May 2014 Page

Ascension of Christ with the Hetoimasia,Ascension of Christ with the Hetoimasia,

Andreas Ritzos, 15th Century, 71 x 47.5 cm.Andreas Ritzos, 15th Century, 71 x 47.5 cm.

The National Museum of Western Art in TokyoThe National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo

HERALD MAY 2014

Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral

CELEBRATING 100

YEARS OF GREEK

ORTHODOXY IN

LOS ANGELES

Saint Sophia

Greek Orthodox

Cathedral

V. Rev. Fr. John S. Bakas,

Dean

Rev. Fr. Allan Boyd,

Assistant Priest

1324 S. Normandie Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90006

Tel. 323-737-2424

Fax. 323-737-7029

www.stsophia.org

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E

Dean’s Message 2

President’s Message 3

Philoptohos News 4

Stewardship 5

Philanthropia News 7

Philoptohos VIP 7

Ministries List 8

Sacraments/ Memorials 9

Youth News 10

Community News 11

Feast Day Article 14

Orthodox Calendar 15

Holy Ascension, May 29

Make a Difference in the

Restoration Work of

Agios Nikolaos Trikambanos

Page 6

May 2014 Page 2

DEAN’S MESSAGE

The Joyful Game of Gifts

Christos Anesti! Christ is Risen!

A second grade teacher, offering her class a lesson on

magnetism, showed the kids how you could use a magnet to

pick up a box of scattered thumbtacks. The next day she gave

a quiz that asked the kids to solve this little riddle: “My full

name has six letters. The first letter is ‘M’, I am attractive and

I pick up things. What am I?” When the papers all came in the

teacher was astonished to find that just one day after the

lesson almost half of the class answered the riddle with the

word, "Mother".

This month, we celebrate Mother’s Day and we especially

look to our Mother, the Theotokos, as the ultimate example

of one who offers and serves as a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

Like all great mothers, she inspires us and teaches us through

her example of offering her life for God's purpose. We look to

her, standing in the apse of our cathedral, with her arms

outstretched over the altar. You can almost hear her telling

us to pay close attention to the Eucharistic exchange

between God and man that takes place in our Divine Liturgy.

She whispers, “Pay close attention to the priest as he lifts the

bread and the wine and prays to the Lord, 'We offer to You

these gifts from Your own gifts in all and for all.'" These

words encapsulate the beautiful conversation between God

and His people, a sort of "game of gifts".

If we learn to pay attention to and learn from the

teachings and example of our Mother, the Theotokos, as

she stands with her arms outstretched over the altar,

what an attractive witness of God’s love we will be to the

people around us!

The game begins with God who offers us the gifts of wheat

and grapes. We take these gifts of wheat and grapes, reform

them into gifts of bread and wine, and then we offer back to

Him in praise and thanksgiving at the altar. In the third

offering, God takes our gifts of bread and wine and

transforms them into the Body and Blood of His Son, which

He offers them to us as Holy Communion. Through the

mysterious work of the Holy Spirit, we experience this

miracle each time we participate in the Eucharist. Finally, as

we carry the Lord's Body and Blood inside of us we are called

to share this experience of God to the world around us. He

calls us to offer our gifts, talents, grace and treasure to those

and need and to His Church.

Remember all your mother has provided for you, and know

too that the Church is also our mother; constantly offering

love and direction to Her children. Let us joyfully participate

in God’s continuing ministry of love, gratitude, and offering!

In Christ,

V. Rev. Fr. John S. Bakas, Dean

May 2014 Page 3

PARISH COUNCIL MESSAGE

A letter of Gratitude

Christos Anesti! The Parish Council and I extend our

heartfelt thanks to all of our Saint Sophia staff, volunteers and

parishioners who attended and participated throughout Lent

and our beautiful Holy Week services. Father John and

Father Allan faithfully (and reverently) helped guide all of us

through the preparations for this spiritual journey of

repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation, prayer, fasting, giving

and study. Through their love and guidance, they helped us

to experience the deliverance from death to life of the

resurrected Christ. The joy of Easter cannot be complete

without reliving the events that lead to it. Father John and

Father Allan helped us, the faithful, to be resurrected and to

come closer to becoming like God (theosis).

We extend our thanks to Jimmy Karatsikis and his

volunteers for each day’s preparations and maintenance of

our Cathedral, to Jim Kollias (choir director), Chris Yokas

(organist), choir members, Dimitris Liogris (Protopsaltis) and

Michael Kontaxis (Assistant Psaltis) for our uplifting and

melodic hymns and chants, to all the ladies of Philoptohos for

their help with the preparation of the red eggs (kokkina avga)

(thanks Mary Kezios and friends) and the preparation of the

delicious galaktoboureko (thanks Mary Gallanis and crew), to

our Parish Council and Trustees for assisting within the

Church for collections and for helping with the organization of

the fantastic Easter Picnic (special thanks to Ted Pappas,

volunteers and sponsors), for our ushers (hooray to Diane

Lapa and the Begakis family for their assistance with our

special guests), our very sweet and wonderful myrrh-bearers

and families, our ladies who decorated the Epitafio

(symbolizing Jesus’ tomb) with the fragrant flowers and rose

water, to our volunteers working both in and outside of the

Narthex selling candles and wishing everyone a Happy

Pascha, to the honored men who carried our beautiful Epitafio

in and around the Cathedral, to our entire Saint Sophia staff

members and friends (Helen Ellis, Noah Johnson, Jessica

Benitez, custodians Marcial Cerna, Oscar Castro, Mauricio

Mira and Miguel Rosales, and our weekly volunteers who

serve in the front office, and to all of our parishioners and

friends who witnessed the resurrection of Christ (Alithos

Anesti). I’m sure I missed thanking someone so please

accept THANK YOU from all of us for a job well done!

Recently I woke up from a sound sleep and experienced

extreme pain. I had never felt this badly (I’ve passed four

kidney stones previously) and after two hours of not being

able to control the pain, I woke my wife and told her that I

needed her to drive me to the hospital. After experiencing the

tedious paperwork and questions to be admitted into the

emergency room, I continued to experience unbelievable

pain. Of course, with medication and lots of shots, a few

hours later, I was admitted into the hospital. I won’t subject

you to my experiences of going through series of x-rays,

scans and drinking lots of barium, the doctors determined that

I had a bowel obstruction and was in need of surgery. After

some hours of surgery, I was returned to my room with lots of

staples in my stomach and minus some few centimeters of

bowel.

I share this story with you to explain how I was spiritually

uplifted during my recovery by the entire Saint Sophia Family.

Loving friends including Father John Bakas (who visited me

and prayed for my health, well-being and spiritual uplifting),

Dr. Collin Cooper (my caring and faithful primary doctor), my

wife, Virginia and children Christopher, Alexis and Kellie

(who kept me going and easing my discomfort with their love

and personal care), John Kopatsis (our Parish Council Vice

President) who always shared his friendship and kindness,

the many telephone calls, get well cards, prayers and flowers

(thank you Toula Kalatzis and son, Aris). I deeply

appreciated and loved the words/prayers sent from the Saint

Sophia family, parishioners and friends. I also want to thank

my special visitors who gave me encouragement and

fellowship (including my Godson, Evan Boukidis,

Koumbara, Jeanne Boukidis and Vilma Chanin). All of the

caring and heartfelt words reinforced what an honor it is to

have all of you as my friends and how the Saint Sophia

Community continues to come together for the benefit of a

fellow parishioner. You were all definitely the best medicine

for a person in need and I thank you for allowing me the

privilege of being the President of the Community. Good

health and happiness to you and your family.

Yours in Christ,

Brent A. Noyes, Parish Council President

May 2014 Page 4

PHILOPTOHOS NEWS

This is our “big” thank you letter!

What a beautiful experience we had on our journey to Easter!

There are so many people to thank for the amazing Holy

Week services. Our wonderful priests Father John Bakas and

Father Allan Boyd go above and beyond to serve, long,

exhausting hours with the results being absolutely gorgeous,

spiritual and moving services! Our chanters Dimitri and

Michael - Jimmy Karatsikis - our custodial staff - the Parish

Council members - John Kopatsis - the office staff, Noah and

Helen, and volunteers - all worked many hard hours to make

sure that our Cathedral and our services were well planned

and beautiful. To Jim Kollias, Chris Yokas and the choir - we

must say that you were absolutely wonderful! When you sing,

it is like listening to ‘heaven’ on Earth. Thank you to

everyone!

We sincerely wish to thank everyone who worked so hard for

the Easter picnic by baking and working in the pastry booth. It

would not be possible to keep up with the all of this work

unless we had all of you helping us! Special thank you’s to

Mary Kezios and her ladies for dying the red eggs for

Anastasi; to Mary Gallanis for chairing the galatabouriko

baking; Pauline Evangelatos for putting together a group to

wrap the eggs in the netting for the Resurrection service and

to Helene Ballas for handling the Easter plants for the shut-

ins. Thank you to Ourania Giagtzoglou for the koulourakia

she made for the Easter picnic! We’d also like to thank Eleni

Yokas for making lovely special ‘palm crosses’ for our shut-ins

that we placed with their plants. We hope we don’t overlook

anyone but please know that we appreciate everyone who

came to help Philoptohos.

Our next meeting will be Sunday, May 18th after liturgy in the

upstairs meeting room of the Huffington Center. Georgia and

Dean Ananias and their daughters will speak about their

experience on the Costa Concordia ship and how they are

pushing for better emergency procedures in the face of a

disaster. Please come and hear this very informative

presentation. We all need to know what to do in an

emergency. Certainly we would like to think it will never

happen - but after watching the news this last month, we

know that anything is possible. Lunch will be available. We

hope to see you there!

Your donations to the Domestic Violence Agency and to our

“shoe luncheon” for Dr. Nick Stefanidis’s outreach work,

were truly generous and heartwarming. For these people

who need some encouragement, hope and cheer, your

donations go a long way to show them that they are cared

about and loved. Philoptohos brings hope to many people

who feel they have no chance for a better life and your

donations have shown that people do care. THANK YOU.

Reaching out to those who are suffering and need help is

what Philoptohos is all about and why we work so hard to

raise funds. Our outreach program is still large and we could

still use some help if you wish to donate a gift card to Target,

Trader Joe’s, Wal-Mart - anything would be greatly

appreciated. We have a number of people who are sick and

others who are unemployed. We continue to send gift cards

to these people so that they may purchase food and other

essentials. Philoptohos has also helped with a number of

burial expenses in the past year, and our outreach funds help

us with those costs. You can be an angel to someone by

being an ‘angel’ to Philoptohos.

The Mission Statement of Philoptohos “ To aid the poor, the

destitute, the hungry, the aged, the sick, the unemployed, the

orphaned, the imprisoned, the widowed, the handicapped, the

victims of disasters, to undertake the burial of impoverished

persons and to offer assistance to anyone who may need the

help of the church through fund raising efforts…” this is what

we do and this is why we put on fundraisers throughout the

years.

“For the poor you always have with you, but you do not

always have me.” (John 12:8)

With love in Christ’s service,

Virginia Noyes and the Philoptohos Board of Directors

May 2014 Page 5

Believe and Belong through Christian Stewardship

STEWARDSHIP FAMILIES MARCH 2014

$8,000 To $9,999

Caras, Joan & Chris W.*

$6,000 To $7,999

Holcomb, Mr. & Mrs. James

$4,000 To $5,999

Evangelatos, Dr. & Mrs. Dennis*

Warner, Mr. Michael

$2,000 To $3,999

Evangelatos, Mr. & Mrs. Andrew*

Pappas, Mr. & Mrs. John*

Zarocostas, Mr. Peter

Anonymous (1)

$1,000 To $1,999

Begakis, Mr. & Mrs. Niko

Camaras, Mr. & Mrs. Tykye

Garrity, Mr. Thomas & Baek, Ms.

Eunice

Gialketsis, Mrs. Lola*

Greitzer, Mr. & Mrs. Steven

Kallis, Mr. Larry

Lee, Mr. & Mrs. Nathan

Lianos, Mr. & Mrs. Glenn

Manolelis, Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas

Moore, Mr. & Mrs. Tom

Patzakis Prappas, Ms. Michele

Travlos, Mr. & Mrs. Sam

Waldron, Mr. William & Stone, Ms.

Deborah

Anonymous (1)

$650 To $999

Kezios, Mr. & Mrs. Nick

Panagiotopoulos, Mr. & Mrs. Mario

Selimos, Mrs. Mary*

Stumpus, Mrs. Elizabeth

Woloschinowisch, Mrs. Mary

Anonymous (3)

OTHER

Angels. Mrs. Bertha

Aronis, Mr. & Mrs. Vas

Arvanitis, Mr. & Mrs. Komnas

Bozonelis, Ms. Lia

Coroneus, Mrs. Thalia

Costalupes, Mr. & Mrs. Kim

Eagar, Mr. & Mrs. Robert

Erwin, Mrs. Catherine

Jankosky, Mr. & Mrs. Joe

Melko, Ms. Eugenia

Miller, Ms. Stephanie & Jones, Mr.

Aaron

Price, Mr. & Mrs. Ben

Psaltiras, Mr. & Mrs. Eftychios

Staikos, Mr. Alexandros

Varentges, Ms. Kalli

Webster, Mr. & Mrs. John

* Life Members Endowment Fund +Blessed Memory

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Attention Sunday School Families! You have special

seating reserved for you right up front in the Cathedral every

Sunday: The first two pews on the left side. Do take

advantage of this beautiful view of the Divine Liturgy. Your

children will likely be more engaged in the service through

increased visibility.

Joy of Parenting Classes in the Huffington Center. Join

your fellow parishioners in a lively discussion of parenting

children of all ages: from toddlers to teens and

beyond. Classes are held in the Work/Study Room in

the Huffington Center, upstairs near the left-hand side

staircase, immediately following Holy Communion and

concluding at 12:15. Come with your concerns and questions

or just listen; there is no pressure to speak to the class. It's a

wonderful way to get acquainted with other parents. There is

no fee to attend. The Joy of Parenting Ministry is facilitated

by Barbara Kappos, LCSW and Nikolaos Stefanidis,

Ph.D. Upcoming classes: May 4, "Age-Appropriate

Chores," May 11, "Sibling Rivalries," May 18, "Empty

Nest Syndrome."

Bible Study with Father John. Increase your knowledge

about our faith at our weekly Bible study class. You'll have a

chance to ask Fr. John questions and engage in interesting

discussions with your fellow parishioners. Don't miss this

wonderful opportunity for spiritual growth: Women's Bible

Study, Mondays, 11:00 a.m. to Noon, in the Chapel and

Men's Bible Study, Tuesdays, 11:00 a.m. to Noon, in the

Cathedral.

Attention Middle & High School Students! The first Sunday

of each month has been officially named Youth Sunday. In

addition to a Sunday School student reading the Epistle, the

Parish Council of Saint Sophia Cathedral invites middle and

high school students to volunteer in the Narthex during Divine

Liturgy. You'll be paired with a seasoned Parish Council

member to train you. If you'd like to volunteer in the Narthex

and/or pass the baskets, please sign up by contacting

L.A.GreekChurchLady@gmail.com. Send your name, phone

number, age and what day you'd like to volunteer. Please

arrive at church at 9:45 a.m. so you may be trained.

May 2014 Page 6

Kastania, Messenian Mani Kastania, located at the crossroads of Messenia and

Lakonia, is a village that has retained its distinctive

Byzantine character. Once the fifth largest settlement in

the Mani, Kastania is first mentioned in a Venetian legal

decision of 1278 as Castagnia (from κάστανα,

chestnuts). Connected to Byzantine Mystras by overland

routes, the village is home to numerous medieval

churches, including St. Peter, St. John the Baptist, St.

Nicholas Maroulainas, and St. Nicholas Trikambanos.

These exquisite structures exhibit the high quality

monumental painting that is characteristic of the late

Byzantine period in the Peloponnese, as well as

eleventh-century marble reliefs carved by Niketas, a well

known ecclesiastical sculptor in the Mani. Architectural

remains in Kastania like the Dourakis Pyrgos, the

fortified tower of a local clan ruler, testify to Greece’s

years under Ottoman rule. Famously, the village served

as a place of refuge for Theodoros Kolokotrones, “O

Geros tou Morea” (“The elder of the Morea”) and a hero

of the Greek War of Independence. Kastania’s

neighborhoods, defined by narrow streets lined with

stone homes, transport modern-day visitors to a

medieval village of grand significance. Kastania was

recognized in 1965 and 2002 as a historical landmark.

Saint Nicholas Trikambanos

Saint Nicholas (Agios Nikolaos Trikambanos) is built

against the sloping hills that frame Kastania.

Constructed in a cruciform shape, the chapel is

decorated with wall paintings of the fifteenth century.

Although the images on the church interior are badly

damaged, the painter’s virtuosity is revealed in faces

and figures that can still be discerned under centuries of

smoke and salt accretions. Images of Saint Nicholas—a

stunning portrait of the enthroned bishop and a scene

You can make a Difference

Restoration work at Saint Nicholas Trikambanos will be

undertaken by the 26th Directorate of Byzantine

Antiquities (Kalamata, Messenia) with the support of the

community of Saint Sophia Cathedral, Los Angeles, and

with encouragement of Father John Bakas, Dean of the

Cathedral. Work will include architectural restoration of

the building and cleaning and consolidation of the wall

paintings. With the help of the Los Angeles community,

this important chapel will be restored to its 15th-century

splendor.

Checks supporting the

restoration of

Saint Nicholas

Trikambanos

can be made out to:

Saint Sophia Cathedral -

Byzantine Church

Restoration Project

from his Life—reveal the church’s dedication and

highlight the local popularity of this episcopal figure.

Framed saints, imitating portable icons, decorate the

upper registers of the walls. Surrounding the faithful are

tender portraits of archangels, military saints, and

female saints. The style of the painting is linked to

Mystras, the most important artistic center in the late

Byzantine Peloponnese and the seat of the Despotate.

