This is a facsimile of the Cathedral's seal when it was incorporated 85 years ago. The seal depicts the Great Church of Christ in Constantinople (Aghia Sophia), built by Justinian in the sixth century. Originally, the Cathedral was called "Saint Sophia." The name means The Holy Wisdom [of God]). At that time, it was located at Hayes and Pierce Streets in San Francisco. In 1928, the Church was relocated, to its present site on Valencia Street. In 1936, the community re-incorporated, as "United Greek Orthodox Community of San Francisco, The Annunciation," and has been known, simply, as the "Annunciation Cathedral."

WHO IS THIS MELETIOS METAXAKIS?

Meletios Metaxakis is how the founder of the Cathedral in San Francisco is known. He was the nephew of Eleftherios Venizelos, the pro-Allied Prime Minister of Greece at the beginning of the 20th century. It was a turbulent period. In 1917, the pro-German King, Constantine, was forced into exile by Venizelos Venizelos, subsequently, designated his nephew, Meletios Metaxakis, as Archbishop of Athens and the head of the Orthodox Church of Greece.

Meletios given name was Emmanuel Metaxakis. He was born in 1871, on the island of Crete. He entered the Holy Cross Seminary in Jerusalem, in 1889. He was ordained a deacon in 1892, taking the ecclesiastical name Meletios. In 1900, upon graduation, he was assigned secretary of the Holy Synod of the Church of Jerusalem. In 1910, he was elected Metropolitan of Kition (Cyprus). In 1918, Meletios became Archbishop of Athens. In the Greek elections of 1920, however, Venizelos was defeated. The king returned to power, and Metaxakis was deposed as Archbishop of Athens.

Like so many other political refugees, Metaxakis fled to the United States. Still recognized as the legitimate head of the Church of Greece by his American legate, Bishop Alexander, Metaxakis presided over the organization of some Greek parishes in North America into a formal "Greek Archdiocese" on September 15, 1921. In May of 1921, he lived in San Francisco, where he convened a "Council" from among the "Liberal League" of Greeks living here (Greeks sympathetic to Venizelos), and created the Cathedral and the Diocese of San Francisco. While the Cathedral became a reality, a bishop for the Diocese was not named until several years later. That person was Bishop Callistos. However, he did name the first priest of the Cathedral, Philaretos Joannides, as locum tenens, or caretaker of the Diocese of San Francisco. Later, Philaretos Joannides became Bishop of the Diocese of Chicago.

While in San Francisco, Meletios ("Metropolitan of Athens" as he was known here), presided over the first nineteen meetings of the Governing Council of the Cathedral. During his stay, the property at Hayes and Pierce Streets was purchased, at a cost of $50,000, a temporary church and school were built there, the church itself was consecrated, permanent by-laws were enacted, and a fund raising campaign was undertaken, in order to build a permanent church and school. All this is recorded in the minutes of 1921, which are a part of the Cathedral's archives. A facsimile edition of those minutes, along with a bound, hand type-set translation, will be presented to Archbishop Demetrios, Metropolitan Gerasimos, and Mayor Gavin Newsom at the historic 85th Anniversary Banquet, which will take place on Sunday, November 12, 2006, in the Rotunda of San Francisco's City Hall. Those who comprised the first Council (May 19, 1921) were: Archimandrite Ph. Joannides, D. Kapatos, Kokos, Chr. Antoniades, J. Jerome, D. Douvaras, G. Giannooulos, K. Molakides, Chr. Catharios, D. Glafkides, Ch. Frangogiannis, J. Pantazopoulos, Chr. Saris, G. Kardiakos, G. Evangelou, Th. Doumanis, S. Bonatsos, Emm. Vogiatzis, G. Meletopoulos, and Al. Alimisis. The meeting took place in the Phelan Building, and Germanos Polyzoides (who later became Metropolitan), served as secretary. Those who signed the initial By-Laws/Articles of Incorporation, on June 30, 1921 were, in addition to Metropolitan Meletios, as President: Archimandrite Philaretos Joannides, Ch. Th. Saris, Mich. Th. Thomaides, Rev. Pyth. Caravellas, Chr. D. Catharios, G. Ambreadakis, Harry H. Franco, K. Sarantitis, G. Heart, C. D. Antoniades, Jimmy Glafkides, and John Milonas. The above is also attested to in the Greek American daily, California, in various issues of May, June, and July of 1921.

