S T. JO HN THE BAPTIS T G REEK ORTHODO X CHURC H THE FORERUNNER VOLUME XXIX NUMBER 11 N OVMBER 2 0 1 3 HONEY, WHAT TO DO WITH OUR KIDS FOR HALLOWEEN? S PECIAL POI NTS OF Or, the pains of American Orthodox during the I N TEREST: fall-Winter Holiday season Honey, what to do with All things are lawful for me, but not all things are our kids for Halloween? helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. (1 Co 10:23) Last Push for Stewardship 2013 Spending all my childhood and early youth in native Romania, I have to admit that I am not If You Don't Hear Cry- ing, the Church is Dying (yet) emotionally involved with all the major American Holidays. I am working on it, espe- Gladsome Light Dialogues cially since my family has been naturalized a few continue throughout years ago, but I find myself a bit of a stranger October around these days. This fact however offered me The History of Byzantine the opportunity to research their meaning with Music fresh inquiring eyes and to not just take them for granted. I take for granted only the Romanian holidays that I grew up with, just like every American does with theirs. The holidays we grow up with become so engrained over the years up to the point where, although we keep all the rituals, decorations and foods, they start to lose their meaning to us. We celebrate them because that’s what we do, but we rarely bother to recollect their deeper significance. Even great Holidays like Christmas, Pascha or Thanksgiving are rapidly losing their meaning to consumerism and marketing. The situation gets even more complicated when a Christian Orthodox comes to America, IN SI DE THI S I SSU E: or when an American born joins the Orthodox Church. The fall winter season is particularly challenging. First comes Halloween with all its spooky decorations and misdirected fun. Even if you resist the pressure of “can we go trick-or- CO UN C IL CA PS ULE 2 (Continued on page 3) ST EWARDSHIP 4 COUNCIL CAPSULE Y OUTH M IN IS TRIES 6 Well once again, when everyone pulls together, we can accomplish great things and we’ve proven it with the success of the 22nd Annual Food Festival. Each year we have trepida- tions on how our small group will be able to undertake this huge task and yet somehow it PHILOPTOCHOS 7 all comes together. Without the countless hours of planning and dedication of a core group led by George Vit- M US IC M IN IS TRIES 8 tas, we would not have had a festival this year. Nor would we have had a Taverna Night if not for the ladies of Philoptochos who when asked at the end of August, whether they CALENDAR 11 would be willing to undertake the task of planning Taverna Night, answered with a re- (Continued on page 2) PAGE 2 THE FO RERUNNER COUNCIL’S CAPSULE (Continued from page 1) eral Assembly of the year at card and made payments which a vote for our 2014 toward your pledge. Please sounding “YES, WE CAN budget will be needed and make plans to attend the DO IT”! Many thanks go to nominations for the 2014- meeting. everyone who stepped up 2016 council members will be The Parish Council wishes when asked to chair a com- announced. If you are inter- everyone a safe and Happy mittee. All of the volunteers ested in serving your church Thanksgiving Holiday. who put in long hours should on the Parish Council, please be proud of their accomplish- see a council member and let Barbara Vittas ment. them know you are interested Parish Council President in running for the board. The final figures on the festi- val will be reported at our Remember, in order to run for the council or vote at the November 17th General As- General Assembly, you must sembly. This is the last Gen- have filled out a stewardship A M IRACLE OF ST. M ENAS OF EGYPT THE PARISH This miracle of Saint Menas various areas of the city and is for this reason that Muslims CO UNCIL WISHES EVERYO NE A took place in 1826 in Hera- many gathered towards the began honoring Saint Menas SAFE AND HAPPY kleion, Crete. Five years pri- church to celebrate the feast and bringing gifts to the THANKSGIVING or was the beginning of the and sing "Christ is risen!" church. HOL IDAY . Greek Revolution and the Turks had slaughtered a great As the gospel was being read This miracle is celebrated number of Greeks in Crete, proclaiming the Resurrection every year on Bright Tuesday most noteworthy being the Feast suddenly a gray haired following Pascha in the city of Metropolitan of Crete togeth- man appeared and began run- Herakleion. It is also during er with many of his bishops of ning around the church hold- the Vespers Service of the various districts on June 24, ing a sword, and the faithful feast that the relic of Saint 1821 in the Cathedral of Saint saw him chase away the Turks Menas is displayed for venera- Menas, together with the who were devising the slaugh- tion by the faithful. officiating priest who was ter. slaughtered on the very altar during the Divine Liturgy. The Turks thought the man was a fellow Muslim who was Five years later the Turks sent by the governor of the were devising another slaugh- city to call off the slaughter. ter of the Christians on April However the governor as- 18, 1826, which was the sured them he had sent no Feast of Pascha when all one and in fact had not left his Christians of the city would home that night. It was then gather to celebrate the Feast that the Turks realized that of Feasts. To distract them this was a miracle of Saint they set fires on Pascha in Menas to save the Greeks. It VOL UME XXIX NUMBER 11 PAGE 3 HONEY, WHAT TO DO WITH OUR KIDS FOR HALLOWEEN? (Continued from page 1) thodox priest this never losing many of its Christian grows old. The American roots, challenges now every- treating this year?” that kids put born Orthodox are torn be- thing I hold dear. As Ortho- on you, just walking through tween their love for their dox I have to choose again a neighborhood or turning on American tradition and their and again every day and the the TV around Halloween love for their newly embraced choice is getting harder. exposes you and your chil- Orthodox Church; the cradle This is why in the end I won’t dren to unwanted graphic Orthodox are torn between violence and gore. I live to their Orthodox Tradition and give you any advice on what think that I have pretty robust this new culinary tradition to do for Halloween; I won’t sense of humor, but some of that everyone seems to enjoy tell you what to eat for The Descent of Christ the stuff you see out there is so much around. In fact I Thanksgiving or how to cele- into Hades really bizarre. This year, for personally think that we all brate Christmas. I will only example, someone found forget that true Thanksgiving remind you that as Orthodox amusing to leave a pair of fake comes from the heart and not Christians, old or new, we crushed corpses under his car form the oven, and the best on the driveway, prompting expression of love is not in share a sacred responsibility, the neighbors and other pass- what we put in our mouth but no matter where we are, to I FEEL A ers to call 911; I bet was fun in what comes out of it; and preserve intact what we have TENSIO N GROWING EVERY for the emergency operators. this is all I have to say about received from our forefa- DAY BETWEEN But amidst all this mix-up, Thanksgiving. thers, so, at our turn, to hand some actually remember that OUR HO LY After the Thanksgiving truce it over to our children, just as TRADITION A ND the night of Halloween start- comes Christmas, a great ed as the evening celebration pure as we have received it. THE SO CIETY Feast during which we should of the mass for the souls of We are the salt of the earth; A ROUND THA T, all find ourselves at peace. the departed, or the All Hal- we are to change the world LO SING MANY OF But even Christmas, an essen- lows Eve. I read the other day ITS CHRISTIAN tial Holy Day for Christians of by revealing Christ to all, not about a gentleman that, on ROO TS, all nations, has lost its track. to let the world change us in CHALLENGES NO W Halloween, sits on a chair on In the recent “tradition”, ra- turn. his front porch and hands out EVERY THING I ther than preparing ourselves lit candles, along with a treat, HOLD DEA R. for the coming of the Messiah for the kids that stop by. He Christ, through prayer, fast- also explains to them that the ing and almsgiving, we now candle is lit for the souls of hold anticipatory Christmas the departed people that we parties (again in Lent) and we pray for on this day. Yes, I spend what’s left of our year- know is not an Orthodox ly budget on decorations and holiday, but I find this much gifts.