ISSUE

47
FEB-MAR
2015

Monthly Newsletter for

Stewards of
Holy Anargyroi
Sts. Kosmas & Damianos
Greek Orthodox Church

Box & Spoon

2015 Standing
Committees
PARISH COUNCIL
Aaron Biedermann-President
Halina Woroncow-Vice Pres.
Tim Kelly
Angie Rustad
Don Jenkins
Erline Holman
Robert Lytle
Jacob Petersen Treasurer
Ben Johnson
STEWARDSHIP /
OUTREACH
John Maragos Chair
Halina Woroncow
Ari Kolas
Andy Franquiera
ICONOGRAPHY
Fr. Mark Muoz
BUILDING
Tim Kelly- Chair
Ari Kolas
BUDGET
Jacob Petersen
Fr. Mark Muoz
AUDIT
Jacob Peterson
Amy Franquiera
John Maragos
PHILOXENIA HOUSE
Brad Holman Chair
ST, PHILOTHEI
Trevor Hamlen Chaiir
GREEK FESTIVAL
Chair
John Mangouras-coordinator
Denise Mangouras-coordinator

Why do I need to confess to a PRIEST?!

Great Lent is now upon us. It is a time for
what Fr. Alexander Schmemann (of blessed
memory) called bright sadness. It is a
time, above all, for reflection and
movement back to God. Sin, in literal
translation, means missing the mark. Not

denied not because it is bad, but because we

only need a little. Food is restored to its
proper place. Prayer, both personal and
corporate, is also important during the
Lenten season. Hunger that grows with our
fast should be transformed by prayer into a

being where we should be. Where we

should be, but are not, is in communion
with God. So, for practical purposes, sin is
separation from God. And, by definition,
separation from God is deathbecause life
can only exist where God is present. Great
Lent is the time when we try to reverse the
effects of sin in our lives. We are, since sin
came into the world with the very first
person created by God, consumers, filling
ourselves
with
everything.
Food,
possessions, material wealth, sexual
adventures, various and sundry substances
(not just drugs, but alcohol, etc.) all become
simply ways to satisfy our urges. During
Great Lent, we fast in order to restore the
proper understanding and balance between
our desires and the basic necessities that
God provides for our nurture. Food is

hunger not for food, but for God Himself,

who is the Bread of Life and the Fountain of
Holiness. Fasting without prayer is like the
man who had the unclean spirit and cleaned
it out, but left his heart empty, so seven
spirits even MORE unclean than the first
possessed him. But the most personal and
difficult aspect of our effort is the journey to
the Sacrament of Confession. Confession of
our sins is basic and necessary. But
Confession in Orthodox Tradition has
always been face-to-face a hard journey!
Many people outside our faith wonder why
we simply do not confess our sins in private
to God. The answer is very simple God
already knows about our sins. Confession
is a gift from God that allows us to not only
confess our sins, but to receive the assurance
of Gods forgiveness and the spiritual

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you...

~ Matthew 6:14~

guidance that we need to help us overcome these sins. Confession is a three-step process. First, we must recognize
our sins. As we get holier, we see better and better how truly awful our life is, how truly estranged we are from God.
Second, we must truly be sorry for the sins, and one of the true tests of our sorrow is the ability to confess those sins to
another human being. We can be so prideful that we refuse to confess our sins because we are worried about what
someone else might think about us. Finally, once our pride is defeated and the sin confessed, we must try to repent,
overcome the sin and live a truly sinless life. Of course, the effort is in the struggle, since we cannot actually avoid
acts of sin.
But why should we confess to the priest?
Sin is, as we have said, separation.
First of all, sin separates us from God. Sin keeps us from being who God intends us to be. The communion with
God that was given on the first day of creation is fractured by sin, and eternal life can only be granted when that
fracture is healed. Confession to the priest overcomes and heals this because the priest is the sacramental presence of
Christ in the Church. When someone confesses to the priest, he is confessing to God Himself, thereby healing the
fracture which has occurred when someone sins. Our proper and intended relationship with God is restored when we
confess to the priest. Sin separates us from the Church. When we raise the consecrated bread of the paten just
before Communion, the priest says Holy things for the holy. No one is sinless when they receive the Holy Gifts,
but when we progress beyond the daily sins or accumulate so many of them that our soul is burdened, we must
confess them to restore our relationship with the Church. Our communion with the Church is fractured by sin, and
healing can only take place when we bring our sin to the Head of the Church who is Christ. The priest is the
sacramental presence of Christ in the Church, and to restore unity with the Church, we confess to him. Sin separates
us from each other. Nowhere is the lack of communion between us and God that happens because of sin shown
better than in how estranged we are from each other. Sin destroys my relationship with the other, and Christ Himself
says that we can only know and love God when we know and love each other. So many of our sins are selfish,
denying not ourselves, but the other. We must confess our sins and repent of them to restore our relationship with the
other. In the early Church that was very simply done you stood up in the midst of the church community and
confessed your sin, thereby healing that relationship with others. When problems with that system arose, the priest
began to stand in the place of the community. So we also confess our sins to the priest because he is a man, created
and fallible just like everyone else standing in the place of everyone else. When these three healings take place
between me and God, between me and the Church, between me and everyone else then true healing begins, with
the long struggle to overcome our sins and..be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect. -by Fr. John Dresko
Are you a sinner? Do not become discouraged, and come to Church to put forward repentance. Have you sinned?
Then tell God, I have sinned. What manner of toil is this, what prescribed course of life, what affliction? What
manner of difficulty is it to make one statement, I have sinned? Perhaps if you do not call yourself a sinner, you
do not have the devil as an accuser? Anticipate this and snatch the honor away from him, because it is his purpose
to accuse. Therefore, why do you not prevent him, and why do you not tell your sin and wipe it out, since you know
that you have such an accuser who cannot remain silent? Have you sinned? Come to Church. Tell God, I have
sinned. I do not demand anything else of you than this. Holy Scripture states, Be the first one to tell of your
transgressions, so you may be justified. Admit the sin to annul it. This requires neither labor nor a circuit of
words, nor monetary expenditure, nor anything else whatsoever such as these. Say one word, think carefully about
the sin and say, I have sinned.' -St. John Chrysostom

Lord, save Your people and bless Your inheritance, granting victory to our rulers, and protecting Your commonwealth by Your Cross March 15

Calendar for March 2015

Saturday

Feb. 21st

Sunday

Feb. 22nd

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday

Feb. 23rd
Feb. 24th
Feb. 25th
Feb. 26th
Feb. 27th
Feb. 28th

Sunday

March 1st

Monday

March 2nd

Wednesday March 4th

Friday
Saturday
Sunday

March 6th
March 7th
March 8th

Monday

March 9th

Wednesday
Friday
Sunday
Monday
Wednesday

March 11th
March 13th
March 15th
March 16th
March 18th

Friday

March 20th

Sunday
Sunday
Monday
Wednesday

March 22nd
March 22nd
March 23rd
March 25th

Thursday
Friday
Sunday
Wednesday
Friday
Saturday

March 26th
March 27th
March 29th
April 1st
April 3rd
April 4th

2nd Saturday of Souls

Orthros/Divine Liturgy
Cheesefare Sunday Luncheon following Divine Liturgy
Forgivness Vespers (Beginning of Great Lent)
CLEAN MONDAY- Great Compline Service
Great Compline
Presanctified Liturgy & Lenten Potluck
Great Compline
Akathist Hymn
3rd Saturday of Souls
Orthros/Divine Liturgy/Memorial Service (please bring Kolyva)
1st Sunday of Lent: Sunday of Orthodoxy
St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival
Great Compline
Orthodoxy 101 Class after Compline Service
Presanctified Liturgy & Lenten Potluck
Philoxenia Meeting after Presanctified Liturgy
Akathist Hymn
GOYA Faith Night
2nd Sunday of Lent: St. Gregory Palamas
Youth Wide Ice-Skating Outing
****Daylight Savings begins****
Great Compline
Mental Illness & Spiritual Healing Class after Compline Service
Presanctified Liturgy & Lenten Potluck
Akathist Hymn
3rd Sunday of Lent: Veneration of the Holy Cross
Great Compline
Presanctified Liturgy & Lenten Potluck
Parish Council Meeting after Presanctified
Akathist Hymn
GOYA Overnight Lenten Lock-in
4th Sunday of Lent: St. John of the Ladder
AHEPA sponsored Annunciation luncheon after liturgy
Great Compline
Annunciation of the Holy Theotokos
Orthros/Divine Liturgy (fish & wine allowed)
Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete
Final Akathist Hymn
5th Sunday of Lent: St. Mary of Egypt
Presanctified Liturgy & Lenten Potluck
Presanctified Liturgy
Saturday of Lazarus
Orthros/Divine Liturgy

8:30am

6pm
6pm
6pm
6pm
6pm
6pm
8:30am
8:30am
6pm
7pm
6pm
6pm
7pm
1-3pm
6pm
6pm
6pm
6pm
6pm
6pm

6pm
8:30am
6pm
6pm
6pm
**9am**
8:30am

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you...

