Choir
Pauline Kitsopoulos

We sing, not to men, but to God, who can hear our hearts and enter into the silences of our minds. What state can be more blessed than to imitate on earth the choirs of angels?
     - St. Basil the Great

The choir of St. Paraskevi is considered by its members to be a blessed organization, a family within the church community. While St. Basil reminds us that although we sing to God, we are heard by all, and hopefully, according to St. Basil, "choral singing will create a bond and join people into a harmonious union of one choir which produces also the greatest of blessings: love."

Throughout these fifty years, the choir has been blessed from its birth in December of 1956, to the present. It has grown and flourished under talented directors and dedicated members to a current twenty-five person membership, and has participated in many different choral activities.

The St. Paraskevi Choir was founded in December, 1956, by Miss Lydia Kourelis, with Ms. Marge Vassiliades and Ms. Georgette Chakos as the first organists. The early 1960's saw Ms. Maria Callas as choir director and Ms. Argero Contogine as the organist. A milestone was reached when, in October 1963, the Divine Liturgy was broadcast live from St. Paraskevi over WGSM radio each Sunday. The choir continued to flourish during the 1960's under the direction of Mr. James Baralis, followed by Mr. Theodore Kastrinos, with Ms. Antonia Chion as organist. It was during this period that Mr. Christ Chion, Antonia's father, donated a new Hammond organ to the choir.

Mr. Steven Zanganas became the director from 1969 to 1973. During this period, Mr. Nicholas Michalopoulos was also director for a time. It was in 1972 that Mr. Jeffrey Economou, a professional musician, became the organist under Mr. Zanganas.

From 1973 to 1989, Mr. Economou was both director and organist. He introduced many new musical arrangements to the choir, and in 1983 was instrumental in helping to establish the Queens/Long Island Choir Federation, known today as the Archdiocesan District Federation of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians. Choir members have participated in every Divine Liturgy in which the Federation has sung. This includes Federation Conferences, St. Michael's Home for the Aged, the Hierarchical Liturgy in Radio City Music Hall in 1984, the Hierarchical Liturgy in Central Park in 1996, and the Patriarchal Liturgy at Madison Square Garden in 1997. The Federation Choir, under the direction of Mr. Economou, also sang in a Hierarchical Liturgy at St. Paraskevi in 1988, with Bishop Phillip officiating and Mrs. Georgia Stavros as the organist. St. Paraskevi has also been well represented by choir members at all Federation conferences, with several members serving in various capacities over the years on the Federation board.  It was also under Mr. Economou's directing that our choir began Christmas caroling in local hospitals and nursing homes, a 34 year tradition which continues to this day.

During these years, the choir also participated in many other notable events under the directorship of Mr. Economou; the consecration of St. Paraskevi Church by His Eminence, the late Archbishop Iakovos, Christmas concerts in St. Paraskevi, and later with the combined choirs of St. Paraskevi, the Assumption in Pt. Jefferson, and St. John's in Blue Point.

The years 1989 to 1995 found Mr. Michael Papantoniou directing the choir, with Ms. Stephanie Pavlidis as the organist. Although Mr. Economou once again became director from 1995 until 2002, Mr. Papantoniou directed the Federation Choir in 1997 in a Hierarchical Liturgy at St. Paraskevi at which His Eminence, Archbishop Spyridon officiated.

Still other milestones were reached, one of which was the publication of "Notable Greek Recipes and Other Heavenly Treasures" in 1992, a popular cookbook compiled by the Choir of St. Paraskevi which refers to our choir as a family, sharing "our love for God, for music, for one another, and for good food".

The year 2001 brought about yet another milestone: the choir's recording of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom on CDs and cassettes, recorded on January 13, 2001, with The Very Reverend Archimandrite John Heropoulos, Celebrant, Jeffrey Economou, Choir Director, Stephanie Pavlidis, Organist, and Michael Papantoniou,  Epistle Reader. April 1, 2001, the choir, again under the direction of Jeffrey Economou with Stephanie Pavlidis as organist, gave a memorial concert at St. Paraskevi for past director/choir member Mr. Steven Zanganas. It was at this time that the new Allen organ, which was donated to St. Paraskevi through the generosity of the Zanganas family and friends, was dedicated.

The directorship of the choir was once again assumed by Mr. Michael Papantoniou in 2002, which he has continued to fulfill to the present time. The choir is a ministry which "imitates on earth the choirs of angels chanting around the throne of God, so that people may better experience the grace of God." We consider it an honor!

