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Mar c h 2 0 1 5 w w w. H o l y Tr in i ty B r id ge p o r t . o rg I s s u e N o . 3 0 1
The O
fficia
l Mon
thly
Publ
icatio
n of
Holy
Trin
ity
March 2015 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
Strict Fast Fish Allowed Wine and Oil Allowed Dairy,Eggs, and Fish Allowed
1 Sunday
of Orthodoxy -
PanOrthodox
Vespers at Ho-
ly Trinity
4:00pm
Martyr Eudocia
Andonina the
2
2nd Monday of
Lent
Martyr Hesy-
chius
Nicholas
Planas
3
2nd Tuesday
of Lent
Martyrs Eutro-
pius, Cleonicus
and Basiliscus
Theodoretos the
Holy Martyr of
4 Presan
ctified Litur-
gy/
6:00-7:30
PM 2nd Wednesday of
5
2nd Thursday
of Lent
Conon the Gar-
dener
Mark the As-
cetic
6 2nd
Salutations
7:00-9:00
pm / 2nd Friday of
Lent 42 Mar-
tyrs of Amorion
7
Second Satur-
day of Lent
7 Hieromartyrs of
Cherson
Lavrentios of
Megara
8
Sunday of St.
Gregory Pala-
mas
Theophylact ,
Bp. of Nicome-
dea
9
40 Martyrs of
Sebastia
Caesarios the
Righteous
10
3rd Tuesday of
Lent
Martyr Quad-
ratus of Corinth
and the 5
Anastasia of
11 Presa
nctified/
Liturgy
(seniors)
10:00 am Seniors Meet-
ing: 1:00pm
12
3rd Thursday
of Lent
Theophanes the
Confessor
Symeon the
New Theologi-
13 3rd
Salutations
7:00-9:00
pm /
3rd Friday of
14
Third Saturday
of Lent
Benedict of
Nursia
Euschimonus the
Confessor
15
Sunday of the
Holy Cross
Philoptochos
Lenten Lunch-
eon after Ser-
vices
Martyr Agapius
& Companions
16
4th Monday of
Lent
Martyr Sabine
Christodulus the
Wonderworker
17
4th Tuesday of
Lent
Alexis the Man
of God
Patrick, En-
lightener of
Ireland
18 Presa
nctified Lit-
urgy/
6:00-7:30
PM 4th Wednes-
day of Lent
19
4th Thursday
of Lent
Martyrs Chry-
santhus and
Daria
Demetrios the
New Martyr
20 4th
Salutations
7:00-9:00 pm/
4th Friday of
Lent
21
Fourth Saturday
of Lent
James the Con-
fessor
Thomas, Pat. Of
Constanstinople
22
Sunday of St.
John Clima-
cus
Hieromartyr
Basil of Ancy-
ra
Kalliniki &
Vassilisa the
Martyrs
23
5th Monday of
Lent
Martyr Nicon &
the 199
Anatolios &
Protoleon the
Martyrs
24
5th Tuesday of
Lent
Forefeast of the
Annunciation
Bp. Artemon
25 Service
9:30 am
Annuncia-
tion / o/ Seniors Meet
@1:00pm/
Greek School
March 25th
Program Cele-
bration
26
5th Thursday
of Lent: The
Great Canon
of Saint An-
drew of Crete
Synaxis of the
Archangel Ga-
briel
26 Martyrs in
Crimea
27 Akath
ist Hymn
7:00-9:00
pm /
5th Friday of
Lent
Matrona of
Thessalonica
28
5th Saturday of
Lent: The
Akathist Hymn
Hilarion the New
Herodion the
Apostle of the 70
29 Sun-
day of St.
Mary of Egypt
Greek Inde-
pendence Day
Parade New
York City
30 6th
Monday of
Lent / John
Climacus Sos-
thenes Apollos,
Cephas, Caesar,
& Epaphrodi-
tos, the Apos-
tles of the 70
31
6th Tuesday of
Lent
Hieromartyr
Hypatius
Metropolitan
Innocent of
Moscow
MEMORIALS:
Sunday March 8 Demetra Bothos - 6 months
Sunday March 22 Dimitrios Bletsas - 1 year
Sunday March 29 Petros Taxilataridis - 1 year
:
8 - 6 22 - 1
29 - 1
MARCH 2015 3
The Lord my Creator took me as dust from the earth and formed me into a living creature, breathing into me
the breath of life and giving me a soul; He honored me,
setting me as a ruler upon the earth over all things
visible, and making me the companion of the angels.
But Satan the deceiver, using the serpent as his
instrument, enticed me by food; he parted me from the
glory of God and gave me over to the earth and to the
lowest depths of death. But, Master, in compassion call
me back again. From The Sunday of Forgiveness Vespers
O n t h e Su n d a y o f
Forgiveness, the las t
Sunday before the Great
Lent, we are reminded of something
that we usually try not to think of:
our mortality. We hear the ancient
words from Scripture, Then God
formed man out of dust from the
ground, and breathed in his face the
breath of life; and man became a
living soul (Gen 2:7). These are strange words to the modern person.
Why should we remember our death
when all the world cries "Life" to us?
We are urged to think positive
thoughts, to feel good about
ourselves, to reach for the stars, to
"be all that you can be." It is
annoying to be reminded that this full
life will someday end. No. Forget all this dust and ashes
talk. Let us keep things in their places, simple and safe -
life now, while there is life; death later, when there must
be death.
Death is a fact of this life no matter how much we
dent it. But this realization does not mean we should
despair. St. Paul exhorts us to no longer fear death
because we have the hope of the Resurrection (1 Thess.
4:13). For Christians, death is not the end of the story.
The Gospel puts things into perspective - it allows us to
think about the unthinkable. The Lenten story begins
with an uncomfortable stirring of the ashes of existence
and forces us to consider our sin, our guilt, to
"Remember, you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
Amid the many, busy and distracting events of our lives,
the quiet hours of Lenten worship are certainly needed.
Lent, taken seriously, provides us with greater
opportunity for solitude, more time for reflection and
meditation as we journey through our particular
wilderness to Holy Pascha. Through fasting and prayer
we tune out the noise or static of the world and become
more in tune with God. We need this time to consider
how we are doing and to evaluate our relationship with
each other and with God. Great Lent is that traditional
time of the year when we are urged to probe into the
deeper corners of our being.
During this time of Great Lent we are also reminded
of other timeless truths from Scripture: that we are
created in the image and likeness of God, and that
through repentance we are able to
return to our original purpose in life,
to regain our lost relationship with
God. Repentance is coming to our
senses, like the prodigal son did, and
seeing ourselves as we really are.
Repentance is facing up to the
powerful desires within us to deceive
- to deceive others and ourselves.
But repentance is not only
recognition; it is also repudiation.
Often, getting caught in a sinful act
will produce feelings of remorse,
anguish, regret, and sorrow, but
unhappiness is not repentance.
Repentance is realizing ones inadequacy and surrendering to
Gods mercy. Genuine repentance means that the direction of our lives
has changed. It means we have come to our senses and
we arise and return to our God. We ourselves must be
changed!
And we can't do this on our own. Our bonds of
captivity are too strong for us to break on our own. In
our sin, we simply do not have the power to direct our
own repentance. Power to repent comes from God's
decision to save. I doubt very much if the prodigal son
would have gone home to an elder brother, but going
home to a loving father is an altogether different matter.
The relationship of love makes all the difference.
This culminates in a glorious day of Resurrection. The
Good News that Christ came to tell us is this: that,
because of Jesus Christ, neither ashes nor dust are the
last word. I wish to all of you and your families a
blessed and fruitful Lent!
The Last Word by Father Andreas Vithoulkas
O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, faintheartedness, lust of power, and idle talk.
MARCH 2015 4
.
, , , , , , . , , , , , . , .
T , ,
: , , , . (. 2, 7) . ; , , , " ". , ! , , , . , -
- , . .
. . , ( , , , , 1 . 4, 13). . . , , .
, , , . , , , , ,
.
. , - , . .
, , . , , . , . . , , , . . . ,
But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to your servant.
MARCH 2015 5
, . ! . . , . , , .
, . .
. , , .
Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own sin and not to judge my
brother, for You are blessed from all ages to all ages. Amen
G OYA has been really busy the last few months.
Thank you to all those who donated towards our
Bears from the Heart project it was a great success and the children of the Ronald McDonald house
loved all the bears we made. It was such a great feeling
to know we put a smile on a sick childs face.
We have been working with the Sunday school mak-
ing icons for the Sunday of Orthodoxy. We have lots of
fun things in the works, so 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 also encourage
you to bring friends and have them join. Everyone is
welcome.
D espite a snowstorm the
day before, January 25th
found many of the choir
and Sunday school students to-
gether in church for the second
singing of the liturgy. The music
was conducted by our Junior Choir
Director, Joanna Bogardus.
Later that day, the senior choir
traveled to St. Johns Episcopal Church in Bridgeport to take part in the Ecumenical
Service of Worship sponsored by The Council of
Churches of Greater Bridgeport. Selections of music
were offered by the following churches: Holy Trinity,
The Bethel AME Church Praise Team, The Choir of
Stratford United Methodist Church, The Latin Band of
St. Charles Borromeo Church, The United Congrega-
tional Church Chancel Choir and The Norma Pfriem
Childrens Choir. Holy Trinitys selections were the
Great Prokimenon and Esimiothi ef imas. Clergy from the area, including Father Andreas, also participat-
ed in the program. At the conclusion of the service,
upon exiting the church, members of the congregation
were invited to dip their hand in a bowl of water and
take a small stone to take with them as a remembrance
of their baptism. The service was a very interesting
learning experience as to the different variations of
Christian musical worship and a wonderful opportunity
for a gathering of the community.
Choir by Carol Vaniotis
GOYA Eleni Demestihas & Chrysoula Vlamis
GOYABears from the Heart Project
MARCH 2015 6
What are we to repent? Our indifference, our hardness of heart
W ith all this snow and cold
that has come our way, I
can't wait for the spring
to arrive, although seeing the white
fluffy stuff and how happy the kids
get makes it all better.
We are looking forward to many
activities and events coming up in
March. They are as follows:
-Sunday of Orthodoxy March 1st We are collaborating with the
AHEPAns to serve a marvelous
brunch.
-On the 11th of March, we have a
5pm meeting.
-Sunday, March 15th - We are
welcoming Mr. Evan and ten of the
children from St. Basils . We will
exchange the gifts then and enjoy
Philoptochos' luncheon. We will
have the children sit together with
the youth from the Academy, and
Pater Andreas will have a
discussion with all the kids in the
Aegean Hall.
-We will offer a Lenten meal and
dessert after Xerestismoi services
on Friday March 20th.
-We will serve a delicious meal
after the Greek school program on
March 25th.
We are looking forward to the first ever lock down retreat that Mr. Hallas has been planning with
grades 5th to Goya age. PTO will
serve the youth dinner and
breakfast.
-Last but not least, Sunday, March
29th is the New York Greek
Independence Day parade. PTO has
booked a bus. We would love to see
our youth participate in this please
see K Limberis for information.
PTO by Effie Vlamis, President
O ur basketball season is wrapping up and our
playoff games will be the weekend of the 28th.
Our Varsity team will make the playoffs.
Youth and JV will depend on the draw in the first
round. Its been a great season for all the
teams, and weve watched them grow both as players, team mates and as teams.
Volleyball will continue to play into
mid-March. They are enjoying successes
as a team, individually and growing in
athletic skills.
Save the date for our Awards: April
19th (not the 26th as previously posted).
We are working on our hall of fame event for Nov
7th and looking forward to this first annual event! If
you have information on past sports or pictures from
the CEOBL please contact Chris Danas at 860 916
3777 or [email protected].
Our player of the month is Emmanuel Andriotis.
Manny is a forward on our Youth team, and is in his
final year in that division. He is a dedicated player
who attends every game and practice, and sets a good
example for some of the younger kids. Manny is also
an active participant in the life of the Church. He has
served as an Altar boy since the age of
6, is in his 8th year of Sunday School,
which he attends faithfully, and has
been a member of the JOY/HOPE
group. Outside of Church, Manny plays
baseball in the North End Little League,
plays the trumpet for his Middle
Schools band, and recently was one of
only three 6th graders who were select-
ed to present their science projects at
the 8th grade science fair. Congratula-
tions to Manny. We wish him well in
all his future endeavors.
I would like to thank the volunteers that help out
every week. This league depends on everyones con-tribution. A special thanks to all the parents, whether
its coaching, or manning the door or snack bar, or
transporting players to the games and practices, we
couldnt do it without you!
Athletic Department by Chris Danas , Director
MARCH 2015 7
S pring is approaching and all of us will start feel-
ing, little by little, nature's rebirth with the
blossoming of flowers. Everything around us is
changing. Even our mood. Enough with the winter.
The daylight is getting longer and longer, we enjoy
more sunny days, versus the wintery gray days with the
snow coming with every other one! This is no doubt
why the ancient Greeks started the new year in March!
In February, we had two events; Tsiknopempti and
the Loukoumades, both to support the fundraiser efforts
for the St Nicholas National Shrine. A lot of you may
ask, "Why should we give money for the little Church
in New York? After all, they got money from donations
for the September 11 fund. " All of us remember that
terrible day when terrorists changed our lives; a nice
sunny day when thousands of innocent people left us for
another angelic place, where people live in peace. How-
ever, when you think it over, you will see that there are
a lot of reasons why all the Greek communities have to
help for this work.
To begin with , it has been so many years and many
legal fights with the City Hall of New York City, to get
something that we had every right to, since we owned
it to begin with, and we finally got the approval to re-
build the St Nicholas Church. It is not in its original
place, but in a new, better one - at Ground Zero. For
this reason alone ,we should donate money. That is, for
the importance of having a Greek Orthodox presence at
Ground Zero. Visitors from the entire world will see and
have the opportunity to light a candle in our St Nicholas
Church! The goal is to rebuild, furnish, and endow this
new church by 2016 - the 100th Anniversary of the orig-
inal Parish of St Nicholas.
As a Greek and as a Philoptochos member, I feel
pride in the knowledge that our organization played a
part in the building of the Shrine and in knowing that
our name will be recorded in a book at the site. We will
become part of history! The Shrine, as a wel-
come for all, will have the Icon of Panayia reaching Her
arms out, comforting all who visit. (This is how archi-
tect Calatrava conceived of the design of the St Nicholas
Church). The $40 million needed for the rebuilding
stem from the cost of materials, labor, the architect fees,
and the legal expenses, which after so many years accu-
mulated to a large sum. We will continue to collect
money from everyone who is willing to offer any
amount for the Church of St Nicholas - a house of wor-
ship for the Greek Orthodox Community and a place of
prayer and solace for all people.
I have to thank all of you, members and non-members
of our Philoptochos, who defied the snow and the
"Siberian cold" to come and support our events for St
Nicholas. Thank you very much. From Tsiknopempti
alone, we collected $ 965.00. THANK YOU FROM
THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART.
Note: We regret that The Loukoumades had been can-
celled due to the snow and extreme cold. We will try to
find another date. I love Loukoumades and I don't want
to miss it.
Upcoming Events: February 27: First Salutations of
Virgin Mary - Philoptochos will serve coffee and des-
sert. March 1st : Sunday of Orthodoxy - at 4:00
PM we have the Vespers at our Church, with all Ortho-
dox Churches; a Lenten dinner, offered by Philoptochos,
will follow. March 10th: Board eeting at 6 :00 PM.
Regular meeting: 7:00 PM.
March 15th: Lenten Luncheon, all the proceeds will
go to Holy Cross College.
March is the month of baking for Easter Bake Sale.
This year Easter is on April 12, 2015 . Please be prompt
with your orders. Call Kalliope Tsitsipas at (203) 926-
0137 , the Church's office or Lena Protopapas at (203)
929-1582. Thank you.
Philoptochos by Lena Protopapas , President
MARCH 2015 8
T he Oath of Office was given to the following Par-
ish Council members by Father Andreas follow-
ing Liturgy on January 25th: Peter Angelopoulos,
Sylvia Bal, Michael Bouloubasis, Stella Capiris, Philip
Georgas, Perikles Gountas, Peter Krayiannis, Christos
Papachristos, Pericles Rountos, Peter Tsimbidaros,
Constantinos Vlamis, Nicholas Vlamis. At the end of
Church Services, the Parish Council adjourned to the
Conference Room to meet with Father Andreas to elect
their officers. Following opening prayer by Father An-
dreas, the following nominations took place. President:
Constantinos Vlarnis; Vice-President: Christos Papa-
christos: Treasurer: Michael Bouloubasis; Secretary:
Stella Capiris; Assistant Treasurer: Perikles Gountas;
Assistant Secretary Philip Georgas. Our gratitude and
thanks for his dedicated service to former member of the
Parish Council-A. J. Metsopoulos.
We survived the "January Blizzard of'2015. On Tues-
day, January 27th, after the roads were opened only lo-
cally in Fairfield and Litchfield Counties, lo and behold
we saw on Channel 7 our own Leo Pertesis being inter-
viewed as he stated that his diner "Andros" would be
open by 12 noon on that day as he called his employees
to return to work. He did a great job answering the re-
porter's questions. Unfortunately, we still are suffering
from more snow days.
The AHEPA and Daughters had their combined meet-
ing in January to cut their Vasilopeta . The lucky winners
for the coin were Nick Fatibene for AHEPA and Cindy
Waldron for the Daughters. Good luck to both of them.
Fortunately, the snow held off so that the Daughters
could present their annual Penelope's Cafe Luncheon and
we all celebrated Godparents Sunday with a lovely luncheon. Winners of the Koulouraki Contest'(judged by the GOYAns) were (1) Helen Yeotsas, (2) Cindy Wal-
dron, and (3) Angela Rountos. Many thanks to the
Daughters for continuing to perpetuate the memory of the
26 lives lost in Newtown by also lighting on this day 26
Vigil Candles in their memory.
Many thanks to the ladies who worked on the recep-
tion for the St. Dionysios celebration. The coffee hour
was most delicious with a wide assortment of homemade
pastries. Monies collected that day were donated to the
Church.
Many thanks to the anonymous donor who donated
new Bibles to the Sunday School third grade, which were
recently distributed by Father Andreas to all the children
in that grade with the admonition by him to be sure and
use these Bibles - lots of good stuff within the covers."
A Memorial was held for all deceased teachers, help-
ers, students of our Sunday and Greek Schools. Also, an
Artoklasia was prepared for the health of our teachers,
helpers, and students of our Sunday and Greek Schools.
We thank them all for their dedication.
The Celebration of The Three Hierarchs, on behalf of
the Greek School and Sunday School Departments, was
presented in an essay read by Kalista Hainsworth. Proud
parents are Theodore and Sophia Hainsworth, and the
proud grandparents are Peter and Pauline Halkias.
Congratulations to Greg and Georgette Kapetaneas on
the birth of their baby boy, Nicholas. Na sas zisse.
Perastika and get well wishes are extended to Chrysoula Vlamis, who is recovering from pneumonia,
and to Stephanie Bellas, who is recovering from her re-
cent fall. So nice to see Janice Pavlides Hayes back in
Church. She recovering from knee surgery.
The Community extends its deepest sympathy to the
family of Andrea'Billie' Lycoudes upon her recent death.
She was a devoted mother and grandmother and she will
be deeply missed by her children and adoring grandchil-
dren. Also, our deepest sympathy to the family of
George Kalander. George was a long-time parishioner of
our Church , faithfully attending Sunday Services. Our
deepest sympathy to Manny Machado on the loss of his
brother, and to Sophia Maragos on the loss of her father.
The Community extends its deepest sympathy to Father
Peter Orfanakos (from St. Barbara Church-Orange) and
family on the loss of their beloved son. May all of their
memories be forever eternal.
Around the Parish by Stella Capiris
AHEPA by John Bochanis , President
T he Bridgeport Chapter of AHEPA recently elected Nick Fatibene as its new treasurer. Nick has been a member of AHEPA for many years, and we congratulate him in his new position. Many thanks to outgoing treasurer ,Steve Kyratsous, for his service as treasurer of the Bridgeport AHEPA Chapter.
The Bridgeport Chapter of AHEPA will be participating with the PTO in sponsoring a luncheon to be held after
church on March 1st. The Bridgeport Chapter of AHEPA will be preparing Fasolada to be served after church.
To become a member of AHEPA please contact us at 203-394-8001 or [email protected]
MARCH 2015 9
The Lord measures out perfection neither by the multitude nor the magnitude of our deeds, but by the manner in which we perform them.
T hank you to everyone who
made our Penelopes Caf a success. We would like to
congratulate Helen Yeotsas who
w o n o u r
K o u l o u r a k i
contest, along
with Cin dy
Waldron and
Angela Rountos
as our runners
up! We thank
our bakers and
our GOYAns, who served as
judges. Looking forward to next
years contest!
We have begun our Acts of
Kindness in memory of the victims
of the tragedy in Sandy Hook. It
will be our prayers and our acts
that will honor these innocent souls
who lost their lives. These small
acts of kindness are to make a
difference in people who need a
hand, a kind gesture, or something
that will just make a difference for
them.
We also have two mini-drives
planned this month. We have a
mini-drive for pet food supporting
the Animal Center in Newtown,
which will take place on March
8th. Another drive is for toiletries,
which will support the Center for
Family Justice in Bridgeport.
Boxes will be set up in the back of
the church on these two Sundays
only. If you wish to contribute to
these causes, please contact any
DOP member or me. See our
flyers for more information.
Look out for our annual Spring
Raffle supporting our scholarship
fund. We will be raffling gift cards
to local grocery stores, just in time
for the Easter holiday! Each ticket
is only $1 with ten prizes to be
drawn on April 5th (Palm Sunday).
We are continuing our work with
the Council of Churches and the
Trumbull Gardens Community
Alliance. Events are planned for
the first Monday of every month.
Information on upcoming events
will be forthcoming.
Please look out for the date for
our March meeting. It is being
changed so as not to conflict with
church services held during Lent.
During this meeting, we will be
discussing our Acts of Kindness
and all upcoming activities.
Please visit us at http://
h o l y t r i n i t y b r i d g e p o r t . o rg /
daughters.html.
O u r c h a p t e r e m a i l i s
g. Lastly, Like us on Facebook
at Daughters of Penelope -
Bridgeport "Hermes" Chapter 41,
District 7. Please consider being a
part of our group. We would love
to have you!
