april 2013 monthly newsletter

April 2013

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church! ! !! ! !! !

608 SOUTH COLLEGE ROAD • WILMINGTON, NC 28403 • (910) 392-4444 • FAX (910) 392-4905

WWW.STNICHOLASWILMINGTON.ORG

Saturday of LazarusApril 27

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church April 2013

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Fr. Jon Emanuelson Parish Priest

Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.Church Website: www.stnicholaswilmington.org

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/StNicholasWilmington

Office Phone: 910-392-4444 Office Fax: 910-392-4905Fr. Jon’s mobile number: 910-685-0080

Office Email: [email protected]. Jon’s Email: [email protected]

2013 PARISH COUNCILOfficers Members Emanuel Miliotis (President) Kim Dandulakis Maria StasiosEvangelos Fragos (Vice President) Peter Malahias Alexandros TheodoropoulosTina Bostic (Secretary) Debbie Rallis Irene Sotiriou VogiatzisBarbara Reynolds (Treasurer) Nick Saffo

CHURCH STAFFDaphne M. Snow, Parish Office Administrator

PARISH MINISTRY TEAM

Religious Education...Richard Reynolds, Ministry Chair Adult Education...Richard Reynolds Youth Catechism...Courtney Malahias, Director Bookstore/Library...Mary Ann Wall Oratorical Festival...Courtney Malahias

Hellenic Culture...Kitsa Wiersteiner, Ministry Chair Hellenic School...Alexandros Theodoropoulos Romiosini Dance Group...Zaharoula Katsikis Zoyra Dance Group...Kitsa Wiersteiner Choral...Dr. Michael Rallis Special Activities...Kitsa Wiersteiner

Youth Diakonia...Koula Katsikis, Ministry Chair GOYA...Dr. David Snow, Irene Sotiriou Vogiatzis, Mary Beth Miliotis, Tina Bostic, Advisors HOPE/JOY...Kim Dandulakis, Eleni Pappamihiel, Jack Poulos, Advisors Liturgical Life...Dr. Michael Rallis, Ministry Chair Liturgical Music...Dr. Michael Rallis Acolytes (Altar Boys)...Doug Brown Neokoros/Sexton...**volunteer needed**

Communications - Technology Ministries: Alexandros Theodoropoulos, Ministry Group Leader Webmaster:Alexandros Theodoropoulos Publications:Daphne Snow & Stella McTaggart Technology:Alexandros Theodoropoulos Media/Community Relations: Beth Burgee, Debbie Rallis &Alexandros Theodoropoulos

Parish Family Life...Daphne Snow Parish Life Night…Mary Anne Vavalette Men’s Group...Rick Reynolds Women’s Group…**Volunteer** Forever Young...Stella Vallianos LOVE...Stella McTaggart

Outreach & Evangelism...James Stasios, Ministry Chair OCF...Fr. Jon Emanuelson & Alexandros Theodoropoulos Hospitality...Ed & Kathleen Mayorga Community Service...Sia Mayorga Gibbs Parish Care...Debbie Rallis

Philoptochos...Mary Beth Miliotis, Chapter President

Stewardship...Debbie Rallis

From The Desk of Father Jon“Give me a word Father, that I may live.”

This saying stems from the life of the Fathers in monasticism. The spiritual son would say this to his elder (γέροντα), waiting for a word, a verse, that would be blessed to follow and bring spiritual life. The verse I will choose will emphasize one Greek word and how it is used. The verse below comes from the psalms. May it become a fountain of blessing to you.

Psalm 39:17 LXX “May all who seek You, O Lord, Rejoice exceedingly, and be glad in You; And may those who love Your salvation, say continually, “The Lord be magnified.” “µεγαλυνθήτω ὁ Κὺριος.”

There are several phrases in our Orthodox Christian tradition that we can say with great sincerity and regularity. The last part of this verse calls on all of us who love God’s salvation to say continually, “The Lord be magnified.” “µεγαλυνθήτω ὁ Κὺριος.” This is very much like the phrase “Glory to God in all things.”, and should be with us constantly as a means to give thanks to Him for everything. We are all called upon to give thanks to God in season and out of season, in joy and in sadness, in triumph and in trials. Let us be mindful of this throughout our Lenten journey and we will do well.

The word “µεγαλυνθήτω” is from the root word µεγαλύνω and is used in various places throughout the Old and New Testaments. The word means to enlarge or make great or to praise or to extoll depending on the context in which this word or a derivative of this word is used. We are called upon to magnify the Lord in our words, thoughts and deeds. If we do this continually, we will attract the grace of God. And by God’s grace, the gifts of the Holy Spirit start to become manifest.

Καλή Σαρακοστή! A Blessed Forty day fast to all!

A Note on Repentance and Confession

During our Lenten journey it is good and right to repent and go to confess our sins before God in the presence of the priest. As God has proclaimed to the apostles after resurrection, the apostles and those after them are to continue the ministry that Christ Jesus our God began during his earthly ministry. Thus, Bishop Philip of Atlanta made me, the unworthy one, a father confessor in March of 1993, and His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios has given his blessing for me to continue in this blessed ministry.

So, in accordance, I pray you will come to our church during great Lent to attend one of the services during the week. At the end of each service, I will set aside time for anyone seeking God’s forgiveness. I, a humble sinner, will pray for you. I have such love and respect for all that show great courage and come to confession, that I am overcome with joy at having the blessed opportunity to pray the prayer of forgiveness over them. And having been forgiven, I see the burdens lifted and the light of Christ burning ever more brightly in your soul.

A blessed Lenten journey to all!Fr. Jon Emanuelson


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From Emanuel Miliotis,Parish Council President

We are excited to have had such a great turnout for our 3rd annual O&E Outreach Sunday and Welcome Lunch for Fr. Jon and Presbytera Barbara. It was great to see our hall packed with friends and relatives. Of course the most exciting part of the luncheon was introducing Fr. Jon formally to our community. If you haven’t had a chance to come to church yet to meet or talk to Fr. Jon don’t worry, he will probably find you. He has been very busy with outreach to our parishioners and is very excited to serve our community.

By the time you will have received this, we will have just wrapped up our March 25th Greek Independence Day Celebration. I know that everyone who was there was moved by the children in their poems, songs and dancing. Also a thank you to Dr. John Anagnost for being the keynote speaker. Additionally I would like to thank the Hellenic Culture and Hellenic School for organizing and guiding this event.

Finally, as everyone receives this newsletter, the parish council would like to invite all of our parishioners and their families to our upcoming Lenten services. Looking ahead please mark your calendars for Agape services and our Pascha picnic at Hugh McRae Park.


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Save the Date - May 2013

May 5 - Pascha; Agape Vespers & Picnic

May 12 - Mother’s Day

May 17-19 Greek Festival


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Outreach & EvangelismJim Stasios

We hosted our Parish’s Third Annual Family Outreach Sunday on March 10th and we officially welcomed Father Jon, Presbytera Barbara and their daughter “Liz” to our St. Nicholas Parish Family. We strived to fulfill the Mission of our Parish as we worshiped during the Divine Liturgy; had fellowship in our Hellenic Center where over 200 parishioners enjoyed a delicious meal; offered service by our O&E Ministry Team and GOYANs; and witnessed God’s love as everyone enjoyed this special time together. It was a beautiful event!

During the month of April, our Orthodox Church continues its journey through Great Lent. This is an excellent opportunity for us to reach out to family and friends and invite them to worship with us at St. Nicholas. Our Church encourages us to attend more worship services during Great Lent, to pray, to fast and to give alms. We should help the poor; visit the sick, homebound and those in nursing homes; offer a parishioner “a ride to church” or prepare a meal for a family with a newborn or friends who lost a family member.

During the first four weeks of April, our church will offer the following evening church services: Great Compline on Mondays at 7 PM; Pre-Sanctified Liturgy (with Holy Communion) on Wednesdays at 6 PM; and Salutation to the Theotokos on Fridays at 7 PM. Let's take advantage of these additional opportunities to worship during Great Lent.

On April 7th we celebrate the “Sunday of the Holy Cross” – Lent’s mid-point – and a reminder for us to stay focused on the Cross of Jesus as we continue the second half of our Lenten journey.

On April 27th, we will observe the Saturday of Lazarus with Divine Liturgy in the morning, followed by a breakfast for our youth and a palm cross making activity in the afternoon. The following day, Palm

Sunday, we begin our Holy Week journey, which will culminate with Holy Pascha on May 5th.

Holy Week is a special time in the life of Orthodox Christians. We will retrace Jesus’ steps... from entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday...to His crucifixion on the Cross on Holy Thursday...to His burial on Holy Friday and His Resurrection at Pascha.

Please consult other sections of this newsletter for a schedule of Holy Week services and join us for as many of these services as you can. Let us think of others during Great Lent and spend more time in worship, prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

We hope that you will have a spiritually fulfilling journey through Great Lent and Holy Week.

“Everything we do is an opportunity for outreach and evangelism!”

PhiloptochosMary Beth Miliotis

Philoptochos means Friend of the Poor, helping the ones in need, caring for the sick, helping the hurting. Philoptochos is also fellowship, working together for a common goal. We invite you to come join us!

StewardshipDebbie Rallis

“A rich man is not one who has much, but one who gives much. For what he gives away remains his forever!” St. John Chrysostom

Thank you to everyone that turned in their 2013 Pledge Card. We have received 77 stewardship cards totaling $107,220 towards our goal of $208,000. If you have not turned in your card, let this serve as a reminder. Stewardship cards are available at the pangari (candle stand) and in the church office. Please try and give regularly as this helps us meet our many obligations.


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Stewardship is an important part of our Orthodox faith and is part of a total commitment to Christ. Stewardship is part of a Christian lifestyle that is expected by God as a loving way to give back to God for thanks of what He has given us in life.

BLESSINGS ON YOUR STEWARDSHIP JOURNEY!

JOY/HOPE

Joy & Hope’s mission to create a climate of respect, centered on love and respect for self, others and our Church was highlighted by our successful March Canned Goods drive for Mother Hubbard’s Kitchen during which we collected more than one hundred pounds of non-perishable food donations. Thanks to all our Joy & Hope families and our St. Nicholas community for your generous donations! Saturday, April 13, Joy & Hope will have a Bounce into Spring Event from 9 am – Noon at St. Nicholas. Bring your rakes and gloves as we spruce up around our church and we’ll have a giant bounce house set up outside for bouncing fun!

Saturday, April 27, Saturday of Lazarus Divine Liturgy, will be followed by our traditional Pancake Breakfast. After breakfast we will help make Crosses for Palm Sunday.

The JOY/HOPE group recently collected more than one hundred pounds of non-perishable food donations for the Mother Hubbard Outreach program! St. Nicholas is partnering with Mother Hubbard this year and a portion of our Greek Festival proceeds will go to this worthy organization.

LOVEStella McTaggart

Our next LOVE event will be during the PlayCafe morning at tMuffin. This is a place where kids, specifically ages 1-6 years old, can have open play as well as a structured Art & Craft. Please join us on Tuesday, April 23, 2013 starting at 9 am until Noon. Please note that parking can be behind or to the side of the building located at 2133 Wrightsville Avenue, Wilmington, NC 28403. This month all expenses will be covered for the event by St. Nicholas GOC. For more information about this location feel free to visit them online at http://tmuffin.com/play-cafe/

If you would like more information about LOVE, for our children birth to preschool age, please send Stella McTaggart an email at [email protected].

GOYA

The Goyans continue to meet every Wednesday night during family night for group discussion with Fr Jon. Please join us for the following events:• April 7th- Oratorical Festival. Also we will be

passing a second tray on this day, for the American Cancer Society. Please donate generously to this worthy cause.

• April 20- Beach volleyball at 2:00pm, location TBD


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• April 26- Relay for Life at Ashley track - meet at 8:00pm.

• April 27 - Saturday of Lazarus - Goyans to co-sponsor pancake breakfast with Joy & Hope. After breakfast, we will make palm crosses for Palm Sunday.

• April 28- May 5 - Holy Week - Goyans to read during all services. Events planned for Goyans on Good Friday. More information to follow.

Catechism CornerCourtney Malahias

Psalm 116:12-17 - How can I repay the LORD for all the good done for me? I will raise the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. Too costly in the eyes of the LORD is the death of his faithful. LORD, I am your servant, your servant, the child of your maidservant; you have loosed my bonds. I will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.

What a joyous time in our lives...Great Lent. A time to quiet our minds, read more about our Orthodox faith and really focus on what a gift our life is. Jesus Christ is our savior who gave up his life to wash away our sins. “Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” The Jesus prayer is my focus and will continue to be...

Our youth will be presenting their topics in the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival on Sunday, April 7. We invite you to join us and support the children.

Thank you to our wonderful teachers who are all doing such fabulous activities with our children. Our community is truly blessed by their dedication. We had an inspiring teacher’s meeting hosted by Koula Katsikis at her lovely home. Thank you so much Koula! Father Jon was in attendance and we enjoyed a very creative session with him. I feel so blessed to be a part of this community.

We are still having the first Sunday of the month as Family Worship. Father would also love to do a children’s sermon after the Gospel reading so please try to be at church on time to truly savor our Divine Liturgy in it’s entirety. Thank you for all you do and have a blessed Lenten Season!

