OFFICIAL: PARISH ASSEMBLY WEDNESDAY, MAY 19

Members of the Cathedral whAo are in good standing, as defined in the Uniform Parish Regulations, are invited to our first Parish Assembly for 2004. The Assembly will take place at the Annunciation Cathedral Wednesday, May 19, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Coffee will be served at 8:00 p.m.

The Agenda for the Assembly is as follows:

Opening Prayer
1. Opening of the Assembly - Election of Assembly Chair
2. Minutes of the November 19, 2003 Parish Assembly
3. Treasurer’s Report including 2003 Year-End Report
4. Stewardship Update
5. Dean’s and President’s Remarks
6. Election of Nominating Committee
7. Election of Board of Elections
8. Election of Board of Auditors
9. Election of Delegates to the July 25 - July 30 Archdiocese Clergy-Laity Congress
9. Old Business
10. New Business
Closing Prayer

A TASTE OF GREECE 2004
Annunciation Cathedral's Greek Food Festival September 17, 18, 19, 2004

Time to get excited about our Annual Greek Food Festival, A Taste of Greece 2004! With your help, this year's Festival promises to be yet another spectacular success. Our many gourmet chefs are planning their menus, dance groups are practicing their routines and our entertainment committee is adding more family activities. Great food, great music and great entertainment all put on by our great Annunciation Cathedral Community! Make sure you mark your calendars for September 17, 18, 19, 2004...to enjoy a fun filled weekend.

Even though the Festival is still a few months off, planning starts NOW! May 9th officially kicks off our community promotion campaign with "get the word out" fliers available at the church. Take a few home to pass out to friends, family, co-workers, business acquaintances and anyone else who'd like to experience our wonderful culture.

We're also expanding our email list to promote our festival and community. If you'd like to help expand Festival awareness "electronically", please leave your email address with Tessie Obester at tcobester@aol.com or visit our annunciation.org website and click on the festival web page. We'll put you on our list, keep you informed of Festival activities and provide you with electronic fliers to forward to all your friends.

Of course, the best promotion of all is by word of mouth, so don't be shy! Please help our community by inviting all your friends out to a great Greek weekend! We are also still looking for volunteers to help plan the festival - all talents are welcome! With just a little help from everyone, this year's Food Festival is sure to be a success!

Thank you, efharisto.

REFLECTIONS ON STEWARDSHIP THROUGH THE EYES OF YOUR STEWARDSHIP CHAIR

On the eve of the Resurrection service, I gazed around the hall, gymnasium, multi-purpose room, or whatever description you like, and thought to myself, “isn’t this spectacular.” . Faces were full of anticipation and I knew parishioners were glad to be together without overflowing outside the area of worship. I found so much beauty in this very simple room. As I thought about it, I realized that the reason I saw such beauty had nothing to do with the room, it was you. You, our parishioners, you our family, you our community, you our faithful. You our stewards, and you who are not stewards. You are the reason our Cathedral exists. You filled the room with light and energy. You sang of our Lord’s greatest gift. You made it beautiful.

Without you, our faith is not as strong, as there is strength in numbers. Without each of you, our momentum diminishes. Without you, Cathedral life as we know it would surely cease to exist. In truth, the Annunciation Cathedral needs each and every one of you for how can we provide you with what you need if we do not receive your support?

Stewardship is a major component of our life within the church. It is really very simple; it is giving of ourselves. It is giving of our time, our ideas, our energy, our expertise, our faith, and our money, very simply put. You see, the Cathedral is not just a simple building that goes dormant on the weekdays. It is a source of energy. It has a life all its own. This life needs your support to live, breathe, and continue to thrive. It needs you in every way that you can give.

Stewardship begins in your heart. You must ask yourself, “How can I make a difference?” It is crucial that you do not sell yourself short. Each and every one of us has something we can offer, whether it is simply an idea or whether it is a talent. Every bit helps.

Something that we are all blessed with and can give our Cathedral is money. It may sound harsh, but we all have the ability to give generously to help support our Cathedral. Our current operating budget is over one half million dollars and this is simply what is required to pay our bills and to keep our doors open. It does not include any amount that may be used toward building a true Cathedral where we can all convene together to celebrate the Divine Liturgy. Our current pledge dollars do not even meet half of our operating expenses annually. The Cathedral needs more than a token pledge wherever possible. It requires you to reach deep inside yourself and to really give with your heart wide open. After all, is this not a gift that has been bestowed upon each of us from God? I truly believe that our Lord smiles when we give generously. Without generous support from each and every one of us, we can not experience the reality of building the greatest Cathedral for the greatest community.

Please share yourself with our community and with our Cathedral. If you have not made a commitment to the Cathedral, won’t you find it in your heart to do so today? It is only through your generosity that we may someday live the dream of uniting under one roof to share in the Divine Liturgy not simply once a year, but each and every Sunday.

PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS

The Greek Ladies Philopto- chos Society of the Annunciation Cathedral has received a $1,000 IBM Community Grant based on an application which was submitted by Angie Leventis.

The IBM Community Grants program provides money or IBM products to eligible community organizations and schools where IBM employees and retirees are actively volunteering, and in support of specific projects.

The project which was submitted by Angie, a former employee and retiree of IBM, is the outreach program called the Angel Tree Project which the Philoptochos has been sponsoring for the last seven years at Christmas time. The money will be used to help our efforts in this regard.

Angie Leventis is reservations chair for the Annual Mother’s Day Luncheon & Fashion Show. This year’s event “A Bridal Affair” promises to be a truly nostalgic event, spanning many decades - even centuries - of beautiful bridal gowns. Angie urges everyone to make their reservations as quickly as possible. A flyer is included elsewhere in this issue of the Herald. We look forward to seeing many of our parishioners in attendance for this wonderful event.

MAY 15: A NIGHT WITH BASILE (BILLY) KATSIKAS (GOAT)

You’ve heard of Basile! Actually, his name is Vasilios (Basilie is a shortened version) Katsikas, which literally translates, “Billy Goat.” He’s a comedian, and quite funny. He makes Greek-Americans laugh about their experiences growing up as Greek-Americans. Last year, he appeared in Oakland, at the Ascension Cathedral and brought the house down. This year, Vasili is back on the West Coast. We’ve invited him to perform at the Annunciation Cathedral, which he will do, with all new material, on Saturday, May 15, beginning at 8:00 p.m. The performance will be preceded at 7:00 p.m. by a social, including hors d’oeuvres, complimentary wine, and a no-host bar. An evening of fun and laughter. You may reserve tickets for the occasion, on a first-come first-serve basis, by completing the reply form found elsewhere in this issue of the Herald, or by calling the Cathedral, at 415 864-8000. The donation is $40 per person, and we will have attended parking.

Meanwhile, Pat Aleck, Pat Destein, and Dr. George Ambadiotakis Ambus are heading a committee which is working to make the evening of May 15 with Basile, a night to remember. For further information, call Pat Aleck, Pat Destein, or Dr. George Ambadiotakis Ambus.

RECENT SERVICES AT THE CATHEDRAL

BAPTISMS

Constantine Alexander, son of Athanasios Golematis and Maria Georgianni Golematis, was baptized at the Cathedral March 28. His sponsors are Anastasios and Gerasimoula Fiori Simotas and Margarita Bezaitis.

Jeffrey William, son of James Edward Price and May Yoshiko Kumagai Price, was baptized at the Cathedral April 3. His sponsor is Emily Bagatelos

Kostadino Huy, son of Panos Gus Lekas and Julie Thu Yen Pho Lekas, was baptized at the Cathedral April 17. His sponsors are George and Sandra Bezaitis.

Kristen Maryann, daughter of Robert Burr and Nancy Svetcoff Burr, was baptized by Fr. Stephen at the Ascension Cathedral April 17. Her sponsors are Joanna Karaden and Frank Koukis.

Nikolas Manoli, son of Nikolaos Peter Paras and Shannon Maree McKittrick Paras, was baptized at the Cathedral April 24. His sponsors are Constantine and Heidi Gomozias.

Na Mas Zisoun!

FUNERALS

George Allen, who fell asleep in the Lord on March 30, was buried April 6. Next of kin is his brother, Thomas Allen.

John C. Vlahos, who fell asleep in the Lord on April 12, was buried April 16. Next of kin are his wife, Georgia Vlahos and sons, Chris, Alexis, Greg and John.

Katherine Vallee, who fell asleep in the Lord on April 17, was buried April 21. Next of kin are her son, Ronald Vallee and brother, Emanuel Prongos.

Maria Stelios Vafiadis, who fell asleep in the Lord on April 16, was buried April 22. Next of kin are her father and mother, Stelios and Irene Vafiadis, and her brother Nikolaos Vafiadis.

Aionia afion i mnimi!
May their memory be eternal!

EASTERN ORTHODOX ETHICS *

Eastern Orthodox Christian ethics bases its ethical judgments on Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition. Holy Tradition consists of the "mind of the Church" and is discerned in the decisions of ecumenical and local councils, the writings of the Fathers of the Church, canon law, and the penitentials (guides for the administration of the sacrament of Penance).

Issues not directly treated in the ancient sources are dealt with by modem Orthodox ethicists by seeking to express ethical judgments that are in harmony with the "mind of the Church." Thus, their writings have a certain provisional character and are always subject to episcopal, synodical, or general ecclesial critique. There are occasionally differences of substance in the writings of modem Orthodox Christian ethicists. By and large, however, responsible Orthodox ethicists maintain a common ethical stance. Modern issues in bioethics often require of ethicists that they find parallels in the tradition and, with the help of reason, deduce new ethical applications from established doctrinal, historical, and pastoral positions.

Basic doctrine and ethical affirmations

The Eastern Christian doctrinal position tends to be cautious in defining positively the central affirmations of its faith. It prefers the via negativa, or "apophatic" method (i.e., saying what is not the case). In ethics, a practice may be proscribed as not in harmony with the ethos of the faith, but often no positive solution is offered other than the need for patience and acceptance of the situation.

Nevertheless, Eastern Orthodox Christianity does avail itself of positive or "kataphatic" doctrinal and ethical statements. These are taken seriously when they are normative in character, but not in a rigid, legalistic, or absolute fashion.  All positive statements regarding divine revelation - the Tradition - are seen as limited and subject to mystery as a necessary dimension of all human understandings of the divine. In canon law and in ethics this has led to the practice of "economia," which authorizes exceptions to the rule without considering the exception a precedent or abrogating the rule. In most cases the justification for the application of "economia" is the avoidance of greater harm in the case of the strict application of the rule (Kotsonis). Several key doctrinal teachings have immediate ethical application with specific reference to bioethical issues.

Theological anthropology.

The humanum of our existence is both a given and a potential. Some of the patristic authorities distinguish between the creation of human beings in the "image" of God, and in his "likeness." "Image" is the donatum of intellect, emotion, ethical judgment, and self-determination. In fallen humanity these remain part of human nature, albeit darkened, wounded, and weakened. The "likeness" is the human potential to become like God, to achieve an ever expanding, never completed perfection. This fulfillment of our humanity is traditionally referred to as theosis or "divinization." Human beings are in fact "less than fully human." To achieve theosis means to realize our full human potential. Ethically, this teaching leads to the acceptance, on the one hand, of the existence of a "human nature," but, on the other, it clearly does not restrict our "humanum" to conformity to that nature. The "image" provides a firm foundation for ethical reasoning. The "likeness" prohibits the absolutizing of any rule, law, or formulation (Maloney).

Divine energies and human self-determination.

Though God's essence is totally incomprehensible to the human mind, God's energies are present in every human experience. To speak of divine energies is to speak of God's actions in relation to the created world. The relationship of God's energies to human freedom and self-determination has obvious ethical implications. Orthodox Christianity teaches that, though God is Lord of history, he does not coerce or force obedience and conformity to his will. Coerced conformity is dehumanization, whereas fulfilled humanity - which is the divinization of human life - must be free, since God is free. This raises the question of Divine Providence and Human Respon-sibility. Orthodox Christianity holds these two in paradoxical tension: man is responsible and must act, but God accomplishes his will, either with or in spite of man's actions. Ideally, human actions are harmoniously integrated with divine purposes in a perfect synergy of divine and human wills. This belief is but an extension and application of the Orthodox doctrine of the divine and human natures in the one person of Jesus Christ. Ethically, this means that we are not permitted simply to wait upon God. Rather, we are committed to the exercise of self-determination and responsibility in conformity with both human reality and divine purpose (Florovsky, pp. 113-120).

Body-spirit.

God is seen as the creator of both the material and the spiritual dimensions of reality. Eastern Orthodox Christianity sees these aspects of existence as closely bound together. The icon is an example of this belief. At first sight, the icon appears to be a stylized artistic representation of a holy figure. Yet the iconographer's purpose is to capture in form, line, color, and symbol both the spiritual and the physical reality of the figure. The sacramental use of material means (such as water, oil, bread, wine, etc.) for spiritual purposes also illustrates Eastern Orthodoxy's comprehension of the intimate relationship of matter and spirit, For bioethics, this key concept is important because it leads to a serious affirmation of the psychosomatic unity of human life. "Body" and "soul" are the constituents of human existence; the Orthodox emphasis on the Resurrection confirms its view that human life and human fulfillment are inextricably bound to both the physical and the spiritual dimensions of human existence. In more contemporary terms, body and personhood are essential for the fulfillment of human potential (Antoniades, 1:204-208).

Law, motive, intent.

Based on the above, ethical reasoning in Orthodoxy is a balanced combination of law, motive, and intent. Moral law is based in large part on the donatum of human nature. For Eastern Orthodoxy, natural law refers primarily to the elementary relationships that are necessary for the constitution and maintenance of human society. For the Fathers of the Church, the Decalogue is an excellent expression of the natural law common to all men (Harakas, 1964). In a similar yet more flexible pattern, there are modes of behavior that are either prescribed or proscribed for the lives of Christians growing in the image and likeness of God toward theosis or full humanity.

These positive and negative injunctions are found in the Holy Scriptures, in the writings of the Fathers and in the canons of the Church. For the Orthodox these statements are normative in the sense that they embody the mind of the Church and reflect standards of behavior that are appropriate and fitting for the members of the Church and, potentially, for all human beings growing in the image and likeness of God -for the full realization of personhood.

This first level of ethical direction is saved from legalism and rigid prescriptivism by the fundamental emphasis on love as a motive of action. Grounded thoroughly on a Trinitarian theology that understands the Holy Trinity first as a community of persons united in love, the Church teaches that being God-like means being loving. In general, the commandments - of the moral law are embodiments of loving concern for the welfare of others. Consequent- ly, in most situations the loving action is in conformity with the guidelines provided by the commandments (Harakas, 1970).

The possibility remains open, however, for the exception, i.e., for the exercise of "economia" when conformity to the prescribed action is perceived as detracting from the basic intent of all reasoning - the advancement of each person in community toward the fulfillment of the image and likeness of God. Thus, both order and compassion are harmonized in an approach to Christian ethics that seeks to avoid the extremesof legalism and relativism.

Bioethics.

It is convenient to treat the Eastern Orthodox approach to bioethics under two major rubrics: the protection of life and the transmission of life. Implicit in the treatment of each of the bioethical issues are the affirmations implied in the doctrines of the image and likeness, theosis, human self-determination and responsibility, the intimate bond of body and personhood, and the interpenetrating relationship of commandment, love, and the realization of true human potential.

The protection of life.

Orthodox Christian ethical thought universally holds that life is a gift of God and as such is the necessary prerequisite of all other physical, spiritual, and moral values. As a gift of God it is a moral good held by the individual and by societies in trust, and over which they do not have absolute control. Both the individual and societies, however, are charged with the moral responsibility of protecting, transmitting, and enhancing life. The concerns of bioethics relate primarily to the first two of these concerns.

Generally speaking, human responsibility for the preservation of life means that we are not given the right to terminate human life. Even the exceptions to this rule are understood as arising when conflicting claims to life become mutually exclusive, and a choice must be made. The preservation and protection of life are thus seen as crucial in ethical decision making. Since life is the prerequisite of all other this-worldly goods such as education, intelligence, social worth, and service to humanity, it has an intrinsic value that may not be violated under normal circumstances.

*(While the information contained in this timely article is not definitive, i.e. the final word, it represents current thinking relative to a number of contemporary issues. We hope you find the information useful in understanding the approach of the Orthodox Church to these vital issues. This is part one of three parts. The other two will appear in subsequent issues of the Herald.)

For the past two weeks, we have been compiling photos from our archives located in the basement of the Cathedral. The purpose is to scan photos and present them in a way that not only conveys the history of our Annunciation family, but the history of Greek Americans in the Bay Area. It is easy for us because our community has the oldest history and it makes interesting reading. The pages will increase traffic to our web site and will improve our rankings within search engines based on several criteria.

We have scanned about thirty photos so far, we have created a few banners that will go at the top of pages that are comprised of five photos and we will alternate them to give the visitor a different visual experience. We have not put all of them up yet.

We have scanned about thirty photos so far. Not all of them have been put up yet.

Digging through archives can be very tedious. We are asking for everyone’s help. There are a few things we have not found yet.

1) Photos of priests prior to Fr. Theophilos - prior to 1971.
2) More old photos of the church from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s.
3) We scanned to photos of the Philoptochos board from 1972 and 1976 and would love to get more.
4) Group shots of sports teams.
5) Group shots of GOYA, YAL, and dance troupes from prior years.
6) Photos of Greek Independence Day celebrations - especially very old photos.

If there is anyone who has photos, or know of someone who has some, we would gladly scan them and return them quickly. We are looking forward to seeing our history on our website told through photographs.

The address will be: www.annunciation.org/photoarchive

Thank you all for your time and help.

May 2004 Herald
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral.