January/February
20132013
January/February
Page 1
Greek Orthodox Church
The Voice of Saint George
of Saint George
ΔΙΜΗΝΙΑΙΟ ΔΕΛΤΙΟ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗΣ ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΗΣ ΚΟΙΝΟΤΗΤΑΣ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΓΕΩΡΓΙΟΥ
Volume 11, Issue 1
A Publication of the
Piscataway, New Jersey
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the LORD.” (Matt.3:3)
«Φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, Ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου» (Ματθ. Γ:3)
A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRIEST
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013!!!
Dear Faithful,
As we begin another New Year many
of us we would like to see things a little
different in our lives, our families, our
community, our city, etc.
In This Issue
House Blessing
Our Faith
Orthodox Hymns
Cherubic Hymn
Η Ελλάδα της Καρδιάς μας
History of the Vasilopita
Ιστορία της Βασιλόπιτας
Hellenic Cuisine—Prosforo
T. Kouridakis—Memoriam
In Every Issue
Just you and I alone will not be able
to see realized any of these areas or
facets in our lives, but if we bond
together as a parish and community, we
may be able to make some changes, in
our lives and community. And it is with
this idea in mind that I want to share
with you a thought from King Solomon
through the Proverbs.
“Trust in the Lord with all your
heart. Never rely on what you think you
know. Remember the Lord in
everything you do, and He will show
you the right way."Proverbs 3:5-6
This passage, dear friends, reminds
us that we are encouraged to turn our
lives, our families, our community and
our society over to Jesus Christ and
depend on Him to divert our lives. To
have the realization that He has
everything in control and knows what is
best for us.
More importantly, we are encouraged
to acknowledge and pray to God before
we begin to do anything. To invoke His
name for help and to give us guidance in
all the things we do. In fact, it is in this
way, by praying for our families,
communities, society and our fellow
man who needs our help, that we can
make the needed changes, by turning our
circumstances and thoughts over to God.
By doing so, we are promised: "
The
Lord will keep us safe. He will not let
us fall into a trap.” Proverbs 3:26
Our Loving God will protect us and
guide us in serving Him, our families,
our communities and our world. He will
help us in turning our lives around so
that we can have a positive self-image in
ourselves and all those around us.
And so my friends, I repeat the
words and leave you with this thought:
Trust in the Lord with all your
"
heart. Never rely on what you think you
know. Remember the Lord in
everything you do, and He will show
you the right way."Proverbs 3:5-6
Rev. Fr. Nicholas Pastrikos
 Priest’s Message
 President’s Message
 Church Calendar
 PTO News
 Sunday School News
 Greek School News
 G.O.Y.A. News
 Philoptochos News
HAPPY NEW YEAR
As we look ahead to this year, remember that God has great plans for our
lives. He knows our needs, our many opportunities, all that lies ahead of us.
Look to Him for His concern and the help He alone can and will give us.
ΚΑΛΗ ΧΡΟΝΙΑ
Page 2
January/February 2013
ST. GEORGE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH
ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΟΣ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΓΕΩΡΓΙΟΥ
Parish Ministries
Reverend Father Nicholas Pastrikos, Priest
Parish Council
President
Vassilis Keramidas
Vice President / Administration
John Lyssikatos
Vice President / Operations
George Zalokostas
Secretary
Kathy Catanzaro
Treasurer
Katerina Leftheris
Comptroller
Bill Fotis
Members
George Athanasopoulos
John Blazakis
Lampros Bourodimos
James Exarchakis
Anthony Kalogridis Jr.
Tom Kouridakis
George Petrantonakis
Perry Petsanas
Peter Sirimis
Special Thanks
to the “Voice of St. George”
Volunteers
Alexandra Avgitidis, Editor
Arete Bouhlas
Eleni Bourodimos
Chris Carroll
Eftihia Karayiannidis
Katina Kehayas
Georgia Peterson
Polly Ploussiou
To Our St. George Parishioners
Church Organizations
Philoptochos Society - “St. Barbara”
GOYA
Effie Bouziotis, President
Georgia Peterson, Vice President
Stella Tsinetakes, 2nd Vice President
Evangelia Manolakis, Treasurer
Malvina Wilkens, Secretary
Anna Stevens, Recording Secretary
Zoe Makropoulos, Co-President
George Parais, Co-President
Niki Demos, Vice President
Ioanna Kontos, Corresp. Secretary
Hope Sirimis, Rec. Secretary
Manolis Fiotakis, Co-Treasurer
Dean Rexines, Co-Treasurer
Joanna Kantilierakis, Historian
GOYA Advisors
Fotini Mangafas, Head Advisor
John DeLaurentis, George Demos,
Sophia Exarchakis, Evie Georgopoulos,
Rita Polos, Roseanne Rexines,
Mike Sirimis, Annie Sullivan
Cantors and Choir
Dimitrios Fousteris, Director
Sunday School
Lemonia Malahias Miko,
Paul Stevens, Maggie Stavrianidis
Greek School
Panos Georgopoulos, Superintendent
Toula Karamarkos, Principal
Sofia Amaxopoulos, Katerina Kourti,
Angeliki Papasavas, Chrisoula Plias,
Iro Mavrianos, Teachers
Parent Teacher Organization
Eftychia Mattas, President
Helen Sirimis, Vice President
Aliki Doninger, Secretary
Dina Dedopoulos, Treasurer
JOY/HOPE
Helen Sirimis
Love & Faith
Dimitra Kambitsis
Senior Citizens
Anna Stevens, President
Emily Skaltsiotis, Vice President
John Kehayas, Treasurer
Stella Tsinetakes, Recording Secretary
Church Committees
GET INVOLVED
We need your help! Sign Up, Make a Difference, Have Fun!
Call the Church Office 732.463.1642
Annual St. George Dinner Dance
Bookmobile
Capital Improvements
Elections
Events/Fund Raising
Greek Festival
Greek Independence Day Parade
Greek School
Historic Committee
House & Grounds
Insurance
Library
Memorial Fund
Parking – Rutgers
New Parking Lot
Public Relations
Religious Artifacts
Stewardship
Technology Services
Voice of St. George
The above ministries are the lifeblood of our parish and perform many activities to promote the growth of our
church. Your participation in these organizations makes our community more spiritually complete.
January/February 2013
Page 3
ECCLESIASTICAL
SCHEDULE OF SERVICES
Matins 9 a.m. Divine Liturgy 10:15 a.m.
Weekday Services 9 a.m.
ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣΤΙΚΟ
ΕΟΡΤΟΛΟΓΙΟ
Όρθρος 9:00 π.μ. Θεία Λειτουργία 10:15 π.μ.
Καθημερινές ώρες 9 π.μ.
JANUARY
Tuesday
1
Saturday
5
Sunday
6
Monday 7
Sunday 13
Tuesday 17
Wednesday 18
Sunday
Friday
Sunday
Wednesday
20
25
27
30
ΙΑΝΟΥΑΡΙΟΣ
The Circumcision of our Lord
St. Basil the Great
Eve of the Epiphany, Orthros 9 a.m.
Great Hours of Epiphany 10 a.m.
Great Vespers and Divine Liturgy of St.
Basil the Great followed by the Blessing
of the Waters
Holy Epiphany
Orthros and Divine Liturgy Followed by
the Great Blessing of the Waters
Synaxis of St. John the Baptist
Sunday after the Epiphany
St. Anthony the Great
Saints Athanasios & Cyrillos
Patriarchs of Alexandria
12th Sunday of Luke
St. Gregory
15th Sunday of Luke
The Three Hierarchs
Τρίτη
1
Σάββατο
5
Κυριακή
6
Δευτέρα 7
Κυριακή 13
Τρίτη 17
Τετάρτη 18
Κυριακή
Παρασκευή
Κυριακή
Τετάρτη
20
25
27
30
FEBRUARY
Saturday 2
Sunday 3
Sunday 10
Sunday 17
Sunday 24
Περιτομή του Κυρίου,
Αγίου Βασιλείου
Παραμονή Θεοφανείων, Όρθρος 9 π.μ.
Βασιλικαί Ώραι Θεοφανείων 10 π.μ.
Εσπερινός μετά της Θείας Λειτουργίας
Μεγάλου Βασιλείου, Αγιασμός των
Υδάτων
Τα Αγία Θεοφάνεια
Όρθρος και Θεία Λειτουργία. Ακολουθεί
Μέγας Αγιασμός των Υδάτων
Σύναξις Αγίου Ιωάννου του Βαπτιστού
Κυριακή μετά τα Φώτα
Αντωνίου του Μεγάλου
Αγίων Αθανασίου και Κυρίλλου
Πατριαρχών Αλεξανδρείας
1Β΄ Λουκά
Αγίου Γρηγορίου
1Ε΄ Λουκά
Των Τριών Ιεραρχών
ΦΕΒΡΟΥΑΡΙΟΣ
Presentation of Our Lord into the Temple
15th Sunday of Matthew
16th Sunday of Matthew
17th Sunday of Matthew
16th Sunday of Luke, Triodion Begins
Σάββατο 2
Κυριακή 3
Κυριακή 10
Κυριακή 17
Κυριακή 24
Η Υπαπαντή του Κυρίου
ΙΕ΄ Ματθαίου
ΙΣΤ΄ Ματθαίου
ΙΖ΄ Ματθαίου
ΙΣΤ΄ Λουκά, Αρχή Τριωδίον
ALTAR BOYS
Once again, Father Nicholas is inviting all boys who have reached or are about to reach the age of 10 and above, and would like to join the Altar
to serve God, to please let Father Nicholas know. As a reminder, Altar Boys are required to be in the Altar on the Sundays that they are on duty,
no later than 10:10 a.m. All Captains are asked to be in the Altar on the Sundays that they are on duty by 10:00 a.m. to make sure that
everything is ready and to receive instructions from Father Nicholas as to what will be happening on that day. As always, the appropriate dress
code for All Altar Boys that are serving, without exception is recommended; dress shirt, tie dress socks and dress shoes. No one will be
admitted in the Altar with a polo shirt, jeans or sneakers or boot shoes. All Altar Boys, if they are not serving in the Altar are required to be in
Catechism School. This rule will be strictly adhered to, because attendance will be taken every Sunday for ALL Altar Boys.
GROUP A
Dean Rexines (Captain)
George Parais (Captain)
George Wadsworth
Demetrios Gad
Konstantinos Stavrianidis
Michael Ghiotis
Phili Catanzaro
Konstantinos Hantsoulis
GROUP B
Dionysios Bourodimos (Captain)
Demetrios Apostolakis (Captain)
Apostolis Petsanas
Constantine Lyssikatos
Vasilios Petrou
Yianni Apostolakis
Andrew Apostolakis
Kyriakos Sirimis
Seraphim Sirimis
GROUP C
Manolis Fiotakis (Captain)
George Stavrianidis (Captain)
George Exarchakis
Chistos Thanos
Jason Stavrianidis
Nicholas Kehayas
George Bizos
Gabriel Sirimis
Elias Kavouras
GROUP D
Roger Finley (Captain)
Demetri Demos (Captain)
Gerasimos Georgopoulos
Andreas Thanos
Nicholas Koutsoubis
George DeLaurentis
Dino Zalokostas
Antonis Kalogridis
ALTAR BOYS SCHEDULE FOR JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2013
Sunday, January 6
Sunday, January 13
Sunday, January 20
Sunday, January 27
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
Sunday, February 3
Sunday, February 10
Sunday, February 17
Sunday, February 24
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
Page 4
January/February 2013
ΜΗΝΥΜΑ ΤΟΥ ΙΕΡΕΑ ΜΑΣ
ΕΥΤΥΧΕΣ ΤΟ ΝΈΟ ΕΤΟΣ 2013!!!
Αγαπητοί εν Χριστώ Αδελφοί,
Ενώ αρχίζουμε να διανύουμε ακόμα έναν καινούργιο
χρόνο, πολλοί από εμάς θα θέλαμε να δούμε κάποια
διαφορά στην ζωή μας, στην οικογένεια μας, στη
κοινότητά μας, στη πόλη μας, κλπ.
Εσείς κι εγώ από μόνοι μας δεν θα μπορούσαμε να
πραγματοποιήσουμε όλες τις επιθυμίες της ζωής μας.
Όμως, αν ενωθούμε όλοι μαζί σαν κοινότητα και παροικία,
ίσως κατορθώσουμε να αλλάξουμε την ζωή μας και την
ζωή της κοινότητας μας. Με την σκέψη αυτή, θα ήθελα να
μοιραστώ μαζί σας μια νουθεσία του βασιλιά Σολομώντα.
«Να έχεις πίστη στον Κύριο. Ποτέ να μην στηρίζεσαι
σε αυτό που νομίζεις πώς γνωρίζεις. Να θυμάσαι τον
Κύριο σε κάθε σου πράξη και Εκείνος θα σου δείξει τον
ορθό δρόμο». Παροιμίαι Σολομώντος 3:5-6
Τα παραπάνω απόσπασμα, αγαπητοί φίλοι, μας
υπενθυμίζει και μας παρακινεί να εμπιστευθούμε τη ζωή
μας, την οικογένεια μας, την κοινότητα μας και την
κοινωνία στον Χριστό και να αναθέσουμε σε Εκείνον να
οδηγήσει τη ζωή μας. Να αντιληφθούμε πως Εκείνος
γνωρίζει ποιο είναι το όφελος μας.
