Cathedral News
Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral Volume 61, Issue 8, August 2019
Reflection on Camp Good Shepherd-Virginia 2019 Now that almost two weeks have passed since our week of camp for Camp Good Shepherd – Virginia, I have been reflecting and digesting all that took place in such a special week. This past week however, has been a tough one for me and possibly some of the youth of our community as well. We have been suffering from something known as “post camp depression” If your not familiar with this, it’s what happens to campers and staff after camp is over and they are back at home. Symptoms of moping around the house, not knowing what to do, and for the staff catching up on much needed sleep. This year we had a great week at Camp Good Shepherd- Virginia. This was the fifth year of the camp which started with less than 40 campers and a handful of staff. This year we had 83 campers, 14 staff members, 2 nurses and 5 clergy. 31 of Camp Good Shepherd—Virginia 2019 those campers were first time campers, two of the staff members were first time counselors. The theme for the week was “Who is it that they say that I am?”, which comes from the gospel of Matthew, when Jesus asked his disciples who people thought he was. This theme focused on our identity as Orthodox Christians first. Through out the five days of camp, the campers along with counselors and clergy sought to answer five questions through conversation, personal experiences and our Orthodox teachings. The questions were as follows: “Who am I?”, which focused on how we as individuals identify ourselves and everything is secondary to intensifying as Orthodox Christians. “Who is it that they say that I am?”, which focused on how others see us and how do we reflect the image of Christ to others. “Who is God?”, where they discussed our understanding of God and how our relationships with him are personal. “Who Are We?”, and finally, “How Does God See Us?” Our days at camp consisted of a typical camping schedule, we began and ended each daylight a short service where hymns were lead by campers at the chant stand. We ate meals as a community, we discussed our faith, experiences and personal struggles as cabins, we participated in activities like canoeing, high ropes, archery and various others. And finally the campers grew closer and learned to lean on one another and of course had fun during evening activities and countless other times throughout the day. Throughout the week, I would find myself getting caught up with logistics, the program and day to day concerns, and I would lose focus of why we were all at camp in the first place or staying present in the moment. When this would happen, however, there would be little things from the campers or staff or clergy that would snap me out of whatever I was thinking about and reorient me back into the right mindset. I would like to share a couple of those with you right now. On the very first night the campers were at camp, Sunday night, I had been running around all day, making sure campers were in the right cabins, seeing that counselors had all they needed, calling parents back and forth about them dropping their kids off a little late, and most importantly, that we had marshmallows for the S’mores at the camp fire. I had a lot going through my mind that night and it was hard to focus on any one thing let alone the mindset we should have for camp. During this a camper was walking a little behind her group so I asked her “are you excited for the week??” She said: “yes I am and I’m just really happy to be back home” When she said this, I almost stopped dead in my tracks. Everything that I had been worried about sort of fell from my mind and I just smiled. Continued on page 3
Serving Schedule
Sunday, August 4, 2019 Sunday, August 11, 2019 Seventh Sunday of Matthew Eight Sunday of Matthew ’ H’
8:15 a.m. Orthros (Morning Prayer) 8:15 a.m. Orthros (Morning Prayer) 9:30 a.m. The Divine Liturgy 9:30 a.m. The Divine Liturgy
Epistle Reading: Romans 15:1-7 Epistle Reading: I Corinthias 1:10-17 Reader: Daniel Bazianos Reader: Ben Loucas Gospel Reading: Matthew 9:27-35 Gospel Reading: Matthew 14:14-22 Acolytes: Daniel Bazianos*, James Seevers*, Acolytes: Nikos Mouris*, Theodore Singletary*, Anthony Maratos, George Sotos, Nikolas Stratiou, John Galanides, Spencer Warner, Ben Loucas, Christopher Chavez, John Seevers, Nicholas Meyers, Christopher Singletary, Luke Branch, James Bobrovsky, Elias Sotos Niko Loucas, Elliott Sweeney Parish Council Liaison: John Ashikis Parish Council Liaison: John Ashikis Ushers: David Preddy, Paul Christofakis, Peggy Christofakis, Ushers: John Toutsi, Tom Kapsidelis, Ricky Baughan Joseph Torrice Narthex Duty: Lindsey Pantele, Zachary Matzanias Narthex Duty: Stephen Julias, Maria Reed Welcoming: Olga Vess Welcoming: Mark Chronis
Sunday, August 18, 2019 Sunday, August 25, 2019 Ninth Sunday of Matthew Tenth Sunday of Matthew ’ ’
8:15 a.m. Orthros (Morning Prayer) 8:15 a.m. Orthros (Morning Prayer) 9:30 a.m. The Divine Liturgy 9:30 a.m. The Divine Liturgy
Epistle Reading: I Corinthians 3:9-17 Epistle Reading: I Corinthians 4:9-16 Reader: Mercer Reed Reader: Zach Edwards Gospel Reading: Matthew 14:22-34 Gospel Reading: Matthew 17:14-23 Acolytes: Mercer Reed*, Andrew Vithoulkas*, Acolytes: Yianni Spears*, Zach Edwards*, Blake Georges, Stamate Theofanos, Nicholas Spears, Manoli Loupassi, Nikolas Chupp, Nikitas Karousos, Yorgos Flegas, Christos Rubis, George Tsekouras, Thomas Halsey, Symeon Moss, Ioannis Bissi, Vassilios Ringas, John Tsengas Jack Christ, Nicholas Blankenship Parish Council Liaison: John Ashikis Parish Council Liaison: John Ashikis Ushers: Stephen Halsey, Ken Collins, Tony Spears, Andy Ziu Ushers: Philip Mourtzakis, Jonathan Loucas, George Miller Narthex Duty: Jim Katsaros, Angelo Phillos Narthex Duty: Lex Dunn, Scott Stolte Welcoming: Dianna Gettas Welcoming: Tom Kapsidelis
Page 3 Volume 61, Issue 8
Continued from first page Another time this happened was in the morning at the Orthros service, which is how we begin every day at camp. Throughout the week we give the counselors the opportunity to give little sermonettes after the services. They could speak on the theme of the week, the gospel reading for the day, what we were discussing in our Orthodox Life sessions, really any thing we wanted. That morning we had a young woman from our community that shall remain nameless. When she was about to go up, I got a message from the facility director saying that something happened and he asked if we could alter our schedule for the day. Again, my mind was not in the moment and was definitely not focused on anything happening in Campers canoeing on Piankatank River church. But then this staff member began to speak and gave a beautifully simple explanation and analogy for prayer. She compared it to conversations with a friend from college. At first neither of them knew each other or knew what to say, it was awkward at times and seemed forced, but they started talking and hanging out more and more, eventually getting to the point where they had become closer, the conversation was easy and they truly relied on one another. She said it is the same with prayer, at first it feels weird, it feels forced and even awkward. But gradually it becomes easier, more personal, and eventually it will feel easier than talking to a close friend. Hearing her say this to the campers and really the staff as well, in the exact style they needed to hear, once again helped me to remember why we were all here. There are countless other stories I could share with you about the week and camp in general, but I’ll stop there. The truth is there are much better people to ask about camp and that is the campers themselves. They experience the program in a way I just couldn’t, they are the best spokespersons available to share the word of just what we do at camp and how we all grow in so many different ways in just one short week. This is such an important ministry in our church, camp is how many people including many of our parishioners, have grown closer to our faith. Camp is what made me decide to work in the church, it is where I fell in love with youth ministry, and made it clear how I was to serve the Lord and others. Camp has giving me some of the most important aspects of my life including my wife Victoria and the foundations of our relationship. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the entire community of our Cathedral for the continuing support of the Camp Good Shepherd – Virginia ministry. Whether you are a parent of campers, entrusting us with your children, someone who has donated money to go towards scholarships for campers, or just simply supporting through your prayers and kind words, this ministry would not be able to happen without you. Please keep spreading the word of CGS- VA with others, encourage your children to come or if they have already, to share their experience with other kids. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Thank you. Dean Tiggas Page 4 Volume 61, Issue 8
A Thank You to Cathedral Sanctuary Tours
“Thank you for sharing your beautiful Sanctuary with us!” – spoken by visitors and written multiple times and years in the tour guestbook Our Cathedral Sanctuary tour guides and greeters perform each year a par excellence service to our many guests at the Greek Festival. We offer the warmth of hospitality and informed knowledge of our Orthodox Faith and church of worship. Many visitors return for tours and introduce their friends to our church. Or, they seek the Sanctuary for the opportunity to pray in a respectful place of peace and to light candles for loved ones. Some ask for tour guides by name. Some say they like to tour with different guides and that they feel a deep spiritual sense sitting in our pews. Some seek historical connections with their own beliefs and symbolic meanings of Orthodoxy, and, notably, there are many visitors who earnestly seek answers to spiritual questions for contemporary life. We even had visitors this year from different states who had served with us here as tour guides many years before; it was wonderful to see them again! No matter the walks of life that come through the doors, we are there to make all feel comfortable as well as to accurately represent our faith. This year’s hundreds of guests have responded with special appreciation, recognizing Saints Constantine and Helen Cathedral as a place of worship and a welcome mat. They expressed gratefulness in knowing more about our faith- given impressive heritage. A highlight of the Sanctuary is the Thursday night awe-inspiring choir concert during each Greek Festival. Cathedral Sanctuary Tours have shared the same theme with each choir concert. The 2019 Sanctuary volunteers included committed, experienced distinct voices and new wonderful members: Deacon Nick Zachary, Tony Prousalis, Presvytera Vivian Bacalis, Donna Kontopanos, Daphne Tsimpris, Tom Kazas, Maria Tarasidis, Anita Deligan, Waldaye Ellis, Andrew Sharp, Linda Caruthers, Athina Plaka, Basil Tsimpris, Sheila Demetriades, and Kathryn Geranios. Thank you to this year’s volunteers; we thank all who have served in this role for numerous years, often multi-tasking service in the Sanctuary with other volunteer activities during Greek Festivals. We enthusiastically welcome back everyone who has served before in this role. We welcome those in the future who seek opportunities to become a part of our Cathedral Sanctuary Tours. If you are interested in learning how to become a trained tour guide and/or greeter, please contact Father Nicholas for Season 2020. Training will be announced in the February 2020 Cathedral bulletin. Speaking for myself, it is an honor to serve in this ministry. Kathryn Helen Geranios
Community Registry Birth Baptisms Deaths
A daughter, Anastasia Patricia, was John and Gene Toutsi announce the Evangelia Skoubis, mother of Kathy born to John and Christina Kyrus on June baptism of their grandchildren, George Bazianos, passed from this life in Chicago 21, 2019. Congratulations to the couple, William and Sophia Mary Grigos on on July 17, 2019. to the happy grandparents, Nick and June 22, 2019 at St. Katherine’s Greek Soula Kyrus, and Patricia Meliagros, and Anthelia (Ann) Athas Burroughs, Orthodox Church in Falls Church, to loving brother Dennis. sister of Nick Athas, passed from this life in Virginia. In attendance were the parents, Weddings Richmond on July 20, 2019. William and Cristin Grigos, and the Ulysses Avgeros was married to godparents, Hercules and Alexandra We express our sympathy to the families Andjela Lacmanovic on June 29, 2019. Grigos of New York and Stephanie and and pray for God to comfort them in their Michael Kokkinos served as the sponsor Mark Abbott of Virginia Beach. Fr. Stefanos loss. and Constantine Sotos as the witness. Alexopoulos officiated the double baptism. Congratulations to the couple. Stella Marie, daughter of Donald and Lucas Parkins was married to Congratulations to Nikos Mouris, Alexandra Iuga on July 6, 2019. Stephanie Atkinson, was baptized on June who was selected as Goalkeeper to the T-D Arthur Dogariv served as the sponsor and 30, 2019. Catherine Giles served as the Kristen Vithoulkas as the witness. All—Metro Boys Soccer team. He helped godparent. Congratulations to the couple. his Mills Godwin Eagles win the Class 5 Dogucan Mazicioglou was married to Rocco Alexander, son of Paul and Tina State Championship. Reina Abboud on July 7, 2019. Bettina Jones, was baptized on July 21, 2019. Abboud served as the sponsor and Chris Constantinos Kalentzos served as the Stathis as the witness. Congratulations to godparent. the couple. Dionysios Daniel, son of Nicholas and Chrismation Deanna McNair, and grandson of Fr. John Ethan T. Seligman received the and Presvytera Karen Manuel, was baptized Sacrament of Chrismation on July 9, on July 21, 2019. Maria Bartz served as the 2019. Nicholas Thurman served as the godmother. godparent. Page 5 Volume 61, Issue 8
Community Outreach
Plans are in the works for the Oct. 5 & 6 “Serving for Charity” tennis tournament to benefit International Orthodox Christian Charities. Parishioner Mark Chronis is looking for tournament sponsors, volunteers and teams to participate in the two-day fundraiser. Last year, the tournament raised $2,600 for the nonprofit organization. This year’s goal is ambitious: to nearly double that amount to $5,000. For information, call Mark at 804-337-7422.
Joanna Papalios and Mark Chronis are also working to bring an IOCC representative to the Cathedral on a Sunday in November. The representative would visit a Sunday school classroom to talk to students and then address parishioners after the sermon.
The July meal for the Reinhart House was sponsored by the Community Outreach committee. Coordinator Greg Silvestri reported that this — the 45th consecutive month the Cathedral has supplied a meal for Reinhart guests — had one of the biggest turnouts ever in terms of food provided. On August 13, the committee will again serve as sponsor and the Parish Council will provide food on Sept. 17.
The Community Outreach committee also will cater a meal for the Fisher House on Sunday, Aug. 18. Parishioners who wish to participate are encouraged to bring a dish to the Cathedral on that Sunday. Please contact Chronis at 804-337-7422 so he can arrange to pick up the food at the Cathedral on that day.
Reinhart and Fisher have similar missions. They each provide food and lodging for those visiting loved ones in intensive care units at local hospitals. Reinhart is affiliated with St. Mary’s Hospital. Fisher is with the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center.
John B. Cary Elementary school is looking for volunteers to assist its “beautification day” on Aug. 8 from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Volunteers will help clean up the grounds in preparation for the fall semester. Also, a school supply drive to benefit Cary as well as teachers who are members of the Cathedral will begin in August. For information about either of these two activities, call Beth Ann Lucas at 804-338-1-17.
Again this fall, the Cathedral will send “care packages” to new college freshmen. The committee will work with Father Nicholas and Youth Director Dean Tiggas to identify students at the local colleges for Sunday rides to church.
The next meeting of the Community Outreach committee will be held at the Cathedral on Tuesday, August 20, at 7 p.m. All parishioners, including new members or visitors, are welcome. For information or to suggest a charity or a ministry to support, please call our chairman, Jim Katsaros at 804-241-1632.
Page 6 Volume 61, Issue 8 August 2019
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 2 3 Dormition Fast 7:00 p.m. Begins Paraclesis Service
Project Mexico
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8:15 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Holy 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 10:00 am.— Orthros Vespers in Transfiguration Paraclesis Paraclesis 1:00p.m. 9:30 a.m. Charlottesville 9:30 a.m. Service Service Choir Regional
Divine Divine Rehearsal Liturgy Liturgy
Project Mexico
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 8:15 a.m. 7:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. Dormition of the Orthros Paraclesis Vespers for Theotokos 9:30 a.m. Service the Dormition 8:30 a.m. Divine of the Orthros Liturgy Theotokos 9:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy Philoptochos Coffee Hour
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 8:15 a.m. 6:00 Parish Orthros Council Meeting 9:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy Philoptochos Coffee Hour
25 26 27 28 29 30 31 8:15 a.m. Beheading of Orthros St. John the
9:30 a.m. Baptist Divine 9:30 a.m. Liturgy Divine Liturgy
Page 7 Volume 61, Issue 8
July Parish Council Highlights
Thank you letters for donations were received from Assisting Families of Inmates and the Daily Planet. Jim Katsaros gave the Financial report. Stewardship donations continue to be strong and ahead of last year’s pace. Expenses remain below budgeted amounts. The Replacement Reserve has been replenished and the mortgage payment for 4110 Kingcrest has been made, with funds from the Festival. The financial audit for 2018 has been completed and will be reported at the next meeting. On behalf of the Building Committee, Angelo Phillos reported that the sealing and stripping of the parking lot has been completed. The hallways upstairs, classrooms, landings, solea, and narthex have been stripped and polished. A motion from Chasen for painting the second floor walls and classrooms was approved. Scott Stolte reported that the post-Festival meeting will be next week. Jim Katsaros shared that the ongoing ministries of the Outreach Committee are going well. New initiatives are being explored. A representative from IOCC will be invited in the fall. He commended Mark Chronis for the many outreach efforts he has led. Zach Matzanias reported that the Real Estate Committee has met and is discussing how 4108 Kingcrest can best be utilized. After an initial meeting with Fr. Bacalis and Caroline Moses, a candidate for the position of sexton met with Personnel Chairman Pat Branch. Based upon the favorable impression the potential candidate made, an offer for a ninety days trial period will be made to fill this position.
