March 2011 - Greek Orthodox Church of St. George

The Herald 

The Greek Orthodox Church of St. George 

7701 Bradley Blvd, Bethesda, Maryland 20817 

301-469-7990 § www.stgeorge.org 

Reverend Dimitrios J. Antokas, Presiding Priest 

Reverend George Khitiri, Assistant Priest 

Reverend Nicholas Despotides, Priest Emeritus 

March, 2011 

Official Publication of the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint George, Bethesda Maryland 

We all know people in our lives 

(maybe even ourselves) who 

have a tendency to live by compartmentalization. 

Everything is 

defined and put in its proper 

place. When something is where 

we feel it doesn’t belong, it 

causes distress. One area where 

this attitude is of little use, and even dangerous, is 

the spiritual life. And there, one of the most insidious 

mistakes we make is to believe that there are 

certain things that belong to priests, monks, and 

nuns – and certainly NOT to me. One of these is 

asceticism. 

THERE IS ONE “WAY” FOR ALL — ASCESIS 

There is ONE way to God – ascesis (spiritual struggle). It is 

meant for those in the deserts and monasteries, those who celebrate 

our Divine Liturgy, those who work in the world, those 

who are sick and aged, children, fellow believers – all who seek 

to see the living God face to face. It is the focus of Orthodox 

life. St. Theophan the Recluse stresses the reality of this focus 

when he writes: “When the spiritual reigns supreme in someone, 

then although this is his exclusive character and attitude, 

he does not err. This is because, in the first place, spirituality 

is the norm of human life, and so as a result, being spiritual, he 

is a real person, whereas the intellectual or carnal man is not a 

real person. Secondly, no matter how spiritual someone is, he 

cannot help but give the intellectual and carnal their rightful 

place; he maintains just a little of them, in subordination to the 

spirit. According to natural purpose, man must live in the spirit, 

subordinate everything to the spirit, be penetrated by the spirit 

in all that is of the soul, and even more so in all that is physical 

–and beyond these, and in the outward things, to, that is, family 

and social life...” 

We read such words and almost instinctively utter something 

such as “That kind of living is for monks and nuns or priests – 

be real!.” The genuine truth is --- it is for every Orthodox believer. 

By setting it up as an exalted goal, attainable only by 

those who are ordained or tonsured, we put it beyond our reach, 

and with it, we put the possibility of an intimate encounter with 

God beyond our reach! No matter how difficult the struggle, no 

matter how much we are summoned to change our lives and our 

lifestyles, the ascetic struggle is for every one of us. 

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Not to understand this, is to be spiritually blind. 

One who suffers from this blindness sets up his 

own standards and ways of living – never subordinate 

to God’s will and that which it calls forth from 

us In a recent sermon (January 30), Metropolitan 

Hilarion of Volokolmsk notes that this blindness 

thwarts our spiritual growth and progress. Seeing 

ascesis as MY personal call to holiness, opens our 

eyes to see life, not as it is, but as God would have 

it: “A spiritually sighted person, to whom the Lord 

has opened his eyes, sees the hand of God in everything, 

understanding that life is not a coincidence 

and that the Lord guides him like a mother fond of 

her children on the way to the Heavenly Kingdom. 

Such a person understands that if difficulties and problems 

arise in his relations with others, he has to ask himself: did I do 

it in the right way? Perhaps I have overlooked something or did 

or said something wrong? A spiritually sighted person is aware 

that the cause of many of his troubles and sufferings lies in himself.” 

We must dispel the notion that there are degrees of holiness to 

which various people are called. This is an escape, in colloquial 

terms “a cop out.” It “lets us off the hook” to more challenging 

spiritual living. It may even “permit” us to commit sin, without 

feeling remorse or repentance – after all serious sinless living is 

for those who are tonsured or ordained. Nothing is further from 

the truth. 

To live an Orthodox life is to struggle with the forces in us that 

call us away from God and the forces outside us that seek to 

convince us that He does not exist. To live an Orthodox life is 

to give equal if not more time to daily prayer, the reading of 

Sacred Scripture and the Holy Fathers as we do to watching 

television, idly talking or gossiping, playing games, eating or 

drinking. It calls us to watch what we see, what we hear and 

what we read. It calls us to simplify our lives, genuinely simplify 

our lives to rid them of everything that we 

“worship” (even unconsciously) instead of the Living God. 

Above all, the ascetic struggle calls us to prayer – daily, disciplined, 

and from-the-heart prayer. 

In an anonymous commentary on the Evergentinos (sayings of 

the desert Fathers) we read: “The ascetic heart is ultimately a 

(continued on page 4)

WORSHIP 

Paul Mavromihalis, Choir Director 

Joanne Johnson, Junior Choir Director 

Gary Kent, Acolytes—Altar Services 

Chanters—Achilles Adamantiades, George Kaludis, 

Stelios Kirimlis, John Koroulakis, Nick Marinos 

MINISTRIES 

Parish Council………………………………… Michael Haldas 

Stewardship……………………………………Keith Barberis 

Philoptochos…………………………………...Maria Kitromilis 

Greek School…………………………………..Lena Petropoulos 

Greek School for Pre-Schoolers……………….Nicoletta Argyridou 

Fifty Plus………………………………………Maria Kopsidas 

Parathosi Dance Troupe……………………….Irene Tzamaras 

Young Adult League (Y.A.L.)………………...Maria Kent 

Youth (GOYA)……………………………….. Manoli Anagnostiadis 

JOY/HOPE…………………………………… Tina Papagiannopoulos 

………………………………….. Connie Karageorgis 

Little Angels………………………………….. Heather Hallas 

Wellness……………………………………….Joanne Johnson 

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

Bible Study Classes……………………...……Fr. George Khitiri 

Sunday Religious Education…………………..Athena Kranias 

Bookstore……………………………………...Marina Afentakis 

ORGANIZATIONS 

Feed the Hungry……………………………….Margaret Oge 

Kollecas House…………….…………………..Aglaia Burns 

SUNDAY BULLETIN MEMORIALS & ALTAR FLOWERS 

Sunday Memorials and Altar Flower arrangements need to be 

submitted by Wednesday noon. Please contact the 

Church Office to make arrangements. 

FEED THE HUNGRY 

Please contact Margaret Oge at margotoge@yahoo.com 

or 703-893-3972. 

If you would like Kolyva, please contact: 

Peggy Zouzoulas 301-530-8279 or Georgia Balanos 301-740-1457 

Article Deadlines — 15th of the preceding month 

COMMUNITY LIFE 

THE HERALD 

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAINT GEORGE 

A parish of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and the Metropolis of New Jersey 

7701 Bradley Boulevard, Bethesda, MD 20817 

Telephone (301) 469-7990 Fax (301) 469-5945 

For contact information, please visit our website: www.stgeorge.org 

Rev. Fr. Dimitrios Antokas - Email: FrAntokas@stgeorge.org 

Rev. Fr. George Khitiri - Email: FrGeorge@stgeorge.org 

Rev. Fr. Nicholas Despotides, Emeritus 

OFFICE STAFF 

Chrysostomos Gunning, Ecclesiastical Coordinator—cgunning@stgeorge.org 

Catherine Sarlis, Community Coordinator—catherine@stgeorge.org 

Levan Mamatsashvili, Sexton 

Judy Natale, Herald Editor—jnatale@stgeorge.org 

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PARISH COUNCIL MEMBERS 2011 

OFFICERS 

Michael Haldas, President 

michael.haldas@verizon.net 

Basil Assimakopoulos, 1st Vice President 

bassimak@comcast.net 

George Tzamaras, 2nd Vice President 

gtzamaras@comcast.net 

John Sempeles, Treasurer 

jdsempeles@cox.net 

Stephen Kaludis, Assistant Treasurer 

skaludis1@yahoo.com 

Anthony Djinis, Assistant Treaurer 

awdjinis@pickdjin.com 

Ilias Borsas, Assistant Treasurer 

ilias_borsas@msn.com 

Stephen Vlahos, Secretary 

svlahos@hotmail.com 

COUNCIL 

Greg Auger 

gauger@usa-mgt.com 

Michael Emanuel 

msemanuel@aol.com 

Sean Frazier 

seancfrazier@aol.com 

Gus Geckos 

ggeckos@verizon.net 

Donald Hughes 

donlthughes1@verizon.net 

George Karayianis 

gk6skcna@yahoo.com 

Dino Pappas 

ivymandp@verizon.net 

Gina Collis-Pappas 

collis@discovery.com 

Mike Sakellarides 

msakellarides@adt.com

A PASTORAL 

REFLECTION 

Dear Saint George Family, 

As we find ourselves amid Great Lent, we 

are urged by the Church to intensify our 

prayer life. The article below was written by Protopresbytera 

Thomas Hopko. I hope that you will read it and reflect upon 

the ideas he presents. I pray you find it edifying and you utilize 

it to enhance your prayers. 

Kali Sarakosti. 

Fr. George 

“Prayer is learned only by praying. No one can teach another to 

pray. But a good way to begin to pray is to use the prayers of 

the prayer book. This is so because, since ‘we do not know 

how to pray,’ the Holy Spirit reveals in the prayers of [the Son 

and] the saints the proper form and content of prayer. In the 

prayers of the books – especially the Lord’s Prayer – we not 

only pray truly by putting ourselves into the words of the 

prayers, but we also learn what we must pray… 

How we can begin to pray? Just by beginning. But how to begin, 

with what sort of methods? Everyone’s way will be different, 

but saints give two absolute rules: be brief, and be regular. 

These are the pillars of prayer. Brevity to ensure humility, to 

discourage despair, and to enable us to do what can reasonable 

be done. And regularity to build the rhythm of prayer into the 

rhythm of life as an unchanging element of our existence. It is 

a million times more effective and pleasing to God to have a 

short rule of prayer rigidly kept at regular times than to ‘do a 

lot’ just any old time, whenever we happen to do it. 

Suppose we cannot – or will not – be regular in prayer, not even 

with the shortest of rules? Is everything lost? Not at all. In 

this case we are told by our saints to take a small prayer or just 

a few words (like the Jesus Prayer, or ‘Lord have mercy,’ or a 

line from a Psalm) and to say it as often as we can, whenever or 

wherever we happen to be. Anyone can do this, as it requires 

nothing but to do it, and it can lead us to union with God. 

‘Remembrance of God’ is the purpose of prayer – to ‘walk in 

His presence’, to stand before His Face,’ to be conscious of His 

Spirit in us making us His children. Remembrance of God is 

the way to keeping His commandments, and doing His commandments 

is our salvation and life… 

‘Young man, do not forget to say your prayers. If your prayer 

is sincere, there will be every time you pray a new feeling containing 

an idea in it, an idea that you did not know before, 

which will give you courage. Then you will understand that 

prayer is an education’ (Dostoevsky)… Prayer is a teacher. By 

praying, we are taught of God by God Himself. And one of the 

things that we learn is itself how to pray. 

PASTORAL REFLECTIONS 

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Suppose we cannot – or will not – be regular in prayer, not even 

with the shortest of rules? Is everything lost? Not at all. In 

this case we are told by our saints to take a small prayer or just 

a few words (like the Jesus Prayer, or ‘Lord have mercy,’ or a 

line from a Psalm) and to say it as often as we can, whenever or 

wherever we happen to be. Anyone can do this, as it requires 

nothing but to do it, and it can lead us to union with God. 

