ANNUNCIATION OBSERVER July-August 2018

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral

7220 Granby Street Norfolk, VA 23505

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land & St. Catherine Monastery

Hosted and Led by Fr. George Bessinas

February 11 - 22, 2019

I invite you to participate in a once in a life time pil-grimage to the Holy Land and St. Catherine Monastery on Mount Sinai. On this extraordinary journey we will visit many Holy places including the sites of Jesus’ birth, baptism, public ministry, healings, crucifixion, burial, glorious resur-rection and ascension into Heaven. We will also visit St. Catherine Monastery on Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments and God appeared to him in the Burning Bush. Let us take this opportunity to embark on a journey both physically and spiritually, that will strengthen our Orthodox Faith and increase our un-derstanding of the Biblical accounts and history of Christianity in the land of its origin. It will be an amazingly blessed, meaningful and unforgettable trip filled with God’s grace! Fr. George Bessinas

February 11: Depart from USA (Dulles Airport, Washington D.C.). Day 1, February 12: Tel Aviv- Israel. On our way to Haifa we will stop in Lydda at the Church of the Tomb of St. George the Great Martyr. Dinner and overnight in Haifa. Day 2, February 13: We will begin the day visiting Mt. Tabor, the site of the Transfiguration of the Lord. We will continue to Cana in Galilee where Christ performed His first public miracle at the marriage feast. From there to Nazareth to the Church of the Annunciation and the Virgin Mary’s Well, where the Archangel Gabriel announced to her that she would conceive and give birth to our Lord Je-sus Christ. In the afternoon, we will sail on the Sea of Galilee. Later, will visit the House of St. Peter and the Synagogue, the center of the Lord’s ministry, and continue on to the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus taught “The Sermon on the Mount.” We will proceed to the Church of the Multiplication where the Lord fed the multitudes with five loaves of bread and two fish. Next, we will visit the Church of the Holy Apostles. In the evening we will walk on the waterfront and enjoy the shops and cafes. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias. Day 3, February 14: This morning we will drive to Samaria to visit Jacob’s Well where Jesus met the Samaritan Woman, St. Fo-tini. We will continue to Jericho, the Mount of Temptation, St. Gerasimos Monastery, the Tree of Zacchaeus, and the Jor-dan River-the actual site of Christ’s baptism. There we will have an opportunity to be baptized symbolically as well. Din-ner and overnight in Jericho. Day 4, February 15: Today we will drive through the Arava Valley to Eilat. On our way we will stop at the Dead Sea. We will experience the special

waters of the Dead Sea and enjoy the beauty of the desert and its mountains. In Eilat, we will spend a relaxing evening on the promenade. Dinner and overnight at Eilat. Day 5, February 16: This morning we will cross the border to Egypt at Taba and head to St. Catherine Monastery on Mount Sinai. We will arrive in time for Vespers and to venerate the holy relics of the St. Catherine. Dinner and overnight at the Mon-astery’s Guesthouse. Day 6, February 17: This morning we will participate in the Divine Liturgy and after breakfast we will depart for Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight in Jerusa-lem. Day 7, February 18: Today we will visit the Holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem. We begin with the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, (Naos Tis Anastaseos), which houses Golgo-tha, the site of the Crucifixion and the Holy Tomb of Christ. We will walk the Via Dolorosa (Jesus’s Way to the Cross), then on to the house of St. Anna (the birthplace of the Virgin Mary), the Praetorium (the Prison of Christ), and to the

Church of St. Stefanos the Protomartyr-the place where the Saint was stoned. We will continue to the Tomb of the Panagia in Gethsemane and then to the Garden of Olives, where Jesus prayed the night be-fore of His arrest. Next, we will visit the Chapel of the Ascension on the top of the Mount of Olives where we will enjoy a breathtaking panoramic view of the Old City of Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. Day 8, February 19: This morning we will visit the Church of

the Nativity in Bethlehem, the Shepperd’s Field, and the Monasteries of St. Savvas and St. Theodosios in the Judea Desert. From there we head to the Monastery of Prophet Eli-as. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. Day 9, February 20: Today we will visit the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos the III. Next, we will see the Upper Room where the Mystical Supper took place and the disciples received the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. From there we will visit the Tomb of King David and the Church of St. John the Theologian where the Panagia is said to have fallen asleep. We will also visit the Church of St. Annaya (Anna)-where the grandmother of Panagia lived-and venerate its miraculous icon of Panagia. In addition, time permitting, we may visit the Church of St. Melania the Younger where she lived in her last days in Jeru-salem. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. Day 10, February 21: Today we will go to Bethany to the house of Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus. Next, we will visit the Church of the Holy Cross (where the tree of the Cross was planted), the Tomb of St. Simeon the God-Receiver, and the Church of St. John the Baptist-the site of his birth. Free time for shopping. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. Day 11, February 22: Tel Aviv, Israel-Dulles, USA. Today we con-clude our pilgrimage and return home with beautiful memo-ries and grateful hearts filled with the love and grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

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The Annunciation Observer: Published bi-monthly. Distributed to Parish Families. The Annunciation Observer is published by The

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 7220 Granby Street, Norfolk, VA 23505.

Check out the following links:

• Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

www.goarch.org

• Metropolis of New Jersey

www.nj.goarch.org

• Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral

www.annunciationva.org

• Annunciation Cathedral Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/314281155328536/

Rev. Father George Bessinas Rev. Protopresbyter Constantine P. Rogakos

Presiding Priest Associate Priest

Thomas Manuel

Pastoral Assistant/Youth Director

SUNDAY SERVICES

ORTHROS: 8:45 am DIVINE LITURGY: 10:00 am

WEEKDAYS: ORTHROS: 8:30 am DIVINE LITURGY: 9:30 am

• Stewardship Committee

Kathy Stephanitsis, Cindy Dragas • Sunday School

Martha Pantelides, Director

• Greek School

George Pantas, Director

Emilia Simmons, Deputy Director

Stavroula Marshall, Teacher

Dr. Maria Mendrinos, PTO

• Choir Director

Christopher Kypros

• Head Chanter

Efthimios (Tim) Dermanis

• Altar Servers

John Mangus, Jr., Coordinator

• Stewards of the Altar

Presvytera Eleni Rogakos

• Library

Presvytera Eleni Rogakos

Irene Pahno

• Cultural Committee

Jane Williams

• Golden Years

Lona Liosatos President

• O.C.M.C.

Elizabeth Manuel

• I.O.C.C.

Maria Herring

• Agape

Maria Achilleos

• Community Dinner

Yiannis Papelis

• Young Adult Ministry

Thomas Manuel

• St. Lydia Womens Study Group

Presvytera Chrysanthie Bessinas

• GOYA Advisors

Linda Meares, Phil Roussis,

Katherine P. Milonas

• Orthodox Campus Ministry

Emily Davis, President

• Dance Directors

Dr. Maria Mendrions, Bessie Piperides

• Philoptochos Society

Maria Harless, President

• Hellenic Woman’s Club

Elizabeth Woods—Co-President

Heather Karangelen– Co-President

• Cathedral Office

Helen Manuel, Office Administrator

Goran Todorvic, Bookkeeper

• Annunciation Observer

Layout Editor: Thomas Manuel

Editor in Chief:

Fr. George Bessinas

• Mailing Volunteers

Chris Bachas, Fred & Diana Roybal, Dwight

and Pela Jenkins, Toulla Koyzis, Iris Pappas.

The Annunciation Observer: Published bi-monthly. Distributed to Parish Families.

The Annunciation Observer is published by The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral,

PARISH COUNCIL 2018

Officers

President

Steve Webb

1st Vice President

John Katsias

2nd Vice President

John Maroulis

Secretary

Tony Meares

Treasurer

Michelle Kastner

Members

Evan Almyrantis

Jim Milonas

Ron Russell

Seth Johnson

Diana Roybal

George Neskis

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By Fr. Alexander Schmemann What is the role and task of Orthodox Christians in America? Too of-ten we want solutions to problems which we have not formulated, pro-gress toward a point which we have not yet defined, victories in battles in which we don't know who is fighting whom. The time has come to clarify the issues, to formu-late the problems we face together, to discuss the solutions and the priorities in our existence as Ortho-dox in a Western country which is our country. Are we a group of exiles? Are we a spiritual and cultural ghetto, to be perpetuat-ed against all odds? Are we to dissolve ourselves here in what is called "the Ameri-can way of life"? What is this American way of life? It is my purpose to deal with the fundamental framework of these ques-tions. In my first lecture to freshmen at Saint Vladimir's Seminary, I always use the same symbol: If you have a big library and move into a new house, you can't use that library unless you build shelves. While it is still in boxes, you own that library, but it is of no use to you. My purpose, then, is to build the shelves and then to try to see what are the priorities of our Orthodox situation today. It is impossible to speak about our situation in America unless we refer it to our normal and essential term of reference, the Orthodox Church. The Ortho-dox Church--whether Greek, Syrian, Serbian, Romanian, or Bulgarian--has always been both the heart and the form of an Orthodox world. Only here in the West, and for the first time in the history of Ortho-doxy, do we think of the Church in terms only of a religious institution such as diocese, parish, and so on. No one in organically Orthodox coun-tries has ever thought of the Church as being distinct from the total-ity of life. Since the conversion of Con-stantine, the Church was organically related to society, culture, education, family, etc. There was no separation, no dichotomy. The Russian word for peasant is simply christianin, which at the beginning obviously meant Christian. Here, then, we find the first radical difference which we have to face in America: We belong to the Orthodox Church, but we do not belong to an Ortho-dox culture. This is the first and most important change, and unless we understand that this is not an academic proposition, but the real framework of our existence, we will not see clearly through our situa-tion. For everything in the Orthodox Church points toward a way of life; the Church is connected to all aspects of life. Yet we are deprived of this connection because, upon leaving our churches on Sunday morn-ing, we return to a culture which was not produced, shaped, or inspired by the Orthodox Church and which, therefore, in a way is deeply alien to Ortho-doxy. CULTURES IN COLLISION The first Orthodox immigrants in America never thought about all this, for in many ways they continued to live within an organic Orthodox "culture." They were still living within that type of unity be-cause they belonged to what in American sociology is known as a "sub-culture." After the liturgy, Russians or Greeks would meet in the church hall, and they would meet not only as Orthodox but as Russians or Greeks or Bukovenians or Carpatho-Russians-and they would meet precisely in order to breathe their native culture. At the beginning, all this was completely normal. Even today you can live in certain places as if you were not living in America. You can live there with-out knowing very much English, without any real contact with American culture. But whether we like it or not, that "immigrant" chapter of our history is coming to an end, and this is where the young-er generation comes in. Today's Orthodox young people do not have that immigrant mentality. Orthodoxy for them is not primarily the remembrance of childhood abroad. They will not keep Orthodoxy simply because it is "the faith of their fathers." Suppose we apply this principle to others: Then the Lu-therans should keep the Lutheran faith, the Jews the Jewish faith, and finally, the son of an atheist should keep atheism because it was the "faith of his father." If this is the criterion, religion becomes a mere cultural continuity. But our claim is that our Church is Orthodox, or more simply, the Church, and this is a frightening claim. It implies that it is the faith for all men, for all countries, for all cultures. And unless this implication is kept in mind and heart, our claim to be the true or Orthodox Church

becomes hypocrisy, and it would be more honest to call ourselves a society for the per-petuation of the cultural values of a particular geo-graphic region. Our faith cannot be reduced to religious practices and customs alone. It claims the entire life of man. But the culture in which we live, the "American way of life," is something which already existed when we came here. Thus we find ourselves an Eastern Church with a total claim on our life, yet living within a Western society and a Western way of life. The first problem can, then, be formulated very simply, although its solution is extremely difficult: How are we to combine these things? How can we live our Orthodox faith which claims the totality of our existence within a culture which also claims to shape our existence? This is the antinomy of our situation; this is where all our difficulties are rooted. Yet unless we understand it, we will always have wrong solutions. These wrong solutions--quite popular today--follow two basic patterns. I will call one pattern a "neurotic" Orthodoxy. It is the attitude of those who, whether they are native Orthodox or converts, decide they cannot be Ortho-dox unless they simply reject American culture, who build their spiritual home in some romantic and ideal-ized Byzantium or Russia, and who constantly curse America and decadent Western soci-ety. To them, "Western" and "American" are synonymous with "evil"

and "demonic." This extreme position gives a sem-blance of security. Ultimately, however, it is self-destructive. It is certainly not the attitude of Saint John, who, in the midst of a violent persecution, said so simp-ly, "And this is the victory that has overcome the world-s-our faith" (1 John 5:4). And further, he said, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment" (1 John 4:18). In the attitude of some, however, Orthodoxy is transformed into an apoc-alyptic fear which has always led to sectarianism, ha-tred, and spiritual death. The other dangerous pattern is that of an almost patho-logical "Americanism." There are people who, when they hear in Church one word in Russian or Greek, react as if it were a betrayal of Christ. It is the opposite neuro-sis, the neurosis of those who want Orthodoxy to be-come American immediately.

In the first neurosis, Orthodoxy is reduced to a fanatical and negativ-istic sect; in the second one, "American" is falsified, for America is not at all a country which requires surrender, conformity, and the ac-ceptance of the mainstream mentality as the "American way of life." What makes this country great and indeed unique is precisely the open-ness of its culture to change. A MESSAGE UNCHANGED And who knows whether it may not be the real mission of Orthodoxy in America to change the American culture which has never really been chal-lenged by a different set of values? No doubt Orthodoxy has an understanding of man, life, world, nature, etc., radically different from those prevailing in American culture, but this difference itself is a chal-lenge for Orthodoxy rather than a justification for withdrawal, negativism, and fear. To avoid the two extremes, to be truly Orthodox yet fully American, seems to be the only real Orthodox tradition. How and where do we then begin? I have already said I have no ready-made an-swers. I do, however, have a few thoughts which I would like to share with you--a few thoughts about the conditions which may set us on the difficult path. One of the great dangers of modern, and especially American, culture is its reduc-tion of man to history and to change. This is the first thing we Ortho-dox have to denounce and to resist. We must openly con-fess that there are things which do not change, that human nature does not, in fact, change; that such realities as sin, or righteousness, or holiness do not depend on the changing pattern of culture. How many times I have heard, for example, that in "our age" the con-cept of sin must be changed if it is to be relevant to modern man. How many times we have heard that in "our age" we cannot speak of the Devil. Yet I am absolutely convinced that sin is ex-actly the same for me as it was for Saint Paul, and that if there is no Devil, Christianity is no longer the same religion it was for nearly two thousand years. It is not enough to speak, as some Western theologians do, of the "demonic." It is not enough to identify sin with alienation.

The Mission of Orthodoxy

And it is at this point that Orthodoxy has a tremendous responsibility, for it is fundamentally the belief in unchanging realities, it is the denuncia-tion of all "reductions" as not only doctrinally wrong, but existentially destructive. Thus, the first condition for anything else is sim-ply faith. Before any-thing else is possible, before I can speak of myself as belonging to this or that gen-eration, as immigrant or native, of our age as technological or post-industrial, etc., there is this one funda-mental reality: man standing before God and finding that life is communion with Him, knowledge of Him, faith in Him, that we are created literally for God. Without this experience and affirmation, nothing has meaning. My real life is in God and in heaven. I was created for eternity. These simple affirmations are rejected as naive and irrelevant today, and in spite of all its Christian terminology. Western Christianity becomes more and more a man-centered humanism. At this point, no compromise is possible, and every-thing depends upon whether Orthodoxy will remain faithful to its God-centeredness, to its orientation to-ward the Transcendent, the Eter-nal, the Divine. We do not deny that men need justice and bread. But before everything else they need God. Thus, we truly can do what we are called to do in spite of all temptations. The seemingly "charitable" character of these temptations miss-es the unchanging truth that our call is not only to proclaim or to defend, but first of all to live this unchanging, eternal hierarchy of values in which God and God alone is the beginning, the con-tent, and the end of everything. This is the real content of the Orthodox faith, of our litur-gy, of our sacra-ments. This is what we cele-brate on Easter night. This is what is revealed at the Eucharistic Table. It is always the same thing, the same prayer, the same joy: “Thy Kingdom come ... " It is the understanding of life as indeed preparation, not simply for an eternal rest, but for the life which is more real than anything else--a life of which this life is but a "symbol" and a "sacrament" I can hear and sense the reaction: "Oh, again paradise and hell; is that Christianity? Can this be preached in the twentieth century?" And I will an-swer: "Yes, it is. Yes, it can." It is be-cause so many people today have forgotten this, it is because all this has become "irrelevant" for Christians themselves, that so many are in hell already. And Orthodoxy will lose all its salt if each one of us does not strive first of all for this personal faith and for this hunger for salva-tion, redemption, and deification. Christianity be-gins only when we take seriously the words of Christ: "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteous-ness; and all things shall be added unto you" (Mat-thew 6:33). A VISION FOR THE FUTURE But now let me share with you my second preliminary thought Just as each one of us must discover for himself the "unchanging" and take part in the same, never-ending, spiritual fight, we must dis-cover ourselves as belonging to one particular genera-tion of Orthodox Christians living in the twentieth century in America, in a secular and pluralistic culture and in the midst of a great spiritual crisis. What can we do together? What are the Orthodox imperatives for our common and corporate task? I think that here the priorities are rather clear, espe-cially when one speaks to students and for students, for "student" is today the purest representative of what I call the second Orthodoxy in America. The first one--whether he came from the "old world" or was born here--is still an immigrant in his mentality. He lives within the American culture but is not yet an organic part of it. A student is by definition someone who can and must reflect. So far Orthodoxy in America has not reflected upon itself and upon its situation here. The Orthodox student is the first Orthodox who is called to reflect on his life as an Orthodox in America. On this reflection depends the future of our Church here, for this reflection will obviously be aimed at the problems which I mentioned earlier. So this is a crucial task. You will say either yes or no for the entire Orthodox Church on this conti-nent.

To say yes, however, means to rediscover the Church as mission, and mission within our present situation means something more than simply convert-ing individuals to Orthodoxy. It means primarily an evaluation of American culture in Orthodox terms, and this is the real mission of the Orthodox "intelligentsia," for no one else can do that. THE ESSENTIALS OF ENCOUNTER It is here that I must stress again the fundamental quality of American culture: its openness to criticism and change, to challenge and judgment. Throughout the whole of American history, Americans have asked: "What does it mean to be American?" "What is America for?" And they are still asking these ques-tions. Here is our chance, and here is our duty. The evaluation of American culture in Orthodox terms requires first a knowledge of Orthodoxy, and second a knowledge of the true American culture and tradition. One cannot evaluate that which one does not know, love, and under-stand. Our mission, therefore, is first of all one of education. We--all of us--must become theologians, not in the technical sense of the word, but

in terms of vital interest, concern, care for our faith, and above everything else, in terms of a relationship between faith and life, faith and culture, faith and the "American way of life." Let me give you one example. We all know that one of the deepest crises of our culture, of the entire modern world, is the crisis of family and the man--woman relationship. I would ask, then: How can this crisis be related to and understood in terms of our belief in the one who is "more honorable than the cherubim and beyond com-pare more glorious than the seraphim. . . "--the Theotokos, the Mother of God, the Virgin? Where all this will lead us, I do not know. In the words of a hymn of Cardinal Newman: "I do not see the distant scene, one step enough for me." But I know that between the two extremes--of a surrender to America, of a surrender of America--we must find the narrow and the difficult way of the true Orthodox Tradition. No solution will ever be final, and there is no final solution in "this world." We shall always live in tension and conflict, in the rhythm of victory and defeat. Yet if the Puri-tans could have had such a tremendous impact on Ameri-can culture, if Sigmund Freud could

change it so deeply as to send two generations of Americans to the psy-choanalytical couch, if Marxism, in spite of all its phenomenal failures, can still inspire presumably in-telligent American intellectuals, why can't the faith and the doctrine which we claim to be the true faith and the true doctrine have its chance? "O ye of little faith .... " Marx and Freud never doubted, and they won their vicious victories. The modern Christian, how-ever, has a built-in inferiority complex. One historical defeat pushes him either into an apocalyptic fear and panick-ing, or into a "death of God" theology. The time has come, perhaps, simply to recover our faith and apply it with love and humility to the land which has become ours. And who can do that if not those who are given a full share in American culture? Two things, then, are essential: first, the strength-ening of our personal faith and commitment. Whether priest or layman, man or woman, the first thing for an Orthodox is not to speak about Orthodoxy, but to live it to his full capacity; it is prayer, it is standing before God, it is the diffi-cult joy of experiencing "heaven on earth." This is the first thing, and it cannot be reached without effort, fasting, asceticism, sacrifice, or with-out the discovery of that which in the Gospel is called the "narrow way." And second, to use a most abused word, there must be a deep and real dialogue with America--not accommodation, not a compromise, for a dialogue may be indeed violent. If nothing else, it will achieve two things. It will reveal to us what is real and genuine in our faith and what is mere decoration. We may, indeed, lose all kinds of decorations which we errone-ously take for Orthodoxy itself. What will remain is exactly the faith which overcomes the world. (To be continued )

Page 5 The Mission of Orthodoxy Page 2

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Annunciation Cathedral in cooperation with Focus North America and the local Orthodox Churches in Hampton Roads is sponsoring 72 backpacks

for needy students of Jacox Elementary School in Norfolk.

Philoptochos Society

If you are not a Philoptochos member, please join our chapter and become involved in making a difference in our community, nation and world through our ministry’s ef-forts. It’s up to us to keep this wonderful organization via-ble for the next generation. MAY GENERAL MEETING Our May General Meeting was held at Ammos Restaurant in Virginia Beach, with a wonderful attendance. Thank you to all who turned out to fellowship and support our mission. Thomas and Elizabeth Manuel also spoke to us about their upcoming Missionary Trip to Guatemala. JUNE/JULY/AUGUST GENERAL MEETINGS There will be no general meetings during the summer months. Our next business meeting will be held in September. FALL PLANT SALE Our Spring Plant Sale was so success-ful, raising $1,261, that we will also hold a Fall Pansy Sale, with dates and times to be announced. Please volun-teer to help with this fun and worth-while fundraiser, and plan to purchase your fall pansies from the Philoptochos Society this year! HUNTER ALLEN FUND UPDATE The Philoptochos Society helped with a Pancake Breakfast fundraiser donated by the Papafil family in March. $3,680 was raised for the Allen Fund, bringing total donations to date to $18,325. The fund is being used to pay for expenses associated with a kidney transplant for parishioner Hunter Allen. Thanks to all who have helped and donated for this critical situation. SOUP-ER BOWL SUNDAY The Philoptochos Society served soup on Super Bowl Sunday after church in the Hellenic Center. MAKE DONATIONS TO PHILOPTOCHOS IN MEMORY OF A LOVED ONE If you have lost a loved one who was a member of Philoptochos or believed in our mission, honor them with a memorial donation to our chapter. Call Effie Michaels, 739-1133. SOCIAL SERVICES We have assisted four Orthodox individuals/families this year with $3,066.86 disbursed for medical expenses, utili-ties, grocery gift cards and real estate taxes. The chapter received monetary assistance in this effort from the Hel-lenic Woman’s Club, the Cretan Society and individuals. NATIONAL CLERGY-LAITY CONFERENCE IN BOSTON Philoptochos plans to send two representatives from our chapter to the National Clergy-Laity Conference in Boston in July. Presbytera Chrysanthie Bessinas represented the chapter at the Metropolis of New Jersey Conference held in May. AGORA FREEZER

A new freezer was recently purchased for the Agora. JOIN OUR MISSION – BECOME A PHILOPTO-CHOS MEMBER Be part of the Philoptochos sisterhood and mission. The Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, Inc., is a duly accredited women's philanthropic society of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Our mission statement includes aiding the needy and sick, promoting the charitable purposes of the Greek Orthodox Archdio-cese through educational resources, perpetuating Orthodox Christian traditions, and promoting participation in the Greek Orthodox community. Join today and help make a difference in our community, state, country and world.

