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The Official Monthly Publication of Holy Trinity
ISSUE NO. 286 WWW.HOLYTRINITYBRIDGEPORT.ORG DECEMBER 2013
DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 2 December 2013
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
14th Sunday
of Luke
Prophet Na-
hum Philaret the
Merciful
2
Monday of the
12th Week
Prophet Habak-
kuk Cyril of
Phileus
3
Tuesday of the
12th Week
Prophet Sopho-
nias John the Hesy-
chast
4 Orthodox Study of the
Bible Class - 7:00 pm
Great Martyr
Barbara
John of Damas-cus
5
Sabbas the
Sanctified
Martyr Dioge-
nes Philotheos of
Mount Athos
6 Service–
8:30am -
Nicholas the
Wonderwork-
er /Αγίνπ Νηθνιάνπ -
-Sunday School
Christmas Par-
ty
7 PTO‘s North Pole Ex-
press Train Ride
Saturday of the
12th Week
Ambrose, Bp. Of Milan
8 10th
Sunday of
Luke / Concep-
tion of the The-
otokos Fore-
feast Patapius of
Thebes
Parish Elec-
tions
9 Conception of
the Theotokos
Prophetess
Hannah
10
Tuesday of the
13th Week
Martyr Menas
& Companions Thomas of Bi-
thynia
11
Wednesday of
the 13th Week
Daniel the Sty-
lite Luke the New
Stylite
12
Service–
8:30am Spyri-
don the Won-
derworker /Αγίνπ
ππξίδσλνο
New Martyr
13
Friday of the
13th Week
Herman of Alas-
ka Martyr Eustrati-
us & compan-
ions
14 Joy/Hope Santa‘s
Workshop
Saturday of the
13th Week
Martyrs Thyrsus & companions
15 11th Sun-
day of Luke Susannah the Deaconess
Seniors Citi-
zens Christmas
Party –see fly-
er
16
Monday of the
14th Week
Prophet Haggai
Modestos, Bp. of Jerusalem
17 Prophet Daniel
Dionysios of
Zakynthos
18 Greek
School Christ-
mas Celebration
- 5:00 pm. / Orthodox Study
of the Bible Class
- 7:00 pm Mar-tyrs Sebastian &
Companions
19
Thursday of
the 14th Week
Martyrs Boni-
face & Com-panions
Gregentius of
Ethiopia
20 Forefeast of the
Nativity
Ignatius the God
-Bearer
21
Saturday be-
fore Nativity
Forefeast of the
Nativity Martyr Juliana
of Nicomedia
22 Sunday School Christ-
mas Program Sunday before
Nativity /Great
Martyr Anasta-
sia of Rome /
Martyrs Chryso-
gonus and The-
23
Monday of the
15th Week
10 Martyrs of
Crete Founding of
Agia Sophia
24 Service—
6:30pm , Ves-
pers , LITUR-
GY – Choir
Candlelight
Service &
CAROLING
25 Service—
Orthros:
8:45am & Di-
vine Liturgy:
9:45am HO-
LY NATIVI-
TY -The Ado-
ration of the
26 Fast Free
Synaxis of the
Theotokos
Euthemios the
Confessor
27 Fast Free
Protomartyr Ste-
ven
Theodore the
Branded
28 Fast Free
Saturday after
Nativity
20,000 Martyrs
of Nicomedia
29 Fast Free
Sunday after
Nativity
Holy Inno-cents
Abbot Marcel-
lus
30 Fast Free
Monday of the
16th Week
Great Martyr Anysia
Gideon the
New
31 NEW
YEAR’S EVE
PARTY
Tuesday of the
16th Week Apodosis of
Nativity
Righteous
Strict Fast Fish Allowed Wine and Oil Allowed
Dairy,Eggs,and Fish Allowed
MEMORIALS Sunday, Dec. 8— Gikas Vidalis 1 year
Sunday, Dec. 22 Menelaos Hasiotis 1 year
Sunday, Dec. 29 Christina Kontomerkos Ferreira 1 year
Andrew Pappas 5 years
Σεηάξηε 1 Ηαλ. Αγίνπ Βαζηιείνπ, Γνμνινγία γηα ην Νέν Έηνο
Κπξηαθή 5 Ηαλ. Παξακνλή Θενθαλείσλ
Γεπηέξα 6 Ηαλ. ΑΓΗΑ ΘΔΟΦΑΝΔΗΑ
Κπξηαθή 12 Ηαλ. Όξζξνο & Θεία Λεηηνπξγία ---- Βαζηιόπηηα
Upcoming January Services—Wednesday, Jan. 1 St. Basil‘s & New Year‘s Doxology / Sunday, Jan. 5 Eve of the Epiphany, Mon-
day / Jan. 6 EPIPHANY DAY—Sunday / Jan. 12 Reg-
ular Sunday – Vasilopita
DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 3
N ow that we are in the Advent season and preparing for the birth of our Lord and
Savior, we are reminded to count our
blessings, since all that we have is from God: family,
community, and most importantly, Jesus, the incarnate Word of God.
"The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Most high shall overshadow thee; and
therefore also the Holy, which shall be born of thee
shall be called the Son of God.‖ (Luke 10, 1:35)
Since God has given us His only Son, we celebrate
His birth by not only giving gifts, but even more
importantly, by giving of ourselves.
So how do we give of ourselves? We can start by
giving more of ourselves over to God. We can pray more. We can attend more church services and bring
our children to Sunday school. We can make the
commitment to give more of our time and talents to our church community.
In addition to giving more of ourselves to God, we should also give more of ourselves to one another. We
can start by telling those around
us how much we love and
appreciate them and how special they are to us. We can visit a sick
relative who can't make it out of
the house during this nativity season. We can cheer up a friend
who's been having a tough time.
We can help feed the hungry and cloth the poor by participating in
food and clothing drives or
volunteering at a soup kitchen.
Therefore, as we join together
anticipating and preparing for the
birth of our Lord, let's not forget to be examples of the "good
news " b y off er ing our
almsgiving and prayers of joy and thanksgiving, because the
Nativity of Christ is of great
significance to us as Orthodox
Christians.
In light of the Nativity Season, and our recent
centennial celebration, I would like to express my gratitude to the Holy Trinity community. The
fortitude, love and strength of this community really
shined through as we gave thanks to God and one
another for the 100 years that Holy Trinity has held together through both prosperity and adversity. As
Jesus is our rock, so is our church community.
They say that a community is only as strong as its
individuals. therefore, I would like to thank each and
everyone in attendance, and to those who worked so hard to make this memorable and historic celebration
possible by donating their time, talents and tidings.
I would like to especially thank George Mourizakis and his wife Maria, for years of service as Parish
Council President. He has devoted many hours of
service and sacrifice over the years. George has been a great support to me personally, and more importantly,
a good friend. May God bless George and his family
for the support of our church!
May God Bless you all for your support of Holy
Trinity!
On a Thankful Heart by Father Andreas Vithoulkas
“Life is the first gift, love is the second, and understanding the third. “ - Piercy
I behold a new and won-drous mystery. My ears re-
sound to the Shepherd's
song, piping no soft melody
but chanting forth a full heavenly hymn. The Angels
sing. The Archangels blend
their voice in harmony. The Cherubim hymn their joyful
praise. The Seraphim exalts
His glory. All join to praise this holy feast, beholding
the Godhead here on earth,
and man in heaven. He Who
is above, now for our re-demption dwells here be-
low; and he that was lowly
is by divine mercy raised. (St John Chrysostom)
DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 4
“He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.” ~Roy L. Smith
Εσταριζηίες και Εσλογίες! ηοσ π. Ανδρέα Βσθούλκας
"Ηδνύ έλα λέν θαη ζαπκαζηό κπζηήξην. ηα απηηά καο αληερεί ε θινγέξα ηνπ βνζθνύ, Οη άγγεινη
ηξαγνπδνύλ. Οη Αξράγγεινη ελώλνπλ ηηο θσλέο
αξκνληθά. Σα εμαπηέξπγα θαη ηα εξαθείκ εμπςώλνπλ ραξκόζπλνπο επαίλνπο. Όια ζηελ θύζε ελώλνληαη λα
επαηλέζνπλ ηήλ ἁγία απηή Ἑνξηή, αηελίδνληαο ηελ
ζεόηεηα, εδώ ζηε γε. Απηόο πνπ είλαη πάλσ ζηνλ
Οπξαλό, ηώξα έξρεηαη θάησ ζηε Γή λα καο ιπηξώζεη.» Αγίνπ Ησάλλνπ ηνπ Υξπζνζηόκνπ
Τ ώξα πνπ αξρίδεη ε πεξίνδνο ηεο λεζηείαο ησλ
Υξηζηνπγέλλσλ θαη πξνεηνηκαδόκαζηε γηα ηε
γέλλεζε ηνπ Κπξίνπ καο θαη σηήξα, αο
κεηξάκε ηηο επινγίεο καο, αθνύ όηη έρνπκε είλαη από ην Θεό: νηθνγέλεηα, Κνηλόηεηα, θαη ην ζεκαληηθόηεξν, ηνλ
Ηεζνύ, ηελ ελζάξθσζε ηνπ Θενύ.
«Καη απνθξηζείο ν άγγεινο είπελ απηή: πλεύκα άγηνλ
επειεύζεηαη επί ζε θαη δύλακηο πςίζηνπ επηζθηάζεη ζνη
δηό θαη ην γελλώκελνλ εθ ζνπ άγηνλ θιεζήζεηαη πηόο Θενύ.» (Λνπθάο 1, 1:35)
Γεδνκέλνπ όηη ν Θεόο καο έδσζε ηνλ κνλνγελή Τηό
ηνπ, γηνξηάδνπκε ηε γέλλεζή ηνπ, δίλνληαο όρη κόλν δώξα, αιιά αθόκε πην ζεκαληηθό, κε ην δόζηκν ηνπ
εαπηνύ καο.
Λνηπόλ, πώο κπνξνύκε λα δώζνπκε ηνλ εαπηό καο;
Μπνξνύκε λα αξρίζνπκε δίλνληαο πεξηζζόηεξν από
ηνπο εαπηνύο καο ζηνλ Θεό. Μπνξνύκε λα πξνζεπρόκαζηε πεξηζζόηεξν. Μπνξνύκε λα
παξαθνινπζήζνπκε πεξηζζόηεξεο αθνινπζίεο ζηελ εθθιεζία θαη λα θέξνπκε ηα παηδηά καο ζην
θαηερεηηθό ζρνιείν. Μπνξνύκε λα θάλνπκε ηε
ππόζρεζε λα δώζνπκε πεξηζζόηεξν από ην ρξόλν θαη
ηα ηαιέληα καο ζηελ εθθιεζία καο.
Δθηόο από ην λα δίλνπκε πεξηζζόηεξν από ηνπο
εαπηνύο καο ζην Θεό, ζα πξέπεη λα δώζνπκε πεξηζζόηεξν από ηνπο εαπηνύο καο ν έλαο γηα ηνλ
άιινλ. Μπνξνύκε λα αξρίζνπκε κε κία απιή ιέμε
αγάπεο θαη εθηίκεζεο. Μπνξνύκε λα επηζθεθζνύκε έλα άξξσζην ζπγγελή ή θίιν θαηά ηε δηάξθεηα απηήο
ηεο πεξηόδνπ ησλ Υξηζηνπγέλλσλ. Μπνξνύκε λα
βνεζήζνπκε ηνπο θησρνύο θαη άζηεγνπο, κε ην λα ηνπο
δώζνπκε έλα πηάην θαγεηό θαη ξνύρα.
Καζώο πξνεηνηκαδόκαζηε γηα ηε γέλλεζε ηνπ
Κπξίνπ, αο κελ μερλάκε λα είκαζηε παξάδεηγκα γηα ηα "θαιά λέα" κε πξνζεπρέο θαη επραξηζηίεο γηα ηελ εκέξα
ησλ επραξηζηηώλ, θαη κε ηνλ εξρνκό ησλ
Υξηζηνπγέλλσλ - ηεο γέλλεζεο ηνπ Υξηζηνύ καο - πνπ γηα καο ηνπο Οξζνδόμνπο Υξηζηηαλνύο έρεη κεγάιε
ζεκαζία.
Λακβάλνληαο ππόςε ηελ γηνξηή ηεο γελλήζεσο, θαη ηελ πξόζθαηε γηνξηή ηεο εθαηνληαεηεξίδαο καο, ζα
ήζεια λα εθθξάζσ ηελ επγλσκνζύλε κνπ ζηελ
Κνηλόηεηα ηεο Αγίαο Σξηάδνο. Σν ζζέλνο, ηελ αγάπε θαη ηελ δύλακε απηήο ηεο Κνηλόηεηαο πνπ πξαγκαηηθά
έιακςε θαζώο δώζακε επραξηζηίεο ζηνλ Θεό γηα ηα 100
ρξόληα πξνόδνπ, δξάζεο θαη επεκεξίαο. Όπσο ν Ηεζνύο
είλαη ν βξάρνο έηζη είλαη θαη ε Δθθιεζία καο, ε θνηλόηεηα καο.
Λέλε όηη ε Κνηλόηεηα είλαη κόλν ηόζν δπλαηή, ηζρπξή όζν ηα κέιε ηεο. σο εθ ηνύηνπ, ζα ήζεια λα
επραξηζηήζσ ηνλ θαζέλα θαη όινπο, παξόληεο, θαη ζε
εθείλνπο πνπ εξγάζηεθαλ ηόζν ζθιεξά γηα ηελ επηηπρία απηήο ηεο αμέραζηεο ηζηνξηθήο γηνξηήο, δσξίδνληαο
ηνλ ρξόλν ηνπο, ηα ηαιέληα ηνπο θαη ηελ αγάπε ηνπο.
Θα ήζεια λα επραξηζηήζσ ηδηαηηέξσο ηνλ Γεώξγην Μνπξηδάθε θαη ηε ζύδπγό ηνπ Μαξία, γηα ηα ρξόληα
ππεξεζίαο ηνπ σο Πξόεδξνο ηνπ πκβνπιίνπ ηεο
ελνξίαο καο. Αθηέξσζε πνιιέο ώξεο ππεξεζίαο θαη ζπζίαο όια απηά ηα ρξόληα. Ο Γηώξγνο έρεη κεγάιε
εθηίκεζε γηα κέλα πξνζσπηθά, θαη ην πην ζεκαληηθό,
είλαη έλαο θαιόο θίινο. Ο Θεόο λα επινγεί ηνλ Γηώξγν θαη ηελ νηθνγέλεηά ηνπ γηα ηελ ππνζηήξημε, αγάπε θαη
αθνζίσζε ζηελ Δθθιεζίαο καο!
Ο Θεόο λα επινγεί όινπο ηνπο ελνξίηεο ηεο Αγίαο
Σξηάδνο!
DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 5
“The only gift is a portion of yourself. “ -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ζ ΔΝΟΡΗΑ ΜΑ ΓΔΩΡΓΗΟ ΜΟΤΡΗΕΑΚΖ,
ΠΡΟΔΓΡΟ
Τ ε ζηηγκή πνπ δηαβάδεηε
ην παξόλ, ν ενξηαζκόο ηεο 100εο επεηείνπ
θζάλεη ζην ηέινο ηεο. Οη
αλακλήζεηο είλαη αθόκα ζην κπαιό καο, θαη ειπίδσ όηη ζα είλαη
καδί καο γηα πνιύ κεγάιν ρξνληθό
δηάζηεκα. Σελ ίδηα ζηηγκή
εηνηκάδνκαη λα πεξάζσ ηε ζθπηάιε ζηνλ επόκελν πξόεδξν
γηα ηελ Αγία Σξηάδα.
Δίλαη 6 ρξόληα από ηόηε πνπ μεθίλεζα λα ππεξεηώ σο
Πξόεδξνο ηνπ πκβνπιίνπ ζηελ
Αγία Σξηάδα θαη ηέζζεξα ρξόληα πξηλ από απηό, σο ηακίαο. Να
πνύκε ην ιηγόηεξν, απηά ηα ρξόληα
ήηαλ πνιύ ελδηαθέξνληα, κε
πνιιά αλεβνθα ηεβάζκ αηα, δηακάρεο, πξνβιήκαηα, ηνπο
δύζθνινπο νηθνλνκηθνύο θαηξνύο
αιιά θαη ρξόληα κε κεγάιεο επηηπρίεο θαη βειηηώζεηο ζηελ
θνηλόηεηά καο. Έθαλα δηάθνξα
έξγα, όπσο ην αζαλζέξ,
αλαθαίληζε ηνπ εζσηεξηθνύ ηνπ λανύ, ν θαιισπηζκόο ηεο
κπξνζηηλήο όςεο ηεο εθθιεζίαο,
ε νπνία κε ηνλ ηξόπν ηεο νινθιεξώζεθε θαηά ηε δηάξθεηα
κηα κεγάιεο νηθνγελεηαθήο
θξίζεο, εθηελή αλαδηακόξθσζε θαη αλαβαζκίζεηο θνπδίλα καο θαη
ηνπ γπκλαζηεξίνπ, πιήξεο
αλαδηακόξθσζε ησλ κπάλησλ καο,
απνθαηάζηαζε ηνπ ζόινπ, ρηίζηεθε θαη έλα λεπηαγσγείν,
βειηησκέλνη ππνινγηζηέο θαη In-
ternet, θάκεξεο, ζπλαγεξκνί ππξθαγηάο, ζπζηήκαηα ήρνπ, θαη
άιια πνιιά έξγα, πνιιά γηα λα
αλαθέξσ ζε απηή ηελ επηζηνιή. Ο η θ ν λ ν κ η θ ά π ε ξ ά ζ α κ ε
δύζθνια ρξόληα όπσο ε ρώξα καο
θαη όινο ν θόζκνο λα βηώζεη κηα
κεγάιε ύθεζε. Δίδακε κηα κεγάιε
βε ιη ίσ ζ ε ζ η ν
εηζόδεκά καο από
ην εηήζην Φεζηηβάι καο θαη απηό ράξε
ζ ε π ν ι ι ν ύ ο
εζεινληέο. Έρνπκε νινθιεξώζεη πνιιά
από απηά ηα έξγα
θάησ ηνπ θόζηνπο η ν π
πξ νϋ πνινγ ηζ κ νύ ή ρσ ξ ί ο
νηθνλνκηθή επηβάξπλζε ζηελ
εθθιεζία. Έρεη ζπζηαζεί έλα ραξηνθπιάθην επελδύζεσλ,
νξγαλσκέλε ιεηηνπξγία ηεο –
θαηεπζείαλ δσξεηώλ, θαη μεθίλεζε έλα LLC λα ρεηξηζηεί όια ηα έξγα.
Σώξα έρνπκε κηα ζεηηθή ξνή
εηζνδήκαηνο από ην γπκλαζηήξην θαη ην λεπηαγσγείν, πνπ βνεζά λα
αληηζηαζκίζεη ηα ιεηηνπξγηθά
έμνδα. Έρνπκε επίζεο θαζαξηζηή
πιήξνπο απαζρόιεζεο γηα ηε θξνληίδα όισλ ησλ θηηξίσλ καο.
Ω ο δ η α ρ ε η ξ η ζ η ή ο θ α η
Πξόεδξνο, ζα έπξεπε λα νξίζσ θ ά π ν η ν π ο θ α λ ό λ ε ο θ α η
θαλνληζκνύο νκαιήο ιεηηνπξγίαο
γηα όιεο ηηο νξγαλώζεηο θαη
επηηξνπέο ηεο εθθιεζίαο καο. Μπνξεί ε απόθαζε λα θαίλεηαη
ζθιεξή κεξηθέο θνξέο, αιιά κηα
κεγάιε θνηλόηεηα όπσο ε δηθή καο ρξεηάδεηαη. Σν 2011 πεξάζακε
κηα κεηαβαηηθή πεξίνδν όπσο όινη
γλσξίδεηε πνιύ θαιά. Βξήθα ηνλ εαπηό κνπ ζην κάηη ηνπ θπθιώλα
θαη δελ είρα θαλέλαλ έιεγρν επί
ηνύηνπ. Πξώηε αληίδξαζε θαη ην
θύξην κέιεκά κνπ ήηαλ λα πξνζηαηεύζσ ηελ εθθιεζία καο
θαη ηνπο ελνξίηεο καο. Όια απηά
ζπλέβεζαλ ιίγν πξηλ από ην Πάζρα θαη Φεζηηβάι, κε ηα έξγα
πνπ είρακε μεθηλήζεη γηα ηνλ
αλαθαίληζε γηα ηα κπάληα, αξρίδνληαο ην θαηλνύξγην
λεπηαγσγείν. Έπξεπε λα ππάξμεη
εηξήλε, θαη πξνζπάζεηα λα
θξαηεζεί ε Κνηλόηεηα καδί.
Καλέλα ζρνιείν ή εθπαίδεπζε
καο πξνεηνηκάδεη γηα θάηη ηέηνην. Δίκαζηε όινη εζεινληέο θαη
πξάηηνπκε γηα ην θαιύηεξν
ζύκθσλα κε ηελ γλώζε καο θαη ην έλζηηθην καο. . Με ηε ράξε ηνπ
Θενύ θαη κε αξθεηό ρξόλν ειπίδσ
όηη ζα ην μεπεξάζνπκε απηό. Ωο εξγνιάβνο, είδα κηα
κεγάιε αλάγθε γηα βειηηώζεηο
ζηελ εθθιεζία καο, θαη δελ
κπνξνύζα λα κείλσ αδξαλήο — έπξεπε λα ζπκκεηάζρσ. Μπήθα
ζην πκβνύιην πνπ κνπ έδσζε
θαιύηεξε επθαηξία γηα λα εξγαζηώ πην θνληά ζε όια απηά ηα έξγα.
Υξεηάδεηαη πνιύο ρξόλνο θαη
πξνζπάζεηα λα νινθιεξσζνύλ
πνιιά από απηά ηα έξγα, αιιά κε ηε βνήζεηα ηνπ Θενύ όια είλαη
δπλαηά. Δγώ δελ ην έθαλε γηα
θαλέλα πξνζσπηθό ιόγν, αιιά από ζεβαζκό θαη αγάπε γηα ηελ
Αγία Σξηάδα.
Θα ήζεια λα επραξηζηήζσ όινπο ηνπο ελνξίηεο πνπ κε
ζηήξημαλ όια απηά ηα ρξόληα θαη
ειπίδσ όηη ε Αγία Σξηάδα ζα
αθνινπζήζεη ηνλ ίδην δξόκν θαη ην ίδην όξακα πνπ ραξάμακε αλ όινη
εξγάδνληαη ηόζν ζθιεξά.
Δθ κέξνπο ηεο ζπδύγνπ κνπ Μαξίαο, ζαο επρόκαζηε θαιά
Υξηζηνύγελλα θαη επηπρηζκέλνο ν
θα ηλ νύ ξ γ ηνο ρξ όλ νο . α ο επραξηζηώ θαη ν Θεόο αο καο
επινγεί.
DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 6
One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly. ~Andy Rooney
Our Parish
by George Mourizakis , Parish
Council President
B y the time you read this, the
Celebration of our 100th
Anniversary will be just
winding down. Our travel down memory lane is still in our minds,
and hopefully, it will be with us for
a very long time. At the same time, I am preparing to pass the baton to
the next President of Holy Trinity.
It has been 6 years since I began serving as Holy Trinity
Parish Council President and four
years prior to that as Treasurer. These years were very interesting, to say the least, with
many ups and downs, controversies, problems, and hard
economic times, but they were also years of great accomplishments and improvements to our community.
I have undertaken various projects, such as: the
installation of our elevator, the addition of new icons on
the church interior, the beautification of the grounds in the front of the Church, (which, by the way, was
completed during a great family crisis), extensive
remodeling and upgrades to our kitchen and gym, complete remodeling of all our bathrooms, the
restoration of the dome, the building and establishment
of a Nursery school, the improvement of our computers
and internet, security cameras, fire alarms, sound systems, and so many other projects— too numerous to
mention in this letter.
Financially, we have gone through a few very
difficult years, as our country and the whole world
experienced a great recession. We saw a great improvement in our income from our annual festival ,
and thanks to many volunteers through those years, we
completed many of these projects either under budget ,
or at no cost to us. We set up an investment portfolio, organized donor –directed function, and started an LLC
to handle all projects. We now have a positive flow of
income from our gym and Nursery school that is helping to offset our operating expenses. We also have a full
time custodian to take care of all of our buildings.
As an administrator and
President, I had to set some rules
and r egu la t ions for a l l
organizations and committees to live by. They may have seemed
harsh at times, but to have order
in a big community like ours, and fighting what always seemed to
be an uphill battle, was not easy.
In 2011 we went through a
transition period, as you all
know very well. I found myself
in the eye of a storm that I had no control over. My first reaction
and main concern was to protect
our church and our parishioners. All this happened just before
Easter and our Festival and with
the nursery and bathroom projects about to start as well. I
had to keep the peace and tried to keep the community
together. No school or formal training prepares you for
anything like this. We are all volunteers and acting on the best of our knowledge and instinct. Our actions
reflect on the lives of many, especially when you‘re in a
prominent position. With the grace of God and enough time, I hope we will overcome this.
As a contractor, I saw a great need for
improvements to our church, and could not sit idly by—I had to get involved. I joined the Parish Council ,
which allowed me better access to work closer to all
these projects. It takes a great deal of personal time and effort to accomplish many of these projects, but with the
help of God, all things are possible. I did not do any of
the above for personal gain, but out of respect and love for Holy Trinity.
I would like to thank all parishioners that supported
me through the years and hope that Holy Trinity will follow the same road and same Vision that we all work
so hard for.
On behalf of my wife Maria and me we are wishing
you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.
Thank you and God Bless.
DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 7
A Christmas
Story A Biblical Account of
the Birth of Christ
Christ’s Birth Announced to Mary
- Luke 1:26-38 ―NKJV™”
N ow in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by
God to a city of Galilee
named Nazareth, to a virgin be-trothed to a man whose name was
Joseph, of the house of David. The
virgin‘s name was Mary. And having
come in, the angel said to her, ―Rejoice, highly favored one, the
Lord is with you; blessed are you
among women!‖ But when she saw him, she was
troubled at his saying, and consid-
ered what manner of greeting this
was. Then the angel said to her, ―Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have
found favor with God. And behold,
you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His
name JESUS. He will be great, and
will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the
throne of His father David. And He
will reign over the house of Jacob
forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.‖
Then Mary said to the angel,
―How can this be, since I do not know a man?‖
And the angel answered and said
to her, ―The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the
Highest will overshadow you; there-
fore, also, that Holy One who is to be
born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative
has also conceived a son in her old
age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For
with God nothing will be impossi-
ble.‖
Then Mary said, ―Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to
me according to your word.‖ And the
angel departed from her. Christ Born of Mary - Matthew
1:18-25 ―NKJV™”
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was
as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they
came together, she was found with
child of the Holy Spirit. Then Jo-
seph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public
example, was minded to put her
away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel
of the Lord appeared to him in a
dream, saying, ―Joseph, son of Da-vid, do not be afraid to take to you
Mary your wife, for that which is
conceived in her is of the Holy Spir-
it. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS,
for He will save His people from
their sins.‖ So all this was done that it might
be fulfilled which was spoken by the
Lord through the prophet, saying:
―Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall
call His name Immanuel,‖ which is
translated, ―God with us.‖ Then Joseph, being aroused from
sleep, did as the angel of the Lord
commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she
had brought forth her firstborn Son.
And he called His name JESUS.
Glory in the Highest - Luke 2:8-14 "NKJV™"
Now there were in the same coun-
try shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by
night. And behold, an angel of the
Lord stood before them, and the glo-
ry of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then
the angel said to them, ―Do not be
afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to
all people. For there is born to you
this day in the city of David a Savior,
who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a
Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths,
lying in a manger.‖ And suddenly there was with the
angel a multitude of the heavenly
host praising God and saying: ― Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward
men!‖
Wise Men from the East - Matthew 2:1-12 "NKJV™"
N ow after Jesus was born in
Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise
men from the East came to Jerusa-
lem, saying, ―Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we
have seen His star in the East and
have come to worship Him.‖ When
Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
And when he had gathered all the
chief priests and scribes of the peo-ple together, he inquired of them
where the Christ was to be born. So
they said to him, ―In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the
prophet:
‗ But you, Bethlehem, in the land
of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Isra-el.‘‖
Then Herod, when he had secretly
called the wise men, determined
from them what time the star ap-peared. And he sent them to Bethle-
hem and said, ―Go and search care-
fully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back
word to me, that I may come and
worship Him also.‖ When they heard the king, they
departed; and behold, the star which
they had seen in the East went before
them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When
they saw the star, they rejoiced with
exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they
saw the young Child with Mary His
mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened
their treasures, they presented gifts to
Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to
Herod, they departed for their own
country another way.
DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 8
May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through!
Daughters of
Penelope by Kathy Yiannoulis , President
T he Daughters of Penelope would
like to wish everyone a blessed holiday season, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May
your holidays be filled with peace, and love.
We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed to our successful Turkey
Raffle and Annual Wreath and Christmas Planter Sale.
Proceeds from these sales support our scholarship program and our community outreach activities.
On Dec. 7th, we will be getting together with our
GOYANS to decorate wreaths, and prepare Food baskets. Please come and lend a hand and be a part of
this community event.
Our Lets Keep Them Warm Drive is continuing through January. We are collecting gloves, hats,
scarves, warm socks and small blankets for the needy in
the Great Bridgeport community. (All new items. Please, no coats or clothes.) The items are distributed to
local schools, shelters, crisis centers and hospitals. We also distribute items during the
Meal of Love given by our church. This project is
one of our favorite projects and a true labor of
love. Please see the Vision or our Facebook page for all drop box locations. Thank you to all those
who continue to provide a box at their places of
business.
Our January meeting will be held on January15th at 7
pm. Joining us will be new members and representatives from our District. We will celebrate the
start of the year by sharing Vasilopita with our brother
Ahepans. Come and be a part of our activities for 2014!
Our annual holiday dinner with Ahepa will be
scheduled for sometime in early 2014.
Mark your calendars for February 2 for our Annual
Luncheon on Godparents Sunday! Information to come.
Please visit us at http://holytrinitybridgeport.org/daughters.html. Our chapter email is
[email protected]. Lastly, ―Like‖ us
on Facebook at Daughters of Penelope - Bridgeport
"Hermes" Chapter 41, District 7.
See you in 2014 and thank you again for all you love
and support!
AHEPA
by John Bochanis, President
T hank you to all who attended two recent
AHE P A fu ndr a i s in g
events. The Bridgeport Chapter of
A H E P A held its
A n n u a l
C h i c k e n Luncheon
a f t e r
church on November 10th. We thank Tom
Hallas and Vangele Gountas for
assisting in the preparation of a
delicious luncheon. The fourth annual Taverna Night was held this
year at a temporary location. Due
to the damage from super storm Sandy Taverna Night was unable
to return to its original location at
the Fairfield Penfield beach
location. We hope to have Taverna Night return to a beach front
location soon. Even with the
temporary relocation of the Taverna Night, this year we had
200 attendees who helped support
the AHEPA scholarship fund Proceeds from both the chicken
luncheon and Taverna Night
contribute to college scholarships
which the Bridgeport Chapter of AHEPA awards on an annual basis.
The Bridgeport Chapter of
AHEPA and the Daughters of Penelope recently voted at their
monthly meeting to hold their
combined Holiday Party during the
beginning of January. We will be providing details of the location
and exact date by the beginning of
December.
As we approach the start of a new year the Bridgeport Chapter of
AHEPA will soon init ia te
community service outreach programs. Our members will
volunteer to participate in
community service projects in our area to promote the AHEPA
mission of philanthropy. We will
keep you advised of these
community service projects and how we can all participate in
supporting the neediest in our area.
To become a member of AHEPA please contact us at 203-
3 9 4 - 8 0 0 1 o r
DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 9
As long as we know in our hearts what Christmas ought to be, Christmas is.
S o r o r i t y G i r l o f
t h e M o n t h
by Stella Katsetos
W elcome to ABΩ's first
column, where we cele-
brate and acknowledge our youths‘ achievements! Each
child who will be featured in this
column has exhibited outstanding leadership, volunteer-
ism, and exceptional character! ABΩ's mission is to empower our girls with goals
to become compassionate, courageous leaders and inde-
pendent thinkers, while giving them a sorority type ex-perience.
This organization's objective is to overturn the gen-
der stereotypes that keep girls from taking leadership
roles, by building confidence and inspiring them to achieve their full potential! With this fun interview,
we will be highlighting each child's accomplishments,
goals and focusing on their unique personalities. I want to thank Father Andreas and George
Mourizakis for not only supporting the overall vision of
this program, but for also working with me this past year to make it a reality.
Congratulations to Katie Bouloubasis, as she has
been chosen to be our first Sorority Girl of the
Month! She is a sophomore at Fairfield Ludlowe High School and has exhibited outstanding leadership and
perseverance in all her volunteer work and extracurricu-lar activities.
SK: Katie, tell us about one of your favorite experiences
here at Holy Trinity?
KB: I really enjoyed doing Greek dance, whenever there was a dance at church I know what I am doing.
SK: Share with us your goals for the future: KB: One of my goals for the future is to go into model-
in g a nd t h en b eco me a n a c t r es s .
SK: Tell us about some personal achievements that you
are proud of:
KB: I am proud of my Relay for Life team, in the two
years I have participated, my team has raised over $5,000!
SK: If you were elected to be the first female Greek president of the United States, what would you do first?
KB: My priority would be to support the children.
SK: What qualities do you admire in a great leader?
KB: Someone who is organized, and is a good friend
to everyone.
SK: Lastly, tell us about any volunteer work experienc-
es that you enjoy.
KB: I am part of the Key Club at school. I have been able to volunteer at the Enchanted Forest, and a Hal-
loween party at an elementary school. I really enjoy
working with kids.
Greek
School
Ελληνικό
Σχολείο
by Eleni Limberis, Director
Ο Άγηνο Βαζίιεο ζα
επηζθεθζεί ην Διιεληθό κ α ο ζ ρ ν ι ε ί ν η ε λ
ΣΔΣΑΡΣΖ 18 ΓΔΚΔΜΒΡΗΟΤ
2013 ζηηο 5:00 κκ.
άο πξνζθαινύκε όινπο λα ππνδερζνύκε καδί ηνλ Άγην
Βαζίιε
Οη καζεηέο: ζα θνξνύλ άζπξν
πνπθάκηζν, κπιε ή καύξν παληαιόλη θαη θόθθηλε γξαβάηα.
BOYS: will wear white shirt,
navy blue or black pants and Red
tie. Οη καζήηξηεο: ζα θνξνύλ άζπξε
κπινύδα, θαη θόθθηλε ε καύξε
θνύζηα. Δπραξηζηνύκε πνιύ. GIRLS: will wear white blouse,
red or black skirt.
ά ο ε π ρ ό κ ε ζ α θ α ι ά Υξηζηνύγελλα θαη θαιό ρξόλν ην
2014!
Santa Claus will be visiting our Greek School
On Wednesday, December 18,
2013 - 5:00 p.m. We are inviting all of you to be
here and welcome SANTA.
Thank you. We wish you a Merry Christmas
and a Happy New Year! Thank
you, kiria Eleni
Our appreciation and many thanks to our PTO for their help,
support, and love throughout the
year to both our children and Teachers.
DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 10
May you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope; The spirit of Christmas which is peace; The heart of Christmas which is love. ~Ada V. Hendricks
Ladies
Philoptochos
Society
by Lena Protopapas, President
The Wine and Food Tasting
event was very successful . The proceeds from the
sales of tickets and the raffle was $8,885.00. The whole amount (with no withholding of any event
expenses of our own organization ) was given to our
Parish Council on Philoptochos‘ Day (November 3, 2013). I would like to take the opportunity to thank
all the ladies who worked so hard - sometimes
twelve hours straight - without any complaining , as well as, the group of chefs and the ladies who
helped us the day of the event, and the people
who gave us donations. Thank you all for the
wonderful team work that made an event like this one successful.
December is another month in which we have to
work hard for our Bake Sale (December 21-22, 2013). Please call the church‘s office, or
Philoptochos (Kalliope Tsitsipas: 203-926-0137 or
Lena Protopapas: 203-929-1582) for your Christmas
Orders. This month, we celebrate Christmas and our
hearts γεκίδνπλ από ραξά θαη επηπρία, γηα ηνλ
εξρνκό Δθείλνπ πνπ θαηαδέρηεθε λα δήζεη ηαπεηλά αλάκεζα ζηνπο αλζξώπνπο, ζαλ άλζξσπνο θαη λα
ζπζηαζηεί, γηα λα νδεγήζεη ηελ αλζξσπόηεηα, ζην
ζσζηό δξόκν, ην δξόκν ηνπ Θενύ. Με ηελ δηδαζθαιία ηνπ, έδησμε από ηελ
ςπρή ηνπ αλζξώπνπ ηελ αβεβαηόηεηα
θαη ηνπ μαλάδσζε αμία. Από ηνλ
ζθνηαδηζκό, ηνλ έθεξε ζην θσο. Σνπ έδσζε ειπίδα θαη πίζηε, ηνλ έθαλε
δπλαηό θαη ηθαλό λα δηαθξίλεη ην
ζσζηό από ην ιάζνο, ην δίθαην από ην άδηθν. Μαο έκαζε λα αγαπάκε θαη λα
πξνζθέξνπκε!. αο παξαθαιώ
δώζηε απιόρεξα απηά ηα Υξηζηνύγελλα ζηνλ έξαλν ηεο Philoptochos γηα ηξόθηκα for the poor (both
Greeks -Americans) θαη παιηά for the Rescue
Mission, κε ηνλ ίδην ηξόπν πνπ απιόρεξα ν
Υξηζηόο καο κάο πξόζθεξε θαη καο δίδαμε κε ηνλ εξρνκό ηνπ ζηε γε.
Νάζηε Καιά όινη θαη λα πεξάζεηε ραξνύκελα
ηηο άγηεο απηέο κέξεο κε ηηο νηθνγέλεηέο ζαο. Merry Christmas and a very happy and healthy new
year!
Days to remember:
December 1, 2013 : Kolyva and Artoklassia for the Community
December 3, 2013 : Brief Meeting at 6:30 p.m.
December 12, 2013: Christmas Dinner (Details will follow)
December 15, 2013 : Loukoumades. The proceeds
are for Greece and Cyprus
December 21-22, 2013: Christmas Bake Sale December 22, 2013: For the Poor and the Needy
(Evergreen Network and others).
GOYA
by Eleni Demestihas, President
W e had a great November
meeting, which was a
Thanksgiving dinner. Thank you to everyone who
cooked and joined us for such a
delicious meal.
Our GOYA dance group is join-
ing our Church in celebrating our 100 year anniversary at the 100
year Gala. It will be a very re-
warding feeling to be involved in
such a milestone event of our church. Thank you to those who
participated.
We are currently working on the
Community Christmas Card and
would like to thank everyone who has supported this project.
We encourage those who have not yet joined GOYA to come
down and join us for our events.
We would love to have you. We
encourage you to bring friends and have them join. Everyone is wel-
come.
Wishing you and your families a
very, Merry Christmas and a happy
and healthy New Year!
DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 11
Athletic
Department
by Chris Danas, Director
A s we celebrate the 100
anniversary, remember the
church and its programs d o n ‘ t
h a p p e n
wi t hout
our vol-u n t e e r s
and pay-
ing it forward.
Beginning with gratitude to
volunteers who make our Athletic league a great experience for
youth, a special thanks to the fol-lowing families that helped on our
gym clean up day: Vlamis, Toth,
Schiller, Gountas, and Danas
families all contributed to the extra cleaning and preparations
needed to get ready for the season.
In addition, a few minor renova-tions were completed with
―Inspire Blue‖ donations. A spe-
cial thank you to Tommy Hallas for installing the new floor in the
snack bar and a few other odds
and ends. One more special
thanks to the Zumba instructors who donated their time to a great
FUNdraiser on 11/1.
As you know, our league has
strong connections to the commu-
nity, and the banner sponsorship program is a great way to adver-
tise local business. If you know someone who is looking to estab-
lish more local visibility for their
business, this is a great win-win,
as the gym is in use 7 days week for volleyball and basketball
teams from all over. Our new uni-
forms for the basketball program are as a result of the generous
sponsors, and we are very appre-
ciative of their support. Contact any member of the athletic com-
mittee for more information.
Our teams have been practic-ing and getting ready for a great
upcoming season. Our game
schedules will be posted on Face Book, as well as gym lobby and
church office. Come out and
watch our Holy Trinity youth teams in action!
Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. ~Calvin Coolidge, 1927
Sunday School
by Eva Vaniotis—Director
S unday school staff with sincere
congratulations for the successful
celebration held in honor of Holy Trinity‘s 100 Year Anniversary.
Teachers are preparing our Sunday school
children to receive the birth of Jesus. Planning for the Christmas Pageant is
underway, and will be held, as planned on Sunday,
December 22nd.
Schedule: Children, Teachers/Aides are requested
to be in Church by 9:45 A.M.
All the children will remain in Church with their teachers.
Please plan for your children to receive Holy
Communion on that day. Children will go to their classrooms for Communion
breakfast.
Children will prepare for the Christmas Pageant.
Program to start around 1:00 P.M. or earlier.
After the program, grades PN through 2nd
grade will return to their classroom for the parents to pick up.
Grades 3 – 10 will be dismissed right after
the program.
Children in grades PN through 6 will
receive Christmas gifts from PTO and will be distributed in their classroom after
Communion.
Our sincere appreciation to PTO for their kind
generosity and support they extend to our children. Their effort in working diligently to raise money
throughout the year is for the welfare of our children.
Many, many thanks to our P T O. Sunday, December 1, 2013: Family Worship-No
School / Thanksgiving
Sunday, December 29, 2013: Family Worship-No School / Christmas
Sunday, January 5, 2014, all the children return to
Sunday school for regular classes.
DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 12
Around the
Parish
by Stella Capiris
C ongratulations to John J. and
Chrysoula Pertesis on the
engagement of their daugh-ter, Maria, to Steve Rountos from Dan-
bury. We wish the couple happy plan-
ning. We also wish to congratulate Ma-ria on receiving her CPA Certificate.
Kai eis anotera.
Belated Happy Birthday greetings to Nikolas and
Petros, twin sons of Father Andreas and Presvytera An-
thoula, as they turned eight years old. They are a joy to
watch with their boundless amount of energy. We wish them good health and many more!
Congratulations to Cindy Waldron upon her recent election to the Fairfield RTM. We wish her good luck in
all her future endeavors in her new political career. Kai
eis anotera.
The annual Wine & Food Tasting event was most
successful - complete with the best Greek Wines and
many assortments of mezedakia and pastries. Many thanks to the Philoptochos, who served as the hostesses,
to all the cooks, to all the bakers, to Tom Hallas, to Kal-
liopi Tsitsipas.
Philoptochos Day was celebrated with Artoclasia in
church, followed by a reception coffee hour. Also, on
that day, the newly elected Philoptochos President, Le-na Protopapas, presented the Church with a check of
$8,887.00 : the proceeds of the Wine & Food Tasting
Event. Many thanks to Philoptochos for their constant support. They are now working on preparing food gift
baskets for the needy and donating new pajamas and
children's books for the needy children.
The AHEPA held its annual Chicken Luncheon, deli-
cious as always, with the proceeds going to benefit the
Chapter's Scholarship Fund.
The Daughters of Penelope cele-brated their Founder's Day by pre-
paring the delicious pastries for the
AHEPA Luncheon. On that day,
they also distributed purple ribbons and materials for "Domestic Vio-
lence" awareness. They are contin-
uing their Winter Drive Collection for adults and children for gloves,
mittens, scarves, hats, socks, small
blankets. Also, they are preparing food baskets for the needy.
Our annual "Meal of Love" lunch-
eon for the needy has been resched-uled to January.
The ministry, Love 1 Another, recently held an in-formative meeting with their guest speaker Dr. Artemis
Morris, a Naturopathic Physician, and continue to have
informative meetings every month.
Contact your individual organization for information
on when they will be holding their individual Christmas
parties.
Once again, our GOYA is sponsoring our annual
Community Christmas Card - $15.00 per family and $25.00 per business/organizations. It is a nice way of
greeting one another while at the same time helping our
GOYAns.
The P.T.O. will once again sponsor Santa's Work-
shop for the children, to be held on Saturday, December
14th. Also, the P.T.O. will sponsor the New Year's Eve celebration.
The Christmas Greek School Program will take place on December 18th, and the Sunday School Christmas
Pageant will take place on December 22nd.
Basketball and volleyball practices have started. For more information, contact Chris Danas.
Our deepest sympathy to the Gerasimopoulos Family on the loss of their beloved daughter Kelly. Our deepest
sympathy to Evangelia Exis on the loss of her sister-in-
law in Greece. May their Memories be Forever Eternal.
It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas when its mighty Founder was a child Himself. ~Charles Dickens
DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 13
Christmas is a time to open our hearts to God and his gifts. Just like the rest of the year.
PTO
by Effie Vlamis, President
H ow fun was it toasting
marshmallows around the fire pit and making
smore‘s treats, while kids and
adults had a chilly, but fun, time at the Smore‘s Under the Stars night.
As always ,we cannot thank you
enough for donating your time and goods towards our Brunch and any
other event that we have had so
far. We love and appreciate your help.
The children of our Greek school, along with their teachers ,
had a mini-celebration showing off
their Greek flags and smiles, and
the 3rd grade received their Greek dictionaries.
Lea Lampadarios and Sylvia will be assembling the Christmas
tree and collecting gifts for the children at St Basil‘s drive. Thank
you for supporting this cause.
The PTO Christmas dinner will be December 12th. Information
will be sent out soon. Please sign
your youngsters up for the Santa‘s Christmas Workshop that Maria
Gountas is coordinating again this
year. Gingerbread houses will be made by the younger children ,
while the older children will bake
bread for the prospect house in
Bridgeport. Year after year, Maria does such a fantastic job
coordinating this fun day.
It‘s that time of year! Our
tsourekia baking is done and we
will be selling them outside of the hall entrance. Always a great gift
for a teacher, postal employee,
etc...and they make a delicious
french toast as well.
Please reserve your tickets and
table for the New Year‘s Dance . There will be live music, so put on
your dancing shoes, and reserve your table. Ticket pre purchase is
preferred, as those will get
preferred seating. Maria Gountas
and Bessy Tsilfides are co-chairing this event.
Thank you to the ladies who coordinated and organized the
Christmas Raffle. As always, these
are lovely gifts for yourselves or for others. ;)
Please look on the PTO board
for details of PTO events, as well as PTO on Face book, and our
PTO email reminders. If you are
still interested in becoming a member ($25 only), it‘s not too
l a t e . We ha v e ex t en d ed
membership, so please see Sophia Hallas. If you have any questions
or ideas, we would love to hear
about them.
Our next meeting, Wednesday,
Dec.11 in YAL room hope to see
you there.
Reflections From
our PTO
On the occasion of our Church’s 100th Anniversary,
our PTO’s board shares their thoughts and memories.
W ith heartfelt sincerity and love, on behalf of the Holy Trinity Parent Teacher
Organization, we would like to thank
past and present Clergy, members of the Church,
members of the various organizations and schools from the onset of Holy Trinity to present for their dream and
aspirations coming to life. Thank you to our
forefathers‘ vision, remarkable courage, hard work, and dedication to create a second home to us and for the
people who have kept and keep our beautiful Church strong and that vision alive still today.
I thought it would be nice to share PTO‘s executive
board members‘ thoughts on what the 100th
anniversary of our beloved church means to them:. ~ Effie Vlamis
E ven though I was baptized and attended Holy
Trinity my entire life, I can honestly say I never felt like I was part of the community. Since my parents
were fairly new immigrants they were not up to speed
at all with all the organizations at Holy Trinity. I never
attended Sunday School, GOYA, or Greek School. I remember going to the festival and watching all the
(Continued on page 14)
DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 14
kids dressed in there traditional Greek costumes
dancing all kinds of dances that I didn‘t know. So I
guess it‘s o surprise that when my children came along I made every effort to involve them and myself in all
the programs that Holy Trinity had to offer. I have
been a Sunday School aide and teacher, PTO vie president and president, and also a Philoptochos
member. My daughter Irene is involved in Greek
School, Sunday School programs, the GOYA, volleyball and the girls sorority club. My son Sami, is
in Sunday School and recently joined the altar boys. I
can‘t tell you how excited he is when it is his week to
serve. He really looks up to his captain, Alexander Hasiotis to guide him. I have had the pleasure of
working with so many wonderful, faithful, loving
people that I no longer feel like an outsider. I truly feel blessed to be a part of the Holy Trinity family.
~Sylvia Bal, Co President
G rowing up, I was involved in every aspect of
my church; from Greek School, Sunday
School, GOYA, Girl Scouts, Basketball, and YAL. There was not a day when we were not down at church
doing something. So, when we moved to Connecticut
I was a little worried about going to a new church where I really didn‘t know anyone. I want my children
to have the same involvement in their new church as I
did in mine, so I made every effort to become involved
in church activities. It didn‘t take long for me to make new friends and become a member of the PTO, where I
have been a board member for the last six years. I am
also the GOYA advisor, and my daughter is the GOYA President. It is the best feeling to see my girls
become as involved as I was when I was younger.
They are building bonds and memories that will last them a lifetime.- Faye Demestihas, Treasurer
I joined Holy Trinity on April 4, 2003, when I converted from the Catholic Faith to the
Orthodox Faith. A month later, I had my wedding
there. Since then, I have baptized my two children, Zoe and Vagelis, and have become a Sunday School
teacher. I joined the PTO shortly after my son was
born, and never looked back. I believe children are our future, and as a parent, we should give them every
opportunity to reach for the stars. Being a past PTO
President and current member, I see all the great
friends that my children have made. These are the friends that will walk with them through life. PTO, to
me, is about the children at all times. Everything that we as a group stand for is our youth and their future.
~Maria Gountas, Corresponding Secretary
I was raised Roman Catholic and attended my
church regularly with my parents, so making the
decision to convert to Christian Orthodoxy was not one that I took lightly. Together with Michael, we made
the decision, prior to marrying, that we would pray and
attend the same church and raise our children in the church he grew up in. We both felt that worshiping as
a family would strengthen our relationship and
commitment to ourselves and to our Lord. I‘ve never
regretted the decision we made. Holy Trinity has become our spiritual home. The parishioners have
become our family and friends and accepted and
welcomed me into the congregation. Our children have gained friends and experiences through this
church that will be remembered and cherished for the
rest of their lives. Through the various projects, they have learned about the importance of volunteering and
helping those less fortunate. Not just in theory, but by
participating and giving of themselves to positively
impact others. I hope that once they go on to college and away from home, they will remember that Holy
Trinity will always be there for them when they return.
~ Christina Hasiotis, Historian
I was baptized and raised at Holy Trinity.
Growing up, I was involved in many groups including GOYA and the dance group. Now, having
children of my own, it‘s nice to see them grow and be
involved in the same groups that I was in! ~ Anna Papanikolaou, Vice President
A s a fairly new member of Holy Trinity, I‘ve
come to find, if you want to be a part of this
wonderful community, all you have to do is show up!
Whether it‘s coming to church on Sundays or being involved in one of the fabulous organizations you will
find an exquisite group of people. I‘ve learned the
more you participate the more you become a part of this wonderful community. I am personally grateful
for all the members who have gone above and beyond
to make me feel welcomed and for the great friendships being built. ~Bessy Tsilfides, Recording
Secretary
(Continued from page 13)
(Continued on page 15)
DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 15
W alking into the church
with my children and
husband sometimes feels so surreal. I was baptized in this
church and also attended the
Sunday School and Greek School programs (sometimes with tears
and complaints). It felt like my
mother‘s mission was for us to get to church on time, look lovely,
and receive a Sunday School pin
upon June graduation, and to
always be obedient and respectful to my teachers and elders. Greek
school homework was always
done , no matter what. I loved dancing in the dance groups,
attempted my chance at volleyball,
was part of GOYA and YAL, was a Sunday School aide for awhile,
and I couldn‘t wait for Miss Eva
to ask me to read the Epistle, and
actually found it fun to be a part of the Oratorical competition. I
remember feeling nervous with
my fellow Greek school classmate girls while dressed in blue and
white going in front of the
congregation to sing the Aspile ,
during the Xeretismoi. But those memories and mixed feelings that
I had as a young girl growing up
in the church is what I share with
great enthusiasm with my children and husband today.
As an adult, I attended church
regularly even while in college and working. I met my husband
at church as well. When my
children reached proper age, I couldn‘t wait to serve as a
member of the PTO, and serving
as a vice president and president
was absolutely awesome for me, I have become a member of the
Daughter‗s of Penelope and am a
part of the athletics group as well. What I find in my church is a
sense of security, love, and
absolute faith. I look forward to creating new friendships and
solidifying old ones. The church
has been a rock for me and my
family to lean, on when faced with difficult circumstances. I can pray
comfortably, and am at peace
when attending services on Sundays. I look forward to
decorating the Epitafio every year
with my daughters and their
friends, I am proud to see my son serve as an altar boy, I am thrilled
to see my daughters stand in front
of the church dressed in white as
mirofores, I love that we as a church participate in the annual
Greek Parade in New York City
and in doing so, have created a proud Greek Orthodox youth. I
love the fact that my children are
participating in various youth events and have established
lifelong friendships with peers that
they have a common bond –
culture and faith. Watching my children helping out, whether at
the French fry station with his
buddies, or performing Greek dancing at the annual festival, I
love the fact that my son is
accepted by everyone at the church, I love the fact that my
family and I are truly a part of the
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox
Church and am very happy to say Happy 100 Years of dedicated
service, love, and everlasting faith
and being there for me. ~Effie Vlamis, Co President
(Continued from page 14)
The "W" in
Chr istmas
L ast December, I vowed to
make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut
back on nonessential obligations - exten-
sive card writing, endless baking, deco-
rating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family mo-
ments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.
My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six year old. For weeks, he'd been
memorizing songs for his school's "Winter Pageant." I
didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the
production. Unwilling to miss
his shining moment, I spoke
with his teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the
morning of the presentation. All
parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come
then. Fortunately, Nicholas
seemed happy with the compromise. So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten
minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat
down. Around the room, I saw several other parents qui-
(Continued on page 16)
Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.
DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 16
It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air. ~W.T. Ellis
H o u s e B l e s s i n g s -
N e w Y e a r 2 0 1 4 December 8, 2013
Dear Parishioners,
We are writing to you regarding the 2014 house bless-
ings.
Father Andreas will do ―House Blessings‖ between
January 6 and January 31, 2014.
If you wish to have your house blessed, please call the
office at 203-374-5561 – Monday thru Friday – from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.
We thank you and wishing you and your family a
blessed and healthy New Year.
Best wishes ,
Father Andreas
Κ α λ ή Χ ρ ο ν ι ά 2 0 1 4 8 Γεθεκβξίνπ 2013
Αγαπεηνί Δλνξίηεο,
Δπινγίεο – Δηξήλε θαη πγεία ζε ζαο θαη ηελ
νηθνγέλεηά ζαο.
αο γξάθνπκε ζρεηηθά κε ηνλ αγηαζκό ησλ ζπηηηώλ
ηνπ λένπ έηνπο 2014.
Ο πάηεξ Αλδξέαο ζα θάλεη ηνπο αγηαζκνύο θέηνο
κεηαμύ 6 Ηαλνπαξίνπ θαη 31 Ηαλνπαξίνπ 2014.
Δάλ ζέιεηε αγηαζκό ζαο παξαθαινύκε ηειεθσλήζηε καο ζην Γξαθείν ηεο Δθθιεζίαο ζην 203-374-5561
κεηαμύ 9:00 πκ θαη 3:00 κκ. Γεπηέξα έσο
Παξαζθεπή.
αο επραξηζηνύκε θαη ζαο επρόκαζηε κε ηελ
νηθνγέλεηά ζαο, θαιή ρξνληά.
Με επρέο,
π. Αλδξέαο
etly scampering to their seats. As I
waited, students were led into the
room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on
the floor. Then, each group, one by
one, rose to perform their song. Because the public school system
had long stopped referring to the
holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun,
commercial entertainment -
songs of reindeer, Santa Claus,
snowflakes and good cheer. So, when my son's class rose to
sing, "Christmas Love," I was
slightly taken aback by its bold title. Nicholas was aglow, as were
all of his classmates, adorned in
fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and
bright snowcaps upon their heads. Those in the front row- center stage
- held up large letters, one by one,
to spell out the title of the song. As
the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up
the letter C. Then, "H is for Hap-
py," and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had present-
ed the complete message,
"Christmas Love." The performance was going
smoothly, until suddenly, we no-
ticed her; a small, quiet, girl in the
front row holding the letter "M" upside down - totally unaware her
letter "M" appeared as a "W". The
audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's mis-
take. But she had no idea they were
laughing at her, so she stood tall,
proudly holding her "W". Alt-hough many teachers tried to shush
the children, the laughter continued
until the last letter was raised, and
we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes
began to widen. In that instant, we
understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holi-
day in the first place, why even in
the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities. For when the last
letter was held high, the message
read loud and clear:
"C H R I S T W A S L O V E"
And, I believe, He still is.
submitted by Vicky Andriotis—
Author Unknown
(Continued from page 15)
Holy Trinity Seniors Chris tmas Luncheon
Sunday, December 15, 2013
1:00 pm
A t STEFFANO’s
525 Tunx is Hil l Cut- of f
Fair f ie ld CT 06828
Choice of: Chicken Parmigiana, Broiled Salmon
or Prime Rib.
Senior Members: $20.00 Non members: $30.00
For Reservations Call: Van Hatzis, 203-268-7231
Reservations Must Be Made No later Than Sunday December 8 ,2013
PHILOPTOCHOS CHRISTMAS OFFERING PLEASE HELP US TO STOCK OUR FOOD
PANTRY AND PREPARE
G IFT B ASKETS FOR THE NEEDY Our pantry is in need of the following items:
Please bring your items to the Church or Contact Kalliope Tsitsipas
for more info: 203.926.0137
Rice Pasta Sauce
Canned Vegetables Olive Oil
Cake or muffin mixes Crackers
Cranberry Sauce Non-dairy Creamer
Peanut Butter & Jelly Pasta
Canned Soup Cookies
Vinegar Canned Sweet Potatoes
Chocolates Coffee/Tea
Canned Fruit Toothpaste/toothbrushes
Shampoo & Soap Men’s Socks
Combs
Please donate your gently used winter coats to benefit the Bridgeport Rescue Mission.
Donations can be left on the stage in the Aegean Hall.
Coat Drive
©2013 Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Bpt. Ct Publishing &Design-Vicky Andriotis-011/15/2013
The Official Monthly Publication of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church 4070 Park Avenue Bridgeport, CT 06604
“Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every Creature.” Mark 16:15
Robert Arvanitis 226-4140 Michael Bouloubasis 336-2116 Stella Capiris 259-7344 Phil Georgas 257-7452 Petros Karayiannis 631-258-3933 A.J. Metsopoulos 292-6418
George Mourizakis 373-0580 Chris Papachristos 380-0566 Pericles C. Rountos 268-7173 Peter Tsimbidaros 334-2578 Scott Vereb 520-2781 Constantine Vlamis 268-5464
Parish Council Newsletter Editor Vicky Andriotis
Newsletter Staff Eleni Limberis
George Mourizakis Father Andreas Vithoulkas
Vicky Andriotis
HISTORIAN & ARCHIVES ROOM S. Capiris 203-259-7344
HOSPITAL MINISTRY S. Kapetaneas 203-926-1751
JR. CHOIR J.Bogardus 203-736-6501
MAINTENANCE G. Hatzis 203-261-3247
L. Tsouris 203-334-2781
NURSING HOME MINISTRY S. Capiris 203-259-7334
OLYMPIANS (GOYA) F. Papachristos 203-380-0566
P.T.O. S. Bal 203-814-2131
[email protected] E. Vlamis 203-685-5464
PARISH COUNCIL G. Mourizakis 203-373-0580
PHILOPTOCHOS L. Protopapas
203-929-1582
PUBLICITY COMMITTEE E. Vaniotis 203-374-0013
SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE S. Karagiannis 203-820-1975
SENIOR CITIZENS G. Agortsas 203-372-1015
STEWARDSHIP A.J. Metsopoulos 203-292-6418
R. Arvanitis 203-226-4140
SUNDAY SCHOOL E. Vaniotis 203-374-0013
INTERNET MINISTRIES-
WEBSITE- FACEBOOK-TWITTER-E-BULLETIN-VISION
V.Andriotis
ALTAR DIRECTOR P.Bozikis 917-692-2317
AHEPA J. Bochanis 203-254-7595
AROUND THE PARISH S. Capiris 203-259-7344
ATHLETIC DIRECTOR C. Danas 860-916-3777
BOOKSTORE V. Andriotis
CANTOR G. Bakes 203-374-8561
CHOIR P. Leask 203-258-9160
CULTURAL ASSOCIATION V. Hatzis 203-268-7231
COUNCIL OF CHURCHES S. Kapetaneas 203-926-1751
DAUGHTERS OF PENELOPE K. Yiannoulis 203-372-6591
ECCLESIARCH D. Trigonis 203-374-0725
FORCC E.Vaniotis 203-374-0013
GOYA E. Demestihas 203-380-2923
GREEK SCHOOL E. Limberis 203-371-6305
GREEK SCHOOL DANCE GROUP E.Limberis 203-371-6305
greekschool-
A. Papanikolaou
Church Office
Eleni Limberis Email: [email protected]
Office: 203.374.5561 Fax: 203.374.5770 Hours: Monday – Friday: 9:00am – 4:00pm
Sundays after Services: 12:00pm-1:00pm
On the Web -www.holytrinitybridgeport.org Bookstore Online -bookstore.holytrinitybridgeport.org
Shopping– shop.holytrinitybridgeport.org On Facebook—www.facebook.com/holytrinitybridgeport
On Twitter – www.twitter.com/holytrinitybpt
Father Andreas Vithoulkas, Presbyter [email protected]
phone: 917-334-4192
Services
Sunday: Orthros 8:30am Sunday School Special Services:
10:00am-10:15am Divine Liturgy,Sermons, Announcements:
9:45am – 11:30am
Ώρες Λειτοσργίας Κσριακής
‘Όρθρος: 8:30 πμ Θεία Λειτοσργία: 9:45 πμ
651 Villa Ave. Fairfield, CT 203-384-8176
www.androsdinerfairfield.com
PETER G. KARAYIANNIS ATTORNEY AT LAW
857 Post Road, #110 Fairfiled, CT 06824
(631)258-3933 [email protected]
DeJesus Dental Group Cosmetic, Family & Implant Dentistry
Pericles Rountos, D.M.D. General Dentist
T:(203) 372-1220 www.dejesusdental.com F:(203)371-8540 4131 Main St. Bpt, CT
Ticket Sales & Raffle $ 8,885.00
Wine Sales $ 1,143.00
Total Income $ 10,028.00
EXPENSES
Wines $ 1,647.90
Food $ 1,581.61
Signs & Brochures $ 381.00
Paper Goods & Cleaning $ 564.00
Total Expenses $ 4,174.51
$ 5,853.49
Tomlinson’s Restaurant 1400 Noble Ave, Bridgeport
Tel. 335-5296
Nicholas Vlamis Constantinos Vlamis- Owners
Wine Tasting Financial Report—2013