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ANNUNCIATION OBSERVER March-April 2021
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral
7220 Granby Street Norfolk, VA 23505
Address of His Eminence, Archbishop Elpidophoros to Theodore Lyketsos on his
Ordination to the Diaconate:
Beloved Sub-Deacon Theodore,
Is there any better Sunday to enter into the ser-vice of the Heavenly Father, than on the Sunday of the Prodigal Son? I think not! For this one parable basically encapsulates all Four Gospels in just a mere twenty-two verses. However, you don’t have to be either the Prodi-gal or his Older Brother; you could be somewhere in be-tween – for we are all sinners.
Today, though, you stand in the House of the Fa-ther, presenting yourself both as a servant and as a son. You are a servant, because like the Prodigal you know “how many of the Father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare.…” And like the Older Brother, you under-stand that this liturgical sacri-fice of the Holy Body and Precious Blood is endless – for the fatted Calf is always available to feed the People of God and to gladden their hearts.
Of course, the Prodigal, being desperately hun-gry, thinks about bread. And the Older Brother, being jealous, thinks about the Feast he didn’t have with his friends. Therefore, both of them are concentrating on what they do not have, and, in doing so, they miss the very essence of the Holy Office of Deacon that you em-brace today.
Being fed and being nourished in the House of the Father – the Church – is not about obsessing in what is lacking, but in about what abounds. It is not about en-titlement, but about service. And therefore, the Prodigal says:
I will arise and go to my Father, and I will say to
him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants.” With these words, then, the Prodigal offers his service, while the Older Brother expects a fatted calf.
My dear Sub-deacon,
Herein lies the mystery of authentic μετάνοια, as exemplified by the prodigal son. Even with all his faults and with all his reckless behavior, he does not presume. Instead, he offers a menial service, while presenting him-self to the Father without any claim.
And so, I would like to ask you: Have you come here today to serve, or to be served? Have you come here to offer, or to receive? For, as the Lord Himself tells us, the blessing is in the giving.
Therefore, it should be clear that you have come to fully give and to selflessly present yourself to our Heav-enly Father, without any pre-tense or claim. And it is pre-cisely here where the miracle of your ordination lies today,
on the Sunday of the Prodigal Son.
You offer yourself to the Church to be a Deacon – the one who serves the Holy Table. And it is from this Table that we partake of a bread that does not merely fill the belly, but is in fact the Bread of Life itself, which came down from Heaven. Let your hunger, then, always be a hungering for this very bread – a desire to be filled with the transfiguring love of God. For, like the Prodigal, when one ‘comes to oneself’ and turns to God the Father, he or she then realizes their need for this Bread.
And so, as a minister of this Divine Food that nourishes the Faithful – both the worthy and the unwor-thy, the saintly and the sinful alike – always remember the merciful words of the Father to the Older Brother – who resented the Father for offering the Fatted Calf to
THEODORE LYKETSOS ORDAINED TO THE HOLY DIACONATE
FEBRUARY 28, 2021
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ANNUNCIATION GREEK ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL
Check out the following links:
• Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
www.goarch.org
• Metropolis of New Jersey
www.nj.goarch.org
• Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral
www.annunciationva.org
• Annunciation Cathedral Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/314281155328536/
• Live-streamed services:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZF5Ht1Mb2jtMfdVOjnIn-w
Rev. Father George Bessinas, Presiding Priest
Rev. Dn. Theodore Lyketsos, Pastoral Assistant/Youth Director
SUNDAY SERVICES : ORTHROS: 8:45 am DIVINE LITURGY: 10:00 am
WEEKDAY SERVICES: ORTHROS: 8:30 am DIVINE LITURGY: 9:30 am
• Stewardship Committee
Yiannis Papelis, Kathy Stephanitsis, Cindy Dragas
• Sunday School
Olympia Matthews, Director
• Greek School
George Pantas, Director
Emilia Simmons, Deputy Director
Stavroula Marshall, Teacher
Dr. Maria Mendrinos, PTO
• Choir Director
Christopher Kypros
• Head Chanter
Efthimios (Tim) Dermanis
• Altar Servers
John Mangus, Jr., Coordinator
• Stewards of the Altar
Presvytera Eleni Rogakos
• Coffee Fellowship
Chrissy Damalas
• Library
Presvytera Eleni Rogakos
Irene Pahno
• Cultural Committee
Jane Williams
• Golden Years
Lona Liosatos, President
• O.C.M.C.
Maria Marshall
• I.O.C.C.
Maria Herring
• Agape /Hope/Joy
Maria Achilleos , Katina Johnson, Maria Ellmer
• Community Dinner
Yiannis Papelis
• Young Adult Ministry
Dn. Theodore Lyketsos
• St. Lydia Womens Study Group
Presvytera Chrysanthie Bessinas
• GOYA
Dn. Theodore Lyketsos
Advisors
Linda Meares, Phil Roussis,
Katherine P. Milonas
• Cathedral Office
Helen Manuel, Office Administrator
Goran Todorovic, Bookkeeper
Angelo Neskis, Facilities Manager
Carlos Potter, Custodian
• Annunciation Observer
Layout Editor: Dn. Theodore Lyketsos
Editor in Chief: Fr. George Bessinas
Mailing Volunteers
Fred & Diana Roybal, Dwight and Pela Jen-
kins, Toulla Koyzis
The Annunciation Observer: Bi-Monthly Newsletter. Distributed to Parish Families.
The Annunciation Observer is published by The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral
7220 Granby Street, Norfolk, VA 23505.
PARISH COUNCIL 2021
President: Mike Zarpas
1st Vice President: Martha Pantelides
2nd Vice President: Helen Hahn
Treasurer: Beryl Love
Secretary: George Neskis
Members:
• Tony Damalas
• John Stepanovich
• Steve Webb
• Scott Almond
• Ron Russell
• John Katsias
• Orthodox Campus Ministry (OCF)
Dn. Theodore Lyketsos
• Dance Directors
Dr. Maria Mendrinos, Bessie Piperides
• Ladies Philoptochos Society
Maria Harless, President
• Hellenic Woman’s Club
Elizabeth Woods and Heather Karangelen, Co-Presidents
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his younger, prodigal brother, since he had wasted so much of his life and his family’s treasure:
“My child, you have always been with me, and everything I have is yours. But it was right that we cel-ebrate and rejoice, for this, your brother, was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is now found.”
My dear Theodore,
This is the ministry that you are now called to embrace, and to understand that at every moment, all of God’s love, mercy, strength and power are at your dis-posal. Everything He has is ours, if we but only open our hearts to Him.
Your ministry is to celebrate and rejoice in the spiritual re-birth of every sister and brother through the Mysteries of the Church. As a Minister of the Gos-pel, you are called not to condemn others for their faults, but to bring them to the mercy of God. Let the people, then, be reborn in the love of God, for as Saint Paul reminds us: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eter-nal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Your vocation is to be a seeker and searcher for lost souls. And your calling is to help others find themselves and ‘return to themselves’ like the Prodigal. For when we return to ourselves, to our true nature and the imprint – or icon – of God within our hearts, we are already halfway home.
Therefore, my beloved Sub-deacon Theodore, enter into the celebration and merriment of the Liturgy of the Fatted Calf, Who was sacrificed for the life of the world. Enter into the service of the Heavenly Fa-ther. Enter into the ranks of the Holy Priesthood, put-ting on the robes of a Deacon this day. And count your-self among those who are alive in God, and those who are found in Christ. Amen.
Ordination Address of Dn. Theodore Lyketsos
Your Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros, Reverend Fathers, brothers and sisters in the Lord,
Standing before you and in the presence of our all-seeing Lord, I am struck by the enormity of the task
before me. To stand before the Holy Altar Table of our Lord as his διακονος, as His servant seems to me to be at once a glorious privilege and a fearful bur-den. A glorious privilege, because the Lord Himself is glori-ous, and to stand near Him at the Holy Altar of Sacri-fice is to partake in glory itself. And a fearful burden, because of my own feebleness, my own insufficiency, and my own sin. If Moses thought himself unworthy to intercede for the Israelites before Pharaoh, how can I dare to intercede for the Church before almighty God? If St. John the Baptist thought himself unworthy to un-tie the straps of Christ’s sandals, how can I dare to hold in my hands His Flesh and Blood?
It is fitting that if I am to be ordained, it should be on the Sunday of the Prodigal Son. I have squan-dered the inheritance of Grace that was given to me at
Baptism, and proven with my life that I don’t deserve to be called our Father’s Son. I have come today from the far country, from among the swine I have fed with my careless be-havior, to ask my Lord to accept me as one of His hired servants, in the hopes that my great spir-itual hunger can be sated. I am dead and need to be made alive, I am lost and need to be found. That God should do anything good for me to-day will not be an expression of my worthiness, but an act of His indescribable Mercy.
And yet, I have only to turn towards my Creator to see that He has
already been running to embrace me. While I was still far off from this moment, while I was still reckless and dissolute, I can see that He was still preparing to re-ceive me in the hopes that I would turn and repent. That is to say in spite of me, and who I am, and who I’ve been, God has still been working mysteriously to bring me to this point. I must take a moment to thank Him for the people He has used throughout my life to bring about His ineffable Will.
First I must thank God for my parents, Manon and Constantine Lyketsos. They taught me to believe in God and the eternity. They modeled what it means to live with virtue and integrity. But I think the greatest gift my parents gave me was to provide me with a childhood so innocent and so beautiful, it seems to me that it was a foretaste of Paradise. I often think that my own desire for Heaven is a desire to know again the
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blessedness I experienced as a child in their care, where life was only love and peace, where people were only good and pure, and where God quietly permeated everything with His Beauty. Thank you so much for giving me a glimpse of Eden. May our Lord grant us to know that innocence together again.
I must also thank God for my sister, Daphne. My best friend growing up, someone who I have shared so much joy and pain with, someone I’ve grown and experienced so much with. Someone who knows me in certain ways that no one else can. She alone knows the beautiful joy we shared in our childhood that has been im-printed on my heart. I pray that when this short life is over we will be united again the way we were as kids.
I also believe that God has mysteriously used the per-son of my late grandfather, Harry James Cargas to guide me here. My grandfather died when I was six, and I only have a few fragmented memo-ries of him. Yet his legacy as a Christian scholar, a man sin-cere and committed to his faith overshadows me so pow-erfully that in his absence he is present. The quiet example my grandmother Millie, his wife, also inspires and ener-gizes me. I feel that in their own way they illumine the path I now walk.
I thank God for the first person who ever took me under his wing and guided me to-wards the priesthood was my first spiritual father, Fr. Constantine White. Looking past my naiveté, my in-experience, and my sins, he saw my desire for the Lord and told me that with time and dedication, I could become a man capable of serving Him. He was exactly the mentor I needed at that point in my life, and I am incredibly grateful.
I thank God for the influence of Matushka Olga Meerson, one of my Russian professors in college. She opened my heart to the rich spiritual treasures of Ortho-dox theology, and inspired a love in me that has not subsided.
I thank God for my four best friends from col-lege: Miha, Ian, Alec, and Matt. So intelligent, capable, and charismatic, the longer I know each of you the
more I admire them. I am so inspired by them, they have shaped me more powerfully than I am often will-ing to admit. I am humbled that such impressive men consider me worthy of their friendship.
I thank God for my greatest mentor at Holy Cross, my spiritual father, Fr. George Dragas. To have a man of such towering intellect and profound faith call me his child and gently guide me is one of the greatest gifts God ever gave me. If one day I am half the theolo-gian, the liturgist, or the pastor he is, then I will have exceeded my wildest expectations.
I thank God also for other professors at seminary, particularly Fr. Maximos, Dr. Patitsas, Dr. Mamalakis, and His Grace, Bishop Joachim of Amissos. They taught live in this world with faith in the Holy Trinity and the Church as the foundation of my life. In some ways I hesitate to say that I was even truly an Or-thodox Christian before they showed me how to be one.
I thank God for my best friends from seminary, two of whom are here today. You know who you are, and you know what you mean to me. I trust each of you implic-itly, and I am so, so grateful that I can face the enormous task before us with you at my side.
I thank God for my Proistamenos, Fr. George Bessinas and his wife Presvyt-era Chrysanthie. They live and run their household and parish with such sincerity and integrity that they have left a powerful impression on my
wife and me. They have guided us, rejoiced with us, sorrowed with us, and protected us. They are so exactly the people we need in our lives right now, that I have no doubt it was God’s Providence brought us together.
I thank God also for our Cathedral family at Annunciation in Norfolk, Virginia. The community has embraced us so readily, with such joy and love that it humbled us. We have only been there for two years, and yet we feel sincerely that Annunciation is our home. We are profoundly grateful that you are part of our journey.
I would be remiss not to mention Fr. John Cox
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of Norfolk, Virginia as well. I am humbled by and grateful for his friendship and example.
I also thank God for this parish, St. George, and Fr. Nicholas Dassouras. Thank you for welcoming me and my family, and for sharing this incredibly great moment with us. I do not know why God arranged things so that I should be ordained here, in your pres-ence. I only know that in this world there are no acci-dents, and it is my honor and privilege to be here today.
But who can I thank God for at this moment more than my wife, Denisa? I am so, so grateful to be here with you at this moment. God gave me a woman so loving, so kind, so sincere, and so profoundly good to accompany me through this life not because I am worthy of you but because I need you. You know more than anyone how much I rely on you, and how so many good qualities I have I owe directly to your influence. You are beautiful, intelligent, and capable, you embody so many virtues and yet above all of them you are un-hesitatingly, unflaggingly loyal. I have never for a sin-gle moment doubted that you are at my side, that you support me, that you will defend me. The trust and in-tegrity that define our marriage can only be understood as a gift from God, a firm foundation that He has laid. I pray that by the Grace which God will send down upon us in my ordination He will build on that foundation, and accomplish His purposes within us. Denisa, I know you never expected this calling before you met me, and yet I have been so impressed by the way you have risen to the occasion and worked to become the woman God always intended you to be. I am so grateful that you will be my diakonissa, I never deserved you.
And I thank God for my daughter, Maria. Ma-ria, you are two months old today, and already I love you more than I ever thought possible. I am so grateful that our Lord saw fit to give us such a beautiful, won-derful child to accompany us on this journey. I hope the life we can provide for you can be even a crude im-itation of that blessed life which you were made for, which you deserve.
Your Eminence I am not worthy to fulfill the office of the diaconate. Anything good in my life comes from God and through the beautiful people He has blessed me to know. I simply present myself before you as a man with a sincere desire to serve our Lord and Savior. I now submit my whole life to the service of the Church, to be used by Her as Her instrument un-der your Archpastoral direction. I entrust myself to your wisdom and paternal care, knowing that our Lord has chosen you to shepherd His flock. I humbly request your blessing and guidance to labor in Lord’s vineyard, to preach the Gospel and to serve His people, to offer myself as a living sacrifice, and to make straight His paths for His glorious return. I can accomplish none of this through my own strength, and I have no boldness before the Lord. I ask that you intercede for me before the Holy Altar Table of our Lord, God, and Savior, that He grant me “The divine grace, which always heals that which is infirm and completes that which is lack-ing."
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STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021
I want to thank you for the opportunity to serve our beautiful community this past year as Parish Council President. It was a privilege to serve with a dedicated group of men and women who always had the welfare of our community at the forefront. Thank you to each member of our community who supported our parish with your patience and understanding thru very difficult, stressful and challenging months. While we may not have been sitting next to each other in the pew, we were never distanced. As members of the body of Christ, we are always joined together.
How fitting that today - Valentines Day - is Steward-ship Sunday.
On Stewardship Sunday, we usually talk about the need to turn in our Stewardship cards (and yes, please do that) and the im-portance of supporting our beloved commu-nity with our time, talent and treasure. We are reminded that we are called upon to give from our finan-cial re-sources, while remembering the words of St. John Chrysostom “The rich man is not one who has much, but the one who gives much”. We will come back to that in a moment.
I know you’ve heard the phrase “ A picture is worth a thousand words”. Let’s turn that phrase around a bit and think of it this way: “ A thousand pictures can be drawn from one word” - but who is the artist?
Love - what picture do we draw? A mother bringing her child to church? A nurse holding the hand of a scared and lonely patient? A firefighter rushing into a burning building? A volunteer pre-paring a meal for someone in need? A priest com-forting a grieving family? What does love look like?
St. Augustine of Hippo draws the picture this way. “Love has 2 hands to help others, 2 feet
to hasten to the poor and needy, 2 eyes to see mis-ery and want, 2 ears to hear the sorrow of others”. Now lets replace love with the word Stewardship!
The core of stewardship isn’t money. Stew-ardship isn’t a campaign, an event, or a day on the calendar. Like prayer or worship, stewardship is a spiritual practice. Stewardship is love in action.
Christ’s Gospel calls for a way of being in the world that places love at the center of our lives. In love we feel unbound to share our resources, to speak truth, stand with the oppressed and forgot-ten, and to welcome the stranger.
We are told that stewardship is everything we do after we say “I believe”. It is service, hospi-tality, forgiveness, generosity, selflessness, com-passion and courage. It is how we live our lives
and the choices we make every day.
Love as an ex-pression of Steward-ship means that we consider all of God’s abundant gifts and how we make the best use of these gifts so that we can love our neighbor and return our thanks and praise to God. We can be generous, but if our generosity is without
love, we’ve missed the mark.
Love, kindness and compassion are never wasted. They bless the one who receives and they bless the giv-er. The rich man is one who gives much. Our parish, our society, our world, our home, is shaped by how we treat each other with kindness, respect, compassion and love.
Together as a parish, and as a family, let us be faithful stewards of the grace and love God first gave us, and put love into action.
Thank you all!
Cindy Dragas
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PARISH REGISTRY
BAPTISMS Sophia Wozniak January 16, 2021
Sponsor: Demetri Cain
Maria Cristiana Lyketsos
February 21, 2021 Sponsor: Presvytera Demetria Manuel
FUNERALS Theodore Galanides February 20, 2021
A MESSAGE FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT
Dear Annunciation Cathedral Family,
It is a distinct honor and privilege to serve as your President of the Parish Council this year. I, along with my fellow council members, in concert with our Parish Priest, Fr. George Bessinas, are here to bring a sense of peace through Christ during these tumultuous times. We are here to serve the needs of our Cathedral community in transparency and with great humility. The future of our beautiful and blessed Cathedral is in all of our hands. The year 2021 is a special year for all of us in multiple ways. First, it represents the 110th Anniversary of our parish and the 200th Anniversary of Greece’s Independ-ence. Second, we will be graced with the presence of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros who, in due time, will officiate the Ordination of the servant of God Deacon Theodore Lyketsos to the Holy Priest-hood. Third, we are planning to have a second Greek Fest Express this year (drive thru), as the annual Greek Festival is postponed until May of 2022.
Our goal is to see our community not just merely survive, but to thrive in Christ! To this end, we will continue our journey together, growing in faith and grace and increasing in ministry and ser-vice. We have formed four new committees this year: Drive Thru; Legacy/Planned Giving; Cathedral Ren-ovations; and Iconography. Each committee is dedi-cated to the continued success of our beloved Cathe-dral and her parishioners for generations to come. We welcome your input, as community support is paramount to our growth as a parish. Please feel free to reach out to any one of us with your thoughts and prayers and be the change and growth you want to see!! With love, Michael P. Zarpas Parish Council President
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If you are not a Philoptochos member, please join our
chapter and become involved in making a difference in
our community, nation and world through our ministry’s
efforts. It’s up to us to keep this wonderful organization
viable for the next generation.
Like everyone else in our community, state and nation,
members of Philoptochos have had to cancel many activi-
ties and events over the past year due to the COVID-19
National Emergency. We pray that God will grace us with
the ability to resume our normal activities this spring.
Meanwhile, we have been active in a limited capacity:
• Members have been calling each other and home-bound
individuals in our community to ensure they are well,
have what they need, and just to hear a friendly voice.
• Philoptochos has reached out to mem-
bers of our community who may have
unique financial challenges during this
National Emergency. We hope that any-
one who has a need with which we can
help will reach out to our Social Services
chair, Maria Makridakis, 757-636-3649.
All inquiries and financial requests will
be treated with the utmost confidentiality.
Philoptochos supplied $7,377.52 in assis-
tance to our parishioners in need during
2020. Of that total, $2,930 was donated
specifically for welfare needs from parishioners and
AHEPA. Thank you for your generosity!
• The Board has met virtually to discuss business and to
approve donations.
• Thank you to members of our community who have sent
financial donations to assist with needs in our community.
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO DONATED FOR ST.
BASIL ACADEMY
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Philoptochos did not hold
our annual Vasilopita Luncheon fundraiser for St. Basil
Academy in January. However, with Father George, we
distributed Vasilopita slices to organization and ministry
representatives at the conclusion of liturgy on Jan. 3 in
the sanctuary. And thanks to the generosity and tremen-
dous baking talent of our beloved Mrs. Emilia Simmons,
every person in attendance that day also received a mini-
Vasilopita as they exited the sanctuary. Thank you, Mrs.
Simmons, with all our heart for your selflessness in al-
ways being willing to help Philoptochos.
We are happy to report that we raised $1,130 from mem-
bers of the community and we sent a check for $1,500 to
St. Basil Academy in January.
Thank you to everyone who helped in this mission to sup-
port St. Basil!
THANK YOU TO MEMBERS WHO MADE HOLI-
DAY VISITS TO HOMEBOUND PARISHIONERS
Special thanks to those members who banded together
and visited the homebound parishioners over the holidays.
It really was greatly appreciated!
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO DONATED TOYS
AND COATS FOR OUR OUTREACH ACTIVITES
IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER
We collected more than 100 toys and 75 coats for our toy
and coat drives. Thank you for your gen-
erosity. And a special thank you to Steve
Webb for helping transport the coats.
Please be on the lookout for upcoming
outreach opportunities!
A SPECIAL FAREWELL
We are sad to say farewell to our past
president JoAnna Goumenis, who with
her husband Pete, have decided to relo-
cate to Cape Coral, Florida on a perma-
nent basis. Their departure date is March
10. JoAnna, you have been such an important part of our
community and Philoptochos for so many years, it is hard
to imagine this organization without you. We will miss
you tremendously, but wish you many blessings, good
health and much happi-ness. Farewell, friends!!!!
PLEASE PAY YOUR 2021 PHILOPTOCHOS
STEWARDSHIP
Philoptochos annual stewardship of $30 are now due for
the 2021 calendar year, which covers January through
December. Prompt payment is greatly appreciated, partic-
ularly during this time when meeting in person is limited.
Please call Maria Makridakis, 757-636-3649, or Effie
Michaels, 757-481-1835, to arrange to mail your steward-
ship as soon as possible. You can also mail them to the
church office: Philoptochos, c/o Annunciation Cathedral,
7220 Granby St., Norfolk, VA 23505. Or you can mail
them to Maria Makridakis: 2572 Cant-well Road, Virgin-
ia Beach, VA 23453.
Your $30 stewardship entitles you to membership in the
Metropolis of New Jersey Philoptochos, as well as the
National Philoptochos Society.
Your membership in our Philoptochos Society is an inte-
gral part in allowing our chapter to grow as an army of
PHILOPTOCHOS SOCIETY
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women who work together to respond to the needs of those
who suffer; this takes strength in numbers. Just as im-
portant, however, is your involvement in our chapter's
many projects and activities.
UPCOMING PHILOPTOCHOS GENERAL MEET-
INGS
Philoptochos will hold meetings as allowed by local, state
and church directives.
We will announce meetings via email as they are sched-
uled.
AGORA IS OPEN AFTER LITURGY ON SUNDAYS
AND FOR ONLINE ORDERS AND PICK-UPS
The Philoptochos Society has a small market, the Agora, in
the Hellenic Center, where we sell some traditional Greek
foods and items. Please support our Agora – it’s a great
place to pick up hard-to-find items and even has some good
gift ideas. Proceeds from the Agora help fund Philoptochos
projects. We are now open every Sunday after church and
will periodically announce online ordering and pick-up op-
portunities. Please check your email for such announce-
ments. For more information about the Agora and upcom-
ing purchasing opportunities, con-tact Penny Tzavelas at
[email protected] or 636-1121.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO VISIT THE SICK AND
HOME-BOUND
In the coming months, volunteers will be needed to visit
those who are sick or home-bound. This very rewarding
activity is part of Philoptochos’ mission in our community,
and you can volunteer to do this once or on a regular basis.
Please contact Maria Makridakis at 757-636-3649 if you
would like to volunteer for this committee.
JOIN OUR MISSION – BECOME A PHILOPTO-
CHOS MEMBER
Be part of the Philoptochos sisterhood and mission. The
Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, Inc., is a du-
ly accredited women's philanthropic society of the Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Our mission statement
includes aiding the needy and sick, promoting the charita-
ble purposes of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese through
educational resources, perpetuating Orthodox Christian
traditions, and promoting participation in the Greek Ortho-
dox community. Join today and help make a difference in
our community, state, country and world.
GIVE THE GIFT OF PHILOPTOCHOS MEMBER-
SHIP TO A LOVED ONE
Are you looking for an inspiring gift for a friend or loved
one? Gift them a Philoptochos membership! This is a won-
derful way to grow our chapter and inspire new and young
women to be-come part of our church’s philanthropic or-
ganization.
OTHER PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS
• Philoptochos members are needed to help set up and serve
during Makarias and with meetings. Please plan to help
when you see such an event is upcoming.
• If you know of someone who is in financial or other need,
call Maria Makridakis, social services chair, at 636-3649.
• If you know of someone who is sick, home-bound, or in
need of a card or visit, please contact Toulla Koyzis at 621-
4091.
As always, anyone who would like to volunteer to help with
any of our projects, please contact any board member for
information. Assistance is always appreciated.
PHILOPTOCHOS SOCIETY
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CULTURAL COMMITTEE NEWS It’s time to bid farewell to winter and welcome spring! We hope everyone is safe and healthy and we look for-ward to re-instituting our committee events as the pan-demic wanes and people are getting vaccinated.
The year 2021 marks 200 years since Greece declared independence from the Ottomans, and Gen. Theodoros Kolokotronis (pictured) in the campaign, which lasted until 1832, to free Greece from its oppressors. We honor him and all the mighty warriors who fought for Greece’s freedom. Book Club The book club is still meeting virtually once a month and is open to all who like to read. Many thanks to Christiana Catravas for organizing our virtual meetings. Tuesday, March 16: "The Hour of the Bell” by Harry Mark Petrakis, a historical novel dedicated to the Greek Independence of 1821. Tuesday, April 20: “The Other Einstein” by Marie Ben-edict, a historical novel on the life of Einstein’s first wife, Mileva. Please contact Jane Williams if you would like to join the group, 757-613-5900. The Inaugural Father Constantine Rogakos Memori-al Day Remembrance Event Our beloved Father Con-stantine, who died on Nov. 5, 2018, was the first Greek Orthodox Chaplain in the U.S. Army, and he paved the way for others to follow, including by getting Eastern Orthodoxy listed as one of the major religions recog-
nized by the military. He served for 22 years, including a tour in Vietnam and three tours in Germany, touching lives around the world and leaving a legacy of servant leadership. To honor his memory, his military service, and his 28 years of service to the Annunciation Cathedral, the Cul-tural Committee, in partnership with AHEPA, is plan-ning to start an annual event placing flags at the gravesites of veterans who served in the U.S., Greek or Cypriot military and are buried at Forest Lawn Ceme-tery. We will also hold a prayer service there. A date and time for the event will be announced closer to Memorial Day. We ask that families with a deceased veteran buried at Forest Lawn contact the Cathedral office at 757-440-0500 and let us know the name of the veteran and the approximate location of their gravesite. During this same time, we will be continuing our annual tradition of a memorial service held in church commem-orating the Fall of Constantinople. For more information, please call Jane Williams at 757-613-5900. Cultural Committee and AHEPA Cemetery Project The project for attending the unattended graves of de-ceased parishioners at Forest Lawn Cemetery continues. Please let us know if you would like to participate in fu-ture visits to the cemetery to place flowers.
CULTURAL COMMITTEE
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ANNUNCIATION CATHEDRAL
COMMUNITY PASCHA CARD
SPONSORED BY G.O.Y.A.
Please fill out the following infor-
mation for the annual Pascha Card that will be sent to the entire Annunci-
ation Community. GOYA asks for a minimum donation of $20.00 per
listing. Please make checks payable to Norfolk GOYA. Deadline for par-
ticipation is Monday, April 19th.
Name: _________________________________________________________________________
Donation Amount: ______________________________________________________________
Payment Received: Cash ___________ Check _______________
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FUNERALS
Theodore Galanides February 20, 2021
holy and great friday retreat
Friday, April 30, 2021
10:00 am Registration
10:15-2:55 Retreat
3:00 pm Apokathelosis (Un-nailing) Service
Ages 3 and up are welcome!
There will be short lessons, crafts,
music, activities, and free time!
Lenten Lunch & Refreshments provided
Pascha Sunday
May 2, 2021
Agape Vespers 12 noon
followed by egg hunt!
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Greetings from the Hellenic Woman’s Club. We
hope and pray everyone has remained safe and in good
health during these very challenging times. The Hellenic
Woman’s Club Board remains active and has conducted
meetings via ZOOM. Our mission remains a high priority
in order to support our philanthropic, scholastic and chari-
table objectives of our church and community.
Our Annual Scholarship Palm Sunday luncheon
event will most likely not take place. However, we intend
to continue supporting our local youth by distributing our
many Scholarships to worthy students in our Church com-
munity. We invite graduating High School seniors attend-
ing college as well as Graduate students to ap-ply. The
Scholarship application can be found on the church website
and emailed to our Scholarship chair Dr. Maria O’Hearn
[email protected] If you so desire you can also pick
up a paper copy of the application from the church office.
The DEADLINE is April 2, 2021 please follow the in-
structions as stated on the application.
We pray that we will gather again in the near future
and are planning an End-of-Year outdoor Picnic Cookout
June 12, 2021 at a local park. More information to follow
mark your calendars.
If you know of anyone in need (financial or other-
wise) the Hellenic Woman’s Club is always ready to help
with an open heart, we keep all inquiries private and confi-
dential please reach out to our Welfare Chair Ellie
Kalesperides at [email protected] or 757-478-4208.
If you know of anyone recently in the hospital or sick
please reach out to Andriani Vastardis at [email protected]
or 757-630-9398.
The Hellenic Woman’s Club continues to stay in
touch with our shut-in Members and have reached out to
many by phone and visits. A great number of get-well cards
have been sent as well as uplifting floral arrangements.
We welcome new Members to join our long time
Philanthropic organization by submitting $20 made out to
HWC and mailed to the church address 7220 Granby Street
Norfolk, Virginia 23505 If you are already a Member we
thank you for your support and want to advise you to please
pay your 2021 annual Dues by writing a check for $20 to
HWC and mail to the church office.
We wanted to wish everyone a blessed and Holy
Pascha!! Ευλογημενο και Kαλο Πασχα !!
HELLENIC WOMEN’S CLUB
We are organizing an Easter Bake Sale pre-orders for Easter Bread and Koulourakia only. The Hellenic Woman’s
Club will not be baking and have outsourced the product from a great bakery in Astoria, New York. Please support our
efforts by placing your orders early. The order form is printed here and provides all the information.
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March 2021 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 5 6 1st Saturday of Souls Orthros 8:30 Liturgy 9:30
7 Orthros 8:45 Liturgy 10:00
8 9 10 11 Blood Drive 2-6
12 13 Bishop Apostolos Visit 2nd Saturday of Souls Orthros 8:30 Liturgy 9:30
14 Orthros 8:45 Liturgy 10:00
15 CLEAN MONDAY Compline 6:30 Bible Study
16 17 Presanctified Liturgy 6:30
18 19 Salutations of the Theotokos 6:30
20 3rd Saturday of Souls Orthros 8:30 Liturgy 9:30
21 Sunday of Orthodoxy Orthros 8:45 Liturgy 10:00 Vespers of Orthodoxy 6pm Newport News
22 Compline 6:30 Bible Study
23 24 Great Vespers of the Annunciation
25 Annunciation of theTheotokos Orthros 9:00 Liturgy 10:00
26 Salutations of the Theotokos 6:30
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28 St. Gregory Palamas Orthros 8:45 Liturgy 10:00
29 Compline 6:30 Bible Study
30 31 Presanctified Liturgy 6:30
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April 2021 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3
4 Veneration of the Holy Cross Orthros 8:45 Liturgy 10:00
5 Compline 6:30 Bible Study Parish Oratorical Festival
6 7 Presanctified Liturgy 6:30
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9 Salutations of the Theotokos 6:30
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11 St. John of the Ladder Orthros 8:45 Liturgy 10:00
12 Compline 6:30 Bible Study
13 14 Presanctified Liturgy 6:30
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16 Akathist Hymn
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18 St. Mary of Egypt Orthros 8:45 Liturgy 10:00
19 Compline 6:30 Bible Study
20 21 Presanctified Liturgy 6:30
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24 Saturday of Lazarus Orthros 8:30 Liturgy 9:30 Palm cross making
25 Palm Sunday Orthros 8:45 Liturgy 10:00 Bridegroom Service 6:30
26 Great and Holy Monday Bridegroom Service 6:30
27 Great and Holy Tuesday Bridegroom Service 6:30
28 Great and Holy Wednesday Presanctified Liturgy 9:00 Holy Unction 4:00 Bridegroom Service w/ Anointing 6:30
29 Great and Holy Thursday Mystical Supper Liturgy 9:00 12 Gospels 6:30
30 Great and Holy Friday Royal Hours 9:00 Retreat Apokathelosis 3:00 Lamentations/Epitaphios 6:30
1 Great and Holy Saturday Liturgy of St. Basil 9:00am Orthros of Pascha 11pm Resurrection Liturgy 12:00am
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PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral
Parish Council Teleconference Meeting Minutes, December 17, 2020
Teleconference Attendees: Father George Bessinas, Cindy Dra-gas, Mike Zarpas, Yiannis Papelis, Beryl Love, Helen Hahn, Tony Damalas, Diana Roybal, George Neskis, John Stepanovich Martha Pantelides, Chris Stephanitsis. Members Absent: None. Guests Present: Newly elected Parish Council members: Steve Webb and Ron Russell. President Cindy Dragas called to order the Regular Monthly meet-ing of the Parish Council at 6:30 pm, on December 17, 2020, by teleconference due to the COVID-19. Father George Bessinas offered a prayer. President Cindy Dragas wished Father George a Happy 56th Birth-day this evening as well as AXIOS to Father George for 30 years of service. December 16, 2020 marked the 30th anniversary of Fr. George’s ordination to the Priesthood. Minutes: Parish Council Teleconference Regular meeting minutes of November 19, 2020 were reviewed. Motion to accept minutes as revised by Chris Stephanitsis. Seconded by Martha Pan-telides. Motion passed unanimously. Correspondence: None Guest Presentation: Via teleconference, Steven Webb and Mike Griffith reported on the Drive Through fund raiser event. Presiding Priest’s Comments: Thank you to Steve Webb and Mike Griffith for all your hard work and your ingenuity to make the fundraiser a wonderful event, and I offer my appreciation to the volunteers and their willingness to come together to work for the church. This past month, Chancellor Father Dean Moralis from Baltimore came down to Richmond and gathered the Clergy, pas-toral assistants/youth directors and Seminarians of this region for a meeting. Since then, he continues to call regularly, hold Zoom meetings, and keeps the Clergy of the Metropolis connected and informed. Fr. Dean was unable to come to Norfolk to celebrate the Divine Liturgy in honor of Fr. George’s three decades of service, due to a snowstorm. He sent a letter in his absence, which was read by Father George Chioros from Newport News. The letter will be posted in the next Observer. Thank you to all for your many good wishes on my 30th anniversary and I have been blessed to be your priest for the past seven years. Christmas services will be Christmas Eve, Great Vespers and the Divine Liturgy 5:00-7:00pm and Christmas Day, Holy Nativity Divine Liturgy 9:00 –11:00am. Father David Hostetler will be deployed December 28, 2020, for 8 months. He has served us faithfully every available Sunday and his children also help in the altar. Chris Stephanitsis asked if a gift in honor of our appreciation is planned for Father David. Father George stated that gift cards are normally given to all staff mem-bers for Christmas and suggested Father David be included. He also suggested giving a pan of pastitsio to all staff members. Philoptochos is planning a fundraiser for St. Basil Academy in lieu of the Vasilopita Luncheon. The traditional vasilopita cutting will be in Church this year, after Liturgy on the first Sunday of Janu-ary. Parish Council President’s Comments: Thank you to all Parish Council members for all you do, especially during this past chal-lenging year. We started the year with a successful visit from our Metropolitan. Then COVID-19 hit and we had to close the church doors and go virtual with religious services. We sang Christos Anesti and lit our candles at home. When reopening was allowed, we worked hard in planning and preparing how to be safe and fol-
low CDC guidelines. We all attended multiple meetings, served on multiple committees, and you have been generous in so many ways. Cindy Dragas told the parable of the Wheat Farmer and asked to “please continue to scatter good seed in the field”. It has been a real honor to serve with each of you and appreciate you more than you know. Treasurers Report: Beryl Love emailed and reviewed November Financials to Council Members. Stewardship currently total $396,024, leaving about $23.5K from our goal of $420K. The Fes-tival Shortfall Fund received several large gifts due to Father George’s efforts. All expense lines are under budget. Omission of activity expenses that were previously off book have now been corrected. Brokerage accounts are performing well. Next month, the Treasurer will include both the Festival P&L and the Balance sheet, as much will have changed for the positive. The Treasurer emailed and reviewed Cash Position and Projections into 2021, which represent his best estimates. Committee Reports: Stewardship Report: As of December 13, 2020, 212 stewardship cards have been received pledging $237,002.00. Of that amount $239,990.00 has been received. 204 households have donated $138,831.00 without completing a pledge card. Total received $378,821.00 out of the $420,000 total Stewardship budget goal. Finance Committee: No report. Investment: Brokerage accounts are performing well, with an increase this month of $116,911.79. Lew Georges will be contact-ing Father George to schedule a meeting in January. Festival: No report. Personnel/Facilities Committee: No report. Building and Grounds Committee: Cindy Dragas presented a handout with pending and working projects. Replacement of sev-eral HVAC systems have been completed on rental units. No ma-jor issues to report. Steve Webb reported two areas in the parking lot have major holes which need repair. One is located by the flagpole and the other near Sunday School wing, by the dumpsters. Beryl Love reported the 2020 budget for Cathedral capital expenditures was $80,000, but only $1,200.00 was spent. The 2021 budget is much leaner, but he reminded the council that the church is an aging facility, which will need repairs. Legacy/Planned Giving Committee: No report. Old Business Drive Through Fundraiser: Steve Webb and Mike Griffith re-viewed the post Drive-Thru Fundraiser Report, which was emailed to Parish Council members prior to the meeting. The report includ-ed the Top 10 Takeaways along with charts showing Gross and Net Sales, Predictions of product sold vs actual numbers, plus a working proposal for the next Drive-thru with improved profits. Steve Webb reported the limited menu worked out well. The Nor-folk Police Department was paid $15,000 and he hopes the number of Officers can be reduced for future events. The Health Depart-ment conducted a detailed inspection of the facilities and gave high marks for cleanliness. Thank you to Angelo Neskis and Car-los Potter for their exceptional efforts in cleaning and repair-ing/preparing the facilities for this event. Hiring a professional cleaning crew was not necessary. Mike Griffith reported a list of post-festival food items for sale to the parish has been sent to the Cathedral office and $600 worth of produce was donated to chari-ties. Steve Webb reported Perry Rempas donated the time and salary for one of his employees to work the drive thru. John Stepa-novich reported that Don Albee showed up every day at the Drive-
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PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES Thru event and worked with John in parking lot. Don Albee, who is now retired, was the Budweiser representative for years at the Greek Festival and worked from beginning to end. Father George to prepare a Thank-you letter to Don Albee for his service to our community. Beryl Love thanked Tony Damalas for all the time and effort put forth in setting up and running the Clover account.
ROCOR Rental: Cindy Dragas reported that the St. Joseph Rus-sian Orthodox Church has asked to revise the rental agreement to include fees and usage of the Chapel for seven weekday feasts in 2021. The Parish Council approved this addendum. Mike Zarpas to revise the rental agreement. General Parish Assembly: A General Assembly planned for Sun-day December 6, 2020 was cancelled. No vote on the budget was conducted as a Parish, so the church will operate on the budget as approved by Parish Council until a vote can be taken at a possible Spring General Parish Assembly. Beryl Love reported the Archdi-ocese has mandated an increase in our contribution towards the deficit of the Clergy Pension Fund, which is not in the budget. The end of the year will show us over-budgeted in this account. Parish Council Elections: Father George reported there were three candidates for the five open seats. The three candidates are Ron Russell, Steve Webb, and Martha Pantelides. The continuing members are George Neskis, John Stepanovich, Mike Zarpas, Ber-yl Love, Helen Hahn, and Tony Damalas. The new regulations from the Archdiocese state that no elections are required if the number of candidates is less or equal the number of positions to be filled. The Oath of Office will be given in January and then the two vacant positions need to be appointed by the Parish Council. New Business: Deacon Thomas Manuel: The Parish Council members agreed to individually donate towards a gift for Deacon Thomas Manuel and checks can be mailed to the Church office. Christmas Services: Registration will be required for both ser-vices, on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. GOYA: George Neskis suggested a thank you letter be sent to the Goyans, to recognized them for their hard work during the drive thru. Father George reported Steve Webb recommended reaching out to the Goyans, and Theo Lyketsos organized the Goyans to volunteer, with a wonderful turnout. Theo will send out a thank you letter on behalf of the Parish Council and Drive-Thru Commit-tee. End-of-Year Gifts for Staff: George Neskis suggested the Parish Council match what was given last year and offered a donation towards the Thank you/Christmas employee gifts. Chris Stepha-nitsis, John Stepanovich and Tony Damalas offered to match his
donation. George Neskis made a motion for Cindy Dragas and Beryl Love to research what was given last year as employee gifts and use their discretion towards matching the gifts for this year. Beryl Love seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Beryl Love reported there is money in the Visiting Priest Fund that could be used towards a gift for Father David Hostetler.
For the Good of the Parish (Announcements, Comments, etc.): Cindy Dragas reminded Parish Council members to contact her regarding volunteering for Sunday services and to regis-ter with Helen Manuel in the office. Cindy Dragas thanked Diana Roybal for serving on Parish Council the past four years, the last two as Parish Council Secretary. She asked Diana to mentor the new Secretary, to be elected in January. The next Parish Council Meeting: Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 6:30 pm. Adjournment and closing Prayer.
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral Parish Council Google Meet Meeting Minutes, January 21,
2021 Google Meet Attendees: Father George Bessinas, Mike Zarpas, Beryl Love, Helen Hahn, George Neskis, John Stepanovich, Mar-tha Pantelides, Steve Webb, Ron Russell. Members Absent: Tony Damalas and Scott Almond. Guests Present: Newly appointed Parish Council Member Scott Almond, and John Katsias, pending appointment to Parish Coun-cil. President Mike Zarpas called to order the Regular Monthly meet-ing of the Parish Council at 6:30 pm, on January 21, 2021, by Google Meet due to COVID-19. Father George Bessinas offered a prayer. President Mike Zarpas indicated that he had reached out to John Katsias who agreed to be considered for appointment to the un-filled Parish Council position. John Katsias was asked to remove himself from the Google Meeting so that we may consider his ap-pointment. George Neskis motioned to appoint John Katsias to fill the remaining Parish Council position. Helen Hahn second-ed the motion. The motion passed. Minutes: Parish Council Teleconference Regular meeting minutes of December 17, 2020 were reviewed. Motion to accept minutes was made by Beryl Love. Seconded by Martha Pantelides. Mo-tion passed unanimously. Correspondence: None. Presiding Priest’s Comments: Father George noted following the oath of office Sunday, January 17, 2021 after the liturgy he chaired a meeting to elect officers for the year. Father George acted as secretary for this meeting. Those minutes are attached by refer-ence. The following Officers were elected: President- Mike Zarpas, First Vice-President - Martha Pantelides, Second Vice-President - Helen Hahn, Secretary - George Neskis, Treasurer - Beryl Love. Father George also reported that Scott Almond was appointed to fill one of the two vacant Parish Council positions.
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Father George then thanked the outgoing Parish Council members Cindy Dragas, Yiannis Papelis, Diana Roybal, Chris Stephanitsis and Martha Pantelides. Father welcomed new members Steve Webb, Ron Russell, Martha Pantelides, Scott Almond and John Katsias. He thanked everyone for their service and looked forward to working with everyone in 2021 for our Parish’s best interest. He noted that this year will mark the 110th anniversary of the estab-lishment of our Parish and suggested that we consider an appropri-ate commemoration of this event. He also noted that this year marked the bicentennial of Greek independence in 1821 and he has been advised by our Archbishop that there are events being planned to commemorate this event. Father George has been ap-pointed on a committee for that purpose. Father George thanked the Parish Council for acknowledging his thirty years to the Priest-hood and the gift he received. Parish Council President’s Comments: President Mike Zarpas thanked the Parish Council for having faith in him and he looked forward to working together with everyone to move forward for the betterment of the community and indicated that he hoped that we could strive for unity in serving our church. Treasurers Report: Beryl Love reviewed the December Finan-cials that were emailed to Council members. He noted that the Parish contribution to the Archdiocese Clergy Pension Plan has doubled from last year. The financials are attached hereto. Committee Reports Stewardship Report: As of January 21, 2021, 52 stewardship cards have been received pledging $91,000.00. Of that amount $20,000.00+ has been received. 61 households have donated $11,000.00 without completing a pledge card. Total received ap-proximately $32,000.00 out of 113 households. Finance Committee: None. Investment: Father George reported that emails went out to sched-ule an investment committee meeting per Lew Georges. It is antic-ipated that they will meet soon. Festival: John Katsias indicated that the festival committee had not met recently to discuss a Greek Festival for 2021 but was look-ing for direction from Parish Council. There was a discussion as to whether or not the Festival committee would report on and/or be involved in any plans for future drive thru events. Steve Webb solicited the Parish Council’s approval of a drive thru event in May in lieu of Spring Festival. There was a discussion as to wheth-er or not we should first hear from the existing Greek Festival committee before any decision regarding another drive thru be made. John Katsias brought to light that there were concerns from some of the Festival committee members that a fall drive thru was planned without consulting the Festival committee. Several Parish Council members expressed their opinions regarding how we should go forward with either of these events. Steve Webb mo-tioned to be appointed as the chairman of a drive thru event to be scheduled for the third week of May. There was no second to this motion. Motion failed. Father George suggested that in order to fully consider these significant issues that we table this discussion and hold a special Parish Council meeting on February 4, 2021. John Stepanovich motioned to schedule a special meet-ing February 4, 2021 to discuss the Greek Festival and any drive thru events. Ron Russell seconded the motion. The mo-tion passed.
Personnel/Facilities Committee: None. Buildings and Grounds: Beryl Love reported that a sink hole has developed in the parking lot between the Greek School wing and HC as the result of a busted storm drain pipe. Father George re-ported that Tassos Paphites will be making a sizeable donation to replace the flooring the social hall and Pantocrator room in memory of his dearly departed mother. The Parish Council noted their gratitude for Mr. Paphites’ generosity. Legacy/Planned Giving: John Katsias has indicated that the com-mittee is meeting soon and hopes to report at the next meeting. Old Business: It was reported that the ROCOR Agreement is still in the works. New Business 2021 Committee Assignments: Committee Assignments were made. (Please see attached 2021 Parish Council Committees) Audit Committee (audit year 2020): No report was given. Father George suggested that we ask the 2019 committee if they will serve on this committee again. The Parish Council agreed that Mike Zarpas will contact these committee members and report back to Parish Council. Red Cross Blood Drive: Mike Zarpas reported that Jimmy Mi-lonas would like to do another blood drive on March 11, 2021 at the Hellenic Center. Jimmy Milonas suggested that we try to get GOYA involved in this event to beef up the attendance. The Parish Council agreed to authorize this event. Granby Street Bike Lane Update: John Katsias updated the Par-ish Council as to the Zoom Meeting he attended with the City re-garding the proposed bike lane on Granby Street. He suggested that the Parish Council take a look at the material he has circulated and at a future date he will solicit the Parish Council’s input as to how we should respond to this proposal. Stewardship Sunday: Father George reported that since we couldn’t do a traditional Stewardship Sunday event due to COVID that we do something by way of a report and presentation after the liturgy and use that opportunity to recognize Andrew Touzos and Odysseus Kotarides for their past stewardship. He suggested Feb-ruary 7, 2021 as an appropriate Sunday to hold this recognition. The Parish Council agreed to this suggestion. For the Good of the Parish (Announcements, Comments, etc.): Father reported that council member Tony Damalas was recover-ing from shoulder surgery and also that our chanter Tim Dermanis had fallen and is recovering from broken hip surgery. Mike Zarpas will send an appropriate get-well card on behalf of the Parish Council. The meeting was adjourned and Father gave the closing prayer. The next Parish Council Meeting: Thursday, February 18, 2021 at 6:30 p.m.
PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES
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Change of Address?
If you have recently moved or are vacationing long
term, please let the Cathedral Office know, 757-440-
0500.
Services
To schedule all services such as memorials, 40 day
blessings, baptisms, and weddings, please call the
Cathedral Office, 757-440-0500.
Hospital and Homebound Visitations
When parishioners of the Annunciation are admitted
into a hospital or recovering at home and wish to
have a priest visit them, it is imperative that a family
member contact the Cathedral Office, 757-440-
0500, immediately. Hospitals do not notify the
Church when Orthodox patients seek medical atten-
tion.
Kollyva
The Cathedral does NOT provide Kolyva for Memo-
rial Services. Parishioners in need of Kollyva may
call Tasy Penner, 752-1294, or Drucie Papafil, 757-
489-4313.
Artoklasia
For anyone interested in having Artoclasia made,
please contact Emilia Simmons, 757-481-1509.
Annunciation Observer Deadline
The deadline for submitting articles for the
May/June Annunciation Observer is
April 10th, 2021. Articles not submitted by
April 10th will NOT BE IN THE Annunciation Ob-
server. Please send all articles to Helen Manuel
at [email protected] or
Dn. Theo Lyketsos at [email protected]
Important Phone Numbers,
& Email Addresses
Cathedral Office: 757-440-0500
Hellenic Center: 757-963-5634
Cathedral Fax: 757-423-6929
Father George Bessinas
Office: 757-440-0500
Home: 757-497-1192
Deacon Theodore Lyketsos
Office: 757-440-0500
Helen Manuel
Office: 757-440-0500
Linda Sheppard - Bookkeeper
Office: 757-440-0500
Bookstore: Corin Baker
& John Mangus
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Annunciation
Greek Orthodox Cathedral
7220 Granby Street
Norfolk, VA 23505-4119
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Norfolk, VA
PERMIT 23