~ Matthew 6:14~

Parish Council
The start of the New Year brings new and exciting times for our Parish. I would like to thank Andru Peters and Maria
Thomas for their time served on the Parish Council through last year. Maria continues to serve our Parish in many
capacities and Andru leaves very large shoes to fill with his zest and tenacity as Assembly and Parish Council
Secretary. In addition, Andru has provided a solid adherence to our Uniform Parish Regulations as well as cleaned up
countless documents for our parish.
We welcome some new members to our team, Angie Rustad and Ben Johnson. Angie provides a wealth of experience
from her previous service to our parish, many other community boards, and her professional experience in banking.
Ben brings new blood to the council, previous council experience, and a keen business sense. Thank you both for our
commitment to serve our Parish community.
The most significant update is regarding our construction plans. We are in the final stages of approval with the
Planning Commission and the City Council in March. We have networked and incorporated feedback from the
Kutzky Park Neighborhood Association and are awaiting final construction agreements. The reality of this project is
gaining traction. We will be hosting a Special Assembly in the next 1-2 months following final City Council approval.
This assembly will be the final approval for the proposed plans and budget with the hope to break ground late spring.
Please review the building plans posted in the Fellowship Hall and ask questions to any member of the Building
Committee or Parish Council. I would also like to extend a special thank you to Tim Kelly for heading up this project
on behalf of the Building Committee and Parish Council.
As we embark on this momentous addition to our church, it will come with some growing pains. We ask for your
flexibility in how we host our Fellowship after liturgy. We will instill some creativity in lesson plans, timelines, and
scheduling for our youth education. Additionally, we will have some challenges with this years Greek Festival.
Despite these challenges, we have many driven, intelligent, and flexible parishioners and volunteers. Together, we will
ensure that we grow even more from this experience and treasure the spiritual reward of education and fellowship for
years to come.
In Christ,
Aaron Biedermann - Parish Council President

Philoxenia House
This month I have only one item to share about the Philoxenia House Ministry News. The Metropolis of Chicago held
their annual Basketball Tournament in Milwaukee the weekend of February 14th. The Philoxenia House Ministry will
be receiving a portion of the proceeds from the tournament. We want to take this opportunity to thank the players,
Presbytera Michelle, Calli Kelly and Johnny Mangouras for making the long trip. Johnny, who has so little free time
because of his business, actually drove all the way to Milwaukee that Saturday afternoon and gave a Philoxenia House
Ministry talk at the evening dinner. Immediately after his speech, he turned around and drove home arriving very
early Sunday morning. Thank you Johnny for taking the time to do this.
Otherwise, the Philoxenia Houses have been very busy the first few months of
the year. Last month both houses were consistently occupied except when one of
the apartments was vacant for approximately 3 days which allowed us to give it a
good cleaning before our next guest arrived. Our ministry continues to serve.
Thank you everyone for your prayers and support.
Sincerely in Christ,
Bradley Holman
President

Lord, save Your people and bless Your inheritance, granting victory to our rulers, and protecting Your commonwealth by Your Cross March 15

Youth Team
This year promises to bring much change and infinite gratitude as we anticipate the groundbreaking for our new
educational center and fellowship hall. Our teachers are excitedly anticipating our new classroom space in which to
serve the children of our parish. Our parish is continually blessed with amazing opportunities to grow in love and in
spirit. Glory be to God!
We are more than half way through the church school year already! In addition, Faith Nights continue. In January,
GOYAs topic was Integrity, with a reflection on Joseph of the Old Testament, who endured many trials that tested
his faith yet never lost hope and maintained his integrity as a God-fearing man. Likewise, God uses real life
circumstances in our lives, sometimes difficult to endure, to cultivate patience and strength, molding us into a better
likeness of the image in which we were created, to bring us closer to Him. The lesson remains pertinent throughout the
generations. In February, we reflected on the Jesus Prayer and how we in the world might practically apply to our
lives St. Pauls exhortation to pray without ceasing. An excellent segue to the start of Lent. We can turn to and
recognize the presence of God in moments of joy, uncertainty, sadness, fear. We can recognize the presence of God in
each other and in the beauty of the world. We can talk to God at any time. We can pray without ceasing.
Next up: Save the dates for the GOYA Faith Night on March 8th after Presanctified Liturgy and the Lenten Lock-In
on March 20-21! We are hopeful GOYAns can help with readings throughout the Lenten season. JOY will help with
Akathist readings on February 27th.
We are thrilled to announce that Theoni Kolas one of our GOYA officers WON the nationwide GOA Youth
Orthodoxy in Motion video contest! Theonis entry, Faith Brings Us Strength, can be viewed here:
http://goo.gl/eG0ZaI
We recognize and appreciate the courage and conviction Theoni showed in putting forth this effort. Way to go,
Theoni!
Old Man Winter cooperated this year and GOYA was able to enjoy a fast-moving, broom-shattering set of matches in
Broomball!! No player injuries, thank goodness! We appreciated the warm hospitality of the Kolas Family afterwards.
Hot chocolate never tasted so good!

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you...

~ Matthew 6:14~

Youth Team
~ continued ~
Holy Anargyroi youth once again participate in the Metropolis Basketball Tournament which, this year, was hosted
by Sts. Constantine and Helen in Wauwatosa, WI. Maria, Christina, and Stephania Kelly and Gabe, Nina, and
Sebastian Munoz joined forces with the St. George JOY and GOYA teams as we have in the past. The JOY team took
Second Place for the second year in a row! Many thanks to St. George for welcoming our children so warmly for this
fun event and to our children for representing our parish.

We will hold our St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival on the celebration of the Triumph of Orthodoxy
Orthodoxy Sunday as has been our tradition the last few years. Many thanks to Amy Franqueira for taking over the
reins for this event this year. This is a wonderful opportunity for our children to research, reflect upon, and express
their faith. And a great way to gain experience in public speaking before a loving audience. This year, each Senior
and Junior division first, second, and third place finalist in each category (Oratory, Poetry, and Essay) at the parish
level of competition is eligible to receive a Chrysostom Scholarship to Hellenic College. What an amazing award!
Please encourage your students to register with Amy and participate. And please come out to Coffee Hour on March
1st to acknowledge our students efforts and courage in this endeavor.
Forgiveness Vespers will soon usher in Great Lent. We will again exclaim: Forgive me the sinner! We pray that we
may greet the Fast with a clean, loving, repentant heart. From the Vespers service: Let us cheerfully begin the
season of Lent, and undergo the spiritual struggles. Let us purify and cleanse our souls and bodiesthen be counted
worthy to see the solemn Passion of Christ our God, and to celebrate holy Pascha with spiritual joy.
We wish all a blessed, peaceful, spiritually fruitful Great Lent.
In Christ,
Your Youth Team
Loredana Jerguita, Mike Brekke, Halina Woroncow

Do we forgive our neighbors their trespasses? God also forgives us in His mercy. Do we refuse
to forgive? God, too, will refuse to forgive us. As we treat our neighbors, so also does God treat
us. The forgiveness, then, of your sins or unforgiveness, and hence also your salvation or
destruction, depend on you yourself, man. For without forgiveness of sins there is no salvation.
St. Tikhon of Zadonsk - 18th century

Lord, save Your people and bless Your inheritance, granting victory to our rulers, and protecting Your commonwealth by Your Cross March 15

St. Philothei
Once a month, a group of parishioners gather in the church kitchen, under the
guidance of Trevor Hamlen, to prepare the weekend meals for the Rochester
Womens Shelter. In an one and a half hours we prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner
for the shelter. We meet the third Thursday at 6pm and
everyone is welcome to join us. The project cost $200 each
month to operate and is supported by parishioners donations.
To donate, designate your check to Holy Anargyroi with St
Philothei Project written in the corner. Thank you!

Philoptochos Society
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We are collecting dues for the 2015 year; if you haven't already, please consider paying dues or making a donation of
$21 or more. Loredana Jerghiuta is our Treasurer. Thank you!
Our next meeting is on Tuesday, March 3rd at 6pm in the church library. The January and February meetings were
held during some rough winter weather and a few hardy souls showed up for both meetings. The resilience of the
Philoptochos woman is always awe inspiring for me! Hopefully Marchs meeting will be with warmer temps with no
ice and snow.
Recent proceeds are:
$2, 121 for the Holiday Bake Sale. This money goes right into our budget to give away to our many international,
national, regional and local charities. Thank you to Penny Kolas and Maria Thomas for overseeing the Bake Sale and
to Connie Maragos for suggesting we sell our Bake Sale items during the Christmas Pageant.
$300 in tray passing for St Basil Academy in January. Thank you to all the parishioners who donated towards this.
$625 for the St. Philothei Project from our spaghetti dinner fundraiser in January. Thank you to Maria Thomas, Maria
Pasalis and Koula Magaritsidis for the donation of the cost of the food so all proceeds can go to the St Philothei
Project. Also a very special thank you to Connie and Gordy Hoke for their $1,000 to St Philothei! Thank you all!
This Sunday the 22nd is our Cheesefare Luncheon for Hellenic College/Holy
Cross School of Theology. Thank you to Angie Rustad who has donated the
cost of the food in honor of her father, Konstantinos, and her uncle, Argirios so
all proceeds from the luncheon can be sent directly to the college. May
Konstantinos and Argirios memory be eternal.
(left to right in the photo) Jackie Barbes, Angie Rustad, Penny Kolas, Mando
Katselis and Denise Mangouras working the Philoptochos Enrollment Sunday
spaghetti dinner fundraiser for the St Philothei Project.
With sisterly love in Christ+
Calli Kelly
Philoptochos President

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you...

~ Matthew 6:14~

Outreach: Ethnic Potluck

Lord, save Your people and bless Your inheritance, granting victory to our rulers, and protecting Your commonwealth by Your Cross March 15