September 1 begins the new ecclesiastical year in the life of the Church! It is the month when many church activities,
programs, and meetings become alive again, including Sunday Church School, HOPE and JOY – and monthly meetings of our Philoptochos sisterhood – which now numbers 196 members! As Fr. Paul also said in his sermon on August 1 – it is a month in which we renew our Orthodox faith through prayer, confession, and fasting. Vespers in honor of the Dormition of the Theotokos was celebrated Saturday evening, August 14. Philoptochos member, Carol Karos, hosted the Lenten coffee hour following the service. On Sunday, August 15, Philoptochos hosted a special luncheon to celebrate the feast day of our church. Approximately 200+ parishioners attended. A delicious chicken buffet luncheon was prepared and served by our own master chef, Charlie Theros, along with his able staff of church friends. Debbie Theros chaired this lovely event. The summer months were not slow ones for Philoptochos as there were many members and volunteers who were busy baking all the glika for the Festival. Many thanks to all who participated in this huge project. It is always a popular part of the Festival and a sell-out! Our first Philoptochos gathering for the 2010-2011 year will be a kick-off dinner meeting on Tuesday, September 28, 6:00 p.m. in the Terrace Room. Chef for Philoptochos the evening is Sandra Anderson who always treats us to a delicious meal. After a short meeting, our own Barbara Vanover will be the speaker giving us a short report on the Philoptochos meetings at the Clergy-Laity Congress in Atlanta, Georgia, in July. The evening will also include prizes for all members. Reservations made to the church office would be appreciated so that we may know approximately how many will be attending. There will also be signup sheets on Sunday, September 19 and 26. Philoptochos has been called the “right arm of the Church.” It supports numerous Church projects, missions, youth activities, philanthropies as well as participating in other community events. St. Mary’s Philoptochos was organized in 1910 by seven women founders and their membership increased to 20 when they worked closely with the American Red Cross during World War I. The Greek Orthodox Ladies’ Philoptochos Society is the official philanthropic organization of the Greek Orthodox Church in the Americas. It was officially established in November of 1931 by the late Ecumenical Patriach Athenagoras I who was at that time the Archbishop of North and South America. The main purpose of Philoptochos is philanthropy and has been a part of the Greek Orthodox tradition since the days of the Byzantine Empire. We are to help save the world from suffering and sin by sharing our material goods as well as our spiritual joy. We are very proud to state that according to membership counts, St. Mary’s Philoptochos is the fifth largest Philoptochos organization in the United States. Bless you all for your support – and God, in turn, blesses us each and every day of our lives!
Lamona Legeros
St. Mary’s Philoptochos President