THE NEWS FROM ST. NEKTARIOS

The Greatest Mission of my life Fr. Nektarios Karantonis

Inside this Issue

Focus on our

Community 2

Honoring our 80+ year

old birthday members 3

Honoring our 2019

graduates 3

Ordination of

Fr. Nektarios 4-5

HUMS (Holy

Unmercenaries) Retreat

at the Diakonia Center

6- 7

Financial Matters 8

Pilgrimage to St.

Photios Shrine 9

Youth Pages 10 - 11

Saints of our Faith 12

VOLUME

Your Eminence Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta, reverend fathers, devout deacons, brothers and sisters in Christ,

Christ is in our midst!

Seven months ago, on the occasion of the Feast Day of St. Nektarios of Aegina, I was blessed in more than one way. I was made a holy deacon of the Church and I was given the new name Nektarios on his feast day, in one of the blessed communities that are in his name. This has truly been one of the greatest blessings that God has bestowed on me. Throughout my life, I have been made aware of God’s love and mercy in the form of this saint. St. Nektarios has interceded for me since my birth, he has been with me since the first time I knew in my heart that I would one day serve the church and he has guided me in serving Christ and His body even up to this very moment where I stand awaiting to fulfill this calling that has drawn me even more near to Christ.

As I stood in awe on the day of my diaconate ordination of God’s presence in my life, I can say that today I stand even more in awe and thanksgiving as I answer God’s calling to become a presbyter, one who, although unworthy, is made worthy and complete by the Grace of the Holy Spirit. It is with this acute knowledge of unworthiness that I stand before you today, understanding the magnitude of the blessing and responsibility that will be given to me to keep the Holy Mysteries sacred and to minister to the people of God faithfully.

It is within the priesthood that we are called to bring others to the knowledge of Christ, to heal those who are sick and to bring the joy of the Resurrection to the lives of the faithful. It is through our dedication to the commandments of Christ that we can truly be transformed and no longer live for ourselves, but for God, who is our master and benefactor. Through the Divine Grace of God we become instruments of His love, seeking to bring others to this transformation through the divine sacraments.

It is with zeal and excitement that I prepare to enter the Holy

Sanctuary for the last time in the office of the diaconate and prepare to be transformed by the Holy Spirit into the office of the priesthood. I realize that although my title changes, I will never cease being a deacon. I will never cease using the tools that I have gained as a deacon. I will never cease being a servant. As our Lord said, I have come to serve, not to be served. I pray that St. Nektarios continues to intercede on my behalf and on behalf of my family and continues guiding me on the path of holiness as I begin in the Lord’s priesthood.

Your Eminence, I must express my gratitude to you. For by your hand and through your prayers the Holy Spirit grants me

entrance to the ranks of the Holy Priesthood. When we spoke briefly last week, I felt your paternal blessings and love through your words and look forward to cultivating my relationship with you as my bishop and spiritual shepherd. Although we have not been in Charlotte long, the faithful of this community have embraced us and have given us support, confidence, and love. I am thankful that I have Fr. Steve as my mentor in this community, and look forward to following his example and learning from his loving wisdom. I am honored to be given this blessed opportunity to serve such a diverse and vibrant Orthodox community and pray that I always remain a humble, loving and worthy servant.

As I reflect on the joy that I have felt in this week and all of the loving people who have welcomed me and my family here, I cannot help but feel overwhelmed. We truly feel the love of Christ in this community and are happy and excited to call St. Nektarios home.

Today my work as a presbyter begins. It is by far the greatest mission that I will take on in my life. The work I do will be for the Glory of God and until my last breath, I will hold myself accountable for this immense responsibility that is given to me. This is why I will continuously ask for the prayers and intercessions of the Theotokos, St. Nektarios, and all of the saints as I seek to serve Christ and His Church in the Office of the Holy Priesthood.

“ Today my work

as a presbyter

begins.”

“Today my work

as a presbyter

begins.”

2

In our prayers

John & Helene Antone Pat Baker Helen Bondurant Sandy Brewer John Bugg David & Toly Bunich

Greg Burns Joseph and Jean Candela Kathryn Colangelo Cleo Demopoulos

Sofia, Elenie & Evniki Dimou Shannon Elliot Theona Gallis Ted Gillis Jennifer Hamrick family

Hank Hanegraaff Maria Heracklis Cynthia Hicklin Robin & Benny Hunt Elias K. Georgia Kalivas

Melony & Eric Kawamura Maria Kleto Evelyn Klund Dean Kondilis Arthur Lage Mary Longshore

Steve Mantekas Catherine Manthos Jack McCullough Anna Maria Medvid Melton family

Michael Christopher Mentavlos Tish Merrill Donald J. Morra Jody Murphy Jodie Murray

Pitsa and George Nicolopoulos Sofia Nicolopoulos Christina Nixon Katherine Panteliodis

Pamela Parson Margaret Phillips Mark Phillips Liliana Pinilla M. Rogers Lisa Rubino

Maxsim Selyavo Cora Shvarts Glen Smythers Teziah Stalling Angela Stefanou Brian Sutherland

Paul Tuttle Paul U. Phillip Walker Ron Wheatley Katrina Wilson

FOR THOSE IN SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY

Helene Carras Buddy Craft Jordan James Dunn Krassimire Ivanov Nicholas Kachulis

Michael Constantine Mentavlos Zack Millsaps Matthew Millsaps Amanda Moril

Danielle Zervakos Nickolopoulos Anton Savin

Congratulations and best wishes

To Angela Romano and John Dalber on their marriage

To Norelle Baker and Dean Thevaos on their marriage

To Delilah and Alaa Kobercy on the 40 day blessing of their daughter Selena

To Marie and Stelios Vantelas on the baptism of their daughter, Serena Stavroula

To Alexandra and Sergiu Grossu on the 40 day blessing and baptism of their daughter, Ila

To Vara Hopkins on her baptism

To Mira Farah and Nikolaos Kakavitsas on the 40 day blessing of William and Evan’s brother, Alexander

To Nadine and Alex Rosekrans on the baptism of Sylar and Jacqueline’s sister, Estrella “Star”

With Sympathy on the passing

of our beloved brothers and sisters in Christ

To the family of Maria Pam Copsis on her passing

To the Chelpon and Tsoukatos families on the passing of Sue C. Tsoukatos

To the Dendrolivanos family on the passing of Joanna’s mother, Vasiliki Katsoulis

To the Alyateem family on the passing of Kholoud’s father, George Speer Ghanem

To the Karres and Dizes families on the passing of Pam Dizes

In Appreciation

Thank you to Kim Braswell, Helen Giles, John Cosmas, Presbytera Ellia, Kholoud & Alaeddin Alyateem,

Reema Choeiri, Nino Japaridze, Evelyn Klund and all who submitted photos for this month’s newsletter.

Thanks to Diane Gilbert and Copycat for printing the Church Bulletin and Newsletter.

kclewell@stnektarios.org

THE DORMITION OF OUR MOST HOLY LADY THE THEOTOKOS AND

EVER VIRGIN MARY

August 15

C oncerning the Dormition of the Theotokos, this is what the Church has

received from ancient times from the tradition of the Fathers. When the time drew nigh that our Savior was well-pleased to take His Mother to Himself, He declared unto her through an Angel that three days hence, He would translate her from this temporal life to eternity and bliss. On hearing this, she went up with haste to the Mount of Olives, where she prayed continuously. Giving thanks to God, she returned to her house and prepared whatever was necessary for her burial. While these things were taking place, clouds caught up the Apostles from the ends of the earth, where each one happened to be preaching, and brought them at once to the house of the Mother of God, who informed them of the cause of their sudden gathering. As a mother, she consoled them in their affliction as was meet, and then raised her hands to Heaven and prayed for the peace of the world. She blessed the Apostles, and, reclining upon her bed with seemliness, gave up her all-holy spirit into the hands of her Son and God.

With reverence and many lights, and chanting burial hymns, the Apostles took up that God-receiving body and brought it to the sepulcher, while the Angels from Heaven chanted with them, and sent forth her who is higher than the Cherubim. But one Jew, moved by malice, audaciously stretched forth his hand upon the bed and immediately received from divine judgment the wages of his audacity. Those daring hands were severed by an invisible blow. But when he repented and asked forgiveness, his hands were restored. When they had reached the place called Gethsemane, they buried there with honor the all-immaculate body of the Theotokos, which was the source of Life. But on the third day after the burial, when they were eating together, and raised up the artos (bread) in Jesus' Name, as was their custom, the Theotokos appeared in the air, saying "Rejoice" to them. From this they learned concerning the bodily translation of the Theotokos into the Heavens.

These things has the Church received from the traditions of the Fathers, who have composed many hymns out of reverence, to the glory of the Mother of our God.

from: www.goarch.org “Copyright © Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, used by

permission. All rights reserved.”

3

Sabrina Collias graduated from the

University of North Carolina at

Chapel Hill with a Psychology Degree

and will be starting her permanent

position at the UNC Dental School

laboratory in July.

Laura Wallace graduated

from South Mecklenburg

High School and will be

attending Anderson

University in the fall,

majoring in Secondary

Education.

Sophia Georgiou

graduated from Myers Park

High School and will be

attending UNC at Chapel

Hill in the fall. She hopes to

double major in Business

and Public Policy.

P ictured here are some of our high

school and college graduates

who responded to our request for

photos. We pray for God’s blessings for

all of our graduates. Always remember

that your St. Nektarios family is here

for you and we are praying you will find

an Orthodox church in your new area

where you will be able to get involved.

Congratulations to all of you and may

God bless you on your new journey.

Birthday Party for our 80+ members

O n Sunday, July 14, 2019 we honored our 80+ year old

members with a special birthday celebration. Thank you all for your wisdom and example of Christ shown to us through the years. We will strive to follow in your steps with grace in our Lord. Happy birthday to you all and many more! Thank you to everyone who helped make this day possible through your hard work and to Kholoud & Alaeddin Alyateem for the beautiful photos.

Kim Sheree’ Braswell

Congratulations to our High School & College Graduates

4

Ordination of deacon Nektarios

Above right: Fr. Nektarios giving his 1st

communion as priest to Presbytera Ellia

THE SACRAMENT OF ORDINATION

O n the day of Pentecost, when the Church

was established, the Apostles were

entrusted with the responsibility of continuing the

saving work of Christ for future generations. The

Sacrament of Holy Orders (Ordination) has been

handed down from the time of the Apostles to the

present day, an unbroken chain of apostolic

succession to the clergy of the Orthodox Church.

Through this succession the Bishops, Priests and

Deacons of the Orthodox Church are direct

descendants of the Apostles.

Ordination is a divinely instituted Sacrament by

which the Holy Spirit, through the Bishop, bestows

the grace of priesthood. Bishops, the modern day

Apostles and chief administrators of the Church,

perform ordinations through the laying on of hands.

The Sacrament of Ordination does not simply

appoint the candidate to a certain office in the

Church, but through the action of the Holy Spirit he

receives the indwelling of divine power that

sanctifies him and leads him toward a life of

virtuous service. Through Ordination the Church

continues the authoritative and infallible teaching of

Christ, the celebration of the Holy Mysteries and

the administration of the Christian community by

the Holy Spirit.

On July 21st, we gathered to pray that the

servant of God, Deacon Nektarios Karantonis, who

was entering the Holy Priesthood, would be a

worthy servant of Christ and His Church.

Those who were in attendance prayerfully

participated in this sacrament. As the congregation

knelt, His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios offered

the following prayer:

O God, who have no beginning and no end; who are older than every created thing; who crown with the name of Presbyter those whom You deem worthy to serve the Word of

Your Truth in the divine mystery of this degree: Do You, the same Lord of all people, deign to preserve in pureness of life and in unswerving faith this man also, upon whom, through me, You have graciously been pleased to lay hands. Be favorably pleased to grant him the great grace of Your Holy Spirit, and make him completely Your servant, in all things acceptable to You, and worthily exercising the great honors of the Priesthood, which You have conferred upon him by Your penetrating power. For Yours is the majesty, and Yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory, of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and

unto the ages of ages.

At the conclusion of the prayers, Metropolitan

Alexios raised the new priest and presented him to

the congregation with the proclamation of

“Axios!” (He is worthy) The clergy and laity joyfully

responded with “Axios!”

Above: Deacon Paul Tsahakis, Fr. Steve Dalber, His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios,

Father Nektarios Karantonis, Fr. John Wallace and Deacon Stephen Potter

5

To the Holy Priesthood ~ July 21, 2019

Above: Ordination photos, Father Nektarios and Presbytera Ellia Karantonis

with their families and the clergy and also photos at the reception as well as

our members preparing for the reception

6

T he Holy Unmercenaries Medical Society (HUMS)

met at the breathtakingly beautiful Diakonia Retreat Center (DRC) from May 17-19, 2019 for its third annual retreat. The theme of this year’s retreat was “Healing the Healer,” led by Dn. Dr. Stephen Muse.

The weekend began with a presentation by Dn. Paul Tsahakis, which linked the healing ministry of Jesus Christ with its contemporary expression…the ministry of the Holy Unmercenaries Medical Society. The presentation included an explanation of the expanded understanding of “healthcare” as defined by the Holy Unmercenary Saints of our Church, which included; medical healing, providing for the material needs of the poor, as well as proclaiming the Gospel

of Jesus Christ.

Thereafter, Dn. Dr. Muse carefully and prayerfully explored the Orthodox concept of “healing” (body and soul) with the thirty attendees. The role of the physician as a holistic healer who must encounter each patient as a “person” created in God’s image was presented. The ultimate goal of such holistic treatment is a “sanctified heart.”

Additionally, the Orthodox

understanding and role of “discernment” in the overall field of science was discussed. Contemporary and controversial topics, such as medically-assisted suicide, were explored

and evaluated. Ultimately, each retreat attendee was led to the understanding that contemporary methods of healing that include “control of the other,” must yield to the

HUMS THIRD ANNUAL RETREAT

7

reality that true healing consists of a “self-offering” of the healer to the patient in imitation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The weekend included daily morning and evening worship services led by the DRC’s Chaplain, Fr. Constantine Carras. These worship experiences served to help unite the attendees, who came from throughout the Holy Metropolis of Atlanta, and many of whom did not previously know one another. Other fellowship opportunities included individual heartfelt and prayerful “faith expressions” of some of the attendees. Fr. Dino surprised and delighted everyone with a Saturday evening bonfire by the lake, which was further illuminated with a full moon! All attendees were thoroughly satisfied with the retreat center’s accommodations and with the delicious and plentiful meals.

HUMS THIRD ANNUAL RETREAT

8

9

O ur ninth & tenth graders spent time

this spring fundraising for their trip

to St. Photios Shrine in Florida and their

efforts were a success. Thank you to all

who participated by baking items for the

bake sale and to the parents who guided

them. Thank you to the St. Nektarios

Endowment Fund for supporting their trip.

This pilgrimage is organized by Gerry

Clonaris every two years. Thank you to

Gerry for his interest in the spiritual lives of

our children each week in catechism, as

well as taking them on this bi-annual

journey. Thank you to our chaperones

Niki Kleto, who has made this trip twice,

and to Alexa and Daniel Houlis who joined

us for the first time this year.

The articles are from Days 1 & 2 written by Sophia Tefakis and Eleni Kash. Next month we will feature articles about Days 3 & 4. Please make sure to look for them in our

next issue.

Kim Sheree’ Braswell

9th & 10th grade Trip To St. Photios’ Shrine ~ Days 1-2

Day 1

T he ninth and tenth grade Sunday school class pilgrimage to Saint Photios Shrine

in Saint Augustine, Florida began on Thursday, June 20. We boarded a charter bus around 12:30 in the afternoon. Although it was a six hour drive, we had lots of laughs and plenty of time to get to know each other better. Mr. Gerry Clonaris explained why we were going to the Saint Photios Shrine and what we would be seeing over the next couple of days. He told us that the Shrine is a very important religious place for many Orthodox Christians and symbolizes our faith. As we arrived at the hotel, we rushed to our rooms to set our luggage down and immediately put on our bathing suits to go

swimming. We swam most of the night and then went to our rooms to prepare for the next day. We were accompanied by great chaperones including Daniel and Alexa Houlis and Niki Kleto. It was a great first day and kick off to our trip!

Sophia Tefakis

Day 2

O n Friday we visited the St. Photios Shrine, the first Greek Orthodox Shrine in America, dedicated to the first colony

of Greek people who came to America in 1768. The Shrine is filled with icons and the history of the Greek settlers. It also holds relics from 18 different saints. We then broke out into three groups and attended three sessions on understanding our Orthodox Relics, the history of the St. Photios Shrine and a special session on discussing how to apply in our daily lives those things we have learned in our Sunday catechism classes.

After visiting the Shrine we all went to eat lunch at Athena’s (because that’s just what Greek people do). Following lunch some of us went to visit the fort, Castillo de San Marcos, while the rest of us shopped. Eventually we returned to the hotel to have dinner at San Marco’s pizza which was followed by Greek dancing in the parking lot. We ended our night by having a pool party and then returning to our rooms to get ready for Saturday.

Eleni Kash

Above: Castillo de San Marcos

Left: Relics at St. Photios Shrine

Below: Inside St. Photios Shrine

10

11

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DIRECTORY

Church Office: 704-708-4669

Church Fax: 704-846-6094

Email: office@stnektarios.org

Website: www.stnektarios.org

5108 Kuykendall Rd. Charlotte, NC 28270

Father Steve Dalber, Protopresbyter

Home: 704-708-4638

Cell Phone: 704-451-6524

Email: frdalber@stnektarios.org

Fr. Nektarios Karantonis, Presbyter

Cell Phone: 980-829-5215

Email: frkarantonis@stnektarios.org

Dn. Father Stephanos Potter

Dn. Father Paul Tsahakis

2019 Parish Council

President: Charlie Hubbard

Vice President: Christina Bonderer

Treasurer: Despina Gallis

Assist. Treasurer: Aka Vashakidze

Secretary: Jacob Saylor

Assist. Secretary: John Paul Tsahakis

Members: George Bacogeorge,

Teresa Jacob, Peter Keretsis, Nadia Khoury,

and Teddy Poulos

Parish Administrator

Evelyn Klund

Director of Youth Ministries

Helen Giles

Music Ministry Coordinator

Deacon Paul Tsahakis

Music Directors

Jeff Clewell, Dina Marinakos-Oara

Administration Staff

Silva Awaimrin, Kim Braswell,

Carol Jelush, Niki Kleto, and

Sofia Nicolopoulos

Property Manager

Tim Shelton

Ministry Associate

Daniel Houlis

Philoptochos Board President: Thalia Fergione

Vice President: Charlotte Nickolopoulos

Recording Secretary: Helen Clonaris

Corresponding Secretary: Joanne Kiser

Treasurer: Madalina Lowen

Ass’t. Treasurer: Evelyn Klund

Members: Helen Bakos, Dee Drobonick,

Maria Kleto, Niki Kleto, Ana Levantis,

Ritsa Neary, Rita Pappas, Bessie Vrettos,

Maria Wheatley (Advisor)

SUNDAYS AT

Worship

Matins 8:15 a.m. and Divine Liturgy:

9:15 a.m.

Youth Catechism:

Following Divine Liturgy

Fellowship Coffee:

Following the Divine Liturgy

Prosfora

Please contact the church office or Christie

Asimos at 704-756-1512 if you would like to

provide or sponsor Prosfora.

Coffee Hour Please contact the church office if you

would like to host or co-host a Coffee Hour

on Sunday. Your Stewardship pays for the

coffee hour refreshments provided by the

Hospitality Ministry Team.

Flowers

You may donate flowers in honor of a family

member’s feast day, in memory

of a loved one or friend, on the occasion

of a holiday, or simply as a gift to the

community of St. Nektarios. To donate

flower arrangements to be placed at the

Iconostasis, St. Nektarios Shrine or in the

Narthex for Sunday Services, please

contact the church office to reserve a

Sunday.

Sacramental Wine

& Pure Olive Oil

You may make a financial gift to help defray

the cost of the sacramental wine that is

used for Holy Communion. Please note on

the memo line of your check or on the

envelope “Communion Wine”. You may also

donate a bottle or can of pure olive oil which

is then blessed at the Shrine of St.

Nektarios and is offered in the anointing

kits. Please feel free to bring this with you to

any of our services and give to an usher on

duty. For additional information contact the

church office.

UPCOMING DEADLINE

Newsletter & Bulletin Due Dates:

Information Due: August 13, 2019

Published: August 20, 2019

OUR MISSION:

St. Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church is dedicated to the continuation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s ministry of salvation through the proclamation and

teaching of the Gospel;

through Baptism in the name of the

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;

and through loving service to God and to mankind.

OUR VISION:

The community will provide a loving, caring and welcoming environment where all belong

and grow in the faith through worship, service, witness, and fellowship.

Panteleimon the

Great Martyr &

Healer

July 27

This Saint, who had Nicomedia as

his homeland, was the son of

Eustorgius and Eubula. His father

was an idolater, but his mother was a Christian from her

ancestors. It was through her that he was instructed in

piety, and still later, he was catechized in the Faith of Christ

by Saint Hermolaus (see July 26) and baptized by him.

Being proficient in the physician's vocation, he practiced it

in a philanthropic manner, healing every illness more by

the grace of Christ than by medicines. Thus, although his

parents had named him Pantoleon ("in all things a lion"),

because of the compassion he showed for the souls and

bodies of all, he was worthily renamed Panteleimon,

meaning "all-merciful." On one occasion, when he restored

the sight of a certain blind man by calling on the Divine

Name, he enlightened also the eyes of this man's soul to

the knowledge of the truth. This also became the cause for

the martyrdom of him who had been blind, since when he

was asked by whom and in what manner his eyes had been

opened, in imitation of that blind man of the Gospel he

confessed with boldness both who the physician was and

the manner of his healing. For this he was put to death

immediately. Panteleimon was arrested also, and having

endured many wounds, he was finally beheaded in the

year 305, during the reign of Maximian. Saint Panteleimon

is one of the Holy Unmercenaries, and is held in special

honor among them, even as Saint George is among the

Martyrs.

http://www.goarch.org

“Copyright © Holy Transfiguration Monastery,

Brookline, MA, used by permission. All rights reserved.”