Να επικαλεσθούμε το όνομα Του για βοήθεια και
καθοδήγηση σε κάθε τι που κάνουμε. Με τον τρόπο αυτό,
προσευχόμενοι για εμάς και για τον συνάνθρωπο μας που
έχει ανάγκη βοηθείας, θα επιτύχουμε τις αναγκαίες
αλλαγές.
Πράττοντας αυτό έχουμε την υπόσχεση πως: «Ο Θεός
θα μας δώσει ασφάλεια. Δεν θα μας αφήσει να πέσουμε
στην παγίδα». Παροιμίαι Σολομώντος 3:26
Ο Θεός της Αγάπης θα μας προστατέψει και θα μας
οδηγήσει να υπηρετήσουμε Εκείνον, την οικογένεια μας,
την κοινότητα μας και τον συνάνθρωπο μας. Θα μας
βοηθήσει να αλλάξουμε τη ζωή μας και να αποκτήσουμε
θετική εικόνα του εαυτού μας και των γύρω μας.
Έτσι αγαπητοί μου επαναλαμβάνω και σας αφήνω με
την παρακάτω σκέψη:
Να εμπιστευθείς τον Θεό με όλη σου την καρδιά.
"
Ποτέ μη βασιστείς σε ότι νομίζεις πως γνωρίζεις.
Θυμήσου τον Κύριο σε ότι κάνεις και Εκείνος θα σου
δείξει τον ορθό δρόμο."Παροιμίαι Σολομώντος 3:5-6
Πατήρ Νικόλαος Παστρικός
Επί πλέον μας ενθαρρύνει να αναγνωρίσουμε και να
προσευχηθούμε στον Θεό προτού αρχίσουμε οτιδήποτε.
ORTHODOX IDEAS FOR THE NEW YEAR
As the New Year gets underway, we are often tempted to make "resolutions" which will in some way improve our life or achieve a certain goal. While this is admirable, the Church has instead always taken the opportunities of major celebrations to instead fervently call
upon God for His continued mercy and increased help in all the endeavors of the faithful. In this way, we do not set ourselves up in a
prideful way for potential failure (how many of us have broken a New Year's resolution?) but we place ourselves in humble obedience to
God's will. In such a spirit, consider offering your request to the Lord for His divine assistance and blessings during the coming year in
the following areas, which should be at the center of the life of every Orthodox Christian. The Lord will certainly honor them.
1. Daily Prayer. Our church calls for morning and evening prayers, as well as various times throughout the day. It you do not have a
prayer book to guide you or a prayer rope, see your priest.
2. Daily Bible Reading. In addition to the parish calendar, which lists the daily Bible readings of the Church calendar, there are many
books and guides available to help you through this treasury of wisdom and faith. All it takes is commitment to a daily schedule.
3. Fasting. Many people have minimized or eliminated fasting from their daily lives, but this cannot be so for a practicing Orthodox
Christian. The Fathers of the Church recognized from early on that our physical life and spiritual life are closely related. Fasting is not a
denial or punishment, but a form of spiritual exercise with which we can glorify God in our souls and our bodies. Pray for strength each
Wednesday, Friday and during special fast periods this year.
4. Charitable Acts and Outreach. Our Church and our world are in need of our support, whether it is through free will offerings of money or the sharing of our time and talents for our church, for the poor or for special needs.
5. Active Worship. The lord desires us to be in communion with Him not only in body, but "in Spirit and in truth." We should make
every effort to participate in worship and understand this wonderful blessing of our Faith. Religious education and Holy Communion
are not just for children, but for us all as children of God!
January/February 2013
Page 5
HOUSE BLESSINGS 2013
ΑΓΙΑΣΜΟΣ ΤΩΝ ΟΙΚΩΝ 2013
As you all already know, it is a tradition in the Greek Orthodox
faith to have your home blessed in the beginning of the year. It
is also a nice opportunity to get the family together and
participate in a vital part of our Christian Faith. In order to
facilitate this, the church office will be mailing cards to all
parishioners informing them of when the priest will be in their
area. We hope that you will make this beautiful tradition part of
your family's life.
Όπως γνωρίζετε όλοι, είναι παράδοση στην Ελληνορθόδοξη
πίστη μας να αγιάζονται τα σπίτια μας κάθε αρχή του
χρόνου. Είναι επίσης, μία ωραία ευκαιρία να
συγκεντρώνουμε την οικογένεια μας και να συμμετάσχουμε
σε αυτή την σπουδαία παράδοση. Το γραφείο της εκκλησίας
θα ταχυδρομήσει κάρτες σε όλους τους ενορίτες για τους
ενημερώσει για την ημέρα που ο ιερέας θα βρίσκεται στην
περιοχή τους. Ελπίζουμε ότι με αυτή την ευκαιρία, όλοι οι
οικογένειες μας θα λάβουν μέρος σ’ αυτή την όμορφη
παράδοση.
***It is important to note that Father Nicholas will begin
blessing homes on Tuesday, January 8, 2013.
*** Σημείωση: Ο πατέρας Νικόλαος θα αρχίσει τον
αγιασμό των σπιτιών την Τρίτη, 8 Ιανουαρίου 2013.
What is the tradition about house blessings?
It is the normal practice for Orthodox Christians to bless
their homes and businesses. It is also the annual tradition to
bless homes and businesses during the epiphany season in
early January.
In Greece, the priests bless homes and businesses on
January 6th, Epiphany Day, immediately after the morning
liturgy is concluded... They carry a metal bucket of Holy Water
from the church and enter homes and businesses, sprinkling the
walls of the building. They may say a prayer, and they may
not. They also do not socialize; they are in a home or business
for 30 seconds singing the hymn of Epiphany, sprinkling Holy
Water and then leaving.
In America, however, we do not have door to door
blessings because there is no longer a parish neighborhood.
House and business blessings have to be arranged in advance.
When I go into a home or business, I read a special prayer
pertaining to the home or business, then I make it a point to
spend time socializing with the family or individual that I am
visiting. This is one of the best opportunities that I have to get
to know my parishioners better.
Ποιο είναι το έθιμο για τον αγιασμό των σπιτιών;
Είναι παράδοση για τους Ορθοδόξους χριστιανούς ν’
αγιάζουν τα σπίτια και τις επιχειρήσεις τους κάθε χρόνο κατά
την περίοδο των Φώτων. Ο ιερέας πηγαίνει από σπίτι σε
σπίτι και ραντίζει με το αγιασμένο νερό.
Εδώ στην Αμερική, όπως γνωρίζετε, οι αποστάσεις είναι
μεγάλες και ως εκ τούτου οι επισκέψεις στα διάφορα σπίτια
και επιχειρήσεις πρέπει να προγραμματιστούν εκ των
προτέρων. Επίσης με την επίσκεψη αυτή για τον αγιασμό,
μου δίνετε η ευκαιρία να γνωριστώ καλύτερα εκ του πλησίον
με τους πιστούς της ενορίας μας.
Γιατί γίνεται ο αγιασμός; Διότι στην ουσία ο αγιασμός
είναι ένα αφιέρωμα στον Θεό. Είναι μια όμορφη συνήθεια
και θα ήταν πολύ όμορφα αν περισσότεροι από τους πιστούς
του Αγίου Γεωργίου έπαιρναν την απόφαση ν’ αγιάσουν το
σπίτι ή το μαγαζί τους. Αυτό θα σήμαινε πως σαν Ορθόδοξοι
Χριστιανοί, καλείτε και καθιδρύετε τον Θεό στο σπίτι σας,
δίνοντας του πρωταρχική θέση στην ζωή σας!
Πατήρ Νικόλαος
Why a blessing? Because at the heart of the blessing service is
the idea of offering to God what is our own. When we bless our
homes and businesses, we are dedicating them to God and to
works of righteousness. It is a beautiful tradition and it would
be wonderful and very meaningful if more of our parishioners
would make arrangements to have their homes or businesses
blessed. It would mean that as an Orthodox Christian, you are
bringing and establishing God in your home and putting God
first in your life.
Father Nicholas
Dismissal Hymn:
Απολυτίκιο Θεοφανίων
When Thou was baptized in the Jordan, O Lord, the
worship of the Trinity was made manifest; for the voice of
the Father was witness to Thee, calling Thee His beloved
Son. And the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the
certainty of the word. O Christ our God, Who hast appeared
and hast enlightened the world, glory be to Thee.
«Εν Ιορδάνη βαπτιζομένου σου Κύριε η της Τριάδος
εφανερώθη προσκύνησις του γαρ Γεννήτορος η φωνή
προσεμαρτύρει Σοι αγαπητόν Σε Υιόν ονομάζουσα και
το Πνεύμα εν είδει περιστεράς εβεβαίου του λόγου το
ασφαλές Ο επιφανείς Χριστέ ο Θεός Και τον κόσμον
φωτίσας δόξα Σοι»
Page 6
January/February 2013
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Dear Parishioners,
By the time you read this, we will already be into a New
Year. I want to wish each and every one of you a Very Healthy,
Happy, Rewarding, and Productive New Year.
I hope you had a great, enjoyable, family oriented,
religiously inspiring Christmas with your families and that the
Birth of Christ, which launched the beginning of his mission,
is an inspiration to us all in our own mission in life.
This will be my last message to you for now. Increasing
professional obligations are putting greater demands on my
time. Since I do not want to be remiss in carrying out my
Presidential duties to you, I decided not to run for re-election,
this time.
The last four years have been a good, enjoyable run as I
served one year as a Board Member, one as Vice President of
Administration and the last two as your President.
One of the most rewarding benefits of my tenure is the
friendships I developed with many of you and especially the
younger members who served on the Board with me during
this four year period. Judging from that, I believe, our future is
in good hands.
It has not always been a “smooth ride” managing the affairs
of this vibrant Church and Community, but, in the end, it has
always been rewarding. We are, as you all know, a very
opinionated ethnic group. Sometimes, the strength of our
convictions crosses over the line into passionate advocacy and
passion invariably dulls the rationality of the thought process
and makes people make non-objective decisions. It has been
challenging, at times, to keep tempers down and guide people
towards more rational points of view and more objective
decision-making.
It was my aspiration and hope, when I started, to cultivate a
climate of service where the composition of the Board would
be favoring the younger element of our parishioners. I have
nothing against “older” members of course; I am an “older”
member myself. The “older” parishioners maturity and
experiences are invaluable. But, in the end, it is the younger
generation’s Church now. It is their families that are growing
in this nurturing religious and ethnic environment and it
should be they who make the important decisions going
forward. Regretfully, this aspiration of mine was not
accomplished, in spite of my continuing pleas in my Voice
messages and in person-to-person “lobbying”. With few
exceptions, not many younger members answered the call and
stepped up to take leadership roles. While I do understand and
appreciate that today’s parents of young children have many
demands on their time, I am still a bit disappointed. Surely we
can do better. Surely some time can be set-aside for such a
worthy cause.
We, as a Church and Community have survived and
flourished for 96+ years. Many things have changed since the
founding of this Church. We need to recognize the impact of
these changes on our collective thinking and act accordingly. It
is my fervent belief that our continuing survival and progress
requires unity more than ever. On this point, I have some
concerns. To aspire, cultivate and achieve unity we need to
have understanding and tolerance. We attend Church services
in a house of worship of the God of love (“love thy neighbor
as thyself”) and the God of forgiveness. Yet, sometimes we
carry grudges, fuel divisive attitudes and encourage
confrontations, contrary to the spirit of Christianity. These
attitudes and behaviors are detrimental to the needed unity of
our Community, a unity so essential for our survival and
growth, and they create obstacles to the smooth processes of
running our affairs. I sincerely hope we can do better, going
forward, in achieving a stronger more harmonious, more
forgiving relationships with each other as we all work for the
advancement of the cause of the St George Church, as we
claim we do.
A testimony to the strength of our heritage and tradition is
the fact that we are approaching our 100 th Anniversary as a
Church and Community. It is not too early to start preparations
for that seminal event that not many Churches in the US can
claim. To do it justice, we all need to contribute. So, step up
and volunteer your services. What is needed is to establish
Committees to handle the many aspects of such a singular in
our lifetime event, have the volunteers select a Chairperson
and start planning. It should be something we should all
cherish and remember.
In closing, I would like to wish the new Board every
success. Carry on in the spirit of unity, wisdom, and excellent
service and strive to provide a nurturing environment for both
our religious and ethnic heritage endeavors.
Vassilis G. Keramidas
President
ST. GEORGE MEMORIAL FUND
All donations to the Memorial Fund are greatly appreciated. The painting of the interior of the church and Narthex, as
well as the cleaning of the icons and windows have been completed. As we all know, we have a beautiful Memorial Tree
located in the Memorial Room of the Community Center. Anyone wishing to purchase a leaf ($350), a dove ($2,000), or a
stone ($1,500) in memory of a loved one, “May their memory be eternal,” please contact either John Stroumtsos or
Fr. Nick Pastrikos by calling the church office 732.463.1642.
January/February 2013
Page 7
ΜΗΝΥΜΑ ΤΟΥ ΠΡΟΕΔΡΟΥ
Αγαπητοί Ενορίτες,
Τώρα που διαβάζετε αυτό το μήνυμα έχει ήδη αρχίσει ένας
καινούργιος χρόνος. Εύχομαι στον κάθε ένα σας μια πολύ
Καλή Χρόνια, γεμάτη υγεία και πρόοδο.
Ελπίζω να είχατε όμορφα, οικογενειακά, θρησκευτικώς
εμπνευσμένα Χριστούγεννα, με τις οικογένειες σας, και ότι, η
γέννησης του Χριστού, η όποια άρχισε την αποστολή του,
είναι μια έμπνευση για όλους μας και για την δική μας
αποστολή στην ζωή.
Αυτό το μήνυμα είναι το τελευταίο μου, για τώρα.
Αυξημένες επαγγελματικές υποχρεώσεις με κάνουν να
αποτραβηχτώ από το συμβούλιο και την προεδρία γιατί
προβλέπω ότι δεν θα έχω τον καιρό νε εκτελέσω το καθήκοντα
μου απέναντι σας σωστά.
Τα τελευταία τέσσερα χρόνια ήταν δημιουργικά και
ευχαρίστα. Υπηρέτησα ένα χρόνο ως μέλος, ένα χρόνο ως
πρώτος αντιπρόεδρος και τα τελευταία δυο χρόνια ως
πρόεδρος σας. Μια από τις πιο σπουδαίες αμοιβές της
υπηρεσίας μου είναι οι φίλιες που καλλιέργησα με τόσο
πόλους από σας και ειδικά με τα νεωτέρα μελή του
συμβούλιου που υπηρετήσαν μαζί μου τα τελευταία τέσσερα
χρόνια. Κρίνοντας από αυτό, είμαι βέβαιος ότι το μέλλον μας
είναι σε καλά χεριά.
Δεν ήταν πάντα εύκολο να διευθύνω τις υποθέσεις της
τόσο ζωντανής μας κοινότητας, αλλά στο τέλος, η όλη
εμπειρία ήταν πολύ όμορφη. Είμαστε, όπως όλοι ξέρετε, μια
πολύ
ισχυρογνώμων
ράτσα.
Μερικές
φορές,
η
ισχυρογνωμοσύνη μας αυτή ξεπερνά το όρια της λογικής,
αμβλύνει τον τρόπο της σωστής σκέψης και οδηγεί σε
λανθασμένες αποφάσεις. Συχνά, ήταν μια δυνατή πρόκληση
να καταπραΰνω τα οξυμένα πνεύματα και να οδηγήσω τα μέλη
σε πιο λογικό δρόμο για να καταλήξουμε σε σωστές,
αντικειμενικές αποφάσεις.
Όταν ανέλαβα την προεδρία, ήλπιζα να δημιουργήσω ένα
πνεύμα υπηρεσίας στην κοινότητα, ώστε η σύνθεση του
συμβουλίου να έκλινε πιο πολύ προς τους νέους της
κοινοτητας μας. Δεν έχω τίποτα εναντίων των πιο
ηλικιωμένων μελών. Και εγώ ο ίδιος είμαι μέλος της πιο
ηλικιωμένης παράταξης. Η ωριμότητα και η εμπειρία το
«γεροντότερων» είναι πολύτιμη. Αλλά, στο τέλος, η Εκκλησία
μας ανήκει τώρα στην νεώτερη γενεά. Είναι οι δικές τους
οικογένειες που μεγαλώνουν και «αναθρέφονται» στο
θρησκευτικό και εθνικό ζεστό περιβάλλον της εκκλησίας μας
και ως εκ τούτου είναι αυτοί που πρέπει να αναλάβουν την
ευθύνη να παίρνουν τις αποφάσεις καθώς βαδίζουμε προς το
μέλλον. Δυστυχώς, αυτή μου η φιλοδοξία δεν
πραγματοποιήθηκε, παρ όλες τις συνεχείς παρακλήσεις μου
στα μηνύματα μου προς την κοινότητα και παρ όλες τις
ιδιαίτερες συνομιλίες που είχα με πολλούς νέους. Εκτός απο
κάνα δυο εξαιρέσεις, πολύ λίγοι νέοι απήντησαν στο κάλεσμα
να λάβουν μέρος και να γίνουν ηγέτες. Καταλαβαίνω ότι οι
σημερινοί γονείς νέων παιδιών, έχουν πολλές απαιτήσεις και
πρέπει να είναι επιλεκτικοί στο πως να χειρίζονται και να
διαθέτουν τον πολύτιμο χρόνο τους. Παρ όλα αυτά, παραμένω
αισιόδοξος. Είμαι βέβαιος ότι θα μπορούσαμε να επιτύχουμε
πιο πολλά σ’ αυτόν τον τομέα. Σίγουρα, λίγος χρόνος θα
μπορούσε να διατεθεί για ένα τόσο καλό σκοπό.
Εμείς, ως Εκκλησία και ως Κοινότητα επιζήσαμε και
ευδοκιμήσαμε για 96 χρόνια. Πολλά πράγματα άλλαξαν από
την ίδρυση της Εκκλησίας μας. Πρέπει να αναγνωρίσουμε την
επίδραση αυτών των αλλαγών στο συλλογικό τρόπο του
σκέπτεσθαι και να πράξουμε ανάλογα. Είναι η διακαής
πεποίθηση μου, ότι για να συνεχίσουμε το έργο μας και να
επιζήσουμε απαιτείται περισσότερο από κάθε άλλη περίοδο
«ενότητα». Σ’ αυτό το σημείο, έχω μερικές σκέψεις. Για να
φιλοδοξούμε, να καλλιεργήσουμε και να επιτύχουμε ενότητα
πρέπει να έχουμε κατανόηση και ανεκτικότητα. Ερχόμαστε
στην Εκκλησία την Κυριακή, σε έναν τόπο λατρείας του Θεού
της αγάπης (αγαπά τον πλησίον σου ως εαυτόν), του Θεού της
συγχώρησης.Παρόλα αυτά, μερικές φορές, τρέφουμε
μνησικακίες, καλλιεργούμε διαιρετικές σκέψεις και
ενθαρρύνουμε συγκρούσεις ενάντια στο Χριστιανικό πνεύμα.
Αυτές οι απόψεις και συμπεριφορές είναι βλαβερές και
επιζήμιες στην αναγκαία ενότητα της κοινότητας μας, αυτή
την ενότητα που είναι τόσο ουσιώδης για την επιβίωση μας
και την ανάπτυξη μας. Επί πλέον, βάζουν εμπόδια στην
απαραίτητη ομαλότητα της διοίκησης των υποθέσεων μας.
Ελπίζω ειλικρινά, ότι μπορούμε να πράξουμε καλλίτερα στο
μέλλον, να επιτύχουμε πιο δυνατές, πιο αρμόνικες, πιο
συγχωρητικές σχέσεις ο ένας με τον άλλον ενώ εργαζόμαστε
όλοι για την προώθηση του σκοπού της εκκλησίας του Άγιου
Γεώργιου όπως όλοι λέμε ότι κάνουμε.
Μια απόδειξη της δύναμης της κληρονομιάς μας και της
παράδοσης μας, είναι το γεγονός ότι πλησιάζουμε την 100 η
επέτειο της ίδρυσης μας ως Εκκλησία και Κοινότητα. Δεν
είναι νωρίς να αρχίσουμε τις προετοιμασίες για αυτό το
μοναδικό και αξιόλογο γεγονός που πολύ λίγες Εκκλησίες
στην Αμερική μπορούν να διεκδικήσουν. Για να το
γιορτάσουμε σωστά, πρέπει όλοι να συμβάλουμε. Εμπρός
λοιπόν, ελάτε όλοι, γίνετε εθελοντές και προσφέρετε τις
υπηρεσίες σας. Χρειάζεται να σχηματιστούν ομάδες για τις
διάφορες φάσεις αυτού το μοναδικού στη ζωή μας γεγονότος
και οι εθελοντές να διαλέξουν έναν επικεφαλή και να
αρχίσουν τις προετοιμασίες. Πρέπει να κάνουμε κάτι που όλοι
μας να είμαστε περήφανοι γι αυτό και να το εκτιμούμε και να
το θυμόμαστε σ’ όλη μας την ζωή.
Κλίνοντας, θέλω να ευχηθώ κάθε επιτυχία στο καινούργιο
Συμβούλιο. Συνεχίστε το έργο των προκατόχων σας με ένα
πνεύμα ενότητας, σωφροσύνης και υπέροχης υπηρεσίας.
Μοχθήστε και προσπαθήστε να προσφέρετε ένα θετικό
περιβάλλον τόσο για τις Θρησκευτικές μας όσο και για τις
Εθνικές μας ανάγκες.
Βασίλης Γ. Κεραμιδάς
Πρόεδρος
ΚΑΛΗ ΧΡΟΝΙΑ
Page 8
January/February 2013
STEWARDSHIP
ΕΚΟΥΣΙΑ ΕΙΣΦΟΡΑ
Dear Stewards of St. George,
Αγαπητά Μέλη του Αγίου Γεωργίου
Our Stewardship Program is our Christian calling to share
of our Time, Talents and Treasure. It is incumbent upon All of
us, not just a few to support this very important Program and to
speak to everyone to add the Stewardship Contribution to the
2013 family budget. As you budget your utility bills, and all
your other expenses, you should plan to pay your Stewardship
in the same manner. If paying your Stewardship in one lump
sum is too much for you, then please do what many of our own
parishioners do, they pay on a monthly basis and in this way it
doesn’t seem too much to pay.
Το Πρόγραμμα της Εκούσιας Οικονομικής Προσφοράς
είναι το κάλεσμα της Εκκλησίας να μοιραστούμε τον χρόνο
μας, τα ταλέντα μας και τις ευλογίες μας. Είναι υποχρέωση
όλων μας όχι μόνο να προσφέρουμε, αλλά και να
παροτρύνουμε άλλους να συμπεριλάβουν την συνδρομή τους
στην εκκλησία στον οικογενειακό τους προϋπολογισμό για το
2013. Όπως υπολογίζετε τους λογαριασμούς σας για το
ηλεκτρικό, το νερό και τα άλλα έξοδα σας, έτσι πρέπει να
σχεδιάσετε και την συνδρομή σας στην εκκλησία σας. Αν
ολόκληρο το ποσό σας είναι δύσκολο, τότε μπορείτε να
κάνετε όπως πολλοί άλλοι πάροικοι και να πληρώσετε
μηνιαίως.
Church Stewardship Call to Action:
We are requesting that each parishioner look deep into
their hearts and souls and make every effort to make the
Required Stewardship Contribution to our Church. As we start
the New Year, we are asking that each family send in their
minimum required Stewardship Contribution as soon as
possible. Let us not wait until the end of the year to make our
Stewardship Commitment. Our St. George needs our support
NOW!!!
Rev. Fr. Nicholas Pastrikos
Η Χριστιανική Προσφορά Καλείται σε Πράξη:
Ζητάμε απ' όλους τους ενορίτες να ερευνήσουν βαθειά
τις καρδιές και τις ψυχές τους και να προσπαθήσουν να
κάνουν την αναγκαία προσφορά στην Εκκλησία. Ενώ
αρχίζουμε το Νέο Έτος, ζητάμε από κάθε οικογένεια να
στείλει την προσφορά της το συντομότερο δυνατό. Ας μη
περιμένουμε μέχρι το τέλος του έτους για να στείλουμε την
προσφορά μας. Ο Άγιος Γεώργιος μας χρειάζεται ΤΩΡΑ!
Πατήρ Νικόλαος Παστρικός
STEWARDSHIP REQUIREMENTS
Any person can give any amount for Stewardship. However, to be considered a member in good standing, to
participate in the sacraments of Baptism or Wedding, and have one vote in the General Assembly, the
following minimums must be met:
 $350 for single adult or husband and wife (age 18-64): one vote (if both the husband and wife pay $350
($700 total), both can vote)
 $250 for a married senior couple (Age 65+): one vote (if both the husband and wife pay $200 ($400
total), both can vote)
 $200 for single senior and college student (age 18-24, must show proof of attending college full time)
 Greater than the required contributions: those who have been blessed should consider a greater
contribution.
ΑΠΑΙΤΗΣΕΙΣ ΕΚΟΥΣΙΑΣ ΕΙΣΦΟΡΑΣ
Ο καθένας μπορεί να προσφέρει ότι μπορεί. Όμως, για να θεωρηθείτε κανονικό μέλος, να μπορείτε να
πάρετε μέρος στα Mυστήρια της Βάπτισης και του Γάμου και να έχετε δικαίωμα ενός ψήφου στην Γενική
Συνέλευση, απαιτούνται οι κάτωθι ελάχιστες εισφορές:
 $350 ανά ανύπαντρο άτομο ή οικογένεια (18-64 ετών): μία ψήφος (εάν ο σύζυγος και η σύζυγος
πληρώσουν $350 έκαστος (σύνολο $700) ψηφίζουν και οι δύο)
 $250 ανά ηλικιωμένο ζευγάρι (άνω των 65 ετών): μία ψήφος (εάν ο σύζυγος και η σύζυγος πληρώσουν
$200 έκαστος (σύνολο $400), ψηφίζουν και οι δύο)
 $200 για μόνους ηλικιωμένους και φοιτητές (18-24 ετών, πρέπει να αποδείξουν ότι είναι φοιτητές): μία
ψήφος
 Πέραν του καθορισμένου ποσού: όσοι έχουν ευλογηθεί με οικονομική ευχέρεια θα πρέπει να
προσφέρουν περισσότερο από ότι καθορίζεται πιο πάνω.
January/February 2013
Cretan’s Flyer
Page 9
Page 10
January/February 2013
IN MEMORIAM
Ευστράτιος Θωμάς Κουριδάκης
Efstratios Thomas Kouridakis
1926 - 2012
Efstratios Thomas Kouridakis was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey on 26 September 1926. He was the son of
Aristidis and Zambeta Kouridakis who were originally from Akrotiri and Hania, Crete, Greece, and who emigrated to the
USA in 1912. They lived in New Brunswick, where Tom attended public school and Rutgers Preparatory School. He was
baptized in the first St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Highland Park, NJ. He attended and graduated from the afternoon
Hellenic (Greek) Language School and the Sunday School of the Greek Orthodox Community of New Brunswick – St.
George, in Highland Park.
He was a veteran, as he volunteered to defend the USA and its Allies (including Greece) at the young age of 15, during
World War 2. He served from 1941 to 1945 in the United States Maritime Service which trained people to become officers
and crew members on merchant ships that formed the United States Merchant Marine (which was an auxiliary to the United
States Navy). During his service, his unit was based in Sheepshead Bay, New York and operated in the North Atlantic
Ocean. It was the most dangerous service in World War 2, since Mariners died at a rate of 1 in 24, which was the highest rate
of casualties of any US military service.
He was a graduate of New Brunswick High School - the Class of 1946. He attended and subsequently received a
Bachelor of Arts degree in Business from Rider College, now Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ - the Class of 1950. He
worked in the field of business and was employed as an Expert Appraiser and Negotiator for the NJ Department of
Transportation, Right-of-Way Division, in Ewing, NJ, where he was employed for 25 years. He retired from this position in
1991.
Tom married his beloved wife Georgia Karousatos in 1959 at the first St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Highland
Park. Georgia and her family had moved from Argostoli, Kefalonia, Greece to New Brunswick in 1953. Georgia and Tom
lived in New Brunswick before moving to Somerset, NJ in 1962.
He was a life-long member of the Greek Orthodox Community of New Brunswick – St. George, first when it was
located in Highland Park, and then when it moved to Piscataway, NJ. As an active and devoted member, he served on the
Board of Trustees of the Community from 1955 to 2003 and again from 2011 to 2012. He was elected President of the
Board of Trustees of the Community continuously from 1979 to 1984 and again from 1991 to 2003, serving a total of 19
years as President. His 50-year service on the Board of Trustees amounted to 52% of the 96 years that the St. George
Community has existed.
When asked his most gratifying experience as President, he responded, “Moving to a new church (in 1962), witnessing
the overall growth of our community (to 747 member families in 2003), and the comfort in seeing our young people active
in church.” His vision for the St. George Community is seeing that our children are the leaders of the future.
During his Presidency, the expansion of our St. George Community Center and schools were completed in 1988. Our St.
George Community facility is still this way, as we know it today, fulfilling a need of our ever-growing Greek Orthodox
Community. Tom served on the St. George Community Festival Committee for every year from its beginning, for 39 years.
As a result of his extraordinary contributions to his beloved St. George Community, Tom received numerous awards and
recognition from the Community that loved him in return.
In recognition and in gratitude, the St. George Community selected and honored Tom at the 88th Anniversary Dinner
Dance that was held on 16 October 2004 at the Pines Manor in Edison, NJ. At the Dinner Dance, letters of recognition that
congratulated Tom for his many years of his dedicated leadership, service, and ability to compromise, were read. They
included letters from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese of America, Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey, and former Piscataway Mayor Brian Wahler.
Tom Kouridakis lived and supported the Hellenic spirit and the Greek Orthodox Church constantly, and at every
opportunity that he could serve the St. George Community. He even decided to run, and was re-elected again, for the Board
January/February 2013
Page 11
of Trustees in 2010 and served for another two years (2011-2012) when there was a need for Trustees and seasoned guidance
on the Board. He was always present at Hellenic cultural, educational, and religious events in New Jersey, New York, and
elsewhere.
Tom was a longtime member of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association, Monroe Chapter 75, of
Piscataway, NJ. He was very proud to be a Cretan and was a long-time member of the Cretan fraternal organization Τα
Λευκά Όρη (The White Mountains) of Highland Park, NJ. To make this pride clear to all, his e-mail address began with
“Cretan Tom.”
Tom and his beloved wife Georgia were married for 53 years, and have three children and three grandchildren: Michael
Kouridakis and his wife Bridget Beranek Kouridakis of Plainsboro, NJ with their daughters Erin and Megan Kouridakis;
George Kouridakis of Somerset; and Michelle Kouridakis of Hillsborough, NJ with her son Nikolas Kouridakis Sacro.
He was a son, husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and a friend, beloved by countless people, and was always ready to
roll up his sleeves and get to work for Hellenism and Greek Orthodox Christianity, and especially for the St. George
Community. He had a quiet style with a great sense of humor and wit. He was the epitome of someone who wanted to do his
best in serving others without seeking the limelight.
Also, he was a Master Freemason and a member of the Free and Accepted Mason Union Lodge No. 19 in North
Brunswick, NJ. He was a member of the following bodies of Masonry: Scott Council No. 1, Scott Chapter No. 4, Knights
Templar, AMD, and Haggai Knight Masons. As far as athletics was concerned, he was a football fan for the New York
Giants and a Rutgers University football team supporter.
He passed away peacefully on 13 September 2012 at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick with
his loving family by his side. He was 86 years old.
The St. George Community will always remember him for his singular and significant contributions as a volunteer from
1955 to 2012. Those many years of service will serve as an inspiration to future volunteers of the St. George Community.
As Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople stated in his 2004 letter, Tom Kouridakis believed and followed
1 John 3:18 in his life: Τεκνία μου, μὴ ἀγαπῶμεν λόγῳ μηδὲ τῇ γλώσσῃ, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν ἔργῳ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ. Dear children, let us not
love with words or speech, but with actions and truth.
May his memory be eternal.
Αιωνία η μνήμη του.
Page 12
January/February 2013
LADIES PHILOPTOCHOS SOCIETY “ST. BARBARA”
With this first article of the New
Year, The Ladies Philoptochos Society ‘St. Barbara’ wishes all our
parishioners a very happy and
healthy new year filled with all of
God’s Blessings!
It was a busy and outstanding
ending of year 2012 for the
Philoptochos ladies! We met our
many National and Metropolis
Philoptochos obligations, completed the sewing and distribution of
the baby blankets and baby
smocks, prepared and mailed the Community Christmas Card,
baked and sold pans of baklava and spanakopites, sold Christmas Bread and Vasilopites, celebrated our St. Barbara’s holiday
with an artoklasia and our annual ‘St. Barbara Luncheon’, visited the shut-ins of our community throughout the year, continued the monthly cooking for the homeless and crocheting afghans for the Warming of America, knitted hats, mittens, and
scarves for the children at St. Basil Academy, donated linens,
etc. to the Ronald McDonald House, assisted monetarily to four
(4) Food Banks in the area, provided much needed assistance
through the Needy Cases Fund, participated in the Hurricane
Sandy Relief effort, and participated and made donations to numerous St. George activities.
occasion of her 99th birthday. Our St. Barbara’s Luncheon held
on Sunday, Dec. 9 at Sir John’s Restaurant was very successful.
We enjoyed a delicious meal and listened to the most informative comments of our speaker Dr. Vassiliki Karantza, Assistant
Professor of Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
Congratulations to all the chairladies of these many activities
and all those who assisted. They did an outstanding job!
We continue our busy schedule as we begin the year 2013.
A light lunch will be served at our Vasilopita on January. 13.
Your donations at the Vasilopita will benefit St. Basil Academy.
On February17, our Membership Brunch will be held in the
Ahepa Hall—everyone’s invited. This is an opportunity for the
ladies who are not yet members to learn about the Philoptochos
and become members. On March 24 (Orthodoxy Sunday) a
Memorial Service for our deceased members will take place.
On that same day, March 24, our Lenten Luncheon will take
place. The entire community is invited to this Lenten
Luncheon immediately after the Divine Liturgy. The donations
from the Lenten Luncheon will benefit Hellenic College/Holy
Cross.
Our next 2 meetings will take place on January 26 and
February 23. We encourage all our members to check their
calendars for the dates of our monthly meetings and to attend
all our meetings. Beginning with this year of 2013 our annual
dues are $30. Let’s start the new year right by paying our
dues!
At our November meeting we joined our voices to celebrate and honor our life-long member Nancy Liverakos on the
The Philoptochos Membership Brunch
CHRISTMAS CARD / NEEDY CASES FUND
The Ladies Philoptochos Society invites
the entire community to its annual
The Philoptochos Needy Cases Fund Committee extends its
heartfelt thanks and deepest appreciation to the parishioners
and organizations of the St. George Community for their
generous donations to the Needy Cases Fund through their
participation in the community Christmas Card of 2012.
In addition, we thank those parishioners from our community
who took the time to investigate their company’s Gift
Matching Program and/or their United Way Program which
resulted in a substantial benefit to the Needy Cases Fund. As
a result, we strongly encourage those parishioners of the St.
George community who may be eligible to help us through
their company’s Gift Matching Program, or their United Way
Program, to utilize this wonderful opportunity. Indeed, the
needy of the St. George Community will reap the benefits.
Again, we thank you one and all, and pray that the new year
will bring to your hearts and homes the Blessings of the
Christ Child!
Remember to direct your
UNITED WAY donation
to the St. George Needy Cases Fund
United Way Reference Number 032224
Membership Brunch
on February 17, 2013
in the Ahepa Hall immediately after
the Sunday Liturgy.
Join us and learn more about our
Philoptochos and our many activities.
A light lunch will be served.
You are invited to attend the
LENTEN LUNCHEON
Sunday, March 24, 2013
After the Divine Liturgy in the AHEPA Hall
Sponsored by
The Ladies Philoptochos Society `St. Barbara’
Donations Will Benefit
Hellenic College/Holy Cross Seminary
January/February 2013
Page 13
G.O.Y.A. — GREEK ORTHODOX YOUTH ASSOCIATION
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas
season. The St. George GOYA would like to wish everyone a Happy and
Healthy New Year. The GOYA has been keeping very busy.
To start off, on November 9-11 the GOYA had its annual retreat to
Holy Cross/Hellenic College in Boston, MA. The trip was an overall
success with some sight-seeing at Faneuil Hall and Boston Harbor, as
well as inspirational discussions with some of the seminarians at Holy
Cross/ Hellenic College. On November 23rd, many GOYAns and advisors
went to Staten Island, New York to aid with the many victims of
Hurricane Sandy. They brought supplies and volunteered their time to
help others. Seeing all the devastation, we feel truly fortunate and
thankful for all that we have.
On Saturday, December 1st, we hosted yet another successful Taverna
Night. We would like to congratulate the entire GOYA and the advisors
for all their help and support on our 10th year. The proceeds were divided
between the Smile Train
Organization and the Hurricane
Relief Fund for those in need
after Hurricane Sandy. A guest
appearance was made by “SoTiri,” which definitely added to
the excitement of the night. The
GOYA would like to thank all of
the donors for their delicious
food, monetary donations, and
precious time to make this such a
successful event!
Later on in the month,
on December 27, the GOYA
attended their Christmas Dance
at
the
Roseland
Church.
Everyone had a great time as they danced and shared in the Holiday spirit
with all their friends. The next day, December 28 th, the Bridges Outreach
Program preparation took place at our very own church where many
GOYAns gathered to prepare lunches and basic supplies for the less
fortunate. Bridges is a charity where we deliver basic necessities such as
food, clothing, and toiletries to homeless men, women, and children
living in Newark, New Jersey. We would like to thank everyone that
helped support this charity with all
their generous donations.
The GOYA started the New Year off with their first meeting on January 6 th. They
discussed the fast- approaching Volleyball and Basketball Playoffs, the opportunity to sign up for
the Valentine’s Day dance on Friday, February 15 at Trenton, and Sights and Sounds
preparations. Practices for Sights and
Sounds have already begun with the
first dance practice on January 11th.
