WELCOME

Welcome Visitors

We extend a heartfelt welcome to all our visitors and newcomers - may you feel at home as you worship with us. Please join us for fellowship hour following the Divine Liturgy. Take a moment to sign our guest book in the Narthex so we can stay in touch and share more about the parish life at St. Anna.

SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING SERVICES:

Sunday, September 27: 1st Sunday of Luke
- Orthros 8:30 am / Divine Liturgy 9:30 am

For a complete list of services, click here.

CHURCH ETIQUETTE REMINDERS

Silence phones as you enter the Narthex.
Do not walk around during the Gospel reading, Epistle, Little/Great entrances.
For communion, please follow the ushers' lead and proceed down the CENTER aisle. Order of procession: Choir, newly illumined, Sunday School students, row-by-row, chanters, altar boys.
We invite you to receive the Holy Eucharist (Communion) if you are an Orthodox Christian who is prepared through fasting and prayer. If you are not Orthodox, we respectfully invite you to come forward at the end of the service for a blessing by the priest and a piece of blessed bread (antidoron).

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

17th Sunday after Pentecost
The Reading is from St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians 6:16-18; 7:1

Brethren, you are the temple of the living God; as God said, "I will live in them and move among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore come out from them, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, and make holiness perfect in the fear of God.

Gospel Reading

1st Sunday of Luke
The Reading is from Luke 5:1-11

At that time, as Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets." And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." For he was astonished, and all who were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men." And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

LOOKING TO GET MORE INVOLVED?

Want to meet more people and feel more connected to our St. Anna community? Volunteering is one of the best ways to get to know others and become part of parish life - especially if you’re new to our parish.

Whether you’ve just joined us or have been here for years, there’s a place for you. No special experience is needed - just a willingness to lend a hand and get involved.

CURRENT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:

Hope & Joy
Help plan and support fun activities and gatherings for our younger children and families in grades K-6. The mission is to lay a strong spiritual foundation before children enter middle school and high school, preparing them for older youth groups like GOYA.

Newcomers Club
Help welcome new parishioners and families, introduce them to our community, and help them feel at home at St. Anna. This is also a wonderful opportunity for a newer parishioner to lead the club and help bring newcomers together in a welcoming social setting.

Helping Hands

If you're a skilled handyman/woman, we could use your expertise for various small projects around the church; such as hanging pictures, icons, handling minor repairs, cleaning, and assisting with light maintenance tasks as they arise.

UNIVERSAL YOUTH MINISTRY REGISTRATION

Fall youth ministry registration is underway. Please complete our new Universal Youth Ministry Registration Form for the 2026/2027 ministry year. We encourage all to use the online form but if you prefer to complete a hard copy form, copies will be available at the information table in the church foyer.

Families only need to complete ONE form per child and indicate which ministries they plan to participate in, including Sunday School, Little Blessings, GOYA, Junior Greek Dance, and Senior Greek Dance. (Please note that Greek School registration will continue to be handled separately.)

PARISH DIRECTORY SUBMISSIONS DUE TODAY!

UPDATE: This is the last day to be included in the parish directory. ACT NOW so you're not left out of it.

The goal is to have ALL parishioners complete the Parish Directory Google Form (or a hard copy form available at church). This will allow us to electronically update our parish records and then compile and print a new Parish Directory for everyone.

Your participation will help us ensure that our contact information is accurate and that our parish community stays well connected.

Link to Parish Directory form

PARISH NEWS AT A GLANCE

TODAY, 9/27:

First Day of Sunday School & Little Blessings
Philoptochos General Membership meeting
Byzantine Chant Class
Away volleyball game @ Westfield

THIS WEEK:

9/28: Greek School and Greek Dance begin

UPCOMING EVENTS:

10/6: Senior Parea
10/15: Womens' Book Club
10/24: YAL's Pumpkin Palooza
11/14: Philoptochos Paint & Sip

MINISTRY MATTERS

YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT MINISTRIES:

GREEK SCHOOL

We are excited for a new year of Greek School! Our first day will be Monday, September 28 and each Monday throughout the school year.
If you are interested in registering your child for Greek School, please complete this Google Form or email Maria Sfondouris at [email protected] with questions or additional information about our Greek School Program.

Our amazing teachers are:
Pre-K/Kindergarten: Kyria Lisa Soteropoulos
Beginner: Kyrio Petro Grina
Intermediate A: Kyria Lisa Soteropoulos
Intermediate B: Kyria Maria Gimbel
Advanced: Kyria Kelly Karaminas

LITTLE BLESSINGS

Please join us for our first session! We will be learning about the Sign of the Cross and the different parts of the church.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Welcome back to an exciting new year of Sunday School! A very warm welcome to our new Sunday School Director, Meropi Martini, as well as our new teachers joining the team this year. We also extend our deep gratitude and welcome back to our returning teachers whose continued dedication blesses our children week after week.
Sunday School classes resume TODAY, September 27, following Communion.
Little Blessings and Primary students will need to be picked up by their parents right after Liturgy ends; approx. 11:30 am.
Our 2026-27 Sunday School staff is as follows:
- Little Blessings (ages 1-4): Lucy Pavlow, Sofia Szymborski
- Primary (grades K-2): Meropi Martini, Liz Sideris
- Secondary (grades 3-6): Marianna Bunce, Paul Costalas
- Advanced (grades 7-12): Nicole Martini, Breanne Fiber
- Administrative Aide: Paul Vespa
- Sunday School Director: Meropi Martini
Parents are invited to a Sunday School Open House on October 18, directly following Liturgy. Parents will visit their child's classroom, meet the teachers, and hear a brief overview of the curriculum for the year.

GOYA

GOYA SPORTS
St. Anna will be represented by our girls’ volleyball team this fall. Our first game is TODAY at 2:30 pm versus Piscataway at Westfield! Future games will be posted in the bulletin for those who wish to attend and support our team. We are excited to see our youth representing St. Anna and wish the girls good luck as they begin their season!
A special thank you to our Athletic Director, Polyxeni Tolis-Veneman, for organizing the team and helping make this season possible. We also extend our gratitude to Chris Gacos of Sneakers Plus for generously donating the team jerseys!
If you have any questions or are interested in joining, please contact Polyxeni at [email protected].
Looking ahead to the spring, GOYA will have additional sporting events, including an Indoor Soccer Tournament, Indoor Olympics (table tennis, badminton, Wii, chess, checkers, and more), and Outdoor Olympics (track and field, swimming, co-ed volleyball, and more). More details to follow.

SENIOR GREEK DANCE

Greek Dance classes (for grades 7-12) will begin on Monday, September 28 at 7:00 pm with Ms. Kelly. The start date for Junior Greek Dance (for K-6) has not been set yet. The Senior Dance fee is $100. Please make checks payable to St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church and write "Greek Dance" in the memo line. Or you may pay online here. Select GOYA from the dropdown menu and write "Greek Dance (dancer's name)" in the memo line. All dancers must be pre-registered and paid before participation. Register here.

COLLEGE CARE PACKAGES

Now that our college students have settled into college life, it's time to send a little love from St. Anna! If you would like your student to receive a fall care package to remind them that their church family is thinking of them, please complete this Google Form. Please contact Maria Tattoli with any questions. RSVP deadline: 9/28

YOUNG ADULT LEAGUE (YAL)

St. Anna's YAL invites all YAL members to their annual Pumpkin Pallooza to be held on Saturday, October 24 from 6:00-10:00 pm. For more information, please contact [email protected]. See Bulletin Insert for details.

PHILOPTOCHOS:

"Fall into giving” - Philoptochos will be collecting personal care items for the food pantry. Shampoo, deodorant, combs/brushes, feminine hygiene products, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, etc. Thank you for helping our Community in need.
Please join us for our General Membership Meeting TODAY, after Liturgy, in the middle classroom.
Philoptochos has several open committee roles, one of which is chairing the St. Anna Feast Day Committee for 12/8-9. If you are a Philoptochos member and willing to chair a committee, please contact Fay Vespa at [email protected].
Our 4th Annual Paint & Sip is on the way! Join us on Saturday, November 14, from 6:00 - 10:00 pm, for a fun evening of food, drinks, silent auction items, and painting. Reserve your tickets at the Philoptochos table TODAY! See the Bulletin Insert for details.

BOOKSTORE:

Come visit the Bookstore today and browse our newest selection of books, icons, and other gift items. Questions? See Angela Ferreira.

SENIOR PAREA:

We look forward to seeing everyone at our first fall gathering on Tuesday, October 6 at 12:00 pm. Please RSVP to Olympia or Aimee.

WOMENS' BOOK CLUB:

We had such a great discussion during our last book club meeting that we decided to continue our study on the same book... "God’s Path to Sanity: Lessons from Ancient Holy Counselors on How to Have a Sound Mind" by Dee Pennock. If you haven't picked up a copy yet and would like to join the discussion, it is still available in the bookstore.
Book Club meets on the 3rd Thursday of every month.
Next gathering is Thursday, October 15 from 6:00-8:00 pm in the conference room. Questions? See Angela Ferreira.