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WINTER ANCHOR 2013-14 Father John’s Article

THE anchorTHE anchor St. Andrew Greek Orthodox ChurchSt. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church

5649 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 606605649 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60660

773773--334334--4515 (ph)4515 (ph) 773773--334334--3468 (fax)3468 (fax)

www.standreworthodox.orgwww.standreworthodox.org (email) [email protected](email) [email protected]

Rev. John N. Kalomas, ProistamenosRev. John N. Kalomas, Proistamenos

Rev. John G. Kutulas, Proistamenos EmeritusRev. John G. Kutulas, Proistamenos Emeritus

Fr. Stamatios G. Sfikas, SynefemeriosFr. Stamatios G. Sfikas, Synefemerios

Deacon Vasilios SmithDeacon Vasilios Smith

I am dreaming tonight of a place I love; Even more than I usually do; And although I know it's a long road back; I promise you: I'll be home for Christmas; You can count on me; Please have snow and mistletoe; And presents on the tree: Christmas Eve will find you; Where the love light gleams; I'll be home for Christmas; If only in my dreams: Christmas Eve will find me; Where the love light gleams; I'll be home for Christmas; If only in my dreams: If only in my dreams:

The above song was one of many that came out during a time of a great struggle that was happening in Europe. World War 2 had been raging for the last 4 years and the United States had entered the conflict only 2 years earlier. We were fairly newcomers in this conflict. We were just 4 months out in which we had taken Sicily and moved into the Italian Main Land. As this went on plans were being set up for the invasion of France on the Normandy coast.

Either way it was a time in which many young men were away from their homes and the season of the Holidays were upon them. “I am dreaming tonight of a place I love, even more than I usually do;” How often do we dream of places that we love. We all can sit and reminisce of places of our past. Family members now long gone; events that gathered loved ones; going to the houses of friends and family during celebrations, whether it was the holidays or special event. They are past times and events that shaped us; made us feel whole; gave us the sense of security and the impression that this would never end.

Many times we think of those places when we are struggling and having difficulties in our life. We would step aside into solitude and think of times where there was no care, no worries, no struggles, but times of joy and thanksgiving for what we had. I recall two holidays both Thanksgiving and Christmas in which I have stopped for these past years and looked at pictures and videos of those happy times. Whether I was a child and getting up at 6 am to help my mother put the turkey into the oven and returning to bed only to wake up with the aromatic smell of a cooking turkey or sweet potatoes in the oven, or whether I walked into the house on Thanksgiving day coming from Boston because the flight was less expensive, to

seeing my daughter at the age of 1 year take her first steps in my mother’s house; it has brought a happy and, yes, even melancholy feeling for years gone but years of thankfulness.

Yes, I have been dreaming of not only a place, but places and times that I love consistently and havemade the celebrations of thankfulness and joyfulness so even more meaningful. “I’ll be home for Christmas; you can count on me;” During the Battle of the Bulge in December of 1944 the soldiers of the VIII Corps along with the 101st Airborne were surrounded in the city of Bastogne. Facing constant artillery barrages as well as many times of being overrun, the stood their ground and defended their position till Patton’s 3rd Army broke through the German lines and gave them the relief that they needed. From December 14th through the 26th these individuals were ill equipped with no winter clothing consistently fighting down to almost one round of ammunition. In their minds when the battles were not raging nor when they were receiving incoming artillery shells they were dreaming of the places that they loved and thinking of the words of being home for Christmas. Soldiers of the 101st 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment Easy Company stated how that song was the only thing that kept them warm and kept them sane. I can only imagine what was going through their minds on December 24th in the evening as they heard on the other side of the enemy lines the German Soldiers singing “Stille Nacht, Silent Night”. One soldiers said he recalled how his family would gather together on that night at his grandparents’ house and many neighbors were invited also because being that it was during the depression many did not have that much to eat. But his grandfather, being a man of good will and caring, brought those individuals and gave all - even the adults- a gift for Christmas. The soldier said “My granddaddy always said that no one should be without a gift during Christmas.” When the soldier was asked about his gift for Christmas of 1944 he simply replied, “Two things are my gifts. One is that I have the gift of remembering and learning from my past Christmas experiences, and my second gift is to come, which is may people remember us that as they were safe in their homes on Christmas 1944, we were here making sure that they will have many more Christmas’ to come.”

(Continued on page 3)

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The Anchor—WINTER 2013-14

SERVICES FOR THE MONTHS OF

DECEMBER, JANUARY, & FEBRUARY

Sunday Mornings Orthros at 8:00AM; Diving Liturgy at 9:30AM

Feast of St. Nicholas Friday, December 6

Orthros at 9AM; Divine Liturgy at 10AM

Feast of St. Spyridon Thursday, December 12


Eve of Christmas Tuesday, December 24

Royal Hours at 9AM; Vesperal Liturgy at 6PM

CHRISTMAS Wednesday, December 25

Orthros at 8:30AM; Divine Liturgy at 10AM

Feast of St. Stephen Friday, December 27


Restitution of Feast of Christmas & ForeFeast of the Circumcision of our Lord

Tuesday, December 31 Orthros at 9AM; Divine Liturgy at 10AM

Great Vespers at 7PM at St. Basil Church, Chicago

Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord & the Feast of St. Basil the Great

Wednesday, January 1 Orthros at 9AM; Divine Liturgy at 10AM

Royal Hours of Epiphany Friday, January 3 at 9:30AM

Eve of Epiphany Sunday, January 5

Orthros at 8AM; Divine Liturgy at 9:30AM, followed by Agiasmos

FEAST OF EPIPHANY Monday, January 6

Orthros at 8AM; Divine Liturgy of St. Basil and Great Agiasmos at 9:30AM

Feast of St. John the Baptist Tuesday, January 7


Feast of the Three Hierarchs Thursday, January 30


ST. ANDREW GREEK ORTST. ANDREW GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCHHODOX CHURCH

His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos

Metropolis of Chicago

Rev. John N. Kalomas, Proistamenos

Rev. John G. Kutulas, Proistamenos Emeritus

Fr. Stamatios G. Sfikas, Synefemerios

Deacon Vasilios Smith

Contact Fr. John at 773-334-4515 or Email him at [email protected]

PARISH COUNCIL 2013

Nicholas Karafotias President Kosta Zografopoulos 1st Vice President/Facilities Terri Mikuzis 2nd Vice President/ Stewardship Peter Alexopoulos 3rd Vice President/Finance Leo Manta Secretary Solon Tsaoussis Assistant Secretary Phillip Hatzopoulos Treasurer Michael Bartholomew Financial Secretary

MEMBERS

William Aslanides Jeffery Chrones Milton Fasseas Nick Hatzopoulos Spiro Kondos Nick Kontos George Marks Eleni Moutidis

STAFF & MINISTRY LEADERS

Pastoral Assistant: Julie Tziolas Financial Secretary: Vivian L. Davros Philoptochos President: Vonnie Karafotias Chanters: Nicholas Christacos & Dean Theodoropoulos Choir Director: Dr. Peter Jermihov Narthex Committee: William Alexopoulos, Matthew Bezanes, James Chrones, Michael Davros Sunday School Coordinator: Kathy Siavelis Greek School Principal: Father John Kutulas Mommy and Me Advisor: Stephane Collopy JOY Advisors: Tia Manolakas, Nia Tsokolas, & Bill Aslanides GOYA Advisors: Georgia Loomas, Elizabeth Sahady Young Adult Ministry: Tatiana Vukotic, Anastasia Papas, & Eleni Papas St. Paul Bookstore: Evangeline Mistaras Website: Julie Tziolas

The Anchor—WINTer 2013-14

Switch now to October 29, 2013. For over 50 years the town of Bar Harbor, Maine always had a special Christmas Tree lighting every year for those Veterans as well as many others but specifically those of Bastogne and of World War 2 as a commemoration to the Christmas’ that they did not get to share with their families because of being away in the war. On the date of October 29 2013 exactly 69 years and 10 months after the Battle of the Bulge, the city council of Bar Harbor banned the lighting of this tree for the Veterans because they felt it was demeaning to other religions and so to be respectful to them there was not going to be anymore lighting of this Christmas Tree. I guess the city council of Bar Harbor who is elected by the people of that town forgot and took away the second gift of this soldier. How despicable is this, not just to the men and women who were away from their families during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, but also to the faith itself of Christianity that preaches tolerance, respect, and above all love. A city next to Bar Harbor though took the tradition over and brought the lighting of the Christmas Tree for the soldiers who missed Christmas those years from their families as well as those who never came home to another Christmas, back and now will carry it on in remembrance where the city council of Bar Harbor has forgotten through its bureaucracy.

Sorry for getting a little political. It comes out of me this time of year but it irks me so often because Christianity is such an exposed religion through its traditions especially during Christmas, whether they are through symbols or through its gesture of goodwill, always becomes the religion that catches the most abuse. But that is why Christianity is the true and correct faith and God for through all the abuses, through all the difficulties and disrespects, still finds room to forgive and love those who hate and do all sorts of evil towards it. These words are so true and they came to mind as we read the Beatitudes in Tiberius at the point where the sermon on the mount was stated by our Lord during our Pilgrimage this year. These Blessings established that Christianity will be the most abused yet the most tolerant of all religions throughout the ages.

So what are our dreams and what are our homes for the holiday season of both Thanksgiving and Christmas. How great that both Holidays are celebrated so close yet are focused each with their own months. The song above brought comfort to those who were far away from their physical homes. It brought them peace through the remembrance of Christmas passed and how they were celebrated, as well as the hope for Christmas futures that they can make them also into present and future memories.

So what about ourselves? What are our dreams and how can these dreams become realities? I would say maybe those dreams that should be first are those that allow us to focus on the true meaning of the season and why would should be thankful for the season. Maybe when you are sitting with your family or families either before the celebration of Thanksgiving or even at the Thanksgiving Table on November 28th take a moment to share with each and every one that is present what you and they are thankful for. Remember we are not sitting in a fox hole in some cold far away country struggling to survive each day. We are in our warm homes with warm company surrounding us. Finding what we are thankful for allows us to fully approach and find Bethlehem, the cave and manger of our Lord and Saviour. Ultimately we find this in our hearts, in our souls, and in our lives in how we express ourselves to each other.

So what is it really that fully allows us to find the Nativity of our

Lord in a thankful sense in our lives? By committing fully to something that is important. If we have not been great husbands or great wives, than that would be our road to Bethlehem by being better spouses to each other. If we have not been great fathers or mothers to our children because we have not been around on account of our work or maybe because we are not there and we try to supplement it through giving them everything, maybe than we should stop giving materialistic love and show them the real love of what a father or a mother truly is. Maybe we have defrauded someone or been very envious of our friends or neighbors or have fallen out of friendships. Maybe our road to Bethlehem is to try and rectify that which can be rectified or make a closure with that which cannot be rectified. At least we can depart in peace of heart from each other and not in anger and wrath.

All these are the roads that allows us to be thankful and brings us to the city of Bethlehem and eventually to the manger of our Lord and Saviour. These are the places that we need to be dreaming of for those places bring us closer to the memories of our childhood as well as bringing us home to what the true meaning of Christmas is. When the shepherds were watching their flocks by night, and the angel of Lord came to them, they were also dreaming of a place that they love. It is a place that was foretold to them as children by their parents of living in harmony and having a king look after them and protect them in a kingdom that will last for eternity. They never understood fully what that dream really looked like except that they knew that this is what they loved as confusing or uncomprehend able as it seemed. Their dreams were simple though as simple as it was for the soldiers that were sitting in those fox holes many years ago as well as those soldiers of today. It was simple because the dream for their moment was the time where there life was filled with the love of life and the love of family. The shepherds dreams was a life filled with the love of God and they being a part of God’s family. I truly believe that when we start complaining about the commercialism of Christmas we totally lose the focus of the dreams of our lives. We should accept the colorful decorations, the festivities that go with the Holidays, even the long lines and the sales for gifts not as what the true meaning of Christmas is but that it is part of individuals lives in which they may have their dreams of a place that they loved which could have been the colorful decorations of walking as a child and seeing these wonderful things, or going to family and friends homes to celebrate the day, and even standing in the long lines to buy that perfect gift for someone. If it doesn’t deter one from losing the meaning and reason for the season then these are dreams that individuals may look as their places that brought them memories of Christmas’ in their past and the place that they have loved.

I recall one my dreams of the place that I loved was getting to my uncle Chris and aunt Niki’s house on Christmas Eve and sitting from 9:00 pm till 12 midnight playing Monopoly with my brothers and cousins while my parents sat at the sofa with my aunt and uncle watching Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye in White Christmas. This is one of the many dreams that I love to be but because it is not a realistic situation any more, I have found that celebrating Christmas Eve Liturgy and singing Christmas Carols have fulfilled the new dreams of the place that I love.

These dreams of the places that we love are based on the love of God and our love to find that which is so important in our lives and which opens up our lives to finding Bethlehem in our lives

(Continued on page 4)


through the dreams that we love. I recall a beautiful story in which I wish to end this message for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is known as the THE GOLD WRAPPING PAPER. Please enjoy and see that dreaming of places that we love will always bring us to Christ’s manger.

Once upon a time, there was a man who worked very hard just to keep food on the table for his family. This particular year a few days before Christmas, he punished his little five-year-old daughter after learning that she had used up the family's only roll of expensive gold wrapping paper. As money was tight, he became even more upset when on Christmas Eve he saw that the child had used all of the expensive gold paper to decorate one shoebox she had put under the Christmas tree. He also was concerned about where she had gotten the money to buy what was in the shoebox. Nevertheless, the next morning the little girl, filled with excitement, brought the gift box to her father and said, "This is for you, Daddy!" As he opened the box, the father was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, now regretting how he had punished her. But when he opened the shoebox, he found it was empty and again his anger flared. "Don't you know, young lady," he said harshly, "when you give someone a present, there's supposed to be something inside the package!" The little girl looked up at him with sad tears rolling from her eyes and whispered: "Daddy, it's not empty. I blew kisses into it until it was all full." The father was crushed. He fell on his knees and put his arms around his precious little girl. He begged her to forgive him for his unnecessary anger. An accident took the life of the child only a short time later. It is told that the father kept this little gold box by his bed for all the years of his life. Whenever he was discouraged or faced difficult problems, he would open the box, take out an imaginary kiss, and remember the love of this

beautiful child who had put it there. In a very real sense, each of us has been given an invisible golden box filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family, friends and God. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.

May your dreaming for those places you really loved of the Christmas’ that are so cherished in your lives turn into a reality for you, and if realistically those dreams are now past memories that can never be attained again, then may they be for you a time that their beauty of what made those Christmas’ so special to you. May they always be an enlightment that brings you to the cave in Bethlehem in which you will find the manger of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ so when we kneel before Him we can out of the deepest reverence kiss the feet of God.

May your Thanksgiving be filled with all joys of thankfulness that our God has bestowed upon you and may your dreams become a reality for Christmas in which they bring you home to God’s manger even if that still means being home only through your dreams. Come home my beloved to our Lord’s manger, come home to the city of Bethlehem so that we can be illumined in our hearts that Christ Is Born! Glorify Him.

Remember Our Soldiers On Those Special Days Of Celebration For We Are Celebrating Because These Men And Women Have Chosen To Sacrifice Their Thanksgivings And Their Christmas’ So We Can Have Our Dreams as realities.

