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1 The New Ecclesiastical Year Begins September 1st VOLUME 25 NUMBER 9 September 2016 Dearest Spiritual Ohana, On September 1st, we begin the New Ecclesiastical Year. We must wonder why we celebrate this new beginning on this appointed day. Vincent Gabriel answers this question most adequately in a “blog” from Ancient Faith Radio entitled “Why Orthodox Christians Celebrate the New Year on the First of September.” I invite you to visit the website to read the complete article. The link to the website is as follows: “https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/ onbehalfofall/why-orthodox-christians-celebrate-the-new- year-on-the-first-of-september/.” I will offer only some of the main points. The main points of the blog are as follows: I. So This is the New Year? C The old Roman term for this day is Indictio, meaning “definition” or “order.” This was a day established as the beginning of a fifteen year cycle, marking the redefinition of tax obligations for Roman citizens (especially since Roman soldiers served fifteen-year terms), likely from the time of Caesar Augustus. C One of the Emperor St. Justinian’s novellas (AD 537) decreed that all official documents of the Empire should include the indiction reference. When attempting to date manuscripts from this era, it can be helpful to know the year of the indiction (115), as exact dates or years are less commonly found. And when a date is found, it usually corresponds to Anno Mundi(Hebrew: לבריאת העולם) or “the year of the world” since the date of Creation. C Anno Mundi (AM) served as the beginning point for calendars until the modern era in many parts of the world, and is still a liturgical point of reference for both modern Judaism and Christians. (Jews also mark the New Year in September, but on a floating date.) C The date of the creation of the worldas discerned by a literal reading of the Patriarchal histories of the Greek Septuagintwas determined to be around 5500 BC on our modern calendar, with variations here and there. On the Julian calendar, the date of creation was said to be September 1, 5509 (BC), with the birth of Jesus Christ taking place in 5509 AMthat is, 5,509 years from the foundation of the world. II. Harvest, Thanksgiving, and Sowing C By marking the start of a new year in September, the Empireand later, the Orthodox Churchwas associating the new year with harvesting crops. As preparations for winter were being made, so too were preparations for the upcoming year. C For Christians, it was a time of thanksgiving, remembering the good weather and abundant rain the Lord provided for that year’s harvest— something we pray for at every Divine Liturgy. C This draws close parallels with the Feast of Trumpets for the pre-Incarnation people of God (Lev. 23:2325) III. Ecological Stewardship C The Ecclesiastical New Year is now a day marked by prayers for the care of the environment. (Please (Continued on page 2)

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Page 1: The New Ecclesiastical Year Begins September 1st 2016 Bulletin.pdfThe New Ecclesiastical Year Begins September 1st ... Jesus Christ at the heart of our story as God’s people

1

The New Ecclesiastical Year Begins September 1st

VOLUME 25

NUMBER 9

September 2016

Dearest Spiritual Ohana,

On September 1st, we begin the New Ecclesiastical Year.

We must wonder why we celebrate this new beginning on

this appointed day. Vincent Gabriel answers this question

most adequately in a “blog” from Ancient Faith Radio

entitled “Why Orthodox Christians Celebrate the New

Year on the First of September.” I invite you to visit the

website to read the complete article. The link to the

website is as follows: “https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/

onbehalfofall/why-orthodox-christians-celebrate-the-new-

year-on-the-first-of-september/.” I will offer only some

of the main points.

The main points of the blog are as follows:

I. So This is the New Year?

C The old Roman term for this day is Indictio, meaning

“definition” or “order.” This was a day established

as the beginning of a fifteen year cycle, marking the

redefinition of tax obligations for Roman citizens

(especially since Roman soldiers served fifteen-year

terms), likely from the time of Caesar Augustus.

C One of the Emperor St. Justinian’s novellas (AD

537) decreed that all official documents of the

Empire should include the indiction reference. When

attempting to date manuscripts from this era, it can

be helpful to know the year of the indiction (1–15),

as exact dates or years are less commonly found.

And when a date is found, it usually corresponds

to Anno Mundi(Hebrew: לבריאת העולם ) or “the year

of the world” since the date of Creation.

C Anno Mundi (AM) served as the beginning point for

calendars until the modern era in many parts of the

world, and is still a liturgical point of reference for

both modern Judaism and Christians. (Jews also

mark the New Year in September, but on a floating

date.)

C The date of the creation of the world—as

discerned by a literal reading of the Patriarchal

histories of the Greek Septuagint—was determined

to be around 5500 BC on our modern calendar, with

variations here and there. On the Julian calendar, the

date of creation was said to be September 1, 5509

(BC), with the birth of Jesus Christ taking place in

5509 AM–that is, 5,509 years from the foundation of

the world.

II. Harvest, Thanksgiving, and Sowing

C By marking the start of a new year in September, the

Empire—and later, the Orthodox Church—was

associating the new year with harvesting crops. As

preparations for winter were being made, so too

were preparations for the upcoming year.

C For Christians, it was a time of thanksgiving,

remembering the good weather and abundant rain

the Lord provided for that year’s harvest—

something we pray for at every Divine Liturgy.

C This draws close parallels with the Feast of

Trumpets for the pre-Incarnation people of

God (Lev. 23:23–25)

III. Ecological Stewardship

C The Ecclesiastical New Year is now a day marked

by prayers for the care of the environment. (Please

(Continued on page 2)

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2

see references in the entire blog regarding references

to our former Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrios and

present Patriarch Bartholomew)

C The beginning of the New Year was for centuries a

commemoration of the foundation of the world (Anno

Mundi). It is a day for giving thanks to God for

plentiful harvest. It is a day that recognizes God’s

protection over and providence for the world, along

with our responsibility and stewardship towards the

same.

C This all goes back naturally to the story of Creation

itself, and a story where mankind—represented by

Adam and Eve—is given the awesome responsibility

of caring for every living creature. A restoration of

peace between mankind and the created order lies at

the heart of redemption and deification, and that is

ultimately what the Ecclesiastical New Year is all

about.

Here is what the celebration of the Ecclesiastical New

Year is in a “nutshell.” In Vincent Gabriel’s conclusion to

the blog, he writes:

“Our Church Year begins and ends with the life of Mary.

The Nativity of Mary is the first Great Feast of the year,

while her Dormition or “falling asleep” is the last.

In this cycle we see the Incarnation of the God-Man

Jesus Christ at the heart of our story as God’s people. And

in between those two reference points we have this feast

that could, at first glance, seem a peculiar or even

irrelevant holdover from the Roman Empire.

Rather, the Ecclesiastical New Year serves as the crux

for our entire liturgical life each and every year.

We say goodbye to the old and welcome the new. We give

thanks for what the Lord has done, and petition his loving-

kindness and protection for the days yet to come. We take a

moment to consider our impact on the world around us,

and whether our actions proceed from hearts of selfishness

or hearts of compassion.

This is a feast day that points to the very core of Christ’s

message of true, Christian spirituality: prayer, fasting, and

almsgiving. Prayers for blessings seen and unseen, fasting

for the sake of the world and our own mortification, and

almsgiving for the care of others. Self-sacrifice and

promise, beauty and self-restraint.

So pop open a bottle of champagne and bring your

petitions to the Lord. It’s the start of a new year.”

I pray that this information is helpful in your

understanding of this Great Feast celebrated on September

1st. I wish all of you a Most Blessed and Prosperous

Beginning!

With Love in Christ,

+Fr. Alexander

(Continued from page 1)

Shorelines is published Monthly by:

Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox

Cathedral of the Pacific 930 Lunalilo Street

Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 Phone : (808) 521-7220

Fax : (808) 523-0429 E-Mail:

[email protected]; [email protected]

[email protected] Parish Web Site:

www.greekorthodoxhawaii.org/

Regular Office Hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday thru Friday

Rev. Father Alexander Leong

Church Staff Amanda Jackson - Office Coordinator

Erica Jansen - Bookkeeper

2016 Parish Council Maria Naval - President

Andrew Tujios - Vice President Roni Katsikas - Treasurer

Christina Dimitrion - Secretary Dr. Michael Dimitrion, Cleopatra

Kritikos, Nicholas Kyriakakis, Regina Mass & Austin Vali.

