sunday services: orthros 8:00 a.m. liturgy 9:30 a.m...

The Anchor—Christmas 2017

THE anchorTHE anchor St. Andrew Greek Orthodox ChurchSt. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church

5649 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 606605649 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60660 773773--334334--4515 (ph)4515 (ph) 773773--334334--3468 (fax)3468 (fax)

www.standreworthodox.orgwww.standreworthodox.org (email) [email protected](email) [email protected]

Rev. John N. Kalomas, ProistamenosRev. John N. Kalomas, Proistamenos Rev. Athanasios Minetos, Associate PriestRev. Athanasios Minetos, Associate Priest

+Rev. John G. Kutulas, In Loving Memory+Rev. John G. Kutulas, In Loving Memory

Sunday Services: Sunday Services: Orthros 8:00 a.m. Liturgy 9:30 a.m.Orthros 8:00 a.m. Liturgy 9:30 a.m.

Another Christmas is upon us! The time to think about for whom and what we are to buy as gifts; the time to start putting up the outside lights and the tree; to replay to Christmas Parties and to start sending out Christmas Cards. It is the time to start baking for many, getting Christmas cookies and sweets ready so it won’t be last minute. It is also a time to reflect about the Season and the Reason for it, for many times we get lost in the craziness of what Christmas is not and forget what Christmas really is. A friend sent me this nice story about one Christmas that took place many years ago. It was actually during 1944 when World War II was starting to show that the Allies had turned the tide of the Nazi War machine and finally parts of Europe as well as countries on the Eastern Front were beginning to be liberated. This story is about a single mother with her children, (her husband was MIA in the Eastern Front War) and how being a refugee because of the War she was able to find something special on that Sunday evening December 24th in 1944. It brings to mind that as much of the craziness and the difficulties that we may face, this story brings it into perspective for she faced cold, hunger and death, where we face am I going to get that toy or game that my child wants before it gets sold out. Helen Grace Lescheid a known author wrote this story and called it Celebrate the Light. There is no real fact if it is a true story, but based on many writings of what was happening in that part of the world during that time, I wouldn’t be surprised. Either way it is inspiring in regards of Christmas and I pray that it inspires you also. Enjoy!

“The second World War raged in Europe during Christmas Eve in 1944. Mother, with four small children, had fled our native Ukraine with the retreating German army. Father had been reported missing in action. Now we were refugees living in a two-room shack in Dieterwald, Poland. But again the fighting front was only about fifty kilometers away. Frequent air raids sent us scurrying for cover. Explosions rattled the windows. Army trucks brought in the wounded and the dead. Hay wagons filled with refugees rumbled west; bombers droned overhead and army tanks rolled east. Partisans (underground resistance) attacked innocent women and children at night. Nobody in his right mind went out into the dark winter night. And yet, it was Christmas Eve. Two women had prepared a Christmas party in a neighboring village and invited us. Mother, wanting to give us children joy, accepted. She instructed my sister and me to dress warmly against the winter's cold. "Tonight we're going to a party," she said. Being only eight-years old, I sensed no danger--only wondrous excitement. Hurriedly my sister, two years younger, and I dressed. If only Mother would hurry! A simple wick flickered in a saucer of oil--our only light. We could barely see her shadowy form as she bustled about getting my four-year-old brother, Fred, and almost two-year-old sister, Katie, ready. Finally Mother was putting on her heavy winter coat, kerchief, and warm felt boots. With one small breath, she blew out the oil lamp. It was pitch dark now. "Open the door, Lena," she called to me. We stepped onto the crisp snow covering the farmyard. A moon crescent hung above a large house across the yard where the estate owners lived--kind people who treated

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Celebrating The Light Of The Season


Cathy Fasseas Terri Mikuzis

Thank you all for your con nued help and support throughout the year!

OFFICE ASSISTANCE

ST. ANDREW’S FOOD PANTRY More and more everyday less fortunate people are asking churches for food. In these difficult mes St. Andrew would like to help them, but in order to do so we

need your help.

Please help us restock our food pantry with items such as: cereal, oatmeal, rice, pasta, pasta sauce. Also, canned items of tuna,

tomato sauce, soup, vegetables, fruit or any other non‐perishable items. It is helpful if the canned goods have a flip‐top lid. Monetary dona ons will also be accepted.

In an effort ini ated by our dear departed friend and Philoptochos sister Ethel Kotsovos, members of the greater Chicago Orthodox community have had the privilege of serving lunch to approximately 100 less fortunate fellow human beings on the first Saturday of the month for more than 15 years. The soup kitchen, located at the First Presbyterian Church in Evanston, is just one part of that church's strong community outreach program. St. Andrews Philoptochos and other volunteers have consistently and con nuously served the Saturday soup kitchen, longer than any other single contribu ng group. Please consider joining them.

ST. ANDREW GREEK ORTST. ANDREW GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCHHODOX CHURCH

+His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos Metropolis of Chicago

Rev. John N. Kalomas, Proistamenos Rev. Athanasios Minetos, Associate Priest

+Rev. John G. Kutulas, In Loving Memory

Contact Fr. John at 773‐334‐4515 or Email him at [email protected]

PARISH COUNCIL 2017

Terri Mikuzis President Phil Hatzopoulos 1st Vice President/Facili es Mark Poulakidas 2nd Vice President/Stewardship Jeffery Chrones 3rd Vice President/Finance Bill Aslanides Secretary Nick Hatzopoulos Treasurer Michael Bartholomew Assistant Treasurer George Marks Financial Secretary

M

Peter Alexopoulos Steve Hastalis Nick Karafo as Spiro Kondos Nick Kontos Frank Prokos Nick Tzakis Kosta Zografopoulos

STAFF & MINISTRY LEADERS Financial Secretary: Vivian L. Davros Office Secretary: Alejandra Franco

Philoptochos President: Cynthia Melas

Chanters: Nicholas Christacos & Dean Theodoropoulos Choir Director: Dr. Peter Jermihov

Narthex Commi ee: William Alexopoulos, , Ma hew Bezanes, James Chrones, Michael Davros, Leo Manta

Sunday School Coordinator: Tracey Lazos

Greek School Principal: Father John Kalomas

Mommy and Me Advisor: Stephane Collopy JOY Advisors: Tia Manolakas, & Bill Aslanides GOYA Advisor: Georgia Loomas Young Adult Ministry: Ta ana Vuko c, Anastasia Papas, & Eleni Papas


us refugees well. It, too, was shrouded in darkness. Mother lifted Katie and shuffled her to her back: she'd carry her piggyback for the five kilometers. "Hang tight onto my coat collar," she coaxed. Then, turning towards us girls, she said, "You take Fred's hands." My younger sister and I complied. We had often taken care of our little brother while mother had culled potatoes in the big barns or had done other chores for the landowners. At the road, we stopped. Although I knew it well from my treks to school, I could barely make out the houses on either side of the street. No street lights were allowed now. Windows heavily draped permitted no light to seep out of the houses. My mother hesitated for a brief moment. Then she said, "Come, we'll take the shortcut across the fields." The snow crunched as four pairs of feet punched holes in the white expanse of open fields. Stars spangled the vault of sky above us. A blood-red glow smeared the eastern sky. At times an explosion sent flames shooting into the sky. "Girls, recite your poems to me." Mother's voice sounded a bit shaky. Her arms aching, she put Katie down on the snowy ground. Our recitations of Christmas poems made white puffs in the cold night air. When we finished, Mother said, "Speak up loud and clear when your turn comes. No mumbling." She lifted Katie once more onto her back, and we began to walk again. On and on we walked. But we were far too excited to be tired. Finally we arrived at our friends' house. The door opened and we stepped inside. I felt I had stepped into heaven itself. Lights! A whole room-full of lights. Candlelight flickered from a small Christmas tree and bounced out of happy children's eyes. Heavily draped windows kept the light inside--for us to revel in. Red paper chains decked the tree; delicate paper cherubs smiled down upon us. We squeezed in amongst women and children sitting on the floor. Soon the room filled with singing: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht."(Silent Night, Holy Night) Some mothers sang alto, the rest of us, soprano. We sang with gusto and from memory, songs that lifted our hearts above the terrors of war and inspired new hope for the days ahead. I can't remember our long trek home that night, but I do remember the wonderful gifts I received; my right pocket bulged with the most beautiful ball I'd ever seen. A very colorful ball it was. Much later, I learned it had been made out of scrunched up rags wrapped in rainbow colored yarn probably gleaned from unraveling old sweaters. The other pocket held three cookies! Soon after that wonderful Christmas party, we were

evacuated. Icy winds blew snow into our faces as we cowered on an uncovered hay wagon pulled by two scrawny horses. With the front so close behind, we traveled day and night. Once it was safe to stop, we slept in drafty barns. We ate hunks of frozen bread and drank the occasional cup of milk supplied by a Red Cross jeep. But the warm memory of that Christmas celebration shone like a small candle in the darkness. Even years later, when my own life's circumstances seemed too bleak to celebrate Christmas, I remembered the truth of Christmas born in my heart that night: Jesus, the light of the world came to us at Christmas time and no amount of darkness can put out that light. (John 1: 4,5)” I agree whole-heartedly with the very last paragraph of this story. There was one Christmas that seemed too bleak for me to celebrate and that was the Christmas of 2003. You see on April 10th of that year a devastating blow was dealt to my family and I, which was the loss of my father. Christmas was so special to both of us. We used to hang the Christmas lights together when I was a child; go out and purchase a real tree until 1968 when one of my uncles almost set the house on fire from his cigarette because he wasn’t paying attention, and the lit cigarette was touching on one of the dry pine needles. I have never seen something flame up so quickly and I never heard my father curse out loud till that day. I was asking myself though back in 2003 how can I celebrate Christmas without my father being present. It was very hard on Thanksgiving of that year, but now with Christmas coming what was I going to do. Everyone who knows me knows the passion that I have for this holiday. Even my wife Presvytera Kiki says that our house is worse than the Griswold’s from the movie National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. That year was different. I was not motivated; usually I have the outside lights up by the 15th of November in celebration of my daughter’s birthday. It was already December 6th and no tree, no lights, were up in my house yet. The difficulty of the loss of a loved one hits us very hard, once during the initial loss, and once again during the holidays. We remember the memories and how enjoyable it was with all being together, and now one is missing. There is an empty space at the dinner table, and missing voice from the family that was so prevalent. I wasn’t sure what to do so I took a drive looking at the gleaming lights of our neighborhood and seeing the trees

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adorning the inside of the houses. It gave me a warm feeling but still very bleak because of what life had dealt to me to celebrate Christmas. I finally ended up at my old Church of Holy Cross. I parked in the parking lot and was staring across the street into the cemetery where my father was buried. The streetlight shown illumined the name of the stone in which our family name showed clearly. I was overcome by a great emotion in which I started talking to my father asking him what am I going to do now that you are not here anymore. How can I look at Christmas the same way that I looked at it when you were with us? It was so hard that I was overcome by grief. I don’t know how long I sat there but when the emotions left me, I got out of the car and went into the church, just to light a candle. I went up to my office for a moment to get a couple of things and see if there were any messages, and there sitting on my desk, was a picture of my father holding Katrina when she was only 40 days old. The smile on his face from the joy that his granddaughter brought him, brought something warm into my heart. I remembered that day so well because when Katrina was 40 days old it was December 25th 1995. Earlier that day we had done her forty day blessing and after having an early dinner at my in-laws, we drove to Moline and celebrated the remaining day of Christmas with my family. It was here in this picture, 8 years prior to my dad’s death that the bleakness left. I realized how great the loss of my father was, but how greater the light of a life is that overcomes any difficulty that we may encounter. I truly believe my Lord in His mystical way had brought me to this point, and allowed me to be filing through pictures and somehow leave that one on my desk of my father and daughter of Christmas 1995, to awaken me from my misery and my bleakness. Through this He lifted my soul and once again, and the feeling that I had for Christmas came back and was as strong as ever that I understood. For me the Christmas time that was born in my heart was once again resurrected of a simple picture of my father holding my daughter wearing an outfit of the festive season of Christmas and smiling as he cradled her in his arms. I lit my candle before I left and as I walked to my car, and before I got in, I looked not over at my father’s grave, but up into the star-filled night and said “Thank you Lord, and thank you dad. You took my despair away illumined my soul about Christmas again.” Miracles happen during the Christmas Season. I truly believe in this and truly believe that it was God’s miracle that carried me through that difficult time of bleakness

and despair during the 2003 Christmas Season. Many of us have seen this type of difficulty in our lives. No one is exempt from this. We are left in the bleakness of losing what meaning of the season is because these events cloud us from that which is a true light and celebration. But we must realize as the story above stated that these refugees were in a state of despair and displacement, and the war was not that many miles away. They were living in not their homes, but barns, huts of strangers. They still went and in the company of the others and the singing of Silent Night, the Light of our Lord pierced the darkness of their bleakness and despair and illumined it to them realizing that this night was to celebrate the light of the birth of our Saviour. My wish to all of you are as follows; may the light of our Lord pierce the darkness and bleakness that may be affecting you during this time of the Nativity of our Lord and Saviour. May it lead you to the Holy Manger of our Lord to find that despair, and bleakness can never stop the truth of what our Lord intended us to have and that we can see that at the end of it we will still Celebrate the Light of what our Lord blessed this world with. May we follow the strong and beautiful words of the angel that night in which he said to the shepherds “Fear Not”. May our Lord heal any pain, any despair, and any bleakness during this time of the season especially with the loss of a loved one, and my He leave only with sweet and precious memories that will give you the strength to Celebrate the Light of His Birth as well as all the Christmas’ you have celebrated in the past. Remember the Christmas’ of the past for they were blessings. Remember the Christmas of the present for it is truly a gift. Anticipate the Christmas’ to come for it is our hope. A Merry and Blessed Christmas To All of and to all that are dear to your hearts; Fr. John N Kalomas.


Adult Catechism Classes Wednesday Evenings

7:00—8:00 pm Beginning February 21st and continuing until March 28th

All those interested in learning more about the Orthodox Christian Faith are invited to join us.

Please contact Fr. Athanasios Minetos at (773)334-4515 or [email protected] to register for class or for further information.


At 12:01 Pacific time on Friday, October 27, 2017, the iPhone 10 was released to be sold to the general public. Within a half hour in some locations stores were completely sold out. In many cases people had camped in the cold outside of stores for days, and lines streteched for blocks. Within two hours, customers shopping online were told that they would have to wait 5-6 weeks for shipment because global demand had exceeded supply. Apple reported that on opening weekend over 13 million iPhone X’s were sold, 2 million more people than the entire population of Greece. When it comes to getting what we want nowadays, especially during what should be a time of joyfully participating in the nativity of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, some of us seem to be willing to go to any lengths. Whether it’s something like an iPhone X, or becoming as financially successful as possible, our society has convinced us that life is about getting to the top and having the most. It’s drilled in us from a young age that if we aren’t honors student, or we don’t get into Lane Tech High School, or if Northwestern puts us on a waitlist, or if we haven’t made our first million dollars by age forty, we’re failures. So, as a result, so many people become obsessed with success and might spend all their time and effort into making sure that every second of the day is jam packed. When they get home they forget their families and stick their faces into their tablets and computers and work and work and work and work. These individuals, so engrossed in their quest for success - even if the driving reason for it is the noble concern of trying to provide a better life for their families - might completely have become disinterested in God, the church, and the spiritual life. I’m here to tell you, my beloved brothers and sisters, that this is dangerous. While it certainly is a fantastic accomplishment to be accepted into Lane Tech or Northwestern University, the question we need to ask ourselves is whether or not we are defining ourselves by our worldly accomplishments. We have all this energy and zeal to be so devoted to something, but we are misdirecting this devotion to things that do not promote spiritual health. When it comes to the spiritual life and the church, we must not become apathetic or disinterested, because it will cause spiritual illness. The New Testament is full of examples showing us how important it is for us not to be apathetic, and very succinctly, without any question states that negligence

and disinterest in the spiritual life causes spiritual death. In particular in the parable of the Good Samaritan, there are two priests - people who have dedicated their lives to ministering in God’s vineyard - who are apathetic! They don’t care that they see a man beaten to death on the side of the road. They pretend that he’s not there, and they walk right past him. Finally, it was a Samaritan, someone who was outcast and looked down upon in society, who immediately cared for the poor man’s wounds, put him on his own animal, and saw to it that he had the shelter and care that he needed. The Good Samaritan was not disinterested. He wanted to do what’s right and so he took action, he made a difference and as a result was justified and filled with life. This is even more clearly hashed out in Chapter 8 of St. Paul’s second letter to the Ephesians. He writes:

“Brethren, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver...You will be enriched in every way for great generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.

God doesn’t want us to give out of compulsion or to be bored with Church and the spiritual life, he wants us to be invigorated and enlivened by His Holy Spirit. He wants us to actively and vigorously try to seek Him and embrace Him. I mentioned before about spiritual health and sickness. Spiritual health and sickness is very similar to physical health and sickness. Think, for a moment, of a time when you were very sick. Perhaps you couldn’t get out of bed, or you were nauseous. Perhaps you even had to go to the hospital. And when you recovered, the thought of going back to that state of illness never even crosses your mind. The same idea can be applied to the spiritual life. If we become disinterested in the spiritual life, then our souls become ill. This can be confusing because often, when we are not filled with life spiritually, we have no idea that there is a much better life that we can be living. In fact, if we’ve never experienced spiritual life at all, we think that spiritual illness is the norm. But when we even get the tiniest taste of the life that God offers that we realize that we feel so much less anxious, less angry and

What is Important to Us This Christmas Season?


(Con nued on page #) more joyful, thankful and at peace. Just like we would never want to go back to state of physical sickness if we are in full health, in the same way we would never want or even think of going back to a state of spiritual sickness if we are spiritually healthy. In addition, just like we never should stop eating healthily and exercising, we must continue to strive for spiritual health. And just like it takes interest and true zeal to become physically healthy we must not let disinterest or negligence take hold of our souls. Because even a few weeks of eating junk food will cause our physical wellness to deteriorate. A few weeks without prayer or fasting or almsgiving, or coming to church will cause our spiritual wellness to deteriorate. Just as we ensure that we regularly see doctors for checkups or when we feel pain or an illness, we must see the spiritual doctor by coming to confession regularly. Just like the doctor has our wellness in mind and acts the best way he can for our wellness, so the priest does the same thing when we come to confession - he does not judge or condemn. He simply allows God to fill us with His grace and completely wipe out our iniquities. Just like we make sure our children have a perfect bill of health and that they are eating right and seeing the doctor regularly, we must ensure, from the day they’re born, that our children are spiritually healthy too. We will certainly encounter difficulty when doing this, and we will have hiccups and potholes along the way. But the most important thing we can do is to ensure that an apathetic approach to Church

and the spiritual life doesn’t take hold, because then we’ll spiral into spiritual sickness and never realize that there is such a much greater reward for us by living in the Holy Spirit than by living in the world with its riches. If we had any clue as to how incredible and loving and merciful and beneficent God we had, and what it means for us to partake of His All Holy Body and Most Precious Blood, we would be lining up around the block every saturday night so that we can be the first in the church! Truly, our reward in heaven is so great that there is no comparison with anything this world can offer. We can start simply five minutes a night in front of our icons praying and communicating with God. Or perhaps we can come for confession once a year. We must must must not let disinterest or apathy to take hold when it comes to the Church and our spiritual lives - because this leads to spiritual illness and ultimately spiritual death.

Christ was born of the Virgin, not so that we can worry about what accomplishments we can attain, or how much technology our smart phones have. He came so that we can experience His joy and spread that joy to everyone around us. The Christmas season is about being Good Samaritans - people who give cheerfully to those in need just like God gives to us when we are in need. When we turn even in the smallest way in humility and penitence to God asking for His abundant mercy, He will warmly embrace us and envelop us in His love, and we will never want to go back to the way we were before. Amen.

Fr. Athanasios Minetos

If you haven’t already done so, make your reservations now to get the group rate! To reserve a room call +1 (866) 636-4502 and book under ‘Family Weekend. Please also email Fr Athanasios to RSVP at [email protected].

Join us at the next GOYA meeting Friday, January 12, 2018

7:00 p.m. St. Andrew’s Auditorium


THE PERFECT GIFT FOR CHRISTMAS!

DVD of World Premiere of

Fr. Ivan Moody’s

Greek Liturgy The DVDs are being sold for $20.00 at the church office.

All proceeds will be donated to the St. Andrew Parish.

FROM THE CHOIR LOFT An Interview with Benedict Sheehan

—What would you say about the state of Orthodox Church mu-sic in America? How would you assess it? —I would say that we’re at a low point in our history. There’s cer-tainly a general decline in Orthodox churches in America overall. The numbers are shrinking. We hear all these stories about the de-clining parishes. We see declining parishes. We see growing parishes also, but generally what everybody seems to say is that the numbers are declining. It shouldn’t then come as a surprise that the overall level of musical quality is declining too. But, what I find to be a more telling fact is that we’ve been in a state of musical decline for long enough that now it’s the new norm, and so even parishes that are thriving and successful have musical standards that in any other context would be an embarrassment. I can totally understand why a church that has twenty people at Lit-urgy on a Sunday in some corner of the Midwest or New England or somewhere that only has three people in the church that can sing at all would be having a hard time—but churches that are thriving com-munities with growing memberships aren’t doing well either. There are certainly examples of parishes that are doing fairly well, but if you compare their musical standards and quality to a Mainline Protestant church or an established Roman Catholic church (and that can be a sensitive issue because a lot of Catholics complain that they’ve had a serious musical decline as well—I think a book came out twenty or so years ago called Why Catholics Can’t Sing—so they’re having problems too) you’ll see that they’re generally held to a much lower standard. That to me is more disturbing, because what that tells me is not that we can’t do better but that we’re not interested in doing better and we’re not putting resources into doing better. And this is true across jurisdictional lines—it’s not unique to the OCA.

—So in your capacity as music director at the seminary how do you hope to address this? What is your plan? —In my capacity as music teacher and choir director at the seminary I’ve begun to realize that I do have a certain amount of ability to change the attitude, or create better attitudes, because the priest of a parish, whether he realizes it or not, actually has a fair amount of

influence over the musical standards that his parish will maintain, if he’s somebody who really values beautiful Church singing. What else is beautiful Church singing but doing the Liturgy beautifully? Seventy percent of the Liturgy is sung by the choir or chanter. If a priest wants it to be done well and requires, within the bounds of what he can do pastorally, that it be done well, it has a much better chance of being done well. One strategy of mine is to really try to get seminarians to feel like Church music is important, that beautiful Church music is important, and that it’s their job to cultivate it. That’s one aspect. Certainly I have some role in trying to teach the seminarians how to sing them-selves, but in my view that’s less important than getting them to feel like good singing is necessary for the Church. The abbot, Fr. Sergius, often likes to quote—an important prayer said before the ambo—that, “God will sanctify those who love the beauty of His house.” Love, as we know, is not just how you feel about a thing—it has to be acted on. Love is not a feeling but an action. Benedict Sheehan directing the St. Tikhon's Seminary Mission Choir So how do we love the beauty of God’s house? We do it by beautify-ing God’s house. That could be done through architecture, which is also a major area of decline in American Orthodoxy; through icono-graphy—maybe not as dramatically in decline, but we haven’t reached the point where we’re routinely producing great iconogra-phy; but also in a very practical, daily service way through beautiful singing. That’s how we beautify God’s house. This prayer is not only saying that it’s a good thing to do, but it’s saying, “sanctify those who do this.” It’s actually a path to sanctification. If you look in history in the lives of the saints and even in the lives of contemporary elders, you’ll see that many of the great saints were great cultivators of art in the Church. There is the example of St. Dimitry of Rostov, who was a hagiographer but also, as many people may not know, a very talented composer. In fact he’s the composer of what is considered the first Russian opera. He wrote a six-hour-long staged opera with instruments on the lives of the saints of the Rostov area. He worked tirelessly to improve the level of singing in his diocese. There is also St. Paisy Velichkovsky, who not only rein-stituted cenobitic monastic life and the practice of hesychia, but also worked to raise the level of Church singing.



A modern example would be Fr. Ephraim of Vatopaidi monastery on Mt. Athos, and his own spiritual father Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi. When they came to Vatopaidi to revitalize the monastery, one of the first things they did was to establish a program for training the monks to sing; over time they’ve built it into one of the best if not the best choirs on Mt. Athos, and it’s become an example for the whole world of the authentic practice of Byzantine chant. They’ve revived medieval practices, they have composers of new chants, they train the monks of other monasteries to sing—they now have an es-tablished singing school at the monastery. So lest somebody have the idea that artistic life is a pursuit outside of spiritual life, we should look at these examples, which prove exactly the contrary—that part of pursuing sanctity in the Church is beautifying the Church, and singing is a major part of that.

—What is the connection beyond just a desire for aesthetic beau-ty and thinking “Oh, that song sounded nice?” Just what is sanc-tifying about beauty and good Church singing? —That’s an interesting question. I can’t speak from personal experi-ence in this regard. But think about the fact that liturgics (and I don’t just mean the Divine Liturgy, but all the services of the Church) are our primary point of contact with God on this earth, and the Eucha-rist is that par excellence. So the way we do and approach liturgics says a lot about how we think about God, and how we feel about God, and how we act towards God. If you’re trying to cultivate a relationship with someone, you will do everything in relation to them thoughtfully, with care, and as well as you can. A young man who’s trying to get a young woman to fall in love with him is not going to be careless. He’s going to think about how he dresses, about how he looks, about what he says and how he says it, how might it be taken. He will give her gifts, and he’ll do everything he can to show her that he cares about her. So God forbid that he be rude. God forbid that he would make a date with her and then forget to go, or be an hour late. It would show the young woman that this young man did-n’t really care that much. Of course he might make a mistake and then ask her forgiveness, and thereby grow in the relationship with her (we don’t want to push this metaphor too far).

But the way we approach the liturgy is in some way analogous to this—it’s an indicator of how much we value the relationship that the liturgy affords us. If we treat it carelessly, if instead of offering our first fruits we offer what’s left over, or it becomes an afterthought, then how much does it seem that we really care about that relation-ship? Music is a major part of this because music is one of the things that we have to do every time we go to church. It’s not like iconogra-phy in the sense that you can get a great iconographer to decorate your whole church—of course there will always be a place to put a new icon and it can be an offering of a devout heart to God to spon-sor a new icon or the decoration of a church—but for all practical purposes things like iconography and architecture are things that you pay for and obtain, and once you have them you can rely on them and you don’t have to do them over again. But music is something we have to do every time we go to church. It’s a new thing every time. Often a choir does the same thing over and over again. They may have a repertoire, but it’s not infinite, so there will always be a sense of routine in a church choir. It is an offering that we have to make every time that we go. So, I contend that the way we approach singing in the Church is even more of an indicator of our practical, day-in, day-out care for our communal relationship with God than any other art in the Church. If we don’t do it carefully, if it’s not our first fruits, if it’s something we do badly and know we do badly yet

don’t do anything to change it, how much do we really care? We can say, “Well, we don’t really care about music but we care about God.” I see that as “Well, I don’t really care about politeness but I really care about my wife.” Ok, but how do you show that you care? It has to be active. It can’t just be theoretical. Love without action, or as St. James says, faith without works, is dead. So, if a church congregation says that that it cares about the liturgy and yet doesn’t care enough to sing well, how alive is their faith? That may sound like a harsh thing to say. We can say, “We’re doing the best we can with what we’ve got.” Perhaps that is true. But more often than not I’ve found that when parishioners say, “We’re doing the best we can,” it is usually not a statement they’ve really evaluat-ed for themselves. They haven’t asked themselves, “Are we doing the best that we can?” So if that is your excuse, I say, “Well, why don’t you find out?” See if you are. This brings up a whole new level of concern. Maybe I’ve gone a little too far afield from what you originally asked. But I think if you really care then you’ll do some-thing, you’ll do better, you’ll do really well if you really care. Christ said Where your treasure is there your heart is. If the liturgy in your church is sung poorly, or half-heartedly, or in a slovenly or disorder-ly manner, then your heart’s not there. It can’t be.

“The choir’s repertoire is like a wardrobe.” I strongly believe that a choir’s repertoire is analogous to some-body’s wardrobe. It has to fit. If someone wears clothes that are too big or too small, that person will look ridiculous. The same goes for a choir. If their repertoire is too big—like a choir of six people with only three reliable parts singing the Paschal irmosi by Artemii Vedel—it doesn’t fit. The repertoire has to fit and be the right style for the group. One has to be able to discern the style of his community. That in-cludes what people want and expect to hear in church, what precon-ceptions they may have about what Church music is supposed to sound like; but it might also just be what kind of people they are, or what kind of choir they’ve got—how good the singers are. The point is that singers need to have repertoire that fits them, that they can master and sing competently and make it sound like an authentic, artistic, musical, spiritual expression of those people. It shouldn’t sound fraudulent. It shouldn’t sound like it just doesn’t fit. I believe that a lot of choirs in America need a repertoire that is sim-pler, but I don’t mean plain—not all music that’s satisfying and rela-tively easy to sing is musically simple. In fact, over-simplified music can be hard to sing. They need music that’s better suited to their abil-ities and to the size and kind of ensembles that are becoming com-mon. Even if you have fifteen singers on a Sunday, in the standards of choral music that’s still a small choir. Fifteen good singers can manage a lot, but a choir with fifteen singers where only three or four of them are really musically skilled needs to have smaller reper-toire. Thus, the aim of this book is to fit those choirs that need a flex-ible repertoire, so that they don’t haveto sing in four or three parts if they don’t have them. You can, but you don’t need to, because the melody and fundamental bass part will always be there. You have what you need to sing the bare bones of it and sing in a way that’s satisfying and musically reasonable. It often happens that when a choir has to reduce four-part music on the fly, it doesn’t know which part is the melody, and so they sing three parts while nobody’s sing-ing the melody at all. So it sounds odd and it’s musically nonsensical because there’s no core. So, we’re also trying to show people what the melodic core of this music is.

Jesse Dominick spoke with Benedict Sheehan 10/27/2017


40 Day Blessings

Penelope Panagiota, Daughter of Tina & Ed Schloss

Sophia Ekaterini, daughter of Josephine & Alexi

Giannoulias

Vera (Vasiliki) Elizabeth daughter of Nina & Jus n Garrison

Penelope, daughter of Georgia & Sco Mathis

Bap sms

George John, son of

Theodora & John Konstantos

Maria, daughter of Alexia & Travis Spyropoulos

Senya Lillian, daughter of Sascha & Gus Kalpake

Panagiota Zoe, daughter of Georgia & Tom Loukas

Theodore Polson, son of Jennifer Dendrinos & Jim Polson

John and Demetri Clark, sons of Georgia & Ezra Clark

Daniel Finn, son of Nicole & Brion Elipas

Peter, son of Jessica & Michael Halkias

Ethan, son of Vicky Papoutsis & Jeff Hughes

Anastasia Elytheia daughter of Mariana & Mark Nowak

Michelangelo Kostas, son of Elena & David Salvi

Weddings

Katelyn Svigos & Rob Belcore

Marina Karmanova & Andrew

Andrikos

Alexia Galio s & Travis Spyropoulos

Helen Kouis& Alfredo Figueroa

Chris na Loukas & Ma Branch

Funerals Peter Pallis

Mary Davlantes Nikolaos Chresanthakes

Norbert Gold

Memorials

Nikolaos Chresanthakes — 9 days Mary Davlantes — 40 days

Kris na Galoozis Hill— 40 days Martha Panagos — 40 days

Christopher Simms — 40 days Athanasios “Tom” Chiampas — 1 year

Angel Kourchoumov — 1 year Della Pappas — 1 year

Steve “Stylianos” Kondos — 2 years Themis Tsaoussis — 2 years

Angelo Haralampus — 3 years Eleni Kambitsi — 3 years

Nikolaos Karnezos — 3 years Gus Kotsovos — 3 years

Stama os Savanis — 3 years Anna Spilio s — 3 years

Maria Karahali — 4 years Savvas Melidis — 5 years Ethel Kotsovos — 7 years

Anastasia Ionas — 8 years Nickolaos Golfinopoulos — 10 years

Angelo Hareras — 12 years Evangelia Savanis — 12 years Michael Spilio s — 14 years

Christos Ionas — 17 years Rouvelis Ionas — 18 years

Dennis Fioren nos — 27 years Leo A Loumbas — 75 years

“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one.”

Preparing for marriage is truly a beau ful period of expecta on and joy. As you get ready for the “big day,” it is also important to spend me ge ng ready for the days that follow that “big day.” As you know, Holy Matrimony is not only a Sacrament at the me of the ceremony, but also throughout life. At St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church, we invite all couples ge ng married to par cipate in a Marriage Prepara on Seminar where you can discuss issues related to marriage, the struggles along the way, and the strategies for preparing for the journey. All couples are required to par cipate in one of these workshops, prior to your wedding date.

Marriage Preparation Seminars will be held from 10 am—3 pm on the following Saturdays in 2018:

February 3 March 10 May 5 June 16 Aug 4 October 6

Please RSVP to Fr John at [email protected]


Dear Stewards,

The Parish Council and I would like to “Thank You” for all your help this year.

Your continued support of our Chapel, Stained Glass Window Fund, Festival, Boxing Event, and Philoptochos events have made it easier for us to continue our work on the maintenance of our facility.

From all of us, we wish you a Blessed Christmas, and a New Year of Good Health and Happiness for you and your families.

We are looking forward to seeing you all at our Food Fest which will be taking place on Saturday and Sunday January 20, & 21,

2018. Please let us know if you are available to volunteer to help with this event.

Terri Mikuzis Congratulations to the newly elected board. Once elections are ratified by the Metropolis, they will begin their new term. Peter Alexopoulos Bill Aslanides Michael Bartholomew Jeffery Chrones Steve Hastalis Nick Hatzopoulos Phil Hatzopoulos George Marks Terri Mikuzis Mark Poulakidas Frank Prokos Constantine Zografopoulos

UPCOMING CHURCH SERVICES

Tuesday, December 12, 2017 St. Spyridon Orthros 9:00 am Divine Liturgy 10:00 am

Friday, December 22, 2017 Royal Hours 9:00 am

Sunday, December 24, 2017 Christmas Eve Orthros 8:00 am Divine Liturgy 9:30 am Great Vespers 6:00 pm No Communion will be served at Vespers

Monday, December 25, 2017 Christmas Orthros 8:30 am Divine Liturgy 10:00 am

Wednesday, December 26, 2017 St. Stephen the First Martyr Orthros 9:00 am Divine Liturgy 10:00 am

Monday, January 1, 2018 Feast of the Circumcision and the Feast Day of St. Basil Orthros 9:00 am Divine Liturgy 10:00 am

Friday, January 5, 2018 Eve of Epiphany Vesperal Liturgy & Agiasmos 9:00 am

Saturday, January 6, 2018 Epiphany Orthros 8:30 am Divine Liturgy & Great Agiasmos 9:30 am

Sunday, January 7, 2018 St. John the Baptist Orthros 8:00 am Divine Liturgy 9:30 am

Thursday, January 18, 2018 St. Athanasios Orthros 9:00 am Divine Liturgy 10:00 am

Thursday, January 25, 2018 St. Gregory the Theologian Orthros 9:00 am Divine Liturgy 10:00 am

Tuesday, January 30, 2018 The Three Hierarchs Orthros 9:00 am Divine Liturgy 10:00 am

Friday, February 2, 2018 Presentation of Our Lord & Savior Orthros 9:00 am Divine Liturgy 10:00 am

Saturday, February 10, 2018 1st Saturday of Souls Orthros 9:00 am Divine Liturgy 10:00 am Saturday, February 17, 2018 2nd Saturday of Souls Orthros 9:00 am Divine Liturgy 10:00 am Monday, February 19, 2018 Clean Monday Great Compline 6:00 pm Lenten Meal Follows Wednesday, February 21, 2018 Pre-Sanctified Liturgy 6:00 pm Friday, February 23, 2018 1st Salutations 7:00 pm Saturday, February 24, 2018 3rd Saturday of Souls Orthros 9:00 am Divine Liturgy 10:00 am


St. Andrew’s Edgewater Indoor Food Fest Dear Stewards and Friends:

This year St. Andrew’s is celebrating its 8th Indoor Food Fest which will be held on Saturday, January 20 and Sunday January 21, 2018. We are looking to having a fun and successful event.

In order to make this a success, please take a moment to look at the list below and if you are able to help, please fill out the section at the bottom of this sheet or if you have any questions or know of anyone who could help us out with any of the items listed, please contact Vonnie at [email protected] or call at 630-378-4878.

Please Note: Contact Vonnie at 630-378-4878, or email [email protected] no later than Monday, January 8, 2018. Monetary donation to the Indoor Food Fest $ _________________ to help defray the costs. The 2018 Food Fest Committee.

Items Amount Needed Cost Partial Payment Full Payment Ice 14 large bags $75 Dinner Rolls $120 Cheese & Spinach Pies – 3 oz. 7 cases @ $50 each $350 Vegetarian Mousaka 2 cases @ $84 each $168 Pastichio 5 cases @ $70 each $350 Souvlakia 140 lbs Pork Tenders $475 Chicken 200 chickens $800 Wine (Red) $122 Wine (White) $122 Greek Beer 3 cases @ $22 each $66 American Beer 3 cases @ $18 each $54 Green Peppers/Diced & Julienned $37 Red Onions 1 5lb bag $12 Onions/Diced 1 case – 20 lbs. $35 Olives – 12 kilo kegs 1 jug $60 Salad Oil – 35 lb containers 1 @ $25 each $25 Feta Cheese 8 – 10 lbs $40 Salad Dressing 2 jugs @ $15 $30 Olive Oil 3 ½ gal containers @ $14 $40 Honey (5lb containers – 6 per case) 1 case @ $76 $76 Donated Land O Lakes Butter – Unsalted 14 @ 5 each $60 Tomatoes/Diced – 6/10# Cans 2 cases @ $25 $50 Salt/Morton Iodized – 8 lbs. 8 lbs $10 Spices Oregano, Pepper etc. $175 Donated Rice 5 bags @ $25 $125 Romaine Lettuce (6 bags per case) 3 cases @ $20 $60 Gyros/Tzatziki/Pita/Tomatoes/Onions $400 Peas 5 cases @ $35 $175 Butter Cups 1 case $30 Coffee Creamer 1 case $12 Grape Tomatoes 8 2lb containers @ $6 ea. $48 Cucumbers 1 case @ $20 per case $20 Lemon Juice 6 1qt bottles $20 Gen Paks 5 cases @ $40 per case $200 Bottled Water 5 cases @ $4 per case $20 Soda – Coke, Diet Coke, 7-Up/Sprite 12 cases @ $7.00 per case $126 Whip Cream 6 bottles Heavy Whip Cream $20 Cherries 2 large bottles cherries $15 Styrofoam Bowls 250 $15 Plastic Spoons 500 $15 Ice Cream – Vanilla 3 – 3 lb containers @ $30 ea. $90 Chocolate Syrup 1 large jug @ $25 $25 Tablecloths/Skirting Variety $75 Plastic Silverware 2 cases @ $25 ea. $50 Breakfast Bases & Lids 1 case @ $79 $79 Napkins 1 case @ $29 $29 Salad Bases & Lids 1 case @ $34 $34 Plastic Cups/2 oz. & lids (salad) 2 pkgs. @ $8 ea. $16 Plastic Cups/7 oz. 5 pkgs. @ $5 ea. $25 Plastic Bags 500 bags $15



In September, the Sunday School kicked off our outreach with Philoptochos making back-to-school bags for IOCC to pro-vide much needed supplies to students in Greece. In an effort to increase opportunities for our youth to give back, this was the first of a bi-monthly program.

Thanksgiving Food Drive

We kicked off the Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive October 29 through November 12th. Bags were distributed in Sunday School with a list of what was needed. Thank you to Stephane and Adam Collopy ([email protected]).

The Night Ministry

The Night Ministry connects with Chicago's vulnerable youth and adults through our street outreach, youth shelter and supportive services. On November 5, the 5th – 12th grade students made sandwiches along with Philoptochos to distribute to The Night Ministry. To learn more about The Night Ministry visit www.thenightministry.org.

INCLUSION SUNDAY, October 22, was another beautiful day of inclusion celebrating all of our Church family. A special thank you to Maria Kotsinis for your leadership, Presvytera Kiki for preparing the ribbons for our youth to distribute.


CHRISTMAS PAGEANT AND PARTY WITH SANTA

December16ththroughDecember17th

OurannualChristmasPageantwillbeSunday,December17thfollowingtheDivineLiturgy.Thisyearweareexcitedtoannounceanewscriptwithspeakingparts,songs,andmore.AllSt.Andrewschildrenages2throughhighschoolareinvitedtojoininthisbelovedtradition.RehearsalswillstartDecember3duringSundaySchoolwiththedressrehearsalonSaturday,December16.

AfterthePageant,makeyourwaytothegymforaChristmasPartyfulloffood,games,musicandavisitfromnoneotherthanSantaClause!!

PleasecontactTraceyLazos([email protected])ifyourchildrenareinterestedinparticipatinginthePageant.

BIRTHDAY FOR BABY JESUS

Bene itingHospitalizedChildrenat

UniversityofIllinoisHospitalPediatricUnit:Children’sHospitalUofI

December6ththroughDecember12th

Onceagain,St.Andrew’sSundaySchoolasksthatfamiliesofSt.Andrew’stobringasmallgiftvaluedat$20.00forachildhospitalizedoverthiscomingChristmasholidayseason.Alistofpreferredgiftsisbelowbasedonourpastexperience.Pleasebringthegiftsunwrapped,intheiroriginalpackaging.ThesegiftswillbringgreatChristmascheertothechildrenandfamiliesduringaverydif iculttime…pleasebegenerous.Ifyouareunabletobuyagift,monetarygiftswillbeacceptedatthechurchof ice.Pleaselabelyourenvelopeaccordingly.

TheSundaySchoolchildrenwillbeplacingthegiftsundertheChristmasTreeontheSolea,astheyapproachtothealtartoreceiveCommunion.

Giftscanbedroppedoffatthechurchof iceuntilthetreeisinplace.

CHRISTMAS FOOD DRIVE

Bene itingtheEdgewaterCareforRealFoodPantry

November26ththroughDecember17th

Weareblessedtohavetheeaseofgettinggroceriesinourdailylivesbutweareequallyblessedtobeabletoprovideforthoseinneedandtogivemorethanwethinkisevennecessaryasweallhavesomuch.Takeyourbagwithyouthenextshoppingtripand illittothetop...orbetteryet ill2bags!Itwillbrightenandeasemorepeoplethanyouwouldthink.

Pleasejoininhelpingthoselessfortunatethanusbybringingvariousnon‐perishableandpersonalitemslistedbelow.YourgenerositywillhelptomakethisablessedChristmasseasonforall!! HolidayCookies,BoxedMashed&ScallopedPotatoes,SeasonedBoxedRiceandPasta,Soup–ChickenNoodleandCreamofChicken,RamenNoodleSoup,Cannedvegetables–Corn,GreenBeansandMixedVegetables,PastaSauce(Jars),Oil,Jelly,CakeMixes&Frosting,GranolaBars,Oatmeal

InterestedinpurchasingHamsforthisFoodDrive?PleasemakeadonationtoSWAPSandnotate“ChristmasHam”inthememo.Ifyouwouldprefertomakeamonetarydonation,pleaseleaveacheckpayableSWAPSinanenvelopeintheChurchOf iceAttn:StephaneCollopy.


St. Andrew’s Women’s Philoptochos Society

Thank you, St. Andrew’s parishioners, for continually supporting our philanthropic endeavors which support the needy in our local Edgewater Community, the Metropolis of Chicago and National Philoptochos. Philoptochos is truly blessed by the ongoing generosity of the family of St. Andrew, especially during our collections for Holy Cross, Sts. Cosmas and Damianos, Greece & Cyprus & OXI Day…thank you again.

As we embarked upon the celebration of our Vespers and the Feast Day of our beloved St. Andrew, thank you to all who were willing to volunteer not only in the kitchen by baking but also, serving and meeting the needs of our guests. Xronia Polla to all who celebrate on this special day!!

We all look forward to seeing you at our annual 2017 Giving Thanks Christmas Dinner Dance, at The Westin Hotel on December 9th at 6:00 p.m. This is always a wonderful way to start the holiday season and do hope you will join us. Finally, this year, we are beginning a new tradition, since New Year’s Eve Day is a Sunday, we will have a Mimosa Brunch after church services in the auditorium. Please plan to join us as we share in a lovely brunch, ring in the New Year, albeit a tad early, while enjoying some fellowship; I do hope you can join us. May you and your families be blessed with a wonderful Christmas and New Year filled with good health, love and peace.! Καλά Χριστούγεννα Καλή Xρονιά!

VçÇà{|t `xÄtá, cÜxá|wxÇà fàA TÇwÜxãËá jÉÅxÇËá c{|ÄÉÑàÉv{Éá fÉv|xàç ***********************************************************************************************************

Exaltation of the Holy Cross: Reception in the Auditorium after services. Many, many thanks to Marianne Nichols, Semi Karnezos, Gena Brelias, Demetra Christus, Marilyn Tzakis, Diane White, Leah, Carlos and Kosta, who all helped to make the coffee hour after services for Panagia memorable. In addition, thank you so much to Diane White, Marilyn Tzakis, Angie Alexopoulos, and Demetra Christus whom all made delicious desserts to accompany the fruit and spanakopita for our light luncheon meal.

Beginning of the new Ecclesiastical Year Annual Chicago Metropolis Luncheon at the Empress Banquets in Addison, Illinois. We all had a delightful afternoon spent with so many of our Philoptochos sisters. Congratulations to Pam Argyris, President of the Metropolis of Chicago Philoptochos and her team led by Demetra Bakris and Eugenia Rexinis Splinter for a very successful luncheon. It was a wonderful afternoon of

fellowship, filled with a travelogue to the Byzantine thanks to Faye Peponis, a delicious luncheon and an enlightening presentation by Presbytera Toni Mihalopoulos about the "Pick up your Cross and Follow Me Ministry", a ministry for our youth with special needs and their families. Welcome to Helene Genetos, Joann Stavropoulos, and Eleni for joining our parea, along with Cindy Tsaoussis, enjoying her first Metropolis luncheon! Later in November, a $10,000 check was given to the St. Iakovos Retreat as a result of all the participants at the luncheon. Acts of Kindness -

St. Andrew's Women's Philoptochos in Chicago has partnered with our Sunday Church School Program to complete two Acts of Kindness. First, we purchased and assembled 50 School Supply Kits which were given to IOCC for the Children in Greece. Then, on another Sunday, we made 75 Lunches with sandwiches, cookies, snacks and drinks, and wrote notes of encouragement for the Night Ministry Program which serves vulnerable youth and adults who are struggling with poverty and homelessness.

Finally, collectively, the Sunday School children and Philoptochos members made 25 blankets for the children who stay over the holidays at the Pediatric Unit at UIC Hospital. By partnering together, we are teaching our students the meaning of philanthropy, and helping those in need! Many thanks to Kathy Siavelis, Arlene Siavelis Kehl, Tracey Lazos and Vonnie Karafotias who coordinated these events, and especially to our UIC Elf who delivers our blankets every year, Antigone Polite!


Monthly Outreach Sarah’s Circle: To date, the Outreach ladies have made 11,215 meals towards the National Commitment of making 1M meals by July, 2018 National Philoptochos Convention. Every third week of the month, the ladies meet to make sack lunches for the women at Sarah’s Circle for the weekends when Sarah Circle’s cafeteria is closed. This spring we have also provided sack dinners for The Night Ministry in Ravenswood, which provides housing, healthcare and human connection to the Chicago Community who are struggling with poverty or homelessness. Thank you to all these ladies for continuing to support this very worthwhile program: Vonnie Karafotias, Vicki Karagianis, Nan Rumsey, Semi Karnezos, Dimitra Loukissa, Kathy Kaporis, Stefane Collopy, Seva Johnson, Karen Anderson, Gena Brelias, Diane White, Cathy Fasseas, Tina Arvanitakis, Kiki Kouchouchos, Helen Papaioannou, Cindy Tsaoussis, Patty Harrison, Samia Sami, Mrs. Varnavas, Toula Tolias, Irene Kaporis, Mrs. Farlekas and Francis Tsaoussis.

Monthly Outreach Soup Kitchen at First Presbyterian Church at 1427 Chicago Avenue. Evanston, Illinois. Philoptochos has supported this Soup Kitchen for over 40 years, thanks to the efforts of our late Philoptochos sister, Ethel Kotsovos, along with many other Philoptochos members. Please contact Timi Papas at [email protected] to sign up the first Sat of each month. In reality, this one simple, warm meal could possibly be the only meal that the 100 + people had that day. This is a very well-organized soup kitchen and the work of the church volunteers is very impressive. Thanks again to: Kathy Siavelis, Arlene Siavelis Kehl, Dennis Polite, Adam Collopy, Antigone Polite, Niko Polite (pianist extraordinaire), Lee Polite, Cynthia Melas, Stephan Collopy and Gena Brelias. Missing: Helen Papaioannou, Peggy Papaioannou, Nikki Varney, Cathy Palivos, Athena Davros, Cindy Lynch, Demetra Christus, Patty Harrison, Kathy Kaporis, Maria Dakomas and Gwen Swackhamer.


2017 Back to School Back Pack Drive: Many thanks to Kathy Siavelis, Vonnie Karafotias and Cindy Tsaoussis for organizing the “sponsored our Annual Books and Backpacks Drive to help needy children within our community to get ready for school. This year through the generous donations that we received, we were able to donate 45 Jr. High and High School Backpacks, over 35 complete School Supply Kits, along with additional folders, notebooks, and various other necessary items to the Care For Real agency in our local Edgewater Community. We thank everyone who helped us with this effort, as many children will now be prepared for the school year!

Open Hearts, Open Minds and Open Doors Inclusion Sunday: Many Thanks to Maria Kotsinis, Presbytera Kiki Kalomas, Joanne Mammas, Father Kalomas, Presbytera Kiki, Father Athanasios and Alejandra Franco for supporting our annual Inclusion Sunday on October 23rd. Once again, we had the Greek American Rehabilitation Center drive out a number of residents to attend services and our luncheon. Thank you once again Maria, you are an inspiration to us all.

**************************************************************************************************************************************

IOCC WALK October 7th Once again, St. Andrew’s Philoptochos partnered with the IOCC to support the 11th annual 5K Walk/Run to support IOCC’s global humanitarian relief programs. All of the participants enjoyed a delicious breakfast prepared by Kosta and his staff after the walk/run. Many thanks to Kathy Siavelis, Patty Harrison, Vonnie Karafotias, Cindy Lynch, Semi Karnezos, Seva Johnson and Marilyn Tzakis who helped to serve the meal Saturday morning.


Thanksgiving Food Drive, November 18th: Chaired by Stephane and Adam Collopy. Once again, we had a terrific response by the entire parish to ensure that 25 turkeys and 40 boxes filled with non-perishable were donated to Care for Real. It is heartening to see the outpouring of generosity by so many to ensure those less fortunate had a warm turkey with all the trimmings on Thanksgiving Day. We are all so thankful to all of you, along with Stephane and Dean Collopy,( along with Tracey Lazos, Vonnie Karafotias, and others) for taking the lead on this very important annual philanthropic endeavor!

Upcoming Activities: December, 2017 12/3: Gifts for Baby Jesus & Blankets Tracey Lazos & UIC delivery 12/15 Friday 10:30 Sarah’s Circle Sack Lunch Making St. Andrews Kitchen Vonnie and Vicki 12/17 Care for Real Christmas Baskets Stephane & Adam Collopy, Tracey Lazos, SAWPS 12/25 Monday: Merry Christmas 12/31 Monday 8:00 pm New Year’s Eve Day Mimosa Brunch Marilyn Tzakis amd Anastasia Kafkes

January 2018 1/4: SAWPS Christmas Dinner Outing: Cynthia Melas 1/06 Saturday 11:15-12:45: First Pres. Soup Kitchen First Pres. 1427 Chicago Ave., Evanston, Timi Papas 1/07: Vasilopita Coffee Hour Celebration: Cynthia Melas 1/07: Vasilopita Tray SAWPS 1/15-25th Trip to Jerusalem: Epiphany Father John 1/19 Friday 10:30 Sarah’s Circle Sack Lunch Making St. Andrews Kitchen Vonnie and Vicki 1/23 Tuesday General Meeting President’s Room 1/30 Tuesday, Annunciation Food Kitchen 10:00am Tia Manolakas

February 2018 2/3 Saturday 11:15-12:45: First Pres. Soup Kitchen Timi Papas First Pres. 1427 Chicago Ave., Evanston, 2/4: Go Red Sunday/Coffee Hour Becky Hatzopoulos 2/9 Friday: Glendi set-up Cynthia Melas 2/10 Saturday Glendi Cynthia Melas 2/16 Friday 10:30 Sarah’s Circle Sack Lunch Making St. Andrews Kitchen Vonnie and Vicki 2/19 Monday, Clean Monday; Lent begins 2/27 Tuesday: General Meeting


St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church

5649 N. Sheridan Rd.

Chicago, IL 60660-4803

sunday services: orthros 8:00 a.m. liturgy 9:30 a.m...

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