Fr. John N Kalomas

40 Day Blessings Andreas, son of Nicoletta and George Karkalis

Panagiotis Rafael, son of Catherine and Dimitrios Skintges Anastasia Rose, daughter of Christina and Valentine Gelata

James, son of Gina and James Reilly Isabella, daughter of Angela and Diamantis Karras

Miles Joseph, son of Vasilia and James Staley Alexa, daughter of Anna and Bryan O’Connor

Evangelos and Ioannis, sons of Amalia and Bill Papastefan Alfa and Omega, children of Frewyni Gebremedhim and Michael

Gebreab

Baptisms Demetra, daughter of Christina and Nick Gangas

Helena, daughter of Jennifer Dendrinos and Jim Polson Haralambos Demetrios, son of Tina and George Aslanides

Athanasios, son of Amy and Spiro Rempas Ella, daughter of and Jackie and Geoff Olkiewicz Katherine, daughter of Rita and David Ghanayem

Eleni, daughter of Denise and James Tsioles Elena, daughter of Elizabeth Alexander and Nate Tamarin

Oliver Ioannis, son of Olivia and Benjamin Craig Ioannis Vasilil, son of Spiridoula & Miguel Arceo

Xanthi Rue, daughter of Shannon and Dean George Alfa Andrew and Omega Maria, children of Frewyni

Gebremedhim and Michael Gebreab

Weddings Nick Harrison and Diana Quezada Andy Zervas and Maria Daskalakis Brion Doherty and Nicole Elipas Jim Farrell and Kristina Govostis

Raymond Pelelas and Anastasia Bilionis Daniel Behr and Stephanie Kalant Dino Loukas and Effie Fronimos

Terry Kelly and Annie Theodoropoulos Dean Taradash and Eudokia (Yvette) Nassopoulos

Funerals George Gatsios

Thrassos Averkiou

Memorials

Ana Carallis—40 days Stratte Coorlas—40 days

Haralambos Drakakis—40 days Konstantina Guerrieri—40 days John Bartholomew—6 months Erato Douligeris– 6 months

Anna Spilioti—6 months Christos Bitis—1 year Savas Melidis—1 year Maria Pagones—1 year Steven Philipp—1 year

Maria Karahali—2 years Metaxia Sikora—2 years

Kyriakos Galiotis—3 years Anastasia Ionas—4 years Irene Balsavias—10 years

Michael Spiliotis—10 years Christos Ionas—14 years Angelo Anton—15 years Sophie Anton—15 years Rouvelis Ionas– 15 years Petros Romas—15 years


During this Christmas season, please let us know if you have a loved one who is in the hospital or nursing home, or is a shut in, and is in need of Holy Communion. Fr. John and Fr. Stamati will be making visitations during the week of December 9. Please contact Julie at the church office at 773.334.4515 with the name, contact information, and location so that we may schedule a visitation time.

Χριστέ μας, δυνάμωσε την αγάπη μας για σένα, για να ανθίσει στην ψυχή

μας η αγάπη για όλους τους ανθρώπους!

Αγαπητά μέλη,

Ήρθαν πάλι τα Χριστούγεννα, γιορτή χαράς και αγαλλίασης. Χαρά και αγαλλίαση σ’

ολόκληρη την πλάση.

Γεννιέται εκείνος που θα λυτρώσει τους ανθρώπους από τις αμαρτίες, που θα απλώσει

στη γη την ειρήνη, που θα χαρίσει την πνευματική ευτυχία σε ολόκληρη την

ανθρωπότητα.

Ναι, έτσι είναι, αυτός είναι το αληθινό φως. Αυτός είναι ο δρόμος που οδηγεί στην

ανάσταση και στη ζωή, στη ζωή της αγάπης και της χαράς.

Ας γιορτάσουμε λοιπόν όλοι μαζί τα Χριστούγεννα. Όλοι μαζί με ευλάβεια ας

γονατίσουμε μπροστά στη φάτνη για να προσκυνήσουμε το Δημιουργό του κόσμου, το

μεγάλο Θεό της αγάπης, το Λυτρωτή του κόσμου.

Εκ μέρους των δασκάλων του Ελληνικού Σχολείου, σας προσκαλούμε στην

Χριστουγεννιάτικη μας εορτή το

Σάββατο, 21 Δεκεμβρίου 11:00 π.μ.

Ελάτε να γιορτάσουμε μαζί τα Χριστούγεννα αλλά και να χαρούμε τα παιδία του

σχολείου μας!

Σας εύχομαι Καλά Χριστούγεννα και Ευτυχισμένο το Νέο Έτος 2014!

Με εν Χριστό Αγάπη,

π. Σταμάτιος Σφήκας

Πρεσβύτερος

On behalf of our Greek School Staff we invite

our entire community to our Greek School

Christmas Program on

Saturday, December 21, 2013

11:00 a.m.

Wishing you and your families

a very blessed Christmas and

a healthy and prosperous New Year!


CHRISTMAS 2013 NEW YEAR AND EPIPHANY 2014 ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥΓΕΝΝΑ 2013 ΝΕΟΝ ΕΤΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΘΕΟΦΑΝΕΙΑ 2014

Sunday, Dec 22nd Sunday before the Nativity

Orthros - 8:00 am / Divine Liturgy - 9:30 a.m.

Κυριακή, 22αΔεκ Κυριακή πρό της Χριστού Γεννήσεως

`Ορθρος - 8:00 π.μ. / Θεία Λειτουργία - 9:30 π.μ.

Tuesday, Dec 24th Eve of the Birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ & Feast Day of St. Eugenia

Service of the Royal Hours – 9:00 a.m.

Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil – 6:00 p.m.

Τρίτη, 24η Δεκ Παραμονή των Χριστουγέννων καί τής Αγίας Οσιομάρτυρος Ευγενίας.

Ακολουθία των Μεγάλων Ωρών – 9:00 π.μ

Μέγας Εσπερινός καί Λειτουργία τού Αγίου Βασιλίου - 6:00 μ.μ.

Wednesday, Dec 25 The Birth in the Flesh of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ

Orthros - 8:30 a.m. / Divine Liturgy – 10:00 a.m.

Τετάρτη, 25η Δεκ Η ΚΑΤΑ ΣΑΡΚΑ ΓΕΝΝΗΣΗΣ ΤΟΥ ΚΥΡΙΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΘΕΟΥ ΗΜΩΝ ΙΗΣΟΥ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ

`Ορθρος – 8:30 π.μ. / Θεία Λειτουργία – 10:00 π.μ.

Friday, Dec 27th St. Stephan the Protomartyr

Orthros – 9:00 a.m. / Divine Liturgy – 10:00 am

Παρασκευή, 27η Δεκ Εορτή του Αγ. Στεφάνου του Πρωτομάρτυρος


Τuesday, Dec 31st Restitution of the Feast of Christmas/ Forefeast of the Circumcision in the Flesh of our Lord

Orthros –9:00 a.m. / Divine Liturgy – 10:00 a.m.

Great Vespers – 7:00 p.m. at St. Basil Church Chicago, 733 S. Ashland Ave.

Τρίτη, 31η Δεκ Απόδοσις των Χριστουγέννων / Παραμονή τής κατά σάρκα περιτομής του Κυρίου


Μέγας Εσπερινός – 7:00 μ.μ. στό Ναό του Αγ. Βασιλείου στό Σικάγο, 733 South Ashland Avenue

Wednesday, Jan 1st FEAST OF THE CIRCUMCISION IN THE FLESH OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR, JESUS

CHRIST and FEASTDAY OF ST. BASIL THE GREAT

Orthros – 9:00 a.m. / Divine Liturgy – 10:00 a.m.

Τετάρτη, 1η Ιαν. Η ΚΑΤΑ ΣΑΡΚΑ ΠΕΡΙΤΟΜΗ ΤΟΥ ΚΥΡΙΟΥ ΗΜΩΝ ΙΗΣΟΥ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ και

ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΥ


Friday, Jan 3rd Royal Hours of Epiphany - 9:30 a.m.

Παρασκευή, 3η Ιαν. Ακολουθία των Μεγάλων Ωρών Θεοφανείω – 9:30 π.μ.

Sunday, Jan 5th EVE OF EPIPHANY

Orthros 8:00 a.m. – Divine Liturgy Chrysostom and Agiasmos – 9:30 a.m.

Κυριακή, 5η Ιαν. Παραμονή Θεοφανείων

`Ορθρος 8:00 π.μ. – Θεία Λειτουργία του Χρυσοστόμου καί Αγιασμός - 9:30 π.μ.

Monday, Jan 6th EPIPHANY

Orthros – 8:00 a.m. / Divine Liturgy of St. Basil and Great Agiasmos - 9:30 a.m.

Δευτέρα, 6α Ιαν. ΤΑ ΑΓΙΑ ΘΕΟΦΑΝΕΙΑ

`Ορθρος – 8:00 π.μ. / Θεία Λειτουργία του Αγ. Βασιλείου καί Μέγας Αγιασμός – 9:30 π.μ.

Tuesday, Jan 7th Synaxis of St. John the Baptist

Orthros – 9:00 a.m. / Divine Liturgy - 10:00 a.m.

Τρίτη, 7η Ιαν. Σύναξις του αγ. Ιωάννου του Προδρόμου



The tradition of baking and cutting a spe-cial "pita" (which can mean a loaf of bread, a cake, or even a pie) each year on Janu-ary 1st is observed in honor of our holy father Basil the Great, archbishop of Caes-area in Cappodocia-- hence its name "Vasilopita" meaning "St. Basil's Bread." This tradition is observed in both parish churches and in the homes of the faithful. What is the meaning of this tradition and how did it begin?

For centuries upon centuries, parents, grandparents and godparents have related the following to Orthodox children about St. Basil and the Vasilopita. One year, during a time of terrible famine, the emperor levied a sinfully excessive tax upon the people of Caesarea. The tax was such a heavy burden upon the already impoverished people that to avoid debtors' prison each fami-ly had to relinquish its few remaining coins and pieces of jewelry, including precious family heirlooms. Learning of this injustice upon his flock, St. Basil the Great, the archbishop of Caesarea, took up his bishop's staff and the book of the holy Gospels and came to his people's defense by fearlessly calling the emperor to repentance. By God's grace, the emperor did repent! He canceled the tax and in-structed his tax collectors to turn over to St. Basil all of the chests containing the coins and jewelry which had been paid as taxes by the people of Caesarea. But now St. Basil was faced with the daunting and impossible task of returning these thousands of coins and pieces of jewelry to their rightful owners. After praying for a long time be-fore the icons of our Master Christ and His All-Holy Mother, St. Bas-il had all the treasures baked into one huge pita. He then called all the townspeople to prayer at the cathedral, and, after Divine Liturgy, he blessed and cut the pita, giving a piece to each person. Miracu-lously, each owner received in his piece of Vasilopita his own valua-bles. They all joyfully returned home, giving thanks to God who had delivered them from abject poverty and to their good and holy bish-op St. Basil the Great! In remembrance of that miracle wrought by God as a result of St. Basil's love and defense of his people, Ortho-dox Christians have observed the tradition of the Vasilopita each year on January 1st-- the date on which St. Basil reposed in the Lord in the year 379.

Please join us for our Parish Vasilopita on Sunday, January 12, following Divine Liturgy. The Metropolis of Chicago Vasilopita Celebration will also be on Sunday, January 12 at 6PM at St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago.

CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM! Christ is born; glorify him. Christ comes from heaven; go out to meet him. Christ descends to earth; let us be raised on high. Let all the world sing to the Lord; let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad, for his sake who was first in heaven and then on earth. Christ is here in the flesh; let us exult with fear and joy—with fear, because of our sins; with joy, because of the hope that he brings us.

Once more darkness is dispersed; once more the light is created. Let the people that sat in the darkness of ignorance now look upon the light of knowledge. The things of old have passed away; behold all things are made new. He who has no mother in heaven is now born without father on earth. The laws of nature are overthrown, for the upper world must be filled with citizens. He who is without flesh becomes incarnate; the Word puts on a body; the Invisible is seen; he whom no hand can touch is handled; the timeless has a beginning; the Son of God becomes Son of Man—Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.

Light from light, the Word of the Father comes to his own image, man. For the sake of my flesh he takes flesh; for the sake of my soul, he is united to a rational soul, purifying like by like. In every way he became man, except for sin. O strange conjunction! The Self ex-istent comes into being; the Uncreated is created. He shares in the poverty of my flesh, that I may share in the riches of his Godhead.

-St. Gregory of Nazianzus

by Fr. Tom Fitzgerald

Epiphany, one of the oldest and most important Feast days of the Orthodox Church, commemorates the manifestation of the Holy Trinity which took place at the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan River. Recognizing rich meaning in this event, Or-thodoxy believes that when Christ was baptized, it not only marked the beginning of its public ministry and revealed the Trinity, but also signified that the entire creation is destined to share in the glory of redemption in Christ. While Christ entered into the Jordan to be baptized, two things were hap-pening: He was identifying Himself with the people He had come to save; and, He was identifying Himself with the whole of Creation which was represented by water. Through His bap-tism, the Lord revealed the value of the created world and He redirected it toward its Creator. Creation is good and it be-longs to God.

The Great Blessing of Water is held on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany and on the day itself, following the Divine Litur-gy. The Blessing not only remembers the event of Our Lord's baptism and the revelation of the Holy Trinity but also ex-presses Orthodoxy's belief that creation is sanctified through Christ. The Blessing affirms that humanity and the created world, of which we are a part, were created to be filled with the sanctifying presence of God. After the solemn blessing, the Holy Water is distributed to the faithful and is used to bless homes during the Epiphany season. When the faithful drink the "Epiphany Water," we are reminded of our own bap-tism. When the Church blesses an individual, or object, or event with the water, we are affirming that those baptized, their surroundings, and their responsibilities are sanctified through Christ and brought into the Kingdom of the Father through the Spirit.

In addition to the Great Blessing of Water, there is a Lesser Blessing of Water service which can take place at anytime. Usually, it is celebrated when a home is blessed, on the first day of the month, the beginning of the school year, and be-ginning of new responsibilities.

If anyone would like to have their home and/or business blessed for Epiphany, please contact the office to speak to Fr. John or Fr. Stamati to make an appoint-ment after January 6.


As we prepare for the upcoming holiday season, please take a moment to review your 2013 Stewardship pledge & contribution statements that have recently been mailed to our Stewards.

It is the combination of your time, talent and treasure that supports our ministry programs. To give you an idea of where we are at (as of October 31st) Stewardship giving is at $263,765 which places us at 67.3% of our total year Stewardship goal of $392,000. We still have time to meet our goals and this is only possible with your help and love of our church!

In early October, Fr. John Kalomas, Terri Mikuzis and I, along with members of our Philoptochos attended the Metropolis Clergy-Laity Assembly in Sioux City, Iowa. We attended a number of informative presentations and meetings during our time in Iowa. The meetings gave us the opportunity to meet, share ideas and learn from other parishes within the Metropolis.

This year we have Parish Council elections on December 1st, please come and participate in the elections on that day!

Coming up in the New Year we look forward to our Winter Food Festival, so please watch for details on this event!

A few noteworthy maintenance items…

Parking Lot Repairs - We have completed initial patching and sealing of our parking lot with final seal coating and striping taking place this spring. Based on parishioner’s feedback we

were able to increase the number of accessible spaces! The cost of this project is $21,000. Thanks to Kosta Zografopoulos and Julie Tziolas for coordinating the movement of cars during the project!

Stained Glass Windows - We are awaiting final repairs to the windows restored earlier this year and look forward to having them completed very soon as the contractor experienced some delays with the fabrication of the lower windows. Our fund raising efforts have been going well and look forward to starting work again in the spring on additional windows! Please consider supporting this important project!

A big thanks to Matthew Bezanes who recently worked with our heating contractor during the conversion to heat for the winter months. He spent three days and saved a significant amount in repair costs. Thank you Matthew!

As you can see a number of activities continue to have taken place over the last few months and as our committee teams are busy making plans for the coming year, we look forward to reporting to you on these and other activities.

On behalf of the entire Parish Council we wish all of you a blessed Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

As we come to the end of our fiscal year it is important for us to remember to complete our Stewardship commitment for 2013. As of October 31, 2013, we have 493 families who have pledged/paid $263,766, out of a budgeted amount of $392,000.

Total giving including non-stewards, thru October 31, 2013, was $392,317, out of a budgeted amount of $547,000.

After reviewing the numbers you will find that November is not included and that the last two months of the year are usually when our Stewards complete their commitment to the church.

In the month of January we will receive our final accounting for the year 2013. At the same time, it is also the beginning of the new fiscal year 2014. All of us should have received our new Stewardship materials and should return our pledge cards as soon

as possible! Our pledge cards are very important for planning. They are a guide to making our church budget. Please fill it out and return them to the church. If you have not received your stewardship materials via mail, please take a packet from the pangari in the Narthex.

The Stewardship Committee would like to "Thank You" for your constant love and support. Your support allows us to continue the ministries which are vital to us all as Orthodox faithful.

On behalf of the Stewardship Committee we wish you and your family a Blessed Christmas and a happy, healthy, & faifhful New Year!

Terri Mikuzis Stewardship Chairman

FOR REFLECTION…

The God who came to us at Bethlehem continues to come to us today. He comes through the Sacrament of Baptism to bestow upon us His love, to call us His very own. He comes through the Sacrament of Chris-mation to fill us with His presence, to make our bodies temples of His Holy Spirit. He comes through repentance and the Sacrament of Con-fession to cleanse us of sin, to restore in our souls "the peace of God that passes all understanding.”

In every liturgy He comes to us as the Word of God, bringing words of eternal life through the Scripture readings and the sermon. Through the Sacrament of Communion He comes to be born again and again in the shabby stables of our hearts. He comes constantly through prayer. He blesses our marriages as He did that in Cana of Galilee. He stands by our sick bed, laying His healing hand upon us through the prayers of the priest. He comes again and again in so many, many ways through the

many ministries of His Church. He comes with healing and forgiveness; He comes with strength and guidance. He comes and when He comes, as the Bible says, “the blind see, the lame walk, and the prisoners are set free."

It is by offering our blessings back to God that He will be able to con-tinue His forgiving, healing, liberating, empowering, transfiguring, loving ministry through the Church. For God, Infinite though He be, has cho-sen to work through us, through our gifts, to continue His saving work in the world today.

by Fr. Anthony M. Coniaris


In September, October, and November, the following volunteers represented St. Andrew at the First Presbyterian Church, in Evanston: Jeremiah Garbis, Kristina Georgis, Susan Barron, Kathy

Polivas, Timi Papas, Niki Varney, Gwen Swackhammer, Helen Exarhakos, Chris Varones, Nick Hatzopoulos, Alexis Andricopoulos, Ariss Koines and Fofo Egon.

The Soup Kitchen can still use some volunteers, please call the church office if you can volunteer the 1st Saturday of the month. Thank you for your help!

What shall we offer Thee, O Christ,

Who for our sakes hast appeared on

the earth as a man?

Every creature which Thou hast

made offers Thee thanks.

The angels offer Thee a song;

The heavens, their star;

The wise men, their gifts;

The shepherds, their wonder;

The earth, its cave;

The wilderness; the manger;

And we offer Thee a virgin mother.

O Pre-eternal God, have mercy on us!

(Hymn of Christmas)

The Gifts of the Magi icon presents the Wise Men offering gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Christ Child. These wealthy scholars and priests of the East endured numerous dangers, and traveled great dis-tances to offer their treasures to Christ, the newborn king. What a beau-tiful and meaningful example of stewardship they set for all future gen-erations, helping us to understand the blessing of properly using and sharing God’s gifts.

To begin with, the Magi represent a sincere desire to seek after God, searching through science, nature, and their cultural traditions to com-municate with their Creator and discover His will for them, even when it was something so unexpected. Imagine their long, arduous journey, pos-sibly a 1500 mile expedition from Persia to Bethlehem, over mountains and deserts, a journey that took many months. Surely on such a trip they faced numerous dangers from nature, from bandits, and from the fear of the unknown.

What faith, determination and sacrifice they must have had. They surely faced questions and skepticism at the start. During their journey, unex-pected challenges and discouraging setbacks would have been common-place. Yet they persevered. They overcame the difficult trials and tests of their journey, and persisted in their search for God’s truth.

When they finally met the Christ Child, they bowed down in worship. They offered Jesus the most precious of their gifts. Although they were the “wise men” of their day, they didn’t allow their ego to interfere with their unexpected discovery. Even when the journey surprisingly took them beyond the king’s palace in Jerusalem to the insignificant village of Bethlehem, they went forward in faith. Everything seemed so astonish-ing, and yet in humility they approached the Christ Child to worship Him and offer the best of their gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

The Story of the Magi is not simply a cute part of Christmas, but it rep-resents central characters who model a path of faith and stewardship worthy of imitation. They offer an example of a sincere search for God using the intellectual gifts they possessed; a willingness to overcome any obstacles or challenging inconveniences in their journey towards God; and the witness of offering the best they had once they encounter the Christ Child.

In connection with this inspiring story of the Magi, we can also reflect on St. John Chrysostom’s words, “The rich man is not the one who has much, but the one who gives much. For what one gives away, he keeps for all eternity.” Both the Magi and Chrysostom offer a challenging per-spective of Christian Stewardship. We are called to understand that all we have in life - from life itself, to our intellectual abilities and specific talents, as well as to our faith experiences and material possessions – all

we have in life is a gift from God, and each of us is called to act as a proper and good steward of these gifts.

Think about how the Magi were conscientious stewards with their knowledge, experience and wisdom, as well as stewards of their time and effort, which culminated in their good stewardship of their treasure. St. John Chrysostom highlights that true wealth comes through sharing what we have first received from God Himself. Ultimately, whatever we have isn’t ours! All is God’s, and we are simply caretakers of His riches. As we learn to generously give of ourselves, of our time, talents and treasure, we only increase our wealth and make eternal investments.

Christian Stewardship is all about becoming good caretakers of all that God has given us. Think about all that God has given us – our health, our family, our opportunities in life, our intelligence, our talents. God has given each of us special and unique gifts. And through Holy Scrip-ture He teaches us all that we have is a loan. He lends everything to us, and reminds us that one day He will ask us to give a detailed accounting of what we have done with the gifts He has given us. How have we used our time, our talents, and our treasure? Have we used them in a self-centered way or God-glorifying ways? Archbishop Anastasios of Albania has noted that “we find ourselves by offering ourselves.” Have we learned the blessedness of generously giving to others of all we have?

Everything we have is temporal. We don’t know for how long we have it. The fundamental question, though, is how will we use all that we have for the glory of God?

One day, a person complained to his priest that the Church and Christi-anity is one continual “give, give, give.” To which the priest replied, “Thank you very much for the finest definition of Christianity I have ever heard. Your right, Christianity is all about a constant “give, give, give.” God giving His only Son to the world to show His unconditional love. His Son Jesus giving His life on the cross to forgive our sins and destroy death. Then our Lord’s disciples giving all they had to make sure God’s Good News of love was preached to all people everywhere. They not only gave away their homes and businesses, but even gave up their lives as martyrs in gratitude to God! And after all that giving of God to the world, yes, God does ask His followers of today to imitate His own gen-erosity by giving – by offering back from all that He ultimately has given each person! So, yes, the Church and Christianity is one continual “give, give, and give,” but from a good and holy perspective!

The Gifts of the Magi and the words of St. John Chrysostom help clarify our understanding of Christian Stewardship and what it means to act as a faithful fol-lower of Jesus Christ.

THE GIFTS OF THE MAGI: The Spirit of Stewardship Fr. Luke A. Veronis


With the help of you, our beloved stewards and friends, we are in the process of ordering new altar coverings. These coverings are used throughout the year and are a great gift to offer to our be-loved St. Andrew. Each set includes the following pieces:

Altar Table Covering (5 pieces)

2 Prothesi (oblation) table covers

4 Covers for the Holy Vessels

Cover for the Holy Gospel on the Altar

The items will be a special order unique to our needs and siz-es. Our church needs a total of six sets to be ordered through your love and generous donations. Each set will be a different

color which correspond to the various feast days:

· White for Anastasi (Easter) · Gold for the Feast Days of the Lord · Red for the Martyr Saints & the Christmas Season · Blue for the Feast Days of the Panagia · Green for Pentecost & the Feasts of the Life Giving Cross · Purple for Great Lent & Holy Week

If you are able to assist us through a monetary donation towards a particular set of coverings, please contact Fr. John or Fr. Stama-ti. Donations may be made for health and well-being or in loving memory. Offering one of these sets bestows countless blessings on all each time we offer the Divine Services upon them!

Time and the elements have taken their toll on our beautiful Stained Glass windows and frames within our church complex.

In order to address these necessary repairs, we are pleased to an-nounce the launch of our Capital Campaign, with Fr. John Kutulas as our Honorary Chairman, to raise the funds to repair the win-dows. Our goal is to raise $500,000 and we have collected $62,000 already towards that goal that has allowed us to work on a number of windows over the last two years. With your love and support we can continue and complete this important project and restore our windows to their original beauty within the church.

