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