Dear Annunciation Family
What a blessed harvest season it has been. The beautiful scenery of the autumn season was spectacular this year. Hopefully, you all had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature and the changing of the leaves in upstate NY. The season’s delicious fry cakes, the pies, and of course what we all await the Thanksgiving feast. Hopefully, you all had a blessed Thanksgiving. Just as our senses feel and enjoy the secular delights we also are encouraged by the majestic beauty of our church, its liturgy, and the communion of our church family, we also share the experience of fellowship.
With this fellowship in mind, we as the, Ladies of Philoptochos, who are called upon to serve the church and her people as a collective group of women and men, (yes, men can be a part of Philoptochos) are so grateful to be a part of our amazing church family. That said, please allow me to mention some of the wonderful and philanthropic works of our own Philoptochos in 2023/2024.
Support of the Golf Tournament in the form of a raffle basket, festival sponsorship, the purchase of a stand-alone freezer which is downstairs, a discretionary fund for those in need, hosting the brunch for guest speaker Presvytera Eugenia Constantinou at our Lenten Retreat series, our yearly Saturday of Lazarus breakfast with our Sunday School/Greek School children, and of course the Vesper Service of March 25th the Annunciation of the Theotokos with our sister church in Buffalo, which we alternate yearly. Also, some of the secular philanthropies are: Jr. League of Rochester, (“a women’s training organization committed to developing engaged civic leaders…”) Champions of Change, (“a group of volunteers decorate rooms to help homeless families in need. Hotel for the holidays.”), Suicide Awareness, and VOC (Veterans Outreach Center). As you can see the Ladies of Philoptochos have certainly been busy.
There are also the local philanthropies we support such as the Jr. League of Rochester, a women’s training organization committed to developing engaged civic leaders, the Champions of Change, a group of volunteers who decorate rooms to help homeless families in need, Hotel for the holidays, Suicide Awareness and support of the Rochester Veterans Outreach Center.
But our Ladies of Philoptochos, together with the many other Philoptochos chapters across our Metropolis of Detroit and the Archdiocese, also support national and international causes. These include St. Timothy’s Summer Camp, the Florence Stefanou Scholarship, Vasilopita Sunday in support of St. Basil Academy, organizations that fight cancer & other major illnesses such as autism, St. Photios Shrine in St. Augustine FL. Philoptochos also provides monetary support for the many Orthodox Christian Mission which supports the and Mission priests around the world, our Hellenic College and Holy Cross School of Theology which trains our future priests, the Retired Clergy/Widowed Presvyteres Benevolent Society, International Orthodox Christian Charities, the National Philoptochos Emergency, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, General Medical Fund, and Christmas Campaign.
Speaking of gratitude, the best for last, that’s “You”, our Annunciation Family. With your consistent support and faithfulness to our cause of Philanthropy and our patron Sts. Comas & Damianos none of this great work can be accomplished. We thank you for your fellowship that is shared each and every Sunday during coffee hour; the delicious foods and desserts that are brought in every Sunday in the celebration of your loved one. Fellowship brings us together as a community; thus Philoptochos thanks all of “You”. We, the Philoptochos Ladies once again thank you for your monetary support of “the giving basket”. Through your generous contributions, you help provide the funds to cover expenses such as coffee, coffee cups, koliva cups & lids, nap-kins, silverware, plates, and many more items needed to better serve you, our family.
Finally, we wish to thank all the hard-working Ladies of Philoptochos are committed to serving at Coffee Hour, and the hours of cooking and cleaning, whether for the Greek Festival or any of the multitude of activities our community holds. As Frank Sinatra once said, “The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything.”
On behalf of The Ladies of Philoptochos, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and may God continue to bless our Philoptochos, our Annunciation community, and the United States of America.
Submitted by the Executive Staff of the Annunciation Ladies Philoptochos