Personally, I really, really enjoy the Christmas sea-son. Presbytera Elena frets that commercial in-terests promote it earlier and earlier every year. But I look forward to it, the lights, the carols, the food, the joy. Growing up back East, when winters were colder, I fondly re-call the stores decked out with wreaths and lights while Christmas music filled the air. It was a treat going to buy Christ-mas presents for my loved ones while seeing the streets, sidewalks and landscape covered in snow as we all anticipated the approach of Christmas. When you go to stores and malls these days to shop, most sales associates, wanting to be “politically
correct” will wish you a “Happy Holidays” instead of "Merry Christmas. This switch has been years in the making and reveals the cultural shift and loss of tradition in our country and society. The expression “Happy Holidays” doesn’t really bother me. That’s be-cause most people who say “Happy Holidays” do not realize that the word “holiday” is itself a short-en version of “holy days.” Unwittingly, such people are wishing everyone blessed days. The period before the Feast of Christmas is in-deed a time of holy days. In a sense, the Christmas Season begins with the Feast of St. Nicholas on December 6th. St. Nicho-
las was a traditional gift giving saint to children because he saved three young girls from being forced into prostitution from a destitute father who could not afford their dowries. St. Nicholas, the bishop of My-ra in present day Turkey, would throw bags of gold into their house one night to provide the proper dowry. As a youngster, my siblings and I would put up stockings on the Eve of St. Nicholas. The next day we would awake and find them stuffed with fruits, nuts and small presents. It was a harbin-ger of Christmas. Societal and cultural changes have transformed St. Nicholas into the secular figure of Santa Claus, a big elf in a red suit who delivers presents to the chil-dren of the world. Yet despite the encroachment of this secu-lar figure of Santa Claus, we
NOVEMBER—DECEMBER 2016
Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church
www.stsch.org
43404 30th St West Lancaster, CA 93536
(661) 945-1212
Fr. Dionysios Listermann-Vierling
Pastor
E-mail: [email protected]
Cell Phone: (831) 713-6941
For confirmation or questions on any event,
please contact
E-mail: sylvarobinson001
@gmail.com (661)794-8307
P A G E 2 T H E A N T E L O P E V A L L E Y B E A C O N
Mother of God, for she be-comes the living temple of God. In each reading we hear, "for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of the Lord God Almighty." (Exodus 40:1-5, 9-10, 16, 34-35; I Kings 7:51, 8:1, 3-4, 6-7, 9-11; and Ezekiel 43:27-44)
She brings with her the grace of the Spirit,
Therefore, the angels of God praise her:
"Truly this woman is the abode of heaven."
We will be honoring this Great Feast of the Church, with a Great Vespers Service, on Sunday 20 Nov at 6PM at the Church.
NOTICES Memorials
We are providing a form on which Parishioners can notify Fr. Dionysios of planned me-morials. Please ask for the form at the candle stand. If possible, please submit the form at least one Sunday pri-or to the planned date.
According to the rules of the Church memorials are not permitted: from the Satur-day of Lazarus through Thomas Sunday. Also, memo-rials are not allowed on the Great Feast Days of the Lord and of the Theotokos.
can take comfort in the fact that the Nativity of Our Lord is still called Christmas. For Christmas means “Christ’s Mass.” It is a time to celebrate, in liturgy, the birth of the Messiah, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Many folks worry about the constant image of San-ta Claus on TV and the ubiquitous use of “Happy Holidays” during the weeks of November and Decem-ber. If you really wish to keep Christ in Christmas, there is a meaningful rem-edy. Go to church! It’s not enough to bake Christmas cookies and decorate ever-green trees with tinsel and ornaments. If one really wants to soak in the joy and holiness of this blessed time of the year, if one really yearns to keep Christ in Christmas, what better way than to come to church and partic-ipate in the scared and ho-ly liturgy? That’s the true focus of the feast – ob-serving in prayer, thanks-giving and glorification of the birth of Jesus, the true Prince of Peace and Saviour of the World. I hope to see you all on Christmas Eve or Christ-mas Day. May it be a mean-ingful and blessed moment in your lives and in the lives of your loved ones! Yours in the Incarnate One, Fr. Dionysios
Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple
Also called The Presentation, is one of the 12 Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church, celebrated on November 21st.
According to Tradition, the Theotokos was taken – presented – by her par-ents Joachim and Anna into the Jewish Temple in Jeru-salem as a young girl, where she lived and served as a Temple virgin until her be-trothal to St. Joseph. One of the earliest sources of this tradition is the non-canonical Protoevangelion of James.
Mary was solemnly received by the temple community which was headed by the priest Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. She was led to the holy place to be-come herself the "holy of holies" of God, the living sanctuary and temple of the Divine child who was to be born in her. The Church also sees this feast as a feast which marks the end of the physical temple in Jerusalem as the dwelling place of God.
On the eve of the feast, Vespers is served and contains Old Testa-ment readings that are in-terpreted as symbols of the
T H E A N T E L O P E V A L L E Y B E A C O N P A G E 3
FELLOWSHIP HOUR SCHEDULE
Date Event Sponsor
Nov 6 No Coffee Hour
Nov 13 Parish Assembly Luncheon by Hellenic Center
Nov 20 Coffee Hour Valerie Lawrence
Nov 27 Coffee Hour Presvytera Elena
Dec 4 Coffee Hour
Dec 11 Parish Council Election Fish Luncheon by Hellenic Center
Dec 18 Coffee Hour
Dec 25 Holy Nativity No Coffee Hour
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER SPECIAL SERVICES Nov 20 Sun– 6:00 PM Great Vespers—Entry of the Theotokos in to the Temple
Dec 24 Sat– 6:00 PM Holy Nativity Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil
AV GREEK FESTIVAL 2016
The Greek Festival held on October 7, 8 and 9 this year was a wonderful festival. Due to the heart-breaking death of Sgt. Owen attendance was light. Nonetheless we would like to thank the Festival Chairman Bill Koukourikos, and Food Chairman Pamela Evola, and all the volunteers for their tireless efforts to put together a beautiful Festival. The Festival for next year is being planned for mid-late September 2017. OPA!!
2016 PARISH COUNCIL
Peter Bouras PRESIDENT
James Brunson VICE-PRESIDENT
Julie Agnew TREASURER
Dr. Alexander Patananan SECRETARY
Pamela Evola
Bill Koukourikos
Petar Simich
Corrine Sakelarios (vacant)
George Sakelarios (vacant)
P A G E 5
T H E A N T E L O P E V A L L E Y B E A C O N
Memorials
George and Pilar Dracopoulos, for family members
Marilena Bos-Pavel—40 Day Memo-rial for her sister Anca
Sia Mormanis—for her husband and her mother-in-law
Tom Harris—40 Day Memorial for Dan Lusk
Ana Ketza—40 Day Memorial for her mother
Sacraments Baptisms
Nick and Ashley Christou– their son Noah David Christou
Weddings Max Listermann-Vierling to Marilyn Ruth, Greensboro North Carolina
Georgia Zaharopoulos to Walter Echanique
Future Events in the Metropolis
Young Adult Winter Retreat in South Lake Tahoe
A weekend of skiing, snowboarding, and Orthodox teaching. Open to all Orthodox Collee Students and Young Professionals
South Lake Tahoe Galilee Camp and Conference Center 1776 Hwy 50, Glenbrook, NV 89413
www.galileetahoe.org
"Teach Righteousness"
A Regional Church School Workshop will be held on Saturday, November 5, 2016, from 10:00 am-3:00 pm at Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathe-dral, Los Angeles.
Summer Camp Staff Applications for 2017 are available now, and are due by January 20, 2017.
P A G E 4
P A G E 5 T H E A N T E L O P E V A L L E Y B E A C O N
Miltos Leventis Memorial
Scholarship Applications for the MLMS for 2017 will be available to graduating sen-iors of our parish, starting Novem-ber 2016. Application deadline will be January 31, 2017. To be eligible to apply, a senior must have attend-ed Divine Liturgy a minimum of twelve times during the 2016 calen-dar year and must have a minimum GPA of 3.0. The student’s participa-tion in extracurricular school and civic activities, along with participa-tion in local Parish and Metropolis activities will be taken into consid-eration during the evaluation of the application.
2016 Recipients
Andrew Bouras
Cassandra Koukourikos
Franky Martinez
Dan Lusk Choir Director
Dan Lusk, beloved Choir Director for Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Or-thodox Church, was born August 12, 1961, inLong Beach, CA. Dan fell asleep in the Lord on September 15, 2016, at Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, CA.
Dan moved from Long Beach to Lancaster in 1987. He worked at Motion Industries in the Antelope Valley for 30 years. In the Antelope Valley, he was active in local theater and had fond memories of the many shows in which he participated.
Dan became an Orthodox Christian as an adult. He began singing in the choir and then devoted the next 25 years serving as Choir Director at our little Parish.
Dan will be remembered for his smile and his beautiful singing voice. He will be missed dearly by all of his family and friends.
The Archbishop’s Years of Service Award was presented posthumously in commemoration of the twenty-five years Dan had served here as our choir direc-tor.
May his memory be eternal!
T H E A N T E L O P E V A L L E Y B E A C O N P A G E 6
Elementary Division (Grades 4-6) Parish Level Only
Junior Division (Grades 7-9)
Senior Division (Grades 10-12)
Topics and Material for 2016 Festival are available at
http://religioused.sanfran.goarch.org/oratorical
ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM ORATORICAL FESTIVAL 2016
ADULTS SAVE THE DATE
2016 METROPOLIS GALA
Date: Nov 12, 2016
Time: All Day
Type: Fundraiser
Location: The Island Hotel in Newport Beach, CA
The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco will celebrate its ministries
and honor the extraordinary leadership of Jeannie and Gerry Ranglas. Jeannie
and Gerry Ranglas have been chosen as this year’s recipients of the Theofanis
Economidis Award in honor of their leadership, inspirational vision, hard work,
and humble service to Jesus Christ and His Holy Church.
P A G E 7 T H E A N T E L O P E V A L L E Y B E A C O N
Date: Saturday, Dec 3
Time: 10:00 am – 2:30 pm
Grades: Six – Twelve
Place: St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church in Irvine, CA
Annual Pan-Orthodox Southern California Bible and Church History Tournament; otherwise known as Bible Bowl. The topic and quiz material will be available at a later time. Plan now to be on our parish team!
FEEDING THE HUNGRY
St. Vincent de Paul has been providing meals and clothing 4 days a week EVERY WEEK of the year for the needy right here in the Antelope Valley. Throughout 2016, Sts. Constantine & Helen has been alternating with Holy Cross Antiochian Or-thodox Church in preparing and serving a hot meal on the 4th Saturday of each month. Sts. Constantine & Helen has provided 1,353 meals this year! Saturday, Octo-ber 22, 2016 we were able to give out nearly 200 servings of a hot “Asian” themed meal. Our next volunteer opportunity will be on the 4th Saturday of January, 2017. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Pamela Evola (661) 350-7549.
http:/ svdplancaster.wix.com/ourladyofcharity
YOUTH SAVE THE DATE
2016 BIBLE BOWL
Left to Right:
Jackie Hall
Sylva Robinson
Pamela Evola
Steven Benveniste
T H E A N T E L O P E V A L L E Y B E A C O N
P A G E 8
Experience the
transforming power
of engaging in
face-to-face, heart-to-heart con-
versations with your family!
Join us for the Family
Wellness Ministry
Challenge
Reclaiming the Family Dinner
– One Meal at a Time!
Pray before every meal
Make the Table Tech-Free
(Disconnect to Connect)
Engage in Face-to-Face ~
Heart-to-Heart Conversa-
tions
Download our Family
Meal Discussion Starters!
FamilyWellnessMiistry.org
Learn more about “Reclaiming the Family Dinner” on
FamilyWellnessMiistry.org
A Ministry of the
Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco
P A G E 9 T H E A N T E L O P E V A L L E Y B E A C O N
Agnew. Ms. Julie
Astrinakis, Mrs. Fotini
Benveniste, Mrs. Stefania
Benveniste, Mr. & Mrs. Steven
Bouras, Mr. and Mrs. Peter
Brunson, Mr. and Mrs. James
Christou, Mr. and Mrs. Gus
Christou, Mr. and Mrs. Nick
Chryssostomides, Mr. & Mrs. Pandelis
Conti, Mrs. Anna
Contonikolas, Mr. Dean
Dracopoulos, Dr. and Mrs. George
Drimakis, Mr. and Mrs. Costas
Eliopulos, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew
Eliopulos, Mrs. Georgia
Evola, Mr. and Mrs. Philip
Gerginis, Mr. and Mrs. Nick
Gerginis, Ms. Marie
Golea, Ms. Nicole
Goutsos, Mr. and Mrs. Gary
Grado-Berona, Mrs. Georgia
Grado, Mrs. Elaine
Haddad, Mr. and Mrs. Sam
Harris, Mr. Thomas
Hendrickson, Mrs. Lee
Homsy, Mr. John
Hutchison, Mr. and Mrs. Michael
Kappas, Mr. Andrew
Kappas, Mr. Earnest
Kappas, Mrs. Sofia
Karavidas, Mr. and Mrs. Antony
Koukourikos, Mr. and Mrs. Bill
Listermann-Vierling, Fr. Dionysios & Pva.
Lusk, Mr. Dan
Mormanis, Mrs. Sia
Patananan, Dr. Alexander
Platis, Ms. Anna
Poulos, Ms. Helen
Qarmout, Mr. and Mrs. Elias
Robinson, Mrs. Sylva
Sakelarios, Ms. Dimitria
Sakelarios, Mr. and Mrs. George
Sanchez, Mr. and Mrs. Santiago
Sanchez, Ms. Senaida
Simich, Mr. Petar
Svolos, Ms. Artemis
Tintocalis, Mrs. Rosa
Tsobanakis, Mrs. Irene
Vrakas, Mr. Andrew
Vosse, Mr. Patrick
Woods, Mrs. Stella
Zaharopoulos, Mr. and Mrs. Ilias
Zarras, Dr. and Mrs. Peter
You r s t ewa rds h ip i s ma d e out o f you r l ove fo r Go d an d H i s Chur ch . We ar e g lad t hat y ou a r e p ar t o f ou r Pa r i s h .
SAINTS CONSTANTINE AND HELEN
2016 STEWARDSHIP HONOR ROLL
After prayerfully considering your pledge for 2016, please drop your completed Stewardship Commitment Card into the offering plate. Without your love and commit-ment on a stewardship card, we cannot properly fund our Church ministries or plan for the financial obligations of the Parish.