Petra News February 2015

1 Table of Contents

CONTACT INFORMATION TABLE OF CONTENTS

STS . P ETER & P AUL GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH Contact Information 2 5640 Jay Road, Boulder, CO 80301 Spiritual Reflection 3 www.stspeterandpaulboulder.org Parish Council 4 303-581-1434 (Office) Stewardship 5 CLERGY Philoptochos 8 Lent: “Tithe of the Year” 9 FR. J ORDAN BROWN , P ROISTAMENOS 303-581-1434 (Office) ~ 503-705-7929 (Cell) St. Paisios of Mt. Athos 11 [email protected] Schedule of Services 14 February Calendar 15 PARISH COUNCIL News & Events 16

JIM AZAR ~ P RESIDENT OCF 26 [email protected] ~ 303-917-4846 Youth Ministries 27

JIM ZISSIMOS ~ V ICE PRESIDENT [email protected] ~ 303-427-7981

AARON WALL ~ S ECRETARY [email protected] ~ 720-400-6579

PETE STAMUS ~ T REASURER [email protected] ~ 303-579-9011

KIKI CHERONIS ~ P HILOPTOCHOS PRESIDENT [email protected] ~ 303-449-5589

TONY AZAR [email protected] ~ 303-877-3449

BRIAN GREGORY [email protected]~ 720-450-4933 PETRA NEWS

PAUL VRANAS A ministry and monthly publication of [email protected] ~ 312-515-3818 Sts. Peter & Paul Greek Orthodox Church. Supported by the Stewards of the AMANDA NADER parish [email protected] ~ 303-710-5689

PAM TORRANCE [email protected] ~ 720-939-7870 Cover: Icon of The Prodigal Son 2 Spiritual Reflection

“Love towards one’s brother cultivates love towards God” St. Porphyrios

“And He shall come again in glory to judge the living and the dead; and whose Kingdom shall have no end...” (Creed)

The subject of Christ’s return, the 2nd Coming of Christ, is the most mentioned teaching in the New Testament. It is mentioned 318 times in the 260 chapters of the New Testament. Jesus has promised His coming again to the judge the world. Christ said, (John 14:3), ...”when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.” As we prepare for Great Lent, on the Sunday of Meatfare (February 15), one week prior to Lent, the gospel lesson shares the following, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne... (Matthew 25:31).

It is important not to get caught up with those who believe they can predict when Christ will come. Holy Scripture teaches that no one can predict the 2nd Coming of Christ. Jesus Himself shares with us, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only ... watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming... (Matt 24:36). The message of Meatfare Sunday in not to be concerned whether Christ’s Coming is sooner or later, but to be always ready. The Church is patient with us and slowly prepares us for Great Lent by adjusting our lifestyle. Great Lent is a special time to grow closer to God.

Meatfare Sunday is known as Judgement Sunday. The gospel lesson calls us not to be afraid of God, but to love Him and realize His love for us. St. Matthew reminds us that Christ is coming. He is coming to gather His sheep, in other words, those who have embraced His as their shepherd. “And He will separate them..” we read in the gospel. It is important to remember that we determine the judgement God will have on us. The Lord will judge us on the basis of love. The gospel lesson shares the message of the works of Christian charity. Works of Christian charity are especially emphasized during the Holy Lenten Fast. I remember His Eminence Metropolitan speaking to us that during lent we should make the effort to have simple meals in order to have more time to pray and help those in need. His Emi- nence encouraged us with the money you save during lent can be shared with the church, those in need or special charities like IOCC. Lent is a time for all us to cut back on the movies, restaurants, entertainment, and fill the time with prayer and charity.

We must remember that the works of charity alone will not save us. Read carefully what St Matthew wrote. The works of charity, taking care of those in need, become true works of Christian charity when we see Christ in the person we are helping. Saint Porphyrios shared the story of an abbot concerned about two novices who desired to become monks. The abbot felt in his heart that the novices were not really making any progress in their spiritual life. The abbot prayed for a sign from God. An angel appeared on the back of the elder, and said, “The novices are not ready. They are not yet worthy of the Kingdom of God because they do not have love.”

The Lord identifies with the hungry, thirsty, the naked and the captive to seek us out. We live in a spiritually danger- ous world. One can easily become selfish and self centered, thinking only of himself. The Lord identifies with those in need to help us. Christ knows that if we serve with His love our hearts will soften and always be open to Him. If we can not love our brothers and sisters, how can we love God? The evangelist John wrote, “For the person who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” Let us focus during this special time of preparation for Lent to cultivate the love of God for our brothers and sisters.

Father Jordan 3 Parish Council

The 2015 Parish Council just wrapped up a very productive retreat on Saturday, January 24th, 2015. Father Jordan forced us to stay in a small, dark room with no food or water for 6 hours and wouldn’t let us leave until we went through the entire agenda! All joking aside, we had a very constructive meeting.

I’ll spare you from some of the minor details (you can thank me later!), but will attempt to summarize some of the major objectives for 2015 and beyond. First, the Parish Council agreed on the need to continue the process of formalizing policies and procedures to help create a more cohesive and uniform means of facilitating parish administration. Over the years, we as a community have gradually made the transition from a small mission into a larger church body serving Boulder County and the Northwest Metro communities. Given our past growth as well as our anticipation of future growth and facility improvements, the Parish Council agreed that this is the time to put procedures and guidelines in place that will assist future administrators, PC executives, and church volunteers in executing their duties.

Second, there was much discussion on how the Parish Council could better support the parish’s many ministries and outreach groups. As a result, we assigned a specific council member as a liaison to each of our parish ministries. This PC ministry liaison will be responsible for reaching out to committee heads and ministry groups to obtain updates on group activities and to determine how the PC can help them meet their mission objectives. We would also like to encourage ministry leaders to attend a Parish Council meeting once or twice a year to provide updates and address committee/ministry questions or concerns.

Last but not least, Fr. Jordan and the PC outlined our long term goals for the community. The Parish Council is looking forward to partnering with Fr. Jordan to fulfill our parish mission, to “ be a beacon of Orthodox Chris- tian spirituality in the greater Boulder area”. First and foremost, we must all recognize that we need to focus on our own spiritual growth, both as individuals and as members of the Orthodox Church. “For where two or three gather together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them” Matthew 18:20. We can do this through prayer (both in private and as a community), by frequent participation in the sacramental life of the Orthodox Church (i.e. communion, confession, etc.), and by regular participation in church services and community events. We can also fulfill our church mission by supporting and strengthening our parish ministries and encouraging outreach amongst the general community and our own church family. This might mean giving someone a ride to church, providing food and clothing for the less fortunate (thank you Philoptochos and Head Start Angels!), or even reaching out to a friend or family member that you haven’t seen at church for a while. Our passion for our church can be manifested in many different forms, and I encourage all of us to consider how we can better serve those around us. Together we can help support Fr. Jordan and the Parish Council in our efforts to grow our parish both physically and spiritually.

Through the prayers of Sts. Peter & Paul, Lord Jesus Christ please bless our church and all of the faithful therein!

Aaron Wall PC Secretary 4 Stewardship

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The Building for the Future Committee has been going through a master planning effort to help define the long term needs for a community center. In next month’s article I will get into further de- tail about the developments and progress related to this effort.

For this first article, I wanted to recap some of the information I presented to the parish before Christmas related to the importance of our stewardship and taking care of the Church. To me, we need to address our current finances so we can then discuss the future needs of our church family.

It seems that year after year our Saints Peter & Paul community frets about where the money is going to come from to pay all our bills. Eventually we decide it will come from somewhere – and it does. In one way it is good that we have faith – in another way I think we need to look differently at how we give to the Church. I have had several experiences that have changed how I view giving to our Church. The first was the birth of our son, Nicholas, who was born at 27 weeks. Many of you know the challenges that Nicole and I had and just how richly God blessed our lives. It is the most powerful thing that has ever happened to me! When you see the power and love of Jesus Christ it humbles you.

Secondly, I want to share a discussion I had with my friend and business partner related to giving to the church. What he said recalibrated how I see our church giving. I was talking to him about the financial struggles of a small church. He was puzzled. He said “We should always give our best to the church.” He could not under- stand why the church would ever want for money. I thought about our talk and realized he really got it right. We spend a lot of time and money on things that don’t matter in our lives and yet our Church, which is our sal- vation and the one place we ought to be most devoted, often becomes a secondary priority.

Flash forward to another discussion I had within our parish family about a new community center and the said to me “Providing for the church is worth the sacrifice.” And that got me thinking: Do we really sacrifice for the church? I feel that most of us would agree that we could sacrifice a little more. We can go into 2015 and accept the status quo on Saints Peter & Paul’s finances (another year waiting for the money to come in and depending on the Taste of Orthodoxy to balance the books) or we can recalibrate our view of our church and its importance in our lives. We need to think about our church giving differently; we need to move beyond worrying about money; we need to have a church that reflects the blessings of our Lord. The Church should be our best and we need to take pride in God’s home.

Our per steward average commitment for 2014 was $1750. If we were tithing that would mean our average annual income per steward is $17,500. In 2014 we had 83 pledges, 23 of those stewards (or about a quarter) pledged over 62% of our total stewardship commitment. The remaining 60 pledges provided an average annual commitment to our community of $920. As a community we can do much better and for most of us it wouldn’t be a great sacrifice.

5 Stewardship

Sometimes we pat ourselves on the back and say that our average giving is better than other Orthodox churches. That may be true, but our giving is nowhere near what most other Christian denominations give and certainly not enough to give God our best.

We are not a church that talks much about money; frankly we shouldn’t have to. We know that the church needs our money and we know that we don’t commit enough to pay the bills of our church each year. What we give is between ourselves and God -I am not trying to guilt anyone. I would ask that we prayerfully reconsider our gifts and commitments to the church in 2015. The church should not want!

In Christ,

George Tsiouvaras

6 Stewardship 2015 Stewards

Anastas, Christie & Emil McVeigh, Billy & Barbara Anastas, Hani & Katrina Melonakis, Mathew Andrusko, Gaynel Merrill, Toula & John Ashmun, Joanne Mills, Mary & Mark Azar, Jim Nader, Jacques & Amanda Barbu, Ileana & McDonald, Thomas Nolte, Melina Brown, Fr. Jordan & Pres. Marika Pagratis, Maria Chellos, Aphrodite Panas, Jim & Fannie Cheronis, Alekie Pappageorge, George Cheronis, Dion Pappas, Bill Christopher, Chris & Georgia Pappas, George & Charleen Dageenakis, John & Elayne Pappas, Nick DeGeorge, Tony & Rola Piper, Ted & Sophia Dotson, Pres. Kedrann Sammoury, Tony & Christiane du Bernard, Margaret Sampson, Earl Dzilvelis, Fran Sarris, Juli Dzilvelis, Steve & Ashley Serougi, Eissa & Samira Egeberg, Angela Serougi, Sam & Adma Elias, Elias Shearin, Patrick Elias, Eric & Keity Skodras, Nick Garcia, Mary Skodras, Voula Geerdes, Bruce & Andreatta Soderberg, Liz & Kurt Gehmeyr, Michael & Bakalis, Olympia Soulakis, Manuel & Candice Georgis, Maria Swiszcz, Paul & Marose-Swiszcz, Jan Georgis, Steven & Yoana Torrance, Pam Glasener, Gary & Robin Troicky, Chris Hess, Christel & George Troicky, Lis & Alex Houghton, Nancy & Guillermo Tsiouvaras, George & Nicole Jacky, Tom & Tamsin Tsiouvaras, Nick & Christine Kallan, Nick & Cavallaro, Danielle Vasquez, Matthew & Christina Kapatayes, Gaby & Odeta Wall, Aaron Kapatayes, Khristo & Jospehine Welker, Julie & David Kapatayes, Nuha Yost, Cynthia & Narod, William Lymberopoulos, Mary Zarifa, Sonia Zissimos, Jim & Sheila

If you have returned your 2015 Stewardship Commitment Card but do not see your name listed, please contact Nicole Tsiouvaras or any member of the Parish Council.

7 PhiloptochosPhiloptochos

We wish all of you a very lovely and prosperous New Year, 2015! My goodness, it seems like yesterday it was the year 2000!

The ladies of Philoptochos have been very busy these past few months! We’ve been managing Sunday fellowship, organizing the Winter Dinner Dance, and also found time to attend a women's retreat at the Protection of the Holy Virgin Orthodox Monastery in Lake George, CO. In December, families of Sts. Peter & Paul provided 99 Holiday presents for the children in the Head Start Program of Boulder County. Many parishioners attended the event. What a joy it was to see all the smiling happy faces when Santa Claus handed out the bags filled with needed clothing and toys!

Thank you to all who helped with our fund raising projects! We sincerely hope you all enjoyed the Premier Jewelry, Gift wrap, and Christmas Cookies.

We will be serving a Meatfare Pizza Luncheon on February 15, 2015. Proceeds for this luncheon will be ear marked for the St. Nicholas Shrine at the World Trade Center in New York City.

Bookstore is always open on Sunday during the fellowship, coffee hour. Feel free to come by and visit the open shelves, there is a lot to look at.

"ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE" is the theme for the Winter Dinner Dance on February 7,2015. Make arrange- ments to attend and swing around the dance floor with your favorite partner. Jan Marose is accepting reservations for this Gala Event, we will not be selling tickets at the door. There will be fabulous silent and live auctions available. Don't miss out on all the fun.

All are invited to attend our next board meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March, 3, 2015.

Respectfully submitted,

Kiki Cheronis President

8 Lent: The “Tithe” of the Year By Fr. Thomas Hopko

In Orthodox Church tradition, the season of Great Lent is called, in the liturgical books, the “tithe of the year.” We know that in the Bible the believers were obliged to give ten percent of their possessions, their time, their crop, their money to the Lord, to the temple. And the rule of the tithe wasn’t at all because ninety percent of our possessions are our own and ten percent belong to God.

The tithe was to remind the people of God that they belonged to God, that He had saved them, He had delivered them from Egypt, that He was their God. And so that they would never forget that God is God and they were to keep his ordinances and commandments and that all things belonged to Him and that they possessed things as gifts from Him, they were obliged to this rule of ten percent. Of course in the New Testament when the Lord Christ came, the teaching was if you will be perfect, you give everything, and you follow me. And as some of the saints like John Chrysostom says: “We speak about giving all and then we don’t even give the ten percent.”

Now this Lenten Season, as far as time is concerned, is just about exactly ten percent of the year. If we have 365 days and you have 40 days of the Lenten Season and then, in the Orthodox tradition again, the Holy Week of Christ’s Passion added on, that adds up to be virtually ten percent of the year. And the Lenten Season is that time of the year when believers, Christian believers, try to be what they ought always to be and to do what they ought always to do, but don’t.

It’s not a time for a special pious devotional activity. It’s a time for normal Christian life and normal Christian activity, the way it should be lived all year round but is not. So the season of repentance, the Lenten spring as it’s often called, this “tithe of the year” is when the believers mobilize themselves individually and together, corporately, to try to be God’s people, to be a Christian, to be a human being, to be a person, as a Christian, to know that we were not simply brought of Egypt into Palestine.

We were brought from death to life, Earth to Heaven. We are in the new Passover. We belong to God, not simply because He delivered us from earthly bondage, but we belong to Him because we were bought by the Blood of Christ, redeemed from Hell itself, from death itself, in order to live forever with God. Now during this “tithe of the year,” Christians are called to do all those things which open them up to the grace of God, all those disciplines that prove that they are believers. Usually they’re summarized, as they are in Ortho- dox tradition, in the Gospel readings on the Saturday and Sunday before Lent begins, by those three teachings of Jesus that are found in the Sermon on the Mountain—when you pray, when you fast, and when you give alms or more technically, more correctly translated, when you do acts of mercy.

9 Lent: The “Tithe” of the Year By Fr. Thomas Hopko

So the Lenten Season would be a time for praying— personally, corporately, in one’s heart, in one’s room, in one’s Church, as a member of the Church. It would be a time for fasting in secret—abstaining from foods, not overeating, real- izing that our food and drink is the Word of God, and not some physical food, our food is the Bread of Life who is Christ Himself. And then also that it would be a time of doing acts of mercy—helping others, giving to the poor, spending time with people. And then in addition to those three things, you would have confession of sins; you would have a practice of silence; so many things, reading the Bible, that Christian believers should be doing all of the time. So the Lenten Season is that “tithe of the year,” when we try to be and do what we should be and do at all times.

10 St. Paisios of Mount Athos (+1994)

Elder Paisios was canonized on January 13, 2015, by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Church commemorates St. Paisios on July 12.

Our venerable and God-bearing Elder Paisios of Mount Athos (July 25, 1924 – July 12, 1994), was a monastic of Mount Athos. An ascetic, he was known by his visitors for his gentle manner and acceptance of those who came to receive his advice, counsel, and blessing. His words of counsel continue to be published to this day.

Arsenios Eznepidis was born on July 25, 1924, to pious parents in the town of Farasa, Cappadocia of Asia Minor, shortly before the popula- tion exchange between Greece and Turkey following the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922. Arsenios' name was given to him by St. Arsenios the Cappadocian, who baptized him, named the child for himself and fore- told Arsenios' monastic future. Very shortly after his baptism the young Arsenios and his family were forced to leave Asia Minor in accordance the peace Treaty of Lausanne. St. Arseni- os guided his flock along a 400-mile trek to Greece. The Eznepidis family finally settled in the town of Konitsa in Epirus in northwestern Greece. As he had prophesied, St. Arsenios reposed forty days after the group settled in Greece, leaving, as his spiritual heir, the infant Arsenios. Arsenios grew up in Konitsa and learned carpentry after completing intermediate public school.

During the civil war in Greece following World War II, Arsenios served as a radio operator. While concerned about his compatriots who had family, he didn't worry for himself because he was single and had no children. He was noted for his bravery, self-sacrifice and moral righteousness. After the civil war ended, he wanted to en- ter a monastic life, but had to consider his sisters, who were as yet unmarried. By 1950, he had provided for his sisters' future and was free to begin his monastic vocation.

He arrived on Mount Athos in 1950, first to Fr. Kyril, the future abbot of Koutloumousiou Monastery, and then to Esphigmenou Monastery. In 1954, Arsenios, having been a novice for four years, was tonsured a monk and was given the name Averkios. He was a conscientious monk, finding ways to both complete his obediences (which required contact with others) and to preserve his silence, so as to progress in the art of prayer. He was always selfless in helping his brethren. He was unwilling to rest while others worked (though he may have already completed his own obediences) as he loved his brothers greatly and without distinction. In addition to his ascetic struggles and the common life in the monastery, he was spiritually enriched through the reading of soul-profiting books. In particular, he read the lives of the Saints, the Gerontikon, and especially the Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian.

Soon after his tonsure, monk Averkios left Esphigmenou and joined the then idiorhythmic brotherhood of Phi- lotheou Monastery, where his uncle was a monk. He placed himself under obedience to the Elder Symeon, who gave him the Small Schema in 1956, with the new name Paisios. Fr. Paisios dwelt deeply on the thought that his own spiritual failures and lack of love were the cause of his neighbor's shortcomings, as well as of the world's ills. He harshly accused himself and pushed himself to greater self-denial and more fervent prayer for his soul and for the whole world. He also cultivated the habit of seeking the "good reason" for a potentially scandalous event and for people's actions. In this way he preserved himself from judging others. For example, pilgrims to Mt. Ath- os who had been scandalized by the strange behavior and stories told by a certain monk would when they met Elder Paisios, asked him what was wrong with the monk. He warned them not to judge others, and that this monk was actually virtuous and was simply pretending to be a fool when visitors would come, so as to preserve

11 St. Paisios of Mount Athos (+1994)

his silence.

In 1958, Elder Paisios was asked to spend some time in and around his home village so as to support the faithful against the proselytism of Protestant groups. He greatly encouraged the faithful there, helping many people. Later, in 1962, he visited Sinai where he stayed for two years. During this time he became beloved of the Bedouins who benefited both spiritually as well as materially from his presence. The Elder used the money he received from the sale of his carved wooden handicraft to buy them food.

In 1964, on his return to Mt. Athos, Elder Paisios took up resi- dence at the Skete of Iviron before moving to Katounakia at the southernmost tip of Mt. Athos for a short stay in the desert there. The Elder's failing health may have been part of the reason for his departure from the desert. In 1966, a part of his lungs was removed during an operation. It was during this time of hospitalization that his long friendship began with the young sisterhood of St. John the Theologian in Souroti, just outside of Thessaloniki. During his operation he greatly needed blood and it was then that a group of novices from the monastery donated blood to save him. Elder Paisios was most grateful, and after his recovery, he did whatever he could, materially and spiritually, to help them build their monastery.

In 1968, he resided at the Monastery of Stavronikita helping with its spiritual as well as material renovation. While there he had the blessing of being in contact with the ascetic Elder Tikhon who lived in the Hermitage of the Holy Cross, near Stavronikita. Elder Paisios stayed by his side until his repose, serving him selflessly as his disciple. It was during this period that Elder Tikhon clothed Fr. Paisios in the Great Schema. According to the wishes of the Elder, Fr. Paisios remained in Elder Tikhon's hermitage after his repose. Fr. Paisios stayed there until 1979, when he moved to his final home on the Holy Mountain, the hermitage Panagouda, which belongs to the Monastery of Koutloumousiou.

It was at Panagouda that Elder Paisios' fame as a God bearing elder grew, drawing to him the sick and suffering people of God. He received them all day long, dedicating the night to God in prayer, vigil, and spiritual struggle. His regime of prayer and asceticism left him with only two or three hours each night for rest. The self-abandon with which he served God and his fellow man, his strictness with himself, the austerity of his regime, and his sensitive nature made him increasingly prone to sickness. In addition to respiratory problems, in his later days he suffered from a serious hernia that made life very painful. When he was forced to leave the Holy Mountain for various reasons (often due to his illnesses) he would receive pilgrims for hours on end at the women's monastery at Souroti. The physical effort which this entailed in his weakened state caused him such pain that he would turn pale. He bore his suffering with much grace, confident that, as God knows what is best for us, it could not be otherwise. He would say that God is greatly touched when someone who is in great suffering does not complain, but rather uses his energy to pray for others.

In addition to his other illnesses he suffered from hemorrhaging which left him very weak. In his final weeks before leaving the Holy Mountain, he would often fall unconscious. On October 5, 1993, the Elder left his beloved Holy Mountain for the last time. Though he had planned on being off the mountain for just a few days, while in Thessaloniki he was diagnosed with cancer that needed immediate treatment. After the operation he spent some time recovering in the hospital and was then transferred to the monastery at Souroti. Despite his critical state he received people, listening to their sorrows and counseling them.

12 St. Paisios of Mount Athos (+1994)

After his operation, Elder Paisios had his heart set on returning to Mt. Athos. His attempts to do so, however, were hindered by his failing health. His last days were full of suffering, but also of the joy of the martyrs. On July 11, 1994, he received Holy Communion for the last time. The next day, Elder Paisios gave his soul into God's keeping. He was buried, according to his wishes, at the Monastery of St. John the Theologian in Souroti. Elder Paisios, perhaps more than any other contemporary elder, captured the minds and hearts of the Greek people. Many books of his counsels have been published, and the monastery at Souroti has undertaken a great work, organizing the Elder's writings and counsels into impressive volumes befitting his memory. Thousands of pilgrims visit his tomb each year.

Elder Paisios was glorified on January 13, 2015, by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. He is commemorated each year on July 12.

Apolytikion in the First Tone The offspring of Farasa, and the adornment of Athos, and the imitator of the former righteous, equal in honor, O Paisios let us honor O faithful, the vessel full of graces, who hastens speedily to those who cry out: glory to Him Who gave you strength, glory to Him Who crowned you, glory to Him Who grants through you healings for all.

Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone The most-famed ascetic of the Holy Mountain, and the newly-enlightened light of the Church, let us praise him with hymns with all our heart, for he leads the faithful towards a perfect life, filling them with rivers of gifts, therefore we cry out: Hail, O Father Paisios.

Megalynarion Rejoice the communicant with the Venerable, the pride of Athos, the adornment of Monastics, Rejoice the new teacher of the Church, O godly-minded Paisios, our boast.

13 Schedule of Services

Monday, February 2nd - Presentation of Our Lord Orthros @ 8 am, Divine Liturgy @ 9 am

Tuesday, February 10th - St. Haralambos Orthros @ 6:30 am, Divine Liturgy @ 9 am

Tuesday, February 17th - St. Theodore of Tyro Orthros @ 8:15 am, Divine Liturgy @ 9 am

Saturday, February 21st Pan Orthodox Great Vespers @ 5 pm w/ His Eminence Metropolitan Isaiah @ Assumption Cathe- dral, Denver

Sunday, February 22nd - Sunday of Forgiveness Forgiveness Vespers @ 2 pm

Monday, February 23rd - Clean Monday (1st Day of the Holy and Great Fast) Clean Monday Retreat with our sister parishes, 10 am - 3 pm @ Catherine Greek Orthodox Church, Greenwood Village

Monday, February 23rd Lenten Compline Service 6:30 pm (Broomfield area) @ home of Nancy and Guillermo Houghton

Tuesday, February 24th Compline & Great Canon, @ 9 am

Wednesday, February 25th Compline & Great Canon, @ 9 am Presanctified Liturgy @ 6pm

Friday, February 27th Presanctified Liturgy, @ 9 am

Friday, February 27th Hairitismi / Salutations @ 7 pm

Saturday, February 28th - Saturday of the Souls Divine Liturgy and Memorial @ 8 am

Sunday, March 1st - Sunday of Orthodoxy Orthros @ 9 am, Divine Liturgy @ 10 am; Procession with the icons (Bring your icon) Pan Orthodox Sunday of Orthodoxy Service @ 6:00 pm With His Eminence Metropolitan Isaiah @ Assumption Cathedral, Denver

14 February 2015

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sunday of the Presentation of Synaxis of Wed. of Prodi- Thu. of Prodigal Photius the Sat. of Prodigal Publican & Phar- Our Lord Symeon the God gal Son Son Great Son isee 8 am Orthros -Receiver and 9 am Paraklesis 7 pm Mens’ 5 pm Great Ves- Triodion Begins 9 am Divine Lit- the Holy Proph- 10 am Bible Group Dinner pers 9 am Orthros urgy etess Anna Study 5:30 pm Winter 10 am Divine Lit- Dinner Dance urgy

8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Sunday of the Holy Hieromar- Holy Martyr Meatfare Thurs- Meatfare Friday Saturday of Prodigal Son tyr Haralambos Blaise of Sebas- day Souls 9 am Orthros 7 am Divine Lit- tia 5 pm Great Ves- 10 am Divine Lit- urgy 9 am Paraklesis pers urgy 10 am St. Sophia 10 am Bible Mothers’ Group Study 6 pm OCF

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Judgement Sun- President’s Day Great Martyr Cheesefare Cheesefare Cheesefare Fri- Saturday of Souls day (Meatfare) Theodore of Wednesday Thursday day Pan-Orthodox 9 am Orthros Tyro 9 am Paraklesis Great Vespers 10 am Divine Lit- 9 am Divine Lit- 10 am Bible with His Emi- urgy urgy Study nence (@ Denver 12:00 pm 7 pm Parish Cathedral) 5 pm Philoptochos Piz- Council IOCC Dinner 6 za Lunch pm

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Forgiveness Sun- Lent Begins 1st & 2nd Find- Tarasius, Patri- Porphyrius, Procopius, Con- Saturday of Souls day (Cheesefare) Holy Martyr ing of the Head arch of Constan- Bishop of Gaza fessor of Decap- 8 am Divine Litur- 9 am Orthros Polycarp, Bish- of St. John the tinople olis gy 10 am Divine Lit- op of Smyrna Baptist 9 am Great Can- 9 am Presancti- 5 pm Great Ves- urgy 10 am Retreat 9 am Compline on fied Liturgy pers 11:30 Oratorical @ St. Cathe- & Great Canon 10 am Bible 7 pm Salutations Study Festival rine’s 6 pm OCF 6 pm Presancti- to the Theoto- 2 pm Forgiveness 6:30 pm Great fied Liturgy kos Vespers Compline 15 (Broomfield) On Super Bowl Sunday (February 1st) Help With a National Day of Youth Service! Please donate canned food & toiletries for the “SouperBowl

Date/Time: Sun, Feb 1 st e tu a: Sts. Pete & Pul Chuch e: Sste Cmen Food Bnk

High-Priority Items for the Sister Carmen Food High-Priority Items for the Sister Carmen Food Bank: Canned Tomato Products (sauce, diced, pureed, whole, etc.) Dry Pasta, Laundry Soap, Dish Soap, Toilet Paper

16 News & Events

Sts. Peter & Paul Greek Orthodox Church Philoptochos Society

Cordially invites you and your family to enjoy

The Annual Winter Dinner Dance “All You Need is Love”

When: February 7 th , 2015; 5:30 pm to 11:00 pm

Where: Boulder County Country Club 7530 Clubhouse Rd. Boulder, CO 80301

The annual Philoptochos winter dinner at the Boulder Country Club is approaching quickly! We can use your help in making this year’s WDD a success. Do you have a talent? Do you crochet, cook, sew, etc? Would you consider providing something for the silent auction "talents table" this year? In the past there have been knitted scarfs, dinner for 4, soup for 4, sewing alterations, star gazing, babysitting, etc. If you can help, see Kiki Cheronis in the hall.

Also needed for the silent auction are gift cards, certificates or other donations from your favorite restaurant, mer- chant or business. There is a letter and form available for you to take to these businesses. Please see Kiki.

Raffle tickets will be sold raffle items include: iPad Mini valued at $500 and $200 gift card to the Flagstaff House restaurant. You can purchase your tickets in advance or at the event. Raffle tickets are 2 for $10. See Tamsin Jacky to purchase tickets.

Thank you for supporting your Philoptochos!

17 News & Events

Wednesday Morning Bible Study February Schedule 10:00 am, Wednesday mornings February 4th, 11th, 18th, & 25th

Please join us. Bible Study is open to all adults, both Orthodox and inquirers. We will study the scriptures dedi- cated to special feast days, the lives of Saints and Sacraments. Class will meet in the back room of the church.

Questions, Please contact Father Jordan; 303-581-1434; [email protected]

Men’s Ministry Thursday, February 5th, 7 pm @ Lulu’s BBQ 701 B Main Street, Louisville

The Men’s ministry will be meeting in February. Father Jordan will be leading the men’s ministry. This is a wonderful opportunity for the men of our parish to come together in prayer and fellowship (not to mention the BBQ!)

Kids for Bach Concert Our very own Georgia Geerdes, daughter of Bruce & Andreatta, has been chosen to participate in “Kids for Bach”, a free concert that is part of the Boulder Bach Festival. Georgia is one of 35 K-12 students who will be performing solos and chamber works of J.S. Bach. Georgia will be soloing on the piano and playing Gigue by J.S. Bach. Please come out and support Georgia and the rest of the talented students who will be performing!

When: February 22 @ 2:00 pm Where: Boulder Public Library, Canyon Theatre 1001 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder, CO 80302 Seating is first come, first serve!

18 News & Events

Sts. Peter & Paul Greek Orthodox Church Philoptochos Society

invites you to the

Annual Meatfare Pizza Luncheon

Sunday, February 15th 2015 (In the Fellowship Hall after Divine Liturgy)

Please join us to devour some yummy pizza before we kick off Great Lent! Proceeds for this luncheon will be ear marked for the St. Nicholas National Shrine at the World Trade Center in New York City.

For more info on the St. Nicholas National Shrine, visit http://www.stnicholaswtc.org/

19 News & Events

St. Sophia Orthodox Mothers’ Group

The St. Sophia Orthodox Mothers Group meets the first Tuesday of each month (February 10th) at 10 am for fellowship and a spiritual discussion with Fr. Jordan Brown, usually for a couple of hours. Babysitting is provided.

Monastery Pilgrimage May 15-17, 2015

Father Jordan will be leading a pilgrimage to the Holy Archangels Greek Orthodox Monastery locat- ed in Kendalia, Texas (near San Antonio). The Monastery Pilgrimage is open to all men and women of our parish. Father Jordan will have a meeting on Sunday, March 8, after coffee hour.

20 News & Events

For registration and more information visit: https://9586.thankyou4caring.org/pages/denver-awareness-dinner2-21-15

21 News & Events

Please join us for the

Sts. Peter & Paul Oratorical Festival

Sunday, February 22nd, 2015

11:30 pm (following Divine Liturgy)

The Saint John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival was established in 1983 by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese to provide teenagers with an opportunity to write and talk about their faith. The Oratorical Festival Program has two levels: a Junior Division for students in the 7th through 9th grades and a Senior Division for those in the 10th through 12th grades.

The top speakers in each division from the parishes advance to the Metropolis level, and the two division finalists represent the Metropolis in the Archdiocese Finals.

Parish finalists in the Metropolis of Denver travel to the host parish and participate in activities throughout the weekend, culminating with the delivery of their speeches before Metropolitan Isaiah, the other participants and their parents, and the judges.

Winners of the Sts. Peter & Paul Oratorical Festival will go on to the Metropolis’ St. John Chrystostom Orator- ical Festival to be held the weekend of March 20-22, 2015.

22 News & Events

The Ladies Philoptochos of St. Catherine’s Invite You To A Clean Monday Retreat Monday, February 23, 2015 St. Catherine’s Greek Orthodox Church 5555 S. Yosemite St., Greenwood Village, CO (3030 773-3411 10 am - 3 pm

The theme, “GREAT LENT” will be presented by local clergy Father Dennis Schutte, Father Jordan Brown and Father Evan Armatas RETREAT SCHEDULE S 9:30am - Registration and coffee (Fellowship Hall)

S 10:00am - Opening Prayer (Sanctuary)

S 10:20am - 11:10am - 1st Presentation - “God’s call and our response” with Father Evan (Sanctuary)

S 11:20am- 12:10pm - 2nd Presentation with Father Dennis and Father Jordan (classrooms)

S 12:20pm - 1:00pm - Silent monastic style lunch with spiritual readings and reflection (fellowship hall)

S 1:10pm -1:55pm - 3rd Presentation with Father Dennis and Father Jordan (classrooms)

S 2:00pm - 2:15pm - Concluding remarks with Father Lou (sanctuary)

S 2:15pm - 3:00pm - Compline Service and Kiss of Forgiveness

Cost to attend is $20 payable at the door (Please make checks to St. Catherine Philoptochos) Please rsvp to Helen (email preferred) at [email protected] or leave a voice mail at (303)773- 3411 ext.106

23 News & Events Great Compline Home Service & Fellowship

During Great Lent we will have the opportunity to get closer with our neighbor. Work and school schedules at times can make it a challenge to participate in the weekday lenten services. On the Mondays of Great Lent, you will have the opportunity to travel close to home to attend the Mon- day Compline Service. Parishioners have been gracious to open their homes to their church neighbors. Service will begin @ 6:30pm followed by a lenten meal, discussion and fellowship.

February 23 (Parishioners in the Broomfield area) Host: Nancy & Guillermo Houghton 3229 Traver Dr, Broomfield, 80023

March 2 (Parishioners in the Longmont area) Host: Joanne Ashmun 1316 Horizon Lane, Longmont, 80501

March 9 (Parishioners in the Louisville area) Host: Liz & Kurt Soderberg, 542 W. Sycamore St, Louisville, 80027

March 16 (Parishioners in the N. Boulder area) host home: Dana & Ludwig Gall, 3988 Campo Ct, Boulder, 80301

March 30 (Parishioners in the S. Boulder area) Host: TBA

This is a wonderful opportunity during the Lenten Season to come together with our neighbor in prayer and fellowship.

If you have any questions, please contact Father Jordan @ 303-581-1434 or [email protected]

News & Events

Pan Orthodox Sunday Lenten Vespers Schedule

March 1st @ 6:00 pm Host Parish: Denver Cathedral Special service with His Eminence Metropolitan Isaiah

March 8th @ 6:00 pm Host Parish: Holy Transfiguration OCA Cathedral, Denver

March 15th @ 6:00 pm Host Parish: Sts Peter & Paul Greek Orthodox Church, Boulder

March 22nd @ 6:00 pm Host Parish: St Catherine Greek Orthodox Church, Greenwood Village

March 29th @ 6:00 pm Host Parish: St. James Antiochian Orthodox Church, Fort Collins

25 Orthodox Campus Fellowship

Attention College Students!

Please join us for dinner, discussion, and fellowship on the following days: Tuesday, February 10th, 6:00pm Tuesday, February 24th, 6:00 pm

The OCF will have a new meeting place for fellowship. Please contact Lia or Fr Jordan for the location of our new home.

Questions? Need a Ride? Please contact: Lia Peulen (OCF President); [email protected] OR Fr. Jordan Brown (Spiritual Advisor); [email protected] ); 303-581-1434

26 Youth Ministries

SUN 12:00 pm 25 th Annual “Souper Bowl of Caring"

1 Bring food & toiletries for a National Day of Youth Service!

SUN 12:30 – 3:00 pm GOYA 1 st Oratorical Preparation (6-12 th )

8 Set aside time and receive assistance working on speeches. Dana & Ludwig Gall (3988 Campo Ct. Boulder, CO 80301)

SUN 12:30 – 3:00 pm GOYA 2 nd Oratorical Preparation (6-12 th ) 15 Dana & Ludwig Gall (3988 Campo Ct. Boulder, CO 80301)

F SUN 12:00 – 1:00 pm Sts. Peter & Paul Oratorical Festival 22

E FRI GOYA St. Spyridon Winter Retreat (6-12 th ) 27 Join youth from St. Spyridon for a retreat as we prepare for Lent. to SAT Cost: Approx $30/person. More details to follow! Loveland, CO 28 B

“Journey to Lent” Kick-Off Week

M SUN 12:00 – 1:00 pm Sunday of Orthodoxy

1 All Youth: Prepare Lenten Care Packages (K-12 th ) Service activity to assemble care packages to deliver to shut-ins. A FRI 6:00 – 8:00 pm JOY: Salutations Service (K-5th & Families)

6 Salutations service and simple Lenten meal with families. R SAT 10:00 – 1:00 pm Saturday of Souls

7 All Youth: Senior & Shut-In Visitations (K-12 th ) Visitations to sing Lenten hymns and deliver care packages.

FRI GOYA Cathedral Lenten Retreat (6-12 th ) 13 Youth from local parishes will gather for a Lenten Retreat. to SUN More details to follow! Hot Sulphur Springs, CO 15 Questions? Need a ride? Want to help? Contact Liz Soderberg: [email protected] or (530) 209-6281

27 Youth Ministries

Mark your calendars!

2015 Youth Retreats

27-28th GOYA St. Spyridon Winter Retreat (6-12 th ) Loveland, CO FEB

13-15th Cathedral Lenten Retreat (6-12 th ) Hot Sulphur Springs, CO MAR

7-12th Juniors – Camp Emmanuel (6-8th ) Manzano Mountain Retreat JUNE Torreon, NM

14-19th Seniors – Camp Emmanuel (9-12 th ) Manzano Mountain Retreat Torreon, NM

2-5th (rescheduled) Rocky Mountain Orthodox Camp (K-8th ) Buckhorn Camp AUG Bellvue, CO

10-14th (rescheduled) Vacation Church School (K-8th ) Sts. Peter & Paul Orthodox Church Boulder, CO

Further details to follow. Contact Liz Soderberg: [email protected] or (530) 209-6281

28 Youth Ministries 2015 Hot Sulphur GOYA Lenten Retreat TUBING – ICE SKATING – FELLOWSHIP Friday, March 13 th to Sunday, March 15 th

The Assumption Cathedral of Denver would like to invite all Jr. and Sr. GOYANS to our annual GOYA Lenten Retreat in Hot Sulphur Springs, CO. This year we have invited Ambassadors from Holy Cross Hellenic College to facilitate the retreat. It should be a fun filled weekend of fellowship, with snow tubing and ice skating as well.

The cost of the retreat is $74 per person. We have limited space so please register as soon as possible. For more information please contact the Assumption Cathedral Youth Director, Peter Latsonas at (303) 324-9842.

The registration form and payment must be received no later than March 9th.

Please submit registration and payment to: Assumption of the Theotokos Hellenic Orthodox Cathedral 4610 East Alameda Avenue, Denver CO, 80246 303-324-9842 [email protected] 303-324-9842 [email protected]

29 Youth Ministries

GOYA Fireside Chat & All-Youth Ice Skating (Jan 25 )

30 Youth Ministries

“Be the Bee”!

Finding God in Everything, Everyday 59 Episodes

Be sure to check out this very popular video series created by the Archdiocese Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries! “Be the Bee”! is named after a metaphor associated with Elder Paisios of Mount Athos (+1994), and explores ways that we can all focus on what is good and beautiful in our everyday lives.

Hosted by Mr. Steven Christoforou and developed by Father Jason Roll, the aim of the series is to tap into the power of new social media platforms like YouTube, in order to spread the Gospel.

Viewers can access the channel by searching “Y2AM” on YouTube, or going to www.youtube.com/user/ y2am to catch up on previous episodes. New episodes are released every Thursday afternoon.

31 What’s Up With Lent? By Melissa K. Bazos & Anna Nicole Kyritsis It is just about midnight and you are surrounded by a quiet darkness. You look around, everyone is there; everyone always is on this night. The priest comes out of the sanctuary; he sings, "Come receive the light from the never ending light and Glorify Christ, who is risen from the dead." In his hand, he holds the only light in the church. Flame by flame the church is slowly lit. It goes from total darkness to a warm light. But it is not like most light…it is different. Let's think about it for a minute, after all it is just a flame. It does not give off much heat. By itself, it does not give off too much light. It is not that strong; it can easily be blown out. But just as quickly as it can be blown out, it can grow from a flame to a fire. A fire can give off much heat and light. However, a fire is not easily blown out. At Pascha, we light our candles; many of us take them home with us lit. But when we blow out our candles when we get home are we also blowing out our spiritual candles? What have we done to prepare so that the flame can grow into a burning fire? We all know what comes of not preparing properly for things. If you do not prepare for a test, you will not do well. But what about spiritual preparation? I'm talking about more than being nice to your brother and going to church on Sunday (although both very good things to do). I am talking about getting ourselves prepared so that our flames can grow into strong fires. Take for example the parable of the ten virgins. Ten virgins with their oil lamps lit waited for the bridegroom to arrive. Five of them brought extra oil, in case they ran out while they waited, the other five did not. When the five foolish women's lamps began to go out, they had no additional fuel to keep their flame lit. They left to get more oil. While they were gone, the bridegroom came and the women that were prepared went in with Him to the wedding. The unprepared women did not get to go. We must prepare ourselves for the day when Christ comes. If we do not, we will be like the women without the oil… locked out of the feast. Are we lighting our spiritual candle at midnight and then blowing it out when we get home? As we approach the Lenten season, there are things we can do to prepare ourselves for the Resurrection. The first place we should start is with our priest. He can help to point us in the right direction. But here are some things we should begin considering in the mean time: Prayer - All good things begin with prayer. Think about it this way; when we meet someone we like, we spend time talking with them. The more we talk with them the more we know them and the more we want to know. Prayer is a conversation with God. We should tell him our fears, ask him to guide us and thank him for our blessings. If you do not already have one, order an Orthodox prayer book to help you

Go to Church - We know some of us may think that church only occurs on Sunday. Wrong! The Orthodox Church offers an entire cycle of worship throughout the year. No time is that more evident than during Lent. We should go to the Divine Liturgy on Sunday but we should also go to the other liturgical services (Vespers, Compline, Salutations & Akathist Hymn, Pre-Sanctified Liturgy). But here is the really important part, we should not just "go" to the services…we need to be active participants in the services. Ask your priest where you can get books for the services so that you can participate by reading, chanting and following along.

32 What’s Up With Lent? By Melissa K. Bazos & Anna Nicole Kyritsis

Repentance & Confession - We know it is hard, but confession is necessary for spiritual growth. Do not look at it as going in with your shopping lists of sins and trying to rattle them off as quickly as possible. In- stead look at it as an opportunity to fix your relationship with God through repentance. Repentance is accepting that we have done something wrong and (here's the hard part) committing to try very, very hard not fall into those sins again.

Read the Bible - If you don't have one, get one immediately! Ask your priest for the list of daily bible readings for the church calendar. This will help you in your journey through lent and throughout the year.

Fast - We know what you are all thinking… beans, greens and rice how does that make me a better Christian? Fasting is really about discipline. We discipline ourselves in other areas of our life (athletics, academic). We should be disciplining ourselves spiritually in what we do as well as in what we eat.

Give - Take time during lent to give to those in need. You do not need money to do this. Ask yourself how can I give of my time, talents and treasure to give Glory to God?

Through the guidance of our priest and teachers, we pray we can all count ourselves with the wise virgins… prepared. But after the Paschal liturgy has been celebrated and the candles have all been blown out, ask yourself this… is my spiritual candle still lit?

See more at: http://lent.goarch.org/articles/lent_whatsup_with_lent.asp#sthash.yEMNYzzx.dpuf

33 Sts. Peter & Paul Orthodox Church

The mission of Sts. Peter and Paul is to be a beacon of Orthodox Christian spirituality in the greater Boulder area. Our diverse church family encompasses many converts to the Faith, as well as Greek, Arab, Romanian, Serbian, and Russian Orthodox members. We strive together to live our Orthodox Christian Faith by having a devoted prayer life, through fasting and almsgiving, and by participating regularly in the services and Sacraments of the Holy Or- thodox Church. We welcome everyone to visit our parish to experience the ancient forms of worship that existed in the early centuries of the Christian Church - which we continue to practice unchanged today. Please take a moment to look through our website to learn more about our parish and our Faith, and if you have any questions, feel free to call Fr. Jordan at 303-581-1434.

Sts. Peter & Paul Greek Orthodox Church 5640 Jay Rd. Boulder, CO 80301