Herald for APRIL 2008 Copy.Indd Alan.Indd

Saint Sophia HERALD Volume 13 Number 4 Many Lives...One Heart April 2008

From Warehouse to Cathedral

Easter 2008

It was a few minutes before midnight on April 13, 1908. The rented warehouse at 240 Anderson Ave here in Los Angeles was pitch dark. Greek immigrants from throughout Southern California and beyond waited in huddled anticipation. Their Sunday best attire newly cleaned and pressed smelled of orange and lemon colognes, a reminder of the old country’s festive scents. It was so far away from their “horio”, their villages. Far away were parents and families. A world apart. Yet for those few minutes the sights and sounds were familiar and embracing. Behind a curtain at a makeshift altar the visiting priest proclaimed “Defte lavete fos”…Come receive the light. Slowly from his candle, the small warehouse was brightly lit, candle by candle, person to person. The incredible joy of Easter was upon them.

It was 100 years ago that the parents and grandparents of a number of you who are reading these words, celebrated Pascha and joyously proclaimed Christos Anesti. We can only imagine what they were thinking of and hoping for on that Easter Sunday, as they embraced and greeted each other. One thing is for sure. The church was in their heart. Christ lived in their simplicity, in their broken halting English, and in their humble homes and struggling businesses and jobs.

The light of Easter that year moved them to sign the ofﬁcial Charter establishing the Greek Orthodox Community of Los Angeles. That same unfading light inspired them to build in four short years their church on San Julian Street. They named it the Church of the Annunciation.

One hundred years later, on April 27th, 2008 we will huddle together for the midnight Easter service, not in a warehouse, but a glorious golden Cathedral. We have been the recipients of their vision and labors. We found everything ready and in place. We inherited everything. We worship in a magniﬁcent church building with no debt or encumbrance. We have shouldered no ﬁnan- cial burdens over the years. Thanks to them, we can now spread the light of Christ, candle by candle, as we, too, sing the Christos Anesti.

Let us imitate those pioneers. It is our turn now to be the visionaries and builders ourselves, building needed new facilities for ourselves and our children. The May edition of the Saint Sophia Cathedral Herald will be dedicated to informing you about the on-going work of planning and building our new Cultural, Educational and Sports Complex. We have been quietly raising funds to that end. We are making steady progress to reaching our ﬁnancial goals. God is answering our prayers and bringing us generous people who are responding to the needs of our growing community. Perhaps you can be one of those generous people who has yet to make a generous gift. Now is the time.

We grow when we are inspired by a high purpose, when we contemplate reaching vast horizons. The sacriﬁce of oneself is not very difﬁcult, for one burning with the love of Christ. I embrace you my beloved, with the joy of our Lord.

ΚΑΛΟ ΠΑΣΧΑ – HAPPY EASTER

Fr. John

Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral V. Rev. Fr. John S. Bakas, Dean - Fr. Bill Tragus, Assistant 1324 S. Normandie Avenue -Los Angeles, CA 90006 Tel. 323.737.2424 Fax. 323.737.7029 www.stsophia.org PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

“The most basic task of the church leader is to discern the spiritual gifts of all those under his authority, and to encourage those gifts to be used to the full for the beneﬁt of all.” St. John Chrysostom

We were blessed to have had the leaders of Orthodoxy here at the Cathedral to celebrate the Divine Pan Orthodox Liturgy. On the occasion of Sunday of Orthodoxy we hosted over a thousand faithful who ﬁlled the Cathedral to capacity and joined us in fellowship.

His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos, joined by His Grace Bishop Joseph, His Grace Bishop Maxim, His Grace Bishop Benjamin and assisted by our own Dean, V. Rev. Fr. John Bakas, celebrated the most inspiring Liturgy.

From 8 AM, when the ﬁrst bishop arrived, to the last minute of the program, everything went according to the plans.

Sincere appreciation and congratulations to all for your great effort and execution of this spectacular Pan Orthodox Event. A special thank you to Ted and Jan Pastras for organizing the activities and the hospitality in the Fellowship Hall, and for working out all the details needed to accommodate our guests. Yassou Levendi and Levendissa. OPA!!!

On Friday, March 14th, with the great help of George Kaplanis (our marble Guru), the custodian staff worked very hard to clean the St. Constantine Chapel; the metamorphosis took several hours. I hope you have had the opportunity to visit the Chapel to see the amazing craftsmanship of George. Thank you Mastora!

We used the chapel to dress the four bishops and their cathedral deans; they were all amazed with the new addition on our grounds. The Holy procession was assembled at the chapel and for the ﬁrst time in our history, the bishops and the deans, assisted by the deacons, walked our grounds to enter the Cathedral in a truly inspirational Doxology.

Congratulations to Connie Callinicos, Chris Yokas and the entire choir, who once again made us feel like we were in a concert hall. Special thanks to all the ladies who worked in the Cathedral and in the Fellowship Hall to accommodate all the needs of our guests. Kudos to Jim Karatsikis for all the liturgical preparations and to Keith Strong for his hard work.

After this spiritual intense period, we are now preparing ourselves for the Holy Week and the fundamental message of the feast of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the most sacred of the feasts in our church. We gather together in joy and in agape, celebrating the presence of the Risen Lord in our midst, and singing the Triumphant Hymn, “Christos Anesti – Christ is Risen”

As the Holy Week approaches, I would like to remind you about the church religious services which recall the Passion, Cruciﬁxion and the Resurrection of Christ, and are conducted each morning and evening throughout the week. The complete schedule can be found in the Herald calendar, the Narthex and the ofﬁce.

On Easter Sunday, we will be celebrating our traditional Easter Picnic at Brookside Park in Pasadena with traditional Greek food, pas- tries, music, dancing, games for children and fellowship for family and friends. Please come support the tradition that started 86 years ago. Parking is free; we kept the admission low, so you can bring your family and friends to celebrate Pascha in the most traditional way.

The Easter Picnic is sponsored by the Parish Council and the Event Chair is John T. Pappas, assisted by Ted J. Pappas, Tony Dres and Dean Treantafelles.

Thank you gentlemen, for all your hard work.

Happy Easter and Kali Anastasi!

In His service,

Panos A. Angels – Angeletopoulos

APRIL BIRTHDAYS THE JOY OF PARENTING 2008

George Psyllas Jeanine Klima Founder: Jeanne Lyons Jimmy Spears Theodore Kiapos Facilitators: Voula Baliotis, Ph. D, Irene Watson Gordon Freshman Barbara Kappos, MSW, Theodore Mc Evoy Irena Trutnik Katina Kostoulas, Ph. D, Nikos Stefanidis, Ph. D Michael Divris Carole Xanthos Julia Judge Maria Paphronis As always, the class takes place immediately after Holy Vanessa Ambatielos Michael Helm Communion in Saint John’s room. The classes are for any- Daniel Rivera Aspasia Kitchens one who is interested in attending and are free of charge. Alexander Saviola Russell Kitchens Charles Rico Katherine Kokenes March 2, 2008 Single Parents Gena Bougeokles Kari Zoolakis March 9, 2008 Adolescent Mental Health Michael Travis Peter Divris March 16, 2008 Dating March 23, 2008 Death and Dying March 30, 2008 Empty Nest Syndrome APRIL ANNIVERSARIES Termination

Pamela and Nickolas Edwards Helen and Joseph Boltinghouse Rosemary and Nicholas Georgiou BIBLE STUDY RECESS

During Lent and Holy Week, Bible study on Tuesdays with Fr. APRIL READERS John and on Wednesdays with Fr. Bill will be in recess. They will begin again on Tuesday, May 6th and Wednesday, May 7th. & USHERS

Sunday, April 6 Sunday, April 13 HOLY WEEK FLOWERS READER:Demetri Camperos READER:Eleni Maglaris Donations are now accepted for all flowers for Holy Week and USHERS USHERS Easter. Please contact the office for specific floral arrange- Gene Chronopoulos Niki Korbakis ments and candles. General donations for Easter Lilies may be Alexandra Georgiou Fofo Panagakis made as donations as well. Christina Georgiou Maria Pelargos Rosemary Georgiou Alex Markos Lulu Kappos HOLY WEEK BOOKS Sunday, April 20 READER:Lili Maglaris Lenten Liturgy and Holy Week Books are now available for Lent and Holy Week. The supply is limited. Books may be USHERS purchased in the Narthex or in the Bookstore after Liturgy. Pete Pallas Dinah Wellington Shelmadine Wellington DANCE GROUP

APRIL SACRAMENTS The St. Sophia Dance Group is now selling an instructional DVD/CD of your favorite Greek Dances. Ever wanted to be at BAPTISMS the front of the line leading at your friend’s Greek wedding or Saturday, April 12 at the LA Greek Fest? Here is your opportunity...the St. Sophia Rowan Flynn, son of Dance Program Directors have created a very “easy to follow” Melissa and Brendan Flynn DVD and accompanying CD with all the Greek dances you need Godparent: Nicholas Mendez to know to lead the lines. They will be on sale in the St. Sophia Book shop. Please help support our dance ministry. Thank you! PHILOPTOHOS PHILOPTOHOS V.I.P.

Dear Ladies of Philoptohos, We are proud to announce our selection of Amelia and Steve Skoutaris as our “SENIOR CITIZENS OF THE The Sunday of Orthodoxy had our Cathedral ﬁ lled to capac- YEAR.” We will honor them at a luncheon on Thursday, ity with almost every denomination of Orthodox Christians May 22nd. Mark your calendars. More details to follow. standing together to celebrate the restoration of the Icons. This was a liturgy to stay in our hearts and minds always as a The Philoptohos VIP Board wishes everyone most glorious service in our cathedral—with all the hierarchs dressed in gold, making our Pan Orthodox service, which is KALI ANASTASI! now 20 centuries years old, so meaningful and so beautiful.

Congratulations go to His Eminence Metropolitan Gera- simos, to all the bishops and priests from the Los An- OTHER NEWS geles area, and to our Dean, Father Bakas, who worked so hard to arrange an unforgettable religious service. VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION DAY

Honor also goes to the mixed choir that sang so mellif- SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 2008 luously. March 16th, 2008 was a most inspiring Sun- day of Orthodoxy, and we will always remember it. Please join us in church for the recognition of 4 worthy parishioners who have dedicated their time and At the most recent General Assembly meeting of Philoptohos, our talents to the Saint Sophia parish. speaker was none other than Christine Peratis, “Mrs. Philop- tohos” and our board historian. Christine spoke eloquently and Following Divine Liturgy, during coffee hour, there will be cake in the Parish Hall where you can personally vividly about the Los Angeles Philoptohos, founded in 1919. It was congratulate the honorees. known as the Greek Ladies’ Society until Archbishop Athenagoras established the National Philoptohos Society in 1931. Christine recounted a very interesting and informative organizational history, with photos and other memorabilia including a copy of the very ﬁ rst By-Laws of the organization, printed in 1919, in a small SAINT SOPHIA CATHEDRAL DOCENTS Many of our parishioners are unaware that a group of very dedi- booklet. Our founders were well organized from the start, and it cated members of our cathedral volunteer to be hosts and host- was an interesting opportunity to see how consistent the Philop- esses to thousands of visitors each year who come to admire tohos has been over nearly one century in its mission to help the “Jewel on Normandie Avenue” that is Saint Sophia. The the poor. Thank you, Christine, for your beautiful presentation. Cathedral Docents welcome individual visitors who come from many parts of the United States as well as the world, and group tours that come from many cities in the Southland. Our doors Jeanine Dalis Klima and her committee are preparing a open to as many as three to four thousand visitors each year. great program to honor our most worthy lady, Connie Coo- per, as Mother of the Year in 2008. Please do plan to spend a lovely afternoon honouring our mothers and grandmothers. As we begin the tenth year of this ministry, we want to thank the many Docents who have served over the years. We also want to extend an invitation to any one who is interested in learning about the history Plans have already begun for the Debutante Ball ten months of our beautiful church and the symbolism of its iconography and from now. Katrina Beers and her committee are arrang- decor to become a Cathedral Docent. The time commitment is only ing the details for a most outstanding debutante ball in one morning per month for approximately three hours. If you are 2009. How fortunate we all are to have such a fantastic, interested, please contact Faye Demetriou (818) 981-6088, or Jim busy, and wonderful young woman to help make Philopto- Karatsikis in the narthex. Join this dedicated group. You will ﬁ nd it a very enriching experience! hos an even greater organization with every passing year.

I am most grateful to all of our members. Please help us with Cathedral Docents for 2008: your talents and your memberships. Angela Ananias, Dean Aronis, Peggy Aronis, Helen Bolting- house, Kiki Chagares, Steve chakiris, Faye Demetriou, Zoye Fidler, Jim Karatsikis, Virginia Kostos, Electra Koutsoukos, We need everyone, Jeanne Lambros, Pauline Livaditis, Ann Moore, John Pa- panicolaou, Dorothea Stamatiades, Bill Striglos, Georgia ΚΑΛΗ ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΗ Vasila, Kathy Manos, Shelly Wellington, Marge Xanthos, Nia Zaferis. Dina Skouras Oldknow Saint Sophia Cathedral Youth Calendar 2008

April Saturday 5 * GOYA Basketball Quarter Finals @ John Muir HS - Pasadena Sunday 6 * GOYA Basketball Semi Finals @ John Muir HS - Pasadena Sunday 13 * GOYA Basketball Finals & Banquet – At Bishop Conaty & St. Sophia Saturday 19 * Saturday of Lazarus Liturgy & Pancake Breakfast followed by Palm Cross Assembly

Sunday 20 * Palm Sunday

Friday 25 * Holy Friday Retreat 10:00 AM to 2:30 PM (Ages 3-11, Grades Pre-K to 6), includes Easter Egg Hunt

Friday 25 * Holy Friday GOYA Lock-In (following evening service)

Saturday 26 * Holy Saturday (Lock-in ends after morning Liturgy)

Sunday 27 * Pascha / Easter – Easter Picnic following services

May Sunday 4 * Sunday of Thomas Egg Hunt Sunday 11 * Mother’s Day Sunday 18 * Godparent’s Sunday May 23 – 26 * Project Mexico mission trip (invitation from St. K’s youth) May 31 * St. Anthony GOYA Volleyball Tournament

June Sunday 8 * Youth BBQ for youth & parents - Last Day of Sunday School

June 28 – July 3 * Camp Axios Week - 14 years old and up are counselors

July 7 – 11 * Camp Axios 2nd Week 26 – Aug 2 * St. Sophia Camp 1st Week (Grades 2 – 12)

August 2 – 9 * St. Sophia Camp Week 2 (Grades 2 – 12)

September 5 - 7 * St. Sophia Greek Fest Sunday 14 * Sunday School Registration * Folk Dance Program – Annual Parent Meeting / dance program begins October Sunday 12 * Operation Christmas Child info will be given out Monday 20 * Metropolitan Gerasimos’ Name Day Sunday 26 * OXI Day Celebration

November Sunday 2 * Parent meeting for all Youth Groups Shoe Box collection for Christmas

Sunday 9 * Last day for Christmas shoe box collection

December Saturday 6 * Bible Bowl competition Sunday 7 * Christmas Concert

JOY 3 – 5 grade Jr. GOYA 6 – 8 grade GOYA 9 – 12 grades 2008 Lenten Retreat GOYA and FDF

Survivor: Escape the iLAND April 11-13, 2008 Valley Trails Ranch, Castaic, CA

The Metropolis invites all GOYA, FDF dancers and anyone else in Jr. High or High school for a crash course in survival skills for teenage life. The theme of the weekend will be “Survivor: Escape the iLAND”. We will learn the Orthodox Church’s survival skills for dealing with different challenges in life such as friendships, relationships, school and peer pressure.

The Survival instructors will be Fr. Bob Fox of St. Nicholas and Pete Sotiras, Youth Director for Metropolis. Part of the weekend’s survival pro gram will include a low ropes course, a 500 ft. zip line, a 45 ft. climbing wall, as well as ﬁ eld games such as capture the ﬂ ag and dodgeball.

If you are interested, please visit the Metropolis Youth Webpage to download the forms at: www.sanfran.goarch.org. The Youth Webpage will also have the schedule of events.

Deadline for Registration: Friday, March 28th The Registration fee is $75 and includes: 2 nights lodging and all meals from Friday night to Sun- day brunch. For further information, please contact Fr. Bill at [email protected]

IF YOUR DAUGHTER WOULD LIKE TO BE A MYROFORA FOR GOOD FRIDAY NIGHT SERVICES, PLEASE CONTACT FR. BILL TRAGUS 323-737-2424 EXT 222.

Holy Friday Retreat (Grades K – 6th) We will be having our annual Holy Friday retreat for all ages up to 6th grade. The retreat is hosted by the Sunday school and goes from 11:00 a.m. – 2:30p.m. on Friday, April 25th at St. Sophia. We will have lunch for everyone and projects and activities for the kids. After the retreat, the parents should pick up their kids and attend the service of “The Decent from the Cross” which begins at 3:00 p.m. The retreat is free for anyone who wishes to attend. We encourage parents to stay and eat lunch and help with the retreat. Please RSVP to Fr. Bill so we can plan for lunch at: [email protected] or (323) 737 - 2424

GOYA Lock-in on Holy Friday Our GOYA (grades 7th – 12th) will be having a Holy Friday night Lock-in on April 25th following the Epitaphio service. We will meet in St. Basil’s room immediately following Holy Friday night service. We will have a Lenten dinner, and see “Indiana Jones - Raiders of Lost Ark” on a 6-foot screen with a new sound system. Fr. John will be talking about the movie and the biblical references during dinner. We will have plenty of snacks and of course, more Starbucks coffee. We will be spending the night at the Church, so everyone needs to bring a sleeping bag, pajamas and a pillow. The Lock-in will end following the Liturgy on Holy Saturday morning, which begins at 7:00 a.m. and ﬁ nishes around 9:00 a.m. Please RSVP to Fr. Bill so we can plan for dinner at: [email protected] or (323) 737 - 2424. The Lock-in is free for all who participate.

SAINT SOPHIA BASKETBALL Our basketball season has begun. For more information, please contact: Chris Markos at [email protected]

CAMP NEWS The Saint Sophia Camp Committee once again thanks you for your continued support and participation. Because of your support and our hard work, we are pleased to announce Summer Camp 2008! We have planned another fun-ﬁ lled and enriching year and as always a program that will teach our children about our Orthodox faith so that they may grow in spirituality and as individuals. Our unique camping atmosphere pro- motes Orthodox Christian Fellowship by bonding the youth of Southern California, creating life-long friendships and thereby increasing their interest and participation in your church programs and ministries. Please encourage your young people to participate. We are currently looking for summer counselors. If possible, please use the following announcement for your church bulletin, newsletter or website.

Apply now to be a camp counselor at Saint Sophia Camp! The Saint Sophia Camp Committee is looking for highly motivated, responsible and enthusiastic young adults, over 18, to be camp counselors this summer. The ﬁ rst week is scheduled from Sunday, July 27th through Saturday, August 2nd; and the second week will be from Saturday, August 2nd through Saturday, August 9th. There will be a $100 stipend, per week, offered to counselors. We will be holding camp this summer at Camp Seeley which is located in the San Bernardino Mountains. Applications are online at www.saintsophiacamp.org. You may also contact our admin- istrative assistant, Vicki Kades, by phone at 310-869-4499 or [email protected], for more information.

MINISTRY OF THE MONTH EASTER PICNIC OF LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY - JOHN T. PAPPAS, CHAIR Our annual Easter Picnic provides an opportunity to break the Lenten Fast together and to celebrate the glory and joy of the Resurrection as a community - as a family. Join us for fantastic food, entertainment and fun. Catch up with old friends and make new ones!

