TODAY’S EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Parish-Wide Card Signing – Continues
Please join the Visitation Ministry Cards and Phone Call Committee in signing cards to celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration. Send blessings and well wishes to all our homebound fellow parishioners. This tradition of community-wide card signing was postponed last year due to social distancing, but we are back and excited to send our love to our fellow homebound parishioners! If you haven’t already, please stop by the Gallery today to sign these beautiful cards. Thank you!
Dance Troupe Practice - Today
All HOPE/JOY Greek dancers are asked to remain following Liturgy today for practice.
UPCOMING EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Coronavirus Restrictions Lifted for Those Who Have Been Vaccinated
As of May 15, 2021, in accordance with the updated guidelines of the CDC and the Metropolis of Pittsburgh, note the following changes in our practices at Holy Trinity Church:
- Masks and social distancing are no longer required for those who have been vaccinated, as per the CDC guidelines and affirmed by the Metropolis. This applies to all services, sacraments and events at Holy Trinity Church and Saint George Chapel, as well as the Grand Room, offices, classrooms, and all other Holy Trinity facilities.
- Full capacity seating has been restored to the church Nave.
- The Choir section is once again reserved for the Choir, which has returned to offering Divine Liturgy hymns.
- Also, per the Metropolis guidelines, a section at the left entry of the Nave has been reserved for those who are still more comfortable with masking and physical distancing. They are not required to sit there, and we are to respect and honor the choices of anyone who chooses to do so. It is being offered as a courtesy so everyone may attend within their comfort level. Everyone is welcome at Holy Trinity Church.
- Services will continue to be broadcast online to minister to those who are not yet able to return in person.
Dance Troupe Practice Schedule
Please plan on having your children attend as many of the Greek Dance teaching sessions as possible. The groups are HOPE: kindergarten - second grade; JOY: third grade - sixth grade; GOYA: seventh grade - twelfth grade. Please email Eleni Dedousis: eadedousis@gmail.com (HOPE and JOY) or Victoria Andromalos-Dale: v.andromalosdale@gmail.com (GOYA) with questions. Arrive 5 minutes early and wear comfortable athletic attire (No flip flops). Thank You!
- TODAY Sunday, July 18: HOPE/JOY after Liturgy
- Tuesday, July 20: HOPE 6:30pm / JOY 7:00pm
- Friday, July 23: GOYA 6:00pm
- Sunday, July 25: HOPE/JOY/GOYA after Liturgy
- Tuesday, July 27: HOPE 6:30pm / JOY 7:00pm
- Sunday, August 1: HOPE/JOY after Liturgy
IOCC School Kit Program – Your Help is Needed
Give a child the tools needed to succeed at school! Many children do not have access to basic school supplies. Monetary donations will support the IOCC’s International School Kit Program as well as the City of Pittsburgh Public Schools. If you would like to help, please make checks payable to the “Holy Trinity Agape Fund” with “IOCC School Supplies” on the memo line or give online at HolyTrinityPgh.org/give by July 25th. Only $5.00 per school kit will make a difference in a child’s life! Kits will be assembled on Sunday, August 1. Questions? Contact elenivalliant@gmail.com for more information.
[Aug 15] Greek Dance Troupe Performance
Our Holy Trinity Dance Troupe plans to perform for parishioners following Liturgy on Sunday, August 15. Save the date!
Sabbatical Schedule
Father John will return from his sabbatical on Monday August 30. In Father John’s absence, Father Radu Bordeianu (FrRadu@HolyTrinityPgh.org) will be offering liturgical services and fulfilling all pastoral care needs. Please contact him or our Office Administrator, Mary Portellos (412-366-8700 or office@HolyTrinityPgh.org) with any clergy requests, including memorials and sacraments, and they will be arranged. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding!
[Sept 2, 3 & 4] Holy Trinity’s 2021 Greek Festival is ON as a Drive-Through!
The Holy Trinity community has indeed wanted to offer a great Greek Festival once again for our neighbors and friends. But given the ongoing challenges and uncertainties of the coronavirus pandemic and the tremendous lead time and investment need for preparing to host 30,000 people for our traditional event, the decision has been made to move forward with our 2021 Taste of Greece Festival as a "Drive Through" event, where our guests will be able to order from a limited menu in an efficient drive through setting. This will allow us to serve the community while balancing the safety of our guests and volunteers. The event will be held on Thursday September 2nd, Friday September 3rd, and Saturday September 4th, from 11 am to 7 pm each day. Please plan on stopping by and driving through. We will be ready to serve you some great Greek food with a warm smile and a big helping of Holy Trinity hospitality!
Festival Volunteers Needed: Please Sign Up Today!
Even though this year’s Festival is a drive-through, it will still require a LOT of volunteers, and we will need to train for a whole new way of working so our guests have the best experience and hospitality we can offer. A paper Festival volunteer form was distributed last month in church, and now it is also available online via SignUp Genius. We need everyone to get excited and pitch in, so for anyone who has not signed up already, please visit the online sign-up at HolyTrinityPgh.org/volunteer and schedule your time today! Thank you, good stewards!
Host Ministries/Families Still Needed for Bag Lunches - Please volunteer your family or group to help!
Please see Mike Kritiotis today, or contact him at 412-518-0588, or at outreach@holytrinitypgh.org to sign up your family/group/ministry for this worthy cause to help the poor and hungry in our region. Sponsored through the Orthodox outreach of the “Neighborhood Resilience Project”, the 2021 weekly schedule of delivering 140 lunch bags to our less fortunate neighbors every Saturday of the year, has many open dates available. Holy Trinity Church’s participation has been critical in fulfilling this goal in the past, and we are grateful for our parishioners’ renewed generosity.
Stewardship Update
The 2021 Holy Trinity Stewardship Pledge Cards have been distributed and all Holy Trinity Stewards should complete one immediately. If you have not yet received a 2021 pledge card or are new to Holy Trinity, additional pledge cards can be found at the Welcome Table located in the Narthex of the church. And remember, a signed pledge card is required as part of maintaining your membership in good standing at Holy Trinity each year. We are grateful for your commitment. Questions? Contact Stewardship Co-chairmen Mike Kritiotis or Ted Stewart or email stewardship@HolyTrinityPgh.org.
Update: Holy Trinity Church Completion and 2023 Consecration Campaign Underway
Plans are now being developed to complete the necessary items so Holy Trinity Church can be consecrated by the end of 2023, as was approved by the General Assembly last November. The plans provide for completing all the items required for consecration including completing the remaining iconography in the Church and Narthex; installation of numerous items of handcrafted ecclesiastical wood furnishings, most notably a permanent iconostasis and required new Holy Altar table; Altar furnishings and other liturgically required items for the Consecration; and more appropriate seating to replace the temporary chairs in the Church. The approved plan to raise the needed monies for the project over the next 3 years comprises a combination of funds from the Greek Festival and catering income, as well as parishioner donations, and all without incurring loans or bank financing, so we will remain debt-free having now paid off the mortgage. We have asked that all our members pledge what they are able to over the 2021–2023 timeframe to fund the completion of our Church for its Consecration in 2023. We are very pleased to report that we have received pledges from 139 families thus far! If you haven’t done it already, please fill out the center section of the “ONE HOLY TRINITY” Pledge Card with your Church Completion and Consecration Campaign pledge amounts for 2021-2023. If you need a new Stewardship card to fill in the center section, please see Jim Balouris, Charlie Petredis or George Dickos or stop in the Church Office. As we’ve stressed, the most important aspect of this Campaign is participation by everyone! Please do your part as a member of the Holy Trinity family on this important project – you will be glad you did! If there are any questions in the meantime, please see Jim, Charlie, or George above. May God continue to richly bless His Holy Church!
Summer Sermons Reminder - Be Here on Time!
Please remember that during the summer months, when there is no Church School, the sermon is offered at its proper liturgical place following the Gospel (that’s usually about 9:45am!). Much as we are all reminded how important it is to arrive for the start of Divine Liturgy, perhaps there are times of genuine, urgent need that prohibit our personal on-time arrival. If you arrive during the sermon, please remember to enter quietly and wait until the end of the homily to find a seat. Better yet, set your alarm to get you there on time so you don’t miss a single blessing! Thank you.
Note for Summer Travel – Easy Way to Find the Nearest Orthodox Church!
Where we travel, whenever we go, we take our faith with us, for as it says in the Psalms, "God is with us!" Keeping that in mind, please remember to plan ahead and check for the location of the nearest Orthodox Christian Church if you will be staying over a Sunday. There are two great web sites to check: our own Archdiocese (www.goarch.org) and Orthodoxy in America (www.OrthodoxyInAmerica.org), a multi-jurisdictional listing of all Orthodox parishes. Also, for major trips such as overseas travels, please feel free to stay following antidoron and ask Father Radu to offer a special blessing to your family for your travels. Remember, "God is with us" always. Let’s not forget to invite Him!