Personally, I really, really enjoy the Christmas sea-son. Presbytera Elena frets that commercial in-terests promote it earlier and earlier every year. But I look forward to it, the lights, the carols, the food, the joy. Growing up back East, when winters were colder, I fondly re-call the stores decked out with wreaths and lights while Christmas music filled the air. It was a treat going to buy Christ-mas presents for my loved ones while seeing the streets, sidewalks and landscape covered in snow as we all anticipated the approach of Christmas. When you go to stores and malls these days to shop, most sales associates, wanting to be “politically

correct” will wish you a “Happy Holidays” instead of "Merry Christmas. This switch has been years in the making and reveals the cultural shift and loss of tradition in our country and society. The expression “Happy Holidays” doesn’t really bother me. That’s be-cause most people who say “Happy Holidays” do not realize that the word “holiday” is itself a short-en version of “holy days.” Unwittingly, such people are wishing everyone blessed days. The period before the Feast of Christmas is in-deed a time of holy days. In a sense, the Christmas Season begins with the Feast of St. Nicholas on December 6th. St. Nicho-

las was a traditional gift giving saint to children because he saved three young girls from being forced into prostitution from a destitute father who could not afford their dowries. St. Nicholas, the bishop of My-ra in present day Turkey, would throw bags of gold into their house one night to provide the proper dowry. As a youngster, my siblings and I would put up stockings on the Eve of St. Nicholas. The next day we would awake and find them stuffed with fruits, nuts and small presents. It was a harbin-ger of Christmas. Societal and cultural changes have transformed St. Nicholas into the secular figure of Santa Claus, a big elf in a red suit who delivers presents to the chil-dren of the world. Yet despite the encroachment of this secu-lar figure of Santa Claus, we

NOVEMBER—DECEMBER 2016

Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church

www.stsch.org

43404 30th St West Lancaster, CA 93536

(661) 945-1212

Fr. Dionysios Listermann-Vierling

Pastor

E-mail: frdvierling@yahoo.com

Cell Phone: (831) 713-6941

For confirmation or questions on any event,

please contact

E-mail: sylvarobinson001

@gmail.com (661)794-8307

P A G E 2 T H E A N T E L O P E V A L L E Y B E A C O N

Mother of God, for she be-comes the living temple of God. In each reading we hear, "for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of the Lord God Almighty." (Exodus 40:1-5, 9-10, 16, 34-35; I Kings 7:51, 8:1, 3-4, 6-7, 9-11; and Ezekiel 43:27-44)

She brings with her the grace of the Spirit,

Therefore, the angels of God praise her:

"Truly this woman is the abode of heaven."

We will be honoring this Great Feast of the Church, with a Great Vespers Service, on Sunday 20 Nov at 6PM at the Church.

NOTICES Memorials

We are providing a form on which Parishioners can notify Fr. Dionysios of planned me-morials. Please ask for the form at the candle stand. If possible, please submit the form at least one Sunday pri-or to the planned date.

According to the rules of the Church memorials are not permitted: from the Satur-day of Lazarus through Thomas Sunday. Also, memo-rials are not allowed on the Great Feast Days of the Lord and of the Theotokos.

can take comfort in the fact that the Nativity of Our Lord is still called Christmas. For Christmas means “Christ’s Mass.” It is a time to celebrate, in liturgy, the birth of the Messiah, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Many folks worry about the constant image of San-ta Claus on TV and the ubiquitous use of “Happy Holidays” during the weeks of November and Decem-ber. If you really wish to keep Christ in Christmas, there is a meaningful rem-edy. Go to church! It’s not enough to bake Christmas cookies and decorate ever-green trees with tinsel and ornaments. If one really wants to soak in the joy and holiness of this blessed time of the year, if one really yearns to keep Christ in Christmas, what better way than to come to church and partic-ipate in the scared and ho-ly liturgy? That’s the true focus of the feast – ob-serving in prayer, thanks-giving and glorification of the birth of Jesus, the true Prince of Peace and Saviour of the World. I hope to see you all on Christmas Eve or Christ-mas Day. May it be a mean-ingful and blessed moment in your lives and in the lives of your loved ones! Yours in the Incarnate One, Fr. Dionysios

Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple

Also called The Presentation, is one of the 12 Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church, celebrated on November 21st.

According to Tradition, the Theotokos was taken – presented – by her par-ents Joachim and Anna into the Jewish Temple in Jeru-salem as a young girl, where she lived and served as a Temple virgin until her be-trothal to St. Joseph. One of the earliest sources of this tradition is the non-canonical Protoevangelion of James.

Mary was solemnly received by the temple community which was headed by the priest Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. She was led to the holy place to be-come herself the "holy of holies" of God, the living sanctuary and temple of the Divine child who was to be born in her. The Church also sees this feast as a feast which marks the end of the physical temple in Jerusalem as the dwelling place of God.

On the eve of the feast, Vespers is served and contains Old Testa-ment readings that are in-terpreted as symbols of the

T H E A N T E L O P E V A L L E Y B E A C O N P A G E 3

FELLOWSHIP HOUR SCHEDULE

Date Event Sponsor

Nov 6 No Coffee Hour

Nov 13 Parish Assembly Luncheon by Hellenic Center

Nov 20 Coffee Hour Valerie Lawrence

Nov 27 Coffee Hour Presvytera Elena

Dec 4 Coffee Hour

Dec 11 Parish Council Election Fish Luncheon by Hellenic Center

Dec 18 Coffee Hour

Dec 25 Holy Nativity No Coffee Hour

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER SPECIAL SERVICES Nov 20 Sun– 6:00 PM Great Vespers—Entry of the Theotokos in to the Temple

Dec 24 Sat– 6:00 PM Holy Nativity Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil

AV GREEK FESTIVAL 2016

The Greek Festival held on October 7, 8 and 9 this year was a wonderful festival. Due to the heart-breaking death of Sgt. Owen attendance was light. Nonetheless we would like to thank the Festival Chairman Bill Koukourikos, and Food Chairman Pamela Evola, and all the volunteers for their tireless efforts to put together a beautiful Festival. The Festival for next year is being planned for mid-late September 2017. OPA!!

2016 PARISH COUNCIL

Peter Bouras PRESIDENT

James Brunson VICE-PRESIDENT

Julie Agnew TREASURER

Dr. Alexander Patananan SECRETARY

Pamela Evola

Bill Koukourikos

Petar Simich

Corrine Sakelarios (vacant)

George Sakelarios (vacant)

P A G E 5

T H E A N T E L O P E V A L L E Y B E A C O N

Memorials

George and Pilar Dracopoulos, for family members

Marilena Bos-Pavel—40 Day Memo-rial for her sister Anca

Sia Mormanis—for her husband and her mother-in-law

Tom Harris—40 Day Memorial for Dan Lusk

Ana Ketza—40 Day Memorial for her mother

Sacraments Baptisms

Nick and Ashley Christou– their son Noah David Christou

Weddings Max Listermann-Vierling to Marilyn Ruth, Greensboro North Carolina

Georgia Zaharopoulos to Walter Echanique

Future Events in the Metropolis

Young Adult Winter Retreat in South Lake Tahoe

A weekend of skiing, snowboarding, and Orthodox teaching. Open to all Orthodox Collee Students and Young Professionals

South Lake Tahoe Galilee Camp and Conference Center 1776 Hwy 50, Glenbrook, NV 89413

www.galileetahoe.org

"Teach Righteousness"

A Regional Church School Workshop will be held on Saturday, November 5, 2016, from 10:00 am-3:00 pm at Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathe-dral, Los Angeles.

Summer Camp Staff Applications for 2017 are available now, and are due by January 20, 2017.

P A G E 4

P A G E 5 T H E A N T E L O P E V A L L E Y B E A C O N

Miltos Leventis Memorial

Scholarship Applications for the MLMS for 2017 will be available to graduating sen-iors of our parish, starting Novem-ber 2016. Application deadline will be January 31, 2017. To be eligible to apply, a senior must have attend-ed Divine Liturgy a minimum of twelve times during the 2016 calen-dar year and must have a minimum GPA of 3.0. The student’s participa-tion in extracurricular school and civic activities, along with participa-tion in local Parish and Metropolis activities will be taken into consid-eration during the evaluation of the application.

2016 Recipients

Andrew Bouras

Cassandra Koukourikos

Franky Martinez

Dan Lusk Choir Director

Dan Lusk, beloved Choir Director for Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Or-thodox Church, was born August 12, 1961, inLong Beach, CA. Dan fell asleep in the Lord on September 15, 2016, at Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, CA.

Dan moved from Long Beach to Lancaster in 1987. He worked at Motion Industries in the Antelope Valley for 30 years. In the Antelope Valley, he was active in local theater and had fond memories of the many shows in which he participated.

Dan became an Orthodox Christian as an adult. He began singing in the choir and then devoted the next 25 years serving as Choir Director at our little Parish.

Dan will be remembered for his smile and his beautiful singing voice. He will be missed dearly by all of his family and friends.

The Archbishop’s Years of Service Award was presented posthumously in commemoration of the twenty-five years Dan had served here as our choir direc-tor.

May his memory be eternal!

T H E A N T E L O P E V A L L E Y B E A C O N P A G E 6

Elementary Division (Grades 4-6) Parish Level Only

Junior Division (Grades 7-9)

Senior Division (Grades 10-12)

Topics and Material for 2016 Festival are available at

http://religioused.sanfran.goarch.org/oratorical

ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM ORATORICAL FESTIVAL 2016

ADULTS SAVE THE DATE

2016 METROPOLIS GALA

Date: Nov 12, 2016

Time: All Day

Type: Fundraiser

Location: The Island Hotel in Newport Beach, CA

The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco will celebrate its ministries

and honor the extraordinary leadership of Jeannie and Gerry Ranglas. Jeannie

and Gerry Ranglas have been chosen as this year’s recipients of the Theofanis

Economidis Award in honor of their leadership, inspirational vision, hard work,

and humble service to Jesus Christ and His Holy Church.

P A G E 7 T H E A N T E L O P E V A L L E Y B E A C O N

Date: Saturday, Dec 3

Time: 10:00 am – 2:30 pm

Grades: Six – Twelve

Place: St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church in Irvine, CA

Annual Pan-Orthodox Southern California Bible and Church History Tournament; otherwise known as Bible Bowl. The topic and quiz material will be available at a later time. Plan now to be on our parish team!

FEEDING THE HUNGRY

St. Vincent de Paul has been providing meals and clothing 4 days a week EVERY WEEK of the year for the needy right here in the Antelope Valley. Throughout 2016, Sts. Constantine & Helen has been alternating with Holy Cross Antiochian Or-thodox Church in preparing and serving a hot meal on the 4th Saturday of each month. Sts. Constantine & Helen has provided 1,353 meals this year! Saturday, Octo-ber 22, 2016 we were able to give out nearly 200 servings of a hot “Asian” themed meal. Our next volunteer opportunity will be on the 4th Saturday of January, 2017. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Pamela Evola (661) 350-7549.

http:/ svdplancaster.wix.com/ourladyofcharity

YOUTH SAVE THE DATE

2016 BIBLE BOWL

Left to Right:

Jackie Hall

Sylva Robinson

Pamela Evola

Steven Benveniste

T H E A N T E L O P E V A L L E Y B E A C O N

P A G E 8

Experience the

transforming power

of engaging in

face-to-face, heart-to-heart con-

versations with your family!

Join us for the Family

Wellness Ministry

Challenge

Reclaiming the Family Dinner

– One Meal at a Time!

Pray before every meal

Make the Table Tech-Free

(Disconnect to Connect)

Engage in Face-to-Face ~

Heart-to-Heart Conversa-

tions

Download our Family

Meal Discussion Starters!

FamilyWellnessMiistry.org

Learn more about “Reclaiming the Family Dinner” on

FamilyWellnessMiistry.org

A Ministry of the

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco

P A G E 9 T H E A N T E L O P E V A L L E Y B E A C O N

Agnew. Ms. Julie

Astrinakis, Mrs. Fotini

Benveniste, Mrs. Stefania

Benveniste, Mr. & Mrs. Steven

Bouras, Mr. and Mrs. Peter

Brunson, Mr. and Mrs. James

Christou, Mr. and Mrs. Gus

Christou, Mr. and Mrs. Nick

Chryssostomides, Mr. & Mrs. Pandelis

Conti, Mrs. Anna

Contonikolas, Mr. Dean

Dracopoulos, Dr. and Mrs. George

Drimakis, Mr. and Mrs. Costas

Eliopulos, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew

Eliopulos, Mrs. Georgia

Evola, Mr. and Mrs. Philip

Gerginis, Mr. and Mrs. Nick

Gerginis, Ms. Marie

Golea, Ms. Nicole

Goutsos, Mr. and Mrs. Gary

Grado-Berona, Mrs. Georgia

Grado, Mrs. Elaine

Haddad, Mr. and Mrs. Sam

Harris, Mr. Thomas

Hendrickson, Mrs. Lee

Homsy, Mr. John

Hutchison, Mr. and Mrs. Michael

Kappas, Mr. Andrew

Kappas, Mr. Earnest

Kappas, Mrs. Sofia

Karavidas, Mr. and Mrs. Antony

Koukourikos, Mr. and Mrs. Bill

Listermann-Vierling, Fr. Dionysios & Pva.

Lusk, Mr. Dan

Mormanis, Mrs. Sia

Patananan, Dr. Alexander

Platis, Ms. Anna

Poulos, Ms. Helen

Qarmout, Mr. and Mrs. Elias

Robinson, Mrs. Sylva

Sakelarios, Ms. Dimitria

Sakelarios, Mr. and Mrs. George

Sanchez, Mr. and Mrs. Santiago

Sanchez, Ms. Senaida

Simich, Mr. Petar

Svolos, Ms. Artemis

Tintocalis, Mrs. Rosa

Tsobanakis, Mrs. Irene

Vrakas, Mr. Andrew

Vosse, Mr. Patrick

Woods, Mrs. Stella

Zaharopoulos, Mr. and Mrs. Ilias

Zarras, Dr. and Mrs. Peter

You r s t ewa rds h ip i s ma d e out o f you r l ove fo r Go d an d H i s Chur ch . We ar e g lad t hat y ou a r e p ar t o f ou r Pa r i s h .

SAINTS CONSTANTINE AND HELEN

2016 STEWARDSHIP HONOR ROLL

After prayerfully considering your pledge for 2016, please drop your completed Stewardship Commitment Card into the offering plate. Without your love and commit-ment on a stewardship card, we cannot properly fund our Church ministries or plan for the financial obligations of the Parish.

Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church 43404 30th Street West

Lancaster, California 93536

The Antelope Valley Beacon

Nov-Dec 2016

Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church

of Antelope Valley www.stsch.org

TIME DATED MATERIAL