COMMUNITY NEWS

PHILANTHROPIA MINISTRY NEWS USED CLOTHING AND CANNED GOODS The needs of the less fortunate are always before us. As always, we are appreciative for your caring and support, so please continue to bring your good used clothing for men, women and children. Also do not forget to bring a canned good as often as you are able. Please deposit both at the back door of the bookstore. Place all clothing donations on the back table next to the coke machine. Do not leave in the bookstore. Thank you for your cooperation.

COMPUTERS Any and all computers are welcome. If any of you are upgrading your laptops, we would appreciate the old one. Please leave in the bookstore on Fr. Peter’s desk so that they will be out of the way. We wish everyone a good month of April. God bless all of you. Father Peter can be reached @ 818-345-4724.

5 TONS OF LOVE 5 Tons of Love celebrates 5 years of service. Once again we are able to show our Love of neighbor, together with the AMNOS Ministry who will, as in the previous 4 years, be trying to ﬁll a 5 ton truck with your donation of quality clothing to be distributed to those less fortunate. Conduct your own clothing drive at school, work or in your neighborhood. This year’s 5 TONS OF LOVE clothing drive will take place over the next six weeks and ﬁnish on February 24, the weekend after Valentine’s Day. You may collect and drop off clothing any time between now and then. Please contact Fr. Bill Tragus or Dean Peratsakis for drop off info @ 818-351-0122 or [email protected] Volunteers needed. Thank You.

St. Nicholas School Booster Club Announces: 2008 8th Annual Golf Tournament ~ April 14, 2008 - Braemar Country Club 4001 Reseda Blvd. Tarzana, CA 91357 - For reservations or questions, please call: Annika Ford (818) 519-8971.

Philoptohos Society of Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church Anthousa Chapter will present a day of inspiration, fashion, ﬁne dining, shopping and more on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel on the San Diego Bay. Proceeds will beneﬁt Philoptohos ministries Kids’n’Cancer - Camp Agape. For more information contact St. spyridon at 619-297-4165.

SAVE THE DATE! WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2008 at 7p.m. Father Meletios (Mel) Webber will lead a workshop titled “Meeting God in the Orthodox Church” at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - 5761 E. Colorado St. Long Beach, CA 90814 - 562-4948929.

The Hellenic American Medical and Dental Society of Southern California once more invites medical and dental students of Hel- lenic descent to apply for S. James Vamvas Scholarship for the academic year, 2008-2009. Applicants should be Greek American medical and dental students enrolled in accredited California schools or California residents attending schools in other parts of the United States. For information and applications, contact George C. Emmanouilides, M.D., HAMDS Scholarship Chair, 4619 Browndeer Lane, Roll- ing Hills Estates, CA 90275; or telephone (310)377-6643 or (310)222-4000. Applications will be accepted until July 31, 2008.

ALEX LYRAS AT THEATRE ASYLUM Alex Lyras’ play THE COMMON AIR has been extended due to popular demand. The story brings together 6 distinct lives during an airport delay. But these people have bigger problems. Everyone travels with baggage.... “Lyras, a compact, steel spring of a performer who coils himself around his characters with the tensile energy and unflagging skill in his well-crafted, must-see show.” - Los Angeles Times, Critics Choice -- Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm. 6320 Santa Monica Blvd, Hollywood, 90038. March 28th thru May 4th. Reservations at www.plays411.com/commonair or 323.960.4443. www.thecommonair.com

ADULT GREEK DANCE CLASS Ramsay Seikaly will be teaching a beginning Greek Dance class at the Beverly Hills Adult School in April and May. The dates are April 3, 10, 17 and May 1, 8, 15. Registration has begun. Please call 310-551-5150 or send me an e-mail or register online at www. bhas.bhusd.org. The class will be on Thursday 7:00-8:30pm in the lobby of the auditorium

SEEKING EDITOR, FLUENT IN GREEK AND ENGLISH FOR FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY Final Cut Pro proﬁcient, strong storytelling ability, good sense of humor, ﬂuent in Greek and English are all required. tel. 310-450-6890

The Canonical Hierarchs in the West Coast Concelebrate the Sunday of Orthodoxy

March 15-16, 2008 Los Angeles, California

By Subdeacon Peter Samore

It was perhaps the greatest liturgical celebration of the Sunday of Orthodoxy southern California had ever seen. More than 1,000 Orthodox Christians commemorated the restoration of the holy icons without paying attention to jurisdictional background, restor- ing—if only temporarily—a union given from God on high to His Holy Church between Him, His saints depicted in the icons and His people on earth. Four canonical Orthodox Christian bishops concelebrated the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy with each other for the ﬁrst time ever: His Eminence, Metropolitan GERASIMOS of the Greek Orthodox Christian Metropolis of San Francisco and the West; His Grace, Bishop JOSEPH of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Diocese of Los Angeles and the West; His Grace, Bishop MAXIM of the Serbian Orthodox Christian Diocese of Western America; and His Grace, Bishop BENJAMIN of the Orthodox Church in America’s Diocese of the West. Joining them were their Southern California cathedral deans, the Very Rev. Fathers John Bakas (host priest on Sunday morning), Michel Najim, Nicholas Ceko and Michael Senyo (host priest on Saturday morning). They served in brotherly fellowship around the holy altar, rising above cultural, linguistic or any other man-made divisions.

It took a year of dialogue and planning among the four bishops and their cathedral deans to see this historic weekend come to fruition. On Saturday, March 15, 2008, they gathered with other clergy and faithful warmly welcomed at Holy Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Christian Cathedral in Los Angeles, California. Vladyka BENJAMIN celebrated the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom for the First Saturday of Great Lent, which commemorates the Miracle of the Kollyva (Boiled Wheat) wrought by St. Theodore the Soldier. Following the Liturgy, the hierarchs dined together at a local restaurant to ﬁnalize details for the unprecedented Liturgy they would concelebrate the next morning.

St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Christian Cathedral in Los Angeles graciously hosted the ﬁlled-to-capacity gathering of Sunday, March 16, 2008, with nearly everybody bearing an icon to commemorate the Church’s overcoming of the iconoclast heresy on the First Sunday of Great Lent in 843, known also as the “Triumph of Orthodoxy.” In the ninth century, Empress Theodora and her young son Michael restored the holy images to the Church in Constantinople, after a period of iconic destruction and desecration by those who did not fully comprehend a God revealed to humanity in the ﬂesh in the person of Jesus Christ, Who was physically present with His people as they saw and touched Him. Thus, the restoration of the holy images means the Church can see her Savior, His Holy Mother and Saints so it can see the salvation and transformation of her people.

Dhespota GERASIMOS focused on this subject in his sermon. He acknowledged that the old iconoclast controversies are over, but a new one has emerged. “This desecrates icons of Christ not made of wood or paint, but by neglecting the most vulnerable members of society,” he said, describing the poor, the abandoned and the abused who are viciously treated. “God has entrusted unto us our brothers and sisters as ‘living icons’ who are to be carried with reverence. St. John Chrysostom reminds us that we cannot clothe ourselves with silk when others outside have no clothes.” His Eminence reminded the gathering that the holy icons show a world transformed and without sin, and we are to join this world. He added that the “new iconoclasm” is ignoring the transformation from sin, not realizing the good of the created world. “Look deep into the icon with compassion so that we can be transformed,” Dhespota said. “Thus, we can restore the holy images all around us—those who are in need—in acts of love, mercy and patience, thus healing our world.”

Following the sermon, the bishops, priests, deacons, subdeacons and altar servers processed around the cathedral bearing icons, stop- ping in all four corners in the traditional Sunday of Orthodoxy procession. The priests offered prayerful petitions for God’s continued mercy on the clergy and the people, those who are living and those who are asleep in the Lord. The multi-parish choir, under the direc- tion of St. Sophia choir director Connie Callinicos, sang the apolytikion of the Sunday of Orthodoxy (“We venerate Thy pure image”) at each stop, and the entire congregation sang “Lord, have mercy” in one voice in response to each petition. Then, as the procession culminated on the solea in front of the iconostasis, the four bishops recited “The Synodicon”, the profession of faith in unison with the clergy and people.

