CURRENTSChurch Newsletter

Festival 2007

CCCCCROSSROSSROSSROSSROSS

A Thank Youto the ResponsibleStewards of Holy CrossWe learn in our reading of scripture that “the Lordloves a cheerful giver.” Our Holy Cross communityis blessed beyond measure by countless stewards throughout each dayof the year who offer their talents as true stewards, seeking nothing inreturn. It is apparent that for many it is a simple plan; it is a blessing tobe given the opportunity to give of their God-given gifts in order toensure the well being of Our Lord’s community of the Holy Cross.With this scriptural understanding at play, these individuals bring greatglory to God as they offer their service. The sense of gratitude thenbecomes twofold: those who give are grateful for the opportunity toserve and the community at large is grateful for their selfless givingand true examples of stewardship.

The combined talents of many stewards at Holy Cross are nec-essary to keep our programs active and meaningful; just the fact that anumber of stewards seek the opportunity to help is in itself a tribute tothe kind of church Holy Cross community in fact has become through-out these many years.

As you read this article, you are perhaps wondering who thesepeople are about whom I speak. The simple fact is that most people donot want their names printed or their “cheerful giving” even publiclyacknowledged. You may well be one of these good stewards to whomI refer in this article. By your actions, you do much to share withothers the example of responsible stewardship. If you are not feeling

NO

N-P

RO

FIT

OR

GA

N.

U.S

. PO

ST

AG

E

P A

I D

PE

RM

IT N

o. 17B

ELM

ON

T, C

A 94002

TIM

E VA

LU

E

900 Alam

eda

BE

LM

ON

T C

A 94002-1604

AD

DR

ES

S SE

RV

ICE R

EQ

UE

ST

ED

Cross Currents - page 3

Cross CurrentsThe Monthly Newsletter of the Church of the Holy Cross

900 Alameda / Belmont, CA 94002-1604 (650) 591-4447 / fax (650) 508-9846

office@goholycross.org / http://www.goholycross.org

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E

President’s Report ............... 4 Festival 2007 ................................ 5Philoptochos ....................... 6 Reflections ................................... 7News ................................. 11 Spotlight ..................................... 13Upcoming Services ........... 20 Announcements.......................... 21

Cross Currents Sponsors . . . 12, 18 & 23

Articles and ads for Cross Currents are due on the 15thof the month prior to the month of desired publication.

page 2 - Cross Currents

(continued from front cover)

that this article is in reference to you, then do avail yourself of theopportunity to take a second look and offer special thanks for the peoplewho do keep the harvest fruitful in this vineyard of the Lord.

The Lord knows the names of these cheerful givers; He knowswell those who love Him and seek to bring glory to Him as they laborin His Vineyard. He really is the only one who needs to know. If youor someone you know wishes to be added to the list of helpful stewardsof Holy Cross, opportunities abound. Every flower blooming, everypage written, formatted, printed and distributed, every email writtenand sent, every clean room with lights on, every bathroom that sparkles,every cup of coffee served, every meal prepared and presented deservesto not be taken for granted. Do prayerfully consider how you mayperhaps more effectively offer your talents to help keep the wheels ofspiritual progress turning ever so smoothly. Oh, and it does bear re-peating : please accept my heartfelt thanks to you for your unselfish

giving of time, talent, and treasure. Our Holy Cross community isindeed privileged and grateful.

The Miracle of Life

Once again I have been a witness to the great andholy miracle of life. On June 30, the Feast of theHoly Apostles, Presbytera Nikki and I becamegrateful grandparents. Dan and Khara-Maria be-came parents of a beautiful 8.03 lbs baby boy whohas been given the name Peter (Panagiotis) Daniel.At his birth at 2:59 PM, he was 20.5 inches inlength. Peter Daniel, your grandparents, your uncleand aunts and your entire biological and spiritualfamily, welcome you.

So many of you have sent greetings, best wishes, and of course,your prayers as we celebrate the birth of a new member into our Ortho-dox family; we thank each of you very much for your kindnesses. Pleasekeep Peter Daniel in your prayers, that he be blessed with our Lord’sgrace and abundant mercy and that God grant him many years.

Holy Image, Holy Space

As I have shared with you over the last several months, additional mosaiciconography is being written and will be installed in the sanctuary ofour church sometime in early September. This work was scheduled forinstallation in September of 2006. However the shipment was lost intransit, never to be found and has been done once again by Mr. Tonelliover the past 10 months.

The icons of the Communion of the Apostles, Nativity, ExtremeHumiliation and the hierarchs Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Basilthe Great will be added to the inspiring work already present in ourchurch.

Additional iconography is also being commissioned for the sanc-tuary and may be installed by the fall of 2008. May our Lord continueto bless and guide us in this sacred and holy work.

page 4 - Cross Currents Cross Currents - page 5

PRESIDENT’S REPORTby Gary Brenner, Parish Council President

Easter Sunday was a glorious day and all of you who at-tended our picnic on the campus of the Church basked inthe sunshine of our Lord and Savior. There was bountifulfood including two whole lambs on a spit filling the air with wonderful aro-mas and the essence of an old world Greek Picnic. We were serenaded withGreek music by a DJ and many danced the Kalamatiano! Beautiful giftbaskets donated by parishioners were given to lucky winners of the rafflewhich allowed us to offer the picnic free of charge. Wherever your cel-ebrated the Lord’s Resurrection I hope that you and your family were filledwith the joy and spirit of Pasha.

The events leading up to Easter began with the Apokreatiko Glendisponsored by the Youth Council. It was a very successful evening high-lighted by performances by five of our dance groups. Kudos to the YouthCouncil lead by Mark Simon. Kathy Roque-Albert and Irene Fotinoschaired the event and did a fabulous job decorating and planning as theyalways do.

The Holy Cross Choir had a full house for their annual fundraiser onCheese fare Sunday. The Choir lead by their award winning director SteveCardiasmenos treated us to a delicious meal prepared by Thomy Iuppaand her mother Zoe Drossiadis.

During Lent many parishioners enjoyed pot-luck Lenten dinners andfellowship after the Friday Service of the Salutations.

Emmy Denton and Johanna Manley coordinated our very success-ful “Spiritual Odyssey” highlighted by the return of the Rev. Dr. EugenePentiuc from the Holy Cross Seminary in Brookline, MA. Fr. Pentiuc’scomments were engaging and informative punctuated by a unique sense ofhumor.

The services of Holy Week were well attended and Fr. Peter wasably assisted all week by Fr. Mario Giannopoulos who came to us from hishome in Salt Lake City. We were truly blessed to have a priest of Fr. Mario’sstature and experience during Holy Week.

The ladies of the Philoptochos again decorated the Epitaphion andits simple beauty highlighted the services on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Chris Daskalakis and Mathias Mak coordinated the ushers for allof the services and ensured order and decorum. All of the parishioners who

contributed their time and energy during this Holy season should be thanked.We are truly blessed in our Parish to have so many parishioners who volun-teer their time to insure that our services and celebrations are successful andjoyful.

FESTIVAL 2007by Bob Nemchik, Festival Co-Chair,a worker amongst workers

Here it is another year and it’s Festival time again! It’s trueas you get older time seems to fly by at warp speed. PeterBibbes and I are your chair persons again and he put to-gether a list of last years participant workers and I was surprised to find outit amounted to over 550 people. And do not forget the volunteers that are nota part of our church who come just to be a part of event. Iapplaud you all foryour good works!

There are so many to say thank you too! I would like to say a specialthanks to the people who cook out delicious food. I say that with a great dealof pride. I have attended two other Church festivals this year and all I cansay is our ladies and their helpers your food is both delicious and outstand-ing in quality. We have so much to offer our guests, in the way of food,music, dance and drama and it takes a special talent to make it all cometogether and the cooperation and working together, for the benefit of ourbeloved Church.

In closing, I remember the words of President Kennedy when hesaid “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do foryour country.” You can apply that to this Church event, too! If you are notinvolved please do so. Give us a few hours of your time and remember it ispart of our Stewardship to Holy Cross. Thanks again.

THE FESTIVAL NEEDS YOU!If you can help cook or bake . . . or just stir (!) you can volunteer inAugust as we prep the food, or during the three days of the Festival aswe serve the food.You can sign up now for the most delicious job at the Festival—thedining room! Jenny Cladis will be calling the volunteers who helpedpreviously, but some may not be able to serve this year. In any case, we

PHILOPTOCHOS

REFLECTIONSREFLECTIONSCross Currents - page 7page 6 - Cross Currents

need more volunteers. It is really a lot of fun, and you will bond withgreat people! As you will be serving our guests, you will also be servingyour church. Please call Jenny at 854-0499, or e-mail atjjcladis@sbcglobal.net.If you can sell things – you can volunteer during the Festival, sellingfood or drinks or items at the Bookstore, or Deli.You can also help financially, by becoming a sponsor (we can “attach”you or your business to one of the booths) with a cash donation.If none of these areas suit you, we can STILL find a place for you -CALL US! Please lend a hand if you can! You’ll work VERY hard butyou can also make lots of new friends and eat lots of great food. If youcan help in any way, please look for information in the Sunday Bulle-tins, or contact the church office at 591-4447 or office@goholycross.org.

- CIRCLE OF FRIENDS

“Circle of Friends” crocheters and knitters will NOT meet during the monthof August but will resume on Saturday, September 15, from 1-3PM at thehome of Brenda Visas. RSVP to Brenda at 333-6223. Our proposed sched-ule for the remainder of the year is : Oct 20, Nov 17, Dec 15. All are wel-come!

- BOOK CLUB

Wish you read more spiritual books during the year? Looking for fruitfuldiscussions and great fellowship?

Please join us! All ladies in the parish are invited to join us for thePhiloptochos Book Club which meets every second Thursday of the monthin the Contos Library from 7-9 PM. We will be discussing an entire bookeach meeting, so this is a perfect opportunity to attend when you can. Allbooks can be purchased in the bookstore. We’re off for the summer, butplease mark your calendars for the remainder of the year and bring yourbook ideas with you at the next meeting on : September 20, October 11,November 8, and December 13, times to be announced.

The book, “Man of God—St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco”is now available for purchase in the bookstore for our next book club meet-ing on Thursday, September 20 in the Contos Library at 7:30 PM. Pleasejoin us for fruitful discussions! All women of the parish are invited to at-tend. St. John is a modern day saint and his relics are at the Holy VirginRussian Orthodox Cathedral in SF. We will be discussing the entire book atour meeting.

Please contact Claire Gagas at claire.gagas@att.net with any ques-tions and to be added to the e-mail list for reminders and possible changes toour schedule. See you soon!

ANTIDORON AT ORACLEby Konstantine Salmas

The expecations of a particular way of thinking are very low. The higherexpectation comes in relation to how we integrate into society. Personalphilosophy and faith as long as it is within a certain bounds is almost irrel-evant. Companies relate themselves to the stock market and politics is con-cerned primarily with landscaping, architecture, and labor contracts.

The force that different institutions place on a person determines theactivities and involvements they will have. Most employment, even em-ployment with salaries between six figures and millions of dollars, relies onsales. Professions don’t care what you believe, your peers don’t care whatyou believe. Belief seems to be a personal hobby that a person delves intowhen their energy isn’t targeted to family and employment.

The only place in society where an expectation of faith exists isfrom the Church. The only place where education in the faith occurs is inthe Church. Oracle does not do a Divine Liturgy. There are no icons atIBM. The story of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem is not available on any of thehardrives at Safeway, Bank of America, Franklin Templeton, or Cisco. Placesof employment don’t pretend to be authoritative sources on Jesus Christ,salvation, the word of God, or the idea of Sacrament.

Social institutions encourage beliefs to the extent that they helppeople contribute to a an office and social environment that is productive.

The criteria, therefore, is abstract; along the line of motivation and a skillset. But none of this means that there is not a truth about the world, God, andthe place of Jesus Christ. What it means is that there is limit to the amountsociety cares about belief.

The motivation for salvation, then, is on us. Moreover, the realityabout God and the created world which Scripture discusses is not affectedby the set up of society. We have the freedom to learn the faith, understandsalvation, and live a life that, for centuries, Christians were unable to livebecause they were persecuted. There is no external force, though, on us.Our spiritual life is a decision we make, not for a higher salary and not to getinto a different sphere of society. Our spiritual life is something we takeresponsibility for because we are created for participation in the Kingdom ofGod, and the center of that Kingdom is Jesus Christ.

RESTORE HEALTHAND BALANCEby Yiannis Kepesidis

- Is God an advocate of Health and Wellness?

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s Temple and that God’s Spiritlives in you? If anyone destroys God’s Temple, God will destroy him; forGod’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.”

1 Corinthians 3:16-17

This excerpt from Apostle Paul’s letter to Corinthians captures the essenceof wholesome orthodox living and at the same time is a call to action to startliving the way God intended for us to live. Apostle Paul emphatically re-minds the Corinthians that they are not just accidental beings but creationswho carry the Holy Spirit in them, therefore they have to take care of them-selves in order to honor God with their presence on the earth.

Although almost 2,000 years have passed since this call nothing hasreally changed in the way we should take care of ourselves in order to honorGod with our life and our choices. Our spiritual side of being is our founda-tion for everything else we do in life and affects how we feel, think and act.At the same time all of these sides strongly affect our spiritual growth. Takefor example, someone who does not believe in life after death; what wouldbe his/her obvious choice in living his/her life? The answer is easy. It would

be the maximization of everything he/she could experience in the little timehe/she has left on this planet. This person is a consumer by default and woulddo anything to maximize pleasure and avoid pain.

Most of us though, know instinctively that people who do not lead abalanced lifestyle with real hope based on God live on the edge of disaster(e.g. heart attacks are nr. one death cause in the US, and depression is nr. onemental health issue). The end result of a balanced lifestyle on the other handis the development of a whole person with a spiritual center interwoven withthe other three aspects of human existence including the mental, emotional,and physical aspects.

Hence, this column will address issues from all four aspects of ex-istence and I hope it will be a small help contributing to your efforts tobecome more complete humans and to come closer to whom God intendedfor us to be. Every issue will be a short, but interesting presentation of ahealth and wellness topic that could help you make a positive change in yourlife. I hope it will be food for thought exciting enough for you to do addi-tional research and learn more about it. The column will be successful if youwill take what you would read here, question it, learn more about it, andfinally apply it in your daily life because knowledge without application islike a seed without fertile ground.

- What is health, really,and how can I protect it?

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s Temple and that God’s Spiritlives in you? If anyone destroys God’s Temple, God will destroy him; forGod’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.”

1 Corinthians 3:16-17

The United States is probably the most obsessed nation when it comes to thetopic of health. The average person is constantly bombarded with “healthy”foods advertisements, “healthy” lifestyles promotions, and “healthy” habitshows.

Yet, if you ask real people on the street to define what health reallyis, they would have a pretty tough time explaining it. If you don’t believe mejust do the test. Ask someone you know to explain to you in a clear andconcise manner what health really is, and then admire the level of creativitythat people develop when they do not know the answer.

page 8 - Cross Currents Cross Currents - page 9

Now, it is true that one can describe health in many different waysand be partly correct about it. However, there is one definition that plays animportant role for the management of your health in a daily basis. And thatdefinition is Homeostasis (a Greek word of course which translates intosteady state in English). Homeostasis is the tendency of the body to seekand maintain a condition of balance or equilibrium within its internalenvironment, even when faced with external changes. (e.g. the ability tomaintain a body temperature around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit whatever thetemperature outside.)

This definition matters because in simple terms it means that Goddesigned our entire being so that it constantly and actively seeks bal-ance and harmony at any level. And when something goes wrong, and thebalance is disturbed then this disturbance in itself is an automatic signal toour organism to start healing itself immediately. If we then understand thedivine law, then one amazing thing is going to happen. We are going to healand recreate health and balance in our lives! For this to happen, two condi-tions have to be fulfilled. We have to get out of the way of the healing pro-cess, and at the same time we have to create the supportive conditions for usto heal. In order to do that, we need to take care of the fundamentals, whichwe can also call the seven pillars of health:

1. Pray daily focusing on the substance and not on the form: Connectto your Creator.

2. Eat real, nourishing foods: Ideally, they should be organic, local,and seasonal.

3. Drink plenty of pure water, without toxins and other substancessuch a chlorine.

4. Add real activity in your life: Movement is to your body what foodis to your stomach.

5. Live in harmony with nature and not against it, e.g. spend sometime in the sun.

6. Get good quality sleep: Sleep is not a waste of time, it’s absolutelynecessary for rest.

7. And last but not least, cultivate deep, loving relationships with afew people, and not meaningless superficial relationships with alot of people. Choose quality over quantity.

In the upcoming issues I will individually address each pillar of health inmore details. Look forward for the next issue: “What has prayer to do withmy weight loss?”

Questions, additional information request? Contact us atyannisk@iFitnessState.com. You can learn more about the author’s back-ground at www.FitnessState.com/coaching.htm

SUNDAY RELIGIOUS EDUCATION. . . begins Sunday, September 16. Look for Registration forms at theFestival. A special information booth will be set up displaying our ReligiousEducation materials and our teachers will be there to answer your questions.

BE AN ACOLYTEFather Peter is updating the altar boys service list. If you are a young manage 12 or older and are interested in serving as an acolyte, please e-mailFather at frpeter@goholycross.org .

ICONOGRAPHY CLASSLook for a new class teaching the basics of Orthodox Iconography begin-ning in September. Iconographer Dimitri Shkolnik will be the instructor.Tuition will include materials. Please e-mail office@goholycross.org if youare interested. Details soon.

YOUTH KICK-OFFLook for our annual Youth Kick-off in late-September. Special guest speaker,dinner, and much much more. Bring your children ages 7-17 and sign themup for a great year of fellowship, service, witness, worship, and education.Help your children come closer to Christ and His Church.

NEWS

page 10 - Cross Currents Cross Currents - page 11

ORTHODOX RADIO PROGRAMCome Receive the Light, the only Orthodox Christian radio program in thenation, can now be heard in the Bay Area on Thursdays at 4:30 PM on 1640AM. Please note the NEW time. For more information, please see theirwebsite at www.receive.org. Enjoy!

SPOTLIGHT : Michael TragoutsisHere’s a great front page (!) article from a recent San Mateo Daily News.Congrats to Michael and proud parents, John and Kim, and sister, Maria!

Teen volunteer enlivens seniors,makes friends (excerpted)by Rachael Warecki, San Mateo Daily News

In many respects, Michael Tragoutsis is a typical 14-year-old. On any givenafternoon or weekend, he spends time talking and playing games with hisfriends. But in Tragoutsis’ case, these particular friends aren’t his classmatesfrom Saint Matthew’s Catholic School — they’re the elderly residents of theSunrise Assisted Living community in San Mateo.Tragoutsis has been vol-unteering at Sunrise for the past year and a half. He has helped decorate thefacilities for various holidays as well as participated in regular weekly ac-tivities, including Bingo nights.

“I wanted to make the elderly happier,” said Tragoutsis. “When I’mthere, I make them feel more joyful.”

“He comes and helps me every Friday in the Alzheimer’s unit,” saidBeth Corwin, the program and volunteer coordinator for Sunrise AssistedLiving. “He also comes to arts and crafts every Saturday.”

This giving nature is typical of Tragoutsis, who plans and attendsbirthday parties for the residents every month. He has also surprised seniorswith gifts.“

Tragoutsis began his work with Sunrise as a seventh grader, whenhe was assigned a community service project of his choice for school. He

SPOTLIGHT

Cross Currents - page 13

THANK YOU CROSS CURRENTS SPONSOR!

First a teacup, then star-dom (excerpted)by Chad Jones, ANG Newspapers

Remember the name James Zongus. Youjust might be able to say you knew himwhen.

Though only 12 years old, James,a Foster City resident, has been perform-ing for nearly a decade, and his story isstrikingly familiar if you know the song “ICan Do That’’ from A Chorus Line.

Like the kid in the song, Jameswould follow his two older sisters to danceclass, and at age 3, he all but demanded toshare the stage with his sisters in The Nut-cracker.

“I was at a rehearsal and said, `Iwant to be in the show!’ So they cast me ina little part,’’ James recalls. “I got to walkacross the stage and do a little bit of dancing. After that I just kept on going.’’

James played Oliver in Oliver! with the Bay Area Educational The-atre Company in San Mateo, and last year he was one of the king’s childrenin the The King and I at American Musical Theatre of San Jose.

When Bowditch Middle School, where James will be in the eighthgrade come September, joined with two other schools to produce Disney’sBeauty and the Beast, James played the role of Chip, the tea cup son of Mrs.Potts, the tea pot.

Like Olivier returning to the role of Hamlet, James will once againessay Chip, only this time for Broadway by the Bay.

For his audition, he found a song he thought would be good forBeauty and the Beast, what with its singing and dancing flatware and furni-ture.

“I sang `Hey, Look Me Over’ because the song has the words `rose’and `spoon’ and `fork’ in it,’’ James explains. “It went really well. Theylaughed.’’

In this production, which opens Saturday at the San Mateo Perform-ing Arts Center, James, like all the Chips before him, appears to be a tea cup-

Cross Currents - page 15page 14 - Cross Currents

looked through a list of possible opportuni-ties and saw that Sunrise needed a volun-teer.“

After a few days of it, I decided togo every week,” he said.

Now, he regularly has lunch with“lunch buddies” Dorothy and Kate Prestonand plays poker with his “girlfriends,” as hecalls them.

His care for the residents is appar-ent in the special bonds and inside jokes hehas with many of them.

To show their appreciation for hiseffort, the residents invited Michael and hisfamily to a surprise dinner party, where theypresented him with a medal of excellence,an award of congratulations, a movie giftcertificate, a framed photo and a cake that said “We love you, Michael.”

“I felt very surprised and shy,” Tragoutsis said. “I was expecting oneof the monthly birthday parties.” The seniors wore handmade party hats andglasses, blew noisemakers and played tambourines to welcome him.Michael’s parents, sister and grandparents also attended the celebration.“Everyone present turned out with lots of love and excitement,” said Corwin.

Michael was chosen by Saint Matthew’s faculty to receive the Dr. LanducciFoundation scholarship. The Dr. Landucci Foundation was created to giverecognition to deserving young people who excel academically or contrib-ute a lot to our community. Michael was one of three students in his schoolto receive this distinguished Service Award in June, his specifically, for“Christian Service.”

SPOTLIGHT : James ZongusHere’s a great article from the “Theater Dogs” column by Chad Jones ofIBAbuzz.com (a website affiliated with the San Mateo County Times).Congrats to James and proud parents, Michael and Joanne, and sisters,Chrysann and Nicole!

encased head on a rolling cart. There’s a bit of stage magic involved in Chip’sappearance, but James won’t give away the secret.

When asked if it’s a comfortable way to perform, he will say this:“It’s not comfortable. No way.’’

James’ real mom, Joanne Zongus, says having a performer in thefamily requires the support of the entire family for both logistical and emo-tional reasons.

“We told him we’d make the commitment if he was willing to makethe commitment and keep his grades up between a 3.5 and 3.8 and keephimself healthy and keep his commitment to his family,’’ Joanne says. “He’sdone really well. I don’t know where he gets it. Neither his father nor I canbe in front of a group of people. We’re very proud of him.’’

So far, acting is just James’ hobby. Part of his agreement with hisparents is that he make sure he’s a well-rounded person.

“In school, James does sports like basketball and golf,’’ Joanne says.“He serves on the altar for church. It’s a mind-body-soul kind of thing. Wefeel it’s important that all parts of you are well-rounded.’’

James says theater isn’t all that cool in middle school, but in highschool, especially if he gets his wish and ends up, like his twin older sisters,at theater-friendly San Mateo High School, the cool factor may improve.

“I feel like in high school, theater will be just something I like to doand no one will judge me for it,’’ James says.

From there, James has an interesting plan.“I know it’s really hard to get to Broadway,’’ he says. “So I’ll get a

good college education and then a really steady job — I like constructionand architecture; I love to build stuff — then I’ll retire early and do shows atleast twice a year.’’

James’ practical attitude toward show business was shaped, in part,by his experience doing The King and I at AMTSJ.

Says James’ mom: “Doing that show, I think it dawned on him whatit meant to perform professionally. There were a lot of New York actorsthere who had left their families behind, and … it can be kind of hard.’’

James says the hardest part of that show was balancing rehearsal,performance, school work and the commute from Foster City to San Jose.

“I barely made it through,’’ James says. “But when I’d get to thetheater, it was so much fun, and the sets were so intricate and everything thatI forgot about everything else and had a wonderful experience.’’

SPOTLIGHT : Ted TheodoreKudos and deepest congratulations are extended to Holy Cross parishionerTed Theodore who has written a biography about his wife of 43 years,Dolores Fuentes Theodore. Dolores passed away in May 2004, after a two-year battle with cancer. It was a devastating illness; and, at the same time, itgave the family the opportunity to express their love and caring for her whileshe gracefully accepted her condition and bravely carried on with the loveshe had for her family. The biography chronicles the countless accomplish-ments of Dolores as a second generation Mexican-American and as one whoassimilated into 2 cultures. It is titled, Dolores, Her Life, Our Life.

Ted began gathering information shortly after Dolores’ passing. Pic-tures of all occasions, genealogical research, traveling to Seguin, Texas, in-terviewing family members and requesting personal memories from thosewho knew her were all a part of the innumerable hours he put forth to writethis loving commemoration of Dolores. Reading her story from the perspec-tive of a loving husband and father of their two daughters provides an in-sightful look into their lives including many, many, joyful times as well asthe sad times, none more poignant and emotional than the time of Dolores’illness.

Dolores and Ted have been active members of the Holy Cross fam-ily for well over 35 years, participating in all phases of church life and giv-ing of their talent and resources and love with every endeavor. Ted is highlyaccomplished, authoring or co-authoring over 240 scientific publicationsduring a successful and productive ca-reer as a geologist specializing in goldand copper ore deposits with the USGeological Survey. This is his first non-scientific writing and he hopes to bebest remembered as the biographer ofhis wife Dolores.

The book is now available inour Holy Cross Bookstore and can beordered at www.xlibris.com, from yourlocal bookstore, or by calling 888-795-4274.

Cross Currents - page 17page 16 - Cross Currents

Ted & Dolores at a USGSexpedition in 1999.

Cross Currents - page 19page 18 - Cross Currents

A BELATED PASCHAL WISHWe missed including some names in the recent Community Easter card. Weinclude them here with our best wishes for a happy and healthy new year.

Constance AretosMr. & Mrs. Frank Catomer & Family

Mrs. Argero ChrisafisGeorge and Nora Contos

Michael and Sophia DavosChris & Alicia, Elias, Steven, Nicholas, Hariklia & Anthony Frangos

Malamati GialisMichael & Athia Giotinis, Chris & Eleni

Gia GlafkidesBasil Kockos

George & Lorraine KorpontinosPat Lagiss

Tom & Alexia LarisGeorge and Mary Liviakis and Family

Drs. Thomas & Beverly ManeatisAlex & Jean Maridakis and Family

John MathrusseClara NickolasLeon Nickolas

Sophia PapageorgeMatina Polakis

Pete & Kathy Polychroniou and FamilyValerie and Demetri Roumeliotes

Vivi SarantitisGeorge & Darlene Shaheen

Anthony SimotasJames, Martina and Georgean Stallcop

S. StathopoulosAnita Stathos

ETC.

The Ultimate Mediterranean Experiencein Northern California

Alhana Offers a Full Selection of Mediterranean and Greek Gro-ceries, Bakalao, Fillo & Kataifi Dough, Baklava, Pastries &Sweets, Candies, Greek Loukums,Wines, Beers, Ouzos,

Cheeses ( Dodoni Feta, Mizithra, Manouri, Kefalotyri,Kefalograviera & Graviera Gritis & Kasseri) Onassis Spreads,

Tarama & Taramosalata, Trahana, Anchovies Greek Olive Oils,Olives and So Much More. Come in and see for yourself . . . !

We Cater all Occasions

25 West 37th Ave San Mateo, CA 94403650-349-3300www.alhana.net

THANK YOU CROSS CURRENTS SPONSOR!

Saturday, September 29 – Great Vespers, 5:30 PMSunday, September 30 – 2nd Sunday of Luke - Matins, 8:30 AM, Divine

Liturgy, 10:00 AMSaturday, October 6 – Great Vespers, 5:30 PMSunday, October 7 – 3rd Sunday of Luke - Matins, 8:30 AM, Divine

Liturgy, 10:00 AMSaturday, October 13 – Great Vespers, 5:30 PMSunday, October 14 – Sunday of the 7th Ecumenical Council - Matins,

8:30 AM, Divine Liturgy, 10:00 AMThursday, October 18 - Luke the Apostle - 8 AM, Matins and 9 AM,

Divine LiturgySaturday, October 20 – Great Vespers, 5:30 PMSunday, October 21 – 6th Sunday of Luke - Matins, 8:30 AM, Divine

Liturgy, 10:00 AMTuesday, October 23 - Iakovos - 8 AM, Matins and 9 AM, Divine LiturgyFriday, October 25 - Demetrios - 8 AM, Matins and 9 AM, Divine LiturgySaturday, October 27 – Great Vespers, 5:30 PMSunday, October 28 – 7th Sunday of Luke - Matins, 8:30 AM, Divine

Liturgy, 10:00 AM

ANNOUNCEMENTS

WEDDINGSJan 21 - Michael Orange and Kay Breedan, Sonia Risting, sponsorJune 23 - Christos Melas and Nicole Nyhan, Elias Melas, sponsor

BAPTISMSDec 2 - Julia Leigh, daughter of Gerald and Dawn Chapman, Jeannie

Anagnostou, sponsorDec 3 - Christina Michele, daughter of Stephen and Michele Jacklin,

Neil Jacklin and Mary Jacklin, sponsorsJan 14 - Zoe Maria, daughter of Nikolaos & Carol Maheras, Maria

Kritzas, sponsor

Anastasia TerranovaHarry & Janella Thodos

Mary TopalisMr. & Mrs. John Tragoutsis, Michael and Maria

Kaity & Mark TragoutsisD. Vasil

Mary Zongus

UPCOMING SERVICESsubject to change - please check your Sunday Bulletins

Sunday Services are 8:00 AM, Orthros, 9:30 AM, Divine LiturgySaturday Vespers are at 5:30 PM

Saturday, August 25 – Great Vespers, 5:30 PMSunday, August 26 – 13th Sunday of Matthew - Matins, 8:15 AM, Divine

Liturgy, 9:30 AMWednesday, August 29 – Beheading of John the Forerunner - 8 AM, Matins

and 9 AM, Divine LiturgySaturday, September 1 - Day of Indiction - 8 AM, Matins and 9 AM, Divine

LiturgySaturday, September 1 - No Great VespersSunday, September 2 - 14th Sunday of Matthew - Matins, 8:15 AM, Divine

Liturgy, 9:30 AMSaturday, September 8 - Nativity of the Theotokos - 8 AM, Matins and 9

AM, Divine LiturgySaturday, September 8 – Great Vespers, 5:30 PMSunday, September 9 - Sunday before the Exaltation - Matins, 8:30 AM,

Divine Liturgy, 10:00 AMThursday, September 13 - Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Vespers, 7 PMFriday, September 14 - Exaltation of the Holy Cross - 8 AM, Matins and 9

AM, Divine LiturgySaturday, September 15 – Great Vespers, 5:30 PMSunday, September 16 - Sunday following the Exaltation - Matins, 8:30

AM, Divine Liturgy, 10:00 AMSaturday, September 22 – Great Vespers, 5:30 PMSunday, September 23 – 1st Sunday of Luke - Matins, 8:30 AM, Divine

Liturgy, 10:00 AM

page 20 - Cross Currents Cross Currents - page 21

Anna Perdicalis Blewett, who fell asleep in the Lord Feb 23Mary Gazis, who fell asleep in the Lord March 2Thelma Giannakara, who fell asleep in the Lord March 29Sophia Boubare, who fell asleep in the Lord April 22Kathryn Joanne McGovern, who fell asleep in the Lord April 29George Jacques Petrakis, who fell asleep in the Lord May 24Joseph Austin Smith, who fell asleep in the Lord June 23Angelina Zaferatos, who fell asleep in the Lord July 2George Konstantine Giobres, who fell asleep in the Lord Aug 4

MEETINGS AND EVENTSPlease check your Sunday Bulletins for the dates and times of all meetings.In the next issue, we’ll be back from summer break, so expect LOTS ofmeetings and events to be listed below. Group leaders : Be sure to get yourorganization’s meetings on the calendar!

page 22 - Cross Currents

Jan 14 - Theodoros, son of Nikolaos & Carol Maheras, LeonidasMaheras and Peter Mehalakis, sponsors

Jan 21 - John, son of Efthymios and Gina Agelopoulos, CatherinePereira and Drew Asimakis Lallas, sponsors

Jan 27 - Alexander, son of Michael and Angeline Sheets, Annette &Gregory Vlahos, sponsors

Feb 10 - Zachary, son of Mark and Panagiota Linchner, KonstantinosManolas, Jr., sponsor

Feb 24 - Kaia James, daughter of James and Reva Glafkides, DeanPoulakidas, sponsor

April 8 - Jason SangMin, son of Pamela and John Jong Soo Han, KatieBuelhmann, sponsor

April 8 - Derek, son of Pamela and John Jong Soo Han, KatieBuehlemann, sponsor

April 14 - Maria Alexandra, daughter of Steven and Alexandra Fifita,Evangelia Alexandra & Fr. John Johns, sponsors

April 15 - Christina Maria, daughter of Themistocles and Irene Assimes,Aspa Gika & Paul Kalas, sponsors

May 12 - Kimberly Jane, daughter of James and Amy Naylor, StevenGrant Naylor, sponsor

June 2 - Alex George, son of George and Mierva Stamatopoulos,George Korbes and Andreas Korbes, sponsors

June 16 - Luke Arthur, son of Andrzej and Ellen Skoskiewicz, Athanasiaand Angelo Charonis, sponsors

July 1 - Lulu Demetra, daugther of Thomas and Ingrid Sperow, LaurelAnn Myers, sponsor

July 8 - Alexandra Nichol, daughter of Alexander and Brande Dou-glas, Tasso Douglas, sponsor

July 21 - Hadley James, daughter of Joshua and Elaine Buffum, JamesR. Maneatis, sponsor

Aug 4 - Phillip Roy, son of Adam and Julie Philipopoulos, MarkGeorge Philipopoulos, sponsor

FUNERALSDennis Simotas, who fell asleep in the Lord December 21Argero Lula Karedis, who fell asleep in the Lord January 1Kenneth G. Graham, who fell asleep in the Lord January 21Cornelius G. Bellas, who fell asleep in the Lord January 21Theodora “Lola” Pappas, who fell asleep in the Lord Feb 10

THANK YOU CROSS CURRENTS SPONSOR!

DISC JOCKEY MUSIC RELIABLE, AFFORDABLE, PROFESSIONAL WEDDINGS, BAPTISMS, ANNIVERSARIES, SOCIAL EVENTS GREEK AND AMERICAN MUSIC