Sunday, May 19th
Matins: 8:30am
Divine Liturgy: 9:30am
Tuesday, May 21st
Liturgy- SS. Constantine & Helen: 9:30am
Sunday, May 26th
Matins: 8:30am
Divine Liturgy: 9:30am
Sunday, June 2nd
Matins: 8:30am
Divine Liturgy: 9:30am
Perry Alexiou ~ 40 days
Miltiadis Sotiropoulos ~ 9 days
May their memory be eternal.
*If you would like to have a memorial for a loved one, please forward the information to our office no later than the Thursday morning before the memorial is to be done. Thank you for your cooperation.
Our beautiful new Sanctuary was featured in an article by Jill Radar Levine of the Port Washington Patch. It includes some very striking photos of the Church. To read the article, please click here.
Congratulations to the Girls G1 Soccer Team (ages 7-9), coached by Dennis Matarangas and Michael Bapis, on winning the soccer championship on Saturday, June 15th! This is their 2nd consecutive Championship Victory!
The team beat St. Paul’s of Hempstead by a score of 3-0, with Ariana Matarangas scoring the 1st goal, followed by Maria Doulis scoring 2 additional goals.
The team members are: Maria Bapis, Nikki Colaitis, Maria Doulis, Ariana Matarangas, Christina Kokis, Ellen Efkarpidis, Efthymia Kaparos, Filitsa Vasiliades, Barbara Nictas, Paige Theodosopoulos, Emily Theodosopoulos, Fotini Kavourias, Victoria Gagliano and Spyrithoula Xenophontos.
Special thanks to the parents and community for their support!
Exciting news! This year was the 35th Anniversary of the Greek Orthodox Youth Olympics. We held a special torch ceremony at our church on February 3rd which marked the beginning of the Olympic season. Forty children from our church participated in the Olympics on Memorial Day weekend. We started the weekend and ended the weekend with a bang. The rain on Saturday did not stop us from having a fun time. Following are all the medals that our children won! Congratulations to all and we are already looking forward to next year!
Silver Medal in 9-10 Year Old Swim Relay Team: Anastasia Cavounis with Aphrodite Dimopoulos (with two girls from St. D. Merrick)
Gold Medal in 9-10 Year Old Girls Long Jump: Victoria Gagliano
Gold Medal - Board Games Backgammon: Ariana Matarangas
Bronze Medal in 9-10 Year Old Soft Ball Throw: Ariana Matarangas
Bronze Medal in 9-10 year old Boys Basketball Free Throw: Michael Colombos
Silver Medal in 11-12 year old Boys Basketball Around the World: Tommy Drenis
Gold Medal - AMC Girls Soccer Team 7-9 year old: Ariana Matarangas, Christina Kokis, Paige Theodosopoulos, Emily Theodosopoulos, Maria Bapis, Antonia Tsismenakis, Mirianthis Tsismenakis, Marina Tsimisiris, Alexandra Maliagros, Filitsa Vasiliades
After almost a year of planning, our 2nd Annual Festival on the Harbor has come and gone. However, for many of us the memories will be long lasting—and thankfully there are plenty of photos to remember the good times had by all on the Festival’s Facebook Page. As co-chairs of the 2012 Greek Festival on the Harbor, we were honored to work shoulder to shoulder with the more than 350 volunteers from the Archangel Michael community (up from 250 volunteers last year); and based on the monies raised for the Capital Campaign and the feedback we have received, this year’s Festival was a phenomenal success!
Despite more than 2 inches of rainfall on Friday evening and Saturday morning, the weekend was salvaged with good weather on Saturday afternoon and Sunday. Also for the second year, the Port Washington Police Department estimated that we had close to 15,000 visitors on Saturday alone—that’s astounding. And more astounding is how we handled those crowds serving thousands of Souvlaki, Gyro, Haloumi, Loukoumades, Pastries, Coffees, Beers and Wines, with volunteers that do this once a year. And the feedback was very positive on how the lines moved fast, the food was served hot and tasted excellent. We should all be very proud of these accomplishments.
We are pleased to share with you a small sample of the feedback we received almost immediately after the Festival came to an end…it’s apparent that we took what we learned in 2011 and made great improvements—and we are already making plans for 2013.
“It was an Incredible festival! It is a privilege to be part of the amazing & dynamic AMC family! It warmed my heart to see all parishioners working diligently for our common goal......our church!”
“Congratulations to the entire Archangel Michael family for coming together in such an impressive fashion.”
“Once again a phenomenal effort by our Festival Committee and all involved!”
“I felt the spirit of camaraderie that is seldom felt when so many people with opinions get together. Each and every person was there for a common goal and it showed in our ability to get the food out and never get frustrated or flustered.”
It’s only fitting that we wrap up the 2012 Festival with a sincere thank you to each donor who gave big or small and to every volunteer who worked for one hour or tirelessly for three days straight. For all your time, energy, efforts, gifts, abilities, hard work, donations and prayers, please accept the thanks and appreciation of your community and us personally. We will see you once again next year!!
With sincere gratitude,
Peter Stavrinos & Michael Psyllos, Festival Co-Chairs
Thank you to everyone for supporting, volunteering and attending our Festival! On September 28th, 29th and 30th we hosted our second “Greek Festival on the Harbor” and it was a tremendous success! We will be posting photos and updates in the coming days!
We are already looking forward to next year!
Our Annual Christmas Pageant was a huge success and had a record number of Sunday School students participating. Special thanks to the Christmas Pageant Committee for all their hard work and dedication.
Students in grades seven and above are preparing for the Saint John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival, which will take place on Sunday, March 10th. Please ask your young adults to see their respective teachers for this year’s topics. We encourage all eligible students to participate in this wonderful, religious educational experience.
February has been set aside as “Godparent Month”. We ask that you and your children invite their godparents to attend Church with you, together as a family. Please make every effort to renew this spiritual relationship between your family and your children's godparents.
Sunday School classes began on September 16th, but it's never too late to register. Please join us for Sunday School this year!
Once again we will be participating in the Modell’s Shopping Month (Team Week). Please help support HOPE/JOY and our Church by clicking here for a coupon to save 15% on items purchased at Modell’s from 12/7-1/3. Modell’s will donate 5% of sales during this period to our church.
**Please note that this coupon can be used throughout New York, not just on Long Island.**
Use the coupon to purchase soccer, basketball and football supplies, athletic gear as well as sneakers, etc. It will save you money and help our Church at the same time. Additional coupons can be found in the Trumpet and in the Church Lobby.
Our JOY basketball teams need your coaching expertise! If you are interested in coaching, please email Tommy Dimopoulos, Athletics Director at athletics@archangelmichaelchurch.org. You do not have to be parent or have a child in the JOY program to coach.
Our JOY/GOYA soccer teams also need your help! We are looking for adults who are willing to coach boys or girls ages 7-9, 10-12, 13-16. The season began in mid-September. Please call Nick Kokinakis at 516-365-1028.
Construction of our gymnasium continues. A small section of the north exterior wall still requires bricks to be installed. The brick material is on the jobsite and installation will be completed when the outside temperature remains at 40 degrees for a few consecutive days.
All sports equipment for the interior of the gym, including the floor, bleachers, basketball hoops, score boards and volleyball nets have been identified and should begin to arrive in early March. Installation of the equipment will commence as soon as the interior concrete floor has been poured and is ready to accept the wood gym floor. The General Contractor has provided the Construction Committee with an updated/revised construction schedule which indicates completion by the end of March/early April. All going well, we should be in a position to apply and obtain the Public Assembly License from The Town of N. Hempstead sometime in April.
The interior work of our sanctuary is close to completion! The elevator and choir loft railing are awaiting parts for completion. We will soon be submitting our Public Assembly Application to the Town of North Hempstead for approval and will be requesting the sanctuary be added to our existing Temporary Certificate of Occupancy. Work on the interior of the chapel continues as scheduled with the interior walls receiving their first coat of paint. Iconographer Athanasios Clark is expected to finish the Platytera and the Communion of the Holy Apostles in early fall.
We are happy to report that the work on the gym is progressing according to schedule with completion anticipated before the end of the year!The remaining decking will be completed shortly, with the roofing to follow. Soon after, the exterior brick will also be installed. The masonry on the north wall has been installed and the framing will be completed as well. All electrical, air conditioning, heating and plumbing will follow.
Once the gym equipment proposal has been reviewed by the contractor, the manufacturer will be contacted. When the order is then placed, the manufacturer will submit shop drawings to the architects for the final approval of the basketball hoops and structures.
Congratulations to the Girls G1 Soccer Team (ages 7-9) coached by Dennis Matarangas and Spiro Katehis on winning the soccer championship on Saturday, June 16th!
