• This Week's Children's Word from OCN
• Annunciation/Evangelismos Church Youth Worker Registration

We are preparing for Sights and Sounds 2023 on March 18 at St. Thomas in Cherry Hill! If you cannot make it on the 18th, please come to our dress rehearsal on March 12, during fellowship hour, in our church hall.

Coming soon… Order forms for luminaries are coming in March!

GOYA is collecting diapers and wipes for their service project

“Children are a gift from the Lord. They are a reward from Him.” ^{Psalm 127:3}

While Christ is the ultimate healer, Orthodox Christians call upon Agios Stylianos to protect their children. With the Lord’s assistance, the touch of Agios Stylianos healed children of their illnesses. He put smiles on their faces while grinning his own. You could be putting smiles on the faces of families in need by donating infant diapers to GOYA. Infant diapers are a necessity for all babies. However, this product is costly for many. Since diapers are not covered by food stamps or WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) vouchers, many families cannot afford their newborn’s needs; to stay hygienic, babies need between six to twelve diapers a day. Children are a gift from the Lord, and we, as a parish, should ensure they are clean and healthy as God intended them to be.

GOYA will collect infant diapers (all brands, bundles, and sizes) until April 23; there is a box across from the trophy case. The donations will then go to The Greater Philadelphia Diaper Bank, which gives diapers to low-income families in the Philadelphia region. We thank you for your contributions, and the babies thank you for keeping them clean, dry, and healthy.

• April 20-30: Regional GOYA Spring Retreat
• Annunciation/Evangelismos Church Youth Worker Registration

• Friday, March 3, 2023: Coco and Kolyva Night hosted by Philoptochos
• Annunciation/Evangelismos Church Youth Worker Registration

• PTO Blue Envelopes Fundraiser for Greek School
• Now until March 24: Pascha Tsoureki Sale
• Sunday, April 2: Greek Independence Day Parade in Philadelphia
• Annunciation/Evangelismos Church Youth Worker Registration

Saturday, March 18: Regional Sights and Sounds Youth Arts Festival at St. Thomas Church, Cherry Hill, NJ

Sunday, March 19: Greek School Greek Independence Day program

Saturday, March 25: Parish Name-day & Greek Independence Day

                                 March 25 Dinner Dance

Thursday, March 30: Homeless Ministry serving at Aviation Park

Sunday, April 2: Greek Independence Day Parade in Philadelphia

April 8-16: Holy Week and Holy Pascha

May 19-20: Spring OPA Greek Festival

All prayer books – for adults and children – are now 20% off. Sale includes psalters. 

The Spiritual Life Ministry invites you to join us as we pray the Psalter Together this Lent! 

Bind yourselves to your brethren. Those bound together in love bear everything with ease…. If now you want to make the bond double, your brother must also be bound together with you. He wants us to be bound together with one another, not only to be at peace, not only to be friends but to be all one, a single soul. Beautiful is this bond. With this bond, we bind ourselves together both to one another and to God. This is not a chain that bruises. It does not cramp the hands. It leaves them free and gives them ample room and greater courage. 

(From St. John Chrysostom’s Homily on Ephesians 9.4.1-3)

Please join us as we pray the Psalter throughout Lent. The Psalter is the Book of Psalms, divided into 20 Kathismata. "Kathismata" is the plural of "kathisma," which means "sitting.” You can read through the Book of Psalms in twenty sittings with these divisions. We'll pray the Psalms daily from February 27th (Clean Monday) to April 7th.

Beginning on February 27th, the first day of the fast, each group member will start by praying one kathisma (please refer to the sign-up genius for your assigned starting Kathisma).  

Learn How It Works Here 

Sign-up for Annunciation Psalter Group

With twenty people each reading one Kathisma per day, the Psalter is being read in its entirety every day of Lent. On the twenty-first day, we each begin again where we started, individually reading the entire Psalter twice during the forty days.

Each Kathisma takes approximately twenty minutes to a half hour to read. We will pray our Kathisma individually anytime during the day or night and anywhere we can.  

Although a Psalter is a volume that contains the book of Psalms, you do not need to purchase a Psalter to participate – just use your Bible. If you would like to purchase a Psalter book or Bible, these are available through the Resource Center:

The Psalter According to the Seventy (Greek-English). This beautiful hardcover edition contains the translation of the Psalms used in our liturgical services.

The Psalter (“pocket” size). Just the right size to take with you wherever you go.

Christ in the Psalms. In two-page meditations on each of the psalms, Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon takes readers on an enlightening pilgrimage through the prayerbook of the Church.

Songs of Praise: A Psalter Devotional for Orthodox Women. Along with the Psalter, this book offers reflections on the Psalms and pages for journaling.

Orthodox Study Bible. The complete Bible with commentary.

Please join us in praying the Psalms.  

May God bless our efforts!

What do you do when you see someone trying to survive on the streets? Perhaps we have never imagined ourselves in their shoes. Our reactions can range from pity to anger to choosing not to see the person at all. As hard as it is to witness the suffering of others, we must also try to exercise empathy. Imagine what it’s like to have no home or support network, to be cold or hungry or sick, to have people walk by you each day and pretend you don’t exist.

How can we help when we cross paths with a homeless person on the streets? The answer is not always easy or simple. The best place to start is by remembering the humanity of each person we see. Treat each and every person with dignity – but also follow your own instincts. A wide range of reasons and situations force a person to homelessness. One thing is certain, most of them didn’t choose that life. Most are simply victims of circumstances beyond their control. Sometimes all they need is someone to empathize with them and a chance to redeem themselves. Small acts of kindness can have tremendously positive repercussions. Think about making eye contact, smiling, encouraging, and praying.

Please take 10 minutes to listen to this video from our church’s Facebook page on the Sunday of the Last Judgment.

Through your generous donations and the hands-on help of our Catechism students, we are preparing AGAPE Bags. The bags include a small water bottle, food/snacks, and Bombas socks. We are currently on the waitlist to partner with Bombas, but meanwhile, St. Miriam Parish in Ft. Washington, a current Bombas giving partner, is generously sharing Bombas with us. We invite our parishioners to take one or two or as many AGAPE Bags as they would like to have on hand. Keep some in your car or carry one with you on your commute. When you see someone in need, you can give them this small gift of hope and love. Bags will be available throughout Lent and will be located in baskets marked AGAPE Bags at two different locations –  across from the exit to the courtyard and by the exit from the social hall to the parking lot. 

Our next serving date at Aviator Park is on March 30^th. If you would like to join us to help serve or donate food, kindly sign up here.

Prayers for a Blessed Lenten Journey! Καλή Σαρακοστή!

The Homeless Ministry

Kali Sarakosti! What a wonderful time of the year as we look around and begin to see God’s seasonal miracles as the renewal of life is being unearthed this spring—such a beautiful time of the year. Our hearts are filled with hope as we prepare for Christ’s resurrection. Great Lent is the opportunity to rediscover our priorities and work on our relationship with God.

Our ministry is busy this month as we journey into lent for our spiritual nourishment. We  are increasing our efforts to stay true to our mission and help our brethren. We met last week and prepare 13 trays and other goods we donated to Lasagna Love. It was a day filled with hard work and purpose, and our hearts were filled with joy as we worked. Thank you to Christine Ferello for orchestrating Lasagna Love, Angie Makris McCulloch, and Christine Vlahos for their helping hands. We will continue with our perpetual donation of eggs and butter this month to Seeds of Hope and Somerton Interfaith. We experienced a small setback in locating eggs last week. There were limits placed on eggs, and when we found eggs… they were over $7 a dozen. It didn’t feel right not being able to buy eggs for Somerton.

Our Lenten Meat Drive is now in progress through April 17. There are several ways to donate. Donate either through Vanco or the form below. We will do the rest! We will purchase an assortment of requested meats and foods and deliver them to Seeds of Hope and Somerton Interfaith on April 4th and April 18th. We are always appreciative to receive these donations. They sustain the ministry!

