The St. Athanasius the Great Parish of Arlington Welcomes our new assistant priest Fr. Aaron ...

32 Pages·2012·6.4 MB·English

July & August 2016
The St. Athanasius the Great Parish of Arlington
Welcomes our new assistant priest
Fr. Aaron Walker and his family, to our Community!
4 Appleton Street ■ Arlington, MA 02476 ■ church 781.646.0705
Fr. Kastanas Emergency Voicemail Pager 781.673.2002 ■ fax [phone] ■ www.saint athana sius.org
Office E-Mail Address: [email protected]
Parish Council Officers
“ASKISIS”
Dean Ioakimidis -----------------------------------------President

OFFICIAL Publication of the Saint Athanasius the Great B ill Karras ------------------------------------ 1st Vice President
Greek Orthodox Church Paul Tsitsopoulos ---------------------------- 2nd Vice President
4 Appleton Street, Arlington, MA 02476 S. Nicholas Kriketos ------------------------------------Secretary
Sunday Worship Schedule Maria Tsaousidis -----------------------Associate Secretary #1
Winter: Orthros 8:45 AM Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM Stefanos Bouboulis--------------------------------------Treasurer
Summer: Orthros 8:00 AM Divine Liturgy 9:15 AM Nikitas Splagounias---------------------Associate Treasurer #1

Emmanuel Meimaris------------------- Associate Treasurer #2

Vassilios Pantazopoulos--------------- Associate Treasurer #3
Rev. Fr. Nicholas M. Kastanas

Parish Council Members

Publication is the first of each month. Twelve issues are published David Bowling, Antonios Dakopoulos, George Katsarakes,
yearly. Deadline for notices is the 15th of the prior month. Peter Ladas, Charles Pappas, Eleanor Profis, Ted Speros,
Mark Ypsilantis
Saint Athanasius the Great is a parish under the spiritual and

ecclesial oversight of His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of the
Parish Ministries and Organizations
Metropolis of Boston of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

under the jurisdiction of The Ecumenical Patriarchate of
Altar Boys (Acolytes):-----------------------Fr. Nicholas Kastanas
Constantinople.
Parish Council: Stewardship Chair--------------Maria Tsaousidis

Philoptochos: President-----------------------------Irene Kalogeris
Choir Director:-----------------------------------------Stella Pathiakis
Cantors:---------------------------------Dimitrios Manolakis, Spyros Prois,
The St. Athanasius the Great Greek Orthodox Church in Arlington, Vasilios Meimaris, Dimitrios Loucagos
Massachusetts strives to be a living witness of our Lord and Saviour Sunday School Directors------------------ Ioannis Moutstatsos &
Jesus Christ. Our mission as a Parish is to "Practice Hospitality" Cassandra Chamallas (Associate)
(Romans 12:13), as St. Paul so exhorts...... Thus, it is our rich Sunday School Teachers----Charles Chamallas, Pat Magoufis, Loula
blessing to strive and bring the Light of Christ to all of God's people, Boretos, Despina Bouboulis, Eleni Terzakis, Marianna Terzakis, Popi
through Orthodox Christian tradition, education, and philanthropy.
Moustakas, Eleftheria Horiatis, Alex Athanasiou, Mary Kandaras,
We seek to serve the spiritual needs of our faithful parishioners
Ioannis Moutsatsos, Harry Kandaras, Maria Anamateros, Valerie
through the sacramental life of the Church. By means of outreach
Relias, Mary Tsihlis, Cassandra Chamallas, Demi Tsitsopoulos, Nick
and faith in God, we continue our growth as a living Church by
Pantazopoulos, Philip Halikias, Katerina Ioakimidis, George Makredes,
inviting others into the Orthodox faith through Baptism and/or
Annalise Paganis
Chrismation, and educating them through the establishment of our
Greek School Director-------------------Fr. Nicholas M. Kastanas
Christian ministries, programs, schools, and philanthropic activities.
Greek School Teachers --- Popi Moustakas, Vaia Palla-Siarkos, Eleni
Kosmidis, Evi Sotiropoulos

Church Directory Little Halos Day School Director------------Kaiti Galanopoulos
Parish Office Summer Hours: Little Halos Day School Teachers-------Argiro Nikoletos, Eleni Malliou-
Monday - Friday: 9:00 A.M. – 2:00 P.M. Trihakis, Despina Bouboulis, Alexandra Gerouki, Vaia Palla-Siarkos,
Evi Sotiropoulos, Nektaria Boustris, Ronni Olitsky, Stelios Karaminas,
Voula Manousos

Little Halos Day School Parent/Teacher Consultant-----------Dr.
Parish Administrative Assistant …... Stella Kazantzas
Anastasia Galanopoulos
Parish Office……..................................781-646-0705
Greek School PTO---Doxy Stefanidis, Betty Dakopoulos, Tanya
Fax:........................................................781-641-4700
Stamoulis, Tina Christodouleas
[email protected] G.O.Y.A.: President-------------------------------Demi Tsitsopoulos
J.O.Y. & H.O.P.E: --------------------Athina Reisopoulos & Sophia Loyack
Website:................................www.saintathanasius.org Young Adults---------------------------------------Dimitrios Loucagos
Fifties Plus: Committee-------------------------------Tina Caramanis,
Fr. Nick Kastanas (Emergency Pager).781-673-2002
Aphrodite Darris, Katina Ioakimidis, Irene Paleologos, Dorothy
Metropolis of Boston...........................617-277-4742
Zevitas, Katherine Zevitas, Crystal Roussos, Elaine Dalaklis
Metropolis Website..............www.boston.goarch.org
Pine Street Inn---Randy Fassas, Merope Kapetanakis, Irene Paleologos
Archdiocese Website........................www.goarch.org
Gardening Ministry ----------------------------- S. Nicholas Kriketos
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June 29, 2016

The Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul

Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord!
(Psalm 118 {Septuagint 117} verse 26)

Dearest Faithful Parishioners,

It is a rich blessing for us to welcome Father Aaron Walker and his beautiful family, Presvytera
Amelia and their sweet children Lukas, Genevieve, Maria, and Nektarios to our Parish family as
our Assistant Priest, commencing on August First, 2016, with the blessing of Metropolitan
Methodios, who has assigned Father Aaron to our Community.

This new chapter in the 52 year history of our Arlington Church solidifies the holy perspective of
God's Providence guiding the footsteps of HIS Church.
Glory to God in and for all things!

“Great are You O Lord and Wonderful are Your Works, and no words will suffice to Hymn Your
Wonders!” (Psalm 92:5)

As we ask for the blessing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, let us move forward as a family
of God, united in one mind, and in one body to celebrate the pastorate of Father Aaron's
priesthood. Let us work together with him, inspired by God's Grace to continue moving forward
with the Lord's Peace and Perseverance.

“So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
(Romans 12:5)

Let us always be grateful to the Lord for his bountiful blessings remembering that it is love that
conquers all...

“Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful;
it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends...”Make love your aim (1 Corinthians 13:5-9, 14:1)

With Christ's agape,

Father Nicholas M. Kastanas Constandinos Ioakimidis
Parish Priest President of the Parish Council

Fr. Nicholas M. Kastanas – Parish Priest
Parish Office: 781-646-0705 | Fax: [phone] | Fr. Nick Voicemail: 781-673-2002
email: [email protected] | web: www.saintathanasius.org | Fr. Nick email: [email protected]
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<<Ἡ ἀγάπη μακροθυμεῖ, χρηστεύεται ἡ ἀγάπη, οὐ ζηλοῖ, ἡ ἀγάπη οὐ περπερεύεται, οὐ
φυσιοῦται, οὐκ ἀσχημονεῖ, οὐ ζητεῖ τὰ ἑαυτῆς, οὐ παροξύνεται, οὐ λογίζεται τὸ κακόν,
οὐ χαίρει ἐπὶ τῇ ἀδικίᾳ, συνχαίρει δὲ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ· πάντα στέγει, πάντα πιστεύει, πάντα
ἐλπίζει, πάντα ὑπομένει.>> 
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Fr. Nicholas M. Kastanas – Parish Priest
Parish Office: 781-646-0705 | Fax: [phone] | Fr. Nick Voicemail: 781-673-2002
email: [email protected] | web: www.saintathanasius.org | Fr. Nick email: [email protected]
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Warmest Greetings in the Lord Jesus Christ to the Whole
St. Athanasius Church Family!

What a blessing to be welcomed as the assistant priest of
St. Athanasius. With the blessing of His Eminence
Metropolitan Methodios we are joined together to serve the
Lord as members of Christ’s very Body the Holy
Orthodox Church Η Αγία Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία. This is a
joyful privilege and serious responsibility.

As we read in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus encountered Peter and his brother
Andrew while they we were about their daily work, “...casting a net into the
sea, for they were fishermen.” Like the first Apostles, we all have
opportunities to encounter Christ in our daily lives, as we exercise the
talents and gifts he has given us professionally, socially, and in our
families. As we learn to use these gifts to glorify Him, He takes our gifts to
another level. Follow me, He says, and I will make you fishers of men
(Matthew 4:19). They were simple fishermen, but God had further plans
for them: to become His messengers, to experience and share His love and
grace with the rest of the world.

It all began with these humble fishermen trusting God, offering what they
had, and following Christ. Likewise, my family and I look forward to
offering what we have been given in service to the community of St.
Athanasius. Pres. Amelia has been a certified nurse midwife at
Massachusetts General Hospital for ten years and is a wonderful mommy
for our four children, Lukas, Genevieve, Maria, and Nektarios. I have
experience serving in the altar and working with the youth, as a lay person
in the Greek Orthodox Church. Prior to seminary I worked in construction,
both in the field as a residential carpenter, and as a commercial
construction project manager and estimator. After seminary I taught high
school, as well as teaching literacy and math to kindergarteners. Now, for
more than five years I have been a hospice chaplain, doing pastoral
visitation and grief counseling for hospice patients and their families. I was
ordained to the priesthood on November 9, 2016, on the feast of St.
Nectarios, at St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church in Roslindale, which
has been our parish home for the last six years.

I ask your prayers that I may honorably assist Fr. Nick as we strive to
answer Christ’s invitation, to follow Him and lead people to His Kingdom.
May we all follow Christ with everything that we have been given, as
individuals and families and as a parish! I am looking forward to serving
each and every one of you and getting to know you as God blesses, in the
months and years to come.

Yours Faithfully in Christ,
+Fr. Aaron
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Catechetical Sunday School News
Summer has arrived and apparently this year, the summer solstice on June 20th
coincided with a full moon rise (strawberry moon). This rare astronomical event was
celebrated across the world as many turned their eyes towards the summer skies to
observe it. I hope you have a chance to celebrate many rare and beautiful moments with
your children over the next couple of months as you relax and enjoy the summer holidays.
I still remember climbing on the flat roof of my house on the island of Chios at night, lying
on my back and enjoying a spectacular celestial show of the many falling stars during the
months of July and August.

This was probably the same
amazement that led King David
to write the magnificent 104th
Psalm which we read at each
vesper service, “O Lord, how
manifold are Your works! In
wisdom You have made them
all.” Now it is our turn to enjoy
the quietness of nature (even in
our backyards) and look at the
moon, the stars, the sea, the
rivers, the mountains and the
beautiful sandy beaches. Let us
allow our hearts to discover the
wonders of our Creator. Let us
give Him glory for creating a
beautiful world out of His love for
humankind so that we may enjoy,
refresh and gladden our hearts
every day of our lives.