The celebration was by no means over after the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great. The bishops continued to inspire and teach this time focused on the youth. Vladyka BENJAMIN led a discussion and question-answer session in a jammed-packed classroom on the beautiful St. Sophia grounds. The questions ran the gamut, from Christian unity to icons to Great Lent to helping the teens live and know their Orthodox Christian faith. “Make this faith your own,” His Grace said. “Don’t just go through the motions. Though it is important to know other people’s religions, we have to be most informed about our Orthodox faith so that we can share it with others.” Vladyka reminded the teens that the Orthodox Church possesses the fullness of the faith as witnessed in its history, its dogma, its saints and its traditions. “Other churches use the Bible, but they do so without the Tradition behind it,” His Grace said. “We use the Bible in the way that the Church Fathers gave it to us. The Bible is an Orthodox Christian book.”

After the clergy and congregation ﬁnished worship in Orthros and the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, the generous Lenten fare that followed, and the fruitful youth discussion that capped off the day’s events, no one realized that it was already 2:30 in the afternoon! The long day hardly had any impact on everyone’s energy levels, because they were too overjoyed to be a part of an historical, spiritually rewarding and uplifting day—one that truly cannot be missed in the future. We are thankful to Almighty God that He erased our divisions to unite His hierarchs: His Eminence, Metropolitan GERASIMOS; His Grace, Bishop JOSEPH; His Grace, Bishop MAXIM; and His Grace, Bishop BENJAMIN; and we are thankful for their efforts to bring the clergy and faithful together as we honor and love one another as images of Christ in our own modern-day “Triumph of Orthodoxy.”

Panorama Photo of the Pan-Orthodox Liturgy on Sunday, March 16th BABY TRAGUS HAS ARRIVED Fr. Bill and Presbytera Mia Tragus welcomed their new baby boy William Panayiotis on Monday, March 18th at 10:30 p.m. The little one was 7 lbs and in glowing health. Mom is doing well and is now home. Να σας ζησει!

CONFESSIONS During the Great Lent, Father Peter will be hearing confessions every Wednesday and Friday from 2:00pm until 6:30pm. If you desire to set a different time, please phone Father Peter at (818)345-4724. SAVE THE DATE Saint Sophia Cathedral will be having a General Assembly on June 1, 2008 in the Fellowship Hall after Divine Liturgy.

FREE ART CLASS If you love to draw, sketch or print and you have time and wish to learn or improve your skills or just be a beginner, we have a program for you. Master artist and fellow parishioner George Williams of- fers art classes every Tuesday morning at 10:00am in our classroom building.To join the group, just call our ofﬁce at 323-737-2424. Its great fun and fellowship.

PLEASE NOTE~ART CLASS Art class will be in recess for the next few weeks. Classes will resume on Tuesday, April 29at the regular time.

“MIROFORES” DRESS FOR SALE” A white little girl’s mirofores dress (size 12) is for sale. The dress is sleeveless with a satin finish on sheer mate- rial from the waist down. The waist has a band-like row of beads/flowers. Sale price is $40. It comes with brand new gloves and a band with flowers on it. Check with Fr. John. Congratulations to all the Greek School students and teachers for the wonderful presentation on the occasion of the March 25th celebration Saint Sophia Cathedral Greek Orthodox Community

Invites you to celebrate Pascha (Easter) At our 86th Annual Easter Picnic At the beautiful Brookside Park, Pasadena

April 27, 2008 ~12pm-7pm

Games for our children, fabulous food and dessert Roast Lamb dinners, Lamb and Chicken Souvlakia, Paidakia (Lamb Chops), Gyro, Vegetarian dinners, Baklava, Loukoumades, Galatoboureko, Beer, Soft Drinks, Coffee, Water

Great seating under trees, Greek Music and Dancing