Sunday School Director Presbytera Nicole Leong

Sunday School Teachers Alice Malick, Greg Malick, Maria Naval, George Kalantzis, Shawn Chu, Dimitri

Nicholas, Mindy Scordilis & Jeanie Stavrue Pe’ahi

Philoptochos Board Alma Chu, President; Anita Akel, Vice

President; Marina Saikevych,Treasurer; Alice Malick,Recording Secretary;

Valentina Yarovaya, Corr. Secretary; Harriett Medes, Advisor

Choir-Chanters Orest Saikevych, Music Director

Gregory Malick, Protopsaltis

Parish Ministries Stelio Scordilis, Aloha Youth Choir; T.B.A., Bookstore; Dianna Graves,

Greek Dance Groups; Stelio Scordilis, Greek School; Julie Ličina Web Master;

Anita Higashi, Facebook

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WEEKDAY SERVICES IN SEPTEMBER

NATIVITY OF THE THEOTOKOS Thu. 9/8 Orthros/Liturgy 8:30/9:30am

GREAT VESPERS Tues. 9/13 6:30pm

ELEVATION OF THE HOLY CROSS Wed. 9/14 Orthros/Liturgy 8:30/9:30am

MAUI SERVICES Sat. 9/24 Liturgy 10:00am

Upcoming Opportunities for Worship & Learning

Moms and the Orthodox Family

We are looking forward to starting up our Fellowship, once again, this Fall! But first, we need to know of

anyone interested in joining us, what day and what time would be the best

for us to meet? Please call or see Anita Higashi and or Fr. Alexander

with your suggestions.

Adult Religious Education

Beginning this month, our classes will focus on establishing and maintaining the “small church” in our homes and in our daily lives, “living the liturgy” after the Liturgy on Sunday. Stay tuned for the schedule and further details in your Weekly Bulletin!

SEPTEMBER PARISH COUNCIL TEAMS

4 Maria Naval

11 Michael Dimitrion

18 Nicholas Kyraakakis

25 Regina Mass

Please remember in your prayers: Ted Anastasopoulos

Dina Giannakopoulos

Suzanne Keyser

Julie Licina

Alice Malick

John Mitsis

& All Those Who need our Prayers

LITURGICAL LIFE OF OUR PARISH

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Share your news! Monthly Bulletin

announcements that you would

like to see in the October issue

of Shorelines should be

submitted to the church office by

September 15th. Email office

@greekorthodoxhawaii.org, call

521-7220, or drop by with a hard

copy of your requested

announcement.

Weekly Bulletin announcements

should be submitted by

Thursday, at Noon, for the

upcoming Sunday.

Maui Orthodox Christian

Mission reminds those who

attend services on Maui to visit

www.mauimission.org or call

617-838-7904 to verify services.

or look for other activities that

may be posted.

LADIES PHILOPTOCHOS SOCIETY

The Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, the official

philanthropic organization of the Greek Orthodox Church in

America, was established in November 1931, by the late

Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I, who was then serving as

Archbishop of North and South America. The members of the

National Board of Philoptochos are dedicated church women

who offer countless hours to the philanthropic, humanitarian, and

Christian mission of the Church. There are 475 Philoptochos

chapters in the United States. The structure of the Philoptochos

includes the National Board, Metropolitan Boards, and Chapters

in every parish of the Archdiocese.

Please consider being a part of our

Local Philoptochos Ladies Chapter.

See our President Alma Faith Chu

or one of our members for more

information or to join!

= Friend of the Poor

Philoptochos News

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Christ is in our midst!

I hope you had a nice summer with your

family and friends. For me, the summer break

passed much quicker than I had expected. We

had family visits from Japan (my parents in June

and my sister in July) which kept us busier and

happier spending time with them. Besides, I put

my two younger children into Summer Day

Camp. The program helped us to have a

structured daily schedule through the long 9

weeks of summer break. I find it is better for us

to live with some sort of daily structure while we

have so much free time. Of course, we enjoyed

being more relaxed, sleeping in, going out for

entertainment and having free time. However, a

few or a several weeks are enough to pamper

ourselves. I start feeling “spoiled” after a while.

My older children have been blessed to live

with the Church daily structure during the San

Francisco Metropolis Summer Camp at St.

Nicholas Ranch and Retreat Center. (We thank

our Parish Council and all the parishioners who

have supported sending our youth to this special

summer camp). They started their day with

Orthros, before breakfast, and had Vespers

Services before dinner. Through the day, they

learned about God and Orthodoxy with prayers

and fun activities. When my children came back

from the camp, they shared many wonderful

experiences, stories, and what they had learned

with us.

As schools and many work places have a

daily, weekly, monthly, and annual schedules,

our Orthodox Church offers us those as well.

You know examples such as daily prayers,

fasting days/periods, Sunday Liturgy, the

Christmas Season, the Lenten Season etc.. Our

Ecclesiastical New Year starts on September 1st.

(If you wonder why it starts on September, you

can read the following article: “Why Orthodox

Christian Celebrate the New Year on the First of

September,” by Vincent Gabriel, posted on

Ancient Faith Radio Blog, “On Behalf of All.”)

So, I believe it is a very appropriate time for us

to start the New Sunday School Year.

On Sunday, September 4th, Fr. Alex will

bless our Sunday School Students and

Teachers with Holy Water praying for our

children’s spiritual growth. On the same day,

I will have a registration form for parents to

fill out. All children are always welcome to join

in Sunday School. However, we need to collect

these forms from parents. It will help us plan

and coordinate classrooms, lessons, schedules,

and events. So, please plan to come to church to

let your child/children receive the blessing and

sign up on the registration form during the coffee

hour. If you will not be able to come to church

on September 4th, you can email me at:

[email protected] or call Fr. Alex at

(808)521-7220.

In Christ,

Presbytera Nicole

Sunday School Director

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WE HAD AN AWESOME TIME AT OUR

ANNUAL GREEK FESTIVAL DANCING

THE NISIOTES AND NISIOPEDA.

PRIMARY ELECTION FUNDRAISER FOR

THE DANCE GROUP WAS SATURDAY

AUGUST 13, 2016. WE THANK THE

PEOPLE WHO PARTICIPATED AND

DONATING THEIR STIPEND TO THE

DANCE GROUP.

IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN

PARTICIPATING IN THE GENERAL

ELECTION FUNDRAISER TUESDAY

NOVEMBER 8, 2016, SEE DIANNA ASAP.

WE CONTINUE OUR HI 5 RECYCLE OF

ALUMINUM CANS, PLASTIC, AND

GLASS, SEE DIANNA FOR TRANSFER OF

RECYCLE FROM YOUR CAR TRUNK TO

HER CAR TRUNK.

WE WELCOME TWO NEW MALE

DANCERS TO THE NISIOTES DANCE

GROUP: CONSTANTINE

PAPZACHARIOUDARIS IS A STUDENT AT

UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII FROM

CALIFORNIA.

AND KONSTANDINOS (DINO)

STEPHATOS WHO IS IN THE MILITARY

FROM HOUSTON, TEXAS. OPA

Scheduling an Event?

BEFORE scheduling meetings, parties, or any other event at church–social hall, kitchen, or office rooms, PLEASE be sure to clear your event with the Church Office at least 2 weeks in advance. Doing so will ensure that our facilities are available for all to use, as well as prevent confusion and double-bookings.

Rental forms must be completed by anyone wishing to use our facilities–organization, member or non-member.

Learn Greek In addition to our classes after Sunday School, the

following classes are on Monday Evenings:

Elementary 5 pm, Advanced Youth-Adults 6-8pm

Dance Group News

Thank you very much!

Fr. Alexander expresses his utmost gratitude to

all our dedicated volunteers, in front of and

behind the scenes, for all your hard work and

dedication for a successful 2016 Greek Festival!

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Each individual/family is requested to sponsor a coffee hour one Sunday per year.

Sign up on the calendar posted outside the Social Hall or contact Suzanne A. or Frances R.

Instructions/tips for sponsoring a coffee hour are available in a 3-ring binder in a cupboard in the hall.

The Ladies of Philoptochos appreciate

any donations of coffee supplies, including paper supplies to help defray some of the coffee hour expenses.

If you are hesitant to prepare and serve a coffee hour

yourself, consider making a monetary donation.

Please do not bring non-Lenten food including cake & ice cream during fasting periods.

C

O

F

F

E

E

H

O

U

R

Thank you to our August Sunday Coffee Hour sponsors!

Harriet & Peter Medes

Valentina Yarovaya Kritikos Family

Parish Council

Our Vision: To be a beacon of Orthodoxy in the Pacific and proclaim the Gospel of Christ to all people in accordance with the Orthodox faith

Our Mission: To proclaim the Gospel of Christ to all people in accordance with the Orthodox Faith.

To sanctify and minister to the spiritual growth and needs of the faithful through liturgical worship and spiritual programs.

To safeguard and keep the traditions, values, and faith of the Orthodox Church pure and undefiled.

“A steward is one who manages another’s prop-

erty or resources; the Christian, therefore, is a stew-

ard of everything he is and has, including his own

body and soul, for according to the mystery of salva-

tion, we possess nothing from ourselves, not even

our own life and being; all belongs to God and is

given to us by the Father through His Son because of

the richness of His love and mercy.”

~The Theology of Stewardship in Light of

Orthodox Tradition

by Fr. Paul Wesche

“Stewardship is the offering to God as children of

faith rather than as hired servants. Children of God

make offerings to God as expression of authentic

love, whereas, hired servants simply fulfill legalistic

duty. Christian stewardship is a manifestation of our

love for God through the holistic offering of time,

talent, and treasure to Him, through Christ’s Holy

Church. By this offering of love to our Father in

heaven, He further extends the healing experience of

His Church to His children, through Her ministry.”

~Fr. Luke Palumbis

Quotes on Stewardship

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What is Reasonable to Expect of People? An Excerpt from OCA.org

Question What you say sounds super-human. Is it really reasonable to expect the people to do it?

Indeed, who can do it?

Answer The question about who can do it was asked a long time ago. St. Peter asked it of Christ

when he was listening to His teachings. The answer of Christ was conclusive: “With men

these things are impossible. But with God all things are possible.”

This is the point. Christian morality is, strictly speaking, not a human morality designed

for the happy life in this world. Christian morality is the morality of perfection. “Be per-

fect as your Father in heaven is perfect.” These are the words of Christ in the Sermon on

the Mount.

Such a morality in this world is really open-ended. It is never complete. As a matter of

fact, it is the teaching of the Orthodox Church that man’s life is never complete even in

the Kingdom of God. Man will always be “on the way.” His very perfection, as one saint

put it, is always to grow more perfect.

To be as perfect as God is impossible to men. But to move toward this perfection eter-

nally and forever is within man’s possibilities with the help of God. And this is the life

and the moral position to which Christians are called.

The Church is always ready to forgive the sinner, since Christ is the Head of the

Church and He has come exactly to save sinners. But while condescending to forgive

every sort of sin and weakness and necessity to indulge in relativistic and morally am-

biguous actions (such as warfare and politics and birth control…), the Church cannot

give these actions complete approval and cannot change its gospel which proclaims that

man is created for the Kingdom of God and divine perfection.