On November 25, 1921 the exiled Metaxakis was elected Ecumenical Patriarch. Meletios, however, was not about to give up his American creation. In 1908, the churches in America (some 140 parishes in all) had been put under the oversight of the Church of Greece. This act is generally known as the "Tome of 1908." Upon becoming Ecumenical Patriarch, Meletios Metaxakis rescinded the Tome of 1928, and put them under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (where they have remained ever since)--in effect transferring jurisdiction of the new Greek Archdiocese from himself, as Archbishop of Athens, to himself, as the Ecumenical Patriarch. Meletios justified the move by reference to canon 28 of the Council of Chalcedon (the Fourth Ecumenical Council, convened in 451 AD), which granted the Ecumenical Patriarchate jurisdiction over all "barbarian lands," that is, areas which were not already under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchates of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandra, Antioch, or Jerusalem. Meletios appointed Bishop Alexander of Rodostolon as the first Archbishop of the Archdiocese of America, and charged him with the task of bringing about canonical order among the Greek parishes of North America. The Archdiocese itself came into being, as a corporation, in 1922, and initially consisted of four dioceses: those of New York, Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco. In 1923, Meletios Metaxakis went on to become Patriarch of Alexandria (Egypt). Thus, he became the only Orthodox hierarch to head four autocephalous churches successively, those of: Greece, Cyprus, Constantinople, and Alexandria. He died in Alexandria and is buried in Cairo.

ELENI TSAKOPOULOS-KOUNALAKIS TO SERVE AS MC AT THE CATHEDRAL'S 85TH ANNIVERSARY GALA

The Cathedral is pleased to announce that Commissioner Eleni Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis will serve as the MC at the 85th Anniversary Celebration at City Hall on Sunday, November 12. Ms. Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis will set the tone for the evening by acknowledging the various dignitaries and guests present, including elected and appointed civic officials, past Parish Council presidents, and will introduce special guest Nathan Gunn, world renowned baritone with the Metropolitan Opera, who will offer some specially prepared songs, to piano accompaniment by his wife, Judy. Following, Eleni will call on Commissioner Victor Makras, who will introduce our host, Mayor Gavin Newsom, and on Father Stephen Kyriacou, who will present the facsimile edition referred to elsewhere in this edition of the Herald, to Archbishop Demetrios of America, Metropolitan Gerasimos and Mayor Newsom. Archbishop Demetrios, who is our special guest of honor, will address us, having been introduced by Metropolitan Gerasimos.

A resident of San Francisco, Ms. Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis is married to Marcos Kounalakis and is the mother of two sons, Evangelos and Antonios. Known for their philanthropy and support of Hellenism and the Church, Eleni and her husband recently created the Mitsotakis Chair of Modern Greek Studies at Stanford University. Eleni is President of AKT Development, located in Sacramento.

SAN FRANCISCO MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM TO HOST 85TH ANNIVERSARY GALA OF CATHEDRAL'S FOUNDING AT CITY HALL ROTUNDA, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12

As is well known, the Cathedral's black-tie optional 85th anniversary celebration will take place in the Rotunda of San Francisco's City Hall on Sunday, November 12, 2006. The festivities will begin with a reception in the South Light Court at 6 p.m., with live Greek music. A gala dinner will follow (promptly at 7:30 p.m.) in the magnificently refurbished rotunda, where guests will dine to the music of Starlight Strings. The program will feature world renowned Metropolitan Opera Baritone, Hunter Gunn, and will include a special presentation to Mayor Gavin Newsom, who is the official host for the evening, Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco, and Archbishop Demetrios of America, who is our special guest of honor.

