St. George Greek Orthodox Church

Day 1 in the books

Father Athanasios was born in Torrance, California and grew up attending Saint Katherine Greek Orthodox church in Redondo Beach. He served as an acolyte to his nouno, Rev. Father Fred Fotion, of blessed memory, and also participated in the Oratorical Festival, Basketball,Greek dance program, and GOYA. As an adult, he became a youth advisor and served as a member of the Parish Council. Father Tom attended and graduated from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis ...Obispo with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Business. After graduation, he joined the family business and became a successful Executive Recruiter. Father Tom married his wife Tina in 2008 and four years later moved his family to Boston to study for the Priesthood. Father Tom enrolled at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, graduating with a Master of Divinity degree in 2016. Father Athanasios and Presvytera Tina have two children: Odysseas "Ody" (born September 18, 2009) and Sophia (born December 14, 2011). Father Tom was ordained a Deacon on April 30, 2017 at Saint Katherine Church in Redondo Beach, CA and a Priest on May 28, 2017 at Holy Cross Church in Belmont, CA where he was appointed Assistant Priest. He served the community at Holy Cross for four years where he cultivated relationships with the people and gained experience with the diverse ministries and programs of the parish. For the past few months we have had the opportunity to have him in our midst and be the recipients of his pastoral care. He brings with him a deep faith in Christ and great enthusiasm to lead our parish to new heights and progress.

Today, our church celebrated the Epiphany or . Epiphany is one of the most sacred Greek Orthodox celebrations, rich in many Christian traditions which also date back to ancient times. Epiphany (also called Theofania or Fota) is celebrated on January 6 and is a day of joy and brightness, as Christians celebrate the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist.

This past Sunday our Sunday school was on site at St. George. The children and adults learned about the icons of our church. They toured the nave and learned about the iconostasion. Do you know that there is a specific order that the icons are placed on the iconostasion? You can identify the name of a church by looking at one of the icons. If you find yourself at a Greek Orthodox church and you do not know the name, look no further than the second icon to your left as you loo...k towards the altar. In our church, the icon is that of St. George. The children also learned about the Deacon doors and the angels that are depicted on each of those doors. Do you know which angel is depicted in the Northern or the Southern Deacon door? After their tour, the children painted the Archangel Gabriel using watercolors under the direction of Mrs. Aristi Anagnos and all her assistants. The icons were left at the altar table where Father Tom will bless them. The children will take them home after 40 days and display them in their own Iconostasion. Thank you again to all who participated and helped to make this class a great experience for the children. See more

Final Liturgy for Bishop Elect John of Phocea at St George in Downey CA. His next service will be as His Grace Bishop John of Phocea in December after his ordination. !

SPECIAL LITURGY- OCTOBER 18TH According to tradition, newly elected Bishops cannot officiate or conduct Liturgies until after their ordination. Bishop-elect John will be officiating his final Divine Liturgy before his ordination at St. George tomorrow.... Although, some of you may not be able to attend church, let us show our support to our newly elected Bishop John. It would be wonderful if each one of us can light a vigil candle on his behalf sending him our prayers and well wishes. Requests will be honored until 9:30 tomorrow morning. Visit our website at http://stgeorgedowney.org/ and place your candle requests/prayers.

Congratulations to Father John who now has received the honor of, Bishop of Phocaea! Axios!

It is with joy that the Saint George Community extends their congratulations to FrJohn Constantine for his nomination to the position of Auxiliary Bishop by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Axios! See relevant text below here The motions for election of Auxiliary Bishops were validated, on behalf of the Archbishop for the V. Reverend Archimandrite Spyridon Kezios, on behalf of the Metropolitan of San Francisco for the V. Reverend Archimandrite John Constantine,... and on behalf of the Metropolitan of Chicago for the V. Reverend Archimandrite Timothy Bakakos, respectively. Having procured the three Triprosopon lists in accordance with the regulations pertaining to the Election of Auxiliary Bishops, it was decided that they will be sent to the Ecumenical Patriarchate with the petition that the canonical elections be considered. https://www.goarch.org/-/fall-meeting-of-the-holy-eparchial

Our second week of outdoor services. We made improvements and increased the number tents to get more shade.

Good Morning Parishioners and Friends of St. George, Our first outdoor service was a huge success. Thank you to all who attended on September 20th. We will continue to have outdoor services until we are allowed to go inside the church. We will not be live streaming during the duration of outdoor services. ... You do not need to register online to attend service. However, we ask that when you arrive at the church to please check in at the registration table. At the registration table, we will ask you to complete an attendance form for tracking purposes in case it is needed. You will then proceed inside the church where you will light your candle and venerate the icons without touching them. You will exit from the side doors to the plaza on the side of the church where the tents are set up. Communion will take place during the service. The service starts at 9:00 am with Orthos and 10:00 with the Divine Liturgy. Liturgy lasts about one hour. If you have any questions regarding the services, please text 818/523-8396 for a prompt response. PARISH NEWS-SUNDAY SCHOOL-ADULT BIBLE STUDY-FAMILY DANCE SUNDAY SCHOOL Sunday school started last week for ages 4-12. It was great seeing all the children at the agiasmo service. Father spoke to the children after the service and explained the service of the agiasmo. He explained why vasiliko is the official flower of the church. We learned about St. Helen and the Holy Cross, we practiced doing our cross appropriately and we made mosaic crosses as an art project. ADULT BIBLE STUDY Kiria Dina has started her adult Bible study. It takes place under the tents every Thursday from 6:00-7:00. FAMILY DANCE The first family dance night was on Monday September 21st from 5:00-6:00. We had 20 children attend with their families. The dance program this year is offering a free dance program to everyone that is interested. Every Monday, a different region will be taught by various dance directors. This past Monday, George Zoumberakis taught Cretan dances-Sigano, Sousta and Sirto. This coming Monday, we will be learning dances from Peloponisos with Georgia Covell Hope your family can join us. Saint George Parish Council

Please help keep our Parish active... http://www.stgeorgedowney.com/stewardship

Please help keep our Parish active... http://www.stgeorgedowney.org/stewardship

Please keep our parish active... http://www.stgeorgedowney.org/stewardship

Please help keep our parish active... http://www.stgeorgedowney.org/stewardship