Getting to know your Bible TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS Father’s Article ........................... 1 Stewardship ................................ 3 Parish Registry ........................... 3 Renovation Project .................... 4 Philoptochos News .................... 5 Fanari Camp Pics ....................... 6 Vacation Church School ........... 7 Floga Dance Troupe .................. 8 PTA News ................................... 9 Archangels Academy ........... 9,10 Golf Outing.......................... 11,12 Ενοριακά Νέα ......................... 13 Saint of the Month .............. 14,15 Liturgical Schedule ................. 16 Εκκλ. Ημερολόγιo .................. 17

ST. SPYRIDON HELLENIC ORTHODOX

CHURCH

12307 S. RIDGELAND AVE. PALOS HEIGHTS, IL 60463

WWW. SAINT -SPYRIDON.ORG

Getting to know your Bible One really gets a feel for where our youth is in terms of their faith when

spending a week at Fanari Camp. I am writing this article on the fourth

day of camp, and while craving a little peace and quiet, the experience is

both fulfilling and enlightening. Fulfilling because it is quite a blessing to

witness our young campers and counselors praying together, praising

God with songs and smiling faces, forming precious memories and life-

long friendships. At the same time, the enlightening part comes at how

much work we need to do to offer these young people the tools they will

need to sustain and grow their identity as Orthodox Christians.

The theme this week was biblical, studying the four evangelists as the

doorways to Christ. Generally, the campers were eager to learn and curi-

ous about how the stories of the Bible are all connected with each other.

We spent a lot of time connecting the dots between Adam and Eve, Noah

and the Ark, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the prophets, Jesus Christ and

His disciples. We shuffled between Genesis and Exodus, the four gospels

and the book of Revelation.

In so doing, however, we also realized that the children’s biblical

knowledge is very limited. They lack basic understanding of the main

characters and structure of the Bible and were unfamiliar with the bibli-

cal premise of sin, redemption and holiness. To the question of ‘what

your favorite Bible book or passage is’ most of them did not have one,

signifying that the reading of scripture is not part of their everyday expe-

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rience.

This is not the fault of the children of course. It is rather symptomatic of

the fact that the Bible is rarely central in the family home. The small

amount of Sunday religious education that perhaps could provide an en-

try point into further study of the scriptures is not reinforced during the

rest of the week. One can make the point that our Sunday School covers

so many topics other than scripture, but the truth of the matter is that the

bible is central to everything, including worship, doctrine, church history

and the lives of the saints.

So we tried to instill in our campers and hopefully to all who will read

these thoughts that biblical ignorance makes us extremely vulnerable to

proselytizing by evangelical groups who use their biblical training to

place doubts in us about our Orthodox Faith. Those who claim to be ex-

pert interpreters of the Bible because they can quote chapter and verse,

easily impress and manipulate our young people into believing that Or-

thodoxy is not biblically sound. Consequently, many are convinced that

sacraments, icons, relics, and rituals are unnecessary, and as it was men-

tioned in last month’s article, they often opt for the entertaining and

seemingly ‘authentic’ forms of religious experiences.

It is urgent that we and our young people be armed with scripturally

based arguments to counter the proselytizing deception that they will

meet in their everyday life. We need to be educated in how the scriptures

are the foundation in everything that we do as a church. Why not know

chapter and verse in countering the misinterpretations, omissions, and

deceptions of those who wish to snatch our young people like wolves in

sheep’s clothing?

Somehow, as Orthodox Christians, we have been convinced that concen-

trating on the Bible is a protestant thing. Nothing can be further from the

truth. As Orthodox we own the Bible. All the great and holy interpreters

of the scriptures are the Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church. As Greek

Orthodox we have an even greater advantage since so much of the origi-

nal text was written in the Greek language. The Orthodox Church deter-

mined what would be in the Bible in the 4th century and holds the key to

its understanding. The Orthodox Church lives the bible in worship,

prayer, dogma, church architecture, hymnology, saints, history, even in

our family, our workplace, and in our every day lives.

Therefore, let the Bible be the foundation of managing your home and

family. Let it be readily available on your nightstand, your desktop, and

your kid’s phone and tablet. Let us be aware of the biblical foundation of

our faith, the correct interpretation of the scriptures revealed to us

through the centuries, the evidence of the high place the Bible holds in all

that we do as Orthodox Christians. During these summer months, take

advantage of the downtime to open the Bible at your home, read a chap-

ter every day from both the New and Old Testaments, pick a book or pas-

sage that you will call your favorite or most meaningful to you, make it

central in your life and in the life of those around you. It will be extreme-

ly helpful and beneficial in all that you do for the glory of God. Amen.

2 The Voice

The Voice - H ΦΩNH Official Monthly

Community Publication of St. Spyridon

Hellenic Orthodox Church 12307 S. Ridgeland Avenue

Palos Heights, IL 60463

REV. FR. TILEMAHOS ALIKAKOS

PROTOPRESBYTER

Church Office Hours:................. Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Phone:................................ 708-385-2311 or 2313 Fax: ................................................. 708-385-0166 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.Saint-Spyridon.org

Parish Council Officers James Korbakes .................................. President Konstantine Labraκis ................ Vice-President George Papadopoulos ................Vice President Frank Kopanis ................................... Secretary James Xeros ........................ Assistant Secretary Gus Kolyvas ........................................ Treasurer Nicholas Chibucos ............ Assistant Treasurer

Auxiliary Officers Angelo Angelos .................................... Chanter Toula Georgiopoulos ................... Philoptochos Tessie Jones ................................................ P.T.A. Kiki Kazazakis..........................................Kentro Lambrini Stavrou ..... Plutarchos Greek School Jan Prible ....................... Archangels Academy Zoe Kopanis ................Sunday School Director Nicky Glikis ................................ Choir Director Presvytera Georgia .... G.O.Y.A. & Jr. G.O.Y.A. Debbie Petrakos .................................... Cherubs Demetria Papadopoulos ......................... HOPE Fr. Tilemahos ........................... Byzantine Music Panagiotis Mihalopoulos ............. Iconography Fr. Tilemahos ....................................Bible Study Tammy Stamus .......................... Handmaidens Nick Chibucos & Labros Malfas .... Altar Boys Angelo Angelos ............................ Greek Dance John Farsatis & Zachary Bousies........ Athletics Angelo Angelos ............... Floga Dance Troupe Effie Papadopoulos ..................... Church Office Soteria Simantirakis ...........................Custodian

“And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

3 St. Spyridon Hellenic Orthodox Church

STEWARDSHIP 2018

Consider for a minute the original usage of the

term "steward." Our English word steward comes

from the Greek word oikonomos, and literally

means "house manager." Oikonomia, or steward-

ship, literally refers to the management of a

household. Stewardship is a task, a responsibility

bestowed on one person by another - usually by a

master. Our Lord used the terms steward and

servant frequently, as recorded in the Gospels. St. Paul uses them the

same way in his epistles. In I Peter, every Christian is charged to "be a

good steward of God's grace." (I Peter 4:10) St. Ignatius of Antioch told

the faithful that they were "stewards in God's house, members of His

household, and His servants." (Epistle to Polycarp, 99) He holds these

three aspects of our way of life in dynamic tension: being stewards, being

members of God's household, and being servants. St. Ignatius can en-

courage us to toil, suffer, run, and rest, because these important aspects

constitute our way of life as Christians.

Stewardship does not mean being hit up for an annual pledge to the

Church. It is not being enlisted in a financial campaign for the new build-

ing. It is not even tithing. Rather, it is a well-rounded view of life and an

incarnation of that view based on theology and ecclesiology – the giving

of time and talent and treasure. Thus stewardship is a state of being. It is

based in service. The steward is in the employ of his master. Therefore

the most important aspect of being a steward is serving.

Stewardship Goal: 400 Stewards

200

100

300

Year

to date

260

Mr. & Mrs. John Booras Mr. & Mrs. Dimitrios Flaskos Ms. Kaliope Flaskos Mr. & Mrs. Konstantinos Kallas Mr. & Mrs. Peter Klioris Mrs. Irene Lamonto Mr. & Mrs. Harry Les

Mr. Philip Papamakarios Mrs. Despina Petropoulos Mr. George Patrianakos Mr. Marino Petropoulos Ms. Rita Sperlakis Mr. & Mrs. Kostas Stergiopoulos

STEWARDS 2018-MAY 21ST-JUNE 26TH

STEWARDSHIP GOALS 400 STEWARDS

Invite your family and friends to become Stewards of our parish.

AVERAGE STEWARDSHIP GOAL: $50/month or $600/year

Our current average Stewardship is $430, ranging from $250 to $3,600 annually.

Please help us reach our stewardship goal!

WEDDINGS On June 2nd, George Maglaris and

Anastasia Panouses were joined

together in the sacrament of mar-

riage. Their sponsors were George

Likouresis and Dina Les.

On June 3rd, Nicholas Lallios and

Effie Siomos were joined together

in the sacrament of marriage. Their

sponsors were Mr. & Mrs. John

Vitogiannis.

BAPTISMS The son of Mr. & Mrs. James

Voutiritsas was baptized on June

9th and given the name Thomas

James. Mr. Athanasios Perros and

Ms. Maria Perros were the godpar-

ents.

The son of Mr. & Mrs. Brian Per-

kins was baptized on June 23rd

and given the name Constantinos.

His godparents were Anna Ba-

doian and Alexander Peed.

MEMORIALS

Sunday, June 3rd

†Konstantinos Demacopoulos

Sunday, June 10th

† Maria Ketsios

†218 victims of Distomo Holocaust

Sunday, June 17th

† Sam Bisbikis

†Theodore Bechrakis

† Ioannis Karayanis

† Konstantina Kaye

† Evgenia Chrysanthopoulos

† Dimitrios Chrysanthopoulos

Sunday, June 24th

† James Meintanis

† Panayiota Meintanis

† John Meintanis

PARISH REGISTRY

4 The Voice

RESTORATION PROJECT SPECIAL APPEAL

In preparation of our

centennial, a great

number of building

projects were accom-

plished to prepare

our church edifice.

While these projects

were essential for

proper maintenance,

they were also neces-

sary to welcome the

thousands of faithful

who attended our

centennial celebra-

tion in a safe and

dignified fashion.

In the church proper,

we were able to com-

plete our church ico-

nography. The walls

were hand-cleaned and new decorative wallpaper was added around the pews. The dome, the narthex, and

choir loft were repainted and lit with new LED lighting. The exterior church dome panels were sealed and re-

painted. The bell towers were completely renovated, and our bell from the old church rang once again in time

for our 100th Paschal celebration.

The community center was finally renovated with a new stage and storage enclosure while receiving new paint

and lighting. The parapet roofs and bricks were restored, and a new flashing system will keep our walls safe

from moisture. Our church offices were renovated with new carpeting, ceiling and lighting. The monument

sign was rebuilt, and three flagpoles were added to showcase the American, Greek, and City of Palos Heights

flags. These projects were accomplished with the help of our dedicated volunteers and your kind generosity.

We now appeal to you to help us with our next project whose purpose is to beautify our exterior landscaping

and to remove excess moisture from our church foundation. The existing pavers that surround the church are

trapping water and heave to the point of blocking access to our building. After several bids, Achilles Inc. was

granted the contract with the projected cost of $130,000. All the permits have been attained and construction will

begin in mid-July and will finish by mid-August.

The pavers all around the church proper will be replaced with cement, while some decorative pavers will be

placed by the front church doors. All the landscaping will remain in place, but the existing red stone borders will

be replaced by curbs. The front curb will become a long ramp while two ramps will be placed by the north en-

trance. The ramps serve to give us the proper pitch for water to drain out to the parking lot. One of the main

elements of the project will be that the three northside church down spouts will be funneled underground so

they can drain by the parking lot. All around, the church will have better drainage which will keep water away

from the building and make it safer for all our parishioners.

A special appeal with a donation envelope will be mailed out to all of you. We hope and pray that through your

response to this special appeal you can help beautify our parish home and make it safe for generations to come.

Blue Prints for our Construction Project


Dear Parishioners and Friends, Greetings!

On Friday, June 1st we hosted the Philoxenia Luncheon after the Divine

Liturgy. As always, it was a great event!

Philoptochos sisters from around the country will be attending the Na-

tional Convention in Boston taking place July 1-5. The theme for the 44th

Biennial Clergy – Laity Congress will be, “All things are possible to him

who believes,” from the Gospel of Mark.

Philoptochos delegates will learn about new Educational Initiatives de-

signed to serve our members and our parish communities through

presentations on Bullying, Opioid Addiction, Women’s Health, Inclusion

Ministries and Using Technology Safely.

We will look forward to learning more about these topics that affect our

every day life in society.

FESTIVAL 2018 With your love and dedication we will have a very successful Festival

again this year. We want to thank the ladies of our Philoptochos and our

entire community for assisting with the preparations before and will as-

sist during the two days of the Festival. A special “Thank You” to all the

ladies who so willingly donated the delicious home baked pastries for

this event.

Kathy and Olga are distributing signing sheets for scheduling for Satur-

day and Sunday. Please talk to them and let them know of your availabil-

ity. With the arrival of summer, dear friends, we will enjoy and marvel

the beauty of nature as we cultivate our flower gardens, our vegetable

gardens or just enjoying the sunny and long days of summer. Some of

you will travel abroad to exotic places, others will visit relatives and

friends in Greece; wherever your destination takes, you, I wish you a safe

trip and an enjoyable summer!

With Sisterly Agape, Toula Georgiopoulos, Philoptochos President

PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS

6 The Voice

FANARI CAMP PICS

Proud of all our Saint Spyridon Fanari Campers


VACATION CHURCH SCHOOL 2018 Our Saint Spyridon Vacation

church school took place in

June. The theme was Passport

to Peru, discovering God’s good

gifts.

We had 18 incoming kindergar-

ten to fifth graders attending

camp.

We learned that God gives us

comfort, God gives us patience,

God gives us peace, God gives

us love, and God gives us joy.

We are thankful for Tessie Jones

for a great week at church

camp. Enjoy the rest of the

summer.

FANARI CAMP PICS

Thirty of our Saint Spyridon youth enjoyed their week at Fanari Camp hosted at the Saint Iakovos Camp and Retreat Center in Wisconsin. The camp runs for four week during the summer, offering the campers oppor-tunities for learning, fellowship, and an all-around beautiful Orthodox experience. Please continue to keep the Fanari Camp and the Saint Iakovos Retreat Center in your prayers and on your list for giving and volunteering opportunities.

FLOGA DANCE TROUPE

8 The Voice

Our newest youth ministry at Saint Spyridon is our Floga Dance Troupe. Teenagers from Saint Spyridon and

other southside parishes come together every week to practice traditional Greek dances and songs taught by Mr.

Angelo Angelos. With some assistance from our generous sponsors, all our members purchased their own cos-

tumes of Roumeliotisa for the girls and Epiroti for the

boys. The first performance of our Floga dancers was

given at the Holy Cross Festival on June 23rd. The

troupe is looking forward to performing at Saint Spyri-

don festival, as well as the festivals at Sts. Constantine &

Helen and at Assumption in Homer Glen. We are look-

ing for sponsors to help our Floga Dance Troupe as we

are planning to participate at the Midwest Hellenic

Dance Festival this coming October. For more infor-

mation on how to join or if you wish to offer a donation,

please contact Fr. Tilemahos.


P.T.A. NEWS On Sunday June 3rd, we hosted our Family Fun

Night at Bourbon Street. We had a great turn out and

everyone had fun.

We would like to thank Demetria Papadopoulos for

all her hard work arranging this event. We would

also like to thank Bourbon Street, all those that

attended, and those who donated for our wonderful

Raffle. We had over 20 great prizes!

The wax hands, jumpy, and crafts were fun for the

children and we all enjoyed a night of dancing as

well. We look forward to seeing you at our Fest on

July 7th and 8th.

Have a great summer!

Tessie Jones, PTA President

ARCHANGELS ACADEMY

LOOKING FORWARD TO THE 2018-2019SCHOOL YEAR Our 13th Summer Camp was held June 4th—15th and was a great! Thank you to our wonderful camp volun-

teers.

We hope that everyone is enjoying their families and the beautiful summer weather.

As the school year approaches we, at Archangels Academy, have been very busy preparing for the upcoming

year. Parents should be looking in the mail for the beginning of the year information that will be send home in

early August. Included in the packet will be the school calendar.

WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO A WONDERFUL SCHOOL YEAR!!!

10 The Voice

ARCHANGELS ACADEMY SUMMER CAMP


GOLF OUTING 2018

12 The Voice

St. Spyridon’s 21st annual golf outing and dinner social took place on Tuesday, June 5th. The day was filled with

fellowship as participants enjoyed golfing, continental breakfast, lunch, BBQ buffet dinner, and a prize-filled

raffle. The hole in one contest to win a new Hyundai Sonata was exciting to try for all.

Congratulations to John Perakis for winning the closest to the pin contest with the air-canon fundraising ma-

chine. Peter Makris won longest putt and Patrick Cullen was closest to the pin. Jim Tourloukis won the longest

drive contest. Gus Kolyvas, Paul Manolitsis, Dr. Chris Kolyvas, Peter Kolyvas and Sophia Jaskowiec won the

best team golf score contest.

This important fundraiser helps support our St. Spyridon’s Church Building Fund. Last year’s donations helped

repair damaged exterior wall brick areas and roof drainage systems around the Church. This year’s donations

will help fund the paver and walkways drainage project. The project is anticipated to cost $130,000. Construc-

tion will begin after our annual festival on the week of July 9th.

Please contact the Church office to make a donation as funds are still needed to help pay for the project.

HOLE-IN-ONE SPONSORS: All Girls Transportation Gus & Maria Danos Odyssey Country Club Oliver’s Bar & Grill

EAGLE SPONSORS: World Huyndai Matteson

BIRDIE SPONSORS: Afina Insurance Dennis Wholesale Foods Eliacostas Painting Inc. First Midwest Bank Kopanis Family Les Brothers Restaurants Nealey Foods Orrico Kourelis Funeral Serivces Prasino Engineering, LLC State Farm, Phil Cali Town Realty LLC Tria Architecture, Inc.

BREAKFAST SPONSORS: Les Brothers Restaurants State Farm, Phil Cali Town Realty LLC Tria Architecture, Inc.

LUNCH SPONSORS: Gus & Maria Danos Nealey Foods

DINNER SPONSORS: Gus & Maria Danos

MANY THANKS TO OUR GOLF SPONSORS

BEVERAGE CART SPONSORS Afina Insurance Dennis Wholesale Foods First Midwest Bank Prasino Engineering, LLC

HOLE SPONSORS: 95TH STREET PRODUCE MARKET

AJAX LINEN & UNIFORM

ALL GIRLS TRANSPORTATION ANTHONY'S RESTAURANT & PUB DR. THEODORE G. BECHRAKIS

ANGELO BESBEKOS MARK BESBEKOS

ELENI BIZOUKAS BLUEBERRY HILL BREAKFAST CAFÉ

BRICKSTONE RESTAURANT G & S BUS REBUILDERS

CARLSON, MIKUZIS & TAYLOR, INC

CHICAGOLAND EQUIPMENT

CRESTWOOD AUTO REPAIR DIXMOOR FRUIT & MEAT MARKET EGG MAN RESTAURANT ELIACOSTAS PAINTING, INC FRESHLINE FOODS, INC. BILL & TOYLA GEORGIOPOULOS GEORGIOS BANQUETS GRAND RIDGE NATIONAL BANK HILLS FUNERAL HOME HOMETOWN DENTAL CARE THE HRONIS FAMILY HUCK FIN RESTAURANT JULLIANNI'S PIZZERIA & PUB

KALLEMEYN AUTO REBUILDERS

JIM KORBAKES

JUDGE DEMETRIOS KOTTARAS

KAVOORAS & BOUZIOS CPA'S

KEFI GREEK CUISINE - BAR STELIOS & MARIA KETSIOS FRANK KOPANIS & FAMILY DINO LABRAKIS & FAMILY LOUIE’S CHOP HOUSE LUMES PANCAKE HOUSE MORSE FRESH MARKET

NEALEY FOODS

NICKS BBQ, THE PLACE FOR RIBS

OLIVER'S BAR AND GRILL

OLYMPIC STAR RESTAURANT ONDRAS CHIROPRACTIC

ORRICO KOURELIS FUNERAL EMANUEL PAPADOPOULOS GEORGE A. PAPPAS

PARHAS & ASSOCIATES, LTD. THE PATIO RESTAURANT GROUP PERAKIS JOHN

PETE'S PRODUCE

PROVIDENCE BANK SKARPATHIOTIS PEDIATRICS

SPIRRCO REAL ESTATE

STIFEL, NICOLAUS & COMPANY

TASOS PANAGIOTOPOULOS

TASSOS OLIVES

THANASOURAS COMMERCIAL PR

TONY & GEORGIA VOURIS & SONS

WINDY CITY SUBS

YPV DISTRIBUTION

GOLF OUTING 2018


Η ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΣΠΥΡΙΔΩΝΑ ΧΡΕΙΑΖΕΤΑΙ ΤΗΝ ΣΥΝΔΡΟΜΗ ΣΑΣ

Ευχαριστούμε τις 260

οικογένειες που εκπλήρωσαν

την συνδρομή τους για το έτος

2018. Σας παρακαλούμε να

ανανεώσετε την συνδρομή σας

το γρηγορώτερο δυνατόν.

Χρειαζόμαστε την βοήθεια και

την υποστήρηξη όλων σας.

ΤΟ ΦΕΣΤΙΒΑΛ ΤΗΣ ΕΝΟΡΙΑΣ ΜΑΣ

7η & 8η Ιουλίου, 2018 Το ετήσιο Φεστιβάλ της Ενορίας μας θα γίνει στις

7 και 8 Ιουλίου. Μην ξεχνάτε ότι από την επιτυχία

του Φεστιβάλ εξαρτώνται κατά πολύ τα

προγράμματα της Ενορίας μας. Ζητάμε την

βοήθεια όλων σας για τις προετοιμάσιες, καθώς

και για την προώθηση των λαχείων. Μόνο με την

αγάπη, την βοήθεια και την υποστήριξή σας το

Φεστιβάλ θα έχει επιτυχία. Για περισσότερες

πληροφορίες επικοινωνήσατε με το γραφείο της

Εκκλησίας μας.

Επίσης μήν ξεχάστε να υποστηρίξετε και τις

γειτονικές ενορίες όταν τελούν΄τά δικά τους

πανηγύρια.

Ι. Ν. Κοιμήσεως της Θεοτόκου, Homer Glen, IL

21η & 22η Ιουλίου, 2018

Ι.Ν. Αγίων Κωνσταντίνου και Ελένης, Palos Hills

18η & 19η Αυγούστου, 2018

ΕΝΟΡΙΑΚΑ ΝΕΑ

ΕΙΔΙΚΟΣ ΕΡΑΝΟΣ Ανάμεσα στά όσα τελεί η εκκλησία είναι

πάντοτε η ευπρέπεια του οίκου του Κυρίου.

Πρόσφατα η ενορία μας ετέλεσε πολλά έργα

με συνδυασμόν της 100ης επετείου. Η

εικονογραφία της εκκλησίας, καθαρισμόν,

βάψιμο, και φωτισμό στην εκκλησία και στο

κοινοτικό κέντρο, διακόσμηση του

γυμναστηρίου, των γραφείων, του μνημείου,

και τοποθέτηση της Ελληνικής σημαίας

μπροστά στο ναό μας, όλα ετελέσθησαν με

τον δικό σας οβολό.

Φέτος θα πρέπει να τελειώσουμε την

εξωτερική επισκευή και διακόσμηση του

ναού με προσθετο κόστος που θα φθάσει τις

$130,000. Η εργασία αυτή θα τελεσθεί τον

Ιούλιον μήνα και θα τελειώσει, πρώτα ο

Θεός, πρίν της Παναγίας. Θα αλλαχτούν

κράσπεδα και τα πεζοδρόμια, βάζοντας

τριμέντο και υπόνομους για τα νερά της

βροχής. Θα βάλουμε επίσης και πρόσθετες

προσβάσεις για αναπήρους.

Παρακαλούμε όπως στείλετε το δώρο σας

στο κοινοτικό γραφείο της ενορίας. Πάντοτε

έχετε υποστηρίξει την ενορία μας, και

ελπίζουμε πως θα μας βοηθήσετε και πάλι

για να συνεχήσει η ενορία μας το θεάρεστο

αυτής έργο. Σας ευχαριστούμε για τις

ακατάλειπτες προσευχές και βοήθεια σας

προς την Εκκλησία μας και σας ευχόμεθα

κάθε ευλογία εξ’ Ύψους.

ΑΛΛΑΓΗ ΣΤΗΝ ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΗ ΤΟΥ ΜΗΝΙΑΙΟΥ ΠΕΡΙΟΔΙΚΟΥ Αρχίζοντας το φθινόπωρο, το μηνιαίο τούτο περιοδικό θα στέλεται στα σπίτια ή τις επιχειρήσεις των συνδρομιτών μόνον επί ζήτηση. Αλλιώς θα μπορείτε να το λαμβάνετε στην εκκλησία η στην ιστιοσελίδα μας. Θα έχουμε αντίτυπα στο παγκάρι, στο κοινοτικό γραφείο, και στην κοινοτική αίθουσα. Αν θέλετε να συνεχίσουμε την ταχυδρόμηση του περιοδικού, σας παρακαλούμε να μας ειδοποιήσετε πρίν την 1ην Οκτωβρίου 2018. Θα είναι ευχαρίστησή μας να συνεχίσουμε να το ταχυδρομούμε σε όσους το ζητήσουν.

14 The Voice

ST. IRENE CHRYSOVALANTOU

Saint Irene was the daughter of a

wealthy family from Cappadocia, and

was born in the ninth century.

After the death of her husband Theophi-

lus, the empress Theodora ruled the

Byzantine Empire as regent for her

young son Michael. Saint Theodora

(February 11) helped to defeat the icon-

oclast heresy, and to restore the holy

icons. We commemorate this Triumph

of Orthodoxy on the first Sunday of

Great Lent.

When Michael was twelve years of age,

Saint Theodora sent messengers

throughout the Empire to find a suitably

virtuous and refined girl to be his wife.

Saint Irene was chosen, and she agreed

to the marriage. While passing Mt.

Olympus in Asia Minor, Irene asked to

stop so she could receive the blessing of

Saint Joannicius (November 4), who

lived on the mountain. The saint, who

showed himself only to the most worthy

pilgrims, foresaw the arrival of Saint

Irene, and also her future life.

The holy ascetic welcomed her and told

her to proceed to Constantinople, where

the women’s monastery of Chrys-

ovalantou had need of her. Amazed at

his clairvoyance, Irene fell to the ground

and asked Saint Joannicius for his bless-

ing. After blessing her and giving her

spiritual counsel, he sent her on her

way.

When the party arrived in Constantino-

ple, Irene’s relatives met her with great

ceremony. Since “the steps of a man are

rightly ordered by the Lord” (Ps.

36/37:23), God arranged for Michael to

marry another girl a few days before, so

that Irene might be free to become a

bride of Christ. Far from being disap-

pointed, Irene rejoiced at this turn of

events.

Remembering the words of Saint Joan-

nicius, Irene visited the Monastery of

Chrysovalantou. She was so impressed

by the nuns and their way of life that

she freed her slaves and distributed her

wealth to the poor. She exchanged her

fine clothing for the simple garb of a

nun, and served the sisters with great

humility and obedience. The abbess was

impressed with the way that Irene per-

formed the most menial and disagreea-

ble tasks without complaint.

Saint Irene often read the Lives of the

Saints in her cell, imitating their virtues

to the best of her ability. She often stood

in prayer all night with her hands raised

like Moses on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 17:11-

13). Saint Irene spent the next few years

in spiritual struggles defeating the as-

saults of the demons, and bringing forth

the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians

5:22-23).

When the abbess sensed the approach of

death, she told the other nuns that they

should not accept anyone but Irene as

the new abbess. Irene was not told of

the abbess’s instructions, and when she

died the community sent representa-

tives to go and seek the advice of the

patriarch, Saint Methodius (June 14). He

asked them whom they wanted as their

superior. They replied that they be-

lieved he would be guided by the Holy

Spirit. Without knowing of the late ab-

bess’s instructions to the nuns, he asked

if there was a humble nun by the name

of Irene in their monastery. If so, he

said, they should choose her. The nuns

rejoiced and gave thanks to God. Saint

Methodius elevated Irene to the rank of

abbess and advised her how to guide

those in her charge.

Returning to the monastery, Irene

prayed that God would help her to care

for those under her, and redoubled her

own spiritual efforts. She displayed

great wisdom in leading the nuns, and

received many revelations from God to

assist her in carrying out her duties. She

also asked for the gift of clairvoyance so

that she would know what trials await-

ed her nuns. Thus, she was in a better

position to give them the proper advice.

She never used this knowledge to em-

barrass others, but only to correct their

confessions in a way which let them

know that she possessed certain spiritu-

al gifts.

Although Saint Irene performed many

miracles during her life, let us mention

only one. On great Feasts it was her

habit to keep vigil in the monastery

courtyard under the starry skies. Once,

a nun who was unable to sleep left her

cell and went into the courtyard. There

she saw Abbess Irene levitating a few

feet above the ground, completely ab-

sorbed in prayer. The astonished nun

also noticed that two cypress trees had

bowed their heads to the ground, as if in

homage. When she finished praying,

Irene blessed the trees and they re-

turned to their upright position.

Afraid that this might be a temptation

from the demons, the nun returned the

next night to see if she had been mistak-


en. Again she saw Irene levitating as she

prayed, and the cypress trees bowing

down. The nun tied handkerchiefs to

the tops of the two trees before they

went back to their places. When the oth-

er sisters saw the handkerchiefs atop the

trees, they began to wonder who had

put them there. Then the nun who had

witnessed these strange events revealed

to the others what she had seen. When

Saint Irene learned that the nun had

witnessed the miracle and told the oth-

ers, she was very upset. She warned

them not to speak of it to anyone until

after her death.

Saint Irene observed the Feast of Saint

Basil (January 1) with great devotion,

since he also came from Cappadocia.

One year, after celebrating the feast,

Saint Irene heard a voice during the

night telling her to welcome the sailor

who would come to the door the next

day. She was told to rejoice and eat the

fruit which the sailor would bring her.

During Matins, a sailor did come to the

door and remained in church until after

Liturgy. He told her that he had come

from Patmos, where he boarded a ship.

As the ship set sail, he noticed an old

man on the shore calling for them to

stop. In spite of a good wind, the ship

came to a sudden halt. Then the old

man walked across the water and en-

tered the ship. He gave the sailor three

apples which God was sending to the

patriarch “from His beloved disciple

John.” Then the old man gave the sailor

three more apples for the abbess of

Chrysovalantou. He told the sailor that

if Irene ate the apples, all that her soul

desired would be granted, “for this gift

comes from John in Paradise.”

Saint Irene fasted for a week, giving

thanks to God for this wonderful gift.

For forty days, she ate small pieces of

the first apple every day. During this

time she had nothing else to eat or

drink. On Holy Thursday, she told the

nuns to receive the Holy Mysteries, then

gave each one a piece of the second ap-

ple. They noticed an unusual sweetness,

and felt as if their very souls were being

nourished.

An angel informed Saint Irene that she

would be called to the Lord on the day

after Saint Panteleimon’s feast. The

monastery’s feast day fell on July 26, so

Saint Irene prepared by fasting for a

week beforehand. She took only a little

water and small pieces of the third ap-

ple sent to her by Saint John. The whole

monastery was filled with a heavenly

fragrance, and all discord disappeared.

On July 28, Saint Irene called the nuns

together in order to bid them farewell.

She also told them to select Sister Mary

as her successor, for she would keep

them on the narrow way which leads to

life (Matthew 7:14). After entreating

God to protect her flock from the power

of the devil, she smiled when she saw

the angels who had been sent to receive

her soul. Then she closed her eyes and

surrendered her soul to God.

Saint Irene was more than 101 years old

when she died, yet her face appeared

young and beautiful. A great crowd of

people came for her funeral, and many

miracles took place at her tomb.

In some parishes it is customary to bless

apples on the feast of Saint Irene Chrys-

ovalantou.

Flowers for Panagia Everyone is invited to donate flow-

ers for the icon of Panagia which is

decorated for the Paraklesis Service.

Please contact the Church Office.

Food Pantry

We accept Food Pantry donations

every day from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00

p.m. During the summer months,

we are concentrating on school sup-

plies for the children of our families

in need, as well as breakfast items

such as cereals, oatmeal, pancake

mix, and other non-perishable

breakfast foods and paper goods.

PARISH NEWS

Custodian Needed Our church is in need of a custo-

dian for our community center.

Flexible hours. Must be able to

set up tables and chairs, clean the

entire facility, and perform light

maintenance work. Salary is ne-

gotiable. Please contact the

church office for more infor-

mation or to apply.

VOICE UPDATE Starting this fall, the Voice will be

mailed to the homes of our stew-

ards only upon request. The digi-

tal version will be available on line

and the printed version will be

available at the church office, the

pagari, and the community center.

This will minimize printing and

mailing costs, while at the same time

it will be more environmentally

friendly. New advertising opportu-

nities will also be made available

starting this fall.

IF YOU WISH FOR A COPY OF

THE VOICE TO BE MAILED TO

YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS

PLEASE NOTIFY THE CHURCH

OFFICE BY OCTOBER 1st, 2018.

16 The Voice

Schedule of Divine Services July 2018

Sunday, July 1 SS. Cosmas and Damian, Orthros,Liturgy & Agiasmos—8:00 a.m.

Monday, July 2 St. John Maximovitch, Orthros and Divine Liturgy —9:00 a.m.

Saturday, July 7 St. Kyriaki, Orthros & Divine Liturgy—8:00 a.m.

Sunday, July 8 St. Prokopios, Orthros & Divine Liturgy—8:00 a.m.

Thursday, July 12 St. Paisios of Mount Athos, Orthros & Divine Liturgy—8:00 a.m.

Sunday, July 15 Sunday of the Holy Fathers, Orthros and Divine Liturgy —8:00 a.m.

Sunday, July 22 St. Magdalene, Orthros & Divine Liturgy —8:00 a.m.

Saturday, July 28 St. Irene Chrysovalantou, Orthros & Divine Liturgy—8:00 a.m.

Sunday, July 29 Orthros & Divine Liturgy —8:00 a.m.

August 2018 Wednesday, August 1 Paraklesis —7:00 p.m.

Thursday, August 2 Paraklesis —7:00 p.m.

Friday, August 3 Paraklesis—7:00 p.m.

Saturday, August 4 Great Vespers—6:00 p.m.

Sunday, August 5 Orthros & Divine Liturgy—8:00 a.m.

Great Vespers at the Transfiguration Monastery—7:00 p.m.

Monday, August 6 Transfiguration of our Lord, Orthros, Divine Liturgy & Blessing of the Grapes—8:00 a.m.

Tuesday, August 7 Paraklesis—7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, August 8 Paraklesis—7:00 p.m.

Thursday, August 9 Paraklesis—7:00 p.m.

Friday, August 10 Paraklesis —7:00 p.m.

Saturday, August 11 Miracle of Saint Spyridon—Orthros & Divine Liturgy—8:00 a.m.

Sunday, August 12 Orthros & Liturgy —8 a.m. * Paraklesis—7:00 p.m.

Monday, August 13 Paraklesis—7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, August 14 Vespers at Assumption Church, Homer Glen, Chicago, and Hegewisch, IL. —7 p.m.

Wednesday, August 15 The Dormition of the Theotokos, Orthros, Divine Liturgy & Artoclasia—8:00 a.m.

Sunday, August 19 Orthros & Divine Liturgy —8:00 a.m.

Friday, August 24 St. Dionysios & St. Kosmas, Orthros & Divine Liturgy—8:00 a.m.

Sunday, August 26 Orthros & Divine Liturgy —8:00 a.m.

Monday, August 27 St. Phanourios—Orthros & Divine Liturgy (Blessing of Phanouropites)—8:00 a.m.

Wednesday, August 29 Beheading of St. John the Baptist, Orthros & Divine Liturgy—8:00 a.m.

Back to School Retreat—Saturday, August 25th On Saturday, August 25th, our St. Spyridon community will host the Back to School Retreat. Children of all ages are invited to participate and volunteer during the morning retreat. The retreat will take place 9:30 a.m.—12 noon. We will have crafts, food, games, and the blessing of backpacks. So please remember to bring your backpacks with you. During the retreat, all the parents will have the oppor-tunity to find out about all our youth ministry programs for the upcoming year, to register and volun-teer. For more information, please contact the church office.


ΠΡΟΓΡΑΜΜΑ ΙΕΡΩΝ ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΙΩΝ ΙΟΥΛΙΟΣ 2018

Κυριακή 1 Ιουλίου Κoσμά και Δαμιανού των Αναργύρων, Όρθρος και Θεία Λειτουργία—8:00 π.μ.

Δευτέρα 2 Ιουλίου Αγίου Ιωάννου Μαξίμοβιτς, Όρθρος και Θεία Λειτουργία—9:00 π.μ.

Σάββατο 7 Ιουλίου Αγίας Κυριακής, Όρθρος & Θεία Λειτουργία—8:00 π.μ.

Κυριακή 8 Ιουλίου Αγίου Προκοπίου, Όρθρος και Θεία Λειτουργία -8:00 π.μ.

Πέμπτη 12 Ιουλίου Αγίου Παίσίου, Όρθρος και Θεία Λειτουργία -8:00 π.μ.

Κυριακή 15 Ιουλίου Αγίων Πατέρων, Όρθρος & Λειτουργία—8:00 π.μ.

Κυριακή 22 Ιουλίου Αγίας Μαρίας Μαγδαληνής, Όρθρος & Λειτουργία—8:00 π.μ.

Σάββατο 28 Ιουλίου Αγίας Ειρήνης Χρυσοβαλάντου, Όρθρος & ΘείαΛειτουργία—8:00 π.μ.

Κυριακή 29 Ιουλίου Όρθρος και Θεία Λειτουργία—8:00 π.μ.

ΑΥΓΟΥΣΤΟΣ 2018 Τετάρτη 1 Αυγούστου Παράκληση – 7:00 μ.μ.

Πέμπτη 2 Αυγούστου Παράκληση – 7:00 μ.μ.

Παρασκευή 3 Αυγούστου Παράκληση—7:00 μ.μ.

Σάββατο 4 Αυγούστου Μέγας Εσπερινός –6:00 μ.μ.

Κυριακή 5 Αυγούστου Όρθρος & Λειτουργία –8:00 π.μ.

Μέγας Εσπερινός στην Ι. Μ. Μεταμορφώσεως –7:00 μ.μ.

Δευτέρα 6 Αυγούστου Μεταμορφώσεως, Όρθρος & Θεία Λειτουργία—8:00 π.μ.

Τρίτη 7 Αυγούστου Παράκληση –7:00 μ.μ.

Τετάρτη 8 Αυγούστου Παράκληση –7:00 μ.μ.

Πέμπτη 9 Αυγούστου Παράκληση – 7:00 μ.μ.

Παρασκευή 10 Αυγούστου Παράκληση – 7:00 μ.μ.

Σάββατο 11 Αυγόύστου Θαύμα του Αγ. Σπυρίδωνος, Αγρυπνία, Όρθρος & Λειτουργία —8:00 π.μ.

Κυριακή 12 Αυγούστου Όρθρος & Λειτουργία—8:00 π.μ. * Παράκληση –7:00 μ.μ.

Δευτέρα 13 Αυγούστου Παράκληση –7:00 μ.μ.

Τρίτη 14 Αυγούστου Μέγας Εσπερινός στον Ιερό Ναό της Κοιμήσεωςς της Θεοτόκου

Homer Glen, και στο Hegewisch, IL. – 7:00 μ.μ.

Τετάρτη 15 Αυγούστου Κοίμησις της Θεοτόκου, Όρθρος, Θεία Λειτουργία & Αρτοκλασία —8:00 π.μ.


Κυριακή 19 Αυγούστου Όρθρος & Λειτουργία—8:00 π.μ.

Παρασκευή 24 Αυγούστου Αγιου Διονυσίου & Αγίου Κοσμά Αιτωλού, Όρθρος & Λειτουργία—8:00 π.μ.


Κυριακή 26 Αυγούστου Όρθρος & Λειτουργία (Ευλογία Φανουροπιτών)—8:00 π.μ.

Δευτέρα 27 Αυγούστου Αγίου Φανουρίου, Όρθρος & Λειτουργία (Ευλογία Φανουροπιτών)—8:00 π.μ.

Τετάρτη 29 Αυγούστου Αγ. Ιωάννη του Βαπτιστού, Όρθρος & Θεία Λειτουργία —8:00 π.μ.

ΛΟΥΛΟΥΔΙΑ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΕΙΚΟΝΑ ΤΗΣ ΠΑΝΑΓΙΑΣ Φέτος και πάλι, παρακαλούμε όλους όσους έχουν την ευχαρίστηση να προσφέρουν χρήματα για

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