Icon Credit: Monastery of St. John, Makrinos, Greece
Catechetical Sunday School will resume on Sunday September 18th, the first Sunday
after the Elevation of the Holy Cross. Online registration is at:
http://tinyurl.com/cssreg2017.
Till then, on behalf of our entire teaching staff, I wish you a safe, relaxing and spiritual
time whether you visit the beach, the mountains or just the back yard!
Dear GOYAns!
We would like to start off by thanking everyone who helped at our annual Greek Festival! It was a huge success and
we are very fortunate to have such a wonderful community.
This month we went to Six Flags! Over 25 GOYAns attended and we had lots of fun. Thank you to the chaperones!
We also had an end-of-the-year pool party/ slip and slide party! Thank you to the Delegas family for hosting!
This has been a wonderful year and such a great experience. We were fortunate enough to gain so many new
members. We truly bonded as a GOYA through numerous events such as our Blacklight Dance, Ski Trip, Philoxenia
House Visit, Spy Pond Cleanup, Lock-In, Bowling, Movies, and so much more. We would like to thank all of our
advisors for the tremendous help. We could not have gone through this year without you!
Reminder that GOYA elections take place in September on the first day of Sunday School. You MUST be present to
run for an officer position.
Have a nice summer and until next year,
Mary Kandaras
GOYA Secretary
GOYA End of Year Trip to Six Flags

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Philoptochos News

Festival 2016

Congratulations to all of you who helped in making this year’s festival a huge success!

It truly takes a large family to accomplish all that you did. From the organizing to the

purchasing of the ingredients, to the preparation leading up to the cooking workshops, and

then ultimately coming together as one loving family to prepare the pastry/pita of the day.

Wow!! You did it!!

May we all be blessed to do it all again next year!

To date the Philoptochos has met all of our
National and Metropolis obligations.

Recently donated: $300 to the St. Athanasius Homeless and Needy Fund
(Note that this donation is made 3 times each year)
$25 to the 75th Anniversary Founders Fund (National obligation)
$25 to the Orthodox Christian Fellowship (National obligation)
$675 to the Philoxenia House (Metropolis obligation)
$375 membership dues to the Metropolis of Boston
$1,125 membership dues to National (75 philoptochos members)

Thank you for supporting the Philoptochos. Together we are able to reach out and help
many individuals with a multitude of different needs.

We wish all of you a healthy and fun filled summer!
Please consider joining us for next
Philoptochos General Assembly in September.
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An Update on the Iconography & Beautification Project for our Parish
June 30, 2016

Members of the Iconography committee are:
Rev. Father Nicholas Kastanas, Nick Meimaris, Paul Athanasiadis, Kim Edmonds, Dean
Ioakimidis, Costa Kapetanakis, Eleanor Profis, Paul Tsitsopoulos, George Delyannis, Billy
Tsiaras.
Committee Chairman Nick Meimaris, has presented the committee with the iconography
samples he received from the following iconographers:
1. George Papastamatiou
2. George Kordis
3. Efhimios Stoja
4. Elias Damianakis
5. Dimitrios Mourlas
Each member of the committee has been reviewing the materials which have been received.
The committee will begin scheduling interviews with the five iconographers in
consideration throughout the summer. During that time, the committee will also schedule
special field trips for parishioners, that will take them to locations that display works of
some of these iconographers.
The committee also intends to display the iconography samples provided by each candidate
in the church social hall, the church website and other social media outlets. This will give
the General Assembly and parishioners the opportunity to provide commentary by
answering a survey that will be provided.
Following the committee’s interview of the five iconographers, we will reduce consideration
to three iconographers
When the top three iconographers are selected by the committee, Nick Meimaris, Dean
Ioakimidis and Father Kastanas will go and present the list of those three iconographers to
the Metropolis for protocol approval and blessing. Upon receiving approval of the three
iconographers, the committee intends to meet with the parish council and discuss these
final candidates. We will then announce at the Fall General Assembly our progress, and a
date for a special Iconography meeting where we will announce the final Iconographer
chosen and the process to get phase one started by 2017.

Regards,
Nick Meimaris

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