AD BOOK 2020

Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church
2020 GYRO FEST
SPONSORSHIP & PROGRAM BOOK
Tastiest Greek Food
this Side of the Atlantic!
29 Central St, Somerville, MA 02143
617-625-2222; office@dormitionchurch.org
www.dormitionchurch.org

In 1916, the first Greek Orthodox Church of
Somerville was located at 5 Bow Street, and it
was a rented hall over the old Woolworth
building in Union Square. It served well the early
Greek settlers in Somerville – most of whom had
arrived from the village of Alatsata, in Asia
Minor.
The activities and the growth of the
Community were making it very evident to those
entrusted with the administration of the Church
that additional quarters were necessary to
accommodate the parishioners.
In 1944, a Buffet Dinner Dance launched a new fund drive for a new location. This affair was held,
by coincidence, at the Elks Hall at 29 Central Street. On April 15, 1948, an “Agiasmos” (blessing) of
the new Church took place along with the first Divine Liturgy, to which all parishioners attended.
History continues to be made at our church, and with God’s Grace, we recently celebrated our
100th Anniversary
Thank you
for coming to our gyro fest!

Welcome to all!
On behalf of the family of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary
Greek Orthodox Church, I welcome all to experience God through
the Divine Eucharist and to live a Christ-centered life, in a
community of faith, strengthened by worshiping faithfully, serving
willingly and growing spiritually.
Our parishioners attend the Divine Liturgy (Mass) regularly and
participate in the sacraments. They serve and build the Parish
using the gifts of their time, talent and treasure. They take
advantage of Parish opportunities for spiritual growth by
deepening their spirituality. They learn, live and share our
Scripture and ancient Orthodox Tradition. They serve those in
need, in the broader community. They nurture a welcoming
culture at our Church.
Today, after 104 years of presence in Somerville, our Community moves forward inspired by its
vision: To become a Parish that emulates the Kingdom of God, a church overflowing with joy,
peace and love, abiding by the teachings of the one, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, and
invigorated by the traditions and values of the Greek Orthodox people.
From my position, as a servant of all, I invite you to discover the Orthodox Way, the ancient,
historic Eastern Christian Faith and embrace it with your heart. Discover the beauty, which
hopefully will draw you closer to God, when you will realize that this is the Church that has
preserved the Gospel in its original majesty. “Come and see…” (John 1:39)
Rev. Fr. Anthony Tandilyan
Dear Patrons,
Welcome to our 2020 Gyro Fest Pick up and go! Our annual Festival,
which takes place every year in September, the weekend after Labor Day
had to be scaled down this year due to the COVID pandemic. This is the
most important fundraiser of our beloved Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek
Orthodox Church.
Every year our entire community works very hard to prepare
authentic and homemade tasty Greek foods and pastries. We use only the
highest quality ingredients, old family recipes and a lot of love and care.
This year due to the COVID, we had no other choice but to present a much
scaled down version and choose the 2 most popular items on our menu.
You can imagine how difficult it was to just choose only 2 items from our
menu. But we did it…. Gyro and Loucoumades it is! I hope you also agree!
On behalf of Father Anthony, the entire Parish Council, the Church Ministries and all
Parishioners we would like to thank you all for your support. Many of you visit us every year and
multiple times during our 3-day activities. We look forward to resuming our Greek Festival, the
way we know it and see all your smiling faces. Your support and generosity during these trying
times is greatly appreciated by all.
Diane Karavitis
Parish Council President

Free Estimates
NICK BOULAS
781-844-8436 Owner
NICK’S
PAINTING SERVICES,
INC.
Residential & Commercial
Painting
Interior Exterior
General Carpentry
Power Washing

THANK YOU!
A GREAT BIG THANK YOU TO ALL WHO WORKED
ENTHUSIASTICALLY PREPARING FOR OUR 2020
GYRO FEST.
MUCH APPRECIATION TO
THE MANY PARISHIONERS OF OUR COMMUNITY WHO
VOLUNTEERED AND GRACEFULLY GAVE THEIR TIME,
TALENTS AND TREASURES.
WE ARE GRATEFUL TO THE COMMUNITY BUSINESSES WHO
ARE SPONSORING OUR AD BOOK.
THANK YOU ALSO TO THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS WHO
MADE GENEROUS DONATIONS TO HELP MAKE OUR GYRO
FEST A GREAT SUCCESS!
(Donors names listed alphabetically)
Boulas, Chris & Sophia
Petsalis, Irene
Sfikas, Stelios & Dora

Bill Galatis, Co-Owner, and the Galatis Family
Congratulations to
Father Anthony
Tandilyan, the Parish
Council and the entire
Dormition Parish for
another successful
festival!

Best and warmest wishes for a successful
Gyro Fest and a healthy and productive
ecclesiastical year
Vangelis, Marlene, Demetri, Faye,
Konstantinos & Tam Kechris
BEST WISHES FOR A SUCCESSFUL
GYRO FEST 2020
ANASTASIOS, REGINA
JOHN WALTER, DANIELLE AND
PETER DRES

FOR RENT
OUR UPPER HALL SOCIAL CENTER
Looking for a place to rent for your next family affair, whether it would be a wedding,
christening, birthday party or your next family reunion? Look no further! Our upper
and/or lower hall can be rented at very affordable prices. It can be also decorated
informal or very formal for an additional fee. If you or someone you know is looking
to rent, please pass the word around.
For more info call
the Church Office
(617) 625-2222
Wishing the Dormition of the
Virgin Mary Church and it's
Parishioners a year filled with
many rich blessings!
Diane Karavitis

Wishing you Best of Luck
from all the Members of the
Greek Ladies of St. Catherine’s PHILOPTOCHOS Society
of Somerville, MA
President, Dora Sfikas
Vice President, Louise Lambrukos
Treasurers, Marlene Kechris and Jeanette Kourafalos
Secretary, Eleni Gangas

THIS ZOOM BIBLE STUDY IS ….
Wednesday’s 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday’s 11 a.m. – 12 noon

George & Adrianne Faggas
855 Broadway (Powder House Square)
Somerville, Massachusetts 02144
(617) 625-4320 · Fax (617) 625-6495

GYRO IN A PITA - $12
Seasoned meat, onions, tomatoes & garlic sauce
LOUCOUMADES
6 for $4.00
Bakers dozen (13) for $8.00

Tzatziki
2 cups strained yogurt (Greek yogurt)
2 Persian cucumbers
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste
Peel and grate cucumbers. Sprinkle with salt place in
strainer and let sit for 5 min. Drain well. Add garlic, vinegar,
olive oil and cucumbers and mix. Add yogurt and blend.
Shrimp Saganaki
1 pound shrimp with shells
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup ouzo
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup feta cheese, cubed (approx. 8oz)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
salt and pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onions and minced garlic; cook and stir until soft. Mix in the parsley,
ouzo, tomatoes. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened. Stir in the
shrimp. Bring to a simmer, and cook for about 5 minutes or until shrimp is cooked. Add the feta cheese and
remove from the heat. Let stand until the cheese starts to melt. Serve warm over pasta or with French fries.
Kolokythokeftedes (zucchini fritters)
2lbs zucchini, shredded
2 eggs, beaten
1 potato
1 small sweet onion, finely chopped
¼ cup finely chopped mint leaves
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
(approx. 8oz)
1 cup bread crumbs
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
olive oil as needed
salt and ground black pepper to taste
Boil the potato until tender, about 20 minutes; finely dice. Mix
together in a bowl, the potato, zucchini, eggs, onion, mint,
parsley, feta cheese, and breadcrumbs, and form mixture into
small patties and set aside.
Place flour into a shallow dish and cover patties with flour on
both sides. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Pan-fry the zucchini patties until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes
per side. Drain the patties on paper towels; serve hot.

DORMITION’S VAST
COMMUNITY IMPACT
STEMMING FROM OUR
HEALTHY AND RICH
SPIRITUAL, SOCIAL AND
CULTURAL LIFE

Community Credit Union
joins with the members and friends of the
DORMITION CHURCH
in celebrating the
2020 Gyro Fest
A better way to Bank! SM
NOW IN SOMERVILLE!
377 Summer Street
www.myccu.org
PERSONAL BANKING
BUSINESS BANKING
MORTAGES/LOANS
NMLS# 506389