The Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Parish Assembly shall take place on Sunday, March 3, 2019 following the second liturgy in the Small Hall. Agenda is as follows:

1) Sale of church owned property at 4 Karageorgiou in Athens, Greece

2) Sale of church owned property at 5 Vlahava Street, Athens, Greece

3) Acceptance of donation and authorization to sell real property located at Blueberry Dr.,  Wingdale, NY 12594. 

The Uniform Parish Regulations require that any sale of property must be approved by a vote of the Parish Council, and then by the Parish at a General Assembly meeting that has been duly noticed. Once the Parish approves, it then must be approved by the Metropolis.

The two properties in Athens consist of half interest in a commercial office space on the 6th floor of a 1960's office building near Syntagma Square, and half interest in industrial space on the 5th floor of a former clothing manufacturing firm in the Monasteraki district of Athens.

The property in New York is being offered to the Church by a parishioner and it is proposed that the church Parish Council be authorized to offer the property for immediate sale, with net proceeds to be placed in CEF, as directed by parishioner.

More information will be provided at the Parish Assembly meeting, or can be obtained by calling the Church Office.

You are kindly invited to the baptism of our son, Dimitris Porphyrios, on Saturday February 23rd, 2019 at 10:00 AM. After the ceremony, there will be a light reception in the Small Hall. Please RSVP with the number of attendees at pres.magdalene@gmail.com at your earliest convenience! No special invitations will be sent. All are invited!

Sunday Coffee Team: Maria Hionis, Stacy Panayotopoulos, and Laurie Sahines.  Thank you for your support!

For more information about joining the coffee hour teams, please contact Marcella Fotis at 408-723-4124.  

We are honored to announce that a beloved parishioner of ours, Apostolos (Paul) Pries, is the recipient of the 2019 Metropolitan Anthony Humanitarian Award this year at FDF. The award was announced at the FDF banquet last Sunday. We congratulate Paul! May God grand him many years and the wisdom from above!  AXIOS!

https://sanfran.goarch.org/news/2019-metropolitan-anthony-humanitarian-award-apostolos-paul-pries

FDF 2019 was amazing for all the groups from St. Nicholas!  

Our choral group, Effonia, who sang beautifully, was awarded the Gold Medal.  From the dance groups, Meraki was awarded the Gold Medal in their division of Advanced Primary category for both their dancing and their singing.  Patrida was awarded the Silver Medal in the Junior category for dancing, and they were also awarded the Choral Award for their singing.  Andamosi was awarded the Founders Award in their Intermediate category.  In addition, Dena Armeniakos received the Director's Award for Division II.   We could not be more proud of all of our St. Nicholas singers, dancers, and directors!

2019 GAPWS Scholarship Award-The Greek American Professional Women’s Society is proud to support and mentor young women who work towards advancing their education and becoming successful members of their communities.  The Society announces a scholarship award to be offered to a female college student of Hellenic heritage in 2019.

Eligible applicants must be full-time, degree-seeking female college students (undergraduate) at an accredited college or university in the United States, and residents of California.  A minimum GPA of 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) is required. 

The 2019 GAPWS scholarship recipient will receive $1,000.  Deadline for applications is March 15, 2019.  The GAPWS Scholarship winner will be announced early May 2019.  For more information and to apply use the link below:

https://www.gapws.org/scholarship

 After a lot of thought and consideration, we, as the Committee of the Apokriatiko Dinner Dance, have decided to forgo and not have the Apokriatiko Glendi this year.

The goal, we set forth nine years ago, was to assist the Parish of St. Nicholas in their fundraising efforts to pay off the Community Center. By the Grace of God and together with your participation, the goal has been met. We would like to graciously and humbly thank all of you that have supported us and attended this event over the years. As well as, a very special thank you to our very generous donors over the years.  Without your love, support, and of course, attendance, this event could not have been successful without you.

We want to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to the Mythos band for donating their time and beautiful music in order to help make this event a great success from our very first year. This was a true partnership and we are humbled by your generosity. We would also like to thank our Priests for their blessing, support and spiritual guidance.

Respectfully yours,

The Apokriatiko Committee 

John and Sophia Kouretas 
Nick and Evangelia Pries
Chris and Meropi Spilios
Louie and Dimitra Tsigaris

Please join Young Families on Friday, March 1st at 6pm in the Community Center for fun and fellowship.

Saturday of the Souls (Psychosavato) Saturday, March 2, 2019, and the only one before Great Lent, will begin with Orthros at 8:30am followed by the Liturgy and Trisagion.  All names of deceased family members, relatives and friends that have been received by Father Demosthenes and Father Nebojsa will be commemorated at that service.  The next two Saturdays, March 9, Cheesefare Saturday, and March 16, are not Saturday of the Souls.  However, if names are brought with kollyva, they will be commemorated at the end of the Liturgy.  The next Saturday of Souls will be June 15th, the day before Holy Pentecost.

We would like to extend our most sincere THANK YOU to all of you who attended our ANNUAL VALENTINE’S LUNCHEON.

Special THANKS:

• To our Cooks: Bill Christie, Antonia Komianos, Jim Barrous, Elias Psycharis, George Pries, Louis Pappas.
• To Antonia Komianos for her most delicious Galaktoboureko.
• Vicki Ryan, Ted Tsortos, Jeff Contos And Our Youth Servers.
• To our Church Secretary, Saiyanna Charitou for her continuous “immeasurable” help and support as well as Julia Sarigiannides.
• The highlight of the day was the Musical Program, offered to us by THE VERY TALENTED GEORGE CHRISTOS! George, THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Come back soon for a longer program.

Please mark your CALENDARS:

• MARCH 5 - Regular meeting – Movie
• APRIL 2 – FILOLI – For more information call Linda at: 408 234 9226
• APRIL 10 – Host Presanctified Dinner-POTLUCK
• MAY 7 - Last meeting – OUTING-TBA

Last and not least, many THANKS to those who have supported us through the years by offering their love and generous gifts!

For more information, please call Mina at 408 515-8301.

The Church Office will be closed on Monday, March 11th for the Archdiocesan observance of Clean Monday.  

AHEPA and Daughters of Penelope are sponsoring an informative presentation about Writing and Entrepreneurship by Annamarie Buonocore on Tuesday, March 12th at 7:00pm in the Small Hall.

The founder and publisher of Voices of Hellenism Literary Journal, Annamarie Buonocore is a local Greek-American writer and business owner with a passion for fiction and Northwest Indiana history. After working on several writing projects, Annamarie started writing a Greek-American-themed series of short stories in 2017 titled Hopes In Pieces. The series focuses on themes such as current events, alcoholism, and the challenges of the declining Rust Belt. She recently traveled to Northwest Indiana where she connected with relatives and learned a great deal about the local history. Annamarie looks forward to sharing her travels and writing/publishing experiences with you. 

Please join us on Wednesday, March 13th at 5:30pm for the 9th Hour, Presanctified Liturgy, and Confessions.  After the Liturgy, we will have a potluck in the Small Hall sponsored by St. Anna's Philoptochos. 

There will be one liturgy on the Sunday of Orthdoxy, March 17th.  Orthros and Liturgy will begin at 8:30am.  

HEART OF PHILANTHROPY:  The month of February celebrates Love.  GO RED! is the theme of the month.  With this in mind, Philopotochos reminds you to be heart healthy!   St. Anna's will have a table set up on Sunday, February 17 and 24 with information to keep us heart healthy, items that Philoptochos custom makes for baptisms and weddings upon request, and membership cards to join the philanthropic arm of St. Nicholas.  If you are new to our parish, come to the table, and let us meet and welcome you to our parish.

SAVE THE DATE:  We will soon be entering the Lenten season, and St. Anna's once again will host its Lenten Retreat.  The date is Saturday, March 23, 2019 in the small hall.  Our own Fr. Nebojsa will lead the retreat with the topic regarding  fasting during the Lenten season.  As always, learn more about our beautiful faith, enjoy the fellowship with one another, and eat a delicious lunch prepared by our lovely  ladies.  We hope you will join us.  Open donation. 

ELECTIONS:  In May, elections will be held for St. Anna's  Philoptochos Board for the ecclesiastical years September 1, 2019 through August 31, 2021.  If you are a steward of the Parish of St. Nicholas and of St. Anna's chapter, please consider running for the Board as St. Anna directs the philanthropic work of the Parish of St. Nicholas, as well as supports the work of the Metropolis and National Boards philanthropic activities.

The annual Greek Flag Raising, in recognition of Greek Independence Day, will be held on Monday, March 25th at 4pm at the San Jose City Hall Plaza, 200 E Santa Clara Street.  Reception on the 17th floor immediately following the ceremony compliments of the AHEPA and Daughters of Penelope.  

Tickets are on sale NOW for the Cioppino Dinner Night to be held Saturday, March 30, 2019 in the St. Nicholas Community Center, 6:30pm Social Hour, 7:00pm Dinner.  Adults $50 (after March 23rd $60)- Students $25.  For reservations and tickets contact Bill Christie at billchristie1@mac.com or call 408-531-9211. Tickets must be purchased in advance - no tickets sold at the door.  Make checks payable to AHEPA and mail to Bill Christie, 3327 Lake Albano Circle, San Jose, Ca 95135.  Sponsored by San Jose AHEPA and Daughters of Penelope Chapters.

Sunday February 24th

At St. Nicholas
2:30 St. Nicholas Girls Middle v. St Gregory
3:30 St. Nicholas Boys Elementary v. Holy Trinity
4:30 St. Nicholas Boys Middle v. St. Gregory 1

Sunday March 3rd
At St. Nicholas
2:30 St. Nicholas Girls Elementary v. Ascension
3:30 St. Nicholas Boys Elementary v. St Gregory
4:30 St. Nicholas Boys Middle v. St. Gregory 2

Sunday March 10th
At Ascension
2:30 St. Nicholas Girls Elementary v. Ascension
At St. Nicholas
2:30 St. Nicholas Girls Middle v. St. Gregory
3:30 St. Nicholas Boys Middle v. Annunciation
4:30 St. Nicholas Boys Elementary v. Holy Trinity

Saturday March 16th
Playoffs at St. Nicholas
TBD

Sunday March 17th
Championships at Ascension
2:30 Girls Elementary
3:30 Boys Elementary
4:30 Girls Middle
5:30 Boys Middle

Our Ministry is committed to support with the payment of the construction loan and furnish the classrooms, laboratories, and facilities of Sister Nektaria’s school in India. The St. Ignatius School will be up for re-accreditation in 2020. The need is urgent. Towards this end, a donation box has been placed in the narthex to enable those who would like to show their support of our featured charity.  We will be updating you throughout the year with the heart, smiles, and love of the children, as they progress in the oasis that you help provide. 

For more information on this and other missionary activity, please contact Maria Aji at stspeterpaulmissions@gmail.com, or follow our Saints Peter and Paul Missions Ministry Facebook page and the Fili website:  www.fili-inc.com.  

For safety reasons per Fire Marshal requirements, please keep strollers in the Cry Room or outside the church.  Thank you for your cooperation.

A big thank you for the donations of beautiful blankets, baby clothes and diapers donated to Real Options Crisis Pregnancy Center located on The Alameda . These items are a real help for families in a crisis situation.

The donation bins are located in the church book store and outside the Sunday School office.  God bless you.  Questions, contact Ruth Duterte @ 408-483-3009 or ruthrad1@aol.com.

In case of a special need and you would like a pastoral visit, the priests would be happy to visit after receiving a call from an immediate family member due to privacy concerns.   Please text or call either Fr. Demosthenes at 408-784-9364 or Father Nebojsa at 707-315-7823 or call the church office at 408-246-2770.

Need Support from Parents and Parishioners

The only requirement is love working with children and you are a perfect match – we will do the rest to ensure your success.  We are in need of additional volunteers (teachers and aides) for Pre-K, 6^th grade, 9^th grade, and 10^th grade. Please stop by the Sunday School office any Sunday or send email to SaintNicholasSundaySchool@gmail.com

February 2019 Sunday School Calendar

Sunday, February 24 - Two liturgies; Sunday School

BOYS

3rd, 4th, and 5th grade boys: Tuesdays 6:30pm

6th, 7th, and 8th grade boys: Thursday at 6pm

GIRLS

3rd, 4th, and 5th grade girls: Wednesdays 6pm

6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls: Wednesdays 6pm

If you have any questions contact Paul Papageorge at paulpapa@mac.com

We are a registered non-profit on Facebook and you can donate any time (without any fees for the church) by pressing the donate button in this link:

https://www.facebook.com/SaintNicholasOrg/

Do you find yourself humming along with the hymns each Sunday?  Then please come on up and join our active, music-loving choir.    Requirements:  age 16 and over; be able to carry a tune, reading music is not necessary, knowledge of Greek NOT required, phonetics provided.  Rehearsals every Thursday from 7:30 to 9pm. Sunday liturgy from 10:00am to 11:45am; no rehearsals in July and August.  You will gain many benefits including active participation in the liturgy which enhances the understanding of our religion, gaining knowledge of the Feast Days, being part of a warm, friendly group, and guaranteed the best seat during Holy Week!  If this sounds interesting, drop in at a rehearsal - no invitation necessary.  For questions, call the Choir Director, Dr. Tikey Zes at 408-723-0640 or the Church Office at 408-246-2770.

Confessions with Father Demosthenes are available without an appointment during Great Compline on Monday evenings and the Presanctified Liturgy on Wednesday evenings.   

With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos, the Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church  is hosting the premiere of the movie titled "Love to the End", the first movie about St. Maria of Paris, on Friday, March 1st at 6:00pm followed by the panel discussion hosting the author of the movie, Ms. Anberin Pasha (MA student at Holy Cross Seminary) together with Fr. Aris Metrakos and professors at the Graduate Theological Union, UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz.

A benefit choral concert, directed by Dr. Tikey Zes, of beloved Greek Orthodox hymns and Greek folk songs will be presented on Saturday, Mar. 23, at 4:00 PM, in the Chapel at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 245 Valencia St., in San Francisco.  Proceeds benefit the Building Fund of Annunciation Cathedral. Info/tickets/sponsorships: 415-864-8000 or nick@tarlson.com. Online tickets: https://annunciationfundraiser.bpt.me.

The PAOI, and the Church of the Holy Cross in Belmont are bringing “Eikona" to the Bay Area on April 5, 6, and 7.  The preliminary schedule for the weekend is as follows:

FRIDAY APRIL 5, 2019 - Salutations at Holy Trinity in San Francisco at 7:00 pm

SATURDAY APRIL 6, 2019 - Concert and Lenten Retreat at Holy Cross in Belmont at 10:00 am

SUNDAY APRIL 7, 2019 - Divine Liturgy and youth music workshop at Holy Trinity in Belmont. Orthros and Divine Liturgy at 8:45 am

Info/register: paoi-eikona.eventbrite.com. Or contact paoi@ses.gtu.edu or 510-649-3450.  

If you wish to order kollyva, paximadia, koulourakia or other Greek pastries, or artoklasia, please see below.  Payment is arranged with the makers and not the church.  If there is anyone who wants to be added to the makers list, please call the church office.

For kollyva:

Marcella Fotis 408-723-4124

Maria Anagnostou 408-316-6609

For paximadia, koulourakia, and other Greek pastries:

Maria Tsaboukos 408-723-5175

Antonia Komianos 408-472-3888

Marcella Fotis 408-723-4124

For artoklasia:

Marcella Fotis 408-723-4124

Maria or Despina Anagnostou 408-316-6609

To avoid any confusion on our part as we compose and print the Sunday bulletin, we ask that anyone who wishes to include a notice in the Sunday bulletin submit the notice in writing to the office BY TUESDAY AT 5PM!  Please don't wait until the last minute or send a note into the altar on a Sunday morning while the liturgy is in progress.

In addition, all ongoing (same message) bulletin entries will be in for four weeks, four times a year.  Please review these entries and plan accordingly.

Please check with Father Demosthenes in the office before posting anything on the bulletin board in the Small Hall.  Notices, announcements, advertisements, etc. that have not been approved will be removed.  Thank you for your kind cooperation.

Please note that all information in the weekly bulletin is subject to change.