ISSUE

34
NOV 2013

Monthly Newsletter for Stewards of Holy Anargyroi Sts. Kosmas & Damianos Greek Orthodox Church

Box & Spoon

2013 Standing Committees

PARISH COUNCIL Aaron Biedermann-President Halina Woroncow-Vice Pres. Tim Kelly Andru Peters-Secretary Dan JerghiuTreasurer Don Jenkins Tia Maragos Erline Holman Robert Lytle STEWARDSHIP / OUTREACH John Maragos Chair Halina Woroncow Ari Kolas Mark Smith Diana Orbelo ICONOGRAPHY Diana Orbelo Chair Tia Maragos Andru Peters Fr. Mark Muoz BUILDING Tim Kelly- Chair Ari Kolas BUDGET Dan Jerghiu Chair Fr. Mark Muoz AUDIT Jacob Peterson Mark Smith John Maragos PHILOXENIA HOUSE Brad Holman Chair GREEK FESTIVAL Dan Jerghiu Chair Lorenda Jerghiu Silent auction Joe Forrer Set-up/Teardown Tim Kelly Outdoor Cooks Johnny Mangouras Marketing Ari Kolas Marketing Penny Kolas Pastries Maria Thomas Pastries Denise Mangouras Pastries Martha Voytovich Market place Andru Peters Beverages Mike Brekke Beer Garden Ali Ostfeld Children Area

The Eucharist: A Living Thanksgiving

At the Last Supper Our Lord took bread, blessed it, broke it and said Take eat. This is my Body. The Orthodox Church believes that he meant what he said. Ever since the earliest days of the Church the Fathers insist that in Communion we receive not mere symbols, but the Body and Blood of Christ in the forms of bread and wine. Around the year 100, the great martyr, St Ignatios of Antioch, whom we call the Godbearer, wrote in his letter to the Romans, I desire the bread of God, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, who was descended from David; and for drink I desire his blood, which is love incorruptible. St John Chrysostom himself puts it like this in his commentary on St Matthews gospel, many people nowadays say, I wish I could see his Theodore of Mopsuestia, a friend and fellowstudent of St John Chrysostom, makes the point clearly, When our Lord gave the bread he did not say, This is the symbol of my body, but, This is my body. In the same way, when he shape, his appearance, his clothes, his gave the cup of his blood he did not say, This is the symbol of my blood, but, This is my blood; for he wanted us to look upon the bread and wine, after they had received grace and the coming of the Holy Spirit, not according to their nature, but to receive them as they are, the body and blood of our Lord. We should not think of them merely as bread and wine, but as the body and blood of the Lord, into which they have been transformed by the descent of the Holy Spirit.

sandals. Only look! You see him! You touch him! You eat him!. We see him by faith, we see him with the eyes of the mind. As St John Chrysostom puts it, Our Lord hands over to you in tangible things that

Saint Katherine brilliantly silenced the eloquence of the impious by the sword of the spirit, and now she asks for mercy for all.

St. Katherine Nov 25th

which is perceived by the mind. This is not to say that there have never been problems. Already St Ignatios knows of people who do not believe that the bread and wine become truly the Body and Blood of Christ. In his letter to the church of Smyrna he writes, There are some people who abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not admit that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ, the flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in his good-pleasure, raised from the dead. In the West, particularly at the time of the Reformation, there was much controversy between Catholics and Protestants about the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. This has not been the case among the Orthodox, who have always believed that in the Mystery of the holy Eucharist the bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood by the power of the Holy Spirit. As we say in one of the prayers before Communion, I believe, that this indeed your most pure Body, and that this is indeed your precious Blood. Every Liturgy is the liturgy of the whole Church, and the Church is the assembly which is what the Greek word means of the all the members of the Body of Christ in every place and of every time. It is the sacrifice the Christ offered on Calvary made present here and now. In the Liturgy of St Basil at the moment of the Invocation we have the words, this cup the precious blood of our Lord and God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, poured out for the life of the world. And so we now associate all the Saints and all the departed with our local Liturgy. Every human being is saved by the Blood of Christ and so we can say that we offer this spiritual worship for those who have gone to their rest, Forefathers, Fathers, Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Preachers, Apostles, Evangelists, Martyrs, Confessors, Ascetics and every righteous spirit made perfect in faith; above all for our most holy, pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary.

St. Katherine the Great-Martyr and All-Wise

Saint Katherine, who was from Alexandria, was the daughter of Constas (or Cestus). She was an exceedingly beautiful maiden, most chaste, and illustrious in wealth, lineage, and learning. By her steadfast understanding, she utterly vanquished the passionate and unbridled soul of Maximinus, the tyrant of Alexandria; and by her eloquence, she stopped the mouths of the so called philosophers who had been gathered to dispute with her. She was crowned with the crown of martyrdom in the year 305. Her holy relics were taken by Angels to the holy mountain of Sinai, where they were discovered many years later; the famous monastery of Saint Katherine was originally dedicated to the Holy Transfiguration of the Lord and the Burning Bush, but later was dedicated to Saint Katherine. According to the ancient usage, Saints Katherine and Mercurius were celebrated on the 24th of this month, whereas the holy Hieromartyrs Clement of Rome and Peter of Alexandria were celebrated on the 25th. The dates of the feasts of these Saints were interchanged at the request of the Church and Monastery of Mount Sinai, so that the festival of Saint Katherine, their patron, might be celebrated more festively together with the Apodosis of the Feast of the Entry of the Theotokos. The Slavic Churches, however, commemorate these Saints on their original dates.

Entrance of the Holy Theotokos into the Temple

Great Vespers Wed. Nov. 20th 4pm

Orthros/Liturgy Thurs. Nov. 21st 8:30am

Today, the most pure temple of the Savior enters the house of the Lord, bringing the grace of the Divine Spirit .

Entrance of the Theotokos, Nov. 21st

Calendar for November 2013

Thursday Friday Oct. 31st Nov. 1st PATRONAL FEAST DAY: SS Kosmas/Damianos Vespers 5pm PATRONAL FEAST DAY: SS Kosmas/Damianos Orthros/Divine Liturgy 8:30am

Fr. Mark away- for pastoral emergencies please call: Nov.4th -16th Metropolis of Chicago, (312) 337-4130 Tuesday Nov. 5th Philoptochos Meeting in the Church library 6pm Saturday Nov. 9th GOYA Highway Cleanup 1pm Sunday Nov. 10th Sunday Services at regular times, Fr. Tom Alatzakis Presiding 8:30am ***Nativity Fast Begins Nov. 15th*** Sunday Nov. 17th Fall General Assembly after Divine Services 6pm Tuesday Nov. 19th GOYA Faith Night 7pm Wednesday Nov. 20th Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple 4pm* Great Vespers Building Committee Meeting 5pm Parish Council Meeting 6:30pm Thursday Nov. 21st Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple 8:30am Orthros/Divine Liturgy St. Philothei Project in the Church Kitchen; hosted by the Philoptochos. 6pm Magdalene Ministry Bereavement Workshop led by Lexie Beidermann in the Church hall after St. Philothei, free of charge and open to all parishioners. 7:30pm Sunday Nov. 24th Patronal Lunch for SS. Kosmas and Daminaos after Liturgy GOYA Outreach Project in MSP 2:30pm Monday Nov. 25th St. Katherine the Great Martyr Orthros/Divine Liturgy 8:30am AC/DC Adult Religious Education 6pm Thurs.-Fri. Nov. 28th-29th Thanksgiving Holiday Office Closed

SAVE THE DATE

Parish Assembly- Nov. 17th Patronal Lunch: SS. Kosmas & Damianos - Nov. 24th

WINTER COAT DONATIONS HERE

for Men, Women,
and Children
-Clean, warm, wearable-

11/3 11/24
Thank you!!

