Saint Sophia

Cathedral Communiqué

DECEMBER 27, 2015

Sunday after Nativity

FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS George E. Preonas, President; James A. Demetriou, PhD, Vice President; Constantine M. Boukidis, Secretary; Tina Callas, Treasurer

MEMBERS V. Rev. Fr. John S. Bakas; Timi Loomos Freshman; Alek Haidos; Steven C. Hanna; Gig Kyriacou; Brent A. Noyes; John T. Pappas; Jim Zaferis

PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTMENTS Anthony A. Demetriou, Presidential Assistant; John G. Marakas III, Sr. V.P. of Wells Fargo, Advisor to the Board; Andrew J. Demetriou, Foundation General Counsel

PARISH COUNCIL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS Brent A. Noyes, President; Dean Peratsakis, Vice President; Peter Triantafyllos, Treasurer; Karen Sarames, Secretary; Jeanine Hanna, Corresponding Secretary

MEMBERS Bertha Angels; Jonas Metin; Costa Bargeliotes; Peter Cosfol; Mauro Metini; George Rizkalla; Dorothy Spirus; William “Bill” Striglos, Anna Yallourakis; Dinah Wellington, Chris Stavaridis; Associate Member

BOARD OF AUDITORS: Jim Ananias; Anthony A. Demetriou; Tom Moore

Saint Sophia Cathedral Office: 323.737.2424 1324 S. Normandie Ave Fax: 323.737.7029 Los Angeles, CA 90006 www.stsophia.org/bulletin

When you write your will or update it, won’t you please remember Saint Sophia Cathedral? Such a gift will live forever as our church ministers to our spiritual needs. It’s an investment in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

PHILOPOTOHOS NEWS The Philotpohos Society of Saint Sophia Cathedral would like to wish everyone a blessed Christmas Season filled with love, joy and goodness to be shared with family, friends and neighbors. A kind word or a smile can leave a warm and lasting impression to those we meet each day. May we all be guided by the humility and love of our Lord and Savior as we celebrate His birth this month. Looking ahead, please join Philoptohos and the Saint Sophia Community after Liturgy on January 3rd for the annual Vasilopita Celebration in the Maniatakos Hall. Mark your calendars for the special dinner honoring Fr. John’s 20 years as Dean of Saint Sophia Cathedral on Saturday, January 9th. On Saturday, February 27th , Philoptohos will hold “Evening with Friends” to honor all Past Presidents of Philoptohos. We hope you will join us each week after Liturgy at Coffee Hour in the Maniatakos Hall. Our ladies are there to assist you and tell you about our ministries and how you can be involved with the work of Philoptohos. Please note…We are collecting names of Philoptohos members who are homebound and need a visit. Please call the Sunshine Committee Chairs Sonia (818) 881.8321 or Pauline (818) 784.5178 with names.

Please mark on your calendar the following dates and events. REMEMBER to SAVE THE DATE ~ SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2016 for “Evening with Friends”.

Happy and prosperous New Year!

Your sisters in Christ, the Saint Sophia Philoptohos Board Judith Christopoulos, President

MINISTRY NEWS

1. Saturday, January 9: Fr. John’s 20 year Anniversary Dinner 2. Saturday, January 23: 49th Annual Vasilopita Dinner Dance

HOLIDAY OFFICE HOURS The office will be closed on New Year’s Eve and will remain closed for New Year’s Day.

"JOY OF PARENTING" CLASSES IN THE HUFFINGTON CENTER EVERY SUNDAY IN JANUARY Join your fellow parishioners in a lively discussion of parenting children of all ages. Classes are held in the Work/ Study Room in the Huffington Center, upstairs, near the left- side staircase, immediately following Holy Communion and concluding at 12:15 p.m. Come with your concerns and questions or just listen; there is no pressure to speak to the class. It’s a wonderful way to become acquainted with other parents. There is no fee to attend. The Joy of Parenting Ministry is facilitated by Barbara Kappos, LCSW and Dr. Nik Stefanidis, Ph.D. To be added to the mailing list or to suggest a topic, contact [email protected]. Upcoming topics: Jan. 3 “Setting Family Goals,” Jan. 10, “When Parents Disagree,” Jan. 17, “Expectations,”Jan. 24, “The Over-Scheduled Family,” Jan. 31, “Who’s the Boss?"

YOUNG PEOPLE - LEARN BYZANTINE CHANT! Our assistant chanter, Michael Kontaxis will be offering simple instruction and easy to learn Byzantine music to youngsters from ages 8 to all who are young at heart. We are looking for boys and girls to learn to chant, especially for the Orthros service, prior to the Divine Liturgy and other services as well. We hope the class will begin after the Sunday Divine Liturgy. If your youngsters are interested (please encourage them) call our office and sign up. The future of our liturgical services must be preserved by our youth. All will not only learn to chant but also learn the beautiful spiritual meaning behind the hymns. Please get involved.

49TH ANNUAL VASILOPITA DINNER DANCE The Hellenic Society of Constantinople will celebrate their 49th Annual Vasilopita Dinner Dance on Saturday January 23, 2016 at the Wilshire Country Club, 301 N. Rossmore Ave., Los Angeles, CA. The evening will include music, dancing, and the traditional cutting of the Vasilopita with the gold coin. We are very pleased to announce that our honorees are ELEFTHERIA POLYCHRONIS AND Spanakopita Pan $25 THEODORE POLYCHRONIS. Do not miss this elegant Tyropita Pan $25 and beautiful event. For information, please call Mary Bougatsa Pan $25 Morrison at ( 8 1 8 ) 5 0 0 - 0904 or Jeanette Owens Benedatos at (323)660-5705.

Inner Stillness Meditation

At the Huffington Center of Saint Sophia Cathedral Happiness and Spirituality A new monthly, eight-session expanded version of the initial Inner Stillness Meditation workshop On Monday nights following the first weekend of every month, 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm presented by Maria Baltazzi , Meditation Teacher and Purveyor of Happiness, V. Rev. Fr. John Bakas, Dean of Saint Sophia Cathedral, and John Kopatsis, Huffington Center Director

Each session will cover a specific topic. The teachings are based on Maria’s studies in the field of Happiness and Orthodox Spirituality. There will be group exercises to highlight the week's teachings, along with the discussion of the topic. We will be closing with a group Prayer of the Heart meditation to discover how Inner Stillness Meditation can benefit the participants and the world around them. Time will be given at the end for everyone’s questions and feedback. Call 323-737-2424 for more information and registration.

Science and Spirituality Four sessions of science and spirituality talks as integral aspects of a unified world at the Huffington Center of Saint Sophia Cathedral, 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm February 4, 2015, March 10, 2016, April 7, 2016 and May 12, 2016 presented by Dr. Menas C. Kafatos with Maria Baltazzi, and V. Rev. Fr. John Bakas 5

Session Date Topic

1 November 9, 2015 "Happiness and Spirituality" Faith.

2 December 7, 2015 "Happiness and Spirituality" Love

3 January 11, 2016 "Happiness and Spirituality" Health

4 February 8, 2016 "Happiness and Spirituality" Peace

5 March 7, 2016 "Happiness and Spirituality" Gratitude

6 April 4, 2016 "Happiness and Spirituality" Forgiveness.

7 May 8, 2016 "Happiness and Spirituality" Detachment

8 June 6, 2016 "Happiness and Spirituality" Abundance

Dr. Menas C. Kafatos, Ph. D., is a quantum physicist and international writer on science. He is The Fletcher Jones Endowed Professor of Computational Physics at Chapman University. He received his B.A. in Physics from Cornell University in 1967 and his Ph.D. in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1972. He is the Founding Dean of the Schmid College of Science and Technology at Chapman University, serving as dean in 2009 – 2012. He directs the Center of Excellence in Earth Systems Modeling and Observations. He has published numerous books including The Conscious Universe, The Non-local Universe, and Principles of Integrative Science, and more than 300 articles in computational science, astrophysics, Earth systems science, hazards and global climate change, regional impacts of climate change, environmental issues, general relativity, cosmology, quantum mechanics, and consciousness. He has written and lectured extensively on the convergence between science and philosophy to promote discourse between science, spirituality, and religion.