take place this year on Saturday, September 23 at Empress Banquets in Addison, IL. For reservations, please call the church office ( ). Plan to attend and support the work of Philoptochos! ST HARALAMBOS PHILOPTOCHOS MEMBER- SHIP DINNER Our Annual Philoptochos Membeship Dinner will take place Monday evening, October 2 in our Community Center. Philoptochos is the official women s organization of the Greek Orthodox Church, and is one of the most dynamic organizations in the life of the church. All the ladies of our community are invited to attend this dinner and become members of our Philoptochos! CONGRATULATIONS TO..Hon. John S. Fotopoulos on his recent investiture as a 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 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 Μεταδίδει Θείαν Χάριν Μία σωστή κηδεία μέσα στην εκκλησία είναι απαραίτητον για τον Ορθόδοξον Χριστιανόν. Η Επικήδειος Ακολουθία μεταδίδει Χάριν στους κεκοιμημένους, με παρακλήσεις δια συγχώρηση και αιωνία ανάπαυση. Η πορεία του καθενός ανθρώπου προς τελειοποίηση και Θέωση συνεχίζεται μετά το θάνατον! Η εκκλησιαστική κηδεία εκφράζει και αγάπη και καθήκον μας. Υπάρχει δικαιολογία να αρνηθούμε από τους αγαπημένους μας την Χάριν και τιμή πού τους αξίζουν; 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 THE 2017 BIG GREEK FOOD FEST OF NILES

7 GOLF OUTING SPONSORSHIPS Yes, I would like to be a Sponsor! [ ] Golf Event Sponsor $5000 [ ] 19th Hole Beverage Sponsor $2500 [ ] Masters Hole Sponsor $500 [ ] Tee Box Hole Sponsor $100 Name Phone SIGN UP NOW! Cost per Golfer ($125) Please list your name or names of your foursome, with phone number and address: Send to St. Haralambos Church with payment. To pay with credit card, call the church office ( ). Please sign up by September 15!

8 2017 STEWARDSHIP DISCOVER THE LIGHT! 2017 STEWARDSHIP UPDATE As of August 25, families have promised $283, for 2017 Stewardship! Average level of giving is $536! Have you become a 2017 Steward yet?

9 PRO-CHOICE? Lo, I have set before you life and death, said Moses to the sons of Israel, therefore choose life, that you may live. (Deuteronomy 30:19) There are decisive moments in men s lives, when a man is truly left to choose life or death: Judas, in the moment of decision, was so overcome by the lust for silver that he chose death. When the military governor wanted to make the soldier St. Marinos an officer, an envious man denounced him as a Christian. The governor gave him three hours to think and choose life or death, to deny Christ or to die. Marinos, hearing the words of his superior officer, went to the local bishop, Theotechnos, to ask his advice. The bishop took him into the church, stood him before the Gospel and then, indicating first the Gospel and then the sword that Marinos was wearing, said to him: Choose, brave man, one of these two: either carry a sword and serve the transient king, being lost eternally at your death, or become a soldier of the King of heaven and lay down your life for His holy name, recorded in this book, and reign with Him in immortal life. Marinos at once made up his mind, kissed the Holy Gospel and went out to go, through death, to eternal life. Prologues of Ochrid St. Nikolai Velimirovic September first is the beginning of our ecclesiastical year. Like every year, this new year will be full of decisions and choices. We have all been raised to believe that we should be free to make choices, and indeed, we are. But if the choice is between life or death or rather, heaven and hell is there any question which choice we should make? Do we realize the ramifications of the choices that we make? We all hope that we will never be confronted the way that St. Marinos was, but even lesser decisions can have serious consequences for our souls and for the people around us. Not only do we make decisions for ourselves, but we also make choices for our children. What is the purpose of having children: merely for the preservation of the human species? Doesn t every form of animal life do the same? No, we are called to something higher; not only to bring children into the world, but to raise them, to teach them values and dignity and respect and faith! These are the roots that make our lives meaningful and beautiful! I offer two examples: Until recently, it seemed that all our children knew the Lord s Prayer (either in English or Greek), but that is no longer the case. It is very sad that many of our children cannot say this basic prayer that Jesus Himself taught us. Mom and Dad, step up and be the teachers! Godparents, who are being honored to share in the spiritual development of their Godchildren, are expected to recite the Creed. Most do not know this basic statement of faith by heart, but more sadly, they cannot even read it, and they struggle to pronounce the name Pontius Pilate, or the word apostolic. Choices! Many times, we send our children away to college like sheep to the slaughter. They are not equipped to confront people whose values and actions are very different. Many of them having an agenda to uproot faith and Christianity from the hearts and minds of our children. And they succeed! 65% of our young people do not return to their faith and heritage. 65%! We have ample opportunities to remedy this, but what choice do we make? How can we move on to deeper and necessary matters of life and faith if we are stuck at such a simple and elementary level? It is so difficult to deal with real issues that we face as adults when we only have the faith level of little children. It doesn t have to be like this. We have the resources, but do we have the desire? What choice do we make? As we begin our new year, let us consider the seriousness of the choices we make. Let us take advantage of the truly joyful options available to us. Let us prepare ourselves and our children to confront the challenges that lie ahead, to make good choices and to be victorious! For us, Pro-choice means LIFE!

10 August/September 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 27 SAINT FANOURIOS 9:30 am Divine Liturgy BEHEADING OF JOHN 8:30 am--orthros and Liturgy STRICT FASTING :30-SYNERGY SEPTEMBER 1 SEPTEMBER 2 3 9:30 am Divine Liturgy 4 LABOR DAY BIRTH OF THE THEOTOKOS 8:30 am--orthros and Liturgy 9 9:00 am Saturday Greek (first day) 10 9:30 am Divine Liturgy 1st Day-Sunday TAILGATE PARTY! 11 9:00 am Preschool Meet and Greet And Agiasmos 12 7:30 pm Parish Council Mtg HOLY CROSS 8:30 am--orthros and Liturgy STRICT FASTING 15 4:30 pm Greek (first day) 16 9:00 am-saturday Greek 17 SAINT SOPHIA 9:30 am Sunday 9:30 am Divine Liturgy 18 PRESCHOOL First day of classes 19 11:30 am -Little Angels 4:30 pm Greek St. Haralambos GOLF OUTING 4:30 pm Greek 23 9:00 am-saturday Greek 11:30 am- Metropolis Philoptochos Luncheon Oktoberfest! 24 9:30 am Sunday 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Oktoberfest! :30 am -Little Angels 4:30 pm Greek :30 pm- Bible Study 7:30 pm- Preschool Open House 29 4:30 pm Greek TH ANNIVERSARY ORTHODOXY IN CHICAGO 9:00 am-saturday Greek

11 ST HARALAMBOS PHILOPTOCHOS ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DINNER MONDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 2, :00 pm -Cocktails 7:00 pm -Dinner St. Haralambos Community Center 7373 Caldwell Avenue, Niles, IL Philoptochos is the official women s organization of the Greek Orthodox Church, and is one of the most dynamic organizations in the life of the church. All the ladies of our community are invited to attend this dinner and become members of our Philoptochos! HOLY TAXIARHAI AND SAINT HARALAMBOS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 7373 CALDWELL AVENUE NILES, IL Address Service Requested