Parish Community Letter -Novemeber 2025

Dear Saint Sophia Parishioners,

On behalf of Father Steve and Father Gabriel, and with their blessings, the Parish Council would like to provide the SSC Community with an update.

Liturgical Calendar – every Sunday 8:30 Orthros and 10:00 Divine Liturgy – please see the website, website calendar, bulletins, and emails for other services.

SSC Ministries – Weekly and Monthly Reoccurring Events – please see the website, website calendar, bulletins, and emails for updates.

• Father Steve’s Bible Study – meets October-May via zoom typically Tuesday evening at 7-8 PM
• Baking Committee – meets Tuesday 9:30 AM-2:30 PM during the fall, winter and spring months in the FJ Hall Kitchen, where delicious Greek sweets are made. Lunch is provided.
• Philoptochos Food Drive – the first Sunday of the month. Place your donated dry foods and cans in the bins located in FJ Hall.
• Saint Sophia Table – typically meets in the FJ Hall Kitchen the second Saturday of the month, where food is prepared for those in need. Food prep 11 AM-1 PM and Service 1-3 PM (formally St. Stephen’s Table).
• GOYA Basketball Practice – typically every Monday 8-9:30 PM through the season.
• Good Company – Kali Parea – the third Thursday of the month (September- November and January- April), with a guest speaker or activity following lunch at 12:30 PM in the EAC Ballroom.
• Parish Council Meetings – the third Thursday of the month.

Ministry and Event Calendar Highlights – November 2025

• November 1 – Men’s Baking Committee – join the Saint Sophia Doughboys for fellowship, brotherhood, baking, and much more at 10 AM-4 PM
• November 2 – Philoptochos: World Through God’s Eyes on “the Cross,” following the Divine Liturgy with a light lunch offered. (donations welcome)
• November 8 – Philoptochos: Jewelry Trunk Show, Atrium 4-6:30 PM, wine and hors d’oeuvres offered.
• November 8 – Annual Veterans Day Taverna Night in honor of our veterans, 6 PM
• November 9 – Fall Parish Assembly Meeting immediately after the Divine Liturgy in FJ Hall, Faith Time (3^rd-6^th Grades), and JOY/LA Godparent Sunday and Service Project
• November 12 – Parish Council Nominations Close at 4:30 PM (3 days after the Fall Parish Assembly Meeting)
• November 15 – Christmas Advent begins – Joy to the World: Family Liturgy and Communion: Philoptochos will offer breakfast and children’s crafts immediately following the Divine Liturgy, which starts at 9 AM
• November 16 – Face Time (Pre K – 2^nd Grade), DEADLINE FOR ABSENTEE REQUESTS 3 PM to allow for all requests to be mailed out and returned in time at Noon on December 7 for the Parish Council Elections, YAL Thanksgiving Potluck 5-9 PM
• November 19 – Parish Council Candidates Resumes and Photos Due (10 days after the Fall Parish Assembly Meeting)
• November 27 – Thanksgiving Day – 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy

Parish Assembly Meeting
Our fall Parish Assembly Meeting is scheduled for November 9 immediately after the Divine Liturgy. Please look for the Parish Council Meeting Agenda in future emails, bulletins, etc.

Interested in becoming a Parish Council Member?
We are looking for leaders in our community who will step forward and collaboratively work with our Clergy to help guide Saint Sophia Cathedral spiritually, financially, and strategically. If you have the time + talent + treasures to commit to this ministry, please feel free to contact any Parish Council Member for more details and the Board of Elections for election eligibility and requirements.

Did You Know!!! Below are recent examples of Saint Sophia Ministries and their “cross pollination” amongst ministries, who service young and old. These ministries are dedicated to serving BOTH our Saint Sophia community (our in-reach) and dedicated to serving, witnessing, and helping others (our out-reach). AXIOS!!!

• The Medal of Saint Paul – On October 26, Saint Sophia Cathedral celebrated the illustrious careers of five exceptional Sunday School Teachers – Evangelos (Van) Andros, Diane Cerniglia, Mary Cranford, Ioanna (Joanne) Kenny, and Eustratia (Stracie) Maniatis!!! In recognition of their devotion and dedication to the religious education of our youth, each teacher having served for over 50 years, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese has bestowed upon them the highest honor of the Church that can be awarded a layperson, the Medal of Saint Paul. Their combined years of loving and loyal service as Sunday School teachers total over a quarter of a millennium, a most remarkable example of servant leadership. Additionally, while in the past other individual members of Saint Sophia Cathedral have been honored with the Medal of Saint Paul, for the first time in the 121-year history of our Community we will now have the unique honor and distinction of familial recipients, specifically, husband and wife, Timothy and Eustratia (Stracie) Maniatis, as well as mother and daughter, Mary Bochanis and Diane Bochanis Cerniglia. Saint Sophia Cathedral is blessed and forever grateful to have these glowing examples of Orthodox Christian catechesis and discipleship. Please make a special effort to thank them.

• The Third Annual Archdiocesan District Servant Leadership Awards Banquet was held on June 3, 2025, in Corona New York. Representing Saint Sophia Cathedral, our Adult Honoree, Diane Cerniglia and our Young Adult Honoree, Elisabeth Charles were accompanied by friends and family to honor their dedication and devotion as leaders in our Cathedral. Previous honorees include: 2024 Pete Panagiotopoulos and Yianni Panagiotopoulos (father and son) and 2023 Janice Calomiris and Alec Economakis.

• The Sons of Pericles is an international brotherhood dedicated to the preservation of Hellenism. In addition, the Order espouses philanthropy, civic responsibility, athletics, education and individual excellence. Supreme President of the Sons of Pericles, Alec Economakis (2023-2025), wrote in the 2024-2025 Sons of Pericles Yearbook: “To my home Cathedral, Saint Sophia Washington, D.C., its parishioners, Sunday School attendees and GOYA members I have had the pleasure of teaching and coaching. Thank you for giving me so much patience and support while I sought to make an impact in the Sons of Pericles. I became increasingly aware of how difficult it would be to attend Liturgies, Parish Council Meetings, and GOYA practices and tournaments during my second term. I like to bite off more than I can chew, and I give my deepest thanks to Parish Council President Janice Calomiris for letting me focus on Sons of Pericles and end my term exactly how I wanted to. Now that I have all this free time, I’m ready to dive back into giving back everything this Cathedral gave to me during my adolescence by helping every Sunday I can, coaching the Boys’ B Team, and maybe even teaching Sunday School again. Sant Sophia, you have my full attention and my heart.”

• Our Baking Committee raised $2022.00 for the Aristevi Foundation. The Aristevi (in Greek means “to excel’) Foundation is based in Nashville and focuses on providing educational and vocational opportunities for trafficked survivors. Aristevi helps lift up the spirits and lives of trafficked survivors by offering them vocational or educational financial support, and enhances their vocational lives, which offers them opportunities that have been out of reach.

• SSC Basketball Tournament 2025 We had a total of 9 churches and about 250 kids participating in this year’s tournament: Saint Sophia, Saint Constantine and Helen DC, Saint George, Saint Katherine, Saint Nicks, Saint Demetrios, Annapolis, Holy Trinity Camp Hill PA, Kimisis from Brooklyn. All three Saint Sophia teams had good showings. The tournament results are as follows: Saint Katherine won the Boys A Championship by 1 point over Brooklyn, Saint Nicks won the Girls A Championship over Saint George, and Saint Katherine won the Boys B Championship over Saint Sophia. We want to extend our thanks to GOYA Coordinators Stephanie Stratos and Christina Sardelis; GOYA Boys Coaches: George Wallace, Evan Ganginis, Alec Economakis and Chris Vondas; GOYA Girl Coaches: Angelica Ceccone, Haley Economakis and Stavroula Koutris Andre; and GOYA Parents; GOYA alums; volunteers; and participants for their support who helped make this another successful tournament and dance for our youth!!!
• Freshman and Sophomore College Care Packages A new youth ministry outreach program to help our Sunday School grads feel connected to our Beloved Saint Sophia while they are away pursuing their studies. In October, Eftuhia (Effie) Frankowski and Carole Verner sent out 12 beautiful care packages which included a bag of our Saint Sophia very special koulourakia to bring back some sweet memories of growing up at Saint Sophia, a prayer bracelet, a copy of The Way of the Pilgrim a beautiful book that explains the spiritual significance of the prayer bracelet, a beautiful icon as a reminder to our grads that their Saint Sophia family is always with them in prayer, and a warm letter from Father Steve and Father Gabriel. We know this will have lasting benefits to keep our young adults engaged in our Cathedral!

Ministries
We are highlighting this month Little Angels / Junior Orthodox Youth: Our youth groups are a cherished part of the Sunday School Program, helping children ages 3 to 12 experience the Holy Orthodox Faith, build lasting friendships, and serve the community.

We offer two distinct groups:

• LA (Little Angels, Ages 3–7): This group emphasizes friendship in a relaxed, casual atmosphere, helping our youngest children embrace the spirit of our faith.
• JOY (Junior Orthodox Youth, Ages 8–12): JOY focuses on deeper spiritual growth, leading youth to experience the faith through worship, fellowship, service, and witness.

These programs also create a wonderful environment for parents to connect and build community within the Cathedral.

The organization is guided by a committee of parents who plan fun and meaningful events throughout the year, supervised by one of the Cathedral’s priests and an advisor. Our annual calendar is filled with fun, faith-based activities such as pumpkin decorating, Christmas ornament-making, and our Lenten activity. We also encourage every child to participate in an annual community service project to instill a love of giving back. Recent projects have included making IOCC kits, running a food drive, and preparing meals for the previously homeless.

Ask your Parish Council
Your Parish Council welcomes your questions! We would encourage your inquiries sent via email to parishcouncil@saintsophiadc.com, or if you wish place them in the PC mailbox located in the Cathedral Office. Our goal is to be as transparent as possible and provide information. Your anonymity will be honored!

Yours in Christ,
The Saint Sophia Parish Council