While in San Francisco, Archbishop Demetrios will deliver the Paul Manolis Distinguished Lectures at the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute (PAOI) (Thursday, November 9 and Friday, November 10) and will celebrate the Divine Liturgy at the Annunciation Cathedral Sunday morning, November 12.

The significance of the anniversary is that, in 1921, under the presidency of His Eminence Meletios Metaxakis (the former Archbishop of Greece, who shortly thereafter became Ecumenical Patriarch, as noted above), the Cathedral was established, with the added premise that San Francisco be designated as the seat of the Greek Orthodox Church for the Western States. This decision was fortuitous, both for the City of San Francisco and for the Greek-American community, which gave the City two Mayors--Mayor George Christopher and Mayor Art Agnos, as well as a number of distinguished politicians and civic leaders. In acknowledgement of this, Mayor Gavin Newsom, granted the use of City Hall for this purpose, through the efforts of Commissioner Victor Makras.

As a matter of historical interest, Meletios Metaxakis presided over the first nineteen meetings of the Administrative or Governing Council of the then nascent Cathedral, oversaw the building of a temporary church and school at Hayes and Pierce Streets, consecrated the church, composed its charter and regulations, and named it "the Greek Orthodox Church, St. Sophia, in San Francisco." In 1936, the Cathedral reincorporated, as the "United Greek Orthodox Community of San Francisco, The Annunciation." Meanwhile, it relocated, to its present site at 245 Valencia Street.

Metaxakis also signed the minutes of each of the first nineteen meetings, as did His Eminence Metropolitan Germanos Polyzoides, another pioneer in the establishment of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. The minutes discuss not only the founding of the Cathedral and the Diocese of San Francisco, but also refer to the establishment of the Archdiocese (which was incorporated the following year, in 1922) and Metaxakis' vision for the role of the Archbishop, particularly in the procurement and disposition of parish property. A facsimile edition of these historic early minutes, together with an English translation, set in letterpress by Nektarios (Norman L.) McKnight, will be presented to Archbishop Demetrios, Metropolitan Gerasimos, and Mayor Newsom. A fourth copy will reside in the archives of the Cathedral.

As of this writing, some 400 paid reservations have been received. The capacity of the Rotunda is 520, with additional seating for 100, somewhat removed from the Rotunda, along the Supervisors' corridor, on the second floor. A number of rooms have been set aside, at a reduced rate, at the Westin St. Francis Hotel, located on San Francisco's Union Square. To reserve a room, call the Hotel, at 415 397-7000 or 800 WESTIN by Monday, October 23, 2006. For further information about the event and for reservations, please call the Cathedral, at 415 864-8000.

Inasmuch as the cost of the ticket ($150) barely covers the actual costs of the event, individuals and organizations are invited to serve as sponsors, that is, to help underwrite the event by making an additional contribution. There are six (s) sponsor categories: FAITH: $5,000 and above; VISION: $2,500; DIAKONIA: $1,000; CHARITY: $500; AGAPE: $250; and HOPE: $100. Parishioners and friends have an opportunity to note your level of support on the invitation response card, which was mailed in September. Your name(s) and level of support will be included in the program for the evening. Additionally, donors of $1,000 or more will be invited to a special gathering, following the event, for the purpose of acknowledging their generosity.A general meeting of the committees took place at the Cathedral on June 27 and again on September 12. The final meeting, prior to the event, will take place, again at the Cathedral, in the second floor conference room, on Wednesday, October 11, 2006, at 7:00 p.m.

PARISH ASSEMBLY OCTOBER 22

Parishioners of the Cathedral are invited to the second Parish Assembly for 2006 (the first was held on April 2), to take place in the Cathedral's Korinthias Hall on Sunday, October 22, following the Divine Liturgy. The Agenda is as follows:

Opening Prayer
1. Election of Assembly Chair
2. Reading/Approval of the April 2, 2006 Minutes of the Parish Assembly
3. Treasurer's Report
4. Reports covering a. Stewardship, b. Catering/Hall Coordination, c. 2006 Festival/ 85th Anniversary Celebration, d. Youth, e. Archdiocese Clergy-Laity (Nashville: July 13-20, 2006), and f. Plans for rebuilding the Cathedral Church
5. Report of the Board of Auditors
6. Report of the Nominating Committee (Following their report, Ted Leventis, Bill Tonas, Lula Ossipoff, and Andrew Vellis. Effectively become the Board of Elections. As such, they will oversee the Parish Council elections, which will take place following the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, December 10, 2006)
7. Election of Delegates to the Metropolis Clergy-Laity Congress (St. Nicholas Ranch and Retreat Center, February 5-7, 2007)
8. Old Business
9. New Business
Closing Prayer

Parishioners in good standing (that is, those who are ecclesiastically in good standing with the Orthodox Church, as defined in the Archdiocese Regulations, and who have met their stewardship obligations to the Cathedral, may participate in the Parish Assembly. Quorum requirements, as defined in the Parish By-Laws are: 75% of the Parish Council (i.e. 12 out of 15 members), an equal number of other parishioners in good standing, plus the Dean of the Cathedral or, if fewer than 12 members of the Parish Council are present, then 75 parishioners in good standing, plus the Dean of the Cathedral.

FOOD FESTIVAL 2006: NOW A MEMORY OF SUCCESS

Year after year, in order to be successful, the Cathedral's Food Festival depends upon four factors:

1. Good preparation
2. Good execution
3. Good supporters and, of course
4. Good weather.

The preparation and execution are always dependent upon our volunteers: countless hours go into planning, buying, cooking, storing, set-up, take-down, clean-up, scheduling the following year's festival. And, in this, we are blessed. Not as much as we would like to be. We could always use more volunteers. But, we are thankful for those we have, because they are dedicated beyond description. They give countless hours: they just keep giving and giving.

Then, we have our good supporters, people who come and eat our delicious food and who support our vendors and who, just by being here, give us enormous moral support. And not just monetary support, although (God knows) we need lots of that, if we hope to rebuild the Cathedral Church, lost to the earthquake of 1989. But the kind of support in faith, summarized in St. Paul's encouraging message, when he said: "Bear one another's burdens" (Galatians 6:2), for the purpose of fulfilling what God expects of us. To all of you we say: efharisto (Thank you). As for the weather, that's all beyond our control. A week before the Festival it was so hot in the City that many people were saying we would just about die from heat exhaustion in our Korinthias Hall (where the food is served) and in the kitchen. And, so, God granted us cooler weather. Great for being indoors, but not so hot (forgive the pun) for outdoors.

In all, Food Festival 2006, A Taste of Greece, was a success, in so many ways but, above all, because of everyone working together!

And we did so, ever so harmoniously. That's what festivals are really all about. Now comes the hard part - whom do you thank? Well, you thank everyone, because everyone's part was important. We will be able to thank our volunteers personally at our wrap-up dinner, to be held on Wednesday, October 25, at 6:30 p.m.

COMMUNITY LINK

Our next Community Link will take place on Saturday, October 21, 9am-Noon.

For this and all future Community Link days, we've changed to a new, shorter format (9:00am - Noon) to focus our Community Link time to discussion, prayer, and visits. Volunteers meet at the Cathedral at 9 a.m., and conclude their visits by noon. We will no longer be cooking food (based on feedback we received from the folks we visit).

We visit people who are experiencing isolation because of age or illness, or who are undergoing a particularly stressful time due to the death of a loved one or loss of a job. We also visit people who are celebrating a joyful occasion, such as the birth of a child.
 
If you or someone you know would like to receive a visit, or if you are interested in volunteering, please phone Caroline Pappajohn or email her at cpappajohn@yahoo.com.
 
Please note the remainder of our 2006 Community Link schedule:

Saturday, October 21, 9am - Noon
Saturday November 18, 9am - Noon
Saturday, December 16, 9am - Noon
We will be making gift bags of special holiday treats to bring to the folks we visit.

We look forward to your joining us. Thank you!

FATHER STEPHEN TO SPEAK AT AHIF OCTOBER 28

The American Hellenic Institute Foundation, in cooperation with the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation, has invited Father Stephen Kyriacou, Dean of the Cathedral, to speak at the 5th Annual Conference on the Future of Hellenism in America. The conference will take place at the Westin St. Francis Hotel, 335 Powell Street, San Francisco on Saturday, October 28, 2006. It will begin at 9 a.m. with a welcome by Conference Chairman, George Marcus, and conclude at 4 p.m., with a Round Table discussion. Father Stephen has been asked to speak on "Issues Facing the Church in America."

Other speakers include James Dimitriou, Ph.D., Past Supreme President of the Order of AHEPA, and Emmanuel E. Velivasakis, President of the Pan Cretan Association, who will speak on The Future of Greek American Organizations; Professor Martha Klironomos, Director of the Center for Modern Greek Studies at San Francisco University, Eva Prionas, Ph.D., Chair of the Special Language Program, Stanford University, and Professor George Kafloukis, President of the Archimedean Academy, Miami, FL, who will speak on Greek Studies Programs in America; Vicki Liviakis, Anchor, KRON TV News, Marilyn Rouvelas, author of Greek Customs and Traditions in America, and Ambassador Loucas Tsilas, who will speak on matters ranging from the importance of engaging the American media to the Promotion of Greek Culture; and Gene Rossides, President of AMHIF, Kyriakos Tsakopoulos, President & CEO of KT Communities, Nick Karambelas, Esq., Partner, Sfikas & Karambelas, LLP, and George Marcus, who will speak on matters ranging from the role of the Greek American community in support for U.S. relations with Greece and America, to the engagement of youth as active participants of Hellenism and the importance of engaging Greek American professionals to be proactive in the community.

Ambassador Alexandros Mallias, Ambassador of Greece to the United States, will be the luncheon speaker.

This 5th Annual Conference of AHIF requires registration. To register, write AHIF, 1220 16th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036, or phone, 202 785-8430.

TULA KALLAS, COORDINATOR OF YOUR CATERED SPECIAL EVENT AT THE CATHEDRAL

We've written about these in our last two issues, and we are re-printing it here: our Korinthias Hall is available for your special event - Baptism, Wedding, Anniversary Reception (to name a few). To assist you in planning your event, the Cathedral has engaged the services of Mrs. Tula Kallas. As a full service coordinator, Tula will assist you through every step of the process, both with respect to the engagement of your caterer and décor, including seat covers, table cloths, table arrangements, trees, and lighting. If you would like to consider the Hall for your event, tour the facility, or reserve a date, call Mrs. Kallas, at 510 432-0194. We are encouraged by the enthusiastic response we have received since Tula has assumed this assignment, and are happy to see receptions returning home to the Korinthias Hall of the Annunciation Cathedral.

SACRAMENTS AND SERVICES

BAPTISM
Milena, daughter of Fesehaye Nayizghi and Alem Beraki, was baptized at the Cathedral September 23. Her sponsor is Kibra Berhey.

Na Mas Zisi! Long Life!

FUNERALS
Timothy Stanley Milonas, who fell asleep in the Lord September 8, was buried September 14. His next of kin is his wife, Janet O. Morgan Milonas.

Nektaria Rula Plarinos Calderon, who fell asleep in the Lord September 10, was buried September 18. Her next of kin is her husband, Carlos Calderon. Rula also leaves behind her children, Daniel, Michael and Niko, her parents, Dennis and Soula Plarinos, and her sisters, Maggie Colmes and Angela Loxas.

Aionia I mnimi! May their Memory be eternal!

October 2006 Herald
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral.