Beginning Sept. 8th: Weekday & Weekend Divine Liturgy Hours/
: 9:30 am πμ Orthros 8:30am / ‘Όρθρος: 8:30
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Peace be with you all!
As we stand at the threshold of the Ecclesiastical New Year, let us embrace this sacred time of renewal and reflection. This season invites us to deepen our faith, foster unity, and cultivate a spirit of service within our hearts and our community.
“Together, we can illuminate the path for one another...”
May the blessings of the Holy Trinity guide us in our journey ahead. Let us seek wisdom in our prayers, strength in our fellowship, and compassion in our actions.
Together, we can illuminate the path for one another, sharing love and hope as we grow in faith. As we embark on this new year, may we open our hearts to the transformative power of God’s grace. Let us commit to nurturing our spiritual lives, supporting one another in our journeys, and reaching out to those in need. Wishing you all a blessed and fruitful Ecclesiastical New Year filled with joy, peace, and the unwavering presence of the Holy Spirit.
In faith and love, +Fr. George
Hello Holy Trinity parishioners,
Hoping your summer has been a good one so far and it continues that way as summer starts to wind down. Once we celebrate August 15, Panagias, we realize that the season is slowly coming to a close, only to be followed by a beautiful Fall with many exciting activities.
Written by: THEODORA FATIBENE PRESIDENT
Daughters of Penelope continues to work hard and is constantly discussing ways we can help contribute to our community, as well as the community around us.
We held a toiletry drive at the end of June into mid July. Thanks to many kind and thoughtful people we collected enough items to put together 130 bags. They were then distributed to Under the Bridge to people in need in Bridgeport. Our bags consisted of items most requested, shampoo, bars of soap/body wash, toothpaste and toothbrushes. Very gratifying knowing we are able to help a few people in desperate need. Thousands of items have been given out in the last few years since we started our drives. Soon another collection will be announced, stay tuned.
DOP happily took on the project of beautifying certain areas of our already beautiful church. A few devoted sisters purchased both perennials and annuals to plant in certain areas. I’m sure most of you have seen the gorgeous flowers planted as we enter the back of the church. Perennials were added near the front walkway to the office. We are hoping they come back every year to put a smile on everyone’s face who uses the walkway. These additions have made a beautiful improve-
ment to this area. Bravo ladies!
Our knitting club continues to meet every other Wednesday, knitting beautiful items. We especially knit baby blankets to be given out at 40 day celebrations. Over 20 blankets have been given out so far this year, and hundreds of items have been made this year alone. You do not have to be a member of DOP or to know how to knit! Please think of joining us.
Announcing something new! In addition to our usual projects, we are always looking for new ideas. Thus, we will be having a mum sale on Sunday, September 15 during our planned coffee hour. There’s nothing like transitioning into the fall season with mums, and, of course, a delicious coffee hour by our group. Mums can be purchased that day, as well as pre ordered by contacting me, Theodora, or Helen Yeotsas. All info is on our flyer. We look forward to a successful event as DOP continues to rock for our philanthropic projects.
Thank you to all who contribute to our efforts. You are contributing to worthwhile undertakings. God bless you all!
Our Daughters of Penelope chapter “Knitting Club” started nine years ago, when several members suggested it would be fun to get together, learn some skills, and knit or crochet items for charity. In particular, Eleni Spyrou, was a “cheerleader” of the idea and with the interest and cooperation of a few others, it became a reality.
Those who already knew how to knit or crochet were asked to come and make either a baby blanket for our 40 Day baby blessings, hats, scarves, or shawls, etc. For many, knitting or crocheting was not a skill they possessed! Eleni joyfully taught quite a few ladies the basic skills of knitting or crocheting, prompting them to continue the craft and in turn teach others.
We also started making loomed hats, and even participated in “Hat Not Hate”, a national anti-bullying movement, founded by Lion Brand Yarn. We made hundreds of blue hats that were in turn given to children all across the country! (Blue is the color of anti-bullying). Our little group was recognized nationally because we made the 2nd greatest number of hats back in 2020 at 752 hats! We only had a handful of women knitting at the time!
COVID hit and our knitting took place at home, but so many of us continued, and we are happy to say we are now meeting twice a month at the church in person once again.
All are welcome! You don’t have to be a member of the Daughters to join us. We can teach you how to loom and provide you with a loom and yarn. We typically have refreshments and some fun too!
As mentioned above, we work on hats, scarves, lap blankets, shawls, and baby blankets that Father gives out to each and every baby who gets a 40 day blessing at church.
We have given out our knit goods to various local charities, such as CT Love Army, The Justice Center, Homes for the Brave, The Council of Churches, Under the Bridge in Bridgeport, local schools, and to shelters in the area.
We have made and given out thousands of items so far, and there is no stopping us as we continue to make and give!
Our purpose is to make connections within our Holy Trinity Church through our bi-monthly meetings, which occur on the second and last Wednesdays of the month. As we age, our lives can become more isolating or limited and we encourage any and all senior members who are in our faithful community to join us for our activities.
Our Seniors are excited to begin our new liturgical year starting with September 1st. As many of us know, Jesus came to the Temple to tell us His mission that needed to be fulfilled. We also celebrate the birth of the ever Glorious, Beautiful Spotless Theotokos. Without her, our liturgical year would not have begun and lasted throughout these thousand of years. As many of our Seniors are mothers, they know the miracle of having a
child be born to them. Some, unfortunately, also know the pain of losing that child, or Son as the Mother of God had to endure
Our Seniors also know that this is the beginning of fall, which brings its earthly pleasures of Apple Picking to turn into pies, sauces, and desserts. Certainly, the feast day of Saint Euphrosynos on the 11th is a reminder of his vision of the Apples he received from God and the Blessing and miracles that the apples produced for his community. We pray for the same Blessings to be bestowed on all our Seniors and Parish Members.
Our next feast day is The Elevation of the Holy Cross on September 14. Many of our Seniors know that finding this Cross that Christ was crucified upon was a symbol of the life-giving passion given to us by Christ. We celebrate Saint Helen and Emperor Constantine’s finding of the Cross as yet another symbol of our faith.
Some things that the Seniors have voiced their opinion about is for a way to find transportation of those Senior Members who no longer can drive. If anyone within our Parish can offer their ideas, we are pleased to listen to them. Please consider attending and enjoy a nice luncheon served by our wonderful Hostess, Ann Marie Anderson.
As a group, we like to pray for those who have fallen ill. We extend our prayers in particular to Elefteria (Terri) Fatsi and Elefteria Kastanaras. May our Lord God release them from their suffering and restore their vigor allowing them a successful recovery.
We wish to extend Happy Birthday wishes (Χρόνια Πολλά!) to any of our Seniors who have a Birthday celebration in September. We look forward to the coming month of our upcoming meetings. Please consider our group if you are a Senior and are interested, you may contact Linda Bellas at 203-731-1382 or Miranda Baker at 203-365-0028 to let us know you are interested in attending.
Scams Targeting Older Adults
Here are a few steps you can take to help protect yourself and your loved ones from scams:
Don’t transfer money to strangers or to someone over the phone. Similarly, never buy a gift card to pay someone over the phone. Once you transfer money or share the numbers on the back of a gift card, there’s usually no way to get your money back.
If someone is trying to scam you, they may threaten you or pressure you to act immediately. If this happens to you, don’t panic. Slow down and think about what the person is saying. If you suspect it’s a scam, end the call and talk to someone you trust.
Don’t give out sensitive personal information over the phone or in response to an email, social media post, or text message. Sensitive information includes your Social Security number, bank account information, credit card numbers, PINs, and passwords.
Check incoming bills, including utility bills and credit card statements, for charges that you didn’t authorize. Contact the utility provider, credit card company, or bank if you see any charges you don’t recognize.
One reason that scammers target older adults is that they are less likely to report suspected fraud. If you think that you or someone in your life has been the target of a scam, contact the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833–372–8311.
In September, we look forward to several holidays, one of which is the Exaltation of the Cross, when we sing this beautiful hymn:
Save, O Lord, Your people and bless Your inheritance; grant victory to the faithful over their adversaries. And protect Your commonwealth, by the power of Your Cross.
As a reminder, rehearsals have begun for our annual conference of Archdiocesan District of Greek Orthodox Church musicians, which will take place November 1-3 at the St. George Cathedral in Hartford this year. We will be learning and singing the Divine Liturgy set by Dr. Tikey Zes, a prolific and highly respected composer and arranger of Greek
We hope everyone had a beautiful Summer! Our Choir sang as often as we could over the summer but we can’t wait to get back to our regular schedule!
September marks the Ecclesiastical “New Year” in our church, and we hope that means that some of you may be interested in joining us in the Choir Loft! We rehearse on Tuesdays at 6:00 pm, and all are welcome! No experience necessary and no need to read Greek either as our music is in phonetics. All are welcome.
Written by: HELEN YEOTSAS
Orthodox liturgical music, as well as folk songs and popular songs. The Youth choirs will be joining us for this conference, so please encourage your children to participate, as they will be truly enriched by the experience! Save the date, and please attend if you are able.
Last but not least, our Youth choir will be meeting weekly, directly after church on Sundays for about 45 minutes. If your child would like to sing and is interested, please contact our Director, Joanna Bogardus. She can be reached at djbogardus@att.net or at 203-650-4204, .
We are stronger when we sing together! So together let’s #filltheloft!
“ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16)
