SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS CHRISTMAS PAGEANT/LUNCHEON

On Sunday, December 19, our children will be performing a pageant representing the Annunciation and the Birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ, through Bible readings, tableaux and songs and hymns in Greek and in English.

After the pageant, the entire community is invited to a complimentary (meatless/lenten) luncheon. The luncheon will be followed by Chrismas activities annd a visit from Santa. This event, sponsored by the Sunday School, promises to be educational, inspiring, and great fun for all.

In order to be prepared, we will need your children to be present and on time for rehearsals and, of course, for the performance. This means arriving no later than 10:15 a.m.

Sunday School will resume after the Christmas holidays, on Sunday, January 9th.

2004-2005 JUNIOR VARSITY BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Junior varsity basketball practice for boys and girls has begun. We are delighted to have five teams in this category. All our practices are held in our Korinthias Center gym, as follows:

“The Long And Winding Road” by Michael Canellos

To me it was a very special year as our nation prepared for its bicentennial. At last, America was at peace, the Vietnam War had finally reached its conclusion. The specter of Watergate, the endless protest mardhes, and the constant condemnation of the country had ceased. Gerald Ford was our new President and Gerald Brown our California Governor. The Oakland Raders were destined to be “Super Bowl Champions” of 1976. Bruce Jenner was to be crowned, “The World’s Greatest Athlete” at the Montreal Summer Olympics.

As America celebrated its 200th birthday, a rebirth of patriotism, optimism, and spiritualism seemed to spread throughout the land. Modernization, though always moving forward, had not as yet claimed our humanity. Home computers, laptops, the internet, cell phones, email, and palm pilots, existed in the future. 1976 was a more simple, innocent time, family values were still honored and cherished.

In 1976, Father Theophilos was the spiritual leader of the Annunciation Cathedral. One evening in early spring, we were having dinner together, when he casually inquired in his soft, gentle way, whether I would consider coaching the Annunciation youth in basketball. Somehow, he had heard that I was coaching youth baseball and working with blind adults, instructing them also in baseball. Father evidently felt that with m background in sports, that, perhaps, I would be interested in expanding my coaching to basketball. I reluctantly declined and apologetically explained that between my baseball commitments, law classes, work, and college baseball, little time was left in my week. After a long pause, he softly said that he completely understood. However, he then inquired if perhaps I would consider volunteering for only three weeks until he could find a coach. I remember answering, “three weeks only”!

Little did I know that when I agreed to this promise that literally, the course of my life would be taking a new path. Twenty eight years have now passed. I realize that I have been truly blessed to have had the privilege of coaching the youth here at the Annunciation. The small contribution I have made over these years has rewarded me a hundred times over. The friendships which I forged and the memories of these will forever be a part of me. Thank you to the entire Annunciation family for having entrusted me with you most precious possession - your children.

In the late 1980’s, I had temporarily quit coaching. When my father died in 1989, Father Stephen came to me and suggested that the void my father had left in my life perhaps could partially be filled by returning to my dream. He reminded me that God had bestowed to me a most precious gift - the ability to work with children. Thank you, Father Stephen, for bringing me home again. I will always be grateful.

I will never know if Father Theo ever really intended to find another coach. Personally, I believe that, in his heart, he somehow knew the course of my destiny. A wise man once said, “we cannot stay young forever, that every era must end so that a new one can begin”. The time has now come for the “old coach” to gather the smiles, the laughter, and the love that the children have given him and silently fade away. It is time for a new era to begin.

Editors Note: Mike Canellos will continue to ably fulfill his other responsibilities at the Cathedral.

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December 2004 Herald
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral