Sunday Services: Orthros 8:00 a.m. Liturgy 9:30 a.m. 40...

The Anchor—winter 2016

THE anchorTHE anchor St. Andrew Greek Orthodox ChurchSt. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church

5649 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 606605649 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60660 773773--334334--4515 (ph)4515 (ph) 773773--334334--3468 (fax)3468 (fax)

www.standreworthodox.orgwww.standreworthodox.org (email) [email protected](email) [email protected]

Rev. John N. Kalomas, ProistamenosRev. John N. Kalomas, Proistamenos Rev. John G. Kutulas, In loving memoryRev. John G. Kutulas, In loving memory

Deacon Vasilios Smith Deacon Athanasios MinetosDeacon Vasilios Smith Deacon Athanasios Minetos

Sunday Services: Sunday Services: Orthros 8:00 a.m. Liturgy 9:30 a.m.Orthros 8:00 a.m. Liturgy 9:30 a.m.

All of us have experienced memorable Christmases in our lives. It could be the family and friends that come over, or how the tree or house was decorated, the foods that were served at Christmas Eve Dinner or Day. Whatever they are, memories are the most cherished gifts that one can experience. It surpasses all gifts that one may have received under the tree or in a stocking; for memories are eternal and that is the greatest meaning of our lives to have with us, that which is eternal. I just underwent another change in my life. Back on November 8th, my mother closed on a townhouse here in the Chicagoland area so she could be closer to me but also because her sister, who also lived in the Moline area, moved here to a suburb of Chicago. This move left my mother alone in Moline so what became was an issue of no choice. She had to move near one of her sons and she choose me because this is where the grandchildren are at. So the move took her away from her house that was built by my father, my brothers, and me in which she lived 40 years of her life to a town house in Westchester, IL which will more than likely be the last house she will ever own. It was not only 40 years from this house, but also 56 years of her life in which she lived in the Quad Cities. It was the city in which my brothers and I were born, were raised, did all our schooling, attend church and served as altar boys and Sunday School directors, worked, made our friendships, fished the Mississippi River, tended sheep, picked fresh vegetables, and fruits on our little farm, learned to swim, where our father just tossed us in, and learned to ice-skate on a frozen pond down the street from my Pappous first house which he bought when they came over from Greece in 1951. Even though I have been away from my hometown since 1986 it was always home. Home when I would come home for the different school breaks. Home when I was married and ordained would still drive and drop off our children to see Yiayia Georgia and Pappou Niko. Thanksgiving was

always at my mom’s house as long as I can remember. Even during the times on the farm, Thanksgiving was mom’s. I remember the drives either on Christmas day late afternoon or early evening to Moline to celebrate with my family also. It was still home. This all changed on November 8th 2016 when I was sitting in the title office with my mom and our lawyer and with one stroke of the pen, my mother no longer was living in Moline, but is now a resident of the western suburbs of Chicago. As I drove her back home from the closing, we were reminiscing about the years and it became emotional because my mother said in Greek “I will miss seeing the fingerprints of your fathers work around the entire house.” It is tough and to think for an 83-year-old woman to pack up after 40 years, to leave the comforts of what she has known, to come to another, which is a new beginning. It is not that easy. I would be dishonest if I didn’t say that tears were shed on the trip back home. After I dropped my mother back in her Moline house, I left and made the 2 hour trek back. The familiar sights that I always saw throughout the years of driving back and forth passed me by and I thought to my self that I would not be seeing much of them again. I thought of the years from the day that my father bought the property from an individual that my father worked for when he came over from Greece. I remember a cold blistering January of 1976 when the company chose to pour not only the foundation, but also the concrete basement walls in the forms that it had erected. I remember the workers putting up the frame of the entire house along with the joists for the roof as well as the boards that covered the joists in which the shingles would be secured too. Then it began my father, my brothers and I started. It was late February and the temperature still cold when we began putting the particle board on to the frame. A company brought the windows and we secured them. After that came

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40 Years Of Cherished Christmas Memories: Leaving The Home You Physically Built.


Bess Davis Cathy Fasseas Helen Giannakopoulos Adeline Kalant Semi Karnezos Terri Mikuzis Aspasia Sarris Toula Tolias Frances Tsaoussis Soula Varnavas

Thank you all for your con nued help and support throughout the year! Please contact the church office

if you are able to help with mailings.

OFFICE ASSISTANCE

ST. ANDREW’S FOOD PANTRY More and more everyday less fortunate people are asking churches for food. In these difficult mes St. Andrew would like to help them, but in order to do so we need

your help.

Please help us restock our food pantry with items such as: cereal, oatmeal, rice, pasta, pasta sauce. Also, canned items of tuna,

tomato sauce, soup, vegetables, fruit or any other non‐perishable items. It is helpful if the canned goods have a flip‐top lid. Monetary dona ons will also be accepted.

In an effort ini ated by our dear departed friend and Philoptochos sister Ethel Kotsovos, members of the greater Chicago Orthodox community have had the privilege of serving lunch to approximately 100 less fortunate fellow human beings on the first Saturday of the month for more than 15 years. The soup kitchen, located at the First Presbyterian Church in Evanston, is just one part of that church's strong community outreach program. St. Andrews Philoptochos and other volunteers have consistently and con nuously served the Saturday soup kitchen, longer than any other single contribu ng group. Please consider joining them.

ST. ANDREW GREEK ORTST. ANDREW GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCHHODOX CHURCH

His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos Metropolis of Chicago

Rev. John N. Kalomas, Proistamenos Rev. John G. Kutulas, In Loving Memory

Deacon Vasilios Smith Deacon Athanasios Minetos

Contact Fr. John at 773‐334‐4515 or Email him at [email protected]

PARISH COUNCIL 2016

Terri Mikuzis President Phil Hatzopoulos 1st Vice President/Facili es Mark Poulakidas 2nd Vice President/Stewardship Jeffery Chrones 3rd Vice President/Finance Bill Aslanides Secretary Nick Hatzopoulos Treasurer Michael Bartholomew Assistant Treasurer George Marks Financial Secretary

M

Peter Alexopoulos Steve Hastalis Nick Karafo as Spiro Kondos Nick Kontos Frank Prokos Nick Tzakis Kosta Zografopoulos

STAFF & MINISTRY LEADERS

Pastoral Assistant: Deacon Athanasios Minetos Financial Secretary: Vivian L. Davros Office Secretary: Alejandra Franco

Philoptochos President: Cynthia Melas

Chanters: Nicholas Christacos & Dean Theodoropoulos Choir Director: Dr. Peter Jermihov

Narthex Commi ee: William Alexopoulos, Leo Manta, Ma hew Bezanes, James Chrones, Michael Davros, Solon Tsaoussis

Sunday School Coordinator: Tracey Lazos

Greek School Principal: Father John Kalomas

Mommy and Me Advisor: Stephane Collopy JOY Advisors: Tia Manolakas, & Bill Aslanides GOYA Advisor: Georgia Loomas Young Adult Ministry: Ta ana Vuko c, Anastasia Papas, & Eleni Papas


the siding along with the shingles on the roof. As you can see from the moment of the particle board till the last cabinet was hung in the kitchen my father, brothers and I built that house. This is why it is special and it is our home. So mom hosted 1976 Thanksgiving of course in which the house was furnished except the only thing missing was the carpeting on all the floors. Yes the wooden floor boards. It still brought all the family together and as always the very next day I decorated the Christmas tree for the first time in our new home. From then on it was a tradition for me to decorate the tree as well as the outside of the house. Dad would once in a while help outside but mostly he passed on the decorating of the house over to me after the many years that he used to do it. Kind of like this year with me passing the torch to my son Nicholas where I just hand the string of lights to him and he gets on the roof and hangs them. So it started; from the lower right of the garage door tracing up and across the top of the garage door and then down the left. Around the small entrance door of the garage; up the side of the house and across the upper eaves portion of the house from one side to the other; down the other side of the house and across the lower eaves over the basement windows; around the main door of the house which was exactly in the middle, continuing on the rest of the lower eaves of the basement window and ending finally back right where the garage began. Then more lights around the rails of the outside steps; the bushes in front of the steps and around the trunks of the two large maple trees in the front yard. Finally a nativity scene in the front yard would finish the decorating outside. The decorating was not the hardest part of my mother’s and father’s house. It was the preparatory work of making sure all the lights worked and myself being very adamant about this would go through strings of lights till I eventually found the burned one and replaced it so the entire strand lit up. I think back today as I help Nicholas decorate and I say to myself was I crazy in doing that. Today if a strand is out; good-bye; I go buy a new one. Thank the Lord for LEDs. So it began from 1976 and we continued that tradition all the way up to last year 2015 never thinking that this would be the last year that I decorate our old house and put up the tree. 39 years of decorating in the same way as it was done during the first time in 1976. Oh sure, my mother has bought a couple extra decorations like a tree (all white lights) that is for outside as well as lit images like bells or angels that hang from windows as those years went by, but it was mostly the same decorations every year. As the Christmases came and went it was always the same; to my Uncle Chris’ house for Christmas Eve to have a lite dinner and watch the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson; A toast at midnight and opening presents. We would then depart and my father, mother, my two brothers and I would then go back to our house and open more presents at home; then, time for bed only to be up by 8am and go to church for Divine Liturgy for

Christmas Day. Even when we were young we would fall asleep on the sofa waiting for Santa Claus to come and my father would track snow in leading up to the tree and then he would wake us up suddenly with the word Πιάστω νέ which literally means “GRAB HIM”. We would jump up and see the snow by the tree; the presents under the tree that were not there before; and my mom with a broom sweeping the snow outside the door and my father looking outside into the sky. I would run by my father and look up in the sky with him hoping to catch a glimpse of a sleigh and reindeer only to notice my Pappou with a 22 caliber semi automatic shooting in the sky. I started screaming, no Pappou, don’t shoot Santa’s reindeer, how will he deliver the presents to everyone. I don’t think my grandfather understood that there are laws of discharging a firearm in the city limits. Either way even at that age going to church for Christmas Day Liturgy was not up for discussion. We all went. So as the years passed and Christmas came and went, the routine was the same. Even when I left for seminary, my routine in coming home for Thanksgiving always placed me in decorating the house so when I returned back for the Christmas break, it was waiting along with my family with great anticipation of the season of love and hope. 1986 was my first Christmas in which I had gone to seminary in the fall. Airfares were very expensive in which the most inexpensive flight that I found was a 6 am United Airlines flight from Boston to Chicago, and then a 9:30 am United Express flight to Moline. I landed in Moline at 10:15am and took a cab to the St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Rock Island, IL because I knew my family would be there for church and actually this was the first time I was seeing them since leaving for Seminary on September 3rd. I arrived just in time as church was letting out and as I walked in the first person that I saw was my mother coming down the aisle with her blessed bread. She froze looked at me again, dropped her bread and started crying. First time she saw me with a beard. I couldn’t blame her; I cry occasionally when I look in the mirror also. Joke my friends joke. Yet after the initial tears and the hugs and then the slap across the face because I didn’t warn her about the beard, we went to the routine of going home and celebrating Christmas Day at my Uncle Chris and Aunt Niki’s house. 1990 brought marriage and my wife Kiki and I. Same routine as always but if you want the details, read last years Anchor Article for the Season of Christmas. What really changed was 1995 and 1997 Christmas. These were the Christmases of grandchildren. Seeing that my two other brothers are not married and do not have any children well I should say none that I know about, Katrina and Nicholas were the objects of being the beneficiaries of the Christmas season from my family of course but also from my aunt and uncle. Yet still as a priest, as much as it changed where Christmas Eve did not take place anymore at my Uncle’s house, but at my in-laws’ house, we still made the trek during Thanksgiving and I still

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decorated the house and put up the tree at mom and dad’s and on Christmas Day after having dinner at my in-laws’ house, we left around 5pm and arrived at my uncle’s at 7pm to enjoy with them the remaining 3 to 4 hours of Christmas Day. This continued until Nicholas decided to have an ear infection on Christmas in 1999 and that ended the routine of our Christmas Day at my uncle’s house. We agreed with Kiki that instead of killing ourselves we would do Christmas here in Chicago, and then the next day, the 26th of December, we would go to Moline and celebrate Nicholas birthday on the 28th. Then we would return back to Chicago on the 29th. Things really changed in 2003 which was the most difficult year of decorating. We had just lost dad in April and even though it was 8 months the pain of the loss was tough. I still put up the Christmas lights when we would came for Thanksgiving but it was tough. As I strung the lights I could hear my father’s voice saying place it there. Don’t pull the gutter down. Be carful the ladder step is slippery. Get in here you are going to freeze to death. On Christmas Day of 2003 I finished Liturgy at my old church of Holy Cross. I locked the door for I was the last one out and proceeded to get in my car with a red 7 day candle and I went across the street of the church for that is where Bethania Cemetery is where my father was interned. I lit his candle and placed it in the holder; I lit a charcoal and placed incense on it. I looked down and I asked. “Dad what are you doing here? You are suppose to be in Moline going to Uncle Chris’ house to eat Christmas Dinner. What are you doing here? Please get up and go, you are going to be late.” Amidst the tears I knew my father was saying to me. “Go to your family Yianni. They are waiting for you. I am going to spending my Christmas’ now with Jesus.” It hurt so bad that Christmas. We still did the new routine of going to my in-laws’ and the next day to Moline. It was good for my mother to see her grandchildren, but it was hard seeing an empty chair both on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas of my father missing. Yes 2003 was a very difficult Christmas for me and my entire family. Of course we continued and the years passed and healed some of the pain, though in 2005 and 2014 the difficulty of losing also my father-in-law, and then some years later my mother-in-law. After the passing of my father-in-law Christmas Day shifted to my brother-in-law’s house. My mother-in-law could not bear to do it anymore. So as the years passed and some different changes took place, the routine was still going to Moline in which I would decorate from Thanksgiving so everything was ready for Christmas. I put up my mother’s tree this year in her new place. I haven’t even decorated her outside yet because it being a town house I haven’t found out what is allowed or not allowed to decorate because of the Association. That will be done by the end of the 10th of December. 39 years I did this routine, driving to Moline before Thanksgiving and decorating mom and dad’s house, the one that we built ourselves. I can only say that the memories that have been created through out those 39 years of

Christmas’ were years that I cherish deeply and thank God that he allowed me to live and experience. Even through the bitterness of the loss of a parent and the loss of my in-laws, I would rather take and deal with the losses than never know the joys of what the years that were shared. My beloved friends and parishioners of St. Andrew: We also just celebrated 90 years of the inception of this community. This church has seen 90 years of Christmases in which there are not many of those still left. What you need to do is to hold on to the memories of Christmas that you have experienced through your lives. It is through these memories that our loved ones who are no longer with us come alive in our hearts. Sometimes it hurts because of the loss, but would we rather never have had those sweet memories of Christmas? I don’t think so. Love is what makes us willing to endure the loss of loved ones through the memories of what we shared. I wish you all the blessing of beautiful memories in the past Christmases as well as the Christmases to come. I now will have the routine of going to my mom’s new house to decorate for Thanksgiving, and then enjoying the Christmas Day again at my aunt and uncle’s for now they live 8 houses down from my mother. How one year changes things yet the routine can stay the same. I will miss the old house as well as my uncle and aunt’s house, but I will enjoy being with them again and not worrying about the long drive to Moline, but the short drive to Westchester. I cannot thank the Lord enough for the blessings of family and the years of joyful experiences that He has bestowed upon me. Look at the good of your life my beloved even though sometimes there may be some ugly experiences. The good times and the goodness that you have experienced and shared will overcome the difficult times that try to dissolve all that is good. Take a moment on Christmas Eve and stand outside whether it is a starry night or an overcast night and look up and just recite these words. “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” For me my beloved not just the 39 years of my house but my 54 years of my life, this is what Christmas is all about. A Merry and Blessed Christmas my beloved and a Healthy and Prosperous New Year. Fr. John Kalomas


The Fruits of a Sacramentally Centered Life Dn. Athanasios Minetos I greet you all in the spirit of the Nativity of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. This season is a time in which we find ourselves surrounded by family and friends in the warmth of our homes. This feeling is truly what Christ means when He says, "Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I with them" (Matthew 18:20). There is no greater feeling than the Divine Love that our Lord evokes in our hearts when we "commend ourselves and one another, and our whole lives to Christ our God." As hard as it is to believe, I have been serving at our wonderful community for almost a year now, and I have been truly blessed to meet and get to know so many incredible individuals and families. The earnest, hardworking nature of our community members is what has established St. Andrew as a prodigious force for good in the Edgewater neighborhood and throughout Chicago. Yet, as always, there is work to be done to continue growing and improving as we strive to witness our Orthodox Christian faith to the entire world, so that we can do what Christ commands us: "Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). This task, though, is much easier said than done. The good news is that God wants our ministries to continue to grow. However, growth itself is not the goal. Rather, growth is the fruit of our dedication to Christ and our striving for salvation. "Success" in a parish, especially in our youth and young adult programs, is measured by each individual's closeness to Christ, and not by numbers. Of course, these events and fun activities are necessary and so enjoyable because of the fellowship they provide - but they are not the goal. The goal is the union of each of us to our God and Savior Jesus Christ, a union that is offered to us every Divine Liturgy. It is for this reason that it is so important to dedicate ourselves to participate sacramentally in the Church, and to encourage our children to be present for the Divine Liturgy. At first this might mean sacrificing some time on Sunday mornings, but the fruits of this small sacrifice will resonate throughout our community, and it will create an unparalleled feeling of joy in our hearts. As a supplement to actively participating in the Divine Liturgy, getting involved in our programs is not difficult either. I encourage anyone who would like to assist with our youth groups to contact me. To commit to our programs is certainly a sacrifice considering our very busy lives, but that sacrifice comes with the reward of providing a healthy environment for our children to grow into mature, Christ-centered adults - just as our parents did for us. We have the opportunity and very important responsibility to raise the next generation of Orthodox Christians so that they too may become the "light shining before others." As the old adage goes, "it takes a village to raise a child." So we, as a St. Andrew community, are given the important task of forming Orthodox Christians with an immense love for Christ. In the next few weeks, we will be participating in an extraordinary event, where God Himself will humble Himself and entirely take on human form. God sacrificed so much so that we can all have eternal life with Him. As we reflect on how much He has helped us in our lives, let us think about how we can make an extra effort to give a little back so that our children can cultivate a beautiful relationship with Christ. In this way we can all as a family unit encounter Christ, born of the Virgin Mary the Theotokos, in the manger. Dates to remember: Friday, December 9th - JOY Movie Night and Christmas Party Sunday, December 18th - Sunday School Christmas Pageant January 20th - 22nd - Annual Family Ski Trip - at the Grand Geneva Resort. Space is limited. Reservations must be received by December 22nd to Dn. Athanasios at (773) 334-4515 or [email protected]. Hotel reservations need to be made by December 21st directly with the Resort by calling (855) 833-5345. Use group code: St. Andrew Family Sky Trip. January 27th - Family Game night - Open to both JOY and GOYA For any questions, please contact Dn. Athanasios at [email protected].


Dear Stewards, As we begin the Lenten period before Christmas it is time to reflect on all of the things that have occurred this year. We have lost many wonderful people from our Parish this year but the most significant was Father John Kutulas. For those of us who spent many years in Sunday School, altar, or were just getting the opportunity to enjoy a good joke, he will be missed by all. May their memory be eternal. On December 3, 2016, the Parish celebrated the 90th Anniversary of our Church. It was an amazing evening, held at the Lowes Hotel with memorabilia from anniversaries of the past, photos, old friends, and new acquaintances, all enjoying an evening of dining and dancing to a swing band and Greek music. Chairman Peggy Papaioannou, and her Co-Chairs Stephanie Poulakidas, and Marilyn Tzakis made the evening a successful event for all who attended. George Kontos, our own baseball star from the San Francisco Giants, was the Master of Ceremonies for the evening. It will be a wonderful memory for all of us.

As the New Year 2017 begins so will the beginning of our new stewardship year. Mark Poulakidas will be notifying the parish of Stewardship Sunday. Watch for your letter and or email blast. Our parishioners have been very generous this year and we hope that all of you will continue to think of our St. Andrew’s as your home away from home. All of our ministries will be up to full gear after the holiday. Deacon Athanasios has begun his work with the youth but he needs all of the parents to help him out with the ministry. Our youth is the future of this church. They are the legacy of the founders of this parish. Please consider working with him and emailing him your ideas. On behalf of the Parish Council, I would like to wish all of you and your families a very Blessed and Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year. Terri Mikuzis

“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one.”

Preparing for marriage is truly a beau ful period of expecta on and joy. As you get ready for the “big day,” it is also important to spend me ge ng ready for the days that follow that “big day.” As you know, Holy Matrimony is not only a Sacrament at the

me of the ceremony, but also throughout life. At St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church, we invite all couples ge ng married to par cipate in a Marriage Prepara on Seminar where you can discuss issues related to marriage, the struggles along the way, and the strategies for preparing for the journey. All couples are required to par cipate in one of these workshops, prior to your wedding date.

Marriage Preparation Seminars will be held from 10 am—3 pm on the following Saturdays:

January 28 March 18 May 6 August 12 October 14

Please RSVP to Fr John at [email protected]


UPCOMING CHURCH SERVICES

Saturday, December 24, 2016 Eve of the Birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ Feast of St. Eugenia

Service of the Royal Hours 9:00 a.m. Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil 6:00 p.m.

Sunday, December 25, 2016

The Birth in the Flesh of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ

Orthros 9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

St. Stephan the Protomartyr Orthros 8:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy 9:30 a.m.

Saturday, December 31, 2016

Great Vespers 7:00 p.m. Will take place at St. Basil Church Chicago

733 South Ashland Ave

Sunday, January 1, 2017 Feast of the Circumcision in the Flesh of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and

Feast Day of St. Basil the Great Orthros 9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Eve of Epiphany Royal Hours of Epiphany 8:00 a.m. Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil and Agiasmos 9:30 a.m.

Friday, January 6, 2017

Epiphany Orthros 9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy and Great Agiasmos 10:00 a.m.

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Synaxis of St. John the Baptist Orthros 9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.

Monday, January 30, 2016

The Three Hierarchs Orthros 8:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy 9:30 a.m.

Wednesday, February 2, 2016

Presentation of Our Lord Orthros 9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.


Adult Catechism Classes

Wednesday Evenings 7:00—8:00 pm

Beginning February 22, 2017 and continuing until

April 5, 2017

All those interested in learning more about the Orthodox Christian Faith are invited to join us.

Please contact Deacon Athanasios Minetos at (773)334-4515 or [email protected] to register for class or for further information.

Fr. John Kalomas will be leading Adult Bible Study on Wednesday evenings 7pm—8pm

We will be discussing Biblical References of the Seven Sacraments of the Church.

The first six week session will begin on January 18th and run through February 22nd.

Please come join us!


NEWLY PRODUCED DVD ON SALE DECEMBER 25th---

THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR’S GIFT!

The St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church &

the Society of St. Romanos the Melodist

are pleased to announce the release of a DVD celebrating

90th Anniversary of St. Andrew Church,

15th Anniversary of the Society, and

World Premiere of Fr. Ivan Moody’s Greek Liturgy.

The DVDs are being sold for $20.00 at the church office.

All proceeds will be donated to the St. Andrew Parish.

Here is what our own Steve Hastalis said in his Reflections of a Musician:

When Father Theodore Petrides served at Saint Andrew's, he made this beautiful observation: "The liturgy is a

foretaste of heaven." Those who had the good fortune of participating in the Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning, October 2, understood the truth of his observation. We heard magnificent singing that morning, and we joined in collective prayer.

As a musician, I understood the composer's presentation. For example, throughout this Liturgy, we heard

dissonances in the form of major or minor seconds. He then immediately resolved these, often into octaves or fifths. I also recognized many musical passages, based on familiar Byzantine Chants, as ancient Greek modes. I found the emotional effect at the same time most beautiful and powerful. I will look forward to studying this music seriously in the coming months and years.

The Society of St. Romanos the Melodist commissioned the new Divine Liturgy from Orthodox composer—Fr. Ivan Moody. The commission was funded by a generous donation from Theo Bartholomew, and the new work is dedicated to her husband, Archon John Bartholomew. The Greek Liturgy is based on familiar Byzantine Chants and was completed last year. It was written not as a concert piece but for use in Divine Worship in the tradition of Frank Desby, Tikey Zes, John Revezoulis, and other church composers.

The work was premiered on Sunday, October 2 at St. Andrew Church and sung by the St. Romanos Cappella, a professional choir directed by Dr. Peter Jermihov. That Sunday was also designated as National Church Musician Day to commemorate all Orthodox singers who devote their time and talent to the Holy Orthodox Church. The date also commemorated the Patron Saint of Orthodox singers—St. Romanos the Melodist.


40 Day Blessings

Alexander Maxwell, son of Asimina & Ben Lurvey

Elena Victoria, daughter of Assimina & Ben Lurvey

Kalliroi, daughter of Eve e & Gavin Coll

Panagio s, son of Tina & Edmund Schloss

Demitra, daughter of Kiki & Pete Stavrakis

Niko, son of Dena & Louie Psyhogios

Bap sms

Vassiliki, daughter of Georgia & Michael Mar nez

Sophia Aphrodite, daughter of Ashley & Nicholas Moraites

Andrew Konstan nos, son of Eleni Moraites

Sofia, daughter of Amalia & Bill Papastefan

Dimitri Konstan ne, son of Valerie & James Spyropoulos

Penelope Rose, daughter of Amy & Spiros Rempas

Achilles Christos, son of Caroline & Elias Karras

Juliana, daughter of Maria & Benjamin Pecaro

Adele Greta, daughter of Oana Elena & Cris an Pocricianu

Milana, daughter of Maya & Peter Skintges

Andonios Aris this, son of Panayiota & Aris this Loukas

Christma on

Patricia Cunniffe

James Cunniffe

Weddings

Stephen Tzakis & Taylor Connely

Nick Tarant & Alexandra Ran si

Ben Cox & Elyse Ka es

Athanasios Kalantzis & Alison Cline

Constan ne Fo adis & Christal Baltazar

Funerals

Mary Koconis

Athanasios Chiampas

Stavrula Gotsis

Demetra Svolos

Memorials

Angel Kurshumov—9 days

Athanasios “Tom” Chiampas—40 days

Angel Kurshumov—40 days

Vasiliki Brelias—6 months

Georgia Karafo as—6 months

Harry Davlantes—1 year

Steve (Stylianos) Kondos—1 year

Athanasia Livitsanos—1 year

Themis Tsaoussis—1 year

Anna Spilio —3 years

Vasiliki Valkanas—3 years

John Bartholomew—3 1/2 years

Maria Karahali—4 years

Alexandros Dollas—6 years

Anastasia Ionias—7 years

George Z. Chrones—10 years

George Assimos—12 years

Michael Spilio s—13 years

Christos Ionias—17 years

Rouvelis Ionias—18 years


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St. Andrew’s Women’s Philoptochos 2015‐2016 Stewardship Form

Suggested Annual Stewardship Dona on: $40.00 To be distributed as follows: Na onal Philoptochos: $15.00 & Metropolis Philoptochos: $6.00

Any addi onal amount supports the good works of our chapter. Please print a copy of this form and complete.

Name _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Spouse ____________________________________________________________________________________________

Address ___________________________________________________________________________________________

City ______________________________________________________ State _____________ Zip ___________________

Phone Number _______________________ Cell Number____________________________

Email _____________________________________________Dona on Amount __________

Please make check payable to St. Andrew’s Women’s Philoptochos Society (SAWPS) Mail your check and this form to:

St. Andrew’s Women’s Philoptochos Society A n: Hellena Chrones, Membership

5649 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60660


Thank you to all who attended the Dec 3rd Gala. And what an evening! We kicked it off with a lively cocktail hour and memorabilia table, our own George Kontos was a delightful Master of Ceremonies, the lively music from eras past performed by the renowned Green Mill - Alan Gresik Swing Shift Orchestra and Greek music and pop provided by DJ Fred Stadtler, all had a great time. We would like to thank our very generous supporters who are included in our beautiful keepsake program book. We exceeded all of our goals for reservations and fundraising, which will provide funds to maintain and preserve our church buildings for the next generations. Extra copies of the program books are available in the church office.

The talented and resourceful committee worked over a year on this gala – Peggy Papaioannou, chair, along with co-chairs, Stephanie Poulakidas and Marilyn Tzakis, and the Gala Committee – Cynthia Melas, Libby Christopoulos, Maria Kotsinis, Perry Krilis, Maria Dollas Fajim, Fotine Bloom, Tracey Lazos, Patty Tsaoussis, Frank Prokos, Shia Kapos, Diane White, Alex Gianaras, Nan Rumsey, Kathy Siavelis and Terry Mikuzis had a wonderful time planning this memorable evening.

Following photos courtesy of Diane White Photography and are available on St Andrew’s Facebook page. Bill Melonides of MVP photography has made his website available for photos to be viewed and purchased: http://mvpstudiophotography.pixieset.com/saintandrews90thanniversarygala/

We are all thankful for our parish longevity and look forward to continuous blessed years - 90th Anniversary Committee.


St. Andrew’s Women’s Philoptochos Society

The Philoptochos of St. Andrew’s is very thankful to all the St. Andrew parishioners for continually supporting our many philanthropic efforts throughout the year… be it a Glendi celebration, a pop up a sale of ceramic Christmas village, or a spanakopita sale after church. The Edgewater Community has been able to receive an abundance of goods and services from our organization throughout the year, thanks to you. This past week we all had the opportunity to celebrate the 90th anniversary of our beloved St. Andrew’s…what a joyous event! I know we are all reinvigorated to work towards the future of our church, as we mentor the younger generations to take on the task!! As you may recall, Philoptochos supports many National Philoptochos initiatives, such as the USO drive to fund calling cards for our enlisted around the world, Human Trafficking efforts to help save young abused women, or participating in the National campaign to “Feed the Hungry”. At the July 2016 National convention, the goal to feed 250,000 meals, was exceeded by 500,000; thus, our new challenge is to serve One Million meals by the July 2018 National Convention. We are well on the way to meeting our new challenge by providing meals that supplement Sarah’s Circle on weekends when the cafeteria is closed. These sandwich and goody bags help the women immensely. This Christmas season, we are also gathering larger sized coats, sweaters and gloves. Many of these women have very little and our helping might just allow them be warmer and more comfortable as the winter roars into the Windy City. Vonnie Karafotias and Vickie Karagianis continue to lead a growing group of women each month. The picture below shows, Vickie Karagianis, etc. making 80 sandwiches in St. Andrew’s kitchen last month.

Kudos to Semi Karnezos, who independently organized a number of seniors to make blankets for the Pediatric unit at UIC. Thanks to Semi, these women are joining to help our effort to provide a hospitalized child over Christmas with a warm and cozy fleece blanket. This is a true labor of love!! The ladies below will continue to meet and support additional efforts throughout the year. Thank you Semi!! In October, two important events occurred: Our Annual Inclusion Sunday, successfully chaired by Maria Kotsinis, was successful in gathering many from the Greek American Rehabilitation and Nursing Home to come to the liturgy. Kosta Zografopoulos, having just returned from the RIO 2016 Paralympics, gave a heart-warming presentation of his experience in Rio, meeting many athletes and hearing about their stories of never giving up, regardless of the circumstances of their physical state. Kosta presented the Olympic torch to Father Kalomas, who in turn asked Nicholas Kotsinis to the front of the church and then handed Nicholas the torch. This torch carried the Olympic flame into the Olympics stadium in Rio. Later Kosta shared many materials about the Paralympics and took pictures with many children holding the torch… what a treat! St. Andrew’s is an inclusive church, always has been and will continue to be! There was a lovely buffet for all to enjoy and as you can see from the pictures, everyone had a very enjoyable afternoon. Thank you Maria, once again for your hard work and dedication to make this a memorable day for everyone.


Late in October, Philoptochos sponsored a new membership event at the lovely home of Paula Nichols Bork. We were thrilled to introduce Diana Tarant Schmidt, who read from her first novel, Remember for Me, a poignant story of Clara Eros who thought her life was ending, as she was slipping into the final stages of Alzheimer’s. But, she was greatly mistaken, as she became transformed as a superhero, of sorts, along with a band of others committed to battle good vs. evil in the modern world. Diana explained how she wrote “Remember for Me”, as a means of coping with the decline of her Yiayia, Diana Kontos, as Alzheimer’s disease changed her life forever. It was a lovely evening and many thanks to Diana and Paula, the ‘hostess with the mostess’. As a footnote, Diane is the daughter of Bill and Christina Tarant, whose parents are Bill/Julie Tarant and Diana/Evon Kontos, all members of St. Andrew. November was an exceptional month for Philoptochos. We were so very pleased with the outpouring of generosity of St. Andrew’s parishioners during our Thanksgiving Drive for Edgewater’s Care for Real Food Repository. So many of you helped us succeed and as you can see below, the picture tells the story. We typically will provide 25 turkeys with the donated food; this year, the Calliope Family donated half that number which in turn allowed Philoptochos to donate to the Jewel Turkey Bucks campaign that feeds up to 150 at Thanksgiving. Many thanks to Cindy Lynch, Tracey Lazos, and Vonnie Karafotias for helping Philoptochos to continue to do for others who can’t do for themselves.

Then, the next week, we proudly celebrated Vespers and Feast Day services for our beloved St. Andrew. Thank you to Vespers Chair, Fotine Bloom, along with Feast Day Chairs Hellena and Jeffrey Chrones who all organized these very feast days. Many thanks, once again to the many women who joined us on Vespers to bake and assist with setting up, the room was amazing. So many women baked a marvelous array of delicious Lenten and non-Lenten desserts enjoyed by all. On the Feast Day, we had a presentation from Archons John Manos and Gus Pablecas discussing the situation that threatens the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople. It was truly an educational experience to hear about the historical recap of Constantinople especially in light of the very volatile current state, as it exists today. This situation is very distressing and all who attended left with newfound knowledge. Thank you to Hellena and Jeffrey for arranging of this presentation.


Now, with December arriving along with some rather blustery weather, can you even begin to imagine going outside without a warm down coat or wool coat or ski jacket? Totally Unimaginable, right? So this year, we will not only be asking for your food donations for Care for Real, but also, some slightly worn winter coats, sweaters and gloves for women. These donations will help a recovering woman to have some warmth this winter. We will also be enclosing signed Christmas Cards and a small goodie bag for the children. The Sunday School, led by Tracey and Stephanie Collopy has helped to make the giving easier by providing shopping lists of the foods requested taped to the bag. Please help make some women who have so little, to experience a warm and satisfying Christmas. Again, Philoptochos thanks the parish of St. Andrew for always being so generous whenever we ask for help. May you and your families have a blessed and joyous Christmas celebration and the very best of everything to you and yours in the coming New Year! See you at Vasilopita on January 8th!


St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church

5649 N. Sheridan Rd.

Chicago, IL 60660-4803

Sunday Services: Orthros 8:00 a.m. Liturgy 9:30 a.m. 40...

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