May 2014 Page 7

Χριστός ἀνέστη! Christ Is Risen! We hope all of you

experienced a meaningful and joyful Lent and Holy Week.

Get on the Bus: This program was introduced to us by Sister

Catherine Marie, a chaplain at the women’s jail. With your

generous support, we reached our goal of $1,500 to sponsor

a bus in 2013 that scheduled visits of hundreds of children

who boarded buses to travel from cities all over the State of

California to be united with their incarcerated moms and/or

dads, on Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day respectively. Please

give generously again this year so that we may reach our goal

of $1,500 for 2014. Donations may be sent to the

PHILANTHROPIA office at 6357 Crebs Avenue, Tarzana, CA

91335. We will keep you posted as the day approaches.

Thank you and God Bless!

City of Hope: The 2014 Pediatric “Celebration of Life” which

recognizes all the children that have succumbed from cancer

will be held this year on Wednesday, November 12th at the

City of Hope Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, 1500

E. Duarte Road, Duarte, CA 91010. Tel: (626) 301-8426. We

sponsor the service and booklet for this memorial. Thank you

again for your contribution

Used Clothing and Canned Goods: Thank you for all the

generous donation of used clothing during the Lenten season

and beyond. This is a year-long project, so please continue

your donations as there are still many people we need to

reach. Please label all clothing donations on the outside of

the bags by indicating whether they are for men, women or

children. The two new receptacles for "used clothing" and

"canned goods" are working great. They are located side by

side, in the general area of the nursery. Thank you!

The Wall-Las Memorias Project: We continue to support

Richard Zaldivar, Executive Director, in their quest to achieve

the same goals we have for continued AIDS education,

awareness and prevention.

Street Outreach: Dr. Nikos Stefanidis, Ph.D. a Staff

Psychologist at Children’s Hospital, L.A., is the Clinical

Director of this High Risk Program. Your continued help will

assure that these children are cared for year round by

purchasing new items such as the following: T-Shirts (M-L);

Boxers (M-L); White Socks; Blankets; Sleeping Bags;

Sweatshirts; Snacks; Water/Juices; Bus Tokens; Sneakers;

Hygiene Items (Travel Size); Tooth Brushes & Toothpaste;

Shampoo; Deodorant; Sun Screen -- be sure to label them

PHILOPTOHOS VIP

Senior Citizen of the Year Luncheon: We are happy to

announce that on Thursday, May 22, 2014, we will honor

Stella Morris as our VIP Philoptohos Senior Citizen of the

Year 2014. Plan to attend this special day honoring Stella who

devoted her life to the Church and is a long-time member of

the VIP’s. A very special luncheon and program have been

planned to take place in the Huffington Center/Maniatakos

Fellowship Hall at 11:30 AM for a donation of $25. The event

chair is Mersy Loukaris. For reservations please call Mersy

at (323) 661-1592 or Vivi Demopoulos at (310) 215-3130.

Make your check payable to “Philoptohos VIP” and send it to

Vivi Demopoulos, 7485 McConnell Ave. Los Angeles CA

90045. Reservations are required in order to make plans with

the caterer.

We will be visiting the beautiful Getty Villa in Malibu to see

the Heaven and Earth-Art of Byzantium exhibition from

Greece. J. Paul Getty has been collaborating with the Benaki

Museum in Athens and the Hellenic Ministry of Culture. Since

we Greeks love our Greek Heritage this is one event you will

not want to miss. There will be artifacts such as icons,

mosaics, frescoes, jewelry, sculptures etc. — here only for a

few months. Mark the date Thursday, June 26, 2014. Please

be at the Church by 9:15 A.M. as the bus will depart from the

Church at 9:30 A.M. sharp and return to the Church by 3:00

P.M. The cost is $30.00 which includes the bus, museum and

lunch. Coogie's in Santa Monica will offer 3 choices: Angel

Hair Pasta, Hamburger or Turkey sandwich. Chairman for the

trip is Petsa Schwartz (310)822-6527. Call Co-Chairperson

Vickie Deryiades at (310)279-3722 to reserve your place.

Make checks payable to Philoptohos VIP and mail to Vickie

Deryiades, 3250 Military Avenue, Los Angeles 90034

In His Service,

Athina Lolonis, VIP President

PHILANTHROPIA NEWS

for Dr. Nikos Stefanidis and leave them by the clothing bins.

We will make sure that he picks them up. Thank you.

Philanthropia Website: The “Winter” issue of the

PHILANTHROPIA Newsletter that was mailed recently, will be

on the website shortly at: www.philanthropiaministry.org We

thank Perry Lambert who is coordinating our website. (Note:

We will be preparing a “Spring-Summer” combined issue of

the newsletter again this year while Presbytera fully recovers

from her hospitalization earlier this year. Thank you for your

understanding.)

God bless you! — Father Peter

May 2014 Page 8

MINISTRIES

Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral

Very Reverend Father John S. Bakas, Dean Reverend Father Allan (Gabriel) Boyd

Jim Kollias, Choir Director Dimitris Liogris , Protopsaltis Michael Kontaxis, Assistant Psaltis

Christopher Yokas, Organist James Karatsikis, Sexton

FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Executive Officers

George E. Preonas, President

Andrew Evangelatos, Executive Vice President

Dr. James A. Demetriou, Vice President & C.F.O.

Constantine M. Boukidis, Secretary

Tina Callas, Treasurer

Members

V. Rev. Fr. John S. Bakas Nicholas Bissias

Timi Loomos Freshman Alek Haidos Steve Hanna

Michael Huffington Gig Kyriacou Brent Noyes

John T. Pappas Jim Zaferis

Presidential Appointments

Anthony A. Demetriou, Presidential Assistant

John G. Marakas III, Sr. Advisor to the Board

Andrew J. Demetriou, Foundation General Counsel

PARISH COUNCIL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Executive Officers

Brent Noyes, President

John Kopatsis, Vice President

Irene Andreadis, Recording Secretary

Karen Sarames, Corresponding Secretary

Michael Kraios, Treasurer & C.F.O.

Members

Bertha Angels Eleni Constantine Manolelis

Jeanine Hanna Glenn Lianos Loula Moschonas

Peter Pallas Dean Peratsakis

Dorothy Spirus Tom Ward Anna Yallourakis

Auditing Committee

James Ananias Anthony Demetriou Tom Moore

PHILOPTOHOS SOCIETY

Executive Officers

Virginia Noyes, President

Helene Ballas, 1st Vice President

Marianna Politis, 2nd Vice President

Mary Gallanis, Recording Secretary

Lola Gialketsis, Corresponding Secretary

Scarlett Billis, Treasurer

Dina Oldknow, Advisor

Honorary Life Members

Jennie Doumak Christine Peratis

Members

Allison Stavaridis Frances Bissias Judith Christopoulos

Pauline Evangelatos Olga Jordan Tricia Kremer

Coni Manders Sophie Mastor Jan Pastras

Christina Peratsakis Jayne Poullos Sonia Stathes

Mary Tassop Maria Toczek

ALTAR BOYS

Chris Halekakis

BASKETBALL

Gig Kyriacou & Paul Cooper

BIBLE STUDY

Very Rev. Father John Bakas

Rev. Father Allan Boyd

BOOK STORE

William Striglos

CAMP ZOE

Very Rev. Father John Bakas

CHILD CARE

Kathy & Marsha Zagorianos

CHOIR

Jim Kollias

COFFEE HOUR

Ann Pappas

Georgia Vasila

DOCENTS

Faye Demetriou

EASTER PICNIC

Ted Pappas

GREEK DANCE GROUPS

Barbara Kappos

GREEKS in HOLLYWOOD

Dina Demetrius

HELLENIC ACADEMY

Andri Christodoulidou

HOSPITALITY

Niki Korbakis

Maria Pelargos

L.A. GREEK FEST

John Boudouvas and

Eleni Constantine Manolellis

MR. & MRS. CLUB

Dean & Christine Peratsakis

ODOS “The Way”

Helen Lambros

PARENTING

Nick Stefanidis

Barbara Kappos

PHILANTHROPIA

Rev. Father Peter Lambert

PHILOPTOHOS V.I.P.

Athina Lolonis, President

SAINT SOPHIA CAMP

Melanie O’Regan

Jack Stumpus (Golf Event)

Tony Mastor (Tennis Event)

Mary-Kay Demetriou (Tennis

Event)

SUNDAY SCHOOL

Eleni Yokas

YOUTH

Rev. Father Allan Boyd

OFFICE STAFF

Helen Ellis, Office Administrator Jessica Benitez, Admin. Assist.

Noah Johnson, Sacraments and Events

CUSTODIAL STAFF

Marcial Cerna Oscar Castro Mauricio Mira Miguel Rosales

May 2014 Page 9

May 2 Karla Overpeck and John Balanos

Sponsor: Theodoros Vlantis

May 3 Eleni Lotakis and Eloy Flores

Sponsor: Elizabeth Zoulis

May 18 Roxanna Araks Teroganseyan and Michael

Nehme

May 24 Cynthia Garcia-Silva and Andreas Zinelis

Sponsor: Kirakos Cosmas

WEDDINGS MEMORIALS

May 4 May 11

Peter C. Latsis - 33 years

Stella Kontes - 5 years

Ioannis Gregoriou - 11 years

Andreas Gregoriou - 13 years

Dorothy Litchfield

Caleroi Boukidis - 20 years

BAPTISMS

May 3 Oliva Grace Fleming

Daughter of Theodore and Athena Fleming

Sponsor: Dana Manpearl

Anastasia Irini Eleni Kouros

Daughter of Philip and Irene Kouros

Sponsor: Anastasia Pinson

May 17 Karen Maxwell

Daughter of Scott and Barbara Maxwell

Sponsor: Tina Zarifes

May 24 Mary Alexia Aronis

Daughter of Athan and Anna Aronis

Sponsor: Patricia Aronis

May 24 Sophia Padron

Daughter of Joshua and Theodora Padron

Sponsor: Illiana Solis

May 31 John Boudouvas Jr.

Son of John and Katia Boudouvas

Sponsor: Andrea Bakas

Elpida Peters - 40 days

Christina Athans Hartley - 40

days

Megalene Caiopoulos

Christos (Doumakes) Dumas

Persephone Caiopoulos

Diamontopoulos

Aleck Edwards, II

Ero Cosfol- 40 days

Vasilios S. Lambros - 3 years

Dimitrios Panayi

Bill Karnezi

Helen Panayi

Ioan Covaci- 4 years

Gregory George - 1 year

Stan

Elena

Hristu

Artimon

Evdochia

Gheorghe

Sofia

Octavian

Mihai

Varvara

Ion

Maria

Teodosia

Dorin

Maria

Caliopi

EPISTLE READERS

May 4 George Camperos

May 11 Jeanine Hanna

May 18 Michael Kraios

May 25 Eleni Romm

SACRAMENTS AND MEMORIALS

May 18

Stella Kontes - 5 years

May 25

George Kalivas

Georg Fenady (Fanoudas) – 6

years

Shannon Fenady (Fanoudas)

– 6 years

Andreas Fanoudas - 55 years

Evgenia Fanoudas - 70 years

Marika Fenady (Fanoudas) -

35 years

John Fenady (Fanoudas) - 59

years

George Matthews - 69 years

Panagiota Matthews -18 years

Basili Matthews - 19 years

Dimitrios Matthews – 7 years

Basiliki Krystales - 92 years

Moskos Krystales – 66 years

Gabriel Krystales – 50 years

Basili Krystales - 72 years

George Pappas – 52 years

Elizabeth Pappas – 51 years

Stephen Demos - 34 years

Joseph A. George - 40 days

May 2014 Page 10

YOUTH NEWS

Youth Program Contacts

May Activities

Sunday School

Sunday, May 4

Regular Schedule -presale for

tickets to End of year

Celebration.

Sunday, May 11

Regular Schedule - Mother’s

Day.

Sunday, May 18

Godparent’s Sunday - Special

Schedule. Meet in General

Assembly Room following Holy

Communion.

Sunday, May 25

Memorial Weekend Holiday.

Hellenic Academy

Saturday, May 3

Regular Schedule

Saturday, May 10

Regular Schedule

Saturday, May 17

Regular Schedule

Saturday, May 24

Memorial Weekend

Holiday

Saturday, May 31

Regular Schedule

ALTAR BOYS

Chris Halekakis

cjhmgmt@gmail.com

BASKETBALL

Paul Cooper

mrpaul599@sbcglobal.net

CAMP ZOE

Fr. John Bakas

frbakas@stsophia.org

GREEK DANCE

Barbara Kappos

Bkappos@aol.com

HELLENIC ACADEMY

Andri Christodoulidou andri.christodoulidou@cantab.net

ODOS “The Way”

Orthodox Development of

Spirituality

Helen Lambros

HLambros@aol.com

SAINT SOPHIA CAMP

Melanie O’Regan

mell0n@aol.com

saintsophiacamp.org

SUNDAY SCHOOL

Eleni Yokas

eyokas@college.usc.edu

The Art of the Greek Dance

Come and learn all the dances you need to know for

festivals, weddings and other Greek events. Ramsey will

teach pan-Hellenic dances as well as specialized regional

traditional dances (Παραδοσιακα) . Bring your dance

shoes and we will see you there.

WHEN: Saturdays, April 26 to June 28

WHERE: Huffington Center

TIME: 10:00 am – 11:45 am

FEE: $140 First Time / $120 Returning

INSTRUCTOR: Ramsay Seikaly

ramdonseik@hotmail.com

CONTACT NUMBER: (818) 929-1180

SAINT SOPHIA PHILOPTOHOS SOCIETY

MOTHER’S DAY LUNCHEON AND FASHION SHOW

Mothers are Angels on Earth HONORING THE 2014

MOTHER OF THE YEAR

Joan Tsioutsias Anast

SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2014

RECEPTION 11:00 O’CLOCK

LUNCHEON 12:00 O’CLOCK

SHERATON UNIVERSAL HOTEL, UNIVERSAL CITY

RESERVATIONS: MARY GALLANIS 818.845.7741

We look forward to seeing you there!

Please RSVP by May 3rd

May 2014 Page 11

Saint Sophia Cathedral was

represented at last month's

District Level Saint John

Chrysostom Oratorical Festival,

held at Saints Constantine and

Helen Church in Cardiff-by-the-

Sea. Sophia Spirus, (left)

Senior Division, received

Honorable Mention and

Stephanie Katherine

Yallourakis, Junior Division,

was awarded Third Place.

This year's Holy Friday Retreat was one of the greatest

blessings ever. Saint Sophia kids look forward each year to

participating in the storytelling session, where Fr. Allan opens

up eggs with objects inside that help the kids remember how

to tell the Easter story. Some of our kids are very good at

telling this story, interested in every detail. As you can see

from the photos, they were quite engaged in making sure that

we recounted every detail. There was a lesson in making

Prosphoro (the sealed bread that is offered by our parish

members to be used in the Eucharistic service). The kids also

got to do one of their favorite Holy Friday activities, make

Resurrection Rolls. It's another fun way to teach kids about

the Easter Story...and tasty!

The highlight of the Holy Friday Retreat, however is the Food

Drive, where we ask families to bring sacks full of requested

items to help fill our neighborhood food bank at St.

Thomas. Due to the enthusiastic response from Saint Sophia

members, we surpassed the amount collected last year. This

year we filled the back of a pickup truck to overflowing with

much needed groceries, plus, we filled an SUV to boot. This is

just one of the many ways we at Saint Sophia participate in

the direction that Christ gave us when He said, "Whatever you

have done for the least of these [those who struggle and

suffer] you have done for Me." Thank you for seeing our

Lord's face in the face of our struggling neighbors and for

responding so enthusiastically to Him. Thank you for teaching

our kids how to be disciples of Christ, by serving Him in this

way.

COMMUNITY NEWS

This year we were privileged to use UCLA’s Byzantine Gospel

Book for our Resurrection Services. UCLA Library Special

Collections Director Tom Hyry and Lucinda Newsome

brought the rare illuminated manuscript to the Cathedral in its

custom box. The manuscript of the New Testament in Greek

consists of 240 parchment leaves containing text in a single

column, 33 lines per page, in brown, red and purple ink. At

least four different scribes have been identified, including a

monk Ioannikios of Saint Katherine’s Monastery in Sinai,

who copied the Gospels, Acts, and Pauline Epistles of Saint

Paul, as well as the preface to Acts; a scribe who turned the

codex into lectionary, adding synaxarium and menologion for

Gospels and Acts, new chapter titles, and indications for

beginning and end of readings; a third scribe who wrote

psalms; and a fourth scribe who wrote missing hexameter

poems celebrating Luke and John. Miniatures: portraits of the

Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John at the

beginning of each Gospel; each Evangelist sits by his desk

beneath a triangular pediment supported by two columns,

richly colored in gold, red, blue, purple and green; Matthew

and Luke copy from a book supported by a fish; Mark copies

from a scroll; and John writes as the Gospel is dictated to him

by the voice of God, indicated by a hand emerging from a

cloud above.

May 2014 Page 12

COMMUNITY NEWS

Christos Anesti! It was a beautiful day at Brookside Park in

Pasadena on Easter Sunday. The park was filled with more

than 2000 people who came to celebrate Christ’s

Resurrection with family and friends, and everyone had a

great time.

We are all very fortunate that more than 90 years ago this

great tradition was started by the first Greek Orthodox Parish

in Los Angeles and by all accounts, it is the only event of its

type in the United States. Those in attendance were from all

over Southern California and perhaps you met some of our

visitors from as far away as Greece, Australia, Florida and

New York. And yes it's true, the Easter Bunny was Greek

Dancing!

On behalf of my picnic committee, Stephanie and Dan

Lubian, Tony Dres, Dean Treantafelles and Toula Kalatzis, I

extend my sincere thank you to all the volunteers who

contributed to making our Easter Picnic a successful event.

