One of the most beautiful and inspiring traditions and customs of the Greek Orthodox Church is the observance of Vasilopita. It is this annual family observance, together with many other traditions of our Church, which joins our Orthodox Faith and heritage with the history of the Christian religion itself. The word Vasilopita "βασιλόπιτα" is a compound Greek word from βασιλεύς 'king' + πίτα 'pie', but was reinterpreted as Basil's (Βασίλειος) cake.

Background

This age-old tradition commenced in the fourth century, when Saint Basil the Great, who was a bishop, wanted to distribute money to the poor in his Diocese. He commissioned some women to bake sweetened bread, in which he arranged to place gold coins. Thus the families in cutting the bread to nourish themselves were pleasantly surprised to find the coins.

The Annual Home Observance

This original event which happened in Cappadocia of Caesarea in the last half of the fourth century is very much alive in our Orthodox homes each year on January 1st. According to tradition, special sweet bread (in some areas of Greece, it takes the form of a pita, or a cake) is prepared both in the Orthodox homes and in the Church community which is called Vasilopita. Sweets are added to the bread which symbolizes the sweetness and joy of life everlasting. It also symbolizes the hope that the New Year will be filled with the sweetness of life, liberty, health, and happiness for all who participate in the Vasilopita Observance. When the Vasilopita is prepared, a coin is usually added to the ingredients. When the bread is cut and the observance begins, the individual who receives that portion of the Pita which contains the coin is considered blessed. This tradition adds joy to the celebration at the beginning of the New Year, which everyone hopes will bring joy to all. Many Orthodox Christians enjoy the Vasilopita at home with their loved ones during the New Year celebration. The head of the family cuts the pieces of pita for all members of the family. Since Saint Basil loved the poor people, a special piece is cut for the unfortunate of the world, which symbolizes our concern for the poverty-stricken people of all nations.

Who was Saint Basil?

During the fourth century, one of the greatest Fathers of the Christian Church appeared on the spiritual horizon of the Orthodox Faith. His name was Basil and he was Bishop of Caesarea, Cappadocia (Asia Minor). He was born four years after the First Ecumenical Council held in the year 325 A.D. Saint Basil was one of the three Cappadocian Fathers of the Church (the others were Gregory of Nazianzus, his best friend, and his brother, Gregory of Nyssa). Saint Basil used his family's wealth to establish an orphanage for little children. He also founded the first Christian hospital in the world. His fame as a holy man spread like wildfire throughout the Roman world. He was considered one of the wisest and compassionate clergymen in the entire history of the Church. His feast day is observed on January 1st, the beginning of the New Year and the Epiphany season. The Church, therefore, in respect for his many contributions to the Church and to mankind in general, combined the joy and happiness of the New Year with the glory of the birth of Christ, and the Epiphany into what is known in the Orthodox Church as the Vasilopita Observance. The Vasilopita is a joyous observance, and it is a custom which continues to be observed by Greek Orthodox Christians worldwide.

Our Church Celebration

At the conclusion of the divine liturgy, Father John will be blessing and sharing this special bread in honor of our Universal Church, as well as our local Annunciation Church and her ministry leaders, as we are remembering the inspiring life of St. Basil the Great, who offered his life to God and the needs of the poor.

Annunciation Ministry Leaders will be called to the solea to receive a piece of the vasilopita on behalf of each church ministry. Following the example of St. Basil, we will be charged on this day to receive our blessed piece of bread and then find a way to multiply it in the lives of those in need throughout the year!

We are pleased to inform you that we have received the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos to administer the Affirmation of Office to our 2019 Parish Council.

We are grateful to the selected parishioners who have offered to be servant leaders of our community: Cathy Avgiris, Dean Dalson, Evangelos Exarchos, Christine Ferello, Craig Godshall, Peter Gouris, Demetrios Hatzopoulos, Demetrios Papakirk, Philip Pappas, Russell Penning, Theodosios Sourias, and George Vlahos.

A note of gratitude to outgoing members Apostolos Fisfis and Peter Nikolopoulos for their service and leadership. In addition, we appreciate the good work of the Elections Committee.

Annual Feast Day and March 25 Celebration Dinner

Saturday, March 2, 2019

Join us for dinner, music, and dancing!

Invitations to follow

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Elkins Park, PA is seeking a full or part-time Sexton/Caretaker.

The qualified applicant will have a demonstrated knowledge of building cleaning, building maintenance, basic repairs, grounds care, and kitchen and banquet hall setup and cleanup. He/She must be trustworthy, reliable, willing to follow instructions, and be able to work flexible working hours with minimal supervision.

For further information and consideration, please contact Parish Council President Mrs. Cathy Avgiris, 215-635-0316.

H Ελληνική Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία Ευαγγελισμός της Θεοτόκου στο Elkins Park, PA, ζητά να προσλάβει Νεωκόρο/ Eπιστάτη, πλήρους ή μερικής απασχόλησης.

Ο/Η κατάλληλος/η υποψήφιος/α πρέπει να κατέχει βασικές γνώσεις καθαρισμού και συντήρησης οικοδομής, γνώσεις βασικών επισκευών, και προετοιμασίας και καθαρισμού κουζίνας και αίθουσας. Πρέπει να είναι ειλικρινής, αξιόπιστος/η, να ακολουθεί οδηγίες πρόθυμα, να μπορεί να εργάζεται με ελάχιστη επίβλεψη και να είναι προσαρμόσιμος/η σε ευέλικτο ωράριο.

Για περαιτέρω πληροφορίες  και ραντεβού για συνέντευξη, παρακαλώ απευθυνθείτε στην πρόεδρο του Κοινοτικού Συμβουλίου κ. Αικατερίνη Αυγήρη, 215-635-0316