1

Being Good Stewards of our World, our Church and Each Other

VOLUME 26

NUMBER 10

October 2017

Dearest Spiritual Ohana,

The last few months have been a true “wake up”

call for all of us who inhabit the earth. Many tears

have been shed and their has been an immense and

incredible amount of suffering, as recovery from

everything is long, slow and painful!

Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma and

Hurricane Maria left unimaginable

devastation in their paths specifically in

Texas, Florida, the Southern States and

Caribbean Islands. The magnitude 8.0

earthquake in Mexico and continuous

aftershocks brought destruction to that

country’s southern-most part. On top of

all that, the peace of the world is at

stake with the growing disunity and

tension between Nations.

We cannot put the blame on God, Who entrusted

us to be stewards of the earth, each other and all He

has given us. For God has and is and always will

love us! He is a God of Immeasurable Love and

Mercy, unfailingly! What we collectively have done

as human beings is disrupt the natural balance of the

earth through our focus on being “consumers”

rather than “stewards” of it. It is our selfishness and

self-centeredness and lack of love and care that we

find ourselves in the situation we are in. Besides,

we collectively as the world, are relying less and

less on God and are constantly turning away from

Him.

We read in the Gospel of Luke 21:25-26: “And

there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in

the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with

perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring, men’s

hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of

those things which are coming on the earth, for the

powers of the heavens will be shaken.”

“Lord have mercy!” What have we

done?! We have fallen into consuming

the resources of the earth, especially

through our dependence on fossil fuels

and oil. We rely on them to get us from

point “a” to point “b,” through the use

of our vehicles for transportation. Our

phones, gaming devices and gadgets are

replaceable items that are changed

every few years or even sooner! And

guess where the materials of these items

come from? Oil, of course! The main ingredients

of our addictive possessions come from plastics,

which are products of oil. Indeed, we find

ourselves in a physical and spiritual crisis! The

good news is that we can make efforts to reverse the

course of the out-of-control spiral of events and

actions which are taking place. Simple solutions,

but not necessarily easy to carry out, because we

have come to a point that we cannot let go of our

reliance on what we are consuming the earth with

and our constant quest to acquire the latest and the

greatest technology!

(Continued on page 2)

2

Our world does not have the choice but to take

drastic measures to reverse the damage already

done. We have to make the move to become, once

again, stewards of the earth rather than consumers

of it. In the physical, tangible world, we have been

steadily depleting the ozone, our protective barrier

in the atmosphere. Our water is becoming more

and more acidic rather than alkaline, making our

water less and less safe to drink and less inhabitable

for the creatures that live in it and for us who rely

on it to sustain life. In our spiritual lives we are

turning away from our reliance in God, and

replacing the need for His Presence with satisfying

our physical needs and pleasures in excess of what

is necessary. To become stewards and caretakers

of the earth and one another we need to make a 180

degree shift, physically and spiritually, making the

movement towards being conscientious, caring,

more selfless and ever more aware of the need for

God’s Presence in our lives.

I found a beautiful quote about our

responsibility and stewardship of the world and one

another:

"Love all God's creation, the whole of it and every

grain of sand. Love every leaf, every ray of God's

light! Love the animals, love the plants, love

everything. If you love everything you will perceive

the divine mystery in things. And once you have

perceived it you will begin to comprehend it

ceaselessly, more and more every day. And you will

at last come to love the whole world with an

abiding universal love. Love the animals: God has

given them the rudiments of thought and untroubled

joy. Do not therefore, trouble it, do not torture

them, do not deprive them of their joy, do not go

a g a i n s t G o d ' s i n t e n t . ”

~Starets Zosima in the novel The Brothers

Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Just as a pebble is cast into the water and

produces “ripples,” let us each make a concerted

effort, in our own special little way, to take care of

one another, protect the environment and earth, and

“commend ourselves and one another and our

whole life to Christ our God.”

With Love in Christ,

+Fr. Alexander

(Continued from page 1)

Shorelines is published Monthly by:

Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox

Cathedral of the Pacific 930 Lunalilo Street

Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 Phone : (808) 521-7220

Fax : (808) 523-0429 E-Mail:

office@greekorthodoxhawaii.org Parish Web Site:

www.greekorthodoxhawaii.org

Regular Office Hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday thru Friday

Rev. Father Alexander M. Leong fralexanderleong@yahoo.com

Church Staff Amanda Jackson - Office Coordinator

office@greekorthodoxhawaii.org Erica Jansen - Bookkeeper

2017 Parish Council pc@greekorthodoxhawaii.org

Maria Naval, President Trish Kiladis, Vice President

Roni Katsikas, Treasurer Christina Dimitrion, Secretary

John Kiladis, Cleopatra Kritikos, Nicholas Kyriakakis,

Dimitri Nicholas & Andrew Tujios.

Sunday School Director Presbytera Nicole Leong

Sunday School Teachers Shawn Chu, Alice Malick, Greg Malick,

Maria Naval, Dimitri Nicholas, &

Katherine Pasieta

Philoptochos Board Anita Akel, President; Anita Higashi, 1st

Vice President; Eres Eddy, 2nd Vice President; Ludmyla Solyar,Treasurer;

Julie Ličina, Recording Secretary; Valentina Varovaya, Corr. Secretary;

Alma Chu, Advisor

Choir-Chanters Orest Saikevych, Music Director

Gregory Malick, Protopsaltis

Parish Ministries Stelio Scordilis, Aloha Youth Choir; T.B.A., Bookstore; Dianna Graves,

Greek Dance Groups; Stelio Scordilis, Greek School; Julie Ličina Web Master;

Anita Higashi, Facebook

3

WEEKDAY SERVICES IN OCTOBER

ST. LUKE THE EVANGELIST Wed. 10/18 Orthros/Liturgy 8:30/9:30 am

ST. DEMETRIOS THE GREAT MARTYR Thu. 10/26 Orthros/Liturgy 8:30/9:30 am

MAUI SERVICES Sat. 10/28 Liturgy 10:30 am

Announcements

October Parish Council Teams

10/01 Andy

10/08 Cleo

10/15 Dimitri

10/22 John

10/29 Maria

Please remember in your prayers Dina Giannakopoulos

Paul Kelley

Suzanne Keyser

Julie Licina

Alice Marie Malick

George Missias

John Mitsis

and all those needing our prayers.

LITURGICAL LIFE OF OUR PARISH

Adult Religious Education

“Hot Potatoes Issues”

Led by Dr. Robert Arakaki & Peter Kay

Sundays 12 to 12:45 p.m.

September 24- “Defending the Truthfulness of

Scripture” ~Dr. Robert Arakaki

October 1- “Women’s Ordination and Orthodox

Tradition” ~Dr. Robert Arakaki

October 8- “Orthodox Responses to Atheism”

~Peter Kay

October 15- “Orthodoxy and Ecumenism”

~Dr. Robert Arakaki

————————————————————

T.B.A.- “Understanding the Divine Liturgy” ~Fr.

Alexander Leong

Learn Greek!

Elementary

Thursday 5:30—6:30 PM

Intermediate

Sunday 12:00 –1:00 PM

Advanced

Monday 6:00—8:00 PM

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of

God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

4

Share your news! Announcements that you would

like to see in the November

issue of Shorelines should be

submitted to the church office by

October 15th.

Weekly Bulletin announcements

should be submitted by noon on

Thursday for the upcoming

Sunday.

Email:

office@greekorthodoxhawaii.org

Call: 521-7220

Or drop by with a copy of your

announcement.

Maui Orthodox Christian

Mission reminds those who

attend services on Maui to visit

www.mauimission.org or call

617-838-7904 to verify services.

or look for other activities that

may be posted.

Our Vision

To be a beacon of Orthodoxy in the Pacific and proclaim the Gospel of Christ to all people in accordance with the Orthodox Faith

Our Mission

To proclaim the Gospel of Christ to all people in accordance with the Orthodox Faith.

To sanctify and minister to the spiritual growth and needs of the faithful through liturgical worship and spiritual programs.

To safeguard and keep the traditions, values, and faith of the Orthodox Church pure and undefiled.

Parish Christmas Card If you wish to be listed on our Parish

Christmas Card, please print your name

below and return to the church office by

December 4th. Please consider including a donation to offset the cost of printing and

postage for the card. MAHALO!

__________________________________________________________________

Please print. Your name will appear as written here.

5

Aloha Ss. Constantine & Helen Ohana,

September 17th was the first Sunday School Day. I

took a peek into the classrooms and found that the

rooms were filled with children. What a blessing! I

am thankful for the parents’ support and the

teachers’ dedication.

Here is some information along with coming events

I would like to share: The high school class’ teachers are inviting

young adults to join in the class. (Three young

adults participated in the first lesson. It seemed

both the high school students and the young

adults were interested in the class.) If you are a

young adult, come and check it out!

The Sunday School students are going to sell

baked goods for a charity at the Philoptochos

Rummage Sale on Saturday, October 28.

Please support them! Prior to the Rummage/

Bake Sale, there will be an opportunity for the

youth and their parents to bake some treats with

experienced Philoptochos Ladies on Sunday,

October 22, after the Liturgy. Come and have

fun!

Our Philoptochos Ladies also invite our Sunday

School Families to join in “Making Strides of

Hawaii”, the Breast Cancer Walk, on Saturday,

October 21. If you are interested, please

contact Mrs. Anita Soileau for more details.

I request your continuous prayers for our teachers,

students, parents, me and our entire community

where our children grow with the love of all of their

“uncles” and “aunties.”

If you have any suggestions or questions, please

contact me in person or email me at:

nicolehleong@gmail.com.

Pres. Nicole, Sunday School Director

2018 Budget

Please email

pc@greekorthodoxhawaii.org with any suggestions for the budget,

or if you are interested in

being on the committee.

A copy of 2017 budget is posted upstairs.

News from

The Aloha Youth Choir

After a very successful concert at the Greek

Festival, we are pleased to announce that The Aloha Youth Choir will sing the

Divine Liturgy on October 22.

6

Social Dimensions of Creation Care

Orthodox theology takes all this a step further and recognizes the natural

creation as inseparable from the identity and destiny of humanity, because

every human action leaves a lasting imprint on the body of the earth. Hu-

man attitudes and behavior toward other people. Ecology is inevitably re-

lated in both its etymology and meaning to economy; our global economy

is simply outgrowing the capacity of our planet to support it. At stake is

not just our ability to live in a sustainable way, but our very survival. Sci-

entists estimate that those most hurt by global warming in years to come

will be those who can least afford it. Therefore, the ecological problem of

pollution is invariably connected to the social problem of poverty; and so

all ecological activity is ultimately measured and properly judged by its

impact and effect upon other people, and especially the poor (see Matthew

25).

On Earth as in Heaven, 139

7

Each individual/family is requested to sponsor a coffee hour one Sunday per year.

Sign up on the calendar posted outside the Social Hall or contact Suzanne A. or Frances R.

Instructions/tips for sponsoring a coffee hour are available in a 3-ring binder in a cupboard in the hall.

The Ladies of Philoptochos appreciate

any donations of coffee supplies, including paper supplies to help defray some of the coffee hour expenses.

If you are hesitant to prepare and serve a coffee hour

yourself, consider making a monetary donation.

Please do not bring non-Lenten food including cake & ice cream during fasting periods.

C

O

F

F

E

E

H

O

U

R

Thank you to our September

Sunday Coffee Hour sponsors!

The Nicholas Family (9/10)

&

The Katsikas Family (9/24)

If you have not hosted a coffee hour this year, please sign up on the calendar posted outside the social hall.

RECYCLE RECYCLE RECYCLE! YES, DANCE GROUP NEEDS YOUR RECYCLABLE DONATIONS! WE ARE GOING TO FDF 2018 IN JANUARY, AND THIS IS ONE OF OUR FUNDRAISERS. SOMEONE SAID TO ME, “DANCE GROUP MUST MAKE A LOT AT GREEK FESTIVAL WITH THE RECYCLABLES!” THE RULE FOR GREEK FESTIVAL IS: NO MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH WILL PROFIT FROM THE FESTIVAL; ALL MONIES GO TO THE CHURCH. THE FDF DANCERS WILL BE PRACTICING AFTER LITURGY. ANY NEW DANCERS WISHING TO JOIN THE DANCE GROUP MUST WAIT UNTIL AFTER FDF IS OVER IN JANUARY. WE TAKE A SMALL BREAK, AND THEN IN

THE SPRING WE START DANCE PRACTICE FOR EVERYONE WHO WISHES TO JOIN AND HAS FILLED OUT A DANCE FORM. WATCH FOR THE SPRING START UP TIME IN THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. THIS IS A PERFORMING GROUP FOR AGES 5 TO ADULT. ANYONE WISHING TO LEARN JUST 3 GREEK DANCES THAT ARE DANCED AT MOST CELEBRATIONS, SEE DIANNA TO SET UP A TIME. SEE DIANNA FOR DANCE FORMS OR ANY QUESTIONS.

Dance Group News

8

The Holy Fathers on Prayer

“For what is prayer? Prayer is the raising of the mind and heart to God--for praise and thanksgiving and

beseeching Him for the good things necessary for soul and body. The essence of prayer, then is the mental

ascent to God from the heart. The mind stands in the heart consciously before the face of God and, filled

with proper and necessary reverence, it begins to pour out its heart before Him. This is prayer of the

heart!”

~Bishop Theophan the Recluse - Prayer of the Heart: the duty of those living in the world

“Although prayer is a habitual action for us, it needs preparation. For anyone who knows how to read and

write, what is more usual than reading and writing? Yet if we sit down to read and write we do not do so

suddenly, we first get ourselves into the mood for what we are going to do. This kind of preparation is all

the more necessary before we start to pray, particularly if our occupation immediately beforehand was

very different from prayer.

So, morning or evening, immediately before you begin to repeat your prayers, stand awhile, sit for awhile,

or walk a little and try to steady your mind and turn it away from all worldly activities and objects. After

this, think who He is to whom you turn in prayer, then recollect who you are; who it is who is about to start

this invocation to Him in prayer. Do this in such a way as to awake in your heart a feeling of humility and

reverent awe that your are standing in the presence of God. It is the beginning of prayer, and a good be-

ginning is half the complete task.”

~St. Theophan the Recluse

BROTHER: How ought we to pray before God?

OLD MAN: For the return of sinners, and the finding of the lost, and the bringing near of those who are

afar off, and friendliness towards those who wrong us, and love towards those who persecute us, and a

sorrowful care for those who provoke to wrath; if a man does these things, truly there is repentance in his

mind, and sinners will often live, and their souls be redeemed in life. For the prayer which our Lord deliv-

ered unto us for the need of the body is a word which covereth the whole community, and was not uttered

solely for those who are strangers to the world, and who hold in contempt the pleasures of the body. For he

in whose dwelling the kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof are found lacks nothing, even when he

asks not. ~E. A. Wallis Budge, "The Paradise of the Holy Fathers," Seattle, St. Nectarios Press, 1984,

pp. 266-267

We had our first developmental meeting for our prayer group on September 28th. We

discussed our plan and vision for this new ministry. Our first official group meeting

will be on Thursday, October 19th, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Please come and join us

in prayer, as we invoke the All-Holy Spirit to come abide in us and guide us in praying

for ourselves, one another and the world that surrounds us and giving praise to God!