The Official Monthly Publication of Holy Trinity

ISSUE NO. 286 WWW.HOLYTRINITYBRIDGEPORT.ORG DECEMBER 2013

DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 2 December 2013

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

14th Sunday

of Luke

Prophet Na-

hum Philaret the

Merciful

2

Monday of the

12th Week

Prophet Habak-

kuk Cyril of

Phileus

3

Tuesday of the

12th Week

Prophet Sopho-

nias John the Hesy-

chast

4 Orthodox Study of the

Bible Class - 7:00 pm

Great Martyr

Barbara

John of Damas-cus

5

Sabbas the

Sanctified

Martyr Dioge-

nes Philotheos of

Mount Athos

6 Service–

8:30am -

Nicholas the

Wonderwork-

er /Αγίνπ Νηθνιάνπ -

-Sunday School

Christmas Par-

ty

7 PTO‘s North Pole Ex-

press Train Ride

Saturday of the

12th Week

Ambrose, Bp. Of Milan

8 10th

Sunday of

Luke / Concep-

tion of the The-

otokos Fore-

feast Patapius of

Thebes

Parish Elec-

tions

9 Conception of

the Theotokos

Prophetess

Hannah

10

Tuesday of the

13th Week

Martyr Menas

& Companions Thomas of Bi-

thynia

11

Wednesday of

the 13th Week

Daniel the Sty-

lite Luke the New

Stylite

12

Service–

8:30am Spyri-

don the Won-

derworker /Αγίνπ

ππξίδσλνο

New Martyr

13

Friday of the

13th Week

Herman of Alas-

ka Martyr Eustrati-

us & compan-

ions

14 Joy/Hope Santa‘s

Workshop

Saturday of the

13th Week

Martyrs Thyrsus & companions

15 11th Sun-

day of Luke Susannah the Deaconess

Seniors Citi-

zens Christmas

Party –see fly-

er

16

Monday of the

14th Week

Prophet Haggai

Modestos, Bp. of Jerusalem

17 Prophet Daniel

Dionysios of

Zakynthos

18 Greek

School Christ-

mas Celebration

- 5:00 pm. / Orthodox Study

of the Bible Class

- 7:00 pm Mar-tyrs Sebastian &

Companions

19

Thursday of

the 14th Week

Martyrs Boni-

face & Com-panions

Gregentius of

Ethiopia

20 Forefeast of the

Nativity

Ignatius the God

-Bearer

21

Saturday be-

fore Nativity

Forefeast of the

Nativity Martyr Juliana

of Nicomedia

22 Sunday School Christ-

mas Program Sunday before

Nativity /Great

Martyr Anasta-

sia of Rome /

Martyrs Chryso-

gonus and The-

23

Monday of the

15th Week

10 Martyrs of

Crete Founding of

Agia Sophia

24 Service—

6:30pm , Ves-

pers , LITUR-

GY – Choir

Candlelight

Service &

CAROLING

25 Service—

Orthros:

8:45am & Di-

vine Liturgy:

9:45am HO-

LY NATIVI-

TY -The Ado-

ration of the

26 Fast Free

Synaxis of the

Theotokos

Euthemios the

Confessor

27 Fast Free

Protomartyr Ste-

ven

Theodore the

Branded

28 Fast Free

Saturday after

Nativity

20,000 Martyrs

of Nicomedia

29 Fast Free

Sunday after

Nativity

Holy Inno-cents

Abbot Marcel-

lus

30 Fast Free

Monday of the

16th Week

Great Martyr Anysia

Gideon the

New

31 NEW

YEAR’S EVE

PARTY

Tuesday of the

16th Week Apodosis of

Nativity

Righteous

Strict Fast Fish Allowed Wine and Oil Allowed

Dairy,Eggs,and Fish Allowed

MEMORIALS Sunday, Dec. 8— Gikas Vidalis 1 year

Sunday, Dec. 22 Menelaos Hasiotis 1 year

Sunday, Dec. 29 Christina Kontomerkos Ferreira 1 year

Andrew Pappas 5 years

Σεηάξηε 1 Ηαλ. Αγίνπ Βαζηιείνπ, Γνμνινγία γηα ην Νέν Έηνο

Κπξηαθή 5 Ηαλ. Παξακνλή Θενθαλείσλ

Γεπηέξα 6 Ηαλ. ΑΓΗΑ ΘΔΟΦΑΝΔΗΑ

Κπξηαθή 12 Ηαλ. Όξζξνο & Θεία Λεηηνπξγία ---- Βαζηιόπηηα

Upcoming January Services—Wednesday, Jan. 1 St. Basil‘s & New Year‘s Doxology / Sunday, Jan. 5 Eve of the Epiphany, Mon-

day / Jan. 6 EPIPHANY DAY—Sunday / Jan. 12 Reg-

ular Sunday – Vasilopita

DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 3

N ow that we are in the Advent season and preparing for the birth of our Lord and

Savior, we are reminded to count our

blessings, since all that we have is from God: family,

community, and most importantly, Jesus, the incarnate Word of God.

"The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Most high shall overshadow thee; and

therefore also the Holy, which shall be born of thee

shall be called the Son of God.‖ (Luke 10, 1:35)

Since God has given us His only Son, we celebrate

His birth by not only giving gifts, but even more

importantly, by giving of ourselves.

So how do we give of ourselves? We can start by

giving more of ourselves over to God. We can pray more. We can attend more church services and bring

our children to Sunday school. We can make the

commitment to give more of our time and talents to our church community.

In addition to giving more of ourselves to God, we should also give more of ourselves to one another. We

can start by telling those around

us how much we love and

appreciate them and how special they are to us. We can visit a sick

relative who can't make it out of

the house during this nativity season. We can cheer up a friend

who's been having a tough time.

We can help feed the hungry and cloth the poor by participating in

food and clothing drives or

volunteering at a soup kitchen.

Therefore, as we join together

anticipating and preparing for the

birth of our Lord, let's not forget to be examples of the "good

news " b y off er ing our

almsgiving and prayers of joy and thanksgiving, because the

Nativity of Christ is of great

significance to us as Orthodox

Christians.

In light of the Nativity Season, and our recent

centennial celebration, I would like to express my gratitude to the Holy Trinity community. The

fortitude, love and strength of this community really

shined through as we gave thanks to God and one

another for the 100 years that Holy Trinity has held together through both prosperity and adversity. As

Jesus is our rock, so is our church community.

They say that a community is only as strong as its

individuals. therefore, I would like to thank each and

everyone in attendance, and to those who worked so hard to make this memorable and historic celebration

possible by donating their time, talents and tidings.

I would like to especially thank George Mourizakis and his wife Maria, for years of service as Parish

Council President. He has devoted many hours of

service and sacrifice over the years. George has been a great support to me personally, and more importantly,

a good friend. May God bless George and his family

for the support of our church!

May God Bless you all for your support of Holy

Trinity!

On a Thankful Heart by Father Andreas Vithoulkas

“Life is the first gift, love is the second, and understanding the third. “ - Piercy

I behold a new and won-drous mystery. My ears re-

sound to the Shepherd's

song, piping no soft melody

but chanting forth a full heavenly hymn. The Angels

sing. The Archangels blend

their voice in harmony. The Cherubim hymn their joyful

praise. The Seraphim exalts

His glory. All join to praise this holy feast, beholding

the Godhead here on earth,

and man in heaven. He Who

is above, now for our re-demption dwells here be-

low; and he that was lowly

is by divine mercy raised. (St John Chrysostom)

DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 4

“He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.” ~Roy L. Smith

Εσταριζηίες και Εσλογίες! ηοσ π. Ανδρέα Βσθούλκας

"Ηδνύ έλα λέν θαη ζαπκαζηό κπζηήξην. ηα απηηά καο αληερεί ε θινγέξα ηνπ βνζθνύ, Οη άγγεινη

ηξαγνπδνύλ. Οη Αξράγγεινη ελώλνπλ ηηο θσλέο

αξκνληθά. Σα εμαπηέξπγα θαη ηα εξαθείκ εμπςώλνπλ ραξκόζπλνπο επαίλνπο. Όια ζηελ θύζε ελώλνληαη λα

επαηλέζνπλ ηήλ ἁγία απηή Ἑνξηή, αηελίδνληαο ηελ

ζεόηεηα, εδώ ζηε γε. Απηόο πνπ είλαη πάλσ ζηνλ

Οπξαλό, ηώξα έξρεηαη θάησ ζηε Γή λα καο ιπηξώζεη.» Αγίνπ Ησάλλνπ ηνπ Υξπζνζηόκνπ

Τ ώξα πνπ αξρίδεη ε πεξίνδνο ηεο λεζηείαο ησλ

Υξηζηνπγέλλσλ θαη πξνεηνηκαδόκαζηε γηα ηε

γέλλεζε ηνπ Κπξίνπ καο θαη σηήξα, αο

κεηξάκε ηηο επινγίεο καο, αθνύ όηη έρνπκε είλαη από ην Θεό: νηθνγέλεηα, Κνηλόηεηα, θαη ην ζεκαληηθόηεξν, ηνλ

Ηεζνύ, ηελ ελζάξθσζε ηνπ Θενύ.

«Καη απνθξηζείο ν άγγεινο είπελ απηή: πλεύκα άγηνλ

επειεύζεηαη επί ζε θαη δύλακηο πςίζηνπ επηζθηάζεη ζνη

δηό θαη ην γελλώκελνλ εθ ζνπ άγηνλ θιεζήζεηαη πηόο Θενύ.» (Λνπθάο 1, 1:35)

Γεδνκέλνπ όηη ν Θεόο καο έδσζε ηνλ κνλνγελή Τηό

ηνπ, γηνξηάδνπκε ηε γέλλεζή ηνπ, δίλνληαο όρη κόλν δώξα, αιιά αθόκε πην ζεκαληηθό, κε ην δόζηκν ηνπ

εαπηνύ καο.

Λνηπόλ, πώο κπνξνύκε λα δώζνπκε ηνλ εαπηό καο;

Μπνξνύκε λα αξρίζνπκε δίλνληαο πεξηζζόηεξν από

ηνπο εαπηνύο καο ζηνλ Θεό. Μπνξνύκε λα πξνζεπρόκαζηε πεξηζζόηεξν. Μπνξνύκε λα

παξαθνινπζήζνπκε πεξηζζόηεξεο αθνινπζίεο ζηελ εθθιεζία θαη λα θέξνπκε ηα παηδηά καο ζην

θαηερεηηθό ζρνιείν. Μπνξνύκε λα θάλνπκε ηε

ππόζρεζε λα δώζνπκε πεξηζζόηεξν από ην ρξόλν θαη

ηα ηαιέληα καο ζηελ εθθιεζία καο.

Δθηόο από ην λα δίλνπκε πεξηζζόηεξν από ηνπο

εαπηνύο καο ζην Θεό, ζα πξέπεη λα δώζνπκε πεξηζζόηεξν από ηνπο εαπηνύο καο ν έλαο γηα ηνλ

άιινλ. Μπνξνύκε λα αξρίζνπκε κε κία απιή ιέμε

αγάπεο θαη εθηίκεζεο. Μπνξνύκε λα επηζθεθζνύκε έλα άξξσζην ζπγγελή ή θίιν θαηά ηε δηάξθεηα απηήο

ηεο πεξηόδνπ ησλ Υξηζηνπγέλλσλ. Μπνξνύκε λα

βνεζήζνπκε ηνπο θησρνύο θαη άζηεγνπο, κε ην λα ηνπο

δώζνπκε έλα πηάην θαγεηό θαη ξνύρα.

Καζώο πξνεηνηκαδόκαζηε γηα ηε γέλλεζε ηνπ

Κπξίνπ, αο κελ μερλάκε λα είκαζηε παξάδεηγκα γηα ηα "θαιά λέα" κε πξνζεπρέο θαη επραξηζηίεο γηα ηελ εκέξα

ησλ επραξηζηηώλ, θαη κε ηνλ εξρνκό ησλ

Υξηζηνπγέλλσλ - ηεο γέλλεζεο ηνπ Υξηζηνύ καο - πνπ γηα καο ηνπο Οξζνδόμνπο Υξηζηηαλνύο έρεη κεγάιε

ζεκαζία.

Λακβάλνληαο ππόςε ηελ γηνξηή ηεο γελλήζεσο, θαη ηελ πξόζθαηε γηνξηή ηεο εθαηνληαεηεξίδαο καο, ζα

ήζεια λα εθθξάζσ ηελ επγλσκνζύλε κνπ ζηελ

Κνηλόηεηα ηεο Αγίαο Σξηάδνο. Σν ζζέλνο, ηελ αγάπε θαη ηελ δύλακε απηήο ηεο Κνηλόηεηαο πνπ πξαγκαηηθά

έιακςε θαζώο δώζακε επραξηζηίεο ζηνλ Θεό γηα ηα 100

ρξόληα πξνόδνπ, δξάζεο θαη επεκεξίαο. Όπσο ν Ηεζνύο

είλαη ν βξάρνο έηζη είλαη θαη ε Δθθιεζία καο, ε θνηλόηεηα καο.

Λέλε όηη ε Κνηλόηεηα είλαη κόλν ηόζν δπλαηή, ηζρπξή όζν ηα κέιε ηεο. σο εθ ηνύηνπ, ζα ήζεια λα

επραξηζηήζσ ηνλ θαζέλα θαη όινπο, παξόληεο, θαη ζε

εθείλνπο πνπ εξγάζηεθαλ ηόζν ζθιεξά γηα ηελ επηηπρία απηήο ηεο αμέραζηεο ηζηνξηθήο γηνξηήο, δσξίδνληαο

ηνλ ρξόλν ηνπο, ηα ηαιέληα ηνπο θαη ηελ αγάπε ηνπο.

Θα ήζεια λα επραξηζηήζσ ηδηαηηέξσο ηνλ Γεώξγην Μνπξηδάθε θαη ηε ζύδπγό ηνπ Μαξία, γηα ηα ρξόληα

ππεξεζίαο ηνπ σο Πξόεδξνο ηνπ πκβνπιίνπ ηεο

ελνξίαο καο. Αθηέξσζε πνιιέο ώξεο ππεξεζίαο θαη ζπζίαο όια απηά ηα ρξόληα. Ο Γηώξγνο έρεη κεγάιε

εθηίκεζε γηα κέλα πξνζσπηθά, θαη ην πην ζεκαληηθό,

είλαη έλαο θαιόο θίινο. Ο Θεόο λα επινγεί ηνλ Γηώξγν θαη ηελ νηθνγέλεηά ηνπ γηα ηελ ππνζηήξημε, αγάπε θαη

αθνζίσζε ζηελ Δθθιεζίαο καο!

Ο Θεόο λα επινγεί όινπο ηνπο ελνξίηεο ηεο Αγίαο

Σξηάδνο!

DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 5

“The only gift is a portion of yourself. “ -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ζ ΔΝΟΡΗΑ ΜΑ ΓΔΩΡΓΗΟ ΜΟΤΡΗΕΑΚΖ,

ΠΡΟΔΓΡΟ

Τ ε ζηηγκή πνπ δηαβάδεηε

ην παξόλ, ν ενξηαζκόο ηεο 100εο επεηείνπ

θζάλεη ζην ηέινο ηεο. Οη

αλακλήζεηο είλαη αθόκα ζην κπαιό καο, θαη ειπίδσ όηη ζα είλαη

καδί καο γηα πνιύ κεγάιν ρξνληθό

δηάζηεκα. Σελ ίδηα ζηηγκή

εηνηκάδνκαη λα πεξάζσ ηε ζθπηάιε ζηνλ επόκελν πξόεδξν

γηα ηελ Αγία Σξηάδα.

Δίλαη 6 ρξόληα από ηόηε πνπ μεθίλεζα λα ππεξεηώ σο

Πξόεδξνο ηνπ πκβνπιίνπ ζηελ

Αγία Σξηάδα θαη ηέζζεξα ρξόληα πξηλ από απηό, σο ηακίαο. Να

πνύκε ην ιηγόηεξν, απηά ηα ρξόληα

ήηαλ πνιύ ελδηαθέξνληα, κε

πνιιά αλεβνθα ηεβάζκ αηα, δηακάρεο, πξνβιήκαηα, ηνπο

δύζθνινπο νηθνλνκηθνύο θαηξνύο

αιιά θαη ρξόληα κε κεγάιεο επηηπρίεο θαη βειηηώζεηο ζηελ

θνηλόηεηά καο. Έθαλα δηάθνξα

έξγα, όπσο ην αζαλζέξ,

αλαθαίληζε ηνπ εζσηεξηθνύ ηνπ λανύ, ν θαιισπηζκόο ηεο

κπξνζηηλήο όςεο ηεο εθθιεζίαο,

ε νπνία κε ηνλ ηξόπν ηεο νινθιεξώζεθε θαηά ηε δηάξθεηα

κηα κεγάιεο νηθνγελεηαθήο

θξίζεο, εθηελή αλαδηακόξθσζε θαη αλαβαζκίζεηο θνπδίλα καο θαη

ηνπ γπκλαζηεξίνπ, πιήξεο

αλαδηακόξθσζε ησλ κπάλησλ καο,

απνθαηάζηαζε ηνπ ζόινπ, ρηίζηεθε θαη έλα λεπηαγσγείν,

βειηησκέλνη ππνινγηζηέο θαη In-

ternet, θάκεξεο, ζπλαγεξκνί ππξθαγηάο, ζπζηήκαηα ήρνπ, θαη

άιια πνιιά έξγα, πνιιά γηα λα

αλαθέξσ ζε απηή ηελ επηζηνιή. Ο η θ ν λ ν κ η θ ά π ε ξ ά ζ α κ ε

δύζθνια ρξόληα όπσο ε ρώξα καο

θαη όινο ν θόζκνο λα βηώζεη κηα

κεγάιε ύθεζε. Δίδακε κηα κεγάιε

βε ιη ίσ ζ ε ζ η ν

εηζόδεκά καο από

ην εηήζην Φεζηηβάι καο θαη απηό ράξε

ζ ε π ν ι ι ν ύ ο

εζεινληέο. Έρνπκε νινθιεξώζεη πνιιά

από απηά ηα έξγα

θάησ ηνπ θόζηνπο η ν π

πξ νϋ πνινγ ηζ κ νύ ή ρσ ξ ί ο

νηθνλνκηθή επηβάξπλζε ζηελ

εθθιεζία. Έρεη ζπζηαζεί έλα ραξηνθπιάθην επελδύζεσλ,

νξγαλσκέλε ιεηηνπξγία ηεο –

θαηεπζείαλ δσξεηώλ, θαη μεθίλεζε έλα LLC λα ρεηξηζηεί όια ηα έξγα.

Σώξα έρνπκε κηα ζεηηθή ξνή

εηζνδήκαηνο από ην γπκλαζηήξην θαη ην λεπηαγσγείν, πνπ βνεζά λα

αληηζηαζκίζεη ηα ιεηηνπξγηθά

έμνδα. Έρνπκε επίζεο θαζαξηζηή

πιήξνπο απαζρόιεζεο γηα ηε θξνληίδα όισλ ησλ θηηξίσλ καο.

Ω ο δ η α ρ ε η ξ η ζ η ή ο θ α η

Πξόεδξνο, ζα έπξεπε λα νξίζσ θ ά π ν η ν π ο θ α λ ό λ ε ο θ α η

θαλνληζκνύο νκαιήο ιεηηνπξγίαο

γηα όιεο ηηο νξγαλώζεηο θαη

επηηξνπέο ηεο εθθιεζίαο καο. Μπνξεί ε απόθαζε λα θαίλεηαη

ζθιεξή κεξηθέο θνξέο, αιιά κηα

κεγάιε θνηλόηεηα όπσο ε δηθή καο ρξεηάδεηαη. Σν 2011 πεξάζακε

κηα κεηαβαηηθή πεξίνδν όπσο όινη

γλσξίδεηε πνιύ θαιά. Βξήθα ηνλ εαπηό κνπ ζην κάηη ηνπ θπθιώλα

θαη δελ είρα θαλέλαλ έιεγρν επί

ηνύηνπ. Πξώηε αληίδξαζε θαη ην

θύξην κέιεκά κνπ ήηαλ λα πξνζηαηεύζσ ηελ εθθιεζία καο

θαη ηνπο ελνξίηεο καο. Όια απηά

ζπλέβεζαλ ιίγν πξηλ από ην Πάζρα θαη Φεζηηβάι, κε ηα έξγα

πνπ είρακε μεθηλήζεη γηα ηνλ

αλαθαίληζε γηα ηα κπάληα, αξρίδνληαο ην θαηλνύξγην

λεπηαγσγείν. Έπξεπε λα ππάξμεη

εηξήλε, θαη πξνζπάζεηα λα

θξαηεζεί ε Κνηλόηεηα καδί.

Καλέλα ζρνιείν ή εθπαίδεπζε

καο πξνεηνηκάδεη γηα θάηη ηέηνην. Δίκαζηε όινη εζεινληέο θαη

πξάηηνπκε γηα ην θαιύηεξν

ζύκθσλα κε ηελ γλώζε καο θαη ην έλζηηθην καο. . Με ηε ράξε ηνπ

Θενύ θαη κε αξθεηό ρξόλν ειπίδσ

όηη ζα ην μεπεξάζνπκε απηό. Ωο εξγνιάβνο, είδα κηα

κεγάιε αλάγθε γηα βειηηώζεηο

ζηελ εθθιεζία καο, θαη δελ

κπνξνύζα λα κείλσ αδξαλήο — έπξεπε λα ζπκκεηάζρσ. Μπήθα

ζην πκβνύιην πνπ κνπ έδσζε

θαιύηεξε επθαηξία γηα λα εξγαζηώ πην θνληά ζε όια απηά ηα έξγα.

Υξεηάδεηαη πνιύο ρξόλνο θαη

πξνζπάζεηα λα νινθιεξσζνύλ

πνιιά από απηά ηα έξγα, αιιά κε ηε βνήζεηα ηνπ Θενύ όια είλαη

δπλαηά. Δγώ δελ ην έθαλε γηα

θαλέλα πξνζσπηθό ιόγν, αιιά από ζεβαζκό θαη αγάπε γηα ηελ

Αγία Σξηάδα.

Θα ήζεια λα επραξηζηήζσ όινπο ηνπο ελνξίηεο πνπ κε

ζηήξημαλ όια απηά ηα ρξόληα θαη

ειπίδσ όηη ε Αγία Σξηάδα ζα

αθνινπζήζεη ηνλ ίδην δξόκν θαη ην ίδην όξακα πνπ ραξάμακε αλ όινη

εξγάδνληαη ηόζν ζθιεξά.

Δθ κέξνπο ηεο ζπδύγνπ κνπ Μαξίαο, ζαο επρόκαζηε θαιά

Υξηζηνύγελλα θαη επηπρηζκέλνο ν

θα ηλ νύ ξ γ ηνο ρξ όλ νο . α ο επραξηζηώ θαη ν Θεόο αο καο

επινγεί.

DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 6

One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly. ~Andy Rooney

Our Parish

by George Mourizakis , Parish

Council President

B y the time you read this, the

Celebration of our 100th

Anniversary will be just

winding down. Our travel down memory lane is still in our minds,

and hopefully, it will be with us for

a very long time. At the same time, I am preparing to pass the baton to

the next President of Holy Trinity.

It has been 6 years since I began serving as Holy Trinity

Parish Council President and four

years prior to that as Treasurer. These years were very interesting, to say the least, with

many ups and downs, controversies, problems, and hard

economic times, but they were also years of great accomplishments and improvements to our community.

I have undertaken various projects, such as: the

installation of our elevator, the addition of new icons on

the church interior, the beautification of the grounds in the front of the Church, (which, by the way, was

completed during a great family crisis), extensive

remodeling and upgrades to our kitchen and gym, complete remodeling of all our bathrooms, the

restoration of the dome, the building and establishment

of a Nursery school, the improvement of our computers

and internet, security cameras, fire alarms, sound systems, and so many other projects— too numerous to

mention in this letter.

Financially, we have gone through a few very

difficult years, as our country and the whole world

experienced a great recession. We saw a great improvement in our income from our annual festival ,

and thanks to many volunteers through those years, we

completed many of these projects either under budget ,

or at no cost to us. We set up an investment portfolio, organized donor –directed function, and started an LLC

to handle all projects. We now have a positive flow of

income from our gym and Nursery school that is helping to offset our operating expenses. We also have a full

time custodian to take care of all of our buildings.

As an administrator and

President, I had to set some rules

and r egu la t ions for a l l

organizations and committees to live by. They may have seemed

harsh at times, but to have order

in a big community like ours, and fighting what always seemed to

be an uphill battle, was not easy.

In 2011 we went through a

transition period, as you all

know very well. I found myself

in the eye of a storm that I had no control over. My first reaction

and main concern was to protect

our church and our parishioners. All this happened just before

Easter and our Festival and with

the nursery and bathroom projects about to start as well. I

had to keep the peace and tried to keep the community

together. No school or formal training prepares you for

anything like this. We are all volunteers and acting on the best of our knowledge and instinct. Our actions

reflect on the lives of many, especially when you‘re in a

prominent position. With the grace of God and enough time, I hope we will overcome this.

As a contractor, I saw a great need for

improvements to our church, and could not sit idly by—I had to get involved. I joined the Parish Council ,

which allowed me better access to work closer to all

these projects. It takes a great deal of personal time and effort to accomplish many of these projects, but with the

help of God, all things are possible. I did not do any of

the above for personal gain, but out of respect and love for Holy Trinity.

I would like to thank all parishioners that supported

me through the years and hope that Holy Trinity will follow the same road and same Vision that we all work

so hard for.

On behalf of my wife Maria and me we are wishing

you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.

Thank you and God Bless.

DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 7

A Christmas

Story A Biblical Account of

the Birth of Christ

Christ’s Birth Announced to Mary

- Luke 1:26-38 ―NKJV™”

N ow in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by

God to a city of Galilee

named Nazareth, to a virgin be-trothed to a man whose name was

Joseph, of the house of David. The

virgin‘s name was Mary. And having

come in, the angel said to her, ―Rejoice, highly favored one, the

Lord is with you; blessed are you

among women!‖ But when she saw him, she was

troubled at his saying, and consid-

ered what manner of greeting this

was. Then the angel said to her, ―Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have

found favor with God. And behold,

you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His

name JESUS. He will be great, and

will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the

throne of His father David. And He

will reign over the house of Jacob

forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.‖

Then Mary said to the angel,

―How can this be, since I do not know a man?‖

And the angel answered and said

to her, ―The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the

Highest will overshadow you; there-

fore, also, that Holy One who is to be

born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative

has also conceived a son in her old

age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For

with God nothing will be impossi-

ble.‖

Then Mary said, ―Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to

me according to your word.‖ And the

angel departed from her. Christ Born of Mary - Matthew

1:18-25 ―NKJV™”

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was

as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they

came together, she was found with

child of the Holy Spirit. Then Jo-

seph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public

example, was minded to put her

away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel

of the Lord appeared to him in a

dream, saying, ―Joseph, son of Da-vid, do not be afraid to take to you

Mary your wife, for that which is

conceived in her is of the Holy Spir-

it. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS,

for He will save His people from

their sins.‖ So all this was done that it might

be fulfilled which was spoken by the

Lord through the prophet, saying:

―Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall

call His name Immanuel,‖ which is

translated, ―God with us.‖ Then Joseph, being aroused from

sleep, did as the angel of the Lord

commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she

had brought forth her firstborn Son.

And he called His name JESUS.

Glory in the Highest - Luke 2:8-14 "NKJV™"

Now there were in the same coun-

try shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by

night. And behold, an angel of the

Lord stood before them, and the glo-

ry of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then

the angel said to them, ―Do not be

afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to

all people. For there is born to you

this day in the city of David a Savior,

who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a

Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths,

lying in a manger.‖ And suddenly there was with the

angel a multitude of the heavenly

host praising God and saying: ― Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace, goodwill toward

men!‖

Wise Men from the East - Matthew 2:1-12 "NKJV™"

N ow after Jesus was born in

Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise

men from the East came to Jerusa-

lem, saying, ―Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we

have seen His star in the East and

have come to worship Him.‖ When

Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

And when he had gathered all the

chief priests and scribes of the peo-ple together, he inquired of them

where the Christ was to be born. So

they said to him, ―In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the

prophet:

‗ But you, Bethlehem, in the land

of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;

For out of you shall come a Ruler

Who will shepherd My people Isra-el.‘‖

Then Herod, when he had secretly

called the wise men, determined

from them what time the star ap-peared. And he sent them to Bethle-

hem and said, ―Go and search care-

fully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back

word to me, that I may come and

worship Him also.‖ When they heard the king, they

departed; and behold, the star which

they had seen in the East went before

them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When

they saw the star, they rejoiced with

exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they

saw the young Child with Mary His

mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened

their treasures, they presented gifts to

Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to

Herod, they departed for their own

country another way.

DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 8

May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through!

Daughters of

Penelope by Kathy Yiannoulis , President

T he Daughters of Penelope would

like to wish everyone a blessed holiday season, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May

your holidays be filled with peace, and love.

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed to our successful Turkey

Raffle and Annual Wreath and Christmas Planter Sale.

Proceeds from these sales support our scholarship program and our community outreach activities.

On Dec. 7th, we will be getting together with our

GOYANS to decorate wreaths, and prepare Food baskets. Please come and lend a hand and be a part of

this community event.

Our Lets Keep Them Warm Drive is continuing through January. We are collecting gloves, hats,

scarves, warm socks and small blankets for the needy in

the Great Bridgeport community. (All new items. Please, no coats or clothes.) The items are distributed to

local schools, shelters, crisis centers and hospitals. We also distribute items during the

Meal of Love given by our church. This project is

one of our favorite projects and a true labor of

love. Please see the Vision or our Facebook page for all drop box locations. Thank you to all those

who continue to provide a box at their places of

business.

Our January meeting will be held on January15th at 7

pm. Joining us will be new members and representatives from our District. We will celebrate the

start of the year by sharing Vasilopita with our brother

Ahepans. Come and be a part of our activities for 2014!

Our annual holiday dinner with Ahepa will be

scheduled for sometime in early 2014.

Mark your calendars for February 2 for our Annual

Luncheon on Godparents Sunday! Information to come.

Please visit us at http://holytrinitybridgeport.org/daughters.html. Our chapter email is

daughters@holytrinitybridgeport.org. Lastly, ―Like‖ us

on Facebook at Daughters of Penelope - Bridgeport

"Hermes" Chapter 41, District 7.

See you in 2014 and thank you again for all you love

and support!

AHEPA

by John Bochanis, President

T hank you to all who attended two recent

AHE P A fu ndr a i s in g

events. The Bridgeport Chapter of

A H E P A held its

A n n u a l

C h i c k e n Luncheon

a f t e r

church on November 10th. We thank Tom

Hallas and Vangele Gountas for

assisting in the preparation of a

delicious luncheon. The fourth annual Taverna Night was held this

year at a temporary location. Due

to the damage from super storm Sandy Taverna Night was unable

to return to its original location at

the Fairfield Penfield beach

location. We hope to have Taverna Night return to a beach front

location soon. Even with the

temporary relocation of the Taverna Night, this year we had

200 attendees who helped support

the AHEPA scholarship fund Proceeds from both the chicken

luncheon and Taverna Night

contribute to college scholarships

which the Bridgeport Chapter of AHEPA awards on an annual basis.

The Bridgeport Chapter of

AHEPA and the Daughters of Penelope recently voted at their

monthly meeting to hold their

combined Holiday Party during the

beginning of January. We will be providing details of the location

and exact date by the beginning of

December.

As we approach the start of a new year the Bridgeport Chapter of

AHEPA will soon init ia te

community service outreach programs. Our members will

volunteer to participate in

community service projects in our area to promote the AHEPA

mission of philanthropy. We will

keep you advised of these

community service projects and how we can all participate in

supporting the neediest in our area.

To become a member of AHEPA please contact us at 203-

3 9 4 - 8 0 0 1 o r

ahepa@holytrinitybridgeport.org

DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 9

As long as we know in our hearts what Christmas ought to be, Christmas is.

S o r o r i t y G i r l o f

t h e M o n t h

by Stella Katsetos

W elcome to ABΩ's first

column, where we cele-

brate and acknowledge our youths‘ achievements! Each

child who will be featured in this

column has exhibited outstanding leadership, volunteer-

ism, and exceptional character! ABΩ's mission is to empower our girls with goals

to become compassionate, courageous leaders and inde-

pendent thinkers, while giving them a sorority type ex-perience.