The team beat YKT (Kimisis) of Brooklyn by a score of 3-1, with Ariana Matarangas scoring two goals and Christina Kokis scoring one.
The team members are: Maria Bapis, Nikki Colaitis, Maria Doulis, Ariana Matarangas, Christina Kokis, Mary Tsahas, Sophia Stefanakis, Ethymia Kaparos, Eleni Vasiliades, Barbara Nictas, Irene Katehis, Victoria Gagliano, Despina Tsiamtsiouris, and Isabella Koumpourlis.
Special thanks to the parents and community for their support.To be a Christian means to be a part of the Church, which enables us to practice our active commitment to our belief in God and to acknowledge Christ in our way of life.
The Church is the Body of Christ on Earth, the fellowship of the faithful. Its parishioners worship together and help one another learn and practice the faith. With the help of God and each other, we seek to become better Christians.
Since the very beginning, the Greek Orthodox community of Archangel Michael has worked together, diligently and unselfishly, to become the "Ecclesia," an expanded family that receives its blessings from Almighty God.
While striving for this goal, we offer a full program of activities for our community, and encourage all members to participate as actively as they can.
We invite you to join us in His work!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Greek Independence Day Parade: Sunday, April 7th
Greek Night out: Friday, May 10, 2013
Ammos of Central Lounge in Astoria, 7pm
Open bar, food, raffles, and music by Power Station Entertainment featuring Christos Lambropoulos
Proceeds to benefit the Archangel Michael Church, Greek Language Institute PTA, and Archangel Michael Preschool
Watsonian Golf Tournament: June 13th, 2013 at Plandome Country Club.
As of December 31, 2012, 573 active stewards in our community made pledges for 2012 totaling $508,630, of which $497,877 has been paid. Thanks to all of our stewards, we surpassed our goal of $490,000 and ended the year with a $77,485 surplus in our Church budget.
Because of the anticipated expenses of operating and maintaining our beautiful new sanctuary, the approved 2013 Church budget of $874,000 includes an amount of $530,000 as a Stewardship goal for 2013.
We have planned appropriately to prepare for our increased expenses in our new sanctuary--and now we need your financial support to maintain it! We invite you to consider your stewardship commitment for 2013. As Fr. Dennis’ stewardship letter stated, we ask each family that is able to do so to support God’s church according to the blessings bestowed upon us and to give the best of our ability. Together we can continue to provide a spiritual home for worship, fellowship, and camaraderie where our youth, families, and organizations will continue to flourish!
Please submit your pledge card to the church office. If you have any questions please contact the office at 516-944-3180 or amichaelch@aol.com.
To download a copy of the 2013 Stewardship Pledge form, please click here. Thank you for giving!
We had the pleasure of welcoming Deacon Nikolas Karloutsos to our Archangel Michael Church family on August 1, 2012 to assist Father Dennis. On December 22, 2012, we had the pleasure of witnessing his Ordination to the Holy Priesthood by Archbishop Demetrios on the very same day that His Eminence opened our Sanctuary! Please join us in welcoming Fr. Nikolas as the Assistant Priest of our parish.
Fr. Nikolas was born and raised in a clergy family in Danbury, CT, joining two older siblings in the loving home created by their parents, Father Peter and Presvytera Maria Karloutsos, and sustained by an abundance of God's blessings. For his undergraduate studies, Fr. Nikolas attended Western Connecticut State University and later transferred to NYU, earning a B.A. in History and Hellenic Studies in 2004.
Upon graduation, he worked for five years as a corporate paralegal in New York City, and was a member at the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Danbury, CT where Fr. Peter continues to serve as parish priest. In June 2009, Fr. Nikolas married Meghan, originally from New Fairfield, CT, who had graduated a month earlier with a Master's degree in Elementary Education from Hunter College.
In August 2009, they moved to the campus of Hellenic College Holy Cross (HCHC) Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA in order for Fr. Nikolas to attend HCHC as a seminarian to further discern his vocational calling. Presvytera Meghan worked as a Kindergarten and First Grade teacher in Boston Public Schools while Fr. Nikolas studied toward a Master of Divinity, which he was awarded in May 2012. On February 16, 2012, they welcomed son Thomas (Anastasios) George to their family.
Ever grateful to God for His blessings and providence, they look forward to journeying and growing together with the Archangel Michael Church family in prayer, fellowship and service, as they begin their ministry of bearing witness to our Lord's love and Gospel.
Join us in showing to all how proud we are to be Hellenic-Americans and how very proud we are to be AMC!
Greek Independence Day Celebration:
Thursday March 21st, both sessions
The Greek Independence Day Parade:
Sunday April 7th
Having rallied through Hurricane Sandy just two days after OXI Day, we concluded 2012 with a successful Barnes and Noble Book Fair Fundraiser in support of our school, and our Annual Christmas Celebration. The audience enjoyed both festive holiday songs and poetry from our littlest stars as well as our Greek School seniors, and entertaining skits performed by our 2nd and 3rd graders. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the onset of the holiday season with our friends, family and community.
Preparations and collections for the 2013 Yearbook are underway. Dig out those baby photos, first day of Greek School photos and all Greek School Memorabilia and send to: ArchMichael.yearbook2013@gmail.com. The success of the PTA is largely due to the efforts and participation of our school and our entire community! We invite families, friends and businesses to show their community spirit and honor their Greek School superstars. Please consider becoming a sponsor in the 2013 Greek School Yearbook by submitting an ad, a picture, and/or a message in the yearbook--all proceeds will directly benefit the children of our Greek School.
The long, lazy summer days are almost gone and a new and exciting school year 2012-2013 has arrived! The School Board of the Archangel Michael Greek Language Institute welcomes back all of our amazing students and families and wishes everyone all the best for a successful year ahead!
Please mark your calendars:
Thursday, October 25, 2012
OXI Day Celebration
(more information to be provided by teachers)
Reminders:
Registration: ongoing; please note - a $75 late fee will
be issued to any previously enrolled student registering
after May 29th. For further information please contact
Mrs. Mariann Matarangas, kouklapup@aol.com.
Uniforms: Please contact Mrs. Kathy Fournaris, katerina8192@yahoo.com or 516-627-3734.
Class Schedule 2012-2013:
K-6 grades
1st session, Tuesday & Thursday, 4:00-5:30pm
(kindergarten 1st session only)
1st-6th grade
2nd session, Tuesday & Thursday, 5:45-7:15pm
7th grade
Thursday only, 5:45-7:45pm
Regents
Tuesday only, 5:45-7:15pm
The Archangel Michael Preschool invites you and your preschooler to our “Open House” on Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at 10:00a.m. Come meet the teachers and parents and become familiar with our programs and new facilities including a new enclosed playground and equipment. Please spread the word to your families and friends!
The Preschool offers the following programs:
Mommy & Me (Ages 18 months-3 years)
Toddler Program (Ages 2-3)
Nursery (Ages 3-4) 9am-1pm
Pre-K (Ages 4-5) 9am-1pm
The School Board is happy to welcome Mrs. Nicoletta Gargas as Co-President, Mrs. Chris Ioannou as a NonParent Board Member and Mrs. Mahi Vasiliades as Treasurer. We thank the aforementioned ladies, the parents of our students, the Teachers, Principals and our Spiritual Leaders, Father Dennis and Deacon Nikolas for their dedication and commitment to our community and the education of our children.
The School Board recently introduced The Hellenic Book Club to our families. It is a wonderful way to enhance the children’s libraries at home, as well as further develop The Greek Language Institute’s Children’s Library.
Our school receives 20% back in books and we are happy to announce that after our first order, our school will be receiving $140 worth of literature! We cannot stress enough the importance of both the parents and children reading to each other during the summer months, as well as throughout the school year. Please take the time to write and review with your children! Studies show that summer loss for all students is estimated to be equal to about 1 month (Cooper 1996)!
Remember to look for the fall issue of The Hellenic Book Club, as well as our first Hellenic Book Fair, tentatively scheduled for late October. To order or for additional information regarding The Hellenic Book Club, kindly contact Mrs. Chris-Marie Tzavelis, cmtzavelis@yahoo.com or 347-256-4492.
Greek School The children of Mrs. Kamberis’ 1st grade 2nd session class happily invited Father Dennis to their classroom and presented him with a Protomagiatiko stefani and card that they had created just for him! They were thrilled to take a photo with him and to hear that Father Dennis would display this special gift in his office! It is customary in Greece for children and adults to gather blossoms and create wreaths for the 1st of May. These wreaths are placed on their front doors to celebrate Mother Nature and welcome the summer! They are taken down and burned in big fires on June 24th, the birthday of Saint John the Baptist.
The Youth Choir sings the Divine Liturgy on the first and third Sunday of every month.
Youth Choir rehearsals are conducted on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 PM.
January 9th - Broadway Theatre Trip to see Wicked
Special rate Orchestra seats are available at $67.00 per ticket. Door to door bus transportation will be provided.
February 3rd - Choir Photo Day immediately following the Liturgy.
February 10th - Visit to St. George Church at 54th St. and 8th Avenue, NYC
The Youth Choir extends its sincere congratulations to Andy and Evangelia Cyprus and Katina Athineos, who were honored at the church Nameday Dance, for their many years of devoted service to our Archangel Michael Family. We are blessed to have them in our community!
On Sunday, February 10th, we are going to celebrate the liturgy at St. George Church in New York City.
Thirty outstanding Youth Choir members, as well as several Senior Choir members proudly represented our church at the Archdiocesan District Federation’s Annual Music Conference at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Hempstead. His Grace Bishop Sebastian complimented our Youth Choir, highlighting the beauty of hearing their angelic young voices singing praises to our Lord.
To join us for the 2012-2013 year, please click here to download the Youth Choir registration form and choirister's pledge.
Make youth choir a part of your child's life! Choir members learn to sing the hymns of our faith and develop a deeper understanding of Orthodoxy through their participation in liturgical services. Come meet New Friends at our welcome Back Get Together / Registration on Wednesday, September 12, 2012 from 7:30 to 8:30 pm.
Young people, both male and female, ages 8 to 18 years of age are welcome. Join us for exciting choir trips and a year filled with fun activities! We look forward to sharing the rich musical heritage of our Orthodox faith.
The Byzantine Youth Choir sings the Divine Liturgy on the first and third Sunday of every month beginning on September 16th, 2012. Youth choir Rehearsals will be conducted every Wednesday evening in September and October from 7:30 to 8:30 PM, with the exception of September 5th & October 3rd.
We will be singing the Divine Liturgy with Fr. Evan at the Annunciation Church in Stamford, Connecticut on March 31st, chanting the Heretismi-Salutations on April 12th and singing the Divine Liturgy on the Saturday of Lazarus and on Palm Sunday.
Registration is now open for our annual Parent-Child Basketball Tournament! Please download, complete and return the registration form. Included in the registration packet are a waiver form (which must be filled out for each player) and the Tournament rules and guidelines. We're looking forward to making this year's even better than last year's!
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan District Olympics will be held on Memorial Day weekend, from May 24th to 26th at Suffolk County Community College. This year the Olympics program is celebrating its 35th year.
On Sunday, February 3rd, Archangel Michael will be hosting a special torch ceremony right at the end of church. The Archdiocesan Olympic Torch will be brought to our church and be presented to us to mark the beginning of the preparation for the Olympics. This should be a very exciting event for all of us.
We invite all parishioners including GOYA and JOY aged children to come to church this Sunday, February 3rd to celebrate with us. Looking forward to seeing you there.
Over the past few months, the Archangel Michael Church’s website has been under construction. In order to update this site and let people know about the various ministries and organizations of the church, we will frequently be adding photos, text and links. If you wish to opt out of the possibility that we might include your child's photo on our church website, please click here to read more and fill out the opt-out form.
For information about our 2nd annual ski trip on January 19- 21, 2013, please contact hopejoy@archangelmichaelchurch. org. We have blocked rooms at: Minerals Hotel (at Appalachian), 2 Chamonix Drive at Route 94, Vernon, NJ 07462. Please call 973-864-5800 GROUP CODE: HOPE & JOY. We have also made dinner and breakfast arrangements at a fee. Please inquire about pricing once reservations have been made.
For registrations received after September 28, late fees of $25 per registration will be applied.
Please feel free to complete and drop off the form in the HOPE/JOY mailbox in the Church office, or contact Mariann Matarangas at kouklapup@aol.com for more information.
Sample uniforms will be on hand for children to try on for the placement of orders!
Please ensure that when you do register, you give HOPE and JOY your correct email addresses and also sign up for our church’s electronic email bulletin (the “Listserv”) to receive emails and announcements of all the upcoming events!
We look forward to another terrific year! We welcome volunteers and encourage all those who would like to become involved to contact anyone listed above from our Board, or email us at hopejoy@archangelmichaelchurch.org.
Welcome back! We hope everyone had a fantastic summer. We are looking forward to another exciting athletics season and are excited by the overwhelming support of all of our athletic programs! For families who are new and/or have children who are eligible to participate in JOY Sports (ages 7-12) we are always looking for children to participate in soccer and basketball.
Our Soccer season began in the middle of September and runs through November, then continues again in the Spring. Although Basketball begins when soccer is over, we began practices in September.
Soccer: We are aggressively looking for children born between 1995-2005 interested in playing soccer for our church. Please contact Chrissa at ctgame166@yahoo.com and also please see registration dates for HOPE & JOY to meet all deadlines. We have teams for ages 7-9, ages 10-12 and GOYA ages 13-16 for both girls and boys. Our girls 1 (7-9) year old soccer team won the championship game in the Spring of 2012!!
Basketball: All children born between 2000-2005 (7-12 years old) interested in playing basketball for our Church are also urged to follow registration procedures to meet all deadlines. Our Boys 2 Maroon team finished in 2nd place this year & our Girls 2 team won the Championship Game!
With the tremendous number of participants, we remind players that all forms must be completed and submitted, along with payment, in a timely manner. Only those who have submitted their forms and made payment will be allowed to attend early season practices! Stay tuned for more information.If anyone has any questions please feel free to contact Tommy Dimopoulos at athletics@archangelmichaelchurch.org. We are looking forward to a great year, and with much anticipation, to our new Church and Gymnasium for all to enjoy.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan District Olympics was lots of fun. We thank Dean Moustakas, Natalie Tsaketas, Athena Kokinakis, Rena Mamais, Ariel Livanos, Kaliope and Barbara Nictas, and Eleni and Alexia Efstathiadis, for participating and representing our community beautifully. Congratulations to Eleni Efstathiadis for receiving gold medals in the high jump and long jump, and a silver medal in the 200M. Special thanks to our former GOYANS Ariadne Tzoumas and Alissa Kokinakis who came back and coached our teams.
We want to thank Nick Tzoumas, Nick Rontiris, Peter Christopher, John Keriazes, John Papaporfiriou, Billy Haralampoudis for coaching our basketball teams this year. Thank you Despina Haralampoudis and Maria Katsoulis, our former GOYANS who came back to assist. We are all looking forward to next year! Registration for the 2012-2013 began in early September. Stay tuned for more information.
GOYA welcomes all Archangel Michael church youth ages 13-18 to join us! To register for GOYA, please click here to download the membership form. We hope you will join us.
Our upcoming January events include City Walk/Ice Skating, Vasilopita cutting, New Year’s/Vasilopita Dance at Holy Trinity and the InterGOYA ski trip. February is Volleyball Month with practices to prep for Cathedral Cup. Other events include the InterGOYA Project Generation at Holy Resurrection and the Valentine’s Dance at St Paul’s.
For the GOYANs going off to college, please let us know where you are going so we can connect you to a campus ministry. Please call the church office at (516) 944-3180.
The Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) is the official campus ministry of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. OCF is a growing vital ministry to young adults who are looking for an Orthodox Christian community while in college. Visit ocf.net and navigate the site for registration, a list of campuses, available resources and retreat/event opportunities in the U.S. and abroad.
We thank everyone who participated and helped in our Annual Pancake Breakfast. It was a huge success!
Special thanks to Williston Town House Diner in Williston Park for generously donating all the delicious food and condiments. We are deeply grateful. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Limperopoulos for all your support!
We want to thank Nick Tzoumas, Nick Rontiris, Peter Christopher, John Keriazes, John Papaporfiriou and Billy Haralampoudis for coaching our basketball teams this year. Thank you Despina Haralampoudis and Maria Katsoulis, our former GOYANs who returned to assist.
We thank all of the parents who volunteer their time and all of the GOYANs who participated this year. Good luck to all the graduates!
Mark your calendars for the following dates as we kick off the year:
Friday, October 5th (time TBD)
JOY Group: Rock Climbing
Saturday, October 6th from 6pm-8pm
HOPE Group: Unlimited Sports
Saturday, October 20th 5:30pm-7:30pm
HOPE & JOY: Halloween Party, Fellowship Hall
On October 28th, our Archangel Michael Dance Troupe, under the direction of Mrs. Zogopoulos, proudly performed at the Greek Cultural Center in Astoria for a very powerful OXI Day celebration. The Dance Troupe danced for a packed theatre, which included various Greek dignitaries in its audience, and gave an outstanding performance. They performed appropriate traditional dances that reflected the struggle, pride and bravery of our 1940 heroes.
The troupe was also featured in the Hellenic Voice NY newspaper. The article can be viewed here.
The Dance Troupe meets on Saturdays throughout the school year and welcomes children from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Classes began on Saturday, September 15th.
Class times are as follows:
Group A (Grades K-2) Saturdays from 9-10am
Group B (Grades 3-5) Saturdays from 10-11am
Group C (Grades 6-8) Saturdays from 11am -12pm
Group D (Grades 9-12) Saturdays from 12-1pm
On Saturday, May 12th, a glorious spring day complete with sunny blue skies, the members of the Challenge Liturgy Program gathered for the monthly Challenge Liturgy, which was followed by the Annual Picnic.
The north parking area of the church property was transformed into festive picnic grounds dotted with colorful tents designating dining, food service, barbecue and dancing areas.
The picnic menu offered a selection of breakfast treats, barbecued meats, prepared hot/cold food, drinks, salads, pastries and fruit, virtually all donated, a lovingly prepared and served by enthusiastic parishioner volunteers. Many thanks to those who supported and/or participated in this much-anticipated event, which proved to be a happy, care-free and fun-filled afternoon that will long be remembered.
The Challenge Liturgy group meets once a month, twelve months a year. Parishioners are invited to join us on Saturday, July 21st and Saturday, August 18th for the Divine Liturgy which begins at 10:30am, followed by our fellowship hour.
Thanks to the generosity of the Philoptochos chapters of the Direct Archdiocesan District (DAD), the residents of Hellenos House again attended a week-long summer camp, conducted by the social agency, Association for Children with Down Syndrome (ACDS), at St. Basil’s Academy in Garrison, NY.
The DAD chapters, along with our parish, actively support Hellenos House throughout the year and frequently visit with the residents. This is in keeping with a promise made to the New York State agency, Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), that the Greek-American community would partner with them to support such a project.
We hope that everybody had a wonderful summer and that you will be joining us for our exciting forthcoming events.
To raise the funds needed to support our philanthropic commitments, Philoptochos sponsors one major event for the year, the annual Christmas Family Brunch. The brunch was held in December and was a great success thanks to the very hard work by the co-chairladies, Androula Xenophontos and Chris- Marie Tzavelis and all the members who contributed their time, talent and financial support to produce a memorable holiday celebration. We would also like to thank all of our sponsors and donors for their generosity and to our community for showing their support by attending the brunch. Thank you also to our very talented Byzantine Youth Choir and Georgia Kaufman for entertaining us and filling our hearts with the spirit of Christmas.
In July, Marina Katsoulis and Eleni Raptis attended the 2012 National Philoptochos Convention in Phoenix, Arizona. They found it to be a very spiritual, uplifting, and informative conclave.
Over 396 delegates from 485 chapters nationwide attended. This year Philoptochos is celebrating 80 years of philanthropy. It is a testament to our membership that our past is so rich, our present is so vibrant, and our future is so bright. When you join Philoptochos, you have the opportunity to meet new people, and to share experiences, knowledge and fellowship. Through compassion, love, and dedication, Philoptochos transcends all boundaries. Please become a part of this wonderful organization by joining today. If you have any questions or would like additional information about our organization, please contact us at philoptochos@archangelmichaelchurch.org.
June, 1980—Organization meeting
February 15, 1981—Fr. P. Nicholas Papageorge celebrates the first divine liturgy
September, 1981—Greek Language Institute
December 20, 1981—Naming of the church
July 1, 1982—Fr. Christopher Metropoulos becomes the first full-time priest
March 1, 1984—Fr. Dennis Strouzas becomes present full-time priest
December 21, 1986—Dedication of Iconostasis
November 1990—10th Anniversary
2000—Fr. Jim Kordaris Joins as second priest
February 2003—Fr. Sean Govostes becomes new second priest
August 6, 2004—Closing on the purchase of Port Washington property
September 25, 2006—Liturgy in honor of Groundbreaking celebrated at new property by His Emminence Archbishop Demetrios
August 2, 2009—Final liturgy celebrated at Roslyn Heights location
August 6, 2009—Closing on the sale of Roslyn Heights property
October 4, 2009—First liturgy celebrated in the fellowship hall/temporary church at the Port Washington location