Philoptochos – from the Greek for “friend of the poor”

Since 1932, the Philoptochos Society of Saint Sophia has served as the philanthropic arm of the Cathedral.  As a local chapter of the nationwide Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, Inc., we are part of one of the largest Christian women’s philanthropic organizations in the United States. (For more background, see History.)

The Philoptochos Society of Saint Sophia has more than 100 members and a Board of Directors who are elected for two-year terms.  The current Board was elected in May 2021:

Board of Directors 2021-2022

Officers

Helen Fliakas: Co-President

Joanne Kenny: Co-President

Elisabeth Kandianis: Vice President

Mary Dimos: Treasurer

Mary Kirshbaum: Assistant Treasurer

Lia Fidas: Recording Secretary

Stracie Maniatis: Corresponding Secretary

The Very Reverend Steven P. Zorzos, DMin.:  Spiritual Advisor

Patricia A. Gogos: National Board Liaison

General Board Members

Margo Anderson

Helen Farmer

Linda Loukas

Alexandra Mallus

Doreen Moses

Elaine Joost, Advisor

Our Mission

The mission of the Philoptochos Society can be summarized as follows:

• To help those in need;
• To promote the purposes of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America;
• To preserve Greek Orthodox Faith and traditions;
• To promote participation in the Greek Orthodox community; and,
• To do it all with discretion, courtesy and kindness.

For the full text of the mission statement, see Mission Statement.

Our Work

The work of Philoptochos addresses three main objectives:

Philanthropy »

Direct and indirect support for charitable organizations and individuals in need.

Fellowship »

Creating opportunities for greater interaction among members of the parish.

Faith in Action »

Putting our Orthodox values into practice through hands-on actions

Calendar of Events – CLICK HERE TO VIEW CALENDAR

2022 WINTER WARMTH GIVEAWAY DONATION

Golden Age Christmas Luncheon

Tuesday, December 2023 (TBA)
12:00 Noon
In the Cathedral Auditorium (FJ Hall)
Snow Date on Thursday, December 2023 (TBA)

Event Chair: Stracie Maniatis

Space is limited
The deadline for reservations is Tuesday, November 28^th.

To reserve your space, contact:
Angela Kolaras, angelakolaras@gmail.com,   703-847-9493

In the spirit of season, donations toward the Christmas charities will be collected. This year’s charities are Partners for Kids in Care for Teens in DC Foster Care for which we will collect $25 Visa/MC/Amex gift cards for distribution and our second charity is World Central Kitchen, headed by Jose Andres, which feeds people in disaster areas internationally.

Please make checks payable: The Philoptochos Society
Be sure to designate which charity you are donating to on the check’s memo line
and you may also donate through Faith Direct
https://www.saintsophiadc.org/ministries/philoptochos/

Wondering how you can help?

Click on What can I do? to see how much you can do at home, at the Cathedral, in your neighborhood, in Northwest DC, and beyond.

     

Joining Philoptochos

Membership in Philoptochos is open to all women of the Cathedral over the age of 18. To become a member, download a Membership Form and submit your completed form to philoptochosdc@gmail.com.  The minimum annual stewardship level is $50 ($23 of your stewardship goes directly to National Philoptochos & Direct Archdiocese Philoptochos).  Stewardship can be paid by clicking on the link in the Membership Form or by check made out to Philoptochos and sent to:

Saint Sophia Cathedral
Attn: Philoptochos
2815 36th Street NW
Washington, DC 20007

For more information regarding membership, please contact: Philoptochos Membership Chair at PhiloptochosDC@gmail.com.

Click here to view our Philoptochos Facebook Page 

For more information please e-mail us at philoptochosdc@gmail.com.