This organization's objective is to overturn the gen-

der stereotypes that keep girls from taking leadership

roles, by building confidence and inspiring them to achieve their full potential! With this fun interview,

we will be highlighting each child's accomplishments,

goals and focusing on their unique personalities. I want to thank Father Andreas and George

Mourizakis for not only supporting the overall vision of

this program, but for also working with me this past year to make it a reality.

Congratulations to Katie Bouloubasis, as she has

been chosen to be our first Sorority Girl of the

Month! She is a sophomore at Fairfield Ludlowe High School and has exhibited outstanding leadership and

perseverance in all her volunteer work and extracurricu-lar activities.

SK: Katie, tell us about one of your favorite experiences

here at Holy Trinity?

KB: I really enjoyed doing Greek dance, whenever there was a dance at church I know what I am doing.

SK: Share with us your goals for the future: KB: One of my goals for the future is to go into model-

in g a nd t h en b eco me a n a c t r es s .

SK: Tell us about some personal achievements that you

are proud of:

KB: I am proud of my Relay for Life team, in the two

years I have participated, my team has raised over $5,000!

SK: If you were elected to be the first female Greek president of the United States, what would you do first?

KB: My priority would be to support the children.

SK: What qualities do you admire in a great leader?

KB: Someone who is organized, and is a good friend

to everyone.

SK: Lastly, tell us about any volunteer work experienc-

es that you enjoy.

KB: I am part of the Key Club at school. I have been able to volunteer at the Enchanted Forest, and a Hal-

loween party at an elementary school. I really enjoy

working with kids.

Greek

School

Ελληνικό

Σχολείο

by Eleni Limberis, Director

Ο Άγηνο Βαζίιεο ζα

επηζθεθζεί ην Διιεληθό κ α ο ζ ρ ν ι ε ί ν η ε λ

ΣΔΣΑΡΣΖ 18 ΓΔΚΔΜΒΡΗΟΤ

2013 ζηηο 5:00 κκ.

άο πξνζθαινύκε όινπο λα ππνδερζνύκε καδί ηνλ Άγην

Βαζίιε

Οη καζεηέο: ζα θνξνύλ άζπξν

πνπθάκηζν, κπιε ή καύξν παληαιόλη θαη θόθθηλε γξαβάηα.

BOYS: will wear white shirt,

navy blue or black pants and Red

tie. Οη καζήηξηεο: ζα θνξνύλ άζπξε

κπινύδα, θαη θόθθηλε ε καύξε

θνύζηα. Δπραξηζηνύκε πνιύ. GIRLS: will wear white blouse,

red or black skirt.

ά ο ε π ρ ό κ ε ζ α θ α ι ά Υξηζηνύγελλα θαη θαιό ρξόλν ην

2014!

Santa Claus will be visiting our Greek School

On Wednesday, December 18,

2013 - 5:00 p.m. We are inviting all of you to be

here and welcome SANTA.

Thank you. We wish you a Merry Christmas

and a Happy New Year! Thank

you, kiria Eleni

Our appreciation and many thanks to our PTO for their help,

support, and love throughout the

year to both our children and Teachers.

DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 10

May you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope; The spirit of Christmas which is peace; The heart of Christmas which is love. ~Ada V. Hendricks

Ladies

Philoptochos

Society

by Lena Protopapas, President

The Wine and Food Tasting

event was very successful . The proceeds from the

sales of tickets and the raffle was $8,885.00. The whole amount (with no withholding of any event

expenses of our own organization ) was given to our

Parish Council on Philoptochos‘ Day (November 3, 2013). I would like to take the opportunity to thank

all the ladies who worked so hard - sometimes

twelve hours straight - without any complaining , as well as, the group of chefs and the ladies who

helped us the day of the event, and the people

who gave us donations. Thank you all for the

wonderful team work that made an event like this one successful.

December is another month in which we have to

work hard for our Bake Sale (December 21-22, 2013). Please call the church‘s office, or

Philoptochos (Kalliope Tsitsipas: 203-926-0137 or

Lena Protopapas: 203-929-1582) for your Christmas

Orders. This month, we celebrate Christmas and our

hearts γεκίδνπλ από ραξά θαη επηπρία, γηα ηνλ

εξρνκό Δθείλνπ πνπ θαηαδέρηεθε λα δήζεη ηαπεηλά αλάκεζα ζηνπο αλζξώπνπο, ζαλ άλζξσπνο θαη λα

ζπζηαζηεί, γηα λα νδεγήζεη ηελ αλζξσπόηεηα, ζην

ζσζηό δξόκν, ην δξόκν ηνπ Θενύ. Με ηελ δηδαζθαιία ηνπ, έδησμε από ηελ

ςπρή ηνπ αλζξώπνπ ηελ αβεβαηόηεηα

θαη ηνπ μαλάδσζε αμία. Από ηνλ

ζθνηαδηζκό, ηνλ έθεξε ζην θσο. Σνπ έδσζε ειπίδα θαη πίζηε, ηνλ έθαλε

δπλαηό θαη ηθαλό λα δηαθξίλεη ην

ζσζηό από ην ιάζνο, ην δίθαην από ην άδηθν. Μαο έκαζε λα αγαπάκε θαη λα

πξνζθέξνπκε!. αο παξαθαιώ

δώζηε απιόρεξα απηά ηα Υξηζηνύγελλα ζηνλ έξαλν ηεο Philoptochos γηα ηξόθηκα for the poor (both

Greeks -Americans) θαη παιηά for the Rescue

Mission, κε ηνλ ίδην ηξόπν πνπ απιόρεξα ν

Υξηζηόο καο κάο πξόζθεξε θαη καο δίδαμε κε ηνλ εξρνκό ηνπ ζηε γε.

Νάζηε Καιά όινη θαη λα πεξάζεηε ραξνύκελα

ηηο άγηεο απηέο κέξεο κε ηηο νηθνγέλεηέο ζαο. Merry Christmas and a very happy and healthy new

year!

Days to remember:

December 1, 2013 : Kolyva and Artoklassia for the Community

December 3, 2013 : Brief Meeting at 6:30 p.m.

December 12, 2013: Christmas Dinner (Details will follow)

December 15, 2013 : Loukoumades. The proceeds

are for Greece and Cyprus

December 21-22, 2013: Christmas Bake Sale December 22, 2013: For the Poor and the Needy

(Evergreen Network and others).

GOYA

by Eleni Demestihas, President

W e had a great November

meeting, which was a

Thanksgiving dinner. Thank you to everyone who

cooked and joined us for such a

delicious meal.

Our GOYA dance group is join-

ing our Church in celebrating our 100 year anniversary at the 100

year Gala. It will be a very re-

warding feeling to be involved in

such a milestone event of our church. Thank you to those who

participated.

We are currently working on the

Community Christmas Card and

would like to thank everyone who has supported this project.

We encourage those who have not yet joined GOYA to come

down and join us for our events.

We would love to have you. We

encourage you to bring friends and have them join. Everyone is wel-

come.

Wishing you and your families a

very, Merry Christmas and a happy

and healthy New Year!

DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 11

Athletic

Department

by Chris Danas, Director

A s we celebrate the 100

anniversary, remember the

church and its programs d o n ‘ t

h a p p e n

wi t hout

our vol-u n t e e r s

and pay-

ing it forward.

Beginning with gratitude to

volunteers who make our Athletic league a great experience for

youth, a special thanks to the fol-lowing families that helped on our

gym clean up day: Vlamis, Toth,

Schiller, Gountas, and Danas

families all contributed to the extra cleaning and preparations

needed to get ready for the season.

In addition, a few minor renova-tions were completed with

―Inspire Blue‖ donations. A spe-

cial thank you to Tommy Hallas for installing the new floor in the

snack bar and a few other odds

and ends. One more special

thanks to the Zumba instructors who donated their time to a great

FUNdraiser on 11/1.

As you know, our league has

strong connections to the commu-

nity, and the banner sponsorship program is a great way to adver-

tise local business. If you know someone who is looking to estab-

lish more local visibility for their

business, this is a great win-win,

as the gym is in use 7 days week for volleyball and basketball

teams from all over. Our new uni-

forms for the basketball program are as a result of the generous

sponsors, and we are very appre-

ciative of their support. Contact any member of the athletic com-

mittee for more information.

Our teams have been practic-ing and getting ready for a great

upcoming season. Our game

schedules will be posted on Face Book, as well as gym lobby and

church office. Come out and

watch our Holy Trinity youth teams in action!

Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. ~Calvin Coolidge, 1927

Sunday School

by Eva Vaniotis—Director

S unday school staff with sincere

congratulations for the successful

celebration held in honor of Holy Trinity‘s 100 Year Anniversary.

Teachers are preparing our Sunday school

children to receive the birth of Jesus. Planning for the Christmas Pageant is

underway, and will be held, as planned on Sunday,

December 22nd.

Schedule: Children, Teachers/Aides are requested

to be in Church by 9:45 A.M.

All the children will remain in Church with their teachers.

Please plan for your children to receive Holy

Communion on that day. Children will go to their classrooms for Communion

breakfast.

Children will prepare for the Christmas Pageant.

Program to start around 1:00 P.M. or earlier.

After the program, grades PN through 2nd

grade will return to their classroom for the parents to pick up.

Grades 3 – 10 will be dismissed right after

the program.

Children in grades PN through 6 will

receive Christmas gifts from PTO and will be distributed in their classroom after

Communion.

Our sincere appreciation to PTO for their kind

generosity and support they extend to our children. Their effort in working diligently to raise money

throughout the year is for the welfare of our children.

Many, many thanks to our P T O. Sunday, December 1, 2013: Family Worship-No

School / Thanksgiving

Sunday, December 29, 2013: Family Worship-No School / Christmas

Sunday, January 5, 2014, all the children return to

Sunday school for regular classes.

DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 12

Around the

Parish

by Stella Capiris

C ongratulations to John J. and

Chrysoula Pertesis on the

engagement of their daugh-ter, Maria, to Steve Rountos from Dan-

bury. We wish the couple happy plan-

ning. We also wish to congratulate Ma-ria on receiving her CPA Certificate.

Kai eis anotera.

Belated Happy Birthday greetings to Nikolas and

Petros, twin sons of Father Andreas and Presvytera An-

thoula, as they turned eight years old. They are a joy to

watch with their boundless amount of energy. We wish them good health and many more!

Congratulations to Cindy Waldron upon her recent election to the Fairfield RTM. We wish her good luck in

all her future endeavors in her new political career. Kai

eis anotera.

The annual Wine & Food Tasting event was most

successful - complete with the best Greek Wines and

many assortments of mezedakia and pastries. Many thanks to the Philoptochos, who served as the hostesses,

to all the cooks, to all the bakers, to Tom Hallas, to Kal-

liopi Tsitsipas.

Philoptochos Day was celebrated with Artoclasia in

church, followed by a reception coffee hour. Also, on

that day, the newly elected Philoptochos President, Le-na Protopapas, presented the Church with a check of

$8,887.00 : the proceeds of the Wine & Food Tasting

Event. Many thanks to Philoptochos for their constant support. They are now working on preparing food gift

baskets for the needy and donating new pajamas and

children's books for the needy children.

The AHEPA held its annual Chicken Luncheon, deli-

cious as always, with the proceeds going to benefit the

Chapter's Scholarship Fund.

The Daughters of Penelope cele-brated their Founder's Day by pre-

paring the delicious pastries for the

AHEPA Luncheon. On that day,

they also distributed purple ribbons and materials for "Domestic Vio-

lence" awareness. They are contin-

uing their Winter Drive Collection for adults and children for gloves,

mittens, scarves, hats, socks, small

blankets. Also, they are preparing food baskets for the needy.

Our annual "Meal of Love" lunch-

eon for the needy has been resched-uled to January.

The ministry, Love 1 Another, recently held an in-formative meeting with their guest speaker Dr. Artemis

Morris, a Naturopathic Physician, and continue to have

informative meetings every month.

Contact your individual organization for information

on when they will be holding their individual Christmas

parties.

Once again, our GOYA is sponsoring our annual

Community Christmas Card - $15.00 per family and $25.00 per business/organizations. It is a nice way of

greeting one another while at the same time helping our

GOYAns.

The P.T.O. will once again sponsor Santa's Work-

shop for the children, to be held on Saturday, December

14th. Also, the P.T.O. will sponsor the New Year's Eve celebration.

The Christmas Greek School Program will take place on December 18th, and the Sunday School Christmas

Pageant will take place on December 22nd.

Basketball and volleyball practices have started. For more information, contact Chris Danas.

Our deepest sympathy to the Gerasimopoulos Family on the loss of their beloved daughter Kelly. Our deepest

sympathy to Evangelia Exis on the loss of her sister-in-

law in Greece. May their Memories be Forever Eternal.

It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas when its mighty Founder was a child Himself. ~Charles Dickens

DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 13

Christmas is a time to open our hearts to God and his gifts. Just like the rest of the year.

PTO

by Effie Vlamis, President

H ow fun was it toasting

marshmallows around the fire pit and making

smore‘s treats, while kids and

adults had a chilly, but fun, time at the Smore‘s Under the Stars night.

As always ,we cannot thank you

enough for donating your time and goods towards our Brunch and any

other event that we have had so

far. We love and appreciate your help.

The children of our Greek school, along with their teachers ,

had a mini-celebration showing off

their Greek flags and smiles, and

the 3rd grade received their Greek dictionaries.

Lea Lampadarios and Sylvia will be assembling the Christmas

tree and collecting gifts for the children at St Basil‘s drive. Thank

you for supporting this cause.

The PTO Christmas dinner will be December 12th. Information

will be sent out soon. Please sign

your youngsters up for the Santa‘s Christmas Workshop that Maria

Gountas is coordinating again this

year. Gingerbread houses will be made by the younger children ,

while the older children will bake

bread for the prospect house in

Bridgeport. Year after year, Maria does such a fantastic job

coordinating this fun day.

It‘s that time of year! Our

tsourekia baking is done and we

will be selling them outside of the hall entrance. Always a great gift

for a teacher, postal employee,

etc...and they make a delicious

french toast as well.

Please reserve your tickets and

table for the New Year‘s Dance . There will be live music, so put on

your dancing shoes, and reserve your table. Ticket pre purchase is

preferred, as those will get

preferred seating. Maria Gountas

and Bessy Tsilfides are co-chairing this event.

Thank you to the ladies who coordinated and organized the

Christmas Raffle. As always, these

are lovely gifts for yourselves or for others. ;)

Please look on the PTO board

for details of PTO events, as well as PTO on Face book, and our

PTO email reminders. If you are

still interested in becoming a member ($25 only), it‘s not too

l a t e . We ha v e ex t en d ed

membership, so please see Sophia Hallas. If you have any questions

or ideas, we would love to hear

about them.

Our next meeting, Wednesday,

Dec.11 in YAL room hope to see

you there.

Reflections From

our PTO

On the occasion of our Church’s 100th Anniversary,

our PTO’s board shares their thoughts and memories.

W ith heartfelt sincerity and love, on behalf of the Holy Trinity Parent Teacher

Organization, we would like to thank

past and present Clergy, members of the Church,

members of the various organizations and schools from the onset of Holy Trinity to present for their dream and

aspirations coming to life. Thank you to our

forefathers‘ vision, remarkable courage, hard work, and dedication to create a second home to us and for the

people who have kept and keep our beautiful Church strong and that vision alive still today.

I thought it would be nice to share PTO‘s executive

board members‘ thoughts on what the 100th

anniversary of our beloved church means to them:. ~ Effie Vlamis

E ven though I was baptized and attended Holy

Trinity my entire life, I can honestly say I never felt like I was part of the community. Since my parents

were fairly new immigrants they were not up to speed

at all with all the organizations at Holy Trinity. I never

attended Sunday School, GOYA, or Greek School. I remember going to the festival and watching all the

(Continued on page 14)

DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 14

kids dressed in there traditional Greek costumes

dancing all kinds of dances that I didn‘t know. So I

guess it‘s o surprise that when my children came along I made every effort to involve them and myself in all

the programs that Holy Trinity had to offer. I have

been a Sunday School aide and teacher, PTO vie president and president, and also a Philoptochos

member. My daughter Irene is involved in Greek

School, Sunday School programs, the GOYA, volleyball and the girls sorority club. My son Sami, is

in Sunday School and recently joined the altar boys. I

can‘t tell you how excited he is when it is his week to

serve. He really looks up to his captain, Alexander Hasiotis to guide him. I have had the pleasure of

working with so many wonderful, faithful, loving

people that I no longer feel like an outsider. I truly feel blessed to be a part of the Holy Trinity family.

~Sylvia Bal, Co President

G rowing up, I was involved in every aspect of

my church; from Greek School, Sunday

School, GOYA, Girl Scouts, Basketball, and YAL. There was not a day when we were not down at church

doing something. So, when we moved to Connecticut

I was a little worried about going to a new church where I really didn‘t know anyone. I want my children

to have the same involvement in their new church as I

did in mine, so I made every effort to become involved

in church activities. It didn‘t take long for me to make new friends and become a member of the PTO, where I

have been a board member for the last six years. I am

also the GOYA advisor, and my daughter is the GOYA President. It is the best feeling to see my girls

become as involved as I was when I was younger.

They are building bonds and memories that will last them a lifetime.- Faye Demestihas, Treasurer

I joined Holy Trinity on April 4, 2003, when I converted from the Catholic Faith to the

Orthodox Faith. A month later, I had my wedding

there. Since then, I have baptized my two children, Zoe and Vagelis, and have become a Sunday School

teacher. I joined the PTO shortly after my son was

born, and never looked back. I believe children are our future, and as a parent, we should give them every

opportunity to reach for the stars. Being a past PTO

President and current member, I see all the great

friends that my children have made. These are the friends that will walk with them through life. PTO, to

me, is about the children at all times. Everything that we as a group stand for is our youth and their future.

~Maria Gountas, Corresponding Secretary

I was raised Roman Catholic and attended my

church regularly with my parents, so making the

decision to convert to Christian Orthodoxy was not one that I took lightly. Together with Michael, we made

the decision, prior to marrying, that we would pray and

attend the same church and raise our children in the church he grew up in. We both felt that worshiping as

a family would strengthen our relationship and

commitment to ourselves and to our Lord. I‘ve never

regretted the decision we made. Holy Trinity has become our spiritual home. The parishioners have

become our family and friends and accepted and

welcomed me into the congregation. Our children have gained friends and experiences through this

church that will be remembered and cherished for the

rest of their lives. Through the various projects, they have learned about the importance of volunteering and

helping those less fortunate. Not just in theory, but by

participating and giving of themselves to positively

impact others. I hope that once they go on to college and away from home, they will remember that Holy

Trinity will always be there for them when they return.

~ Christina Hasiotis, Historian

I was baptized and raised at Holy Trinity.

Growing up, I was involved in many groups including GOYA and the dance group. Now, having

children of my own, it‘s nice to see them grow and be

involved in the same groups that I was in! ~ Anna Papanikolaou, Vice President

A s a fairly new member of Holy Trinity, I‘ve

come to find, if you want to be a part of this

wonderful community, all you have to do is show up!

Whether it‘s coming to church on Sundays or being involved in one of the fabulous organizations you will

find an exquisite group of people. I‘ve learned the

more you participate the more you become a part of this wonderful community. I am personally grateful

for all the members who have gone above and beyond

to make me feel welcomed and for the great friendships being built. ~Bessy Tsilfides, Recording

Secretary

(Continued from page 13)

(Continued on page 15)

DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 15

W alking into the church

with my children and

husband sometimes feels so surreal. I was baptized in this

church and also attended the

Sunday School and Greek School programs (sometimes with tears

and complaints). It felt like my

mother‘s mission was for us to get to church on time, look lovely,

and receive a Sunday School pin

upon June graduation, and to

always be obedient and respectful to my teachers and elders. Greek

school homework was always

done , no matter what. I loved dancing in the dance groups,

attempted my chance at volleyball,

was part of GOYA and YAL, was a Sunday School aide for awhile,

and I couldn‘t wait for Miss Eva

to ask me to read the Epistle, and

actually found it fun to be a part of the Oratorical competition. I

remember feeling nervous with

my fellow Greek school classmate girls while dressed in blue and

white going in front of the

congregation to sing the Aspile ,

during the Xeretismoi. But those memories and mixed feelings that

I had as a young girl growing up

in the church is what I share with

great enthusiasm with my children and husband today.

As an adult, I attended church

regularly even while in college and working. I met my husband

at church as well. When my

children reached proper age, I couldn‘t wait to serve as a

member of the PTO, and serving

as a vice president and president

was absolutely awesome for me, I have become a member of the

Daughter‗s of Penelope and am a

part of the athletics group as well. What I find in my church is a

sense of security, love, and

absolute faith. I look forward to creating new friendships and

solidifying old ones. The church

has been a rock for me and my

family to lean, on when faced with difficult circumstances. I can pray

comfortably, and am at peace

when attending services on Sundays. I look forward to

decorating the Epitafio every year

with my daughters and their

friends, I am proud to see my son serve as an altar boy, I am thrilled

to see my daughters stand in front

of the church dressed in white as

mirofores, I love that we as a church participate in the annual

Greek Parade in New York City

and in doing so, have created a proud Greek Orthodox youth. I

love the fact that my children are

participating in various youth events and have established

lifelong friendships with peers that

they have a common bond –

culture and faith. Watching my children helping out, whether at

the French fry station with his

buddies, or performing Greek dancing at the annual festival, I

love the fact that my son is

accepted by everyone at the church, I love the fact that my

family and I are truly a part of the

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox

Church and am very happy to say Happy 100 Years of dedicated

service, love, and everlasting faith

and being there for me. ~Effie Vlamis, Co President

(Continued from page 14)

The "W" in

Chr istmas

L ast December, I vowed to

make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut

back on nonessential obligations - exten-

sive card writing, endless baking, deco-

rating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family mo-

ments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.

My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six year old. For weeks, he'd been

memorizing songs for his school's "Winter Pageant." I

didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the

production. Unwilling to miss

his shining moment, I spoke

with his teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the

morning of the presentation. All

parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come

then. Fortunately, Nicholas

seemed happy with the compromise. So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten

minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat

down. Around the room, I saw several other parents qui-

(Continued on page 16)

Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.

DECEMBER 2013 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 16

It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air. ~W.T. Ellis

H o u s e B l e s s i n g s -

N e w Y e a r 2 0 1 4 December 8, 2013

Dear Parishioners,

We are writing to you regarding the 2014 house bless-

ings.

Father Andreas will do ―House Blessings‖ between

January 6 and January 31, 2014.

If you wish to have your house blessed, please call the

office at 203-374-5561 – Monday thru Friday – from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.

We thank you and wishing you and your family a

blessed and healthy New Year.

Best wishes ,

Father Andreas

Κ α λ ή Χ ρ ο ν ι ά 2 0 1 4 8 Γεθεκβξίνπ 2013

Αγαπεηνί Δλνξίηεο,

Δπινγίεο – Δηξήλε θαη πγεία ζε ζαο θαη ηελ

νηθνγέλεηά ζαο.

αο γξάθνπκε ζρεηηθά κε ηνλ αγηαζκό ησλ ζπηηηώλ

ηνπ λένπ έηνπο 2014.

Ο πάηεξ Αλδξέαο ζα θάλεη ηνπο αγηαζκνύο θέηνο

κεηαμύ 6 Ηαλνπαξίνπ θαη 31 Ηαλνπαξίνπ 2014.

Δάλ ζέιεηε αγηαζκό ζαο παξαθαινύκε ηειεθσλήζηε καο ζην Γξαθείν ηεο Δθθιεζίαο ζην 203-374-5561

κεηαμύ 9:00 πκ θαη 3:00 κκ. Γεπηέξα έσο

Παξαζθεπή.

αο επραξηζηνύκε θαη ζαο επρόκαζηε κε ηελ

νηθνγέλεηά ζαο, θαιή ρξνληά.

Με επρέο,

π. Αλδξέαο

etly scampering to their seats. As I

waited, students were led into the

room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on

the floor. Then, each group, one by

one, rose to perform their song. Because the public school system

had long stopped referring to the

holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun,

commercial entertainment -

songs of reindeer, Santa Claus,

snowflakes and good cheer. So, when my son's class rose to

sing, "Christmas Love," I was

slightly taken aback by its bold title. Nicholas was aglow, as were

all of his classmates, adorned in

fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and

bright snowcaps upon their heads. Those in the front row- center stage

- held up large letters, one by one,

to spell out the title of the song. As

the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up

the letter C. Then, "H is for Hap-

py," and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had present-

ed the complete message,

"Christmas Love." The performance was going

smoothly, until suddenly, we no-

ticed her; a small, quiet, girl in the

front row holding the letter "M" upside down - totally unaware her

letter "M" appeared as a "W". The

audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's mis-

take. But she had no idea they were

laughing at her, so she stood tall,

proudly holding her "W". Alt-hough many teachers tried to shush

the children, the laughter continued

until the last letter was raised, and

we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes

began to widen. In that instant, we

understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holi-

day in the first place, why even in

the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities. For when the last

letter was held high, the message

read loud and clear:

"C H R I S T W A S L O V E"

And, I believe, He still is.

submitted by Vicky Andriotis—

Author Unknown

(Continued from page 15)

Holy Trinity Seniors Chris tmas Luncheon

Sunday, December 15, 2013

1:00 pm

A t STEFFANO’s

525 Tunx is Hil l Cut- of f

Fair f ie ld CT 06828

Choice of: Chicken Parmigiana, Broiled Salmon

or Prime Rib.

Senior Members: $20.00 Non members: $30.00

For Reservations Call: Van Hatzis, 203-268-7231

Reservations Must Be Made No later Than Sunday December 8 ,2013

PHILOPTOCHOS CHRISTMAS OFFERING PLEASE HELP US TO STOCK OUR FOOD

PANTRY AND PREPARE

G IFT B ASKETS FOR THE NEEDY Our pantry is in need of the following items:

Please bring your items to the Church or Contact Kalliope Tsitsipas

for more info: 203.926.0137

Rice Pasta Sauce

Canned Vegetables Olive Oil

Cake or muffin mixes Crackers

Cranberry Sauce Non-dairy Creamer

Peanut Butter & Jelly Pasta

Canned Soup Cookies

Vinegar Canned Sweet Potatoes

Chocolates Coffee/Tea

Canned Fruit Toothpaste/toothbrushes

Shampoo & Soap Men’s Socks

Combs

Please donate your gently used winter coats to benefit the Bridgeport Rescue Mission.

Donations can be left on the stage in the Aegean Hall.

Coat Drive

©2013 Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Bpt. Ct Publishing &Design-Vicky Andriotis-011/15/2013

The Official Monthly Publication of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church 4070 Park Avenue Bridgeport, CT 06604

“Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every Creature.” Mark 16:15

Robert Arvanitis 226-4140 Michael Bouloubasis 336-2116 Stella Capiris 259-7344 Phil Georgas 257-7452 Petros Karayiannis 631-258-3933 A.J. Metsopoulos 292-6418

George Mourizakis 373-0580 Chris Papachristos 380-0566 Pericles C. Rountos 268-7173 Peter Tsimbidaros 334-2578 Scott Vereb 520-2781 Constantine Vlamis 268-5464

Parish Council Newsletter Editor Vicky Andriotis

Newsletter Staff Eleni Limberis

George Mourizakis Father Andreas Vithoulkas

Vicky Andriotis

HISTORIAN & ARCHIVES ROOM S. Capiris 203-259-7344

historian@holytrinitybridgeport.org

HOSPITAL MINISTRY S. Kapetaneas 203-926-1751

JR. CHOIR J.Bogardus 203-736-6501

MAINTENANCE G. Hatzis 203-261-3247

L. Tsouris 203-334-2781

NURSING HOME MINISTRY S. Capiris 203-259-7334

OLYMPIANS (GOYA) F. Papachristos 203-380-0566

P.T.O. S. Bal 203-814-2131

pto@holytrinitybridgeport.org E. Vlamis 203-685-5464

PARISH COUNCIL G. Mourizakis 203-373-0580

parishcouncil@holytrinitybridgeport.org

PHILOPTOCHOS L. Protopapas

philoptochos@holytrinitybridgeport.org

203-929-1582

PUBLICITY COMMITTEE E. Vaniotis 203-374-0013

publicity@holytrinitybridgeport.org

SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE S. Karagiannis 203-820-1975

SENIOR CITIZENS G. Agortsas 203-372-1015

STEWARDSHIP A.J. Metsopoulos 203-292-6418

R. Arvanitis 203-226-4140

Stewardship@holytrinitybridgeport.org

SUNDAY SCHOOL E. Vaniotis 203-374-0013

sundayschool@holytrinitybridgeport.org

INTERNET MINISTRIES-

WEBSITE- FACEBOOK-TWITTER-E-BULLETIN-VISION

V.Andriotis

vicky@holytrinitybridgeport.org

ALTAR DIRECTOR P.Bozikis 917-692-2317

AHEPA J. Bochanis 203-254-7595

AROUND THE PARISH S. Capiris 203-259-7344

aroundtheparish@holytrinitybridgeport.org

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR C. Danas 860-916-3777

athleticprogram@holytrinitybridgeport.org

BOOKSTORE V. Andriotis

vicky@holytrinitybridgeport.org

CANTOR G. Bakes 203-374-8561

CHOIR P. Leask 203-258-9160

choir@holytrinitybridgeport.org

CULTURAL ASSOCIATION V. Hatzis 203-268-7231

culturalassociation@holytrinitybridgeport.org

COUNCIL OF CHURCHES S. Kapetaneas 203-926-1751

DAUGHTERS OF PENELOPE K. Yiannoulis 203-372-6591

daughters@holytrinitybridgeport.org

ECCLESIARCH D. Trigonis 203-374-0725

FORCC E.Vaniotis 203-374-0013

GOYA E. Demestihas 203-380-2923

GREEK SCHOOL E. Limberis 203-371-6305

greekschool@holytrinitybridgeport.org

GREEK SCHOOL DANCE GROUP E.Limberis 203-371-6305

greekschool-

dance@holytrinitybridgeport.org

A. Papanikolaou

Church Office

Eleni Limberis Email: Email@holytrinitybridgeport.org

Office: 203.374.5561 Fax: 203.374.5770 Hours: Monday – Friday: 9:00am – 4:00pm

Sundays after Services: 12:00pm-1:00pm

On the Web -www.holytrinitybridgeport.org Bookstore Online -bookstore.holytrinitybridgeport.org

Shopping– shop.holytrinitybridgeport.org On Facebook—www.facebook.com/holytrinitybridgeport

On Twitter – www.twitter.com/holytrinitybpt

Father Andreas Vithoulkas, Presbyter fatherandreas@holytrinitybridgeport.org

phone: 917-334-4192

Services

Sunday: Orthros 8:30am Sunday School Special Services:

10:00am-10:15am Divine Liturgy,Sermons, Announcements:

9:45am – 11:30am

Ώρες Λειτοσργίας Κσριακής

‘Όρθρος: 8:30 πμ Θεία Λειτοσργία: 9:45 πμ

651 Villa Ave. Fairfield, CT 203-384-8176

www.androsdinerfairfield.com

PETER G. KARAYIANNIS ATTORNEY AT LAW

857 Post Road, #110 Fairfiled, CT 06824

(631)258-3933 PGK@KARAYIANNISLAW.COM

DeJesus Dental Group Cosmetic, Family & Implant Dentistry

Pericles Rountos, D.M.D. General Dentist

T:(203) 372-1220 www.dejesusdental.com F:(203)371-8540 4131 Main St. Bpt, CT

Ticket Sales & Raffle $ 8,885.00

Wine Sales $ 1,143.00

Total Income $ 10,028.00

EXPENSES

Wines $ 1,647.90

Food $ 1,581.61

Signs & Brochures $ 381.00

Paper Goods & Cleaning $ 564.00

Total Expenses $ 4,174.51

$ 5,853.49

Tomlinson’s Restaurant 1400 Noble Ave, Bridgeport

Tel. 335-5296

Nicholas Vlamis Constantinos Vlamis- Owners

Wine Tasting Financial Report—2013

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church 4070 Park Avenue Bridgeport, CT 06604 Address Service Requested