Annunciation Calendar

Special Announcments

September 2003

ANNUNCIATION CATHEDRAL TO HONOR EFFIE & ANDREW VELLIS

By now, you have received a lovely invitation inviting you to join us on Sunday, September 7, for an appreciation luncheon in honor of Effie and Andrew Vellis. Whether it be the weekly coffee hours, whether it be the memorials, icons and religious books, the Church Boy Scout camping trips, service in the altar, especially as “angels,” during Holy Week and Easter, or the 38 years Effie Vellis has taught Sunday School (have we forgotten anything?), this unique couple has touched the entire community with their dedicated service.

The luncheon will take place on this first day of Sunday School (most appropriate), following the Divine Liturgy. The donation is a modest $15 for adults, $10 for children. It would be especially meaningful to have present those who benefited from the many years of service of Effie and Andy, be it through scouting or through Sunday School. In fact, the reservation form which accompanied the invitation asked that students in Mrs. Vellis’ class elect to be included on the Class Appreciation List. A second category of “sponsors” are the parents of children in Mrs. Vellis’ first grade class. Or, a third category of “sponsors”: those who were students of Mrs. Vellis and whose children are or have been students in Mrs. Vellis’ class.

Please mail your reservation and support to: Annunciation Cathedral, 245 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. There will be attended parking. Given our current parking situation (see below), we will nevertheless try to make do. In accordance with the Vellis’ wishes, the proceeds from this luncheon will benefit the Annunciation Cathedral’s Phase Two Building Fund. For further information, please contact our Sunday School Principal, Denise Yeilding.

It was Father’s Day, June 15, 2003. The Liturgy had just ended. The Pentecost prayers had been offered. The Philoptochos Board took their oath of office, as they embarked upon their service to the church for the next two years. Coffee hour got under way. Weary with the long service, we were just about half asleep. Then, suddenly, Phil’s “bio” was read, and everyone applauded enthusiastically, wide awake that we all were by now, as Phil was proclaimed our 2003 Father of the Year, an honor most well-deserved.

Phil is a person who does not like to dress up, who is happier in working clothes, always looking forward to working on a project. Phil is a person who likes challenges, especially when these involve helping out or fixing something. Ask him anything, Phil seems to have an answer for it.

Phil was born in San Francisco, at St. Luke’s Hospital, on September 25, 1933. His father was Italian; his mother, English and Irish. Phil and his brother, Robert, were raised in San Francisco’s Excelsior District, where Phil attended and graduated from Balboa High School. Afterwards, he served in the Navy. Following his military service, Phil began his career as a Brick Layer. Meanwhile, he also worked for Fuller Paint Company as a warehourse man. In addition, he worked for the City of San Mateo, performing a variety of jobs, from custodial work, to servicing police cars, to working in the maintenance and carpenter’s shops, and finally to the Street Sign Shop.

While working at Fuller Paint, Phil met his wife, then a worker as a data entry operator. They had their first date in September of 1958. Phil wasted no time: he bought an engagement ring in October of 1958, and proceeded to ask her fother for her hand in marriage. Those present recall that their wedding was very much like My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Phil was baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church in a large round pot, placed near the altar for the occasion. Annette’s brother served as the Godfather. The wedding took place on June 14, 1959, with Father Meletios of blessed memory celebrating. The couple have just observed their 44th wedding anniversary. They have been blessed with four children: Katherine, Virginia, James and Christine; and seven grandchildren! And we, of course, have been blessed all these years with Phil. Thank you, Phil. Axios!

STEWARDSHIP INVITES YOU TO JOIN OUR FALL CAMPAIGN

Join our Fall Campaign--Raise Money While you Shop!

As the Summer winds down and the kids get back to Sunday school, the Stewardship Committee and the Dance Group are gearing up for a fund raising campaign where Parishioners can raise money for the church almost every time they shop. Using a fund raising program called E-Script, you can register your credit, gas and merchant cards and a percentage of your purchase will automatically go to Annunciation Cathedral at no additional cost to you. This program has been used to raise thousands of dollars for School programs and local Charities over the past few years and we are excited to implement it at Annunciation to help fund the dance group and other core programs that are so dear to the life of our church.

Our Campaign

In the next few weeks you will be receiving information and forms in the mail outlining the program and telling you how to register. We will include merchant lists and registration forms along with any information that you might need. From there you have the option of registering yourself on-line or filling out the forms and returning them to us. We will also be available before and after services on September 14th and the 21st at an "E-Script Table" to help with forms and to answer any additional questions or concerns that you may have.
So as you pull out your fall and winter clothes next month, please remember to track down your credit and merchant cards as well. Whether you are buying airline tickets, purchasing family staples or simply shopping until you drop, you can feel good about the fact that a part of what you buy will be funding one the greatest causes of all: our beloved Cathedral and our Christian way of life. We look forward to seeing you and thank you for your support.

ALL SYSTEMS ARE GO FOR ANNUNCIATION’S FOOD FESTIVAL: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Dear Friends,

Our Greek Food Festival 2003, A Taste of Greece, is upon us. This year’s Festival will take place September 19, 20, and 21. In order to make this event even more successful, we need everyone’s help. One way to help is to sponsor one of our food items. Of the list, which was mailed out in June, the following items are still available:

As mentioned in our June mailing, you, your company, organization, or family, will be given a complimentary full-page ad in our special “Underwriters Section” of this year’s Festival Souvenir program book. In addition, you will be acknowledged throughout the duration of the Festival, and on the Cathedral’s web site, www.annunciation.org. Please call Tessie Obester, or Jim Dariotes, Festival Co-Chairs, at 415 864-8000 by September 5, in order to be included in the Souvenir Book.

Another way to help is by volunteering during the Festival. We always need volunteers and we still need to fill in our gaps. Please take the time to complete your volunteer form, because we need your support.

In staying with our Greek traditions, this year’s Festival, once again, promises to offer to all of you our signature food items, which are being prepared by a wonderful team of volunteers. This year we are adding a new item: our Greek-inspired paidakia (lamb chops). We will also have live Greek music by the renowned Greek Compania. Dance groups from all over the Bay Area will also perform.

We would like to publicly thank all thosed involved in the preparation of our food and pastry items. They have devoted many daytime and evening hours to accomplish this long and tedious task. We would also like to thank our Souvenir Book Commiittee. As in past years, they have worked hard to produce a book reflective of our high standards, one you will continue to treasure for a long time to come. Needless to say, we thank those who have contributred the back and front covers, as well as the inside pages; your donations help provide significant financial help to the Festival and, through it, to the Annunciation Cathedral.

Finally, we encourage you to purchase the raffle tickets which were mailed to you over the summer. Offering, as it does, those coveted cash prizes, the Festival raffle is another important source of income. Therefore, we thank your for purchasing the tickets yourselves, or selling them to your neighbors and friends. If you need additional books, please do not hesitate to call the Cathedral, at 415 864-8000.

IOCC DINNER TO BE HELD NOVEMBER 23: ARCHBISHOP DEMETRIOS TO SPEAK

The IOCC (International Orthodox Christian Charities) will be holding its Remembering Home Fund Raising Event at the Annunciation Cathedral on Sunday, November 23, beginning with Vespers at 5 p.m., and followed by a Silent Auction at 6 p.m. and Dinner at 7 p.m. This year’s dinner (always a sell-out event) will be all the more special because Archbishop Demetrios will be the featured speaker. A renowned scholar, the Archbishop will speak on the topic of Missions and Evangelism. Look for flyers, which will be distributed by the Committee within our various parish organizations, as well as for additional information, which will be posted in the October and November issues of the Herald.

37th BIENNIAL CLERGY-LAITY CONGRESS TO CONVENE IN NEW YORK CITY JULY 25, 2004

His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios has announced that the 37th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress and National Philoptochos Connvention of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America will convene next year in New York City, from July 25 to 29.

The Congress, which will be held at the New York Marriott Marquis, will have as its theme, “Building Communities of Faith and Love: Parishes in Worship and Ministry.” Commenting on the theme and importance of the Congress, the Archbishop stated, “This Congress will provide a unique opportunity to assist all of our parishes throughout America with the vital work that they do on a daily basis. All our resources will be focused on equipping the faithful to build their parishes through worship and ministry, through ways that strengthen faith and offer service to anyone in need so that they al may know the redeeming love of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Archdiocesan Council, which will convene in New York September 26-27, will consider ways to implement the aims of the Clergy-Laity in 2004. One of these is a comprehensive educational program with over 50 workshops specializing in parish and family ministry. Father Stephen Kyriacou, our Parish Priest, serves on the Archdiocesan Council, as chair of the Archdiocese Benefits Committee.

CHARLOTTE SAYS. . . . .

Year after year, the White Elephant Booth is an important part of the revenue from our Festival. For as long as we remember, this booth is headed by Charlotte Derdevanis, who reminds us: “Festival time is near and I hope you have put aside your throwaway “treasures” for Charlotte’s White Elephant booth - such as any knickknacks, glassware, bowls, junk jewelry, kitchenware, silver, records, paperback books - no clothes, please. Also, any Christmas items for the Christmas Booth.
Please bring your items to the Cathedral the week of the Festival - but not before. That would be the week of September 15th. Thank You.”

THE CRITICAL STATE OF PARKING

To date, we have been fortunate when it came to parking. For one, San Francisco Toyota, which rented the parking lot behind the Cathedral, along Stevenson Street, used to permit us to use their lot on a space-available basis, at no cost. For another, we were able to park cars in the Armory, located at 14th and Mission Streets, during the Food Festival.

When San Francisco Toyota vacated, about a year ago, S & C Ford, which owns the lot, continued to permit us to park in the lot, but for a $600 per diem charge. Therefore, we were able to accommodate about 120 additional cars. (Our own lot accommodates about 70 cars.)

Now, however, S & C has informed us they are using their lot for their own purposes; therefore, the lot is no longer available to us. This leaves us with only our own lot for parking. Undoubtedly, this limited parking places limitations on the number and the size of events we can hold in our facility. We can no longer hold two events simultaneously. We must also limit the size of the event we hold, whether it be in our chapel, the classrooms, or in the fellowship hall. We must, among other things, hold to a two-hour time lapse when scheduling sacraments, both to enable those leaving the earlier sacrament to leave and to permit those coming for the next sacrament to park their cars.

At the same time,we are exploring other parking venues. For the Festival, for example, we are planning to run a shuttle service from Costco. Meanwhile, for our daily needs, we have investigated various Phase II options, which we shared with you in previous issues, earlier this year, of the Herald. We are generally agreed that, in order to proceed with building anything in Phase II, we have to be able to park 150 cars on site. This means three levels of parking below grade, if we build a church on what is now the parking lot, or three levels of below grade/above grade parking, if we elect to reconfigure the chapel. Meanwhile, we are also looking into acquiring contiguous parcels.

Until the parking situation is resolved, and it may take several years before it is resolved, we must ask for our parishioners’ assistance and cooperation, including the utilization of car pooling, and parking within the white lines. If you are the first to park in the tandem parking places, pull all the way in. And, if you are the second to park in the tandem parking places, leave your key with the attendant or, at the very least, be conscious about moving your car as soon as church lets out, so as to permit the person in front of you the opportunity to pull out. Being sensitive to one another’s needs will be very much appreciated by all.

SOIL TESTING RESULTS AWAITED

Aldine/Globe Soil Engineers is the firm which the Cathedral has engaged, at a cost of $3,800, to conduct the soils analysis and to prepare a Soil/Geotechnical Report for Phase II options, including laboratory testing to assess engineering and mechanical properties of soil samples, geotechnical engineering design guidelines for appropriate foundation and retaining wall types and depths, and recommendations for driveway and garage/arking designs.
The soils report, in other words, will tell us how far below grade we may go to place a garage. In a word, it will dictate what kind of a structured we can build on the parking lot. Aldine/Globe have conducted the soils analysis and are in the process of compiling their report. The report will be available prior to the November Parish Assembly.

PARISH ASSEMBLY TO BE HELD NOVEMBER 19

As reported in the June-July issue of the Herald, the second Parish Assembly for 2003 will be held on Wednesday, November 19. In addition to various financial reports, the Assembly will hear the report of the Nominating Committee, consisting of Anne Mountanos, Pat Destein, Helen Markanton, Maria Georgiou and Annette Chiappari, which will present a slate of candidates for Parish Council for 2004-2005. Parishioners will have the opportunity to vote for eight members, for a two-year term. The Board of Elections, which will prepare the ballots and oversee the elections, to be held December 14, is comprised of Andrew Vellis, Ted Leventis, and Philip Chiappari.

ICONOGRAPHY IN WORD AND IN PAINTING: A SINGULAR EVENT

Hosted by the Metropolis of San Francisco, this unique event will take place at the Annunciation Cathedral on Saturday, October 18, and will feature Distinguished Yale University Professor Jaroslav Pelican, author of many books, including The Spirit of Eastern Christendom (600-1700).

In addition, there will be on display, for the first time, the unique iconographic works which were executed in Crete and which will be installed in the Katholikon (church) of the Monastery of the Theotokos, the Living Spring. Additional information will be posted in the October Herald, following a special mailing by the Metropolis to the Bay Area parishes. For further information, please call the Metropolis of San Francisco at 415 753-3075.

RECENT SERVICES AT THE CATHEDRAL

BAPTISMS

Nikodemos Cruz, son of John Joseph Cornette and Daymi Lee Lembesi, was baptized on June 14. His Godmother is Kathleen Hazel Graphos.

Emmalia Andrea, daughter of Matthew Nicholas Razis and Patricia Ibarra, was baptized June 21. Her Godparents are Evdoxia K. Bettencourt and Anastasios Simotas.

Elli Joy, daughter of John Kimon Zambellis and Pamfilia Dakis, was baptized on August 3. Her Godparents are George and Dimetra Panagiotopoulos.

Alexis, daughter of Daniel Garcia and Patty Vlahakos, was baptized August 16. Her Godparent is George Vlahakos.

Stelios Haralambos, son of S. Christopher Kyriacou and Irene Fousekis, was baptized August 16. His Godparents are Tom and Joanna Papageorge and Robert and Annamarie Balian.

Na Mas Zisoun!

MARRIAGES

The marriage of Dustin Cory Novo and Chrisoula Nectaria Bissas was blessed on June 21. Their sponsor is Despina Tsampis.

The marriage of Andrew Dale Allen and Maria Anna Ossipoff was blessed on June 22. Their sponsor is Alexandra Kleinekorte.

The marriage of Ian Beneke Edmundson and Victoria Clare Monfried was blessed on July 12. Their sponsor is Andrea Monfried.

Na Mas Zisoun!

FUNERALS

Steven Karras, who fell asleep in the Lord on July 19, was buried July 24. Next of kin are his wife, Peggy Karras, and children.

May his memory be eternal!

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September 2003 Herald
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral.