T H E G O O D N E WS

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1 ST. ATHANASIOS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΟΣ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΟΥ T H E G O O D N E WS 51 Paramus Road, Paramus, New Jersey Tel: Fax: Emergency Tel: info@stathanasiosnj.org OFFICE HOURS: Monday & Wednesday: 9:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. VOLUME 17, ISSUE 1 Jan / Feb 2020 Dear Parishioners, Rev. Protopresbyter Anargyros Stavropoulos Ieratikos Proestamenos Parish Council 2020 Tony Emmanouilidis Jason Fink Nick Gagis Joanne Glavas Andy Hios Manny Jouvanis Othon Katechis Emmanuel Kavrakis Spero Leakas Konstantinos Menegatos Peter Paizis Sam Poulis George Siamboulis Dean Tomaras Chuck J. Tsocanos Chuck K. Tsocanos Tonia Yiangou In these days, millions of people accept the first day of January as the beginning of the new year, regardless of religion, race, or language. They exchange cards for wishes for a long life and a Happy New Year. Of course, most of them perform this duty just as a custom, without any regard for the significance of the mystery which we call Time. For many people, time, hronos, is passing away. The passage of time cannot be stopped or even slowed down-either by the most powerful dictator, by the most intelligent man, or by the miracles of modern science. Time has no pity for the innocence of childhood, or the beauty of youth, or the power of man who has matured; nor does it respect the white hairs of the aged; nor does it pay attention to a man s position and standing. Everything in time fades; everything in time is degraded; everything in time is destroyed. Perhaps this was, what inspired the wise writer of the Ecclesiastes, in the Old Testament, to say Vanity vanity, all is vanity. Exactly what is time, my dear Christians? Time is the measure of our lives. When we cease to exist, so does time. Many philosophers divided time into three parts; past, present, and future. We live only in the present. That is all we can comprehend. The past is something which has disappeared. The future is what is unknown and uncertain. In faith, we believe in an eternity, yet we can not conceive of it by measurements of time, because once we limit it by any type of measurements it ceases to be eternity. Therefore, for us, we comprehend only the present, that one undivided moment which is running as I am writing. The use we make of this moment is our price for eternity. The great question for us, therefore, is how to best use this moment. In the Middle Ages, people were constantly reminded of time by symbols of death placed in every room and in every street. These symbols were reminders that the present for mortal man was

2 limited, and that a day was coming, when man would leave this earthly life. The new symbols of time, my dear friends, are clocks. Clocks today, govern our lives. We cannot live in modern society without the use of some type of timepiece. The clock should do more than remind us of the time to wake up, or to sleep; the time for an appointment, the time to go to church-or even the time when we expect to leave Church. The clock should also remind us that with each passing moment, we are a little older. And while we are expecting the next hour to strike, we might never hear it. St. Basil, one of the most brilliant of the Fathers of the Church, said, Time runs, and waits not for him who is late. Our days are rushed. The lazy man is passed by. The use or misuse of time can not be changed or corrected. So, My dear friends, do not postpone until tomorrow whatever is important. Tomorrow may never come, It does not exist. The only thing which is real is the present, and after that, eternity. May the New Year 2020 and Blessings of our Lord be with all of you. With love in Christ, Father Anargyros Αγαπητοί Ενορίτες, Πάντοτε, ο άνθρωπος αντιμετωπίζει με δέος και φόβο τη φθορά και την παρακμή. Όλοι μας θέλουμε να μένουμε νέοι, παντοτεινά νέοι. Φυσικά κάτι τέτοιο όμως είναι αδύνατο. Για να καλύψουμε, λοιπόν, αυτή μας την αδυναμία καταφύγαμε σε ψευδαισθήσεις και αυταπάτες. Κατορθώσαμε, έτσι, να πείσουμε τους εαυτούς μας ότι τα χρόνια περνούν, ενώ εμείς...μένουμε. Οπωσδήποτε συμβαίνει το αντίθετο. Εμείς είμαστε εκείνοι που φεύγουμε, ο χρόνος μένει ο ίδιος, αναλοίωτος. Βυθιστήκαμε, λοιπόν, σ αυτή τη ψευδαίσθηση, αποχτήσαμε το αίσθημα της μονιμότητας και ζούμε με την εντύπωση πως ο δρόμος μας πάνω στη γη θα είναι ατελείωτος... Σε λίγες μέρες, θα αρχίσουμε να γιορτάζουμε με κάθε τρόπο, τον ερχομό του νέου χρόνου. Όλα όμως, αυτά θα είναι μάταια και άσκοπα, αν δεν συνειδητοποιήσουμε όλοι μας μια αμείληκτη πραγματικότητα ότι δηλαδή, κάθε μέρα, κάθε ώρα, κάθε στιγμή, που περνάει, μας φέρνει κoντύτερα σ εκείνη τη Μεγάλη Μέρα, που όλοι μας θα δώσουμε λογαριασμό για το πως διαθέσαμε την κάθε, μια απο τις 365 μέρες, καθένα απο τα 40, 50, 60 ή 100 χρόνια μας. Το καταλαβαίνουμε άραγε αυτό; Συναισθανόμαστε όλοι μας πως δεν είμαστε πλασμένοι μόνο γαι να τρώμε ή να διασκεδάζουμε, να κοιμώμαστε ή να δουλεύουμε αλλά ΚΑΙ για κάτι υψηλότερο, ανώτερο, φωτεινότερο, Ουράνιο και μονιμότερο; Αναρωτηθήκαμε ποτέ για πιό σκοπό ήρθαμε σε τούτη τη γή. Στα πιστοπιητικά Βαπτίσεως που μας έχει εφοδιάση η Εκκλησία μας, χαρακτηριζόμαστε Χριστιανοί Ορθόδοξοι. Για μας, λοιπόν, αυτό σημαίνει ότι παράλληλα με τους επαγγελματικούς, κοινωνικούς ή οικονομικούς στόχους μας, βασικός σκοπός μας - πρέπει να- είναι η ΜΙΜΗΣΗ ΤΟΥ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ. Έτσι και μόνον έτσι θα νικήσουμε τη φθορά και

3 θα μείνουμε ΝΕΟΙ, πάντα νέοι. Ίσως όμως ερωτήσουν μερικοί. Πως μπορεί να γίνει αυτό και να μείνουμε αθάνατοι; Η απάνταση είναι απλή. Αν αγαπήσουμε πραγματικά με όλη μας την καρδιά, το Χριστό και το συνάνθρωπό μας. Αν διώξουμε κάθε μίσος, κακία και ιδιοτέλεια απ την καρδιά μας. Και αν εργαστούμε όλοι μαζί και ο καθένας χωριστά να πετύχουμε παράλληλα με την προσωπική μας ανανέωση και μια γενικώτερη Ανανέωση της κοινωνίας μας, της κοινότητας μας, του κράτους και της Εκκλησίας μας. Ας εκμεταλλευτούμε, λοιπόν αγαπητοί μου, την ευκαιρία που με τον ερχόμενο καινούργιο χρόνο 2020 μας παρουσιάζεται. Έστω και αν όλη η περασμέμη ζωή μας πέρασε με ενοχλήσεις και απασχολήσεις πάνω σε ζητήμα, γήϊνα, μάταια και ανώφελα, έστω και αν ποτέ δεν σκεφτήκαμε να ανταλλάζουμε το χρόνο, όχι πια με χρήμα, αλλά με Χάρη, πάντα όμως, υπάρχει καιρός. Αρκεί μόνο να το θελήσουμε και αρκεί μόνο να δεχθούμε του Ιησού Χριστό σαν Σωτήρα, Κυβερνήτη και Θεό μας. Καλή και Ευλογημένη Χρονιά 2020 Με αγάπη Χριστού Πατήρ Ανάργυρος ΕΥΧΗ ΕΠΙ ΤΗ ΕΝΑΡΞΕΙ ΤΟΥ ΝΕΟΥ ΕΤΟΥΣ Κύριε ο Θεός ημών, ο καιρούς και χρόνους εν τη ιδία εξουσία θέμενος, ο άναρχος και ατελεύτητος και επέκεινα παντός χρόνου νοούμενός τε και υπάρχων, ο πάσης εκτός μεταβολής τε των όντων και αλλοιώσεως, ο τον πάντα χρόνον τον τε γεγονότα τον τε όντα και τον εσόμενον πληρών, ο εν τη αφάτω σου μακροθυμία καταξιώσας ημάς είς νέον ενιαυτόν εισελθείν αυτός πανάγαθε Δέσποτα, την είσοδον ταύτην τη θεία σου χάριτι ευλόγησον όμβρους ειρηνικούς πρός καρποφορίαν τη γή δώρησαι τους αέρας υγιεινούς και ευκράτους άνθρωποις τε και κτήνεσι κατασκεύασον δός ημίν έν ειρήνη και ομονοία βεβαία τον κύκλον αυτού διελθείν, τω στεφάνω της δόξης των αρετών κοσμουμένους, τω φωτί των εντολών σου ευσχημόνως ως εν ημέρα καλώς οδεύοντας. Τήν αγίαν ημών Εκκλησίαν καλώς διαφύλαξον το ευσεβές ημών Έθνος τη δυνάμει σου κραταίωσον τους Άρχοντας ημών και το Στρατόν τη κραταιά σου χειρί στερέωσον και κράτυνον. Την νεότητα παιδαγώγησον, τό γήρας περικράτησον, τούς εσκορπισμένους επισυνάγαγε, τούς πεπλανημένους επανάγαγε και σύναψον τη αγία σου Εκκλησία. Ελθέτω δή έφ ημάς η βασιλεία σου, βασιλεία πάντων των αιώνων, βασιλεία χρηστότητος, δικαιοσύνης, καί ειρήνης, καί αξίωσον ημάς έν ενί στόματι και μια καρδία υμνείν σε και δοξάζειν τόν έν Τριάδι άναρχον και αιώνιον Θεόν είς τους αιώνας των αιώνων. Αμήν.

4 Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia Saint Basil the Great was born at the end of the year 329, in Caesarea of Cappadocia, to a family renowned for their learning and holiness. His parents names were Basil and Emmelia. They were both noble and rich with a most flourishing Christian belief. His mother Emmelia and his grandmother Macrina are Saints of the Church, together with all his brothers and sisters: Macrina, his elder sister, Gregory of Nyssa, Peter of Sebastia, and Naucratius. Basil studied in Constantinople under the sophist Libanius, then in Athens, where also he formed a friendship with the young Gregory, a fellow Cappadocian, later called «the Theologian». He studied philosophy, rhetoric, grammar, astronomy, and medicine. From Athens, he returned to Caesarea and taught the rhetorical art. Through the good influence of his sister Macrina, he chose to embrace the ascetical life, abandoning his worldly career. He visited the monks in Egypt, in Palestine, in Syria, and in Mesoppotamia, and upon returning to Caesarea, he departed to a hermitage on the Iris River in Pontus, not far from Annesi, where his mother and his sister Macrina were already treading the path of the ascetical life; Here he also wrote his ascetical homilies. About the year 370, when the bishop of his country reposed, he was elected to succeed to his throne and was entrusted with the Church of Faith, showed himself to be a martyr by volition. Modestus, amazed at Basil s fearlessness in his presence, said that no one had ever so spoken to him. «Perhaps», answered the Saint, «you have never met a bishop before». The Emperor Valens himself was almost won over by Basil s dignity and wisdom. When Valen s son fell gravely sick, he asked Saint Basil to pray for him. The Saint promised that his son would be restated if Valens agreed to have him baptized by the Orthodox; Valens agreed, Basil prayed, and later the son was restored. But afterwards, the Emperor had him baptized by Arians, and the child died soon after, Valens, persuaded by his counselors, decided to send the Saint into exile because he would not accept the Arians into communion; But his pen broke when he was signing the edict of banishment. He tried a second time and a third, but the same thing happened, so that the Emperor was filled with dread, and tore up the document, and Basil was not banished. The truly great Basil, spent with extreme ascetical practices and continual labors, at the helm of the church, departed to the Lord on the 1st of January, in 379. He was forty-nine. His writings are replete with wisdom and erudition, and rich are these gifts he set forth the doctrines concerning the mysteries both of the creation (see his Hexaemeron) and of the Holy Trinity (see On the Holy Spirit). Because of the majesty and keenness of his eloquence, he is honored as «the revealer of heavenly things» and «the Great». Saint Basil s memory is celebrated on January 1st, on January 30th with Saint Gregory the Theologian and Saint John Chrysostom. Saint Basil is considered one of the three great leaders of the church, along with Saint Gregory the Theologian and Saint John Chrysostom. The three share the title of patron saint of education. During his lifetime in the 300 s, Saint Basil was both an intellectual driving force behind the formation of the Greek Orthodox religion and a living example of faith and kindness in his everyday dealings with people. The custom of New Year Cake-Vassilopita During the reign of Julian the Apostate, when Byzantium declared war on Persia, Julian went with his army through Caesarea. He ordered to tax throughout the province and take the collected money on his way back to Constantinople.

5 Thus, residents were forced to pay what everyone had, such as gold coins, jewelry etc. But Julian died ingloriously in a battle during the war with the Persians, and did not go back to Caesarea. Then Saint Basil ordered to give back to the poor, half of the gathered gold, keeping only a small portion that was reserved for the needs of charitable institutions of Vassiliada, and the rest distributed to residents with a novel way: ordered to bake breads and in each bread to put a gold coin or jewelry, then distributed them to all houses, so when the people eat the bread will find something inside. Thus was born the tradition of pie called vassilopita. APOLYTIKION IN THE FIRST TONE Your voice resounded throughout the world that received your word by which, in godly manner, you taught dogma, clarified the nature of beings, and set in order the character of people. Venerable father, Royal priesthood, intercede to Christ God to grant us great mercy. KONTAKION IN THE FOURTH TONE For the Church art thou in truth a firm foundation, granting an inviolate lordship unto all mortal men and sealing it with what thou hast taught. O righteous Basil, revealer of heavenly things. Βίος και Πολιτεία του Αγίου Βασιλείου του Μεγάλου ( ) Ο Άγιος Βασίλειος, γεννημένος το 330 μ.χ. στη Νεοκαισάρεια του Πόντου από γονείς ευγενείς με δυνατό χριστιανικό φρόνημα, έμελλε να γίνει Μέγας πνευματικός διδάσκαλος και κορυφαίος θεολόγος και Πατέρας της Εκκλησίας, αφού η χριστιανική του ανατροφή και η πνευματική του πορεία τον οδήγησαν στη Θεία θεωρία του Αγίου Ευαγγελίου και στην αυστηρή ασκητική ζωή, παράλληλα με το ποιμαντικό, παιδαγωγικό και φιλανθρωπικό του έργο. Ο πατέρας του Βασίλειος ήταν καθηγητής ρητορικής στη Νεοκαισάρεια και η μητέρα του Εμμέλεια απόγονος οικογένειας Ρωμαίων αξιωματούχων. Στην οικογένεια εκτός από τον Βασίλειο, υπήρχαν άλλα οκτώ παιδιά. Μεταξύ αυτών, ο Άγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, ο Όσιος Ναυκράτιος ασκητής και θαυματουργός, η Οσία Μακρίνα και ο Άγιος Πέτρος, Επίσκοπος Σεβαστείας. Τα πρώτα γράμματα, τού τα δίδαξε ο πατέρας του. Συνέχισε τις σπουδές του στην Καισαρεία της Καππαδοκίας, στην Κωνσταντινούπολη και στην Αθήνα. Εκεί σπούδασε γεωμετρία. αστρονομία, φιλοσοφία, ιατρική, ρητορική και γραμματική. Οι σπουδές του διήρκησαν τεσσεράμισι χρόνια. Η ασκητική του ζωή ξεκίνησε ήδη από τα χρόνια όπου φοιτούσε στην Αθήνα. Ο σοφός δάσκαλός του, Εύβουλος, εντυπωσιασμένος από την αυστηρή νηστεία του Αγίου, και μετά την παραίνεσή του, λέγεται ότι έγινε Χριστιανός. Συμφοιτητές του ήταν και δύο νέοι, που έμελλε να διαδραματίσουν σπουδαίο ρόλο στην ιστορία. Ο ένας, ο Άγιος και Μέγας Πατέρας της Εκκλησίας, ο Θεολόγος Γρηγόριος και ο άλλος μελανό στον αντίποδα, προδότης του Ιησού, ειδωλολάτρης και διώκτης των Χριστιανών, ο Ιουλιανός ο Παραβάτης. Κατά τη διάρκεια αυτών των ετών, ο Άγιος Βασίλειος και ο Άγιος Γρηγόριος ο Θεολόγος, ανέπτυξαν μεγάλη και ισχυρή φιλία. Ταυτόχρονα με τις σπουδές τους, είχαν ιεραποστολική δράση. Διοργάνωναν χριστιανικές συγκεντρώσεις, στις οποίες ανέλυαν θρησκευτικά ζητήματα. Ίδρυσαν επίσης και τον πρώτο φοιτητικό χριστιανικό σύλλογο.

6 Επέστρεψε στην Καισάρεια το καλοκαίρι του 356 μ.χ. και συνεχίζοντας την παράδοση του πατέρα του, έγινε καθηγητής της ρητορικής. Το 358 μ.χ. επηρεασμένος από τον θάνατο του αδερφού του μοναχού Ναυκρατίου, καθώς και με την παρότρυνση της αδερφής του, Μακρίνας, βαπτίζεται Χριστιανός και αποφασίζει να αφιερώσει τον εαυτό του στην ασκητική πολιτεία. Αποσύρθηκε λοιπόν σε ένα κτήμα της οικογένειας του, στον Πόντο. Χαρακτηριστικό της μεγαλοψυχίας του είναι ότι μετά τη βάπτισή του, δώρισε στους φτωχούς και στην εκκλησία το μεγαλύτερο μέρος της περιουσίας του. Το φθινόπωρο του ίδιου έτους, ξεκινά ένα οδοιπορικό σε γνωστά κέντρα ασκητισμού της Ανατολής, Αίγυπτο, Παλαιστίνη, Συρία και Μεσοποταμία, επιθυμώντας να συναντήσει πολλούς ασκητές και μοναχούς, για να γνωρίσει τον τρόπο ζωής τους. Όταν γύρισε στον Πόντο, από το ταξίδι αυτό, μοίρασε και την υπόλοιπη περιουσία του και αποσύρθηκε στο κτήμα του, επιθυμώντας να ζήσει πλέον ως μοναχός. Εκεί έγραψε τους: «Κανονισμούς δια τον Μοναχικόν βίον», κανόνες που ρυθμίζουν τη ζωή στα μοναστήρια, μέχρι τις μέρες μας. Με την υψηλή του κατάρτιση στην Ορθόδοξη Πίστη και τον ασκητικό, θαυμαστό του βίο, η φήμη του Αγίου Βασιλείου, εξαπλώθηκε με τον καιρό σε όλη την Καππαδοκία. Έτσι και ο Μητροπολίτης της Καισαρείας, Ευσέβιος, πραγματοποιώντας τη Θεία Βούληση αλλά και αυτή των χριστιανών της περιοχής, χειροτόνησε το 364 μ.χ. τον Άγιο Βασίλειο, πρεσβύτερο. Το 370 μ.χ. μετά τον θάνατο του Ευσεβίου και σε ηλικία 41 ετών, τον διαδέχθηκε ο Άγιος Βασίλειος στην επισκοπική έδρα, με τη συνδρομή του Ευσεβίου, επισκόπου Σαμοσάτων και του Γρηγορίου, επισκόπου Ναζιανζού. Επίσκοπος πλέον, ο Άγιος Βασίλειος, αντιμετώπισε την προσπάθεια του Αυτοκράτορα Ουάλη να επιβάλει τον Ομοιανισμό (ρεύμα του Αρειαωισμού), επικοινωνώντας μέσω επιστολών με τον Μέγα Αθανάσιο, Πατριάρχη Αλεξανδρείας και τον Πάπα Ρώμης Δάμασο. Στον τόπο του, στην περιφέρεια της δικής του ποιμαντικής ευθύνης, είχε να αντιμετωπίσει την έντονη παρουσία του αρειανικού στοιχείου και άλλων κακοδοξιών. Από τις επιστολές του φαίνονται οι προσπάθειες που κατέβαλε για την καταπολέμηση της σιμωνίας των επισκόπων, για την ανάδειξη άξιων κληρικών στο ιερατείο, καθώς και για την πιστή εφαρμογή των ιερών κανόνων από όλους τους πιστούς και φανερώνεται επίσης η ποιμαντική φροντίδα στα αποκομμένα και περιθωριοποιημένα μέλη της Εκκλησίας. Στην οικουμενική Εκκλησία, ο Μέγας Βασίλειος ουσιαστικά αναλαμβάνει τα πνευματικά ηνία από τον Μέγα Αθανάσιο, ο οποίος γηραιός πλέον, αποσύρεται από την ενεργό δράση. Εργάζεται συνεχώς για την επικράτηση των ορθόδοξων χριστιανικών αρχών και υπερασπίζεται με σθένος το δογματικό προσανατολισμό της Οικουμενικής Συνόδου της Νίκαιας. Ο Άγιος Βασίλειος, βοηθούσε πάντοτε τους αδικημένους και κουρασμένους, τους πεινασμένους και τους άρρωστους, ανεξάρτητα από το γένος, τη φυλή και το θρήσκευμα. Έτσι το όραμά του το έκανε πραγματικότητα, ιδρύοντας ένα πρότυπο και για τις μέρες μας κοινωνικό και φιλανθρωπικό σύστημα, τη «Βασιλειάδα». Ένα ίδρυμα που λειτουργούσε νοσοκομείο, ορφανοτροφείο, γηροκομείο και ξενώνας για τη φροντίδα και ιατρική περίθαλψη των φτωχών αρρώστων και ξένων. Τις υπηρεσίες του τις πρόσφερε το ίδρυμα δωρεάν, σε όποιον τις είχε ανάγκη. Το προσωπικό του ιδρύματος αυτού, ήταν εθελοντές, που προσφέρανε την εργασία για το καλό του κοινωνικού συνόλου. Ήταν ένα πρότυπο και σε άλλες επισκοπές και στους πλούσιους ένα μάθημα να διαθέτουν τον πλούτο τους, με ένα αληθινά χριστιανικό τρόπο. Πραγματικά είναι άξιο θαυμασμού η έμπνευση που είχε ο Άγιος Βασίλειος, τον 4 ο αιώνα μ.χ. να ιδρύσει και να λειτουργήσει ένα τέτοιο ίδρυμα-πρότυπο.

7 Καταπονημένος από τη μεγάλη δράση που ανέπτυξε, σε τόσους πολλούς τομείς, εναντίον των διαφόρων κακοδοξιών και ειδικά της αιρέσεως του Αρειανισμού, μη διστάζοντας πολλές φορές να αντιταχθεί με την εκάστοτε πολιτική εξουσία, με όπλα του την πίστη και την προσευχή, με τα κηρύγματα και τους λόγους του, με τα πολλά ασκητικά και παιδαγωγικά συγγράμματα, καθώς και την ασκητική ζωή του, ο Άγιος Βασίλειος, ο Μέγας, παραδίδει το πνεύμα στον Θεό, την 1 η Ιανουαρίου του 379 μ.χ. σε ηλικία 49 ετών. Ο θάνατός του βυθίζει στο πένθος όχι μόνο το ποίμνιό του, αλλά και όλο το χριστιανικό κόσμο της Ανατολής. Στην κηδεία του συμμετέχει και ένα πλήθος ανομοιογενές, από άποψη θρησκευτικής και εθνικής διαφοροποιήσεως. Το υψηλής σημασίας θεολογικό και δογματικό του έργο, καθώς και η λειτουργική και πρωτότυπη ανθρωπιστική του δράση, είναι η μεγάλη παρακαταθήκη που μας άφησε. Η μνήμη του τιμάται από την Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία, την 1 η Ιανουαρίου. Από το 1081 μ.χ., ο Πατριάρχης Κωνσταντινουπόλεως Νέας Ρώμης, Ιωάννης Μαυρόπους (ο από Ευχαΐτων) θέσπισε έναν κοινό εορτασμό των Τριών Ιεραρχών, Βασιλείου του Μεγάλου, Ιωάννη του Χρυσοστόμου και Γρηγορίου του Θεολόγου, στις 30 Ιανουαρίου, ως προστατών των γραμμάτων και της παιδείας. Με σοφία, στο απολυτίκιό του αναφέρεται η φράση: «...τα των ανθρώπων ήθη κατεκόσμησας...». Και ο Άγιος Γρηγόριος, ο Θεολόγος, στον Επιτάφιο, για τον καλό και Μέγα φίλο του, Άγιο Βασίλειο, αποδίδει σ αυτόν, με την ποιητική και βαθιά στοχαστική ματιά του, τον χαρακτηρισμό: «παιδαγωγός της νεότητας». Ο Μέγας Βασίλειος, εκτός των άλλων θαυμάσιων και Θείας εμπνεύσεως έργων του, έγραψε και την εκτενή και κατανυκτική Θεία Λειτουργία, που μετά την επικράτηση της συντομότερης Θείας Λειτουργίας του Αγίου Ιωάννη του Χρυσοστόμου, τελείται 10 φορές τον χρόνο: την 1 η Ιανουαρίου (όπου γιορτάζεται και η μνήμη του), τις πρώτες πέντε Κυριακές της Μ. Τεσσαρακοστής, τις παραμονές των Χριστουγέννων και των Θεοφανείων, την Μ. Πέμπτη και το Μ. Σάββατο. Το έθιμο της Βασιλόπιτας Στα χρόνια του Ιουλιανού του Παραβάτη, όταν το Βυζάντιο κήρυξε τον πόλεμο στην Περσία, ο Ιουλιανός πέρασε με τον στρατό του από την Καισαρεία. Τότε διέταξε να φορολογήσουν όλη την επαρχία και τα χρήματα αυτά θα τα έπαιρνε επιστρέφοντας για την Κωνσταντινούπολη. Έτσι, οι κάτοικοι αναγκάστηκαν να δώσουν ό,τι είχε ο καθένας, χρυσαφικά, νομίσματα κλπ. Όμως ο Ιουλιανός σκοτώθηκε άδοξα σε μια μάχη στον πόλεμο με τους Πέρσες, έτσι δεν ξαναπέρασε ποτέ από την Καισάρεια. Τότε ο Άγιος Βασίλειος, έδωσε εντολή και από τα μαζεμένα χρυσαφικά, τα μισά να δοθούν στους φτωχούς, ένα μικρό μέρος κράτησε για τις ανάγκες των ιδρυμάτων της Βασιλειάδας, και τα υπόλοιπα τα μοίρασε στους κατοίκους, με έναν πρωτότυπο τρόπο: έδωσε εντολή να ζυμώσουν ψωμιά και σε κάθε ψωμί, έβαλε από ένα νόμισμα ή χρυσαφικό μέσα. Κατόπιν τα μοίρασε στα σπίτια. Έτσι τρώγοντας οι κάτοικοι τα ψωμιά, όλο και κάτι έβρισκαν μέσα. Έτσι γεννήθηκε το έθιμο της πίτας, που ονομάστηκε «βασιλόπιτα».

8 JANUARY 6 TH EPIPHANY DAY This Feast Day is one of the greatest days of the Christian year. It ranks in importance with Christmas and Easter. In many parts of the world, this Feast Day is celebrated with even greater solemnity than Christmas itself. In English, we are accustomed to hearing this Feast Day called Epiphany a word which means manifestation or appearance. On this day, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River by St. John the Baptist (he is called the Baptist because he baptized Christ.) Epiphany Day is also called Theophany which means God shows himself to us. The importance of this Feast Day lies in the fact that for the first time the Holy Trinity was revealed for all manking to know and believe, (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit). When Jesus Christ was baptized in the River Jordan, a voice was heard from the heavens above saying, This is my Son in whom I am well pleased. The Father whose voice was heart from the heaven was God. The white dove was the symbol of the Holy Spirit which descended upon Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Thus, we have the Holy Trinity being revealed to all that day, almost 2000 years ago. This is why we call this day the day of illumination (light) and manifestation (appearance) The Holy Trinity made its appearance, and we have been illuminated by this wonderful truth and blessing. The Greek Orthodox calls this day Ta Fota, which means the day of Lights. On this day we have the traditional blessing of the waters. Since the waters of the Jordan were blessed by the presence of Jesus Christ, it is a source of Divine Grace and blessing, and we bless ourselves and our homes with the waters of the Sanctification Service which is held every January 5 th and 6 th. The service on January 5 th is called Megas Aghiasmos, or Great Service for Blessing Holy Water. On this day all Holy Water bottles are filled and given to the faithful for use during the year in their homes. The service on January 6 th is called Megas Aghiasmos, or Great Service for Blessing Holy Water, and the water that is blessed is given to the faithful to drink. The Priest also blesses all Orthodox homes with the sanctified water of the Epiphany Service. In many parts of Greece and in the Southern States of America, the traditional blessing of the waters is observed, and then a cross is thrown into the waters, and young men dive into the water to get the cross. This is all part of the celebration of this great Feast Day of our Church. Epiphany Day is a day of illumination and sanctification. Let us pledge ourselves to a greater participation in the sacramental life of the Church of Christ. When the Priest blesses our homes, let us all pray that the blessing of the Epiphany Season be with us throughout the year and may our homes be sanctified with our prayers, Christian living and spiritual direction in our lifetime.

9 PARISH COUNCIL

10 PHILOPTOCHOS Happy New Year!!! Wishing all of St. Irene s Philoptochos members, their families and the parish a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. November was a busy month for our Philoptochos. We had our annual fashion show, which was a success. I thank all the ladies who worked hard to make it a success. Thank you to all of our friends and supporters who donated gifts, or gift certificates and attended the fashion show. For the 50/50 raffle this year, we chose The October Foundation, which is a rehabilitation center for drug and alcohol abuse. We were able to give them $2500. Philoptochos is aware of the dangers of opioid abuse and in this spirit we sponsored for our parish, especially our youth, an Opioid awareness evening on December 12th. Our GOYANS attended with their parents. On December 3, 2019 along with our GOYA and some of their parents, we visited the Center for Food Actions Saddle Brook location in order to Sponsor and Pack Weekend Snack packs. Our group sponsored 500 Weekend Snack packs and packed 780 in the time we were there. The purpose of our visit was to fulfill the National Philoptochos Project of Feeding the Hungry. Our chapter has been supporting this worthy cause for several years, and were drawn in by the impact of this program. Hunger Hurts Many children who receive free or reduced -price school meals are left without adequate nutrition on weekends and holiday breaks. CFA s Weekend Snack Pack Program is designed to fill this gap by providing healthy, kid-friendly, and easy to prepare snack foods to children at risk of weekend hunger. The snack packs are delivered to 21 local schools and organizations of the Palisades. The teachers discreetly place the snack packs into the student s backpack when they are out of the classroom. Special emphasis will always be placed upon privacy. The Weekend Snack Pack Program is part of CFA s expanded effort to reduce childhood hunger in our neighborhoods and help children perform better at school. We were also busy baking the delicious Christmas desserts that were placed in beautiful platters for our parishioners to buy. Thank you to all the ladies in our parish who came to help bake. Our Christmas Party on December 10th was a lot of fun. It was good to be together and celebrate the Christmas season. On December 28th we went to St. Michael s Home for the Aged. It was such a rewarding experience. The residents are always so welcoming and not only are their spirits lifted but our hearts and spirits are lifted as well. St Irene s Philoptochos invites all women 18 years and older to join and become members. The work we do is very important.. Just in the months of September to November of 2019 we have given over $10,500 to 17 different charities. To name a few: St Michael s Home for the Aged, St Basil s Academy, National Children s Medical Fund, Hurricane Dorian Relief Fund, Lustgarden Foundation, Parkinson s Foundation, Center for Food Action (food for 10 families for Thanksgiving and 500 weekend snack packages for kids), Table of Plenty Food Pantry and of course to our own ministries - GOYA and Golf Outing. We hope and look forward to helping more in the coming months. Aspasia Panagiotopoulos President

11 SUNDAY CHURCH SCHOOL Dear Parents, On behalf of the Sunday school Teachers, Advisors and Volunteers, I would like to wish you a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year 2020! December was a busy month for SS. This year s Christmas Lenten Retreat was scheduled on December 21 st and the theme is: "Angles and our Faith". I would like to thank all of the Sunday School Teachers for taking the time to prepare for the retreat and especially Lilliane Dugan, Evy Apostolatos and Elizabeth Piteo for coordinating this event. The Christmas Play program was scheduled the following day, December 22 nd and it included the reenactment of nativity along with live animals on stage accompanied by the church choir and the cherubs youth choir. I would like to thank all of the SS Teachers and volunteers who helped with this event and especially, the choir director, Mr. Ryan Kiel, who coordinated all the musical aspects of the play. Our parish s visit to St. Michael s was scheduled on December 28 th, the giving tree had been decorated by angels made by 5-7 th graders under the guidance of Mrs. Dugan. A very special thank you to our Philoptochos president, Mrs. Panagiotopoulos for helping us to co-coordinate this special visit. We are looking forward to continuing our activities, along with the rest of the ministries of St. Athanasios, and promoting our faith to our children. On January 26 th we will be having a celebration of Greek Letters in church and on February 9 th, SS will be hosting the annual Godparent Sunday Breakfast after the Divine Liturgy. Please mark your calendars for this special day, so that we can all attend and show our appreciation and respect to all of the godparents in our lives. Lastly, in preparation for the 2019 Oratorical Festival, please encourage your children to participate, either in the Junior Division (7-9) or Senior Division (10-12). The topics, along with guidelines, were presented in SS classes by the Chairperson of the Oratorical, Mrs. Cleo Yannitsadis in early December. The following are the upcoming Sunday Church School Events: Celebration of Greek Letters - January 26 th Godparent Sunday - February 9 th Preparations for 2020 Oratorical Festival Respectfully, Eliana Antoniou, Ph.D. Sunday School Director

12 GREEK SCHOOL Αγαπητοί Γονείς, Ευτυχισμένη και δημιουργική ευχόμαστε σε όλους να είναι η νέα χρονιά 2020! Το Σάββατο 25 Ιανουαρίου, στην κοινοτική αίθουσα της εκκλησίας του Αγίου Ιωάννη του Θεολόγου -στο Τεναφλάϊ- θα εορτάσουμε την γιορτή των Τριών Ιεραρχών, που θα οργανώσει η Ιερά Μητρόπολη της Νέας Ιερσέης, με τις ευλογίες του Σεβασμιωτάτου Μητροπολίτη κ.κ. Ευαγγέλου. Μαθητές του Ελληνικού μας σχολείου θα συμμετέχουν στην γιορτή αυτή, μαζί με μαθητές άλλων κοινοτικών σχολείων. Την Κυριακή 26 Ιανουαρίου, οι μαθητές του Ελληνικού και Κατηχητικού σχολείου μας σχολείου, θα παρουσιάσουν την γιορτή των Τριών Ιεραρχών, και όλοι οι μαθητές πρέπει να είναι παρόντες! Είναι η Ημέρα που τιμούμε τους Τρεις Μεγίστους Ιεράρχες, και βραβεύουμε "Τα Ελληνικά Γράμματα". Ευχόμαστε σε όλους τους μαθητές μας ΚΑΛΗ ΕΠΙΤΥΧΙΑ! Σοφία Σταματίου Διευθύντρια Dear Parents, Happy and Blessed year to all our families! On Saturday January 25th, our Metropolis will organize under the auspices of His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos, the celebration in honor of the Three Hierarchs and the "Greek Letters", in the community hall of St. John the Theologian. in Tenafly. The program features poetry recitals, plays and songs from various Greek schools, and students of our Greek school will participate! On Sunday January 26th, the students of our Church and Greek School will celebrate the "Three Hierarchs" Day, and we urge all the parents to bring their children to this significant celebration! We wish all our students the best on both participations! Sophia Stamatiou Greek School Principal

13 P.T.O

14 G.O.Y.A. Dear Parishioners, It is hard to believe we are ringing in 2020! Our GOYAns have been very busy the past few months enjoying dances, volleyball and basketball games and many more activities. We had a fun time at our annual Christmas party with delicious food, gift exchange and a gingerbread house making contest. Our GOYA along with other members of our community visited St. Michaels Nursing Home on December 28. It was such a heartwarming, wonderful day spent with the elderly spreading our Christmas spirit and making their day feel extra special. Once again, our GOYA was invited by the Philoptochos to help assemble food bags at the Center for Food Action in Saddle Brook. Thank you to the Philoptochos for allowing our GOYAns to be part of this rewarding experience. Also in December, the Philoptochos invited Patty Trava, a community activist for Opioid abuse to come speak to us about the Opioid crisis. Sadly, she lost her daughter to an opioid overdose. Her story was a harsh reality that opioid abuse is a real crisis. The month of December is full of joy as we celebrate the Nativity of Jesus Christ. Our community came together for the Christmas Lenten Retreat and the beautiful Christmas Pageant. Looking forward into January and February, our sports teams will participate in the District One Volleyball and Basketball Tournaments. We also look forward to our traditional Lock-in! This year, we added a fun surprise for the GOYAns. We are being treated by the GOYA to a fun trip snow tubing at Camp Gaw, in Mahwah. In addition, we will begin preparing and practicing for Sights and Sounds that will be hosted in March. On Saturday February 22, the highly-anticipated GOYA Beefsteak Dinner will be held in our Community Hall. Our GOYA looks forward to this yearly event! The night is filled with fun as we enjoy the all you can eat steak along with dancing and other surprises. We invite everyone to attend this event!! Please come out and support our GOYA! On behalf of our GOYA, I wish our entire Saint Athanasios Community and their families a Merry and Blessed Christmas and Happy and Healthy New Year! With Love in Christ, Teddy Kesoglou GOYA President

15 BAPTISMS November 3rd - Athanasia, daughter Eleni and Kirollos Hanna. The Godparents were Nicholas Gouvanis & Polixeni Mourkakos November 9th - Dimitrios Efstratios, son of Anitha and Efstratios Dimitrios Giannikos. The Godparent was Adam Markou November 16th - Dimitrios, son of Jesus and Dimitrios Golemis The Godparent was Vrasidas Golemis November 23rd - Violeta (Rose), daughter of Victoria and Alkies Lapas. The Godparents were Patoula Panagos Billiris & John Michael Billiris December 7th - Melina (Meletina), daughter of Christie and Evan Anroulakis. The Godparent was Katerina Phillibosian Na sas zisoun! WEDDINGS November 17th - Jessica Gosda and John Samoilis The Koubara was Cormelius Samoilis. December 1st - Georgia Sarris and Vassili Demergis The Koubarie were Anna Logothetis and Dimitri Demergis December 8th - Alexis Efstathiadis and Nicholas Theiss The Koubara was Eleni Efstathiasdis Na zisete! FUNERALS December 2nd - Dorothea Stylianou Our deepest sympathy to the family IN MEMORIAM It has become an accepted practice that at the death of a family member, the family requests that donations in memory of the departed, be made to St. Athanasios Church. This month, we wish to thank: In Memory of Dorothea Stylianou Ms. Despina Dalton Mr. & Mrs. Robert Kane Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Tarelo In Memory of Athanasios Stavropoulos Mr. & Mrs. Stefanos Doulos Mr. & Mrs. Vasilios Fikaris Mr. & Mrs. Antonios Galianos The Kalabakas Family In Memory of Sandy Poulis Mr. & Mrs. James Albes Mr. & Mrs. Looes Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Klein Ms. Uliana Luccilo Mr. & Mrs. George Lioulakis Ms. Carol Russell Mr. & Mrs. Richard Sadlock Mr. & Mrs. George Sadlock Ms. Elaine Schevon Scordilis Family Chiropractic Mr. & Mrs. Chuck Tsocanos Mr. & Mrs. John Tsocanos In Memory of Poppy Vlasidis Mr. & Mrs. Stefanos Doulos Mr. & Mrs. Vasilios Fikaris Mr. & Mrs. John Kourkoulakos Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Zitsman In Memory of Eleni Tsiklos Mr. & Mrs. Stefanos Doulos In Memory of Anastasia Pantazis The Kalabakas Family

16 GREETINGS! Fr. Anargyros, Fr. John, the President of the Parish Council and its members, the President of the Philoptochos and its members, the PTO President and its members, the teachers of the Greek and Sunday Church School and the entire staff of St. Athanasios Parish wish everyone. A HAPPY NEW YEAR! ΕΥΧΕΣ Ο πατήρ Ανάργυρος, ο πατήρ Ιωάννης, ο πρόεδρος και τα μέλη του Εκκλησιαστικού Συμβουλίου, η πρόεδρος και τα μέλη της Φιλοπτώχου Αδελφότητος, η πρόεδρος και τα μέλη τού Συλλόγου Γονέων και Διδασκάλων, οι Διδάσκαλοι των Σχολείων μας, Ελληνικού και Κατηχητικού, και ολόκληρο το προσωπικό της ενορίας του Αγίου Αθανασίου, εύχονται σε όλους...ευτυχισμενο ΤΟ ΝΕΟ ΕΤΟΣ 2020! HOUSE BLESSINGS: Fr. Anargyros will be blessing homes the week after the Theophany. Anyone wishing to have their home blessed should contact the church office. FLOWERS FOR ST. ATHANASIOS: If anyone is interested in donating towards the flowers for the adornment of the icons for the Feast Day of St. Athanasios, please contact the Church office. VASILOPITA CELEBRATION: The Community Vasilopita Celebration will be on Sunday, January 12, 2020 after the Divine Liturgy. We ask that all parishioners and friends to join us for this very special beginning of the New Year Celebration. CALENDARS: If you have not already done so, we ask the parishioners of Saint Athanasios to please stop upstairs after the Divine Liturgy, or the office during the week to pick up your 2020 Church calendars. Each calendar is clearly labeled with each parishioner s name. ΑΓΙΑΣΜΟΣ ΟΙΚΩΝ: Ο πατήρ Ανάργυρος θα αγιάζει σπίτια την εβδομάδα μετά τά Θεοφάνεια. Εάν θέλετε να έλθει να αγιάσει και το δικό σας σπίτι, παρακαλείσθε να επικοινωνήσετε με το γραφείο της Εκκλησίας μας. ΛΟΥΛΟΥΔΙΑ ΓΙΑ ΣΤΟΛΙΣΜΟ: Εάν θέλετε να δώσετε χρήματα για την αγορά λουλουδιών προς στολισμό της Εκκλησίας μας για των εικόνων για την εορτή του Αγίου Αθανασίου, παρακαλούμε να επικοινωνήσετε με το γραφείο της Εκκλησίας μας. ΚΟΨΙΜΟ ΒΑΣΙΛΟΠΙΤΑΣ: Το κόψιμο της Κοινοτικής Βασιλόπιττας. θα γίνει την Κυριακή 12 Ιανουαρίου 2020 αμέσως μετά την Θεία Λειτουργία. Παρακαλούμε όλους τους ενορίτες και φίλους να παραβρεθούν στο κόψιμο της Βασιλόπιττας. ΗΜΕΡΟΛΟΓΙΑ: Εάν δεν έχετε ήδη παραλάβει το ημερολόγιο του 2020, παρακαλείσθε μετά τη Θεία Λειτουργία της Κυριακής, να ανεβείτε επάνω, για να το παραλάβετε. Κάθε ημερολόγιο φέρει ετικέτα με το όνομα κάθε ενορίτη.

17 STEWARDSHIP We thank the following 337 parishioners who made their stewardship contribution for to St. Athanasios Church for ΠΡΟΓΡΑΜΜΑ EΚΟΥΣΙΑΣ ΕΙΣΦΟΡΑΣ 2019: Ευχαριστούμε τις 337 οικογένειες πού εκπλήρωσαν την υπόσχεσή των για το Mr. & Mrs. Adam Adams Mrs. Katina Agaliotis Ms. Ioana Agams Mr. K. Agathangelou/Mrs. T. Yiangou Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Alexiades Mr. & Mrs. Carl Amaral Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Amoratis Mr. P. Anagnostakos/Mrs. E. Tsomos Mrs. Pamela Anastasopoulos Mr. & Mrs. Peter Anastasopoulos Mr. & Mrs. Andreas Andreou Mrs. Silvia Andros Mr. & Mrs. Evan Androulakis Drs. E. Antoniou/ E. Vassiliou Mrs. Flora Antonopoulos Mrs. Helen Antonopoulos Mr. & Mrs. Sotiris Antonopoulos Mr. & Mrs. Neil Aprea Mr. & Mrs. Spiros Backos Mrs. Bella Baker Mr. & Mrs. Antonios Barbagiannis Mr. & Mrs. George Barkouras Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Belegrinos Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Berenberg Mrs. Litsa Berenberg Mrs. Audrey Betts Mr. James Betts+ Mr. & Mrs. Daryn Binder Mr. & Mrs. Chris Brandt Mr. & Mrs. James Burke Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Calandrino Mr. & Mrs. Jeremy Calandrino Mr. Peter Callas Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Careri Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Cevallos Mr. & Mrs. Brian Chaffee Mr. & Mrs. Mike Chilimintris Mr. & Mrs. Tony Chimentos Dr. & Mrs. George Christolias Mr. & Mrs. George Christopoulos Mr. & Mrs. Nikos Christopoulos Dr. & Mrs. George Christoudias Mr. Chris Chucalas Mr. & Mrs. Chris Chucalas Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Cocchiara Mr. & Mrs. Girolamo Colella Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Comodromos Mr. Marios Comodromos Dr. & Mrs. T. Constandelis Mr. & Mrs. Alex Cormas Mr. & Mrs. Peter Dedes Ms. Anna-Maria Delardas Mr. & Mrs. C. Deligiannis Dr. & Mrs. Aristidis Delis Mr. & Mrs. Vassili Demergis Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Demetrakis Mrs. Maria Diacakis Mr. & Mrs. D. Diamantis Mrs. Cleo Diamantes Mr. & Mrs. V. Diamantopoulos Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Dimatos Mrs. Christina Dimitrakapoulos Mr. Michael Dimitrelis Mr. Vasilios Doliotis Mr. & Mrs. George Dorizas Mr. & Mrs. Panagiotis Dorizas Mr. & Mrs. Stefanos Doulos Mrs. Marielle Drivas Mr. & Mrs. Evangelos Drosos Mr. & Mrs. Athanasios Economou Mr. & Mrs. John Economou Ms. Alexa Efstathiadis Mr. & Mrs. Elias Ekonomidis Mr. & Mrs. Theofilos Eleftheriou Ms. Alexandra Maria Eliopoulos Mrs. Mary Ellen Eliopoulos Mr. & Mrs. A. Emmanouilidis Mr. & Mrs. E. Emmanouilidis Mr. & Mrs. Harry Emmanouilidis Mr. & Mrs. John H. Emmanouilidis Mr. & Mrs. Gregory Evangelou Mr. & Mrs. Sofoklis Fasitsas Mr. & Mrs. Ricardo Ferreira Mr. & Mrs. Vasilios Fikaris Mr. & Mrs. Zannis Fikaris Mr. & Mrs. Jason Fink Mrs. Eleni Floris Mr. & Mrs. Socrates Foradoulas Mrs. Artemis Gagis Mr. & Mrs. Nickolas Gagis Mr. & Mrs. Antonios Galianos Mr. & Mrs. Emmanouil Galifos Mr. Dimitrios Gatanas Mr. Nicholas Gatanas Mr. & Mrs. Metaxas Georgatos Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Georgiou Mrs. Athena Georgotas Mr. & Mrs. Victor Giamos Mrs. Georgia Giannakopoulos Mr. & Mrs. Efstratios Giannikos Ms. Malvina Giannoulis Mr. & Mrs. George Glavas

18 Mr. & Mrs. Savvas Glavas Mr. & Mrs. Dimitrios Golemis Mr. & Mrs. Athanase Gouliamos Mr. & Mrs. Dino Gourmos Mr. & Mrs. Efstratios Grammatas Mr. & Mrs. Evangelos Grammatas Mr. & Mrs. Hristofas Grammatas Mr. & Mrs. Kriss Hadjistavrianos Mr. & Mrs. Kirollos Hanna Mr. & Mrs. Chris Haramis Mr. & Mrs. Jimmy Hartofilis Ms. Maria Hasterlis Mr. & Mrs. Tom Higgins Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Hios Mr. & Mrs. George Hios Ms. Stephanie M. Hios Mr. & Mrs. George Hrissikos Mr. & Mrs. Christos Ignatiou Mr. & Mrs. Nikolas Joannidis Mr. & Mrs. Agamemnon Jouvanis Mr. & Mrs. Stefanos Kalabakas Mr. & Mrs. Stelios Kalogeras Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Kalogirou Mr. & Mrs. Damon Kamvosoulis Mr. & Mrs. Peter Kamvosoulis Mr. & Mrs. Vasilios Kamvosoulis Mr. & Mrs. Frank Kanakaris Mr. & Mrs. Spiros Kapsaskis Mr. & Mrs. Demetrios Karabetsos Ms. Christina Karounos Ms. Pia Kasabian Mr. & Mrs. Emmanuel Kavrakis Mr. Steven Kazantzis Mrs. Elefteria Keane Mrs. Magdalene Keen+ Mrs. Kalliopi Kesoglou Mr. & Mrs. Theodore Kesoglou Mr. & Mrs. Tom Kesoglou Mr. & Mrs. John Kiriakakis Mrs. Tonia Kirkham Mr. & Mrs. Nick Kolaros Mr. & Mrs. Eleftherios Kolovos Mr. & Mrs. Nick Konstantinakos Mrs. Mary & Eva Konstantinidis Dr. Dora Kontogiannis Mr. & Mrs. Tom Kostopoulos Mr. & Mrs. Georgios Kotzias Mrs. Effie Koukeas Mr. & Mrs. James Kourgelis Mr. & Mrs. Jimmy Kourgelis Mrs. Kiki Kourgelis Mr. & Mrs. Michael Kourgelis Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Kourgelis Mr. & Mrs. A. Kourkoumelis Ms. Sophia Kourliouros Mr. & Mrs. Christos Koutsis Mr. & Mrs. Ioannis Koutsoumbis Mr. Christos Koutsoupias Ms. Magdalene Koutsouradis Mr. & Mrs. Gus Koutsouris Mr. & Mrs. K. Kouvatsos Mr. & Mrs. Petros Kouvatsos Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Kyriakakis Mr. & Mrs. Kostas Lahanas Mrs. Toula Langas Mr. & Mrs. Alkies Lapas Mr. & Mrs. Louis Laoudis Mrs. Virginia Laoudis Mr. & Mrs. Antoine Larosiliere Mr. & Mrs. Spero Leakas Mr. & Mrs. Ted Leakas Fr. Panagiotis & Presb. Lekkas Mr. & Mrs. Petros Lembesis Mr. & Mrs. Konstantinos Leou Mr. & Mrs. Evagelos Liakas Mr. & Mrs. Stathis Loukas Mr. & Mrs. Christos Loutroutzis Ms. Christina Lowery Mr. & Mrs. Emmanuel Makris Mr. Nicholas Makris Mr. & Mrs. James Malamas Mr. & Mrs. John Malandruccolo Mrs. Helen Mantzouranis Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Marcopoulos Mr. & Mrs. Jason Marcus Mr. & Mrs. Dean Mastrojohn Mr. & Mrs. Petros Matthews Mrs. Vasiliki Matthews Mr. & Mrs. C. Mavrianos Mr. & Mrs. Brian McMillan Mrs. Stella Megariotis Mr. & Mrs. Kostas Menegatos Ms. Tina Mereos Dr. John Merianos Mr. & Mrs. James Miaoulis Mrs. Aphrodite Micholas Mr. & Mrs. Robert Mitchell Mr. & Mrs. Kyriakos Mitses Mr. & Mrs. Harry Molfetas Mr. Leonidas Moniakis Mr. & Mrs. Mihalis Morakis Mr. & Mrs. Mike Moshouris Mr. George Moshouris Mr. & Mrs. Leo Mourikes Mrs. Stephanie Mouzakis Smith Mr. Ignatius Mumtzis+ Mr. & Mrs. Kostas Nakopoulos Mrs. Jordana Nicholas Mr. Haralambos Nikolopoulos Mr. & Mrs. James Nissirios Mr. & Mrs. John Nissirios Mr. & Mrs. Chris Nolan Mr. & Mrs. John Oberle Mr. & Mrs. Evangelos Pagonis Mr. & Mrs. Louis Pahountis Mrs. Joanne Paissides Mr. & Mrs. Peter Paizis Mr. & Mrs. V. Pallikaropoulos Ms. Nicole Panagakos Mr. & Mrs. G. Panagiotopoulos Mr. & Mrs. Gus Panagiotopoulos Mr. & Mrs. George Panagiotou Mrs. Vaso Panagopoulos Mrs. Konstandina Panakes Mr. & Mrs. Dino Panayiotarakos Mr. & Mrs. John Pangis

19 Mr. & Mrs. C. Papademas Mr. Harry Papademas Mrs. Androniki Papadopoulos Ms. Katerina Papaloukas Mr. & Mrs. C. Papamichael Mr. & Mrs. N. Papamichael Mr. George Papanestor Mr. & Mrs. Theodore Papas Mr. & Mrs. N. Papathanasopoulos Mr. & Mrs. C. Partsinevelos Mr. & Mrs. Charles Patterson Mr. & Mrs. Menelaos Pavlou Mr. George Pepines Mr. & Mrs. John Peponias Mr. & Mrs. Ioannis Petrou Ms. Helen Pettas Mr. & Mrs. John Phillips Mr. & Mrs. Nick Pispitos Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Piteo Mr. & Mrs. Ciro Pizzolato Mr. & Mrs. Nick Polemis Mrs. Eleni Pollatos Mr. & Mrs. Vasilios Portelos Mrs. Ann Pouletsos Mr. John Pouletsos Mr. & Mrs. Sam Poulis Mr. & Mrs. H. Prassakos Mr. & Mrs. John Psarianos Mr. & Mrs. John Psarros Ms. Athena Remolina Mr. Anthony Rezitis Mr. Christos Rigopoulos Mr. Evangelos Rigopoulos Mr. & Mrs. Peter Rinaldi Mr. & Mrs. Georgios Rodas Mr. Alexander Rodetis Mr. & Mrs. Eddie Rodriguez Mrs. Despina Ropa Ms. Victoria Roukas Mr. & Mrs. John Roussos Mrs. Margie Russo Ms. Aggie Sahlaras Mr. & Mrs. Frank Salemme Ms. Athena Samoilis Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Samoilis Mr. & Mrs. Dennis Samoilis Mr. John Samoilis Drs. L. & A. Samouilidis Ms. Ritsa Skordos Mr. & Mrs. William Scoullos Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Sekas Mr. & Mrs. George Seretis Mr. & Mrs. William Seretis Mr. & Mrs. Savas Sfikas Mr. & Dr. Peter Shikar Mr. & Mrs. Stergios Siabanis Mr. & Mrs. George Siamboulis Mr. & Mrs. Georgios Siderias Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Siderias Mr. & Mrs. Steve Siderias Mr. & Mrs. Dimitrios Sitounis Ms. Katherine Skiadas Mrs. Ritsa Skordos Mr. & Mrs. Antonios Skoulariotis Mr. & Mrs. John Skoutakis Mr. & Mrs. Brian Slattery Mr. & Mrs. Steve Sofos Mrs. Konstantina Sotirhos Mr. & Mrs. Steve Spirou Mr. & Mrs. Alex Staikos Mr. & Mrs. George Stamatiou Mr. & Mrs. Thouki Stavris Fr. & Presbytera A. Stavropoulos Ms. Sotiria Stavropoulos Mr. Patroklos Stavrou Mr. & Mrs. Antonios Stergiou Mr. & Mrs. T. Stogianoglou Mr. & Mrs. Cristakis Stylianou Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Tevletidis Mr. & Mrs. Alex Theodosiou Mr. & Mrs. Dimitrios Tolis Mr. & Mrs. Dean Tomaras Mr. & Mrs. George Trahanas Mr. & Mrs. C. Triantafillakis Mr. & Mrs. Bobby Tropea Mr. Niciforos Tsamasiotis Mr. & Mrs. Theodore Tsatsalos Mr. & Mrs. Michael Tsentas Mrs. Sophia Tsiklidis Mr. & Mrs. K. Tsocanos Mr. & Mrs. Chuck J. Tsocanos Mr. & Mrs. John Tsocanos Mrs. Panagiota Tsongas Ms. Efthymia Tsoukalas Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Tsoukalas Mr. & Mrs. Stan Umowski Mr. & Mrs. Kostas Vanikiotis Mrs. Ethel Venetos Mr. & Mrs. Richard Venezia Mr. & Mrs. Paul Venizelos Mr. & Mrs. Robert Voorhis Mrs. Irene Veros+ Mr. & Mrs. John Wain Mr. & Mrs. Randall Williams Mr. Demetrios Xanthos Mr. & Mrs. Louie Yannitsadis Mr. Steve Yannitsadis+ Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Yin Mr. & Mrs. George Zaverdinos Mr. & Mrs. Telly Zervoudis Mr. & Mrs. Michael Zigarelli Mr. & Mrs. Alexander Zodiatis Mr. Constantinos Zoidis

20 PRAYER FOR THE FIRST DAY OF THE YEAR O Lord our God, who have placed times and seasons under your own authority; who, in your infinite compassion and goodness, have counted us worthy to enter a New Year of your loving kindness, bless it and keep us in peace. Loose, remit and forgive any sins that we may have committed during the year that is past, and keep us free from sin in the New Year. Enlighten us with the light of your truth and your divine commandments. Establish in our souls your holy will, and guide us to every work that is good and pleasing to you. Guard well our Holy church with your divine grace. Remember, Lord, our nation; train up the youth; protect the elderly; encourage the faint-hearted; gather the scattered; bring back those who have gone astray, and reunite them to your Holy Church. Overshadow our Land with your might, and grant it gentle rain and abundance of the fruits of the earth. Speak of goodness in the hearts of our rulers; support and strengthen them, together with our armed forces by land, sea and air so that in their tranquility we may lead our life in every piety and dignity. Let your kingdom come upon us, O Lord; the kingdom of love, goodness, peace and justice; and make us worthy to praise and glorify, with one mouth and one heart, your most honorable and majestic name, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen

21 ΙΕΡΑ ΠΑΝΗΓΥΡΙΣ ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΟΥ Μέγας Εσπερινός Παρασκευή, 17 Ιανουρίου στις 7:00 μ.μ. Μέγας Εσπερινός με Αρτοκλασία Εορταστική δεξίωσις κατόπιν των Ιερών Ακολουθιών από την Φιλόπτωχο Όρθρος και Θεία Λειτουργία Σάββατο, 18 Ιανουαρίου στις 8:30 π.μ. Όρθρος και Θεία Λειτουργία με Αρτοκλασία Εορταστική δεξίωσις κατόπιν των Ιερών Ακολουθιών FEAST DAY OF OUR PATRON SAINT ATHANASIOS Friday, January 17th - 7:00 p.m. Great Vespers and Artoklasia Saturday, January 18th - 8:30 a.m. Orthros, Divine Liturgy and Artoklasia Reception to follow after the Services, hosted by our Philoptochos. SAINT ATHANASIOS THE GREAT, PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA Born in Alexandria, Egypt in A.D. 297, Athanasios was associated with the Alexandrian chancery at an early age, having been ordained deacon in the year 319 and subsequently priest. His brilliance was shown in his Sermon Against the Arians, written to answer the widely spreading heresy of Arianism, which had been condemned in 318 by a synod. According to Arius, an elderly priest of Alexandria, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were three separate essences or substances, which is contrary to Orthodox teaching. The spread of Arianism prompted Emperor Constantine to convene the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea (A.D. 325), where Athanasios brilliantly opposed the false doctrine of Arius. He wrote a series of works in defense of the faith proclaimed in Nicaea, that is, the doctrine of the true deity of God the Son. Nevertheless, the controversy lasted for another two centuries. The conciliatory tone of the Council of Nicaea was not enough to put an end to the heresy; Arius would not comply with its decisions and thus fled to Palestine.

22 While still in his twenties, St Athanasios wrote two short treatises of which the second one is the famous On the Incarnation. In this treatise he expounds how God, the Logos, by His union with Manhood restored to the fallen man the image of God in which he had originally been created (Genesis 1:27); and how by His death and Resurrection He met and overcame death which is the consequence of sin. St. Athanasios proved to be the greatest and most consistent theological opponent of Arianism. He convened the Synod of Alexandria in 362 which did much to clear up misunderstandings of the terms Person (hypostasis) and substance (ousia). He also did much to uphold the deity of the Holy Spirit and the full Manhood of Christ against contemporary heretical tendencies. At the age of thirty, Athanasios was made Bishop of Alexandria. Although Arius assured the Emperor that he accepted the creed of Nicaea, the suspicious Athanasios defied the Imperial order for Arius reinstatement. For this he was banished, taking refuge in Treves, France, the place of his first exile, from which he returned in 337 after Constantine s death. The same year though, his enemies conspired to have him again banished by a synod in Antioch. Athanasios, eluded those who would have him imprisoned, traveled to Rome to plead his case before the Pope, Julius I. Although a council at Sardica favored Athanasios, he did not return from exile until 345, after the death of usurper Bishop Gregory. Once again, his enemies sprang into action and at a council in Milan in 355, Athanasios was deposed. Thus, after ten years of fruitful rule, he took refuge with the monks of the Egyptian desert whom he greatly admired and whom he had befriended. While with the monks he wrote the History of the Arian Heresy, which displays his vehemence and ironic humor. In 361 Athanasios was again restored as Bishop of Alexandria and immediately resumed his struggle against Arianism. After a series of lengthy and complicated discussions, councils, synods, and other forms of debate, a credal formula was adopted which satisfied those whose middle view led them to be called Semi-Arians. Peace had hardly arrived when another storm came in the form of the regeneration of paganism under the Emperor Julian the Apostate. In the autumn of 363, Athanasios was again put to flight, only to return a short time later after the death of the Emperor. He enjoyed a comparative calm until he was removed by Emperor Valens during another resurgence of paganism. Four months later, the aging Bishop was recalled and allowed to live out his life in comparative peace. Greatly admired by the Orthodox, St. Athanasios stirred the emotions of the Christians as perhaps no other Father of the Church. His theological doctrine is clear and uncomplicated in the strictest Orthodox tradition, and his encouragement of monasticism was a labor of love. He greatly aided the ascetic movement in Egypt. Also, St. Athanasios was the first to introduce knowledge of monasticism to the West. He died on May 2, 373. The Feast Day of St. Athanasios is celebrated on January 18th (also on May 2nd). May his blessings and prayers be with us as we aspire to serve the same Lord as St. Athanasios did centuries ago.

23 Love in Action This year St. Athanasios will continue the Homeless Outreach Program to bring much needed food and care to men, women, and children in our area who are in need. As many of you already know, last year we began an effort to collect food for donation in a Food Collection Box at the rear entrance of our church. This effort has already been a big success in helping to feed low-income families, and this year we would like to give even more. We will be putting our desire to help into action by partnering with a homeless shelter in Northern NJ to help prepare and serve warm meals for the needy. We hope to make this a community-wide effort, with every age group involved in some way - whether through food donation, meal preparation, driving, serving, or some other facet. We are still at the early stages but before we can begin this fruitful work, we are looking for volunteers who are interested in helping to develop and sustain this new program. If you would like to get involved, please contact the church office. This is a time of great need for many people. For anyone who has ever felt a call to give back, this is an opportunity to really make a difference in someone's life. COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY We wish to thank all our parishioners and friends of St. Athanasios for remembering our Food Pantry for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Our Food Pantry helps families that have a need for assistance. It is very important that we keep our food Pantry filled at all times. Please remember the bank for the needy is at the entrance of the Community Center. ΑΠΟΘΗΚΗ ΤΡΟΦΙΜΩΝ: Η Εκκλησία μας παρέχει τρόφιμα σε οικογένειες που έχουν ανάγκη. Ζητούμε συσκευασμένα τρόφιμα, επί καθημερινής. Βάσεως. Το νέο ενοριακό αυτό πρόγραμμα θα συνεχίση μόνο με την βοήθεια σας. Θά θέλαμε να ευχαριστήσουμε όλους τους δωριτές, με τα τρόφιμα για την ημέρα των Ευχαριστιών και τα Χριστούγεννα. Η γενναιοδωρία τους προς τους συνανθρώπους μας που βρίσκονται σε υλική ανάγκη είναι αποτέλεσμα της αγάπης τους προς τον Κύριο και Θεό μας.

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