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Dear
Parishioners,
“For old acquaintance
be forgot…”
If there is any
historian on verse that could give
me an understanding, insight or general
blog on why that song has had lasting
relevance as a right of passage into
a new year…please contact me
immediately!
Okay it’s
a NEW YEAR 2005…do you realize
that we are now entering into the
second half of the first decade of
this new millennium…What happened
to Y2K???
Five years have
gone by! Five, since we cross the
invisible divide into the 21st century!
Pretty soon we will be seeing 20/20,
Dateline or 60 minutes do a “Where
were you then segment” on the
year 2000! Father time better get
together with Mother Nature and begin
a better plan of slowing down that
clock!!! The years are beginning to
just jam together as it seems that
I was just toasting a glass to 2004
yesterday!
Well enough of that…It
is now 2005 or 2K5…. I wonder
what it must have been like 100 years
ago. The town crier belting out the
news at the street corner, a man dodges
horse droppings while crossing the
boulevard, the clanging bell of the
trolley car rings in the mist of the
evening sky as a young immigrant humbly
strolls past the echoes of the bustling
city seeking a familiar face with
hopes that they got his letter that
was sent months earlier.
A frightened glance
then a warm embrace from his cousin
that has been seasoned by only one
year in this land of opportunity.
He begins to boast about his position
as a dish washer in a local saloon
and the two other jobs that pays penny’s
but that are coins leafed in gold
in the eyes of the new arrival as
he dreams of his own great fortunes.
They walk down several blocks to the
house of several other young men some
from the same village as they ask
about news back home. Each new arrival
was a fresh source of news to learn
about how the wives and children have
fared in the absence of the fathers.
Years go by, wealth
is amassed, and wives and children
are sent for as each begins a whole
new life in this strange land of prosperity.
They begin to realize that alternately
meeting each week at a different apartment
was getting a bit difficult so they
pooled their resources and rented
a hall to meet and begin to hold Sunday
services. They again come together,
because one of the men succumbs to
an illness. They pool their resources
and help the widow and children with
cloths and food and a faithful of
the community brings them into their
home. Each week new families are welcomed
into the community has it begins to
grow and expand. A decade goes by
and a larger place is needed they
again contribute a good portion of
their pay and each week the sexton
arrives at the door and collects from
the faithful the change, and rings
and jewelry that is offered to buy
the oil to heat their new church or
to help those who have fallen on tough
times.
Decades have now
passed, many of those early faces
are mere memories captured on faded
card stock, stored away in boxes collecting
dust. Years have gone by, Champaign
splashes in each glass as that milestone
moment welcomes in a new era. We think
for just a split second… (somehow
inspired by the familiar chorus about
“those who have been forgot”)…
of those who came before us who set
such great examples of how we must
act as a community, how we must be
towards each other and how we must
share our prosperity so that we has
a community may grow and flourish.
I think back to
that young immigrant with a pregnant
wife and two young ones back home
in the village, as he took that first
step off the train, after his long
voyage…remarkable. With each
year that past he participated in
helping build his community and began
the foundation of our home here at
Saint Spyridon. Is this a true story?
Yes! Its true because we all have
stories of struggle, pain and sorrow,
of challenge beyond compare, of uncertainty
and of strive that are the roots of
our own family tree that has now grow
so large. This story is about each
of our forefathers and mothers that
came before us who molded either by
accident or by intent the cornerstone
of what it is to be a member of this
community.
Whether we know
it or not, we pay homage to our forefathers
each time we entire the doors of our
cathedral, fore it if were not for
them, we would not be crossing the
threshold to our spiritual home here
in Worcester, Massachusetts. Saint
Spyridon is a monument to those who
have come before us, for those of
us here today and for those who will
come after.
I have begun to
think lately, not as an individual
but more so generationally, what will
the historians of future generations
write about us as the present custodians
of this day? Our image too will most
likely fall the same fate as a faded
JPEG on a long since used DVD format
stored in a box in a closet somewhere.
But will we have earned the respect
and honor that has been bestowed on
our ancestors? Will their struggle
and sacrifice to create a better life
for their children be equaled by our
own contribution to provide better
opportunities and to keep our community
growing?
I can say there are many that have
lived up too and expanded upon that
example. I have been fortunate to
have worked this past year with many
of them.
More specifically,
I have had the great pleasure of embracing
four of them as my new extended family.
Dimitri Vasiliadis, Tina Neidbala,
Anastasia Efstratios and Tasso Karamanakis
are those who have exemplified the
ideals and foundation of our forbearers.
Each of these four Parish Council
members terms on the board have come
up. Yet each has committed to contribute
on committees, or pangari, or in any
way they can even though they have
spent the last three years in service
to our community.
Tasso has been a
vocal supporter of all youth groups
and especially has helped support
the Nursery School in very many ways.
Each week he has helped each pangari
team whether was his turn or not.
He has been a vocal advocate of the
growth our cathedral and look forward
to his continue support.
Tina Neidbala has
been a wonderful counsel and good
friend. She has an incredible ability
to simplify the confusion and institute
a professional methodology. Tina has
asked, yes asked, to be an active
member of the executive committee
so that we may forge new procedures
and policy for the cathedral.
Anastasia is a fantastic
talent in marketing and public relations,
and has contributed much while both
successfully achieving her masters
and working full time in a very demanding
consultation company. She has provided
great insight to our need to provide
better more streamline communications
to our community and will continue
to help in that endeavor.
Dimitri has become
a very close and dear friend. As Chairman
of the building committee Jim has
demonstrated his innate ability to
get the job done. He has been a stalwart
chairman of the Stewardship committee
and has been the chairman of the Greek
school committee for the last three
years. Although he will no longer
be an active member of the parish
council, as building committee chairman
he will provide the best example of
what it is to be a chairman of a committee
and a leader of this community.
To these four, I
will miss the daily interaction. I
have learned so much from each of
you. I can only say in the best way
I can, your great papous’s and
yiayia’s, who’s example
we follow are looking down upon you
and with tears only angels can shed
are saying “We Are Proud Of
You”!
In the days, weeks
and months to come the new parish
council will continue to complete
many unfinished tasks, begin to address
new challenges and start to forging
ahead in building on the great example
of those before us. The new parish
council with the newly elected, members;
Arthur Tsongalis, Gus Gianakis, John
Rallis, John Lenis and I, will endeavor
to take their example of hard work,
dedication and commitment and serve
our cathedral.
The year is now
2005. We look forward to the times
that are to come, the sadness, the
laughter, the unknown…but even
though we know from where came, often
those memories are left behind for
only mere moments of reflection. “Auld
Lang Syne” is an old Scottish
song that was written in the 1700’s
by Robert Burns, and roughly means,
“Times Gone By”…
“We will take a cup of kindness
yet for Auld Lang Syne”…goes
the song.
I wonder if somehow
Mr. Portokalis can figure out if it
actually is a Scottish song or in
fact an ancient Greek hyme!!! Regardless,
I lift my glass to each of you who
have given so much and in the memories
of those who are no longer with us,
but look down upon us each day….
…For Times
Gone By…and for those that have
yet to come!
Happy New Year
Yours in Christ,
William Kiritsy
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