The Monthly Newsletter of Holy Trinity–St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church The Voice Volume : 15 Number : 5 Month : May 2015 The Ascension of the Lord May 21 Jesus did not live with his disciples after his resurrection as he had be- fore his death. Filled with the glory of his divinity, he appeared at dif- ferent times and places to his people, assuring them that it was he, truly alive in his risen and glorified body. To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). It should be noted that the time span of forty days is used many times in the Bible and signifies a temporal period of completeness and suffi- ciency (Genesis 7:17; Exodus 16:35, 24:18; Judges 3:11; 1 Samuel 17:16; 1 Kings 19:8; John 3:4; Matthew 4:2). On the fortieth day after his passover, Jesus ascended into heaven to be glorified on the right hand of God (Acts 1:9-11; Mark 16:19; Luke 24:51). The Ascension of Christ is his final physical departure from this world after the resurrec- tion. It is the formal completion of his mission in this world as the Messianic Savior. It is his glorious return to the Father who had sent him into the world to accomplish the work that he had given him to do (John 17:4-5). ... and lifting his hands he blessed them. While blessing them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. ... (Luke 24:51-52). The Church’s celebration of the Ascension, as all such festal celebrations, is not merely the remembrance of an event in Christ’s life. Indeed, the Ascension itself is not to be understood as though it were simply the supernatural event of a man floating up and away into the skies. The holy scripture stresses Christ’s physical departure and his glorification with God the Father, together with the great joy which his disciples had as they received the promise of the Holy Spirit who was to come to assure the Lord’s presence with them, enabling them to be his witnesses to the ends of earth (Luke 24:48-53; Acts 1:8-11; Matthew 28:20; Mark 16:16-14). Continued on Page 2
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The Monthly Newsletter of Holy Trinity–St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
The Voice Volume : 15 Number : 5 Month : May 2015
The Ascension of the Lord
May 21
Jesus did not live with his disciples after his resurrection as he had be-
fore his death. Filled with the glory of his divinity, he appeared at dif-
ferent times and places to his people, assuring them that it was he,
truly alive in his risen and glorified body.
To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs,
appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the Kingdom
of God (Acts 1:3).
It should be noted that the time span of forty days is used many times
in the Bible and signifies a temporal period of completeness and suffi-
ciency (Genesis 7:17; Exodus 16:35, 24:18; Judges 3:11; 1 Samuel
17:16; 1 Kings 19:8; John 3:4; Matthew 4:2). On the fortieth day after
his passover, Jesus ascended into heaven to be glorified on the right
hand of God (Acts 1:9-11; Mark 16:19; Luke 24:51). The Ascension of
Christ is his final physical departure from this world after the resurrec-
tion. It is the formal completion of his mission in this world as the
Messianic Savior. It is his glorious return to the Father who had sent him into the world to accomplish the work that
he had given him to do (John 17:4-5).
... and lifting his hands he blessed them. While blessing them, he parted from them and was carried up into
heaven. And they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. ... (Luke 24:51-52).
The Church’s celebration of the Ascension, as all such festal celebrations, is not merely the remembrance of an
event in Christ’s life. Indeed, the Ascension itself is not to be understood as though it were simply the supernatural
event of a man floating up and away into the skies. The holy scripture stresses Christ’s physical departure and his
glorification with God the Father, together with the great joy which his disciples had as they received the promise of
the Holy Spirit who was to come to assure the Lord’s presence with them, enabling them to be his witnesses to the
ends of earth (Luke 24:48-53; Acts 1:8-11; Matthew 28:20; Mark 16:16-14).
Continued on Page 2
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THE VOICETHE VOICE May 2015May 2015
In the Church the believers in Christ celebrate these
very same realities with the conviction that it is for
them and for all men that Christ’s departure from this
world has taken place. The Lord leaves in order to be
glorified with God the Father and to glorify us with
himself. He goes in order to “prepare a place” for and
to take us also into the blessedness of God s presence.
He goes to open the way for all flesh into the
“heavenly sanctuary ... the Holy Place not made by
hands” (see Hebrews 8-10). He goes in order to send
the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father to bear
witness to him and his Gospel in the world, making him powerfully present in the lives of disciples.
The liturgical hymns of the feast of the Ascension sing of all of these things. The antiphonal verses of the Divine Lit-
urgy are taken from Psalms 47, 48, and 49. The Troparion of the feast which is sung at the small entrance is also
used as the post-communion hymn.
Thou hast ascended in glory O Christ our God, granting joy to Thy disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit.
Through the blessing they were assured that Thou art the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world! (Troparion).
When Thou didst fulfill the dispensation for our sake, and didst unite earth to heaven, Thou didst ascend in glory,
O Christ our God, not being parted from those who love Thee, but remaining with them and crying: I am with you
and no one will be against you! (Kontakion).