We also thank everyone who supported the picnic with

generous financial and product donations. In addition, we

could not have accomplished this without the assistance from

the St. Sophia Foundation, the wonderful ladies of

Philoptohos, Pegasus Foods, and the St. Sophia Parish

Council. Lastly, as picnic chairman, I send a special thank

you to John Kopatsis, Tina Callas, and Tino Boukidis. I

consider everyone mentioned here our “Easter Angels”.

Because this event is held in a public park, our expenses are

in excess of $35,000. Even though the picnic is an Easter

tradition and not a fund raiser, we are fortunate to always

cover our expenses plus a little extra which goes back to the

Foundation. However, without the donations and volunteers,

we could not afford to make this event possible.

We look forward to seeing you again next year on Orthodox

Easter Sunday, April 12, 2015.

Ted J. Pappas, Easter Picnic Chairman

Our sincere thank you to all the picnic Needs List donors

whose generosity helped to alleviate our financial burden:

Anonymous Donors

James & Angela Ananias

Choice Foods/John Fovos

Helen and Tony Demetriou

Eugenia Drakos

Bill and Anne Dres

Raymond and Faye Fouad

Nicholas Halikis

InkEdibles/Maria Ibrahimzade & Dimitris Constantinou

James & Carolyn Kolokotrones

Helen & Eleni Lambros

Fay Efrosini Lellios

Mersy Loukaris

Anastasia Maniskis

Alexandros Nicolaitis

Bill and Virgie Papalexis

John and Bess Pappas

Ted Pappas

Michael and Susan Patzakis

Pegasus Foods - Jim Zaferis and Van Ambatielos

Philoptohos

George & Aileen Preonas

Diane Pruett

Mary Lynn and John Rallis

Elizabeth Stumpus and family

Ariadne Toczek

Maria Toczek

Jim Tsarpalas

Angelo Vidalis and family

Zeli Coffee/Elaine and Diane Bissias

Tashi Zouras

Saint Sophia Easter Picnic 2014

We wish to recognize and thank the ten young ladies of our

community who represented the myrrh-bearing women at the

Services of the Epitafios on the evening of Good Friday.

They are Katrina Billis, Sophia Boghosian, Zoe Franco,

Maria Georgopoulos, Stella Helm, Maria Ifigenia

Oxyzolou, Anastasia Papadeas, Adriana Pitsos, Fotene

Romans and Athena Stamus.

The white floral wreaths and decorated baskets for the Myrrh-

bearers were offered by Jayne Poullos, in loving memory of

the Very Reverand George J. Venetos. Jayne Poullos

contributed toward the priests’ Resurrection lambades in

loving memory of her family.

We thank all the ladies who worked hard in dyeing dozens of

eggs for our Easter events: Mary Kezios, Sophia

Kapogiannis, Doraly Spiropoulos, Petsa Schwartz.

We thank all the ladies who worked hard to provide us with

beautiful Easter eggs this year: Pauline M. Evangelatos,

Sonia Stathes, Helene Ballas, Helen Evangelatos, Dina

Nichols, Jayne Poullos, Anne Dres, Athena Peterson, Mary

Tassop, Dorothea Ales, Lola Gialketsis, and Voula Siafaris.

We thank the ladies and the gentleman for the preparation of

galaktoboureko on Saturday, Apr. 19, 2014, Chairperson -

Mary Gallanis, Steve Billis , Hellene Ballas, Judith

Christopoulos, Helen Evangelatos, Dina Nichols, Jayne

Poulos

May 2014 Page 13

Holy Saturday-Altar Candles

Mr. & Mrs. Carl Rhoads

Holy Saturday-2 Easter Lambathes for Priests

Ms. Jayne Poullos

Holy Saturday-Myrrh Bearers Floral Wreaths

Ms. Jayne Poullos

Major Epitaphio Donors

The Georgia Defterios Family

Mr. & Mrs. Nick Bissias and Family

Mr. & Mrs. Ted Maniatakos

Dr. & Mrs. Michael Patzakis

Mr. & Mrs. Brent Noyes and Family

Holy Week Easter Flowers

Mr. & Mrs. Glen Lianos and Family

Chassman Family In loving memory of Sophia Dagres

Palomares and Ileana and Richard Shuman

Julian & Simona Rebiga – In loving memory of their parents

Mr. & Mrs. Alek Haidos

Mrs. Mersy Loukaris

Mr. & Mrs. George Dascalu

Palm Sunday Icon

Mr. & Mrs. Bill Papalexis

Mrs. Electra Koutsoukos

Holy Thursday-Large Wreath

Mr. & Mrs. Andreas Gallanis

Holy Thursday-Small Wreath

Mr. & Mrs. George Varentges

Holy Thursday-Holy Crucifixtion

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Evangelatos

Holy Thursday - Arrangement at the Base of the Cross

Mr. & Mrs. John Romm

Holy Thursday-2 Large Arrangements

Mr. & Mrs. Donald Lapa

Holy Friday-Extreme Humility Icon and Altar Candles

Dr. & Mrs. Jan Duncan

Holy Friday-Both Sides Solea Candles

Mr. & Mrs. John T. Pappas

Holy Saturday-Resurrection Banner

Mr. & Mrs. Harry Siafaris

COMMUNITY NEWS - Easter Flower Donations

May 2014 Page 14

Ascension of Christ with the Hetoimasia - andreas ritzos

By John Kopatsis

The Feast of the Ascension of our Lord God and Savior

Jesus Christ (Η Ανάληψη του Χριστού), is celebrated each

year on the 40th day after the Great and Holy Feast of

Pascha. The Ascension of Christ is the teaching found in the

New Testament that Jesus was

taken up to Heaven in his

resurrected body, in the presence

of eleven of his Apostles. The

ascension implies Jesus' humanity

being taken into Heaven. It is

professed in the Nicene Creed and

is one of the five major milestones

in the Gospel narrative of the life of

Jesus, the others being baptism,

transfiguration, crucifixion, and

resurrection. The Ascension is

interpreted as the culmination of

the Mystery of the Incarnation, in

that it not only marked the

completion of Jesus' physical

presence among his apostles, but

consummated the union of God

and man when Jesus ascended in

his glorified human body to sit at

the right hand of God the Father.

The Ascension and the

Transfiguration both figure

prominently in the Orthodox

doctrine of Theosis (Union with

God). The bodily Ascension into heaven is also understood as

the final token of Christ's two natures: divine and human.

Andreas Ritzos Ascension of Christ with the Hetoimasia

icon is a typical example of the 15th-century Cretan-Venetian

school that grew from the tradition of Byzantine court painting.

Andreas Ritzos was a Greek icon painter, born in Heraklion

on the island of Crete, the son of a goldsmith. He is

considered the greatest Cretan painter of the second half of

the 15th century. His works provided models for subsequent

generations of icon painters. He worked in the Byzantine

style, but he was influenced by other styles, too, including the

Italian style of painting of the 14th century. This painting from

the Matsukata Collection, along with the Death of the Virgin

today in the Galleria Sabauda in Turin, is considered one of

Ritzos' best large-scale icons. Very little inpainting has

occurred in the centuries since its creation, and thus the work

fully conveys Ritzos' considerable ability as a veteran icon

painter. The painting shows the Ascension of Christ in the

center with the "Hetoimasia," (ἑτοιμασία, "preparation")

on the panel above. Preparation of the Throne or Throne

of the Second Coming is the symbolic subject of the empty

throne found in both the East and Western churches. From

about 1000, the throne has represented the throne of the

Second Coming of Christ from where he will pass judgment at

the end of time, a meaning it has retained in Eastern

Orthodox art to the present.

Ritzos has placed the Feast of Abraham at the top of the

composition as the symbol of the

Holy Trinity. Standing portraits of

six saints are shown, three on the

right; Saint John the Baptist, Saint

Nicholas and Saint Onuphrius, and

three on the left; Saint James,

Saint Anthony and Saint

Sebastian. Half-length figures of

Emperor Constantine, his mother

Helen, Saint Catherine, and Saint

Paraskevi appear in the lower

section. The Greek signature that

reads literally "by the hand of

Andreas Ritzos" appears in the

lower right, beneath the feet of

Saint Sebastian. Christ is shown

ascending in His glory in a

mandorla. A mandorla is a design

which is almond-shaped or round.

Inside the mandorla is the figure of

a holy person. Christ blesses the

assembly with His right hand. In

His left is a scroll. The scroll is a

symbol of teaching. This icon

shows that the Lord in heaven is

the source of blessing. In addition, Jesus is the source of

knowledge. The icon reminds us that Christ continues to be

the source of the teaching and message of the Church,

blessing and guiding those to whom He has entrusted his

work. The Theotokos occupies a very special place in this

icon. She is in the center of the icon, immediately below the

ascending Christ. The gesture of her hands is gesture of

prayer. She is clearly outlined by the lighter color of the

garments of the angels. The Theotokos is depicted in a very

calm pose. This is quite different from the appearance of the

Disciples. They are moving about, talking to one another and

looking and pointing towards heaven. The entire group, the

Theotokos and the disciples represent the Church. The icon

of the Ascension includes some who did not witness the

Ascension. Saint Paul is shown to the left of the Theotokos,

but we know that he was not present at the Ascension. At that

time, Saint Paul did not yet believe in Jesus. But he became a

Christian and one of the greatest Apostles and missionaries

of Church. The icon expresses the sovereignty of Christ over

His Church; He is its Head, its guide, its source of inspiration

and teaching; the Church receives Her commission and

ministry from Him, and fulfils it in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Central panel of Ascension of Christ with the Hetoimasia

May 2014 Page 15

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

2

3

4 Sunday of the

Myrrh-Bearing

Women

8:15am Orthros

9:15am FaithStudies

9:45am Memorials

10am Divine Liturgy

5

11:00am

Women’s Bible

Study w/Fr. John

7:30pm The Why’s of Orthodoxy w/Fr.

Allan

6

7:00 pm Young

Adult Forum

7

11:00am

Men’s Bible Study

w/Fr. John

8

Saint John the

Theologian

8:30am Orthros

9:30am Liturgy

7:30pm O.T. w/ Fr.

Allan

9

10

11

Sunday of

The Paralytic

8:15am Orthros

9:15am FaithStudies

9:45am Memorials

10am Divine Liturgy

12

11:00am

Women’s Bible

Study w/Fr. John

7:30pm The Why’s of Orthodoxy w/Fr.

Allan

13

7:00 pm Young

Adult Forum

14

11:00am

Men’s Bible Study

w/Fr. John

15

7:30pm O.T. w/

Fr. Allan

16

17

18

Sunday of the

Samaritan Woman

8:15am Orthros

9:15am FaithStudies

9:45am Memorials

10am Divine Liturgy

19

11:00am

Women’s Bible

Study w/Fr. John

7:30pm The Why’s of Orthodoxy w/Fr.

Allan

20

7:00 pm Young

Adult Forum

21 Sts Constantine

and Helen

8:30am Orthros

9:30am Liturgy

11:00am

Men’s Bible Study

w/Fr. John

22

7:30pm O.T. w/ Fr.

Allan

23

24

25

Sunday of the

Blind Man

8:15am Orthros

9:15am FaithStudies

9:45am Memorials

10am Divine Liturgy

26

11:00am

Women’s Bible

Study w/Fr. John

7:30pm The Why’s of Orthodoxy w/Fr.

Allan

27

7:00 pm Young

Adult Forum

28

11:00am

Men’s Bible Study

w/Fr. John

29

Holy Ascension

8:30am Orthros

9:30am Liturgy

7:30pm O.T. w/

30

31

Strict Fast Fish Allowed Wine and Oil

Allowed

Dairy, Eggs,

and Fish

Allowed

Fast Free

MAY 2014

May 2014 Page 16 Saint Sophia Greek Cathedral

Greek Orthodox Community

1324 South Normandie Avenue

Los Angeles, California 90006

Phone

323 737 2424

Fax

323 737 7029

E-mail

office@stsophia.org

We’re on the Web!

www.stsophia.org

TIME S

ENSITIV

E

Place address label here

Where there is patience and

humility, there is neither anger

nor vexation