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SAINT NICHOLAS GREEK ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL 1607 West Union Boulevard Bethlehem, PA 18018 ORTHODOX Witness VOLUME 29 ISSUE 313 FEBUARY 2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS Church Informatio 2 Father Nick’s Notes 3 Parallel Lives Of Saints 4 PARISH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES 6 People Sitting In Darkness 7 calendar 9 PARISH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES 10 GREEK SCHOOL NEWS 11 Our life in the church 13

Community news 15

A ST. NICHOLAS GREEK ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL PUBLICATION 1607 WEST UNION BOULEVARD – BETHLEHEM, PA 18018 PHONE: 610-867-1327, FAX: 610-867-9487, KITCHEN: 610-867-5459

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Under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, His Eminence Demetrios Archbishop of the Greek

Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and His Eminence Metropolitan Savas of Pittsburgh. The mission of St. Nicholas

Greek Orthodox Church is to keep and proclaim, pure and undefiled, the Orthodox Christian Faith and traditions in

conformity with the doctrine, canons, worship, discipline, and customs of the Church.

Fr. Nicholas Palis, Protopresbyter (Proistamenos ) Dean 610-440-0995

Fr. Nicholas Kossis Protopresbyter 610-694-0948 Fr. Alexander Petrides, Presbyter 610-867-1327 Mrs. Despina Kotsatos, Secretary 610-867-1327

OFFICE HOURS: Monday-Friday 9:00 πμ – 12:00 μμ

1:00 μμ -5:00 μμ SUNDAY SERVICES Orthros 7:15 AM

Divine Liturgy 1 Greek 8:30 AM

Divine Liturgy 2 English 10:15 AM

WEEKDAY SERVICES Orthros 8:00 AM

Divine Liturgy 9:00 am

THURSDAY Paraclesis 6:00 PM

SATURDAY Great Vespers 7:00 PM Please see the calendar in the web page for weekday services

CHURCH ORGANIZATIONS BUILDING ENDOWMENT TRUST George Vasiliadis

John Diacogiannis

George Glaros

Cosmos Valavanis

Nikolaos Varvarelis

ACADEMY ST. NICHOLAS Debbie Hrousis

CHOIR

Director Dr. James Chiadis

Organist Nicos Elias :

GREEK SCHOOL : Theodore Evangelou

MOMS & TOTS: Presvytera Stephanie Petrides

GOYA/YAL Fr. Alexandros Petrides

MISSIONS

Coordinator : Nitsa Vasiliadis

Secretary: Eleni Pippis

PHILOPTOCHOS : Debbie Mouhlas

SENIOR CITIZENS: Mary Moukoulis

SUNDAY SCHOOL Thalia Schmidt, Stratoniki Hahalis

WEBSITE: www.stnicholas.org

EMAIL: secretary@stnicholas.org

Name of Publication: Orthodox Witness

PARISH COUNCIL 2016 Argeros William

Dectis Peter

Economedes Emmanuel,

Economou Dimitri

Fliakos Valante, Vice President

Garcia Joel,

Giambilis Demetrios,

Hristofas Kostas, Treasurer

Hrousis Costas

Kapsalis Nick Secretary

Lioudis George

Mouhlas George, President

Tatalias Helen

Tatalias V. Emmanuel

Zannakis John

DEADLINE FOR PUBLICATIONS

WEEKLY BULLETIN – PLEASE SUBMIT

ANNOUNCEMENTS

to church office by Thursday.

MONTHLY BOOKLET–

Please submit announcements to church

office by the 15th of the prior month.

Please Note – All articles are subjected to

approval and editing.

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February 2017

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

Greetings in Christ!

On Thursday, February 2nd we celebrate the Presentation of our Lord to the Temple that

provides the basis for churching babies on the 40th day after a child’s birth. Many people do not know it,

but our Church has prayers also for the first day, the 8th day and the 40th day following the birth of a

child. On the first day of birth we do prayers for the good health of the mother and child, on the eighth

day, for the naming of the child, and on the 40th day for the mother and child’s entrance in the Church.

On Tuesday, February 14 and Wednesday the 15th we celebrate one of my favorite saints, Saint

Anthimos of Chios. Saint Anthimos is one of the most recent saints of our Church since he reposed in

1960. Saint Anthimos is a spiritual brother of St Nektarios, since both had the same spiritual father, the

Elder Pachomius. Saint Anthimos is also the spiritual father of the newly proclaimed Saint, St.

Nicephorus the Leper, whose canonization our Metropolitan officially helped, and whose life-sized icon

we have the privilege of having among our newly written icons.

On Sunday February 5th we are beginning the period of time in the Church known as the

Triodion that prepares us for Great Lent with the themes of repentance (Prodigal Son), of humility vs.

pride (Publican and Pharisee) and the Judgement of God (Judgement Sunday).

Afterwards Great Lent begins on February 27 with Clean Monday. During Great Lent we hold

compunctionate services every night, and I hope that we all take advantage of the opportunity to

participate in these.

On Sunday February 19th we will have one Divine Liturgy, followed by our Annual General

Assembly, where we will discuss important issues related to the life of our Church. That same evening

our Church will host a beautiful PanOrthodox Event. The St. Tikhon’s Seminary Choir will present a

concert at the Church at 6:30 PM. It promises to be a wonderful event and I hope that many of you will

be able to come.

The main articles in this bulletin are: the first part of "Parallel Lives of Saints: Saint Seraphim of

Sarov - Saint Paisios the Haghiorite" by Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos, from the magazine of

the Metropolis of Nafpaktos, Church Intervention, "The people who sat in darkness saw a great light”

by Katerina Tsakiris, and "Our life in the church - The church in our in life" by Archimandrite

Methodius Cretekos, the Abbot of the Hermitage of the Resurrection of Christ in Piraeus, which is from

the wonderful magazine Peiraiki Ecclesia.

I hope that these articles will inspire us to struggle spiritually for the glory of God and our own

salvation.

In Christ’s love,

Father Nicholas Palis

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Parallel Lives of Saints: Saint Seraphim

Sarov - SaintPaisios the Haghiorite by the Metropolitan of Nafpaktos. Sir Hierotheos

In the List of Saints of our Church the stories of

many Saints of the Old and New Testament are

preserved who experienced the Grace of God in a

different way each of them, depending on the

conditions they lived. So we have Prophets,

Apostles, saints, martyrs, monastic saints and

ascetics who lived in Monasteries and out of these.

Furthermore they lived also in societies, they were

married and unmarried, they came from all ages

and nationalities. In all ages and in all societies holy

people emerge.

When one reads the synaxarion of our Church, we

see the true ecclesiastical history. Because

ecclesiastical history are not the events that occur

on the surface, the so-called social and historical

events which are recorded by the historians, but the

life and state of the saints. There are various saints,

that is every saint has some particular

characteristics, since the Grace of God acts in him in

a different way, depending on the way he lived, the

age when he lived, and the specific characteristic

features he had. Thus, among the saints, although

there are commonalities, nevertheless there also are

some specificities, as well despite their specificities,

they have many similarities, so their lives are

parallel.

Recently in the List of Saints of our Church has Fr.

Paisios has been numbered, who now is a saint of

our Church and who glorified the God in all his life.

Studying his life I see that it has many similarities

to Saint Seraphim of Sarov. This shows, among

other things, in the experience of God, in the Divine

delving, in the delicate work of the mind, in prayer,

in the heremitic life, in the vision of God, in the

revealing of the Virgin Mary, the saints and angels,

in his communication and relationship with

animals, but also in the joy that he spread to people

whom he met. The lives of these two saints are

almost parallel in many points, even though they

lived in different times and in different countries.

Now I will point out some characteristic points

from the life of these two saints, Saint Seraphim of

Sarov and Saint Paisios, which are similar to each

other.

1. Life in the desert These two saints loved with their whole heart the

desert and hesychastic life, they lived for some time

in the desert and tasted the fruits of the desert with

all its theological significance. Saint Seraphim of

Sarov, lived and shone in the 18th and 19th

centuries, in other words he was born in 1759 and

reposed in 1833. He practiced asceticism first in the

monastery of Sarov, but because he longed to unite

with God, he sought a blessing from his Monastery

in order to live, in his beloved desert. When he

received the blessing he proceeded to the

wilderness of Sarov and for five years he practiced

asceticism in silence, in ascesis, in fasting, in intense

prayer. He entered the depth of the forest and

struggled to live, in the absolute degree the

heremitic life. Among other things he did his

familiar great ascesis, ie he remained for a thousand

days and a thousand nights on a large stone,

praying to God.

And Saint Paisios loved the desert and the

heremitic life a lot. In the beginning of his monastic

life he practiced asceticism in Monasteries of the

Holy Mountain and at the Monastery of Stomio,

Konitsa, and then he was an ascetic in the desert of

Mount Sinai and returned to heremitic locations of

the Holy Mountain. In the book is written about

Saint Paisios by his disciple, the hieromonk Isaac,

entitled "The Life of Elder Paisios the Haghiorite,"

we see his life in the desert of Sinai. When Fr. Isaac

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asked Elder Paisios how he lived on Sinai he

replied:

"My food was tea with biscuit that I made myself. I

made petoura (thin dough sheets) and dried

them in the sun. They became so hard that they

broke like glass. Sometimes I also boiled rice

stuffed* inside a tin can. That also was the coffee

pot and the pan and plate and glass. This tin can

and a spoon a little smaller than a soupspoon

were all my household vessels.

The life of Saint Paisios the Haghiorite was

closely associated with the life of Saint Seraphim

of Sarov in that both had become reconciled with

irrational creation and the wild animals saw in

them the Grace that exuded from them, the grace

of Adam before the fall, as Saint Isaac the Syrian

says.

Furthermore, I had a sweater that I wore at night

to face the cold. I also drank a black tea, to me

help me in the vigil, and also put a spoonful of

sugar more, that corresponded with another

shirt. (That is the calories that the extra sugar

gave him was as if he were wearing one more

sweater). I also had a change of thick clothes,

because at night it was very cold. I did not have

either a lantern or a flashlight, only a lighter, in

order to see a little in the dark, when I was walking

on any path with stone steps. I also needed it to

sometimes light a fire with brushwood, in order to

make something warm. I had a few flints, and a

bottle of oil, very small, for the lighter. Nothing

else.

Once I also planted a tomato root, but then my

thought bothered me and I uprooted it, to not

offend the Bedouins. It seemed incongruous for the

poor Bedouins to not have tomatoes, and I who was

a monk to have even a single root. In the day I

would say the Jesus Prayer and I did handicrafts.

This was my rubric. At night I did a few hours of

prostrations without counting them. I did not read

the service, I did it with the prayer rope.

For the curious not to bother me I made with oil

paint green skulls (a danger sign), on the rocks.

Once a German tourist wanted to climb up. He

thought that it is a minefield, but because it seems

he knew of such things, he was careful where he

was stepping and managed to reach to the top. I

watched him from above. I let him get close, then I

entered the cave of SaintGalaction and pulled a

sheaf of thorns, thorns at the entrance. He searched,

but could not find me he and turned back." This

shows the great ascesis he did similar to the ascesis

of Saint Seraphim of Sarov.

Continue Next Issue

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PARISH COUNCIL MEETING TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2016 MEETING MINUTES

1. Opening Prayer & Spiritual Thoughts: Father Palis opened the meeting with a prayer and spoke about

ST. Afxentios.

2. Report of Priest: Father Palis reported on the Joy Bible study group with regards to the Acts of the

Apostles. He presented Georg Mouhlas with an icon of Saint Nektarios and thanked him for his service as

President. He also thanked outgoing members Stan Vasiladis and Tom Gentis, and welcomed Kosta

Hrousis and Jimmy Gambilis to the Council.

Father Alexy advised us about the upcoming four GOYA events and further advised us that he has been

appointed to be Chairman of the Metropolis Youth Ministry.

3. Role Call & Actions on Excuses for Absence: PRESENT: Manny Tatalias, Joel Garcia, William Argeros,

Manny Economides, Father Nick , Father Alexy, George Mouhlas, Valante Fliakos,Kosta Hristofas,Dimitri

Economou,Stanely Vasiladis, George Lioudis ,Ellen Tatalias, new members, Kosta Hrousis, Jimmy

Gambilis ABSENT: Tom Gentis, Nick Kapsalis,John Zannakis, Peter Dectis

4. Petitions & Communications: A letter was received from Metropolitan Savas thanking us for the

donation which we gave him during our Centennial Celebration, Further We received a Thank you note

from Father Kon.

5. The Minutes of the November meeting were distributed, Valante Fliakos made a motion to approve

seconded by Bill Argeros, passes unanimously.

6. Stweardship: Kosta Hristofas advised is that we need to collect an additional $38,000 by the end of

December to meet our stewardship goal. We have reached 82.67% of our goal.

7. Treasurer’s report: Kosta Hristofas reported that for the month of November our income was $39,787 and

our expenses were $66,964, thus are net income was $-37,177, Kosta also submitted his treasurer’s report.

Motion by Bill Argeros to accept, second by Joel Garcia, passed unanimously.

8. Special Reports/Standing Committees/old business: Regarding the November General assembly and the

issues brought up (recommendations) the council is reviewing these recommendations concerning the

Greek & English languages and has put forth a committee to address these issues, specifically John Pitas

has been informed how these matters will be addressed in the future. A report was given on the

upcoming New Years eve dance and that all prep work is now complete.

9. New Business: All council members were reminded of there responsibility to have coverage if they were

not available for Christmas and New Years Day services. The Oath of Office for the new council members

will be January 15, 2017. The next General Assembly meeting will be February 19, 2017, the next Parish

council meeting will be January 17,2017.

10. Closing Prayer by Father Alexy.

Motion to Adjourn by Kosta Hristofas. Seconded by George Lioudis. Motion passed

unanimously. Father Alexandros Petrides gave the closing prayer.

Rev. Nicholas Palis Bill Argeros George Mouhlas

Dean Acting Secretary President

Rev. Nicholas Palis Athanasios Gentis George Mouhlas

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“The people sitting in darkness saw a great light…” By Katerina Tsakiri

A beloved custom of the Evangelist Matthew is to mention in his plain narrations, prophecies of the Old

Testament related to the person in the work of the Lord. And this, not for sensorial and literary reasons, but for

spiritual and missionary ones. The former publican, with his sacred, divinely inspired authoring was striving to

show his readers, mainly Christians from a Jewish background, that Jesus is He about Whom the prophets of the

Old Testament spoke so much.

Thus the sacred evangelist recalls for the memory of his pious readers, the prophetic verse from the book

of Isaiah, which refers to the work, the public activity of the beloved Lord. Jesus Christ, he writes, came from the

desert of temptations to the area of to Capernaum, beginning His saving work from there, so that what was

spoken by Isaiah the prophet could be fulfilled saying: “the land of Zebulon and the land of Naphtali, the way of

the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the gentiles, the people sitting in darkness saw a great light and to those

sitting in the land and shadow of death a light dawned to them” (Mt. 4:14-16).

And this prophecy of the Old Testament was fulfilled also. That area of Galilee, where the tribes of

Zebulon and Naphtali dwelt, east of the Jordan River, had many idol-worshipping inhabitants, who represented

the whole idol-worshipping world, sunk, according to the prophetic image, in the thick darkness of delusion and

impiety.

They didn’t know the true Triune God. As gods, they worshipped the lifeless idols, to which sometimes,

they even sacrificed their own little children.

They didn’t know that the aim of their life. For what reason had they come into being? To where were

they walking? Why did evil exist in the world? Why pain? Why death? What existed after death? Unknown. A

thick darkness covered all these dreadful questions. Inhabitants of a dreadful world, which was asphyxiatingly

pressured by the dark shadow of sin and of death.

And the Sun of righteousness, Christ, came to enlighten with a joyous light of His Gospel, the dark ancient

world, “sitting in the land and shadow of death”. This is the clear cut Christian perception about humanity before

Christ, who was ignorant, aside from Israel, of the true God, and about its course in history.

So the age before Christ was dark, no matter h if ow much the recent worshipers of antiquity protest. Thus

the Holy Scripture presents it to us, and thus the holy Fathers and furthermore, the sacred Chrysostom,

interpreted it for us.

And the sweet, unsetting and Life-giving light came, it first shown in Capernaum, in Galilee of the gentiles,

so that Isaiah, seeing the Theophany of Christ which occurred “kindly toward us,” cried out centuries before: “the

people sitting in darkness saw a great light…”.

The people saw the light and came out of the darkness of idolatry and of delusion. They crushed the idols

and elevated in their heart the image of the divine Deliverer not made by hands and in there they worshipped

Him with passion and power. A sweet, blessed atmosphere! There where darkness previously reigned, now

people were gazing at the light! This light, from which we also - all of us believers - were washed.

It is the uncreated and unsetting light. The sun of righteousness. The “reflection of glory” of the Father. It

is the exceedingly bright light, which no shadow can overshadow and nothing can darken. It is, as we confess, in

the Symbol of our Faith, “Light of Light”. It is the light that “enlightens every person coming into the world”.

Which shows what our destination on earth is. It is that which helps us perceive the normal value of all things.

So, our Christ is light. And people? The ascertainment that the Evangelist John makes is tragic: “the light”,

he observes, “came into the world and the people loved the darkness rather than the light”.

The commandment of the Apostle Paul is clear and the observations and his counsels in the 5th chapter of

his Epistle to the Ephesians is worthy of much attention. Walk as children of the light, he commands the believers

of the Church of Ephesus but simultaneously also to the believers of the Church of every age. Particularly, we

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would say, to us today, who are living in the neo-idol-worshipping age, in an age of spiritual darkness, as thick as

it was then! The commandment that we have is that we be children of Light, which means children of God.

We are children of Light because Christ is the light of the world. On Mount Thabor the disciples saw

Christ as light, also in other cases thus they saw Him and thus many saints lived Him. Christ Himself called His

disciples with His own name: “you are the light of the world," He told them.

We’re furthermore children of light because we received the Holy Spirit and with the Holy Spirit we

became light-formed children of the Church. With the Holy Spirit we put on the life of Christ, through the Holy

Spirit we commune His Body and Blood and having Christ dwelling in our heart we become children of light and

are called to radiate this light of Christ. The aim of man’s life is to become a partaker of the uncreated light, in

other words a partaker of the life of the Triune God. The beginning of this journey occurs with Holy Baptism,

which is also called enlightenment, and the whole struggle of man is to remain in the light of Christ or to return

with repentance if, in the meantime, with his sins “he darkened the beauty of the soul”. The Apostle Paul stresses:

“see therefore precisely how you’re walking, not as unwise, but as wise, expiating the time, for the days are

wicked, for this reason do not become foolish, but understanding what the will of the Lord is”.

He advises us, in other words, to not remain in darkness but with the will of the Lord as guide, to uproot

from our hearts every wickedness and as truly wise people to use our time to prepare our salvation, freed from all

those passions which darken man’s mind and prevent him from remaining a child of light.

The Lord is not “a great light” only for the past. Every age has need of this divine light. And our own age

has need of His divine radiance. And even if it is an age of scientific development, technical progress and space

conquests. The Lord today also is a light who enlightens and guides contemporary man in his life. With a basic

presupposition however, that the person not closes eyes, that he not reject the light.

With a presupposition that he offers his faith and devotion to the light.

And this faith, will be translated into a struggle which everyone who has the honorary title “sons of light”

must do. Because in order for the true and Life-giving light to prevail in the world, to enlighten it, to sanctify it, it

has need of strugglers. Christ wants all of us to be such strugglers.

Are we ready to undertake sacrifices, struggles and to undergo sacrifices for this light?

Beloved readers, the whole of creation, which comprises a creation of God, “was offered” for man’s service

without any distinction and selection.

The same thing occurs also with the “Sun of righteousness,” Christ. He came to earth in order for people

to be helped for their salvation. The teaching of the Lord is addressed to each person and proves that God “wants

all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth” (1 Tim. 2:4).

We know that in order for us to be united eternally with our Creator and to coreign with Him in His

indestructable Kingdom, it is necessary, in our fleeting passing from this world, that we live the life of repentance

and spiritual struggle.

So let us seek, and let us receive the light of Christ. Let us utilize it so that it dissolves in our life the

various darknesses which encircle us daily. And just as we have entered into a new year, let us always have in our

thought that wherever the light of Christ, His grace and truth prevails, everything becomes bright, optimistic and

joyous.

Let us proceed in our lives according to the will of God and let us use our time in order to live His presence

in our life.

He, in His infinite love saved us from the authority of darkness and placed us in the Kingdom of the Son of

His love. Let us honorably struggle to become worthy of this Kingdom of His.

(Translated from the Peiraike Ecclesia Magazine, Volume 278 February 2016 pp. 6-7)

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PARISH COUNCIL MEETING SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, 2017

MEETING MINUTES FOR OFFICERS ELECTION 1. Father Nicholas Palis opened the meeting with a prayer to start the Parish council officer elections.

2. Father Nicholas Palis opened the nominations for Parish Council President.

a. Valante Fliakos nominates George Mouhlas

b. Second by Manny Economedes

c. George Mouhlas accepts the nomination for Parish President

d. Manny Economedes closed the nominations for Parish Council President

e. Valante Fliakos seconds

f. The motion passed unanimously

3. George Mouhlas opened nominations for Vice President.

a. Bill Argeros nominates Valante Fliakos

b. Manny Economedes seconds

c. Valante Fliakos accepts the nomination

d. Bill Argeros closed the nominations for Vice President

e. Pete Dectis seconds

f. The motion passed unanimously

4. George Mouhlas opened nominations for Secretary.

a. Manny Economedes nominates Nick Kapsalis

b. Kosta Hristofas seconds

c. Nick Kapsalis accepts the nomination for Secretary

d. Bill Argeros closes the nominations

e. Valante Fliakos seconds

f. The motion passed unanimously

5. George Mouhlas opened nominations for Treasurer.

a. Peter Dectis nominates Kostas Hristofas

b. Bill Argeros seconds

c. Kosta Hristofas accepts the nomination for Treasurer

d. Bill Argeros closes the nominations

e. Valante Fliakos seconds

f. The motion passed unanimously

6. Ellen Tatalias closes nominations, second by Pete Dectis. The motion passed unanimously

7. Fr. Nicholas Palis closes with a prayer.

Rev. Nicholas Palis Nick Kapsalis George Mouhlas

Dean Secretary President

Rev. Nicholas Palis Nick Kapsalis George Mouhlas

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?

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Our life in the church

The church in our life

By Archimandrite Methodius Cretekos

Saint Paisios once ended up in Athens, for some matter of his. On Sunday, in the Church where he went,

during the time of the Divine Liturgy, the little children who were serving in the altar – and some other ones who

were there –were speaking and making noise. By chance, as was ascertained afterwards, there was also a Roman

Catholic fellow there, and he had been very scandalized. When the Divine Liturgy ended, he told the Saint:

“Father, did you see what noise the children were making in the altar? To us, when we have the divine

liturgy, you can’t even hear the breath of the people.”

And the Saint, smiling, answered:

“The little children feel comfortable here and move thus freely, because they know that they are in their

Father’s home and not in some foreign home!” (Priestmonk Christodoulos, The Elder Paisios, page 222).

Of course, with this saying of his, the saint is not legalizing unruliness in the church. He does not rejoice

with the noise. He is not boasting saying “thus are we Orthodox”. Furthermore, he is speaking about little

children. We know furthermore, that he himself, not only was not “comforted” with noise in Church, but he

toiled constantly standing like a lantern and completely motionless in the many hour long services of the Holy

Mountain. He had such a feeling. Once he fell flat in the stall having fainted – the cancer had exhausted him –

and, as soon as he recovered, again standing, like the Seraphim, he continued the liturgy.

But our Saint wants to tell us that the Church for the Orthodox is the home of the Father. We move

comfortably. We breathe freely. And since it is the Father’s home, it is also our own home, something that the

children feel and experience unforcedly and naturally.

“To us you can’t even hear a breath”, the Roman Catholic fellow said. Why however? The Middle Age

texts of the West – and their spirit has not yet been wiped out in the worshipping sense of the westerners – God

seems fearful above man. Man sees God with dread. Before Him he is crushed. This lived sense of the Divine is

transubstantiated architecturally in the super huge and very tall cathedral churches of the European capitals.

They are monuments of art. But also monuments of fear. God is lived as a mysterium tremendum (a mystery

which causes dread). The doors of these churches are very tall. What did they want them for? Man passing

through these resembles small, slight, unimportant. The sharp pointed bell towers of the Gothic churches depict

the most penetrating cry of agony of miniscule man towards the Firm One of Heaven, who knows how to hold

despotically His rights over His creations.

Many things may have changed from then in the West – the Lord knows. May it be! In any case, in

Orthodoxy, the Divine is and is lived par excellence as Father. Our Christ taught us this. That we call God,

Father. “Our Father” we address Him in the Lord’s Prayer. And the Holy Spirit that indwells in every

conscientious Orthodox urges him to call God dear father, “abba Father”. In other words, to call God “dad”. With

certainty, spaciousness, joy and comfortableness. With unlimited trust in all that He tells him. There’s the

Orthodox experience! And fear? What place can fear have? It also has its place. The Orthodox is not unfearing of

God. He fears that something not creep in his heart, and his relationship with the Father be disturbed, shaken, torn

down.

That’s why sin is harmful. It is not that it makes us evil people, “bad children” for us to express ourselves

in a childlike manner. It is that it separates us from the source of life, of joy of love: God. Sin is suicide.

We spoke about our attitude in Church. Let us not forget, however, that man himself (body and soul) is a

living temple of the living God. The baptized Orthodox Christian who partakes in repentance in the life of the

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Church and her Sacraments, who struggles in love the spiritual struggle. “Brethren, you are a living temple

of God” - the Apostle Paul proclaims, with boasting, but also with a sense of responsibility which goes along with

this – as God said that I will indwell in them and walk among them.” So for this reason, the Orthodox respects, for

the sake of God, himself and does not roll in the impurity of sin.

From our holy fathers we learned that it is better that you take the icon of Christ and defile it, throwing it

in the mud – something of course dreadful and unheard of – rather than defiling your body, your own self, the

living icon of Christ, the living temple of God.

It is documented that in ancient Rome there were hunting Parks. The noblemen would hunt wild pigs,

deer, and rabbits there. However among all the deer, there was one which bore on it an inscription, which said: “I

am Caesar’s”. I belong to Caesar. This, as soon as the hunters would see it, they would lower their bows. They

were not allowed to kill it, because it belonged exclusively to Caesar.

Thus also every Orthodox Christian. He belongs to Christ. If he realizes this, he inscribes it in his mind, he

believes it with his heart, he feels it as the greatest and most sacred boast of his, this person is now really God’s,

and he glorifies Him with his life. “Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s”.

We said however that a presupposition for man to truly comprise the temple of God, is that he partake in

the sacramental life of the Church, in other words, of the Body of Christ. And this is realized mainly in the

Church, in the building that has been sanctified in the name of the Triune God. The Church gathers us together. In

the Church we meet, together with our brothers, God. And all brothers, small temples, in the large Temple,

achieve our salvation. Salvation is not an individual achievement. It is an ecclesiastical grace and a gift. It is the

end of an ecclesiastical life. The end which is the beginning of eternity.

In the Church memory is preserved. Inside it we remember whatever we forget outside of the gate. Man is

forgetful. Here however, we are reminded what our destination is, for where we set out. And not only do we not

forget, we foretaste, furthermore.

In the Church the sacred Tradition is preserved. It is not simply the habits and customs of our people. It is

not even this. It is the way that God is experienced. The Church is the bearer of the spirit, of the Holy Spirit.

The Church is the House of God. It is full of the glory of the Lord. Many times in Churches, saints and

angels appeared. Father Iakovos Tsalikis would always see angels in the Divine Liturgy. In the sacred altar, in the

consecrated Churches, an angel resides. Some people were granted to see him also.

“I am here from the first liturgy that was celebrated in this Church,” an angel said in one such case. But

what do we say? Christ Himself rests upon the holy altar table, in the holy tabernacle. So the Church is a border

and meeting of heaven and earth. It is the palace of the heavenly king upon earth.

In the Church the irrational passions are put to sleep and put to flight. Here we grow spiritually. Here the

divine eros sparks in the hearts of the vigilant and those who are obedient to the divine voices.

In the Church, the life of the believer changes. If he learns to partake in the worship, he becomes a beautiful

person. He takes something of the manner of the saints and of the angels. He obtains spiritual nobility. This is

lacking from today’s unincensed world.

The Orthodox Christian is a small temple of God. He enters together with his brothers into the large

Temple, in the home of the Father. He lives with comfort and freedom.

With vigilance and nobility. With excitement and the elevation.

(Translated from the Peiraike Ecclesia Magazine, Volume 278 February 2016 pp. 24-25)

15

COMMUNITY NEWS / UPCOMING EVENTS

STEWARDSHIP IS LIKE OXYGEN FOR OUR CHURCH! Stewardship is the most important financial source we

have to sustain our church, and our church needs loving and heartfelt support! Our fixed monthly costs at

St. Nicholas are aroun $48,000.00. This means that the treasurer (rain, snow, or sunshine) must find

$48,000.00 to pay the obligations of the church each month. Currently, one third of our parish‘s income is

derived from the stewardship pledges. This means that we depend on other, external, sources to sustain

70% of our church needs. If this is OUR community, why should we expect someone else to pay for it?!

We thank you for your continued stewardship effort, by giving of your time, talent and treasure as God

has provided you the ability to.

ICONOGRAPHY: Many thanks to the generous supporters of this beautiful and important work for our

Church to this point. The next stage will complete the remaining side areas of the nave. Please see Fr.

Palis, Steve Kandianis or Niko Tatalias if you have questions, or if you are interested in donating an icon

in honor of your family. Arches: Angels in Medallions, Holy Myrrhbearers on the left (Ss. Mary

Magdalene, Joanna, Salome, Mary and Martha (sisters of St. Lazarus) and Susanna) and Holy

Unmercenaries on the right (Ss. Cosmas and Damian of Arabia, Cyrus and John, Tryphon the Great

Martyr. Side Saints: half and full-body saints of your choice (see the committee members listed above).

Also available: Ss. Mark of Ephesus, Photios the Great, Eleni of Sinope, Myrope of Chios, Symeon and

Daniel the Stylites (half-body); St. Symeon the New Theologian (full body). Scenes: The Parable of the

Sower (left), The Theotokos greeting Elizabeth (with Christ and the Forerunner in the womb) (right).

COMMUNITY SOCIAL EVENTS

FUNERALS

OUR SINCERE CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY OF ANTHONY CARAMUCHE who reposed to the lord in Greese

recently. May God rest his soul and grant comfort to his family. May his memory be eternal.

OUR SINCERE CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILIES OF PETER DECTIS AND SANDY STERNS for their Mother

Frances Dectis who reposed to the Lord on January 15, May God rest her soul and grant comfort to her

family. May her memory be eternal.

OUR SINCERE CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY OF JOHN GALITIS who reposed in the Lord. His funeral was

last week. May his memory be eternal

SENIOR CITIZENS NEXT MEETING is February 13. Please park in the back lot & come in through the back

doors of the Hall. The front door will be locked for security.

MISSION NEWS

Dear Nitsa, rejoice in the Lord.

Today we received the container and unloading it in our mission.

Thank you very much both, you that you undertook this great work, and the other brothers and friends

of foreign Mission for the services offered.

We pray that God may recompense your toils and your efforts in a multitude of ways. Please pass on

our thanks to all who helped in many ways to send the container.

God be with you.

16

With love Christ Ignatius of Madagascar

GREEK/ROMAIC SCHOOL NEWS

Areti Ketime Concert (April 29th) tickets will be sold starting this Sunday after the first service! Get your

tickets early so you can reserve your seats! They will go fast! Also, please considering

sponsoring/advertising at this event - take the sponsor sheet from the table outside of the office.

We need your help to make this a success!

Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make our Greek Letters Day celebration a success! A

special thank you to the Hellenic Society for sponsoring the dinner.

There will be no Greek School on Monday, February 20th.

The Greek Independence Day program has been changed to April 2nd.

The Romaic School Dance Group will perform Greek dances at the Philoptochos event on Saturday,

February 18th, at 3:00 pm. We thank the Philoptochos ladies for their kind invitation!

2017 GRADUATING SENIORS OF FREEDOM AND LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOLS: are invited to be considered for the

Bethlehem Daughters of Penelope "Good Citizenship Award." Submit your name and a list of your

activities and other contributions of good citizenship to Mary Moukoulis (via Church Office) before May

1st. Applicants must be children of Greek descendants, graduating F.H.S. or L.H.S. in June 2017

BIBLE STUDIES Bible Study on the Gospel of John on Monday nights at 7 PM with Fr. Nick and Mr.

Kosta Zalalas will continue his Bible Study on Wednesday nights on the 1st Epistle of John.

TOTS AND JOYTOTS Mom's get together on Saturday morning, Feb 18, from 10-12am. We will discuss

the first 4 chapters of Dr. Mamalakis' book called Parenting Toward the Kingdom. Please RSVP to Pres.

Stephanie Petrides.

JOY Bible Study and Synaxis: Sun. Feb 12, 5:00pm. On the Acts of the Apostles.

SUMMER CAMP REGISTRATION opens on Monday, February 6th @ 7:00 p.m. Last year we sold out a

session of summer camp in 9 minutes, so please be punctual in registering. The dates for the various

summer camp sessions are already posted on the Metropolis website.www.pittsburgh.goarch.org.

GOYA Basketball Tournament - February 18th, 2017. The boys GOYA basketball team will be attending

a Basketball Tournament in Wilmington, Delaware. Please rsvp to fralexandros@stnicholas.org if you

are interested in attending.

GOYA Spring Retreat 2017. The Retreat will start Friday, March 31st – Sunday, April 2nd. Keynote

speaker: Fr. Alexandros Petrides, the new Youth Commission Co-Chair. Theme: “What Matters?

Exploring Our Relationship with God’s Creation.”

Regional GOYA Lock-in: March 10-11 at Sts. Constantine & Helen, Reading. Hellenic College/Holy

Cross Ambassadors will be coming to run the overnight retreat. Save the date!

Oratorical Festival - The youth of St. Nicholas are invited to present their papers for the St. John

Chrysostom Oratorical Festival, which will be on Fri. February 24th at 5pm, starting with a fast free

Friday pizza dinner.

The Center for Orthodox Thought and Culture announces 2017 Summer Program for Young Orthodox

Scholars. July 7-15 at Eastern University in Radnor, PA