Epistle Summer 2016

THE EPISTLE Summer 2016

The Graduating SUnday School class of 2016

GREEK ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL OF SAINT PAUL 1

PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY Official Publication of

GREEK ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL OF SAINT PAUL 110 CATHEDRAL AVENUE HEMPSTEAD, NEW YORK 11550 Tel.: (516) 483-5700 FAX: (516) 483-5700 Web-site: www.stpaulhempstead.org e-mail: office@stpaulhempstead.org FR. LUKE M. MELACKRINOS………...............Editor-in-Chief JOAN PRIESTON………………………..............Chairperson CHRISTOPHER PARTRIDGE............................. Layout GEORGE K. LAVAS..............................................Photographer

Volume LXVI, Summer

SUNDAY EPISTLE & GOSPEL READINGS June 5th June 12th June 19th June 26th

Acts 16:16-34 Acts 20:16-18, 28-36 Acts 2:1-11 Hebrews 11:33-40; 12:1-2

John 9:1-38 John 17:1-13 John 7:37-52; 8:12 Matthew 10:32-33; 37-38; 19:27-30

July 3rd July 10th July 17th July 24th

Romans 2:10-16 Romans 5:1-10 Titus 3:8-15 Romans 10:1-10

July 31st

Romans 12:6-14

Matthew 4:18-23 Matthew 6:22-33 Matthew 5:14-19 Matthew 8:28-34; 9:1 Matthew 9:1-8

August 7th August 14th August 21st August 28th

Romans 15:1-7 I Corinthians 1:10-17 I Corinthians 3:9-17 I Corinthians 4:9-16

Matthew 9:27-35 Matthew 14:14-22 Matthew 14:22-34 Matthew 17:14-23

FATHER LUKE M. MELACKRINOS, Economos FATHER CONSTANTIN URSACHE, Presbyter DEACON MATHEW KAKIS

CHURCH FEAST DAYS

Parish Council Officers & Legal Advisor

June 8th June 9th June 18th June 19th June 24th June 26th June 29th June 30th

The Leavetaking of Pascha The Ascension of our Lord Saturday of the Souls Holy Pentecost The Nativity of St. John the Baptist The Sunday of All Saints The Holy Apostles Peter and Paul The Synaxis of the Three Hierarchs

Summer Schedule

July 1st July 7th July 11th July 17th July 20th July 22nd July 25th July 26th July 27th

St. Kosmas and Damianos The Great Martyr Kyriaki The Great Martyr Euphemia The Great Martyr Marina The Prophet Elias St. Mary Magdalene, St. Markella The Dormition of St. Anna St. Paraskevi St. Panteleimon

August 6th August 15th August 29th

The Transfiguration of our Lord The Dormition of the Theotokos The Beheading of St. John the Baptist

ANTHONY P. VACCARI……...............................President GEORGE A. VORKAS...…………........................Vice President FRANCES LUTFY, Esq..........................................Secretary GEORGE MARINOS.....……….............................Treasurer STEPHEN MAKRINOS..........................................Finance Secretary ELIZABETH CHRISTAKOS-COMACK...............Finance Secretary HARRY RAPTAKIS, Esq.……...............................Legal Counsel

Orthros 7:45 a.m.

Divine Liturgy 9:00 a.m. Ορθρος 7:45 π.μ. Θεία Λειτουργία 9:00 π.μ.

Emergency Telephone Numbers Father Luke Melackrinos Father Constantin Ursache

516-225-1718 857-234-1960

Cathedral Secretaries Nicole Rousakis Mary Marcella

Stewardship Secretary Hermea Drivas Music Director & Organist Adrienne Stamatas-Borbely

516-481-9333 (9-5)

Chanter James Tsimis

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Active Faith

By Father Luke Melackrinos Active Faith. Think about those two simple words for a moment. I ask you to consider there are perhaps no more important words to us as Christians, especially when we think about our salvation.

Active faith dictates how we live out our lives. Our Patron, St. Paul says, “Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1) Simply put, we are looking ahead toward what we don’t know with only our senses and mind, but looking at things through the lens of faith, when we are “looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our Faith.” (Heb. 12:2) You may be wondering why I bring up active faith as part of my Epistle article. It would be easier to simply wish everyone a good summer. I offer thoughts about faith as someone who had amazing faith experiences in the summer of 2016.

From partaking in the amazing gathering of the Clergy Laity Congress to Ionian Village, I have been presented with strong, beautiful examples of active faith. At Clergy Laity, so many gathered to actively and faithfully help their beloved Church. We were blessed with such a great delegation of people from the Cathedral of St. Paul. They taught me more than they could possibly imagine about being faithful, pious, Orthodox Christians. I cherished every moment with them in Nashville.

At Ionian Village, the example and guidance of Fr. Evagoras Constantinides was remarkable. He and his staff created an environment and experience that brought young people living in a faithless world closer to Christ and His Holy Church. In the first Orthodox Life sessions, so many of the young people I met expressed doubts and disconnection from their faith. The end result after 20 days was astounding, they embraced and took ownership of their Orthodox Christian faith. It was an inspiration and a blessing to witness that growth. I wish all of you could have experienced it with me!

The Lord gives us the ability to have Faith and the substance of Faith, but we need to do more than just be passive. We need to make this Faith active, and then live our lives accordingly. Otherwise it is mere thinking and hoping without doing. St. James expresses this truth when he says, “What [does it] profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath Faith, and hath not works? Can Faith save him?” (James 2:14) Not without making this Faith alive, active, and meaningful. Let us begin to actively work to have our Faith deeply change our lives today.

Planning Committee Update, Summer 2016 The Planning Committee of the Cathedral of St. Paul had been hard at work during the summer months.

After we analyzed the Feasibility Study done earlier this year of our community in June, we have been meeting with our Architect, discussing the possibilities of what we can do with the budget we have set forth.

An important stage that took place recently was the soil boring test, which is done to understand the composition of the soil underneath our current grounds. This test is a necessary step if we are to build any type of new structure on our grounds. Our next series of meetings will help finalize our revised plan to the Parish Council, with the hope that we can come to the Parish itself for approval early in 2017.

There will be further updates in future Epistles and Sunday Bulletins as new news comes up. It is important to state, that at this time, we are still early in the process and have not settled on a final plan to bring to the Parish Council and the Parish community for final approval. If you have any questions regarding the project, please reach out to the Chairpeople: Spyro Georgopalis and George Vorkas.

Photo By John Ellis Kordes

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Summer Spirituality

By Father Constatin Ursache I pray that everyone is well and still enjoying the beautiful warm weather. As it is tradition for most of us, in the summer we disconnect a bit from our work environment and we try to do something a little different, away from our every day setting. We take a vacation from many things. However, one thing we should not take a vacation from, is being an Orthodox Christian and participating in the life of the Church.

Our Church family is more important and beneficial than any other group we will ever belong to. The relationship that we have with each other in this family is quite special. And what is so special about it is that we all have the responsibility of taking care of each other. This responsibility starts with our first steps we take into the Church in the Sacrament of Baptism, when godparents are chosen from the community to ensure the healthy spiritual growth of the newly baptized person. It takes, however, more than godparents to bring up an Orthodox Christian: it takes an entire community to do that.

At every Baptism, we read a Gospel passage from Matthew 28, 19-20: “Go therefore and make Disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” That ‘teaching’ cannot happen just in Church. I would say even that most of this “teaching’ cannot happen in Church, but at home.

We live in a society and culture that teaches us and our children that attending Church is ‘outdated’, that being religious is for the uneducated. At the same time, being ‘spiritual’ is promoted by our culture.

Believing in some sort of “spiritual world" is acceptable. But we, as Orthodox Christians, differ from the rest of the world on this view of ‘spirituality’. We differ from the rest of the world by the way we live our faith.

For Orthodox Christians, being spiritual cannot be divorced from being religious. Spirituality is not something that each individual constructs on his or her own. Rather, we have the Church to teach us about spiritual things. The Church is the vehicle that takes us to being saved. We cannot create our own path to salvation. So, with that in mind, let us be cognizant of our responsibility for one another and make even a greater effort than we currently make to live the life of the Church in everything we do.

We are quickly approaching the start of a new year for our ministries and especially for our youth organizations. I ask that we all challenge ourselves to bring our children to the Divine Services at Church and to the many youth activities offered at our beloved Cathedral, while making an effort to continue this education at home, in the ‘home church’.

Many times we struggle with the question: what can we do to bring our children to Church, and what can we do to keep our children involved in the Church.

The reality is that no youth program alone can take care of that, regardless how well structured it is, regardless how popular it is, regardless how well attended it is.

Being an active Orthodox Christian is a requirement for us if we want our children and grand children to be a part of the Orthodox Church. In our own families, we need to have the Church set as a priority in everything we do. If going to Church and being part of a church community is not a priority, then we are not doing the right thing. If our 3 year old is telling us that he or she does not want to go to church on Sundays, that does not mean that we should not take the child to church on Sundays.

Photo By John Ellis Kordes

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From the Parish Council President

By Tony Vaccari As we continue to enjoy the summer of 2016 I would like to express my sincere appreciation for all the hard work and dedication our entire community has devoted to our Beloved Cathedral of St. Paul. I often refer to our Parish as a Family. As we enjoyed the many activities and events over the late spring, I would say we indeed came together as a Family.

We were blessed to have His Grace Bishop Andonios with us on Holy Friday. His Grace shared with me that our community is known for our hospitality and he appreciated all we do to make him feel welcome. Our Anastasi Reception was well attended this year. A great big thank you to Chris Katehis and his family for hosting this year’s reception as well as Niko Kontoleon and Triphon Kollitides who donated their time and other specialties. We were also blessed with His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios on Pascha for Agape Service. It was wonderful hearing Gospels read in 17 languages. His Eminence complimented our readers by telling them they were all clear and spoke loudly so everyone could hear them. His Eminence also commented on how beautiful our Choir sounded. Thank you Adrienne Borbely and our St. Paul’s Choir.

Also, this year our children enjoyed their Easter Egg Hunt in our “Indoor Garden” due to the inclement weather.

As we all know, our Cathedral is always very active in the spring with many events. At our annual Gurlides/Comas Awards Dinner in May, we were honored to award the 2016 Michael J. Gurlides Award to Billy Rousakis and the Charles R. Comas Award to Alexis Pagonis. Congratulations to these fine young recipients. Also honored was Mrs. Nina Comas and Maria Vorkas who received Special Appreciation Awards for dedicating so much of their time to the youth of our Cathedral. Thank you to Jonathan’s Restaurant for their hospitality.

Congratulations go out to the GOYA Senior Girls & JOY Junior Boys B2 Basketball teams for winning their Championships this year and to League & Playoff MVP Maria Karanassos! The dedication of our Girls and Boys, their Coaches and Parents continues to provide a strong foundation for our program.

Three students from the Cathedral of Saint Paul participated in the Metropolis level Saint John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival, hosted by Saint Barbara's Church in Orange, CT on May 14. In Speech, Angela Philippides was awarded Honorable Mention in the Senior Division. In Essay, Diana Hadjiyane was awarded First Place in the Senior Division and Konstantina Georgantzis was awarded Second Place in the Junior Division. Congratulations to all of the children who participated this year! We are so proud of you!

As we entered June, we were once again blessed to hold our Annual Festival and Gala Sweepstakes. These two fundraisers are our largest and continue to be successful thanks to hard work and dedication of ALL our volunteers. I’d like to express my gratitude to our Festival Co-Chairs, Carol DePietto, Gus Kratsios & George Zakos as well as to our Gala Sweepstakes Co-Chairs, Harry Demiris & Jim Ginis for your extraordinary leadership and organization skills. Early results indicate that both of these Fundraisers exceeded the budget we set. Thank you to all who participated in our 3rd Annual Celebrity Chef Challenge this year during the festival. Our contestants; Barbara Stevens, Minas Petrochilos and His Grace Bishop Sevastianos were outstanding. The judges for our event were Tony Orlando, Gregory Pappas, Helen Voutsinas, George Maragos, Kathy Boulukos and JD Sarantakos. A special thank you to Chef Michael Psilakis for once again participating in the challenge and providing the equipment and recipe ingredients.

On a very sad note, on June 9th we lost a dear friend to many of us at the Cathedral of St. Paul. Miss Barbara Filou was a brave, strong, devout, loving and caring person who touched many of our lives and who will be missed dearly. Eternal be her memory.

In late June we were honored to have His Grace Bishop Sevastianos for our St. Peter & Paul Feast Day Vespers on June 28th. We were also blessed to have His Eminence Metropolitan Ambrosios of Korea with us on June 29th for our Feast Day services. I would like to extend a special thank you to Callie Papazicos and our St. Anna’s Philoptochos Board, especially Presvytera Georgia Pourakis & Soteroulla Constantinou, for hosting the receptions after each of these services.

In early July, I was joined by Father Luke, George Vorkas and Bill Kallinikos as Delegates to the 43rd Biennial Clergy Laity Congress in Nashville, TN. Also attending from our Cathedral this year were Callie Papazicos and Kathy Boulukos representing St. Anna’s Philoptochos as well as Harry Raptakis as a Direct Archdiocesan District Council Member. Also attending was George Boulukos representing the Boy Scouts of America. The theme this year was “You are the Voice of Christ in a Changing World”. In addition to reviewing and approving the Archdiocesan 2017/2018 Budget, we attended several informative breakout sessions including “Youth and Young Adult Ministries Understanding Today’s Youth”, “Parish Development - Setting up a successful Capital Campaign”, “Crisis Management”, “Child Protection Policies” and “Stewardship & Evangelism”. More information about the Congress can be found at www.clergylaity.org.

In closing, as we start our “New Year” you may notice many of the projects that were either completed or started over the summer. One significant project you will soon notice is the total replacement of the Cathedral roof. This project, which will commence in early September, is necessary in order to protect our beautiful Cathedral and precious mosaics.

I would also like to remind everyone to look for information regarding our exciting Parish Life Center building project as we will be sharing more on this in the near future. God Bless all of you and God Bless the Cathedral of St. Paul.

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Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Paul Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting of Thursday, November 19, 2015 Parish Council Members Absent Tom Flouskakos, Stephen Makrinos, George Michelis, Harry Monioudis, George Pourakis, George Vasilakis Past Presidents Absent Bill Kallinikos, Toni Kourepinos, Gus Kratsios, Bill Pappas, George P. Possas, George Papazicos The meeting was called to order by President Tony Vaccari at 8:08 p.m. and George Marinos led all those in attendance in an opening prayer.

President Vaccari asked if there were changes to the meeting minutes of October 15, 2015. As there were none, Michael Gurlides made a motion to accept the minutes; seconded by Dino Zografos. Motion carried.

Opening Remarks by President Vaccari President Vaccari reviewed the following items:

The Golden Leaves Ball was a big success. Thank you

to George K. Lavas and his committee for a great job.

Congratulations to Bill Lembo and Len Marks for their recognition at the Golden Leaves Ball.

The Father Zozos Feasibility Study interviews went

well. Father would like to make one more visit in December or January to perform 50 more interviews.

Barbara Filou is going through serious health issues and needs all our prayers.

Good luck and prayers for Jim Georgakis who is going on a planned visit to the hospital

Upcoming Events: 1. November is Stewardship Month

and November 11 is Commitment Sunday. 2. Parish Council Elections will be held on November 29 and December 6 in line with the revised schedule. 3. The December PC meeting and Christmas gathering is scheduled for December 17.

Correspondence A letter from Tara Brennan reflecting her resignation as Nursery School Director on January 1, 2016 was received.

A letter from the Archdiocese regarding Clergy Compensation Guidelines for 2016 was received.

An appeal letter from His Eminence Archbishop Demetrious for the St. Nicholas Shrine.

Thank you letter from John Halkias regarding use of the Cathedral’s field for soccer. President Vaccari replied to the thank you with a request for formal approval if they decide to approach the Cathedral for the field usage again.

Meetings Attended President Vaccari reported that he attended meetings for the following ministries and organizations since the last PC meeting: Planning, Funding Sub-Committee, Meeting with BBS Architects, Nursery School, Greek School, Sunday School, Feasibility Study Sub-Committee, Golden Leaves Ball Committee, Youth and several meeting with Father Zozos.

Stewardship Report President Vaccari presented the following report as of October 31, 2015.

Year 2015 2014 2013 Increase (decrease)

Number of Pledges 849 878 896 (29)

Amount Pledged Average Pledge $463,036 $545.39 $457,659 $521.25 $470,671 $525.30 $5,377 $24.14

John Hajisava thanked everyone that helped in preparing the stewardship packages and handing them out last Sunday. John reminded the PC that this Sunday is Commitment Sunday and that the 2016 Stewardship form is online on the website and a number of pledges have already been received.

Clergy Report Father Luke reported the following: The new Sunday School schedule.

Bible Study is progressing well.

The schedules for Christmas and Theophany have been prepared and will be distributed shortly.

Youth Committee Father Constantin reported: The GOYA Midnight Run was a great success and all the children had an enlightening experience.

GOYA ski trip is approaching this January. GOYA is preparing a Breakfast with Santa event on December 20 whose proceeds with go to the Building Fund.

Jennie Pappas forwarded a thank you letter for the Ca-

thedral Tours and a $200 donation from the Wyndham Condominiums.

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Treasurer’s Report Spyro Georgopalis provided the Church’s reconciled financial report as of October 31, 2015.

Total Cash Assets Less: Decorations Fund

$327,030 ($69,154)

Less: Renaissance Fund

($24,832) $233,044 $0 $233,044

Liabilities Net Available Funds

Month of October - 15 Revenue Expenses Surplus (Deficit) Less Proj Ren & Dec Funds (net) Net Operating Surplus (Deficit)

$119,360 ($145,647) ($26,287) $0 ($26,287)

Year to Date 10/31/15 $1,485,035 ($1,409,072) $75,963 $0 $75,963

Month of October-14

Year to Date 10/31/14

$81,825 $1,418,069 ($130,953) ($1,347,162) ($49,128) $70,907 $500 ($1,400) ($48,628) $69,507

A motion to approve the Treasurer’s Report was made by Jim Ginis; seconded by Dean Mavrovitis. Motion carried.

Financial Report Financial Secretary Stephen Makrinos presented the invoices to be paid. A review and discussion ensued. A motion to pay the invoices was made by Michael Gurlides; seconded by George Zakos. Motion carried.

16 Chelsea President Vaccari report on behalf of John Papachristos that the renovation is complete, gas service will be turned on November 20 and we need to pursue recovery of $10,000 that was put in escrow and we need to file tax exempt paperwork.

Church George K. Lavas reviewed the appropriate procedures for sacraments.

Sunday School George K. Lavas reported that the Sunday School Boutique is coming up this Sunday.

Golden Leaves George K. Lavas thanked everyone that helped make this great event another success.

Greek School George Hadjoglou made a motion to approve $3,000 to go towards salary increases for a subset of the Greek School teachers in 2016; seconded by Carol DePietto. Motion carried Annual Journal Carol DePietto reported that $6,750 has been collected to date for the Journal fundraiser.

Technology Jim Stephens provided an update on the church’s website, the new Stewardship Commitment Form, the church’s network security and the security cameras.

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Annual Greek Festival George Zakos informed the PC that festival planning is well underway, meetings have started and will continue every Tuesday. George Zakos made a motion to approve $15,000 for festival expenses; seconded by Bob Donus.

Motion carried.

House Committee Tony Pantelides made a motion to install a receptacle for the two refrigerators in the Hellenic Room Kitchen for a cost not to exceed $585; seconded by Lou Patrickakos.

Motion carried.

Tony Pantelides made a motion to replace the lightbulbs with LEDs and provide new wiring for the lights in the iconostasis in an amount not to exceed $215; seconded by Michael Gurlides. Motion carried.

Planning Spyro Georgopalis reported that Father Zozos visited with approximately 40 families last week and with 26 families during his prior visit and may be returning in January to meet with another 15 families to complete the feasibility study. Spyro also reported that a design meeting was help with the architects to receive additional input and ideas.

Reservations George Vorkas made a motion on behalf of the AHEPA Cassis Chapter to host a Byzantine Dinner on February 28th and to waive the facility use fee; seconded by Michael Gurlides. Motion carried.

Old Business No old business.

New Business President Vaccari reported on the progress being made with bringing a Parish Council Youth member on board.

President Vaccari reviewed the recommended gratuities for the Cathedral staff and clergy. George Lavas made a motion to approve $2,250 for the gratuities; seconded by Michael Gurlides. Motion carried.

George Zakos made a motion to adjourn at 10:00 p.m., seconded by Carol DePietto. Motion carried.

Respectfully submitted, George Marinos Secretary Parish Council

Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Paul Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting of Thursday, December 17, 2015

Sunday 12/20 @ 11am is also Breakfast with Santa by our GOYA - please support - GOYA Advisors will take reservations tonight.

The meeting was called to order by President Tony Vaccari at 8:03 p.m. and Father Luke led all those in attendance in an opening prayer.

Cathedral Office will close at 3pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

Opening Remarks by President Vaccari President Vaccari reviewed the following items:

New Year’s Eve Party will be at Jonathan's again this year; cost is $90pp and Jonathans will donate $10 pp back to St. Paul; please see April Mavrovitis or Olga Georgakis

Happy Nameday to all the Dionysis’, Spyros, Ste-

1/3 - Vasilopita Cutting in Cathedral both Liturgies.

Thank you to Fran Lutfy and the Daughters of

Special PC Meeting will be held on 1/5/16 and next EC Meeting is on 1/7/16 and the January PC Meeting is 1/14/16.

phens, Anastasias, Basils, Frans, Nicks and Johns.

Penelope Pasithea Chapter for the decorating the Hellenic Room and to Presvytera Marusia, Marina Heliotis and their crew for decorating our beautiful Cathedral Christmas tree.

Thanks also to Cathy Vaccari and her elves for preparing food and the room for this evening’s event. Thank you to the Choir led by Adrienne Borbely for continuing the tradition of treating us to Christmas Carols.

The elections were concluded and 261 people voted compared to 256 last year.

Thank you to our Board of Elections Penny Makris,

Maria Arnidis, Faith Drapan, Anastasia Milonas and Georgia Tsempelis.

 Those elected to a 3 year term are Elizabeth

Christakos-Comack, Bob Donus, Carol DePietto, Louis Yeostros, Demetris Demetriou, Spyros Georgopalis, George Vorkas, Peter Menoudakos, Harry Monioudis and Evans Lizardos. Welcome to our three new members, Demetris Demetriou, Evans Lizardos and Peter Menoudakos.

President Vaccari recognized the following PC mem-

bers with Milestone Anniversaries: Bob Donus - 10 years, James Rigano - 10 years, George Vorkas - 10 years, Louis Yeostros - 10 years, James Georgakis-15 years, George C. Possas-25 years, Andy Andron-30 years and George Lavas-45years. Our longest serving PC Member is Michael Gurlides- 56 years.

Our appeal for St. Nicholas Shrine has yielded $1444

to date. It was suggested that we pass a second tray on Sunday and at Christmas then match the funds we receive from both appeal and Tray.

Upcoming Events:

12/20 Christmas Pageant - we need help with the logistics in church that day.

Community Vasilopita Dance 1/10/16 - needs our support.

Correspondence A letter from Bishop Andonios thanking us for the use of our field for Soccer.

Thank you note from Barbara Filou. A request from Deacon Mathew to display books and icons during Fellowship Hour.

Meetings Attended President Vaccari reported that he attended meetings for the following ministries and organizations since the last PC meeting: Planning, Funding Sub-Committee, Meeting with BBS Architects, Nursery School, Greek School, Sunday School, House Committee Co-Chair meeting.

Stewardship Report President Vaccari presented the following report as of October 31, 2015.

Year 2015 2014 2013 Increase (decrease)

Number of Pledges 868 894 911 (26)

Amount Pledged Average Pledge $471,281 $542.95 $463,029 $517.93 $476,471 $523.02 $8,252 $25.02

Clergy Report Father Luke reported the following: Congratulations to Tony Vaccari for a great first year as PC President.

Thank you to Father Constantin and Presvytera Alexandra, we’ve been blessed.

Our Young Adult group is involved with Project Mexico where volunteers from across the country help build homes in Mexico. John Hajisava made a motion to approve use of the Hellenic room by the Young Adults for this project on December 28 and to waive the room use fee; seconded by George Zakos. Motion carried.

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George K. Lavas made a motion to approve the hanging of six electric candles in front of each of the icons in the iconostasis. This project will be funded by donations of $1,500 per candle and the Decorations Committee has approved the project; seconded by George Hadjoglou.

Motion carried.

Nick Kontoleon made a motion to approve hosting the January meeting of the Long Island Clergy Fellowship at the Cathedral and provide funding not to exceed $500 for food; seconded by Tom Flouskakos. Motion carried.

Bill Lembo made a motion to approve hosting a marriage seminar in the Hellenic Room on March 26 and to waive the room use fee; seconded by Tom Flouskakos. Motion carried.

Youth Committee Father Constantin reported: All the Youth Committees have had their Christmas parties and all the children had a lot of fun. JOY’s coat drive has begun. GOYA has provided $1,100 to go towards the costs of our basketball league participation. The GOYAns will be have a prosforo baking event at the end of December; the annual Ski Trip is coming up in January and the Breakfast with Santa event is coming up and all should try to attend.

Treasurer’s Report Spyro Georgopalis provided the Church’s reconciled financial report as of November 30, 2015.

Total Cash Assets Less: Decorations Fund

$288,233 ($69,154)

Less: Renaissance Fund

($24,832) $194,247 $0 $194,247

Liabilities Net Available Funds

Month of Year to Date Month of Year to Date November - 15 11/30/15 November-14 11/30/14 Revenue Expenses Surplus (Deficit) Less Proj Ren & Dec Funds (net) Net Operating Surplus (Deficit)

$92,917 $1,577,953 ($129,797) ($1,538,869) ($36,880) $39,084 $0 $0 ($36,880) $39,084

$101,012 $1,519,196 ($88,516) ($1,436,419) $12,496 $82,777 $500 ($1,400) $12,996 $81,377

A motion to approve the Treasurer’s Report was made by Jim Ginis; seconded by Bill Kallinikos. Motion carried.

Financial Report Financial Secretary Stephen Makrinos presented the invoices to be paid. A review and discussion ensued. A motion to pay the invoices was made by Dino Zografos; seconded by Joan Prieston. Motion carried.

Reservations Louis Yeostros made a motion to reserve the Hellenic Room and waive the facility use fee for the following three events:

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Panagiotis Petrochilos Eagle Scout ceremony on January 24; seconded by John Hajisava. Motion carried.

Yianni Flouskakos’ Eagle Scout ceremony on March 20; seconded by Bill Lembo. Motion carried.

Pinewood Derby event on January 21; seconded by John Hajisava. Motion carried.

Nursery School George Hadjoglou reported that the program is operating successfully. We had an assistant teacher that resigned unexpectedly and Presvytera Marusia has agreed to take over the duties of this position for the remainder of the year.

Greek School George Hadjoglou reported that the program is running smoothly.

Old Business Spyro Georgopalis provided an update on Father Zozos’ information gathering and reported he is finishing the interviews in January and we will have the feasibility study in February.

New Business Lou Vlogianitis on behalf of the Laconian Organization presented a $2,000 donation to the Cathedral.

Kathy Boulukos on behalf of the Recipe Club reported that the current cookbook which has been in publication for 24 years is now available as an eBook. The Recipe Club is donating an additional $2,000 towards the elevator of the new Parish Life Center.

Fran Lutfy on behalf of the Daughters of Penelope Pasithea Chapter provided a donation of $1,000.

Tina Vasilakis and Kay Georgopalis on behalf of the Greek School PTA provided a donation of $5,000 towards the new Parish Life Center.

George Zakos made a motion to adjourn at 8:55 p.m., seconded by Carol DePietto. Motion carried.

Our Choir serenaded us with beautiful renditions of Christmas Carols.

Respectfully submitted, George Marinos Secretary Parish Council

Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Paul Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting of Thursday, January 14, 2016

Deacon Matthew, Hermea Drivas and our postman, Mark, sent notes thanking the Cathedral for their Christmas gratuities.

Parish Council Members Absent: Harry Demiris, Carol DePietto, Thomas Flouskakos, Spyro Georgopalis, Chris Katehis, Stephen Makrinos

Stewardship Report:

Past Presidents Absent: Andy Andron, Michael Gurlides, William Kallinikos, Antonia Kourepinos, Gus Kratsios, George K. Lavas, William Pappas, Lou Patrickakos, George C. Possas, George P. Possas

The meeting was called to order by President Tony Vaccari at 8:20 p.m. and Father Luke led all those members in attendance in an opening prayer. Dino Zografos moved to approve the minutes of the January 5, 2016 Special Parish Council. John Hajisava seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Opening Remarks by President Vaccari: He congratulated Father Constantin on his first anniversary at the Cathedral and thanked him for his service. He also congratulated Father Constantin on the first anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.

He announced that the Blood Drive is scheduled for February 2, 2016.

He announced that the next Parish Council meeting would be held on February 25, 2016. The change in the normal schedule is due to President's Week.

He reminded all Parish Council members that they must be in Good Standing on or before February 15, 2016; all 2015 commitments must be completed and a 2016 Stewardship Commitment Card submitted.

He has received back many Committee Request from the Parish Council members and will consult with the Committee chairpersons before finalizing assignments.

Correspondence presented by President Vaccari:

President Vaccari reported the following Stewardship Update for month ending December 31, 2015: Year 2015 2014 2013 Increase (decrease) 2015 v. 2014

Number of Pledges 892

Amount Pledged 484,480

Average Pledge 543.14

912 948 (20)

469,030 485,297 15,450

514.29 511.22 28.85

John Hajisava reported that he would be scheduling a Stewardship Committee meeting to take place in early February and that he would disseminate the contact information for new stewards to his Committee for its members to make phone calls welcoming the new stewards to the community.

Clergy Report: Fr. Luke reported on the following events and activities: The Cathedral is in the process of wiring a part payment for installation of the kandilla.

Father Constantin is joining the GOYANs on their sky trip during Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. Father George Stavropoulos will be serving during second liturgy in his absence on January 17.

Orthodoxy 101 Class will take place on Tuesday, January 19, 2016.

A new Bible study series, Christ in the Old Testament, will begin on Monday, January 25, 2016.

We received a letter from Joanne Pappas, the president of the Pasithea Chapter of the Daughters of Penelope. She suggested that the staffing of fellowship hour be given to community organizations. On behalf of Pasithea, she offered to staff fellowship hour for four weeks. President Vaccari announced that George Vasilakis had created a Google Sign me up account for fellowship. President Vaccari thanked Joanne Pappas and George Vasilakis for their ideas.

Youth Committee: Father Constantin reported on the following events and activities:

Virginia Pourakis sent a thank you for the flowers that she received for orchestrating the Sunday and Greek School Christmas Pageant. Letter directed to Sunday School

This Sunday after the first liturgy four Oratorical Festival participants will be reciting their speeches.

Mary Brennan Inn sent a letter thanking us for our $1,500 meal sponsorship.

He reiterated that he will be going on the GOYA sky trip.

The parish’s Oratorical Festival will take place on Sunday, March 6, 2016, which is also the date of the Apokreatiko Glendi.

Oath of Office: President Vaccari welcomed James Stephens back to the Parish Council. James took the oath of office.

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Treasurer’s Report for the month ending December 31, 2015: Current Cash Assets

252,826

Less Decorations & Project Renaissance

(113,986)

Liabilities

0

Net available

138,840 Month ending 12/31/15

YTD 12/31/15

Month ending 12/31/14

YTD 12/31/15

Revenues

110,496

1,688,449

100,745

1,625,507

Expenses

(146,529)

(1,685,399)

(122,311)

(1,567,925)

Surplus (Deficit)

(36,033)

3,050

(21566)

57,582

Less Decorations & Project Renaissance

(1,475)

20,000

0

550

Net Operating Surplus (Deficit)

(37,508)

23,050

(21,566)

58,132

Stewardship Collected YTD

2015 472,692

2014 422,147

George Marinos reported as follows: James Ginis moved to accept the Treasurer’s report. James Stephens seconded the motion. The motion carried.

Financial Report: Steve Makrinos and Elizabeth Commack presented the invoices and bills to be paid. A review and discussion was held. James Ginis moved to pay the invoices and bills presented. Joan Prieston seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Technology Committee Report: President Vaccari thanked James Stephens, Nick Kontoleon and the Committee for uploading approximately 4000 photos taken at different Cathedral events to our website.

Nursery School Report: George Hadjoglou identified the need to retain an additional assistant to our three year old program to address discipline and safety issues in the class. He specified that a current assistant in the program will be added to the class for a total of three instructors to provide improved supervision. The assistant is available for the hours needed, as her present class meets at a different time. The addition of the second assistant for the remainder of the present academic year will not exceed $2,500. However, the need for the second assistant will be reevaluated on a monthly basis.

Scout project. Lucas has asked permission to perform work on the Cassis Education Building basement. He has submitted in writing the scope of work that will consist of cleaning out the bathroom. He will work with the appropriate Church ministries to determine whether the items in the bathroom will be disposed or stored elsewhere. The work will consist of repairs to the basement rooms. He will solicit donations from third party vendors, such as Home Depot and Sears. He has asked permission to solicit donations by manning a table during Fellowship Hour for a Sunday(s) to be determined. Lou Yeostros moved to permit the project and the solicitation of donations. George Hadjoglou seconded the motion.

The motion carried.

Community Christmas Card Report: President Vaccari read the report submitted by Stephen Makrinos. The report set forth that gross receipt from the card was $5,535. We produced 1300 cards at a cost of $780 with printing cost of $286. The card was enclosed within the Cathedral's Christmas mailing. The net surplus was $4,569.

Planning Report (Parish Life Center): A report of the architect renderings will take place at the February Parish Council meeting. Father Constantine Zozos will conduct additional interviews at the end of February, 2016. His report regarding the projected feasibility will be delivered in MarTch or April, 2016. His findings will either be reported to the community at the general assembly meeting or a specially convened meeting thereafter.

Vasilopita Dance: President Vaccari reported that the dance took place and that there were approximately 140 attendees. He stated that Chris Katehis, the Chairman of the Dance, would provide a detailed report next month reporting revenues and costs. He reminded Parish Council members to submit any donations that they pledged toward raffles. He thanked the Committee for a successful event.

New Year's Eve Party: Dean Mavrovitis reported that the annual New Year's Eve party was held at Jonathan's Restaurant. He thanked April Mavrovitis and Olga Georgakis for their work in coordinating this event. He reminded us that the Mavrikis family had generously agreed to donate back $10 from each attendee. Dean Mavrovitis presented a check from the Mavrikis family in the amount of $500. President Vaccari thanked the Committee and the Mavrikis family.

Scouting Report: Lou Yeostros reported that the troops based at the Cathedral have 25 Boy Scouts, 19 Cub Scouts, 12 Girl Scouts and 9 Daisies. He announced that Scout Sunday was scheduled for February 7, 2016. They would sponsor and staff the Fellowship Hour and have a luncheon.

New Business: Based on a recommendation submitted to the Parish Council, Bill Lembo moved to increase the charge for a plate of koliva for Saturday of the Souls to $20. Lou Yeostros seconded the motion. The motion carried.

He reported that Lucas Demas is undertaking his Eagle

George Papazicos reminded the Parish Council that the upcoming Blood Drive would take place on Tuesday, Feb-

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ruary 2 from 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm in the Reverend Nicholas J. Magoulias Cathedral Center. Based on low supply and increased need in the winter months, he urged the community to come out and give.

George Papazicos advised new Parish Council members that the Cathedral's current bylaws and a link to the Uniform Parish Regulations can be found on the Cathedral website. He reminded us that amending bylaws is a lengthy process that requires approval by the Parish Council and ratification by the Parish Assembly. He advised new and old members to keep this mind, if they wish to recommend an amendment in the future.

Opening Remarks by President Vaccari: He wished Harry Demiris, Harry Monioudis and Harry Raptakis and Triphon Kollitides a happy name day and thanked them for hosting dinner tonight.

George Marinos advised that he is exploring transferring our bank operating account from HSBC to T.D. Bank or Investor's Bank. He would investigate and report back.

George Marinos moved to purchase security monitoring services at 16 Chelsea Place from ADT, whose current useable wireless system is installed in the premises for a cost not to exceed $600 per year with a one-time $25 activation fee. George also requested that an additional smoke alarm be added for $100. John Hajisava seconded the motion. The motion carried. There was a request that the Technology Committee analyze the future needs of 16 Chelsea to determine whether a different alarm system should be installed in the future.

Correspondence presented by President Vaccari: The Greek Independence Day parade will be held on April 10, 2016.

Old Business: We received a letter from Bishop Andonios recommending that each community send out a letter from their Proistamenos and Parish Council President appealing to their stewards to contribute to the Greek Orthodox National Shrine at Ground Zero. Our Cathedral opted to maintain a collection basket in the Reverend Nicholas J. Magoulias Cathedral Center during the fellowship hour.

Our Cathedral would follow the recommendations outlined and would send out the letter requested

by Bishop Andonios.

There being no further business, James Georgakis moved to adjourn the meeting at 10:34 pm. George Zakos seconded. Motion carried.

Respectfully submitted, Frances T. Lutfy, Esq. Secretary Minutes of the Parish Council on February 25, 2016 Parish Council Members Absent: Chris Katehis Past Presidents Absent: Andy Andron, William Kallinikos, Antonia Kourepinos, William Pappas, Louis Patrickakos, George P. Possas The meeting was called to order by President Tony Vaccari at 8:00 p.m. Father Luke led the opening prayer.

The Oath of office was administered to George Vorkas.

Minutes of the January 14, 2016 Parish Council James Ginis moved to approve the minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on January 14, 2016. James Georgakis seconded the motion. The motion carried.

He announced the following upcoming events: The Cathedral Cup on March 5, 2016, The Apokreatiko Glendi on March 6, 2016, The Tearing Icon and Vespers and reception on March 15, 2016 Service and reception on March 16 hosted by St. Anna’s Philoptochos, The next Parish Council meeting on February 26, 2016, The next General Assembly meeting on March 31, 2016

Deacon Panagiotis Papazafiropulos of the Direct Archdiocesan District Office of Youth has renewed DAD’s request for use of our fields for a soccer tournament on May 14 and May 15 in addition to use of the fields in the fall from September to November, 2016 from 2-5 pm on Saturdays and Sundays for the soccer season. A discussion was held about the possible issue of festival ride set up and the tournament in May. The tournament will be accommodated with notice to the vendor. George Vorkas moved to grant the DAD’s request relative to usage of the Cathedral’s fields for the tournament and fall regular season. Evan Lizardos seconded the motion. The motion carried.

AHEPA requested for permission to staff a table at the Fellowship Hour to promote AHEPA on March 13, 2016, April 17, 2016 and May 8, 2016. AHEPA will be advised that no solicitation would be permitted.

Bishop Andonios thanked us for our efforts in helping the Direct Archdiocesan District meets its total commitment obligations.

Stewardship Report: President Vaccari reported the following year to date amounts as of January 31, 2016 Year 2016 2015 2014 Increase (decrease) 2016 v. 2015

Pledges 349 338 350 11

Amount Pledged 230,468 224,014 213,885 6454

Average Pledge 660.36 662.76 611.10 (2.40)

Clergy Report: Fr. Luke reported on the following events and activities: The Lenten dinner series with six speakers will commence on March 16, 2016 following services. The speakers will be as follows: March 16 Theodore Pritsos March 23 Bishop Sevastianos of Zela April 6 Steven Christoforou April 13 Father Chrysostomos Gilbert April 20 Father Martin Kraus

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On the Sunday of Orthodoxy (March 20, 2016) Louis Zagami of the International Orthodox Christian Charities (“IOCC”) will speak in Church. He will also have a table at the Fellowship Hour to promote the mission of IOCC. On March 13, 2016, which is the last day before Holy Lent, the Parish we will hold Forgiveness Vespers.

The Gurlides and Comas Award dinner will be held at Jonathan’s Restaurant on May 17, 2016. He encouraged Parish Council participation.

District Olympics will be held on May 27 through May 29, 2016. Both GOYA and JOY paid the registration fees of $700 from their own funds.

On March 14, 2016, the first day of Lent at the Holy Unction service, we will have seven priests, serve, reading each Gospel. For the parish, there will be an offering of refreshments. Father Luke requested that we host a luncheon for visiting clergy in the Hellenic Room. Father Luke advised that no funds were needed for the luncheon.

He explained that funding for the January clergy luncheon hosted by the Cathedral that the Parish Council approved were not used because the restaurant did not accept payment of the clergy members’ meals. He asked that those allocated funds be used for the March 14, 2016 luncheon. James Ginis moved to approve the request and William Lembo seconded the motion. The motion carried.

Pursuant to Father Constantin’s request, George Papazicos moved to hold Vacation Bible School from June 27 through July 1, 2016. George Lavas seconded the motion.

The motion carried.

Father Luke reported that Father Demetri Carellas gave a lecture at the Cathedral on February 16, 2016. We normally pay his airfare from Pittsburgh, which was $250.

John Hajisava moved to pay the cost of airfare. Carol DePietto seconded the motion. The motion carried.

Treasurer’s Report for the month ending January 31, 2016: George Marinos reported as follows:

Father Luke will attend the Archdiocesan Council meeting on May 12 and May 13 in Pittsburgh. Dimitri Demetriou moved to approve a budget not to exceed $1,000 for airfare, hotel and incidentals. William Lembo seconded the motion. The motion carried.

Father Luke’s application to serve at Ionian Village was approved for the month of July. There is no cost to the Parish. He will first attend the National Clergy Laity Congress and fly to Greece one day after his return from the Congress. He will return on August 5, 2016.

Youth Report A Youth Committee meeting was held on February 2, 2016. The main topic was the Glendi.

The Apokreatiko Glendi will take place on Sunday, March 6, 2016 from 4:00pm-6:00pm. Father Constantin thanked Nick Kontoleon for chairing the event and the youth group volunteers for their efforts. Father Constantin encouraged the Parish Council to promote and attend the event.

The Cathedral Cup is on March 5, 2016. Father Constantin advised that three seminarians would assist in organizing and running the event. George Possas moved to approve payment to each seminarian of $150 or $450 in total for their assistance. Spyro Georgopalis seconded the motion.

George Papazicos inquired as to how costs of the event, such as trophies, will be funded. This issue will be explored.

St. Nicholas, West Babylon movie night fundraiser is on March 24, 2016 and will benefit their building fund.

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The Oratorical Festival will be held on Sunday, March 6, 2016. There are fourteen participants this year, consisting of five speeches and the entries of eight essays, one poem and one senior essay. He thanked John Hajisava, Stephanie Zaferiou and Carol Kerler for their help. George Lavas thanked Father Constantin for being the driving force for improvements that has led to this being the largest participation that we have ever had in the festival.

Current Cash Assets

306,730

Less Decorations

(69,154)

Less Project Renaissance Liabilities

(24,432)

Net available

213,144

0

Month ending 1/31/2016

YTD 1/31/2016

Month ending 1/31/15

YTD 1/31/15

Revenues

149,260

149,260

151,720

151,720

Expenses

(98,806)

(98,806)

(90,280)

(90,280)

Surplus (Deficit)

50,454

50,454

(61,440)

(61,440)

Less Decorations & Project Renaissance Net Operating Surplus (Deficit)

0

0

50,454

50,454

Stewardship Collected YTD

2016 88,639

2015 103,596

0 (61,440)

0 (61,440)

James Ginis moved to accept the Treasurer’s report.

George Hadjoglou seconded the motion. The motion carried.

Financial Report: Steve Marinos and Elizabeth Commack presented the invoices and bills to be paid. A review and discussion were held. Michael Gurlides moved to approve payment of the bills. John Hajisava seconded the motion. The motion carried.

Church Committee Report George Lavas reported as follows: Psychosavato (ie. Saturday of the Souls) services will take place on March 5, 12 and 19, 2016 at 9:00 am. He advised that we need help in the Cathedral during services,

particularly on March 19, 2016 which is the date of the Philoptochios brunch..

Clean Monday (Kathari Deftera) liturgy will take place on March 14, 2016 at 10:00 am. We will need assistance on this day.

Friday Salutations will take place starting on March 18 for five Fridays, at 7:00pm. We will need help during those services.

Sunday of Orthodoxy is on March 20, 2016. Safety and Security Committee did a good job last year and asked them to repeat their worthy efforts this year.

The Church Committee will be meeting shortly and the Parish Council members will be requested to advise of their availability for Lenten services.

James Ginis expressed concern that changes of sacrament duties are not being communicated in a timely fashion.

George Lavas stated that the letter notifying PC members of the sacrament date will be amended to remind the Parish Council members to check with the Cathedral calendar posted on the website for changes for their assigned weekend. There will be a follow-up email confirming the sacrament date and time about one week before the sacrament.

Parade Committee Report: Lou Yeostros reported that the Parade would take place on Sunday, April 10, 2016. Three buses have been reserved.

Lou Yeostros moved to approve a budget of not to exceed $5,200 to pay for bus, registration and parade fees. Donations to defray costs will be sought. John Hajisava seconded the motion. The motion carried.

A meeting will be held in the next two weeks concerning the parade.

Scouting Report: Louis Yeostros reported that twenty five scouts participated in Scout Sunday (Superbowl weekend). The Scouts received their religious medals and assisted with collections, the pangari. 75 people attended the luncheon following and one boy crossed over to being a scout. The recommendation was made to assign specific tasks amongst the children to avoid bottlenecking at the altar.

William Lembo recognized and the Parish Council congratulated Harry Monioudis, who received the Prophet Elias award on Scout Sunday.

Technology Committee Report: James Stephens moved to purchase a tablet and necessary software for Larry Griffin to use in the course of his work for an amount not to exceed $650. The computer will not have 4G capabilities, only WiFi. George Lavas seconded the motion. The motion carried.

James Stephens advised that Larry Griffin has been pro-

vided an email address.

Sweepstake Committee: James Ginis reported that sweepstake ticket packets have been distributed to the Parish Council members and other sellers. He thanked his co-chairman, Harry Demiris, and members of the Committee who helped put together the packets. He reported that last year that we sold 1585 tickets and encouraged the Parish to beat that number this year.

William Lembo requested that we start selling our tickets early and avoid last minute sales, which makes the work of the Committee more difficult.

Apokreatiko Glendi Committee: Nick Kontoleon reported that preparation are underway for the Glendi on March 6, 2016. Nick thanked the volunteers from the GOYA, JOY and Greek Language Program who have been tremendously helpful in organizing this event. He noted that most details related to the event have been resolved and purchases made. Many organizations and individuals have given donations toward the event. If anyone wishes to donate, he asked that they see him at the conclusion of the meeting.

Festival Committee: Gus Kratsios reported that Tuesday meetings with the chairpersons of each venue have been scheduled and are underway. The festival will take place on Thursday, June 2 through Sunday, June 5, 2016. He reported that at this time, no capital improvement purchases, other than possibly a small freezer, are planned.

Human Resources Committee: President Vaccari thanked the Committee for their actions over the last month and that feedback on Larry Griffin has been positive.

John Hajisava inquired as to the status of the use of the cleaning company. At this time, the Parish Council, with feedback from Larry Griffin, Tony Pantelides and the House Committee, is still evaluating the services needed, if any, by this company in the future.

Blood Drive Committee: George Papazicos presented a report related to the February 2, 2016 Blood Drive. Fifty people donated with twenty nine pints were collected. He thanked Erika Palmer, Kelly Haass, Terry Makris and other members of the Committee for their work.

George Papazicos reported that the next Blood Drive is scheduled for September 27, 2016. He asked that if any Parish Council members have suggestions on how to increase donations of blood to advise him.

Bylaws Committee Meeting: George Papazicos stated that the Bylaws Committee will meet within the next two months in time to get approval of any bylaw changes at the Fall General Assembly. He requested that the members of the Parish Council review

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the Bylaws and present any motions for changes to the Parish Council.

Pamas League Report: George Papazicos reported that in 2014, the Pamas League donated $1,000 toward the purchase of choir robes. In the interim, the Recipe Club donated the entire cost of the robes. The Choir informed us that it will use the donation by the Pamas League to purchase a computer-ready keyboard and sheet music from new liturgical composers. Their letter thanked the Pamas League.

George Papazicos recognized and the Parish Council thanked Pamas League members, Greg Rigano, Spyro Delis, Andre Spanapoganos and Michael Lembo.

Planning Committee: George Vorkas presented a report about the status of our efforts relative the building of a Parish Life Center. He advised that we are making progress in the steps related to the evaluation of this project, as follows: He reported that Father Constantine Zozos will be visiting to conduct the last interviews of the feasibility study interviews from Friday, February 26 through Sunday, February 28, 2016. The total interviews conducting during all three visits is approximately 70. He will likely complete feasibility study report toward the end of March or beginning of April, 2016. George will send out his presentation, which will provide details of the expected areas that the feasibility report will address.

The architects have worked on renderings. As to Father Constantine Zozos, the amount of funds approved and budgeted in preparation of a feasibility study report was $20,000 in fees and $10,000 in expenses. We expended approximately $15,000 thus far. If we use Father Constantine for the campaign itself, a budget will need to be approved in the future. As to the architects, we have budgeted $20,000 of which $10,000 has been spent.

Spyro Georgopalis and Demetri Demetriou presented architectural designs of a Parish Life Center based on feedback from the committee of the optimal structure.

They do not reflect actual plans. Those plans will not be created until the feasibility study is finalized, and the project approved by the General Assembly.

Luminary Candles: Steve Makrinos moved that the cost remain $10 per candle per name. George Vasilakis seconded the motion.

The motion carried.

House Committee: Steve Makrinos moved to proceed with repairs to the clergy bathroom that will completed before Easter and which will be made by Larry Griffin and Tony Pantelides for a supply cost not to exceed $2,000. George Hadjoglou seconded the motion. The motion carried.

The time needed to make the repairs will be approximately four days.

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Steve Makrinos presented the Melone Architect report relative to our roofs. This report amends Melone’s report of 2005 in which recommendations were made relative to all roofs. The conclusion of the new report is that the tile roof above the Cathedral will need replacement. It appears that although the tiles themselves are in adequate condition, the subroof under the tiles is in poor shape and will increasingly show signs of leakage, if not repaired. It appears that the cost of replacing the tiles with new tiles may equal the cost of removing the existing tiles and repairing the subroof, since the latter option entails considerably higher labor costs. The tile roof was not addressed as part of Project Renaissance. After considerable discussion, it was agreed that the Parish Council approve Melone Architect preparing bid documents and distributing the bid documents to various contractors. It was expected that request for bids will be sent out on March 11 and that the bid deadline would be March 27, 2016.

Reservations Committee: George Vorkas reported on the following requests: The Cub Scouts requested permission to hold their first bake sale on March 13, 2016. Harry Raptakis moved to approve the request, and George Vasilakis seconded the motion. The motion carried.

LIACA will hold a Lenten Bake Sale on April 3, 2016.

The Daughters of Penelope, Pasithea Chapter seeks to hold its Tea Party on May 7. Due to a scheduling conflict, their event was moved to Hellenic Room. After discussion, the motion will be tabled until such time as the Pasithea Board is consulted about options that will accommodate use of the Reverend Nicholas J. Magoulias Cathedral Center.

Former St. Paul GOYANS are requesting use of the Hellenic Room for October 9, 2016 from 4-8pm for a reunion and seek waiver of the rental fees. After considerable discussion and a motion made by George Vorkas and seconded by George Zakos. The motion carried.

Old Business: President Vaccari reported that regarding the St. Nicholas Shrine appeal that we have collected $4,129 to date. The total remitted to the DAD, excluding St. Anna’s Philoptochos’ donation, is $5,129 to date. Bishop Andonis requested that a letter appeal signed by Father Luke and President Vaccari be disseminated. President Vaccari discussed the content of the proposed letter that will be sent.

Father Luke reminded the Parish Council that it had previously approved the purchase of a metallic collapsible ramp to be used on the stairs between the administration building and the Rev. Father Nicholas J. Magoulias Cathedral Center. Since it was approved last year, Larry Griffin will be instructed to price and purchase the ramp for the amount previously approved.

New Business: The Clergy Laity Congress will be held July 3 to July 8, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. Harry Raptakis moved to

approve the attendance of Father Luke and President Vaccari and payment of the airfare, hotel fee plus per diem allowance of $100 for each. John Hajisava seconded the motion. The motion carried.

Harry Raptakis suggested that we also send the Vice-President as our third delegate to the Clergy Laity Congress. He moved to nominate George Vorkas to attend the Clergy Laity Congress at the March 31, 2016 General Assembly meeting and pay his airfare, hotel expenses and provide the $100 per diem allowance. George Papazicos seconded the motion. The motion carried.

The DAD Clergy Laity Congress will be held Saturday, April 2, 2016. It will be held at Holy Trinity Church in New Rochelle from 9am to 3pm. There are no fees. The Parish Council members that will attend are Father Luke and Anthony Vaccari. George Papazicos made a motion that in addition to Father Luke and President Vaccari that our VicePresident, George Vorkas, and Treasurer, George Marinos, be designated as delegates at the next General Assembly. In the event that they cannot attend, the motion also specifies that the delegates attending select the alternative delegate(s).

James Ginis seconded the motion. The motion carried.

AHEPA submitted its Stewardship Pledge card and payment to President Vaccari.

William Lembo informed us that Lou Patrickakos was contacted by a gentleman who resides in Garden City and in Florida that he wishes to donate his 1976 fully restored Oldsmobile Cutlas to the Cathedral. The gentleman stated that he would pay freight from Florida and that the vehicle has about 123,000 mph. In turn we will provide him a letter acknowledging the donation. William Lembo moved to accept the donation. James Georgakis seconded the motion. The motion carried.

James Georgakis made a motion to adjourn and John Hajisava seconded the motion. The motion carried.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:10 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Frances T. Lutfy, Esq. Secretary

Join the Sons of Pericles!

Our Sons of Pericles, Lord Byron Chapter #233 is growing! We started out this year attending events, including the Northeast Regional Basketball Tournament, and while we write this article in the midst of summer, we are planning on attending many of the regional events later this year. We are also planning a fundraiser mid-year, working with our brother chapters in the area. If you are a between the ages of 14 and 27 and are thinking about joining the Sons of Pericles, part of the AHEPA family, please do not hesitate to reach out to Niko Vorkas, nikov118@gmail.com. We will be holding a Chapter meeting sometime in late September. The program is designed not to interfere with any GOYA or other church related youth activity

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Palm Sunday 2016

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Holy Week 2016

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Holy Friday 2016

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Holy Friday 2016

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Snippet_30D8F13AB.idms

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St. Anna’s Philoptochos

By Callie Papazicos, President St. Anna’s Philoptochos has been very busy these past few months and looks forward to many more events before summer begins!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the community for always helping our Philoptochos fulfill all our philanthropic endeavors. Our mission as always is to assist anyone who needs our help. To date, we have given over $10,000 to many organizations, including the expansion project of St. Michael’s in Uniondale, Hellenic College and Holy Cross School of Theology, St. Mary’s Children’s Hospital, St. Basil’s Academy, the IOCC, the Children’s Medical Fund, just to name a few. We also have helped individuals, both in our community and out, with financial assistance. In addition to these projects, we have raised significant funds for the St. Nicholas Church and National Shrine at the World Trade Center and hope to continue to do more.

We hosted both the evening reception after vespers and a brunch after services for our own Tearing Icon of the Theotokos. Just a few days later we offered brunch after the last Psychosavato liturgy. Then, on March 25, we hosted a wonderfully successful Nistisimo Luncheon.

On April 13, we sponsored the Lenten Lecture as a General Meeting, featuring Rev. Father Chrystostomos Gilbert, on the Woman Saints of Holy Week. As usual, we had our Easter bake sale on Holy Tuesday & Holy Wednesday.

Our biggest fundraiser of the year is our Spring Dinner, which was held on Thursday, May 12, at the Sand Castle in Franklin Square, it was a wonderful event.

We welcome new members to join St. Anna’s Philoptochos at any time. Feel free to reach out to me or any of our members with any questions.

Solon Society

By Pauline Alexander On Friday June 3, 2016, the Solon Society of St. Paul awarded their annual scholarships to 5 outstanding students. These students were Jillian Martin, Christina Marsisak, Tina Marsisak, Victoria Koutroulou and Kathleen Kryik. The board members, under the direction of Professor Tina Adamou, reviews all applications through a lengthy process to determine which students will be awarded these scholarships. This year’s recipients received their awards at the annual festival of our church.

Under the leadership of Triphon Kollitides and Dionisios Dinou, the Solon Society has been able to award $100,000 in scholarship money in the past 10 years. All of this work would not be possible if not for our esteemed colleague Mike Prois, Treasurer, and Demi Pamboukes.

In addition to scholarship money, the Solon Society contacts renowned scholars from Greece so that they can present lectures to our membership on relevant topics.

Please check the Sunday bulletins for future speakers.

Best wishes to all for a happy summer.

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The Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. Paul Byzantine Choir By: Adrienne Stamatas-Borbely, Music Director

With our Cathedral having recently completed its ecclesiastical year, we send our kindest greetings and thanks to our St. Paul’s family and friends for a very meaningful season. The joy of celebrating our liturgies and holidays together continues to resonate, and we look forward to celebrating together during our summer season.

And speaking of this summer season, if your schedule is lighter, if there is a little more time, if you have a familiarity with music and may have sung with other choral venues in the past, think about coming up to the choir loft on a Sunday and joining our group! All choral parts are welcome – our music is in Greek and English phonetics – and some of our hymns are sung in English. Your company and your musical ability would be most welcome. We know how quickly the summer goes by, so another opportunity for considering joining our choir would be this September, when our Cathedral has registrations for our many community groups. Consider it in your planning from now - a new ecclesiastical year, a new season, and the start of a new and meaningful addition to what it means to be a part of our St. Paul’s community. Our choir is open to you and your voice, and our members would welcome your involvement with open arms and hearts.

As a recap of a few recent events that were shared by our Choir, in June St. Paul’s served as the host for the District Choir Federation Meeting, a gathering of choir members from numerous Orthodox churches. Always worthwhile, always interesting, and always celebratory – we look back on and thank all for the work that was done to make this such a noteworthy event.

Also in June, the annual Choir Dinner was held and it is with deep thanks and regard that we recognize and express our gratitude to our Parish Clergy and Parish Council for their graciousness in making this evening possible. A sincere thank you to all.

Another very meaningful event was our recent participation in the Vesper of Saints Peter and Paul on the evening of June 28. Having the opportunity and honor to sing with Bishop Sevastianos and all of our Parish and Orthodox Clergy on this very special Feast Day is just one of the many heartfelt, spiritual, and inspiring experiences of being a part of our choir. Thank you, one and all, for joining us on this special night and for making it such a special experience. With our thanks again for your appreciation of our choir, and for the honor that is ours to share every liturgy, every service, and every special holiday with our St. Paul’s community and family, we send our best wishes to all.

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GRIEF & BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT GROUP

By Anna Dounelis Seasons Change, but Grief Remains Hope in Spring & Summer Excerpts from an Article by Barbara Cooper Ross, Bereavement Counselor After the long days of winter, buds, blossoms and greenery appear – all reminding us of new, healthy seasons of life. For those who are grieving, experiencing hope in spring and summer can be difficult, often evoking strong emotions. As we witness the natural growth cycle, an acute sense of absence may be felt. It would not be uncommon to experience shock that, in spite of deep feelings of loss, flowers still bloom.

If you or someone you care about is mourning and looking for hope in spring and summer, try embracing the nurturing of flowers or trees in memory of your special someone who died. Gardening can bring quiet understanding, a natural peace we often collect as we dirty our hands in the soil.

We seek peace in the chaos of grief. Embracing the changing seasons in an active way, whether gardening or enjoying nature’s beauty on a reflective stroll, can help bring a sense of peaceful order to our lives.

At some point in a bereavement journey, we recognize our love endures the seasons of life, even after death. The journey is unique to each person, a process you move through, not an event to endure as if it will have a definitive end. Healthy grief work takes time.

Anger, sadness, denial and shock are all normal grief responses that require expression in order to heal.

Sharing your sadness and loss, telling your stories, expressing intense feelings, remembering your loved one and finding ways to redefine yourself without your special person are all part of moving through grief in healthy ways.

Where are you in your journey? Will you sit among flowers or plant a memory tree? Will you share a garden with others, or simply enjoy a view of nature’s beauty in a favorite place, within a blanket of solitude? Regardless of the method you choose to express your love and loss, look for hope…look to the Grief and Bereavement Support Group in your community or at your parish.

Our Annual Spring Memorial Service was held outdoors on May 11 th, by the dwarf weeping cherry tree that was planted in memory of our departed loved ones and in celebration of their lives, and we are very grateful to Father Constantin and Deacon Mathew for the beautiful service. Afterwards, we enjoyed a wonderful reception in the Father Nicholas J. Magoulias Community Center and an inspiring presentation by our guest speaker Mr. Evans Lizardos. My sincere thanks to Mr. Lizardos and to everyone who generously contributed refreshments for the reception.

During the months of July and August, the Grief & Bereavement Group meets on the 2 nd and 4th Tuesday evenings at 7:30 PM. In September the evening meetings will once again be held on the 2 nd and 4th Wednesday evenings at 7:30 PM. Afternoon meetings are held on the 3 rd Wednesday of the month at 2:00 PM. Everyone is welcome to join!

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SACRAMENTS FOR MARCH 1 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2016 Baptisms

Funerals

Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Nikolaos Preponis Son of Mr. & Mrs. Juan Carlos Toribio Son of Mr. & Mrs. Athanasios Mitsios Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Sarrantonio Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Paul Dircks Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. James P. Scully Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Oetting Son of Mr. & Mrs. David Rodriguez Son of Mr. & Mrs. George Mouroulis Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Robert DeAngelo Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Manolis Vourvahis Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. John Apostolides Son of Mr. & Mrs. Brian Coombs Son of Mr. & Mrs. Peter Kouklakis Son of Mr. & Mrs. William Cardinale Son of Mr. & Mrs. Arthur-Peter Montauredes Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Anastasios Drivas Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Andreas Barkouras Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Vanterpool Son of Mr. & Mrs. John Psillis Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Steve Skartsiaris Son of Mr. & Mrs. Saju Damodaran Son of Mr. & Mrs. Panayiotis Kaniklis Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Brian Hillman Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Pirgousis

George Filip Theodore Nicholas Sotell Anne Samaras Soterios Karperis Christos Dimakos Sofia Bura John Achilleas John Corcacas Spyridon Gazis Louis Collins William A. Currie Demetra Papadopoulos Christopher J. Louros Rena Dellis Irene Zarras Barbara Filou Harry C. Demiris, Sr. Stella DeMitrack

Weddings

Eleni Manikas & Aristidis Vouzakis Helen Chresomales & Alexander Iorio Vasilia Mouroulis & Salvatore Pace Monica Cabrera & Spiros Siakavaras Athena Apessos & Rafael Almeida Linda Maria Silva & Konstantinos Tsukleris Angela Skartsiaris & John James Fitzsimons Giannoula Portelos & Michael Colasanto Chanel Orkopoulos & Andreas Kacelano Elisabeta Bichi & Panagiotis Locasto Mariann Christine Scoufaras & Vasilis Drimalitis Heidy Awad & Michael Lackner Lisa Jording & Arthur Bielli Meredith Lee Brady & Christo Parthenis Andrea Longo & Robert Thomas McGregor Erika D’Aurio & Meni Eliopoulos 33

CLERGY LAITY CONGRESS 2016, Nashville Tennessee

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ΝΑ ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΩΘΟΥΜΕ ΑΠΟ ΤΑ ΠΑΘΗ Όσιος Μακάριος ο Αιγύπτιος 1. Οι ψυχές που αγαπούν τον Θεό και την αλήθεια, δεν υποφέρουν ούτε την παραμικρή ελάττωση του

έρωτά τους προς τον Κύριο. Αλλά καρφωμένες ολοκληρωτικά στο σταυρό Του αισθάνονται μέσα τους την Πνευματική προκοπή. Πληγωμένες λοιπόν από τον πόθο Του, κι αν ακόμη αξιωθούν Θεία μυστήρια και μετάσχουν ευφροσύνης και Χάριτος, δεν έχουν πεποίθηση στον εαυτό τους, ούτε νομίζουν ότι είναι τίποτε. Αλλά

όσο αξιώνονται πνευματικά χαρίσματα τόσο επιζητούν τα ουράνια. Καί όσο περισσότερη προκοπή αισθάνονται, τόσο πιο λαίμαργες γίνονται για τα θεία. Καί ενώ είναι πνευματικά πλούσιες, κάνουν σαν να είναι φτωχές. «Όσοι με τρώνε θα πεινάσουν κι' άλλο, και όσοι με πίνουν θα διψάσουν κι' άλλο», λέει η Θεία Γραφή.

2. Αυτού του είδους οι ψυχές αξιώνονται να λάβουν την τέλεια ελευθερία από τα πάθη και ν' αποκομίσουν την έλλαμψη και την κοινωνία του Αγίου Πνεύματος με την πληρότητα της Χάρης. Όσες όμως είναι οκνηρές και αποφεύγουν τους κόπους και δεν επιζητούν τον αγιασμό της καρδιάς από αυτή εδώ τη ζωή, όχι εν μέρει, αλλά ολοκληρωτικά. Αυτές ας μη ελπίζουν να κοινωνήσουν το Άγιο Πνεύμα και ν' απαλλαγούν από τα πάθη της κακίας• αυτές κι' αν αξιωθούν τη Θεία Χάρη, επειδή ξεγελιούνται

από την κακία, αφήνουν κάθε πνευματική φροντίδα, διότι απολαμβάνουν ολίγη πνευματική γλυκύτητα. Έτσι οι ψυχές αυτές είναι εύκολο να πέσουν σε έπαρση, διότι δεν αγωνίζονται να φτάσουν την τέλεια απάθεια. Καί καθώς αρκούνται στη λίγη αυτή ενίσχυση της Χάρης και προκόβουν όχι στην ταπείνωση, αλλά στην έπαρση, απογυμνώνονται κάποτε κι' από το χάρισμα που έλαβαν. Γιατί η ψυχή, που αγαπάει αληθινά τον Θεό, κι' αν ακόμη μυριάδες αρετές κατορθώσει, έχει τέτοια μετριοφροσύνη, σαν να μην έχει αρχίσει ακόμη να ζεί κατά το θέλημα του Θεού και νοιώθει απληστία και έρωτα για τη Θεία αγάπη που

εμπνέει ο Δεσπότης Χριστός.

3. Στα πνευματικά αυτά μέτρα ούτε μονομιάς ούτε εύκολα μπορεί να φτάσει κανείς, αλλά αφού προηγηθούν πολλοί κόποι και αγώνες και περάσουν χρόνια με δοκιμασίες και ποικίλους πειρασμούς, μέχρι το τέλειο μέτρο της απάθειας. Έτσι, αφού δοκιμασθεί με πόνους και κόπους και υποφέρει με γενναιοψυχία όλους τους πειρασμούς που προξενεί η κακία, αξιώνεται να λάβει τις μεγάλες τιμές και τα χαρίσματα του Αγίου Πνεύματος και τον Θεικό πλούτο. Έπειτα γίνεται και κληρονόμος της Βασιλείας των Ουρανών.

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