METROPOLITAN ANTHONY TO BE LAID TO REST AT THE LIFE GIVING SPRING MONASTERY AT ST NICHOLAS RANCH

As indicated in the January issue, Metropolitan Anthony himself directed that the trisaghion service be held at the Annunciation Cathedral and the funeral service at the Ascension Cathedral (because we do not yet have a church that could have accommodated the funeral). He also directed that he be buried at the Monastery of the Theotokos the Life-Giving Spring at the St. Nicholas Ranch and Retreat Center.

Because no cemetery exists there, special permission is required to permit the burial. Meanwhile, the body was temporarily entombed at the Greek Orthodox Memorial Park in Colma. As this issue of the Herald was going to press, we learned that special legislation, in the form of amendments to Senate Bill No. 28, sponsored by Senators Poochigien, Alquist and Speier, is being enacted, (the Senate passed it on January 27th; the Assembly will pass it about February 1) and will be signed by Governor Schwarzenegger. Meanwhile, the authorities of Fresno County have agreed to the burial. Once it is permissible, the Metropolitan's body will be moved and interred at the Monastery. An appropriate monument will be erected over the grave.

As soon as the date of the burial is known, Annunciation parishioners will be notified, so that those who wish to attend may do so.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Immediately following the funeral of Metropolitan Anthony on December 29, 2004, in accordance with the Charter and canonical practice, the neighboring metropolitan, in this case, Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver, was appointed locum tenens, that is, temporary caretaker of the Metropolis, until a successor to Metropolitan Anthony is elected. Why, then, someone might ask, do we commemorate Archbishop Demetrios during the Divine Liturgy now, instead of Metropolitan Isaiah. Precisely, because he is not our next ecclesiastical superior -- this is Archbishop Demetrios, who heads the Archdiocese -- until, that is, a successor to Metropolitan Anthony is elected. As Metropolitan Isaiah himself put it in a recent letter to us, he is temporarily overseeing the administrative aspect of our Metropolis.

Now, following Metropolitan Anthony's death, a list of some 35 eligible candidates was published in the Orthodox Observer. The faithful were invited to submit comments, if they so choose, confidentially, until February 7th. Some time during the week following, the Eparchial Synod (that is, all the Metropolitans, plus the Archbishop) will convene and elect three candidates. The votes will be tallied and the election results will be forwarded to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, where the Holy Synod there will elect one of those candidates. That person will be named the next Metropolitan of San Francisco.

If the Metropolitan-elect is a priest, then he will be ordained, that is, consecrated a bishop, first, and then be brought to San Francisco, where he will be enthroned. If he is already a bishop, he will be brought to San Francisco to be enthroned. All of this may take place during the month of March. Once this is known, Annunciation's parishioners will be informed by letter and, subsequently, invited to attend both the enthronement and the banquet which will follow.

On January 22nd, the Metropolitan Council appointed a four-person committee to make plans for this purpose. The committee consists of Fanis Economidis, vice-chairman of the Council, Father Stephen Kyriacou, Valerie Roumeliotis, President of the Metropolis Philoptochos, and Father Paul Schroeder, Chancellor.

DONOR WALL

At long last, we have a donor wall, and it is magnificent. It is a fitting tribute to those who have made possible the rebuilding of the first phase of the facilities lost to the Loma Prieta earthquake, which phase cost just under $4 million. The wall, made of tempered glass, and imprinted with the names of the many people who participated, as a testament to their faith, is located over the model and the old altar table, under the arch at the western end of the gallery, towards Valencia Street.

The many positive comments we have heard since its installation a few weeks ago is that it is simple, it is beautifully elegant, it is an appropriate recognition for phase one, but it also points the way to phase two. More about phase two in coming issues of the Herald.

23rd ANNUAL CRAB FEED - A WONDERFUL SUCCESS

January 21 was another one of those wonderful evenings at the Cathedral. Once again, the crab feed was fully sold out. The usual crowd was there. Newcomers were there. All agreed, this is the best crab feed anywhere. We're very proud of this achievement. But it wasn't always this way.

23 years ago, Charlotte and the late Gus Derdevanis attended a crab feed elsewhere in the Bay Area and came back with the thought that one should be held at their church. It took persistence on Charlottes part. Finally, the priest said, Charlotte, if you want to have a crab feed, then you do it. Teia Nuris overheard this and said she would help. Since then, these two women enlist the participation of Philoptochos and non-Philoptochos members year after year. (Philoptochos is the women's organization at the Annunciation Cathedral; the word means, literally, "friend of the poor"). Charlotte and Teia have for some years been joined by another hard-working member of the Philoptochos, Anna Dricos, whose efforts have helped make this event, attended by up to 700 people, the success that it is. In addition to being there from the planning stages and set-up, Anna Dricos comes back after the event to make sure everything is clean and to put away items needed for the following year's crab feed.

It was appropriate, therefore, that these three women---Charlotte, Teia, and Anna--were honored at the crab feed. They were presented with long stem red roses and dinner certificates to Kokkari Estiatorio. A job well done!

Couples planning to be married at the Cathedral during the first part of 2005 are invited to meet with Father Stephen (or another member of the Cathedral clergy) on four occasions prior to their marriage. The first and fourth meetings will be private, while the second and third meetings will take place with other couples who are also planning to be married within the same six-month period. Those meetings will take place on Tuesday, February 8, 7-9 p.m. and Tuesday, April 19, also 7-9 p.m. The meetings will take place in the second floor conference room. The meetings will deal with an overview of the Orthodox perspective of marriage, marital relations, celebrating and growing, and a number of issues, including in-laws, communication, and fighting fair, money management, and mixed faiths, as applicable.

At the initial meeting, matters generally pertaining to their marriage will be discussed, and the date for their marriage will be set. At the last meeting, a marriage affidavit (application for a church license) will be completed and the rehearsal date will be set. Couples contemplating marriage at the Cathedral in 2005 (even 2006) should call and schedule the initial meeting as soon as possible.

Couples planning to be married in another Orthodox Church should follow the protocols for marriage set by the parish in which they will be married. The priest of that parish will complete the paperwork and conduct their pre-marriage classes, even though the couple still plans to continue their membership at the Cathedral. For additional information, or for questions, please call the Cathedral at 415 864-8000 and speak with Father Stephen.

"INTRODUCING THE ORTHODOX CHURCH" RESUMES FEBRUARY 13

Session one of the course, designed to guide those who are seeking to be received into the Church through baptism or (if they are already baptized in the Name of the Holy Trinity) through chrismation, as well as to help anyone who is interested to learn more about the Orthodox faith, concluded just before Christmas. Session two of the course begins Sunday, February 13th in the second floor conference room, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. We invite your attendance.

SHALL FATHER STEPHEN RESUME SPEAKING ON THE GREEK RADIO HOUR?

You may recall that, up to about 5 years ago, Father Stephen offered a message and made some announcements on a weekly basis in the Hellenic American Broadcast, heard daily, from 8:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., 1400 on your AM radio dial. A new opportunity has presented itself whereby Father Stephen has been asked to resume his participation in the radio hour. He has been asked to speak for 7 minutes at the beginning of each week, both for the purpose of imparting a message, and also making relevant announcements concerning the Annunciation Cathedral community. However, there is a cost associated in this participation. The cost is $119 per broadcast, or $6,188 for the year. Given the high costs associated with radio broadcasting, this is not a lot of money. Yet, given the income and expense breakdown presented elsewhere in this issue, one can readily see that the budget cannot support this expense. And, so, we turn to our parishioners and ask, shall Father Stephen resume speaking on the Greek radio hour? Meaning, is there someone out there who would like to underwrite the costs, to enable this to happen?

Please consider it, and speak with Father Stephen, or any member of the Parish Council. We would like to be able to have Father's message heard once again on the Hellenic American Broadcast.

OUR 2005 BUDGET-YOU NEED TO KNOW

Below are two pie charts. One shows a projected breakdown of the Cathedral's income for 2005. According to this, Stewardship, for example, accounts for 40% of the income. The rest is raised from a variety of other sources. The second pie chart shows a projected breakdown of the Cathedral's expenses for 2005. Here, salaries account for 36%. The rest is related to the various other aspects of running the church. Some 8% goes to paying interest for Phase I, on which we still owe a little over $1 million.

2005 Budget Income Breakdown $607,500	2005 Budget Expense Breakdown $725,569
(Click on either chart above for a better view)

How do we balance the two? Unfortunately, we rely on some of the income from the Waldorf School rent, which we had hoped to put aside for Phase II. We are also considering a number of fund-raisers, such as the Mini Cooper Raffle, as we chart a course to expand and enhance Stewardship as the major source of revenue. In all other respects, our community is strong, both in terms of our assets and in terms of our programs. We thank the many volunteers who work tirelessly to promote and safeguard the interests of our Church and of our parish.

FURTHER ON OUR 70th

As previously announced, we are making plans to mark the 70th Anniversary of the founding of the Annunciation. Recall that our community began in 1921 as St. Sophia. Following six years in a church at Hayes and Pierce Streets in San Francisco, in 1927. the community acquired the Valencia Street Theater, which it turned into a church. Meanwhile, the community was named as Cathedral Church for the newly established Diocese of San Francisco. (Initially there were four Dioceses which made up the Archdiocese, established in 1922; these were: New York, Boston, Chicago and, of course, San Francisco.) In 1936 the community reorganized and became known as "United Greek Orthodox Community of San Francisco, The Annunciation." Since then, it has been known, simply, as "Annunciation Cathedral." Except for a brief period of time when the Cathedral was relocated to the newly constructed St. Sophia in Los Angeles, during trhe 1950's, Annunciation has always been the Cathedral Church for the Diocese, now the Metropolis of San Francisco. St. Sophia in Los Angeles continues to be called a cathedral church, and a number of other churches in the Metropolis have been named cathedral churches (such as SS Constantine and Helen's in Honolulu, Ascension in Oakland, and Holy Trinity in Phoenix).

However, Annunciation is the Metropolitan's Cathedral Church. The others are, as the late Metropolitan Anthony used to say, "honoris causa" or "honorary cathedrals". They have been so named because of their distinugished service in our Metropolis. November 11, 2006 is the date selected for this gala celebration. Please note the date on your calendars. Soon, we will name a committee, which will make plans to appropriately mark the occasion.

HAPS TO SPONSOR GREEK LETTERS DAY AT CATHEDRAL

Greek Letters Day will be celebrated by the Hellenic American Professional Society of Northern California on Sunday, February 13, at the Annunciation Cathedral. An Artoclasia will be held to honor scholars (the 2005 Scholarship recipients are Erica L. Holland, Erene N. Kuvetakis, and Christos N. Theophanous). A luncheon will follow, at 1:00 p.m., ($40 per person), during which two AXION Award recipients will be recognized (they are Peter A. Bagatelos, Esq. and Patricia Kay Lagiss) and the scholarships awarded, as noted above. For reservations or additional information, please call George Mattis, Loys Rodatos, or Virginia Lagiss.

THINKING ABOUT AN EVENT IN OUR KORINTHIAS CENTER?

First, call Mike Canellos, at 415 864-8815, or 415 864-8000 to book the date for your event. Then, call Jack Spachis, our caterer, on his cell, at 415 609-1977, or at the restaurant, at 415 647-3200. He will happily help you discuss and plan your business luncheon, baptismal or wedding reception, or any other event requiring food and use of Cathedral facilities.

COMMUNITY LINK
Sometimes Little Things Make a Big Difference
By Lainey Pizanis

It’s amazing how much a warm loaf of bread, a smile, and time spent in conversation with someone will touch a person’s heart. On January 15th, 20 members of our parish answered the call to participate in the first Community Link ministry meeting. Our goal was to bake 20 Vasilopitas for 20 visitations. Our lively group ranged in age from seven year old Zachary Schroeder to three seniors, Irene Avdoulos and John and Christina Johns.

Our crew arrived with mixing bowls, wooden spoons and enthusiasm as Presvytera Elizabeth Schroeder walked us through the stages of baking Vasilopita. We mixed the ingredients, kneaded the dough, laughed and got to know each other and prayed our bread would rise. The kitchen smelled heavenly!
Fr. Paul assigned us into teams of two or three and sent us off with our warm loaves of bread and directions. It is hard to describe with words the connection some of us experienced with those we visited. Sometimes little things make a big difference.

My mother once told me that the best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm. Mom was right, and I wholeheartedly encourage those of you with some spare time to join us in our once-a-month visitations. The parea will warm your soul.

The next gathering of the Community Link Ministry will meet on Saturday, February 19th at 10:00am. For a more details on recent Community Link activities click here.

RECENT SERVICES AT THE CATHEDRAL

BAPTISMS

Maria Neita, daughter of Dustin Novo and Chrisoula Bissas, was baptized January 15. Her sponsor is Despina Tsampis.

Jeremy David, son of David Allen Felix and Peggie Ann Mead, was baptized January 23. His sponsors are Theodora Shiacos and Caroline Pappajohn.

Na Mas Zisoun! (Long Life!)

GOOD HEALTH TO A CATHEDRAL FRIEND

Our thoughts and prayers are with Jim Dariotes, who recently suffered a stroke in Indianapolis. Get well soon, good friend, and come visit us!

February 2005 Herald
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral.