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You will find communications from our President on this page. Please click on the links below to read them. If you are NOT receiving these e-mails in your private e-mail box, we do not have your e-mail address. Please send your e-mail address to Pauline Pavlakos. It will then be added to the e-mail page of the website and mailed to the officers and the applicable representatives.
- May 29, 2008 (e-mail communication)
- March 25, 2008 (e-mail communication)
- December 18, 2007 (e-mail communication)
- October 12, 2007 (e-mail communication)
- September 10, 2007 (e-mail communication)
- August 15, 2007 (e-mail communication)
- June 7, 2007 (e-mail communication)
- December 20, 2006 (e-mail communication)
- August 12, 2006 (e-mail communication)
Dear Sisters In Christ,Christos Anesti!
As Clergy Laity is fast approaching, I wanted to bring a couple things to your immediate attention:
Everyone who plans on attending the Greek Embassy Luncheon on Wednesday, July 16 must send in the separate registration form. ALL attendees names must be submitted to the Embassy prior to the event. Tickets will not be available after June 12. Please send in the form that was mailed to you. Tickets for registered presvyteres will be included in the C/L registration packets, however, you must still send in the registration form letting us know you plan to attend so that your name will be included on the list. If you are not registered, your form needs to be returned with a $20 check.
The Clergy Family Child Care program is really shaping up, but is in desperate need of volunteers to help throughout the week. Please help us to recruit young adults, retirees, and sister presvyteres to help! If we do not have enough volunteers, we may be forced to cancel the program. To volunteer, please contact Flora Moraitis at (631)470-1374 or PresFloraM@optonline.net.
If you have a teenager coming to DC, please send in your registration form for the Teenage PK Get-together to Presv Pauline Pavlakos. Her email address is: SISinICXC@msn.com. Deadline for that registration is June 16.
All forms were mailed from the C/L Congress, but will be included again in an upcoming newsletter as well. You can also print them from our website: www.nsp.goarch.org/whatsnew.html.
Please do not delay and mail in the forms as soon as possible. Looking forward to seeing many of you in July.
Lent 2008
My Dear Sisters,
Kali Tessarokosti.
I have been sitting and pondering over what to write to all of you during this beautiful time of year, Spring, when everything comes back to life, fresh and new. When we attend Lenten services and pray to our Holy Mother of God to intercede for us, we are reminded that whatever challenges we may face, there is always hope and sustenance that can only be derived from Christ, Our Savior. With this in mind, next Sunday, is the third Sunday of Holy Lent. The very meaning of Stavroproskiniseos is that despite our feeling despondent, fatigued or thinking that things will never change for the better, this is the church’s way of showing us that life abounds with renewal and joy that can only be found in anticipation of Our Lord’s Glorious Resurrection.
My reason for writing this is, many times I feel that I have not accomplished what I have set out to do for the NSP, that I have not reached all those who need our help, that there are sisters out there who need someone to talk to and I can not reach them by myself. I ask all of you, my sisters in Christ, to help by reaching out to those sisters in need. We are all busy in our lives but it only takes a minute to welcome a new presvytera to our Metropolises or to call a sister who may be lonely.
On a lighter and personal note, my daughter, Irene, will be having her third little girl, God willing, on April 7th. I will be in NJ with her for the month of April to help with the other two girls. Please pray for all of us as she brings another new life into this wonderful world
Wishing you all a Joyous and Blessed Pascha.
Christmas 2007
Help me to remember, Father, that true happiness comes when we give of ourselves to others. The good I do today is my gift to myself and to You. Amen.
Dear Sisters In Christ,
Our Lord and Savior’s birth bears a great significance for us as Orthodox Christians because with His glorious birth man was also made anew. With Christ’s entrance into the world man was offered salvation. He was enlightened with the light of knowledge and was assured of his redemption from the transgressions, which had beset him.
In this ever-changing world, my hope and prayer is that you each enjoy a Blessed Holy Christmas and may God’s love enfold and embrace you and your families throughout the New Year.
With Love in Christ the Savior
Dear Sisters In Christ,It was wonderful to see so many of you at our National Retreat at the Mercy Center in Burlingame, California. I know those who attended had a wonderful experience. Just the fellowship of our sisters getting together is a wonder to behold.
On behalf of the entire sisterhood, I thank His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos, for hosting us in his beautiful Metropolis. My gratitude to Father Spencer Kezios for giving of his time, talent and expertise. To Ellie Dogias, Alexandra Pappas and Barbara Retelas: Thank you, thank you, thank you! You worked long and hard, along with your committee, to make the weekend fun, relaxing, educational, spiritual and rejuvenating.
I also thank so many of our Sisters In Christ who attended. It was so nice to put faces to the many names I have grown to love through e-mails and telephone conversations.
Please mark your calendar for 2009. Our retreat will take place on the east coast, near Baltimore, MD, on Columbus Day weekend.
May I also remind you all, sister to sister, that we are not alone and to never forget that, “Christ is in our Midst, He is and always shall be.”
Dear Sisters,As we have entered this new Ecclesiastical Year and are about to celebrate the Elevation of the Holy and Life Giving Cross, I take this opportunity to remind you that it is a time for new beginnings and spiritual growth. We must search for ways to renew our relationships with our spouses, our children, our community, each other and renew ourselves. We must try to find happiness in everything we do. If we approach things with anger and a heavy heart, it becomes more difficult to do everyday things. Each day in our lives should be viewed as an opportunity to nurture these relationships and not take each other for granted. There is an ever-present support system for us to utilize and take advantage of: TLC (The Listening Connection), CAP Hotline, Hierarchs, Clergy, Sisters In Christ, Pastoral Counselors, etc. You can access many of these by going to our website at www.nsp.goarch.org. We need to keep ourselves healthy spiritually, emotionally and physically in order to be good wives, mothers and presvyteres.
Please make sure you keep in touch with your Metropolis Representative if you need any assistance. Also, let her know if you have a new address, e-mail or phone number. Speaking of Metropolis representatives, I would like to welcome, Georget Photos, as our newly elected Atlanta Rep. She is filling a much-needed position and I thank her for assuming this responsibility.
We should all keep His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios in our prayers upon the occasion of his 40th Anniversary as a Hierarch. Our Vice-President, Stephanie Panagos will be representing us at the Liturgical Celebration for His Eminence on September 15, in New York City.
I will be on an Ecumenical Pilgrimage from September 16 –26. His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston and Cardinal Sean O’Malley will be leading this historic event to Rome, Constantinople and St. Petersburg. I am very excited about this trip, as I will meet our beloved Patriarch Bartholomew.
I would like to congratulate our past president, Flora Chioros, on receiving the Humanitarian Award from the Peninsula Chapter of the Virginia Conference for Community and Justice. Panta Axia!
In closing, I look forward to seeing many of you at our National Retreat in Burlingame, California. I thank His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos, Alexandra Pappas, Ellie Dogias, Barbara Retelas and the Sisters of the Metropolis of San Francisco for all of their hard work in making this a reality.
P.S. Remember it only takes a smile or a phone call to make a person feel better. Call a presvytera today!
Dear Sisters In Christ,Chronia Polla to you and your families!
I just wanted to remind everyone that the deadline for the retreat registration forms is fast approaching. August 25! Please, please make every effort to attend this wonderful biennial event. The retreat committee has been working hard to make this a very special weekend. If you need to download another copy of the registration form, it is available on the NSP website, www.nsp.goarch.org/whats_new.html.
I am in Greece helping my daughter's mother in law. She fell and was seriously injured. Please pray for Angie as she will be in a wheelchair for another month.
Dear Sisters,Just a short note to let you all know that in July we will be sending out the information and registration forms about our NSP Retreat, which as you know will be held on the weekend of October 5-8, 2007 in beautiful San Francisco. Father Spencer Kezios will be our retreat master. The cost will be $290 not including your transportation (flights to and from San Francisco Airport) and $150 for sisters who are retired or widowed. All rooms are singles. How’s that for a real retreat, a room all by yourself! I also know some very special surprises await us. Be on the lookout for our very special newsletter sometime in July.
Thank you for the calls and e-mails asking what happened to me. I had minor surgery on my right foot and have to stay off of it for four to six weeks. I cannot drive either. For those of you who know me, you know this is torture. I am healing well and not in much pain, so your prayers worked.
Please know that all of you are always in my thoughts and prayers. We are very special, strong women who are in this position because we love and support our husbands and their calling in life (which also makes it our calling). But, there are times when we need to reach out to a friend to help us get through a tough time or just day to day STUFF. That is why the NSP was created to help each other out. Do not be afraid to call a sister just to talk or to reach out to a retired or widowed sister. We are the only ones who can understand what we go through so please support one another.
Wishing you all a wonderful summer!
With Love in Christ,
Cynthia
Dear Sisters,"Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with humility and gentleness." Ephesians 4:1-2
With these thoughts, this is the route I wish to take as President of the National Sisterhood of Presvyteres (NSP). I want for us to grow in our ministering to each other and I know it is not an easy task.
Since taking office in Nashville, I have been in contact with the executive board regularly. We sent out our first newsletter of the 2006-2008 term in mid-September. Jeannie Monos did a fantastic job, as always. Flora Chioros, our esteemed past president, represented me at the Archdiocesan Council meeting in NYC on October 20. I have chosen to be a member of the Marriage and Family sub-committee.
Stephanie Panagos, NSP Vice President, represented us at the National Philoptochos Board meeting in NYC October 20 and 21. Stephanie was asked to participate in the Public Relations committee sessions. She had an opportunity to introduce herself at the meeting and thanked Philoptochos for their ongoing support of the NSP/APC Benevolent Fund. Stephanie also attended the tea for the Archons' wives on October 21 in NYC.
I attended Archbishop Demetrios' Name Day Celebration on October 26 at the Archdiocese. I conveyed our deepest respect and love to His Eminence.
I then flew to San Francisco for our first NSP National Board meeting held on the weekend of October 27-29. We were hosted by Alexandra Pappas and the parish of Holy Trinity. Alexandra hosted us at her home on Friday evening and we had our first meeting. On Saturday morning, we traveled to the Mercy Retreat Center, the site of our October 5-8, 2007 National Retreat. The facility and the grounds are outstanding. Please make sure to mark your calendars. After the tour, we went to Holy Trinity to continue our meeting. The Philoptochos of Holy Trinity provided a gourmet lunch for us and that evening, Tina Vrionis, a parishioner of Holy Trinity, hosted a dinner for us at North Beach Restaurant. I know it sounds as if all we did was eat but, we did get some work done. I want to personally thank Alexandra and the entire community of Holy Trinity for their gracious hospitality.
I also attended the Archdiocesan Benefits meetings on October 31 and November 1 in NYC. I am a non-voting member of this committee. It is a learning experience
It is very important that you all know that your husband's pension will now be paid through automatic withdrawal, from your checking account. Letters and postcards have been sent to our homes. Make sure all of the paperwork has been filled out. These withdrawals begin January 17 and will show as GOAP on your bank statement. (Webmaster's note: Withdrawals can also be made from your credit card account.)
I will be traveling back to San Francisco on January 18 for the Metropolis retreat January 19-21, 2007. I so look forward to being with everyone on the west coast.
On January 26 and 27, I will attend the National Philoptochos meeting in St. Augustine, Florida.
I hope you are enjoying our new e-mail ministry, "Prez to Prez". We thank our sisters: Stacey Dorrance, Candace Schefe, Donna Pappas, Pat Tsagalakis and Eleni Tsigas (she has just moved to Florida) from the Metropolis of San Francisco. They began this ministry for their metropolis and after seeing the wonderful job they were doing I asked if we could send it out to the entire sisterhood. They all agreed and you are now receiving, "Prez to Prez." Thank you, ladies!!!!! (Webmaster's note: Prez to Prez e-mails are available on our newest web page--Prez to Prez.)
On a personal note, I have been spending a lot of time with my grandchildren in Worcester and New Jersey. They are the light of Father Dean's and my life. They are such a blessing and have brought new life to us.
I wish for all of you a Blessed Christmas and a New Year filled with all of God's Blessings.
Dear Sisters,
Greetings in the name of our Lord!
It is indeed an honor and a privilege to serve as the new president of the National Sisterhood of Presvyteres. On behalf of the entire executive board, thank you for placing your trust in us. Please keep us in your prayers as we begin this two year term.
How we enjoyed seeing so many of you at clergy laity in Nashville last month! The turnout of presvyteres and outpouring of sisterly love was inspiring. You will read more about this event in the upcoming Fall newsletter. Our next national gathering will be the biennial retreat scheduled for Oct. 5-8, 2007 in San Francisco, Calif. Be sure to put this on your calendar! It promises to be a wonderful event.
I look forward to staying in touch with you on a regular basis via email over the next two years. I urge you also to contact your Metropolis representative and get involved with the sisterhood on a local level. Please do not hesitate to contact me or any of the other board members if we can help in any way. A board roster is attached for your convenience.
I look forward to hearing from you, my email address is: cpaleo@yahoo.com. I will be out of town beginning tomorrow, August 13th until Sept 2nd so please hold your emails until then.
For up-to-date information, be sure to visit our website at www.nsp.goarch.org.
May the prayers of the Most Holy Mother of God, whose Dormition we will celebrate in a few days, protect you and your families always unto His greater glory.
In Sisterly Love,
Cynthia Paleologos
President
National Sisterhood of Presvyteres
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America | Ecumenical Patriarchate
This site is managed by Presvytera Pauline H. Pavlakos.
Please send comments about this site to Presvytera Pauline.
Page last updated: May 29, 2008
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