Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Christ is Risen!
Truly He is Risen!
I trust and pray that you have enjoyed the blessings of a lovely week and you are looking forward to an amazing summer. Our entire community will continue to be in my prayers that you all remain safe during your travels, activities and events in the coming months. Summer is a time of refreshment and rejuvenation. It is also a time to remain close to the Church, actively worship, to remain focused in prayer, and aware of God’s love for us.
Tomorrow, following the Divine Liturgy and celebration of our graduating seniors, we will go quickly into the social hall and begin our Spring Parish Assembly. This is the time we come together as the formal voice of the parish and conduct the administrative responsibilities of the community. This Assembly is for everyone who calls St. Anna their spiritual home. Those who can vote must be active Stewards in good standing with the Church. Please stick around for this most informative meeting. We promise to move it along as quickly as possible.
Tomorrow evening, we look forward to our Sunday School’s end of year BBQ and Advancement Party. God bless our youth, teachers, director, and parents for sustaining and growing this vital ministry.
Next Saturday, we are excited to begin the activities of our Philoptochos with their Membership Tea. Our local chapter is active, vibrant, enthusiastic, generous and very productive.
The Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, Inc. is the philanthropic arm of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Established in November 1931 by the late Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I, it has been providing philanthropic aid for over 90 years through a variety of programs in the United States and around the world. Its mission is to assist the poor, destitute, hungry, aged, sick, unemployed, orphaned, imprisoned, widowed, those with disabilities, and victims of disasters. The society has 26,000 members and nearly 450 active chapters nationwide, and in 2023, it distributed $1.8 million in philanthropic aid.
Since the late 1950s, the society has placed increased emphasis on implementing programs to benefit the Greek Orthodox community, including support for Church institutions, the philanthropies of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and assistance to Greek and Greek Orthodox families. It has also addressed various social and moral issues through committees focusing on topics such as child abuse prevention, domestic violence, homelessness, pornography, drug and alcohol abuse, and aging.
This is just a little bit of what is happening in the very near future. And looking to our immediate past, like, this morning, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Sam Soter and his entire committee for an incredibly successful and extremely fun St. Anna’s 5th Annual Golf Classic Tournament. Great time! Great Cause! Huge Effort! Thank you to all our volunteers, sponsors and golfers.
With Love in our Risen Lord,
Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter