ANNUNCIATION GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

Transcript

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

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

3 Beloved in Christ, In just over one week our Holy Orthodox Church enters the Holy and Great Week of the Passion of Christ, followed immediately by His Holy Resurrection. The first half of April will include the last week of Great Lent, followed by the two-day celebration of the raising of Lazarus and Christ s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, which in turn commences Holy Week. During those two weeks we continue the opportunity to experience the very Lenten atmosphere of translated as joyful sorrow, or bright sadness, which will be transformed into full spiritual joy with the celebration of the Lord s resurrection on Holy Pascha. Hopefully, our personal Lenten journey has allowed us to experience this atmosphere as we prepare to celebrate Holy Pascha. The concept of joyful sorrow is central in the Orthodox Lenten experience. Allow me to elaborate a bit on this concept, which I have not written about for some time. First, let us define the term This is a compound word that combines the terms joy, gladness, and sorrow, sadness. The Greek language, being very flexible in the combining of nouns, has many compound words which aid in pinpointing something very specific. In this case, the Church uses this term to accurately describe what is experienced by faithfully following the full Lenten tradition each year. A question one may ask, is how can someone be both sad and joyful at the same time? The Orthodox Church has a very clear answer to this. First, let us remember that we are all part of fallen humanity. Through the sin of our ancestral parents, Adam and Eve, we have inherited a nature that is fallen from the grace of God. Fortunately, Christ came to the earth to redeem us from the ancient curse, giving us the ability to be reunited with our Triune God. Through baptism and chrismation the doors of the Kingdom have been opened for us, giving us the ability to work toward our salvation while in this world. The sadness within us which manifests itself during Great Lent, is based on the realization of our fallen nature and personal sins. We must remind ourselves that we are not guaranteed salvation simply by having been baptized. In our imperfect, fallen nature we are continuously tempted by the Devil and his demons to sin against God. No one born into humanity is exempt from this reality. If we have followed a full Lenten experience of prayer, fasting, increased church attendance, and charitable works, our spiritual eyes should have been opened to see how far we continuously fall from the grace we received in baptism. Having said these things one may wonder, so where is the joy in all this? Here we must clarify that during Lent, the Orthodox Church does not present to us a morbid and oppressive atmosphere from which one feels there is no escape. On the contrary, a focused Orthodox Christian following the full Lenten experience will begin to sense a lightness and joy brought on through intensified spiritual focus, which is highly aided through prayer and fasting. In addition, the Church has always had the joy of the FROM FATHER ANTHONY Resurrection as the goal of our Lenten struggle the light at the end of the tunnel. The Lenten and Paschal experience of the Church is one where there can truly be no joy without tears. The experience of joyful sorrow can clearly be felt in the various services of Lent and Holy Week. These divine services stimulate our souls toward a contrite and reflective attitude throughout this holy season. The dimly lit church, the moving words and melodies of Lenten hymns, the dark vestments of the priest and temple, the kneeling and prostrations we make all these things together touch our souls deeply to aid us toward contrition and repentance. The beauty of the Orthodox observance of Great Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha is that the summation of God s plan for humanity can be encountered during this holy period. Our entire salvation history beginning with the fall of Adam and Eve through the Lord s saving Crucifixion and Resurrection, is relived each year for our spiritual benefit. All those who have ever fully participated in the Lenten experience, have shed the tears of repentance which eventually became tears of joy. Throughout Great Lent we become as the wandering Hebrew people of the Old Testament seeking the Promised Land. Our release from the bondage of sin through repentance can be compared to the release of the Jews from the bondage of slavery (and sin definitely is spiritual slavery!). As the Hebrew nation ended its wandering and entered the Promised Land with great joy, we too, through our Lenten struggle can find rest by sacramentally confessing our sins, thereby being fully prepared to enter into the joy of the Holy Resurrection. In summary, beloved in Christ, Lent is not all about doom and gloom. As you see, it is about true inner joy that comes from our honest self-assessment gained through our spiritual struggles during Lent, and our subsequent forgiveness through Holy Confession. With proper preparation during Lent and Holy Week, our celebration of Pascha will be extremely luminous and joyful, more than we ve ever experienced in the past. Allow me to attempt to compare this to a total lunar eclipse. As the moon becomes completely covered in shadow, its light is nowhere to be seen even though we know it will reappear. After experiencing the temporary darkness and the shadow passes, the moon seems much more radiant than it did before, and we rejoice in what we see. May we all be bathed in the bright and everlasting light of the Holy Resurrection of our Lord! A blessed Holy Week and Pascha to all. Well done good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord. (Mt. 25:21) In Christ, +Fr. Anthony

