ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΟΣ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΟΥ. 51 Paramus Road, Paramus, New Jersey 07652

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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 SUMMER OFFICE HOURS: Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. VOLUME 14, ISSUE 6, 7 JUNE / JULY / AUGUST 2018 My Dear Parishioners, Rev. Protopresbyter Anargyros Stavropoulos Ieratikos Proestamenos Parish Council 2018 President: Peter Paizis Vice President: Andy Hios 2nd V. President: Othon Katechis Treasurer: Dean Tomaras Asst. Treasurer: Chuck Tsocanos Secretary: Spero Leakas Asst. Secretary: Manny Jouvanis Tony Emmanouilidis Jason Fink Nick Gagis Joanne Glavas Chris Kamvosoulis Emmanuel Kavrakis Sam Poulis George Siamboulis Chuck K. Tsocanos Paul Venizelos Tonia Yiangou Once again our church community and parish of St. Athanasios came together to celebrate the beautiful and inspiring services of Holy Week and Pascha. The beauty of these Holy Days was made even more memorable by the beautiful Epitaphio, the loving prayers and offerings of all the faithful who came to share in both tears and great joy. Added to the joy of the Resurrection, I do wish to express my gratitude to all the faithful who made this Paschal Celebration a memorable one. Many thanks to all who offered their Paschal donations, the Altar Boys, the Myrofores, the members of the Parish Council, the Psaltes and the choir, the Neokoro, the icon & Epitaphio Decorators, the Philoptochos, the ladies who prepared the red eggs and the PTO who donated the Easter Baskets for our children, the donors and volunteers who prepared the Lenten Dinners during Great Lent and the breakfast prepared on Saturday of Lazarus, the Palm Crosses crew, young and old, our office staff and custodians, the Gospel Readers at the Agape Vespers, all Parish Organizations and all the faithful who offered their prayers and their presence by the Cross of our Lord and Risen Savior. We are also very grateful to Fr. John Andreadis for his assistance. As the school year draws to its end and the beautiful season of summer is approaching us, I would like to wish you all an enjoyable summer season. Try, as much as you can, to take some time off your busy schedule, business and work, to be outside with your entire family. A vacation is equally needed as work. Enjoy your family and the beauty of nature because life is short. These are precious years when the children are around. Enjoy them and be with them before like birds, they will fly away. With these thoughts I wish each and everyone a Blessed Summer! In Christ with grateful feelings, Fr. Anargyros

2 Αγαπητοί Ενορίτες, Για άλλη μια χρονιά, η εκκλησιαστική μας κοινότητα και ενορία του Αγίου Αθανασίου, έζησε τις όμορφες και κατανυκτικές στιγμές και μέρες της Μεγάλης Εβδομάδας και του Πάσχα. Η ομορφιά αυτών των Άγιων Ημερών, έγινε ακόμα πιο αξέχαστη με τον όμορφα στολισμένο Επιτάφιο, τις προσευχές και τις προσφορές όλων των πιστών, που ήρθαν να μοιραστούν με δάκρυα αλλά και χαρά μαζί. Μαζί με τη χαρά της Αναστάσεως, θέλω να εκφράσω την ευγνωμοσύνη μου σε όλους τους πιστούς, που έκαναν αυτή την Πασχαλινή Γιορτή αξιοσημείωτη. Πολλές ευχαριστίες σε όλους όσους προσέφεραν τις Πασχαλινές δωρεές τους, τα Αγόρια του Ιερού, τις Μυρωφόρες, τα μέλη του Εκκλησιαστικού Συμβουλίου, τους Ψάλτες, τη Χορωδία, τον Νεοκόρο, τους διακοσμητές του Επιταφίου, τη Φιλόπτωχο, τις κυρίες που ετοίμασαν τα κόκκινα αυγά και το PTO, που δώρισε τα Πασχαλινά καλάθια για τα παιδιά μας, τους δωρητές και τους εθελοντές, που ετοίμασαν τα νηστήσιμα γεύματα, κατά τη διάρκεια της Μεγάλης Σαρακοστής και το πρωινό που ετοιμάστηκε το Σάββατο του Λαζάρου και όλους τους βοηθούς με τα Σταυρουδάκια των Βαΐων, το προσωπικό του γραφείου και τους υπεύθυνους, τους αναγνώστες του Ευαγγελίου, σε διάφορες γλώσσες, κατά τον Εσπερινό της αγάπης, όλες τις Εκκλησιαστικές Οργανώσεις και όλους τους πιστούς, για την παρουσία τους και συμμετοχή. Είμαστε επίσης ευγνώμονες στον Πάτερ Ιωάννη Ανδρεάδη για τη βοήθειά του. Καθώς η σχολική χρονιά έρχεται στο τέλος της και η όμορφη εποχή του καλοκαιριού πλησιάζει, θα ήθελα να σας ευχηθώ μια ευχάριστη θερινή περίοδο. Δοκιμάστε, όσο μπορείτε, να αφιερώσετε λίγο χρόνο από το φορτωμένο πρόγραμμά σας, να είστε με την οικογένειά σας. Οι διακοπές είναι επίσης απαραίτητες όπως είναι και η εργασία. Απολαύστε την οικογένειά σας και την ομορφιά της φύσης. Γονείς, αυτά τα χρόνια, με τα παιδιά κοντά σας, είναι πολύτιμα. Απολαύστε τα, πριν «πετάξουν» μακριά, όπως τα πουλιά. Με αυτές τις σκέψεις, εύχομαι στον καθένα από σας, ένα Ευλογημένο Καλοκαίρι! Με αγάπη Χριστού, Πάτερ Ανάργυρος

3 Anonymous Mr. & Mrs. Aristidis Delis Mr. & Mrs. Panagiotis Dorizas Mr. & Mrs. Sofoklis Fasitsas Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Hios Mr. & Mrs. Kostas Nakopoulos Mrs. Jordana Nicholas Mr. & Mrs. Ioannis Petrou GREAT LENT, HOLY WEEK AND EASTER DONATIONS We thank the following parishioners for their flower / Easter Item donations Mr. & Mrs. John Tsocanos Mrs. Paula Yannitsadis Mr. & Mrs. Louie Yannitsadis EPITAPHIO DONATIONS Mrs. Androniki Papadopoulos Mrs. Eleni Pollatos St. Irene Philoptochos We thank the following parishioners for their generous Easter Gift to our Church: Mrs. Katina Agaliotis Mr. & Mrs. Kyriakos Agathangelou Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Alectoridis Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Amoratis Mrs. Silvia Andros Mrs. Bella Baker Mrs. Audrey Betts Mr. & Mrs. James Burke Mr. Chris Chucala Dr. & Mrs. George Christoudias Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Colantropo Mrs. Kathryn Comodromos Mrs. Maria Diacakis Mrs. Christina Dimitrakopoulos Mr. Michael Dimitrelis Mr. & Mrs. Angelo Drosos Mr. & Mrs. Athanasios Economou Mr. & Mrs. Sofoclis Fasitsas Mr. Jason Fink Mrs. Eleni Floris Mr. & Mrs. Nick Gagis Mr. & Mrs. Antonios Galianos Mr. & Mrs. George Gabriel Mr. & Mrs. Andy Georgiou Mr. & Mrs. George Glavas Mr. & Mrs. Athanase Gouliamos Mr. James Grias Mr. & Mrs. Chris Haramis Mr. & Mrs. Andy Hios Mr. & Mrs. Manny Jouvanis Mr. & Mrs. Stefanos Kalabakas Mr. & Mrs. Spiros Kapsaskis Mr. & Mrs. Otto Katechis Mr. & Mrs. Manny Kavrakis Mrs. Kalliope Kesoglou Mr. & Mrs. Kokini/Stamatiou Mr. & Mrs. Eleftherios Kolovos Mr. & Mrs. Nick Kostantinkos Mrs. Mary Konstantinidis Mr. & Mrs. Tom Kourgelis Mr. & Mrs. Petros Kouvatsos Mr. & Mrs. Spero Leakas Mr. & Mrs. Petros Matthews Mrs. Aphrodite Micholas Mrs. Stephanie Mouzakis Smith Mrs. Stella Megariotis Mr. & Mrs. George Michalakis Mr. & Mrs. Mike Moshouris Mr. & Mrs. Chris Nolan Mr. & Mrs. Peter Paizis Mr. & Mrs. George Panagiotou Mr. & Mrs. Dino Panayiotarakos Mrs. Androniki Papadopoulos Mr. & Mrs. Chris Papadopoulos Mr. & Mrs. Charles Patterson Mrs. Eleni Pettas Mr. & Mrs. John Pilavas Mr. & Mrs. Vasilios Portelos Mr. & Mrs. Sam Poulis Mr. & Mrs. John Psarianos Mr. & Mrs. Frank Salemme Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Sekas Mr. & Mrs. John Sgaglione Mr. & Mrs. William Scoullos Mr. & Mrs. Steve Sofos Mr. & Mrs. George Stamatiou Mr. & Mrs. Thouki Stavris Fr. & Presbytera Stavropoulos Mr. & Mrs. Antonios Stergiou Mr. & Mrs. Michael Tenentes Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Tevletidis Mr. & Mrs. Dean Tomaras Mr. & Mrs. George Trahanas Mr. & Mrs. Chuck Tsocanos Mr. & Mrs. Robert Voorhis Mr. & Mrs. John Wain Mr. Demetrios Xanthos

4 EASTER SUNDAY AGAPE VESPERS Gospel Readers English: Fr. Anargyros Greek: Fr. John Andreadis Latin: Katherine Scoullos Spanish: Alex Jouvanis Italian: Eileen Jouvanis German: Joseph Jouvanis Congratulations to the following St. Athanasios parishioners who were honored by His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey at the Clergy/Laity Banquet at the Venetian on May 7, 2018 Parish Honoree: Philoptochos Honoree: Parish Council Honoree: GOYA Honoree: Choir: Eldest Parishioner: PTO: Maria Xanthos Maria Emmanouilidis Chuck Tsocanos Efthymia Mitchell Ted Constandelis John Pangis Despina Shikar CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR GRADUATES GREEK SCHOOL Voula Leakas Christina Skoulariotis Maria Tsocanos Eleni Xanthos HIGH SCHOOL Charlotte Joannidis Theodore Leakas Efthymia Mitchell Pennie Papamichael Christos Tsirikis LAW SCHOOL Ivana Exarchos May the Grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you always.

5 THE DIVINE LITURGY BLESSED IS THE KINGDOM The opening proclamation of the Divine Liturgy is the announcement of our destination and goal in life: the Kingdom of God - and the Liturgy is our pilgrimage toward His Kingdom and a participation in His Kingdom. This announcement brings out the ultimate choice that the Lord Jesus asks everyone to make: Do I seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33)? We begin the Liturgy by saying, Blessed is Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit because following Jesus means that we have to set the Kingdom of God as the highest priority in our lives. WHAT IS THE GREAT LITANY? The Liturgy is a school of prayer, teaching us how to pray and what to pray for. The Great Litany is a series of requests to God. The very first thing we pray for in the Great Litany is for the peace of God that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7) to be given to us, a state of inner peace, the ridding of our minds and hearts of every obsession and anxiety, all hostile feelings and fear, in order to worship the living God in a state of inner calm, trusting attentiveness and quiet joy. In many of these petitions we are praying for very concrete human needs: for the overall welfare and unity of our churches: for our local parish and the people in it: for religious and civil leaders like our bishops and priests as well as our national and local political leaders as we are commanded to do in the Bible (1 Timothy 2:1-3); for an end to every war and all strife between nations and peoples ; for good weather and adequate food; for those who are sick and suffering; for safe travel; and for our deliverance from distress, danger and want. We end by entrusting ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God before praising the Holy Trinity. WHY DO WE SAY LORD HAVE MERCY SO OFTEN IN THE LITURGY? The short answer is: because we take the words of the Bible seriously as a model for our prayer, whether we re praying together as a community or personally. Lord, have mercy is based on the cry of the blind man sitting along the side of the road near Jericho: Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.: (Luke 18:38); the cry of the 10 lepers for healing: Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. (Luke 17:13); and the prayer of the tax collector in the parable that the Lord Jesus told to some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else about the tax collector and the Pharisee: God, have mercy on me, a sinner. (Luke 18:14). Lord, have mercy is a prayer that engenders humility, enables us to see ourselves more clearly - and therefore be less harsh and judgemental of others. Keep yourselves in God s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. (Jude 1:21)

6 COMMEMORATING..ALL THE SAINTS Throughout the Liturgy we are asked to commemorate.all the saints beginning with the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary and her yes to God s plan for her life (Luke 1:38); and then, like all of them, to commit our whole life to Christ our God. The saints are those men and women who, throughout the centuries and in every culture, have loved God and borne witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, and remained faithful to Him to the end, often at the cost of their own lives. They are people who have been transformed by their faith and truly are the real deal as Christians. They are men and women from every generation who have been canonized. i.e. set up as models of what it means to truly follow Christ and be faithful to Him, seeking and striving for His kingdom as their first priority in life (Matthew 6:33). To know the saints is to deepen our relationship with their Master and ours the Lord Jesus. When we speak of Saints Peter and Paul and the apostles, Saints Katherine, Irene and Barbara the martyrs, Saints Basil, John Chrysostom and Nektarios the bishops, we are speaking of people who chose to live their lives in complete dedication to God, never betraying their innermost beliefs and striving to live with integrity and honesty, no matter what the cost. To know the saints is to deepen our relationship with their Master and ours the Lord Jesus. WHY DO WE COMMEMORATE THE VIRGIN MARY AND CALL HER THEOTOKOS? The Virgin Mary is the Mother of the Messiah, our Savior and King, the Mother of the Lord Jesus, the Theotokos or Mother of God. The theological significance of this title for Mary lies in the fact that in the womb of this teen-aged Jewish girl the Word of God, who was with God and was God from all eternity, and through whom all things were created, became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1-3,14). Theotokos as a title for the Virgin Mary is found in ancient Christian writings and is used for the first time in surviving documents by an early Christian scholar named Origen ( AD). Theotokos was officially proclaimed as a title to be used by Christians to describe the Virgin Mary at the Third Ecumenical Council held in the ancient city of Ephesus in 431AD. WHERE DOES THE WORD AMEN COME FROM AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN? The word Amen is an ancient Hebrew word used throughout the Liturgy. It is always an affirmation of the certainty and truth of what has just been said. Most simply, it means Yes! Amen is our Yes to God. The Hebrew root means to be firm, confirmed, to be reliable. We find the word amen used by the apostle Paul to end two of his letters (Romans 15:33; Galatians 6:18); and it is the very last word of the Bible, closing it like a seal: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen! (Revelation 22:21). Thus, when we say amen, we are expressing our assent and confirming that which is said in the Scriptures and the Liturgy as being true and the foundation on which we build our lives. Father Lev Gillet writes that in saying Amen! our whole life and being are engaged in an act of faith and ardent trust. To say this word is to reaffirm our commitment to Christ. in saying Amen! our whole life and being are engaged in an act of faith and ardent trust.

7 ST. MARKELLA OF CHIOS - July 22 On the small, but pleasant island of Chios, a chapel marks the sacred spot where a pretty Greek maiden who saw no visions nor felt any divine presence met a martyr s death in a most bizarre fashion. The divine nature of her life devoted to Christ came to light only after she had been slain not by the enemies of the church, but by the hand of her own irreligious and demented father. However, the tragic circumstances of her brutal end are overshadowed by the miraculous manifestations that ensued thereafter. Born in the 16th century, Markella of Chios possessed great physical beauty exceeded only by the purity of her spirit and sweet soul. Her family was one of prominence on the island and she was given every advantage, including that available to anyone, a place in the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ. The entire island soon came to know the intensity of her religious beliefs, but no one was the least bit aware of the divine spark in this pretty Greek girl. Her closeness to God went undetected as she prayed with the townspeople in Church, and in her daily meditations in contemplation of the Holy Spirit. After the death of her devout mother, Markella withdrew from social pursuits in order to completely devote herself to the service of Christ, choosing to emerge from seclusion only for church attendance and for whatever charitable work she could do for the community. It can be concluded that she did not seek the sanctity of a nunnery out of great fear of her father, who had become increasingly irritated by her complete devotion to Christ. An avowed agnostic, her father s mental state worsened gradually until he was socially unacceptable because of his aberrations. He vented his feelings of anger and frustration by heaping abuse upon his daughter, whom he came to see as the cause of all his troubles. The deteriorating mental condition of Markella s father caused her as much concern for his health as for her own safety. In trying to reason him into a relatively calm demeanor, she found herself threatened with dire punishment. Given over to complete madness, the father raged at the daughter in such a torrent of abuse that she fled from the house, taking to the hills. This action so enraged the madman that he followed in hot pursuit. While seeking a hiding place, Markella fell between two rocks and became wedged between them, helpless before the vengeful maniac who killed his own child on the spot. While still mourning the death of the pious Markella, an islander visited the site of the fatefull rocks where she died. There he made a startling discovery that water was exuding from between the rocks where there had been none before. Soon the entire island came to know that not only was there water coming from the spot, but that it contained miraculous powers of healing. The community then reassessed the piety of the beautiful Markella, and with the conviction that she was a true martyr, they erected a chapel as a shrine to her loving memory. Islanders tell the story that the rocks in the immediate area of the sacred site have turned blood red, and in some instances quite black as though symbolic of the blood of the martyrs of Christianity. Pilgrimages to this site have continued unabated ever since the discovery, (particularly on July 22, the day on which Markella met death), and pilgrimages made to this shrine. The divine manifestation is unique principally because Markella was not a typical homespun, poor peasant girl, but rather a beautiful, aristocratic and highly intelligent girl. Furthermore, although her Christian zeal was made evident through various overt acts of Christian charity and belief, she was of no religious order nor the favorite of any recognized religious authority. But there was no question that this girl had an intimacy with God which is evidenced by the miraculous occurrence at the site where she was murdered by her father whom she might have placated with a disavowal of Christ.

8 ΣΥΝΑΞΙΣ ΤΩΝ 12 ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΩΝ - (30 Ιουνίου) Οι Απόστολοι του Χριστού θα ξεχωρίζουν μέσα στήν ιστορία της Εκκλησίας, σαν οι υπέρλαμπροι αστέρες πρώτου μεγέθους της πνευματικής ζωής. Τήν 30η Ιουνίου, η Εκκλησία γιορτάζει τούς 12 Αποστόλους που αρχικά εξέλεξε ο Κύριος, πλήν του Ιούδα Ισκαριώτη. Αυτοί είναι: Σίμωνας (Πέτρος), Ανδρέας, Ιάκωβος, Ιωάννης, Φίλιππως, Θωμάς, Βαρθολομαίος (Ναθαναήλ), Ματθαίος, Ιάκωβος του Αλφαίου, Σίμωνας ο Ζηλωτής, Ιούδας ο αδελφός του Ιακώβου του μικρού και ο Ματθίας που εξελέγη μέσα στο υπερώο τις παραμονές της Πεντηκοστής, σε αντικατάσταση του Ιούδα του Ισκαριώτη. Τη ζωή του καθένος των Αποστόλων αυτών, σκιαγραφούμε στις ιδιαίτερες γιορτές τους. Εδώ γίνεται υπενθύμιση της ενότητας που είχαν μεταξύ τους, αλλά και της ηθικής τους, που τόσο συνέβαλε στην πνευματική εν Χριστώ αναγέννηση του κόσμου. Έχουμε, λοιπόν, χρέος και εμείς οι αγωνιζόμενοι Χριστιανοί, να κινούμαστε στα ίχνη τους και με θερμό ζήλο για τη διάδοση του σωτηριώδους μηνύματος του Ευαγγελίου, που διέπνεε κι αυτούς, να γίνουμε μιμητές του έργου τους. Ο ΑΓΙΟΣ ΠΑΝΤΕΛΕΗΜΩΝ (Ο Ιαματικός - 27 Ιουλίου) Έζησε στα χρόνια του αυτοκράτορα Διοκλητιανού και καταγόταν από τη Νικομήδεια. Τον πατέρα του έλεγαν Ευστόργιο και τη μητέρα του, που ήταν ευσεβέστατη Χριστιανή, Ευβούλη. Ο Παντελεήμων γρήγορα στερήθηκε τις φροντίδες της μητέρας του, διότι πέθανε πρόωρα. Αλλά ο Θεός τον αξίωσε να διδαχθεί τη Χριστιανική πίστη από ένα διακεκριμένο λειτουργό της Εκκλησίας, τον Ιερέα Ερμόλαο. Τότε ο Παντελεήμων είχε τελειώσει τια ιατρικές του σπουδές, κοντά στο φημισμένο γιατρό Ευφρόσυνο. Την επιστήμη του χρησιμοποίησε ιδιαίτερα γιά τους απόρους ασθενείς και έτρεχε με μοναδική προθυμία στις καλύβες τους, βοηθώντας τους όχι μόνο ιατρικά, αλλά και χρηματικά. Σε κάθε σπίτι που έμπαινε δίδασκε το Ευαγγέλιο και έφερνε σ αυτό πολλές ψυχές. Ήταν ευσπλαχνικός σε ακρότατο βαθμό γιά όλους τους πάσχοντες, γι αυτό και ο Θεός του δώρησε το χάρισμα να θεραπεύη ασθενείς με μόνη την προσευχή του. Έτσι θεράπευσε πολλούς, μεταξύ αυτών και ένα τυφλό, πού έγινε αφορμή να συλλάβει ο Διοκλητιανός και τον Άγιο, Τον τυφλό τον θανάτωσε διότι πίστεψε στον Χριστό και τον Παντελεήμονα υπέβαλε σε φρικτά βασανιστήρια, ώσπου στο τέλος τον αποκεφάλισε. Ο Παντελεήμων, όμως, ανήκει σ αυτούς, για τους οποίους ο Κύριος είπε: μακάριοι οι ελεήμονες, ότι αυτοί ελεηθήσονται Μακάριοι, δηλαδή, είναι, οι ευσπλαγχνικοί που συμπονούν στη δυστυχία του πλησίον, διότι αυτοί θα ελεηθούν απο το Θεό την ημέρα της Κρίσεως.

9 GIFTS FOR FATHER S DAY In many homes throughout our nation, families are faced with a dilemma: What shall we get dad for Father s Day? Fathers never seem to need or want anything! May we suggest, however, these priceless items that EVERY father is sure to cherish? RESPECT is the first gift we can give. Many a child has ultimately come to the same conclusion that the famous American author Mark Twain once reached: The older we get, the wiser our fathers become! Unfortunately, children in their formative years of development often show little respect for their father s wishes, failing to recognize the wisdom that comes from years of worldly experience. UNDERSTADING is the next gift we might consider for our fathers this year. While young people often lament a father s seeming lack of understanding of their point of view, it should be noted that children rarely show consideration for the reasons behind their dad s directives and actions. Raising Children is an enormous responsibility, and the youngsters who are able to understand the rules and regulations set down by their father (and mother) are for their benefit and well-being and will find an abundance of happiness in their home lives. Finally, the gift of LOVE should be given out generously to all fathers on Father s Day. The warmth and affection of their children, which are part of this greatest of gifts, are all that any father really seeks. If the Lord has already taken your fathers soul to His eternal care, say a prayer on Father s Day that His mercy, love and compassion will be granted unto him. Those who are blessed with having their fathers still with them, should now vow to present them with the gifts of respect, understanding and love every day, not just on Father s day, for this is the basis of the Fifth Commandment: Honor your Father and Mother. FATHER S DAY CELEBRATION: Our Orthodox Church joins the world in honoring our fathers on Sunday, June 17th. We encourage all our fathers, along with their families to attend Church on this day, so that they may worship together and receive the sacrament of Holy Communion as a family. More so on this day, we should honor our Heavenly Father, Who loves us and cares for us each and every day. Let us pause and say a prayer to God and offer praise and thanksgiving to Him for the many blessings we have been given.

10 PHILOPTOCHOS Dear Parishioners, On behalf of St. Irenes Philoptochos Society, we wish you and your families Kalo Kalokeri (Happy Summer) We are winding down our efforts as we begin to get ready for our summer vacation. Below is an update of our recent activities: On April 14 th we participated on the CFA Weekend Snack Pack Program in Saddlebrook. We donated $2,500 towards the snacks, and along with our Goyan s we prepared 500 snack packs. The CFAWeekend Snack Pack Program (WSPP) is made possible by generous and dedicated individuals and groups such as Philoptochos. The purpose of this program to fill the gap for children who receive free or reduced-price school meals are not left without adequate nutrition on weekends and holiday breaks. By providing healthy, kid-friendly, and easy to prepare snack foods, this children not go hungry at weekend. On Saturday, May 5 th we celebrated the Feast Day of Saint Irene, the patron Saint of our Philoptochos Chapter, by offering Artoklassia. We also attended to the Metropolis of New Jersey Clergy Laity Assembly and Philoptochos Convention held at the Venetian on May 7th. The event was successful and very well attended. We all enjoyed the fellowship and we left with deeper knowledge and better understanding about the workings of our Metropolis Philoptochos. Our Philoptochos honored Maria Emmanouilidis for her dedication and service to Philoptochos during the Annual Clergy Laity Banquet that evening. On Sunday, May 13 th, Mother s Day we made our annual Gift to our Parish of $5000, as well as donated $1000 towards sponsorship of our festival. We also provided lovely carnations to the Mother s in our Community. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, June 5, 2018 at 7:30 pm. We encourage all to attend. As always, we thank you for your continued support. Sincerely, Vasiliki Panagopoulos President

11 PARISH COUNCIL Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men (Colossians 3:23) Archdiocese Stewardship Theme Dear Stewards of St. Athanasios Greek Orthodox Church: With Spring at last upon us, we can all look forward to the better weather and longer days. My principal reason for writing you today is to ask for your help. The past several months has proven to be difficult on the financial operations of the church. Increased insurance, and building repairs to list just a few of the excessive expenses we have incurred. As you all know our parish relies heavily on two principal areas for income, STEWARDSHIP and FUNDRAISING EVENTS. Our main fundraiser for the year is our Annual Festival that took place from May 17th to May 20th. This year we added an additional fundraising event as part of the Festival, a Car Raffle. The winner of the 2018 BMW X1, was ticket number Michael Karantinidis. The ticket was sold by Emmanuel Kavrakis. Thank you to all those who sold tickets and made this raffle a success. We are blessed and grateful to all the organizations and individuals who spent Time, Talent and Treasure to help with the Festival this year. We are also thankful to all our donors for the contributions they made towards the operating costs of the festival. With the poor weather, the results of the Festival will not be as good as last year. At the writing of this letter we are still in the process of finalizing the total income and expenses, we know from experience that our net income will be lower than last year. The second and most important source of income is Stewardship. Our focus today is on Stewardship, and the need for all our Stewards to recognize what the needs of the church are. As previously communicated in our 2018 Stewardship Program, we need on average from each Steward (Family) approximately $ per year for the general operations of the church. Other income helps in our operations such as, weekly trays, candles and events. But the main source of our income is our dedicated Stewards. We need your help as our Parish Family and as Stewards of our church. We are thankful to all those who have paid Stewardship for 2018 and for those who have met the challenge and paid at or above the $ What you can do, and what we are asking: Pay what you can towards your 2018 Stewardship by the end of June. If you have already paid your commitment, please consider what we need per Steward, and if you are able to meet or exceed the per Stewart Amount needed. As Christian Stewards we are called to give back to God from the first fruits of our labor. We support our parish and her ministries in an intentional way and not with only what it left after everything else has been taken care of. In His Service, Peter C. Paizis Parish Council President

12 ΝΕΑ ΤΟΥ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟΥ ΣΧΟΛΕΙΟΥ Αγαπητοί γονείς, Στις 25 Απριλίου, οι μαθητές μας οδηγήθηκαν στην κοινοτική μας αίθουσα για να επισκεφθούν την πολιτιστικοεκπαιδευτική έκθεση «στο χωριό. Με ενθουσιασμό και χαρά ζωγραφισμένα στα πρόσωπά τους, απόλαυσαν την περιήγησή τους στα διάφορα «περίπτερα», που είχε επιμεληθεί ο Σύλλογος Γονέων, γεύθηκαν Ελληνικές λιχουδιές και γλυκίσματα, και ασχολήθηκαν σε διάφορες εκπαιδευτικές δραστηριότητες, οργανωμένες από τις βοηθούς των διδασκάλων. Ήταν μία αξιέπαινη εκδήλωση, μία πρωτοφανής παρουσίαση, που δημιούργησε σεβασμό αλλά και υπερηφάνεια για τις ικανότητες και προσφορές του Ελληνικού μας σχολείου. ΣΥΓΧΑΡΗΤΗΡΙΑ στη φανταστική αυτή πρωτοβουλία του Συλλόγου Γονέων!!!!! Η 9η Ιουνίου, θα είναι και η τελευταία ημέρα του Ελληνικού σχολείου, και θα γίνει ο εορτασμός των εξετάσεων όλων των μαθητών του σχολείου μας. Θερμά συγχαρητήρια στις αποφοίτους της χρονιάς 2018!!!! ΒΟΥΛΑ ΛΙΑΚΑ ΜΑΡΙΑ ΤΣΟΚΑΝΟΥ ΧΡΙΣΤΙΝΑ ΣΚΟΥΛΑΡΙΩΤΗ ΕΛΕΝΗ ΞΑΝΘΟΥ Τις συγχαίρουμε για την προσπάθεια, την παρακολούθησή τους 6 χρόνια, το ενδιαφέρον τους. Ευχόμαστε να προοδεύουν πάντα στη ζωή τους, να μην ξεχνούν την Ελληνική τους καταγωγή και την Χριστιανική τους παράδοση! Εκφράζω τις ευχαριστίες μου στις αφoσιωμένες μας δασκάλες, για την επαγγελματικότητά τους, την αγάπη τους, και την άψογη συνεργασία τους. Κα. Βασιλική Μπατάλα - Διδ/σα 3 και 4 ετών Κα. Σιμόνα Γεωργαλή - Διδ/σα 5 ετών Κα. Χρύσα Καρρά - Διδ/σα νηπιαγωγείου Κα, Αγγελική Διαμαντή - Διδ/σα πρώτης τάξης Κα. Σταυρούλα Μουτάφη - Διδ/σα πρώτης τάξης Κα. Θεοδώρα Ασπρά - Διδ/σα δευτέρας τάξης Κα. Μαρία Αμανεζή - Διδ/σα τρίτης τάξης Κα. Αγγελική Ντιλάνυ - Διδ/σα τετάρτης τάξης Κα. Αμαλία Αρμενάκη - Διδ/σα πέμπτης τάξης Κα. Πόπη Ζανάκη - Διδ/σα έκτης τάξης Ευχαριστούμε επίσης τις βοηθούς μας: Νικολέττα Γεωργάτου Χριστίνα Καραμπέτσου Ελισάβετ Παναγιωταράκου Ελενη Χαραλαμπάκη Ένα μεγάλο ΕΥΧΑΡΙΣΤΩ στο Σύλλογο Γονέων για την στήριξή τους και τη βοήθειά τους καθ ὀλη τη διάρκεια του σχολικού έτους. Και τελικά ευχόμαστε στον Ιερατικό μας Προΐστάμενο, Πατέρα Ανάργυρο, να χαίρει πάντα υγείας, να μας καθοδηγεί, να μας ενθαρρύνει, να μας συμβουλεύει.. Χίλια ΕΥΧΑΡΙΣΤΩ! Σας παρακαλούμε να κάνετε τις εγγραφές των παιδιών σας το συντομότερο δυνατόν. Επιθυμούμε να δημιουργήσουμε έβδομη τάξη για τη νέα σχολική χρονιά. Προσπαθήστε, σας παρακαλούμε, να υποστηρίξετε αυτήν την προσπάθειά μας. Ευχόμαστε ένα ξεκούραστο και ευχάριστο καλοκαίρι! Σοφία Σταματίου Διευθύντρια

13 Dear Parents, GREEK SCHOOL On the 25 th of April, our children enjoyed a wonderful cultural and educational event, that was organized by the PTO organization in our community hall. It was an amazing exhibition of pretending stores in the Greek village, that all our students visited. The grocery store, the restaurant, the zoo, the bakery. The childrens clothes store, at the beach, welcomed the children, and treated them with samples of Greek food, sweets, and gifts bags! The students had the opportunity to use the Greek language, interact with their peers and adults, participate in educational games and activities. Excitement, Greek music, café frappe offered by the parents, traditional desserts, cheers of enthusiasm was that we earned by this unforgettable presentation! CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR PTO ORGANIZERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The graduation of the Greek school will take place the 6 th of June, and we like to wish the best wishes to our graduates. We congratulate them for their attendance of 6 years, their interest, and their efforts. VOULA LIAKAS, MARIA TSOCANOS, CHRISTINA SKOULARIOTIS, ELENI XANTHOS I would like to thank all our teachers and assistants for their contribution, and their dedication. TEACHERS Mrs. Bessie Batalas - 3 and 4 years old Mrs. Simona Georgales - 5 years old Mrs. Chrysa Karras - Kindergarten Mrs. Angela Diamanti - First grade Mrs. Stavroula Moutafis - First grade Mrs. Theodora Aspras - Second grade Mrs. Maria Amanezis - Third grade Mrs. Angela Delaney - Fourth grade Mrs. Amalia Armenakis - Fifth grade Mrs. Popi Zanakis - Sixth grade ΑSSISTANTS: Nicole Georgatos Christina Karabetsos Elizabeth Panayiotarakos Eleni Haralambakis Many thanks to the PTO for their support and help during the school year, and of coarse Fr. Anargyros for his guidance and love! Please register your children as soon as possible to help us organize our classrooms. We are planning to add an additional class to our school. It will be an advanced class for students 12 years and over. History, literature, poetry will be some of the subjects of our focus. Wishing every one a happy and relaxing summer. Sophia Stamatiou Principal

14 P.T.O. NEWS Dear Greek School Parents, As the scholastic year winds down, we would like to thank all the parents, teachers, and volunteers for an amazing year. We were able to offer a fun-filled year with both traditional and new cultural events for the children because of the community s fundraising and volunteering efforts. One of our new, exciting events that took place in April was the Greek Village. The children enjoyed visiting various stations, practicing their conversational Greek, and partaking in interactive activities. The church hall was transformed into a mini village that included seven stations focused on different themes. These included the beach, zoo, grocery store, department store, restaurant, Greece, and even a kafeneio for the adults! Our students had a great time as they were offered the opportunity to utilize their Greek language skills in reading, writing, and of course, learn about their culture! The PTO has proudly prepared all of the tiropites for the annual church festival. We would like to thank all of the volunteers who offered their time to help us meet our goal. During the festival, the PTO is also responsible for selling car raffles as part of the church s fundraising. We encourage our PTO families to volunteer and help support our church. Our end of the year party will be along with the Sunday School on Sunday, June 3rd after church. We hope you can all attend this fun family day that will include lunch and outdoor games for the children. Greek School graduation will be held on Wednesday, June 6th at 5 PM. Congratulations to all of our graduates (and their parents!) for their commitment to the Greek School. We wish them continued success in their future endeavors. A friendly reminder that Greek School Registration is due by June 30th, and we are reserving seats on a first come first serve basis. For your convenience, a PayPal account has been set up so you can pay the full tuition directly online through the church website. In addition, please remember that a Stewardship Commitment for 2018 must be paid in full prior to registration. We are proud to announce that the funds we have raised this year will be put towards cleaning, remodeling, and painting our Greek School over the summer to provide up to date classrooms. We will also use the funds to purchase new furniture and rugs the classrooms may need, as well as other essentials in the classrooms. The remaining funds will go towards the bathroom remodeling fund. Looking back on a fulfilling year, we want to give a special thank you to Father Anargyros, Kyria Sophia Stamatiou, and Mr. Vasilios Fikaris for their support. It has been our pleasure to serve our community and work diligently to provide all of the cultural events so that our children could learn our Greek traditions, customs, and language. We hope that the next generation, will too, cherish their Greek School memories like many of us have! On behalf of the PTO, we would like to wish everyone a safe, relaxing, and rejuvenating summer! Kalo kalokairi!!! Sincerely, Despina F. Shikar, OD / Debbie Poulis PTO President / Co-President

15 GOYA NEWS Dear Parishioners, For the St. Athanasios GOYA, has been a very fun-filled year! Like every year, it has also been a year of growth for our young people. Every year we welcome our new GOYAns to their first meeting. Although many of them have been a part of our parish their whole lives, they all come to the first meeting hesitantly, unsure about what to expect. Slowly, as they attend social gatherings, compete in sports or take part in Sights and Sounds, these youngsters start to blossom with confidence and love for their Church. Soon they are forming new friendships (both within our own GOYA and with GOYAns at other Churches). Many of them go out of their comfort zone and participate in an activity they have never tried previously. Some of them even warm up to their advisors! As we approach the end of another school year, it is gratifying to see that the cycle has repeated itself again. As we look ahead to two of the biggest events for our GOYA, the formerly shy first-year GOYAns are looking forward to pitching in at our Church festival, as well as competing at their first Olympics. For the older GOYAns, these two events still hold the same excitement year after year. The St. Athanasios Church festival was held from May 17 th May 20 th. It was very inspiring to see our whole parish coming together to help make this event a success. This is the largest fundraiser, which keeps our Church in operation. Aside from giving them another opportunity to be together, these young people relish the chance to be part of something greater than themselves and that is being part of the St. Athanasios community. They understand the importance of the work they are doing and they embrace it. May was also about fun and games Olympic Games! The long-awaited Indoor and Outdoor Olympics both offer something for everyone. The Outdoor Olympics were held over Memorial Day weekend at Monmouth University. Participants ran, swam, played volleyball and threw softballs. At night they enjoyed the last GOYA dance of the school year. One week after Olympics we will be cheering again, this time for our GOYA seniors who will be graduating on June 3 rd. After 6 years in GOYA, it is time to say farewell to them: Charlotte Joannidis, Theodore Leakas, Mia Mitchell, Pennie Papamichael and Christos Tsirikos. We wish them continued success and we are very proud of them! Looking ahead to the first few weeks of September, we will be attending the Holy Cross celebration at Asbury Park. We will have two girls and two boys participating from our GOYA and diving for the Cross. Good luck to them and many thanks for representing us! September is also a time for us to welcome all incoming 7 th 12 th grade students who would like to join the St. Athanasios GOYA. We will be accepting registrations after Church during the course of the month. All are welcome and we look forward to meeting you! May you all have a safe and fun summer! We hope to see everyone back at our beloved St. Athanasios with renewed vigor, ready to launch another school year!! With Christ s Love, GOYA Advisors

16 SUNDAY CHURCH SCHOOL Dear Parents, We have successfully completed another Ecclesiastical Year of Sunday Church School. What a wonderful, productive and spiritual journey it has been. This would have not been possible without the wonderful Sunday Church School Teachers and parent volunteers. Thank you for your dedication and hard work. Each one of you is an integral part of our school and your time and volunteerism is much appreciated. Our teachers are the heart of the Religious Education program. It is through their time, creativity, enthusiasm, and spirit that we are able to impart the lessons of Orthodoxy and Faith in our children. The Oratorical festival took place at our parish on March 16 th. We would like to congratulate all of our participants. In junior division we had three participants: Theodoris Costa, Christina Salemme and Yorgos Vassiliou. In senior division only one, Katherine Scoullos. I would like to congratulate all of our four participants and the chairperson of our Oratorical Festival, Mrs. Cleo Yannitsadis for her guidance and coordination. You will have the chance to hear their speeches during our graduation ceremony on June 3 rd, in our church. OCMC Coin Box Collection Drive has ended on April 1 st and it was again a success. Many thanks to all the parents for promoting and helping their children collect. During Holy Week, our Sunday School teacher, Dr. Stella Backos, has coordinated and coached Myrofores, so that they could participate in services, during Palm Sunday, Holy Friday and Holy Saturday. We would like to thank all of the wonderful participants and Dr. Backos for her time, as well as, Mrs. Tonia Yiangou for assisting. I am looking forward to the ending of the School Year and celebrating our children, during graduation. Like every year, please try to stay involved and volunteer for committees in the upcoming Ecclesiastical Year. Your involvement and commitment make this educational experience possible. Each year we strive to make our program better and we appreciate any feedback you can offer. Our main goal is that our children have a positive experience, in a creative teaching environment. Teaching Sunday School is equivalent to educating them about Greek Orthodoxy and making sure they understand the beauty of our faith. I hope that you will have a good Summer and looking forward to starting a new Ecclesiastical Year Please contact me at antonioue@wpunj.edu, with any questions regarding our school and events. I will be more than happy to get back to you. Respectfully, Eliana Antoniou, Ph.D. Sunday School Director

17 Topic 1: In John 15:13 15, Jesus teaches about friendship to His disciples. Discuss the importance of friendship in your life. By: Yorgos Vassiliou Why do we go to church? What magnetizing force attracts us to be a part of service every Sunday? Most people want elegant preaching, a sense of worship, community, activities and programs. Nonetheless, there is still one big priority that we all need in order to participate in church. Friendship. Friendship is the one thing we cannot live without. Friendship is what powers our church to go forward. As John teaches us in 15: No one has greater love than this, to lay down one s life for one s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. Take a moment and think about these powerful words. What do they mean? Let us take a deeper look into what John teaches us. In 15:14, Jesus is speaking to his disciples. He is seeking a deep and intimate friendship, so He gives them a guideline that can lead to it. This guideline is obedience. The reason Jesus does this is to reinforce the idea of loving other believers, which has to do with his disciple s sanctification, the growth and health of Christians. Those who are faithful in Jesus works experience his friendship. However, this does not mean that Jesus considers you a friend of His. We are only a friend of Jesus by choosing to live a life characterized by obedience. While there is no perfect being, other than Jesus Christ himself, as we advance in our obedience towards Christ, we undergo different levels of friendship. As He states, I no longer call you slaves, he is implying that he once called his followers slaves. In the old testament, believers of god were referred to as slaves, and god referred to his prophets as, my servants the prophets. Although there is nothing wrong with the description, there is something intimate about the title friend. In the Old Testament, only Abraham was referred to as the friend of god. Abraham earned this honor when, in Genesis 22, when he was willing to sacrifice his son for god. As a result, he earned the ultimate trust from god. Furthermore, Abraham walked by god s side for over 35 years, being obedient and trustworthy. All these contributed to his honorable title. Just like Abraham, we all have the privilege to build a friendship with Jesus. This is, of course, if we abide to his will throughout our lives and remain faithful towards Him. The result is friendship. As a Christian Orthodox individual, I personally believe that friendship has many important roles in my life. The most important, being that it boosts my self-esteem and makes me more confident. For example, if I am having a bad day, a friend of mine can talk to me and through a meaningful conversation make me feel better instantly. As a result, this will boost my confidence and lessen my worries regarding the struggles I am facing. However, the reason a friend is able to do this, is primarily because of the lasting friendship that was built from great periods of time spent together. You cannot instantly become friends with someone, you need time. That is why the circle of true friends, with whom you can have meaningful conversations, is small. The friends that are particularly closer than others, are the ones that not only share the same interests as you do, but also share the same values and beliefs as you. Specifically, a shared belief in Christ, a God who was willing to sacrifice his own life for us. A God who commands us to be ready to lay down our lives for those we love. This is the most important thing you can build a friendship upon.

18 ST. ATHANASIOS ORATORICAL FESTIVAL May 13, 2018 Topic#2: The Parable of the Lost Sheep from the Gospel of Luke to our Contemporary Lives By: Theodoris Costa Father Anargyros, Honorable Judges and timekeeper, Fellow Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good Afternoon. The parable of the lost sheep is the most famous New Testament Gospel reading in the Bible. There is an abundance of parables and readings in the gospel of Luke, and the one that truly speaks to our contemporary lives is Luke 15: 4-6. It tells us how a sheep strayed away from Jesus, and he left everything behind to go and find it. We see this happening in our present lives when we watch someone we know and love stray away from their religious path and God. We often also see that God will always give anyone that strays away from him a sign that he wants them to return back to his love and he shows us that he does truly care about us and our well-being. Luke 15: 4-6 is a parable that Jesus presented to his disciples. In it, Jesus communicates "suppose one of you has a hundred sheep, and you lose one of them. Doesn't he leave the other 99 in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'" By sharing this parable with his disciples, Jesus hopes that they understand that even one lost person is enough for us to do everything we can to help them find their way back to their religious path and God. The sheep is a metaphor representing mankind while the Shepard is our Lord. Today, we see examples of people straying away from God by choosing not to attend church services, stop praying, choose to not forgive others and do not help people in need. We see and hear of people showing hatred and hurting people either emotionally or physically. Our modern day lives that are full of instant gratification, self-absorption and entitlement are in need of people finding their religious path and God. All of us have the opportunity to go back to God because he will forgive all of our sins and help us live a life blessed with love, philanthropy and discipline. God will send us plenty of signs to help us find our way back to his welcoming arms, teachings and he will never give up on us. A good friend of mine lost his way and strayed away from God by getting involved in activities that are not acceptable, such as underage drinking and smoking. This reinforces the message of the parable that all of us at any given time can be the lost sheep, and as was the case with my friend our Sheppard, will come and find us and bring us back and rejoice with us when we find our way back to our religious path. In my friends case his mom was his Sheppard and she helped him find his way back to God. Overall, the story from Luke Is of one of the Bible's most important teachings, as it shows Jesus' love and devotion to us. Jesus used sheep in the passage, hoping to make his followers perform in the same way he did. If we try to live our lives to imitate Jesus that we must also act like a shepherd at different times of our lives and help others that are lost to find their way back to God.

19 Topic #5 : Our lives are saturated with violence, not only in terms of the proliferation of war and terrorism but even as entertainment through movies and video games. In such an environment, how can a Christian cultivate virtues that lead to empathy, peacemaking, and self-sacrifice? By: Katherine Scoullos Reverand Fathers, Honorable Judges, Ladies and Gentlemen and Fellow Participants. Kali Sarakosti Close your eyes and imagine walking into your church on a beautiful Sunday morning. Towards the middle of the service, people storm into the church armed and open fire against the innocent people. Bullets ricochet across the room defacing the icons and defacing the house of God, leaving an everlasting stain on who we are as Orthodox Christians. Throughout history, there have been numerous attacks on people for who they are, what they believe in, and what they look like. In the world we live in, this has become the norm. Our lives are saturated and plagued with violence in every way: through the music on domestic violence and shootings, to video games where the object of the game is to kill your opponent. Is it even normal for humans to feel any sort of empathy to those who have lost their lives due to violence? Can we as Orthodox Christians and people from all walks of life even focus on making the world a peaceful place? Well, it isn t uncommon to be afraid of the world around us, but as St. Paul guides us, we have to have the freedom from all anxiety and fear that surrounds our lives to be able to cultivate and create peace around us. Peace, however, is something hard to cultivate. We have to each be mindful of what we say and do to grow true peace in our society. Like a garden, peace has to be nourished and grown so that it creates unity around the world. In our faith, Jesus directly guides us in the Beatitudes affirming that as each of us are children of God, we are also sent to be peacemakers to limit and end the violence that surrounds our daily lives. It is time, as children of God, to heal the infirmities of our society, and to end the persecution of all people around the world. We should all remember the words of St John Cassian, who writes that the goal of peaceful improvement cannot be reached through the decisions of others, which is forever beyond our control, but is found rather in our own attitude. To be free from wrath is not dependent on the perfection of others, but stems from our own virtue, which is acquired through our own tolerance, not other people s patience. St John is exemplifying a fundamental spiritual principle: that real change only happens when we look within our own hearts. Instead of feeling helpless in the face of world tragedies, we need to bring about unity with all of mankind and to respond with prayers for the suffering and the departed. In addition, just as the austere, struggles of the great saints, we must each put our own effort forward to purify our own hearts will have an effect on the rest of the world. With this, we have to commit ourselves, as Christians to establishing peace and harmony in our communities and within ourselves. With the atrocities going on in the world, let us each open up our hearts and minds to come together as one community, one country, and one world to transition a world of violence and hate to a world of peace and unity. As Jesus guides us with his teachings, we each learn how to create peace and empathy in our world. Jesus, the son of God, created peace through his sacrifice even when he had the chance to be saved from his crucifixion by St. Peter. The precious part of his sacrifice is that, as Christians, this opens up our eyes to realizing that we cannot justify and allow the killings of innocent people and violence to plague our world. If we are truly concerned about the problems in the world today, let us start by overcoming anger in our own hearts by striving for meekness and humility. Humility is the mother of all virtues, and with humility we are guided to follow the path of God and to do the right thing as Orthodox Christians. If we don t lead and create an example for peace and empathy, what are we to fight for as Orthodox Christians? We might die and our families might die and our culture and civilization might die, but if we die in the name of Christ, we have won. Whereas, if we win, abandoning Christ and his commandments, if we win and rule this dust at that expense, we have, in fact, lost. (Fr. Serafim Aldea). The world does not need more soldiers to fight violently, but rather, we need more Saints to fight for peace and to fight to make our world a better place. As Christians, we are each born as soldiers in God s army. We each have to become warriors of Faith and fight until Kingdom Come for what is good and true in our world. Peace, empathy and self sacrifice are at the root of being an Orthodox Christian. Without cultivating peace, without empathizing with those who have been victims of violence, without sacrificing ourselves to fight for peace, we aren t doing God s will. We live our lives on Earth to grow the garden of Peace and to raise generation after generation to blossom in the love and peace. Blossoming and immersing ourselves in a peaceful life will put us on the path to reach God s Kingdom and to ensure harmony on Earth for generations to come. Thank you.

20 TOPIC#2 : CHOOSE A PARABLE FROM THE GOSPEL OF LUKE AND DISCUSS HOW IT SPEAKS TO OUR CONTEMPORARY LIFE PARABLE: THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN, Luke: By: Christina Salemme Whether it is read every day, or once or twice a week, the Holy Bible is always in our Orthodox Christian lives and we rely on the important messages it has to offer throughout the Gospels and the scriptures. Jesus Christ, during his three year ministry spoke and preached many different parables. Perhaps you may have heard of the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke: ). I felt this was the most influential parable of all the 27 in the Gospel of St. Luke. It is a story which recounts the ways we can inherit eternal life by showing us an example of helping others when no one else would. The Gospel tells us that a lawyer in the crowd questioned Jesus Christ by asking, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus replies with the parable of a man that was left stranded on the side of the road. Not the Levite or the Priest that came by would help the injured man, only the Samaritan who was of a completely different religion saved and took care of him. This parable truly exemplifies how we should act as Greek Orthodox Christians in our everyday lives. Those around us who truly need the help and guidance will receive the help by asking God and believing that He can help them. Jesus Christ came into the world to not only save all the people from their sins but, to help those who were not fully enriched in the Christian faith and who sinned the most. The moving parable of the Good Samaritan makes us truly think about how we stand in the Orthodox Christian world and how we could help others that are around us. The parable of the Good Samaritan mainly focused on Jesus answer to the lawyer, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. The lawyer then decided to justify himself and asked Jesus, Who is my neighbor? Jesus then told the story that took place in between Jerusalem and Jericho where a man was traveling had gotten robbed and beaten by thieves. No one would help the poor man, as death was creeping up on him. Both a priest and a Levite passed by him, making sure not to come in any contact by crossing over to the other side of the road. However, when the Samaritan came upon the injured man, he stopped, bandaged him and had taken him to an inn. The Samaritan paid the innkeeper to take care of the injured man until he returned. The Samaritan did not just do a good deed, but out of the kindness of his heart without worrying about whether the man was dangerous or if he shared the same religion. As Jesus finishes the story, we begin to realize that it is not just a story on how to inherit eternal life, but a prophecy for his up and coming crucifixion. Word by word, you can see the meaning of how the injured man, who was half dead represented the world at its lowest point where all the people were sinning and disobeying God. Jesus said, But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine. The Samaritan in this case represents Jesus himself journeying to help those that need assistance in their faith and goes to show how Christ had led His ministry. Just as the Samaritan helped the man by bandaging his wounds...and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him, Christ healed all the sinners in the world regardless of who they were. It shows how Jesus Christ suffered for us, and the Samaritan s beast symbolized his body at the time when was hung upon the cross. The parable finishes up on a high note by re-establishing the fact that Jesus was going to be resurrected, and one day ascend into heaven just as the injured man was brought to the inn to recuperate and be restored to a healthy state Almost all of Jesus parables symbolize and reflect on our Lord s crucifixion, His ascension, and the fact that He came to this earth for one reason, and one reason only, for our salvation. All throughout St. Luke s Gospel, we tend to hear the word compassion. The parable of the Good Samaritan highlights the second question the lawyer asked which was, Who is my neighbor?. Although the Samaritan was from a completely different tribe than the injured man, he had compassion and gave of himself, his riches, and was kind without expecting anything in return. Jesus asked the lawyer which one of the three people who came upon the injured man was his neighbor, and the lawyer response was the one that was kind. Then, Jesus told him to do the same, which in turn, is what Christ is telling us to do. He wants us to go out into the world and help people who are struggling and are having a rough time in their day-to-day lives. It is as simple as giving a friend a ride to work, offering to pay for someone s lunch when they don t have enough to cover the check, or even giving a hand to someone who has fallen. The Good Samaritan is an awesome example to follow throughout our Orthodox Christian lives. We as Christians need to follow Jesus footsteps by showing our compassion to others. The literal means of compassion is to suffer or to be patient, which Christ did both. Whether you re picking up someone s fallen groceries or help sort and bag food for the homeless, you are showing that you care and are giving of yourself to help your neighbor. Take a moment, and step aside from the real world. Ask yourself, Who is my neighbor? Open your eyes, look around, and begin to realize that our neighbors are what we make of them. Our actions should depict our love for all, no matter what and who they are.

21 H.O.P.E. / J.O.Y. Dear Parents, Thank you to all the families that were involved with H.O.P.E./J.O.Y. this past year! We had a busy year that included: Pumpkin painting, a Food Drive, Christmas Party, Basketball Camp, Marti Bracelet Making & Lenten Picnic, a Lenten Retreat in conjunction with our Sunday School program and the upcoming end of the year St. Athanasios BBQ. All activities centered around the children learning about their faith, their Church & the world around them. These activities wouldn t have all been possible without our wonderful H.O.P.E./J.O.Y. families and without generous contributions, volunteers, Father & our Church community thank you! I also want to thank Despina Anastasopoulos & Melanie Marcus. I know that my co-chairs have children that are moving past the HOPE/JOY age group and/or other obligations and I can t thank them enough for their time, dedication & commitment towards the program. I personally want to thank and welcome Angela Koutsouras for volunteering to help me with the program! We both feel that the program is too valuable for the children of our Community and are excited to work together and with your families to deliver the program to its' maximum potential! The Registration & Calendar of Events will be sent out this summer via and will take place in person this September during Coffee Hour. Our first activity is planned at the end of September with date/time TBD. Please follow our private Facebook page: St. Athanasios H.O.P.E./J.O.Y for additional event information & pictures. Please contact me, Ellainy, at grkkukli@yahoo.com or Angela with any questions or suggestions that you may have regarding our events and/or if you are interested in volunteering. We hope that you and your family have a safe and relaxing summer and we look forward to seeing you all in the Fall! Ellainy Karaboitis-Christopoulos Angela Koutsouras (201) (201)

22 F.O.S. SAINT PHANOURIOS ICON Dedicated to the glory of God, and in honor of Saint Phanourios, the FOS ministry is pleased to announce a new parish icon it commissioned that was painted by a local priest. The icon of the holy martyr, which rests on a beautiful Byzantine-style wooden stand, was funded through the generous and anonymous donations of a member of the St. Athanasios community. Little is known of the life of Saint Phanourios, except that which is depicted concerning his martyrdom on his holy icon, which was discovered in the year 1500 A.D. among the ruins of an ancient church, centuries after he lived. Thus he is called the Newly Revealed. Some sources support the fact that the icon was fond in Rhodes when the Moslems ruled there; others maintain it was found on the island of Cyprus. The faithful pray to Saint Phanourios especially to help them recover things that have been lost, and because he has answered their prayers so often, the custom has arisen of baking a Phanouropita ("Phanourios -Cake") as a thanks-offering. The saint is commemorated on August 27. We pray for the intercessions of Saint Phanourios, the great martyr, and thank everyone who made this icon and stand possible for our community. FOS, (Light), is a ministry within the Saint Athanasios Greek Orthodox Church dedicated to promoting the Orthodox faith within and outside the parish. For more information, to make a purchase or inquire about special orders through the FOS Bookstore, please contact the church office or send an to fos@stathanasiosnj.org.

23 September 1st - Feast Day of the Indiction Beginning of the Orthodox Church Calendar Year September 1st is the first day of the Orthodox Ecclesiastical Year. It is called the beginning of the indiction. The word indiction is a Latin word meaning impose (to make somebody do something). It was first applied in imposing taxes in Egypt. The Roman Emperor Diocletian extended the system of taxing conquered people to the whole Roman Empire. The first official worldwide indiction originated with the emperor Constantine in 312 A.D. when he saw a miraculous vision of the Sign of the Cross in the skies. The Church picked this day to begin its year for various reasons: 1. Before the Julian calendar, the Romans began their year on September 1st. 2. According to Holy Tradition, it was on September 1st that our Blessed Lord entered the Jewish synagogue (Luke 4) to preach his mission to men. Jesus quoted from the 61st chapter of the book of Isaiah: The spirit of the Lord is upon me; because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek, he has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the openings of the prison to them that are bound. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn. 3. Tradition also tells us that it was during the month of September that the Hebrews finally entered the Promised Land. 4. It has always been accepted within the church community that the month of September was the time to gather all the fruits of the summer months and prepare for the beginning of the winter months ahead. At the start of the New Year, hymnographers also prepared beautiful hymns to be chanted during Church Services. The hymns were offered to the Almighty God so that we might receive his divine blessings throughout the coming year.

24 St. Athanasios Greek Orthodox Church Giving to the church is an opportunity to examine our priorities and values. It is an opportunity to express our thankfulness, to give of ourselves and to grow in grace. It is an opportunity to participate in the work of God. Come and see what we can do together with your support. Join the 228 parishioners who have already made their Stewardship Pledge for Stewardship cards are available in the Narthex, or in the Church pews. ΠΡΟΓΡΑΜΜΑ EΚΟΥΣΙΑΣ ΕΙΣΦΟΡΑΣ 2018: Υπενθυμίζομε ότι έχουν ταχυδρομηθή στα σπίτια σας οι κάρτες Eκούσιας Εισφοράς για το Έχετε ανανεώσει την οικονομική σας προσφορά για το 2018; Εάν όχι, κατατάξατε το όνομά σας στήν κατάσταση των ενοριτών που έχουν τακτοποιήσει την οικονομική τους υποχρέωση προς την ενορία, συμπληρώντας την κάρτα καί επιστρέφοντάς την στο γραφείο μας, μαζί μέ το δώρο της αγάπης σας. Ευχαριστούμε τις 228 οικογένειες πού ήδη εκπλήρωσαν την υπόσχεσή των για το We thank the following parishioners who have fully / partially fulfilled their stewardship commitment to St. Athanasios Church for 2018 as of 5/25/18. Mr. & Mrs. Adam Adams Μrs. Katina Agaliotis Mr. K. Agathangelou Mr. & Mrs. Andy Alexiades Mrs. Helen Alexoudis Mr. & Mrs. Andreas Andreou Mrs. Silvia Andros Mr. Christopher Androulakis Mr. Evan Androulakis Drs. E. Antoniou/E. Vassiliou Mrs. Flora Antonopoulos Mr. Mike Axiomakaros Mr. & Mrs. Spiros Backos Mrs. Bella Baker Mrs. Eleni Barbagiannis Mr. & Mrs. Antonios Barbagiannis Mr. & Mrs. George Barkouras Mrs. Litsa Berenberg Mrs. Audrey Betts Mr. & Mrs. James Burke Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Cevallos Dr. & Mrs. George Christoudias Ms. Alexandra Cocchiara Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Cocchiara Ms. Evangeline Comodromos Dr. & Mrs. Theodore Constandelis Mr. Thomas Contos Mr. & Mrs. Alex Cormas Mrs. Eve Cravits Mr. & Mrs. Peter Dedes Dr. & Mrs. Aristidis Delis Mrs. Maria Diacakis Mr. & Mrs. A. Dimatos Mr. Michael Dimitrelis Mr. & Mrs. Peter Dorizas Mr. & Mrs. Stefanos Doulos Mrs. Marianthi Doundas Mr. & Mrs. Angelo Drosos Mr. & Mrs. Athanasios Economou Mr. & Mrs. Elias Ekonomidis Mrs. MaryEllen Eliopoulos Mr. &Mrs. A. Emmanouilidis Mr. & Mrs. Gregory Evangelou Mr. & Mrs. Sofoclis Fasitsas Mr. & Mrs. Ricardo Ferreira Mr. & Mrs. Vasilios Fikaris Mr. & Mrs. Zannis Fikaris Mr. Jason Fink Mrs. Artemis Gagis Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Gagis Mr. & Mrs. Antonios Galianos Mr. & Mrs. Emmanouil Galifos Mr. Nicholas Gatanas Mr. & Mrs. Andy Georgiou Mr. & Mrs. Loucas Georgiou Mrs. Athena Georgotas Mr. & Mrs. Athanase Gouliamos Mr. & Mrs. Efstratios Grammatas Mr. & Mrs. Chris Haramis Mr. & Mrs. Jimmy Hartofilis Ms. Maria Hasterlis Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Hios Mr. & Mrs. George Hios Mr. & Mrs. Nick Joannidis Mr. & Mrs. Agamemnon Jouvanis Mr. & Mrs. Stefanos Kalabakas

25 Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Kalogirou Mr. Alexis Kamvosoulis Mr. & Mrs. Chris Kamvosoulis Mr. & Mrs. Damon Kamvosoulis Mr.& Mrs. Michael Kamvosoulis Mr. & Mrs. Nick Kantaris Mr. & Mrs. Spiros Kapsaskis Mr. & Mrs. George Karounos Mr. & Mrs. Othon Katechis Mr. & Mrs. Emmanuael Kavrakis Mrs. Magdalene Keen Mrs. Kalliope Kesoglou Mr. & Mrs. Theodore Kesoglou Mr. & Mrs. John Kiriakakis Mr. & Mrs. David Kirkham Mr. & Mrs. Nick Kolaros Mr. & Mrs. Eleftherios Kolovos Mr. & Mrs. Nick Konstantinakos Mary & Eva Konstantinidis Mr. George Konstantinidis Dr. Dora Kontogiannis Mr. & Mrs. Ioannis Koumoulos Mr. & Mrs. James Kourgelis Mrs. Kiki Kourgelis Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Kourgelis Mr.& Mrs. John Kourkoulakos Ms. Sophia Kourliouros Mr. & Mrs. George Koutris Mr. & Mrs. Christos Koutsis Mr. & Mrs. Ioannis Koutsoumbis Mr. Sam Koutsouris Mr. & Mrs. Konstantinos Kouvatsos Mr. & Mrs. Petros Kouvatsos Mr. & Mrs. Michael Kovoros Mr. & Mrs. Kleidji Lamo Mr. & Mrs. Louis Laoudis Mr. & Mrs. Antione Larosiliere Mr. & Mrs. Spero Leakas Mr. & Mrs. Ted Leakas Mrs. Eugenia Leemans Mrs. Froso Levas Mr. & Mrs. Emmanuel Makris Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Makris Mr.& Mrs. John Malandruccolo Mrs. Helen Mantzouranis Mr. & Mrs. J. Marcopoulos Mr. & Mrs. Dean Mastrojohn Mr. & Mrs. Petros Matthews Mr. & Mrs. C. Mavrianos Mr. & Mrs. Brian McMillan Mrs. Stella Megariotis Mr. & Mrs. Vasilios Melidoneas Mrs. Vasilia Mereos Dr. John Merianos Mr. & Mrs. George Michalakis Mrs. Aphrodite Micholas Mr. & Mrs. Robert Mitchell Mitsakos Family Mr. & Mrs. Harry Molfetas Mrs. Olympia Molfetas Mr. & Mrs. Mike Moshouris Mrs. Stephanie Mouzakis Smith Mr. Ignatius Mumtzis Mrs. Jordana Nicholas Mr. & Mrs. Tom Nikolaidis Mr. & Mrs. Chris Nolan Mr. & Mrs. John Oberle Mr. & Mrs. Louis Pahountis Mr. & Mrs. Costas Paissides Mr. & Mrs. Peter Paizis Mr.& Mrs. Vasos Pallikaropoulos Mr. & Mrs. Gus Panagiotopoulos Mr. & Mrs. George Panagiotou Mr. & Mrs. A. Panagopoulos Mrs. Vaso Panagopoulos Ms. Niki Panaretos Mr. & Mrs. Costas Papademas Mrs. Konstantina Papademas Mrs. A. Papadopoulos Mr. & Mrs. C. Papamichael Mr. Nektarios Papathanasopoulos Mrs. Eleftheria Pashalis Mr. & Mrs. Charles Paterson Mr. & Mrs. Menelaos Pavlou Mr. George Pepines Mr. & Mrs. John Peponias Mr. & Mrs. Jimmy Perides Mrs. Eleni Pettas Mrs. Eleni Pollatos Mr. & Mrs. Vasilios Portelos Mrs. Ann Pouletsos Mr. John Pouletsos Mr. & Mrs. Sam Poulis Mr. & Mrs. John Psarianos Ms. Athena Remolina Mr. & Mrs. Peter Rinaldi Mr. & Mrs. Georgios Rodas Mr. & Mrs. A. Rodetis Mr. & Mrs. John Roussos Mr. & Mrs. Frank Salemme Mr. & Mrs. Dennis Samoilis Drs. L. & A. Samouilidis Mr. & Mrs. Vinny Schiraldi Mr. & Mrs. William Scoullos Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Sekas Ms. Stacey Seretoudis Mr. & Dr. Peter Shikar Mr. & Mrs. George Siamboulis Mr. & Mrs. George M. Siderias Mr. & Mrs. George S. Siderias Mr. & Mrs. Steve Siderias Mr. William Siderias Ms. Maria Sidirokastritis Mr. & Mrs. John Skoutakis Mr. & Mrs. Steve Sofos Mr. & Mrs. Theodore Sogotis Mr. & Mrs. Panagiotis Sotirhos Mr. & Mrs. Steve Spirou Mr. & Mrs. George Stamatiou Mr. & Mrs. Thouki Stavris Fr. & Pres. A. Stavropoulos Mr. Patroklos Stavrou Mr. & Mrs. Antonios Stergiou Mr. & Mrs. Christakis Stylianou Mr. & Mrs. Dean Tomaras Mr. & Mrs. George Trahanas Ms. Anastasia Traitses Mr. & Mrs. Christos Triantafillakis Mrs. Evelyn Triantos Mr. Nikiforos Tsamasiotis Mr. & Mrs. Michael Tsentas Mr. & Mrs. George Tsiklidis Mr. & Mrs. Chuck J. Tsocanos Mr. & Mrs. John Tsocanos Mrs. Panagiota Tsongas Mrs. Efthymia Tsoukalas Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Tsoukalas Mr. & Mrs. Stamatios Tsoukalas Mr. & Mrs. Stan Umowski Mr. & Mrs. Kostas Vanikiotis Mrs. Ethel Venetos Mr. & Mrs. Richard Venezia Mr. & Mrs. Paul Venizelos Mrs. Irene Veros Mr. & Mrs. John Wain Ms. Maria Xanthos Mr.& Mrs. Louie Yannitsadis Mr. Steve Yannitsadis Mr. & Mrs. George Zanakis Mr. & Mrs. Peter Zervas Mr. & Mr. Telly Zervoudis Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Zisa Mr. & Mrs. Alexander Zodiatis

26 The Importance of Sunday School Let the children come to me, so not to hinder them; for to such belongs the Kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it. (Mark 10: 14-15) Christian education is a challenge to the work of the Church. Not only did our Lord and Savior continuously teach the Word of God during his early mission, but the Church as well from the earliest times looked upon Christian education as one of its essential ministries. As the first Christians joined the Church, they devoted themselves to the apostle s teaching and fellowship to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Acts 2:42) The greatest gift, the most precious inheritance that we have to give to our children, is our Greek Orthodox Faith. Jesus makes it clear that he wants children to come to know him, and then he considers it a grave offence for an adult to hinder this process or lead child astray. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea (Matt 18:6) The central aim of Christian education in our Church is to evoke and nurture faith in Jesus Christ according to the Orthodox phronema (vision) out of which issues a genuine Orthodox way of life. The Church nurtures a living awareness of the Risen Christ in our midst, who is the true Celebrant of Sacraments and the true Teacher of His people, and makes Himself known to us by the grace of the Holy Spirit. The whole range of Orthodox educational material: books, filmstrips, visuals, Bible Studies, Lives of Saints and contemporary discussion of Christian values become effective to the degree to which it communicates the love and sprit of Christ. The focus of our efforts to educate our beloved children in the Orthodox Christian Faith must remain in our Sunday School program. When we bring our children regularly to Sunday School we provide them with a gift of knowledge that has lifelong value and significance. The need of Christian education is as immediate as when the disciples first appealed to Jesus: Teach us to pray (Luke 11:1) Christian education is an essential and abiding ministry in the Church. As other important ministries, it is never finished. It can be as vital and meaningful as the whole Body of the Church makes it through provision of adequate personal, spiritual and financial resources. The validity of Christian education is demonstrated by the truth that a well informed Christian is a spiritually committed Christian within the greater body of the Church. The commission of Christian education comes from the Lord himself: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, and lo I am with you always, to the close of the age (Matt 28: 19-20) Our St. Athanasios Sunday Church School Program begins on September 9th at 10:00 A.M. Parents: Bring your children to Sunday School. Your personal example and involvement in the religious education of your children are extremely important. The priest and teachers cannot do the job alone. Here is how you can help develop the spiritual life and moral upbringing of your children: Register your child to our Sunday Church School Program. Bring them to Church on time. Stay and worship at the Divine Liturgy in the Church. Be positive about Church. Discuss with them what they learned each Sunday. Teach them to bring their weekly stewardship offering. Give your personal example of Christian living. Emphasize regular repentance and Holy Communion. Put Church before every other activity on Sunday. Avoid criticism of others. Let your love for Our Lord Jesus Christ radiate.

27 STEWARDSHIP 2018 Archdiocese Stewardship Theme: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men (Colossians 3:23). Stewards of St. Athanasios Greek Orthodox Church: With Spring at last upon us, we can all look forward to the better weather and longer days. My principal reason for writing you today is to ask for your help. The past several months has proven to be difficult on the financial operations of the church. Increased Insurance, and building repairs to list just a few of the excessive expenses we have incurred. As you all know our parish relies heavily on two principal areas for income, STEWARDSHIP and Fundraising. Our main fundraiser for the year is coming up shortly, our Annual Festival May 17th to May 20th. This year we added an additional fundraising event as part of the Festival, a car raffle. We cannot depend on the festival as several factors can affect the results, least of them, weather. The car raffle can add to the bottom line, but only if all tickets are sold, 999 to be exact. Our main focus today is on Stewardship, and the need for all our Stewards to recognize what the needs of the church are. As previously communicated in our 2018 Stewardship Program, we need on average from each Steward (Family), approximately $ per year for the general operations of the church. Other income helps in our operations such as, weekly trays, candles and events. But the main source of our income is our dedicated Stewards. We need your help as our Parish Family and as Stewards of our church. We are thankful to all those who have paid Stewardship for 2018 and for those who have met the challenge and paid at or above the $ What you can do, and what we are asking: Pay what you can towards your 2018 Stewardship by the end of June. If you have already paid your commitment, please consider what we need per Steward, and if you are able to meet or exceed the per Stewart Amount needed. As Christian Stewards we are called to give back to God from the first fruits of our labor. We support our parish and her ministries in an intentional way and not with only what it left after everything else has been taken care of. In His Service, Fr. Anargyros Stavropoulos Ieratikos Proestamenos Peter C. Paizis Parish Council President

28 FESTIVAL 2018 We would like to thank all our donors, parishioners and friends for their support at this years Festival. We would also like to thank all of our donors fore their generous contributions!!! Θέλουμε να ευχαριστήσωμε όλους ανεξαιρέτως, ενορίτες και φίλους πού εργάστηκαν με μεγάλη προθυμία για το Φεστιβαλ της ενορίας μας. Ευχόμεθα ο Πανάγαθος Θεός διά των Πρεσβειών του Αγίου Αθανασίου να χαρίζη, υγεία, χαρά και ευτυχία σε όλους. METROPOLIS OF NEW JERSEY HOLY CROSS CELEBRATION IN ASBURY PARK, NJ SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2018 Buses will be available only if enough parishioners pre-register Please plan on attending and supporting our divers. If interested in taking the bus along with the rest of the community, please contact the church office no later than Monday, September 10th. St. Athanasios Charity Golf Classic at the Paramus Golf & Country Club Monday, Oct. 15th 2018 Dinner and Awards to follow at St. Athanasios Church Community Center 5:30 p.m. - Dinner only guests are welcome For more Information Contact... Chairman: Jason Fink (201) Co-Chairman: Nick Gagis (201) WESTWOOD FAMILY DENTAL Elite Associates Dina Burke Sales Associate 313 Broadway Westwood, NJ Office: (201) ext Cell: (201) Fax: (201) Dina@BurkeBuilt.com Each Office Independently Owned and operated John Nicholas, DDS General & Cosmetic Dentistry For Adults & Children Full Range of Restorative Services, State of the Art Equipment Cosmetic Bonding, Bleaching 231 Kinderkamack Road Westwood, NJ Phone: Fax: Office hours by appointment

29 BAPTISMS April 14th - Angelina (Angeliki), the daughter of Tina and Loucas Georgiou. The Godparents were Anna and Vincent Schiraldi. April 15th - Evangelia, daughter of Mariea and Nicolaos Kantaris. The Godparents were Eleni Stavrou and Angelo Terra April 21st - Andreas George, son of Christie and Evan George Androulakis The Godparent was Christopher George Androulakis April 21st - Troy (Anastasios) Nikolaidis, son of Amanda and Thomas Nikilaidis. The Godparent was Apostolos Nikolaidis May 5th - Marcos, son of Theodora and Ricardo Ferreira. The Godparent was Alexandros Maravegias May 6th - Christina Elizabeth, daughter of Deanna and George S. Siderias The Godparents were Nicholas and Maria Tsoukalas Na sas zisoun! May 6th WEDDINGS - Maria Markella Moshiuris and Brian Michael McMillan The Koumbara was Evangeline Comodromos May 10th - Marilia Panzoldo Green and Alexis Kamvosoulis The Koumbaro was Damianos Kamvosoulis Na zisete! FUNERALS April 19th - Thomas (Athanasios) Contos May 11th - Anna Axiomakaros May 18th - Evelyn Triantos Our deepest sympathy to the families 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: Our deepest sympathy to the families IN MEMORY OF MARK PONIROS Mr. & Mrs. Vasilios Fikaris IN MEMORY OF TOM CONTOS Enos Family Louise Momary Represents donations made from 3/14-5/22/18

30 AUGUST 6TH THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD & SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST Jesus took Peter, James and John and led them to a high mountain. While praying there He was transfigured. His face shone as the sun. Jesus had many times shown His disciples His Divine Power, but now He showed them His Divine Nature. Moses and Elijah appeared with Him to dispel the Jewish fallacy that Jesus was one of the prophets. He revealed Himself to be King over the Prophets who were His servants. If Jesus, the Head of the Body, was transfigured, then we who are members of His Body will also be transfigured with Him. The dazzling light that shown through Christ on Mount Tabor is not just something that happened in the past. It is a window through which we can look to see the reality of the Kingdom of God not only in Christ but also in us. As we are incorporated into Christ through faith and the Sacraments, we are gradually transformed into His likeness. This is our personal transfiguration in Christ. We are not just Earthen vessels of clay subject to the universal law of death and corruption. These earthen vessels bear a great treasure as St. Paul states. They can become not only spirit-bearing, but God-bearing, pervaded by God s presence. They are called to share in the eternal glory of God. It was our own human nature which was filled with divine glory at the Transfiguration. It was our own human nature which was made God-like and partook of God s glory. Consider this against the background of people who claim that life is meaningless. The divine light did not merely shine around Christ, His very flesh was aflame with it. The image of God in us, which had been darkened by the sin of Adam, was once again glowing in the human nature of Jesus. Transfigured and sanctified by the grace of God, this human body of ours can indeed become an icon of man deified, transfigured and glowing with the light of the Holy Trinity. It is for this reason that many Orthodox Theologians consider the Feast of the Holy Transfiguration as the day of the celebration of the deification (theosis) of human nature in Christ.