GIVE THE GIFT OF PHILOPTO-CHOS MEMBERSHIP TO A LOVED ONE Are you looking for an inspiring gift for a friend or loved one? Gift them a Philoptochos membership! This is a wonderful way to grow our chapter and inspire new and young women to be-come part of our church’s philanthropic organization. PHILOPTOCHOS COMMUNICA-TIONS ARE GOING GREEN! Philoptochos newsletters and communi-cations will now be emailed to all mem-bers who have an email address on file. If you don’t have an email address, we will continue to send your communica-tions through the Postal Service. This

process will also help our organization save money that can be better spent on fulfilling our mission of helping those in need. Please email Helen Manuel at officead-min@annunciationva.org or Maria Makridakis at mevm@cox.net with your email address(es) so we can add you to the list to facilitate better communications. STEWARDSHIP Philoptochos annual stewardship of $30 are now overdue for the 2018 calendar year, which covers January through December. Only a few members still have outstanding bal-ances. Please pay promptly if you haven’t already paid your dues. OTHER PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS • Philoptochos members are needed to help set up and serve during Makarias and with meetings. Please plan to help when you see such an event is upcoming. • If you know of someone who is in financial or other need, call Maria Makridakis, social services chair, at 636-3649. • If you know of someone who is sick, shut-in or in need of a card or visit, please contact Toulla Koyzis at 621-4091. As always, anyone who would like to volunteer to help with any of our projects, please contact any board member for information. Assistance is always appreciated.

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Page 8 GOYA Ministry

President

Rulla Aboud

Vice Presidents

Melina Rea, Sotiria Bessinas and

Dimitri Matenopoulos

Treasurer

Matthew Clare

Corresponding Secretary

Demetri Cain

Recording Secretary

Landon Clay

Historians

Marilena Tryphonas and Antonia Aboud

Community Service

Nicholas English and Alex Mendrinos

GOYA Officer Board 2018-2019

GOYA Officer Board 2018-2019

2018 GOYA Seniors!

God Bless you all!

Celebrated Saints of the Church Page 9

The Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon was born in the city of Nicomedia into the family of the illustrious pagan Eustorgius, and he was named Pantoleon. His mother Saint Eu-boula (March 30) was a Christian. She wanted to raise her son in the Christian Faith, but she died when the future martyr was just a young child. His father sent Pantoleon to a pagan school, after which the young man studied medicine at Nicomedia under the renowned physician Euphrosynus. Pantoleon came to the attention of the emperor Maximian (284-305), who wished to appoint him as royal physician when he finished his schooling.

The hieromartyrs Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocra-tes, survivors of the massacre of 20,000 Christians in 303 (December 28), were living secretly in Nicomedia at that time. Saint Hermolaus saw Pantoleon time and again when he came to the house where they were hiding. Once, the priest invited the youth to the house and spoke about the Christian Faith. After this Pantoleon visited Saint Hermolaus every day.

One day the saint found a dead child on the street. He had been bitten by a great snake, which was still beside the child’s body. Pantoleon began to pray to the Lord Jesus Christ to revive the dead child and to destroy the venomous reptile. He firmly re-solved that if his prayer were fulfilled, he would become a follower of Christ and re-ceive Baptism. The child rose up alive, and the snake died before Pantoleon’s eyes.

After this miracle, Pantoleon was baptized by Saint Hermolaus with the name Panteleimon (meaning “all-merciful”). Speaking with Eustorgius, Saint Panteleimon prepared him to accept Christianity. When the father saw how his son healed a blind man by invoking Jesus Christ, he then be-lieved in Christ and was baptized by Saint Hermolaus together with the man whose sight was restored.

After the death of his father, Saint Panteleimon dedicated his life to the suffer-ing, the sick, the unfortunate and the needy. He treated all those who turned to him without charge, healing them in the name of Jesus Christ. He visited those held captive in prison. These were usually Christians, and he healed them of their wounds. In a short time, reports of the charitable physician spread throughout the city. Forsaking the other doctors, the inhabitants began to turn only to Saint Panteleimon.

The envious doctors told the emperor that Saint Pantelei-mon was healing Christian prisoners. Maximian urged the saint to refute the charge by offering sacrifice to idols. Saint Panteleimon confessed himself a Christian, and suggested that a sick person, for whom the doctors held out no hope, should be brought before the emperor. Then the doctors could invoke their gods, and Pan-teleimon would pray to his God to heal the man. A man paralyzed for many years was brought in, and pagan priests who knew the art of medicine invoked their gods without success. Then, before the very eyes of the emperor, the saint healed the paralytic by calling on the name of Jesus Christ. The ferocious Maximian exe-cuted the healed man, and gave Saint Panteleimon over to fierce torture.

The Lord appeared to the saint and strengthened him before his sufferings. They suspended the Great Martyr Pantelei-mon from a tree and scraped him with iron hooks, burned him with fire and then stretched him on the rack, threw him into a cauldron of boiling tar, and cast him into the sea with a stone

around his neck. Throughout these tortures the martyr remained unhurt, and denounced the emperor.

At this time the priests Hermolaus, Hermippus and Her-mocrates were brought before the court of the pagans. All three confessed their faith in the Savior and were beheaded (July 26). By order of the emperor they brought the Great Martyr Pantelei-mon to the circus to be devoured by wild beasts. The animals, however, came up to him and licked his feet. The spectators began to shout, “Great is the God of the Christians!” The enraged Max-imian ordered the soldiers to stab with the sword anyone who glorified Christ, and to cut off the head of the Great Martyr Pan-teleimon.

They led the saint to the place of execution and tied him to an olive tree. While the martyr prayed, one of the soldiers struck him with a sword, but the sword became soft like wax and inflicted no wound. The saint completed his prayer, and a Voice

was heard from Heaven, calling the passion-bearer by his new name and summoning him to the heavenly Kingdom. Hearing the Voice, the soldiers fell down on their knees before the holy martyr and begged forgiveness. They refused to continue with the execution, but Saint Panteleimon told them to fulfill the emperor’s command, be-cause otherwise they would have no share with him in the future life. The soldiers tear-fully took their leave of the saint with a kiss. When the saint was beheaded, the olive tree to which the saint was tied became covered with fruit. Many who were present at the execution believed in Christ. The saint’s body was thrown into a fire, but remained un-harmed, and was buried by Christians. Saint Panteleimon’s servants Laurence, Bassos and Probus witnessed his execution and heard the Voice from Heaven. They recorded the life, the sufferings and death of the saint. Portions of the holy relics of the Great Martyr Panteleimon were distributed throughout all

the Christian world. His venerable head is now located at the Rus-sian monastery of Saint Panteleimon on Mt. Athos.

The veneration of the holy martyr in the Russian Ortho-dox Church was already known in the twelfth century. Prince Izyaslav (in Baptism, Panteleimon), the son of Saint Mstislav the Great, had an image of Saint Panteleimon on his helmet. Through the intercession of the saint he remained alive during a battle in the year 1151. On the Feast of the Great Martyr Panteleimon, Russian forces won two naval victories over the Swedes (in 1714 near Hanhauze and in 1720 near Grenham).

Saint Panteleimon is venerated in the Orthodox Church as a mighty saint, and the protector of soldiers. This aspect of his veneration is derived from his first name Pantoleon, which means “a lion in everything”. His second name, Panteleimon, given him at Baptism, which means “all-merciful”, is manifest in the venera-tion of the martyr as a healer. The connection between these two aspects of the saint is readily apparent in that soldiers, receiving wounds more frequently than others, are more in need of a physi-cian-healer. Christians waging spiritual warfare also have re-course to this saint, asking him to heal their spiritual wounds. The holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon is invoked in the Mystery of Anointing the Sick, at the Blessing of Water, and in the Prayers for the Sick.

St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr (celebrated July 27th)

Page 10

St. Maria of Paris

Community Outreach Ministry

Thanks You!

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me

drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me." Matthew 25:35

It has been over four years since the beginning of the St. Maria of Paris Outreach Ministry’s community din-ner offering. When talking to the various teams that plan, organize, cook and serve the dinners each Thursday, it seems as if this offering to the community has become part of life as the great majority of our volunteers have continued to serve since the beginning. From a logistical standpoint, things have become easier as everyone, including our guests, seems to be aware of the process, procedures and habits associated with the dinners. During 2017 we served 47 din-ners to over 3200 guests and almost 5000 servings. We average 70 guests per din-ner and after adding seconds, we serve on average a total of 105 servings each week. Regarding costs, each dinner costs $182 on the average, with the total cost including security and dishwashing reaching $239; that is a total of about $2 per serving, a very reasonable amount especially given the quality of the food, something that our guests continue to admire with frequent comments. Funding for the community dinner is provided by donations from the Cathedral, the Greek Festival, minis-tries, clubs and individuals within and outside of Annunci-ation. We appreciate everyone’s efforts and donations and work diligently to acknowledge the generosity of our sponsors, but let us again convey a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has consistently supported the ministry.

One of the goals of this Outreach Ministry, in ad-dition to the community dinner, was to increase additional outreach and give back to the community. During 2017, the ministry participated in the NEST program during De-cember, conducted a coat drive for Wesley Grace Method-ist Church Clothes Closet in October and hosted Sunday refreshments following the Liturgy in September. We also

donate weekly leftover food to Wesley Grace to support their ministries for those in need. Participation from local sister churches is also strong; numerous parish-ioners have become integral members of teams, and St. Nicholas in Virginia Beach plans to sponsor a team starting in the Fall. Volunteers are always welcome, so if you are interested in joining or estab-lishing a team, contact Debbie Woodell at the number below. In closing, we would like to say farewell to Thomas and Elizabeth Manuel who will be heading to new and worthy

adventures in Guatemala for mission work. Thomas has been the captain of the GOYA and YAL teams for the last 2 years, and Elizabeth has served with him. His efforts and creativity to expose our children from Hope/Joy/GOYA to our young adults to actively serve those in need have been a great blessing for their spiritual development. May God bless your journey; you and Elizabeth will be dearly missed!

AGOC Festival AGOC GOYA AGOC Hellenic Wom-en’s Club AGOC Philoptochos AGOC Seniors AGOC Youth Camp Azalea Inn

St. Nicholas Philopto-chos Evie Cavros Myroulla Chrysos-tomides Helen Clark Diane Clay Cindy Dragas

Lynne Eklund Feliberti Family Mike Georgiou Bobby Gold Leondaridis Family Makridakis Family Angelo & Helen Manuel Voulla Marshall

Chris & Ioanna Nicho-las Yiannis Papelis Spyros Philippakis Ioanna Phillips Mary Pitsilides Ruby Renesis Carol Rosenblatt

Fred & Diana Roybal Bill & Roxie Skenderis Sofroniou Family Debbie Woodell

2017 Donors

Page 11

Mariam & Antonia Aboud Allen Family Michael Angelos Jeffrey Babb Litsa Backogiorgy Litsa Bakos Cori Belliares Melissa & Eleni Belliares Kristen Bernier Bessinas Family Susan Bogart Michelle Boogades Bradford Family Brangan Family Sylvia Butler Cain Family Catravas Family Persi Charalambous Myroulla Chrysostomides Clare Family Clay Family Presvy. Athena Constan-tinou Cindy & Will Coureas Fr. John Cox

Tessie Dakis Christos Damalas Daniels Family Delidakis Family Harry & Leo Delyannis George Dimas Mike & Seth Douklias Dragas Family Lynne Eklund Helen Emmons Feliberti Family Royal & Elizabeth Fergu-son Ben & Emily Franks Elba Fuentes Mary Gabriel Melanie Georges Antonia Georghiou Mike & Marie Georgiou John Gresham Mike Griffith Helen Hahn Marla Harless Robin Harrington Nick Harrison Jason Housianitis

Howe Family Jack & Stella Jacovides Zachary Johnson Alison Jones Andrew Kalina Vassilios & Heather Ka-rangelen Staci Katsias Carrie & Marissa Knott Lia Kopassis John Koubaroulis Toulla Koyzin Jeremiah Kriba Tommy & Elaine Kyrus Takrim Labib Andrew & Nicholas Lam-bakis Rena Laoudis Marian Leavitt Leondaridis Family Lona Liosatos Beryl & Irene Love Manoli & Maria Ma-kridakis Angelo & Helen Manuel Thomas & Elizabeth

Manuel John Maroulis Voula Marshall Mia Mathas Tracy & Evan Meares Andrea Mills Jim Milonas Fay Missailidis Debbie Moris Anna Nagorznick Narlis Family Angelo Neskis Maria O’Hearn Michael & Francine Pan-tak Judy Pantelides Papelis Family Iris Pappas Rita Parish Maria Parker Anna Pedos-Lazanas Spryos Philippakis Nitsa Pratsis Rea Family Emily Robinson Phil Roussis

Fred & Diana Roybal Ron Russell Renee Saur Deanna Skaros Bill & Roxie Skenderis Jeremiah & Denise Skri-ba Despina Sofroniou Pepe & Anna Maria Ste-panovich Kathy Stephanitsis Lena Thames Tryphonas Family Dino Tsakonas Anna Tsivourakis Andriani & Christiana Vastardis Ted & Tisa Vergakis Nikki Webb Sam Williams Alexia Williams Jane Wiliams John Williams Keith & Irene Wolff Debbie Woodell Mike & Marie Zarpas

2017 Community Dinner Volunteers

Thank you to everyone who supported our 5th Annual Race to Re-spond 5K Run/Walk for International Orthodox Christian Chari-ties (IOCC). Over the past 24 years, IOCC has delivered over $580 million in humanitarian aid in more than 50 countries. Re-cently, IOCC has distributed $23 million in medical supplies, food, heating fuel, and agricultural support in Greece, and in war-torn Syria, funded nine wells to provide critically needed water to 127,000 people. This year, 70 people from four local Orthodox churches participated, which is double our number from last year! This year’s walk raised $3900.00. If you would still like to contribute, please help us reach our fundraising goal of $5,000 at www.iocc.org/5k or contact Maria Herring at 757-635-7165 or mariapherring@gmail.com. Every little bit makes a difference!

5th Annual Race to Respond

5K for IOCC!

Page 12 Norfolk Greek Festival 2018

Page 9 Events in Pictures

Sunday School End of Year Celebration, Mavrophilipos Memorial Scholarship Winners (Mia Mathas and

Antonia Mendrinos), Wine and Cheese Stewardship Evening and Sunday School Seniors Graduate!

Page 14

~ July 2018 ~

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

2

3 No Womens Study Group Golden Years 10:30

4 Independence Day Office Closed

5 Community Dinner

6 7

8 Orthros 8:45 am Divine Liturgy 10 am Camp Good Shepherd VA

9 Camp Good Shepherd VA

10 Camp Good Shepherd VA

Womens Study Group 10:00 am Golden years 10:30

11 Camp Good Shepherd VA

12 Camp Good Shepherd VA Community Dinner

13 Camp Good Shepherd VA

14 Camp Good Shepherd VA

15 Orthros 8:45 am Divine Liturgy 10 am Cyprus Memorial

16

17 Womens Study Group 10:00 am Golden years 10:30 Orthrodoxy on Tap

18 Project Mexico team Departs

19

Community Dinner

20 Prophet Elias Orthros 8:30 Liturgy 9:30

21

22 Orthros 8:45 am Divine Liturgy 10 am

23 GOYA Summer Monday

24 Project Mexico team Returns Womens Study Group 10:00 Golden years 10:30

25

26

St. Paraskevi Orthros 8:30 Liturgy 9:30 Community Dinner GOYA Busch Gardens Visit

27 28

29 Orthros 8:45 am Divine Liturgy 10 am

30 GOYA Summer Monday

31 Womens Study Group 10:00 Golden years 10:30

1

2

Community Dinner

3 \

4

Notes:

Page 15

~ August 2018~

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

Dormition

Fast begins Paraklesis 6:30

2

Paraklesis 6:30

3 Paraklesis 6:30

4

5 Orthros 8:45 Divine Liturgy 10

Vespers for the Feast of Transfiguration Charlottesville 6pm

6 Feast of Transfiguration Orthros 8:30 Liturgy 9:30 GOYA Summer Monday

7 Womens Study Group 10 am Golden years 10:30 am Paraklesis 6:30

8

Paraklesis 6:30

9

Community Dinner

Paraklesis 6:30

10 Paraklesis 6:30

11

12 Orthros 8:45 Divine Liturgy 10

13

GOYA Summer

Monday

Paraklesis 6:30

14 Womens Study Group 10 am Golden years 10:30 am Vespers for the feast of Dormition 6:30 in Cathedral

15 Feast of Dormition Orthros 8:30 Liturgy 9:30 Potluck Luncheon

16

Community Dinner

Orthodoxy on Tap

17

18

19 Orthros 8:45 Divine Liturgy 10

20

GOYA Summer Monday

21 Womens Study Group 10 am Golden years 10:30 am

22 23

Community Dinner

24

25

26 Orthros 8:45 Divine Liturgy 10

27 GOYA Basketball Begins

26

28

29

Feast of

Beheading of

John the

Baptist

Orthros 8:30

Liturgy 9:30

Community Dinner

30

31

Page 16 Cultural Committee News

Book Club

We will not meet for Book Club discussions during the

summer months. Regular meetings will start again the

third Tuesday of September.

Tuesday, Sept. 18, 11 a.m. in the Cathedral Library: We are going to discuss Taylor's Caldwell’s “Captains and the Kings," the sweeping 1972 novel of the family of Jo-seph Francis Xavier Armagh, who departs Ireland as a 13-year-old with his mother and younger brother Sean to join his father in America.

The book club is open to all who like to read.

Movie Nights

The next movie night will be Sunday, Sept. 23 in the So-cial Hall. We will show “The Promise,” an award-winning epic film dedicated to the Armenian Genocide. $2 admis-sion includes snacks.

Mikrokosmos CDs for Sale

We have Mikrokosmos CDs for sale, $11 each. Please contact Jane Williams, 410-9299.

Have a safe and blessed summer!

Page 17

PARISH REGISTRY

Funerals Everlasting be their

Memory

Cleoparta Boyce Barbush

April 23

Nikoletta G. Maratos

May 5

Eleni Nikiforou Loizou

May 13

Michael C. Diorides

May 21

Baptisms

Despina Routsis

May 5

Sponsors: Theodore and Stella Delidakis

Weddings

Theodore Delidakis Styliani Tsagarakis

May 5 Sponsor: Victor Routsis

William Perry

Athamandia Bond June 9

Sponsor: Constantine Sotos

George Pappas Joanna Liverman

June 16 Sponsor: William Georghiou

Stamatis Tripodis

Christina Stepanovich June 23

Sponsors: William and Angelica Staphanian

The Hellenic Woman's Club had an amazing outing to end our successful 2017-2018 year. We laughed, cried and made hundreds of tsourekia in between. Along with our sponsors, we gave over $35,000 in scholarships to our thriving youth.

We will start again September 12 at 630 for our Annual Spaghetti Dinner. Please join us and bring a friend or 2. We love having new ladies join our wonderful group! Have a wonderful Summer and we’ll see you in the fall.

HWC’s Trip to The Elizabethan Gardens

Page 18

2018 Father Savas Constantinou

Memorial Family Mission Walk and Pan Orthodox Picnic

Save the Date

Saturday,

September 22

2018

At First Landing State Park Virginia Beach

Save the Date

Sunday,

September 9th

2018

Ministry Fair

Check out our Ministries and our Organization

Connect to get involved, Enjoy food and fellowship

with old and new friends

The Feast of the Falling

Asleep of the Theotokos

Tuesday, August 14th, 2018

Great Vespers 6:30 PM with the

Epitaphios Lamentations

Wednesday , August 15, 2018

Orthros 8:30 AM, Liturgy 9:30 AM

Side-dish Potluck (Fish Provided)

Liturgical Schedule for the Dormition Fast

(August 1-August 15)

Wednesday, August 1, Small Paraklesis 6:30 pm Chapel

Thursday, August 2 , Small Paraklesis 6:30 pm Chapel

Friday, August 3, Small Paraklesis 6:30 pm Chapel

Monday, August 6, Divine Liturgy 8:30/9:30 Chapel

and Blessing of the Grapes

Tuesday, August 7, Small Paraklesis 6:30 pm Chapel

Wednesday, August 8, Small Paraklesis 6:30 pm Chapel

Thursday, August 9, Small Paraklesis 6:30 pm Chapel

Friday, August 10, Small Paraklesis 6:30 pm Chapel

Monday, August 13, Small Paraklesis 6:30 pm Chapel

Tuesday, August 14th Vespers with the

Epitaphios Lamentations 6:30pm Chapel

Wednesday, August 15, 8:30am/9:30 am

Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral

The 44th Memorial Anniversary of the Turkish inva-

sion and occupation of Cyprus will be held on Sunday July

15, 2018, Annunciation Cathedral, Norfolk, VA. Following

church services, we invite all to join

us for a light luncheon in the Hellenic

Center. Our guest speaker will be Dr.

Chris D. Platsoucas, PH.D,D. SC.

(h.c.). Professor of Biological Scienc-

es and Director, Center for Molecular

Medicine. Dr. Platsoucas will provide

a short talk focusing on various Cy-

prus issues such as the occupation,

Aegean and Turkish threats, naming of Macedonia, European

and US gas explorations and the Middle East.

Dr. Platsoucas graduated in 1973 with a B.S. in

Chemistry from the University of Patras, Patras, Greece and

was a member of its governing board. (2012-2017) As Dean,

College of Sciences, ODU (2007-

2017) Dr. Platsoucas implemented a

number of research initiative's at

ODU. He has published 176 peer-

review research papers and chapters

and has eight patents during his dis-

tinguished career. Dr. Platsoucas is

recognized by many national and in-

ternational awards and honors. His

international knowledge and familiarity with the Middle east

and experience of the Greek and Cypriot issues will be his

focus at the Cyprus Benevolent Society's annual memorial

service on July 15, 2018. Please Join us!

Page 19

44th Anniversary of the Invasion of Cyprus by Turkey

July 20, 1974 Memorial Service and Reception. Guest Speaker Dr. Chris Platsoucas

Sunday, July 15th. Sponsored by the Cyprus Benevolent Society.

Page 20 Parish Council Meeting Minutes, April 19, 2018

Meeting called to order: Fr. George Bessinas offered a prayer and Steve Webb called to order the regular monthly meeting of the Parish Council at 6:30 pm, April 19, 2018 in the library. Council members present: Father George, John Katsias, Tony Meares, John Maroulis, Steve Webb, Evan Almyrantis, Jim Mi-lonas, George Neskis, Diana Roybal and Ron Russell. Minutes of the last Parish Council Meeting: Motion to ap-prove the minutes by John Maroulis Second by Diana Roybal. Motion passed unanimously. Correspondence: A thank you letter from IOCC for the recent

donation from “souper” bowl Sunday. Contributions this year

were twice as much as last year. A thank you letter from the

Salvation Army for a previous $100.00 donation. A donation

request from the Archdiocese for the national Oratorical Festi-

val.

Presiding Priest’s Comments: Father George mentioned that

last Saturday, the Annunciation dance group sponsored a Glendi

as a fund-raising event. Participation was low.

Parish Council President’s Comments: No comments outside of the agenda. Treasurer’s report: We are on track with regard to Steward-ship donations compared to last year. Stewardship report: 187 Stewardship cards have been submit-ted with $242,600 in pledges $117,400 of which has been re-ceived to date. $71,600 in donations has been received without a stewardship card. The Stewardship Committee is planning a wine tasting fellowship event for June 1, to reach out to all pa-rishioner, but especially to younger stewards. This is a fellow-ship and celebration event and not a fundraiser. The cost for each participant is $40 to only cover the costs of the event. Finance Committee: no report Investment Committee: no report Festival Committee: Preparation are coming along and on

schedule. The cleaning stations for the serving trays will be im-

proved this year. There will be spray and go cleaning rather

than using towels and this will be moved near the dumpster area

on the pavement away from the public. Evan Almyrantis sug-

gested we need to make a better effort at communicating the

costs and expenses of the festival to the General Assembly.

Personnel Committee: Goran Todorovic, he has performed well in his bookkeeping duties and he is not utilizing overtime while completing the necessary tasks. This wage increase would be pending an evaluation of his performance and verification that he is performing the necessary tasks. $18 an hour was an-ticipated as the proper wage for his position and this number is present in the 2018 budget. John Katsias motioned to raise Go-ran’s wage from $16 to $18 an hour. Motion second by Ron Russell. The motion passed unanimously. Building and Grounds: The Social Hall kitchen renovation is

scheduled for July/August. The parking lot repairs to the funeral

home entrance is being planned and negotiations are being made

with the ownership of the funeral home ownership regarding

who will pay for the costs. The Granby street lighting has been

completed. John Katsias motioned to approve spending $5,180

to fix the paving and drainage for the parking lot connection

with the funeral home. Motion second by Ron Russell. The mo-

tion passed unanimously.

Old Business: Metropolis of New Jersey Clergy-Laity Assem-bly, May 7-8, 2018, Garfield, NJ Steve and Nicki Webb, and Ron Russel and Father George will attend as delegates. Archdiocesan Clergy-Laity Congress, July 1-5, 2018 Boston,

MA. Father George and Ron Russell will attend as delegates. Parish Feast March 25th, 2018 Review: Evan Almyrantis men-tioned that we are in need of a working wireless microphones in the Hellenic Center. Pasha/Holy Week Review: Fr. George thanked everyone for their labor of love and donations for Holy Week. A special recognition to Lynne Eklund for a terrific job being in charge of the flower decorations. Hellenic Center: Mrs. Helen James was approached regarding John Achilleos’ recom-mendation for the name change of the Hellenic Center. Further communication is pending. Thomas and Elizabeth Manuel Mis-sion Fundraiser, Sunday, April 22, 2018. We as a community should support their missionary effort. Small Hall Kitchen Ren-ovation: We received a second bid for the construction which was comparable to the original bid in regard to the price. The Hellenic Women’s club has now guaranteed the donation of $30,000 for installation and materials for the project. Parish By-Laws: no discussions were made. Facilities Rekeying: 40 Keys will be delivered soon and numbered. Each Key user will have their own four-digit security alarm code. Rekeying will start next week. New Business: Oratorical Festival-Parish and Regional Levels. We had a good turnout this year at the parish level. Three kids from parish out twelve will advance to the Regional Level in Fredericksburg, VA, April 21. Ron Russell motioned to respond to the request by the Archdiocese to donate the same amount as we did last year. Motion second by Jim Milonas. Motion passed unanimously. IOCC 5K Walk/Run, Saturday April 21st, 2018. The location is at Fishbones restaurant at the Oceanfront. For the good of the Parish/Announcement, etc.: The NATO parade is April 28th. Jim Milonas suggested regarding the schol-arships from community organizations, that we as a parish coun-cil should send follow-up letters to the recipients of the scholar-ships. Also, it is good to encourage the alumni dancer to come back for dancing at the festival. It is good in general to encour-age young adults to participate in things such as carrying the Kouvouklion on Holy Friday. Next parish council meeting May 24th, 2018 at 6:30 PM. Adjournment and Closing Prayer.

Parish Council Meeting Minutes May 24, 2018

Meeting called to order: Fr. George Bessinas offered a prayer and Steve Webb called to order the regular monthly meeting of the Parish Council at 6:30 pm, May 24, 2018 in the library. Council Members present: Father George, John Katsias, John Maroulis, Steve Webb, Jim Milonas, George Neskis, Diana Roybal, Ron Russell and Seth Johnson. Minutes of the last Parish Council Meeting: Motion to approve the minutes by John Katsias. Second by Jim Mi-lonas. The minutes were approved Correspondence: none Presiding Priest’s Comments: Father George gave Glory to God and thanks to all for their time, care, love and hard work towards the Festival. Youth Day Camp is next month and information can be found in Church publications. He men-tioned a possible pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Mt. Sinai being planned for Feb. 2019, maximum 30 participants.

Page 21

Parish Council President’s Comments: No comments out-side of the agenda Treasurer’s report: 2018 Festival comparable to 2016 Stewardship report: 194 Pledge cards have been submitted with $248,300 in pledges, $133,300 in stewardship pledged donations have been received. $84,400 non-pledge donations have been received. A total $217,700 has been received to date. The Stewardship Committee is planning a Wine and Cheese Fellowship event for June 1st. The cost for each par-ticipant is $40 to only cover the costs of the event. The loca-tion is Mermaid Winery, Shore Drive, 7:00-10:00 pm. Dead-line for reservations is May 27th. Finance Committee: no report Investment Committee: no report Festival Committee: Post Festival General Meeting is June 7th, 7:00 pm in Social Hall. Father George commented on the addition of color in the Ad Book which looked nice. The Book Store sold Greek coffee which was successful and named “Holy Grounds”. The Church Tours had a good response, with many good questions asked about the orthodox faith. The most asked question was regarding the “eye” on top of the icon screen. The need for removing it and replacing it with an icon of Jesus, with a cross on top was discussed. Many visi-tors stated that they would like to attend Sunday services and Parish Council needs to welcome them and pair them with parishioners who can help explain the Liturgy. Father George noticed the public using restrooms in the Small hall and sug-gested either additional Security or larger signs/banner. He also suggested possibly adding more signage around the Fes-tival, which would be larger and includes maps and times of events, and suggested possibly using a projection screen to promote Festival information. Other comments/concerns from the Parish Council included: Extra/new Signage looked nice, Wi-Fi issues, pro-cedures to provide Vendors with food, improving Brochure layout, free food for Workers, ice cream/face paint, ovens need to be calibrated, run sale reports nightly, tray station worked well, restroom attendees, trash pickup, extra tent in Drive-thru, Aesthetics and Safety Observer (George Neskis), rubber mats vs. cardboard vs. plywood on muddy ground, possible fans in tents, possible projection screens to see danc-ers on stage, long line in Drive-thru, put up signage stating outages at the beginning of line of Drive-thru (especially Sunday), stop food shortages, Brochure table in Hellenic Center, Youth Challenge workers Personnel Committee: Church Office is closed for Memori-al Day. Personnel/staff issues were discussed and have been deferred to Personnel Committee. Building and Grounds Committee: The Social Hall kitchen renovation is scheduled for July/August. Samples have been picked out by the Committee. Original Proposal was signed in 2016 so paperwork with the Contractor needs to be updat-ed. Bidding to replace existing Chapel Entry Doors is in pro-gress. Father George has seen door samples. Social Hall Up-date, Church Office Update and Re-Keying entry locks has been completed. Re-grading parking lot entry to funeral home is complete; Mr. Alexander paid half. George Neskis has observed the area in front of Father’s office, as people

come out of Church, needs sprucing up. Wish-List ideas: 1) Hellenic Center bar/coat room/foyer area needs a face-lift, to align with the new light fixture 2) Extra concrete for the Festival 3) Build a permanent struc-ture at loukoumades area with electricity and plumbing Old Business: Metropolis of New Jersey Clergy-Laity As-sembly, May 7-8, 2018, Garfield, NJ. Father George dis-cussed the highlights of the Assembly which included an in-formative presentation of Opioids and discussion on the Archdiocese’s financial crisis, which has undergone major restructuring with outside auditors and the books are now reconciled. Archdiocesan Clergy-Laity Congress, July 1-5, 2018 Boston, MA. Ron Russell, Ted Maroulis, and Father George will attend. Stewardship Fellowship event, June 1, 2018 Hellenic Center: In response to John Achilleos’ pro-posal to rename the Hellenic Center after Gus James, the idea was discussed with Mrs. James. Although appreciative, the James Family was not in favor of the proposal. Ron Russell mentioned a Parishioner suggested an idea that has been done in other places, to raise funds for the Church, would be to offer naming a building for 20 years, to the highest bidder. Small Hall Kitchen Renovation: no further discussions were made Parish By-Laws: no discussions were made Facilities Re-keying: 35 of the 40 keys have been assigned Personnel: Jim Milonas suggested that the Personnel Committee update and utilize existing formal Job Descriptions of each employ-ee of the Church and corresponding Evaluation Instruments. Lawn Maintenance: John Maroulis reported that the contracts for lawn maintenance on the rental properties have been re-evaluated by the Building and Grounds Committee and have been found to be comparable with other Lawn companies in price. Women’s Retreat: George Neskis suggested a letter be sent congratulating the Women’s Retreat Committee for a successful event from the Parish Council Kitchen Items: Re-placements need to be made regularly at incremental costs rather than large multiyear costs. Diana Roybal has volun-teered to assist Facilities Manager in preparing a yearly in-ventory of kitchen supplies. New Business: Oratorical Festival: 12 students participated at our Parish Level, of which 3 progressed to the Regional Level. 2018 Festival Review/Feedback Meeting is June 7th, 7:00 pm in Social Hall. Festival Volunteer Appreciation and Ministries Year End Picnic, Sunday June 3, 2018 Greek School Graduation, June 3, 2018 AHEPA Sunday, which fell on Festival Sunday this year, will be recognized on June 3, 2018 Sunday School Year End, June 10, 2018 Nominations for Steward Recognition Awards and Picnic, September 9, 2018 For the good of the Parish: Ron Russell asked about offer-ing Adult Greek School. Jim Milonas suggested honoring one mother from the Community on Mother’s Day and one father on Father’s Day. John Katsias announced that the New Year’s Eve committee will be meeting soon. A band has been secured and James will cook. Next parish council meeting on June 21, 2018 at 6:30 PM. No meeting in July. Adjournment and Closing Prayer

Parish Council Meeting Minutes, May 24, 2018

Page 22

NORFOLK COFFEE & TEA

WORLD'S FINEST COFFEE

Roasters—Blenders—Packers

Serving Hotels & Restaurants Since 1918

In Memory of Our Grandparents and Parents

Fragiskos G. & Irene M. Stephanitsis

Nicholas & Evangelia Stephanitsis

Gerasimos & Irene S. Stephanitsis

PHILOPTOCHOS AGORA IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS

The Philoptochos Society has a small market, the Agora, in the Hellenic Center, where we sell some traditional Greek foods and items. Please support our Agora – it’s a great place to pick up hard-to-find items and even has some good gift ideas. Proceeds from the Agora help fund Philopto-chos projects. Please volunteer to help in the Agora on Sun-days. The hours are approx. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. If there is something you would like to see in the Agora, contact Penny Tzavelas at pennytz@aol.com or 636-1121, or Niki Schoen at mikniksch@gmail.com.

Annunciation Cathedral Bookstore

Not Just a Bookstore:

Did you know that aside from the books the bookstore also carries:

Worship Items: You can purchase Communion wine for Artoklasia, prosphora seals, prayer ropes, incense and more.

Icons: There are many icons in stock, but you can special order hundreds more in different sizes for any occasion. (they do not take long to arrive.) We also sell hand painted icons at great prices!

Come check out our Annun-

ciation Bookstore open eve-

ry Sunday after divine Lit-

urgy, or stop by during the

week during office hours!

Do not miss out on all the

wonderful book selections

to widen and deepen one’s

Orthodox Christian Faith!

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Change of Address?

If you have recently moved or are vacationing long

term, please let the Cathedral Office know, 757-440-

0500.

Services

To schedule all services such as memorials, 40 day

blessings, baptisms, and weddings, please call the

Cathedral Office, 757-440-0500.

Hospital and Shut-In Visitations

When parishioners of the Annunciation are admitted

into a hospital or recovering at home and wish to

have a priest visit them, it is imperative that a family

member contact the Cathedral Office, 757-440-0500,

immediately. Hospitals do not notify the Church

when Orthodox patients seek medical attention.

Kollyva

The Cathedral does NOT provide Kolyva for Memori-

al Services. Parishioners in need of Kollyva may call

Drucie Papafil, 757-489-4313 or Tasy Penner, 752-

1294.

Artoklasia

For anyone interested in having Artoclasia made,

please contact Emilia Simmons, 757-481-1509.

Annunciation Observer Deadline

The deadline for submitting articles for the

July/August Annunciation Observer is August 13th,

2018. Articles not submitted by will NOT BE IN THE

Annunciation Observer. Please send all articles

to Helen Manuel or Thomas Manuel at

Officeadmin@Annunciationva.org or

thomas@annunciationva.org

Important Phone Numbers,

& Email Addresses

Father George Bessinas

Office: 757-440-0500

Home: 757-497-1192 (for emergencies after office hours)

Email: frgeorge@annunciationva.org

Father Constantine Rogakos

Office: 757-440-0500

Email: frrogakos@gmail.com

Helen Manuel

Office: 757-440-0500

Email: officeadmin@annunciationva.org

Goran Todorvic—Bookkeeper

Office: 757-440-0500

Email: bookkeeper@annunciationva.org

Bookstore: Corin Baker & John Mangus

Email: bookstore@annunciationva.org

Hellenic Center: 757-963-5634

Cathedral Fax: 757-423-6929

John Boogades

Annunciation

Greek Orthodox Cathedral

7220 Granby Street

Norfolk, VA 23505-4119

NON-PROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

Norfolk, VA

PERMIT 23