GRATITUDE AT GRADUATION by Father Peter Salmas, Pastor The season of graduations has just ended. Last week, my first grandson, Peter, graduated from our Holy Cross Preschool, and I was very excited, emo-tional, and inspired. I don't remember my pre-school days or kindergar-ten except for one incident that ended with milk spilling all over my preschool teacher and my be-ing sent to sit in a corner, facing the corner. Fortu-nately, preschools have changed, and I am pleased and grateful that our Preschool is the best in Bel-mont (according to the Belmont Patch) and more importantly, doing all the right things . . . that is, focusing on helping our youngsters make friends, interact with their peers, assist their neighbor, and grow emotionally, intellectually, spiritually, in a healthy environment, and protected by the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

I was overjoyed when Miss Chris, our very able preschool director, shared with me the responses of her young “students” when they were asked what they liked best about their pre-school. To a student, they spoke of the things that mattered. They spoke of their friends and what they had learned about being a friend, about val-ues that are foundational to the well-being of our developing children.

I can say the same for both our Holy Cross Religious Education Ministry and our Holy Cross Greek Language School. All three programs, or ministries, if you will, work on the same premise, providing a healthy environment in which to grow.

As I sat at the five graduation ceremonies here at Holy Cross (one with His Eminence), I was want-ing the whole parish present to witness our chil-dren and how they are growing, and maturing, and blossoming into well rounded, joyful, grateful, and motivated children that are being raised in an Or-thodox Christian setting with the Cross of our Lord blessing and protecting them.

But graduation is also scary. This environ-ment is not duplicated anywhere else. My grand-son Peter will start kindergarten in September at Saint Matthew's Catholic School. I know it is a good school. Many parishioners have sent their

Cross Currents

The Newsletter of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross 900 Alameda / Belmont, CA 94002-1604 / (650) 591-4447 / fax (650) 508-9846

office@goholycross.org / www.goholycross.org

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E O F Cross Currents

Reflections ..................................... 3 Organizations ................................. 4 News .............................................. 6 For our Youth and Parents .............. 7 Belmont Greek Festival .................. 8 Spotlight ...................................... 10 Announcements ............................ 11 Upcoming Services ...................... 11 Cross Currents Sponsor ............... 15

Church of the Holy Cross Newsletter—May 2012

sons and daughters there to be educated. Yet it is not here, it is not Holy Cross. So faith and trust become very important for me. Faith and trust will have to calm my fears and strengthen my trust. Graduation is a completion and a beginning ... completing one set of challenges and beginning anew. Looking back reassures us that we can meet and work through all of the challenges that are placed before us, and, because of this, provides the confidence that will help us with the challeng-es that await. Faith and trust in the Lord coupled with the developed gifts God has given each of us, not only gives witness to God's greatness and His love for us but also helps us put all things in per-spective and assures us of greater tomorrows.

STEWARDSHIP by Gary Brenner, Stewardship Chair Congratulations, you have just been appointed chairman of the Stewardship Commit-tee at the Church of the Holy Cross! What would you do? How would you respond? If you have good ideas and new approaches to increase the participation of our faithful stewards, then please share them with me.

Last fall we at Holy Cross were blessed to have 2 Orthodox Christians from Atlanta give us a seminar on Stewardship in a very entertaining presentation they told us that there has been a paradigm shift or a significant change in our paradigms on stewardship. “Stewardship is not about raising money”. What? Stewardship is a spiritual expression of faith and about salvation. There were numerous verses from the bible provided to us that speak to stewardship and rather than quote them again I decided to quote the one that I felt was most powerful. “And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?” Luke 16:11

The primary purpose of Stewardship, we were told, is to promote the spiritual growth of the Stewards’ growth in grace, develop faith, but not to finance the parish, which is a secondary purpose at best.

How do we now approach stewardship? Our parish is a ministry-based organization -- all ministries, pro-grams and activities of the Parish are managed or coordi-nated by a partnership including the Priests, a “Council of Ministries” (ministry leaders), and the Parish Council.

The Council of Ministries includes one leader from every ministry in the Parish. The Council will meet at least once per quarter. The purpose will be to reach out to all parishioners including those who are only margin-ally involved in the parish. If parishioners are educated about the ministries of the Parish, and learn what the church offers them, then their involvement will help them grow spiritually and the church will benefit from their involvement.

I am blessed to have the opportunity to lead the council of Ministries for stewardship in the near future. I pray for the spiritual and financial health of our Parish and I ask that you join me to insure that God will bless us and our beloved church in the years to come. FESTIVAL OF FAITH On Saturday, May 19, Holy Cross hosted a pilot program called the “Festival of Faith.” The Festival of Faith is a cel-ebration of our faith by glori-fying God through one’s God-given talents and gifts. There were 12 performances at the Festival of Faith that included: singing, guitar, the-ater, piano and chanting. Paintings and a photograph were also exhibited. The Festival’s participants included: the Holy Cross chanters; the Holy Cross choir; Louis Busta; Chris Canellos; Christian Canellos; Sofia Christoforidis; Ari Farantos and his band, Bottom Line; Nick Frangos; Khara-Maria Kalamaras; Gabby and Xandra Nemchik; Pres. Angie Sotiras; Anastacia

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Stamates; Paul Zerebinski; and, Julia Zerebinski. A huge thank you to all the participants for offering their gifts and talents for God’s glory—the event was a suc-cess thanks to them! What made this event more than just a talent show was the content of the program. The majority of the par-ticipants had a faith-based message of some kind. It was an inspiring and entertaining afternoon and hopefully the first of many more Festival of Faith’s to come. Along with the participants, special thanks go to the following people who worked behind the scenes to make the Festi-val of Faith a reality: Eva Canellos; Nicki Davis; Hele-ne, Gabby and Xandra Nemchik; Diego Palacio; and, Tyke Stamates.

REFLECTIONSREFLECTIONSREFLECTIONS GREEN by Konstantine Salmas, Lay Assistant The long green ropes of sea-weed coil in the ocean. When they are on the sand, they blacken and dry up. The curl-ing green ropes have leaves growing off of their flexible stem. The coiling rubber trees float on the ocean top. The presence of the voice of the Church is meant to float recognizably in our minds like the seaweed beds of the ocean. The seaweed ropes are meant to be this kind of recognizable presence.

Jesus' voice is a voice of conversation, but conver-sation that directs towards a specific named source. The voice is not a gimmick. There are many voices that are gimmicks. Christ's voice is not half a voice. His voice has integrated Freud. His voice has already taken into ac-count the thunderous response of skeptics. Christ's voice is a voice that has already seen all the angles. His voice is not a historical voice. His voice is an eternal voice that

has entered into a specific time. What he said, though, and how he abides in the world, is a presentation of the eternal, not the cultural.

Jesus' conversations direct towards the will of the Father for Him, and his obedience to that will, as well as towards the presence of the Holy Spirit as known to us, acting in the world. Christ's naming of the Father and the Spirit for us, increasing our awareness of who God is and how He is present in the world as a person who guides towards something. God guides Abraham towards something.

We love looking and we love nouns. God guides towards a noun we can look to for salvation. The goal of our youth year is to prepare the various ages - through the youth groups, through dance, and through religious education - to be able to see Jesus the noun as a noun which cannot be summed up by a dictionary definition, or a text message, but as an abiding presence for strength. The Church is present and, in a figurative way, floats on the ocean surface, like the curling green long coiled ropes of seaweed that are etched in the memories of anyone who has ever spent any time in the ocean wa-ter. FROM THE JANITORS CLOSET by Tyke Stamates, Facilities Manager When the janitor was sweep-ing up the mess that was made after a successful Church event, he started thinking about what was important and what was not important. Surely cleaning up the Hall was important, but why? Well “cleanliness is next to Godli-ness.” Being clean shows pride in workmanship, pride in our buildings. Is this important? “OF COURSE IT IS!” came a voice loud and clear. It was Fr. Peter. WoW! Fr. Peter is getting good. Did he really hear my thoughts? When I finished cleaning I sat down to ponder the “IMPORTANCE of THINGS.” I ASKED MYSELF :

- Is it important to go to Church every Sunday? - Is it important to follow the Ten Commandments? - Is it important for your child to play Soccer on

Sunday morning instead of participating in the Liturgy?

- Is it important to have a lot of money to buy what-ever you want?

- Is it important to buy $80,000 seats at the new 49’er stadium?

- Is it important to put yourself and your ideas be-fore everyone else’s?

- Is it important to be right? Where do you fit “In the Importance of things”? Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. It is not who is right, but what is right, that is of importance.

Church of the Holy Cross—Cross Currents—page 3

Great men are they who see that the spiritual world is a stronger more important force than the egocentric worldly material force. Please thank Jim Stephanos for the hand-rail up to the Halls. Also, he did an outstanding job with the fence in front of the Church. Jobs well done. Also, we need to thank the “Angel” who takes care of the Garden outside the Church Office. LOOKING GOOD.

ORGANIZATIONSORGANIZATIONSORGANIZATIONS CHOIR Holy Cross Choir has continuously served our communi-ty from the inception of our parish over 50 years ago. We have had four generations of Orthodox Christians offer hymns of praise to God each Sunday to complement our religious worship and give real meaning to the word Lit-urgy, or “work of the people.” We attend rehearsals, seminars and workshops and work hard to assure a high quality and spiritually correct presentation. Along with Sunday liturgies, we also sing each year for special holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Holy Week) as well as annual events such as the Bel-mont Greek Festival (2,000 years of Orthodox hymns in 20 minutes), Community Christmas Program (special carols), and for the first time this May, the new Festival of Faith (special songs/hymns). In addition, our members give many hours of service to Parish Council, Philopto-chos, and other parish ministries. One of our members, Chris Canellos, works with Sunday School, teaching hymns and their meaning to our young people. Our choir director, Steve Cardiasmenos, is an award-winning composer whose liturgical music is sung in Orthodox choirs across the United States. Steve re-

cently received a national ASCAP composition award for the 19th straight year and has received numerous honors for his musical contributions to the Orthodox Church in America, including the prestigious St. Roma-nos Medallion from the Archdiocesan Church Musi-cians organization. He has recently supplied our choir with several beautiful new hymns including a brand new “Trisagion/Thrice Holy Hymn.” With Steve, we know that more new music is always on the way. We appreciate the community’s support and hope to continue to add new members. If you are interested in joining the choir, contact Director Steve Cardi-asmenos, slcardiasmenos@sbcglobal.net, or any choir member. We rehearse the first two Wednesday evenings of each month. Come on up to the loft! PHILOPTOCHOS by Marian Peris, Philoptochos President Our Ladies Philoptochos Society would like to thank the Holy Cross community for the continued support of all our fundraising events for the first year of our new board, 2011-2012. This has been a busy season and we have raised several thousands of dollars for very worth-while charities. Several of our local charities benefited from our efforts.

In December we held our annual Christmas Tea & Charity Drawing. It was a beautiful affair and we raised over $3,500 which benefited our Family Sharing Pro-gram. The Receiving Home event was a success as well. Here, homeless children from the Receiving Home were able to share Christmas joy with gifts and members of our parish in a very moving event. Many of our fundraising efforts allowed us to make significant contributions to the charities of our San Francisco Metropolis Philoptochos. In February we

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HOLY CROSS PHILOPTOCHOS BOARD Seated: Mary Peros, Dee Sperow, Theodora Kounalakis, Marian Peris, Laura Jadelrab, Marilyn Habeeb. Standing: Sophia Fonti, Hana Keilo, June Suli, Tula Kourtoglou, Roxanne Koston, Eleni Metaxas, Cathy

Zamenes, Othonia Makris. Not Shown: Erma Najjar

raised several thousand dollars for Kids’n’Cancer and at that event we were privileged to host our Metropolis President, Mrs. Jeannie Ranglas. In December, our members supported “Light the Path” luncheon in Oak-land. This is the yearly benefit for the Bishop Anthony Endowment fund which supports our seminarians at Ho-ly Cross School of Theology. This event was hosted by Ascension Cathedral this past year and several of our members worked with the Metropolis board to make this a successful event. Next year we are looking forward to hosting the “Light the Path” luncheon at Holy Cross dur-ing the Christmas Season. Another significant portion of our good works sup-ported several of our National Philoptochos missions. This included our annual Vasilopeta Luncheon. We en-joyed a wonderful lunch and shared our beautiful Vasilo-petas. We raised over $3500.00 and the total amount was sent to Saint Basil Academy. All Vasilopeta Luncheon donations are the main source of funding for operating expenses for the school and the home. At this event, our Philoptochos also donated $2,500 to our Holy Cross Be-nevolence Fund that helps our families that may be in need. Did you know that the number one Christian phil-anthropic group in the United States is the Greek Ortho-dox Ladies Philoptochos Society? Currently, our Nation-al Philoptochos is housed in a rented space. As can be imagined in New York near the Archdiocese this can be a tremendous amount of money. In an effort to find a permanent home for our National Headquarters, a cam-paign is underway to fund the Philoptochos Center for Philanthropy. It is imperative that our group has a per-manent home to keep up these good works. Please con-tact a member of our board if you wish to donate to this worthy cause. Our board would also like to thank everyone for attending our yearly Fashion Show in April, “Flower Power”. It was a successful event thanks to the hard work of the women of our board and the many women of our parish who helped to set up the event. The pro-ceeds of this event will fund our scholarship program. This year we awarded our Church and Community Ser-vice Award to Nick Vavuris. We wish Nick a wonderful experience at St. Mary’s College. In March, we held our Annual Membership Tea at the home of Mrs. Laura Jadelrab. We thank her for hosting this event and for all of you who joined us for an inspiring lecture from Dr. Pete Tsiglieris. Please remem-ber to return your membership renewal/application soon and join us so that we may continue Christ’s Ministry on earth.

Thanks again for a successful year and we are looking forward to the future year. GREETINGS & NEWS FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT O.R.A. by Virginia Coppock, ORA Vice President O.R.A. is the Organization of Respected Adults. We are a social group that meets once a month for companion-ship, Christian support, fellowship, and just fun socializ-ing! Meetings are held in The Oaks at 11 AM on the first Tuesday of each month, and at noon, we serve a wonder-

ful hot lunch catered by Nob Hill. The yearly dues are $15 per person. The only requirement to join is to be a senior in good standing at Holy Cross Church.

O.R.A. is one of the most popular clubs here at Holy Cross and I believe the largest Greek Orthodox Seniors group in the Bay Area. The O.R.A. group is very happy, active, and energetic. Each month we have raffles ($10, $15, 20 gift certificates), and some months we may have a guest speakers, a movie, a day trip, or talented members entertaining us with their dancing or singing. Our day trips have taken us to many destinations. Sometimes we visit other seniors groups at Greek Orthodox Churches in Roseville, Sac-ramento, and Elk Grove, and some of our most enjoya-ble and fun meetings have been in inviting and hosting these same senior Church groups at Holy Cross.

We have several annual events - At our January meetings, we cut the Vasilopita that some of our lady members bake for us. It is always great fun to see who wins the coins! In May we have our annual Mothers Day/Fathers Day sit-down luncheon, July is our annual July Fourth barbeque. There is no meeting in Septem-ber, but you can always see our O.R.A. members work-ing at our Festival. December is the annual Christmas sit-down luncheon, and O.R.A. members participate in the Family Sharing Program. Last year, O.R.A. mem-bers made a very generous donation of $1125.

Our organization just celebrated our 33 year anniversary. In 1979, twenty Holy Cross members started this wonderful organization and throughout the years it has grown to over 200 members. We are ex-tremely proud of our O.R.A. So, on behalf of our Presi-dent, Peter Economus; Vice President, Virginia Cop-pock; Secretary, Daisy Fernando; and Treasurer, John Dracopoulos, we invite you to come join us and be a

Church of the Holy Cross—Cross Currents—page 5

part of this wonderful organization! Happy summer -- hope to see you at our next meeting! HOLY CROSS BENEVOLENCE COMMITTEE by Mary C. Pappas The Benevolence Committee was created when two pa-rishioners heard of patients brought to Stanford Hospital from Greece. They were often without financial and emotional support, so John Athanasiou and George An-agnostou decided to assist in any way they could. They recruited friends and parishioners to assist. The original intent was for the Benevolence Committee to be part of, but separate from, the existing programs of the Church. The Committee was to consist of the two original parish-ioners; the President of the Parish Council; the President of the Philoptochos; two community members, and, of course, our Parish Priest.

Two of the former member who were of incredible assistance as translators and members, were Marika Tsardoulias and Jenny Hatzopoulos, both former Philoptochos Presidents.

The Committee members today are: Dr. Peter Economus, Dr. John Cladis, Marian Peris, President of Philoptochos, Virginia Lagiss (one of the original members), Chair, Mary C Pappas, and Fr. Peter Sal-mas. Although still separate, we are now under the auspi-ces of the Philoptochos.

Our mission is still to temporarily assist those in fi-nancial need. Our referrals come from all sources in the community, and usually referred to Father Peter or the Chair, after which the Committee meets either electroni-cally or in person. For example, we reported about our mission at the last General Assembly meeting, and re-ceived two requests . . . after months of no activity. We responded to the Archdiocesan request for aid to Greece, and to a young man who needed a liver transplant.

It is important to note that one need not be a mem-ber of the parish to receive our assistance, so we encour-age you to contact any member of the Committee if you know of someone in need. We also welcome any contri-butions to Benevolence so that we can continue this very important mission. OUTREACH UPDATE The first Sunday of each month is Outreach Sunday by Virginia Coppock, Outreach Chairperson The Outreach Program was es-tablished to focus our attention to help those in dire need. Out-reach allows us as a Christian community to reach out to peo-ple who are unable to provide for themselves. Your Sun-day donations go a long way in providing and touching the lives of so many, especially the children.

Here are just a few examples of how your dona-tions are used: Samaritan House (which provides shelter, clothing, & food for needy families), Samaritan House Free Medical Clinic, John’s Closet (furnishing new

school clothing for needy children), and the Japan Tsuna-mi Relief Fund.

Many thanks to our parishioners -- you have made Outreach Sunday the success it is today. Your generous donations in 2011 totaled $5190. You are a shining ex-ample of how a parish can participate in the life of the community around and beyond our own doors. I know our silent prayer will always be “May the good Lord & his blessed Mother continue to bless us that we will al-ways be the givers and not the receivers”. Remember, the first Sunday of each month is Outreach Sunday! BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS The Buildings and Grounds Committee of the Parish Council is tasked to monitor, make recommendations, and propose priorities for approval of all the Church re-lated maintenance, property improvements and utilities facilities for implementation by the Facilities Manager of the Church office. Maintenance items include janitorial cleaning, painting, maintenance and replacement of equipment and grounds upkeep. Property improvements include installation of new fencing and bulkheads, drain-age ditches, and storage sheds. Utilities include water, telephone, PG&E, garbage and broadband. Costs of the-se activities and systems are continuously monitored to ensure the costs are reasonable and within the approved yearly budgets. HOLY CROSS THREE HIERARCHS BOOKSTORE With Summer here, we look forward to birthday, baptism, wedding, feast day and many other celebrations. Our Three Hierarchs/Holy Cross Bookstore is a good place to begin your search for ap-propriate gifts. It is also a good place to shop for our own spiritually uplifting books and icons. If it is too busy on Sunday after Divine Liturgy, please feel free to call the church office to arrange for some quiet browsing and shopping time.

NEWSNEWSNEWS FR. LEON CONTOS FELLOWSHIP In support of educational endeavors, the Philoptochos established the Very Rev. Dr. Leonidas C. Contos Fellowship. This monetary award is presented to a gradu-ate student(s) pursuing graduate studies and has displayed Orthodox Christian values working within our church com-munity. The award is possible through an endowment es-tablished by our Philoptochos in Father Leon’s memory. If you are a grad student and are pursuing continuing ed-ucation and with your family have been a contributing member of the HOLY CROSS community, please call the Church office for an application. Deadline is Sep-tember 1, 2012.

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SAVE THE DATE For “Keeping the Dream Alive, hosted by the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Insti-tute on Saturday, October 27, 2012 at The Ritz Carlton Hotel, San Francisco honoring George M. Marcus and The Very Reverend Dr. Leonidas C. Contos of blessed memory. For more information, please call Sophia Fonti at 650-367-6789.

FOR OUR FOR OUR FOR OUR YOUTH AND PARENTSYOUTH AND PARENTSYOUTH AND PARENTS ASCEND TO GREATER THINGS by Father Pete Sotiras, Assistant Priest I was checking the news feed on my Facebook ac-count the other day, and I couldn’t help but notice how ecstatic so many people are about finishing school or college. Someone said that they were skipping in the parking lot and didn’t care who was watching. Another person was going to make up for lost sleep. Generally speaking, people are very happy with the school year being over. I can believe it because I’ve been there myself but also because you or your par-ents have told me how MUCH you are doing for school and how much time you devote to your assignments. It’s truly INCREDIBLE--you’ve sacrificed a lot of time, en-ergy and sleep, and so it’s no wonder that you’re all dancing for joy that the summer is here! The reason sum-mer time is so sweet is not only because of the weather and the free time, but because of the reward of accom-plishment and relief you feel after a challenging academ-ic year.

There is even a greater reward that awaits us as Or-thodox Christians. Not too long ago, on May 24th to be exact, we celebrated Christ’s Ascension. 40 days after Christ’s Resurrection, He remained on earth to continue to teach His disciples about His Kingdom. On the 40th day, we learn in the 1st chapter of the Book of Acts that Jesus ascended into heaven, escorted by two angels. We learn from one of the hymns for this Feastday that Christ brings our human nature into the divine Kingdom. Hu-man nature, through Christ, now sits at the right hand of God the Father. Even the angels were shocked when Christ returned because He was different now than He was before He left to come to earth. Now, He returns with a human body.

What does all this mean for us? It means that according to Christ, we’re not cheap.

Christ has defied our humanity; He has brought us up to heaven. We are heirs of His Kingdom and have a place in His Kingdom.

To break it down even further, it means that this summer, do not forget how truly valuable you are. You do not have to fall into peer pressure in order to be ac-cepted because you have already been accepted by the Creator of the Universe into His Kingdom. You should-n’t have to cheapen yourself to fit in or to cheapen some-one else. This summer, make sure that nothing takes you away from your proper place in God’s eyes. There is nothing greater than God’s Kingdom. Nothing can sur-pass that. In fact, St. Paul tells us that “eyes have not seen, nor ears heard…the things that God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9). We can’t even im-agine how amazing God’s Kingdom will be. This is where we are meant to be and where Christ takes us. Let’s keep these things in our hearts and minds so that no one or nothing will take us away from God’s Kingdom this summer. YOUTH CHOIR! If you love to sing and want to share your musical gift with your Holy Cross Family, please email kha-ramaria@gmail.org and join us in the choir loft immedi-ately following Religious Education on Sunday. Emails will notify you of schedule changes and other important communication. DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA! by Helene Nemchik, Holy Cross Drama coordinator What is it that we do? A defi-nition from wikipedia: Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in perfor-mance.[1] The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" (Classical Greek: δρᾶµα, drama), which is de-rived from "to do", "to act" (Classical Greek: δράω, draō). The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience Here’s a little bit about when our productions occur. Twice a year we share our gifts by telling stories through act-ing. Every December the entire church community comes to-gether to share their gifts and present a wonderful Christmas program that includes Greek School, The Choir, Youth Choir, Sunday School and many other soloists in voice or with musical instruments. Our part in the program is usually a short play written by one of our own parishioners, either Xan-dra Nemchik or Eva Canellos, with a message about the true meaning of Christmas. In this

Church of the Holy Cross—Cross Currents—page 7

year’s play “A Very Harry Christmas” written by Eva Ca-nellos, Harriet Potter and her friends from Hogwarts brought the meaning of Christmas to a poor family and we see how it affected the Hogwarts kids in a positive way. Commitment time for this production is approxi-mately 6 evening rehearsals with an all-day one (10AM-4PM) on the Saturday before the Sunday show. Timeframe is the last week of November and the first week of December. Our annual Belmont Greek Festival Labor Day Weekend has the unique dis-tinction of being the only Festi-val in the Bay Area that pre-sents a Greek Mythology play -- not just any Greek Mythology play but a Greek Mythology play with a twist. Mythology stories were passed down from generation to generation to help the ancient Greeks explain why things happened. At that time, they believed in many gods who controlled their lives. The Festival Mythology plays have the familiar stories of heroes, gods and mortals fighting and slaying evil creatures but with modern day references such as e-mail, cell phones, texting etc. and of course the occa-sional commercial or two for our delicious Belmont Greek Festival food! Always, the characters in our play learn something about themselves, but unlike most Greek Myths, our plays always have a happy ending and even a wedding or two. The annual Mythology play has been written and adapted for the last several years by Xandra Nemchik, who was inspired by Eva Canellos, our first Mythology adapter playwright be-ginning in 1994. Last year’s Mythology adaptation in-cluded the well know characters of Midas and Narcis-sus. This September the Festival play is celebrating its 18th year! Our actors range in age from 5-30. Com-mitment time for this production: Auditions are mid-July at church. A part will be assigned to all who audi-tion or let me know that they want to be a part of the show if you can’t audition. You will then have about 4 weeks to work on your lines on your own. The first re-hearsal will be Saturday, August 11 from 10:00 AM -1:00 PM. The next 2 weeks are divided into rehearsals for specific acts (not all actors are needed) with the fi-nal week including all acts and actors. Basically you need to commit to the last 3 weeks of August. Our per-formances are twice a day (times to be determined) Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Labor Day weekend. And do I want to be a part of it? Of course you do! We have so much fun pretending to be some-one else, learning how to act, memorizing lines, gain-ing the confidence to speak in front of others, sword

fighting, dancing, making others happy, meeting and making new friends for a lifetime. Join us! For additional information and to get on our e-mail list contact: Helene Nemchik hrnem-chik@aol.com, call 650-345-2719, or Alexandra Nem-chik choxan1@aol.com HOPE/JOY by Katie Buehlmann, Hope/JOY advisor For the past two school years, we have been working on completing an Orthodox Christmas Advent calendar. We call it the “Jesse Tree”. This project was started by a Ya-hoo! homeschool support group made up of Greek, Rus-sian and Antiochian Orthodox Christians from around the world who are homeschooling their children. We took this idea from them and are working on our own or-naments so that each child or family will have a complet-ed set.

There are 52 days in the Orthodox Advent which include the Nativity Fast and the 12 Days of Christmas. The way the calendar works is : we read the scripture for that day (put together by Fr. Joshua & M. Jenny Mosher, who are members of the Yahoo! Group), discuss it, and hang a related ornament in a special place (i.e., a special tree, felt hanging, ribbon, etc.). In this way, we stay fo-cused on the real reason for Christmas -- our Lord’s In-carnation.

The other project we have been working on is our Lenten Countdown Calendar to the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, called “Path to Pascha”. This project consists of 50 pebble shaped ornaments that we use along with each day’s scripture reading. We place them on a felt “road” along our Lenten journey to Our Lord’s Resurrection.

We had planned on being finished with these pro-jects this year, but are not quite there yet. We hope to fin-ish both projects next school year. We are also looking for a new leader to guide our group. Please contact Katie Buehlmann at katieskicks@gmail.com if you are inter-ested in leading the group. GREEK SCHOOL For additional information on the Greek School, espe-cially registration for the next academic year, please visit http://www.belmontgreekschool.com or call Theodora Kounalakis 650-594-9585.

BELMONTBELMONTBELMONT GREEK FESTIVAL 2012GREEK FESTIVAL 2012GREEK FESTIVAL 2012 LOTS TO DO . . . by Michael Malekos, Festival Chair, (415) 407-0543 This year marks our 42nd year of providing Greek hospi-tality to our community, family and friends. And, with our Festival just a few months away, we have lots to do in order to realize the full potential of this event. In this issue of Cross Currents, you will read about the many volunteer positions available. Please partici-pate!

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Additionally, we are seeking sponsors to: Take out a “family ad” in our Festival program [Contact: Dimitrios Sogas (650) 703-1042] Contribute towards the purchase of ingredients for one of the various foods and/or pastries we prepare. [Contact: Church Office (650) 591-4447]

Our 42nd annual Greek Festival is all about faith, food, family and fun; however, the importance of the food Fes-tival cannot be understated. By virtue of this event, we raise funds to continue the operation of our church and cannot do this without your help.

We need and appreciate your support. Please join us!

VOLUNTEER! Look over the Volunteer Form and check off the area(s) of interest to you and we’ll try to fit you in your chosen area and in your chosen block of time. If you have questions, call El-la Stamates, Festival Volunteers Chair, at 650-369-9825. CONTACT A CO-CHAIR In addition to the cooking and baking co-chairs below, you are welcome to contact a co-chair directly if you are interested in a certain area of the Festival. A list is pre-sented below. Check the Sunday Bulletin for updates.

Festival Chairman -- Michael Malekos (415) 407-0543 -- mmalekos@gmail.com

Volunteers -- Ella Stamates (650) 591-4447 -- ellastamates@yahoo.com

Entertainment -- Chris Canellos (650) 592-0180 -- cecanellos@aol.com

Procurement -- Jim Smith (650) 269-7430 -- jim@zambranodesmith.com

Cooking Operations -- Marian Peris (650) 504-8136 -- marian.peris@gmail.com Outside Food Booths -- Michael Malekos (415) 407-0543 -- mmalekos@gmail.com

Marketing -- Dimitrios Sogas (650) 703-1042 -- dsogas@yahoo.com

Facilities -- Bob Nemchik (650) 345-2719 -- bobsubstd@aol.com Non-Food Booths -- Philip Louridas

(925) 324-4326 -- philiplouridas@yahoo.com

Church of the Holy Cross—Cross Currents—page 9

FESTIVAL COOKING & BAKING Call one of these co-chairs to find out what times they will start, put on some comfortable clothes, and come help cook and bake for the Festival! No skills necessary!

Dolmades - June 29, 30 (F/S) Amalia Tragas (873-8048),

Soula Stathopoulos (592-5771) Koulourakia - July 16 (Monday)

Katina Tzifas (341-9309), Fanoula Haramalis (358-9288) Paximadia - July 23 (Monday)

Katina Tzifas (341-9309), Fanoula Haramalis (358-9288)

Moussaka - July 28, 29, 30 (S/S/M) Thomy Iuppa (408-737-7291)

Melomakarona - August 1, 2 (W/Th) Kathy Polychroniou (593-7425)

Kourambedes - August 16 (Thursday) Terry Smith (595-4363)

Pastitsio - August 20, 21 (M/T) Katy Polychroniou (593-7425),

Father Peter (591-4447) Yuvestsi - August 25 (Saturday)

Chris Canellos (529-0180) Fasolakia sauce - August 26 (Sunday)

Thomy Iuppa (408-737-7291) Kataifi - August 27 (Monday)

Mirela Bologa (773-8597), Theo Hegis (324-0835), Marian Peris (504-8136)

We still need co-chairs for : Spanokopeta, Tiropeta, Galacktoboureko, and/or Baklava. Please contact Marian Peris at 650-504-8136 if you’re interested. Check the Sunday Bulletin for updates. PLACE AN AD! Our 42nd Festival is upon us. A highly antici-pated event brining thousands of people to-gether to get a taste of all things Greek, with greater opportunities for our kind advertisers and sponsors. Every year our Festival Program and Guidebook stands out as a terrific resource with over 80 impactful pages. This beautiful program book will be taken home and referred to over & over for its recipes, articles, photos and memories of a wonderful weekend. In addition to a printed program, we will also launch our Festival Website. Prior to the Festival, the website’s URL will be advertised heavily both in print and online: a searchable index of advertisers will feature prominently. After Labor Day, it will be updated with all the content from the printed program, plus an expanded photo gallery of the Festival weekend. Festival advertisements will appear in the printed program AND on the Festival website. That means that all ads, placed early, will secure an optimal location within the program, and be seen for a FULL YEAR on the website! With these enhancements, your ad in the Belmont

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Festival Program and Guidebook and Belmont Festi-val Website is an extraordinary opportunity to reach the broader community. Try a “Greek”-themed ad, or simply include a few words of welcome to our Festival guests. Including a coupon redeemable for a discount, or making a special offer to customers who say they saw your ad in the Greek Festival Program also works well. Coupons and special offers make your Festival ad irresistible AND give you a way to track its effectiveness. In addition to the program book, we offer on-screen images on our large hi-definition screens. Present you message along side images of festivals past as well as examples of the delicious treats await our guests around every turn. Imagine having all of our guests’ undivided attention while they enjoy their tasty treats! Note our due date: we MUST have your ad and payment by Friday, July 27th. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call or email. Thank you again for your kindness and generosity. We look forward to hearing from you soon. Dimitrios Sogas (650-703-1042; dso-gas@yahoo.com) and the Festival Marketing Committee

SPOTLIGHTSPOTLIGHTSPOTLIGHT Those who are lucky enough to know Mary C. Pappas, know that she is a tireless advocate for sen-iors and especially their insurance issues. Recently, Mary was con-ferred "The President's Call to Ser-vice Award" in recognition and ap-preciation of Mary’s commitment to strengthening our Nation and for making a difference through volunteer service! The certificate was signed by President Obama himself. Mary was also honored by the University of California School of Public Health and the California Wellness Foundation "in recognition of her outstanding contribution to healthy aging, commu-nity building and social justice.” Congratulations to Mary. Congrats to Dr. Tanya Spirtos Eleftheriades for her “Outstanding Contribution to the Medical Association” award giv-en recently at the Santa Clara County Medical Association Awards Banquet. She has been a CMA delegate for 17 years and served in the capacity of counci-lor, secretary and just recently, president of the Association. She was introduced at the banquet as “well prepared and organized . . . respectful, reasonable, professional, and diplomatic . . . Dr. Spirtos is a superla-tive role model and mentor.” On her dedication and ef-forts to the benefit of the Association : “It’s not so much what she’s done, but how she’s done it that is most im-pressive.” Congrats, Dr. Tanya!

Page 10—Church of the Holy Cross—Cross Currents

Congratulations to JoAnne and James Zongus who were present-ed the Jefferson Award in October. For many years, both mother and son gave unselfishly of their time to the San Mateo and Foster City communities. This fall, James will be attending the Dodge School of Film & Media Arts at Chapman University, Orange, California

AND . . . AND . . . AND . . . We missed including some names in the Community Christmas Card. We list them here with our wishes for continued health and happiness.

Lefty, Eleftheria Eliopoulos & Family Mary Glafkides Peter Hadreas

Gus & Linda Hassapakis Jim & Virginia Lagiss

Litsa Melas Tom Panagoulias Family

Nick, Kathy, Mariana & Peter Pappageorge Ross Steven Ritterman

Pete, Stacey & Vicky Samaras Anthony & Demetra Sperow

The Thodos Family Carol K. Tsekouras

Fred & Tamara Zerebinski

+ = + = + = + = + We missed including some names in the Community Easter Card. We list them here with our wishes for con-tinued health and happiness.

Karim & Kristen Azar Harry & Elaine Breeze & Family

Mr. & Mrs. Takis Hanoumis & John Hanoumis Vasiliki Bess Husmas

George and Mary Liviakis and Family Celia & George Maneatis

Pam, Steve, Stephen, Caroline, and Gregory Merchant Esther Papangellin & Family

Theoni Pappas Maria Peters

Ross Ritterman Dimi Sakelarios

Vula Stamos Varelas Family

ANNOUNCEMENTSANNOUNCEMENTSANNOUNCEMENTS BAPTISMS Feb. 12 – Kathryn Ann, daughter of Mark and Sonya

Rowen, Tanya Spirtos Eleftheriades & Konstan-tine Salmas, sponsors

March 3 – Angela Joy, daughter of Bret & Jaime Dobel, Lisa Newton, sponsor

May 20 – Ava Rose, daughter of daughter of Daniel & Felia Rivera, Eleni Kamenis, sponsor

FUNERALS Tom Elias Vozikes, who fell asleep in the Lord on

November 22. 2011 Angelo Pappas, who fell asleep in the Lord, February

22 Sophie H. Chibidakis, who fell asleep in the Lord,

March 3 Mary Thodas, who fell asleep in the Lord, April 27 Costas Basil Dolkas, who fell asleep in the Lord,

May 3 Stephen E. Markas, who fell asleep in the Lord, May

11 Helen Karos, who fell asleep in the Lord, May 24

UPCOMING SERVICESUPCOMING SERVICESUPCOMING SERVICES Please check Sunday Bulletins for updated schedule. Sunday, June 24 - 8:15 AM, Orthros, 9:30 AM,

Divine Liturgy Friday, June 29 - 8:15 AM, Orthros, 9:00 AM,

Divine Liturgy – SS. Peter & Paul [see page 15]

Saturday, June 30 - 8:15 AM, Orthros, 9:00 AM, Divine Liturgy - Synaxis of the Twelve Apos-tles

Saturday, June 30 - 5:30 PM, Great Vespers Sunday, July 1 - 8:15 AM, Orthros, 9:30 AM, Di-

vine Liturgy Saturday, July 7 - 5:30 PM, Great Vespers Sunday, July 8 - 8:15 AM, Orthros, 9:30 AM, Di-

vine Liturgy Saturday, July 14 - 5:30 PM, Great Vespers Sunday, July 15 - 8:15 AM, Orthros, 9:30 AM,

Divine Liturgy Friday, July 20 - 8:15 AM, Orthros, 9:00 AM, Di-

vine Liturgy - Prophet Elias [see next column] Saturday, July 21 - 5:30 PM, Great Vespers Sunday, July 22 - 8:15 AM, Orthros, 9:30 AM,

Divine Liturgy Friday, July 27 - 8:15 AM, Orthros, 9:00 AM, Di-

vine Liturgy - Saint Panteleimon Saturday, July 28 - 5:30 PM, Great Vespers Sunday, July 29 - 8:15 AM, Orthros, 9:30 AM,

Divine Liturgy

Church of the Holy Cross—Cross Currents—Page 11

PROPHET ELIAS, JULY 20PROPHET ELIAS, JULY 20PROPHET ELIAS, JULY 20

Elias of great fame was from Thisbe or Thesbe, a town of Galaad (Gilead), beyond the Jordan. He was of priestly lineage, a man of a solitary and ascetical character, clothed in a mantle of sheep skin, and girded about his loins with a leathern belt. His name is interpreted as "Yah is my God." His zeal for the glory of God was compared to fire, and his speech for teaching and rebuke was likened unto a burning lamp. From this too he received the name Zealot. Therefore, set aflame with such zeal, he sternly re-proved the impiety and lawlessness of Ahab and his wife Jezebel. He shut up heaven by means of prayer, and it did not rain for three years and six months. Ravens brought him food for his need when, at God's command, he was hiding by the torrent of Horrath. He multiplied the little flour and oil of the poor widow of Sarephtha of Sidon, who had given him hospitality in her home, and when her son died, he raised him up. He brought down fire from Heaven upon Mount Carmel, and it burned up the sacrifice offered to God before all the people of Israel, that they might know the truth. At the torrent of Kisson, he slew 450 false prophets and priests who worshipped idols and led the people astray. He received food wondrously at the hand of an Angel, and being strengthened by this food he walked for forty days and for-ty nights. He beheld God on Mount Horeb, as far as this is possi-ble for human nature. He foretold the destruction of the house of Ahab, and the death of his son Ohozias; and as for the two cap-tains of fifty that were sent by the king, he burned them for their punishment, bringing fire down from Heaven. He divided the flow of the Jordan, and he and his disciple Elisseus passed through as it were on dry land; and finally, while speaking with him, Elias was suddenly snatched away by a fiery chariot in the year 895 B.C., and he ascended as though into heaven, whither God most certainly translated him alive, as He did Enoch (Gen. 5:24; IV Kings 2: 11). But from thence also, after seven years, by means of an epistle he reproached Joram, the son of Josaphat, as it is written: "And there came a message in writing to him from Elias the Prophet, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the way," and so forth (II Chron. 21:12). According to the opinion of the majority of the interpreters, this came to pass either through his disciple Elisseus, or through another Prophet when Elias appeared to them, even as he appeared on Mount Tabor to the disciples of Christ (see Aug. 6).

In iconography the Prophet Eli-jah is depicted ascending to Heaven in a fiery chariot, sur-rounded with flames, and har-nessed to four

winged horses. We pray to him for deliver-ance from drought, and to ask for seasonable weather.

page 12—Church of the Holy Cross—Cross Currents

Church of the Holy Cross—Cross Currents—Page 13

Page 14—Church of the Holy Cross—Cross Currents

THE HOLY APOSTLES PETER AND PAUL, JUNE 29THE HOLY APOSTLES PETER AND PAUL, JUNE 29THE HOLY APOSTLES PETER AND PAUL, JUNE 29 The divinely-blessed Peter was from Bethsaida of Galilee. He was the son of Jonas and the brother of Andrew the First-called. He was a fisherman by trade, unlearned and poor, and was called Simon; later he was renamed Peter by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Who looked at him and said, "Thou art Simon the son of Jonas; thou shalt be called Cephas (which is by interpretation, Peter)" (John 1:42). On being raised by the Lord to the dignity of an Apostle and becoming inseparable from Him as His zealous disciple, he followed Him from the beginning of His preaching of salvation up until the very Passion, when, in the court of Caiaphas the high priest, he de-nied Him thrice because of his fear of the Jews and of the danger at hand. But again, after many bitter tears, he received complete for-giveness of his transgression. After the Resurrection of Christ and the descent of the Holy Spirit, he preached in Judea, Antioch, and certain parts of Asia, and finally came to Rome, where he was crucified upside down by Nero, and thus he ascended to the eternal habitations about the year 66 or 68, leaving two Catholic (General) Epistles to the Church of Christ. Paul, the chosen vessel of Christ, the glory of the Church, the Apostle of the Nations and teacher of the whole world, was a Jew by race, of the tribe of Benjamin, having Tarsus as his homeland. He was a Roman citizen, fluent in the Greek language, an expert in knowledge of the Law, a Pharisee, born of a Pharisee, and a disciple of Gamaliel, a Pharisee and notable teacher of the Law in Jerusa-lem. For this cause, from the beginning, Paul was a most fervent zealot for the traditions of the Jews and a great persecutor of the Church of Christ; at that time, his name was Saul (Acts 22:3-4). In his great passion of rage and fury against the disciples of the Lord, he went to Damascus bearing letters of introduction from the high priest. His intention was to bring the disciples of Christ back to Jerusalem in bonds. As he was approaching Damascus, about midday there suddenly shone upon him a light from Heaven. Falling on the earth, he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?" And he asked, "Who art Thou, Lord?" And the Lord said, "I am Jesus Whom thou persecutest; it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." And that heavenly voice and brilliance made him tremble, and he was blinded for a time. He was led by the hand into the city, and on account of a divine revelation to the Apostle Ananias (see Oct. 1), he was baptized by him, and both his bod-ily and spiritual eyes were opened to the knowledge of the Sun of Righteousness. And straightway- O wondrous transformation! - beyond all expectation, he spoke with boldness in the synagogues, proclaiming that "Christ is the Son of God" (Acts 9:1-21). As for his zeal in preaching the Gospel after these things had come to pass, as for his un-abating labors and afflictions of diverse kinds, the wounds, the prisons, the bonds, the beatings, the stonings, the shipwrecks, the jour-neys, the perils on land, on sea, in cities, in wildernesses, the continual vigils, the daily fasting, the hunger, the thirst, the nakedness, and all those other things that he endured for the Name of Christ, and which he underwent before nations and kings and the Israelites, and above all, his care for all the churches, his fiery longing for the salvation of all, whereby he became all things to all men, that he might save them all if possible, and because of which, with his heart aflame, he continuously traveled throughout all parts, visiting them all, and like a bird of heaven flying from Asia and Europe, the West and East, neither staying nor abiding in any one place - all these things are related incident by incident in the Book of the Acts, and as he himself tells them in his Epistles. His Epistles, being fourteen in number, are explained in 250 homilies by Saint John Chrysostom and make manifest the lofti-ness of his thoughts, the abundance of the revelations made to him, the wisdom given to him from God, wherewith he brings together in a wondrous manner the Old with the New Testaments, and expounds the mysteries thereof which had been concealed under types; he confirms the doctrines of the Faith, expounds the ethical teaching of the Gospel, and demonstrates with exactness the duties incum-bent upon every rank, age, and order of man. In all these things his teaching proved to be a spiritual trumpet, and his speech was seen to be more radiant than the sun, and by these means he clearly sounded forth the word of truth and illumined the ends of the world. Having completed the work of his ministry, he likewise ended his life in martyrdom when he was beheaded in Rome during the reign of Nero, at the same time, some say, when Peter was crucified.

Scripture readings for the Feast of Peter and Paul are the following: At Vespers: 1 Peter 1:3-9; 1 Peter 1:13-19; 1 Pe-ter 2:11-24 At the Matins: John 21:15-25. At the Divine Liturgy: 2 Corinthians 11:21-12:9, Matthew 16:13-19.

The Icon of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul

The Orthodox Church has a beautiful presentation of the importance and prominence of the Apostles Peter and Paul with the icon that shows both Apostles standing together holding an image of the Church. Both Apostles, being chosen by our Lord, were instrumental in the estab-lishment and growth of the early Church through their boldness, spiritual strength, and wisdom. Thus they are recognized as "pillars" of the Church, having offered all even unto death for the sake of the Gospel of Christ. In the icon, the Apostle Paul, the great missionary of the early Church, is holding a Gospel book, while the Apostle Peter offers a blessing with his right hand. At the top of the icon is the is a semicircle, representing the di-vine realm. Rays extend in the semicircle representing the blessings and presence of God upon His two chosen heralds of the True Faith.

Church of the Holy Cross—Cross Currents—Page 15

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