Volunteer News
This month we spotlight our Bulletin Group. The Bulletin Group is a team of volunteers that assist with assembling the newsletter and cathedral calendar packets mailed throughout the year. In addition to working on these mailings, this is a great time to socialize and spend time with friends. If you would like more information about this group and how you can join in, contact Vangie Varthalamis at [email protected]. As always, thank you to all our volunteers for all you do.
“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much!”
Cathedral Newsletter and Website
We love to include photos and details from Cathedral events and organizations in our newsletter and on our website, please send to Athina ([email protected]) and Caroline ([email protected]), and also please be mindful of submission deadlines. We will include as much as space allows, and thank you to everyone for helping us share these happenings with our cathedral family. Page 8 Volume 61, Issue 8 Philoptochos Corner
Philoptochos farewell dinner in Katherine Kokkinias honor. Katherine will be pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of Colorado.
Philoptochos Coffee Hour
July 7, 2019 Celebrating the 4th of July and Saint Kyriaki
Third Sunday of Matthew. Pictured on the left is Saint Kyriaki. She was given her name because she was born on Sunday, the day of the Lord (in Greek, Kyriaki). She contested in Nicomedia during the reign of Diocletian, in the year 300. After many bitter torments she was condemned to suffer beheading, but being granted time to pray first, she made her prayer and gave up her holy soul in peace. Happy name day to all who celebrated on July 7th.
Thank you to all that helped with the coffee hour. The table was decorated for the 4th of July.
Mary Gretes, Elizabeth Morris, Presvytera Vivian, Melissa Marrion, Vangie Varthalamis, Joanne Sotos, Calypso Bletsos, Heidi Derdevanis, Daphne Tsimpris, Nelly Texler, Anita Deligan and the Tarazi family that were visiting today.
Our next coffee hour will be Thursday, August 15th and Sunday, August 18th. Please let Vangie ([email protected]) know if you would like to bring something or sign the Coffee Hour signup sheet that will be in the kitchen.
Page 9 Volume 61, Issue 8 Penelope’s Pen
For many of our Sisters, and others in our congregation, this is a time to take a well-deserved summer break from work and other routine activities. At the end of June, however, our Sisters attended an end-of-the year brunch at the Meadowbrook Country Club. In addition to the delicious food, we were a b l e t o e n j o y t h e b e a u t i f u l spring-blooming grounds of the club. The accompanying photo of our group in front of the garden’s fountain was kindly taken by Sondra Awad and shows the beauty of the gardens we enjoyed that day. Our thanks to Sister Donna Kontopanos for arranging the event.
In other news, and at the risk of seeming immodest, your Scribe, Shelia Demetriadis, was chosen as District #3 Penelope of the Year at the District #3 annual convention that was held in early June. It is an honor that I truly appreciate, and I will try to live up to and remain deserving of it.
That is all for now. Keep hydrated in this heat while enjoying every minute of your summer; it will be gone before we know it. Until next time, Penelope’s Scribe Shelia Demetriadis
Greek School Open House—Save the Date!
Monday, September 16th at 4:45 p.m. in the Spanos Foyer
The Greek School Needs Your Help !
If you are fluent in the Greek language, please consider donating a few weekly hours to the education of our youth. The after school program is taught by volunteers that are eager to see the continuation of our language and culture in the community.
Take pride in your heritage and be a part of our efforts!
If you have any questions call Penny Moss at (917) 843-3273 οr email at [email protected].
Greek School Adult Classes
Registration is now open for the Greek School Adult classes.
Registration form is on the Cathedral website. First day of classes is September 30, 2019.
Monday: 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Advanced
Tuesday: 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Beginners and 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Intermediates
For questions, please contact Niki Karion at [email protected]
Prayers for the Living During the first two weeks of August, Paraklesis (Supplicatory) Services are held in honor of the Theotokos. If you would like the names of your living loved ones to be offered during the service, please fill out the form below and bring it to the service or mail it to the church office. Names of the Living for the Paraklesis Service Please Write Clearly -
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______The Cathedral Newsletter is published monthly by the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Virginia, 30 Malvern Avenue, Richmond, VA 23221. Fr. Nicholas Bacalis, Dean Email: [email protected] Website: www.vagocathedral.org Phone (804) 355-3687 Edition: August 2019 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
America of Archbishop
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