Over the last few years we have reviewed the condition of the windows and have worked with specialists to identify the ac-tions that need to be taken in order to repair and restore the windows.

In particular the steel frames that hold the Stained Glass have rusted over time and has, in some instances, slowly forced both the protective outer glass along with the stained glass out of their frames. Please see the photos to better under-stand the condition of the windows.

Thus far we have rebuilt eight out of forty-five windows in the main church. This included three in the Nave, four in the Brides Room, one more behind the Altar area, and a window in the Chapel door that has allowed us to assess the work involved and also to develop a specification for the paint and other materials related to the windows. The Chapel consists of another twenty windows that while in better condition will also need some level of repair as we go through this process.

The work on each nave window costs approximately $25,000, and more for the larger transept windows, so as you can see this will ultimately be a very large and expensive project, but one that is necessary to protect our beautiful edifice.

What we learned has helped us formalize the scope of work and to develop our work plan and create a phasing schedule for the project. Focusing first on the north elevation of the main church which is exposed to salt spray from vehicles and the weather in general as opposed to other areas of the build-ing that are more protected.

Of course all of these plans will require funds to perform the necessary work and it is our hope that this campaign creates awareness to the physical needs of the church and plants the

seeds for the sacrificial giving that will allow us to perform this work.

For additional information, please contact Fr. John Kalomas, Fr. John Kutulas, Fr. Stamati or any member of the parish council with any questions you may have and to learn how you can help us achieve our goal!


Dear Philoptochos Members and Friends,

Thursday, September 5th we had our first meeting of the Ecclesiasti-cal Year. We had over 20 women at our meeting. What a wonder-ful way to begin the year! Thank you to all who attended.

Thank you to Marianne Nichols and Cindy Melas who helped organ-ize Holy Cross Vespers/Feast Day and to all the ladies who baked and helped with this event.

On Saturday, September 21, we had 2 tables who represented our chapter at The Metropolis of Chicago Ladies Philoptochos Annual Luncheon. This luncheon benefited St. Iakovos Retreat Center, Aid to Greece & Cyprus and the Metropolis Philoptochos Philan-thropic Endeavors. Thank you Marilyn for coordinating this event. It was a lovely afternoon.

We would also like to congratulate Marilyn Tzakis for being presented from His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos, The Metro-politan Iakovos Service Award to the Metropolis, at the Metrop-olis Luncheon.

Sat, Oct 12, we held our breakfast meeting. Thank you to Terri Mikuzis for making her delicious French toast and to all those who brought items to the meeting. We began making our fleece blan-kets that will be given to the UI Pediatric Unit. It was a wonderful morning of fellowship. Thank you to those who joined us.

Saturday, November 9, 2013 we went to the Greek American Re-habilitation Care Centre located in Wheeling, Il. We spent an af-ternoon with the residents and they enjoyed themselves very much. I would like to thank Maria Kotsinis for coordinating this delightful afternoon. Thank you to Georgia Farlekas for making the rice pudding that everyone enjoyed and to ladies who helped/baked; Seva Johnson, Timi Papas, Patty Harrison, Cindy Melas, Hellena Chrones, Christie Chrones and Peggy Papaioannou.

ST. ANDREW’S WOMEN’S PHILOPTOCHOS DINNER DANCE, Saturday, December 7, 2013. You should have received your invitation to our annual Holiday Dinner Dance. Patty Tsaoussis and Kathy Siavelis along with their committee have been working very hard planning this wonderful evening. Gather your friends and join us at

this special event. If you haven’t made your reservation, please contact Terri Mikuzis at 847-832-1631

COME JOIN THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY CELEBRATION

of the St. Andrew’s Women’s Philoptochos Society On Thursday, Dec 12, 2013 at 6:30 pm At Skokie Club, 4741 Main St, Skokie, IL

(Just east of Skokie Blvd. and Main Street) Ph:847-673-9393 Price: $30.00 per person

(Includes: Hors D’oeuvre, Soup, Salad, Entrée, Dessert, a glass of wine, coffee, soft drinks and gratuity) Choice

of three entrees: Athenian Chicken, Strip Steak, Broiled White Fish Choice of two desserts: Homemade

Rice Pudding or Yogurt with Honey and Walnuts Please RSVP no later than Mon, Dec 9, 2013 (indicate choices for entree & dessert) Cynthia Melas 847-673.8826 [email protected]

Marianne Nichols 773.659-4441 [email protected] Make checks payable to SAWPS

PHILOPTOCHOS JANUARY BREAKFAST MEETING NOTICE FLEECE BLANKET MAKING

Saturday, January 25, 2014 in the Presidents’ Room, at 9:30 am

RSVP to Vonnie by Wednesday, January 22, 2014, at [email protected] or call 630-378-4878

so we may prepare for breakfast and how many blankets we will need to purchase. Please bring a scissors. Bring a friend!!

JANUARY UPCOMING EVENTS:

METROPOLIS VASILOPITA The Philoptochos is now selling Tickets to the Metropolis of Chica-go Citywide Vasliopita event. Tickets will be sold Sundays follow-ing church up until the event and are $10 or see one of the board members for tickets.

This year the event will take place at St. George, Greek Ortho-dox Church, Chicago on Sunday, January 12th at 6pm. Please support these children in need. Additional information on St. Basil’s Academy and their good works can be found at http://www.saintbasilacademy.org. If you cannot attend in person, we are happy to accept donations.

FEED THE HUNGRY

Please join the Philoptochos for the Feed The Hungry program at Annunciation Cathedral on Tuesday, January 28, 2014. Your two hour commitment of serving a hot meal to approximately 200 guests will be appreciated.

We are also collecting ONLY clean coats, scarves, hats, gloves, clothing for both men and women (NO CHILDREN’S ITEMS). These garments are available for our guests to take after they have been served a hot meal. Because many of our guests are homeless, these items are much needed and appreciated. You may drop off your items at church no later than Sunday, January 26th. Drop off bins will be provided in the hallway of the audito-rium.

Please contact Patty Tsaoussis at 773-467-8810 or an e-mail to [email protected] if you can join us on January 28th at 10:45 am.

PHILOPTOCHOS MEETING NOTICE SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2014,

in the Presidents’ Room, immediately following Divine Liturgy FEBRUARY UPCOMING EVENTS:

“Go Red for Women” is the American Heart Association’s na-tional call to increase awareness and help prevent disease. This is the number one killer of American women.Here is some in-formation National Philoptochos sent us in a letter: The statistics make it clear why awareness is important. Ninety percent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease. Only one in five women believes that heart disease is her greatest health risk. The most important statistic, eighty percent of cardiac events in women could be prevented if women made the right choices for their hearts involving diet, exercise and not smoking. Join in the mission to fight heart disease in women today!

National Philoptochos Society is designating Sun, Feb 9, 2014 as Go Red Sunday and asking ALL women around the country to wear red when attending Church services. Stop by the Philoptochos

tel:847-673-9393

tel:847-673.8826

mailto:[email protected]

tel:773.659-4441




table to get information from the American Heart Association or go to their website www.heart.org for information.

SAVE THE DATE!!! GLENDI - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2014 Fellowship at 6pm, Dinner & Dancing at 7pm

Join Philoptochos for this fun filled event for the whole family! Details to follow.

A reminder, we are going GREEN! If you have email, a notice reminder will be sent to you, otherwise we will have the meet-ings/activities posted in the Sunday Bulletin as well as all infor-mation in the monthly Anchor. If you have questions, please feel free to call me at 630-378-4878 or email me at [email protected]. 2014 Membership: We are now accepting 2014 Philoptochos Membership. See form below. Volunteer Form 2014 : Please take a few moments and look at the form below and sign up where you would like to help. Your support is greatly appreciated. We look forward to seeing you not only at these events, but other Philoptochos get-togethers. Everyone is welcome! Vonnie Karafotias, Philoptochos President

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year From St. Andrew’s Women’s Philoptochos

PHILOPTOCHOS COMMITMENTS: September Commitments/National

$1000 for the Retired Clergy Association Benevolent Fund and $500 to Holy Cross/Hellenic College,

which we would like to thank the parishioners for their donation in the tray that was passed

October Commitments/National $500 for the Emergency Fund (Natural Disasters)

Planned Other Philanthropy: $1000 to St. Iakovos Camp/Retreat Center

November Commitments/National $500 to SS. Cosmas & Damianos Ecumenical Patriachate,

which we would like to thank the parishioners for their donation in the tray that was passed

$500 to National Sisterhood of Presbyteres

November/December Commitments Planned Other Philanthropy:

$300 Care for Real – Thanksgiving Turkeys

December Commitments National: $500 General Medical Fund; $100 UNICEF

Metropolis $150 Metropolis Christmas Gifts (Wish List for the needy)

$300 Metropolis Open House Planned Other Philanthropy

$500 Chicago Food Depository for Care For Real

PHILOPTOCHOS OUTING AT THE LIGHTHOUSE On Sat, Nov 16, over 30 ladies met at the Admiral on the Lake for a lovely afternoon of mingling. I would like to thank Evangeline Mistaras for helping find the location for this event and to Marilyn Tzakis coordinat-

ing the event along with Vicki Karagianis and Fotine Bloom. Thanks to the board who brought many of our delicious lite faire items. A very special thank you for the wonderful presentation from our own Diane Alexander White who showed us some of her wonderful photography on “People, Places and Things.” It was spectacular!! If you enjoyed this event, then please don’t forget to join us for our Christmas Dinner Outing, on Thurs., Dec. 12.

St. Andrew’s Philoptochos - Volunteer Form – 2014 Dear Members: Please take a few moments and look at the list below to see where you would be interested in help-ing. It is with your help that we are able to do the things listed below. Thank you, Vonnie Karafotias

Please put a X next to what you’d like to volunteer for or attending. Please return to church office or email it to [email protected]

Special Trays – 2014

___Sunday, January 12 Vasilopita Tray

___Sunday, March 23 HC/HC Lenten Event Tray

January, 2014 ___Sunday, January 5 St. Andrew’s Vasilopita - selling tickets

___Sunday, January 12 St. Andrew’s Vasilopita (Vasilopita/ set-up)

___Tuesday, January 28 Soup Kitchen – Annunciation Cathedral

February, 2014

___Sunday, February 9 Go Red Sunday

___Friday, February 21 Glendi Set-up 6pm

___Saturday, February 22 Glendi – 6pm fellowship, 7 pm dinner

Name:__________________________________________________________________

Phone:__________________________________________________________________

Email:___________________________________________________________________ Meetings for 2014 – Presidents’ Room - Please mark your calendars!

Saturday, January 25, 2014 – 9:30 am breakfast meeting; Sunday February 9, 2014 – Immediately following church Sunday, March 16, 2014 – Immediately following church; April – NO MEETING; Thursday, May 15, 2014 – 6:30 potluck dinner

Please Note: Dates and Times Subject for change. Check your weekly bulletin, Anchor and emails

March, 2014

___ Sunday, March 23 3rd Annual Lenten Luncheon – Stavroproskinisios

April, 2014

___Sunday, April 13 Palm Sunday Bake Sale/Tsoureki Sale

May, 2014

NURSING HOME VISIT – DATE TO BE DETERMINED

June, 2014

___Week of June 9th - Dinner Outing – Location/date TBD


PHILOPTOCHOS 2014 MEMBERSHIP/STEWARDSHIP

Christian stewardship is the means by which members can fulfill financial, service, and spiritual commitment to member-ship. We pray you choose to be part of St. Andrew’s Women’s Philoptochos in your time, talent, and support. It is only through your generous commitment that we are able to pursue our philanthropic mission.

Suggested Annual Membership Donation: $40.00 To be distributed as follows:

National Philoptochos: $15.00 & Metropolis Philoptochos: $6.00 Any additional amount supports the good works of our chapter.

Please print a copy of this form and complete the requested information Name _____________________________________________________________ Spouse ____________________________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________________________ City ______________________________ State ___________ Zip _____________ Phone Number ___________________ Cell Number_________________ Email ______________________________________________________ Donation Amount ______________

Please make check payable to St. Andrew’s Women’s Philoptochos Society (SAWPS). Mail your check and this form to: St. Andrew’s Women’s Philoptochos Society

Attn: Membership 5649 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60660

************************************************** Please indicate the SAWPS activities that interest you:

____ Membership ____ Programs for Monthly Meetings ____ Vasilopita

____ Holy Cross Reception (September 13 & 14) ____ St. Andrew’s Reception (November 29 & 30)

____ Baking Pastries ____ Glendi Committee ____ Dinner Dance Committee

____ IOCC Walkathon ____ Christmas Dinner Outing ____ End of Year Dinner Outing

____ Bulletin Board ____ Feed the Hungry/Annunciation Cathedral ____ Outreach Project

____ Boutique ____ Public Relations ____ Thanksgiving Food Baskets

____ Christmas Food Baskets ____ Nursing Home ____Bake Sale (Palm Sunday)


During this fall, our regular Sunday Church School Classes have continued in earnest. Our Sunday Church School Curriculum as well as our very capable teachers have so much to teach our children that it would be wonderful to see all of them on time each and every Sunday following Holy Communion. We encourage all of our Parish families to make attending the Divine Liturgy and attending Sunday Church School a priority as it will be a true blessing for you all!

During the months of September, October and November, many annual events have taken place within our Sunday Church School Program including our First Day of Sunday Church School together with our Agiasmos Service and Back to School Barbecue (September 8th), our Parish Inclusion Sunday (October 13th), and Godparent Sunday (November 3rd). Thank you to everyone who helped in making these events memorable. In particular, we would like to thank Fr. John and Fr. Stamati along with Julie Tziolas for our First Day of Sunday Church School and Agiasmos Service, to Presvytera Kiki and Maria Kotsinis for Inclusion Sunday, and to Irene Fiorentinos, Shia Kapos, and Vonnie Karafotias for Godparent Sunday. We are blessed to have had you all helping us with these beautiful events.

As you may have noticed our St. Andrew’s Children/Youth Choir again has been chanting the responses to the Divine Liturgy on the first Sunday of each month and will continue to do so the first Sunday of each month. Dr. Peter Jermihov, our St. Andrew’s Choir Director, invites all of our students in grades 1st to High School to come to the Choir Loft at 9:30 a.m. on those Sundays and participate within this choir. We also ask that you encourage all of our young choir members in their efforts.

Also one Sunday of each month, our Sunday Church School will continue to focus on teaching our students the inspiring hymns of our Divine Liturgy as well as other hymns of our Orthodox Faith. Mrs. Maria Kotsinis will be instructing our students in grades Kindergarten through fourth grade within a classroom on the 2nd Floor, and Dr. Peter Jermihov will be instructing our students in our fifth through high school classes in our Holy Cross Chapel. These classes will be held as part our regular Sunday Church School Class instruction time. Parents, please help us in our efforts to teach our children the beautiful hymns of our Holy Orthodox Church, and to use their beautiful voices in singing praises to God!

During the months of November and December, our students have again been asked to bring various nonperishable items for the annual Thanksgiving and Christmas Food Drives, which are put together for the needy in conjunction with our Philoptochos. Flyers have been or will be distributed in Sunday Church School for the items, which each class is asked to bring.

In addition, our Sunday Church Students will also be asked to purchase holiday gifts for needy children as part of our annual Birthday for Jesus Celebration on Sunday, December 8th. This year the gifts will again be given to “Friends of U of I Pediatric Unit – Children’s Hospital”. Information is being given to all of our families regarding this event. Please look for these flyers. We ask that our parents use each of these opportunities to instruct and support their children so that they are able to participate fully in these events and so that this Thanksgiving and Christmas Season may be memorable and spiritually enlightening one for all!

This month, our Sunday Church School Students together with their teachers and parents will present our annual Christmas Pageant on Sunday, December 22nd. This year’s pageant entitled A Little Child, who from Eternity is God – The Story of the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our students will be working diligently in learning their various parts as Readers and Cast Members, and in learning the various hymns and carols as part of the Youth and Angel Choirs, as well as their parts as Little Shepherds and Lambs. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the teachers, staff members, and parents who will be assisting us in bringing together this beautiful presentation. Everyone’s efforts are sincerely appreciated and we could not do any of this without your help and support.

Finally, throughout the months of January through the beginning of March, our Sunday Church School Students will be participating in our Annual Parish St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Program. As we did have done each year, each Sunday starting Sunday, January 26th and continuing through Sunday, March 2nd, each of our Sunday Church School Classes will be making their presentations at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy. In this manner, a few classes can be highlighted each week, and our Parish Family can enjoy and admire the efforts of our children in smaller segments. Our Oratorical Festival will culminate when our Junior High and High School Students make their presentations in at the end of February and beginning of March. We encourage all of our children to be in Sunday Church School each week, starting Sunday, January 5th when our classes resume so that they can learn the hymnology of our Orthodox Church and can properly prepare for their Oratorical presentations. We invite everyone within our Parish family to support the efforts of all our children in witnessing to our Orthodox Faith. You will enjoy each and every one of their presentations.

Wishing everyone all of God’s Blessings this Christmas and in the New Year!

With Love in Christ,

Kathy Siavelis

ST. ANDREW ORATORICAL FESTIVAL SCHEDULE 2014 Sunday, January 26th – 3& 4 yr. olds & Kindergarten

Sunday, February 2nd – 1st & 2nd Grades

Sunday, February 9th – 3rd & 4th Grades

Sunday, February 16th – 5th & 6th Grades

Sunday, February 23rd – Jr. Division (7th-9th Grades)

Sunday, March 2nd – Sr. Division (10th-12th Grades)

Bulletin Board made by our Sunday School

students on Inclusion Sunday, entitled “Brick by

Brick, we are all one in God’s house”, in which each student describes

what makes them unique and how they use their

gifts to help others.


DECEMBER: 1–Youth Choir 8–Adult Choir

15–Men’s Choir 22–Adult Choir

JANUARY: 5–Adult Choir

12–Youth Choir 19–Adult hoir

26–Women's Choir

FEBUARY 2–Youth Choir 9–Adult Choir

16–Men's Choir 23-Adult Choir

MARCH 2–Youth Choir 9–Adult Choir 16–Women's Choir 23-Adult Choir 30- Chanters

With great joy we announce that our Holy Metropolis will once again celebrate the Hellenic Letters week with various events throughout the Metropolis. This year, 2014 will mark the first time that our Dr. Basil E. Stevens Greek School students will participate in the Greek Essay Competition in Loving Memory of Dr. Fotios Litsas. If you are able to attend any of the following events please do so in support for our Hellenic Culture and Language but also of our young Children which our studying the Hellenic Language.

ΗΜΕΡΟΜΗΝΙΕΣ ΕΚΔΗΛΩΣΕΩΝ ΤΩΝ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΩΝ ΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΩΝ

HELLENIC LETTERS CELEBRATION CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Σάββατο, 7 Δεκεμβρίου, 2013

Έκθεση Μαθητών « Το Αγραφον»

Saturday December 7, 2013 Metropolis wide Greek School Competition,

In memory of Dr. Fotios Litsas

Κυριακή, 19 Ιανουαρίου 2014 Μνημόσυνο στην μνήμη εκπαιδευτικών, Ραδιοεκφωνητών,

Δημοσιογράφων, Διανοουμένων, στον Άγιο Γεώργιο, Σικάγου.

Sunday, January 19, 2014 Hierarchical Divine Liturgy and Memorial Service in remembrance

of the Hellenic Education Teachers, Journalists, Radio and TV announcers who have fallen asleep in the Lord, at

St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 2701 N. Sheffield Ave., Chicago, IL 60614. (773) 525-1793

Σάββατο, 25 Ιανουαρίου 2014 Πανσχολική Εορτή, στην Ελληνική Αμερικανική Ακαδημία

Saturday, January 25th Metropolis Wide Greek School Celebration,

at the Hellenic American Academy, 1085 Lake Cook Rd., Deerfield, IL 60015. (847) 317-1063

Κυριακή, 26 Ιανουαρίου 2014, 10:00 π.μ. Αρχιερατική Θεία Λειτουργία στον Αγιο Δημήτριο Σικάγου, και

2:00 μ.μ Γεύμα και απόδοση Βραβείων στους μαθητές που αρίστευσαν στην έκθεση «Το Άγραφον»

Sunday, January 26, 2014 Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox

Church, 2727 W. Winona St., Chicago, IL 60625.

2:00 P.M. Hellenic Letters Celebration Luncheon at the Chateau Ritz Banquets, 9100 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles, IL 60714.

Τετάρτη, 29 Ιανουαρίου 2014 Eσπερινός των Τριών Ιεραρχών στην Εκκλησία των Αγίων

Κωνσταντίνου και Ελένης

Wednesday, January 29, 2014 Great Vespers for the Feast of the Three Hierarchs at SS.

Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, 11025 S. Roberts Rd., Palos Hills, IL 60465. (708) 974-3400.

Πέμπτη, 30 Ιανουαρίου 2014 Αρχιερατική Θεία Λειτουργία των Τριών Ιεραρχών στην

Εκκλησία του Αγίου Χαραλάμπους

Τhursday, January 30, 2014 Hierarchical Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Three Hierarchs at St. Haralambos Greek Orthodox Church, 7373 N. Caldwell Ave.,

Niles, IL 60714. (847) 647-8880.

Dear Parents,

In celebration of Christmas and New Year’s our Greek school chil-dren will received poems and have also been learning many of the Christmas Songs in Greek. The Children’s performance will take place on Saturday, December 21, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. in the presidents room. We ask that you extend this invitation to your family and friends so that they may see the great works of our chil-dren and share with us in the Christmas Season.

Each parent is asked to bring drinks, snacks or sweets for us to share in fellowship after the program. Please remember that we are in the fasting season of Christmas and since it is only a few short days before Christmas I ask that all items be meat and dairy free.

As a reminder our School will be closed for Christmas break at the end of our Program (December 21) and classes will resume on Saturday, January 11, 2013.

Lastly, this year our school will once again be participating in the Metropolis Annual Pan-Scholiki Eorte (School wide Celebration) on Saturday, January 25, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. at the Hellenic American Academy, Deerfield, IL. We ask that all students are present at this event in support of our Greek School.

We pray you have a blessed Christmas Season!

In Christ,

Fr. John Kalomas Fr. Stamati G. Sfikas Proiestamenos Presbyter


ST. ANDREW GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS CARD 2013

With the holiday season rapidly approaching, St. Andrew’s is once again sponsoring a community Christmas card.

For a $20 donation, your name will be printed on the Christmas card, which will be sent to all stewards of the community.

Please TYPE or PRINT your name EXACTLY as you would like it to appear on the card & return it to the Church office by

Friday, December 6, 2013, along with your check made payable to St. Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Church

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!


NEXT EVENT: DECEMBER 17 AT 7PM

At the Billy Goat Tavern in Mount Prospect


St. Andrew’s 5th Annual Winter Food Fest Saturday, January 11, 2014 – 3 – 8pm & Sunday, January 12, 2014 – Noon – 4 pm

Come and enjoy Greek Food, Beer, Wine, Pastries & other Greek delicacies. Admission is FREE with plenty of parking on the church grounds. For more infor-mation, call the church office at 773-334-4515 or email [email protected]

50/50 Raffle/5 tickets for $20 or $5 per ticket. Sell tickets to your friends and family. The church will re-ceive half the proceeds and the winner will receive the other half. The more tickets sold, the greater benefit to the church and the lucky winner. Stop by the table after church in the auditorium. Please return money and tick-ets on Sunday’s or mail them to the church office, attn: Winter Food Fest.

You can also help to support St. Andrew’s by offering to help as well. Help defray the costs by making a dona-tion from the Wish List. All forms are also on line on the website at www.standreworthodox.org.

St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church

5649 N. Sheridan Rd.

Chicago, IL 60660

St. Andrew’s 5th Annual

Winter Food Fest

January 11 – 12, 2014

Saturday 3 – 8 pm

Sunday Noon – 4 pm

Greek Food, Beer, Wine, Pastries & other Greek Delicacies, Orthodox Books, Raffle

50/50 Raffle: 5 tickets for $20 or $5.00 per ticket

Admission Free

For more information, call the church office at 773-334-4515

5649 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, 773-334-4515

[email protected], www.standreworthodox.org

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