HERALD SEPTEMBER 2014 Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral INSIDE THIS ISSUE Dean’s Message 2 President’s Message 3 Philoptochos News 4 Stewardship 5 Philanthropia News 5 Philoptochos VIP 5 Ministries List 8 Sacraments/ Memorials 9 Choir News 9 Greek Fest Donations 12 &13 Feast Day Article 10 Orthodox Calendar 15 The Fieschi Morgan Staurotheke Early 9th Century, Made in Constantinople The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral V. Rev. Fr. John S. Bakas, Dean Rev. Fr. Allan Boyd, Assistant Priest 1324 S. Normandie Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90006 Tel. 323-737-2424 Fax. 323-737-7029 www.stsophia.org
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September 2014 Page
HERALD SEPTEMBER 2014
Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral
I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E
Dean’s Message 2
President’s Message 3
Philoptochos News 4
Stewardship 5
Philanthropia News 5
Philoptochos VIP 5
Ministries List 8
Sacraments/ Memorials 9
Choir News 9
Greek Fest Donations 12 &13
Feast Day Article 10
Orthodox Calendar 15
The Fieschi Morgan Staurotheke
Early 9th Century, Made in Constantinople
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
Saint Sophia
Greek Orthodox
Cathedral
V. Rev. Fr. John S. Bakas,
Dean
Rev. Fr. Allan Boyd,
Assistant Priest
1324 S. Normandie Avenue,
Los Angeles, CA 90006
Tel. 323-737-2424
Fax. 323-737-7029
www.stsophia.org
September 2014 Page 2
DEAN’S MESSAGE
SAINT SOPHIA CATHEDRAL’S INSPIRATIONAL MEN
Contrast these two little stories:
Back in 1983, while flying from Dallas to Toronto a life-
threatening fire broke out onboard a DC-9, filling the entire
plane with toxic smoke. The spreading fire also burned
through crucial electrical cables that knocked out most of the
instrumentation in the cockpit, forcing the plane to instantly
choose an emergency landing site. The Air Canada pilot
immediately began an intense and rapid descent, knowing he
only had few critical moments to land the plane if anyone were
to survive the fire. At the scene of his emergency landing, as
soon as the rescue team opened the door, the whole aircraft
began sucking in oxygen which further escalated the flames
onboard into a blazing inferno. Sadly, there were some
fatalities and others suffered some burns, but because of the
pilot’s skill and the crew's commitment, many people were
rescued. The captain was the last one to leave the burning
airplane. He was pulled through the window with his uniform
on fire. Later, he received a well-deserved, tearful
commendation as a exemplary leader who inspired others by
his self-sacrificial commitment to his duty.
Last April, a ferry in Seoul, South Korea, capsized, killing
hundreds. Most of the passengers were high school students
who ultimately drowned merely awaiting instructions below for
when to abandon ship. The captain himself had fled the
sinking ship to make sure he alone would be safe on dry
ground. This, of course, prompted a chorus of scornful
reproach from the loved ones of those who were lost. The
teacher who had organized the trip despondently took his own
life, feeling that he had no right to be alive while most of his
students perished. Even the prime minister of South Korea
offered to resign because of this great tragedy. No celebration
there, no commendation of a brave man; just a series of
wrong decisions that resulted in the ultimate wrong decision of
a man who put himself first and failed to perform his duty.
In the Orthodox Church today, there is a crisis of spiritual
leadership among our men. The Epistle Reading in the
Orthodox marriage ceremony calls men to the role of priest of
their household, offering themselves up “just as Christ loved
the Church and gave Himself up for her.” Why? Our Lord
says it’s “to make her holy.” Essentially, our Lord wants men
to know that the most important role that men have is to lead
their families to heaven through self-sacrificial spiritual
leadership. But many men, like that Korean ferry captain,
have abandoned their spiritual duty to their family, opting
instead for more selfish pursuits. Meanwhile, their families are
in desperate spiritual need of someone more like that Air
Canada captain.
This selfless spiritual leadership begins, first and foremost,
with men’s enthusiastic Church attendance. This is strongly
suggested by the findings of a significant study from 2000
called, “The Demographic Characteristics of the Linguistic and
Religious Groups in Switzerland” by Werner Haug and Phillipe
Warner of the Federal Statistical Office, Neuchatel.
In that study, questions were asked to determine whether a
person’s religion carried through to the next generation, if so
— why or why not. What they discovered is powerful. They
discovered that there is one critical factor: “The religious
practice of the father of the family, above all, determines the
children’s future attendance at—or absence from Church.” In
short, the study determined that if a father does not go to
Church, no matter how faithfully his wife is devoted, only one
child in 50 will become a regular worshipper. However, if a
father enthusiastically attends Church services weekly,
regardless of the practice of the mother, then between two-
thirds and three-quarters of their children become active
Church goers.
This is because, when children begin to age into that period
of differentiation from home and engagement with the world
“out there,” they look increasingly to the father for his role
model. Where the father is indifferent, inadequate, or just
plain absent, that task of differentiation and engagement is
much harder. When children see that church is a “women and
children” thing, they will respond accordingly—by not going to
church, or going much less. Curiously, both adult women as
well as men will conclude subconsciously that Dad’s absence
indicates that going to church is not really a “grown-up”
activity.
So when children see their fathers attending Church services
weekly and enthusiastically participating in the ministries of
the Church; when they see their fathers becoming devoted
disciples (or students) of Christ’s teachings, then those
children will grow up realizing that this is what it means to be
mature. The chances are high that we will see those children
carry the Orthodox Christian Faith into their adulthood.
As we begin our new school year, there could be no more
important message than to call our men to participate in their
God-given role as priest of their household. Men, how do you
want your families to remember you? Will it be as the spiritual
version of that self-absorbed captain of the Korean ferry-
boat? Or will it be something inspiring, like that Air-Canada
pilot, whose selfless devotion to his passengers and crew
saved many lives? Save our children by making the
commitment today to become one of Saint Sophia Cathedral’s
inspirational men.
In Christ,
V. Rev. Fr. John S. Bakas, Dean
September 2014 Page 3
PARISH COUNCIL MESSAGE
Enliven Your Spirit to Enrich Your Soul
We are extremely excited to be celebrating our 16th Annual
L.A. Greek Fest – 2014 on the Cathedral grounds. This is one
of the events which brings all of our community together as
we all pitch in to help within booths and to serve up some
wonderful Greek hospitality and culture. We still need
additional volunteers, as well as more underwriting of
monetary donations. Please invite your co-workers and
friends to also attend this wonderful and special event. All
funds from the Fest help to offset the operations of the
Cathedral and the Huffington Center and also in assisting our
many ministries. Many thanks go to our Parish Council
Executive Board and Parish Council members, to our Fest
committee members, Fr. John Bakas and Fr. Allan Boyd, our
St. Sophia office staff and custodians and to the many
(countless) volunteers and supporters of our blockbuster
event. Get on board, we’re ready to welcome everyone to our
beautiful Saint Sophia Cathedral and to celebrate our 16th
Annual L.A. Greek Fest - 2014.
We should never forget that our L.A. Greek Fest became a
reality based upon the dreams, hard work and personal efforts
of Ted and Jan Pastras in 1999. Unfortunately our community
suffered a tremendous loss with the sudden death of Ted in
February, 2013. Not only did Ted develop the inception of the
L.A. Greek Fest, he contributed his talents in revitalizing the
neighborhood through the L.A. Neighborhood Initiative
(LANI), the creating of the B.L.Q. area with the establishment
of a Business Improvement District (BID) and the founding of
a charter middle school located nearby. In remembering Ted,
the words from Zorba the Greek rings so true: “Live life and
enjoy it”!
As the Saint Sophia Cathedral’s delegate to the 42nd
Biennial
Clergy-Laity Congress held in Philadelphia from July 6-10,
2014, I am not only happy to, but also required under Article 4
Section 8 of the Regulations to provide a report of the
proceedings of the Congress. You may also access the
Archdiocese’s website to be provided with the complete
presentations (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America). I
will include my own personal reflections and discuss more in
depth the general theme of the Clergy-Laity at the Fall’s
General Assembly.
The opening working session consisted of reports from
committees, ministries, and affiliated organizations and
institutions of the Church. The reports presented and
discussed were by the following: Administration, Finance,
Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations, Philanthropy,
Chaplaincy, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,
Leadership 100, Religious Education, Hellenic College Holy
Cross, Center for Family Care, Communications, Marriage
and Family, and Greek Education
Delegates explored the complex issues affecting the Orthodox
Christian Family based on the theme, “The Orthodox Christian
Family: A Dwelling of Christ and a Witness of His Gospel.”
The morning panelists spoke about the care for the individual,
the care for the family and the role of the parish in helping and
supporting people and families in need. The afternoon
panelists (including Metropolitan Gerasimos) dealt with
growing faithful families. It explored how faith is passed on in
families, and the practices that support faith formation across
generations.
His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
addressed the delegates via a live feed (SKYPE). He
welcomed all the participants and sent special blessings of
love to all. Vice President Joe Biden addressed the delegates
at the Grand Banquet expressing support for the Ecumenical
Patriarchate, Cyprus and Greece. The Vice President spoke
of three issues, for which he said he is optimistic. First, the
relationship of the United States and Greece, the second, the
defense of Religious Freedom, the Ecumenical and the issue
of Halki, and the third, the continued occupation of Cyprus by
Turkish troops.
Further information about the Clergy-Laity, the beginning of
Greek School, Sunday School and other ministries, to follow
in the Weekly Bulletin, on the website, and next month’s
Herald.
Yours in Christ,
Brent A. Noyes, Parish Council President
September 2014 Page 4
PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS
Even though summer has been here and gone, Philoptochos has not had a ‘vacation’. We have been working through the summer taking care of our outreach cases and those who need help all year long. But now it’s September, time for meetings, projects to help the sick and the poor, and get ready for the Debutante Ball in January! There are projects and donation drives you may join if you wish. We have a stuffed animal drive this month, and then at Christmas time we have our Angel Tree project for those who need our help. Before we know it, the months will fly by and the holidays will be upon us!
The Fall Meeting Schedule for General Assembly Meetings is as follows:
Sunday, September 21 Speaker: Dr. Eve Tibbs
Sunday, October 26
Sunday, November 16 - Thanksgiving Luncheon Please look for the reservation flyer that will be in the Herald bulletins. Reservations - paid in advance - are mandatory as the room will fill up very fast. We only have room for about 100 people in the Pavilion.
There is no meeting in December so that everyone may enjoy the holidays.
We hope you will join us for the first meeting on Sunday, September 21. Dr. Eve Tibbs will be speaking to us after our meeting on “Beauty and Truth: How to Read Icons”. Lunch will be available and we would love to have you at our meeting. Everyone is welcome. Come and visit, if you have not been to a meeting we’d love to meet you!
Stuffed Animal Collection: Once again, we will be collecting NEW stuffed animals - large or small - for children undergoing cancer treatments, in memory of Ileana Schuman. Ileana was the niece of our board member Allison Stavaridis, and in her memory, we will collect new stuffed animals to distribute to children at their cancer treatment appointments. You may bring your donation to the meeting on September 21 or on any other Sunday if you wish, before October, for Philoptochos. Thank you.
Outreach: We’d like to update you on outreach. There are a number of ladies of Philoptochos who are working once a month preparing sandwiches, cookies and fruit for the people living on the streets in Hollywood. Some of our members go out with Dr. Nicos Stefanidis (since it is not safe to go out alone) and hand out the sandwiches and other items that we have collected. Also, once a month Dr. Stefanidis and the volunteers serve a hot meal out on the streets as well. If you ever wish to join in this project, please contact Philoptochos.
Philoptochos work is sometimes difficult and emotionally hard, but it is also very rewarding. If we did not have love and compassion for those we help, we would not be doing all the work we do. Yes, we put on fundraisers to fulfill our obligations to the Metropolis and to National, who then sends that money out in large numbers throughout the year. We help people in our community that are ill or on hard times, who would not have anything to eat or a place to live, without some assistance from us.
Mailing List: Please add your email address to our Philoptochos listing so that you don’t miss out on our projects and events! Send your information to us in care of the Cathedral and we’ll be happy to add you to our lists.
May 2015 will be Philoptochos Board of Directors
elections, so 2014 - 2015 is ‘an election year’. In order to
run for the Board: a member must be in good standing
with the church as a steward and a paid member of
Philoptochos. You must also have attended 4 general
meetings within the year before elections, meaning May
2014 through April 2015. Anyone running for the Board
must attend the election meeting unless you have been
excused for illness or an emergency.
With love in Christ’s service,
Virginia Noyes and the Philoptochos Board of Directors
September 2014 Page 5
Believe and Belong through Christian Stewardship
STEWARDSHIP FAMILIES June and July 2014
$10,000 To $14,999
Fling, Ms. Martha
$4,000 To $5,999
Bartzokis, Drs. George & Kelly
Duncan, Dr. & Mrs. Jan
Harkiss, Dr. Sam*
Kraios, Mr. Michael
$2,000 To $3,999
Kyriacou, Mr. & Mrs. Gig*
Kyriacou, Mr. & Mrs. Gig*
Anonymous (1)
$1,000 To $1,999
Eliopulos, Ms. Georgia
Hanberg, Mr. Julian
Koukis, Mr. & Mrs. Pandelis
Kouros, Dr. & Mrs. Philip
Mitchell, Mr. & Mrs. Peter
Roussos, Mr. & Mrs. Theodosios
Tsircou, Mr. & Mrs. Kyriacos
Anonymous (1)
$650 To $999
Anastassiou Jr., Mr. Thomas
Caiopoulos, Mrs. Ann+
Eliopoulos, Mr. & Mrs. Nick
Haraden, Mr. & Mrs. Marshall
Kroesch, Ms. Angelica
Manousogianis, Mr. & Mrs. Markos
Rangel, Mr. & Mrs. Armando
Ratzenberger, Ms. Nina
Stumpus, Mr. Jack
Anonymous (2)
OTHER
Dimtsios, Ms. Nicole
Estock, Mr. Paul
Giannoulis, Mr. & Mrs. Chris
Koustas, Mr. & Mrs. Peter
Kyriacou, Ms. Christianna
Kyriacou, Mr. Michael John
Peterson, Ms. Constance
Pilichos, Mrs. Efrossini
Savas, Dr. Diana
Zarras, Dr. & Mrs. Peter
Anonymous (2)
Used Clothing and Canned Goods: Thank you for all the
generous donation of used clothing. Please label all clothing
donations on the outside of the bags by indicating whether
they are for men, women or children. Thank you!
Street Outreach: Dr. Nikos Stefanidis, Ph.D. a Staff
Psychologist at Children’s Hospital, L.A., is the Clinical
Director of this High Risk Program. Your continued help will
assure that these children are cared for year round by
purchasing new items such as the following: T-Shirts (M-L);
Boxers (M-L); White Socks; Blankets; Sleeping Bags;
Sweatshirts; Snacks; Water/Juices; Bus Tokens; Sneakers;