4 FROM FATHER ANTHONY LENTEN & PASCHAL REFLECTIONS The following is taken from Great Lent, by Fr. Alexander Schmemann; St. Vladimir s Seminary Press, The Lenten Worship Bright Sadness For many, if not for the majority of Orthodox Christians, Lent consists of a limited number of formal, predominantly negative, rules and prescriptions: abstention from certain food, dancing, perhaps movies. Such is the degree of our alienation from the real spirit of the Church that it is almost impossible for us to understand that there is something else in Lent something without which all these prescriptions lose much of their meaning. This something else can best be described as an atmosphere, a climate into which one enters, as first of all a state of mind, soul, and spirit which for seven weeks permeates our entire life. Let us stress once more that the purpose of Lent is not to force on us a few formal obligations, but to soften our heart so that it may open itself to the realities of the spirit, to experience the hidden thirst and hunger for communion with God. This lenten atmosphere, this unique state of mind, is brought about mainly by means of worship, by the various changes introduced during that season into the liturgical life. Considered separately, these changes may appear as incomprehensible rubrics, as formal prescriptions to be formally adhered to; but understood as a whole, they reveal and communicate the spirit of Lent, they make us see, feel, and experience that bright sadness which is the true message and gift of Lent. One can say without exaggeration that the spiritual fathers and the sacred writers who composed the hymns of the Lenten Triodion, who little by little organized the general structures of the lenten services, who adorned the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts with that special beauty which is proper to it, had a unique understanding of the human soul. They truly knew the art of repentance, and every year during Lent they make this art accessible to everyone who has ears to hear and eyes to see Sad brightness : the sadness of my exile, of the waste I have made of my life; the brightness of God s presence and forgiveness, the joy of the recovered desire for God, the peace of the recovered home. Such is the climate of lenten worship; such is its first and general impact on my soul. The following is taken from, The Year of Grace of the Lord, by a Monk of the Eastern Church; St. Vladimir s Seminary Press, The Time of Easter and of Pentecost Holy Saturday and the First Announcement of the Resurrection As we have already said, Holy Saturday shares both in the mourning of Holy Week and in the joy of Easter. It is partly turned towards the Lord s tomb, and partly towards the risen Jesus. Matins for Holy Saturday, which we have already described and which are generally celebrated on the evening of Holy Friday, express the waiting and sorrow of Jesus s friends the disciples and the holy women whose attention is now concentrated on the tomb where Joseph of Arimathea has laid the body of the Lord. But vespers and the liturgy which are celebrated on the morning of Holy Saturday anticipate the events of Easter Sunday, and bring us a first message of the Resurrection Holy Saturday has announced Easter, but as if in an undertone. On this Saturday morning, the message of the Resurrection still has something intimate and secret about it. Meanwhile the day draws on and the hour approaches when the Church, with the full power of its voice, will proclaim that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. Easter Sunday Easter Sunday is a much more important feast than Christmas and Epiphany, but one cannot say that Pentecost is less important than Easter. Yet the paschal solemnities and here Holy Thursday and Friday must be joined to the feast of the Resurrection endow the mystery of Christmas with the fullness of its meaning and are the prerequisite condition for Pentecost. Easter is therefore the centre, the heart of the Christian year. It is on its date that the whole liturgical cycle depends, because this determines the movable feasts of the calendar. The Resurrection of Christ is solemnly proclaimed during matins for Easter Sunday... The celebrant appears at the royal doors of the iconostasion. In his hand he holds a lighted candle. The choir sings: Come, take light from the Light that has no evening, and glorify Christ, risen from the dead. Once more, the eastern Church represents the Christian mystery in terms of a mystery of light; this Light, whose birth was marked by the star of Bethlehem, has been shining among us with growing intensity; the darkness of Golgotha could not extinguish it; now it reappears among us, and all the candles which the congregation hold in their hands, and that they now light, proclaim its triumph. In this way, the deeply spiritual meaning of Easter is indicated. The physical Resurrection of Jesus would be without value to us if the divine light did not shine at the same time among us, within us. We cannot worthily celebrate the Resurrection of Christ if, in our soul, the light brought by the Saviour has not completely overcome the darkness of our sins

5 FASTING GUIDELINES FOR HOLY WEEK Palm Sunday: Strict fast from all animal products. Fish, wine, and olive oil are permitted. Holy Monday through Holy Saturday: Strict fast from all animal products including fish (shellfish is permitted), all alcoholic beverages, and olive oil (vegetable/seed oil is permitted). Special Note: It is also traditional to reduce the quantity of food consumed, as much as possible, especially on Holy Friday. SPIRITUAL WISDOM FROM FATHER ANTHONY Lenten Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian Beloved in Christ, following is the most central and important prayer of the entire Lenten season. In its brevity it sums up the entire spirit of Great Lent. Not only is this prayer recited during Lenten services as well as the Bridegroom services of Holy Week, but it should also be incorporated into our own private prayers at home during this holy season. O Lord and Master of my life, give me not a spirit of sloth, vain curiosity, lust for power, and idle talk. This is the great work of a man: always to take blame for his own sins before God and to expect temptation to his last breath. (St. Anthony the Great) Let us cast away, let us reject all things, let us bid farewell to all things to all relationships, actions, and intentions that drag us downward, separate us from God and produce such a death. (St. Gregory Palamas) If an earthly king wrote you a letter, would you not read it with joy? Certainly, with great rejoicing and careful attention. The King of heaven has sent a letter to you, an earthly and mortal man; yet you almost despise such a gift, so priceless a treasure. Whenever you read the Gospel, Christ Himself is speaking to you. And while you read, you are praying and talking with Him. (St. Tikhon of Zadonsk) He who says that he loves the Lord but is angry with his brother is like a man who dreams that he is running. (St. John Climacus) The Myrrh-bearing women didn t worry about anything because they were in a spiritual state, and placed their trust in Christ. If they had not been in a spiritual state, what would they have trusted in to do what they did? In the spiritual life, even the most cowardly person can acquire real bravery if he places his trust in Christ in divine help. Such a person can go to the front line and fight a war and win. (St. Paisios the Athonite) CONFESSION SCHEDULE DURING HOLY WEEK after each evening service up to Holy Thursday by appointment during office hours on Holy Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday Brethren, if we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins He is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. (St. John s First Universal Letter 1:8-10) But give to me Thy servant a spirit of soberness, humility, patience, and love. O Lord and King, grant me to see my own faults and not to condemn my brother, for blessed art Thou to the ages of ages. Amen. Special Appeal for St. Nicholas Shrine at the World Trade Center, NY As you well know, our Archdiocese is currently in the process of rebuilding the church of St. Nicholas in New York City, destroyed during the attack of 9/11/01. That which is being constructed is much more than a parish church. It will be a national shrine and a memorial to the lives lost that day. Out of the rubble of the World Trade Center will now stand a witness to our Eastern Orthodox faith for our nation, as well as to visitors from around the world. Living in New England, many of us will have the opportunity to visit this place of pilgrimage in the future, as well as our children and grandchildren. It is our obligation to support the efforts of the Archdiocese in order to complete the construction and beautification of St. Nicholas Church. His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios asks all of us to make a one-time donation of $100 or more toward this most worthy cause. Please make this part of your Lenten charitable giving, to be added to your other Lenten practices. You may make your check out to the Annunciation Church, and clearly identify in the memo line, St. Nicholas Church, NY.

6 GREEK MESSAGE Ἔλαμψεν ἡ χάρις Σου, Κύριε. Ἔλαμψεν ὁ φωτισμός τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν. Ὕμνος Ἑσπερινοῦ - Κυριακή τῆς Συγχωρήσεως Ἁγία καί Μεγάλη Τεσσαρακοστή Πρός τούς Σεβασμιωτάτους καί Θεοφιλεστάτους Ἀρχιερεῖς, τούς Εὐλαβεστάτους Ἱερεῖς καί Διακόνους, τούς Μοναχούς καί Μοναχές, τούς Προέδρους καί Μέλη τῶν Συμβουλίων τῶν Ἑλληνορθοδόξων Κοινοτήτων, τῶν Διακεκριμένων Ἀρχόντων τοῦ Οἰκουμενικοῦ Πατριαρχείου, τά Ἡμερήσια καί Ἀπογευματινά Σχολεῖα, τίς Φιλοπτώχους Ἀδελφότητες, τήν Νεολαία, τίς Ἑλληνορθόδοξες Ὀργανώσεις καί ὁλόκληρο τό Χριστεπώνυμον πλήρωμα τῆς Ἱερᾶς Ἀρχιεπισκοπῆς Ἀμερικῆς. Προσφιλεῖς Ἀδελφοί καί Ἀδελφές ἐν Χριστῷ, Καθώς πραγματοποιοῦμε τήν ἱερά πορεία μας μέσῳ τῆς Ἁγίας καί Μεγάλης Τεσσαρακοστῆς, μέσῳ μιᾶς περιόδου εἰλικρινοῦς προσευχῆς καί στοχασμοῦ, ὁδηγούμεθα ἀπό τήν παρουσία τοῦ Κυρίου μας καί τούς ὕμνους καί τίς προσευχές αὐτῆς τῆς περιόδου πρός βίωση τῆς δυνάμεως τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Θεοῦ. Στήν προετοιμασία μας γι αὐτή τήν περίοδο, εἴδαμε τήν χάρη Του στή συγχώρηση τοῦ τελώνη, διαπιστώσαμε τό βάθος τῆς ἀγάπης Του στόν τρυφερό ἐναγκαλισμό τοῦ πατέρα στόν ἄσωτο υἱό του, ἀκούσαμε τούς λόγους τοῦ Κυρίου μας ἀναφορικά μέ τήν Ἔσχατη Κρίση, ὅταν θά ἔλθη ἐν τῇ δόξῃ Του καί θά καλωσορίση στή βασιλεία Του ἐκείνους τούς δούλους Του οἱ ὁποῖοι ἦσαν ἐλεήμονες πρός τούς ἔχοντες ἀνάγκη. Στίς ἡμέρες καί ἑβδομάδες πού θά ἀκολουθήσουν, ἡ λατρεία καί ἡ προσευχή μας θά ἔχουν εὐλαβῆ καί στοχαστικό τόνο. Θά κληθοῦμε νά ἐξετάσουμε τίς ζωές μας, νά ἐξαγνιστοῦμε διά τῆς νηστείας καί νά ἀκολουθήσουμε τήν πορεία τοῦ Σταυροῦ. Θά κληθοῦμε νά ἐξετάσουμε τήν ψυχική μας κατάσταση καί νά ἐπιβεβαιώσουμε τήν ἀνάγκη μας γιά τόν Θεό καί τό μέγα ἔλεός Του. Ὅπως ἀκοῦμε τήν παραμονή τῆς Μεγάλης Τεσσαρακοστῆς καί θά βιώσουμε σ αὐτή τήν πορεία, οἱ ἀνάγκες μας θά καλυφθοῦν ἀπό τήν ἀπέραντη χάρη Του: Ἔλαμψεν ἡ χάρις Σου, Κύριε. Ἔλαμψεν ὁ φωτισμός τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν. Ἰδού καιρός εὐπρόσδεκτος. Ἰδού καιρός μετανοίας. Ἀποθώμεθα τά ἔργα τοῦ σκότους καί ἐνδυσώμεθα τά ὅπλα τοῦ φωτός. Ἡ ἀληθινή μετάνοιά μας θά εὐλογηθῆ μέ τή συγχώρηση τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν χάριτι. Ὅταν θά ἐπιστρέψουμε στόν Θεό μέ ἐλπίδα, Ἐκεῖνος θά μᾶς προσφέρη τή στοργική ἀγκαλιά Του. Ἡ διακονία μας ἐν Ὀνόματί Του θά μᾶς ὁδηγήση στήν πνευματική κληρονομιά τῆς ζωῆς μας μέσα στήν ἔνδοξη παρουσία Του. Στό ξεκίνημα τῆς Τεσσαρακοστῆς, μποροῦμε νά βεβαιώσουμε ὅτι ἡ πορεία μας στήν ἀπέραντη χαρά καί τόν ἑορτασμό θά καταυγασθῆ ἀπό τό φῶς τῆς χάριτός Του. Μέ τό φῶς αὐτό τό ὁποῖο λάμπει στίς καρδιές μας, θά προσφέρουμε ἐπίσης μαρτυρία διά τῆς τηρήσεως τῆς Τεσσαρακοστῆς καί μέ τόν τρόπο τῆς ζωῆς μας. Ὅπως ἐμεῖς γνωρίζουμε καί βιώνουμε τή χάρη τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἄλλοι θά δοῦν τήν προσφορά συγχωρήσεως. Θά δοῦν τή δύναμη τῆς χάριτος νά μεταμορφώνῃ ζωές καί νά χαρίζῃ θεραπεία καί ἀποκατάσταση. Θά ἀνακαλύψουν τή σωτηρία ἐν Χριστῷ καθώς ἡ χάρις τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐργάζεται ἐντός ἡμῶν καί δι ἡμῶν γιά νά ἀποκαλύψῃ σέ ὅλους τή λυτρωτική ἀγάπη Του. Εἴθε οἱ εὐλογίες τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Θεοῦ νά εἶναι μαζί σας στή διάρκεια αὐτῆς τῆς ἱερᾶς περιόδου καθώς συγκεντρωνόμεθα ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ Του. Ὅπως ἡ μεγάλη ἀγάπη Του σᾶς ἀγκαλιάζει, εἴθε ἡ ἐλπίδα καί ἡ πίστη σας νά δυναμώνῃ γιά τήν πορεία πρός τόν Σταυρό καί πρός τό φῶς καί τή ζωή τήν ὁποία ἔχουμε ἐν Χριστῷ ἀναστάντι. Μέ πατρική ἐν Χριστῷ ἀγάπη, ὁ Ἀρχιεπίσκοπος Ἀμερικῆς Δημήτριος

7 APRIL CALENDAR

8 DONATIONS DONATIONS AS OF MARCH 10, 2017 MEMORIALS Vasiliki Karalolos $175 Zena Passias $50 Michael Pappas $160 Diane Cauldwell $100 Nicholas Targontsidis Mrs. Evlambia Ginis $30 Demetrios Lambrakis Mr. and Mrs. Elias Smiliotopoulos $50 Mr. and Mrs. Antonios Iosifidis $50 Elias Papadopoulos Mrs. Panagiota Papadopoulos and family $100 James Manos Family of James Manos $50 Aristides Serevetas Mrs. Helen Serevetas $100 Mr. and Mrs. Charles Adams $500 Mr. and Mrs. Guy Parry $250 Mrs. Penelope Kazis $100 OTHER DONATIONS For the good health of Anne Hatzis $25 Ms. Thelma Twomey Parking Lot Donation Mrs. Louise Joseph $200 LENTEN LUNCHEON DONATIONS Giannaros, Inc. Cape Cod Pizza Irakli Savas Westside Winebasket FLORAL DONATIONS Annunciation Floral Decorations Mr. and Mrs. Peter Karavites Salutations to the Theotokos Anonymous (2) Mr. and Mrs. Tony Calogrias Palm Strips for Palm Crosses Palm Arrangements for Royal Gate Banner of Resurrection Dee Yaitanes Fletcher and Husband Alan IMO James and Catherine Yaitanes Palm Arrangements for Soleas Mr. and Mrs. George Petropoulos Bay Laurel Leaves for Palm Sunday Mr. and Mrs. Sarantos Manos & Erika Icon of Nymphios Fr. Anthony & Presb. Themmi Evangelatos For the health & well-being of the Evangelatos children Icon of Mystical Supper Mr. and Mrs. Sotirios Costarellos Wreath for the Holy Cross The Zeimbekis and Bernazzani Families Icon of Resurrection Mrs. Panagiota Papadopoulos and Family IMO Elias Papadopoulos STEWARDSHIP LUNCHEON DONATIONS The Babanikas Families

9 SACRAMENTS PARISH NEWS February 26th BAPTISMS Camden Mario, son of Christopher & Krysten (Coutsoumbos) Conley who was given the name Marios Sponsor: Jared Sharkey & Gabriella Sharkey 2017/2018 Floral Needs Following is a list for the decoration of icons on all major feast days of Christ and the Theotokos. This is a blessed way to participate in these major feasts of the Church for the health and well-being of your families, or in blessed memory of a loved one. Please note that the cost for decorating an icon is $60. To sponsor the decoration of one or more of these festal icons, please call the office directly during the week. March 2nd March 23rd FUNERALS Diane Cauldwell Christine Karavites at Holy Cross Chapel, Brookline, MA May their memory be eternal Feasts of Christ & the Theotokos ($60) 1/6/2018 Holy Theophany 2/2/2018 The Presentation of Our Lord We thank all our donors in advance, and ask God s blessings upon them. Please note that as usual, donors will be acknowledged in the bulletin at the appropriate time CALENDAR OF EVENTS Spring General Assembly Greek Independence Day Parade Hungry Friends Philoptochos Food Festival Sunday School Graduation Ministry Awards Banquet Greek School Graduation Annual Golf Tournament Annual Food Festival Fall General Assembly Parish Council Elections Election of Officers and Oath of Office Sunday School Christmas Pageant New Year s Eve Celebration Sunday, April 23rd Sunday, April 30th Thursday, May 4th Saturday May 20th and Sunday May 21st Sunday, May 21st Sunday, June 11th Sunday, June 18th Monday, June 26th Thursday, Sept. 14th -Sunday Sept. 17th Sunday, November 12th Sunday, December 10th Sunday, December 17th Sunday, December 17th Sunday, December 31st

10 PARISH NEWS ANOTHER 100 YEAR BIRTHDAY After announcing the two 100 year birthdays in the March bulletin, it came to our attention that we actually have a parishioner who is 101 years of age! That is Martha Mantalos, who has been living on the Cape for some time now. At our Lenten Luncheon on 3/5, Martha, along with Ann Hatzis and Marigo Papachronis (represented by her daughters) were honored with a cake. If anyone has a relative in our parish who has also reached 100, please let us know. PARISH COUNCIL MEETINGS April 18th May 9th June 13th July 11th August (No meeting) September 12th October 10th November 14th December 12th MYRRH-BEARERS FOR HOLY FRIDAY Again this year, we are asking girls to participate as Myrrh-bearers on Holy Friday. We will use Myrrhbearers both at the 3 pm burial service and at the lamentation service at 7 pm. For any girls who are interested we ask that a parent please contact the church office as soon as possible. For those girls who are very young, parents may want to consider having them only participate in the 3 pm Vespers service. This service is shorter than the evening service and is conducted entirely inside the church. In all cases, girls must be old enough to follow directions and be well-behaved. 3 MONTH GYM RENTAL When arriving for evening services, you may have noticed activity in our gym. Please know that we have rented our gym to the Dana Barros basketball organization as an extra practice venue, from mid-march through mid-june. This rental is an easy and most welcomed source of extra revenue for our church. The parish council has taken necessary steps to ensure that this rental will have no impact on church services and activities SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS AHEPA $500 Zachary Dinopoulos JOANNA CHRISTOPOULOS $500 Derek Westhaver MARY DAVILAS $500 Zacharias Karantonakis CHARLENE FIELDS $500 Zacharias Karantonakis DEAN GEORGANTAS $500 Zachary Dinopoulos GOYA $500 Derek Westhaver JAMES C. MIHOS $500 Eleni Constantinou PETER & ERNESTINE PAPPAS $500 Dean Fabian ARETI POTSIS $500 Dean Fabian JAMES & JEANETTE SKENAS $500 Derek Westhaver CHRIS & BESSIE TSAGANIS $400 Eleni Constantinou Zachary Dinopoulos Derek Westhaver VARROS FOUNDATION $1,000 Eleni Constantinou CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL RECIPIENTS

11 PARISH NEWS PRESIDENT S CORNER Καλή Ανάσταση και Χριστός Ανέστη Dear Parishioners, On behalf of Father Anthony and the Parish Council, I would like to wish you and your families a joyous Pascha. May the Light of our Lord s Resurrection shine on all of us throughout the year and provide us with a spiritual rebirth in our Orthodox Christian faith. To the Ladies Philoptochos and other dedicated volunteers, thank you in advance for all your hard work and efforts decorating our Church and the Epitaphio with beautiful flowers for our upcoming Holy Week and Pascha. I would also like to express our appreciation to the members of our choir, our cantors, altar boys and our Myrrh-bearers for their tireless dedication, especially over Holy Week and Pascha services. As you may know, on April 23, 2017, we will be gathering at our church lounge for our Spring General Assembly. We will be discussing the current finances of the Church, and the projects that the Parish Council was able to complete over the past year with your assistance. The following projects were completed over the past year: 1. Replaced and installed both the heating and air conditioning system in the gymnasium. 2. Replaced and installed the heating and air conditioner system in the Lounge. 3. Painted the inside of the gymnasium and replaced the tiles and lighting on the stage. 4. Repaired water drains. 5. Completed the installation of the Tree of Life. 6. Completed the parking lot project. 7. Completed upgrades to plumbing for Baptismal font. 8. Completed upgrade of lighting system control throughout the church. 9. Completed shelving project for storage of linen and, 10. Many other smaller maintenance projects that needed attention. Needless to say, these projects could not have been accomplished without the hard work and dedication of Parish Council members and the assistance of numerous volunteers who offered their time, talents and treasures. What was truly amazing, is that all of these projects were accomplished without the need to take out a loan because of your generosity. On the financial side of things, as you may know, for a number of years we had been running a negative balance from $20, to $80, a year. Thanks to so many of you making generous contributions, paying your past and current Stewardship pledges, and offering your time and talents, our Parish was able to turn a profit of approximately $35, for the 2016 year. Currently, in the first 3 months of 2017, we are showing a small profit. As you may also know, the day to day cost to operate our church is approximately $1, per day. Our goal with your assistance is to balance our budget, and hopefully show profitability again for the 2017 year. Thanks to the Tree of life project, we have been able to establish a Maintenance Reserve account to take care of future repairs that will be needed in our Church. The Parish Council and I are once again asking for your ongoing support and generosity. Please consider making a separate donation in addition to your stewardship pledge for our newly created Maintenance Reserve Account. This year, we have received donations totaling $5, for the maintenance account over the past 3 months. The more we can build up this account, the easier we can complete other needed projects, like the painting of the inside of the church proper. Any amount you can donate to the maintenance account is welcomed and very much appreciated. A few upcoming dates that we look forward to seeing everyone attend are as follows: SUNDAY, APRIL 30, 2017 The Greek Independence Day Parade. Boston, Massachusetts THURSDAY, MAY 04, 2017 The 225 Hungry Friends Event to be held in our Community Center. SATURDAY & SUNDAY MAY 20th & 21th, 2017 Philoptochos Mini food festival In closing, I encourage all of you both young and old alike to come forward and join our family of volunteers working together to keep our Church strong and perpetuate our Orthodox Faith. The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched-they must be felt with the heart. - Helen Keller Respectfully yours, Nicholas H. Babanikas President Parish Council

12 ANNUNCIATION GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH, BROCKTON, MA 2017 STEWARDS YTD March 17th, 2017 Aftosmes, Mrs. Thalia Fisher, Mrs. Jean Panagoulopoulos, Mr. George Tiliakos, Ms. Gianna Alexiou, Mr. & Mrs. Nick Gagne, Mr. & Mrs. Robert Papadimopoulos, Mr. & Mrs. Michael Tiliakos, Ms. Ragen Alexis, Mr. & Mrs. George Georgantas, Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Papadogianakis, Mr. & Mrs. Konstantinos Tsarhas, Mrs. Ourania Anastos, Mr. Nicholas Georgeu, Mrs. Phyllis Papadopoulos, Dr. Andrea Tsionis, Mr. & Mrs. Philip Anifantis-Ibrahim, Mrs. Stamatia Giannaros, Mr. & Mrs. Nick Papadopoulos, Mr. & Mrs. John Tsionis, Ms. Stacy Antonopoulos, Mr. Vaios Giannouloudis, Mr. Tom Papadopoulos, Ms. Maria Twomey, Ms. Thelma Argyropoulos, Mrs. Bessie Ginis, Mrs. Evlambia Papadopoulos, Mrs. Panagiota Velissaris, Mrs. Dimitrios Babanikas, Mrs. Katerina Grantso, Mr. & Mrs. Gregory Papadopoulos, Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Velissaris, Mr. & Mrs. George Babamikas, Atty. & Mrs. Konstantinos Habib, Mrs. Violet Papakonstantinou, Mr. & Mrs. Konstantine Vintzileos, Mr. James Babanikas, Atty. & Mrs. Nicholas Hasouris, Mrs. Alexandra Papas, Mr. Matthew Westhaver, Mr. & Mrs. Robert Barrus, Mr. & Mrs. Glenn Hasouris, Mr. Phillip Papigiotis, Mrs. Alexandra Yataines, Mrs. Ann Bartorelli, Mrs. Bessie Holevas, Mrs. Helen Pappas, Mrs. Georgia Yiotopoulos, Mr. Steven Bellas, Mr. & Mrs. Demetrios Joseph, Mrs. Louise Pappas, Mrs. Pauline Bellas, Mr. & Mrs. Elias Juris, Mr. & Mrs. John Passias, Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Besarick, Mr. & Mrs. Scott Kallis, Mrs. Nikoletta Petropoulos, Mr. & Mrs. Alkie Bloumbas, Mr. George Kazis, Mrs. Penelope Petropoulos, Mr. & Mrs. George Bloumbas, Mr. & Mrs. James Kearns, Mr. & Mrs. Mark Petropoulos, Mrs. George Bloumbas, Mr. & Mrs. Kostas Lainas, Mr. & Mrs. Ilias Phillips, Mrs. Demetra Bokas, Mr. Charles Lapsley, Ms. Sofia Pishkin, Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Boutas, Mrs. Fotine Lenton, Mrs. Maria Potsis, Mr. & Mrs. Ilias Bulgaris, Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Lingos-Webb, Drs. Tania & Drew Psilekaris, Ms. Theodora Buterbaugh, Mr. & Mrs. Jon Liolios, Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Psilekaris, Mr. & Mrs. Tom Buterbaugh, Mrs. Niki Livanis, Mr. & Mrs. Harry Psychos, Mr. & Mrs. Sam Capernaros, Mr. Phillip Lucas, Mr. & Mrs. Vasilios Sarantopoulos, Mr. & Mrs. Demetrios Cariofiles, Mrs. Demetra Lupo, Mrs. Georgia Sarras, Mr. Nicholas Castle, Mrs. Cleo Lymberopoulos, Mrs. Eleni Savas, Mr. Irakli Cleary, Mrs. Elizabeth Maranian, Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Savas, Mr. & Mrs. Spyros Coderre Jr., Mr. Ferdinand Marathas, Mr. & Mrs. Paul Savas, Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Colarusso, Mr. & Mrs. Carl McAllister, Mr. & Mrs. Mark Sharkey, Mr. & Mrs. Conley, Mr. & Mrs. Scott Mihos, Mr. & Mrs. James P. Sideropoulos, Mr. & Mrs. Anastasios Costas, Mr. & Mrs. George Mitchell, Dr. George Skenas, Mrs. Jeanette Cotter, Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Morosas, Mr. Christopher Smiliotopoulos, Mr. & Mrs. Ilias Coutsoumbos, Mr. & Mrs. Chris Mroz, Mr. & Mrs. Marcin Smiliotopoulos, Mrs. Tina Critikos, Ms. Athena Nanos, Mr. & Mrs. Odesseas Spyropoulos, Mr. & Mrs. George Dalkouras, Mrs. Cleo Nenopoulos, Mr. & Mrs. John Stavropoulos, Mr. & Mrs. George Deeb, Paul & Elaine Nicholaides, Mr. & Mrss. Harry Syrniotis, Mr. & Mrs. Sam Demos, Mr. & Mrs. Steve Nickolaou, Mr. James Tasho, Mrs. Georgia Economos, Mrs. Voulas Ntakoulas, Mr. & Mrs. Theodore Theofilou, Mr. & Mrs. Eleftherios Evangelatos, Father & Mrs. Anthony Odierno, Mr. & Mrs. Randy Theofilou, Mrs. Maria Figueiredo, Mrs. Christina Palantzas, Mrs. Vasiliki Thompson, Mrs. Jane

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

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