31 PARAKLESIS (SUPPLICATION) SERVICES The Paraklesis is a supplicatory service addressed to the Mother of God. It can be held in church or in the homes of interested faithful for the purpose of invoking Divine help through the Mother of God in the case of physical or spiritual illness or in case of other personal difficulties. During the service, the names of people for the benefit of whom the Paraklesis is held are mentioned by the priest. There are two Parakleses, the small Paracletic Canon which is often called Paraklesis, and the Great Paracletic Canon of longer duration is usually read in Church. The author of the Small Canon is considered to be a hymnographer by the name of Theophanes. Apart from his name, nothing is known about him. The Great Canon was written by Theodore II, king of Nicaea, and in all probability belongs to the middle of the 13th century. It seems that the core around which both Canons have developed goes back to the 5th century Both of these Canons are sung alternately in church at the evenings of the Lent preceding the Dormition of the Mother of God. They are not sung on the Eves of the Transfiguration of our Lord (August 6) and the Dormition, August 15. During the Fast which is in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos, August 1-15, there will be Paraklesis (Supplication) services in the evenings marked on the calendar at 7:00 p.m. Please bring or send in the names of those you would like to pray for during these services, for health or general wellbeing. Why not utilize this period as an opportunity to more fervently worship our Lord, through the prayers of his Most Holy Mother. =========================================== ΓΙΟΡΤΑΖΕΤΑΙ Ο ΘΑΝΑΤΟΣ Γιά πρώτη φορά στην ιστορία τού κόσμου, γιορτάζεται ο θάνατος. Και αυτό συμβαίνει μέσα στο χριστιανισμό, γιατί, ακριβώς το θάνατο τον θεωρεί όπως και είναι μετάβαση στη ζωή, στην όντως ζωή, στην αληθινή ζωή. Γι αυτό και η εκκλησία μας, την ημέρα της Κοίμησης της θεοτόκου πανηγυρίζει ψάλλοντας: <<... Τάφος και νέκρωσις ούκ εκράτησεν ως γάρ ζωής Μητέρα πρός ζωήν μετέστησεν...>> (από το κοντάκιο της εορτής). Η Μητέρα της ζωής πήγε στη ζωή. << Κλίμαξ πρός ουρανόν ο τάφος γίνεται >>. Και μόνον αυτό το μήνυμα γιά το ανθρώπινο γένος αποτελεί το δυνατότερο μήνυμα της ιστορίας. Ολα τα πλάκωνε ο θάνατος. Ηρθε ο υιός της Παρθένου και με την ανάστασή του έφερε τη ζωή. Ολα ζωοποιήθηκαν. Και τον Υιό αυτό τον γέννησε η Θεοτόκος. Να γιατί είναι << Μήτηρ Ζωής >>. Νά γιατί << αι γενεαί πάσαι μακαρίζομεν την Θεοτόκον >>. Ακόμη και η φύση αγάλλεται και χαίρει πού << νικήθηκαν οι όροι της >> και ο θάνατος έγινε ζωή. Αν θέλαμε νά πούμε ποιό είναι το πρώτο καί το τελευταίο μήνυμα της Κοίμησης της Θεοτόκου, θα λέγαμε, μαζί με το Φώτη Κόντογλου, η << ΕΟΡΤΗ ΤΗΣ ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΑΣ >>. Αυτό είναι το μήνημα της Ορθοδοξίας.

32 THE MINISTRIES OF OUR ST. ATHANASIOS PARISH We would like to inform you of the various Parish programs that are available at our community which we may all support and participate in accordingly. SUNDAY CHURCH SCHOOL: Sunday Church School is held during the regular school year. Grade levels are Little Angels through 12th grade. Registration will be held on Sunday, September 9th. Please see enclosed registration form. We ask all parents to enroll their children in Sunday Church School, and have them attend on a regular basis so that they may become close to the Church, and learn more about their faith. The first day of Sunday Church School will be September 2nd. GREEK SCHOOL: Greek School is held twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:30-6:30 p.m. for Pre-K(3) through 6th Grade. In order for students to attend the Pre-K (3) class, they must have reached their 3rd birthday by October 1, We will continue to offer this class if enough children register. The first day of Greek School will be on Wednesday September 10th. The curriculum encompasses the Greek language, reading, writing, speaking, history, religion, ecclesiastical hymns, and geography of Greece. If enough students register, we will also offer grades 7 and 8 which will be held on Fridays from 4:30-6:30 p.m.., and will prepare students for the NY Regents Exam in Modern Greek and the Certificate of attainment in Greek. ADULT GREEK SCHOOL: Adult Greek School classes have been available for our St. Athanasios Community. If you are interested in learning the Greek Language, please sign up. Classes will be held on Fridays from 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. if enough people register. BIBLE STUDY AND CATECHISM: This group gets together and studies various Books from the Holy Bible under the direction of the Parish Priest. Classes meet every other Monday at 7:00 p.m. beginning September 21st. PHILOPTOCHOS SOCIETY: The Philoptochos Women s Society of St. Athanasios is an organization whose primary purpose is aimed toward philanthropic endeavors and programs. All men and women in our parish may become members of this society, which provides for the disadvantaged and assists the church in many ways. The first meeting will be on September 11th, and then every first Tuesday of the month. FOS (Light) is a Parish Ministry (organization) within the Saint Athanasios Greek Orthodox Church. The purpose of FOS is to promote the Orthodox Faith within and outside the parish. The FOS operates in cooperation with and under the direct supervision of the parish priest. ALTAR BOYS: Boys ages 9-17 are able to serve as Altar Boys. Along with their duties, monthly meetings and programs are also held. Anyone who would like to participate in Altar duties should contact Fr. Anargyros. H.O.P.E. / J.O.Y. : Boys and girls between the ages of 4-7 are invited to join H.O.P.E., and ages 8-11 for J.O.Y. These programs give the children the opportunity to learn about their faith, their church and the social world around them. Meetings are held once a month on Fridays.

33 G.O.Y.A.: Boys and girls between the ages of are welcome to join the G.O.Y.A. Various athletic, social and religious activities are held as well as other programs. The G.O.Y.A. meets once a month on Thursdays or Fridays. CHOIR: The choir chants hymns during the Divine Liturgy and other Church services throughout the year, except for the summer months of July and August. Both men and women are invited to join the choir. DANCE GROUPS: Greek ethnic and cultural dances are taught to the children of our community. Classes will be held on Fridays from 5:00 8:00 p.m., beginning September 18th. There are two levels. Time varies depending on each level. HELLENIC SENIORS OF ST. ATHANASIOS: Parishioners may join the Hellenic Seniors group. Spiritual and social gatherings are held. The Seniors meet every third Thursday of the month at noon in the Community Center. P.T.O. Parent Teacher Organization : This organization consists of the teachers and parents of the Greek School students and parishioners who are interested in the education of our students. The purpose of the P.T.O. is to help and support the different programs of our school. We ask everyone to please become members and active supporters of our P.T.O. EPISKEPSIS (Visitations): In cooperation with the Philoptochos, the purpose and goal is to visit and comfort our Orthodox Christians that are confined to nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and homes. DIAKONIA AGAPES (St. Athanasios Food Pantry): St. Athanasios Church has been supporting local food pantries and assisting needy families of our parish for many years. As a result of seeing a need in our parish and community, we have formed a new parish ministry: St. Athanasios Food Pantry. The Food Pantry will be an ongoing parish ministry to serve families in need from our community, sister parishes, neighbors and friends. Together as one Christian family, we can help those in need live a better quality of life as God s children. When anyone, anywhere reaches out for help, we want our hand always to be there. For that we are responsible. Together we can make a change, we can make a difference! If anyone has any questions or wants more information on our food pantry, please feel free to contact Fr. Anargyros or Presbytera Christina. WELCOME AND OUTREACH: The purpose to welcome new members to the Church / Parish, and promote the Greek Orthodox Faith within and outside the Parish. ΘΕΙΑ ΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΑ: Εάν έχετε συγγενείς ή γνωστούς πού ευρίσκονται σε Γηροκομία, Νοσοκομεία η είναι κατάκοιτοι στο σπίτι και θέλετε τον πατέρα Ανάργυρο για να τους κοινωνήση για το Δεκαπενταύγουστο, παρακαλούμε τηλεφωνείστε στο Γραφείο μας και ενημερώστε τόν Ιερέα μας. ΕΞΕΤΑΣEΙΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΚΑΤΗΧHΤΙΚΟΥ ΣΧΟΛΕΙΟΥ: Συγχαίρουμε τά παιδιά και των δύο Σχολείων μας πού με επιμέλεια τάξιν και πειθαρχία παρακολούθησαν τά μαθήματα των Σχολείων μας καθ όλην την διάρκεια του Σχολικού Έτους Ευχαριστούμε το διδασκαλικό προσωπικό και των δύο Σχολείων διά την καλή των συνεργασία καθ όλη την διάρκεια του Σχολικού έτους. Επίσης ευχαριστούμε τον Σύλλογο Γονέων και Διδασκάλων πού εργάστηκαν τόσο σκληρά και συνεργάσθηκαν πολύ καλά μαζί μας.

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35 St. Athanasios Greek Orthodox Church 51 Paramus Road Paramus, NJ NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE P A I D Paramus, NJ Permit No. 121 Or current resident SUNDAY CHURCH SCHOOL GREEK SCHOOL PHILOPTOCHOS SOCIETY P.T.O. CANTOR ALTAR BOYS H.O.P.E. (ages 4-7) J.O.Y. (ages 8-11) GOYA (ages 12-18) ATHLETIC CO-ORDINATORS: FOS (Outreach Parish Ministry) HELLENIC SENIORS BIBLE STUDY & CATECHISM GREEK DANCING EPISKEPSIS (Visitations) DIAKONIA AGAPES (Help the needy-food Pantry) AHEPA THE MINISTRIES OF ST. ATHANASIOS: Eliana Antoniou - Director Sophia Stamatiou - Principal Vaso Panagopoulos - President Despina Shikar - President Chris Haramis Sotirios Karabetsos Ellainy Christopoulos Ellainy Christopoulos Sophia Makris / Reina Phillips Peter Paizis / Andy Hios Karen Scoullos Helen Manztouranis Fr. Anargyros Karen Scoullos (GOYA) Mia Petrou & Melanie Marcus HOPE/JOY) Fr. Anargyros Presbytera Christina Meets every 2nd Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.