A Word from Fr. John:

More from Bishop Kallistos Ware in The Festal Triodion, concerning the Feast of Theophany/Epiphany:

“The basic meaning of the feast as a whole is summed up in its title Epiphany, ‘manifestation,’ or more specifically, Theophany, ‘manifestation of God.’ Christ’s baptism in the Jordan is a ‘manifestation of God’ to the world... because at this baptism there was granted to the world a revelation of the Holy Trinity. All three Persons were made ‘manifest’ together: the Father testified from on high to the divine Sonship of Jesus; the Son received His Father’s testimony; and the Spirit was seen in the form of a dove, descending from the Father and resting upon the Son....

This theme of ‘manifestation’ or ‘revelation’ is expressed in particular under the symbolism of light.... Thus, besides the title ‘Theophany,’ 6 January is also known as the ‘Feast of Lights’ (Gk. Εορτή των φώτων). The Church celebrates on this day the illumination of the world by the light of Christ: ‘Light from Light, Christ our God has shone upon the world, God made manifest’ (Matins/Orthros of the feast, from the Praises)....”

Also, some theological words from our Father among the Saints, Basil of Caesarea in Cappdocia, the Heaven Revealer, the Great – whose feast day we celebrated this past Wednesday:

(Concerning Jesus Christ): “He is King of those who have risen to a higher way of life, submitting themselves to their lawful ruler. Because He leads men through the narrow gate of His commandments to the practice of good deeds, and because He securely shuts in those who through faith in Him find shelter in true wisdom, He is the Door....

Every kind of help comes to our souls through Him, and an appropriate title has been devised for each particular kind of care. When He presents a blameless soul to Himself, He is called Bridegroom, but when He receives someone paralyzed by the devil’s evil strikes, and heals the heavy burden of his sins, He is called Physician.”

                – From On the Holy Spirit, chapter 8 (sections 17 and 18), in the SVS Press Popular Patristics series edition

Many thanks to all who submitted their final contributions to our 2019 Stewardship goals. We will be closing the 2019 year January 5th, so any stewardship payments received after that will be applied to your 2020 Stewardship contributions.

The 2020 Stewardship cards are in the mail. For those that have already made their 2020 commitment by using last year's card with a date change, you will still get the mailing, as it includes other materials. Please note that it is important to fill out the back of the card with your contact information, as that is our official record each year.

From Father John's Stewardship letter: " . . . practicing awareness of one's blessings and being grateful for them creates a very real change in one's attitude and outlook . . ."

From Archbishop Anastasios of Albania:  "We find ourselves by offering ourselves.”

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The Greek Orthodox Christian parish

in Saint Augustine

is named for the Holy Trinity.

As a reflection of the Holy Trinity,

we strive to live a divine life,

to be of one mind, one heart,

one soul and one body in Christ.

The parish encourages all who accept the Orthodox Faith to become practicing Stewards.  Each year we are encouraged to make a commitment of time, talent and treasure to support the Parish and her Ministries, which in turn support the National Ministries of our Archdiocese, Metropolis, Theological School and related institutions.

Lord, hear our prayer as we seek to be good stewards of

the many gifts you have given to us. 

Give us wisdom to discern Your will for us, strength to meet

the challenge, and the grace to remain committed to You. 

Help us to use our Time, Talent and Treasure for Your

greater honor and glory. 

In your name we pray.  Amen.

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Services: 

Today, Sunday, January 5^th: Forefeast of Theophany/Epiphany

• Orthros at 9 a.m., Liturgy at 10 a.m. (“regular” Sunday services)
• Great Vespers at 6 p.m. with Litya (lessing of the loaves) — no Liturgy of St. Basil

Monday, January 6^th: The Theophany of Our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ

• Orthros at 8:30 a.m.; Liturgy at 9:30 a.m., with the Blessing of the Waters

Special Prayer Requests: 

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  (Phil. 4:6-7)

We pray for the good journeys of traveling faithful during the festal season and for the mercy, life, peace, and healing of all parishioners, especially: His Grace Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos, Augustina, Margaret, James, Kyriake, Mike and Ingrid (Evangelia) Fotianos, Irene Hastalis, Jim Manos, Chresanthe Lemieux, Jane Anderson, Nicola Lykam’s father-in-law and mother-in-law, Melissa Kauttu’s daughter Zoe, and Rita Latgis and her daughter Sophia and their family. Remember also our missionary families, Michael, Lisa & Liam Colburn; and Fr. Stephanos, Pr. Alexandria, Moses & Athan Ritsi.

Hostess Schedule:  Carman Gaetanos (904) 540-0367 or carmgaet@gmail.com      

• Today, January 5^th              
• Pres. Renee Ritsi, Evangelia Brati
• January 12^th                       
• Gail Jones, Vassi Laliotis
• January 19^th                       
• Carman Gaetanos, Erna Boyazis
• January 26^th                       
• Last Sunday Potluck  - Nick Latgis’s 40-day memorial

Adult Bible Study resumes today, January 5^th: 

The adult Bible study on the Gospel of John meets every Sunday, unless otherwise announced, in the classroom opposite the men’s room. The class starts 15 minutes after the start of coffee hour, and is led by Michael Colburn. We are using the epic 2003 movie “The Gospel of John” directed by Philip Seville. This movie uses the text of the Gospel of John from the Good News Bible verbatim—no extra words added and none left out. The syllabus and study questions for each week are available at https://thecolburns.us/classes/john. Also check there for any last-minute announcements about the class.

St. Photios Greek Orthodox Shrine 2019 Annual Essay Contest:

The St. Photios Foundation. Inc. invites all teenagers, 13-19 years of age to submit a 1,000-word essay to the St. Photios Essay Committee to participate in the annual Essay Contest http://www.stphotios.org/assets/files/Essay%20Contest%20Web.pdf.  There are 21 of saints of the early Church enshrined in the St. Photios Chapel – www.stphotios.org.  How do we, as Orthodox Christians relate to these sacred and historically significant treasures? Essay writers should answer this question thoughtfully and thoroughly. The Committee accepts submissions through January 6, 2020.

2020 Festival - October 9, 10, 11 (Save the Dates!):

This is the time of year to take a fresh look at our annual festival while there is still time to consider new ideas and improvements.  We need as much input - and as many skills - as possible! Please come to our first 2020 meeting on January 8^th at 6:30 p.m.  If you have any leads for sponsors, advertisers or promotions please send the specifics to Toula at zotost@gmail.com.  Even if you are unable to attend meetings, we still need people who have sales skills, data skills, creative skills and more.  Not sure how you can help?  Please speak with Mikae Gaetanos, Nick Lekas or Toula Zotos, or just come to the meeting!

Vasilopita Celebration at HTGOC January 12^th:

On January 12th, we will celebrate this Greek tradition with cutting of the vasilopita and a performance by our youth and adult dancers, with their teacher Desi Andrioti.  They will perform dances traditional in many regions of Greece to celebrate a blessed New Year.  There will also be a special collection for St. Basil’s Academy, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese home for children in need.

The history of vasilopita can be traced back to the ancient festivals of Kronia and Saturnalia and is connected to a legend of Saint Basil. It is said that he implored the citizens of Cesarea, the place where he was from, to raise money in order to stop a siege. Each citizen was to give whatever they had in the form of coins or jewelry. When the ransom was handed to the siege, those who organized the siege were so shamed by the collective generosity that the siege was cancelled. When Saint Basil attempted to return the valuables to every Caesarean only to realize there was no way to distinguish how to distribute the funds back to the people. To solve this problem, he baked the coins and jewelry into bread and then distributed it all back to the people in that way. 

In honor of Saint Basil, or Agios Vasilios, people bake this bread every year. The tradition has evolved from the original story and now whoever finds the coin is said to have good luck for the rest of the year. However, the bread itself does serve as a reminder for all that Agios Vasilios did for people of Greece.

Parish Council Meeting January 13^th at 6:30 p.m.:

The general election for the Parish Council was held on, Sunday, December 15, 2019. The unratified election results for Parish Council are Nick Lekas, Andy Lekos, Polly Hillier and Melisa Coburn.  Respectfully submitted - Parish Elections Committee: Irene Pergeorelis, Joan Manias, Stefanos Kallas

New Year’s Glendi – January 17^th:

After determining many people will not be available, due to travel or other conflicts at the previous scheduled date, we have decided to reschedule the New Year’s Glendi at Church to Friday, January 17th, starting at 6 p.m. This will be a free event, with food, music and dancing to celebrate the new year.  We only ask that you consider bringing a dish to share. 

We welcome anyone who would like to help with the planning, by contacting Gary Peterson at (904) 814-6383 or psete9839@comcast.net.

Diakonia Retreat:

Join St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church of Daytona Beach at the Diakonia Retreat, February 14^th -17^th, 2020.  Space is very limited.  Registration and monies must be submitted timely.  For more information or to secure your spot, please contact Irene Katra at 386-290-3208 or email Santorini257@aol.com.  If desiring to carpool, please call the Church Office.

Contributions - Tracking Your Giving:

• Each time you contribute funds to the parish, the notation on the memo line of your check allows us to identify your intentions:  Stewardship, Candles, Trays, Memorials, etc.  
• If you are setting up contributions through your bank, please be sure that a specific notation (ex: stewardship) is included for each transaction.
• For any cash contributions, please use one of the envelopes in the Narthex so that we can add that amount to your record of donations.

Parishioner Contact Information;

We are auditing our parishioner data base in 2020 to insure correctness.  Please use the contact form in the narthex for your information and return to the office…even if you have not changed your address or email.  Thank you.