The Orthodox Vision - January 2013 Issue #275

JANUARY 2013 HAPPY NEW YEAR THE ORTHODOX VISION 1

IN THIS ISSUE

The Eternal Light “ The good news is that with the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, there came a light, and the darkness was not able to over-come the light. ”

by Fr. Andreas Vithoulkas

<<Όταν ο Ιησούς γεννήθηκε και παρουσιάστηκε στο ναό µετά από σαράντα µέρες, ακούµε την προφητεία του δίκαιου Συµεών προς την Παναγία για τα πάθη, την σταύρωση και τον θάνατο Του. >>

του π. Ανδρέα Βυθούλκας

ISSUE NO. 275 WWW.HOLYTRINITYBRIDGEPORT.ORG JANUARY 2013

Κ α λ ή Χ ρ ο ν ι ά

Ηappy New Year!

In Memorium 12/14/2012


MEMORIALS Sunday, January 13, 2013 Barbara Anton -1 year

Esther (Aspasia) Mavrides-13 years

Efrosini Kalander- 3 years

Charles Poulos - 3 years

Sunday, January 20, 2013 Gikas Vidalis -40 Days

REMINDERS If you wish to have your house blessed, please

call the office for an appointment.

ΑΓΙΑΣΜΟΙ ΣΠΙΤΙΩΝ: ΑΝ ΘΕΛΕΤΕ ΝΑ

ΚΑΝΕΤΕ ΑΓΙΑΣΜΟ ΣΤΟ ΣΠΙΤΙ ΣΑΣ—

ΠΑΡΑΚΑΛΟΥΜΕ ΤΗΛΕΦΩΝΗΣΤΕ ΜΑΣ

ΣΤΟ ΓΡΑΦΕΙΟ 203 -374-5561.

ΕΥΧΑΡΙΣΤΟΥΜΕ!

January 2013 Weekday & Saturday Liturgies: 9:00 am

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 Service- St.

Basil’s - New

Year’s/Αγίου

Βασιλείου –

Όρθρος & Θεία

Λειτουργία

2 3 4 5 Service—Eve

of the Epipha-

ny /Παραµονή

των Φώτων

6 Epiphany

Day/Θεοφάνεια 7 Service- St.

John the Bap-

tist /Αγίου

Ιωάννου του

Προδρόµου και

Βαπτιστή

8 9 10 11 Hellenic Cul-

tural Association

– Movie night-

6:00pm /

Εκδήλωση του

Πολιτιστικού

Συλλόγου - 6:00

µµ

12

13 Vasilopita /

Εορτή της

Βασιλόπιτας

14 15 16 17 18 Service-St.

Antonios and

St. Athanasios /Αγίου Αντωνίου

& Αγίου

Αθανασίου

19

20 St. Dionysios

of Olympou Cele-

bration/

reception/Εορτή

& ∆εξίωση Αγίου

∆ιονυσίου του

Ολύµπου

21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 Service-Three Hier-

archs /Των

Τριών Ιεραρχών

31

Wishing our Community a Merry Christmas & a

Happy New Year from:

Peter & Chrisne

Anpas and Family

Helen Spyrou

Steve & Helen Chachakis

Mr. & Mrs. Kostas Hajedemos

Our GOYA apologizes for the accidental omission of these names from

our annual Community Christmas Card!


“The people who walk in

darkness have seen a great

light.” Isaiah 9:2

W hen Jesus was born and

presented in the Temple

after forty days, we hear

the prophecy of

the righteous

S imeon t o

Mary of his

i m p e n d i n g

s u f f e r i n g ,

crucifixion and

death. Simeon

blessed them,

and said to our

P a n a g i a ,

"Behold this Child is destined for the

fall and rising of many in Israel,"

and for a sign which will be spoken

against “yes a sword will pierce

through your own soul also” that the

thoughts of many hearts may be

revealed. Simeon forewarns Mary of

her own impending grief and

suffering that she will endure at the

foot of the cross.

As we prepare to receive the light

of salvation at Christmas, we are

also reminded of the darkness of

oppression and suffering that exists

in our own lives. You have all felt

that piercing of the sword that the

righteous Simeon forewarns Mary of

in the Gospel of St. Luke. You all

have been acquainted with the

darkness of the night. Perhaps some

of us have been oppressed by fear,

sin, sorrow, loneliness, failure, or

suffering from grief. Therefore, it

serves us no purpose to naively deny

the existence of darkness or

suffering. Nowhere in scripture do

we receive a pep talk and

argument that suffering doesn’t

exist, but rather that darkness is real,

and it is present.

But even more immediately, we

are all in mourning of the darkness

that came upon the community and

families of Sandy Hook on

Friday ,the fourteenth of December

whose joy was stripped from them,

many who were preparing for

Christmas. We are all grieving for

this town, the families, and the little

angels who were martyrs of evil and

darkness. May the Lord hold them

safe in Heaven. The parents’ grief is

unimaginable to us all. Yet, most

turned to the church for healing with

candle light services and vigils, all

night long. The church and God

offer true healing, which is what the

Nativity of our Lord offers

humankind.

The good news is that with the

birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, there

came a light, and the darkness was

not able to overcome the light. It

was not just a temporary flicker, it

was an eternal flame. The prophet

Isaiah wrote, “people who walk in

darkness have seen a great light.

(Isaiah 9:2)” The Gospel of St. John

records: The light shines in the

darkness and the darkness has not

overcome it.

We need to remember that there

are times in the events of the world

and in the events of our personal

lives, that we feel that the light will

be snuffed out. We live in a world

where darkness, oppression and

suffering truly exist. But out of the

darkness of the cave in Bethlehem

came an inextinguishable light that

shines brighter and stronger than any

darkness. Into the darkness God sent

an eternal light. The joy of the

approaching Christmas season fades

into darkness just as we remember

our loved ones who have passed

away and are not here with us to

rejoice in the birth of Christ, but still

eternally shine in our hearts.

God chose to use a star to guide

the Magi to Bethlehem as an eternal

reminder to them and to us that in a

sea of darkness, it is the light that

keeps us going forward. It is the

light of hope and the light of Christ

that leads and dispels the gloom.

The greatest need in our mixed up

and confused world this day is to let

people know there is hope. That life

is worth living no matter what. We

should not be discouraged to the

point of despair. In Jesus Christ we

shall cling to the hope that life

overcomes death, that love conquers

hate, and that truth will prevail over

falsehood. We are all people of light,

and we must share that light in a

dark and dreary world.

As we prepare for the Feast of the

Nativity according to the Flesh of

our Lord and God and Savior Jesus

Christ, it is a time of great

anticipation, expectancy, and

looking forward to the future. We

read the Scriptures in these coming

days as we prepare for the Nativity

of our Lord, which provides us and

the world with the rays of hope in

the life of Christ.

It is my prayer that the light of

Christmas will shine and enlighten

the dark corners of your life and that

you, too, will discover the pathway

to Bethlehem. We continue to pray

for the community of Newtown that

they too never lose hope.

The Eternal Light by Father Andreas Vithoulkas

“So long as we live they too shall live and love for they are a part of us, as we remember them.” ~ Gates of Prayer


“Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish,

Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal.” ~Thomas Moore

του π. Ανδρέα Βυθούλκας

«Οι άνθρωποι που περπατούν

στο σκοτάδι είδαν το αληθινό

φώς» Ησαΐας 9:2

Ό τ α ν ο Ι η σ ο ύ ς

γ ε ν ν ή θ η κ ε κ α ι

παρουσιάστηκε στο

ναό µετά από σαράντα µέρες, ακούµε την προφητεία του

δίκαιου Συµεών προς την Παναγία για τα πάθη, την

σταύρωση και τον θάνατο Του. Ο Συµεών τους

ευλόγησε και είπε στην Παναγία µας, «Ιδού, αυτό το

παιδί προορίζεται για την πτώση και ύψωση πολλών στο

Ισραήλ, «και ακόµη ότι και η ψυχή σου θα πονέσει διότι

ο πόνος που θα αισθανθείς είναι σαν ένα σπαθί που θα

σχίσει την ψυχή σου. Ο Συµεών αποκάλυψε επίσης στην

Μαρία τον πόνο και την θλίψη που θα ιδεί, περάσει και

αντέξει στους πρόποδες του Σταυρού.

Καθώς ετοιµαζόµαστε να λάβουµε το φώς της

σωτηρίας των Χριστουγέννων, επίσης µας θυµίζει το

σκοτάδι της καταπίεσης και της δυστυχίας που υπάρχει

στη ζωή µας. Όλοι έχουµε αισθανθεί την διαπύρωση του

ξίφους που ο Συµεών προανήγγειλε στην Μαρία όπως

µας αναφέρει ο Ευαγγελιστής Λουκάς. Όλοι µας έχουµε

πείρα και γνώση µε το σκοτάδι της νύχτας. Ίσως µερικοί

από εµάς έχουν καταπιεστεί από φόβο, αµαρτίας, λύπης,

µοναξιάς, αποτυχίας, ή πάσχουν από θλίψη. Ως εκ

τούτου, δεν εξυπηρετεί κανένα σκοπό µερικοί να

αρνούνται την ύπαρξη του σκότους η του πόνου.

Πουθενά στην Αγία Γραφή δεν αναφέρεται ότι ο πόνος

δεν υπάρχει, αλλά µάλλον το σκοτάδι είναι αληθινό και

παρόν.

Αλλά ακόµα πιο τωρινά, βρισκόµαστε όλοι στο

πρωινό, στο σκοτάδι που ήλθε στην µικρή Κοινότητα και

τις οικογένειες του Sandy Hook την Παρασκευή της

14ης ∆εκεµβρίου των οποίων η χαρά λεηλατήθηκε ενώ

προετοιµάζονταν για τα Χριστούγεννα. Όλοι πενθούµε

για το µικρό αυτό χωριό, για τις οικογένειες και τα µικρά

αγγελούδια που ήταν µάρτυρες του κακού και του

σκότους. Ο Κύριος ας τα προστατεύει στον Ουρανό. Ο

πόνος των γονέων είναι απερίγραπτος σε όλους µας. Εν

τούτοις, όµως, στράφηκαν προς την εκκλησία για την

σωτηρία, η Εκκλησία και ο Θεός προσφέρουν αληθινή

λύτρωση, αυτό ακριβώς είναι η Γέννηση του Χριστού

για την ανθρωπότητα.

Τα καλά νέα είναι ότι µε την γέννηση του

Θεανθρώπου, εκεί ήρθε ένα φώς και το σκοτάδι δεν

µπόρεσε να ξεπεράσει το φώς. ∆εν ήταν απλά µια

προσωρινή σπίθα αλλά αιώνια φλόγα. Ο Προφήτης

Ησαΐας έγραψε, «άνθρωποι που περπατούν στο σκοτάδι

είδαν ένα µεγάλο φώς. Ησαΐας 9:2.» Ο Ιωάννης στο

Ευαγγέλιο γράφει: «ότι το φώς αυτό θα λάµπει και στο

σκοτάδι και το σκοτάδι δεν µπορεί να το ξεπεράσει».

Πρέπει να θυµόµαστε ότι υπάρχουν στιγµές στον

κόσµο και στιγµές στην προσωπική µας ζωή που

πιστεύουµε ότι το φώς θα σβήσει. Ζούµε σε ένα κόσµο

όπου το σκοτάδι, καταπίεση και πόνος υπάρχουν. Αλλά

µέσα από το σκοτάδι της σπηλιάς της Βηθλεέµ ήλθε το

αιώνιο το άσβεστο αστέρι πιο λαµπρό και φωτεινό από

κάθε σκοτάδι. Στο σκοτάδι, ο Θεός έστειλε το αιώνιο

φώς. Καθώς πλησιάζουν τα Χριστούγεννα, η χαρά για

µερικούς εξασθενίζει στο σκοτάδι καθώς θυµόµαστε

αγαπηµένα µας πρόσωπα που δεν είναι µαζί µας πια να

γιορτάσουµε µαζί την γέννηση του Χριστού, αλλά

παραµένει αιώνια η φλόγα στις καρδιές µας.

Ο Θεός επέλεξε να χρησιµοποιήσει το αστέρι να

καθοδηγήσει τους Μάγους στην Βηθλεέµ για να

προσκυνήσουν τον Ιησού, σαν µια αιώνια υπενθύµιση σε

όλους ότι στη θάλασσα του σκότους, είναι το φώς που

µας οδηγεί προς τα εµπρός. Είναι το φώς της ελπίδας,

και το φώς του Χριστού που οδηγεί και διώχνει την

κατήφεια.

Η µεγαλύτερη ανάγκη στον σαστισµένο κόσµο αυτές

τις µέρες είναι να γνωρίζουν ότι υπάρχει ελπίδα. Ότι η

ζωή µας αξίζει, ανεξάρτητα από το τι. ∆εν πρέπει να

φτάνουν στο σηµείο της απελπισίας. Ο Χριστός είναι η

ελπίδα και ότι η ζωή θα ξεπεράσει τον θάνατο, ότι η

αγάπη θα κατακτήσει το µίσος, και η αλήθεια θα

υπερισχύσει του ψεύδους. Είµαστε όλοι άνθρωποι του

φωτός, και οφείλουµε να µοιραστούµε το φώς σε ένα

σκοτεινό και θλιβερό κόσµο.

Καθώς ετοιµαζόµαστε για την Γιορτή της Γεννήσεως

σύµφωνα µε τη σάρκα του Κυρίου και Θεού Ιησού

Χριστού µας, µε µεγάλη αναµονή και ελπίδα για το

µέλλον. ∆ιαβάζουµε στις Γραφές ότι τις επόµενες µέρες

καθώς προετοιµαζόµαστε για την Γέννηση του Κυρίου,

µας παρέχει τις ακτίνες της ελπίδας της ζωής του

Χριστού.

Εύχοµαι ότι το φώς των Χριστουγέννων θα λάµπει

και φωτίζει τις σκοτεινές γωνίες της ζωής µας, και ότι,

πολύ, θα ανακαλύψουµε τα µονοπάτια της Βηθλεέµ. Θα

συνεχίσουµε να προσευχόµαστε για την µικρή

Κοινότητα του Newtown ώστε ποτέ να µην χάσουν την

ελπίδα.


Our Parish by George Mourizakis -Parish Council President

Happy New Year to all.

W e had a very busy

month in December

with all the pre-Christmas

d i n n e r s , s h o p p i n g , a n d

preparations for the Holidays.

Now is time to sit back and

reflect on the past and see how

and when we can improve all of

our programs tha t need

improvements. All of your

suggestions are welcome and will

be taken into consideration for the

improvement of our community.

We are starting our 100th year

of existence in Bridgeport.

Looking back on our simple

beginning, and taking a closer

look at all the old photographs, it

makes me wonder about all the

problems and sacrifices our

parishioners endured for us to be

in this wonderful complex that we

call Holy Trinity today.

Should we have worked

harder? Can we make a difference

for future generations at Holy

Trinity?

I hope we all can and will.

Times are a little different now.

Both husband and wife are hard at

work to support their household,

less time to spend at home or at

church. But that is where we can

make our sacrifice, by devoting a

little of our precious time to our

community and getting involved.

We have to move forward and

accomplish a lot in the next 100

years.

We have to make plans and set

goals, and have a vision of what

has to be accomplished in the

future.

I know we have a lot of

qua l i f i ed people in our

community who can help us.

How can we get them to come

forward? One way that I can think

of is by letting new people in key

positions. Give someone new a

chance in an organization and let

them bring in new ideas. Just

because we’ve done the same

thing year after year doesn’t mean

we cannot change it. We are

creatures of habit and we resist

most new ideas.

Let’s keep an open mind. Let’s

give room for new ideas to

prosper.

We are also working into our

Stewardship program, which I

feel is very important for our

community’s growth. We need

more people to help us.

I would like to welcome two

new members in the Parish

Council. They are Pericles C.

Rountos and Peter Karayiannis, as

well as two re-elected, Gus

Vlamis and Peter Tsimbidaros.

Congratulations and I am looking

forward to working together. I

promise you it will be a busy

year.

Thank you and God bless.

“Where hope would otherwise become hopelessness, it becomes faith. “ ~Robert Brault

Η ΕΝΟΡΙΑ ΜΑΣ ΓΕΩΡΓΙΟΣ ΜΟΥΡΙΖΑΚΗΣ, ΠΡΟΕ∆ΡΟΣ

Ε υτυχισµένο το Νέο Έτος σε όλους.

Είµαστε ολοι πολύ απασχοληµένοι τον

∆εκέµβριο µε όλα τα προ-Χριστουγέννων

δείπνα, τα ψώνια και τις προετοιµασίες για τις

γιορτές.

Τώρα είναι η ώρα να καθίσουµε πίσω και να

προβληµατιστούµε σχετικά µε το παρελθόν και να

δούµε πώς και πότε µπορούµε να βελτιώσουµε όλα τα

προγράµµατά µας που χρειάζονται βελτιώσεις. Όλες

οι προτάσεις σας είναι ευπρόσδεκτες και θα της

λάβουµε µε ευχαριστηση για τη βελτίωση της

κοινότητάς µας.

Βαδίζουµε στο εκατοστό έτος της ύπαρξης µας στο

Μπρίτζπορτ. Κοιτάζοντας πίσω στην απλή αρχή και

µε µια πιο προσεκτική µατιά σε όλες τις παλιές

φωτογραφίες, µε κάνει να αναρωτιέµαι για όλα τα

προβλήµατα και τις θυσίες που εκαναν οι ενορίτες µας

υπέµειναν για µας και εχτησαν αυτό το υπέροχο

συγκρότηµα που ονοµάζουµε Αγία Τριάδα σήµερα.

Μηπως επρεπε να έιχαµε εργαστεί σκληρότερα;

Μπορούµε να κάνουµε µια διαφορά για τις

µελλοντικές γενιές στην Αγία Τριάδα;

Ελπίζω ότι όλοι µας µπορούµε και θα το κάνουµε.

Οι καιροί είναι λίγο διαφορετική τώρα. Τόσο ο

σύζυγος και η σύζυγος εργάζονται σκληρά για τη

στήριξη των νοικοκυριών τους, λιγότερο χρόνο για να

περάσουν στο σπίτι ή στην εκκλησία. Αλλά εκει είναι

όπου µπορούµε να κάνουµε θυσίες αφιερώνοντας λίγο

από τον πολύτιµο χρόνο µας για την κοινότητά µας µε

το να συµµετασχουµε στις εκδηλωσεις και την ζωη

της. Πρέπει να προχωρήσουµε και να πετύχουµε (Connued on page 6)


ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟ ΣΧΟΛΕΙΟ Greek School by Eleni Limberis, Director

Καλή Χρονιά 2013 - Happy

New Year 2013

Ό πως κάθε χρόνο - και

φέτος θέλουµε να

ευχαριστήσουµε τα

παιδιά µας και τις οικογένειές

τους πού έδωσαν δώρα και ευχές

για τα παιδάκια πού έχουν

ανάγκη, ώστε να περάσουν τις

γιορτές τους χαρούµενα και

ευτυχισµένα.

Τ ο Χ ρ ι σ τ ο υ γ ε ν ν ι ά τ ι κ ο

πρόγραµµα τού Σχολείου µας και

φέτος ήταν πάρα πολύ ευχάριστο

και χαρούµενο. Τα παιδιά µας

απήγγε ιλαν, τραγούδησαν ,

χριστουγεννιάτικα ποιήµατα,

τραγούδια και ύµνους για τις άγιες

αυτές ηµέρες των Χριστουγέννων

και της Πρωτοχρονιάς.

· Επίσης ο Άγιος Βασίλης

εµφανίσθηκε µε την σακούλα του

γεµάτος µε δώρα για όλα τα

παιδιά µας. Φυσικά ένα µεγάλο

ΕΥΧΑΡΙΣΤΩ στο ΡΤΟ µας για τα

δώρα τους και τις νόστιµες

καραµέλες και λιχουδιές.

Το ΡΤΟ για τις νοστιµότατες

Βασιλόπιτες πού κόπηκαν στις

αίθουσες του σχολείου µας, όπως

το επιτρέπει η παράδοση.

Ευχαριστούµε τα παιδιά µας,

τούς γονείς, τον π. Ανδρέα,

δασκάλες, τον πρόεδρο κο.

Γιώργο Μουριζάκη, Συµβούλιο,

φίλους, τις κυρίες του ΡΤΟ, για τις

χρ ιστουγενν ιάτ ικε ς ευχές ,

υποστήριξη και αγάπη τους κατά

την διάρκεια τού έτους και ειδικά

τώρα µε τις γιορτές.

Ε π ί σ η ς έ ν α µ ε γ ά λ ο

ΕΥΧΑΡΙΣΤΩ στην κυρία Ελένη

∆εµέστιχα που µας δώρισε, έραψε

το καινούριο λάβαρο του

Ελληνικού µας Σχολείου. Στην

κυρία Ζωή Γκούντα που µας

φέρνει τα νοστιµότατα ψωµάκια

για όλα τα παιδιά και προσωπικό

του σχολείου µας. Κυρίες σας

ευχαριστούµε και καλές γιορτές.

Χρόνια Πολλά σ’ όλους σας,

καλή και ευτυχισµένη χρονιά,

πάντα µε υγεία.

Το Σχολείο µας αρχίζει την

Τετάρτη 2 Ιανουαρίου, 2013.

Ευχαριστώ πολύ

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. “ ~Mother Teresa

πολλά µέσα στα επόµενα 100 χρόνια.

Πρέπει να κάνουµε σχέδια και να θέσουµε στόχους, να

έχουν ένα όραµα για το τι πρέπει να γίνει στο µέλλον.

Ξέρω ότι έχουµε πολλούς ειδικευµένους ανθρώπους

στην κοινότητά µας που µπορεί να µας βοηθήσουν. Πώς

µπορούµε να τους πάρεκινισουµε για να έλθουν προς τα

εµπρός; Ο ένας τρόπος που µπορώ να σκεφτώ, είναι να

αφήσουµε τους νέους ανθρώπους σε θέσεις κλειδιά.

∆ώστε σε κάποιον νέο µια ευκαιρία σε έναν οργανισµό

και να τους αφήσουµε να φέρουν νέες ιδέες. Γιατί

κάνουµε το ίδιο πραγµα καθε χρόνο δεν σηµαίνει ότι δεν

µπορείτε να το αλλάξετε. Είµαστε πλάσµατα µε

συνηθειες και αντιστέκοµαστε σε πιο νέες ιδέες.

Ας κρατήσουµε ένα ανοικτό µυαλό. Ας δώσουµε

χώρο σε νέες ιδέες για να ευηµερήσουν.

Εργαζόµαστε επίσης στο πρόγραµµα Stewardship µας

που πιστεύω ότι είναι πολύ σηµαντικό για την ανάπτυξη

της κοινότητας µας. Χρειαζόµαστε περισσότερους

ανθρώπους να µας βοηθήσουν.

Θα ήθελα να καλωσορίσω 2 νέα µέλη του

Εκκλησιαστικού Συµβουλίου, Περικλής Γ. Ρουντος και

ο Πέτρος Καραγιάννης, και 2 επανεξελέγη µελη,

Κωστας Βλάµης και Peter Tsimbidaros.

Σ υ γ χ α ρ η τ ή ρ ι α κ α ι α ν υ π ο µ ο ν ο ύ µ ε ν α

συνεργάζστουµαι µαζί. Σας υπόσχοµαι ότι θα είναι µια

πολυ αποσχολιµενη χρονιά.

Σας ευχαριστώ και ο Θεός να µας ευλογεί.

(Connued from page 5)


“I've seen and met angels wearing the disguise of ordinary people living ordinary lives. “ ~Tracy Chapman

Ladies

Philoptochos

Society Kalliope Tsitsipas, President

H appy New Year & Καλή

Χρονιά! Every January,

Philoptochos chapters

from across America hold a

Vasilopita event to raise funds

that will benefit Saint Basil

Academy, the Greek Orthodox

Archdiocese home for children in

need. The Academy is a warm

and inviting residence in

Garisson, New York, which offers

a loving, family environment

whose purpose is to nurture and

support children and alumni who

call it home. The Vasilopita event

in our Parish is always a success.

This year’s event will be held on

January 13th, and we ask, once

again, for your love and support.

Please plan on staying and

enjoying the reception and all the

wonderful food. Many thanks for

your continued support for this

most wonderful academy. Your

efforts throughout the years are

expressions of love and

compassion of which the

beneficiaries are the children at

the academy.

The following excerpt was taken

from www.saintbasilacademy.org

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 is a

compound Greek word which

means the sweet 'bread of Basil'.

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

cake) is prepared both in the

Orthodox homes and in the

Church community which is

called Vasilopita. Sweets are

added to the bread which

symbolize 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 usally 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-striken people of all

nations.

For more information, please visit

www.saintbasilacademy.org .

A Special “Thank You”

The Ladies Philoptochos

Society would like to thank all

those who contributed to our food

baskets. The recipient of these

baskets is the Evergreen Network,

which provides “supportive

services specifically for children

and adults infected or affected by

HIV/AIDS, and their families.

Based in Bridgeport CT,

Evergreen Network provides

outreach in schools, courts, clinics

and other state agencies on behalf

of our clients. Our services have

been provided on a continual

basis for over 20 years.”


Daughters of

Penelope by Helen Yeotsas, President

O ur Chapter 41 sisters extend

the very best Christmas and

New Year's greetings to all!

May God's blessings be upon all of us as we pray for

peace and love for everyone.

It's with a very sad heart that I write the Daughters

of Penelope column this month. Our entire

Connecticut community has been rocked by the

tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary. Our hearts go out

to the many people affected personally by this tragedy,

and we all hope that God may give the families of

those senselessly killed, strength in the upcoming

days, weeks and years. We were entering the

Christmas holiday season barely "recovered" from

Sandy, and feeling so badly for all those affected -

knowing that so many are still trying to pick up the

pieces of their lives from that tragic storm. Most of

us can't imagine how anyone picks up their life after

something like what has happened in Newtown,

practically in our own back yard. As with our

response to Sandy, our chapter will certainly be

mobilizing again, to assist where needed, in the

upcoming weeks. We hope that all organizations,

throughout our Holy Trinity and Greater Bridgeport

community, will try to do something to honor the

victims and to help those suffering.

Our "Let's Keep Them Warm" drive is ongoing,

with items being delivered to many local centers,

schools and agencies, that are always in need. We sent

boxes full of gloves and cold weather accessories to

Bridgeport Rescue Mission, Center for Women and

Children, Spooner House, Bethel Recovery Center,

several Bridgeport public schools, Bridgeport

Hospital, Penelope House in Massachusetts, (which is

a women's crisis center sponsored by all Daughters of

Penelope chapters), and to Open Door Shelter and

Food Pantry. Additionally many items went out at the

Agape Luncheon and to other local individuals in

need. Our chapter would like to thank everyone for

their support of this project every year. We will

continue this drive through January, so please be sure

to donate if you haven't already.

We look forward to our Chicken Souvlaki

Luncheon, which is February 3, after services. This

coincides with Godparent's Sunday, so we ask you all

to take this opportunity to have a great lunch with

your godparents or godchildren on that day, while

supporting our scholarship fund and our philanthropic

outreach.

Again, our prayers and our most deepest sympathies

go out to the victim's families. We pray for God to

give them peace and strength,... Aionia I Mnimi Tous.

Until next month, and in theta pi, Helen

“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men. “ ~Herman Melville

PTO Maria Gountas -President

W e hope that everyone had

a very Merry Christmas

and we wish you a joyous New

Year! PTO has had a very busy

month of December. We went to

New York City to see the Christ-

mas Show. It was a great group of

adults and children. We walked

around Time Square, and even had

a group dinner at Connolly’s Pub

& Restaurant before meeting Santa

and seeing an amazing Christmas

Show.

We would also like to give a

special thank you to all the hard-

working women who helped out

this year baking our Tsourekiq.

Thank you to Panyiota, Maria P,

Katerina Z, Maria A, Christina P,

and Sylvia B.

JOY/HOPE also had a very suc-

cessful Santa’s Workshop. The

children did many crafts, and also

decorated gingerbread houses. San-

ta Claus even made a special ap-

pearance and took time out of his

busy day to deliver treats to all the

good little boys and girls.

PTO has also started preparing

for our annual Valentine’s Dance.

If you would like to join a commit-

tee and help out, please see one of

us. All are welcome with new ide-

as. Please Save the Date: February

9th, 2013.

Thank you to everyone who sup-

ported our Christmas raffle, and a

special thank you to Alicja and

Diane for all their help with the

raffle.

Please join us for our next meet-

ing on January 9, 2013 at 5:45pm


Around the

Parish- by Stella Capiris

N ow that all the Christmas

dinners and festivities

have subsided, we wish

our parishioners a Happy New

Year. May they be blessed with

good health, happiness, love, and

peace!

We thank the Daughters for their

donation of the beautiful Christmas

wreaths on the front doors of our

Church. They thank everyone for

their support for their annual

Turkey Raffle and their Christmas

Wreath sale. Winners of the Turkey

raffle were: Maria Tatalias, Patricia

Stevens, Krystie Vlastaris, Carol

Assenza, and Betty Shola. We also

thank the Daughters for their "Let's

Keep Them Warm" drive, which

will continue through January.

Donations of new gloves, mittens,

scarves, hats, warm socks, and

small blankets are needed.

Many thanks to the Philoptochos

for their donation of the many food

baskets for the needy. Visitations

were also made to the Nursing

Homes. Many thanks for their

drive to help "Crisis Stricken

Greece."

Many thanks to the cooks who

presented us with a lovely meal at

our 99th Christmas Luncheon -

Tom Hallas, Evangelos Gountas.

Lee Tsouris. We also thank

Dimitrios Trimpalis, who could not

help this year because of his

health , but who is always there

when we need him. Next year, of

course, in lieu of the Christmas

Luncheon, we will be celebrating

our 100th Anniversary. Don't

forget to mark your calendars -

November 30th.

The Greek School Program was

delightful and, of course, the

wonderful event of the Program

was the arrival of Santa Claus.

Many thanks to Helen Limberis

and the staff.

The Sunday School Program was

lovely, as usual, as the children

performed their parts and sang the

beautiful Christmas Carols. Many

thanks to Eva Vaniotis and her

staff , and thanks to Phoebe Leask

and Joanna Bogardus.

We thank the P.T.O. for their

constant support throughout the

year to the children and to the

teachers as they once again helped

the Sunday School and Greek

School Departments with their

Holiday programs. They also had a

wonderful trip to Radio City Music

Hall to see the always beautiful

Christmas Show.