Romiosini

Our Romiosini dancers have been invited to perform at the Azalea Festival - Multicultural Stage on Sunday, April 14th. Please come cheer on our award winning dancers at 2:40pm, and the other ethnic performances in downtown Wilmington from 1:00-5:30pm.

Hellenic School & AHEPAAlexandros Theodoropoulos

On Saturday, February 9th, our Hellenic School along with our local AHEPA Cape Fear Chapter #408 co-hosted our 2013 Annual Valentine’s Dance or “Sweetheart Ball”!

We would like first of all to thank all of you that attended and helped us make this such a successful event! From the feedback we received, it seems that everybody had a lot of fun and enjoyed the music band and the food while the general feeling appeared to be that this was one of the best Valentine’s dances we have ever had! Moreover, I would personally like to express my thanks and great appreciation to our AHEPA chapter #408 for being willing and working with our Hellenic School to co-host this event! Also, I would further like to thank Georgio's, Chris's and College Diner restaurants for donating most of our food items and for their very much appreciated continuing support during all these years! Furthermore, many thanks to Evyenia Karonis, Renee Karonis and our Hellenic School parents for working hard to put the wonderful decorations together in the Hellenic Center for our dance, to George Lazaridis, Nena Lazaridis, Arry Lazaridis and Yiannis Diakogiannis for helping in the


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kitchen, to Kitsa Wiersteiner, Kim Dandulakis, Barbara Harris, Nena Lazaridis, Koula Katsikis, Christina Mount, Renee Karonis and Mary Ann Fulton for donating the desserts, to Spiro Macris for helping at the entrance and finally to Nick Lazaridis for all of his time, shopping, running around and hard work toward putting this event together! I apologize in case I forgot anybody, please let me know in case I did so. I personally believe that these dances are great for our youth and community in general, thus, we will continue offering them and even working to further improve them!

We would like to extend our best wishes to all of you for a blessed and spiritually uplifting Lent season, the culmination of which will be the Holy Week and the celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord Christ Jesus on Pascha Sunday, May 5th!

ΚΑΛΗ ΣΑΡΑΚΟΣΤΗ! HAVE A BLESSED LENT!

Liturgical LifeDr. Michael Rallis

In or about 52 A.D., St. Paul urged Christians to “pray without ceasing.” This admonition soon led to ritual times of daily worship when Christians gathered to pray with psalms, hymns, antiphons and scripture. As early as 200 A.D., lay Christians in various cities gathered for matins (morning prayer) and vespers (evening prayer). Monks and nuns prayed psalms together more frequently, going through all 150 psalms in the Bible and then starting over. Around the fourth century, these monastic prayers began to emerge as the standard daily round of liturgies. Singing the psalms in regular rotation required the monks and nuns to come up with more tones for the psalms and antiphons, and music for the hymns they sang regularly. Both Eastern and Western monks chanted the Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office, but the more Eastern and Western Christianity diverged, the more their musical style did, too.Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/03/14/3915206/charlottes-saint-nektarios-greek.html#storylink=cpy


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Congratulations

Congratulations to Bette Parrett on the birth of her granddaughter and to Jenny Fronista on the birth of her great-grand daughter, Lillie Christine. Lillie Christine is the daughter of Alexandra (Parrett) & Anthony Ranieri, born on February 18. Νά σάς ζήσει!

Congratulations to Konstandena Brown and Cassie Snow on receiving the HDF Odyssey Scholarship. Kostandena and Cassie will be joining Lucas Bostic, Anastasia Davis and Peter Vogiatzis on this adventure! ῍Αξιες!

Congratulations to Connie & Thomas Ronner on the birth of their son Griffin Thomas Ronner, born Thursday, March 14. Congratulations to the grandparents John & Nancy Batounis. Νά σάς ζήσει!

Sympathies and Memorials

On February 24, a six-year Trisagion was chanted for Anastasia Annette Karonis, the sweet angel, daughter of Yiannis and Evyenia Karonis and sister of Renee Karonis Psilos. May her memory be eternal! Ζωή σε µας ...

On March 10, a three-month trisagion was chanted for Eleni Vogiatzis, wife of Anastasios Vogiatzis and mother of John and Vasilios Vogiatzis. May her memory be eternal! Ζωή σε µας ...

On March 17, a one-year Trisagion was chanted for Harry Fronista, husband of Jenny Fronista and father of Bette Parrett. May his memory be eternal! Ζωή σε µας ...

We extend our deepest sympathy to Mary Ann Wall and her family on the passing away of her husband, James Wall who fell asleep in the Lord on March 12. May his memory be eternal! Ζωή σε µας ...

With the saints, give rest to the souls of Your

servants, where there is no pain, sorrow, or

suffering, but life eternal.

2013 Stewards as of March 13

Andrews, Louis & RoulaAngeledes, Angelo & EvelynBatis, John & EmilyBatounis, John & NancyBostic, Michael & TinaBrants, Angelique SkandalakisBrown, Doug & ArgieCranidiotis, Chris & JoyDandulakis, Gregory & KimberlyDemas, Ron & SharonDentiste, AngelaDiakogiannis, IfigeniaDiakogiannis, JohnDimopoulos, Peter & KathyDukas, NotaFlowers, Larry & HelenFokakis, GeorgeFragakis, John & SophiaFrankos, Dr. MaryGerry, DespinaHale, Pamela MavrosJeffries, Phil & IreneKaronis, Yiannis & Evyenia Katris, Angelo & AnastasiaKefalas, ThaliaKing, Lee & DorisKirk, Graham and StephanieKirkby, Matthew & MelissaKoklanaris, Emmanuel & LambraKoklanaris, DenaLionikis, Emmanuel & AthanasiaLogothetis, Anestis & ConstanceLoizides, Michael & TheodoraMaggio, Ralph & Evelyn CharalombousMalahias, Peter & CourtneyMarmaras, MaryMayorga, AspasiaMayorga, Ed & KathleenMcGowan, Calvin & DianeMcTaggart, StellaMiliotis, Emanuel & Mary BethMoskogianis, Karen & Driscoll, Thomas

Nashed, NeematPapanicolaou. Lambros & NikiPatsalos, Jimmy & AnnaPinkston, Anne Bakalis Poulos, Jack & DaniellePoulos, John & AthenaPoulos, PatProukou, Theodore & KatherinePsilos, Constantine & Renee Karonis Rallis, Michael & DebraReynolds, Rick & BarbaraRonner, Tom & ConnieSaffo, AngelineSaffo, Marian & MarikaSaffo, Tony & JamieSchaefer, Robert & RenaSkandalakis, Kay & JoannaSljaka, SophieSnow, David & DaphneSouflas, Thomas & LindaStarnes, Debra & KennethStasios, James & MariaTheodoropoulos, Alexandros & Eleni PappamihielTsangarides, Arthur & WandaTsingelis, Chris & AngieVallianos, StellaVavalette, Mary AnnVerikios, Mary EVogiatzis, Anastasios & GeorgiaVogiatzis, Vasilios & Irene SotirouWall, Mary Ann & JamesWhitley, John and ElaineWiersteiner, Samuel & KyriakiZezefellis, EffieZondos, Angela Toolie


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Community News

Community ServiceMaria Dimopoulos with Delta Gamma Sorority at NCSU has asked us to collect eyeglasses for their philanthropy, Service for Sight. Please consider donating your outdated and unneeded eyeglasses. They will be distributed to the needy through the Lions Clubs International and New Eyes For The Needy, Inc. Our GOYANS will be helping collect glasses. Look for our collection box in the Hellenic Center.

Spring CleaningIt is March, and every family sets aside a special time for the Spring cleaning of their home, which we do every year. Although this annual Spring cleaning requires effort and leaves us physically exhausted, we still do it every year because of the good feeling it brings to our living environment. But we are not just bodies that live in homes. We also have an immortal soul that dwells in our bodies and gives us life. This is the part of us which will live forever, long after our bodies will dissolve in the earth following our physical death. I want to challenge you today to consider seriously the Spring-cleaning of your soul, as well. The Church has provided a method for that, which costs no money and requires no major physical exertion - just personal reflection and honesty with ourselves followed by an honest confession of our sins in front of our spiritual father. The Spring cleaning of our house refreshes the air and renews the space we live in. The Spring-cleaning of our soul renews our relationship with God and the people around us and refreshes our sense of well-being. If you haven't tried it already, you do not know what you have been missing. We are preparing to bring renewal to our sanctuary by dedicating it to God through the holy sacrament of the Consecration (εγκαίνια). This is a good time to renew and consecrate ourselves, as well. This is the time to become a new creation. This is the time to re-dedicate our bodies as Temples of the Holy Spirit. But the Spirit of God cannot dwell in filthy stables. We need to direct the rivers of repentance through our soul to wash away the refuse of our sins. You can sanctify yourself through prayer during the day, even if you are working, by repeating the "Jesus Prayer" 100 times during the day. You can immerse yourself in worship during the services provided every day. And you can also enlighten your mind and heart by studying the Word of God and attending the Lenten Spiritual programs and retreats. This is a very special time that can be both memorable and transformative for each one of us. We are becoming the true Body of Christ again as we come together to dedicate the earthly structures and re-dedicate ourselves. This is the Baptism of our Parish and a re-affirmation of our personal baptism. Join us this Spring, my friends, for a refreshing of the temples of our souls along with our holy sanctuary building.May the Love and Mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, always. Fr. Panayiotis Papageorgiou, HOLY TRANSFIGURATION, Marietta, GA

FarewellAs I prepare to leave I have only fond memories of my many years in Wilmington. I thank each of you for having touched my life in a special and meaningful way. I wish you all good health, peace and many blessings.-Danna Copoulos


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Community News, continued

Dates for the Metropolis of Atlanta Jerusalem Pilgrimage II RevisedWe have a few seats remaining for our trip to Jerusalem, Cappadocia and Constantinople. We will be leaving from New York on November 17 and returning on December 1st. Our first stop will be for an 8 day tour of the Holy Lands in and around Jerusalem, followed by a 3 day visit to the magnificent biblical site of Cappadocia.

Our final two days will be in Constantinople where we will attend Divine Liturgy with Patriarch Bartholomew and celebrate the name day of the first bishop of our church, St. Andrew.

Please note that we can only accommodate 30 pilgrims for this trip, so seating is limited. As of today we have filled 80% of our capacity, so please do not delay if you are intending on joining us. We ask that you respond to the flyer and registration we have sent you along with your deposit to secure your reservation.

For those who are planning on joining the pilgrimage, please email Gerry Clonaris at [email protected] (please include your phone number) and we will hold a reservation for you. You may also call Gerry with any questions at 704-846-5245.

Vacation Church SchoolFor any GOYAns that would like to volunteer as Assistants for this year’s session, please contact Shannon Johns. See flyer for more information.


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Charlotte’s Saint Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church puts a twist on ancient chantingBy Erin Ryan Correspondent Charlotte Observer

The Rev. Seraphim Dedes, director of music ministry at Saint Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church in Charlotte, spent 16 years on Mount Athos in Greece, where Christian monks have resided since the fourth century and still chant the liturgy that has remained virtually unchanged for over 1,000 years.

As a monk at Mount Athos in the early ’80s and ’90s, “I (thought), ‘What a rich liturgical life we have here. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could have that where I came from?’ ” says Dedes, 52, who grew up in Toledo, Ohio. Today, people stepping into morning Matins or Divine Liturgy at this domed church on Kuykendall Road might almost think they are listening to a choir on Mount Athos. But there are modern twists here. While the chant uses centuries-old melodies, the words are in English, the chanters are following the liturgy on computer screens, and half of them are women. It’s part of an effort, Dedes says, to change with the times to make chanting relevant to a new generation of American worshippers while honoring the past and helping people to rediscover the ancient riches of their Christian tradition. Dedes and others helping facilitate their music don’t have an easy job. For starters, it involves translating ecclesiastical Greek poetry into English that makes sense to contemporary ears, yet honors the original text.

They’re also writing Western musical notes for hymns that exist in Byzantine chant notation few parishioners can read. And finally, they’re trying to make it easier for ordinary parish choirs to navigate the thousands of hymns in the Orthodox church, which they have to sing at the right times and places during a Sunday combination of services that might last three hours or more.

This combination of complexities usually meant that in American parishes, the liturgies were chanted by people who had trained for years in Greece or in cities with large Greek Orthodox populations.

Reclaiming chantOrthodox liturgy is sung from beginning to end in a dialogue between priest and choir, or priest and chanter, or priest and people. It’s not like churches where most of the service is spoken, punctuated only intermittently with isolated hymns, says Lucy Zapsas, 53, choir director at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Charlotte and president of the Southeastern Federation of Greek Orthodox Choirs and Musicians. Orthodox Sunday services begin with early Matins and extend into Divine Liturgy, the Eucharistic service.

“The liturgy is set. The same prayers are said pretty much every week,” Zapsas says. “You can go into any Eastern Orthodox service in the country and you will be able to follow it if you’re familiar with the service.”

However, there are variations in how the churches use available texts and music. Zapsas says that the choir at Holy Trinity Cathedral sings their first of two Sunday Divine Liturgies in English, and the second in Greek. They use Byzantine melodies that have been arranged into four-part harmony, and they play an organ to accompany hymns. This is a typical setup for many American Orthodox churches, Dedes says.Saint Nektarios’ liturgies feature a choir of men led by Dedes on one side of the sanctuary, and a choir of women on the other, singing hymns antiphonally in traditional monophonic (one-melody) Byzantine chant. The only instrument is a keyboard on which Dedes plays the yson, a base note that drones underneath the melody to guide the singer.


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Purpose of music“When the immigrants came to America in the early part of the 20th century,” wanting to fit in, they would “take this Byzantine music and sort of Westernize it and harmonize it, make it sound like music you would hear in a Protestant or Catholic church,” says Stan Takis, who lives outside Lansing, Mich. He and his wife Nancy, both 62 and former music teachers, created New Byzantium Publications, www.newbyz.org, a website that helps people learn about traditional chant.“Music affects us,” says Dedes. “If we had an orchestra and a band and whatever, it might be nice music,” but in his tradition, he says, “the purpose for church (music) is to lead us to compunction and even to go beyond the words of the hymn to a state of contemplation.”“Let’s lead them to compunction,” he says, meaning both repentance and gratefulness for God’s mercy. “That’s the purpose of the hymn – both of the music and also the words.”

Translation challengesMusical texts of Christian church music in Byzantine notation look to the untrained eye like an odd sort of Arabic. Dedes, Nancy Takis and others render the Byzantine symbols into the familiar metered notes of the Western musical staff. English texts of the Greek hymns started to become available in the 1960s in America, translated by local priests or chanters, though these translations were not introduced uniformly into parishes across the country. Often problems arose because the shorter English text didn’t fit the music written for longer Greek words of five or seven syllables. In that case, Dedes tinkers with the existing melody to remove a few extraneous notes.

Going digitalIn 2009, Dedes magnified all his music, put it into binders and put the large-print music on stands so the choirs – about 10 men and 10 women – could share them. But the setup “became cumbersome. I would have to collate the music all the time…it was a pain. So I said, ‘You know what? We’re going to go digital.’?”

During the liturgy at Saint Nektarios, the text of the entire service appears on the left side of a computer monitor. The choir scrolls down as they follow along the service. Every time the choir reaches a place where they are to sing, they click on the screen, and a window with the hymn’s musical score appears in the right frame. Last year, Dedes, with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta, created a nonprofit corporation called AGES initiatives to help other Orthodox churches adopt similar services. At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Wilmington, the choir director, physician Michael Rallis, 60, began bringing in his iPad to keep all their music in one place. “It’s a big ordeal” to be constantly pulling from the multiple resource books of prescribed hymns, he says. Eventually, they got enough iPads for the choir to share. “In so many ways, that parish is the role model for the rest of us,” says Rallis of Saint Nektarios.


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We Need you! St. Nicholas Spring Cleaning

Saturday, Apri l 13 at 9 am - 12 PM Come help make our church home beautiful!

Lunch provided for al l volunteers!


16

Pan-Ikarian BrotherhoodChapter Therma

Invites you to join us for lunch.

Come enjoy spaghettiwith salad, bread,drinks and dessert

When: *Takeouts are also available*

Sunday ~ April 21, 2013Immediately Following Liturgy

Where:St. Nicholas Hellenic Center

Prices:$6 Teens / Adults$4 Children 10 & Under

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church*For additional information contact Vangeli Fragos or Peter Malahias

This is a fundraiser for the Ikarian Scholarship fund*A portion of proceeds to benefit


17

Sponsored by

LOVE

April 23, 2013 9 aP�-�12 noon

For more information visit tmuffin.com

(Please note: $6 per child )

2133 Wrightsville Ave.,

Wilmington, NC 28403 RSVP with Stella McTaggart at 910-452-7075 or

[email protected]

**Even if you cannot join us for this month’s event, please contact the Church so we can add you to our mailing list. We want to make sure all families with preschool and younger chil-‐dren (or expecting) are part of this group so we can come up with unique and age appropriate events that work for you. **


18

VacationChurchSchool

Register Now!St. Nicholas GreekOrthodox Church

Telephone 910.392.4444608 S. College RoadWilmington, NC 28403

www.stnicholaswilmington.org

June 10 — June 14, 2013

8:45am — Noon

Focus Ages: Birth – Rising 6th Graders

Everyone Welcome!

Please register by: May 5, 2013

For more information call:

Shannon Johns at 910-508-1010

Parents’/Caregivers’ Name (s):

Cell/EmergencyNumber (s):

Food allergies or othermedical conditions ofwhichwe should be aware

Child’s Name Baptismal Name Grade Next Fall Date of Birth Age

Registration Cost:Please enclose $15 per child or $10 per child for preschool & younger.Please note that for our participants in preschool and under we request that a caregiverplease participate in Vacation Church School with their child(ren.)

Monday -Wednesdaywill see our children“Going for theGold” as they learn about theFeasts of the Triumph of Christ & HisChurch:

PalmSunday; Ascension;Pentecost; Exaltation of theCross

Thursday, Parentsplease stay!Liturgy @9am followed by crafts for kids&Lunch forALL (parents included)

Friday, Parents please stay!Assembly with Skitperformedby our kidsfollowedbyWATERPLAY! **Don’t forget tobring suits, towels, sunscreen, and toys**

GOYAs: Please volunteer as Assistants!!

GO for the GOLD!GO for the GOLD!GO for the GOLD!

17:00 PM G

reat Com

pline Service

211:00 AM

Forever Young

7:00 PM Parish C

ouncil M

eeting

36:00 PM Pre-sanctified

Service7:30 PM

Parish Family

Pot Luck GO

YA &

A

dults discussions8:00 PM

OC

F Bible

Study

455:00 PM

Hellenic School

7:00 PM Salutation to

the Theotokos

68:00 AM

Men’s G

roup10:00 A

M R

omiosini

Practice

6:00 PM G

reat Vespers

7 Sunday of the Holy C

rossFam

ily Worship

American C

ancer Society D

onation 8:30 A

M O

rthros10:00 A

M D

ivine Liturgy + Procession12:30 PM

Oratorical Festival

87:00 PM G

reat Com

pline8:00 PM

Festival M

eeting

9106:00 PM

Pre-sanctified Service7:30 PM

Parish Family

Pot Luck GO

YA &

A


OC

F Bible

Study

11125:00 PM

Hellenic School

7:00 PM Salutation to

the Theotokos

138:00 AM

Men’s G

roup9:00 A

M JO

Y/H

OPE

Bounce H

ouse Clean up

Day

10:00 AM

Rom

iosini Practice

6:00 PM G

reat Vespers

148:30 AM

Orthros

10:00 AM

Divine Liturgy

2:40 PM R

omiosini

Performance A

zalea Festival

15 New

sletter Articles are due

7:00 PM G

reat Com

pline

16176:00 PM


Parish Family

Pot Luck GO

YA &

A


OC

F Bible

Study

186:00 PM G

reat Canon of

St. Andrew

of Crete

195:00 PM H

ellenic School

7:00 PM A

kathist Hym

n

208:00 AM

Men’s G

roup10:00 A

M R

omiosini

Practice2:00 PM

GO

YA B

each Volley B

all6:00 PM

Great Vespers

218:30 AM

Orthros

10:00 AM

Divine Liturgy

12:30 PM Pan-Ikarian

Scholarship Luncheon1:00 PM

ZOY

RA

Practice

226:00 PM EC

Y/C

OM

m

eeting7:00 PM

Great C

ompline

239:00 AM

LOV

E Activity

249:00 AM


Parish Family

Pot Luck 6:30 PM

GO

YA &

A


OC

F Bible

Study

25265:00 PM

Hellenic School

8:00 PM R

elay for Life

27 Saturday of Lazarus8:00 A

M O

rthros9:00 A

M D

ivine Liturgy10:30 A

M Pancake

Breakfast/Palm

Cross

Making

6:00 PM G

reat Vespers

28 Palm Sunday

8:30 AM

Orthros

10:00 AM

Divine Liturgy

12:30 PM Palm

Sunday Luncheon

7:00 PM B

ridegroom

Service

297:00 PM B

ridegroom

Service

297:00 PM B

ridegroom

Service

304:00 PM Service of the

Holy U

nction

7:00 PM B

ridegroom

Service

Parish Calendar A

pril 2013SU

ND

AYM

ON

DAY

TUESD

AYW

EDN

ESDAY

THU

RSD

AYSATU

RD

AYFR

IDAY

ST. NICHOLAS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

608 S. College Road, Wilmington, NC 28403

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

april 2013 monthly newsletter

Documents

ministry chair ocf

ministry chair goya

ministry chair adult

ministry chair hellenic

spiritual life

mary beth miliotis

advisors liturgical

nicholas greek orthodox