December 22nd, 2024
Always a Spiritual Focus, First
Dearest Parish Family Members,
What a massive Sunday this weeked! On this Sunday, we traditionally commemorate all the souls of all the ancestors of Jesus Christ. And that list is both long and fascinating. How I remember when, back in the 1970’s, genealogy became such a socially-popular pastime, and with such positive value. Especially now, with the miracle of the internet, we are more easily able to find our own ancestry details. For example, I was even able to find the name of the boat my grandfather sailed on to arrive in America in the early 1900’s, now over a century ago.
And what I value about both our own ancestry and the ancestry of Jesus Christ is that it provides to us some elemental things: certainty, validity, continuity, and connection. I’m always amazed that many people cannot list their ancestors beyond their grandparents. Only through effort have I been able to find my great-grandparents and great-great grandparents. I sincerely recommend this practice and effort for all of us together. It is such a comfort to understand where our ancestors came from to bring us to here, our modern situations and locations. Having an emotional connection to the past is an amazingly positive feeling.
Just look at the example of this week’s gospel and saints-commemorations. Jesus’ lineage is able to go back 28 generations. Unheard of!
One of the positive aspects of being part of a parish family is learning and knowing our senses of place and geography. It is often frequent when parish families are families who tend to come from nearby geographies as you may have come from. It gives us a sense of continuity and commonality.
If you are able, in this season of the Holy family and of all families, I so encourage you to read along with this week’s gospel lessons and records. If you can, take advantage of the internet and strive to research your own personal family’s heritage. Consult town records to find out how far back you may be able to go in your own family records, to your great-grandparents and further back. I myself visited my “xorio” in Massachusetts and visited the local town hall. Their records showed me who my great-grandparents were and even listed their parents (my great-great grandparents). Now, I have serious history to share with our children as they grow and establish their own families. My next goal is to be able to “jump” the ocean, visit our “xorio” in Greece and see if the local church has any records from a hundred or so years ago. Every church has registry books that record weddings and baptisms and funerals. Even our own parish has registry books that go back at least to the 1940’s.
I love the idea of lineage and that is what we are celebrating with the gospels this season: Christ’s lineage and how that fits in with our own lineages. I welcome you all to think of your own lineages and strive to record them for everyone’s posterity. And we’ll see you in our services and parish family always.
Faithfully, Father Samaras
4th Morning Gospel
On December 22, the holy Great-martyr Anastasia Pharmacolytria.; the holy Martyr Chrysogonos; the holy Martyr Theodota and her children; the holy Martyr Zoilos; the door-opening of the Great Church of God; the procession with lights at the Church of God; and today, the Sunday before the Nativity of Christ, we have been enjoined by our holy and God-bearing Fathers to commemorate all those who from the beginning of time were well-pleasing to God, from Adam to Joseph the Betrothed of the Most Holy Theotokos, according to the genealogy, as the Evangelist Luke enumerated in historical order; and also the Prophets and Prophetesses: Adam and Eve, the first fashioned; the righteous Abel, the son of Adam; the righteous Seth, the son of Adam; the righteous Enosh, the son of Seth; the righteous Cainan, the son of Enosh; the righteous Mahalalel, the son of Cainan; the righteous Jared, the son of Mahalalel; the righteous Enoch, the son of Jared; the righteous Methuselah, the son of Enoch; the righteous Lamech, the son of Methuselah; the righteous Noah, the son of Lamech; the righteous Shem, the son of Noah; Japheth, the son of Noah; the righteous Arphaxad, the son of Shem; the righteous Cainan, the son of Arphaxad; the righteous Shelah, the son of Cainan;the righteous Eber, from whom the Jews were called Hebrews;the righteous Peleg, the son of Eber;Reu, the son of Peleg; the righteous Serug, the son of Reu; the righteous Nahor, the son of Serug; the righteous Terah, the son of Nahor; the righteous Patriarch Abraham, the son of Terah; the Patriarch Isaac, the son of Abraham; the Patriarch Jacob, the son of Isaac; the Patriarch Reuben, the son of Jacob; the Patriarch Simeon, the son of Jacob; the Patriarch Levi, the son of Jacob; the Patriarch Judah, the son of Jacob, from whose tribe Christ was born; the Patriarch Zebulun, the son of Jacob, whose tribe was by the sea; the Patriarch Issachar, the son of Jacob, whose tribe cultivated the earth; the Patriarch Dan, the son of Jacob, whose tribe was the tribe of Judges; the Patriarch Gad, the son of Jacob, whose tribe is plundered and plundering; the Patriarch Asher, the son of Jacob, whose tribe was wealthy in wheatlands; the Patriarch Naphtali, the son of Jacob, whose tribe became a great multitude; the Patriarch Joseph, the son of Jacob, whose tribe was right glorious and illustrious; the Patriarch Benjamin, the son of Jacob, whose tribe, though once fierce, became gentle; Perez and Zerah, the twins, the sons of Judah the Patriarch; Hezron, the son of Perez; Ram, the son of Hezron; Amminadab, the son of Ram; Nahshon, the son of Amminadab; Salmon, the son of Nahshon; Boaz, the son of Salmon; Obed, the son of Boaz by Ruth; Jesse, the son of Obed; David the King, the son of Jesse; Solomon the King, the son of David; Rehoboam the King, the son of Solomon; Abijah the King, the son of Rehoboam; Asa the King, the son of Abijah; Jehoshaphat the King, the son of Asa; Joram the King, the son of Jehoshaphat; Uzziah the King, the son of Joram; Jotham the King, the son of Uzziah; Ahaz the King, the son of Jotham; Hezekiah the King, the son of Ahaz; Manasseh the King, the son of Hezekiah; Amon the King, the son of Manasseh; Josiah the King son of Amon; Jeconiah the King, the son of Josiah; Shealtiel, the son of Jeconiah; Zerubbabel, who again raised up the Temple in Jerusalem when it had been burned; Abiud, the son of Zerubbabel; Eliakim, the son of Abiud; Azor, the son of Eliakim; Zadok, the son of Azor; Achim, the son of Zadok; Eliud, the son of Achim; Eleazar, the son of Eliud; Matthan, the son of Eleazar; Jacob, the son of Matthan; Joseph the Betrothed, the son of Jacob; the righteous Melchizedek; the righteous Job; the Prophet Moses, and Hur and Aaron the Priests; Joshua the son of Nun; the holy Prophet Samuel; the Prophet Nathan; the holy Prophet Daniel; the holy Three Servants; the righteous Sarah, the wife of Abraham; the righteous Rebecca, the wife of Isaac; the righteous Leah, the first wife of Jacob; the righteous Rachel, the second wife of Jacob; the righteous Asenath, the wife of Joseph the All-comely; the righteous Miriam, the sister of Moses; the righteous Deborah, who judged Israel; the righteous Ruth; the righteous Widow of Zarephath, unto whom Elijah was sent; the righteous Shunammite Woman, the gave hospitality to Elisha; the righteous Judith, who slew Holofernes; the righteous Esther, who delivered Israel from death; the righteous Hannah, the mother of Samuel the Prophet; and the righteous Susanna.
2024 PARISH COUNCIL
President - Theo Christ
Vice President – Yvonne Anastasiou
Secretary – Dina Mastoras
Parish Council Member - Evdokia Sofos
Parish Council Member - Dialecti Voudouris
Parish Council Member - Anastassios Mentis
Parish Council Member – Paula Refolo
Parish Council Member - Theodore Vougiouklakis
Parish Council Member - Mike Anastasiou