‘Remembrance of God’ is the purpose of prayer – to ‘walk in 

His presence’, to stand before His Face,’ to be conscious of His 

Spirit in us making us His children. Remembrance of God is 

the way to keeping His commandments, and doing His commandments 

is our salvation and life… 

When we Christians pray, we must be consciously aware of the 

fact that our prayer goes on ‘within God’; that in prayer we are 

already somehow ‘inside of God.’ We are not lonely, isolated 

creatures attempting by our prayer to call out in solitude across 

and impassable abyss to a God ‘way out there.’ We are in God. 

The Holy Spirit is in us, making us Children of God in Christ, 

enabling us to call the Transcendent, All-holy God, ‘our Father.’” 

In Christ’s service, 

Father George Khitiri

MARCH LITURGICAL SCHEDULE 

Sunday Schedule 

Orthros 8:45 AM ~ Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM 

Weekdays and Saturdays 

Orthros 8:30 AM ~ Divine Liturgy 9:30 AM 

Saturday, March 5—2nd Saturday of Souls 

8:30 AM Orthros ~ 9:30 AM Divine Liturgy 

Sunday, March 6—Forgiveness Sunday 


Monday, March 7—Great Lent Begins 

Wednesday, March 9—Presanctified Liturgy 

6:00 PM 

Friday, March 11—Salutations to the Holy Theotokos 

7:00 PM 

Saturday, March 12—3rd Saturday of Souls 


Sunday, March 13—Sunday of Orthodoxy 


Pan Orthodox Vespers Sts. Peter & Paul Church 5:00 PM 


6:00 PM 

Friday, March 18—Salutations to the Holy Theotokos 

7:00 PM 

Saturday, March 19—Challege Liturgy 

9:30 AM 

Sunday, March 20—Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas 



6:-00 PM 

Friday, March 25—Feast of the Annunciation 


Sunday, March 27—Sunday of the Holy Cross 



6:00 PM 

OUR SPIRITUAL TRADITION 

WANT TO LEARN MORE 

ABOUT BYZANTINE 

The St. George Community is seeking aspiring chanters: Men 

and Women, Boys and Girls. No experience necessary, just a 

desire to learn. 

Our community is blessed to have an accomplished Psalti, 

Stelios Kirimilis, who is providing free lessons to anyone interested. 

Lessons are currently scheduled on Thursday evening 

and Friday morning. We are thinking about adding a new class 

after the Liturgy on Fridays. Stelios is available to conduct 

lessons to meet anyone's busy schedule. 

All you have to do is call or email to get started. Either contact 

the church office, Stelios (steve@courtesytitle.net) or Gary 

Kent (grkent@yahoo.com) if you are interested. Don't 

wait...this is the opportunity of a lifetime! 

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SACRAMENTS AND RITES 

FEBURARY, 2011 

BAPTISMS 

Luc Tousimis, son of Eleni and Raphael Thiney 

Antonia, daughter of Adina and Angelo Serkedakis 

40 DAY BLESSING 

Athanasios Nicholas, son of Alexandra and Nicholas Angelis 

MEMORIALS 

Agatha Koumas (10 Years) 

Peggy Pavlos (9 Years) 

Emanuel Anagnostiades (40 Days) 

Peter Makris (1 Year) 

Christos Krasias (3 Years) 

George Romeos (10 Years) 

FUNERALS 

William Sofocles Economides 

Christina Valkanas 

THERE IS ONE “WAY” FOR ALL— 

ASCESIS (continuation of Father Dimitrios’ Article) 

heart of prayer. It is this heart that yearns for communion with 

God Most High, and will sacrifice all the world for such union. 

It is the heart willing to cast aside every hindrance and sinful 

chain that weighs down the soul from its proper dwelling place 

in the bosom of Christ God, that the race to obtain the prize 

may be fought more fully, more readily. In prayer, the ascetic 

finds his home; for prayer is the union of man with God, and 

this the state for which humanity was created at the dawn of 

time. Such union, wrought by the grace of God in concert with 

the faithful work of man, is the only true life of the human race. 

Apart from it, life is but a shadow; within it, the smallest man 

or woman radiates more brightly than the very sun.” 

Great Lent is a perfect opportunity to ask yourself some questions: 

How do I live MY ascetic struggle? What can you 

change about your life to come closer to God? How much are 

you willing to hurt, to sacrifice, to make those changes? Do 

you feel a sense or remorse and repentance for making the 

achievement of holiness so far out of reach, so much the business 

of other people and NOT yours, that your heart has grown 

spiritually cool – if not entirely cold? The Lord Jesus, the Physician 

of souls and bodies, waits for you. He yearns for you 

with a bleeding heart pierced for you. He longs for you to return 

to your heart of hearts so that there He can wrap His arms 

around you and tell you He loves you. He loves you. Use this 

Great Lent to work your way back to Him! May God bless 

every effort that you make to do so! 

Father Dimitrios

PARISH COUNCIL 

Michael Haldas – President 

My second article as your Parish Council 

President follows, from my perspective, 

ten days after I “penned” my first one. 

This is because, as I found out, newly 

sworn in Parish Council Presidents have 

to quickly write an article for the February 

Herald and then meet the deadline for the 

next issue by February 1! Luckily I make my living as a 

writer so I was happy to comply. 

What’s on my mind as I write this is worship and beautification. 

Worship is the purpose of our church and we are fortunate 

that the Orthodox Church is all about correct worship. 

We are here to worship God and everything about us and our 

Parish flows from our worship. It is the ultimate expression 

of our love for Christ and our means to draw closer to Him 

and participate in His life, death and resurrection. 

So where does beautification come into this. Of course, by 

participating in worship and the sacramental life of the 

church we beautify ourselves on the inside by becoming 

humble servants of our Lord. We do indeed have a wonderful 

parish with beautiful souls who have made St. George what it 

is for forty plus years. However, I want to focus on the beauty 

of our building and structure since it too is an expression of 

our love for God. 

As I walk through the narthex, the nave, the Founders Hall 

and other parts of the building I see so much that needs to be 

done. Floor tiles are displaced, roof tiles have fallen, carpet is 

worn, paint is chipping and cracking, grounds need work, our 

kitchen needs an overhaul, the bathrooms need expanding 

and there are many other things as well. It’s almost overwhelming 

how much needs to be done. I know many of you 

notice these things too because you have told me. Many of 

you also feel the same way I do in that we see the beauty of 

our building as essential to the expression of our worship. 

It’s time to take serious action. 

We are blessed in that we have so much talent in our community 

that has the expertise and skills in all aspects of what we 

need to care for our infrastructure. However, to leverage this 

talent properly and be fiscally responsible we need a plan. 

This plan needs to be logical, needs-based and clearly communicated 

to you so you can weigh in, help mold it, and feel 

confident we are doing the right things for our church. 

This year’s council will develop a comprehensive plan that 

we will present at Parish assembly. We will review what is in 

place and introduce new thinking as well. We also will reach 

out to long-time and new members who have skills we need 


5 

and get the benefit of their thinking. This plan needs to be 

comprehensive and clear so that all financial movement in 

support of the plan (fundraising, budget allocations, etc.) is 

easily viewed and understood in the context of the plan. I 

hear too often that people don’t understand where their 

money is going or why certain things are being done and certain 

things aren’t. A well thought out and communicated plan 

arrived at through proper consensus can address this. 

The first step will be to determine what needs immediate action 

(maintenance items that cannot wait), what needs to be 

improved, and those items which either require additional 

planning or would be addressed by virtue of new construction. 

The Founders Hall is probably the area that needs the 

most work. 

Admittedly there is a lot to do and consider. I’ve learned 

through running my business and other aspects of life the best 

thing to do is simply chunk problems and issues down in to 

manageable parts and then get going in addressing them. That 

is what we want to do in 2011. Things don’t happen overnight 

but each step forward is progress in the continued care 

of our beloved church. 

STEWARDS OF THE YEAR 

Congratulations to our Stewards of the Year who were honored 

at the annual Stewardship Luncheon on Sunday, January 30th: 

Philios Angelides 

Margaret and Gus Geckos 

Joanne Johnson

STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE 

Keith Barbaris, Stewardship Chairman 


STEWARDSHIP 

Giving to the Church is an opportunity – an opportunity to examine our priorities and values. It is an opportunity to express our 

thankfulness, to give of ourselves and to grow in grace. 

Come and See what we can do together with your support. 

The 42nd Annual AHEPA Awards Program is currently accepting 

applications. In order to be eligible for an award, a student 

must: be affiliated with either the DC-area AHEPA family or 

the DC-area Greek Orthodox Church; be a graduating high 

school senior from a DC-area high School; have a cumulative 

grade point average of 3.0 (“B” average or better); and have 

participated in extracurricular activities and/or sports. Student 

AHEPA AWARDS 

6 

applications must be postmarked no later than Saturday, April 

2, 2011. The Awards Banquet will be on Sunday, May 15, 

2011 at the Hilton Washington, DC/Rockville Hotel in Rockville, 

MD. You can obtain an application in the church office 

or contact Georgeanne Patmios at patmiosg@verizon.net or 

301-654-1866 to answer any questions about the program.

Our Membership Drive continues – if you 

haven’t already done so, please fill out and 

return the attached Membership Form with 

your membership donation for the 2010-2011 

year. Men may join as associate members, 

without voting rights. You can join us with 

your gift of resources, which you know will be used towards 

our philanthropic goals, or join us and then become more 

active. Come to a meeting or two; follow us with our email 

news and volunteer when you see an opportunity that best fits 

your schedule and your interests! 

If evening meetings are difficult for you, we also have the 

Outreach Circle which meets the second Tuesday of the 

month from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Each month we work 

on a “hands-on” outreach project and your assistance, talents, 

skills, and ideas are welcome. 

Remember the challenge from our membership tea; find a 

friend, someone you know or someone new, and help them 

understand what it means to be a member of Philoptochos. So 

they in turn, will decide to join us this year. 


LADIES PHILOPTOCHOS 

7 

Important dates: 

• March 8 – Outreach Circle Meeting 10:30- 

12:30 p.m. 

• March 8 – Board Meeting 7:00 p.m. 

• March 16 – Lenten Dinner 7:00 p.m. 

• Take note of our Easter Flower flyer! Please 

donate towards this glorious occasion. Holy 

Pascha is right around the corner. 

If you have any questions or issues or if you know of someone 

who is ill or a shut-in and needs any assistance, please 

contact Maria Kitromilis, at keachri@aol.com. 

We are grateful to each and every member for your kind and 

continuing support! 

God bless you all! 

Maria Kitromilis 

Philoptochos 

President


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Sponsored by The Ladies Philoptochos Society of Saint George 

Bethesda, MD 

Date: Saturday, April 9th, 2011 

Time: 9:00 AM — 3:00 PM 

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!!! YOU DO NOT NEED TO KNOW 

HOW TO SEW. WE NEED HELP TO CUT, IRON, PIN, 

MEASURE, AND TIE SQUARE KNOTS. 

HELP US MAKE QUILTS FOR SMALL CHILDREN 

IN OUR AREA HOSPITALS. 

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING IN OUR 

SECOND LENTEN QUILT-A-THON, PLEASE CONTACT: 

ADRIENNE BARRIS (703) 827-5757 ariabar@aol.com 

STEPHANIE WILDE (301) 983-0879 nintich1@aol.com 

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FIFTY PLUS CLUB 

We wish to thank everyone who came to our annual Valentine’s 

Day Party on February 9th at the Mykonos Restaurant. 

There was a great turnout and a wonderful time was had by 

all. On February 23rd at Noon, Dennis Menos was scheduled 

to speak on “The Parthanon Sculptures: The Struggle to 

Bring Them Home“. 

Reminder. During the month of March, the Fifty Plus Club 

will be hostessing the coffee hour after church service for all 

four Sundays. Maria Kopsidas needs volunteers who can assist 

us. Please call Maria at 301-493-5789 for more information 

about how you can help. 

You can still sign up for the March 23rd trip to the Smithsonian 

to view the Cyprus Exhibit. See announcement in this issue of 

the Herald. The bus leaves at 10:00am and returns at 3:00pm. 

Cost is $25 per person and lunch is on your own in the East 

Wing of the Art Museum. Call Sally Peavy, 301-229-5283, or 

Maria Kopsidas, 301-493-5789. 


11 

Also, don't forget our Greek Festival and Yiayias Attic coming 

up on May 6th, 7th and 8th. Again, we will need items in good 

condition for sale at the Attic. Spring cleaning is a great opportunity 

to set aside items (except clothing) for sale. Items may be 

brought to the Church starting the middle of April. 

FIFTY PLUS CLUB 

DATES TO REMEMBER 

March 2 Breakfast at the Ambrosia Grill at 

10:00am 

March 9 No meeting ( First week of Lent begins.) 

March 23 Trip to Smithsonian Museum to see the 

Exhibit from Cyprus 

PARATHOSI DANCE TROUPE


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GREEK SCHOOL/COMMUNITY LIFE 

GREEK SCHOOL FOR PRESCHOOLERS 

We are still accepting applications for the 2011-2012 school 

year. An Application to Register form is available on the St. 

George website (www.stgeorge.org) under the “Educational” 

tab along with further information. 

13 

If you have any questions, contact Christina Stayeas at christinastayeasyahoo.com 

or Vasilia Contos at contosgeorgehotmail.com. 

Classes fill up quickly so please don’t delay!

GREEK SCHOOL 

“SOCRATES” SCHOLARSHIP AWARD 

High School Seniors: We are now accepting applications for the 

“Socrates” Scholarship of the Greek School of St. George for 

Academic Excellence, Greek Language and Community Service. 

We are giving two awards, one for the Friday Greek 

School and one for the Saturday. The deadline for sending the 

application is April 16, 2011. You will find all the forms at 

www.stgeorge.org . If you need more information, please contact 

Katerina Papaioannou at (301) 229-4286 or michaelkaterinap@gmail.com 

Lena Petrpoulos, Director 

Katerina Papaioannou, President of the Board 

THREE HIERARCHS AND GREEK LETTERS 

CELEBRATION 

In commemorating the Three Hierarchs, a Greek Letters Day 

celebration was held at our church on January 23 rd , 2011. Many 

schools from the area of the Metropolis of New Jersey participated 

in this memorable event. In particular, students from 

Saints Constantine and Helen, (Annapolis, MD), Saint Katherine, 

(Falls Church, VA), Saint Katherine’s Paideia Program, 

Saint Nicholas, (Baltimore, MD), Saints Peter and Paul, 

(Frederick, MD), Saint Theodore, (Lanham, MD), and from our 

own Greek School and Preschool attended the event. There 

were also priests from the parishes, his Excellency Ambassador 

of Cyprus Pavlos Anastasiades, from the Greek Embassy the 

Consul General Honorable Ioanna Kriebardi, the Military Attache 

Colonel Taxiarchis Sardellis and the Education Attache 

Antonios Marmarinos, as well as principals, teachers and many 

family members of the students. 

Mike Emmanuel was the MC of this event. Fr. Dimitrios welcomed 

everybody and Mrs. Lena Petropoulos spoke about the 

Three Hierarchs and wished they will continue to inspire future 

generations in promoting the Greek language and paideia. The 

students from various parish schools presented some wonderful 

programs, while the Ambassador of Cyprus and Consul General 

of Greece greeted everyone and congratulated the students. 

Mrs. Katerina Papaioannou closed the program by stressing the 

importance of teaching and promoting the Greek language, the 

language of the Gospel and the Fathers of our Church, the language 

of Medicine and other sciences, the language that lent 

more than 6,000 words to the English vocabulary. A reception 

followed. 

We wanted to express our thank you to Mike Emmanuel for 

being such a wonderful MC, to our reception committee, Vasilia 

Contos, Steve Vlahos, and Olympia Baffes, to all members 

of the School Board for their dedication and great work, our 

director for overseeing the whole event, the teachers for preparing 

the students’ presentation, and, most of all, our students, 

who are the soul and future of the school. 

GREEK SCHOOL 

We also thank our guests for honoring the event with their presence. 

Finally, a huge thank you goes to Cava restaurant, My 

14 

Big Greek Café, Mykonos Grill, Prima Foods, Stella’s Bakery, 

Tally-Ho-Restaurant, and Yamas Mediterranean Grill for 

the delicious food. 

Students of St. George Greek School with Mr. Koliavasilis 

Back row: Vassilis Baffes, Eleni Georgiou, Christina Ayiotis, 

Christine Anderson, Gregory Papaioannou 

Front row: A student of St. Constantine and Helen Annapolis, 

MD, Fr. Nick of St. George, Mrs. Lena Petropoulos, Director 

of the Greek School 

Christina Ayiotis, Christine Anderson, Gregory Papaioannou, 

Lena Petropoulos, Mike Emmanuel

GREEK SCHOOL 

Gregory Papaioannou with the Greek flag, Vassili Baffes 

with the American flag. 

GREEK EMBASSY - ELLIMOMATHIA 

DIPLOMAS 

On January 30, 2011, students who succeeded in Ellinomathia 

tests were invited by the Greek Embassy to attend a special 

ceremony. They were given their diplomas and congratulated 

by Ambassador Mr. Ioannis Vrailas and Education Attache 

Mr. Antonios Marmarinos. Congratulations to all our 

students for their dedication and hard work in studying the 

Greek Language! 

The names of the students that received diplomas are: 

Level 1: 

Level 2: 

Level 3 

Level 4: 

Staurulaki Constantina 

Agiotis Andrianna 

Polyzos Leon. 

Anagnostopoulos Athanasios 

Papaioannou Gregory 

Pagonis Emmanuel 

Baffes Vasilis 

Anderson Christine 

Catsambas Miranda 

Galiano Styliani. 

Agiotis Andrianna 

Engel Kaliroi 

Kountouris Gerasimos 

Martin Daphne 

Arnaoutaki Antonia 

Dagalakis Maria 

Kouros Maria 

Vonortas Jason 

GREEK SCHOOL 

15 

PROMETHEAS THREE HIERARCHS DAY 

AWARDS 

On January 28, 2011, the Prometheas Society celebrated the 

Three Hierarchs and Greek Letters Day. 

The Society rewarded students from different schools for 

their academic and cultural achievements. 

From our Greek School, four students that succeeded in the 

Ellinomathia test Level 4 were given awards. Their names 

are: Antonia Arnautaki, Maria Dagalakis, Maria Kouros and 

Jason Vonortas. 

The Greek School is proud of them. 

Congratulations to all and best luck to their future endeavors. 

GOYA CALENDAR — 2011 

March 2011: 

4th - Apokriatiko Glendi 

5th/6th - St. Demetrios Baltimore Tournament 

7th - Lent Begins 

13th - SALT Talks begin 

19th - Spaghetti Luncheon Prep; Scavenger Hunt 

20th - Spaghetti Luncheon/Oratorical Festival 

April 2011: 

1st/2nd - GOYA Lock-In 

21st - JOY/HOPE Lenten Retreat 

24th -GREAT AND HOLY PASCHA - Paschal Meal 

30th/May 1st - St. Katherine (Falls Church) Tournament 

May 2011: 

GOYA Sponsors Coffee Hour all Month 

6th-8th - St. George Greek Festival 

8th - Mother’s Day 

13th - Pan-Orthodox Youth Night 

22nd - GOYA Elections; Pizza Sale 

TBD - Church Spring Cleaning 

June 2011: 

5th - GOYA Board Inductions 

19th - Father’s Day 

TBD - Orthodox Youth Day at Kings Dominion

SUNDAY SCHOOL 

GODPARENT/GODCHILD SUNDAY 

It was different this year. There was Sunday School and Godparents 

were invited to come to Church/Chapel, sit with their 

Godchildren and visit their Sunday School class. The luncheon 

that followed to benefit the Bediani Orphanage was for 

everyone to celebrate the day with Lawrence the Magician 

who entertained us. The “Build-A-Bear” Pets graciously donated 

by Alli Cordom made beautiful centerpieces creating a 

festive Grand Hall and raised $4,400 for the Orphanage. 

George Anagnostopoulos, whose heart is always in the right 

place prepared the delicious and nutritious lunch for the 225 

people who came to the luncheon. Thank you George! Thank 

you Eva Borsa, Marianne Chenevey, Vicki and Sean 

McCarthy, Nomy Koumas and Eugenia Korson who together 

with Athena Kranias and Niki Comas coordinated and participated 

in all aspects of the luncheon. Thank you Sunday 

School teachers for serving. 

We are also indebted to Stella’s Bakery, Georgetown Cupcakes, 

Godiva Chocolates, Pandini Bakery, and Balducci’s 

for the 5 star donation of desserts and fruits. 

Our cause was not only fellowship and honoring Godparents 

with their Godchildren but also to help those in need. Donations 

from the luncheon, centerpiece gift baskets, raffle of 

“Build-A-Bear” Pet raffles, as well as personal generous donations 

we were able to raise $4,400 for the Bediani Orphanage. 

Congratulations to our raffle winners: Chrysanthe 

Broikos, Damon Callis, Timotheos Chenevey, Teresa Gionus, 

Daphne Hallas, Theodora Mathios, and Roxanna Stayeas. 

Thank you all for your love and support. As we continue to 

pray together we look forward to Great Lent to renew our 

spirits and come closer to our Lord. 

SUNDAY SCHOOL 

16

SUNDAY SCHOOL 

Great Lenten Book Discussion 

Orthodox Dogmatic Theology 

by Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky 

Mar 9: Mar 16: Mar 23: Mar 30 

Presanctified Liturgy 6:30 p.m. 

Lenten Supper 7:30 p.m. 

followed by the Presentation. 

FYI: MARK your calendar 

Youth Lenten Retreat 

Ages 5-12 years old 

Thursday of Holy Week 

APRIL 21, 2011 

ST JOHN CHRYSOSTOM 

ORATORICAL FESTIVAL 

Why Bother?…. What’s the point? What is the value? Parent’s 

echo their frustration saying, “Too busy, too much on 

our plate. We have to pick our battles.” 

In reality, participating in the Oratorical Festival can be a 

positive experience for parents and students who take the 

time to express their faith and be a witness to God’s blessings. 

Working together on topics provides children quality 

time with their parents and helps build confidence and skills. 

We end up seeing the fruits of our labor grow and flourish. 

I received an email form Helen Vallone asking when the Oratorical 

Festival is. Her comments were, “ Being a participant 

of the Oratorical festival really helped her. I can't express 

what a big help it is for our children to be in the oratorical 

festival. It gives them confidence and improves their public 

speaking skills.” 

Sofia Vallone recited an essay about Martin Luther King at 

Strathmore Hall in Bethesda in front of thousands of people. 

She also received an award from the Gazette newspaper 

and recited her essay in front of Mayor Sidney Katz of 

Gaithersburg and the Gaithersburg Council. CONGRATULA- 

TIONS SOFIA! 

SUNDAY SCHOOL 

17 

Sofia’s essay on Martin Luther King describes how he inspired 

her and how she was going to make this a better world 

by taking action. In the same vein…. if we put Jesus first in 

our lives and heart, be a witness to the faith, and take action 

to make this a better world think of what a better place it 

would be for all of us. 

FROM THE EYES OF MANOLI 

ANAGNOSTIADIS 

2010 Metropolis of New Jersey Senior Representative to the 

National Oratorical Festival 

The St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival is an important 

and fun ministry of the Archdiocese of America, and a great 

way to grow in knowledge and understanding of our Holy 

Orthodox faith. For me, as a representative to the National 

Oratorical Festival in New York City, it was also a great way 

to meet new people and friends from all over the United 

States. 

The first step of the Oratorical Festival is the parish level. 

There are two competitions, one for grades 7-9, and one for 

grades 10-12. At St. George, we are also blessed to have an 

opportunity for the lower grades 3-6 to participate and practice 

their oratorical skills, in preparation for the competition, 

which begins at 7 th grade. At the parish level competition, 

the Junior Division (Grades 7-9) and Senior Division (Grades 

10-12) contestants present their speeches. The judges then 

retire and deliberate, choosing two representatives from each 

division to represent the parish at the regional, or statewide 

level. This process repeats itself at the statewide level, where 

one representative from each division is selected to represent 

the region or state at the Metropolis level. Last year, this 

statewide competition was held at Sts. Mary Magdalene and 

Markella outside of Baltimore, a beautiful new church whose 

hospitality and kindness impressed all who attended. At the 

Metropolis level, we delivered our speeches before the Metropolitan 

and the judges, and one contestant from each division 

was chosen to be a finalist at the National Level. The 

Metropolis level this past year was hosted at Holy Trinity 

Greek Orthodox Church in Westfield, New Jersey, which also 

offered excellent hospitality to the contestants.

SUNDAY SCHOOL 

FROM THE EYES OF MANOLI 

ANAGNOSTIADIS (continued) 

Unlike the other levels, which are only a few hours long, the 

National Festival is a weekend long affair. Each Metropolis 

takes turn hosting this event. I felt honored to represent St 

George this past year at the Direct Archdiocesan District who 

hosted the event in New York City. This coming year, 2011, 

the National Festival will be held in the Metropolis of Denver, 

and hosted in Dallas, TX. As a contestant I arrived at the 

hotel on Friday, the Oratorical Festival Chairpersons, Fr. 

John and Presvytera Margaret Orfanakos, and a representative 

of the host church, Presvytera Heidi Marangos, handed 

out gift bags. That evening, we gathered at the Archdiocesan 

Cathedral of the Holy Trinity to begin the Festival in prayer 

with the service of the Small Paraklesis, celebrated by Fr. 

Frank Marangos, the cathedral dean. Icebreakers and a dinner 

were held, highlighted by a speech by the festival emcee, 

faithful member of St. George and good friend of mine, Mike 

Emanuel, who had traveled to the festival with his wife and 

children. Saturday morning, gathered at the church we delivered 

our speeches before Archbishop Demetrios, Bishop 

Philotheos, various priests, parents and visitors and an online 

Audience, thanks to a live-streaming feed. While the judges 

retired for deliberations, the Archbishop, other clergy, contestants 

and their families gathered in the cathedral’s hall for 

lunch, after which the winners were announced. We were 

treated to a bus tour of New York, followed by a dinner 

cruise on the Hudson river, where we were joined by Mr. 

Emanuel and his family. Sunday, we gathered at the Cathedral 

for a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, officiated by 

Archbishop Demetrios, to close the Festival. We remain in 

contact over the phone during the summer and talking to each 

other via email, instant messaging and in person, thanks to 

GOYA tournaments. 

The experience of the Oratorical Festival was one which I 

would not trade for the world, causing me to grow closer to 

others in true Christian fellowship and to better know my 

Orthodox faith, which we all cherish and defend as the priceless 

pearl given to us by none other than our Lord, Jesus 

Christ. I hope this essay has encouraged all of you to participate 

in the Festival, and I will see you in March! 

ELEMENTARY DIVISION (GRADES 3-6): 

SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 1-3 PM 

JR/SR DIVISION (GRADES 7-12): 

SUNDAY, MARCH 20, 1-3 PM 

This year the Oratorical Festival is part of the curriculum for 

students in grades 3-12 to participate in one form or another - 

speech, essay, poem or writing an icon. Participation is encouraged. 

Our priests and teachers have extended themselves 

offering to work with individual students at a time that is 

agreeable to both, outside of Sunday School class. 

SUNDAY SCHOOL 

18 

ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILDREN TO PARTICI- 

PATE. Topics for grades 7-12 along with topic tips and 

bibliographies can be found on the internet: 

www:religioused.goarch.org. 

ELEMENTARY DIVISION TOPICS 

(GRADES 3-6) 

Jesus Christ, Love, Helping Others, Prayer, My Family, The 

Bible, My Church, The Cross, Sunday School, Being Kind, 

Lighting a Candle, My Favorite Icon, My Favorite Parable, 

Life of a Saint, One of the Ten Commandments, My Favorite 

Hymn, One of the Sacraments, The Meaning of Pascha, or 

Byzantine Iconography: Write an icon and talk about it. 

Prepare a 30 to 90 second talk about the subject. You may 

also use an icon, picture or poster as part of your presentation. 

The topics are flexible. Moreover, you may choose a 

different topic with the approval of your Sunday School 

teacher. Although the Sunday School teachers may work on 

this in class, the majority of work must be done at home. Parents, 

we ask for your assistance once again in preparing your 

children for this wonderful educational and spiritual experience. 

JUNIOR DIVISION TOPICS (Grades 7-9): 

1. In the Orthodox Church, saints and their icons are presented 

as examples to be imitated. Discuss one saint who 

has become an example in your life. 

2. In St. John’s Gospel, Philip invites Nathanael to “Come 

and see” (John 1:46). What would you want someone to 

experience in his or her first visit to an Orthodox Christian 

parish? 

3. In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord says, “Blessed are 

the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9). What does it mean to 

be a peacemaker in an age of violence, terrorism, and 

war? 

4. Discuss the spiritual discipline of fasting in light of our 

age of increasing obesity. How does fasting compare 

with diets that have the purpose of achieving “model” 

appearance? 

5. Clean water is a precious commodity that is becoming 

even scarcer in many parts of the world. It also features 

prominently in many Bible stories. Discuss the importance 

of water as a symbol and in Orthodox liturgical 

life. 

SENIOR DIVISION TOPICS: (Grades 10-12) 

1. In the past few years, the issue of bullying—including 

cyber bullying—has been in the news. How should a 

Christian respond to the problem, especially in light of 

Jesus’ teaching to turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39)? 

2. St. Paul encouraged the Christians in Ephesus to “grow 

up” (Ephesians 4:13–15). What is Christian maturity, and 

how does one become a mature Christian? 

3. Discuss what it means to be a member of the Body of 

Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12–26) in our age of extreme 

individualism and independence.

SUNDAY SCHOOL 

SENIOR DIVISION TOPICS: (GRADES 7-9): 

(continued) 

4. What are the most attractive points that Orthodox Christianity 

offers to teenagers today, and how can we use them 

to bring young people to the Church? 

5. St. Basil the Great wrote, “Wealth left idle is of no use to 

anyone, but put to use and exchanged it becomes fruitful 

and beneficial for the public” (I Will Tear Down My Barns, 

ch. 5). Explore this statement in light of the financial insecurity 

of the last few years and of modern financial practices 

in general. 

DATES TO REMEMBER 

Mar 4 Apokriatiko Glendi 

Mar 6 Sun 

Mar 7 Mon Great Lent begins 

Mar 13 Sun Sunday of Orthodoxy 

Procession of Icons/SALT TALKS #1 

Mar 19 Sat Elementary Oratorical Festival 1-3 PM 

Mar 20 Sun Jr/Sr Oratorical Festival 1-3 PM . 

SALT TALK # 2 

GOYA Spaghetti Luncheon 

Mar 27 Sun Veneration of Holy Cross 

Salt Talks #3 

Apr 3 Sun Second Grade Ten Commandments 

Salt Talks #4 

April 10 Sun First Grade recites Lords Prayer 

SALT Talks #5 

OCMC Mission Coin Box due 

OCMC 

ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN MISSION CENTER 

Sunday School Project for Lent 

2011 Mission Coin Box Program 

Return Coin Boxes by APRIL 10 

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the 

Lord of the harvest, therefore. To send out workers into His 

harvest field.” Matthew 9:37-37 

Every year the Mission Center sends short term Mission 

Teams around the world. Some of the teams build churches, 

schools or clinics. Other teams teach or evangelize. Some of 

the teams take care of orphans, offer medical care or lead 

youth camps. 

Please fill your Mission Coin Box and return to your Sunday 

School teacher by– Sunday April 10. The money will be 

totaled and a check written to the Orthodox Mission Center. 

SUNDAY SCHOOL/LITTLE ANGELS 

19 

LITTLE ANGELS 

We would like to welcome any moms/dads/relatives of with 

little ones from newborn to 4 years old. We meet year around 

every 1st and 3rd Friday of each month at 10am with Father. In 

the past educational activities outside the church have included; 

a visit to the Zoo, Cox's Farm Pumpkin Patch, Fire House, Glen 

Echo Park, play dates at family homes, holiday parties, parks, 

museums, picnics, and pool parties. For more information 

please contact Eleni Alexiou @ 202-604-2333 or via email 

skaleni@gmail.com 

History 

The Little Angel's play group was established by The Reverend 

Dr. Athanathios Demos in October of 1999 to promote new 

friendships within our Greek community, to establish a support 

system for the new Mothers of the community, and most importantly, 

to provide a fun, creative, relaxing, and engaging atmosphere 

for all our children to play, explore, interact, socialize, 

and develop into long-term friendship within the ministries of 

the church community. 

Benefits 

Along with the networking of friendships, fellowship, and a 

place to come and get out of the house to escape the mundane 

every day activities, there are many Philanthropic Aspects of 

Little Angels. The Little Angels feel very strongly about giving 

to their community and those less fortunate in any way possible. 

We graciously contribute to the St. George Festival, Goya, 

Kollecas House, St. Basil's Academy, Hats Off Silent Auction, 

The Vasilopita, MWOSH, The Ladies Philoptochos of 

St.George, Nursery/Cribbery, Epitaphios. We feel these charitable 

causes enrich us and not only help us grow but allow our 

community to grow and prosper as well. 

S.A.L.T. - SUNDAY AFTERNOON 

LENTEN TALKS 

Comparative Religions/Comparative Christianity 

Grades 7-12 will have the opportunity to participate in 

Lenten talks Sunday afternoon’s from 12-2 PM on the following 

five Sundays of Lent: 3/13, 3/20: Oratorical Festival 

Jr/Sr Level, 3/27, 4/3 and 4/10. Every Sunday with the exception 

of March 20, we will be visiting other houses of worship 

and learning about other religions. 

Lunch will be served and a $5.00 donation is requested.

GREEK SCHOOL 

20

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Available at the St. George Bookstore 

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A Ladies Philoptochos Project 

MRS. Z’S HOME MADE 

DELICACIES 

PEGGY ZOUZOULAS


23

WORSHIP SCHEDULE 

Sunday Services 

Orthros 8:45 a.m. 

Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m. 

Weekdays & Saturdays 

Orthros 8:30 a.m. 

Divine Liturgy 9:30 a.m. 

Church Office Hours 

Monday-Friday 

8:00am—4:00pm 

The Herald 

The Greek Orthodox Church of St. George 

7701 Bradley Blvd, Bethesda, Maryland 20817 

301-469-7990 § www.stgeorge.org 

24 

Non-Profit Org. 

U.S. Postage 

PAID 

Bethesda, MD 

Permit No. 541

March 2011 - Greek Orthodox Church of St. George

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