The final dates and locations for the
Volleyball and Basketball Playoffs are
Saturday, January 12 at Toms River,
and Sunday, January 13 at Holmdel.
Καλή Χρονιά με υγεία και χαρά!
Respectfully Submitted,
Joanna Kantilierakis, GOYA Historian
Page 14
January/February 2013
P.T.O. — PARENT TEACHER ORGANIZATION
“Pulling Together for Our Kids”
As we start the New Year, the Saint George P.T.O. board
wishes a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous Year to all the
parishioners.
We would like to thank everyone who helped and
supported the P.T.O Christmas Communion Breakfast by
donating and/or helping. It is with your support and
contributions that we can offer our children events that
celebrate our culture and heritage.
Due to the storm Sandy, our
November Bake Sale was canceled
and a future date will be announced on
a later date.
On Sunday January 27th after the
church service, the P.T.O will host a
luncheon to celebrate the Three
Hierarchs and honor the Greek and
Religious Education (Sunday) School
teachers. We are asking everyone,
especially the families with children
attending the Greek or Religious
Education School, to honor our
teachers by attending this event.
Please send an email to the official St. George P.T.O. email
address [email protected] for more information and
reservations. The donation is only $10 per adult and free for
children and youth under 18 years old.
On Sunday February 10th, the P.T.O will celebrate
Godparents’ day. Come to church with your Godparent or
Godchild and enjoy a day dedicated to this blessed bond. The
P.T.O will be selling Lambades and
Corsages. Order forms will be
distributed to all students and at the
church. You must place an order in
advance to secure a lambada or a
corsage for that day.
PTO e-mail address: [email protected]
On March 10th, we will
have the annual Apokreatiko Glendi.
This is the biggest fundraiser event
and we are hoping to see you at the
dinner dance. Flyers will be
distributed to both Greek and
Religious Education School students
with more information.`
ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟ ΣΧΟΛΕΙΟ
Αγαπητοί Γονείς,
Dear Parents,
Ελπίζουμε ότι όλοι σας είχατε ευλογημένα Χριστούγεννα
μαζί με την οικογένειά σας και τους φίλους σας και ευχόμαστε
το Νέο Έτος να χαρίσει ειρήνη, υγεία και
αγάπη σε εσάς και τις οικογένειές σας.
We hope you all have celebrated a blessed Christmas
together with your family and friends and we wish that the
New Year be filled with peace, love and
health to you and your families.
Οι δασκάλες και οι μαθητές, καθώς
και οι γονείς, είχαν ένα πολυάσχολο
πρόγραμμα κατά τη διάρκεια του μηνός
Δεκεμβρίου. Οι μαθητές πήραν το πρώτο
διαγώνισμα του σχολικό έτους και οι
γονείς είχαν συνέδριαση με τις δασκάλες
κατά τη διάρκεια της οποίας συζητήθηκε
η πρόοδος των παιδιών τους.
The teachers and students, as
well as the parents, had a busy schedule
during the month of December. The
students took their first test of the school
year and the parents attended conferences
with the teachers, during which the
progress of their children was discussed.
On Sunday, the 27th of January
we’ll celebrate the memory of the Three
Hierarchs with a program during which
Dr. Panos Georgopoulos will talk about
the life and work of the Three Hierarchs
and several students will recite poems
relevant to this celebration. We hope that
you would all be able to attend this nice
program
Την Κυριακή, 27 Ιανουαρίου θα
γιορτάσουμε τη μνήμη των Τριών
Ιεραρχών με ένα πρόγραμμα κατά τη
διάρκεια του οποίου ο Δρ. Πάνος
Γεωργόπουλος θα μιλήσει για τη ζωή και
το έργο των Τριών Ιεραρχών και μερικοί
μαθητές θα απαγγείλουν ποιήματα
σχετικά με αυτή τη γιορτή. Ελπίζουμε ότι
όλοι θα μπορέσετε να έλθετε και να
παρακολουθήσετε
αυτό το ωραίο
πρόγραμμα.
Sincerely,
The Teachers of the Greek School
Με εκτίμηση,
Οι Δασκάλες του Ελληνικού Σχολείου
January/February 2013
Page 15
SUNDAY SCHOOL
Dear Parents and Members of our St. George Community,
We hope you had a wonderful celebration of the birth of
our Lord Jesus Christ and your New Year will be filled with
hope, joy and love. On behalf of Father Nicholas, the teachers
and staff, we would like to thank everyone for the support and
trust you have placed in us in providing an Orthodox Christian
foundation of faith and values to your children. We are very
proud of our religious education program and of the many
committed volunteers. We would like to share with you recent
news of our program.
We held a very successful Christmas Drive of toys,
books, games and gift cards for the children impacted by
Hurricane Sandy in Staten Island and the New Jersey Shore.
Thank you so much Mrs. Rexines and Dean Rexines for the
contacts and for bringing our collection to the impacted
families. Our prayers and thoughts are with these children and
their families who truly
lost all their possessions.
Thank you also to our
children who so willingly
gave gifts and thus
brightened Christmas of
so many impacted young
boys and girls.
In each issue of the Voice of Saint George we present a
summary of the curricula followed by several grades. Today
we will present the curriculum of Grades 4, 5 and 6.
Grade 4: Growing with God – The fourth grade program
is devoted to helping children learn to use and appreciate the
Bible. They are also introduced to examples of living the
sacramental life – attending services, fasting, praying,
observing feast days, helping others, etc. After this class, the
children love the Bible and know how to refer to it in time of
doubt and fear.
Grade 5: God Calls Us – This class concentrates on
stories of those heroes of the Faith who have responded to
God’s call. Through these examples of faith, loyalty, selfsacrifice, obedience, love, justice and social responsibility,
students learn to respond to God in terms of their faith and
morality. This grade also learns to recite the ‘Nicene Creed’.
Grade 6: The
Scribe – Searching for
Jesus Christ in the Old
Testament. The children
in this class are presented
with the most important
aspects of the Old
Testament as they relate
to the New Testament.
The
children
also
memorize
the
Ten
Commandments
and
discuss their relevance in
our times. When passing
by their room, you will
hear lively discussions
and many questions from
our11-12 year olds.
We also held a very
successful Thanksgiving
Food
Drive.
All
collected food items were
provided
to
the
Piscataway
‘FISH
Hospitality’ program that
serves homeless women
and families by providing
meals
and
other
assistance to those in
The students in
need
within
the
these grades also read the
community. Due to the
Photograph of our 4th – 5th Grade Class
Sunday Bible verses
difficult economic times
(readings from the Epistles and Gospels), attend the Divine
many families are witnessing, FISH was extremely grateful to
Liturgy once a month, have monthly hymnology classes as
receive such an abundance of food.
well as discuss the lives of the Saints celebrated that week.
Our annual Christmas Pageant was once again a great
success and we thank the many participants for all their efforts.
We are aware that we live in a secular society where our
church serves as the only place we can obtain knowledge of
our Savior Jesus Christ and our Christian faith.
We would like to express our deep gratitude to our
volunteer organization for their efforts, dedication and
perseverance. We pray that we continue to have a successful
year. For your valuable feedback, please contact me at
[email protected].
We truly would like to encourage all parents to bring your
children to us each Sunday. Each lesson of a given week builds
on that for the following week, and thus the importance of
your children’s’ presence must be noted. The set curriculum
developed by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Department of Religious Education, the liturgical hymnology,
the participation in the Divine Liturgy and the many projects
carried out throughout the year provide a complete picture of
our Catechism Program.
Respectfully in Christ,
St. George Religious Education Staff
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Page 16
January/February 2013
OUR FAITH — Η ΘΡΗΣΚΕΙΑ ΜΑΣ
HOLY EPIPHANY, January 6
ΤΑ ΑΓΙΑ ΘΕΟΦΑΝΕΙΑ, 6 Ιανουαρίου
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EPIPHANY FOR US TODAY!!!
Η ΣΗΜΑΣΙΑ ΤΩΝ ΘΕΟΦΑΝΕΙΩΝ ΓΙΑ ΜΑΣ ΣΗΜΕΡΑ!!!
On Sunday, January 6, we will be celebrating a Divine
Liturgy for the Feast Day of Epiphany. Immediately following the
Divine Liturgy, there will be an Agiasmo Service or a Blessing of
the Water Service to sanctify the waters.
Την Κυριακή, 6 Ιανουαρίου, θα εορτάσουμε την Θεία
Λειτουργία των Θεοφανείων. Αμέσως μετά θα γίνει η Τελετή του
Αγιασμού των Υδάτων.
Ποιό είναι άραγε το νόημα να επαναλαμβάνουμε την εορτή
των Θεοφανείων για την πίστη μας και την χριστιανική μας ζωή;
Εάν επαναλαμβάνουμε την εορτή των «Φώτων» για
συναισθηματικούς λόγους, σίγουρα προδίδουμε την σημασία της
μεγάλης αυτής εορτής! Η εορτή των Θεοφανείων δεν γίνεται σαν
αναπαράσταση ενός ιστορικού γεγονότος
στη ζωή του Χριστού και για την ομορφιά
της ατμόσφαιρας των Φώτων.
Η αναπαράσταση της Βαπτίσεως
του Χριστού έχει μεγάλη πνευματική
σπουδαιότητα, πέραν της ομορφιάς της
τελετής.
Δεν
είναι
μια
όμορφη
αναπαράσταση ενός ιστορικού. γεγονότος,
διότι στην χριστιανική πίστη όλα είναι το
παρόν, εδώ και τώρα, διότι ο Κύριος
Ιησούς Χριστός είναι ανάμεσά μας εδώ και
τώρα,
αχώριστος
Σύντροφος
και
Προστάτης μας. Το ιστορικό γεγονός δεν
είναι παρά μια ανάμνηση, διότι το
Πρόσωπο του Χριστού είναι αιωνίως
παρών και η Θεία Του Χάρις δεν είναι μια
απλή ιστορική ανάμνηση! Μυστικώς, το
φυσικό περιβάλλον καλλιτεχνικό ή άλλως,
πολλές φορές βοηθάει τον πιστό να
επιτύχει τον σκοπό του που είναι η
ζωντανή λατρεία του Κυρίου μας, παρ όλο
τον κίνδυνο να γίνει η αναπαράσταση ο
σκοπός και όχι το μέσον!
Κρατώντας κεριά και λαμπάδες στα χέρια μας, και με τις
φωνές μας και τα αισθήματα αφοσίωσης, ομόφωνα ανυψώνουμε
ένα σύμβολο στον ζωντανό Χριστιανικό Θεό, την Αγία Τριάδα,
τον Πατέρα, τον Υιό και το Άγιο Πνεύμα, όπως έχει παρουσιαστεί
την στιγμή της Βαπτίσεως του Ιησού Χριστού, και όπως διόρισε ο
ίδιος ο Χριστός στο Σύμβολο της Πίστεως και αποδέχθηκε από
κάθε πιστό χριστιανό σαν τον αληθινό Θεό, τον Θεό ο οποίος
ανταποκρίνεται στις φωνές μας, τον Θεό από τον οποίο ζητούμε
να μας δεχθεί σε Θεία Κοινωνία. Σε Εκείνον, που με δέος και
αγάπη, αφιερώνουμε την σημερινή ημέρα.
Κρατάμε κεριά όπως εκείνοι οι αδελφοί μας και μάρτυρες
των πρώτων χριστιανικών χρόνων, πολλοί από τους οποίους
έγιναν φλόγες αντί να απαρνηθούν τον Χριστό. Κρατάμε κεριά
ενώ οι καρδιές μας καίνε όπως οι καρδιές εκείνων των
ευλογημένων ανθρώπων που περπάτησαν με τον ανεγερθέντα
Χριστό στην Εμμαού. Μάλιστα, είναι η εορτή των "Φώτων" που
λάμπουν στην συνείδηση μας και στην χριστιανική μας ζωή. '
Η εορτή λέγεται επίσης «Τα Φώτα». "Εγώ είμαι το Φως" μας
είπε ο Χριστός. Δεν είπε "Θα σας δείξω το φως". Δεν είναι μια
απλή θεωρία της ζωής. Είναι η γνώση του αληθινού Θεού ο
οποίος δημιουργεί ζωή, όπως εκφράστηκε από τον Κύριο στην
Κυριακή Προσευχή. «Και αυτή είναι η αιώνιος ζωή , την οποία
γνωρίζεις. Εσύ ο μόνος αληθινός Θεός, και Ιησούς Χριστός
τον οποίο έστειλες στη γη».
What meaning does the annual repetition of Epiphany have
for our faith and for our Christian life? If we repeat the “Feast of
Lights” for a more sentimental impression, surely we betray the
treasure of this great observance. The feast of Epiphany is not
held only as a commemoration of a
historical event in the life of Jesus, not
merely for the attractiveness of the
artificial atmosphere of lights, music
and poetry. The recurrent celebration of
Epiphany has a great spiritual
significance far beyond either of these.
It is not the mere commemoration of a
historical event, because in the
Christian faith everything is present,
here and now, for our Lord Jesus Christ
is with us here and now, our
inseparable Companion and Comforter.
The historical event is but a
remembrance, for the Person of Christ
is ever present and His Grace is not
merely a memory of history. Secretly,
the physical environment, artistic or
otherwise, many times helps the
believer to approach his goal - the vivid
worship of our Lord, despite the danger
of making this environment an end in
itself.
Holding torches and candles in our hands and with our voices
and feelings of devotion, together we raise a symbol to the living
Christian God - The Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the
Holy Spirit, as He appeared at the moment of the Baptism of
Jesus Christ, as He has been determined by the Christ, in the
creed, as He is accepted by every believing Christian, as the living
God, the God who hastens to our voices, the God Whom we
beseech to accept us in communion, Whom we hope to have as
our faith. To Him, with fear and love, we dedicate today.
We hold candles as those brethren and martyrs of the early
Christian centuries, a great many of whom became torches rather
than deny Christ. We hold candles, and our hearts burn as the
hearts of those blessed persons who walked with the Risen Christ
to Emmaous. Yes, it is the "Feast of Lights" the lights which
illuminate our conscience and our Christian way of life!
The feast day is also called the “Feast of Lights.” "I am the
Light" Jesus said. He did not say: "I will show you the light" but
"I am the Light." It is not a mere theory of life. It is mainly the
knowledge of the true God which makes life, as it is stated in the
prayer of our Lord to His Heavenly Father, "And this is eternal
life, that Thy know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ
whom Thou hast sent."
January/February 2013
Page 17
OUR FAITH — Η ΘΡΗΣΚΕΙΑ ΜΑΣ
THE THREE HIERARCHS, January 30
On January 30, we celebrate the Feast Day of the Three
Great Hierarchs, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and
John Chrysostom. This feast is not the celebration of a
"memory" in the real sense of the word in so much as each of
these saints has his own individual feast day when his memory
is celebrated; St. Basil on January 1st, the day he was buried in
379; St. Gregory on January 25th, the day he died in 389, and,
St. John who died on September 14th, 407, we celebrate his
feast day on November 13th, so that we do not have a conflict
with the feast of the Cross.
The present feast of the Three Hierarchs is relatively new,
being established during the reign of Emperor Alexios
Comninos (1081-1118). The feast was established to resolve a
conflict as to who was greatest among them. Bishop John
Mavroupos is given most credit for this feast day. It was
enormously popular from the beginning, and has become an
occasion for a wider celebration.
Aside from establishing the equality among the Three
Saints, it points out that these three men are the eternal and
immortal teachers of the Church of Christ. They taught with
their holy life, with their exceptional ministry and their wise
literature that they left. They combined, intermarried as it
were, the biblical truth with human reason and presented a
new culture based on biblical revelation and human thought
and philosophy.
The feast of the Three Hierarchs has also become a feast
of the Greek culture and Greek Letters. In our parishes
throughout the country there are day schools and some
afternoon schools that prepare special programs on the feast
day of the Three Hierarchs, and students and faculty would
give addresses honoring various aspects of the life and work of
these religious heroes.
Join me on Wednesday, January 30th at 9:00 a.m. for a
Divine Liturgy for this significant holiday in honor of the
Three Great Hierarchs.
ΟΙ ΤΡΕΙΣ ΙΕΡΑΡΧΕΣ, 30 Ιανουαρίου
Στις 30 Ιανουαρίου, εορτάζουμε τους Τρεις Ιεράρχες,
Βασίλειο τον Μέγα, Γρηγόριο τον Θεολόγο και Ιωάννη τον
Χρυσόστομο. Κάθε ένας από τους τρεις Ιεράρχες έχει την δική
του γιορτή. Εορτάζουμε την μνήμη του Αγίου Βασιλείου την
1η Ιανουαρίου, ημέρα της ταφής του το 371 μ.Χ. Η εορτή του
Αγίου Γρηγορίου είναι στις 25 Ιανουαρίου, ημέρα του
θανάτου του το 389. Η δε εορτή του Αγίου Ιωάννη εορτάζεται
στις 13 Νοεμβρίου παρ’ όλο που ο άγιος πέθανε στις 14
Σεπτεμβρίου του έτους 407, επειδή η μέρα αυτή συμπίπτει με
την γιορτή της Υψώσεως του Τιμίου Σταυρού.
Η εορτή των Τριών Ιεραρχών καθιερώθηκε την εποχή του
αυτοκράτορα Αλέξιου Κομνηνού (1081-1118). Η εορτή αυτή
καθιερώθηκε για να λυθεί η διαφωνία ως το ποιός άγιος ήταν
σπουδαιότερος! Ο Επίσκοπος Μαυρούπος είναι υπεύθυνος για
την εορτή αυτή. Ήταν αφάνταστα δημοφιλής εορτή από την
αρχή της ιδρύσεως της. Και έγινε η αφορμή για μεγαλύτερο
εορτασμό.
Εκτός από τον εορτασμό της ισότητας των Τριών
Ιεραρχών αποδεικνύει πως οι τρεις αυτοί άγιοι της Εκκλησίας
είναι αθάνατοι διδάσκαλοι της Εκκλησίας του Χριστού.
Δίδαξαν με το παράδειγμα τους και την αξιόλογη ιεραποστολή
τους αλλά και με την λογοτεχνία που άφησαν. Συνδύασαν την
βιβλική αλήθεια με την ανθρώπινη νοημοσύνη για να
παρουσιάσουν μια νέα κουλτούρα βασισμένη στη βιβλική
αποκάλυψη και την ανθρώπινη σκέψη και φιλοσοφία.
Η εορτή των Τριών Ιεραρχών έχει καθιερωθεί σαν η
εορτή των Ελληνικών Γραμμάτων και τα σχολεία στην
Ελλάδα και εδώ στην Αμερική πολλά ημερήσια και
απογευματινά ελληνικά σχολεία παρουσιάζουν προγράμματα
τιμώντας τις διάφορες πτυχές της ζωής και των έργων τους.
Ελάτε, λοιπόν, την Τετάρτη, 30 Ιανουαρίου στις 9:00 το
πρωί για την Θεία Λειτουργία προς τιμή των Τριών Ιεραρχών!
THE PRESENTATION OF JESUS TO THE TEMPLE, February 2
When a baby is born into our family, there is a lot of excitement. And isn't it also exciting
when the baby is brought to the church for the first time, to be presented to God and to be baptized?
Everyone watches to see what the baby looks like, and all kinds of praises are given to the parents
from the congregation.
In the same manner, our God Jesus Christ, when He was 40 days old, was brought to the
temple just like we bring our newborns to church. Babies in the time of our Lord were brought to
the temple to be presented to God. The parents of the baby would also bring a gift to the temple, as
an offering and a thanksgiving to God.
When Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the temple, there was an old man, "a
righteous elder", named Simeon, who walked right over to them and to the baby Jesus. Simeon
really knew who Jesus was and what He was going to be when He grew up. Simeon knew that God
had sent His son to save all people, and that this baby was the Savior of the world!
(Continued on page 19)
Page 18
January/February 2013
SOME QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT ORTHODOX HYMNS
By Nancy Takis
The following is the 3rd and final installment of the National Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians publication MUSICA
How can we understand the whys and wherefores of the
modes?
Early in our Church history, the Church Fathers chose
eight melodic systems that they felt were spiritual in nature.
These are the “modes” of Byzantine chant (sometimes referred
to as “tones” in other Orthodox jurisdictions). Each mode
(ichos) was associated with a particular spiritual quality that
the Fathers considered important. Other modes were
considered too earthly, too physical, too sensual, or too
irreverent. The point was not to make the body dance, but to
make the soul dance with joy and the glory of God. It was not
merely beautiful music to the ears, but prayerful music for the
spirit. Liturgical music should inspire us to lay aside all cares
of this life, as we sing each Sunday during the Cherubic
Hymn. (See article: About the Cherubic Hymn)
All the music of the early church, therefore, followed
certain guidelines on how the music of our church should
sound. The early church fathers wanted the ecclesiastical
music to express glory, thanksgiving, repentance, faith and
hope, etc. They did not want the music to inspire lust or greed
or sinfulness or sensory pleasure. Centuries later, most
Orthodox churches still use this music in worship services. In
modern times and in modern cultures, the music is often
harmonized and westernized, but in the earlier days, the music
was sung simply with a melodic line and a drone note, or ison;
this eliminates any unnecessary sound and distraction, and
concentrates on the essential spiritual text.
While the text of our Liturgy stays basically the same
week to week, year to year, and throughout the centuries, our
musical settings give a richness and variety of spiritual
qualities to the text. The different modes may shade a single
word, such as Amen, or a simple phrase, such as Kyrie eleison,
to express praise repentance, humility, or thanksgiving. The
phrasing of the different melodic lines can also emphasize
different words or ideas, allowing the text to take on new
dimensions. Rather than rewrite a text, we sing it differently.
Think of the difference between the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria
and a setting by Palestrina. Think of the differences between
Desby “Enite Ton Kyrion” in the plagal second mode (#6) and
the Gallos “Enite Ton Kyrion” in the plagal fourth mode (#8).
In Greek Orthodox churches in this country, the choir
often sings harmonized versions of the chant melodies, usually
accompanied by an organ playing the voice parts. The early
Church Fathers might have thought thi was a bit excessive
especially since the organ and voice parts can distort or
eliminate the tension and resolution between the melody and
the ison and obscure the defining qualities of each mode,
especially the intervals of the scales of the modes. However,
we must remember that the ancient modes were familiar to the
people in the early church. Today, our ears are trained to hear
major and minor melodies and harmonies. Modern church
music speaks to modern ears, but it still can be worth the effort
to learn and preserve the ancient music of the Orthodox
Church. After all, our hymnographers did not claim to have
composed this music. It is the music that is sung by angels in
heaven and transferred to the hymnographers by the Holy
Spirit. One can find books written about the modes, but the
best way to learn them may be by listening and practicing,
especially with a chanter who has been trained and knows
them well. This teaching-by-experience is another age-old
tradition of the Orthodox Church.
MUSICA is a publication of the National Forum of Greek
Orthodox Church Musicians. This issue was developed by
Nancy Takis, who has been chanting since 1989. She has
studied with Protopsaltis Panayiotis Pizanis, Dr. Jessica
Suchy-Pilalis, and numerous clergy. She is one of the few
women chanters to have been honored with the rassoforos
service. She is known for English compositions and
arrangements of Church hymns, and has given workshops
and presentations on English translating and chant.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PARENTS’ ATTITUDE TOWARD CHURCH AND SUNDAY SHOOL
The parents' attitude towards church and Sunday school is crucial. There are parents who are habitually late for church. The result is
that the children miss part or most of the liturgy and the Sunday school lesson. The continuity of the lesson is destroyed. The class is
continually interrupted by late-comers. The teacher becomes frustrated. But even more important is what happens to the student. The
child knows that for important things one has to be on time, i.e., public school for example. The habit of coming to church and Sunday
school late teaches the child that God is not as important as public school or the piano lesson for which one has to be on time.
Another example is the attitude of the parents toward coming to church on Sunday. It doesn't take much for some parents to stay away
from church: just a little bit of rain will do it. But parents never stay away from work on Monday morning because of rain. So the
child's mind learns that work is more important than God. For that matter, almost anything is more important than God. Is it a wonder,
then, that children grow up to adopt a system of values that leaves God out entirely?
Punctuality and faithful attendance at church impress upon children the importance of God and of our Orthodox Christian value system.
January/February 2013
Page 19
ABOUT THE CHERUBIC HYMN
By Jeffrey Economou
One of the greatest hymns in the Greek Orthodox Church is the Cherubic Hymn. It is one of the oldest sacred hymns of the
Eastern Orthodox Church and was written by an unknown author and introduced into the Divine Liturgy during the 6 th Century.
To understand this hymn, one must know that among the ancient Romans it was the custom to carry out the newly elected
emperor to the people, surrounded by his legions, on a shield raised aloft on spears and canopied by a forest of inclined spears and
standards held above him, amid loud cries of “Long live the emperor.” There is some speculation that the author of this hymn was
one of these ancient emperors who humbled himself to the dust with all his earthly majesty before the King of All.
This hymn is sung by the choir during the Great Entrance when the priest, in procession with the altar boys, carries the Gifts
from the Table of Oblation, which is to the left of the Holy Table inside the Sanctuary, out the North Door into the Nave and
proceed with the Gifts towards the Holy Table. The choir starts singing the hymn before the procession begins with the beautiful
words: “We, who mystically represent the Cherubim, sing the thrice-holy hymn to the life-giving Trinity. Let us put away all
worldly care so that we may receive the King of All, invisibly escorted by the Angelic Hosts. Alleluia.” During the procession, the
priest interrupts the hymn after the words “so that we may receive the King of All,” and offers petitions, after which the choir
finishes the hymn when the priest enters the Sanctuary and places the gifts upon the Holy Table where they will later be
consecrated.
The Cherubim were among the highest in the nine order of angels ranked below the Seraphim. According to the Old
Testament they were attendants and guardians to God. A cherub (singular) is usally depicted in paintings as a beautiful child with
wings. During the Divine Litugy of St. Basil on Great Saturday, the day before Holy Pascha,
another hymn is substituted for the Cherubic Hymn and is called “Let all mortal flesh keep
silence.” The words to this hymn are: “Let all mortal flesh keep silence and in fear and
trembling stand, pondering nothing earthly-minded. For the King of Kings, and the Lord
of Lords comes forth to the faithful. Before Him go the ranks of Angels, with all the
principalities and powers; the many eyed Cherubim and the six-winged Seraphim covering
their faces and chanting their hymn, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.” This hymn preceded the
Cherubic Hymn and come from the Liturgy of St. James (Iakovos), first Bishop of Jerusalem,
and the words are ascribed to him.
Also, during St. Basil’s Liturgy on Great Thursday of Holy Week, another hymn is substituted for the Cherubic Hymn and it
is: “Receive me today, O Son of God, as a partaker of Your Mystic Feast.” The choir sings this hymn every Sunday while the
parishioners are receiving Holy Communion.
PRESENTATION OF JESUS TO THE TEMPLE
(Continued from page 17)
The reason why Simeon knew that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, was that God had made a promise to Simeon: when he
saw the Savior with his own eyes, then only then would Simeon die. Simeon was such a righteous man that he knew that God
would show him the Savior before he would close his eyes forever. And Simeon being a very good and holy man, who loved God,
was always in the temple, waiting for the Messiah to be brought to the temple. The one thing that Simeon did not know, however,
was what the Savior was going to look like. Was he going to be brought as an infant? A child, a young man, or an adult? But when
he saw Mary and Joseph bringing the baby Jesus into the temple, he knew right away that this was the Son of God, the Savior of
the world.
St. Simeon at that time recited a beautiful prayer when Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to him. It is a prayer that we
priests recite even today at the time of the churching of a child. It says, "
Now, God, You have kept Your promise and You may let
Your servant (meaning himself) go in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of
all Your people: A light to reveal Your way to the Gentiles, and bring Your glory to Your people in Israel."
Also in the temple was an old woman named Anna, who spoke to all the people about the baby Jesus and told them that He
was the redeemer of Israel.
Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple because it was the law of the people of Israel that every child should be brought
to the temple to be blessed. And even though Jesus was greater than the Law, He still fulfilled all the things the Law expected of
Him, even when He was a baby!
Mary at the time, didn't understand all the things that were happening to her son, Jesus, but she remembered all the things said
to her by Simeon the Elder, and Prophetess Anna, and others. She kept all these things in her heart as she watched Jesus grow
older. Soon she understood that Jesus was the Son of God, the Savior of the world.
Page 20
January/February 2013
THE HISTORY OF THE VASILOPITA
By Father Nicholas Pastrikos
In the middle of the table during New Year's, a Vasilopita
bread is placed in honor, tribute and eternal memory of St. Basil
the Great. Every year a gold coin is placed in the Vasilopita for
good luck to whoever receives it. The history of the Vasilopita has
two versions. The first version is explained like this:
In the time of the Roman Emperor Julianos, somewhere in the
East, when traveling towards Persia, he passed through the city of
Caesarea. On hearing of his arrival, Bishop Basil (a long time
friend and student buddies in Athens) came out to greet him,
along with the people of the city.
The Emperor demanded that royal gifts be brought to him,
because that was the tradition when royalty came to visit. Bishop
Basil was poor, he had nothing expensive to
offer to the Emperor, so he offered him three
loaves of bread. As a thank you, the Emperor
instructed his servants to repay the bishop with
plain hay from the fields. The Bishop did not
leave without an answer to the injustice and
embarrassment that he received from the
Emperor.
"Your Majesty, we the people offered to
you what we had and what we traditionally eat,
and you returned the favor with an insult." The
Emperor became angry and said: "Now accept my gift and when I
return victorious from battle, I wiIl burn down your city and I will
imprison your people because even the gods that I worship, you
and your people are against."
St. Basil returned to the city and invited his people to give
him information concerning the Emperor's decision and said:
"Don't worry, let's all gather up our coins together in one place,
and when we hear that the Emperor is coming, we will throw
them in the street as he is coming and from this act of love he will
be satisfied and he will forget the threats that he made to us.
Everyone did as the Bishop advised them to do. He then separated
the gold, the silver, the stones and gems and placed them in a safe
place. The Bishop then to be fair wrote down the names of the
people who gave. When the King came back with his army of
soldiers, the Bishop told everyone to fast for three days and they
were all told to travel to the Twin Hllls of Caesarea where the
church of the Mother of God was located. The Bishop then told
them to pray to the Virgin Mary so she could change the
murderous mind of the King.
At that time, the Bishop saw a vision of soldiers surrounding
the area. He saw the Virgin Mary sitting on a large throne with
angels guarding her. He heard her say: "Call upon Merkourios". In
an instant, Merkourios the Great Martyr showed up with his
armor and weapons and She gave the command to defeat the
King. Then She called upon St. Basil and gave him a book
describing the creation of the world. St. Basil then wrote the
translation of the six days that God took to create the world. When
it came for him to write about mankind, the vision disappeared
into the heavens. His brother, St. Gregory of Nyssa added to the
theme.
After that scene, St. Basil then left and came down to the city
and visited the church of St. MerkourioS. He realized that the
Holy relic of the Saint was gone and it was placed on the hilltop
to calm the worries of the people, "Let us all glorify God my
brethren, King Julianos is dead . Come and receive back the gold
pieces that you gave to save the city," said the Bishop. The people
said in response, "we were giving this money to the king and we
can't deny the heav-ens who protected us from death." St. Basil
complemented them on their faith and he gave them back onethird of their gift. The remaining amount was used to build
hospitals, nursing homes, orphanages and hostels. This event then
became a tradition as well as historical reference for the people of
Caesarea.
Now there is another version of the story that is expressed
differently from the previous version.
Once upon a time in the land of
Caesarea, there was once a ruler who sent
his servants to the Bishop of Caesarea
asking for the treasure of the city and if the
Bishop refused he would send his army to
capture and imprison all the people of the
city. The Christians, who truly loved their
Bishop, after hearing what the ruler
demanded, went to their homes and
collected all the gold, and silver that they
had to offer as their gift to the Bishop so he
can repay the ruler. During the night, the Bishop began to pray to
God for the protection of the city. In the morning the armies of the
ruler surrounded the city. The ruler asked to see the Bishop; the
people told him that he was waiting for him in the front entrance
of the church. The ruler came to the Bishop and told him to give
up all the treasures of the city.
The Bishop just stared at him and said, "The only treasure
that this city has is its poor, hungry and the suffering." "Let's leave
that aside", said the ruler, "tell me where you hid the gold." "The
gold is for the poor," the Bishop said, ''there is no surplus." The
ruler got angry and said, "If you don't give me all the gold, I will
take yours." The Bishop smiled and said, "You can look all you
want but the only thing you will find is the clothes and vestments
that I am wearing." The ruler said to him, "I will exile you and
send you in chains to another country." The Bishop then said, "My
country is in heaven." Then the ruler said, "I will kill you." "Even
better", said the Bishop. "That will give me the opportunity to
reach heaven above sooner."
The ruler became angry, he was frustrated and he wanted to
do harm to the bishop. So, he commanded the soldiers to attack
him. The Bishop answered, "Your greediness will finish you.
Don't hurt the people of the city, because they caused you no
harm. If you desire your gold, it's here waiting for you." At that
moment, he showed him a large bag, but before the ruler had a
chance to get a closer look, a man on a horse was descending
from the heavens above and was battling the soldiers of the ruler.
This man was as bright as the sun. In that instant, the ruler's army
turned to dust. They vanished.
The man on the horse was St. Merkourios who rode down
with angels and defeated the army. When this miracle happened,
the residents of the city were glorifying God. Now that the city
was saved, the Bishop was now put into a difficult position
(Continued on page 26)
January/February 2013
Page 21
Η ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΟΠΙΤΑΣ
Του Πατέρα Νικολάου Παστρικού
Στη μέση του πρωτοχρονιάτικου τραπεζιού φέγγει η ευλογία
του αγίου και μεγάλου Βασιλείου, η βασιλόπιτa, ο εορτασμός του
άρτου. Το φλουρί που κρύβει, σημάδι της τύχης, μας παρηγορεί
στην ανθρώπινη αδυναμία μας για τ' άγνωστα μελλούμενα.
Πως έμεινε στα έθιμά μας;
Ο Ιουλιανός ο Παραβάτης, Ρωμαίος αυτοκράτορας στην
Ανατολή, πηγαίνοντας στην Περσία, πέρασε κοντά από την
Καισάρεια. Τον προϋπάντησε τιμητικά ο παλιός
συσπουδαστής του στην Αθήνα, τώρα Επίσκοπος
Βασίλειος, μαζί με το λαό.
Ο αυτοκράτορας απαίτησε δώρα βασιλικά κατά
τα ήθη και τα αξιώματά του. Ο ασκητής
επίσκοπος δεν είχε τίποτε, κι έτσι του πρόσφερε
τρία κριθαρένια ψωμιά. Ο αυτοκράτορας διέταξε
τους υπηρέτες του να δώσουν στον επίσκοπο, σαν
αντιδώρημα, χορτάρι σκέτο από τους αγρούς.
Αλλά ο άγιος δεν άφησε αναπάντητη την άδικη
καταφρόνηση.
«Εμείς βασιλιά σου προσφέρουμε από 'κείνο
που τρώμε, καθώς εζήτησες. Η βασιλεία σου μας
αντάμειψε, καθώς αρμόζει από εκείνο που
τρώγει». Ο αυτοκράτορας θύμωσε και είπε:
«Δέξου τώρα το δώρο μου και όταν επιστρέψω
νικητής, τότε την πόλη σου θα κάψω και θα αιχμαλωτίσω τον
ανόητο λαό που εξαπατάς, διότι και τους θεούς που εγώ
προσκυνώ περιφρονούν, όσο για σένα, θα λάβεις την πρέπουσα
αμοιβή».
Ο άγιος επέστρεψε στην πόλη και κάλεσε το λαό να τον
πληροφορήσει για τις απειλές του αυτοκράτορα και τέλος είπε:
«Μην λυπηθείτε, αδελφοί μου, τα χρήματά σας, φροντίστε μόνο
τη ζωή σας. Συγκεντρώστε τα λεφτά σας σε ένα μέρος. Όταν
ακούσετε πως έρχεται εκείνος, θα τα ρίχνουμε σωρούς στο δρόμο,
και όπως είναι φιλοχρήματος, αυτά θα κλέψουνε την προσοχή του
και θα τον κάνουν να ξεχάσει τις απειλές του. Οι χριστιανοί
έκαναν όλοι όπως τους είπε. Εκείνος σύναξε το χρυσάφι, το
ασήμι, τους πολύτιμους λίθους, όλα, μέσα στο σκευοφυλάκιο κι
έγραψε τ' όνομά του καθενός και ό,τι έφερε ο καθένας.
'Όταν μαθεύτηκε πως επιστρέφει ο βασιλιάς με το στρατό
του, ο άγιος είπε σ' όλους να νηστέψουνε τρεις μέρες κι όλοι μαζί
ανέβηκαν μετά στο όρος Δίδυμο της Καισαρείας, όπου βρισκόταν
ο ναός της Θεοτόκου και με πόνο άρχισαν να δέονται στην
Παναγία ν' αλλάξει τη βουλή του αυτοκράτορα. Είδε τότε ο άγιος
Ιεράρχης ουράνια στρατιά να κυκλώνει το όρος. Θρόνος στη
μέση ψηλος όπου καθόταν δοξασμένη η Κυρία των αγγέλων – η
Παναγία. Την άκουσε να λέει: «Καλέσατε μου τον Μερκούριο.»
Φάνηκε τότε ο μεγαλομάρτυρας Μερκούριος με τα όπλα του κι
Εκείνη του έδωσε προσταγή να αφανίσει τον Ιουλιανό. Μετά
κάλεσε τον άγιο Βασίλειο και του παρέδωσε βιβλίο με τη
δημιουργία της Κτίσης γραμμένη μέσα. Στην αρχή υπήρχε η
επιγραφή "είπε" στο τέλος, όπου η θέση της πλάσης του
ανθρώπου, έγραφε "τέλος". Κι αλήθεια, αργότερα, ο Άγιος
Βασίλειος έγραψε ερμηνεία στην εξαήμερο δημιουργία του Θεού.
Όταν όμως ήταν να γράψει για τον άνθρωπο, έφυγε στους
ουρανούς. Ο αδελφός του άγιος Γρηγόριος, ο επίσκοπος Νύσσης,
συμπλήρωσε γι' αυτό το θέμα.
Μετά, λοιπόν, απ' αυτήν την οπτασία, ο άγιος κατέβηκε
μόνος στην πόλη και πήγε στο ναό του Αγίου Μερκουρίου.
Διαπίστωσε ότι το λείψανο του μάρτυρα έλειπε κι ανέβηκε πάλι
στο Δίδυμο να ησυχάσει το λαό. «Δοξάστε το Θεό, αδελφοί μου!
Ο Ιουλιανός δεν υπάρχει πια. Ελάτε να παραλάβετε τα χρήματά
σας». Και τους εξήγησε. Αλλά εκείνοι είπαν: «Θα τα δίναμε στον
ασεβή βασιλέα και θα τ' αρνηθούμε στον ουρανό, που μας έσωσε
τη ζωή;» συγκινημένος με την προθυμία τους, έδωσε στον καθένα
το ένα τρίτο των όσων πρόσφερε και με τα υπόλοιπα έκτισε
νοσοκομείο,
γηροκομεία,
ξενώνες,
ορφανοτροφεία. Το ιστορικό αυτό γεγονός πέρασε
στις παραδόσεις του λαού.
Η συλλογική του μνήμη το μεταπλάθει,
το εξαιρετικό και άγιο θέλει να το κάνει απλό και
οικείο, κι έτσι το φέρνει μέσα στην
καθημερινότητα του. Να τι άλλο λένε:
Μια φορά, ένας σκληρός άρχοντας της
Καππαδοκίας έστειλε ανθρώπους στο Δεσπότη της
Καισαρείας και του ζήτησε θησαυρούς, αλλιώς θα
πολιορκούσε την πόλη, και θα την έπαιρνε
ολόκληρη. Οι χριστιανοί που αγαπούσαν πολύ τον
επίσκοπό τους πήγαν αμέσως στα σπίτια τους και
του έφεραν τα χρυσαφικά τους. Όλη την νύχτα ο
Δεσπότης της Καισαρείας προσευχόταν να σώσει
ο Θεός την πόλη. Το πρωί κατέφθασε ο άρχοντας με το και
αμέσως περικύκλωσε την πόλη. Μπήκε με την ακολουθία του
μέσα και αναζήτησαν τον Δεσπότη. Του έδειξαν τον ναό.
Πλησίασε και τον βρήκε στη θύρα να τον περιμένει, χλωμός και
αδύνατος από την αγρυπνία και τη νηστεία.
-Δώσε μου λοιπόν αυτής της πόλης το χρυσάφι» του είπε.
Εκείνος τον κοίταξε με λύπη και του απάντησε:
-Βλέπεις σ’ αυτή την πόλη τίποτε πολύτιμο, που να προδίδει
πλούτο;
-Δεν μπορεί παρά να υπάρχει.
-Πλούτος αυτής της πόλης είναι οι φτωχοί και πεινασμένοι, οι
χτυπημένοι από την απονιά των πλουσίων.
-Άσε τα λόγια, Δέσποτα, και πες μου που έχεις κρύψει το
χρυσάφι.
-Το χρυσάφι άρχοντα είναι για τους φτωχούς. Κανενός δεν
περισσεύει.
Ο άρχοντας θύμωσε τότε και του λέει:
-Αν δεν μου δώσεις το χρυσάφι, θα πάρω το δικό σου.
Ο Δεσπότης χαμογέλασε ελαφρά.
-'Όσο κι αν ψάξεις δεν θα βρεις άλλο από το ράσο που φοράω.
-Θα σε στείλω αλυσοδεμένο μακριά από την πατρίδα σου.
-Η πατρίδα μου εμένα είναι ο ουρανός.
-Θα σε θανατώσουν. .
-Καλύτερα, γιατί θα με στείλεις πιο γρήγορα εκεί.
Ο άρχοντας κόντεψε να σκάσει από το κακό του και διατάζει
τους αξιωματικούς του να επιτεθούν. Τότε ο επίσκοπος του λέει:
-Η πλεονεξία σου θα σε αφανίσει. Μην πειράξεις τους
ανθρώπους αυτής της πόλης, που δεν σε πείραξαν. Εδώ είναι το
χρυσάφι και σε περιμένει. Και του έδειξε ένα μεγάλο σεντούκι.
Αλλά πριν προλάβει να το πλησιάσει είδαν όλοι ένα λαμπρό
καβαλάρη να ορμάει με το στρατό του, που έλαμπε κι εκείνος.
(Continued on page 26)
Page 22
January/February 2013
Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΤΗΣ ΚΑΡΔΙΑΣ ΜΑΣ
Ιστορίες, Ήθη και Έθιμα από την Πατρίδα
ΗΘΗ ΚΑΙ ΕΘΙΜΑ ΙΑΝΟΥΑΡΙΟΥ
ΗΘΗ ΚΑΙ ΕΘΙΜΑ ΦΕΒΡΟΥΑΡΙΟΥ
January/February 2013
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January/February 2013
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January/February 2013
VASILOPITA
(Continued from page 20)
because he was thinking of what to do with the gold that the
people offered. He had a dilemma. He thought about inviting
everyone together to give them back their gold, but he was afraid
that his people would be greedy and start another chaos. So, the
Bishop took council in prayer and asked the Lord to give him
some insight on this dilemma.
The next day the Bishop invited all the servants from the
house of the poor and asked them to bake small loaves of
sweetbread and to place or insert some gold coins in them.
Afterwards, the bishop then distributed the sweet bread to each
resident of his city. Some of them questioned "the gift" of bread
given to them by their beloved Bishop. What kind of a gift was
ΒΑΣΙΛΟΠΙΤΑ
(Continued from page 21)
Άρχοντας και στρατός έγιναν σκόνη. 'Έφυγαν κι ακόμα φεύγουν.
Ήταν ο Άγιος Μερκούριος με αγγέλους, λένε.
Δόξασαν όλοι το Θεό. Μα ο Δεσπότης βρέθηκε σε δύσκολη
θέση μετά, πως να μπορέσει να μοιράσει πάλι τα χρυσαφικά
στους κατοίκους της πόλης του. Να τους καλέσει, φοβήθηκε ότι
θα τους πιάσει η πλεονεξία και καθένας θα κοιτάξει να πάρει τα
καλύτερα κοσμήματα. Προσευχήθηκε και ο Θεός τον φώτισε τι
να κάνει.
Κάλεσε τους υπηρέτες και διακόνους από τα πτωχοκομεία
και τους είπε να ζυμώσουν μικρά ψωμάκια και σε κάθε ψωμάκι
να βάλουν κι από μερικά χρυσαφικά. Μετά τα μοίρασε σαν δώρο
στους πιστούς του κι αυτοί τα πήραν παραξενεμένοι. "Τι δώρο
είναι αυτό από το δεσπότη μας;" ρωτούσαν ο ένας τον άλλον. Μα
όταν κάθε οικογένεια έκοβε το ψωμάκι, έβρισκε τα χρυσαφικά
της.
Από τότε φτιάνουμε τη βασιλόπιτα με το φλουρί, την πρώτη
μέρα του χρόνου. Έτσι λέει αυτή η παράδοση.
Τον Μέγα Βασίλειο συνηθίσαμε να τον βλέπουμε σαν
Hellenic Cuisine
this? They didn't know what to make of it. But later as they
gathered in their homes, each family cut the small sweet bread
and what should they find, but the pieces of gold hidden inside.
This was a blessing because everyone was satisfied with the gold
pieces they received.
From then on, this became an annual tradition and it has been
passed down from generation to generation. And on New Year's
Day as we celebrate with our families the cutting of the sweet loaf
of bread or as it has become known the "Vasilopita" named so in
honor of St. Basil the Great, we too look forward to finding the
lucky "coin" in the hopes that we too will be blessed in the
coming year and years to come.
Happy New Year and May God
and Agios VasiIios Bless all of us!
ευχάριστη φιγούρα της πρωτοχρονιάς, σαν ροδομάγουλο
ασπρογένη κι ασπρομάλλη παππού με τα δώρα. Για τα παιδικά
μας χρόνια, ταιριάζει, αλλά αργότερα, ας τον γνωρίσουμε όπως
είναι: Ωχρό, ασκητικό, με σοφία και δύναμη. Και η αγάπη του
επίσης εκδηλώνεται με δύναμη και αγιότητα. Τα έργα του τότε,
και η γνώση του ως τώρα, μας χαρίζουν την αληθινή του όψη.
Βλαστάνουν λόγο χλωρό ω; σήμερα, όπως λένε απλοϊκά και
κάποια κάλαντα:
«Ο άη-Baσίλης έρχεται από την Καισαρεία,
Βαστάει πέννα και χαρτί, χαρτί και καλαμάρι
Και το ραβδί του ακούμπησε να πει τ' αλφαβητάρι
Και το ραβδί του ήτο ξερό, χλωρούς βλαστούς επέτα
Κι επάνω στους χλωρούς βλαστούς περδίκια εκκακαριώντα»
Μια ευχή (για εφέτος και για κάθε χρόνο) Η βασιλόπιτα να μας
ενώνει πάντα γύρω από το πρωτοχρονιάτικο τραπέζι… και, το
νόημα κι οι συμβολισμοί που τη συνοδεύουν αιώνες τώρα να
φωτίζουν το νου και τις πράξεις όλων των ανθρώπων... και ν'
ανοίγουν το δρόμο μας προς το μέλλον με υγεία, πρόοδο και
ανθρωπιά.
Καλή Χρονιά και η ευλογία του Θεού
και του Αγίου Βασιλείου να είναι πάντα μαζί σας!
PREPARING PROSFORO BREAD FOR THE DIVINE LITURGY
The recipe below is for the preparation of Prosforo bread, which is to be brought to the
Church for offering in the Divine Liturgy
INGREDIENTS
6 cups flower
2 caps warm water (110º)
1 teaspoon salt
2 cakes or packs of yeast
1 Prosforo seal for
imprinting seal on bread
PREPARATION
Dissolve the yeast in warm water. Add salt and flour and knead until smooth. Place in the bowl,
cover, and let rise. When it doubles in size, knead again. Then divide dough in half and put in cake
pans that have been floured only (no grease). Dip seal in flour and stamp bread firmly to leave a
dean imprint. Use a toothpick to place a few small holes around the edge of the seal. Let rise again
about 1 hour, then bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until light brown. Prepare a list of
names of Orthodox Christians who you would like commemorated in the service. Use first names
only. On the left side, write "Living" at the top and list the names below. On the right side, write
"Departed" and write the names of departed below. Bring the list and the bread to the Church
before the start of Orthros (or the day before.) It is traditional to have an icon and a lighted candle
in the area where the Prosforo is being prepared as it is an offering of faith. The Jesus Prayer may
be used during the preparation.
January/February 2013
Page 27
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GREEK ORTHODOX
CHURCH
January/February
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Συνεχίζουμε τις προσπάθειες μας για συνεχή βελτίωση του δελτίου μας.
Προτάσεις και υποδείξεις, για το πως να κάνουμε αυτό το δελτίο πιο
χρήσιμο είναι πάντα ευπρόσδεκτες. Το δελτίο αυτό είναι μεν
αποτέλεσμα εθελοντικής εργασίας, είμαστε όμως υπεύθυνοι και ζητούμε
συγγνώμη για όποιες καθυστερήσεις, παραλείψεις, ή λάθη αναπόφευκτα
γίνονται. Ζητούμε την κατανόηση σας και την βοήθεια σας να κάνουμε
το επόμενο τεύχος καλύτερο. Το ηλεκτρονικό μας ταχυδρομείο είναι
[email protected]. Καλή Χρονιά!
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Αρχιμηνιά κι αρχιχρονιά, ψηλή μου δεντρολιβανιά,
κι αρχή καλός μας χρόνος, εκκλησιά με τ' άγιο θρόνος
Αρχή που βγήκε ο Χριστός, άγιος και πνευματικός
στη γη να περπατήσει και να μας καλοκαρδίσει.
Άγιος Βασίλης έρχεται και δεν μας καταδέχεται
Από την Καισαρεία, συ σ' αρχόντισσα κυρία.
Βαστά εικόνα και χαρτί, ζαχαροπλάστη ζυμωτή
χαρτί και καλαμάρι, δες και με-δες και με το παλικάρι.
Το καλαμάρι έγραφε, την μοίρα του την έλεγε
Και το χαρτί εμίλιε, άσπρε μου χρυσέ μου κρίνε.
-Βασίλη πόθεν έρχεσαι και πόθεν κατεβαίνεις
Και δεν μας συντυχαίνεις;
-Από της μάνας μου έρχομαι, το λέω και δεν ντρέπομαι
και στο σχολείο μου πάω πέστε μου τι θες να κάμω;
-Αφού πηγαίνεις στο σχολειό, πες μας την Άλφα - Βήτα,
Νάχης τον Θεό βοήθεια…
Και στο ραβδί του ακούμπησε να πει την Άλφα - Βήτα,
Ωσάν Άγιος που ήταν.
Χλωρό ραβδί, ξερό ραβδί, χλωρά βλαστάρια πέτα,
Κι απάνω στα βλαστάρια του, μαύρα είν΄ τα μάτια του,
Πέρδικες κελαδούσαν
Δεν ήσαν μόνον πέρδικες, γαριφαλιές λεβέντικες
Μον΄ και περιστεράκια, μαύρα μου γλυκά ματάκια.
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