So you likewise, when you see on earth the man who has encountered the shipwreck of poverty, do not judge him, do not seek an account of his life, but free him from his misfortune .
St. John Chrysostom

Celebrate Thanksgiving!

Please help GOYA collect for a preholiday food pantry delivery.

NOVEMBER 3

rd

24

th

A Little Can Help A Lot!

Saint Katherine brilliantly silenced the eloquence of the impious by the sword of the spirit, and now she asks for mercy for all.

St. Katherine Nov 25th

Youth Team Report

This month, wed like to introduce you to this years Preschool Class: We have an exciting year planned. Maria Peterson (pictured) and Erline Holman are the teachers for this group of very active children. We are focusing on heroes of the Old Testament. We have learned about Creation, Adam and Eve, Abraham, Joseph and Moses so far. We love to sing and create special projects. We are always appreciative of the help that Mom and Dad give us. If there is anyone else interested in being a substitute for this group, please let Erline or Maria know.

This little group has reinforced their lessons in many handson, creative ways including decorating cookies to resemble Josephs many-colored coat and hiking to the Promised Land like Abraham! Erline and Maria ask parents to please take a few minutes to read some Bible stories with your children at home, to help the lessons really stick. The Childrens Bible Reader is a perfect bedtime resource.

Our JOY Faith Night for the month of October took place back in the basement our church fellowship hall.

The topic was "Leap of Faith" - children learned how to focus on the faith not the prize, and if we are patient God will reveal to us direction and we will be blessed. Our Bible reading was from James 1:2 -8 "If any of you lacks wisdom ask God...". Children had to identify why St. John the Theologian, St. Mary of Egypt, St. John the Baptist, Virgin Mary and Joseph are true examples of leap of faith and were asked to provide their own examples.

Today, the most pure temple of the Savior enters the house of the Lord, bringing the grace of the Divine Spirit .

Entrance of the Theotokos, Nov. 21st

Youth Team Report

- continued -

GOYA enjoyed a well-attended Faith Night which focused on St. Pauls admonition to stand firm and be unwavering in our faith. With the many, persistent messages in our society to self-indulge, the pressure to conform to contemporary social behavior, and our natural human tendency to accept and adapt to our surroundings, it is easy for a Christian to lose his or her balance and fall. Thus, St. Paul encourages us to imitate him as he walks the walk and talks the talk of a true Christian who can understand his earthly experiences as a means of spiritual growth, and maintain his ultimate goal of citizenship in the heavenly kingdom.

GOYA promoted a clothing drive at church this month, as well, collecting for the homeless at Dorothy Day House, which is located just a block from our church. The delivery was welcomed with gratitude, and every item was put to use within days.

We will be starting another drive at church next month collecting canned food and winter coats for the needy. Please bring your items to the bins in the narthex between November 3rd and 24th to share your bounty with others in time for the holidays.

GOYA snuck in an evening of fun before October came to an end -- a pumpkin carving contest and bonfire at the Kelly home. The youth exhibited impressive artistic skills, enjoyed a perfect camp fire dinner, and a warm, blazing bonfire. Many thanks to Marias family for hosting us!

Saint Katherine brilliantly silenced the eloquence of the impious by the sword of the spirit, and now she asks for mercy for all.

St. Katherine Nov 25th

Youth Team Report

- continued -

In closing, we greet all with the Feast of our patron Saints, Kosmas and Damianos!

Holy Saints Anargyroi (who received no pay): visit our sicknesses. Freely you have received, freely give unto us.
Youth Team Coordinators, JOY - Loredana Jerghiuta GOYA - Halina Woroncow and Mike Brekke

Today, the most pure temple of the Savior enters the house of the Lord, bringing the grace of the Divine Spirit .

Entrance of the Theotokos, Nov. 21st

Philoxenia House News

The month of October was very exciting and fruitful for everyone associated with the Philoxenia House. Several important and long awaited projects have been completed or are in their final stages. The first was the completion of the Philoxenia House newsletter. Envelopes for the newsletter are being prepared and mailing will occur soon. Three very important public relations projects are also coming to an end. The first is the creation of a new Philoxenia House DVD. The committee reviewed the DVD at the last meeting and it is now off for its final edit before public release. The second project is the creation of a beautiful and informative PR packet created under supervision of the Philoxenia House committee by TulipTree Studios . The third and last project was the creation of a one half page Philoxenia House ad which will appear in the next edition of the Orthodox Observer. We were fortunate in October to have Father Mark and Johnny Mangouros attend the clergy/laity conference in Iowa where they were able to distribute many of our new PR packets and to present the DVD at the conference banquet. Both Father Mark and Johnny reported that the DVD was a huge success. Johnny also presented the Philoxenia House financial update at the conference business meeting. October 25th five members of the Philoxenia House Committee had the opportunity to attend a dinner held in honor of Metropolitan Iakovos name day in Chicago. There we had the pleasure of meeting many of the major donors to the Philoxenia House Ministry. It was so nice to finally be able to put faces to the names of many of our partners in the ministry. In closing I am pleased to announce that we received the exciting news that members of the Metropolis of Chicago Philoptochos board are joining us at Holy Anargyroi to help celebrate the Feast Day Liturgy of our Parish Saints Kosmos and Damianos. The Philoptochos societies of our Metropolis and others around the country have been the biggest supporters of the Philoxenia House Ministry over the past nine years. In addition to joining us in worship, the members will also be touring the houses to see firsthand how their hard earned donations are being used. Your brother in Christ, Bradley Holman Chairman of the Philoxenia House Ministry

Important Sunday School Request: In order to optimize the personal safety of our children all parents are requested to pick up their children from their respective classrooms at 11:45am each Sunday morning. This will discourage children from wandering alone and unsupervised. IN ADDITION, we are seeking parents who would be willing to volunteer each Sunday to case the basement area to ensure adult supervision at all times.

Saint Katherine brilliantly silenced the eloquence of the impious by the sword of the spirit, and now she asks for mercy for all.

St. Katherine Nov 25th

Holy Anargyroi Post Bulletin Article!

Today, the most pure temple of the Savior enters the house of the Lord, bringing the grace of the Divine Spirit .

Entrance of the Theotokos, Nov. 21st

Holy Anargyroi Post Bulletin - continued

Saint Katherine brilliantly silenced the eloquence of the impious by the sword of the spirit, and now she asks for mercy for all.

St. Katherine Nov 25th

Philoptochos Society
Dear brothers and sisters in CHRIST+ As I write this, Philoptochos women everywhere are anticipating the Feast Day of Saints Kosmas and Damianos on Nov 1st because these wonderful Saints are the Patron Saints of the National Philoptochos Society. This gives our dear parish an extra blessing because we too honor Saints Kosmas and Damianos! During my term as President, I have reflected many times on this coincidence and on the possible blessings of the Saints that I have witnessed with my own eyes. Thank God! Truly, it is an honor to the Saints to have our parish dedicated to them and to also to be the Patron Saints of Philoptochos across the country. This year on our Feast Day we will have the special blessing of the presence of the Metropolis of Chicago Philoptochos Board President Irene Arsoniadis, Vice President Pam Argis, and a few Board members from Chicago. This is the first time the Board has ever visited our parish and on the Feast Day of the Saints that both our parish and Philoptochos share! May the Holy Unmercenaries, Saints Kosmas and Damianos, continue to intercede on to God for us! Last year they seemed to bless us with raising $1,000 on their Feast Day towards the National Philoptochos Giving Tree Campaign and this year, we are blessed by the presence of the Metropolis Board. The blessings are ours; the glory is Gods! On Nov 21st; our chapter will participate in the Churchs Saint Philothei Project which prepares 450 meals for the local womens shelter, once a month. Two times a year; our Philoptochos Society sponsors the Project by dedicating our time and money. We will meet with the Saint Philothei Project chef, Trevor Hamlen, in the Church kitchen at 6pm on the 21st. If you are interested in working along side us or donating to this wonderful cause; please see me. In recent months our Society has been building our Bereavement Ministry. We have a team of women, Maria Thomas, Jackie Barbes, Lexie Biedermann, Kathy Lytle and myself, who are dedicated to developing this ministry. Our next project is a Bereavement Workshop on Nov. 21st immediately following our St Philothei ministry. This workshop, led by Lexie Biedermann, is open, free of charge, to ALL parishioners. Lexie will present the different components to bereavement care. There will also be open discussion for you, our parishioners, to share your thoughts in what you hope Philoptochos fulfills in terms of care to the dying or bereavement care here at Holy Anargyroi. All requests will need to be blessed by Father Mark and voted on by the Society for it to move forward. I have always trusted in God; that if it is His Will, the blessing and voting is easy! A recent blessing we received is for our Bereavement Ministry to be called Magdalene Ministry after Saint Mary Magdalene and specifically in relation to her dedication to Jesus Christ. She followed Him faithfully right to the end. She was present during His torture and death on the Cross, she witnessed Joseph of Arimathea placing Christs body in the tomb, she was the first to go to care for His body after He died out of her deep love for her teacher and friend. She did not understand right away what had happened to Him other than He was no longer with her, even physically, because His body was gone. She grieved with painful sorrow, deep in her heart. Can you imagine being her? Can you imagine following Jesus Christ, being in His presence during His ministry here on Earth, knowing Him personally, hearing His spirit filled Divine Words, witnessing His love for human kind and then He dies a terrible death and is gone! The un-surmountable grief she must of felt! And then what happens? First she sees two angels and then the Lord comes to her, gently tells her that He will not remain with her as He has, He then gives her the wonderful news of His Resurrection and asks that she personally deliver this joyous news to the Disciples!! This is deep LOVE from God and this Divine Love is available to all of us humans who seek it. In our humble ministry for the bereaved here at Holy Anargyroi, we cannot bring the person who has died back to life, but we can and hope to show Gods love during a time of difficulty for those who are grieving. We look to Saint Mary Magdalene because she loved Him, grieved and personally received the Lords love in a time of need. We pray and ask her to intercede on our behalf for our Ministry; simply because, we believe she understands.

Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to my Brethren and say to them I am ascending to My Father and Your Father and to My God and to your God. -Jesus Christ to Saint Mary Magdalene in John 20:17
With love in CHRIST+ Calli Kelly Philoptochos President

Today, the most pure temple of the Savior enters the house of the Lord, bringing the grace of the Divine Spirit .

Entrance of the Theotokos, Nov. 21st

THE GIFTS OF THE MAGI: The Spirit of Stewardship

Fr. Luke A. Veronis
The Gifts of the Magi icon presents the Wise Men offering gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Christ Child. These wealthy scholars and priests of the East endured numerous dangers, and traveled great distances to offer their treasures to Christ, the newborn king. What a beautiful and meaningful example of stewardship they set for all future generations, helping us to understand the blessing of properly using and sharing Gods gifts. To begin with, the Magi represent a sincere desire to seek after God, searching through science, nature, and their cultural traditions to communicate with their Creator and discover His will for them, even when it was something so unexpected. Imagine their long, arduous journey, possibly a 1500 mile expedition from Persia to Bethlehem, over mountains and deserts, a journey that took many months. Surely on such a trip they faced numerous dangers from nature, from bandits, and from the fear of the unknown. What faith, determination and sacrifice they must have had. They surely faced questions and skepticism at the start. During their journey, unexpected challenges and discouraging setbacks would have been commonplace. Yet they persevered. They overcame the difficult trials and tests of their journey, and persisted in their search for Gods truth. When they finally met the Christ Child, they bowed down in worship. They offered Jesus the most precious of their gifts. Although they were the wise men of their day, they didnt allow their ego to interfere with their unexpected discovery. Even when the journey surprisingly took them beyond the kings palace in Jerusalem to the insignificant village of Bethlehem, they went forward in faith. Everything seemed so astonishing, and yet in humility the approached the Christ Child to worship Him and offer the best of their gifts gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The Story of the Magi is not simply a cute part of Christmas, but it represents central characters who model a path of faith and stewardship worthy of imitation. They offer an example of a sincere search for God using the intellectual gifts they possessed; a willingness to overcome any obstacles or challenging inconveniences in their journey towards God; and the witness of offering the best they had once they encounter the Christ Child. In connection with this inspiring story of the Magi, we can also reflect on St. John Chrysostoms words, The rich man is not the one who has much, but the one who gives much. For what one gives away, he keeps for all eternity. Both the Magi and Chrysostom offer a challenging perspective of Christian Stewardship. We are called to understand that all we have in life - from life itself, to our intellectual abilities and specific talents, as well as to our faith experiences and material possessions all we have in life is a gift from God, and each of us is called to act as a proper and good steward of these gifts. Think about how the Magi were conscientious stewards with their knowledge, experience and wisdom, as well as stewards of their time and effort, which culminated in their good stewardship of their treasure. St. John Chrysostom highlights that true wealth comes through sharing what we have first received from God Himself. Ultimately, whatever we have isnt ours! All is Gods, and we are simply caretakers of His riches. As we learn to generously give of ourselves, of our time, talents and treasure, we only increase our wealth and make eternal investments. Christian Stewardship is all about becoming good caretakers of all that God has given us. Think about all that God has given us our health, our family, our opportunities in life, our intelligence, our talents. God has given each of us special and unique gifts. And through Holy Scripture He teaches us all that we have is a loan. He lends everything to us, and reminds us that one day He will ask us to give a detailed accounting of what we have done with the gifts He has given us. How have we used our time, our talents, and our treasure? Have we used them in a self-centered way or God-glorifying ways? Archbishop Anastasios of Albania has noted that we find ourselves by offering St. John Chrysostom ourselves. Have we learned the blessedness of generously giving to others of all we have? Everything we have is temporal. We dont know for how long we have it. The fundamental question, though, is how will we use all that we have for the glory of God? One day, a person complained to his priest that the Church and Christianity is one continual give, give, give. To which the priest replied, Thank you very much for the finest definition of Christianity I have ever heard. Youre right, Christianity is all about a constant give, give, give. God giving His only Son to the world to show His unconditional love. His Son Jesus giving His life on the cross to forgive our sins and destroy death. Then our Lords disciples giving all they had to make sure Gods Good News of love was preached to all people everywhere. They not only gave away their homes and businesses, but even gave up their lives as martyrs in gratitude to God! And after all that giving of God to the world, yes, God does ask His followers of today to imitate His own generosity by giving by offering back from all that He ultimately has given each person! So, yes, the Church and Christianity is one continual give, give, and give, but from a good and holy perspective! The Gifts of the Magi and the words of St. John Chrysostom help clarify our understanding of Christian Stewardship and what it means to act as a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.

Saint Katherine brilliantly silenced the eloquence of the impious by the sword of the spirit, and now she asks for mercy for all.

St. Katherine Nov 25th

CHURCH NEEDS LIST

Please Contact Fr. Mark or Jackie to Donate
The vacuum cleaner has been donated!!! Coffee and coffee filters Candles Two AEDs (automated external defibrillator) Metropolis basketball tournament registration fee OCMC support (Divided between Hoppe and GOYA missions) Thank you!!! $110 per case 5 cases per year $4,200 per year $1300 each $300 per year $500 per month

BUDGET CUTS
Please Contact Fr. Mark or Jackie to Donate
Church School texts/supplies Parish youth activities Outreach efforts Repairs: Air Conditioner (7/8/2013) $750 per year $1,000 per year $500 per year $1,000

ST. CYRIL OF JERUSALEM

Do not, therefore, regard the bread and wine as simply that, for they are, according to the Master's declaration, the Body and Blood of Christ. Even though the senses suggest to you the other, let faith make you firm.