PARISH ANNOUNCEMENTS
Our parishioners, George and Alexandra Sarros, are currently in assisted living at Twin Towers on Hamilton Ave. Their family is reaching out to us for help. Both of them would very much enjoy a visit from members of our community. If anyone would like more information, please contact Kathy Leon at 513-923-1826 or at [email protected].
Sydney Artemis Cantrell, the daughter of proud parents Kathy and Dan Cantrell, and granddaughter of YiaYia, Artemis Thomakos, was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society on Monday, March 30, 2015. You go girl.
Assistance Requested: It's that time of year and the Hellenic Dancers of Cincinnati (the adult group) are already preparing for the dance season. Besides the Panegyri, the Hellenic Dancers represent and promote our culture, Church and Panegyri at functions around Cincinnati. We are in need of costumes and are politely requesting assistance. If you are able and willing to help us create costumes, we would be grateful. Please contact Christy Toth at 502-797-6301 or [email protected].
Eugene Nicholas and his family would like to extend a sincere thank you to our Parish Family. The prayers, cards, flowers and well wishes were overwhelming. Through all of your prayers, the medical procedure went well and his recovery is exceeding all expecta-tions. He should be back in the office sometime in May.
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Inside this Issue:
The Ascension of the Lord................ 1
Parish Announcements.................... 2
Christ is Risen!.................................. 3
For the electronic version of THE VOICE visit our website at:
www.holytrinity.oh.goarch.org/
ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! ΑΛΗΘΩΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ!
Christ is risen! Truly, He is risen! Al Maseeh Qam! Haqqan Qam!
Hristos a Inviat! Adeverat a Inviat! Hristos Vaskrese! Vaistinu Vaskrese!
Christos Voskrese! Voistinu Voskrese! Christus ist auferstanden! Er ist wahrhaftig auferstanden!
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YOUTH MINISTRIES By: Father William Redmon
Christ is Risen!
Our May GOYA meeting will be held on Sunday, May 3rd, after Liturgy.
On April 25th, GOYA hosted the Family Taverna Night, which had been rescheduled from February due to inclement weather. We had a fantastic turnout, and we were blessed by the presence of His Eminence Metropolitan NICHOLAS, who was in at-tendance. Everyone had a great time, and GOYA raised funds which will allow the youth of our parish to participate in activi-ties and to offer charity and aid to others.
Our May HOPE/JOY meeting will be held on Thursday, May 7th, at 6:30 p.m.
At the April Meeting, the children heard the story of Palm Sunday, and discussed the connection between Palm Sunday and Holy Week with Fr. William. After this, they made prayer palms by tracing their hands on construction paper. The children were then able to choose their own prayers to write on the palms. Finally, the children had the opportunity to play hide-and-seek, under adult supervision.
During April, our parish was also honored to host the Saint John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival District Competition. The gratitude of our parish goes out to Peter Aamodt and Cara Chryssovergis, who organized the event and made sure that it was a success.
I continue to be grateful for the continued support of our officers and our Ministry Teams. May Christ our God, who rose from the dead for our salvation, continue to bless and keep you all in his care!
-Fr. William
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OUTREACH MINISTRIES - THE GOOD SHEPHERD FOOD PANTRY
Kroger Community Rewards Renewal
Last year, we received $2,716 from our participation in the Kroger Community Rewards Program. This was achieved with an average of 70 families participating each quarter. All funds received were used to support our Food Pantry. Kroger sets aside 4 million dollars to help non-profit organizations through this program. Just imagine how much it could benefit our Pantry if we could raise our participation. Please consider taking a few minutes to attach your Kroger Rewards card to our Church. The process is simple and once you are regis-tered, all you need to do is renew each year in April. If you have previously registered, please remember to renew this month.
Here are simple instructions for enrolling or renewing:
1. Go to https://www.kroger.com/communityrewards 2. If you already have an account, click on “Sign In”, or click on “Create An Account” to set up an account 3. Follow the enrollment instructions 4. Our Organization Number is 82785
Χριστός ἀνέστη! Christ is risen! Those familiar words announce Christ’s resurrection and the hope of salvation. This message is at the heart of all that we do. It is why we gather every Sunday to celebrate the Divine Liturgy and why we are tasked to share this good news with the entire world. Like those who have gone before us, we will pray and work together to bring the light of God’s word to all.
A year that began with optimism for the Parish Council has brought challenges that we did not anticipate. At this hour it is hard to imagine that everything will be, in that oft-repeated phrase, “same as before, only better.” As you know, Parish Council and our entire community lost a dear friend. Yet a firm foundation has been built for us to carry on what began at the time of that first Pascha. And carry on is what we will do. Gathering in prayer, teaching the Word, feeding the poor, and visiting the sick are just some of the tasks the Church has performed since it was founded. From that point of view, things have been, are, and will be the same as before…only better, because of the hope that the empty tomb brought to Christ’s disciples and to the world.
