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Box & Spoon
Box & Spoon
34
NOV 2013
Monthly Newsletter for Stewards of Holy Anargyroi Sts. Kosmas & Damianos Greek Orthodox Church
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.
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.
Today, the most pure temple of the Savior enters the house of the Lord, bringing the grace of the Divine Spirit .
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
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!
NOVEMBER 3
rd
24
th
Saint Katherine brilliantly silenced the eloquence of the impious by the sword of the spirit, and now she asks for mercy for all.
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 .
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.
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 .
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.
Today, the most pure temple of the Savior enters the house of the Lord, bringing the grace of the Divine Spirit .
Saint Katherine brilliantly silenced the eloquence of the impious by the sword of the spirit, and now she asks for mercy for all.
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 .
Saint Katherine brilliantly silenced the eloquence of the impious by the sword of the spirit, and now she asks for mercy for all.
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