Summer is here! - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of...
Transcript of Summer is here! - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of...
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Summer is here!
VOLUME 25
NUMBER 6
June 2016
Dearest Spiritual Ohana,
Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of
you a wonderful Summer!
The last two months have been
very eventful for our Cathedral.
From April into May, we
experienced the celebration of
Holy Week and Pascha as well
as the Feast Day of our Patron
Saints Constantine and Helen. I
would like to thank everyone for
their generous donations toward
items needed for these special
days and to all who participated
and offered their talents to make that time of the
year so special.
I take this time to convey congratulations to all of
our High School Graduates, including: Stephanos
Banasihan, Nate Chu, Alexander Hwu, Eu-nae
Mann and Nicholas Tortora! What wonderful young
people they are! On Sunday, May 22nd, our
Graduates were honored by our Sunday School with
Orthodox Study Bibles and gifted with scholarships
from Philoptochos. The President of our
Philoptochos, Alma Chu, delivered very beautiful,
heart-felt, personal and moving remarks about each
one of our Graduates.
Now that we approach the conclusion of the
Paschal Season and enter into the summer months,
let us continue to rejoice in the Lord’s constant and
boundless Love and Mercy He bestows upon us!
Never forget all He has done for us and still does
for us!
The 2016 Great Lent, Holy
Week and Pascha was most
memorable and meaningful to
me and must have been to many
of you too, personally! We had
the Blessing to have in our
midst, not just once, nor twice,
but three times the Holy
Theotokos of Iveron Icon during
Great Lent, specifically at the
3rd Salu ta t ions to the
Theotokos, at the 5th Salutations
to the Theotokos (Akathist) and the 5th Sunday of
Great Lent when we commemorate St. Mary of
Egypt! This is such a vivid and “in your face”
reminder that God, the Virgin Mary, the Angels and
the Saints are very real especially in a time when
the world is so filled with darkness, confusion,
natural disasters, blurred lines for what is right and
what is wrong, etc.
We need to experience the Glory of God through
Great Lent and Pascha, yearly, so that we do not
ever forget Him! In a brief conversation with
Reader Nectarios, the Keeper of the Holy
Theotokos Icon of Iveron, I mentioned to him that
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“it must be quite a heavy responsibility to be Her
keeper.” Reader Nectarios related to me the words
of his Spiritual Father, Elder Ephraim, regarding the
great responsibility. He said, “My Spiritual Father,
Fr. Ephraim told me that ‘the temptation is to get too
comfortable having Her in your presence.’” In other
words, one must never take the Blessings and
Miracles from God for granted nor to allow Them to
become common place!
So, likewise, we should never take what our Lord
has done for us for granted! Living in the Nation of
the United States, the “Land of Liberty,” we cannot
forget that true freedom, liberty and joy come from
our relationship with God and not to be mistaken for
“doing whatever we desire,” void of His Presence.
For when we follow our own selfish desires, we do
not become truly free or happy but become quite the
opposite: bound and left always finding a way to fill
a bottomless void which can only be filled with
God’s Loving Presence. For our Lord Jesus Christ
Himself says: “I am the Way, the Truth and the
Life...” (John 14:6)
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:
[email protected]; [email protected]
[email protected] Parish Web Site:
www.greekorthodoxhawaii.org/
Regular Office Hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday thru Friday
Rev. Father Alexander Leong
Church Staff Shelli Landeryou - Office Coordinator Roni Katsikas - Interim Bookkeeper
2016 Parish Council Maria Naval - President
Andrew Tujios - Vice President Roni Katsikas - Treasurer
Christina Dimitrion - Secretary Dr. Michael Dimitrion, Cleopatra
Kritikos, Nicholas Kyriakakis, Regina Mass & Austin Vali.
Sunday School Director Presbytera Nicole Leong
Sunday School Teachers Alice Malick, Andria Schindler, Maria Naval, Alma Chu, George Kalantzis,
Shawn Chu, Dimitri Nicholas, Mindy Scordilis & Jeanie Stavrue Pe’ahi
Philoptochos Board Alma Chu, President; Anita Akel, Vice
President; Marina Saikevych,Treasurer; Alice Malick,Recording Secretary;
Valentina Yarovaya, Corr. Secretary; Harriett Medes, Advisor
Choir-Chanters Orest Saikevych, Music Director
Gregory Malick, Protopsaltis
Parish Ministries Stelio Scordilis, Aloha Youth Choir; Laura Emerson, Bookstore; Dianna
Graves, Greek Dance Groups; Stelio Scordilis, Greek School; Julie Ličina
Web Master; Anita Higashi, Facebook
Thank you to those who offered donations items and their service for Holy Week.
Greg and Alice Malick - Flowers for the Bridegroom Icon
Vicki Shiroma - Coordinate Decorating of Tomb
Carlos & Elaine Moreno - Paschal Candle
John & Eres Eddy - Agape Picnic Ted Anastasopoulos
Catherine Bukes John & Dina Giannakopoulos
Dianna & Barry Graves
John & Patricia Kiladis
Michael Klimenko
Cleopatra Sarah Kritikos
Fr Alex & Pres Nicole Leong John Levas
MaryAnn & Paul Mallis
Christopher & Jeong Sook Mann
William & Regina Mass Marc & Maria Naval
Dionisios & Keiko Nicholas Anzinetti Rezents
Thalia Tuohy
Dimitri Xixis
Valentina Yaravoya
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WEEKDAY SERVICES IN JUNE ASCENSION (VESPERS 6:30 P.M. ON WED. 6/8) THU. 6/9 ORTHROS/LITURGY 8:30/9:30AM
SATURDAY OF SOULS Sat. 6/18 Orthros/Liturgy 8:30/9:30am
MAUI SERVICES Sat 6/25 Liturgy 10am
APOSTLES PETER AND PAUL Wed. 6/29 Orthros/Liturgy 8:30/9:30am
SYNAXIS OF THE HOLY APOSTLES Thu. 6/30 Orthros/Liturgy 8:30/9:30am
Upcoming Opportunities for Worship & Learning
Moms and the Orthodox Family
We invite all Moms and Grand-mothers to join in fellowship every Tuesday, from 10 a.m. to Noon, in the Social Hall.
When there is Divine Liturgy or any other services on Tuesday mornings, the fellow-ship will take place after services.
Let’s gather and discuss and share what Orthodox Christian Moms face and Moms and the seek in bring-ing up their children in the Orthodox Church and Home. Come and join in fellowship
Note: Moms and the Orthodox Family meetings and fellowship will resume, once again, on Tuesday, June 7.
Adult Religious Education
Sundays, Noon to 12:45 pm, following coffee hour
(See weekly bulletin for updates)
Fr. Alexander is concluding a Ten Point Program for Orthodox Life Series on various Sundays of the month. The topic for Sunday, June 12th is “Reading Scriptures and Holy Fathers.”
JUNE PARISH COUNCIL TEAMS
5 Tina Dimitrion
12 Andrew Tujios
19 Regina Mass
26 Cleopatra Kritikos
Please remember in your prayers: Ted Anastasopoulos
Dina Giannakopoulos
Suzanne Keyser
Julie Licina
Alice Malick
John Mitsis
& All Those Who need our Prayers
LITURGICAL LIFE OF OUR PARISH
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Our Philoptochos Ladies
take a day every other
month to prepare the
Prosphora to be used for
the Divine Liturgy. Here
are some facts about
prosphoro.
C D u r i n g t h e
Consecration of the
Holy Gifts of the bread
and wine, when the
p a t e n c o n t a i n i n g
p o r t i o n s o f t h e
prosphoro and the
chalice containing the
wine are lifted, the priest calls out: “Your own of Your own we
offer to You, in all and for all”
C Experienced prosphora bakers will tell you that the baker is
transformed by the prosphora, that the effort opens us to God and
invites Him to transform us. The idea of transformation is central to
bread baking. Prosphora preparation begins with just four
ingredients: wheat flour, water, salt and yeast. Looking at those
ingredients, you know that a transformation is coming, because this
doesn’t look anything like bread. Our Lord gives us all things. He
gives us wheat, water and wine. We take things from the earth that
He gives us and offer them back to God. We take part of the
possessions that God has given us and return them to Him.
C Prosphoro.(Gr. "offering gift, an item dedicated to God and
offered as a votive," prosphora in the plural). The altar bread which
is leavened and prepared with pure wheat flour to be used for the
Eucharist. It is round and stamped on the top with a special seal
(sphragis or Panagiari). Sometimes it is made in two layers
symbolizing the two natures of Christ (Human and Divine). The
inscribed parts of the top are used for the Eucharist, and the rest of it
is cut into small pieces to be distributed to the faithful as
“antidoron” which means “instead of the gift.”
C Where did we get this flour? God created wheat; He created all
the plants. We take the seeds and we plant wheat in our fields, and
we care for it. God gives us seeds and fertile soil, and He rains
water and shines warm sunlight, and it grows. As farmers, we
cooperate with God to create these beautiful crops, which feed and
nourish us. We then offer a small amount back to Him “…we offer
to You, in all and for all.”
Share your news! Greek Festival Volunteers
We need more
volunteers than
we have church
members so in
addition to
signing up
yourself we encourage you to ask
friends if they would like to help.
Greek Festival August 27 and 28
–Noon until 9pm
To volunteer please see Anita
Higashi or send an email to
Monthly Bulletin
announcements that you would
like to see in the July issue of
Shorelines should be submitted
to the church office by June
15th. Email office
@greekorthodoxhawaii.org, call
521-7220, or drop by with a hard
copy of your requested
announcement.
Weekly Bulletin announcements
should be submitted by
Wednesday afternoon for the
following Sunday.
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.
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Sunday School resumes in September. Please check
future bulletins for summer
events, news and next year’s
school schedule.
We had our graduation and promotions on May 22. Congratulations to all of our graduates.
Photos Courtesy of Chris Mann
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Some new and exciting new
items are available in the Gift Shop. Many of the
devotional items can support you in your
personal or family prayer life (relationship with
God) and in deepening your journey into the
heart of Orthodoxy. Check them out!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Are you interested in the history of Orthodoxy
in the Hawaiian Islands?
During the month of June, the Gift Shop will
be taking pre-paid orders for the paperback book
entitled, "Two Hundred Years on the Road: A
History of the Orthodox Church in Hawaii," by
Amir Khisamutdinov and Rev. Anatole Lyovin
(priest of the Russian Orthodox Church in
Honolulu). Each eighty-eight page book is $20
(no markup), and all proceeds will be used to
support the Russian church's mission. A sample
copy will be available for your perusal in the Gift
Shop during June, and the books can be picked
up the first week in July in the Gift Shop. Checks
should be made out to "The Russian Orthodox
Community of Hawaii."
We thank you for your support of the Gift Shop!
Congratulations to our two Dance Group High
School Seniors, Eun-ae Mann and Nicholas
Tortora who have been dancing since they were
about five years old.
We will miss them but wish them Good Luck
in their college endeavors.
Recycle HI 5 for the Dance Group, see Dianna.
Benefit Concert Sunday July 10, 2016 by Taso
Comanescu, guitarist (Dina/John's grandson) at
church see additional information in this
bulletin. Tickets available soon…
Election Fundraiser time again-Volunteer for
the Primary or General Election or Both.
Do a civic duty and get paid for it. Donate
the stipend to the Dance Group.
Invite a friend to do it with you or meet
people there.
You must be 16 yrs-adult. Deadline to
volunteer for the Primary Election is
7/14/2016.
See Dianna Graves for details
Sign up at https://go.elections.hawaii.gov/
signup/
Scheduling an Event?
BEFORE scheduling meetings, parties, or any other event at church–social hall, kitchen, or office rooms, PLEASE be sure to clear your event with the Church Office at least 2 weeks in advance. Doing so will ensure that our facilities are available for all to use, as well as prevent confusion and double-bookings.
Rental forms must be completed by anyone wishing to use our facilities–organization, member or non-member.
Learn Greek In addition to our classes after Sunday School, the following classes are on Monday Evenings:
Elementary 5 pm, Advanced Youth-Adults 6-8pm
Dance Group News Book Bites
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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.
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Thank you to our May Sunday Coffee Hour sponsors!
John & Eres Eddy Family (Agape Picnic)
The Kritikos Family
Peter Hwu
The Mann Family
The Kalantzis Family
Congratulations to our
Woman of the Year for 201617
Mrs. Anita Akel-Soileau! She
is a well-deserving parishioner, a
devoted Philoptochos member
for many years, who is
passionate about helping
Philoptochos fundraise
for our local, metropolis
and national charities.
Anita has spearheaded
the task of making and
packing bentos of our Greek
pastries for the Greek Festival
and for sale to benefit
Philoptochos charities, as well as
chaired the pastries booth at the
Greek Festival.
She has a heart for helping
women and children in crisis
such as the Windward Abuse
W o m e n ’ s S h e l t e r a n d
Ho’olanapua (A New Life for
Our Children) which is building
a therapeutic center for underage
girls on the Windward side
who have been recovering
from human trafficking.
Desp ite being a busy
professional with a health
insurance company, she
also is an avid runner, a
ballerina and a very good
cook. She is married to
Stu, is vice president of
our Philoptochos board,
and those who know her
can’t help but be affected by her
boundless energy and spunk.
Congratulations, again, Anita!
Singariteeria!
Also, I would like to thank
Anita Higashi for getting the
eggs, Tabitha (Mimi) Elliott and
Tina Yarovaya for cooking and
dying the eggs and Presbytera
Nicole for packing the eggs for
Pascha. Thank you to all who
donated funds. EFXARISTO!
Philoptochos News
Personally, I would
like to thank the
following for their
part in helping with
the Palm Sunday
fish luncheon:
~Alma Chu
Lucy Tujios
Harriet Medes
Suzanne Akiona
Tina Dimitrion
Despina Shive
Regina Mass
Keiko Nicholas
Rhoda Banasihan
Marina Saikevych
Julie Sormack
Barbara Gribbon
Anita Higashi
Anita Akel-Soileau
Tina Yarovaya
George Kalantzis
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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.
Aloha Youth
Choir Rehearsal
Sundays at 8:30, right before Liturgy, downstairs at the office.
Youth who would like to join and sing with the choir at the festival, please come to the rehearsal, or communicate with Stelio the director.
The program is a mix of sacred hymns, folk and greek pop songs.
Don’t miss your opportunity to hear the performer behind these reviews…
…great performance. As solid as I’ve ever
heard…
…Wonderful show! Everyone loved it and
thought that it was excellent and very interesting
…He is an exciting guitarist. His enthusiasm for
the music and talent for performing shows in the
way his audiences have received him.
…In an increasingly generic guitar world, Taso
Comanescu emerges as one who stands out…
…What I appreciate most about Taso is his
dedication … attention to detail, colorful
interpretations, understanding of the music …
willingness to explore new ideas…
…his charisma and passion for music is obvious
in every single note that he plays.
TASO COMANESCU 2:00 pm Sunday, July 10,
Chirgotis Social Hall 930 Lunalilo St. Honolulu
Tickets: Adults $15 Children 5 to 12Yr $5
A Concert to Benefit The Aloha Youth Choir and The Nisiotes Dancers of Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral