2013.05 - May Observer
2013.05 - May Observer
2013.05 - May Observer
A N N U N C I A T I O N
OBSERVER
M A Y
2 0 1 3
V O L .
2 9
I S S U E
OU WOULD THINK
T HE J OY OF P A S C H A :
BURDEN OR RELIEF?
PAGE 1
C LERGY
Presiding Priest, Father James Retelas
[email protected]
Associate Priest, Fr. Timothy Robinson
[email protected]
P A R IS H C O U NC IL P R ES ID ENT
George Dariotis
[email protected]
P A R IS H MINIS T R Y
Annunciation Senior League
Bessie Papailias, President
[email protected]
Bookstore
Lou Demas, Manager
(916) 231-9949
[email protected]
Chanter
Dusan Radosavljevic
[email protected]
Greek Education
Dimitra Dogias
[email protected]
Music and Worship
Bill Bobolis, Choir Director
[email protected]
Philoptochos Society
Elaine Wright, President
[email protected]
Sunday School
Patrick Fuss, Principal
[email protected]
STAFF
Parish Administrator
Effie Theodor
[email protected]
Admin. Asst./Finances/Communications
Maria Mavroforakis
[email protected]
OF F I C E H O U R S
Monday - Friday
9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
PAGE 2
Tradition is hardly a morose spiritual exercise or religious obligation. In fact, we should always
apply repentance as a verb. After
all, we are all works in progress.
We are all subject to the emotional
vicissitudes of life, positive and
negative. We are all created to be
joyful but the burdens of sin bring
us sorrow. We are all called to
look forward (yes, joyfully!) to
our own tomb but have we accepted the new reality that the
empty tomb of Jesus is ours for
the asking. How you answer these
questions will largely determine
whether this Pascha will prove to
be a burden or a relief. The choice
is yours.
Wishing you a joyous Pascha
( ), and with love
in Christ,
Fr. James Retelas
for coordinating all of the above mentioned beautification projects. Without Michaels insight and the
contribution of his many helpers and subs, none of
this would have been possible.
Now you may ask: What is next? First, the Parish
Council has a rendering from Dan Eriksson for new
handrails at the steps to the solea and front church
steps. We have already received a bid for $6,000, and
that is only for the solea. We are in the process of obtaining additional estimates. Other items being considered are replacing the three outdated lights above
the solea with more appropriate fixtures. If you wish
to make a donation for any of these specific beautification items, please contact me. We thank all of the
donors again for their generosity.
Painting the narthex is also in future plans and we are
also considering replacing some of the landscaping in
the church courtyard. Many thanks goes to Paul
Voresis (Delta Landscaping) for his work in removing
the ivy at the Administration building entrance, repairing sod and replanting along the north side of the
church.
Other key items before the Parish Council include the
Arista Preschools commencement of payments for
their portion of utilities including telephone, alarm
monitoring, gas and electricity which commenced on
April 1. On July 1 they will begin paying rent. Arista
currently has enrolled 21 children in the preschool
with the probability of another 20 children in the near
future.
A major pipe was replaced in the boiler room last
month at a cost of $600. The walkway up to the back
steps of the altar will be repaired with new concrete
due to large tree roots coming through. We experimented with relocating the pangari, but it has now
been returned to its original place on the right side of
the church entrance. The Parish Council listened and
took appropriate action.
In preparation for Holy Week, this year we have ordered a shorter beeswax candle to be used on Holy
Friday and Saturday, instead of the usual white parafPAGE 4
fin type. The beeswax candle burns purer and hopefully will drip less.
The Parish Council has agreed to use a portion of the
balance from the Fr. Dogias Memorial Fund towards
the efforts to assist in the purchase of his headstone.
Other groups have also decided to contribute to this
cause. There will be a meet and greet with our fellow Ethiopian Orthodox at our May Parish Council
meeting. They have generously offered to provide an
array of Ethiopian food at that meeting. We appreciate the opportunity for fellowship and discussion with
their leadership.
Finally, our Capital Campaign under Sam Manolakas
leadership has entered the silent phase which essentially means reaching out to a demographic of our
community for potentially major gifts. However, all
gifts should be considered major gifts and will be
respected. At this writing, 5 of the 12 members on
your Parish Council have pledged to the campaign
with the goal of 100% commitment going forward. I
would like to share a quote by Dena Kuchulis: This
campaign should be looked at as an investment in our
church. I could not agree more. Please look for upcoming newsletters about the building project and
Capital Campaign. You may also contact George
Koufasimis, the chairman of the project, for information and updates. This edition of the Observer also
includes a complete Building Project article.
Lastly, I would like to invite you to please feel free to
ask the church office for copies of any Parish Council
meeting minutes. I will attempt to do a better job of
communicating with all of you in the future. Involvement in our church is crucial as we move forward, especially if the vision of a new campus is to be
realized. Not so much for us, but for generations to
come. May our Lords Resurrection inspire us and
lead us to our own ultimate salvation.
Kali Anastasi,
George Dariotis
Parish Council President
Income
$
675.00
$
1,500.00
$
1,000.00
$
500.00
$
4,000.00
$
2,000.00
$
3,000.00
$
2,000.00
$
1,000.00
$
10,000.00
$
2,000.00
$
1,000.00
$
5,000.00
$
20,000.00
$
3,000.00
$
10,000.00
$
3,500.00
$
1,500.00
$
2,000.00
$
7,310.00
$
500.00
$ 81,485.00
Expenses
$
1,500.00
$
6,099.10
$
1,140.00
$
130.00
$
$
46,000.00
$
850.00
$
4,495.06
$
1,800.00
$
1,290.00
$
5,400.00
$
6,000.00
$
2,748.74
$ 77,452.90
PAGE 5
ASL News
We hope that the Lenten season
finds all of you well!
We would like to thank our
kitchen crew, under the direction
of Tyke and Dena Kuchulis, for
preparing a wonderful shrimp
salad at our April luncheon meeting. It was delicious and enjoyed
by all! Thank you also to George
and Mary Kondos for donating the
wonderful apple turnovers in
honor of the Feast Day of St.
George. Our luncheon was topped
off by a wonderful presentation
from Georgia Larson on the Greek
philosophical and cultural impact
on our politics of today. Georgia
cited many interesting facts and
PAGE 6
Orthodoxy 101
Questions for this months Orthodoxy 101 are mainly taken from
Orthodoxy A to Z for Students, by
Gayle E. Woloschak and are
mostly about what we as Orthodox
should know about Holy Week:
Palm Sunday through Pascha.
1. The Mystery of the Eucharist
was instituted by Christ on what
occasion?
a. On the way to Emmaus
b. At a celebration after His
entry into Jerusalem on Palm
Sunday
c. At the Wedding at Cana
d. The Lords Supper took
place on Holy Thursday at a
Passover dinner
siou, Roubanis, and more recently Desby, Zes, Bogdanos, and Cardiasmenos are familiar to most chanters and choir members.
While we all may have our particular preference in
liturgical music, it matters little whether it is a choir
of adult and children voices, congregational singing
accompanied with a beautiful organ that fills in the
four part voices, or the haunting melodies of Byzantine Chant inspired by years of study by men and
women who have learned the masterpieces of Byzantine Style associated with church history.
Our songs of praise are indeed, pleasing, not only to
our ears, but to Gods as well.
Freely adapted from the Orthodox Weekly Bulletin
c. Nazareth
d. Jerusalem
5. Who was Joseph of Arimathea?
a. One of Jesus step brothers;
Josephs son
b. One of the disciples present
at the crucifixion
c. He provided a new tomb for
Christs burial
d. He carried Christs cross
6. BONUS QUESTION: Who
were the sisters of Jesus friend
Lazarus?
a. Mary and Salome
b. Mary and Martha
c. Ioanna and Susanna
d. Elizabeth and Anna
Answers can be found on p. 24
PAGE 7
PAGE 8
PAGE 9
Also, we now have in the Bookstore the Arch Book series. The
books popular Bible stories
through fun-to-read rhymes and
bright illustrations. This well-loved
series captures the attention of
children, telling scripturally sound
stories that are enjoyable and easy
to remember. Ages 5-9; Grades K4. We have a great selection of
Arch books for the Lenten period
and for Pascha.
Kalo Pascha!
Marilyn Demas
Annunciation Bookstore
PAGE 10
Annunciation
Sewing Circle
Most of you know that the Annunciation Sewing Circle is
mostly a virtual sewing group
of ladies [men are welcome too
though] who knit, crochet, quilt,
or make/create fleece blankets
that are then donated to Project
Linus a National philanthropic
organization. The blankets are
given to infants and children in
crisis. By a virtual group I
mean that most of us make our
blankets on our own time, in our
own homes, and then bring the
finished item to the Annunciation
Bookstore. For those who are
new, we are located on the Alley
just across from the Hellenic
Center/Hall. That said, if you
would like to participate but are
rusty in skills, or would just like
to join us for coffee to get an idea
of what we are about, there are a
few of us who get together on
Tuesday mornings after 10:30
a.m. in the Bookstore to work on
projects. Most of the blankets we
make stay in Sacramento. If there
is a national need such with Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, our
Sacramento Chapter of Project
Linus sends what we have available and then we ladies get super
busy and work away so that we
can keep up with local demand.
Sadly, the need is ongoing and
great. Project Linus is so very
grateful to all of you who participate. We have a group of really
loving Angels, well, I think you
are all Angels, who do this work
!
24
25
.
,
. ,
.
.
,
.
.
8
.
.
PAGE 12
23 Hippo,
,
. 5:30.
.
30
.
Greek School
Kalo Pascha and Kali Anastasi! On March 24 we
celebrated Greek Independence Day March 25th with
our students. The celebration was great, due to your
childrens, our students, hard work and great enthusiasm. Congratulations to all the children for their
work but also to you the parents for supporting them!
In addition, in the month of April, we held parent
teacher conferences during which the students progress was discussed and feedback was given by both
the parents and the teachers.
Since February the teachers have attended weekly
educational seminars led by Mrs. Ioanna Lekkakos
with the support of the
parish council. The
seminars focus on
teachers growth in areas as development of
educational goals,
the usage of technology in the classroom
and more. Our teachers also participated in
the 8th educational
workshop for Greek
Language teachers at
St. Katherines church
in Elk Grove. Our
goal is our Greek
PAGE 13
PAGE 14
The only authentic basilica (an old Roman roofed hall, usually rectangular in shape just like our church) on the historic peninsula, this temple's three aisled
nave boasts several external buttresses to support the weight of its roof in addition to its mortar & brick walls. Though having undergone recent structural
restoration, the Protaton still remains the oldest church (hence the word, "protos" or "first") on the Holy Mountain, both built and frescoed in the glory of the
Paleologian renaissance.
PHOTO FOR THE MONTH OF MAY - The Protaton; Basilica dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God (10th century); Karyes,
Mount Athos
PAGE 15
19
26
Memorial Day
Office Closed
6 pm Parish Council
Meeting
27
20
13
12
Monday
10 am Agape Vespers
@ Annunciation
noon Agape Vespers @
Lincoln Property
Sunday
10:30 am Lesser
Blessing of Waters
11 am ASL Monthly
Lunch Meeting
Tuesday
28
21
14
7
7 pm Cretan Club
Meeting
4 pm Holy Unction
Service
7 pm Bridegroom
Service
Wednesday
http://www.annunciation.ca.goarch.org/
May
29
22
15
30
23
10 am ASL Board
Meeting
5:30 pm Greek School
6 pm Backpack
Assembly
16
10 am Divine Liturgy
of St. Basil
6 pm Backpack
Assembly
7 pm 12 Passion
Gospel reading
Thursday
24
17
10
18
11
25
31
4
10 am Vesperal Liturgy
of St. Basil
11 pm Vigil of Pascha
11:45 Anastasis;
Paschal Divine Liturgy
Saturday
10 am Royal Hours
3 pm Descent from
Cross
7 pm Lamentations
Service
Friday
2013
Youth Highlights
A recap of some of the Lenten adventures taken by our GOYA and Sunday School.
For more photos, visit our home page at www.annunciation.ca.goarch.org.
Sunday of the Holy Cross
Celebrating the Sunday of the Holy Cross, the Annunciation community warmly welcomed Greg Floor, the
Director of Admissions & Alumni Relations of Holy
Cross/Hellenic College in Brookline, Massachusetts,
the only accredited Orthodox institution of higher
learning in the United States. Mr. Floor was visiting
Orthodox parishes in the region, preaching on both the
apostolic as well as academic missions of our schools
to our youth.
PAGE 16
Greetings
from Sunday
School
PAGE 17
Attend Annunciations
Learning Liturgies!
After positive feedback, Annunciation will continue offering
"Learning Liturgies" to enhance
our understanding of our beautiful
faith and rituals. Last year, this
special service was conducted in
the church hall as a learning opportunity for Sunday School children. We encourage children - and
adults - to participate in these
services that provide an up-close
look and direct participation. The
instruction will be divided into 5
services, all begin at 10AM in the
Church Hall. Divine Liturgy will
be held simultaneously in
the Church.
The last Learning Liturgy for this
ecclesiastical year will be held on:
Sunday, May 12th: Anaphora,
Communion & Thanksgiving
PAGE 18
Oratorical Festival
Update: Congratulations Apostoli!!
For the first time in more than
four years, Annunciation Sacramento will be represented at the
San Francisco Metropolis Oratorical Festival.
Our very own Apostolos Delis
advanced to the District Competition in Modesto on April 14th.
He was selected as a finalist, and
now he will present his inspiring
speech on the symbolism
of "Light in the Orthodox Tradition" at
the San Francisco Metropolis event
at Saint Nicholas
Ranch. From there,
finalists advance to
the Archdiocesan
Festival in Detroit.
We wish him all the
best!
Philoptochos
Philoptochos Lenten Retreat was a
great prelude to Holy Week. Pres.
Jeannies in-depth presentation
about the Theotokos answered
questions that those in attendance
may have had. Hopefully it gives
us a better understanding of the
Theotokos and a new found
closeness to her, making the Theotokos more constant in our life
and everyday prayers. Thank you
to Dessi Chuchas for arranging the
retreat for all. Dessi worked many
weeks preparing the event making
it possible for all to enjoy Thank
you to the members that helped
Dessi.
The Philoptochos Palm Sunday
Luncheon was a nice way to be
with our family and friends to remember Christs coming to Jerusalem and prepare for our Great
Holy Week. Our thanks to Rula
Manikas for chairing this event
and preparing the nice lunch.
Thank you to those who helped
Rula.
May is Philoptochos elections for
a new board. If you would like to
run for the Philoptochos board
please contact me and I will let
PAGE 19
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PAGE 21
Stewardship
OPERATING FUND
2013 Budget
YTD
$150,532
$143,333
$67,459
$38,853
$217,991
$182,186
$122,985
$139,945
Program Services
$3,726
$5,190
$70,027
$58,170
Archdiocese
National Ministries
$24,874
$33,165
$221,612
$236,470
Pledges
All Other Revenue
Total Revenue
Expenses
PAGE 22
1/1/13 to
04/15/13
Income
Total Expense
Balance as of
-$3,621
04/15/13
$430,000
Pledged to Date
$296,484
Total Amount
Received
$150,532
Total Members
Pledged
337
other - to become good givers. However, "Good giving" is not something that just happens overnight. It
is the result of going through the spiritual exercise of
examining one's blessing, talents, and treasures, and
then lovingly returning to God's church, a portion of
that which God has blessed one with. In the end, we
must not ask ourselves "How much should I give?",
but rather "Am I giving my best gift?"
The Stewardship committee has adopted the 3% of
household income as a giving guide. If we take this
seriously and challenge each other to get to 3%, we
will easily realize our goal of funding the operating
budget through stewardship gifts. It should be noted
Pledge &
Giving Detail
Thomas & Shirle Adams
Nick & Shari Alexander
George Anastasopoulos
Helen Anderson
Geoffrey & Antonia Antipa
Demetrious & Maria Apostolidis
Milton & Panorea Apostolidis
Mary Apostolos
Paul & Elizabeth Arellanes
George Asimakopoulos
Nicholas & Nikki Avdis
Spyridon & Georgia Avdis
Elias & Jane Bardis
Helen K. Beaudry
Susan Bitar
Bill & Evelyn Bobolis
Stephanie Bobolis
Denny Boom
Alexander & Eleni Bourdaniotis
Magdalen K. Bourdaniotis
Paul & Kostandina Bourdaniotis
Marie Bravou
Rhea & Daniel Brunner
Anna Brusco
Andrew & Bethany Burrows
Katherine Buttacavoli
Andonia Cakouros
Jenny Calabrese
Larry & Anna Carr
Peter & Fotine Casheros
John & Georgia Cazanis
Dean Chalios
Tim & Antonia Chapralis
Timmy & Penny Chatzis
Jack & Bessie Chesson
Tony & Kathi Chrisopoulos
John & Annette Christopulos
George & Melinda Chuchas
James & Despina Chuchas
James & Toula Clubb
PAGE 23
Georgia Larson
Andrea Lendaris
Gary & Irina Leonard
Theodore Leonis
Maria Liondakis
Elena Livanis
Jesus & Helen Loaiza
Lance & Kathy Loper
Helen Loris
Marie Loris
Alice Loris-Lyons
Chris & Christine Lovett
Richard & Mary Lydon
Frank & Nicolette Madrid
Geraldine Magers
Chris & Maro Maguire
Thomas & Yiota Makris
Jim & Julie Mamalis
Athanasia Manikas
Exaveria (Rula) Manikas
Katherine Manolakas
Sam & Kerry Manolakas
Timothy & Annette Manolis
Athanasios & Stella Manolopoulos
George & Marina Mantis
Tino Manus
Antigoni Marcos
Katherine Marefos
Steve & Katherine Margaris
Nellie Margarite
Sylvia Maritsas
Nia Marketos
Helen Markos
Dennis & Nancy Marks
Desiree Debbie Marks
Ellen & Jonathon Martin
Jon Martino
Varghese & Elisabeth Mathew
Antonios & Maria Mavroforakis
Vaso Mayer
Roger Mc Elligott
John & Vicki Meers
Sam & Olympia Mercuris
Helen & Lawrence Michel
Pamela & Edward Middleton
Jack & Marque Molodanof
Norman & Ellen (Moustris)
Newman
George & Gaye Nicholau
Howard & Stella Norris
Frank Nunes
Daniel & Kathryn O'Connell
Fred & Vera Pagel
Peter & Gina Pandelopoulos
Peter & Marie Pantages
Effie Pantelias
Maria Pantis
Yianni & Kelly Pantis
John & Margaret Papadakis
John Papagiannopoulos
Bessie Papailias
Martha Papailias
Louie & Voula Pappas
Mary A. Pappas
Paris & Helen Paraskevas
Jerry & Catherine Pavlatos
Constantine & Brigid Perakis
PAGE 24
Denise Perinati
Paul & Shirley Peters
Diane Petersen
Gus & Lillian Petrakos
Stella & Michael Petrucci
Fotis & Tammy Petsalis
Costa Piperakis
Marina & Alin Podoreanu
Dorotheia Pooler
Bogdan & Valentina Popescu
Bessie Pothos
Sophia Potiris
Helen Poulos
Lucky & Dina Poulos
Karen Poulos-Firth
Charles Price
Marshall & Carole Pryor
Helen Psihopaidas
Dusan Radosavljevic
Julie & Greg Rausser
Father James & Barbara Retelas
Father Timothy & Pres. Marsha Robinson
Antonia Rogers
Demetri & Malamo Romas
John & Penny Romas
Helen Rotas
Nicholas & Carol Rotas
George & Mary Roussas
Joan Saetes
Leo & Katherine Sampanis
Milton & Rheanon Sarlis
Speros & Panayiota Sarlis
Daniela & Andrew Schmidt
Frances Sellas
Thomas Sellas
Ralph & Vassie Sett
Mary & Maurice Silva
Alex & Lia Sioukas
John & Tina Sobol
Nicole & John Spomer
Demetrios Spyridakis
Stylianos & Klea Spyridakis
Vasilios Spyridakis
Dessie & Sam Stamas
Jan Stathis
Merle Stathis
Bess Stathos
Mary Leona Stathos
Tony & Mary Stathos
Maria Stefanou
Little Joe Stevens
Art & Terre Terzakis
Effie Theodor
Ourania Theodor
Sophie Theodore
Gregory & Mary Theophilopoulos
Brent Thiese
Pearl Thomas
Steven Tingus
Loris & Paula Titus
Jerry & Marian Trapp
Angelo & Sofia Tsakopoulos
Drosoula Tsakopoulos
Sofia Tsakopoulos
Jasmine & Jude Turczynski
Anna Tzikas
George & Margo Tzikas
Antiope Tzouras
George & Traya Vallas
James & Faye Vallas
Michael Vasile
Rena Vasile
Mary Vasos
Nick & Christina Vathis
Vasilis & Judy Verrios
Loukia Vlahos
Michael Vlamis
Pavlo Voresis
Strati Vourakis
Lillian Vrakas
Douglas & Donna Wagner
Richard & Valentina Watts
Maria Kostidou Workman
Jerry & Elaine Wright
Theodora Yazigi
Andreas & Becky Yerocostas
Anestis & Areti Yiaslas
Athanasios Yiaslas
Haig & Irene Zeronian
Sophia Zogopoulos
April Milestones
Funerals
Apr. 9 - Katherine Papadogianis
Apr. 24 - Nick Eliopoulos
Apr. 29 - Evelyn Jouganatos
Memorials
Apr. 7 - Timothy Stathos (1 year)
Apr. 7 - Matina Stathos (15 years)
Apr. 7 - John Tzouras (40 days)
Apr. 14 - Tony Manos (6 months)
Apr. 21 - Manuel D. Fotos (3 years)
Apr. 21 - Aphrodite Exadactelou (3 years)
Unless otherwise noted, all services begin with Matins at 8:30 am, followed by the Divine Liturgy.
Bright Monday, May 6th
St. George the Great Martyr
Bright Tuesday, May 7th
10:30 am - Lesser Blessing of the Waters (ASL
Luncheon)
Bright Friday, May 10th
The Theotokos of the Life-Giving Spring
Tuesday, May 21st
Sts. Constantine & Helen, Equal to the Apostles
Holy Week
Lazarus Saturday, April 27th
8:30 am - Orthros & Divine Liturgy
6 pm - Great Vespers for Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday, April 28th
8:30 am - Orthros & Divine Liturgy
7 pm - Bridegroom Service
Holy Monday, April 29th
7 pm - Bridegroom Service
Holy Tuesday, April 30th
10 am - Presanctified Liturgy
7 pm - Bridegroom Service
Holy Wednesday, May 1st
4 pm - Anointing Service
7 pm - Bridegroom Service
Holy Thursday, May 2nd
10 am - Divine Liturgy of St. Basil
7 pm - Reading of Twelve Passion Gospels
Altar Guild
The following members will be decorating the icons for the month of April.
The purpose of this guild is to decorate the icons used during the Sunday
liturgies and special Holy Days.
If you would like to donate money toward flowers in honor or in memory
of a loved one, please contact our
Church Office at 916-443-2033.
Liturgical Schedule
PAGE 25
Advertisements
1910 J Street
Sacramento, CA
(916) 443-2862
PAGE 26
MONTHLY
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Full
Page
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Quarter
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PASCHA 2013
EASTER PICNIC
@ THE LINCOLN PROPERTY
Sunday, May 5
7:00 A.M.
Agape Vespers will be celebrated under the Old Oak Tree at 12:00noon
FESTIVITIES, INCLUDING KIDS ACTIVITIES UNTIL DUSK
FOOD & DRINKS WILL NOT BE SOLD AT THE PICNIC SITE
GENERAL ADMISSION: $ 10.00, MAXIMUM COST PER CAR: $40
For more information call:
George Koufasimis 916.453.1776, Peter Pandelopoulos 916.601.9103
DIRECTIONS
4775 Moore Rd. Lincoln CA 95668
Hwy 80 towards Reno, exit Hwy 65 North towards Lincoln
Left on Twelve Bridges, Left on Industrial Blvd.
Right on Athens rd., Right on Fiddyment
Left on Moore, Left on Ferrera
PAGE 27
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 700
Sacramento, CA
PAGE 28