St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Sunday is the Feast of Pentecost – the gift of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Disciples, thus instituting the Church of Christ upon the world. It is at this moment, when the origins of the Orthodox Christian Church were established. Not in the Fourth Century. Not in the Middle Ages. Not in the 1800’s. Pentecost.

This is a celebration of unity and union. Men of differing life circumstances were united in their service to Christ, and were equipped to minister to the known and unknown world with the gift of language. The Gospel from that time forward would then be preached to all of humankind, and the message that Christ is risen from the dead would be carried to all corners of the earth. 

For our own community, This day of Pentecost represents another “breath” that is blowing through us. As we emerge from our separation from each other for these past several months, we see a re-confirmed unity and re-established purpose for us. More and more of us are returning to church and more and more ministries and activities are coming online for the benefit of our fellowship and personal interaction. 

And as has been announced, our Archbishop, being with us to celebrate our Parish Name Day in July is just the perfect opportunity for all of us to share in our collective love for one another, our affinity towards our Matron Saint, our devotion to her daughter, the Theotokos and our ultimate devotion to our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. Our Name Day Celebration is going to be our absolute re-introduction to the beauty of our church grounds and the laughter that has been missing from them for far, too long. 

But also, please let me remind us all of the value of this great Feast which stands before us. The late Fr. Alexander Schmemann, a prolific author and keen academic shared his thoughts on Pentecost. I’d like to share them with you.

“In the Church’s annual liturgical cycle, Pentecost is “the last and great day.” It is the celebration by the Church of the coming of the Holy Spirit as the end—the achievement and fulfillment—of the entire history of salvation. For the same reason, however, it is also the celebration of the beginning: it is the “birthday” of the Church as the presence among us of the Holy Spirit, of the new life in Christ, of grace, knowledge, adoption to God and holiness.

This double meaning and double joy is revealed to us, first of all, in the very name of the feast. Pentecost in Greek means fifty, and in the sacred biblical symbolism of numbers, the number fifty symbolizes both the fulness of time and that which is beyond time: the Kingdom of God itself. It symbolizes the fulness of time by its first component: 49, which is the fulness of seven (7 x 7): the number of time. And, it symbolizes that which is beyond time by its second component: 49 + 1, this one being the new day, the “day without evening” of God’s eternal Kingdom. With the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ’s disciples, the time of salvation, the Divine work of redemption has been completed, the fulness revealed, all gifts bestowed: it belongs to us now to “appropriate” these gifts, to be that which we have become in Christ: participants and citizens of His Kingdom.

The liturgical peculiarity of Pentecost is a very special Vespers of the day itself. Usually this service follows immediately the Divine Liturgy, is “added” to it as its own fulfillment. The service begins as a solemn “summing up” of the entire celebration, as its liturgical synthesis. We hold flowers in our hands symbolizing the joy of the eternal spring, inaugurated by the coming of the Holy Spirit. After the festal Entrance, this joy reaches its climax in the singing of the Great Prokeimenon:

“Who is so great a God as our God?”

Then, having reached this climax, we are invited to kneel. This is our first kneeling since Easter. It signifies that after these fifty days of Paschal joy and fulness, of experiencing the Kingdom of God, the Church now is about to begin her pilgrimage through time and history. It is evening again, and the night approaches, during which temptations and failures await us, when, more than anything else, we need Divine help, that presence and power of the Holy Spirit, who has already revealed to us the joyful End, who now will help us in our effort towards fulfillment and salvation.

All this is revealed in the three prayers which the celebrant reads now as we all kneel and listen to him. In the first prayer, we bring to God our repentance, our increased appeal for forgiveness of sins, the first condition for entering into the Kingdom of God.

In the second prayer, we ask the Holy Spirit to help us, to teach us to pray and to follow the true path in the dark and difficult night of our earthly existence. Finally, in the third prayer, we remember all those who have achieved their earthly journey, but who are united with us in the eternal God of Love.

The joy of Easter has been completed and we again have to wait for the dawn of the Eternal Day. Yet, knowing our weakness, humbling ourselves by kneeling, we also know the joy and the power of the Holy Spirit who has come. We know that God is with us, that in Him is our victory.

Thus is completed the feast of Pentecost and we enter “the ordinary time” of the year. Yet, every Sunday now will be called “after Pentecost”—and this means that it is from the power and light of these fifty days that we shall receive our own power, the Divine help in our daily struggle. At Pentecost we decorate our churches with flowers and green branches—for the Church “never grows old, but is always young.” It is an evergreen, ever-living Tree of grace and life, of joy and comfort. For the Holy Spirit—“the Treasury of Blessings and Giver of Life—comes and abides in us, and cleanses us from all impurity,” and fills our life with meaning, love, faith and hope.”

As I am away (writing this message from Denver, CO), I am grateful that Fr. Elias will be sharing these prayers with you. I was ordained to the holy Priesthood 24 years ago on the Feast of Pentecost at the Holy Trinity Church in Dallas, Texas, where I served for eight years. In this past, nearly quarter of a century, I have experienced many blessings and challenges, highs and lows, celebrations and lamentations. But all for the glory of God, all guided by His wisdom, and attached to the same Holy Spirit, Who breathes life into the collective Church and individual Christian, each and every day. May you enjoy a blessed Feast! 

With Much Love in Christ,

Fr. Anthony Savas

Christ is risen from the dead. Trampling down and death by death. And to those in the tombs, He is bestowing life.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Christ is Risen!

Truly He is Risen!

It was a joy to “worship” with you for the last two Sundays, as I was able to join St. Anna’s via YouTube for the Liturgies celebrated by Frs. Lou Christopulos and Daniel Payne. I am grateful for their service while we were away. I am just as grateful to be back, refreshed and ready to get going on what will prove to be a very busy summer. The events of the summer will begin this Sunday as we finish our Sunday School Year with graduation to take place following the Divine Liturgy. We bless our Program Graduates, Markella Savas, Zachary Petrogeorge and Eleni Yannias. We also extend our blessings and congratulations to all high school and college graduates. 

I also wish to extend an invitation to our Annual Spring Parish Assembly that will take place following the services this Sunday, May 30th. There is much to discuss and learn about, including the sale of the home donated to St. Anna’s, the next, possible stages of our church build out, and the updates to our Covid safety protocols. These are all very positive and exciting points of discussion. I don’t think anyone will want to miss out on this information. 

Specifically to the point of our Medical Advisory Ministry Team (MAM), I would like to share in advance of the Assembly, some highlighted points from our ministry chair, Dr. Julie Steele. She and her committee have worked extremely hard for the last year to keep us as safe as possible while walking the fine, ever-changing and difficult line of balancing our tolerance levels with our legitimate concerns. I praise them for their diligence, expertise and fidelity to our Lord and His precious children who are entrusted to our care. Here are Julie’s initial thoughts for us:

Based on the updated CDC guidelines for individuals who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and recent state legislation, masks and face coverings will no longer be required at St. Anna’s. The MAM has reviewed this guidance and supports this transition. In accordance with the CDC guidelines the MAM encourages individuals to wear a mask due to vaccination status and/or other personal factors.

The results of our recent survey show that the majority of respondents report that they have been or intend to get vaccinated. There was still some hesitancy about return to worship without masks or face coverings. The need to protect young unvaccinated children was a concern. We thank you for your participation in this survey and feel we had a good response rate.

As a reminder, people are considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after completing the recommend vaccine schedule. This means that many of the youth in our community have not yet had an opportunity to be fully vaccinated, and it will be 1-2 months before they will be able to fully vaccinated as only the 2 dose vaccine is approved for youth.

Regardless of what someone chooses (mask or no mask), we are a community and ask everyone to be respectful of individual decisions on mask wearing. We also remind you to continue with your good hand hygiene and please stay home if you are sick.  We will discuss more details of what this means for planning of summer activities, coffee hour, return of printed materials, choir and congregational singing at the General Assembly on Sunday (May 30th).

Special thanks to our diverse Medical Advisory Ministry for sharing their time and expertise, and to Tom Leitko for his amazing help with the survey.”

So my beloved in the Lord, the bottom-line take away, is that we are making progress toward a normalized way of life: at home, in society, at school, at work and in Church! I so look forward to the planning and implementation of in-person gatherings, ministry activities and all that we hold dear as a community. We are truly emerging from a dark and difficult place. You have been patient and lovely through a challenging year. I pray for those whom we have lost, knowing that their families are grounded in the promise of Resurrection to Life!

Please be aware that for a time in July, we will be discontinuing our livestreaming service for a short time. It’s now time that we remove the camera, computer, cables and cords from the front of the church and relocate our equipment to a more appropriate location. To those of us who depend on livestreaming, please know that we will make these changes as quickly as possible. I also remind you to contact me or your parish priest (for our beloved out-of-state brothers and sisters) to make sure that you are pastorally served and given the opportunity for a Sacramental participation at home. But hey, if you’ve just grown accustomed to livestream church – it’s time to come back! We miss you. I miss all of you.

There is much to say and much to look forward to in the coming days, weeks and months. Changes. Good changes. Fantastic changes. All to God’s glory and for the benefit of His faithful. Again, please be attentive at tomorrow’s Parish Assembly so you can hear everything first-hand. In celebration of God’s love, as evident in His third day rising, I remain,

With Love in the Resurrected Christ,

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Christ is Risen!

Truly He is Risen!

We are just finishing Bright Week – the continued Day of Pascha. And though you are no doubt, and regrettably  accustomed to typos slipping into my messages here and there, Bright Week being a single Day is not a misspelling. Bright Week, or Renewal Week is a continued celebration of the single event that is the Resurrection of Christ. It takes us to the first Sunday following the Resurrection, when we lift up the doubt and the proclamation of St. Thomas. Our specific Paschal celebration will come to a conclusion, but the Season of the Resurrection continues up until the Leave Taking of Pascha and the Feast of the Ascension. 

But returning to our Holy Week and Pascha. Thank you to all who made our preparations and celebrations dignified and lovely. So much of what had been missed returned to us: groups of people engaged in fellowship and sacred tasks; children learning, growing and thriving in their faith; and the people of God worshiping, witnessing and glorifying their precious Savior. This was a transitional year. Next year, I hope to see all of us back and in our places and hearing your voices.  We are on track for a return to our not-so-distant days of high energy, shared excitement and Christ-centered motivation. Our thoughts and actions are now squarely on building back our community, and transforming our liturgical space. 

But just as many of you were able to return to the church for Holy Week and Pascha, there are those friends among us who continue to worship through live streaming. One such friend is Sister Nonna Harrison, an Orthodox Monastic who lives in the Los Angeles area; a well-respected academic and a kind soul. I was blessed to know Sr. Nonna while in California and have recently renewed our communication and friendship in Christ. She is a brilliant Patristic scholar, lecturer and author. When the timing is right for her, it is my full intention to bring her to St. Anna’s for a much-needed retreat. 

Having received her permission to share a message she sent me, I’d like to tie some things together. Indeed, we are, and will continue to chant the clarion proclamation that Christ is Risen from the Dead. Pascha was last Sunday. But Mother’s Day is THIS Sunday, and Sr. Nonna, always the teacher, wove together a wonderful message about the ministry of the Theotokos in these days, and her continued relationship with her Son. 

Dear Fr. Anthony,

Thank you for providing services for Holy Week and Pascha on You Tube. I was present at almost all of them. Sometimes a little later than when you were there. This has been a tremendous blessing to me. I would like to share with you some of my thoughts about Christ’s resurrection.

When he died, his whole human nature was still present and his body entered the tomb. His divine hypostasis and nature remained alive, of course. His soul went down to Hades. But the divine hypostasis remained united with each natural part of him and held them all together regardless of where  each was. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, acting as one, raised his body and soul from the dead and sustained his personal unity. This was an act of restoration that could only be accomplished by the Creator.  So Christ remains fully God and fully human. Once he is raised, his humanity also is active with God in the great work of raising humankind from the dead, a work that is ongoing and not as yet completed.

Christ’s human personal relationships with other people, such as his disciples, continue but are transformed by his resurrection. These relationships are an important part of his humanity. He knows us in a divine way and also in a human way. We know when we pray to him that he has himself experienced many basic things that we also undergo. For instance, he has experienced childhood, though we do not know many details since they are not included in the Gospels. He has also experienced many kinds of suffering that humans undergo. This helps us to pray to him.
His personal closeness with his Mother continues. During his Passion and after his death he heard her lamentations. The hymns of the church suggest that he answered her, speaking words of comfort and reassurance. She is now with her Son in heaven and is greatly glorified. His love for her grew after the resurrection, and so did her love for him. The Mother/Son relationship continues and is strengthened.

It is a blessing to her and to all humankind. Christ loves humans as his relatives through her. And she loves them for his sake, especially members of his Church. Therefore we pray to her with thanksgiving and praises, and also in our sins and in our needs, asking for her help. She is a loving mother to us. We ask her to pray to her Son for us. I do this especially when I fear his judgment.

With thanks and best wishes,

Sr. Nonna.

I thank Sr. Nonna for her lovely message that keeps us in the Moment, and allows us to find, yet another opportunity to lift up Panagia with love, respect, tenderness and awe. 

So, may you all enjoy the blessings of the Resurrection! And may our mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, aunts, nuns, female role models, teachers and friends be blessed for their nurturing ministry. Happy Mother’s Day! St. Thomas will have to share the day. I have to believe that his mother would approve. 

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter
St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church

Some Reminders: Please continue to bring case-lot items for our on-going food support ministry. People are in need. We are here to help!I have also attached the flyer for our Golf Classic Tournament. We are in need of teams and volunteers. Please, sign up and play!We are still about 12% off our 2021 Stewardship Goal as we hit mid-year. Please, Please, Please, if you have not done so, turn in your 2021 Pledge!Twelve percent may not sound like much, but it is. Let’s do this ! Thank you!