Daughters of
Penelope by Kathy Yiannoulis ,
President
H appy Lent! Congratulations to all our 3rd
Graders who received their Bibles. They are to
bring it to Class every Sunday and keep it in
good condition. I also, thank the donor who donated the
Bibles, who would like to remain anonymous.
March 1st is the Sunday of Orthodoxy. All, the
children will participate in the procession this year.
Also, the children made their own icon pictures in class
and GOYA helped mounting them onto the wood. I am
so proud of all of our kids, and after Sunday of
Orthodoxy, they can take their icons home.
On March 22nd, we will have a Didactic Service for
the children. Please have all children arrive by 9:45 and
report directly to the Aegean Hall.
On March 27th, we will hold a Sunday School
"Lockdown Retreat. All children, 5th Grade and up, are encouraged to attend. Children will attend Friday night
Salutation to the Virgin Mary Service. The PTO will
serve a Lenten dinner. Children will be supervised 1:7
ratio (One Chaperone to 7 children). Parents are
welcome to stay as well. Guest Seminarians are
scheduled to attend. Breakfast will also be served in he
morning. Please contact me at 203-522-5022 to RSVP.
We are currently preparing for the Oratorical Festival.
I am encouraging the children from 5th Grade and up to
participate. We will hold a Parish Oratorical for grades 7
-10, and then move up to the District Level.
More information will be given in each classroom. It
would be nice to have a student from Holy Trinity win!
We can do it !
Sunday School by Tom Hallas, Director
MARCH 2015 10
Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness
in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting."
T he month of
February has
fallen on us
like a ton of bricks!
Last year, it seemed
like the snow would
never end, but to our
surprise , this year it
even worse. It ap-
pears like the snow
has no end, and it
keeps on coming.
Although , I'd have
to say we are lucky
because the forecast has been wrong, and we have got-
ten less accumulation. Still, we haven't stopped plow-
ing and sanding the grounds. It just doesn't appear like
its going to end. Furthermore, as if we didn't have enough with the weather, the heat in the gym failed
during the most frigid of days. Well, it took a few
days to get parts, but we did fix the heat, and the
grounds are clear of the snow. We were very lucky the
plumbing wasn't affected. As we move into Lent and
the month of March comes along, hopefully the sun
will shine some warmth on us.
Lent is well underway by now, and we have much
need of a few items in order to prepare ourselves for
Pascha. There is a donation form in this issue of the-
Vision that serves as a guide. Also, any early steward-
ship donations, with all these expenses we have in-
curred from the winter frost, are truly appreciated.
Please allow your generosity to fill our voids in any
way possible. March the month which is an indica-tor that Greek independence day is near. We will once
again have a bus going, so reserve your seat. It gets
filled pretty quickly. Join us this year, either on the
bus or if you drive at 5th Ave. in Manhattan, to cele-
brate the Greek independence parade.
Thank you to Christopoulos Designs for donating
some really nice cabinets in an effort to beautify our
grounds. They are very much appreciated.
Be safe stay warm. With happiness, hope, and hu-
mility.
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VISION . .
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Our Parish by Constantinos Vlamis , Parish Council President
GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA
HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH
DIRECT ARCHDIOCESAN
DISTRICT
January 6, 2015
Beloved Brothers and Sisters:
We would like to wish you and your families a blessed New Year. We were blessed that we had the opportunity to
usher in the new year with our Church family at our annual New Years Eve dance.
We would also like to congratulate the newly elected Parish Council Members for 2015, and thank those who came
out to vote for this years Parish Council Elections. Your continued support and commitment to our Church are very much appreciated, and we are grateful for all that your do.
We would like to acknowledge that there may have been some miscommunication and misunderstandings during the
election process in December. We sincerely apologize to anyone who may have been affected, and assure you that it
was not our intention to upset or offend anyone. We value each and every parishioner of our community, and we are
fortunate for your continued participation in the life of our Parish. Please be assured that we are reviewing proce-
dures in hopes of avoiding any misunderstandings in the future.
We thank you for your continued support and wish you a blessed and joyous new year! Xronia Polla!
In Christ,
Father Andreas The Parish Council the Elections Committee
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2015 .
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The Orthodox Christian Family: A Dwelling of Christ and a Witness of His Gospel. (42nd Clergy-Laity Congress)
4070 Park Avenue Bridgeport, CT 06604 Tel: (203) 374-5561 Fax: (203) 374-5770
Web: www.holytrinitybridgeport.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/holytrinitybridgeport Twitter: www.twitter.com/holytrinitybpt
MARCH 2015 12
Submitted by Vicky Andriotis. Source: Pantanassa Monastery. Paraphrased from: "Year 4 Feasts ."
Kids
Cor
ner
Great Lent Great Lent has begun. During Lent we fast. Fasting helps us to remember
God. It is hard to be good like our Lord Jesus and the Saints but fasting
helps us try. Every Friday night of Lent there is a special service to Panagia.
The first Sunday of Lent is called Sunday of Orthodoxy . There was a time when
some people in the Church didn't want the holy icons. The Fathers of the Church
struggled to keep the holy icons in our churches and homes. We remember them on
this day and we thank God for our Orthodox faith, for the saints, and for the holy
icons.
On the second Sunday, Saint Gregory Palamas helps us think about drawing near to
God with moments of silence and quiet.
On the third Sunday, the Sunday of the Holy Cross, the priest will lift the Holy
Cross, decorated with flowers and then he will carry it around the church. This is to
remind us that the Cross of Christ gives us strength and helps us. We venerate the
Holy Cross with deep respect.
On the fourth Sunday, the Sunday of Saint John Climacus, we will hear the story of
a father whose son is very sick. The father asks our Lord Jesus to help him but He
does not have much faith. Our Lord Jesus helps the father with his faith and makes
the son well. Saint John Climacus wrote a book that helps people be more disciplined
and move away from bad habits, and other things that bring us closer to God.
Finally, on the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent, Sunday of Saint Mary of Egypt, we will
hear our Lord Jesus preparing His disciples for what is soon to happen, His betrayal
and sufferings, Crucifixion and Resurrection.
MARCH 2015 13
Greek School 2015 - MARCH 2015
25 , 25 2015, @ 5:00 MM
.
: 29 2015
Our Greek School Program celebration, for the Greek Independence Day, will take place on, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2015, AT 5:00 PM
Reception with dinner by the PTO
Our Greek Parade in New York is on: Sunday March 29, 2015
/ .
Students must wear: Blue and White outfits or Greek National Costumes if they have any.
MARCH 2015 15
MARCH 2015 16
MARCH 2015 17
the LADIES PHILOPTOCHOS Annual Lenten Luncheon
Sunday, March 15, 2015 Directly after services
to benefit Holy Cross School of Theology and Hellenic College
Save the Date
MARCH 2015 18
MARCH 2015 19
$5.00
To order, please call either Holy Trinity203.374.5561, Kalliope Tsistsipas at 203.926.0137, or Lena Pro-topapas at 203.929.1582 by March 29th. Pick up will be Saturday, April 4th from 10:30am and 1:00pm,
and on Sunday, April 5th after services : 12:00pm to 2:00pm.
Lazarakia
for Saturday of Lazarus
$1.00 each
THE COUNCIL OF CHURCHES OF GREATER BRIDGEPORT
invites you to our annual Spring Fling Saturday, April 25, 2015
6:00 to 9:30 PM
Livefrom Broadway to Bridgeport At United Congregational Church, 877 Park Ave, Bridgeport
Act I
6:00 Reception in Pilgrim Hall Featuring delectable appetizers & drinks
(wine, beer, soda)
Act II
2015 Faith & Community Award
Honoring
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Act III
LIVE From Broadway to Bridgeport - R.E.S.P.E.C.T!!
Broadway performers from The New Paradigm Theatre
Tickets are $65 per person. Order on line at www.ccgb.org
or Contact Chris @203-334-1121 ext. 243 [email protected]
Bring your own picnic-style supper & drinks
To enjoy during the show
INVITE FRIENDS! fill a half or whole table
(Tables seat 8)
Ample and Secure Parking
2015 Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Bpt. Ct Publishing &Design -Vicky Andriotis-2/17/2015
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
Taki Angelopoulos 767-0783 Sylvia Bal 814-2131
Michael Bouloubasis 336-2116 Stella Capiris 259-7344 Phil Georgas 257-7452
Periklis Gountas 690-1765 Petros Karayiannis 631-258-3933
Chris Papachristos 380-0566 Pericles C. Rountos 268-7173
Peter Tsimbidaros 334-2578 Constantinos Vlamis 268-5464 Nick Vlamis 459-0521 All are codes are 203, unless otherwise
specified.
Parish Council Newsletter Editor
Vicky Andriotis
Newsletter Staff
Eleni Limberis Father Andreas
Vithoulkas Vicky Andriotis
HISTORIAN & ARCHIVES ROOM S. Capiris 203-259-7344
historian@holytrinitybridgeport.
org
HOSPITAL MINISTRY S. Kapetaneas 203-926-1751
JR. CHOIR J. Bogardus 203-736-6501
MAINTENANCE G. Hatzis 203-260-5359
L. Tsouris 203-334-2781
NURSING HOME MINISTRY S. Capiris 203-259-7334
OLYMPIANS (GOYA) F. Papachristos 203-380-0566
P. T. O. E. Vlamis 203-268-5464
pto@holytrinitybridgeport. org
PARISH COUNCIL Constantine Vlamis 203-268-5464
parishcouncil@holytrinitybridgeport. org
PHILOPTOCHOS L. Protopapas
philoptochos@holytrinitybridgeport. org
203-929-1582
PUBLICITY COMMITTEE E. Vaniotis 203-374-0013
publicity@holytrinitybridgeport. org
SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE S. Karagiannis 203-820-1975
SENIOR CITIZENS V. Hatzis 203-268-7231
STEWARDSHIP Pericles C. Rountos 203-268-7173
Stewardship@holytrinitybridgeport. org
SUNDAY SCHOOL T. Hallas 203-522-5022
sundayschool@holytrinitybridgeport. org
INTERNET MINISTRIES-WEBSITE- FACEBOOK-TWITTER
-BULLETIN-VISION
V. Andriotis
vicky@holytrinitybridgeport. org
ALTAR DIRECTOR P. Bozikis 917-692-2317
AHEPA J. Bochanis 203-254-7595
AROUND THE PARISH S. Capiris 203-259-7344
aroundtheparish@holytrinitybridgeport. org
ATHLETIC DIRECTOR C. Danas 860-916-3777
athleticprogram@holytrinitybridgeport.
org
BOOKSTORE V. Andriotis
vicky@holytrinitybridgeport. org
CANTOR G. Bakes 203-374-8561
CHOIR P. Leask 203-258-9160
choir@holytrinitybridgeport. org
CULTURAL ASSOCIATION V. Hatzis 203-268-7231
culturalassociation@holytrinitybridgeport. org
COUNCIL OF CHURCHES S. Kapetaneas 203-926-1751
DAUGHTERS OF PENELOPE K. Yiannoulis 203-372-6591
daughters@holytrinitybridgeport. org
ECCLESIARCH D. Trigonis 203-374-0725
FORCC E. Vaniotis 203-374-0013
GOYA E. Demestihas 203-380-2923
C. Vlamis
GREEK SCHOOL E. Limberis 203-371-6305
greekschool@holytrinitybridgeport. org
GREEK SCHOOL DANCE GROUP E. Limberis 203-371-6305
greekschooldance@holytrinitybridgeport. org
Church Office
Eleni Limberis Email: Email@holytrinitybridgeport. org
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 Facebookwww. facebook. com/holytrinitybridgeport
On Twitter www. twitter. com/holytrinitybpt
Father Andreas Vithoulkas, Presbyter
fatherandreas@holytrinitybridgeport. org phone: 917-334-4192
Services
Weekdays & Saturdays
Orthros 8:30 am / Liturgy 9:30 am
Sundays Orthros 8:45am/ Liturgy 10:00 am
: 8:45 / : 10:00
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
Dr. Kevin R. Bellows Chiropractic Physician
25 Lindeman Dr. Trumbull, CT 203-373-0315
Fax: 203-373-0367 Www.bellowschiropractic.com
Special Attention to Athletic Injuries
651 Villa Ave. Fairfield, CT 203-384-8176
www. androsdinerfairfield. com
PETER G. KARAYIANNIS ATTORNEY AT LAW
MAHER & MURTHA LLC 528 Clinton Ave
Bridgeport, CT 06605
Phone: (203) 367-2700
Cell: (631)258-3933 PGK@maherandmurtha. com
MY SMILE Orthodontics Maria Karayiannis,DMD
865 River Road, Suite 307 Shelton, CT 06484
Phone: 203-538-5014 fax:203. 538. 5001
www. MySmileCT. com Maria@MySmileCT. com
Commerce Hill Funeral Home 4798 Main St. Bridgeport , CT
203-371-1966
Ronald J. Dougiello
Charles W. Dougiello David P. Dougiello
Call the Office and place your ad
today! 203. 374. 5561
Tomlinsons Restaurant 1400 Noble Ave, Bridgeport
Tel. 335-5296
Nicholas Vlamis Constantinos Vlamis- Owners
www. cactusrosecantina. com
5 River Road Wilton River Park
Wilton, CT 203. 762. 8484
PTO Easter Lambades /Candles will be on
sale starting Monday February 23 until
Easter They make great gifts to add
in the Easter basket or for God child, yourself, or
family member
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church 4070 Park Avenue Bridgeport, CT 06604 Address Service Requested