ARCHBISHOP IAKOVOS LEADERSHIP 100 ENDOWMENT FUND INCORPORATEDVOLUME IV, ISSUE 1 - SPRING 2003

Serving Orthodoxy and Hellenism in America

New York, NY — The Leader-ship 100 Award for Excellencewas presented to United StatesSenator Paul S. Sarbanes, CIA Director George J. Tenet and the famed contemporaryinstrumentalist Yanni at the 12th Annual Conference of the Archbishop Iakovos Lead-er ship 100 Endowment Fund, held February 19-23, atThe Ritz-Carlton in AmeliaIsland, Florida.

Arthur C. Anton was re-elect-ed to a third two-year term asChairman of the almost 20-yearold Endowment Fund, whichhas supported the critical min-istries of the Greek OrthodoxArchdiocese of America. A record 360 members andguests attended the conference.Leadership 100 is fast approach-ing a record 700 members aftera membership drive over the lastthree years and has raisedalmost $40 million in newcommitments.

The CIA Director, GeorgeTenet, was the first to receive theLeadership 100 Award for Excel-lence after delivering a stirring

SARBANES, TENET AND YANNI HONORED,ARTHUR ANTON RE-ELECTED CHAIRMANAT RECORD-BREAKING L100 CONFERENCE

talk at the Forum on Hellenismon Thursday, February 20. Theson of Greek immigrants, Tenetcalled the gathering his extend-ed family and said he awoke eachmorning honoring his fatherand his mother.

The CIA Director describedthe current world situation as a world in turbulence where conditions of poverty, diseaseand human misery created

a sanctuar y andbreeding ground forterrorism. He saidthat while the last16 months saw suc-cess in combatingterrorism, there isconcern over otherlooming threatssuch as the spread of AIDS in Africa toRussia, China andEastern Europe, cre-ating unstable soci-eties. He cited thecooperation of manyArab countries in

eliminating the worldwide ter-rorist network. Tenet said hismodels for public service are the late Senator Paul Tsongas,Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes and for-mer Representative John Brade-mas. He urged young GreekAmericans to consider careersin public service.

Senator Sarbanes led the Business Forum on Friday, February 21, speaking on his pioneering legislation, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, whichaddresses corporate reform and accounting standards andwas passed into law last July. He described the intricateprocess of gaining adoption, see page 2 ➧

which was finallyachieved whenmajor corporatescandals continuedto shock the nation.The Senator, aDemocrat fromMaryland, cited thenecessity of main-taining confidencein America’s capital markets as the major motivation for his actions in combating corruption in corporate man-agement and in auditing firms, as well as in securities trading.He said that the scandals had seriously shaken confidencein a system admired around the world.

In response to his remarks,Peter Barris, a Leadership 100member who heads a venturecapital firm, led a panel consist-ing of Leadership 100 membersCharles H. Cotros, recentlyretired CEO of Sysco Corporation,George Stamas,an internationallawyer and PhilAngelides, the Cali-fornia State Trea-surer. The panelchallenged someaspects of the legis-lation, and SenatorSarbanes acknowl-edged that somechanges would benecessary, especial-ly regarding addi-tions to his originalbill. But all agreedthat Sarbanes, the son of Greekimmigrants and Maryland’slongest serving U.S. Senator, had achieved great success inhis legislative leadership.

Yanni, best known for hisgroundbreaking concerts at the Acropolis, the Taj Mahal and the Forbidden City, whosealbums have global sales ofmore than 20 million and hasreceived 35 gold and platinumawards, was honored along with Sen. Sarbanes at the Grand Banquet on Saturday, February 22. He said his medi-um wasn’t words, but music, andthat he was stirred by the wordsacknowledging his achieve-ments. After a temporary absencefrom performing, the uniquemusician will launch a 58-cityU.S. concert tour in March.

His Eminence ArchbishopDemetrios, who joined Leader-ship 100 Chairman Arthur C.Anton in presenting the awards,

Archbishop Demetrios and L100 ChairmanArthur Anton present the Leadership 100 Awardfor Excellence to Yanni

Archbishop Demetrios and L100 ChairmanArthur Anton present the Leadership 100 Awardfor Excellence to CIA Director George J. Tenet

Archbishop Demetrios and L100 ChairmanArthur Anton present the Leadership 100 Awardfor Excellence to Senator Paul S. Sarbanes

2

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN

LLeadership 100’s 12thAnnual Conference inAmelia Island, Flori-

da was a record-breakingsuccess. Our theme, theancient Greek Homericideal, Excel Always, cameto l i fe as we presented the Leadership 100 Awardfor Excellence to CIA Director George J. Tenet,Senator Paul S. Sarbanes

and Yanni, as featured on our front page. We were all thril led with the talk and open questioning of Director Tenet and by the presentation of Senator Sarbanes, which was followed by an excellent panel moderated by our member Peter Bar ris who was joined by members Charles Cotros, George Stamas and Phil Angelides. Yanni thrilled us all at the Grand Banquet. All excellent sons of Greece andgreat Americans!

As always, though, the Bible Studies led by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios were the highlight of our conference. His Eminence consis-tently brings us wisdom and insight into our Orthodox faith and Hellenic heritage. In addition,the whole Leadership 100 family was pleased that John and Marisa Payiavlas were our Host Chairpersons. They added their grace and eleganceto all our events. We were also touched by the reception given to us by Father Nicholas Graff andthe parish of St. John the Divine in Jacksonville.Their warmth and hospitality will always be remembered.

Our conference was also made exceptional bythe stunning performances of our seminarians who gave us a tribute dinner to thank us for the Lead-ership 100 Scholarship for Excellence program that has brought record enrollment to Hellenic College/Holy Cross School of Theology.

The many pictures in this issue will tell part ofthe story of this extraordinary conference. The visit to St. Photios National Shrine in nearby St.Augustine, our Plymouth Rock, was especially mean-ingful. His Eminence and Metropolitans Iakovos,Anthony and Alexios, joined by Bishop Dimitrios,former Executive Director of both the Shrine and of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center, led a memorial service for Leadership 100 members.We all learned of the depth of our history in Amer-ica in the stories of the first Greeks to come to these shores, before the American Revolution, and their hardships and flight to freedom.

In this vein, I wish to devote the balance of mycolumn to the excellent priests that serve us, for on my return I received some 25 letters from priestswho have benefited from our Leadership 100 Clergy Student Loan Programs. We are careful to guard their anonymity as we assist them. So I havechosen the following excerpted remarks that

will give you, as they did me, an abundance of blessings for what we strive to do as servant leaders of our Church:

Your generosity….makes the challenges of ministryand parish priesthood lighter.

It has taken me years trying to pay these loans off. Ifeel the burden has been lifted.

This act of Christian philanthropy has made a lastingimpression on me and I am indebted to all of the fami-lies that have shared their God-given gifts to insure thattheir priests are unhindered in dedicating themselvesfully to the care of the people of God.

Such generosity is an answer to prayers, for withoutyour assistance, I would be even further awash in debt.

I am truly very thankful, honored and humbled at theextreme generosity of Leadership 100. The members of this fine organization constantly give of themselveswhether it be through time, talents or resources to assistin making our Greek Orthodox Church in America a better Church.

Your love inspires; your generosity helps us focus on our ministries by removing burdens and distractions. We will never forget what you have done for us.

At my ordination into the priesthood, I willingly tookon (in spite of my own unworthiness) the responsibil-ities of helping others on matters both spiritual and mundane. However, in this case, I find myselfthe humble recipient. It is a deep comfort to share in thecompassion of fellow members of our beloved Church.

Leadership 100 has sent us a life raft once again.

This act of love that Leadership 100 has done reinforces the one thing that I endeavor to teach the faith-ful of our Archdiocese about, that the Lord takes care of His faithful servants.

Through the commitment of Leadership 100 and its kind efforts to support the clergy of the Archdiocese,our Lord has once again shown His everlasting concern and love for His servants.

Please know that you have my firm commitment to support and help in any way the dynamic ongoingwork of Leadership 100.

Your act of kind concern shows that you appreciatewhat we do. It is a great encouragement to me. I thankGod for you

You will always be in my prayers, especially whencelebrating the Divine Liturgy of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I am filled with a renewed feeling of love and grati-tude for my Church.

Thank you for your concern and seeing this, which at one point was a dream, become a reality.

Need I say more?

With love in Christ,

Arthur C. Anton, Chairman

said the three honorees were all agents of transformation intheir respective fields, and hespoke of the Gospel message as one of transformation calling for the renewal of ourlives and minds. The Archbish-op led two Bible Studies, whichhave become the cornerstone of Leadership 100 conferences.

In addition to the reelectionof Anton, the Leadership 100Board of Trustees reelected John A. Payiavlas, Vice Chair-man, Bert W. Moyar, Treasurerand Constantine G. Caras, Secretary, all to two-year termsas well. Caras, George Behrakisand George Marcus were elect-ed to three-year terms on theExecutive Committee and 13 members of the Board ofTrustees Class of 2003 werereelected to three-year terms on the Board.

Archbishop Demetrios, in hisaddresses at all the meetings and events throughout the Conference, praised Leadership100, which has made more than$13 million in grants since its founding in 1984, for its $10 million commitment toscholarships for candidates forthe priesthood at Hellenic College/Holy Cross School ofTheology, for its new programeliminating student loan debtfor active clergy, for underwrit-ing Internet Ministries and Infor-mation Technology at the Greek Orthodox Archdioceseand for assisting youth and family ministries.

Despite major disruptions in travel due to the severe weather in many parts of thecountry, some 360 membersand guests attended the Con-ference, including Metropoli-tan Iakovos of Chicago,Metropolitan Anthony of SanFrancisco, Metropolitan Alex-ios of Atlanta, MetropolitanNicholas of Detroit, and BishopDimitrios of Xanthos.

➧ from page 1Sarbanes, Tenet andYanni...

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ARCHPASTORAL REFLECTIONS

EE xcel Always. Since classi-cal times, these words haveinspired countless athletes,

heroes, and saints throughoutthe world. This exhortation, wise-ly chosen as the theme of yourrecently convened 12th AnnualLeadership 100 Conference,beautifully and succinctly encap-sulates your call to service as dis-tinguished leader s of ourArchdiocese. The call to excelalways is a challenging, motivat-ing, and inspiring call. Rooted inthe Hellenic ideal of achievinghuman perfection, it possessestremendous applications in theChristian life, particularly in ourChrist-like task of leading othersby and through service.

The call to excel always encour-ages each and every Christian tostrive ceaselessly toward the per-fect imitation of God in His inex-haustible love for humankind.You, therefore, must be perfect,as your heavenly Father is per-fect (Matthew 5:48). Our Lordspoke these words to the multi-tudes during His sermon on theMount, in the context of teach-ing wide-ranging ethical princi-ples and ideals which guidehuman behavior. These words,in spite of the actual difficultieswhich they present, nonethelessset realistic expectations uponevery human being desiring tohave a life in communion withGod and with one another.

Like the classical Hellenicexhortation, the above-citedwords of our Lord have the sameeffect of inspiring, encouraging,and patiently urging us forwardalong the spiritual life. As leaders,your efforts to strive toward theperfection of mind, body, andsoul—to cultivate the whole per-son—are absolutely important.You should be aware that with-in our Archdiocese, because ofyour leadership position, yourwords, actions and pursuits toexcel always have a profoundinfluence upon our people.

Over the years, your commit-ment to the virtue of excellencehas provided significant assis-tance to the ministries of theChurch. In particular, our faith-ful throughout the nation have

benefited fromthe fruits ofyour lead-ership inthe fol-lowinga r e a s :1) thedevelop-ment ofinforma-tion tech-nologies andinternet ministries, which intro-duce new means of preachingthe Gospel to contemporary soci-ety, 2) the provision of scholar-ships to our seminarians, whichreflects significant foresight tothe future generations of ourfaithful, and the alleviation ofoutstanding clergy educationalloans, and 3) the increased pro-motion of the riches of Hellenismand Orthodoxy, which serves ourcultural and religious identity asGreek Orthodox Christians. Weare beginning to see these fruitsripen and blossom as one familyunited in the love of Christ, inprayer, and in the striving to excelalways, to be perfect as our Heav-enly Father is perfect.

In the days and years ahead,this exhortation continues toguide all the leader s of ourChurch as we sharpen our focusupon the critical areas of socialoutreach and evangelism, phil-anthropic initiatives, and theneeds of the family. Our call toexcellence urges us to establishprograms, foundations, and cen-ters in these areas that will beleading and premier institutionsamong all the Christian denom-inations of contemporary Amer-ica. Only such a goal is worthy ofthe exhortations of our GreekOrthodox heritage and faith. Ipray that you may always honorthis heritage and faith, throughcontinued commitment to per-fect excellence, prayer, love, andthanksgiving to God in all things.May the Holy Spirit continue toguide your efforts for the progressof our society, the edification ofour Holy Orthodox Church, andthe glory of God.

† DEMETRIOS

Archbishop of America

AHEPA Denver Chapter No. 145 Denver, COLeon W. and Robyn Andris Potomac, MDGeorge and Bess Bilidas Oakton, VAYianny and Annette Caparos Northbrook, ILNick Cassis Glen Clove, NYChristopher Chimicles Devon, PANicholas and Dedie Coch New York, NYJohn Courembis and Family Leonardtown, MDLouis Courembis New York, NYEllen Marie Demeter Boston, MADean Facatselis Bronx, NYEvangelos Gatzonis Westbury, NYSpyros A. Gavris Wellesley Hills, MANick and Sophia Geanopoulos Pittsburgh, PAHarry Giannoulis Whitestone, NYNick and Christina Havoudis New York, NYJoanne and Peter Kakoyiannis Yardley, PAThomas and Sandra Kazas Canonsburg, PAFrances Demoulas Kettenbach Boston, MAPeter G. Kokalis Phoenix, AZGeorge and Linda Kondos Scarsdale, NYPeter Kouvaris Great Neck, NYKaren Mehiel New York, NYGeorge and Jennifer Michaels Bronxville, NYThe Honorable Matthew Mirones Staten Island, NYSoterios Palmos, Esq. Boulder, CODemetrios and Susan Papacostas Bedford, NYArthur and Diane Pappas Cotuit, MAChristopher and Jennifer Pappas Bronx, NYChristopher J. Pappas Houston, TXDean and Zoe Pappas Salem, NJGus Peter Pappas Washington, DC John Pappas Bronx, NYAnastasios and Georgia Parafestas Boston, MADr. Thomas Planzas Brooklyn, NYRev. Fr. Aurel Radulescu Astoria, NYStavros Soussou Paramus, NJJames and Sandra Stellos Nashua, NHPeter Tsakanikas Tucson, AZ Chris Tsamutalis Upper Saddle River, NJNick Tsapatsaris Ridgewood, NJJohn Veleris Family Wilmette, ILAchilleas Venetoulias Stamford, CTGeorgia Vlitas Staten Island, NYAthanasios Vulgaropulos Waltham, MAAndreas Zigouras Tenafly, NJ

Alex Alexandrou Plainview, NYEleni and Dimitris Bousis Northbrook, ILAnne and James Davis Newton, MAMelina Jaharis Winnetka, ILMichael Steven Jaharis Winnetka, ILFather Alex and Xanthi Karloutsos Southampton, NY Kalliope and George Koukounaris Nahant, MAWanda and James Pedas Washington, DCEvangeline and Theodore Pedas Washington, DCJames and Sandra Stellos Nashua, NH

LLeeaaddeerrsshhiipp 110000 MMeemmbbeerrssNNeeww

FFuullfifilllleedd

TOTAL MEMBERSHIPIS NOW AT 675

TOTAL FULFILLED MEMBER-SHIP IS NOW AT 232

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LEADERSHIP 100MEMORABLEMOMENTS IN

AMELIA ISLANDAND

ST. AUGUSTINE 1- (l to r) Michael Jaharis, Archbishop Demetrios, GeorgeTenet, Arthur Anton and Andrew Athens2- CIA Director George Tenet addresses members atHellenism Forum3- (l to r) Arthur Anton, Sen. Paul Sarbanes and Arch-bishop Demetrios in a lighter moment4- Archbishop Demetrios leads the Bible Study5- Archbishop Demetrios and George and Candy Giala-mas present award to Golf Tournament winners JohnBendo, Dr. Peter Gazes, Peter Barris and Dr. AntoineHarovas6- (l to r) Archbishop Demetrios, Chairman Arthur Anton,Vice-Chairman John Payiavlas and new ExecutiveCommittee member, John Catsimatidis at ExecutiveCommittee meeting7- Arthur Anton recognizes Conference Host Chair-persons Marisa and John Payiavlas8- Leadership 100 members (l to r) Peter Dion, Peter Vla-chos, Mary and Michael Jaharis participating in BibleStudy9- New members Zoe and Dean Pappas with L100Chairman Arthur Anton and Membership ChairmanCharles Cotros10- (l to r) Jerry Dimitriou, Tim Maniatis, Fr. Alex Kar-loutsos and Mark Stavropoulos at Board meeting11- Members Marisa Payiavlas, Chris Fekos, Peter Dion,Marion Kusturiss and Dr. Antoine Harovas at Glendi

11

22 33

44 55

88

66 77 99

5

AAnnnnuuaall CCoonnffeerreennccee

12- Newly fulfilled members George and Jean Kalud-is receive Leadership 100 Obelisk Award from Arch-bishop Demetrios13- Vocal ensemble from Hellenic College/Holy Crossperforms in Tribute to Leadership 10014- Members of Business Forum Panel (l to r) GeorgeStamas, Charles Cotros, Philip Angelides, Peter Bar-ris and Sen. Paul Sarbanes15- New and newly fulfilled members Fanoula and IkeGulas receive both Leadership 100 Obelisk and Iconfrom Archbishop Demetrios16- (l to r) Metropolitans Alexios and Iakovos, Arch-bishop Demetrios, Metropolitan Anthony, Bishop Dim-itrios and OCMC Executive Director Fr. Martin Ritsiduring visit to OCMC.17- Tennis Tournament winners Alethea Bapis and JohnPayiavlas with Archbishop Demetrios18- (l to r) Arthur Anton, Metropolitan Alexios, MichaelJaharis, Archbishop Demetrios, Metropolitans Antho-ny and Iakovos enjoy refreshments in the ConstantineSisters Courtyard of St. Photios National Shrine 19- Archbishop Demetrios with Yanni, his sister AndaAllenson (l) and Louise Athens (r)20- L100 member George Behrakis introduces Hel-lenic College/Holy Cross President Fr. Nick Triantafilouat Tribute Dinner

1155 1166

1177 1188

1199 2200

1111

1122

1133 1144

1100

forms of poverty in the world. Pover-ty is not good; it is not blessed; it is nota virtue. Poverty is miserable; pover-ty is a clear indication that the king-dom of God has not yet come.

H o w e v e r ,poverty can alsobe voluntary; itmay be embracedfreely. This is seenin the case ofmonastics in theChurch. Thenpoverty becomesa liberating wayof sharing withthe poor, a meansof giving upwhatever gives ussecurity. So longas we justify ourways and ourbehavior, we shallnot appreciatethe need tochange. We will not understand thateveryone has a right to enough of theearth’s resources: to sufficient water,energy, food, clothing, health, a safeenvironment, and peace. If God’s pur-pose is for us to be more and more,then we must admit that to have morethan enough is to be less than human.

Blessed, then, are the poor in spirit.Blessed are those who submit to God,who put their trust in God, who haveconfidence in God, who are neithercontrolled by their needs nor by thedemands of this world. Blessed arethose who know that they are poorin spirit. For they recognize the needfor healing, they admit the wastingof goods, they work to remove condi-tions that contribute to world pover-ty, they are ready to change theirlifestyles, they reflect on their waysand their attitudes, they work withothers to overcome the fears and con-trols of society, they recognize theywill not change (either themselves orthe world) by themselves or indeedovernight, they trust that our heaven-ly Father knows all that we need. There-fore, [we should] seek first the kingdomof God, and all these things will be givento [us] besides.

Meditation IIThe Way of God: Blessed are the

Meek; they shall inherit the land (earth).

As the King of heaven and earth,Christ comes not with violence, butin meekness. Blessed is He who comes;the Lord will inherit the earth and all

its power, all i ts positions, all its prestige. St. Matthew is reassuringus that God is actually found at thevery center of the world; God is withus in all generations. And this King

comes to assume authority over all of creation.

Now the average Jew during the lifeof Christ, and the average Christiandisciple of Christ, had one of two waysof responding to Jesus: either in meek-ness or else with violence; either withpeace or with indignation. The wayin which we receive Christ’s wayreflects - or perhaps even depends on- the way in which we regard theearth. God and land, divine Word andcreated world must be integrated. Thespiritual life brings God, the land, andthe people together in a balance andintegrated order.

This means, however, that the landor the earth must never become anend in itself. God is always the sourceof all worldly resources. Israel laidaside a Sabbath day of rest each weekin order to remember this, in order toref lect on which gods it chose to worship and where its treasure lay.Worshipping the created land, ven-erating any false god whatsoever, is a dangerous form of idolatry. Yeton the other hand, worshipping Godwithout assuming responsibility for the land is a dangerous form ofspiritualism.

We may, for instance, pray for theenvironment, imploring God to dosomething about the crisis that weconfront. Yet we may never in factconsider changing our lifestyle, whichmay be either directly causing or elseindirectly reinforcing the problem. Orelse we may be activists, leaving littleor no room for prayer. Prayer is not a

pretext for the evasion of responsi-bility on our part. Prayer and actionare equal dimensions of spirituality.We must understand how Jesus was as authentic when He healed the sick, as when He withdrew to bealone with God.

Our society, however, reveals andpromotes a mentality that exalts theacquisitions of material possessions.It is difficult to criticize honestly ourconsumerism, to modify our estab-lished lifestyles, to manifest an atti-tude of meekness in the land. Oncewe are in the land, it is dif f icult to seek first the kingdom of God. It iseasy to forget that this earth is inher-ited, received; it is not taken, norsnatched. It is never ours to own, butonly God’s to give.

Israel was trained to remember. Asthe new Israel, we too need to remem-ber, to recall our roots. We must givethanks for the world. And if we aremeek, we must be the ones to changethe ways of the world, to ask ourselvesif we really have a right to that whichthe poor may need. How else is this tobe accomplished, except throughmeekness?

Therefore, all of the land, and byanalogy all of our wealth, must beoriented to others in order to promoteGod’s kingdom, to reorder the prior-ities of this world. Meekness is theblessed way of dealing justly with the land. The meek person reflects areversal of attitudes toward power,possessions, and positions. Otherwise,the land becomes a territory of vio-lence, a domain of division, a realm of mistrust.

Meekness is ultimately a way of car-ing. It should touch every aspect ofour lives. It should teach us that Godis God, that we are God’s, and that theland too is God’s. Thus, the land isours only to use (or rather, to share)responsibly. Meekness is a blessed cor-rection, a heavenly contrast to theviolence that we have wrought uponthe earth, a stark opposition to thedesecration of God’s plan for creation.

And if the struggle sometimes looksdifficult, perhaps even seems impos-sible, the New Testament assures us inthe words of Christ: Come to me, all ofyou who are weary and burdened, and Iwill give you rest. ... Learn from me; forI am meek (11.28-30).

TThhee EEyyee ooff aa NNeeeeddllee

The parable ofthose who builton rock andthose who builton sand fromthe Sermon onthe Mount.Wall-paintingfrom thewesternexonarthex of thePhilanthropenonMonastery onthe lake islandat Ioannina,dating from1560.

Fr. John Chryssavgis

WWhat follows is a series of briefmeditations on select Beati-tudes of Christ in the Sermon

on the Mount (Matthew ch. 5).

In his Gospel, St. Matthew isaddressing a community in transi-tion, a people in crisis. The early Chris-tians believed Jesus would indeedcome again, and return very soon.Yet St. Matthew believed and pro-claimed otherwise. For him, the king-dom of heaven is already at hand,even now in our hands. God is alreadypresent in those who live a life ofrestoration and resurrection in Christ.

Meditation IThe Authority of the Kingdom:

Blessed are the poor in spirit: theirs isthe kingdom of heaven.

God’s kingdom is never reducedsimply to a matter of rules and regu-lations. It is certainly not a reinforce-ment of worldly positions and secularinstitutions. God’s kingdom is a rever-sal of attitudes, a metanoia, a con-version and reordering of values andbehavior. It means becoming moreand more a person who shares in theholiness, the beauty, and the perfec-tion of God. It implies coming underthe authority of God, rather thanunder the authority of this world. Andliving the beatitudes signifies ouracceptance of this new authority.

Matthew often uses the word per-fect. The Greek word for perfect(teleios) signifies reaching for a goal(telos). For Christians, this end is thekingdom of heaven. Therefore,Matthew is telling us that perfectionis a process, a series of stages in a wayof progress. It is less a condition ofperfection, than it is a potential or possibility. And in order to becomeperfect, Matthew tells us we mustbecome poor; in order to become com-plete, he tells us we must surrender, wemust be incomplete:

If you want ... go sell all your posses-sions and give to the poor.

There is a cost involved here. Howmuch have we sold? And are we infact willing to give up everything? Arewe prepared to sacrifice our precon-ceptions, our prestige, our positions,our possessions, our power?

Matthew is by no means romanti-cizing the condition of poverty. Shar-ing in the kingdom in fact depends onour effort to alleviate the various

6

Meditations on the Beatitudes

7

EEnnccyycclliiccaall

Lord of the Powers, be with us. For in times of distress, we haveno other help but You. (Hymn of the Great Compline Service)

Protocol 34/03

The Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdioceseof America To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the Reverend Priestsand Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, the Presidents and Membersof the Parish Councils of the Greek Orthodox Communities, the Dayand Afternoon Schools, the Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the Youth,the Hellenic Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox Fami-ly in America

Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdio-cese of America, we address you at a critical time in the life of ournation and our world, assuring you of our deep concern and fer-vent prayers during this difficult and uncertain period of conflictand war in Iraq. We call upon all of you, as people of faith andpeace, to gather in prayer in your homes and parishes so that wemay be united in the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source ofour strength and solace.

Following the exhortation of the Apostle Paul, we pray unceas-ingly that the peace of God may abide everywhere on our planetEarth and that places of conflict may be transformed into placesof life and freedom. We pray for the courageous men and womenwho serve in our armed forces and who face uncertain dangersand the threat of death. May God grant them and their familiesassurance and strength. We pray for the safety of all who peace-fully inhabit areas of conflict, especially for the innocent childrenof our world, for their well-being, and for the realization of thebeautiful potential of their lives as human beings created in theimage and likeness of God. Further, we pray that the wisdom of Godmay abide in the hearts of the leaders of our nation as they makedecisions that will undoubtedly affect millions of human beings.We painfully understand the enormous challenges and responsi-bilities they must face.

The Church affirms that war, terrorism, hatred, and intoleranceare the tragic results of sin and evil in a suffering world, and thatthese place tremendous spiritual and physical burdens upon eachand every person. Yet in the weariness of conflict and struggle in the world, we take solace in the comforting words of our LordJesus Christ: Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavyburdens, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). Our Lord, the

Lord of the Powers, is embracing each one of us in distressful timessuch as these, so that we might find serenity and help in Him.

Our journey through the season of the Great Fast, one that coin-cides with the ordeal of war, leads us to the foot of the Cross wherewe become once again witnesses of the Crucifixion of our Lord.In His bruised and battered face we behold all of the sufferings of humankind, and our hearts are pierced anew with the violenceand inhumanity of our world. However, we remain with everyassurance that as He prevailed over sin and death, His promisesof enduring peace, heavenly joy, and eternal life will be fulfilled.We look to the Life-Giving Cross, a weapon of peace and a standardof love, as a source of strength and inspiration. In the midst ofviolence, God's power and presence is with us, just as it was whenHis Son offered His sinless life for our salvation. May each of youknow that the conflicts of our lives and our world can be resolvedwhen the spiritual peace and sacrificial love of the Cross exist among nations and within the lives of people. Further, mayyou be strengthened with hope and assurance that the sad conditions of this world will pass away and all things will be made new within the reality of the Kingdom of God, wherein nationshall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore (Isaiah 2:4).

Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We call upon all Orthodox Christians to be steadfast in prayerand service during this Lenten season, offering our worship to Godand our ministry to all those in need. Let us pray together for rec-onciliation among nations, for the establishment of justice, and forthe restoration of peace. In faithful commitment to God and inlove for others, let us bring solace and peace into the lives of ourfellow human beings through acts of charity and words of kind-ness. May we be willing to offer sacrificially for the spiritual andphysical needs of others. In the days before us, may His goodnessand love for all humankind reassure, strengthen, and guide all ofyou, and may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).

With paternal love in Christ,

† DEMETRIOSArchbishop of America

† IAKOVOS † ANTHONYMetropolitan of Chicago Metropolitan of San Francisco

† MAXIMOS † METHODIOSMetropolitan of Pittsburgh Metropolitan of Boston

† ISAIAH † ALEXIOSMetropolitan of Denver Metropolitan of Atlanta

† NICHOLASMetropolitan of Detroit

Lord of the Powers, Be with Us

MICHAEL C. CARLOSof Atlanta, GA

died on December 14, 2002

MICHAEL H. CHAKERESof Springfield, OH

died on December 9, 2002

ALKIVIADIS VASSILIADISof San Diego, CA

died on December 8, 2002

Our thoughts and prayersgo to the family and friends

of our beloved members.

M A Y T H E I R M E M O R Y B E E T E R N A L .

IInn MMeemmoorriiaamm

8 EAST79THSTREETNEWYORK, NY 10021

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Arthur C. Anton

ChairmanJohn A. Payiavlas

Vice-ChairmanConstantine G. Caras

SecretaryBert W. Moyar

TreasurerGeorge D. Behrakis

John A. CatsimatidisGeorge M. Marcus

James A. RegasMark Stavropoulos

Life-Time Founding MembersAndrew A. AthensGeorge C. Chimples

Peter M. DionMichael Jaharis

George P. Kokalis

Executive DirectorFr. Alex Karloutsos

StaffFran Karivalis

Dina Theodosakis

The Archbishop IakovosLeadership 100 Endowment Fund, Inc.

8 East 79th Street, New York, NY 10021Tel. (212) 570-3570 • Fax (212) 570-5260

E-mail: Leadership@L100.org

THE LEADER is published quarterly by the Leadership 100 Endowment Fund, Inc.Members are encouraged to submit material pertaining to Leadership, Orthodoxy,Hellenism, and Philanthropy. All material should be typed, signed with name,address and phone number. The editor reserves the right to edit all material sub-mitted for publication. Send to: Editor, THE LEADER, Leadership 100, 8 East 79thStreet, New York, NY 10021. © 2002

George Schira - EditorFran Karivalis - Assistant Editor

LLeetttteerrss

(Top) Archbishop Demetrios, along with Metropolitans Anthony,Iakovos, and Alexios and Deacon John Vlahos (at far left) walk downhistoric St. George Street in St. Augustine, FL.(Bottom) Archbishop Demetrios, assisted by St. Photios ShrineDirector V. Rev. Nicholas Graff offers the Memorial Service for L100members in the St. Photios Chapel with (l to r) Bishop Dimitrios,Rev. Nicholas Triantafilou, Metropolitans Alexios and Anthony.