Matthew 25 - LENTEN MEAT ORDER FORM

YOUR NAME: _____________________________________________

Quantity: ____________ x $ 35 (or more)= _____________________

Please send the form (and check if not giving through Vanco) to:

Lisa Trivelis. 31 Trailwood Drive. Holland, PA  18966

In Honor of:

a. the Feast Day of Annunciation/ Evangelismos of Theotokos,
b. the 202^th Anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821,  and
c. the 122^th Anniversary of the Founding of Our Community in 1901,

Great Vespers and the IV Stanza of the Akathist * will be prayed on Friday, March 24, at 6:00 pm, presided by His Grace Bishop Apostolos of Medeia.

Our Philoptochos will offer a reception following vespers.

The Feast Day Orthros & Divine Liturgy * will be celebrated on Saturday, March 25, starting at 8:30 am, with participation of area clergy. A thanksgiving doxology for the liberation of Greece will be offered at the conclusion of the liturgy.

Our Philoptochos will host a fellowship hour following the divine liturgy.

* Please let the church office know in advance if you would like to offer artoklasia—the blessing of the bread, wine & oil- for the health and salvation of your family in honor of the Annunciation Feast.

Anyone who attended the Gala Dinner or placed an ad should stop by the office after church on Sundays to pick up their copy.

One book per family please. Please enter your name on the list by the books so we know not to mail you one. 

Bulletin Announcements

Please submit your material by Tuesday noon for the upcoming Sunday’s bulletin.
Your submission should be an editable document (Word, Publisher, Google Doc, Pages), as well as your final PDF document. Avoid dark page backgrounds and use white because it is easier to read and ‘lighter’ to include on our e-bulletin. Please send your submission to office@anngoc.org and always Cc Fr. John at frjohn@anngoc.org for his review and approval.
All submissions will be placed on a first-come, first-served, space-available basis and are subject to editing for content, clarity, and space.

Sunday Extra Services

Please call or email us at the parish office at least two weeks in advance if you would like a 40-day mother & child blessing, memorial, trisagion, artoklasia (the blessing of the five loaves-wine & oil), fanouropita (St. Phanurios bread), etc.

Requests are considered based on the ecclesiastical calendar.

The Office of Ionian Village is still accepting summer camp registrations for 2023! As the official camping program of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, a goal of Ionian Village is to have youth represent each Metropolis of our Archdiocese. Friendships forged at Ionian Village last a lifetime, and the network of alumni who have attended Ionian Village spans the far reaches of our Archdiocese and all its ministries.

Within the first 100 years following the fall of Constantinople, many of the teachers of the geography inside which Greek people lived, fled to the west, north, and east (Venice, Pisa, Trieste, Marseille, Nice, Costanza, Odessa, Kyiv, Mariupol, Stavrupol). Greece was largely orphaned of education opportunities. Together with the church clergy, the cadre of the few remaining teachers began the monumental task of rebuilding the education of the Greek people.

On the Saturday of Souls as well as other similar occasions, the faithful offer kollyva. Kollyva is a sort of sweet offering made primarily from wheat and includes some or all of the following: raisins, nuts, pomegranate, cinnamon and powdered sugar. It is often formed in the shape of a mound to resemble a grave and decorated with candy in the sign of a cross. The custom of preparing kollyva predates Christianity and is believed to have started in Ancient Greece, where a dish of wheat and nuts was offered to the dead.

This week, find insights about the upcoming Gospel reading, where we learn about Christ revealing Himself to Apostle Nathanael. How is Jesus the Ladder that unites heaven and earth? Also, what do we learn about humans as icons of Christ? And what do icons have to do with God taking on human flesh?

Philadelphia 2023 Greek Independence Day Celebrations

The Hellenic University Club of Philadelphia is now accepting applications for the 2023-2024 scholarships we are offering for graduating high school seniors, undergraduate and graduate students. Students will find eligibility requirements and descriptions for all the scholarships being offered this year on our website http://www.hucphiladelphia.org/2023-2024-scholarships and may apply electronically. The deadline to apply is Monday April 3, 2023.

Any questions regarding eligibility can be sent to hucscholarships@gmail.com