The GOYA held their annual

"Advent Retreat" and we were

blessed to have the Seminarians

from Holy Cross present to speak

to the children.

Congratulations to newlyweds

Gus and Jill Hatzis. We extend to

them our best wishes as they

prepare to begin a new life

together, following a very beautiful

wedding ceremony and reception.

The Community expresses its

deepest sympathy to Angeliki

Georgakopoulos and Family on the

loss of her father in Greece. May

his Memory be Eternal!

We express our deepest

sympathy to Kostantina Vidalis

and family on the loss of their

husband and father Gikas Vidalis.

May his Memory be Eternal!

We also express at this time our

Community's deepest sympathy to

those who have suffered so much

in our neighboring town of

N e w t o w n . M a n y o f o u r

parishioners know people who live

there and there are no words

adequate enough to express our

sorrow to all the families. May God

give them the strength to move

forward. May all the Memories of

those precious children and the

adults who tried to protect them be

Forever Eternal!

“So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth. “ ~Bahá'u'lláh

GOYA by Eleni Demestihas—President

GOYA would like to wish everyone a Happy and

Healthy New Year 2013.

I n the last month we have been very busy, we had

our Thanksgiving dinner, our trip to NYC, Project

Learn, our Advent Retreat and our Annual Brunch. We

want to thank all those who have supported us from Fa-

ther Andreas, to our advisors and parents and to our

community.

We are pleased to keep adding new members to our

organization and hope to continue growing. Please feel

free to email us at [email protected]. We

look forward to a fun and exciting new year!


In Loving

Memory Of

Sandy Hook

Elementary

Victims

T was' 11 days before

Christmas, around 9:38

when 20 beautiful

children stormed through

heaven's gate. Their smiles were

contagious, their laughter filled

the air. They could hardly

believe all the beauty they saw

there.

They were filled with such joy, they didn't know what

to say. They remembered nothing of what had

happened earlier that day.

"Where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a

mouse. "This is Heaven." declared a small boy.

"We're spending Christmas at God's house."

When what to their wondering eyes did appear,

but Jesus, their savior. The children gathered near.

He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just

the same. Then He opened His arms and He called

them by name, and in that

moment was joy, that only

heaven can bring.

Those children all flew into the

arms of their King,

and as they lingered in the

warmth of His embrace,

one small girl turned and

looked at Jesus' face.

And as if He could read all the

questions she had He gently

whispered to her, "I'll take care

of mom and dad."

Then He looked down on

earth, the world far below. He

saw all of the hurt, the sorrow,

and woe.

Then, He closed His eyes and

He outstretched His hand, "Let

My power and presence re-enter this land!"

"May this country be delivered from the hands of

fools. I'm taking back My nation. I'm taking back My

schools!”

Then He and the children stood up without a sound.

"Come now my children, let me show you around."

Excitement filled the space, some skipped and some

ran. All displaying enthusiasm that only a small child

can. And I heard Him proclaim as He walked out of

sight,

"In the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE

LIGHT." Written by Cameo Smith, Mt. Wolf, PA -

Submitted by V. Andriotis

“There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart.” ~ Gandhi

CHARLOTTE BACON, 6

DANIEL BARDEN, 7

OLIVIA ENGEL, 6

JOSEPHINE GAY, 7

ANA M. MARQUEZ-GREENE, 6

DYLAN HOCKLEY, 6

MADELEINE F. HSU, 6

CATHERINE V. HUBBARD, 6

CHASE KOWALSKI, 7

JESSE LEWIS, 6

JAMES MATTIOLI, 6

GRACE MCDONNELL, 7

EMILIE PARKER, 6

JACK PINTO, 6

NOAH POZNER, 6

CAROLINE PREVIDI, 6

JESSICA REKOS, 6

AVIELLE RICHMAN, 6

BENJAMIN WHEELER, 6

ALLISON N. WYATT, 6

MARY SHERLACH, 56

VICTORIA SOTO, 27

ANNE MARIE MURPHY, 52

LAUREN ROUSSEAU, 30

DAWN HOCHSPRUNG, 47

RACHEL DAVINO, 29

M emory

Eternal

Saturday, February 9, 2013

7:00pm to 1:00am

Maria Gountas at

203.650.3246 /

[email protected]

or Faye Demestihas 917.217.8530


A Call to Action for a Crisis Stricken Greece

What’s Happening in Greece?

The IOCC reports that “Each day the streets of Athens become more crowded with families newly evicted from their homes

due to job loss and the inability to pay their bills. ...Greece's escalating economic woes drive more and more families into a

desperate struggle to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table…

Here’s What You Can Do to Help

the Greatest need is Food—non-perishable food items in-

cluding: Pasta, white & brown rice, dried beans, cereal, oatmeal, pancake mix, pea-nut butter, powered or evaporated milk, baby food, lentils, or similar, powdered, DRY food items. Please — NO jars. •Personal Hygiene items including: toothpaste, toothbrushes, bar soaps, deo-dorants, diapers, wipes, etc… •Also needed: Laundry Detergents—POWDERED only. (We have been asked not to ship liquid detergent.)

•Blankets, Comforters, and Sheets •Monetary donations to defray the cost of ship-ping are also welcome (checks payable to Ladies Philoptochos Society, and specify purpose/ Greece)

With the rapid rise of poverty, homelessness, and hunger in our ancestral homeland, the need for our response is urgent.

Last Call for our January

Shipment

Drop-off Location

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Bridgeport. Please leave your donated items

in the labeled container by the back entrance.

Our immediate response to the needs of our brothers and sisters in Greece is imperative.

We must act now.

The primary recipient of our efforts will be the Holy Metropolis of Thessaloniki.

For more information, please contact Kalliope at 203-926-0137 or Vicky at [email protected].

the Ladies Philoptochos Society of Holy Trinity issues

©2012 Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Bpt. Ct Publishing &Design-Vicky Andrio0s-11/17/2012

JR. CHOIR J.Bogardus 203-736-6501

MAINTENANCE G. Hatzis 203-261-3247

L. Tsouris 203-334-2781

OLYMPIANS (GOYA) F. Papachristos 203-380-0566

P.T.O. M. Gountas 203-650-3246

[email protected]

PARISH COUNCIL G. Mourizakis 203-373-0580

[email protected]

PHILOPTOCHOS K. Tsitsipas

[email protected]

203-926-0137

PUBLICITY COMMITTEE E. Vaniotis 203-374-0013

[email protected]

SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE S. Karagiannis 203-820-1975

SENIOR CITIZENS G. Agortsas 203-372-1015

STEWARDSHIP A.J. Metsopoulos 203-292-6418

R. Arvanitis 203-226-4140

[email protected]

SUNDAY SCHOOL E. Vaniotis 203-374-0013

[email protected] INTERNET MINISTRIES/WEBSITE/ FACEBOOK/TWITTER/E-BULLETIN

V.Andriotis

[email protected]

[email protected] HISTORIAN & ARCHIVES ROOM S. Capiris 203-259-7344

The Official Monthly Publica/on of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church 4070 Park Avenue Bridgeport, CT 06604

“Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every Creature.” Mark 16:15 “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every Creature.” Mark 16:15 “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every Creature.” Mark 16:15 “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every Creature.” Mark 16:15

Robert Arvanitis 226-4140 Michael Bouloubasis 336-2116 Stella Capiris 259-7344 Phil Georgas 257-7452 Petros Karayiannis 631-258-3933 A.J. Metsopoulos 292-6418

George Mourizakis 373-0580 Chris Papachristos 380-0566 Pericles C. Rountos 268-7173 Peter Tsimbidaros 334-2578 Scott Vereb 520-2781 Constantine Vlamis 268-5464

Parish Council Newsletter Editor Vicky Andriotis

Newsletter Staff

Eleni Limberis George Mourizakis

Father Andreas Vithoulkas Vicky Andriotis

AHEPA J. Bochanis 203-254-7595

AROUND THE PARISH S. Capiris 203-259-7344

[email protected]

BOOKSTORE V. Andriotis

[email protected]

CANTOR G. Bakes 203-374-8561

CHOIR P. Leask 203-258-9160

[email protected] CULTURAL ASSOCIATION V. Hatzis 203-268-7231

[email protected]

DAUGHTERS OF PENELOPE H. Yeotsas 203-374-1729

[email protected]

ECCLESIARCH D. Trigonis 203-374-0725

GOYA E. Demestihas 203-380-2923

GREEK SCHOOL E. Limberis 203-371-6305

[email protected]

GREEK SCHOOL DANCE GROUP E.Limberis 203-371-6305

A. Papanikolaou

[email protected]

Church Office

Eleni Limberis Email: [email protected]

Office: 203.374.5561 Fax: 203.374.5770 Hours: Monday – Friday: 9:00am – 4:00pm Sundays after Services: 12:00pm-1:00pm

On the Web -www.holytrinitybridgeport.org Bookstore Online -bookstore.holytrinitybridgeport.org

Shopping– shop.holytrinitybridgeport.org On Facebook—www.facebook.com/holytrinitybridgeport

On Twitter – www.twitter.com/holytrinitybpt

Father Andreas Vithoulkas, Presbyter [email protected]

phone: 917-334-4192

Services

Sunday: Orthros 8:30am Sunday School Special Services:

10:00am-10:15am Divine Liturgy,Sermons, Announcements:

9:45am – 11:30am Weekday Services,Orthros,Divine Liturgy:

8:30am

PETER G. KARAYIANNIS ATTORNEY AT LAW

857 Post Road, #110

Fairfiled, CT 06824

(631)258-3933 [email protected]

651 Villa Ave. Fairfield, CT 203-384-8176

www.androsdinerfairfield.com

Joanna Bolovinos,GRI,CRS

Realtor / Cer/fied

Reloca/on Specialist 2000 Post Rd Fairfield, CT

jbolovinos@williampi>.com

t. 203.255.6101 x375

888.248.7488 c. 203.545.1704

f203.254.0166 www.williampi>.com

All Proceeds from this event will be used to benefit our Athle/c Department’s

Gym & Athle/c Program Revitaliza/on Project

JANUARY 2013 HAPPY NEW YEAR THE ORTHODOX VISION 16 Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church 4070 Park Avenue Bridgeport, CT 06604 Address Service Requested

The Official Monthly Publicaon of Holy Trinity

January 2013—

Issue #275

Documents

The Orthodox Vision - January 2013 Issue #275