It is good to be home even after a short trip away. Returning to our beautiful Church of St. Demetrios gives me such a warm feeling and prayerful spirit. We have a beautiful house of worship. Nonetheless, there are some other wonderful churches out there as well.  Allow me to share some highlights of my weekend away and maybe in so doing offer some spiritual nuggets.

First of all, we traveled to Bethlehem (not in Palestine), PA. the Greek Orthodox Church there is St. Nicholas. It is a beautiful Byzantine style church built in the early 1960’s. An iconography project to augment the existing iconography was conducted in the early 1990’s. They completed the iconography according to the contemporary trend and Byzantine tradition, “an open book of the illiterate”. The sanctuary is beautiful and a testimony to the Gospel, as our sanctuary will be as well. Our completion date is in November. We in the Orthodox Church around the world are experiencing a renaissance of Byzantine iconography that is adorning our churches not only in America, but in Greece and elsewhere as well. It is a reflection of a world-wide awakening to the Orthodox Tradition. God is working miracles.

The wedding service went well and Fr. Alexandros Petrides was very gracious to me. The bride and groom were handsome and full of dreams. I spoke to them about C. S. Lewis’s book The Four Loves and encouraged them to never lose any of the four loves: Sorge (affection), Philia (friendship), Eros (romance), and Agape (sacrificial love or charity).

The town of Bethlehem is unique and charming. If you ever get a chance to visit, I recommend it. By visit, I don’t mean zip by on the interstate. Go into town, have dinner, and enjoy the evening charm.

We also managed to take our grandchildren on a water rafting trip down the Lehigh River. It was fun, scenic, and historic. A good break and memory-making family time. That is ever so important. Find the time, I urge you, with your children and yes, your grandchildren.

We finished the trip with a visit to Holy Protection (Αγια Σκεπη) Monastery. In our Orthodox heritage, the word monastery refers to both male and female communities. We don’t use the term convent. In this monastery reside women monastics (nuns) led by the Abbess Gerontissa Olympiada.

The nuns were ever so gracious and hospitable. The Great Vespers and Apodeipnon services were spiritually uplifting. I have always appreciated an all-female Byzantine monastic choir with their delicate and melodic voices. This did not disappoint.

I would encourage you to visit this special place and perhaps, one day, we might bring a group from St. Demetrios on a pilgrimage. Let’s see if we can find a date and the ways and means.

August 1 - 14, we observe the Fast of the Dormition. During the fast, we also pray together in the Paraklesis (Supplication) to the Theotokos. The Paraklesis will be sung at 6:00 P.M. on the Mondays and Fridays of the fast: 8/1, 8/4, 8/8, and 8/11. Confessions will be heard following the services.

Wednesday, August 6th. 

Divine Liturgy, 9:30 a.m. (no orthros)

Friday, August 15th.

Orthros, 8:45 a.m. Divine Liturgy, 9:30 a.m.

Please note we will have a celebration of our Blessed Mother the Panaghia on Sunday following the Liturgy. (see below)

On Sunday, August 17, following the Divine Liturgy, you are invited to a luncheon in honor of our Blessed Mother the Panaghia on the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos; and in appreciation of the stewardship and resilience of our St. Demetrios parish. We want to celebrate our blessings with a special lamb shank and pasta luncheon that will be prepared by your fellow parishioners. There will be no charge for the luncheon.  Of course, free will donations are always welcome in support of the ministries of the church. 

We are very excited about the iconography. The donations for the icon project have been going very well. Pledges have been received for nearly all the icons. Thanks to all of you who have made a pledge. If you have an interest in participating in this lasting legacy, please contact Father Milton, Tom Jouvanis, or Mike Thompson.  More information on our iconographers and their work can be found on their website at  https://holyicon.gr/ 

Please, many of your computers may default to our old email address (because your computer may default to the old address). However, we lost that domain a year ago. If you wish to email Fr. Milton, make sure you use this address: [email protected]

If you want to send an email to the Parish Council president or treasurer, use this address: [email protected]

DO NOT SEND TO [email protected] That is no longer a valid account.

The Bookstore has magnet sticker with our St. Demetrios logo. Please pick one up for all your vehicles. We are providing this at no charge to you--free! It is an excellent outreach.

The leadership of Breakpoint (Colson Center) have chosen to highlight the ownership, occupancy and protection of Saint Catherine's Monastery in their July 17, 2025, radio broadcast. 

"After 1,500 years of continuous Christian service, the world’s oldest monastery is being forced to close its doors. According to several sources, St. Catherine’s Monastery will be annexed by the Egyptian government and turned into a museum and tourist attraction. Though the monks won’t be kicked out yet, the ruling is the latest incident in the already precarious situation of Christians in the Middle East. "

This marks a significant advancement into the acute focus the world now has that is growing on the Egyptian government and their exercise of power to take something that is globally treasured.

LISTEN TO THE FULL REPORT 

We still have limited items for purchase.  These include frozen cases of Gyro (16-pound case) $90; Gyro (4-pound sleeve)  $25; Loukaniko (10-pound case) $60; Pastitsio (half pan) $40; Pastitsio (full pan): $75; Pita Bread Loaves, $5 per package.

Please check with Mike Thompson or Tom Jouvanis if you would like to purchase any of the above items. 

Interested in learning Greek? Greek Language classes for children and adults are offered via Zoom. For more information, contact Demetra Demetriou at [email protected]

Updates on Orthodox Church news items can be found on our Facebook page. We thank Presbytera for monitoring and administering the page.

Also, check out our St. Demetrios website.

Beverly Daikos

Peter Daikos

Sonny Halioris

Athanasia Jouvanis

Jim Kokolis

John Konstantinou

Nancy Marakos

Chris Marker

John and Connie Pavlides