EPISTLE January-February 2017

THE EPISTLE January-February 2017

Parish Council Takes oath of Office

GREEK ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL OF SAINT PAUL 1

PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY Official Publication of

ALEX ORPHANOS………...................................Editor-in-Chief JOAN PRIESTON………………………..............Chairperson GEORGE K. LAVAS.............................................Photographer

SUNDAY EPISTLE & GOSPEL READINGS January 1 January 8 January 15 January 22 January 29

Colossians 2:8-12 Luke 2:20-21,40-52 Ephesians 4:7-13 Matthew 4: 12-17 Colossians 3:4-11 Luke 17:12-19 I Timothy 4:9-15 Luke 19:1-10 II Corinthians 6:16-18;7:1 Matthew 15:21-28

February 5 February 12 February 19 February 26

II Timothy 3:10-15 Luke 18:10-14 I Corinthians 6:12-20 Luke 15:11-32 I Corinthians 8:8-13; 9:1-2 Matthew 25:31-46 Romans 13:11-14; 14:1-4 Matthew 6:14-21

Volume LXVIII, January-February FATHER CONSTANTIN URSACHE, Presbyter DEACON MATHEW KAKIS ALEX ORPHANOS, Pastoral Assistant Parish Council Officers & Legal Advisor

GEORGE A. VORKAS…….…..............................President GEORGE P. MARINOS...………….......................Vice President FRANCES LUTFY, Esq..........................................Secretary STEPHEN MAKRINOS.....……….........................Treasurer JAMES GINIS.........................................................Financial Secretary GEORGE VASILAKIS...........................................Financial Secretary HARRY RAPTAKIS, Esq.……..............................Legal Counsel

Regular Schedule (Begins September 25, 2016)

CHURCH FEAST DAYS January 1 January 6 January 7 January 10 January 17 January 18 January 21 January 25 January 30

Saint Basil the Great Holy Epiphany Synaxis of Saint John the Forerunner Saint Gregory of Nyssa Saint Anthony the Great Saints Athanasios and St. Cyril Saint Maximus the Confessor Saint Gregory the Theologian Three Hierarchs

February 2 February 10 February 27

Presentation of Our Lord Saint Haralambos Clean Monday

Orthros 7:45 a.m.

1st Divine Liturgy 9:00 a.m.

2nd Divine Liturgy 10:45 a.m. Ορθρος 7:45 π.μ.

A’ Θεία Λειτουργία 9:00 π.μ.

B’ Θεία Λειτουργία 10:45 π.μ.

Emergency Telephone Numbers Father Constantin Ursache

857-234-1960

Pastoral Assistant Alex Orphanos

781-929-6708

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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My Beloved Family in Christ, Καλή Σαρακοστή! Blessed Lent to all of you!

Time does indeed fly! We just started a new year and are now already at the beginning of Great Lent. For us as a community, these past few weeks have definitely not been our ideal start of the year, but we do our best to deal with this unfortunate situation and try to focus on where we are going from here. After we deal with our initial questions, judgement, frustrations, pain, and a great loss, it is time for us to focus on strengthening our faith and our love for one another, to focus on prayer, forgiveness and hope in God’s mercy for all of us. I am grateful to all of you that keep Fr. Luke, Pres. Marusia, Eleni, Magda and Mia, and your entire family of St. Paul in your prayers. As members of the one Body of Christ, and all of us on the same Journey towards Christ, we all need each other for strength.

With the New Year, we also have a new president of the Parish Council -- George Vorkas. We congratulate him and wish him strength to serve God’s Holy Church in the best way possible. We are also thankful to our outgoing president, Anthony Vaccari, who served our community as Parish Council President for two Years (for as long as my family and I have been here in this beautiful community). I know that Tony will continue to offer his best to the Church.

George Vorkas, together with the new Vice-President (George Marinos) and the Executive Board have worked tirelessly to address the situation we are in and to keep our family of St. Paul strong in faith and commitment to our beloved Cathedral. I thank them and our Parish Council for their unceasing efforts and dedication to the Church.

Although difficult to do, once in a while we have to pause from our busy lives and take a little bit of time to truthfully analyze our lives, our relationship with our families, our relationships with friends and most importantly our relationship with God. This is such a time, since on February 27th we began Great Lent. This is for us as Orthodox Christians a time of reflection, of fasting, of prayer, of showing love to those around us, especially to those in need. This is a time for us to reduce our judgement on others and focus more on the things that we ourselves have to change positively in our lives. This is the time when we spend less time worrying about food and what we put into our mouths and a time when we are more careful about what comes out of our mouths in the form of gossip, judgement, foul language, etc. St. Basil the Great says: “What good is your fast if you don’t eat meat but tear your neighbor apart in hatred?”

Fasting from meat, dairy, eggs and fish really helps us cleanse our bodies, but most importantly sets a platform for the cleansing of our souls. Fasting from food must be combined with prayer and the struggle to get rid of passions. During this period we should be mindful of what we are preparing for through Lent, which is the celebration of our Lord’s Resurrection, thus bringing us closer to God and advancing on our spiritual journey.

If you never fasted before, challenge yourself to fast at least the first and last weeks of Lent and on Wednesdays and Fridays. If you are always late for Church, especially on Sundays, challenge yourself to make it there on time.

If you do not pray very often, challenge yourself to set aside 5 minutes every evening and do just that: pray. If you do not usually attend the extra services during Lent, challenge yourself to attend at least one additional service, if not every week, every other week. And the list could go on and on… Furthermore, try to figure out a plan for Lent as a family, as this would greatly benefit your family relationships and will help center your life, as a family, in Christ.

May God bless all of us and guide us on this Journey to Pascha and Christ’s Glorious Resurrection.

With love in Christ,

Fr. Constantin 3

“And Behold, Angels Came and Ministered to Him” -Matthew 4:11

The above passage concludes the description of the devil's temptations in the wilderness upon our Lord after His baptism. The evil one was trying to test Jesus' faith and relationship with His Father. Each of us is armed to resist all evil but we forget the grace conferred upon us at our Baptism and Chrismation and we allow ourselves to fall into temptation. This can occur to each of us... clergy and laity. As each of us is susceptible to fall into temptation, St. Paisios the Athonite admonishes us that “when we rush to condemn anyone, we must first focus on our own sins; to justify others; and to avoid jumping to conclusions.”

In the past weeks, our St. Paul family experienced a most difficult and unexpected challenge which has affected our very emotions. Understandably, we question the how and why.

St. Paisios continues that our response is to pray for our community and our sinfulness. “If our prayers are but sighs of pain and we acknowledge our own sins and weakness with a realization that we are not able to discern the faults of others, then we can find comfort.” Furthermore, “We do not know how God works. The judgments of God are an incomprehensible abyss. We should not condemn anyone. For in doing so we usurp the hands of God - we attempting to become gods.”

“How can we pray when the heart becomes marble, a block of ice? Condemnation and back biting are among the greatest sins; they separate us from the Grace of God far more than any other sins”. As St. John Klimakos says: “As water puts out the fire, condemnation expels the Grace of God.”

As we again ponder the how and why, my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, we must rise above this unfortunate situation by remembering our shortcomings and working on asking God for forgiveness. Let us all pray for Fr. Luke and his beloved family, and let us humbly ask our Lord to help US become like the angels who comforted Him, and to give us strength to minister to our fellow brothers and sisters in need. Kali Sarakosti! Blessed Lent!

In Christ,

Deacon Mathew

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From Parish Council President George Vorkas My Fellow Parishioners, I want to thank all of you for your continued support as I embark as your Parish Council President. I am humbled by the fact that I follow in the footsteps of some great leaders of our community and grateful for the trust you have bestowed upon me. I will hopefully be making all of you proud as we continue in the great St. Paul tradition.

I thank President Anthony Vaccari for his continued service to our beloved Cathedral, as well as the generosity and leadership he has shown not only through his term, but through our transition.

We have had over 32 Presidents, and every year a President takes their place whether through times of prosperity or rough waters. The President is just one piece of the Parish Council, and can only guide the Parish Council through its journey. I cannot emphasize enough that the Cathedral of St. Paul is bigger than any of one person. Not one person can say they built it, not one person can say they have been carrying it or running it. Not one person can bring it down. It was great from day one, its great now, and will be great long after you and I are no longer on this earth.

We should all be thankful to the families that have sacrificed so much to make the "Cathedral of Long Island" a reality. I continue to love hearing about our rich history when given the chance, because our rich history is what makes the fabric of our Parish. There are the stories about how our church was named, and for those of you who don't know, at one time we were going to be St. George (I am biased!). Then there is Father Nicholas Magoulias, and how he labored to make the unbelievable mosaics in our Cathedral a reality. Frankly, there is no lack of enthusiasm from my generation in hearing more about our history!

Our rich history is what makes my next statement even more true. Our church has also endured some tough issues that would have flattened weaker communities. I am not going to list any of them here, but I will say the following: we encounter these hurdles in our spiritual lives, we overcome them, and are better for it for the future. Each difficult event we have had through the years, we have come out stronger.

Today, I say to you that we are facing new challenges and they are real. They are serious, but they are not insurmountable. Not only will we meet these challenges head on, but we will beat them. We must be unified in our resolve. We must avoid doubt. We are constantly faced with the works of the devil, which involve gossip, conflict and discord. These must be kicked to the side at every juncture. We must put aside any petty grievances and childish things.

St. Paul’s has done so in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

In telling you the greatness of our Parish, we must understand that greatness is never given. It must be earned. We have never taken short cuts, nor can we settle for less. You all joined the Cathedral of St. Paul for a reason, and we must maintain and be better for that reason.

Everywhere I look, there is work to be done at our great Cathedral. From expansion initiatives, to the maintaining of our Mosaics, we must act. We can do all of this, we just need faith.

Now, there are some who question our future ambitions, who say our church cannot handle such big plans. I say, memory is short, as the parishioners of St. Paul’s have shown time and again they can get things done. What the cynics fail to understand is how strong our will truly is.

We are now the keepers of the St. Paul’s legacy. Let’s move forward and keep our Parish great for the next 50 years.

Thank you, God bless You, and God bless the Cathedral of St. Paul.

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YOUTH MINISTRY By Alex Orphanos One thing we hear often about youth ministry is that the youth is the future of the church. While this is a true statement our very own Archbishop Demetrios challenges this statement and takes it one step further. While he agrees that the youth is the future of the church he says “the youth of our church is not just the future the youth of the church is the PRESENT, the NOW.” This was one of the most powerful messages I ever heard, when His Eminence said that to a group of college students. Most of the college students he spoke to were youth workers or had done youth work at camps or elsewhere and many adults were in the room as well. He has said that more than once in the recent past and it has stuck with me. Our youth are the present, the now.

Next is, what do we do with this statement? How do we move forward and live this statement in our church community? I don’t pretend to know all the answers. I would be surprised to hear if anyone did have all the answers. I do know however where we can start. We can start by giving our young people the attention and love they deserve and an outlet to share their talents. We start by encouraging our young people to be active in their church and by giving them something to be a part of. They have ownership of our church just as much as we do but if we don’t encourage, listen and ask them to be a part of it then they won’t feel like they belong. That is half the battle. I am excited to be part of such a great community, with such well established youth programs that we can do so much good with. It starts here and now, the present. Below you will read articles written by two of our GOYAns whom were asked to write about their experience in GOYA and about some of the events that they have participated with. If all goes accordingly we will be reading many more articles written by our amazing and talented young parishioners.

Picture: GOYAns prepare to go on their annual Midnight Run with a prayer in our Cathedral before departing into New York City

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Picture: Gillian Demetriou ‘18 (right) and Diana Hadjiyane ’18 (left) are active participants in our GOYA and Sunday School Programs.

They were asked to write articles to share their experiences in GOYA.

“What GOYA is All About”

By Gillian Demetriou Class of 2018

St. Paul’s GOYAns kicked off the 2016-2017 year with a barbecue in September. At that time we welcomed new and old members and dove right into our calendar of events. The fall saw us planning and participating in many activities aimed at helping our church community and building and strengthening relationships among our fellow GOYAns. From helping the Philoptochos society send care packages to the IOCC, to hosting Breakfast with Santa, to bonfires with our advisors and trips to the city to see the Christmas tree, the St. Paul’s GOYAns have been busy serving and building strong bonds with one another. We look forward to filling the rest of 2017 with a variety of service, athletic and social events. Some of our social events include the Lenten lock-in, marching in the Greek Independence day parade, baking prosforo and volunteering at the festival. Our Greek dance team competes and performs at the festival as well. We host the Cathedral Cup for volleyball every year and our girls basketball team are reigning champs. In addition to this we also learn about our faith during GOYA meetings with Father Constantin. GOYA is a fun experience for everyone involved and I am happy to be a part of it.

“Midnight Run”

By Diana Hadjiyane Class of 2018

On Friday, January 27th, 2017, The St. Paul’s Cathedral Greek Orthodox Youth of America (GOYA) partook in their annual “midnight run.” In the year prior, the church collected clothes and other items that the impoverished people of New York City really need, and in the week prior, the GOYAns all participated in preparing food, clothes, and necessities to bring on the run. This year, as always, proved to be an utterly eye opening experience for everyone involved. It is truly a night to remember. It would seem that selfishness runs rampant but throughout this night people gave time, money and their own possessions to help others. At around 9 PM, the 16 children and the GOYA Advisors departed for the infamous NYC, home to 62,840 homeless people. At the first stop, one of four total, our advisor Nico began to tell about the history of homelessness in the nearby area. He explained to us that on the eastern side of NYC, there are a lot more police officers patrolling because it boarders New Jersey, so it is difficult for homeless people to live there. But, where we were in the west, the law is significantly more lenient and the sun rises in the east over the water, allowing more daylight hours (therefore more warmth in the cold winters). The beautiful thing about this stop was the simplicity of its people. The majority of the people we helped simply wanted a pair of socks and maybe something to eat. Their genuine display of gratitude for little things greatly contrasts society’s ways of taking everything for granted, and it is something I (and hopefully many others) have learned from. Throughout the rest of the night, we encountered many different types of people all with the same agenda: Get clothes, get food, be grateful. The innate kindness in these people was quite evident as well, for some of them willingly doubled their agendas in order to supply a friend who couldn’t attend the run with necessities. The people that they were helping ranged from friends, to children, even to people with arthritic hands, too diseased to button a jacket. Being able to witness such heartfelt compassion for other humans was truly a wonderful experience for myself and my 15 counterparts, which hopefully influenced the empathy in all of us.

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GOYA MIDNIGHT RUN

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GOYA MIDNIGHT RUN

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GOYA GO GREEK NIGHT

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HOPE AND JOY MOVIE NIGHT

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St. Paul’s Byzantine Choir By: Adrienne Stamatas-Borbely, Music Director First and foremost, the members of the St. Paul’s Byzantine Choir would like to offer best wishes to our clergy and to our parish for a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Our choir has much to be proud of as we look back on our activities of the last year. Our hard work and diligent attendance at both the rehearsals and the Sunday Liturgies as well as at other Church Services has served our parish well. We have greatly benefitted spiritually form participating in the various services alongside our clergy. Being able to glorify our God through the raising of our voices in song has been most uplifting. And doing this as a unit, as a “musical family”, has helped to create a bond among us all that is undeniably unique and very strong.

Those of you that were in attendance at the Christmas Eve Liturgy witnessed a poignant display of camaraderie between our Clergy, our Psaltai, our Choir, and the youth of our parish. The Christmas Pageant, beautifully and sensitively directed by Virginia Pourakis, was a highlight of the evening. Thanks to her kindness, spirituality, dedication and creativity, we were able to offer our children a special experience in which they were given the opportunity to truly participate in the real meaning of Christmas.

The setting of the Nativity of our Lord was so moving, and the fact that we were able to combine the Pageant participants and the Choir made it a wonderful time for us all.

As we begin preparing for the upcoming Lenten period and the Glorious Resurrection I encourage those of you who might have sung in a chorus at one point in your lives to consider joining us. I would also ask that those parents of teens above the age of fourteen seriously think about giving their children the opportunity to begin a musical journey as an orthodox Christian by bringing them up to the loft. (Our music is in phonetics so that there will be no language issue.) Being a participant rather than an observer during the beautiful services of the Lenten period is an experience that I promise you will change your life. We will welcome you all with open arms and make you feel as comfortable as we all feel in our choir family. You will be assigned a “choir buddy” who will help to guide you along as you familiarize yourselves with the music. Just try it. There is nothing to lose and much to gain!

If you should have any questions I am available every Sunday to meet with you between 9:00 and 12:15.

Just come on up to the loft! Or perhaps if you would like to speak to me by phone I can be reached at 516-481-9333.

Please take the step and use your musical talent in support of our church. We would love to have you join us.

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IN MEMORIAM A beloved director of St. Paul’s Byzantine Choir, Dr. John Chaltas, fell asleep in the Lord after a long illness on February 1, 2017. John was with us during the very early Cathedral Avenue days when the church moved from its temporary place in the “auditorium” to the actual church proper. John was best known for introducing an entire original work of hymns, The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom by Arthur Kanaracus. Many of the beautiful Kanaracus

hymns are still sung by the choir to this day but were first heard gloriously interpreted by the director and choir when throngs of pilgrims visited our Cathedral to venerate the tearing icons in 1960. Dr. Chaltas’s precise direction and attention to detail and dynamics greatly improved the sound of an already talented group. Under his direction, the choir appeared in a national CBS Greek Orthodox Easter radio program along with Father George Papadeas and, His Eminence, Archbishop Iakovos. John later facilitated the first ever recording of our choir performing liturgical music.

From The Epistle, September 1962. “The man responsible for making our choir one of the finest in America is leaving St. Paul’s for a professorship in the Midwest. Father Nick Magoulias paid glowing tribute to John during last Sunday’s sermon. Indeed, John’s accomplishments are legion. We will miss him dearly.” In 2015 John commented, “I left for what I thought then were greener fields. Looking back now, I know the greenest fields were at St. Paul’s Church.” Greenest fields at long last, John. Eternal Be Your Memory!

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Boy Scout Troop 568 By: Louis Yeostros Scout Sunday February 5th From the youngest five year, old Cub Scout to the 19 year old Eagle Scouts now in college, Scout Sunday at St. Paul’s highlighted the personal achievements of its youth and the contribution of many adult leaders to the Scouting Programs.

The day began having the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts assisting with the Parish Council with Narthex, ushering, and collection tray duties during 1 st Liturgy. After the conclusion of liturgy, there was a color guard procession and ceremony with all five of the St. Paul’s scouting programs (Boy Scout Troop 568, Cub Scout Pack 569, Brownie Troop 1379, Girl Scout Troop 1191, and Girl Scout Cadet Troop 1020.) assembling on the solea for the presentation awards.

Religious Medals Father Constantin, together with Troop Representative Louis Yeostros proceeded to present the religious study and practice awards that were the result of each scout’s successful completion of an extensive, age appropriate, religious curriculum approved by the Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting.

The following Cub Scouts were presented with the St. George Medal (for 1 st through 3rd Grades) Eric Ciar, Nicholas Gerolemou, Harrison Lagonikos, Stathis Nikou, Leonides Papangelopoulos, Eleftherios Vretzakis and Peter Vretzakis.

The following Cub Scouts were presented with the Chi-Ro Medal (for 4th through 6th Grades) Demos Ciar, Stathis Nikou, and Alex Papangelopoulos The Alpha Omega award (for Grades 7 through 12) was awarded to the following Boy Scouts: Theofani Baktidy, Harris Cherpelis, Ioakim Marinos, and Argiris Papadopoulos.

The St. Paul’s scout leaders expressed their gratitude and appreciation to Father Constantin, Alex Orphanos, and Steve Pontickio, for their hard work in conducting the numerous instructional sessions that were needed to have each scout complete their requirements for the awards.

Special Thanks to Adult Leaders The awards presented are only a glimpse of the full scope of the many activities that our scouting programs offer. None of this would be possible without the dedication and leg work of our volunteer adult leaders. In the words of St. John Chrysostom “what greater work is there than training the mind and forming the habits of the young”.

On behalf of the St. Paul’s Scouting Committee, we wish to thank the following for their commitment to your youth.

Cub Scouts: Cubmaster Peter Parras, Dora Ciar, Anna Papangelopoulos, George Cherpelis, Jason Pesola, and Edgar Ciar.

Boy Scouts: Scoutmaster Dr. Dean Cherpelis, Assistant Scoutmasters Diamond Pittas, Leo Yioupis, Nick Gavalas, and Dimitrios Cherpelis.

Girl Scouts Troop 1191: Troop Leaders Tina Vasilakis and Maria Papachristos

Brownie Troop 1379: Troop Leader Michelle Mavrikis Cadet Troop1020: Troop Leader Joanne Moretti

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Prophet Elias Award The scouting committee annually recognizes an adult leader of the scout programs for their dedication to the community’s youth by presenting them with the Prophet Elias award. This award has been designated by the Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting to recognize and honor outstanding service by adults in the leadership, promotion and management of Scouting programs at Orthodox parishes.

This year’s recipient of the Prophet Elias award is the scoutmaster of Troop 568, Dr. Konstantinos (Dean) Cherpelis, who has provided exemplary leadership and service to St. Paul’s Troop 568 for more than nine years. Since his appointment as an Assistant Scoutmaster in 2008, and then Scoutmaster in 2016, he has dedicated himself to building a strong and effective scouting program for Troop 568.

His organizational and interpersonal skills have been the foundation for the successful expansion and growth of Troop 568, from a small troop averaging 10 boys to its current roster of more than 25 boy’s scouts. This growth has been coupled with a dedication to ensure that scouts learn and develop their faith. To that end he has actively promoted full integration of the scouting program with all aspects of our parish community. He has actively encouraged and mentored several Eagle Scout Service projects that have benefited the St. Paul’s community. Congratulations Dean.

Eagle Scout Scholarships The final awards of the day were scouting committee established a fund in XX to provide a scholarship to every Eagle from Troop 568 who has completed the first semester of their freshman year. The awards are funded by the annual Eagle Scout Scholarship Golf Outing.

James Rigano, co-chair of the scholarship committee presented this year’s awards to the following Eagle Scouts who completed their first semester at an institution of higher learning: Lucas Demas – CUNY Queens College, Yianni Flouskakos – Fordham University, and Peter Germanakos – Long Island University James also reminded the parishioners that this year’s Eagle Scout Scholarship Golf Outing will be held in mid-June, and asked for their participation in the event to continue recognizing educational excellence of our scouts. He said that more announcements on the specific date will be coming soon.

Following the conclusion of the awards ceremony, Senior Patrol Leader Panagiotis Petrochilos dismissed the Troops, and everyone was invited to attend the Scout “Blue and Gold” Luncheon held in the Hellenic Room. Many of the older Boy and Girl Scouts proceeded to the community center to assist with serving coffee at the Fellowship Hour.

Scout Luncheon “Blue and Gold” This year’s Blue and Gold luncheon was well attended as over 120 scouts, parents and family assembled in the Hellenic Room. Originally conceived as a Cub Scout award and recognition event, the St. Paul’s scouting committee has expanded this event into a formal “graduation” ceremony for Cub Scouts, coupled with a mid-year Boy Scout Court of Honor to present rank advancements, and capped by a crossing over ceremony where the cub scouts literally cross over a

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special custom made bridge from Cub Scouts and are formally welcomed into Troop 568 of the Boy Scouts.

Following the traditional color guard opening ceremonies, the program commenced with the elevation of Panayiote Menoudakos to Senior Patrol Leader, and promoting his predecessor, Panagiotis Petrochilos to Junior Assistant Scout Master. Congratulations to both “Panayotis”.

The Cub scouts followed with the issuing of their new ranks. First up were four Cub Scouts promoted to Bobact: Nicholas Gerolemou, Matteo Gonzalez, Harrison Lagonikos and Niko Pesola.

This was followed by the awarding of the Arrow of Light to the five Second Year Weblos. The Arrow of Light is the highest and last rank of the Cub Scouts, issued before the boy’s crossover the become Boy Scouts.

Cubmaster Peter Parras, together with Assistant Cubmasters Dora Ciar and Anna Papangelopoulos, and Weblos Den leader George Cherpelis presented the Arrow of Light Award to: George Cherpelis, Demos Ciar, Gabriel Gonzalez, Stathis Nikou and Gus Vasilakis.

Immediately after presenting the Arrow of Light, the Boy Scouts initiated the Crossing Over Ceremony. Each of the Arrow of Light recipients was met by their parents at the Crossover Bridge. Before individually proceeding over the bridge, the parents of the cub scout removed his Cub applets, medals, scarf, and hat (except the Arrow of Light). Boy Scout Senior Patrol Leader Panayiote Menoudakos asked each cub scout if they were ready to accept the challenge of Boy Scouts.

After answering in the affirmative, each boy proceeded to the midpoint of the bridge where the adult leaders of the Boy Scouts installed the Boy Scout applets. Each boy then crossed to the other side of the bridge where he was met by another adult leader who fitted him with his bolo, and the Senior Patrol Leader welcomed him into Troop 568, and presented him with his Scout Manual. The crossing over of five new Boy Scouts is a record number for Troop 568, and now places the troop roster at thirty.

Following the crossing over ceremony, Cubmaster Peter Parras took a moment to thank parents John Vasilakis, and Edgar and Dora Ciar for renovating and upgrading the Crossover Bridge. Peter also pointed out that in restoring the bridge, a plaque was installed at the base commemorating the donation of the bridge to the Boy Scouts by the late Tommy Demas.

Following the dismissal, a wonderful luncheon was enjoyed by the children and families of our Scouting Programs.

Pinewood Derby 2017 By Dora Ciar February was a grand month for Pack 568. After celebrating an amazing Scout Sunday on February 5th, the Cubs had their annual Pinewood Derby on Thursday, February 16th. This was no ordinary Derby. This was the first Derby on their new digital track!

As some Cubs huddled by the digital timer that revealed the results of each race, other Cubs gathered by the computer connected to the track to catch sight of the winner's name on the screen. The Derby was quick, efficient, but most of all, it was great fun!

Congratulations to this year's winners!

Nicholas Pesola- 1st place Matteo Gonzalez- 2nd place Anthony Moratti- 3rd place

Good luck as you go on to represent St. Paul's at the Iroquois District competition.

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SCOUT SUNDAY

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SCOUT SUNDAY

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SCHOOL OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION By: Joan Prieston The Sunday School students ended their 2016 school term with two impressive programs.

On Sunday, December 18th the Greek School presented its holiday program with their rendition of our favorite Christmas carols in Greek. It was very impressive to hear their perfect interpretation with such expression and exaltation. Credit should be given to all the teachers especially to Virginia Pourakis who directed the students in their performance.

The following Saturday, December 24th, Christmas Eve, the Sunday school students presented their annual Christmas Pageant complete with the appropriate costumes and staging. By giving this program on Christmas Eve, it was so appropriate to replicate the Nativity which took place over two thousand years ago. Enhancing the evening celebration was the magnificent voices of our Byzantine Choir under the direction of Adrienne Borbely. Many became emotional, especially during the Choir’s beautiful interpretation of the Halleluiah Chorus, a wonderful way to celebrate a very special and magical evening.

In January, the students will again be encouraged to participate in the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival. Again, Carol Kerler will be the chairperson of this event and she will encourage the students of grades 7 thru 11 to write an essay about one of the topics suggested by the Archdiocesan Committee. Our Parish Oratorical Festival will take place in March.

The Teachers and Staff hope everyone had a Happy New Year celebration!

Cathedral of Saint Paul Nativity Presentation By: Virginia Pourakis On the evening of December 24, after praying Vespers, Orthros, and the Divine Liturgy of Christmas, the faithful of our Cathedral of St. Paul joined together in offering and witnessing the Nativity story as presented in the form of an Orthodox icon. Members of our youth served as narrators and icon characters. Our choir members brought peace and joy to the presentation with their beautiful singing in English and Greek. Carols included O Come All Ye Faithful, Silent Night, What Child Is This? (soloist: Christopher Composto), The First Noel, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, We Three Kings, Joy to the World, O Holy Night, and the Hallelujah chorus (from Handel's "Messiah"). A Jr. Choir ensemble also chanted the kontakion "On This Day the Virgin Comes to the Cave" (I Parthenos Simeron). It was a blessing to all work together for the glory of God. Special thanks to Adrienne Borbely and the Choir, Andrea Potaris and the Sunday School, Karis Lynch and family, Mary Bassias, Michele Mavrikis, George Lavas, our altar boys, Larry our church caretaker, James Tsimis, the Parish Council, our beloved clergy, and the parents of all the participants.

Narrators -- Christina Vasilakis, Stefanie Moratti, Michael Ehrenkrantz, Tina Bassias, Eleni Melackrinos Jr. Choir Ensemble -- Tina Bassias, Eleni Melackrinos, Christina Vasilakis Joseph -- George Pittas Mary Theotokos -- Karis Lynch

Midwives -- Ileana Fernandez, Thalia Kontoleon Star -- Anthony Moratti Ox -- Kosta Walsh Donkey -- Aurora Shields Angel -- Magdalena Melackrinos

Shepherds -- Jason Theodosopoulos, Niko Mastorakis Sheep -- Matthew Gerolemou, Victoria Mastorakis Multitude of Angels -- Anastasia Vani, Sophie Kovoros, Amelia Mavrikis, Gabriella Fernandez, Mia Melackrinos, Melina Ehrenkrantz, Theodora Themelis, Angela Vorkas Wise Men -- Nicholas Gerolemou, Donald Shields, Ioakim Marinos

Old Man -- Christos Kovoros

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THE CATHEDRAL NATIVITY PRESENTATION

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Celebrating Our Youth (Junior) Sunday School Students – A Message to All Our Youth And Their Parents God has given you the gift of intellect and it should be used wisely. Do not try to just get by in your classes.

Offer your best effort and cultivate your intellect so you can become the best student possible. The work you do in class is your gift to God. At this time in your life, you are called to be a student.

What you do in class is your unique offering to God. Don’t waste the gift of time. For generations, students have put off studying or class projects until the lastminute. That is being a poor steward of one of God’s greatest gifts: time. Learn to manage this precious resource. Always remember you are a part of a community, even if you don’t feel like it.

Unless you are homeschooled, other students trying to make sense of growing up and the need for school surround you, and at that, even homeschoolers have communities that they see periodically.

You are never alone in the jungle of school and there are peers, parents, and school staff that are willing to help you discern what is best for you. Be grateful for the chance to be in school. Millions of children all around the globe have had the chance to attend school taken from them. Their futures are severely compromised because they are missing the chance to learn basic knowledge that will allow them to prosper in the world. Never take your ability to attend school for granted.

God is calling you today in your classroom. Perhaps it is through a classmate, a teacher, or a circumstance, but somehow God is asking something of you each day. Be aware and stay mindful of all those who cross your path each day. Something or someone very important might cross your path, never to return again.

Hold yourself accountable. Don’t fall into the temptation of slacking off, not doing your work, or even worse, cheating.

Integrity is a precious gift that should never be tossed away. No one else is responsible for your actions except for YOU.

Embrace the entirety of your life as a student.

Growth in school is about more than books and subjects. God has filled this world with people to meet, sports to play, and moments to rejoice in life.

Please don’t let this time pass you by and get involved.

Begin and end each school day with prayer. When you awake, offer the day and all your efforts of the day to God, and then when the day is over, spend time with God reflecting on how you succeeded and how you failed as a good steward and disciple of Jesus. Allow God to walk with you throughout your day by creating bookends of prayer for your day.

Stay committed. The school year can be long. Make a commitment to stay focused and not fall behind.

The good thing about the times we fail in that commitment is that we can recommit ourselves and begin again.

We congratulate the first Youth (Junior) Stewards of our Cathedral. A Saint Paul pin will be presented to all Youth Stewards in the Cathedral on the Sunday of Orthodoxy.

If you are a Youth Steward, please try to attend. If you would like to become a Youth Steward, please submit your pledge in the Sunday School Office as soon as possible.

The Youth (Junior) Stewards as of January 8th are as follows: Nicholas Ayvas Nephele Capuane* Lena Demas Gillian Demetriou Gabriella Fernandez Ileana Fernandez Julia Furnell Matthew Gerolemon* Nicholas Gerolemon* Thalia Kontoleon Amanda Koukos Andrew Koukos Drew Lynch Evan Lynch Karis Lynch William Mackey Zoey Mackey Panayioti Marchelos John Marsh Thalia Mavrikakis

Eleni Melackrinos Magdalena Melackrinos Mia Melackrinos Anthony Moretti Stefanie Moretti Dimitrios Pefanis Rosalia Pefanis Maria Rutella Aurora Shields Donald Shields Theodora Themelis Jason Theodosopoulos Anastasia Vani Kosta Walsh Markela Walsh Grace Yeostros* *Pledge paid in full

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St. Anna’s Philoptochos By: Callie Papazicos, President The Philoptochos Mission Statement begins with “To promote charitable, benevolent and philanthropic outreach” and the board of St. Anna’s takes this mission very seriously. We are very gratified that in the last year we provided more monetary assistance than ever before. This could only be accomplished with the help of all our members and donors and we are grateful to all of you for your support.

Following our successful wreath sale, bake sale and Christmas Luncheon, we are able to continue assisting the multitude of organizations we have promised to support. On President’s Day, we are sponsoring the lunch at the Mary Brennan INN, right in our own neighborhood of Hempstead, where just this past December many of our parishioners served over 450 meals to needy individuals. On April 22nd, we will visit the St. Mary’s Hospital for Children, along with our Girl Scouts. St. Anna’s has pledged to support St. Mary’s every year and, on that day, we will present them with our annual donation.

We did something new this year at our January 24th General Membership meeting. With the assistance of a wonderful young lady named Kristina, a certified OPA-cize trainer, over 50 women had a fun time with Zumba. What a great way to begin the New Year! Continuing with the theme of women’s health, Sunday, February 5th was “Go Red Day”, an event started by the American Heart Association to bring awareness that heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States.

Spring is a busy time for us. On March 4th, we host a brunch after the last Saturday of the Souls in memory of our past members. On the evening of March 15th and in the morning on March 16th, our Cathedral celebrates the 57th anniversary of the Enshrined Tearing Icons of the Virgin Mary. Refreshments will be served after both Liturgies by the ladies of St. Anna’s Philoptochos. On Saturday, March 25th, we celebrate the double holiday of both Greek Independence Day and the Annunciation of the Theotokos. After Liturgy, we will hold our annual Nistissimo Luncheon to collect funds for Hellenic College and the Holy Cross Seminary. We hope you can all attend to support this worthy cause.

Future events include our Easter Bake Sale during Holy Week, our very important Membership meeting on Tuesday, April 25th, and our Annual Spring Dinner on Thursday, May 18th. As always, we invite all the women of our community to join our amazing organization. Please reach out to the ladies of our board at any time.

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LIACA By Teena Grosinski January 2017 The members of LIACA wish everyone a healthy, peaceful and Happy New Year. All the best in 2017.

The Pan-Cyprian Choir graced our Cathedral on the early evening of Saturday, December 17th as the site of their 20th anniversary concert. The voices of the forty-member strong choir filled the cathedral with a varied program of songs in five different languages. The audience was quite appreciative of their selections.

LIACA hosted a reception following the concert giving everyone an opportunity to mingle. The desserts, of course, were made by their talented members.

The annual Christmas party was earlier in the month. After a short business meeting we enjoyed delicious food and desserts made by the ladies of LIACA. We enjoyed the season with our friends and wished all a peaceful new year.

At January's meeting we look forward to the cutting of the vasilopita which is traditional event for all of us. Also in late January our scholarship applications will be available in the office. They are available to both high school and college students of Cypriot descent.

Applications are also sent to all Greek Orthodox parishes in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

Be sure to look for our Lenten Bake Sale in April.

We welcome new members to our meetings the second Monday of the month in the Hellenic Room starting at 7:30. Consider joining us.

Nursery School Update By Alex Orphanos The Nursery School program has had a great year so far, and preparations for the 2017-2018 Academic Year are presently underway. Registration opened to the community in January and has now opened officially to our local community as well. We have full enrollment in the 2 year old program and have started a waiting list for that class. The 3 and 4 year old classes are filling up fast and spots are limited. Early Childhood education is an important part of a young child’s development. Our school combines culture, faith and learning for a great overall experience that is unlike any other public Pre-K program. Children learn to socialize with their peers, and learn basic fundamental skills they will need to be prepared for Kindergarten. Consider joining our program and investing in your child’s educational development. For more information about our program please contact the Cathedral office.

Picture: Ms. Tara and the 4 year old class on the 100th day of school dressed up like they are 100 years old

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AHEPA Constantine Cassis Chapter #170

By Anton Skrivanek, Secretary Hoping everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. We had a very nice attendance at our Oktoberfest where we recognized a Bavarian general who not only fought in the Greek War of Independence but did portraits of many of the key figures. We had a nice attendance at our AHEPA Family Thanksgiving Dinner where we learned a number of the celebrations in ancient Greece could have been considered feasts of Thanksgiving.

We look forward to doing some different activities in the New Year and we will keep you posted.

If anyone is aware of news of one of our brothers - falling asleep in the Lord, illness, etc. please inform one of our officers. If you wish to join the AHEPA, please contact one of our officers, or see us on Registration Sunday as previously mentioned.

We also have an email address to contact us by: ahepa.chapter170@gmail.com

DAUGHTERS OF PENELOPE – PASITHEA CHAPTER #141

By: Marion Panos The Daughters of Penelope - Pasithea Chapter #141 wish all of you a blessed, healthy and happy New Year.

Now that the Holiday Season is over, we are ready to go forward with the Spring season. As we prepare to enter into Great Lent and Pascha, let me fill you all in on what has been happening and our upcoming events.

On December 7, 2016, we got together and decorated the Christmas Tree and the Hellenic Room for the Christmas Season. We had a wonderful turnout; there was music and some light refreshments and the decorating was completed with lots of fun and good cheer. We are so fortunate to have so many wonderful sisters who are so willing to help with the decorating and we look forward to future decorating “parties.”

On December 11, 2016, the Gold Coast Chapter of AHEPA hosted a Christmas Party for the children of St. Basil’s at Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church in Roslyn. There were games, entertainment and a magic show for the children and adults as well. Our District Governor, Secretary and Treasurer attended, as well as the Pasithea Vice President, Ekaterina Englezos.

We also reinstated our annual Christmas Party, which was well attended and so much fun. We look forward to another successful party next year!

SAVE THE DATE!!! Pasithea will be hosting our 70th Anniversary Party on Sunday, April 23, 2017.

This wonderful event will be at the Cartun on the Park in Eisenhower Park, East Meadow, New York.

It is a beautiful venue and our theme will be the ‘70s. We have a great DJ who will not only play ‘70s music, but Greek music as well. There will be plenty of food, entertainment and dancing for all. So put on your dancing shoes and let’s groove to the ‘70s and do some Greek dancing too. OPA!!!

Below are some of the events scheduled for 2017: January 25, 2017

-

Formal Meeting and initiations.

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February 8, 2017

-

Girls’ Night Out

February 22, 2017

-

Regular Meeting

March 1, 2017

-

Short Regular Meeting and then some fun.

April 1 & 19, 2017

-

Regular Meeting, prepare for Pasithea’s 70th Anniversary celebration on Sunday, April 23, 2017.

April 23, 2017

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Pasithea’s 70th Anniversary Celebration, Carltun on the Park

April 25, 2017

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AHEPA Easter Glendi

May 7, 2017

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AHEPA Byzantine Dinner – Magoulias Center

June 7, 2017

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Formal Meeting – selection of new Board Members

June 21, 2017

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End of Year Dinner (venue to be determined).

As always, we need committees and volunteers to help put these activities together. All of the proceeds collected will given to charities and organizations that are chosen at our meetings. Therefore, I request that our wonderful sisters do their best to attend the meetings. Your attendance is vital to our success.

We also welcome your suggestions for fundraising events.

Maids of Athena – By: Alexis Pagonis The Maids of Athena is a junior auxiliary of the Daughter’s of Penelope. It is open to all females between the ages of 16-23. We meet once a month and plan our activities around everyone’s busy schedules. Our events have included “Extreme Bowling”, a pizza party and a day in NYC . Our next outings will be a winter activity along with a fun filled night at the “Melting Pot”. For anyone interested in joining and learning more about the Maids, please contact Alexis Pagonis at pagonisag@gmail.com or 516-776-3348.

AHEPA FAMILY

Daughters of Penelope

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Sons of Pericles

Maids of Athena

APOKREATIKO GLENDI

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APOKREATIKO GLENDI

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APOKREATIKO GLENDI

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APOKREATIKO GLENDI

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Clean Monday

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Clean Monday

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Grief and Bereavement Support Group by Anna Dounelis Remembering Our Loved Ones on Valentine's Day We've barely made it through the holidays of December and January, and now the stores are filled with hearts and flowers and candy, all of it in celebration of the gift of love. February 14th can be a difficult day for those of us who are grieving, and for some it may be the first Valentine's Day since our precious Valentine died. For us there is no celebration; there is only grief.

Sometimes, for fear of "letting go," we may find ourselves "holding on" to our pain as a way of remembering those we love. Letting go of what used to be; however, is not an act of disloyalty, and it does not mean forgetting our loved ones who have died. Letting go means leaving behind the sorrow and pain of grief and choosing to go on, taking with us only those memories and experiences that enhance our ability to grow and expand our capacity for happiness.

If our memories are painful and unpleasant, they can be hurtful and destructive. If they create longing and hold us to the past, they can interfere with our willingness to move forward in our grief journey. But it doesn't have to be that way. We can choose which parts of life we shared that we wish to keep and which parts we wish to leave behind. We can soothe our pain by thinking of happy as well as sad memories. The happiness we experienced with our loved ones belongs to us forever.

If we decide to do so, we can choose to embrace Valentine's Day as a special day on which to commemorate our loved ones and to celebrate our love for them. Death ends a life, but it does not end the relationship we have with our loved ones who have died. The bonds of love are never severed by death, and the love we shared will never die either. For Valentine's Day this year, we can find a way to honor our loved ones, to remember them and to show them that our love is eternal.

We can build a piece of "memory time" into that particular day, or we can pack the entire day with meaning.

Think of it this way: It's much easier to cope with memories we've chosen, than to have them take us by surprise. Whether we are facing Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Memorial Day, an anniversary or birthday, or any other special day of our own choosing, we can immerse ourselves in the healing power of remembrance. We can go to a special place, read aloud, or listen to a favorite song. We can celebrate what once was and is no more.

Copyright © by Marty Tousley. All rights reserved.

Bereavement Counselor Marty Tousley is the author and instructor of these highly regarded online courses The First Year of Grief: Help for the Journey and A Different Grief: Coping with Pet Loss available through www.SelfHealingExpressions.com <http://www.SelfHealingExpressions.com> . Her award winning site www.GriefHealing.com <http://www.GriefHealing.com> provides comfort and support for those with grieving hearts.

Our Annual Memorial Christmas Tree Prayer Service was held on Wednesday, December 14th, and we thank our clergy for a beautiful service. A reception followed in the Fr. Nicholas J. Magoulias Community Center where we enjoyed a buffet of delicious appetizers, desserts and beverages, and I thank everyone who contributed to the buffet and assisted me with the reception.

Our speaker that evening was Alex Orphanos, our Pastoral Assistant, who spoke on the falling asleep in the Lord of his own beloved grandparent when he was just a small boy. His words truly touched us, and we thank him for sharing his personal thoughts and memories as seen through the eyes and heart of a young person.

Afterwards, Peggy Stilianos and Jean Rigas of the Assumption Church Choir in Port Jefferson and Saint Paul’s Choir Members Stella Thymius, Terri Macris and I sang some beautiful Christmas music to help lift the hearts and spirits of those grieving the loss of loved ones.

The Saint Paul’s Grief & Bereavement Support Group meets each month on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday evenings at 7:30 PM (except during Great and Holy Lent when we meet at 8:00 PM) and on the 3rd Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 PM. All are welcome to attend our meetings. Best wishes to you and yours for a blessed New Year 2017!

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Call for an appointment today!

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SACRAMENTS FOR DECEMBER 1, 2016 THRU FEBRUARY 28, 2017

Weddings Christine Kerigan & Michael Charles Mastrosimone Kara Alicakos & Matthew Paul Lamendola Michelle Petzold & Kostas Georgiadis Soteria Kaimis & James Handy

Baptisms Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Ioannis Kouzios Son of Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Liddy Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Peter Cleopa Son of Mr. Gregory Vassilakos & Ms. Milica Cavic Son of Ms. Nicole Perperis Son of Mr. & Mrs. Christos Kambouris Son of Mr. & Mrs. Dimitrios Papadoniou Son of Mr. & Mrs. Joel Attard Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Kostas Monogioudis Son of Mr. & Mrs. Ciprian Acatrinei Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Oberst Son of Mr. & Mrs. Salvatore Pace

Funerals Hope Mathas Peter Jannes Helen S. Mahares George Korros John Costalas Peter G. Lantzounis Angelos Solomos Fay (Fotini) Papachristos Evelyn Possas William Michaels Sophie Chakos Joyce Vlogianitis Dr. George A. Barkoukis Dimitra Gurlides Patsy Parrilli Lena Kassimatis 37

Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης Χρυσόστομος: «Δῶστε στὰ παιδιὰ σας χριστιανικὴ μόρφωση»! Ὅπως δὲν θὰ μπορέσουμε νὰ δικαιολογηθοῦμε γιὰ τὰ προσωπικὰ μας ἁμαρτήματα, τὸ ἴδιο καὶ γι' αὐτὰ τῶν παιδιῶν μας. Καὶ εἶναι λογικό. Γιατί ἂν ἡ κακία ἦταν ἔμφυτη, θὰ ὑπῆρχε δικαιολογία. Εἶναι γνωστό, ὅμως, ὅτι μὲ τὴ θέλησή μας ἀκολουθοῦμε εἴτε τὸ δρόμο τῆς ἁμαρτίας εἴτε τὸ δρόμο τῆς ἀρετῆς. Πῶς θὰ δικαιολογηθεῖ ἑπομένως ὁ γονιός, ποῦ ἄφησε τὸ πιὸ ἀγαπημένο του πλάσμα, τὸ παιδί του, νὰ παραστρατίσει; Ἂν τὰ παιδιὰ ἀνατραφοῦν μὲ καλὲς συνήθειες, δύσκολα ἀλλάζουν συμπεριφορὰ ὅταν μεγαλώσουν. Γιατί ἡ παιδικὴ ψυχὴ εἶναι σὰν τὸ κάτασπρο, τὸ ὁλοκάθαρο πανί, πού, ἂν τὸ βάψουμε μὲ κάποιο χρῶμα, βάφεται τόσο καλά, ὥστε, ὅσες φορὲς κι ἂν θελήσουμε νὰ τὸ ξαναβάψουμε, πάντα φαίνεται ἡ ἀρχικὴ βαφή. Ἔτσι, λοιπόν, εἶναι καὶ τὰ μικρὰ παιδιά. Ὅταν συνηθίσουν στὸ καλό, δύσκολα ἀλλάζουν... Ὁ ἀπόστολος Παῦλος ἀναφέρει μία παροιμία, ποὺ τὴν ἔχει δανειστεῖ ἀπὸ τὸν ποιητὴ Μένανδρο: «Φθείρουσιν ἤθη χρηστὰ ὁμιλίαι κακαί». Δηλαδή: Οἱ κακὲς συναναστροφὲς χαλᾶνε τὸν καλὸ χαρακτήρα (Α' Κόρ. 15:33). Ἂς μὴν ἀποροῦμε, πῶς μερικοὶ γίνονται κλέφτες ἢ ἀκόλαστοι ἢ βλάσφημοι. Τὰ παιδιὰ ἀπὸ μικρὰ στεροῦνται τὴ χριστιανικὴ ἀγωγή, συνηθίζουν στὸ κακὸ καὶ μὲ τὴν πρώτη ἀφορμὴ ξεστρατίζουν. Γι' αὐτὸ ὁ ἀπόστολος συμβουλεύει: «Παιδιά, νὰ ὑπακοῦτε στοὺς γονεῖς σας, σύμφωνα μὲ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Κυρίου· αὐτὸ ἄλλωστε εἶναι τὸ

σωστό. Τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴ μητέρα σου (αὐτὴ εἶναι ἡ μόνη ἐντολὴ ποὺ περιέχει ὑπόσχεση), γιὰ νὰ εὐτυχήσεις καὶ νὰ ζήσεις πολλὰ χρόνια πάνω στὴ γή. Κι ἐσεῖς, πατέρες, μὴ φέρνεστε στὰ παιδιά σας ἔτσι ποὺ νὰ τὰ ἐξοργίζετε, ἀλλὰ νὰ τὰ ἀνατρέφετε δίνοντάς τους ἀγωγὴ καὶ συμβουλὲς ποὺ ἐμπνέονται ἀπὸ τὴν πίστη στὸν Κύριο» (Ἔφ. 6:1-4). Καὶ ὁ σοφὸς

Σολομῶν λέει: «Τὸ παιδί, ποὺ ἔχει παιδαγωγηθεῖ, θὰ εἶναι σοφὸ» (Παροιμ. 10:4α). Καὶ «ὁ γονιὸς ποὺ δὲν χρησιμοποιεῖ τὸ ξύλο γιὰ νὰ παιδαγωγήσει τὸ γιό του, εἶναι σὰν νὰ τὸν μισεῖ· ὁποῖος ὅμως τὸν ἀγαπάει, τὸν ἀνατρέφει μὲ ἐπιμέλεια (:μὲ στοργὴ ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐστηρότητα)» (Παροιμ.

13:24).

Μὲ ἀρετή, λοιπόν, νὰ πλουτίζετε τὰ παιδιά σας καὶ ὄχι μὲ ἀγαθὰ πρόσκαιρα. Μὴν τοὺς ἀφήνετε, λοιπόν, πλούτη, ἀλλὰ παίδευση καὶ ἀρετή. Ἔτσι δὲν θὰ στηρίζονται στὴν κληρονομιὰ ὑλικῶν ἀγαθῶν, καὶ θὰ ἐπιδοθοῦν στὴ μόρφωση τοῦ νοῦ καὶ στὴν καλλιέργεια 38

τῆς ψυχῆς. Αὐτὸς εἶναι ὁ καλύτερος τρόπος γιὰ τὴν ὑπέρβαση τῆς φτώχειας καὶ ὅλων τῶν προβλημάτων τῆς ζωῆς. Καὶ ἂν ὁ καθένας μας φροντίσει νὰ καλλιεργήσει ἔτσι τὰ παιδιά του, τελικὰ ὅλοι, ἀπὸ γενιὰ σὲ γενιά, θὰ βρεθοῦμε ἕτοιμοι κατὰ τὴν παρουσία τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ θὰ

ἀμειφθοῦμε ἀπὸ τὸν δίκαιο Κύριό μας. Ἔτσι εἶναι. Ἂν ἀναθρέψεις καλὰ τὸ παιδί σου καὶ τὸ κάνεις νὰ ἔχει εὐσέβεια καὶ ἀγάπη, ἂν κι ἐκεῖνο κάνει τὸ ἴδιο στὰ δικά του παιδιὰ κ.ο.κ, θὰ σχηματιστεῖ μία ἁλυσίδα εὐλογημένη χάρη σ' ἐσένα, ποὺ ἔγινες ἡ ρίζα ὅλου τοῦ καλοῦ. Οἱ γονεῖς ποὺ παραμελοῦν τὴν καλὴ ἀνατροφὴ τῶν παιδιῶν τους, εἶναι χειρότεροι κι ἀπὸ τοὺς

παιδοκτόνους· γιατί οἱ πρῶτοι θανατώνουν τὴν ἀθάνατη ψυχή, ἐνῶ οἱ δεύτεροι μόνο τὸ θνητὸ σῶμα. Γονιὸς δὲν εἶναι ἐκεῖνος ποὺ ἁπλὰ γέννησε ἕνα παιδί, μὰ ἐκεῖνος ποὺ καὶ μετὰ τὴ γέννησή του τὸ ἀγαπάει. Κι ἂν ἡ ἀγάπη εἶναι ἀναγκαία ἐκεῖ ὅπου ὑπάρχει ἀπὸ τὴ φύση, πολὺ περισσότερο

χρειάζεται ἐκεῖ ὅπου ὑπάρχει χάρη Θεοῦ. Ἂν δηλαδὴ πρέπει ν' ἀγαπάει κανεὶς τὰ φυσικά του παιδιὰ γιὰ νὰ λέγεται σωστὸς γονιός, πόσο μᾶλλον τὰ χαρισματικὰ παιδιά, τὰ πνευματικά, τὰ βαπτισμένα, φροντίζοντας νὰ μὴν κολαστοῦν. Ἀλλὰ κι ἐσύ, παιδί μου, νὰ ὑπακοῦς τοὺς γονεῖς ποὺ σὲ γέννησαν. Γιὰ ὅσα σοῦ πρόσφεραν,

τίποτα δὲν μπορεῖς νὰ τοὺς ἀνταποδώσεις, οὔτε νὰ τοὺς γεννήσεις οὔτε νὰ μοχθήσεις γι' αὐτούς, ὅσο ἐκεῖνοι γιὰ σένα. Καὶ ὅταν ὁ πατέρας σου μαλώνει κάποιο ἀπὸ τ' ἀδέλφια σου, πρέπει νὰ συμμερίζεσαι τὸ γονιό σου. Γιατί ἂν παίρνεις τὸ μέρος τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου, μολονότι ἔσφαλε, θὰ γίνει χειρότερος. Ἔτσι βάζεις σὲ κίνδυνο καὶ τὴν ψυχική σου σωτηρία, ἀφοῦ ὅποιος δὲν ἀφήνει νὰ γιατρευτεῖ μία πληγή, ἔχει μεγαλύτερη εὐθύνη ἀπὸ κεῖνον ποὺ τὴν προκάλεσε, γι' αὐτὸ καὶ τιμωρεῖται. Ἕνας τραυματισμός, βλέπεις, ἴσως νὰ μὴν εἶναι ἄμεσα θανατηφόρος, ἐνῶ ἡ παρεμπόδιση τῆς θεραπείας μπορεῖ νὰ προκαλέσει τὸ θάνατο. Ὁ προφήτης Δαβὶδ λέει: «Ἀποκτῆστε τὴν παιδεία (τοῦ Θεοῦ), γιὰ νὰ μὴν ὀργιστεῖ ἐναντίον σας ὁ Κύριος» (Ψαλμ. 2:12). Δῶστε στὰ παιδιὰ σας χριστιανικὴ μόρφωση. Αὐτὴ εἶναι ἡ ὑποχρέωσή σας. Ἂν ἀδιαφορήσετε, θὰ κολαστεῖτε, ἔστω κι ἂν ἔχετε ἄλλες ἀρετές. Νὰ τοὺς μάθετε τὰ μυστήρια τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, τὴ δικαιοσύνη, τὴ σωφροσύνη, τὴν ἀνδρεία τῆς ψυχῆς. Νὰ τὰ βοηθήσετε νὰ γνωρίσουν τὸν ἑαυτό τους, γιατί μέσ' ἀπὸ τὴν αὐτογνωσία θὰ ὁδηγηθοῦν καὶ στὴ θεογνωσία. Ἂν δὲν γνωρίσουν τὸ Θεό, τί θὰ τοὺς ὠφελήσουν ὅλα τ' ἄλλα; Δὲν ἀκοῦτε τὸν Κύριο, ποῦ λέει στὸ ἱερὸ Εὐαγγέλιο, πώς, ἂν ὁ ἄνθρωπος κερδίσει ὁλόκληρο τὸν κόσμο, χάσει ὅμως τὴν ψυχή του, δὲν ὠφελεῖται σὲ τίποτα; Καλλιεργῆστε, λοιπόν, πνευματικὰ τὰ παιδιά σας. Καλλιεργῆστε καὶ τὸν ἑαυτό σας. Ἔτσι θὰ σωθεῖτε καὶ θὰ μπεῖτε στὴ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν, μὲ τὴ χάρη τοῦ Χριστοῦ μας. Ἀπὸ τὸ βιβλίο: Θέματα Ζωῆς τόμος Α', Κεφάλαιο: Ἡ ἀνατροφὴ τῶν παιδιῶν, Ἁγίου Ἰωάννου Χρυσοστόμου.

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