If there is a lesson that I have learned from all this, it is found in the cumulative impact that daily routines, small tasks, and random acts of kindness can have on an entire community. Too often we take for granted the work and contributions of those around us such as our Clergy, our Parish employees and the numerous volunteers who serve this community, whether it is at the Parish office each day, the classroom on Sunday, the pulpit, this year’s Agape Luncheon, or one of our big fundrais-ing events. We should pause to appreciate and thank these individuals for all that they do.
Among those is our Parish Administrator, Eugene Nicholas, who is recovering from his cardiac by-pass surgery and is expected to be back at work by mid-May. Although he is supposed to be resting, he continues to work on the computer at home pre-paring financial statements and various reports for the Parish Council to keep us on track. We are all thankful the surgery went well and look forward to welcoming Eugene back. Meanwhile as he recovers, I want to thank Eleni Zaferes, Helen Nicho-las, Elaine Snyder and Mary Morgan for running the office each day to take care of our Parishioners. Also to Chris Jonson and Craig Sansone, thanks for taking my calls at all hours to deal with issues big or small. Finally, here’s to all the volunteers who are busy planning and preparing food for this year’s Panegyri.
At the beginning of my message, I quoted a phrase ascribed to our late Parish Council President, Frank Cook, whom we sadly lost at the start of Holy Week. His absence from the Narthex, from the spring General Assembly, and other parish functions has left a void in the hearts of our Community. Frank worked tirelessly yet joyfully to serve this Parish and help fulfill the mis-sion of the Church. Although we all wanted to see him finish the race to recovery, we can find comfort in knowing that he "fought the good fight" and "kept the faith." So, we bid farewell to a friend who picked up his cross one last time and went home to Christ's kingdom. We will miss his welcoming presence and the way he treated everyone as special.
Frank set an example from which we can all learn. Though we are sad today, we can find hope in the resurrection. That is the message that Frank shared with us every Sunday and the one that we should continue to share. May his memory be eternal!
Parish Council President's Message by Jim Gelis
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CHURCH ORGANIZATIONS OVER FIFTY CLUB…Ann Jonson
Our sympathy to Father Bill, Presvytera and family on the passing of Father Bill’s mother. May her memory be eternal. We lit a candle in her memory. Our sympathy to Karen Cook and family on the passing of her husband Frank. Frank will be terribly missed by so many of us. May his memory be eternal. So glad that Eugene is on the mend. We surely do miss him in the office. The luncheon at Red Lobster was a big success. We had 47 hungry members show up. We had excellent service and they want us to come back. We will have to go again next year. We welcomed back our good friend, Jinny Balli, after a long illness. It was so nice to see her. As of March 31, we have 86 paid members. If anyone would like to join, please see Ann Jonson or Koula Alex. We would love to have you join us. Our next luncheon will be on May 16, at a restaurant.
In celebration of Mothers’ Day, the Ladies of Philoptochos
are sponsoring the Festival of Tables on Saturday evening,
May 9 at 7pm. We’re asking the members of the community
to honor the women in their lives by bringing their mothers,
daughters, grandmothers and sisters to celebrate. The din-
ner will be catered by Grecian Delight of Middletown and our
music will be provided by our own “George and the Corner
Band”. Each table will have a Hostess and a decoration
theme. The hostess will be making the dessert for her ta-
ble. The cost is $25 per person with a cash bar and a raf-
fle. The proceeds of this celebration will go towards the
building of the St. Nicholas Shrine at Ground Zero in New
York City. Tickets and information can be found at the
Philoptochos table in the hall after the Divine Liturgy. We
hope that you will join us.
We would like to thank our Parishioners for their support of
the Palm Sunday Luncheon.
The May Philoptochos meeting will take place on Sunday,
May 3 after the Divine Liturgy. This meeting is also our bien-
nial Chapter Election meeting. If you are interested in run-
ning for the new Chapter Board, please contact Ann Jonson,
PHILOPTOCHOS…Georgianne Gaz
41st Annual Panegyri
There are only 7 weeks until the Panegyri! As the festival draws near, our volunteer needs continue to grow. Our Pastry Ladies continue to bake each week, and help is needed. Please check the Sunday Voice for upcoming baking dates. At this time it appears that all Chair Person positions have been filled. Please take a moment to contact your booth chair and let them know your availability. If you have not picked a booth to volunteer in yet, feel free to contact the Church Office at 513-591-0030. We will help direct you to the booths needing the most help. The Panegyri is our largest fundraiser of the year. The proceeds fund 30% of our operational needs. We need EVERYONE’S help to make it successful. Please consider offering your time and talents to this year 41st Panegyri.
