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Pastoral Letters

Pastoral Message July 28, 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I pray you are all enjoying a blessed and amazing day. As we approach the final weekend of July, let us turn our prayerful attention to our preparations for the Dormition of the Theotokos. We have continued to plan the Paraklesis Services to be outside, as in our past few years. However, please be advised, and I hope you are not disappointed, that we are moving the services for at least the first week of the Fast back inside the church.

My family and I will be out of town from July 30th through August 9, as we participate in our Project Mexico home build, then spend a couple days in San Diego doing, well, NOTHING! While it is completely rare for a priest to be out of town as the Dormition Fast begins, with all of our other activities of the Summer (Camp Emmanuel, Clergy/Laity, Finalized Construction, Thyranoixia and hosting three Hierarchs), we had to choose the latest building slot.

The weather is still going to be hot, and I don’t feel right asking Fr. Elias to move the church outdoors. He is most helpful and gracious enough, no need to pile on additional tasks. We will play it by ear and move our Paraklesis Services outdoors if and when comfortable and appropriate. That said, I really do enjoy praying these services out in our garden. 

I would also like to thank others who were not properly mentioned last week for their financial support of our Thyranoixia Weekend. Steve & Elaina Simos and Bruce & Shari Lindsay were instrumental in our successful events. Bruce was also most helpful as our volunteer Public Relations Director, as he wrote and sent press releases to all local media concerning our Opening.

And wow, we enjoyed wonderful coverage! 

Tomorrow, directly following the Divine Liturgy, we will pray for our Project Mexico Team. Our Mission Team consists of 16 people, primarily comprised of St. Anna parishioners, with one from Holy Trinity Cathedral. This is the third time our parish has sent a team to Project Mexico, and the fifth time we have supported a complete home build. Please keep us in your personal prayers as well; that we arrive and return safely, and that our work site will be without incident. The work isn’t dangerous, per se, but it is an active construction site with the possibility of injury constantly lurking. 

And most especially, please pray for the families who receive the homes that we build, and the families who await such a gift. We will not cure poverty in a week, but to the Glory of God, we will lessen its grip for a single, worthy family.  

Lastly, since this message is turning out to be more a string of announcements than a pastoral letter, we have established the beginning of our St. Anna Sunday School Year to begin Sunday, September 8th, 2024. This is later than we wanted, but again, this summer has been uniquely busy. Registration is upon us. We look forward to our young people once again, engaging in their spiritual formation and faithful education. God bless our teachers, administration and students!!!

See you tomorrow at the Divine Liturgy. Enjoy the rest of this lovely day. I remain,

With Much Love in XC,

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter

Categories
Bulletins

Weekly Bulletin for July 28, 2024

Weekly Bulletin for July 28, 2024

Categories
Pastoral Letters

Pastoral Message July 21, 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I am so grateful to address you following the momentous occasion of our Thyranoixia. The parish council and I thought it important to respond to the Archbishop’s three-year-old promise to return to St. Anna’s and open the doors of our finished church. Perhaps he did not think it would be done this quickly. To be sure, I didn’t imagine that the entire building would be done this quickly! Nevertheless, there we stood, and here we are. 

But my beloved in the Lord, we are now ready to turn our past construction project into its intended purpose: a source of healing, a place of comfort, a protection against evil, a gathering place for the Faithful, a beacon of hope, a witness to glory, a backdrop of fellowship, and primarily, our house of worship.

Well done, good and faithful servants. Enter into the glory of your Lord. 

So now that we have celebrated the opening of the St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church, let us turn to St. Anna, Herself. Remember? Her Feast is right around the corner.

We decided to forego a parish picnic this year (for the glaringly obvious reason of just having celebrated two, massive banquets) and are left with the liturgical commemorations that come with the season. Next week, we will have three, glorious days dedicated to our Matron Saint:

Wednesday, July 24th at 5:00 pm Great Vespers and Artoclasia (Blessing of Five Loaves) for the Feast of the Dormition of St. Anna, the Ancestor of Christ.

Thursday, July 25th, Orthros at 9:00 am followed by the Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Dormition of St. Anna, the Ancestor of Christ.

Friday, July 26th at 7:00 pm, Monthly Paraklesis to St. Anna, our Matron Saint and Protectress of our Community. 

It is so important that we come together and worship during these sacred days – especially on Thursday morning, if at all possible. C’mon Folks, it’s our Name Day!!!

Now, turning back to the events of last weekend, when you read this week’s Bulletin, you will see a list of thank you’s for so many of you, who made the weekend the flawless string of events that it was. Really, every hierarch said it, every visiting priest said it, hopefully you feel the same way, it really could not have gone more smoothly. The months of preparation and our respect for every detail certainly paid off. And to all you, I am grateful. 

And to everyone who came and participated, I thank you. When I first published the “save the date” flyer, I couldn’t help but wonder, will our people be able to come? It will be hot. Families will be traveling, there is a neighboring Greek Festival…reason after reason…will we turn out?” And there you were, a packed church (with the additional seating installed) for both Vespers and the Liturgy. Thank you for recognizing the historical significance and the spiritual benefit of our gathering. 

I would also like to thank our benefactors and underwriters for the weekend. Hosting the visiting hierarchs and archdeacon in our city and welcoming the multitudes for non-ticketed banquets can add up to a significant, unbudgeted amount. The numbers are not final, for travel expenses are still unsent, but there are two realities at play here: firstly, we were able to celebrate these events with a lower cost than expected. Secondly, the generosity of our parish continued to shine in preparation for these events. The parish received over $25,000 in financial and in-kind contributions. I would like to thank the following individuals and companies for their much-appreciated assistance:

Presto Print

Starks Funeral Parlor

The St. Anna Philoptochos

The St. Anna Parish Council

The St. Anna Men’s Ministry

The Fishing Net Collection from our Parish Retreat

Leo and Ludmila Davis

Jane Anne Hartford

Pam Martinez

Dn. John and Julie Kavas

George Karpakis

Reinje Corbett

Elaine Zambos

Jonathan and Georgia Man

Kevin Flanagan

Beverly Bartel

Dr. Charles and Elizabeth Beck

Joe and Ann Sasich

Sloane Benson

Jon and Brandee Mau

Joe and Myra Varanakis

Charles and Chris Deneris

Chris and Suzanne Gamvroulas

Fr. Anthony and Andrea Savas

Steve and Myra Shenk

Chris and Irene Petrogeorge

Chris and Heidi Gounaris

Elias and Rose Pylidis

Kent and Jannette Knolwley

Dean Dinas

Chris and Joanne Dokos

Steven and Sylvia Manios

Everyone who contributed to the free-will offerings

If I have left anyone off of this list, please contact me personally. I would be remiss in not recognizing your love and generosity. In the middle of the summer, when contributions universally dip, you all responded aboundingly to the call. There will be a minimal hit to the overall operating budget of our parish because of your efforts to underwrite much of the weekend. 

For many years, you have listened to my words, read my emails, heard my announcements, and have endured the realities of acquiring property and building a church. I trust and pray, that all of those communications included what is important: Christ. His Church. His Ministry. His Building. His Gospel. His Saving Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection. Now, there are no words left in terms of construction (except for a few, lingering details, here and there). 

There is now only: Christ. His Church. His Ministry. His Building. His Gospel. His Saving Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection – and how these bedrock Truths will save the people. We are officially onto and into the next chapter of this young community’s history. We are quickly approaching our Ten-Year Anniversary. What will those ten years look like? Who will we serve? Who will we help? How many will learn to bow down to the Triune God and witness the glory? How many will be introduced to the sacramental life of the Church? Who will be touched by the Holy Spirit? 

Lastly, please permit me to express my gratitude for serving as your priest. Nine years ago, my family moved back home to Salt Lake City to minister to a new, mission parish that was filled with joy, faith, anticipation, and an infectious welcoming spirit. Every moment serving you has been a tremendous honor and has been spiritually inspired. I love, respect and treasure every individual and family attached to St. Anna’s. Thank you for your patience, guidance and support of my ministry in Christ, here in your midst.

Past ten years…wow.

Next ten years…future-wow! 

With an Abundance of Blessings and Gratitude,

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter

Categories
Bulletins

Weekly Bulletin for July 21, 2024

Weekly Bulletin for July 21, 2024

Categories
Bulletins

Weekly Bulletin for July 14, 2024

Weekly Bulletin for July 14, 2024

Categories
Pastoral Letters

Pastoral Message July 7, 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

God Bless!

Please be prayerfully aware and mark next weekend in your calendars. The most historically significant events in the life of our young community will unfold in just a few short days. 

On Friday, July 12th, we will welcome His Eminence Archbishop Elpidiophoros of America, His Eminence Metropolitan Constantine of Denver, and His Grace Bishop Spyridon of Amastris who will participate in the formal opening of the doors of our new church. That evening, the hierarchs will attend a private dinner with the parish council and president of our Philoptochos. I would like to thank Chris and Suzanne Gamvroulas for hosting us on Friday evening. 

On Saturday morning at 11:00 am

We will host an open forum for our parish young adults and older teens, with our visiting hierarchs. This will give the future of our church the opportunity to pick the brains and examine the experiences of three dynamic bishops. Thank you to Presbytera Andrea for putting this event together.

Saturday Afternoon at 5:30 pm, COME ONE AND COME ALL 

We will gather outside in the parking lot were the SERVICE of THYRANOIXIA (Opening the Doors) will take place. This is a brief service with specific Epitsle and Gospel Readings, prayers for the Blessing of the Waters and prayers to formally recognize the opening of a new Orthodox Church. The Archbishop will then cut the ribbon on the doors, and we enter as he blesses our new and sacred space. Once inside, we will celebrate Great Vespers with the Archbishop presiding, together with the other hierarchs and guest clergy. 

We will then gather on the south patio of our lovely grounds for a celebratory dinner! We have the space, we’ll prepare the food, and we’ll roll out more tables if necessary. Please, you do not want to miss this joyous occasion! Don’t miss out! There is no set cost, and certainly to tickets required. You’ll have the opportunity to make a free-will offering if you’d like. Of course, any assistance will be greatly appreciated and go towards the overall (and well worth it) expenses of hosting three bishops, the archdeacon, and the visiting chanter, the internationally renowned Protopsaltis, Nektarios Antoniou. 

Thank you to Elaine Peterson, the Men’s Ministry and their committee for hosting our lovely dinner. 

Sunday, Morning at 9:00 am

The Orthros begins at 9:00, followed by the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy celebrated by the Archbishop of America. This is history for us. This is a great honor for us. This will be a joy beyond description. 

I do recommend getting to church as early as possible, and for many of you, being there as Orthros begins might be a fantastic idea. With Archbishop Elpidophoros celebrating, together with two other hierarchs, the dazzling spectacle of Byzantine liturgical splendor will be on full display – almost from the get-go! There will be sacred movements and actions that might not ever be seen within our sanctuary again. I cannot say when there will ever be three bishops, including the archbishop in one day. 

To be sure, it will be a long day, but Archbishop Elpidophoros tends to move things along, and I am very sure he won’t drag things out this time. It’s not about “getting a good seat,” remember, there is no bad place to sit at St. Anna’s. It’s more about soaking in the entire experience and not missing out on new and exciting things to see, and opportunities for blessings.

Following the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, we will gather in our fellowship hall and on the north patio for a celebratory luncheon in honor of our visiting hierarchs and guests. Again, free-will offerings are appreciated to help defray the costs of the luncheon. Thank you to Barbara Hillas and her crew for heading up this effort. 

My Beloved in Christ, I cannot believe that we are at this point in our history. At the end of next month, we will celebrate our 10th Anniversary as a parish. In that short amount of time, you have ushered steady growth, you have purchased property, you have transformed a retail warehouse into a proper place of worship equipped with classrooms, a bookstore, clergy office, fellowship space, new restrooms, and a full commercial kitchen. All in less than ten years! God has richly blessed us, and now it is our responsibility to put every square inch of our church building and grounds to work for the Glory of God, for the spiritual benefit of His children, and for the good of our neighbors and greater community.

We are now basically out of the construction business. Congratulations, God bless you and thank you! You have all worked so hard and sacrificed so much. Let next weekend be the beginning of countless memories and sanctifying blessings received within the sacred walls and grounds of the St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church in Sandy, Utah. I remain,

With Much Love and Appreciation in Christ,

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter

Categories
Bulletins

Weekly Bulletin for July 7, 2024

Weekly Bulletin for July 7, 2024 Thyranoixia Weekend