Ss. Nicholas, Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church 80 Laurel Ave Roseland, NJ 07068 Tel: (973) 251-2920

Fax: (973) 251-2921

May/June 2015

Holy Pentecost

Table of Contents Sacraments……………………………………………………………………………………………… 3 Calendars……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4-5 Father Thomas Hopko’s 55 Maxims for Christian Living…………………………………………… 6 Parish Council News & Palm Sunday Luncheon & Advertise in the Cross…………………………… 7 Motorcycle Flyer……………………………………………………………………………………… 8 Kenya Presentation Flyer……………………………………………………………………………….. 9 Save the Date!........................................................................................................................................... 10 Welcome New Stewards & Festival Announcement………………………………………………… 11 Festival Flyer…………………………………………………………………………………………… 12 Festival Donation Letter……………………………………………………………………………… 13 Festival Sponsorship Letter…………………………………………………………………………….. 14 Festival Sponsorship Contract………………………………………………………………………….. 15 Financials……………………………………………………………………………………………… 16 Car Raffle & Religious Education News……………………………………………………………….. 17 G.O.Y.A. News…………………………………………………………………………………………. 18-19 Greek School News…………………………………………………………………………………….. 20 Our Graduating Seniors………………………………………………………………………………… 21-22 Philoptochos News…………………………………………………………………………………… 23-24 Choir, Knit & Stitch, & Senior’s Club News………………………………………………………… 25 Our Sponsors…………………………………………………………………………………………… 26 AHEPA & Daughter of Penelope News……………………………………………………………… 27

Information Office Staff Helen Janulis Gerry Dendrinos Edlin Nicasio Aldo Tapia

Parish Administration

Secretary Facility Manager Office Accountant Caretaker

Priest Information Presiding Priest: Email: Phone:

V. Rev. Archimandrite Seraphim [email protected] (757) 375 4382

Contact Information Mailing Address: Phone: Fax: Website:

80 Laurel Ave Roseland, NJ 07068 (973) 251-2920 (973) 251-2921 www.greekchrchroseland.org

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Pantelis Athanasiou Vasiliki Fotinis George Papadoupoulos E. James Vardakis Ted Georgousis

Parish Council Bookstore Chantor Choir G.O.Y.A

Rita Fitanidis Stella Thomopoulos Loula Stathakis Eleni Michaels

Greek School Greek School PTO Knit and Stitch Philoptochos

Victoria Kantanas Gus Theodos Peter Vardakis Marion Economo

Religious Education Senior’s Club AHEPA Daughters of Penelope

Sacraments Baptisms On February 8th.

The daughter of Joseph and Deborah Buldo was baptized and was named Evangelia; sponsor was Efthymia Standler.

On February 15th.

The son of Frank and Antonia DiPasquale was baptized and was named Christopher; sponsor was Alexandra Ruggiero.

On March 1st.

The daughter of James and Sophia David was baptized and was named Alexa; sponsor was Gianna Lionas.

Funerals Our condolences to the families and may the Lord grant rest to the souls of them who fallen-asleep. May their memory be eternal!

On February 8th.

Theophilos James Gionis. Beloved husband of Deborah Gionis, Son of Angeliki Gionis, brother of Michael and Christopher Gionis.

On February 21st.

Vasilios Tsapanides, (Bill Maxwell). Beloved father of Maria Maxwell and Victoria MaxwellSpinazzola.

On February 27th.

James Viris. Beloved husband of Angela (Kiki) Viris and father of Georgia Layden and Emily Papadopoulos.

On February 27th.

Mary Jovanis.

Beloved wife of the late Peter Jovanis and mother of Thodore, Paul and Gary Jovanis and Karen Zabinski. On February 28th.

Chris Kallianes. Beloved husband of Katina and father of Virginia, Lou and Evan Kallianes.

On March 13th.

Zinovia Koukoulis. Beloved mother of Litsa Kostidakis and Anna Hatzipetros.

On March 24th.

Tony Hazapis. Beloved husband of Frieda Hazapis and Father of Margaret Pavel.

On March 28th.

Dr. Michael Kottas.

Beloved husband of Maria Kottas and father of Vassilis, Angelo and George Kottas. Memorial Day Cemetery Prayers: On Monday, May 26 Father Seraphim will be available for Trisagion prayers at the following cemeteries: At the Restland Cemetery, East Hanover at 9:00 a.m. sharp. Meet Father at the large Cross The Roseland Cemetery in Orange, in the Greek Section, at 10:00 am—11:30 am And the Prospect Hill Cemetery, Caldwell at 12 noon You can meet Father at the entrance of Prospect Hill If you need to go to another Cemetery, please speak to Father in advance 3

Calendar May 2015 Religious Calendar Sunday, Μay 3, Κυριακή, 3 Μαίου

Sunday of the Paralytic Κυριακή τού Παραλύτου

Tuesday, Τρίτη,

May 5, 5 Μαίου

St. Irene the Great Martyr Ειρήνης Μεγαλομάρτυρος

Friday, Παρασκευή,

May 8, 8 Μαίου

St. John the Apostle & Evangelist Αγίου Ιωάννου τού Θεολόγου

Sunday, Κυριακή,

May 10, 10 Μαίου

Sunday of the Samaritan woman Κυριακή της Σαμαρήτιδος

Sunday, Κυριακή,

May 17, 17 Μαίου,

Sunday of the Blind Man Κυριακή του Τυφλού

Wednesday,

May 20,

Τετάρτη,

20 Μαίου,

Great Vespers of the Feast of the Ascension and Ss. Constantine & Helen Μέγας Εσπερινός τής Αναλήψεως καί Των Αγίων Κωνσταντίνου καί Ελένης

Thursday,

May 21,

Fεast of the Ascension and Feast Day of Ss. Constantine & Helen Orthros 8:30 AM, Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM

Πέμπτη,

21 Μαίου,

Εορτή Τής Αναλήψεως και των Αγίων Κωνσταντίνου καί Ελένης Ορθρος 8:30 ΠΜ, Θεία Λειτουργία 10:00 ΠΜ

Sunday, Κυριακή,

May 24, 24 Μαίου,

Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Council Εν Νικαία Α! Οικουμενικής Συνόδου

Saturday, Σαββάτο.

May 30, 30 Μαίου,

Saturday of Souls Ψυχοσάββατο

Sunday, Κυριακη,

May 31, 31 Μαίου,

Feast of Holy Pentecost Τής Αγίας Πεντηκοστής

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June 2015 Religious Calendar Sunday, June 7 Κυριακή, 7 Ιουνίου,

All Saints Τών Αγίων Πάντων

Sunday, Κυριακή,

14 June, 14 Ιουνίου,

2nd Sunday of Matthew 2α Κυριακή Ματθαίου

Sunday, Κυριακή,

June 21, 21 Ιουνίου,

3rd Sunday of Matthew – Father’s Day 3η Κυριακή Ματθαίου

Wednesday, Τετάρτη,

June 24, 24 Ιουνίου

Nativity of St. John the Baptist Γενέθλιον τού Αγίου Ιωάννου τού Προδρόμου

Sunday, Κυριακή,

June 28, 28 Ιουνίου,

4th Sunday of Matthew 4η Κυριακή Ματθαίου

Monday, Δευτέρα,

June 29, 29 Ιουνίου,

Ss. Peter and Paul Αγίων Πέτρου καί Παύλου

Tuesday, Τρίτη,

June 30, 30 Ιουνίου.

Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles Σύναξις των 12 Αποστόλων

Saturday,

May 9,

G.O.Y.A. Indoor Olympics

Monday, Tuesday,

May 11 May 12

Metropolis Clergy Laity Metropolis Clergy Laity

Sunday, Monday,

May 24 May 25

Outdoor Olympics Outdoor Olympics

Monday,

May 25

Memorial Day Church Office will be closed

Tuesday,

June 2

West Essex Ministerial Association Meeting Hosted by Ss Nicholas, Constantine & Helen at 12 noon

Church Calendar

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Father Thomas Hopko’s 55 Maxims for Christian Living 1. Be always with Christ. 2. Pray as you can, not as you want. 3. Have a keepable rule of prayer that you do by discipline. 4. Say the Lord’s Prayer several times a day. 5. Have a short prayer that you constantly repeat when your mind is not occupied with other things. 6. Make some prostrations when you pray. 7. Eat good foods in moderation. 8. Keep the Church’s fasting rules. 9. Spend some time in silence every day. 10. Do acts of mercy in secret. 11. Go to liturgical services regularly 12. Go to confession and communion regularly. 13. Do not engage intrusive thoughts and feelings. Cut them off at the start. 14. Reveal all your thoughts and feelings regularly to a trusted person. 15. Read the scriptures regularly. 16. Read good books a little at a time. 17. Cultivate communion with the saints. 18. Be an ordinary person. 19. Be polite with everyone. 20. Maintain cleanliness and order in your home. 21. Have a healthy, wholesome hobby. 22. Exercise regularly. 23. Live a day, and a part of a day, at a time. 24. Be totally honest, first of all, with yourself. 25. Be faithful in little things. 26. Do your work, and then forget it. 27. Do the most difficult and painful things first. 28. Face reality. 29. Be grateful in all things. 30. Be cheerfull. 31. Be simple, hidden, quiet and small. 32. Never bring attention to yourself. 33. Listen when people talk to you. 34. Be awake and be attentive. 35. Think and talk about things no more than necessary. 36. When we speak, speak simply, clearly, firmly and directly. 37. Flee imagination, analysis, figuring things out. 38. Flee carnal, sexual things at their first appearance. 39. Don’t complain, mumble, murmur or whine. 40. Don’t compare yourself with anyone. 41. Don’t seek or expect praise or pity from anyone. 42. We don’t judge anyone for anything. 43. Don’t try to convince anyone of anything. 44. Don’t defend or justify yourself. 45. Be defined and bound by God alone. 46. Accept criticism gratefully but test it critically. 47. Give advice to others only when asked or obligated to do so. 48. Do nothing for anyone that they can and should do for themselves. 49. Have a daily schedule of activities, avoiding whim and caprice. 50. Be merciful with yourself and with others. 51. Have no expectations except to be fiercely tempted to your last breath. 52. Focus exclusively on God and light, not on sin and darkness. 53. Endure the trial of yourself and your own faults and sins peacefully, serenely, because you know that God’s mercy is greater than your wretchedness. 54. When we fall, get up immediately and start over. 55. Get help when you need it, without fear and without shame. 6

Parish Council News The Parish Council wants to express its deep gratitude to Michael Miltiades, for his dedication, long service, and countless contributions to the community of Ss Nicholas, Constantine and Helen Church.

Palm Sunday Luncheon It was a fabulous event!!! Our chefs outdid themselves this year, parishioners breaking bread with old and new friends, children laughing and playing with their friends. If you weren’t in attendance then you missed out on a great day. A special thank you to the Kintoroglou, Kontogiannis, Konstantakis and Maletos families for their kind

donations. We would also like to thank Aldo Tapia, our G.O.Y.A.ns who helped take down the stage on Friday evening, Bill Dagiantis for his assistance with transporting tables, our servers—Sophia Athanasiou, Diane Churus, Lia Diamandas, Irene Haramis, Tina Hardi, Stella Jemas, Katie Loucopolos, DeDe Portas, Stephaine Sumas, Stella Thomopoulos, and, last but not least to our chefs, Jim Hanzimanolis, Nick Karasmanis, Panagiotis Panagiotou and Stamatis Spirou for the delicious meal. Thank you all, Georgina Xanthos and Mary Kakos

Advertise in the Cross! If you would like to advertise in the Church’s Publication “The Cross”. You will place the name of your business in over 700 households; the homes of our faithful, and at the same time you will help the Church defray some of the costs associated with the printing and mailing of the publications. The following options are available for your annual fee: (circle one option) Sizes

Print Only Package

Print & Website Combo

Website Only Package*

Business Card

125.00

175.00

100.00

225.00

275.00

150.00

325.00

375.00

200.00

525.00

575.00

250.00

Pixel Size 350x200

¼ Page Pixel Size 700x200

½ Page Pixel Size 700x400

Full Page Pixel Size 700x800

*Includes link to your website. Prices are for Internet ready ads, if we create the ad it is an additional $50.00 charge. To see what those sizes look like on the Sponsor Page http://www.greekchurchroseland.org/sponsorspagenew.htm Please email a high resolution JPEG of your ad to [email protected]

Signature__________________________

Date__________________________ 7

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SAVE THE DATE RETIREMENT BARBEQUE FOR

MARY AND GUS THEODOS SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2015 SUMAS COMMUNITY CENTER

MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW

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Welcome New Stewards! We wish to welcome all new Stewards of our Parish of Ss. Nicholas, Constantine and Helen and extend an invitation to you to join us weekly as we worship together. We also invite you to become active participants in the life of the Church through our Orthodox Christian Faith and the ministries we offer. Nikolaos & Elizabeth Bardis Pamela Diamantis John & Maria Doumanis Areti & Giovanni Fonseca Christine Kebakis Spiros & Eve Roumantzas

Angela Vizaniaris

Festival Parishioners: This year’s festival planning has begun and the dates are September 25-27. We have many committee members returning for the fourth year and also have some new members that have joined. We’re happy to report that we will co-chair the event this year. At our first meeting, we took time out to review all the wonderful feedback collected at last year’s volunteer appreciation dinner. Included in the cross this year are several ways where you, our parishioners, could help make the 4th Annual Roseland Greek Festival our most successful festival ever. Flier- Please cut out this flier (pg 12) and pass it to your friends and family members- you can also print or extract copies from the website roselandgreekfest.com. Please email them to your friends with a save the date. Sponsorships- please pass along the sponsorship letter and contract (pg 14 &15) to local businesses which you frequent. It’s an opportunity for businesses to have advertisement exposure to our 5,000+ attendees. Parishioner Donations (pg 13)- we will have our letter campaign once again. The donations your family makes help defray the cost of the ingredients and other costs of the festival. Either use this form and return with your check or wait until you receive the mailing at home with the self-addressed envelope. These are due to be mailed by May 1st. (no cash please) Also, if you’d like to make a non-monetary donation, please let us know as soon as possible.

If you have an announcement for The Cross, email [email protected] Entries for the July/August issue are due June 1st. Late submissions are NOT accepted. Thank you.

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Financials Ss. Nicholas, Constantine & Helen Condensed Statement of Income & Expenses (Operating) 03/31/2015 Actual Budget

Variance

Income Stewardship Other Contributions Events Other Income Total Income

120,956.00 21,442.00 45,497.00 4,679.00 192,574.00

96,250.00 25,900.00 54,500.00 6,275.00 182,925.00

24,706.00 (4,458.00) (9,003.00) (1,596.00) 9,649.00

Expenses

188,192.00

182,925.00

5,267.00

Net Income

4,382.00

-

4,382.00

Stewardship Report Ss. Nicholas, Constantine & Helen Stewardship Report 03/31/2015

204,961.00

Total pledged by parishioners Total received Stewards donated but did not pledge Total stewardship collected

119,919.89 1,140.00 121,059.89 83,901.11

Uncollected funds in stewardship Total stewardship collected in QB*

120,956.00

* doesn’t include a non-monetary of QB is QuickBooks

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Car Raffle Congratulations to the winner of the 2015 Mercedes-Benz Car Raffle! The Fotinis Family We'd like to thank everyone for helping to make this fundraising effort a very successful one! Thanks to all of you we were able to raise $ 53,000. That money will help us to meet some of the expenses in order to operate our church.

Religious Education th

On Saturday, April 18 , Religious Education will host the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival chaired by Paul Koutouzakis and Stacey Miltiades. The last day of Religious Education classes will be on Sunday, June 14th. We will be honoring our high school graduates at the end of Liturgy.

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G.O.Y.A February: The month of February was an extremely busy time period for the G.O.Y.A. as we prepared for the Sights and Sounds competition. Multiple practices were held every week for the various group performances including American Singing, Choral Speaking, Greek Play, and Greek Dance. Our various individual performers also took this time to prepare themselves. March: March opened up with the Sights and Sounds competition held on Saturday March 7th at Holy Trinity Church in Westfield. Our G.O.Y.A. gave one of the strongest performances that we have had yet with many sights winning categories and our groups performing at a high level. We are extremely proud of all of the hard work and accomplishments from our G.O.Y.A.ns and thank both the youth and parents for their commitment to make this event such a success. Results for Sights and Sounds include: Sights Categories Literature Junior Essay 1st place: Mia Kontos Senior Essay 1st place: Karisa Taggart 2nd place: Spyridoula Fotinis Senior Poetry Honorable Mention: Ariana Lukowiak Senior Short Story - Honorable Mention: Tina Janulis Art Sculpture 1st place: Michael Apostolou Pastels 3rd place: Maura Foley Handicraft Hand-molded ceramics - 1st place: Spyridoula Fotinis 3rd place: Michael Apostolou Tempera Honorable Mention: Panagiota Perdikis Sounds Categories Individual Entries Junior Greek Monologue - 2nd place: Anthea Dagiantis Junior Instrument Solo 4th place: Katie Foley Junior Singing Solo 5th place: Mia Kontos Senior Instrument Solo 3rd place: Tina Janulis Group Entries Greek Play -

4th place under the direction of Mrs. Anna Mikros Best supporting actor: Manolis Fotinis English Singing Group - 4th place under the direction of Mr. Gerry Dendrinos Choral Speaking 4th place under the direction of Mrs. Vasiliki Fotinis

The Roseland G.O.Y.A also recently marched in the Greek Independence Parade with our parish. It was a great day full of showing our pride for our Greek heritage while celebrating the occasion with communities across New Jersey and other states.

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April: Since the end of Sights and Sounds things have settled down a bit as we all receive much needed rest. Our general meeting was held on April 17th at 7:30pm, and we looked forward to our Lock In on Friday April 3rd-4th as well as beginning preparation for the Soccer Tournament and Junior Olympics competition. Thank you for your continued support of our G.O.Y.A.! Your support allows us to keep participating in activities greatly enjoyed by our youth.

We made our presence known on March 29th. There wasn’t a seat left on the bus. Our G.O.Y.A.ns led the troops, the float was at capacity and our children’s faces were beaming with pride. Thank you all for making this event such a success. Special thanks to our co-chairs, Sophia Athanasiou and Kostas Ntoufos for an outstanding job of organizing the event and to Panagiotis Panagioutou for the delicious sandwhiches. For those of you who missed out on all the fun...don’t worry you can join us next year! 19

Greek School On Sunday, March 22nd our Greek School students held their annual Greek Independence Day/Evangelismos program and celebration. As in the past, we were all impressed by our children’s Greek speaking skills as well as their stage talents. Every year our school presents a program, which allows our students to showcase their Greek speaking ability, by reciting poems, singing songs, and playing various roles in skits. Congratulations to our talented students and their dedicated teachers who had prepared them! On behalf of the entire Greek School PTO we would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Father Seraphim, the teachers, parents and all parishioners for all your help, support and love for our events and activities. « Μέρα γλυκιά, μέρα λαμπρή, μέρα χαριτωμένη! Οσες φορές η οψη σου, στην Εκκλησία προβάλλει, πάντα με δάφνη ελέυθερη, θα την ιδείς σπαρμένη!

Μιά τέτοια μέρα ξημέρωσε και φέτος. Μερα αγία, που κάνει τις ψυχές μας να ευγνωμονούν το Θεό που μας έκανε Χριστιανούς και Ελληνες. Η 25τη Μαρτίου. Η μέρα που αναπολεί ιστορικές μνήμες. Η μέρα που το Ελληνικό μας Σχολείο με μεγάλη εθνική υπερηφάνεια, απόδωσε το φόρο τιμής, στην μνήμη εκείνων των αφανών και εμφανών, των ταπεινών και επιφανών, αγωνιστών, που με την θυσία τους και το αίμα τους, πότισαν το δέντρο της ελευθερίας. Η μεγάλη επιτυχία της γιορτής οφείλεται στους διδάσκοντες και στήν τρομερή προσπάθεια που κατέβαλαν οι μαθητές. Συνχαρητήρια παιδιά! Εσείς είστε οι νέοι φορείς της γλώσσας, της θρησκείας και της ιστορίας μας στα χρόνια που έρχονται.

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Our Graduating Seniors CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2015 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION GRADUATES

Graduation from high school is just the beginning of the bright path that's filled with your dreams and hopes. We are beaming with pride! May the Lord bless you with courage and endurance to thrive towards your dreams. V. Rev. Father Seraphim Poulos

Pantelis Athanasiou, Parish Council President

Victoria Kantanas, Religious Education Director

Parish Council Members

Paul Koutouzakis, Religious Education Teacher (Seniors) Margarita Dedes (On Left) Parsippany Hills High School I am currently a senior at Parsippany Hills High School. I am an active participant in the Sunday school program and GOYA. In the Fall I will be attending Community College of Morris. I have chosen to pursue a career in social work where I will have an opportunity to make a difference in a young person’s life. Tina Janulis (On Right) James Caldwell High School

After I graduate from James Caldwell High School and begin college, it is my goal to continue to attend church services and pursue my iconography classes while majoring in classics and math with a minor in art. Through my classes at school and extracurricular activities, I have realized that translating and interpreting classical text, solving a math problem, and creating a unique piece of artwork each involve solving a problem, whether it is a derivative or insinuated meaning within an epic poem. I have been accepted into the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program and Fordham University with an academic scholarship. 21

Marina Lombardi (On Left) Livingston High School I am currently a senior at Livingston High School. I have been a part of the Sunday school program since I was in pre-school. Next Fall I will be attending Montclair State University to study English and Education. I devote a lot of my time playing softball for my school, and hope to continue my softball career in college.

Elizabeth Rosa (On Right) James Caldwell High School Currently, I am a senior at James Caldwell High School and I am involved in my community by being president of the Junior Rotary (Interact) Club, president of my school orchestra, treasurer of my class council, and a member of Consort, Key Club and National Honor Society. I've also been concert mistress of Lakeland Youth Symphony and have been working as a babysitter and a tutor for Algebra students for the past few years. I have committed to the Honors Program at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT and will be studying Occupational Therapy. I plan on becoming an OT after a completing a 5.5 year Master's Degree Program, and I'm excited to become involved in a career that will allow me to continue my drive for helping others.

Antony Dedes

Parsippany Hills High School

I am currently a senior at Parsippany Hills High School. I have been an active participant in the Sunday school program and GOYA. I will be attending Community College of Morris to pursue a career in Criminal Justice for Forensic Technician.

Spyridoula Fotinis Roxbury High Shool Currently I am a senior at Roxbury High School. I am involved in Varsity Cross Country and Track, Peer Leadership, French Honors Society, Rutgers Model Congress and am president of our National Honor Society. I recently returned from serving on a teaching mission in Nairobi, Kenya. In addition to being an active participant in the Liturgical life of the church I am GOYA President. I will be attending the County College of Morris in the fall to pursue International Relations. Thank you all for your continuous support!

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Philoptochos Many of you ask “how are our fundraising dollars spent?” Our Metropolis and National obligations (mandatory donations) for 2014 are listed below. These obligations are not our only donations. There are numerous other charities that we support, local social service cases, $1,000 annual scholarship to graduating students and many more. NATIONAL COMMITMENTS Jan.

Feb.

Amount St. Basil’s(tray plus Donation)

500.00

Social Services

600.00

Autism

250.00

St. Photios Mar.

Apr.

50.00

OCMC

450.00

Hellenic College

100.00

Sisterhood of Basil

100.00

IOCC

250.00

th

May

75 Annual Founders

100.00

June

Orthodox Christian Fellowship

100.00

Sept.

Hellenic College Holy Cross (tray & Donation)

200.00

Retired Clergy

100.00

Oct.

Emergency Fund

100.00

Nov.

Ecumenical Patriarchate (Tray + Donation)

400.00

National Presveteres

100.00

Dec.

UN International Children’s Fund General Medical

100.00 3,600.00

TOTAL FOR 2014 METROPOLIS COMMITMENTS March April June

100.00

Emergency Social Service (Tray + Donation) Camp Good Shepherd Scholarship Metropolis Office Fund Metropolis Social Service Fund TOTAL FOR 2014

250.00 430.00 500.00 1,000.00 2,180.00

Scholarship applications: ar e available in the chur ch office or they can be downloaded fr om our church website: www.greekchurchroseland.org. Deadline to hand in completed applications is June 1, 2015 no exceptions.

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May:

Mother’s Day Celebration: May 10th is Mother’s Day celebration. Some claim the Mother’s Day began since antiquity. The ancient Egyptians held ceremonies and celebrations each year to honor the goddess Isis, who represented motherhood and fertility. The Romans had their own Mother’s Day annual celebrations for the goddess Cybele, the “Great Mother”. The Greeks also celebrated Mother’s Day with goddess Rhea. The ancient Greeks would hold festivities over several days, usually in the spring, to honor this “mother of all goddesses”. All of the above ancient Goddesses were considered part of the history of Mother’s Day. Greek Goddess Rhea daughter of Gaia (Earth) and Uranus (Sky) was the sister and wife of Cronos. The classical Greeks referred to her as the mother of the “Olympian goddesses and gods”, but she was not recognized as an Olympian goddess in her own right. To all Mothers’ of the world, we wish each and every one of you, “Goddesses” a wonderful day filled with joy and know that we thank you for a job well done! May 11th Clergy Laity Conference in Garfield, NJ. Philoptochos will attend and our honoree this year will be Vivian Pagoulatos who worked tirelessly for our annual Fashion Show, and remembrance of our Greek servicemen and women who served in USA, Greece, Cyprus, St. Nicholas Shrine Fund Raiser, Mom2Mom tricky tray for autism, and many others. May elections: Philoptochos will have a general meeting and elections during the month of May. Date scheduled is May 17, 2015. Reminding all members to be current with their annual dues in order to vote. St. Nicholas Shrine Initiative is continually going on until ear ly next year . The fundr aiser is for a gr eat cause and we thank you for your donations and support. IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A GREEK ORTHODOX PRESENCE at Ground Zero for the entire world to see and have the opportunity to visit. PRIDE that one feels to know that our organization played a large part in the building of the Shrine and in knowing that Shrine donor names will be recorded in a book at the site. THE SHRINE AS A WELCOME FOR ALL, as the Icon of the Panayia has her arms outstretched, comforting all who visit. June: Our last meeting before summer break date to be announced.

KOLIVA There’s a group of Philoptochos ladies who volunteer their time whenever there’s a memorial service to prepare a lovely tray of koliva. The woman who started this service and it became a fundraiser for Philoptochos is Eva Antonacos. This remarkable lady dedicated much of her time to Philoptochos for the past 50 years. Eva is also the lokoumades baker who volunteers her time to make lokoumades for fundraisers for other ministries as well as Philoptochos and also our Annual Greek Festival in September. Preparing koliva is a two day process. First day sidari must be boiled, cooked and dried and finished the next day with the rest of the trimmings that makes koliva taste so good. Eva has taught her team well! Each member has her own task in

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Choir Christos Anesti! The Choir will end singing, in June, for the summer. Please consider joining us in September. If you would like to sing with the Choir, please give your name and telephone number to one of the Choir members or call Jim Vardakis at 201-436-8976. We would like to welcome our newest Choir member Katerina Karis. Hope to see you, new members, in September!

Knit & Stitch We have been a busy group this winter, even on the days the weather did not allow us to attend the Monday morning knitting group. We have been knitting and crocheting from home. This year’s Knit and Stitch boutique at our Church’s annual festival promises to offer some exciting new items…many ponchos, head bands, shawls, fingerless gloves (all the rage), scarves, hats and more. In the meantime, Knit and Stitch will be holding our annual Father’s Day Greek Bread Sale (tsoureki). Mark the date….June 21st. Pre-order forms will be available in the coming months. As always we thank you for your support. All proceeds from all sales are for the eventual purchase of the Panagia Platetera for our Church’s Chapel.

Senior’s Club The weather is finally improving, it's time we leave our homes so we can meet our friends and enjoy an afternoon to be together. We celebrated St. Patrick's day with green bagels and cream cheese this past Tuesday. The Ahepa left us soup from last Sunday. Jimmy warmed the soup and served it to all. Come and join us on Tuesday starting at 10:30 AM and ending at 2:00 PM. Bring your lunch and we supply the salad. See you on Tuesdays!

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If you have an announcement for The Cross, email [email protected] Entries for the July/August issue are due June 1st. Late submissions are NOT accepted. Thank you. 26

AHEPA The Eagle Rock Chapter held its annual Fasoulada event on March 15, 2015 at Ss. Nicholas, Constantine & Helen Church in Roseland. This event has been a long time tradition of the Eagle Rock Chapter. There were about 100 parishioners who attended. Another tradition started at last year’s event was to present years of service pins to members who have been an AHEPAN for 40 or more years. This year, Chapter 375 honored 7 of its members. Those members are: 40 Year Pins Andy Antoniou, Vice-President Gus Theodos- 41 years Peter Kokidis Spiro Meleas Louis Loizou Spiro Meleas 50 Year Pin

J ohn Antonacos- 55 years

Daughters of Penelope We held two successful fundraisers. February we had our Valentine’s Basket Raffle. The lucky winner for the second consecutive year was, Ekaterini Zantopoulos. Our congratulations to her and our sincere thanks to all who purchased raffles. On March 15 we held our second fundraiser, Koulourakia Bake Sale. Once again, the family of SSNCH came through for us. Proceeds from this event will go to the St. Nicholas National Shrine. Thanks to Mary Theodos for chairing the bake sale and to the sisters who helped with baking, packing and sales. The Daughters holds only these two fundraisers to support our many philanthropic endeavors including, St. Nicholas National Shrine, Penelope House, Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA) Sjogren ’s syndrome Foundation, University of Miami Sylvester Cancer Center, Breast Cancer Vaccine Research, local charities and scholarships. We support our Brother AHEPAns in their endeavors. Together we sponsored the coffee hour following Salutations on Friday, March 13 and on March 15 we attended their annual Fasolada. May 15 has been designated AHEPA Sunday and together we will have a memorial for our deceased brothers and sisters and host the

coffee hour in their memory. March 21, fifteen Daughters, family and friends attended a theater party at Hunterdon Hills Playhouse. A lovely luncheon, followed by a light hearted comedy, “Abie’s Irish Rose” made for a very nice afternoon. We will close out the season by attending the Daughters Spring Luncheon on May 2 in Hamilton, NJ and the District Convention in Somerset, NJ on June 5-7. As always, we welcome new members. See any member of the Daughters for an application. W e meet on the first Wed. of the month@7:00 coincident with our Brother AHEPAns. Our best wishes to the family of SsNCH for a Blessed Pascha. 27

Ss. Nicholas, Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage Paid West Caldwell, NJ Permit No. 1026

80 Laurel Ave Roseland, NJ 07068

Or Current Resident

80 Laurel Ave Roseland, NJ 07068 Telephone: (973) 251-2920 Fax: (973) 251-2921 www.greekchurchroseland.org

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