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Dear Community,
My name is Christopher Vlachos and I have been given the opportunity to travel abroad on an international service trip. The organization through which I will travel is called Orthodox Christian Missions Center (OCMC). OCMC is an organiza-tion that sends Orthodox Christians all over the world, including the United States. I am excited to be a part of a team that will be traveling to Albania to serve at an orphanage.
On this trip our team will be traveling to Children’s Home of Hope in Slen Vlash, Albania on June 15-July 1, 2015. The Home of Hope began in 2003. It serves as a home for children in need in Albania. During our stay we will be participating in sharing the love of Christ with the children through assisting in the running of a summer youth camp. Although this will be my first trip with this team and OCMC; based on past experience I will be coordinating activities, sharing my knowledge and experience of my faith, and caring for the children.
I am very excited to have the opportunity to share God’s love through providing children with a youth camp. My hope is to allow Christ to work through me to let them know how much they are still loved even with their current situations. Not only that, but to also learn from them. God provided me with a wonderful family and friends that, like many people, of-ten times take for granted. The children at the orphanage have stories longer than mine at a fraction of my age. I believe that experiencing and working with the children at the Home of Hope in a completely different culture will allow me to grow in my faith.
The reason I am sending this letter is because I need your help. I am trying to raise $3,000. OCMC is not able to help with the cost of the trip. I will need help from my community. The trip is expensive, for changing the lives of others and pro-viding them opportunities that we may take for granted is priceless. To reach this goal, I am looking for 15 people to donate $100 and 30 people to donate $50. Please, if you could help me in my cause and donate whatever you feel comfortable. Every penny matters. If you are not able to provide money donation, prayers are equally appreciated.
To find more information on OCMC and my trip you can go to ocmc.org. To send any gifts for the trip you can click on the “Orthodox Missions Teams” tab. My name will be under Youth Work in the Albania section. Or you can send a check to 9113 Cherryblossom Ln. Cincinnati, Ohio 45231.
Thank you for your consideration and time.
Sincerely, Christopher Vlachos
Transitions
BAPTISMS:
FUNERALS:
Eleni Tipis, age 87, on March 26, 2015. Tellis D. Jones, age 50, on April 3, 2015, at Middletown, OH
Susan Georgeton, age 57, on April 7, 2015. Frank Cook, age 65, on April 11, 2015.
The New Christian: Athanasia Parents: Dino and Julie (Zarkos) Kanelos
Sponsor: Eleni Kanelos Date: April 18, 2015
The New Christian: Jackson Konstandinos Parents: Brian and Maria (Stamatakos) Birch
Sponsors: Antonios Stamatakos and Marianthe Burns Date: April 19, 2015
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ORTHODOX FUNDAMENTALISM
One of the cornerstones of Orthodox Christianity is its reverence for the great Fathers of the Church who were not only ex-emplars of holiness but were also the greatest intellectuals of their age. The writings of men like St. Basil the Great, St. Greg-ory the Theologian, and St. Maximos the Confessor have been and will always remain essential guides to Orthodox Christian living and Orthodox Christian faith.
Thus it is alarming that so many Orthodox clerics and monks in recent years have made public statements that reflect a “fundamentalist” approach to the Church Fathers. And unless leaders of the Orthodox Church unite to repudiate this devel-opment, the entire Orthodox Church is at risk of being hijacked by extremists.
Like other fundamentalist movements, Orthodox fundamentalism reduces all theological teaching to a subset of theological axioms and then measures the worthiness of others according to them. Typically, this manifests itself in accusations that individuals, institutions, or entire branches of the Orthodox Church fail to meet the self-prescribed standard for Orthodox teaching. For example, when the Theological Academy of Volos recently convened an international conference to examine the role of the Fathers in the modern Church, radical opportunists in the Church of Greece accused it and its bishop of her-esy.
The key intellectual error in Orthodox fundamentalism lies in the presupposition that the Church Fathers agreed on all theo-logical and ethical matters. That miscalculation, no doubt, is related to another equally flawed assumption that Orthodox theology has never changed—clearly it has or else there would have been no need for the Fathers to build consensus at suc-cessive Ecumenical Councils.
The irony, as identified by recent scholarship on fundamentalism, is that while fundamentalists claim to protect the Orthodox Christian faith from the corruption of modernity, their vision of Orthodox Christianity is, itself, a very modern phenome-non. In other words, Orthodoxy never was what fundamentalists claim it to be.
Indeed, a careful reading of Christian history and theology makes clear that some of the most influential saints of the Church disagreed with one another—at times quite bitterly. St. Peter and St. Paul were at odds over circumcision. St. Basil and St. Gregory the Theologian clashed over the best way to recognize the divinity of Holy Spirit. And St. John Damascene, who lived in a monastery in the Islamic Caliphate, abandoned the hymnographical tradition that preceded him in order to develop a new one that spoke to the needs of his community.
It is important to understand that Orthodox fundamentalists reinforce their reductionist reading of the Church Fathers with additional falsehoods. One of the most frequently espoused is the claim that the monastic community has always been the guardian of Orthodox teaching. Another insists that the Fathers were anti-intellectual. And a third demands that adherence to the teachings of the Fathers necessitates that one resist all things Western. Each of these assertions is patently false for specific reasons, but they are all symptomatic of an ideological masquerade that purports to escape the modern world.
The insidious danger of Orthodox fundamentalists is that they obfuscate the difference between tradition and fundamental-ism. By repurposing the tradition as a political weapon, the ideologue deceives those who are not inclined to question the credibility of their religious leaders.
In an age when so many young people are opting out of religious affiliation altogether, the expansion of fundamentalist ide-ology into ordinary parishes is leading to a situation where our children are choosing between religious extremism or no re-ligion at all.
It is time for Orthodox hierarchs and lay leaders to proclaim broadly that the endearing relevance of the Church Fathers does not lie in the slavish adherence to a fossilized set of propositions used in self-promotion. The significance of the Fathers lies in their earnest and soul-wrenching quest to seek God and to share Him with the world. Fundamentalist readings of both the Fathers and the Bible never lead to God—they only lead to idolatry.
George E. Demacopoulos: Professor of Historical Theology; Director and Co-Founder, Orthodox Christian Studies Cen-ter at Fordham University. @GDemacopoulos
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Father Bill, Father William, and the Parish Council would like to express their gratitude to the following members who
donated our Holy Week and Paschal items:
Vasso Apostolides Karen Beish Sam & Esmine Beltsos William & George-Ann Brown Anthony & Antoinette Caneris Dr. Onassis A. Caneris George Chantilas Vassiliki Christopoulos Brad & Tricia Fielden Christine Fotopoulos George & Maria Georgiou George & Pam Grammas
Alex & Ann Jonson Chris & Loy Jonson John & Teddi Kladakis Pete & Katerina Kontopos Anthony & Georgia Lydia Korvessis Helen Lambrinides Ted & Kimberly Lambrinides Lee & Stephanie Megois Marilyn Mirkos Nick & Helen Nicholas Gus G. & Jo Ann Perdikakis and Family Nikitas & Rena Poneris
Mary Psihountas Angie & Tom Rombes Anthony & Angeleke Sansalone Afrodite Seremetis Mina Sideris Marianthi Simos James & Maria Tsolometes Eleni Zaferes Patricia J. Zaferes Patricia P. Zaferes
CHRISTOS ANESTI!
We also wish to thank those members who anonymously offered gifts throughout the season of Great Lent and Holy Week. Our gratitude is also offered to all who generously supported our requests for
flowers for the Epitaphios.
The Daughters of Penelope will again offer Memorial and Artoklasia services on Mother’s Day, May 10, 2015. These services will be in memory and in honor of the important women in our lives. Requested donation is $5 per name. If you would like to have your loved one’s name included in the prayers, please complete the form below and return it with your check to: Daugh-
ters of Penelope, 7000 Winton Road, Cincinnati, OH, 45224. The deadline for submission is Monday, May 4. Contact Helen Nicholas at 513-697-0583, if you have any questions. Thank you for your support.
Street Address, City, & Zip Code:___________________________________________________________
In Memory of: In Honor of:
In Memory of: In Honor of:
In Memory of: In Honor of:
In Memory of: In Honor of:
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Aamodt, Peter & Karen Adinamis, George & Robyn Allgeier, Brian & Ellen Anastasiou, Demetra Andreadis, Paul Andreadis, Sophie S. Andrews, Evan & Terry Antoniades, Anthony & Tracey Apostol, Katherine Apostolides, Vasso A. Argeros, Aristea Arvanetes, Gregory & Sandra Assaley, Lewis & Patricia Bakiri, Keti & Andrew Murray Balli, James & Virginia Basile, Courtney Batsakes, George P. Batsakis, Chris & Lydia Beish, Andrew Beish, Karen
Bender, Robert & Kathy Bertok, Christina Betas, Dimitrios Bikas, Michael & Anna Bikas, Nicholas Bilionis, Charles & Angela Binzer, Brian & Chrisanthi Borcoman, Tate & Nicole Borod, Gregory & Gloria Bottomley, Stephen & Stephanie Boulmetis, Samuel N. & Anita Boumis, Peter & Kimberly Brausch, Robert & Julie Bouras, Anna Brown, Bryan & Nickie Brown, William & George-Ann Bugitzedes, Marian Caddell, Chris & Eleni Callos, Harry† & Angie† Callos, Thomas & Patricia
Caneris, Adonis & Ana Maria Caneris, Anthony & Antoinette Caneris, Dr. Onassis A. Cardullias, Dr. Peter & Elaine Carey, Lee & Tula Carras, Evan & Betsy Carumpalos, Constantine Cassis, Constantine & Carrie Cassis, Fr. William & Presvytera Anastasia Chachoff, Nada Chantilas, George Chantilas, James & Dr. Lydia Chapas, Lefty Charnas, Terry & Koula Christman, Carl & Becky Christofield, Angeliki Christopher, Spiro & Olga Christopoulos, Vassiliki Christos, Mary J. Chryssovergis, Chris & Cara
2015 STEWARDSHIP LIST THROUGH 4-20-15
Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti! Christ is risen from the dead, by death, trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs He has granted life!
I invite all of you to share in the Joy of Pascha, in the Joy of our Glorious and Risen Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. As we again experience the present reality of the Resurrection, please take a moment to reflect on your commitment to our Mother Church, the Bride of Christ. For me, one of the joys of the Resurrection is my belief in my place in the King-dom. A very dear friend of mine once told me that he likes to be one of the last to receive Holy Communion so that he may be among the first to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. What a wonderful precept to live our lives by!
Jesus teaches us that “In my Father’s house there are many mansions: if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” Don’t wait until you get to Heaven to find a place for yourself in the Church.
We are all aware of the financial responsibility that maintaining a large parish such as ours demands, think too of the other ways you can participate in the life our community beyond writing a check every Sunday or every month. While sharing your Treasure is needed and appreciated, your Time and your Talents make up an important part of your stew-ardship contribution as well.
Do you participate in the any of the ministries of our Church? There are countless opportunities available: donate to the Good Shepherd Food Pantry, help in the office or on committees, be a Lay Reader, serve on the Parish council, attend, teach or assist with Sunday Church School. Do you ever sit next to someone new and welcome them or bring a family member or friend to Church?
There are so many ways in which you can open your heart, take into yourself the Good News and share it with others in your life. Find your room, become active in our faith community and change your life. We’ll leave a candle burning in the window to guide your way.
I wish all of you the blessings of this Paschal season and hope that your Faith in and Love for our Mother Church will be renewed and strengthened.
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THE VOICETHE VOICE May 2015May 2015
Claffie, Sean & Angela Colak, Tony & Joan Colyer, Jeff & Laura Colyer, Keith & Diane Condorodis, Anestis J. & Janeen D. Cook, Barbara Cook, Frank† & Karen Coures, George Cranley, John & Dena Dargis, Melody & David David, Mossa & Caroline Demetrion, Jim J. & Carole Diaz, Chris & Stephanie Drew, Dr. William & Katherine Economacos, Demetrios & Christine Economacos, Tom & Jennifer Economakis, Tina Edgington, Paul & Mary Lou Elias, Nicholas Elias, Tom & Tina Eliopoulos-Rosenbloom, Connie Evangelou, Sofia Fawcett, Tracy & Jessica Fekkos, Haralambos & Loella Ann Fielden, Brad & Tricia Fillios, Elias & Mary Firman, Nancy & Jerry Francis, Dean & Kathy Frangowlakis, Thomas Frankenstein, George & Christine Franklin, Gari Frantzis, Kosta & Tammy Freeman, Maria Freudenberg, Grey & Eleni Fritz, Christine Furkas, Lisa Gaier, Dean Gaier, Jeffrey & Chris Anne Galanes, George Gaskins, Mark & Kristin Gaz, Georgianne Gelis, James & Kathy Gelis, Maria Georgeton, John C. & Ann Georgeton, Peter T. & Nancy Georgiou, Dean Georgiton, Nick & Kristy Georgiton, Peter J. & Betsy Georgostathis, Gus & Connie Georgostathis, Gus & Eleni Georgostathis, Maria Georgoulakis, Athanasios & Sofia Geromes, Alexander Gerros, Mary Ghiz, Leslie Ghizas, John & Helen
Gilbert, Bob & Faith Gionnette, Lena & Mike Giovis, Thomas M. Glaser, Brian & Stella Gormas, Pete Grammas, George & Pam Greene, David & Maria Gregory, Dean & Hedy Gregory, Matula Gregory, Thomas & Pamela Gregory, Victoria Haddad, Saba & Elise Haralamos, George & Eleni Haralamos, Mike G. & Akrivi Hayden, Jason & Rebecca Herrmann, Dennis & Stacy Hill, Ann “Tasha” Himonidis, Chris & Ruth Hodges, Nick & Millie Humbert, Randy & DeDe Hudson, Christine Iatrides, Panawiota Iatrides, Steve & Christina Kutsubu Ioannou, Maria & John Ioannou, Michael & Meagan Jones, Carolyn Jones, Demus J. & Betty Jones, James A. & Jo Ann Jonson, Alexander & Ann Jonson, Chris C. & Loy Jonson, George N. & Sophia Jonson, James G. & Thelma Jonson, Luke & Lauren Jonson, Patricia J. Kahle, John & Nickie Kalemanis, Gary & Maria Kalemanis, George & Nikki Kalomeres, Carol Kambelos, John P. & Erato Kambelos, Dr. Peter J. Kanaris, Christos Kanaris, Kostantinos & Katy Kanelos, Eleni Kaniaris, John & Idalia Kappas, James P. Karageorge, Dimitri & Athena Karakatsani, Marianthi Karampas, George & Diane Karas, Bill J. & Lynn Karas, Ted & Dixie Karras, Giorgio & Erene Kasprzycki, Peter & Edyta Katsanis, Claire C. Katsaounis, Nick & Fay Kavouras, George & Fran Kehayes, Peggy
Kehayes, William & Melissa Kellaris, Dr. James & Janice Kelley, Michael & Pauline Kelso, Greg & Kelly Kereiakes, James & Helen Kessis, Nick Kessis, Paul Kevin, Patrick & Diane Kissopoulos, Nick & Effy Kladakis, John & Teddi Kontonickas, Mary Kontopos, Pete & Katerina Kontopos, Vagelis & Amanda Kontsis, George & Melissa Koros, Kostas & Dina Korvessis, Anthony & Georgia Lydia Kostopoulos, Dina Kostopoulos, Nikolaos & Dana Kotsovos, Christos & Victoria Kranias, George & Litsa Kranias, Stratos & Amanda Kunkemoeller, Thomas & Janice Kurlas, Gus Kyrios, Eleni Kyrios, Irini Kyrios, Tassos & Maria Lambrinides, Ted & Kimberly Lambrinides, Thomas J. & Mary Ann Landando, James & Yvonne Landers, Lauren Lazares, Gus J. Lazares, John K. & Patricia LesChander, Scott L. & Alexandra Leslie, Wayne & Peggy Levenderis, Bill & Jill Liaros, Vasilios & Evangelia Liston, Robert & Eleni Loukoumidis, George & Stacey Lysko, Bob & Stacy Makris, Thomas & Ellen Maleas, Pete C. & Pearl Mamaligas, Mike & Joann Manolakas, Alexander & Vera Marinakis, Bill D. & Evonne Marinakis, George D. & Eleni Marinakis, Panagiota Marinakis, Ted D. & Katie Maris, George & Tricia Masella, Ron & Christine Mathes, Robert & Dena Mavridoglou, George & Penny Mavridoglou, Konstantinos Mavridoglou, Michael & Laura Mavridoglou, Nicholas & Jessica
The rich man is not the one who has much, but the one who gives much. For what he gives away remains his forever.
St. John Chrysostom
The parishioners listed here have made a commitment and/or contribution towards 2015 Stewardship. If you have not made your
Stewardship Pledge for 2015, we encourage you to do so today. Pledge Cards are available through the Church Office or can be
obtained by contacting any member of the Parish Council or the Clergy.
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THE VOICETHE VOICE May 2015May 2015
McKay, Betty Jo McKay, Phil & Chris McLeish, David & Kiki Megois, Lee S. & Stephanie Merianos, Ted Meyer, Andy & Maria Minor, Eleni Mintsoulis, Maria & Jack O’Banion Mirkopoulos, Nicholas Mirkos, Marilyn Mirkos, Steve & Edyta Misali, A. J. "Ike" Misali, John P. & Deborah Misali, Mary Jean Mohler, David & Angel Mokas, Mary Monroe, Angeliki Morgan, Paul & Mary Morris, John & Christine Mortensen, Danny Moyer, Gabe & Maria Muennich, Sam & Melissa Murray-Nikias, Stella P. Naser, Jacoub & Dina Nathan, Jaimie & Amy Neuendorf, David & Patricia Nicholas, Eugene & Cindy Nicholas, George & Eugenia Nicholas, Nick & Helen Nichols, Ron & Philanthy Niehoff, Barbara Nikias, Charles P. & Vicki Nikias, Vasilia Nitsis, Dimitrius & Leisa Nourtsis, Sam & Alexandra Nyktas, George W. O'Neill, Brian & Stephanie Orphanos, Peter & Angela Palassis, Nick & Maria Paliobagis, Vasiliki Panagiotidis, Pantelis & Anastasia Panagis, Nick & Maria Papakirk, James & Maria Pantel, Nicholas J. Papaioannou, Thomas & Mary Paparodis, Bess Papasavvas, Nektarios & Sally Papathanas, Harry & Joyce Pappas, Steven & Jolene Parsenios, Lewis G. Parthenakis, Nicholas & Angie Pascal, Betsy Pascal, James Pastroumas, Evgenia Pavlakis, George & Suzanne Perdikakis, Constance Perdikakis, Gus G. & Jo Ann Perdikakis, Lynn Perdikakis, Maria Peters, Claire Petkos, Joannis & Christina Phillips, Joshua & Katherine Pilipovich, George & Cynthia Plomaritis, Peter & Elsa Politis, Michael & Carmen
Poneris, Constantino & Tara Ponticos, George D. Prasinos, Jim & Nicki Prasinos, Zoe Priest, Daniel & Christina Psihountakis, Manouso & Anastasia Psihountas, Mary Quill, Kevin & Mary Ramstetter, Robert & Lisa Raptis, James & Maria Redmon, Fr. William & Presvytera Elizabeth Riber, Sam & Filio Riemann, Christopher & Blanca Rodish, Peter & Suzanne Romanos, Michael & Carla Rombes, Tom & Angie Rombis, Petros & Sofia Rose, Marvin & Chrysoula Saba, Youhana Sajkich, Steven Sakellariou, Maria B. Sakelos, James Sakelos, John & Kathleen Sampson, Angeline Sampson, Michael G. & Roxanne Sampson, Tony & Mary Ann Sansalone, Anthony & Angeleke Sarakatsannis, George & Marie Sarakatsannis, Nicholas J. & Vicki Sarakatsannis, Nicholas L. & Carla Sarakatsannis, Panny Schmalz, Mary Ann Schmidberger, Gary & Elizabeth Schmitz, Thomas & Cathy Schneider, Elizabeth R. Schooley, Barbara Schuler, Bill & Julie Schulte, Nick & Ianthe Schultz, James & Sarah Schutter, Michael & Lynne Semertzides, Manos & Elizabeth Seremetis, Afrodite K. Seremetis, Stratin & Marjory Sherlock, Michael & Chrysanne Sias, Georgios N. & Kathy Sideris, Danny & Amy Sideris, Mina Sideris, Nick & Jane Siegel, August C. Simos, Marianthi Snider, Luke & Dacia Snyder, Milan & Elaine Spanorigas, Nicholas & Becky Spanos, Van & Litsa Sparks, Ryan & Sophia Spirtoff, John & Vicki Stamatakos, Anthony Stamatakos, Dino & Diamanto Stanifer, Randy & Eleni Stathis, Angelos & Aspasia Stathis, Lee & Evie Stavros, Cathy Stefanopoulos, Andrew & Carol Stenger, Doug & Lauren Stephan, Charles M.
Stephan, George Stephan, Kara Stephan, Melinda Stephan, Michael Stephan, Nicholas & Alyssa Steppe, Greg & Ellene Stergiopoulos, James & Dilys Stergiopoulos, William M. & Janis Stergiopulos, Anna Storch, Mark & Angela Storgion, James & Terry Strain, Richard & Katherine Strike, Louis Stringas, Emanuel Stroplos, Gus Suhar, Sylvia Sweiss, Riyad Tassopoulos, Michael & Ritsa Thomakos, Artemis Tipis, Constantine & Lisa Tipis, Eleni Trennepohl, Mike & Tina Trester, Ron & Maria Triantafillou, Nicholas Triantafillou, Tilemahos Triantafilou, Alex & Jennifer Triantafilou, Nicholas P. & Lenna Triantafilou, Rita Trivett, Michael & Matina Truta, Traian & Alina Campan Tsolometes, James & Maria Valcarcel, John & JoAnne Vardaka, Marianna Varnell, Charles & Krista Vasiliou, Angelo & Maria Vasiliou, Demetrios & Gloria Vessey, Lenie Vidas, Cynthia Vidas, Ethel Vlahakis, Tom & Carol Watson, Douglas & Akrivi Weis, Daniel & Anastasia Weisenborn, Cary & Maria Weitfle, Christopher & Maria Williams, Jacinta Wilson, Beth & Martin Wilson, Wallace & Michelle Witt, Alan J. & Bessie Wright, Duane M. & Stacy Xanthakos, Stavra & Helmut Roehrig Zaferes, Eleni Zaferes, Katherine (Tina) Zaferes, Patricia P. Zaferes, Toula Zaharopoulos, Antonios & Dimitra Zigoris, Mark & Irene Zolotas, Pete & Papy
May 2015 For the most updated Calendar, visit www.holytrinity.oh.goarch.org
Matthew Neuendorf, Asst. Secretary Michael Mavridoglou
Nektarios Papasavvas
Holy Trinity-St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church 7000 Winton Road Cincinnati, OH 45224 Tel: (513) 591-0030 Fax: (513) 591-0043 www.holytrinity.oh.goarch.org RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE
PAID CINCINNATI, OH
PERMIT NO. 2118
Saturday of the Souls (for Pentecost)
“For Thou, O Christ our God, art the Resurrection, the Life, and the blessed Repose of all those who have fallen asleep in the Faith and unto Thee do we offer up glory, to the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen”.
May 30, 2015
Let us pray for the eternal memory and blessed repose of:
