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SAINT NICHOLAS GREEK ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL 1607 West Union Boulevard Bethlehem, PA 18018 ORTHODOX Witness VOLUME 29 ISSUE 321 NOVEMBER 2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS Church Information 1 Father Nick’s Notes 2 Concerning of power & energy 3 THE ENTRANCE OF THE THEOTOKOS 5 Calendars 8 PARISH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES 9 An imitator of Christ 11 Parish News 13 FATHER OR REVENGER 14

A ST. NICHOLAS GREEK ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL PUBLICATION 1607 WEST UNION BOULEVARD – BETHLEHEM, PA 18018 PHONE: 610-867-1327, FAX: 610-867-9487, KITCHEN: 610-867-5459

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Under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, His Eminence Demetrios Archbishop of the Greek

Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and His Eminence Metropolitan Savas of Pittsburgh. The mission of St. Nicholas

Greek Orthodox Church is to keep and proclaim, pure and undefiled, the Orthodox Christian Faith and traditions in

conformity with the doctrine, canons, worship, discipline, and customs of the Church.

Fr. Nicholas Palis, Protopresbyter (Proistamenos ) Dean 610-440-0995

Fr. Nicholas Kossis Protopresbyter 610-694-0948

Fr. Alexander Petrides, Presbyter 610-867-1327 Mrs. Despina Kotsatos, Secretary 610-867-1327

OFFICE HOURS: Monday-Friday 9:00 πμ – 12:00 μμ

1:00 μμ -5:00 μμ

SUNDAY SERVICES Orthros 7:15 AM

Divine Liturgy 1 Greek 8:30 AM

Divine Liturgy 2 English 10:15 AM

WEEKDAY SERVICES Orthros 8:00 AM

Divine Liturgy 9:00 am

THURSDAY Paraclesis 6:00 PM

SATURDAY Great Vespers 7:00 PM Please see the calendar in the web page for weekday services

CHURCH ORGANIZATIONS BUILDING ENDOWMENT TRUST George Vasiliadis

John Diacogiannis

George Glaros

Alex Alex

Nikolaos Varvarelis

ACADEMY ST. NICHOLAS Debbie Hrousis

CHOIR

Director Dr. James Chiadis

Organist Nicos Elias :

GREEK SCHOOL : Theodore Evangelou

MOMS & TOTS: Presvytera Stephanie Petrides

GOYA/YAL Fr. Alexandros Petrides

MISSIONS

Coordinator : Nitsa Vasiliadis

Secretary: Eleni Pippis

PHILOPTOCHOS : Debbie Mouhlas

SENIOR CITIZENS: Mary Moukoulis

SUNDAY SCHOOL Thalia Schmidt, Stratoniki Hahalis

WEBSITE: www.stnicholas.org

EMAIL: secretary@stnicholas.org

Name of Publication: Orthodox Witness

PARISH COUNCIL 2017 Argeros William

Dectis Peter

Economedes Emmanuel,

Economou Dimitri

Fliakos Valante, Vice President

Garcia Joel,

Giambilis Demetrios,

Hristofas Kostas, Treasurer

Hrousis Costas

Kapsalis Nick Secretary

Lioudis George

Mouhlas George, President

Tatalias Helen

Tatalias V. Emmanuel

Zannakis John

DEADLINE FOR PUBLICATIONS

WEEKLY BULLETIN – PLEASE SUBMIT

ANNOUNCEMENTS

to church office by Thursday.

MONTHLY BOOKLET–

Please submit announcements to church

office by the 15th of the prior month.

Please Note – All articles are subjected to

approval and editing.

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Fr. Nick’s Notes

November 2017

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

Greetings in Christ! During the month of November we celebrate many important events. On Sunday Nov. 5th we are celebrating

the Jubilee of Father Nicholas Kossis’ priesthood. His Eminence Metropolitan Savas will preside at the

Hierarchical Orthros and Liturgy, followed by the Jubilee Banquet in the Hall. On this Sunday we also celebrate

Philoptochos Sunday, since the Patron Saints of our Philoptochos are the unmercenary doctors Sts. Cosmas and

Damian, who healed people for free with their medical skills and the grace of Christ. Philoptochos is a wonderful

organization which does much charity for the poor and the suffering. November is also National Philoptochos

month. If you have not yet joined this worthwhile organization, and would like to, please contact Georgia

Demetriades, our Philoptochos President.

On Wednesay Nov. 8th in the evening beginning at 6 PM we are having our Vespers, Paraclesis and Engomia for

the feast of St. Nectarios of Pentapolis in our chapel which celebrates. And on Thursday Nov. 9th we have will

celebrate Orthros and Liturgy beginning at 8:00 AM with Divine Liturgy at 9 AM. In this bulletin we have a

translation of an article titled “Concerning the power and energy of faith in Christ” written by Saint Nektarios

translated from the Saint’s book “Know Thyself”.

On Saturday Nov. 11th we have the special blessing of a visitation by the Myrrhstreaming Icon the Iveron

Mother of God from Hawaii, which is due to arrive during Orthros at 8:30 AM and be with us for the Divine

Liturgy at 9:00 AM and a Paraclesis Service at 12:00 pm. Many healings have occurred through the myrrh that

exudes from this holy Icon. November 11th, the feast of Saints Menas, Victor and Vincent is also

commemoration of the Liberation of Chios from Ottoman Occupation. We are privileged to have a relic of Saint

Menas which we will also bring out for veneration on this day.

Then on Monday Nov. 13th we celebrate Saint John Chrysostom. One of the articles in this bulletin titled “An

Imitator of Christ” is dedicated to this great Father of our Church. Recently we received a gift of 5 books of

Sayings of Saint John Chrysostom in Greek with alphabetical topics. Many books continue to be written based on

the writings of this eminent Father of the Church.

On November 15th we begin the Christmas Fast, along with our daily liturgies which will take place from 8-

10:15 AM. Please strive to attend as many weekday liturgies as possible. This is also a time when we should

strive to go to confession and prepare to receive Christ in the manger of our souls. There is also incredible

spiritual benefit in supporting these services (either with a donation or prosphoro, wine, oil, incense, etc) and

commemorating our loved ones, especially those who have reposed.

On Sunday, November 19h we will be having one Orthros and Liturgy at 7:45 AM with Divine Liturgy at 9 AM

after which we will have our Annual Fall General Assembly which will discuss our Proposed Budget for 2018

and other important issues. I hope that many of you can attend this meeting for the good of our whole Parish.

I pray that all the articles along with the 40 day Liturgy and the Christmas Fast will benefit us spiritually.

Wishing you all a fruitful Christmas Fast,

I remain,

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Nicholas Palis

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CONCERNING THE POWER AND ENERGY OF FAITH IN CHRIST

Faith! A divine gift, a fruit of divine revelation, a knowledge of mysteries, heavenly wisdom, a

teacher of divine truths, a ladder of Heaven and earth, an association of god and men, the mark of

divine friendship and love, the expression of the imparting of heavenly goods! With what words can I

extol your power? With what word can I speak your energies? Your power is truly divine, as a divine

gift, while your energy is infinite, equal to the divine will, that it acts by divine power, no matter how

many are thought it is impossible by men. You as light enlightens those darkened in mind. You guide

the feet of those seeking the truth in the Scriptures, and becomes the safe guide for knowledge. You

warm up through divine eros the hearts and lights up in them divine love. You give birth to true hope,

mystically censuring and revealing the hypostasis of things hoped for. You surround with the royal

robe of the son of the king those enlightened by you. You grant to them the gifts of the Holy spirit. You

fill the believers with the spirit of wisdom, the spirit of prudence, the spirit of knowledge and truth, the

spirit of will and strength, the spirit of the fear of God. You abundantly give the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

You fill the believer’s heart with love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, kindness, meekness and

abstinence. Your power recreates the person corrupted by sin, brings back to the ancient beauty and

shows forth the image of God, Your energy, as moved by divine power, convinces the mind to obey

you, while it informs the heart concerning the truth of the truths revealed by You. Your divine light is

poured out around the believer and enlightens his mind to understand the Scriptures. You open up the

eyes of the mind, and You strike the chords of the heart to worship the divine, to ceaselessly hymn the

divine. You teach to obey God. You teach to understand the thoughts of the holy prophets. You

enlighten to understand the sayings of the Holy Apostles. You promise the perfect morality. You put

the faithful thought in the philosopher. You reveal your divine power and energy and to the

unbelievers your divine character. You drew the gentiles unto salvation. You overcame the whole

world. You spoiled the gatherings of the gentiles. You put down disbelief. You set the trophy of the

Precious Cross in the midst of the earth. Kings submitted to You. To you rulers and pastors of peoples

hastened. You proved the philosophers to be unwise. You showed forth the poor in spirit to be wise and

eloquently speaking orators. You preached to the world enlightened the world. You overcoming the

gentiles sanctified them. You showed forth the ancient world having become old in sin new through

your divine power. You abolished the harsh laws. You restored righteousness. You condemned wars.

You rewarded peace to the world. You sprung forth equality. You granted true freedom. You abolished

the dominion of the Devil. You set up the kingdom of the Heavens upon earth. You put to flight the

bitter sadness from the world. You abundantly granted the ineffable joy to the world. Whence we

worthily honor You. Diligently having you in our hearts and having You, we take courage to hope to

obtain the kingdom of God and the eternal goods. Amen.

(Translated from the Peiraike Ecclesia Magazine, Vol. 286 Nov. 2016, pp. 19)

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The Entrance of the Theotokos By Demetrios Chrysikopoulos

On November 21st the Orthodox Church celebrates the “Entrance” of the Theotokos, which is one

of the greatest feasts of the Mother of God. The “Entrance” as an event comprises the basis and the

beginning of the later life of the Theotokos. The parents of the “All Holy Virgin Mary, Joachim and

Anna, in their whole life were beseeching God to give them a child, and they promised to dedicate the

child to His Temple.

Truly in a great age, God gave them a girl, Mary, who when she became three years old, they

brought her to the Temple and they handed her over to the hands of Zacharia the Priest.

He hugged her, blessed her and said: “The Lord magnified your name in all generations. With

you all the nations will be blessed and the Lord will deliver the sons of Israel”. As traditions says, he led

her to the “Holy of Holies” to the inner area of the Temple, where only the Priest was allowed to enter,

only once a year. The All Holy Virgin Mary lived there for twelve years. She was fed by an angel of God

with heavenly food. She remained there till her Annunciation.

It seems that the feast of the Entrance was instituted in Jerusalem during the consecration of the

church of the Holy Theotokos Mary or New Church on November 21st of 543 AD, a work of Justinian 1,

in the southern side of the temple of Solomon. Due to this position of the church, it followed that it

would be associated by the believers with the entrance and the residence of the Theotokos in the temple

of Solomon. Information about the performance of the feast in Constantinople existed from the 8th

century. From that period we have also the first preserved hymns of the Entrance. The Entrance of the

Theotokos is not a simple event. It is a prelude and preexclamation of the Annunciation. According with

the appointed will and good favor of God, the residence of the All Holy Virgin Mary in the Temple, was

for her a period of purification, initiation in the life of the Holy Spirit and preparation, for her to become

with her free willed disposition, the sacred habitation of the Word of God who incarnated through her.

The close relationship with the Annunciation is expressed in a unique manner by the hymn of the

Entrance: “the Divine symbols are written of your betrothal of your conception beyond mind, o pure

Virgin, today in the Holy Spirit, in the house of God”.

With the establishment of the feast, the parallel related development of the hymnology and the

iconography begins. The first preserved composition with the depiction of the Entrance is of the 10th

century. From the 14th century, the double depiction of the Entrance and the residence of the Theotokos

in the “Holy of Holies” fed by an angel was established. In a carving of the 5th century in Tarasconi

(France) the All Holy Virgin Mary is presented, praying in the Temple of Solomon. The main source of

the narration, which refers to the residence of the Theotokos in the Temple of Solomon, comprises the

Protoevangelion of James (apocryphal). So it is logical for one to ask about the historicity of this

narration, given that in the “Holy of Holies” the entrance of women was not allowed. What is important

however, is not the historical foundation of the narration, but the theological symbolic content of the

event and its deeper soteriological importance, as was already mentioned.

In iconography, particularly characteristic is the emphasis which is given to the person of the All

Holy Virgin Mary, who dedicated herself to the fulfillment of the oeconomy of God. In contradiction to

the depiction of the Nativity of the All Holy Virgin Mary, which is constantly subject to a composition

development in art, the scene of the Entrance follows usually a fixed iconographical type, which was

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already adopted by the first Byzantine tradition, and was continued in the post Byzantine period in

mosaics, frescoes, icons, iconographed manuscripts et. al.

In iconographical manuscript codexes, or the frescoes of churches, the topic of the Entrance is

presented, and in many successive scenes. Here we will present the type of the portable icon, as it was

established.

The central person of the depiction comprises the three year old Virgin Mary, who does not

present anything unnatural aside from the small size of her body. She has all the sacredness of the

future Mother of God. Wearing the maforion of the adult women, she is led by her parents to the

temple, where the high priest Zachariah (the father of the Forerunner) receives her.

The high priest blesses her, wearing liturgical garments which are the distinct gift of the

priesthood on his head. He spreads out his hands toward the Virgin Mary, in order to receive her.

The Temple is symbolized with a ciborium which extends behind the depicted persons.

Otherwise, the building which shows could be a common building.

The Virgin Mary arrives at the Temple in a procession. She precedes the entire procession

joyous, stands before the High Priest, piously and simultaneously in a stance moving toward him, who

denotes the eagerness and the joy of her approaching to the Temple of the Lord, recognizing the plan

and the will of God for the salvation of man. Thus is denoted, that this does not refer to a forced

handing over of hers, but that she voluntarily participates in the plan of God.

Just as pious and with sacred emotion her elderly parents Joachim and Anna are depicted. They

hand her over to the hands of Zachariah with a very expressive movement, which denotes their

eagerness to fulfill their promise to God and to dedicate their precious only daughter, whom they have

gained with many prayers and fasts at an advanced age. They are joyous. The human pain of

separation does not exist, because it is overshadowed by their love for God. They dedicated her

completely freely.

Behind them we see many young girls (usually seven according to the Jewish tradition). All of

them joyous and chaste dressed brightly. They process before the Virgin Mary with lit lanterns. They

give a poetic and fresh disposition to the scene. They are friends of the Virgin Mary, who are

participating in her joy. It prevailed that older ones be painted, to stress and to distinguish the central

person of the icon, the little Virgin Mary. In the icon of the Entrance, at the top left usually, the 12 year

old residence of the Virgin Mary in the “Holy of Holies” is depicted, fed by an angel. She receives the

heavenly bread, “who gave the bread of life”. Again here the temple is symbolized with a ciborium.

In certain circumstances, during the time of her processional entrance, the Virgin Mary is also

holding a lit lantern, she walks in front and the first young women isolate her from the procession

holding a curtain in a mysterious manner. The rare iconographic element of the revealing curtain,

which intensifies the teleturgical character of what is happening, gives a meaning to the dedications of

the Theotokos to the temple of the Lord with a mystical reference to the grace of the Holy Spirit, which

surrounds the Virgin Mary with glory, as analogously was rendered to the iconographic depiction of

the 4th Oikos of the Akathist Hymn. It is worth it for one to study the service of the Entrance having

before him the icon of the Entrance. He will ascertain that all the elements and symbolisms of the icon

refer to all the hymns of the service. This reveals that Orthodox iconography is not decorative but

primarily it has a liturgical and didactic character.

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We understand thus the word of Saint Gregory Palamas, who says that the scene of the covenant

in the temple of Solomon is the Church itself and of the “Holy of Holies”, in which the Virgin Mary

entered, is the foreshadowing of the Church and furthermore of the Virgin Mary herself. Because she

was the vase which held and preserved in her womb the true “mana”, in other words, Christ. As she

was the genuine altar. The real slabs, not of the Mosaic law, but of the law of Grace of the New

Testament. The rod of the Aaron, which did not simply blossom, but “blossomed forth” the “fragrant

flower”, the Son and Word of God. She became the lantern of God, His habitation, His temple, the Altar

and the living and pure worship.

Indicatively we mention the kontakion of the Feast: “the most pure temple of the Savior, the very

precious bridal chamber and Virgin, the sacred treasury of the glory of God, today is introduced, into

the house of the Lord, who introducing together the grace in the Divine Spirit which the angels of God

hymn, she is the heavenly tent”.

Bibliography

1. Hatzouli Glykeria, professor of the Theological School A.U.Th. Iconography.

2. Tsamis Demetrios, professor of the Theological School A.U.Th. Haghiology of the Orthodox Church.

3. Kontoglou Photius, Iconographer-Author, Ekphrasis.

4. Lekkas Evaggelos, Theologian. The Entrance of the Theotokos.

From the website Αεναη επΑνάσταση

www.sophia-ntrekou.gr 20/11/2015.

(Translated from the Peiraike Ecclesia Magazine, Vol. 286 Nov. 2016, pp. 12-13)

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NOVEMBER 2017 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

1 Clergy Retreat

6 PM Paraclesis

7 PM Orthodox Study

2 Clergy Retreat 3 Clergy Retreat 4

2 PM Romeic School

7 PM Great Vespers

5 7:45 AM Orthros

9:10 AM Arch. Liturgy 9:45 AM Sun. School 11:00 AM Jubilee Banquet for Fr. Kossis

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4:45PM Greek School

5 PM Bible Study

7 PM Bible Study

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6:15 MM ΟCF

7 PM Vespers

8 8 AM

Orthros/Liturgy (Holy Archangels)

6:00 PM Vespers, Paraclesis, Engomia

9 8 AM Orthros/

Liturgy (St. Nectarios of

Aegina)

2 PM Paraclesis at

Whitehall Manor

3 PM Acad. Adv. 6:30 PM Philoptochos Board

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6 PM Academy Family

Night

11 8 AM Orthros/

8:30 AM Icon Arrival

9 AM Liturgy (St.

Menas,Victor, Vincent)

12 PM Paraclesis

2 PM Romeic School

7 PM Great Vespers

12 7:15 AM Orthros 8:30 AM Div Liturgy

9:45 AM Sun. School

10:15 AM Div. Liturgy

3:00 PM Tots/Hope Ret

7:00 PM Vespers

13 8 AM Orthros/

Liturgy (St. John Chry)

12 PM Sen. Citizens

4:45PM Greek School

5 PM Bible Study

6 PM Stewardship

7 PM Parish Council

14 8 AM Orthros

/Liturgy (St. Philip, St. Gregory Palamas, St. Constantine of Hydra)

6:15 MM ΟCF

15 8 AM

Orthros/Liturgy

6 PM Paraclesis

7 PM Orthodox Study

16 8 AM

Orthros/Liturgy 17 8 AM

Orthros/Liturgy GOYA FALL RETREAT CAMP NAZARETH

18 8 AM Orthros/ Liturgy

2 PM Romeic School

2:30 PM Greek B. Study

3 PM Philopt. Lunch

7 PM Great Vespers

19 7:45 AM Orthros

9:10 AM Div Liturgy 9:45 AM Sun. School

11:00 AM Gen. Assembl

5:00 PM JOY Synaxis

6:00 PM GOYA Bible

Study

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8 AM

Orthros/Liturg

y

4:45PM Greek School

5 PM Bible Study

6 PM Bible Study

7 PM Vespers

21 8 AM Orthros/

Liturgy (Entrance of

Theotokos)

6:15 MM ΟCF

22 8 AM

Orthros/Liturgy

6 PM Paraclesis

7 PM Orthodox Study

23 8 AM

Orthros/Liturgy

(Thanksgiving)

24 8 AM

Orthros/Liturgy 7 PM Vespers

25 8 AM Orthros/Liturgy (St. Catherine)

2 PM Romeic School

7 PM Great Vespers

26 7:15 AM Orthros 8:30 AM Div Liturgy

9:45 AM Sun. School

10:15 AM Div. Liturgy

2 PM Baptism

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8 AM

Orthros/Liturg

y

5 PM Bible Study

7 PM Bible Study

28 8 AM

Orthros/Liturgy

6:15 MM ΟCF

29 8 AM

Orthros/Liturgy

6 PM Vespers

7 PM Orthodox Study

30 8 AM

Orthros/Liturgy (St. Andrew) 11:30 AM Clergy Brotherhood

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ST. NICHOLAS GREEK ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

1. Opening Prayer & Spiritual Thoughts:

Fr. Alexandros Petrides gave the opening prayer

Fr. Alexandros Petrides: Liturgical new year

2. Reports of Priests:

Fr. Alexandros Petrides Reports (Youth Report what’s new and upcoming):

All: Sunday school begins this Sunday, Sept 10.

TOTS: Kickoff event Saturday Sept 23-Apple picking.

JOY: Kickoff event-TBD. Will take the same format as last year with Sunday meetings.

GOYA: Kickoff event. Sunday September 10th at the Zannakis’ home.

OCF: First meeting, Sept 5th. Will meet every Tuesday, 6:15 to 7:15 at Lehigh University

headed by rotating local clergy, with Fr. Alexandros as spiritual advisor. About 15 students

total signed up.

YAL: Seminarian Isaac Lampart from St. Tikhon’s will start a YAL bible study this Fall.

Fr. Nicholas Palis reports: Fr. Nicholas Palis needs to meet with Nikki Hahalis JOY regarding the

yearly schedules. Many of the bulbs in the church are out. Pete Dectis will be ordering LED lights

to replace all the existing non LED lights throughout the Cathedral in the next couple of months.

3. Role Call & Actions on Excuses for Absence:

Present: Nick Kapsalis, George Mouhlas, Kostas Hristofas, Manny Tatalias, Jimmy Giambilis,

Manny Economedes, Dimitri Economou, Ellen Tatalias, Pete Dectis, Fr. Alexandros Petrides, and

Fr. Nicholas Palis

Absent: Joel Garcia, Bill Argeros, Valante Fliakos, Costas Hrousis, John Zannakis and George

Lioudis

4. Reception of Petitions & Communications:

Thank you letters from the following: Holy Monastery Nativity of the Theotokos, Barbara

Moukoulis, Hahalis family, Ritsi family, and AGES Initiatives.

5. Meeting minutes: Kostas Hristofas made a motion to approve the meeting minutes as amended,

seconded by Jimmy Giambilis. The motion passed unanimously.

6. Stewardship: Kostas Hristofas provided the stewardship report for July and August. As of July 31

2017, Stewardship for 2017 is $130,016.69 (57.79%) out of a budgeted $225,000. As of August 31,

2017, Stewardship for 2017 is $137,734.36 (61.22%) out of a budgeted $225,000.

7. Treasurer's Report: Kostas Hristofas reported that for the month of July, our income was

$27,130.51, and our expenses were $64,360.19. Thus net income was -37,229.68. Pete Dectis made

a motion to approve the Treasurers report, seconded by Manny Tatalias. The motion passed

unanimously. Kostas Hristofas reported that for the month of August, our income was $18,692.67,

and our expenses were 59,979.24 thus net income was -41,286.57. Pete Dectis made a motion to

approve the September Treasurers report, seconded by Many Tatalias. The motion passed

unanimously.

8. Special Reports/Standing Committees/Old Business:

Special Projects - Photo directory almost finished.

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Building & Grounds (Dome update, fire inspection, door/access system)

Dome Update: We are about 75% completed. Completion date by October 31 barring any

unforeseen weather events.

Door access system: Manny Economedes provided details on the upcoming replacement of

all the doors and key fab access system. All designated doors will be fabed and secured

throughout the property.

Iconography-The latest phase is going to be completed by the end of October beginning of

November.

2017 Fall Festival prep schedule- See Pete Dectis and George Lioudis to help volunteer. Festival

dates: September 15-17, 2017 (Fri-Sun).

Fr. Alexandros Petrides is organizing a 5K run on September 16, 2017 9:30 am start time. $15

registration, free T-shirt if you sign up before Sept 10th.

Fr. Kossis Celebration Dinner - Looking to hold it on Sunday, November 5th, 2017. Flyer is out.

Selling tickets will begin the Sunday after the Fall Festival.

9. New Business:

Scholarships- Online application process will be made available in May, deadline July 11th.

Online giving is ready to go live. Please see Fr. Alexandros Petrides for details.

Dedicated hall speakers: Ted Evangelou set up meeting with and Fr. Petrides and Nick Douglas

to talk about what would be needed for a dedicated sound booth to ease the mess and setup

each event.

George Mouhlas provided trust accounting for the period of 2013-2016.

Metropolis of Pittsburgh Clergy-laity conference September 28-30, 2017 in Columbus, OH.

Budget meeting- Monday, October 30st, 2017 6:30 p.m.

November General Assembly-Sunday, November 19th, 2017 at 11:00 a.m.

New Year’s Eve dance-Sunday, December 31, 2017.

We received the new assessment for 2018. There is an increase from the previous year.

Next parish council meeting – Monday, October 9, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.

10. Closing Prayer: Motion to adjourn by Kostas Hristofas, seconded by Manny Economedes. The

motion passed unanimously. Fr. Nicholas Palis gave the closing prayer.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fr. Nicholas Palis Nicholas Kapsalis George Mouhlas

Protopresbyter Secretary President

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An Imitator Of Christ By Catherine Tsakiri

“Such a high priest befitted us, holy, guileless, undefiled”.

To whom is the Apostle Paul weaving this great encomium? Which high priest does he have in

mind when he projects him as absolutely holy, guileless, undefiled? He has before his eyes, in his heart

and his mind, our Lord, who is the high priest unto the ages. He came to offer a sacrifice for the

salvation of the human race, not sheep and calves and other similar body and bloodless offerings, but

his own self. He was the sacrificer and the victim, the one sacrificing and the one being sacrificed, the

one offering and the one being offered, shown forth by the Father the great high priest. Infinite is his

value as high priest, infinite is his value as “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”. The

human high priests from humans, offered and offer sacrifices for their own selves, because they also,

no matter how pious they feel, do not cease being humans with weaknesses and sins but also for the

sake of the people. Christ however, was the absolutely sinless and holy one. Holy, pure, completely

dedicated and obedient to the heavenly Father. Guileless, unsly and without sneakiness, spotless and

most good, Undefiled, blameless of every sin, without any preancestral inclination, without any trace

of defilement. And that’s why he is always projected as the most perfect model, an example to the

Hierarchs throughout the ages. Every Hierarch of our Church must copy Him.

Of course it is not possible for a human to reach the height of the absolute virtue and holiness of

our Lord. Fortunately however for our Church, there were and are Hierarchs with deep piety, with a

wondrous obedience to God, with holiness of soul and body, with virtue and holiness. They have the

knowledge of the responsibility of their hierarchical position, understanding of their high mission, a

sense of their duties and obligations before God and men. And they struggle to appear worthy of the

position, to which God raised them.

One such hierarch, “holy, guileless and undefiled”, adorned with the treasures of virtues, a

struggler and victor in the arena of spiritual struggles, a defender of the Church of Christ against the

heretical and evil rulers, eager and a selfless worker of goodness, a shameless preacher of the divine

word, the soul of missionary activities, the imitator of Christ, was also Saint John Chrysostom.

His life was a burning lantern for the glory of God, for the enlightenment of the believers, for the

neutralization of the impious and heretics. A constant sacrifice on the altar of duty. Neither for the

glory of the position and honor, on the part of people, was he interested in, nor for the riches and the

material comforts. Nor even for his life itself, ready every day to sacrifice It for his obedience to God.

He was prepared to undergo both bonds and exiles and a martyrical death – as furthermore he

underwent undaunted – for the glory of Christ.

In his person, our Christ was glorified, the Church was honored, the hierarchical ministry shone

brightly. How very many things about this great office of hierarchy and priest and in special homilies,

or given the opportunity, did the sacred Chrysostom say! He was inspired by the word of God but also

by his personal experience as a hierarch.

Many, he would say, are the moral and mental supplies that he who decides to accept the

priesthood, must have. “Great, on the one hand, the prudence, while great before the prudence, the grace of

God, and the manner (of behavior) correctness and purity of life, and greater than human (more than whatsoever

human) he needs to have the virtue, he who accepts the care of the priesthood”.

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So how can the entire Christian world not honor such a hierarch, a hero and struggler of the faith?

How can the Church not number him among the great Fathers, a bright model of hierarchy?

How can the melodists not compose hymns and encomiums for him and chant? “the earthly angel and

heavenly man, the eloquent and much speaking nightingale, the treasury of virtues, the unbreakable stone, the

model of believers, equal in stature to the martyrs, equal in stature to the holy angels, of like manner with the

Apostles, in hymns let Chrysostom be magnified”!

It is worth it for us to mention here a text which is truly a masterpiece. It ought to be written to

all the International Organizations, to the Senates, to the educational Institutions, everywhere.

For them to mirror there. To examine their own selves. For it to comprise their guide. To place

it as a regulator for their life. This text is written by a great knower of the human soul, Saint John

Chrysostom, who knew as few its secret’s, it struggles, its difficulties, its spear holes, its falls and its

restorations, but also the ways for him to exercise himself and advance victoriously in life.

People, he stresses to us, must become humans. To realize their great mission. To prevail over

themselves, to tame their passions, to not allow their instincts to govern. Because the man who does

not control himself, becomes worse than the animals. More beastly than the beasts.

So he writes: “Come and become a human, so that you do not falsify this title of yours. Do you

understand that which I told you? You maintain that you are a human. Yes, but only in name, not however also

in train of thought. Because when I see you living carelessly, how can I call you a human and not an ox?

When I see you grabbing, how can I call you a human and not a wolf?

When I see you sly, how can I call you a human and not a snake?

When I see you having poison in your mouth, how can I call you a human and not an asp (a poisonous

snake)?

When I see you becoming foolish, how can I call you a human and not a donkey?

When I see you cold and senseless, how can I call you a human and not a rock? And he continues: “God

gave you majesty. You why do you betray the nobility of your nature? What are you doing? Tell me. There are

people who have the ability of communicating with the animals and of offering to them something of their

majesty: They train parakeets to imitate the human voice and so with skill they triumph over nature. They tame

lions, so that they pull them in public squares. The lion is an unruly beast, you tame it. And your own self you

make him wilder even than the wolf. And worse. Each one of the animals has a fault: the wolf, the grabbing, the

snake, the slyness, the asp, the poisonous. The same thing does not also occur with the wicked person. He does

not have one, he has many. He both becomes grabbing and sly and poisonous and gathers in his soul all the

wickednesses of the animals… Are you a human. Prove it to me really. Not, because you have a soul, but

because you have higher trains of thought, human feelings. You are lord of the animals and you became a slave to

your animal- like passions?” The existence of the saints supports our mind and motivates our heart. And

the grace of our God, who lives in the saints, lights up in our souls also a calm flame, which wakes up

the conscience with a combination of fear and love, which creates a strong and vigilant desire of exiting

from the noose of the passions which squeeze our soul.

The example of our saints opens the road for our saving movement toward the model of Christ.

Let us disciple in their sacred and holy memory.

(Translated from the Peiraike Ecclesia Magazine, Vol. 286 Nov. 2016, pp. 8-9)

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COMMUNITY NEWS / UPCOMING EVENTS STEWARDSHIP IS LIKE OXYGEN FOR OUR CHURCH! Stewardship is the most important financial source we

have to sustain our church, and our church needs loving and heartfelt support! Our fixed monthly costs at

St. Nicholas are around $48,000.00. This means that the treasurer (rain, snow, or sunshine) must find

$48,000.00 to pay the obligations of the church each month. Currently, one third of our parish‘s income is

derived from the stewardship pledges. This means that we depend on other, external, sources to sustain

70% of our church needs. If this is OUR community, why should we expect someone else to pay for it?!

We thank you for your continued stewardship effort, by giving of your time, talent and treasure as God

has provided you the ability to.

SENIOR CITIZENS: Senior Citizens resume their monthly meetings in October every second Monday of

the month at 12 PM. So the next meetings will be held on the following dates: October 9, November 13,

December 11 2017, 8 January 2018, February 12, March 12, , May 7 and June 4 2018.

COMMUNITY SOCIAL EVENTS

WEDDINGS CONGRATULATIONS!!! TO NEWLYWEDS EVAN MAGILL AND MARIA N. GENTIS for their marriage Sunday

October 1st best wishes to Koumbarous M/M Kaliopi and Kostas Sarianos, and the proud parents M/M Nicholas

and Eve Gentis. May God bless you all with love and happiness!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!! TO NEWLYWEDS ANDY POPESCU AND ANNA PETRIDES for their marriage on Saturday

October 7th best wishes to and the proud parents Rev. Fr. Theodore Petrides and Pres. Cristen Petrides and the

Koumbarous Mr. Gregory Gallanis and Ms. Jiori Orfanos. May God bless you all with love and happiness!!!

BIRTHS CONGRATULATIONS!! TO M/M DANIEL AND PAULA ZUMAS -FLORES for the birth of their baby boy, best

wishes to the proud grandparents, M/M Spiro and Karen Zumas, na sas Zisi God bless you all.

DEATHS

OUR CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY of Christos Athanasiou who fall asleep three days go.

Funeral - Tuesday Nov 7, at St. Nicholas Cathedral, May his memory be eternal.

GREEK & ROMAIC SCHOOL NEWS:

November 27: No Greek School

November 27: Greek-Romaic School Agia Skepi field trip!

MISSION NEWS THE MISSIONS AND SUNDAY SCHOOL have teamed up to raise funds for the Orthodox Orphanage of

Kenya. Our goal is to raise 500.00 till Christmas .

We would like to ask all our parishioners to help our children achieve this

goal by participating as well. You may give your donation to Sunday school

supervisors, Niki Hahalis or Thalia Schmidt or Nitsa Vasiliadis. Thank you!

THE PHILOPTOCHOS LADIES OF ST. NICHOLAS DATES OF EVENTS

. FALL SOCIAL: Saturday, November 18th at 3:00 church hall

3. FOOD DRIVE: November 1-19

4. HOLIDAY BAKE SALE: Vasilopita & Pastries

a. Order forms emailed/out 11/27

b. Deadline 12/10

c. Pick Up Sunday, 12/17 & Sunday, 12/24

5. HOLIDAY SOCIAL DINNER: Thursday 12/28, 6:30, Copperhead Grill

6. SPECIAL APPEAL: Clothing Drive for Greece – deadline for donations 12/

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THE GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT: FATHER OR REVENGER

By Archimandritε Spyridon Petrou

There are many people, even today, who believe that the God who appears and acts in the Old

Testament is different than the God who appears and acts in the New Testament. They maintain

furthermore, that the God of the Old Testament is envious, harsh and takes revenge, whereas the God of

the New Testament is a lenient, forgiving Father full of love. The God of the Old Testament, they

continue, sacrifices human lives uncompassionately, in order to push His plan forward, whereas, on the

contrary, the God of the New Testament, Christ, was himself sacrificed on the cross, in order to save the

world. Thus, in this way, they lessen the validity and the sacredness of the book of the Old Testament,

they discredit it and cast it aside. There are not lacking, of course, those also, who, whereas they feel

somewhat bothered by what God did in the Old Testament, they try, nevertheless, magnanimously, to

“forgive” Him and to love Him for all the wondrous and philanthropic things He did in the time of the

New Testament.

We must say that these viewpoints and other similar ones, are none other than wrong believing

viewpoints, which betray, if not slyness, certainly, thick ignorance and very obvious weakness of a

correct understanding of the two sacred texts. Let’s see what the truth is.

It is obvious that our Lord Jesus Christ, with His incarnation, brought an incision into History.

Everyone speaks, even today, about an age before Christ and after Christ. The transition however,

from the one age to the other, was not a simple and easy work. God in the Old Testament received

humanity in a “bad state”. Excessive immorality, uncensured wickedness, a zero understanding of

God’s plan. Then the saying of the Prophet David applied. “... Everyone deviated and became useless,

there is no one doing goodness, there is not even one” (Ps. 13:3).

The cause of this moral and social derailing was mainly idolatry, which essentially was

demonolatry. In the Book of the Old Testament, Wisdom of Solomon, we get a bitter taste from the life

of the idolaters: “they organize rituals where they sacrificed their children and do apocryphal sacred

rituals or raging parties of an unnatural worship. They’ve abandoned purity in life and in marriage,

the one sets a trap and murders the other one, or even makes him to suffer, deceiving him. Everything

is mixed up. Shedding of blood and murders, thieveries and deceptions, corruptions, cheating,

disturbances, false oaths, persecutions of quiet-loving people, ingratitude, defiling of souls, sexual

perversions, dissolving of marriages, adulteries, lewdness” (Wisdom of Solomon 14: 23-26). The

Prophet David, in his 105th Psalm, with dread repeats “… And they became mixed among the

gentiles… And they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons and poured out the blood

of innocents’, the blood of their sons and daughters…” (Ps. 105:34-39). As Professor Nicholas

Vasileiadis certifies, aside from lewdness, sacrificing children was a daily practice in the life of the

idolaters.

In this downfall, literally, of humanity, God comes gradually to put order. Aside from His

didactic and comforting word, sometimes He uses austere methods. Sad events visit people, wars,

upheavals, violent natural phenomena. He does not hesitate, in some cases, to threaten or even to

impose the “utmost of punishments,” death.

It is true that the way with which God acts in the Old Testament scandalizes some people. That

He is, in other words, excessively strict and demanding. Because God, as a father that He is, does not

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want us to be scandalized, in many spots of the Old Testament, He explains the way in which He

thinks and acts. Indicatively let’s listen to what He says to His chosen people, Israel: “I the Lord, the

true God, assure that I’m not rejoicing for the death of the impious person, but I want him to change

his way of life and to live. Turn, turn back from your evil path! Why do you want to go to destruction,

O Israelites?” (Ez. 3:2 – 11). In another spot He repeats: “I do not rejoice when a person dies on account

of his sin, I prefer that he repent and live” (Ezekiel 18:23).

Nevertheless, each person is able justifiably to ask himself. Taking away a person’s life, even if

it’s due to his sin, isn’t it something absolutely tragic? We must admit that in the thought of most

people it is, in the thought of God however, no. For God, what is absolutely tragic is the loss of eternal

life. God does not see the life of people through the narrow frameworks of their earthly life, but under

the prism of eternity. As the Lord Jesus Christ said characteristically: “what shall it benefit a person if

he gains the whole world and loses his soul?”(…) is He wrong? Let’s think of what this life is before

eternity? “The days of man are considered numerous if he lives 100 years. But like a drop of water in

the sea and like a kernel from the sand, so few are these years before eternity” (Wisdom of Sirach

18:10). God created man for eternal life and primarily He aims there.

We think that this matter can be discussed essentially only on the basis of Faith. The secular

person who does not believe in eternal life or, much more so, he is not interested in it, will not ever be

able to accept God’s logic, or to understand the pedagogical character of His works. So for him, the

Old Testament will always be an odd, incomprehensible and repulsive book. For the person however,

who seeks “first the kingdom of God and his righteousness”, the Old Testament is a real revelation, an

infallible guide of eternal life and happiness. When a person believes that biological death is not the

end of life, but just one step prior to eternity, only then will he be able to realize that God’s pedagogical

strictness, no matter how harsh it seems, is, in essence, the way for us to come closer to Him.

While Christ did not ever hide that “through many afflictions must we enter into the kingdom

of God”. Nevertheless, He did not clarify precisely which afflictions He meant, and this because, each

person needs something different. Many times, of course, we ourselves would want to indicate to God

what afflictions He should allow to come to our life. Nevertheless we must understand that this is not

correct. Just as the Prophet Isaiah says, we are not able to give counsels to God. “Who is able to

understand the spirit of the Lord, and who is able to teach or to give Him counsels? Whom did he seek

advice from to obtain straight judgment? Who imparted knowledge to him and who taught him to act

with prudence? (Isaiah 40:13-14).

The really wise person does not judge the all-wise God, nor does he make deals with Him, but

he only trusts him. The much suffering Job, when great misfortunes found him said: “will we only

accept the good from God? Should we not also accept the bad things?” (Job 2:10). How much God was

pleased by this attitude of the righteous Job, and how much He enriched him and glorified him on

earth and in heaven? The greatest joy is for you to feel that God is dealing with you with love, that He

is caring for you and that He is preparing you for something very great, very important, eternal. When

you feel this joy, even if He allows for your good that you be deprived of something in this world,

whether health, whether material goods, whether human companionship, whether even life itself, you

are not scandalized, because you know that the time will come when whatever you lost, He Himself

will give it to you again one hundredfold. So long as you do not stop struggling, you trust Him, love

Him and follow Him. This is really the most precious message of the Old Testament.

(Translated from the Peiraiki Ecclesia magazine November 2017, Vol. 297 pp. 8-9)