Nothing elevates the soul, nothing gives it wings as a liturgical hymn does.
          - St. John Chrysostom

                                          MUSICIAN'S PRAYER

        God, please bless my music that it may glorify Your name,
        May using it to serve You always be my aim.
        Let it be a witness to Your majesty and love,
       And remind us that You're watching from Your throne above.
       May others see Your beauty in every note they hear,
       And when they hear my music may they feel Your presence near.
       Oh Lord, I ask for guidance in everything I do,
       And pray You'll make my music an instrument for You!

Philoptochos
President - Marika LaSorsa

CARE MINISTRY
Mersina Samodolski

Life Ministry
Anastasia Geotes

YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS

Sunday School
Erika Gavras, Fran Bertos
Deaconess Christine Courbanou

Greek School PTO
Despina Stroumbos

The Parent Teacher Organization works very closely with the staff, parents, and the Greek School Board to enrich our program and curriculum. Under the guidance of its officers, President Mrs. Despina Stroumbos, Vice President Mrs. Melanie Plackis, Secretary Mrs. Celeste Parkas, and Treasurer Mrs. Demy Javaras, this organization remains a vital component of the Greek School. It provides programs that fill the schedule with excitement while also complimenting the mission of the school. The St. Paraskevi Greek School is blessed to have a spiritual father such as Father Dimitrios Moraitis who is so actively involved in educating our children about their religion.

Greek School Principal
Maria Angel

Greek School Board
Ester Toubanos

The structure and curriculum of the St. Paraskevi Greek School is guided and supervised by the Education Department of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.  As such, its objectives include the systematic teaching of the Modern Greek language, Greek history and culture as well as the teaching of the principal elements of the Greek Orthodox faith.

Greek school classes are held on Saturdays from 9:30 to 1:00 and are available for grades K through 6.  In addition, a preparatory class for the Greek Language Regents examination is available on Tuesday evenings from 5:15 to 7:15.   In order for children to enter the Greek School Kindergarten class, they must be in at least first grade in their regular, American studies school.

The Greek School Board works together with the school Principal in making curriculum decisions, selecting personnel and providing educational resources for the teachers and students.  In addition to educational concerns, the Board also manages the Greek School budget which is maintained for teacher salaries, books and other educational materials.

The current board members are:

          Esther Stavrou Toubanos, PhD, President
          John Misthos, Treasurer
          Gigi Franklin
          Amy Mendrinos

Greek American Preschool
Joanne Kefalas

GOYA
Maria Mastrogiacomo, Pam Praetorius

Greek Orthodox Youth of America
St. Paraskevi GOYA (Greek Orthodox Youth of America) is a group comprised of 13-18 year olds that relies on the participation and enthusiasm of its youth. We have participated in many fundraisers and charitable events of which our youth have been an enthusiastic and active part of, the older kids always helping to organize the younger members.

GOYA also serves as a social setting where Greek American youth can share their heritage, faith, language and traditions within their church. Many lifetime friendships can be attributed to participation in GOYA. For those sports enthusiasts in the group, they can join one of our many sports programs, which include soccer, basketball and volleyball for both the girls and the boys. Each Memorial Day weekend these children get the opportunity to compete against other GOYA groups from the tri-state area during the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Olympics.

Every winter our GOYA meets with as many as 10 other area GOYA groups and they go on an InterGOYA ski trip. They get to meet many other children from neighboring churches and communities and spend a fun-filled weekend enjoying the company of their friends. They can then go to the monthly GOYA dances to further their friendships.

In the past year our GOYA held a carwash, with the proceeds going toward a Habitat for Humanity build which we did this past Fall. They collected and packaged food for Long Island Cares through a community food drive held during the month of November. In December they decorated our church for Christmas all the while promoting our Star Gift Program. This supplies Christmas gifts to needy families who would otherwise have nothing to open for Christmas. They collected over 600 gifts and then separated these gifts to give to the individual families. During this time they also supplied Christmas dinners, which included a turkey and all the trimmings, to 250 underprivileged families throughout Long Island. During the winter break, they participated in the “Midnight Run”. GOYA asked for our community to donate men’s coats, and clothing. They then separated these items by size, and on Dec 29th made soup, coffee and 200-bagged lunches to distribute, in conjunction with the Midnight Run Organization to homeless men in Manhattan.
 
Our community serves as a homeless shelter for 25-35 men during the winter months. In March, Our GOYA cooked and served a hot meal for all these men to enjoy.  In addition they have another carwash planned for May. The proceeds are earmarked for Project Mexico, an organization that flies youth groups to Mexico to help builds homes for a boys orphanage, and the Wounded Warrior project, which helps the families of wounded veterans both financially and emotionally by subsidizing necessities such as housing, food, daycare and airfare while families are visiting injured service members at military hospitals. Our GOYA also plans a second Habitat for Humanity build this June.

In addition GOYA each year makes Christmas wreaths and grave blankets to sell to the community as a fundraiser and makes Easter lambades to sell as well. In the past few years they have also made Valentine’s Day chocolate lollipops and homemade chocolate Easter bunnies to sell as well.

HOPE
Irene Parides, Tessie Pando

Hellenic Orthodox Primary Education
The mission and goal of the HOPE ministry is to lead our children in the experience of the Holy Orthodox faith, tradition and life. HOPE also helps lay a foundation of faith for our children for guiding and strengthening them as they grow and learn in our Church.

Currently we have children from pre-school through first grade.  Our group organizes religious, social and recreational activities.  Our goal is to provide a fun place where our children can meet peers within our church community. We meet every other week from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Children enjoy the company of their friends and parents while learning about their faith in a creative and fun environment.

JOY
Flo Ioannou

Junior Orthodox Youth

JOY of St. Paraskevi is a youth ministry for second to seventh graders of our church.  JOY meets every other Friday in our church gym from 7:00 to 8:30 pm, unless there is a special activity which is announced to members in advance.

JOY children participate in various programs guided to create fellowship by participating in fun activities, such as sports, movies, bowling, skiing, swimming, crafts and other activities the children have an interest in.  Father Dimitrios Moraitis also meets and talks with the children during the meetings at the church.  JOY children bond together to help others by doing charitable works, fundraising and giving of themselves by acts of kindness to those in need.   JOY unites the children by their common faith and enables them to learn and share more about the Greek Orthodox faith with each other.

Little Angels
Tessie Pando

Girl Scouts
Pres. Flora Moraitis

Advisor:  Presvytera Flora Moraitis

Leaders:  Daisy - Presvytera Flora Moraitis, Kali Psihos
               Brownie - Presvytera Flora Moraitis, Fran Andreadis
               Cadette - Marika La Sorsa, Alexandra Bennis

Girl Scouts was started at St. Paraskevi in September 2006.  It is an organization that was brought into our church to provide another area in our community where girls could meet and interact with one another.  There are currently three troops – Daisy (9 girls), Brownie (14 girls) and Cadette (5 girls) – at St. Paraskevi.  Each troop has two leaders and parent helpers.  The leaders are mothers from the troop who volunteer their time.  A short training session is met, and then the program begins. The leaders will be with their girls at every level as they grow.  The rest of the parents take turns at each meeting to be helpers.

There are many levels to Girl Scouts – Daisy, Brownie, Junior, Cadette and Senior.  Each level works on different patches and programs to develop honesty, love, fairness, helpfulness and strength.  Each girl may also work on a Religious Award, where she gets to learn about our Orthodox Faith (St. George Medal, Alpha Omega and Chi-Rho).  At the end of each program, they meet with Fr. Dimitrios Moraitis to review what they have learned.  Once they have passed, they receive a medal that is pinned on the front of their vest/sash.  It is truly a great and well deserved achievement.  The girls will also work towards the Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards – the highest honors that can be received by a Girl Scout and looked for on college applications above and beyond all else.

OTHER

Shrine/Church Beautification
Anastasia Geotes - Pam and Gregg Praetorius

The St. Paraskevi Shrine Beautification Committee was established to ensure that the Church's outdoor areas are enhanced with seasonal landscaping and maintained throughout the year.  Assorted annuals are planted in pots and flower beds to complement the evergreen and perennial beds of the Shrine courtyard, the Charles Tsunis Memorial Garden and the entryways to the Narthex and auditorium.  The Beautification Committee is funded solely by parishioner donations outside the general fund.

Players
Chris Christopher

Bookstore
John Arettines

The purpose of the Saint Paraskevi Bookstore is to meet the spiritual reading needs of our community. It is open during the school year on Sundays after the Divine Liturgy during coffee hour.

The Bookstore offers our community bibles and books on prayer, Orthodox religion, history of the Church, lives of the Saints, books for children, teens, and adults.  We also offer Greek books, religious music on CD's, and other religious items.

The Saint Paraskevi Bookstore has a dedicated committee which serves by helping parishioners at the Bookstore.

Our staff also tracks sales so that we know what material will better serve our community.  The Bookstore committee members are John Arettines, Helen M. Arettines, Angela Arettines, Peter Arettines, Sally Economou, Fay Pavlidis, and Stephanie Pavlidis.

We all look forward to continuing to serve the Saint Paraskevi Greek Orthodox Shrine Church.

Athletics
Stephanie Gurin

The Message
Denise Bocchicchio dpb@islandguide.com

Website
Denise Bocchicchio