A great man is one who collects knowledge the way a bee collects honey and uses it to help people overcome the difficulties they endure - hunger, ignorance and disease!
- Nikola Tesla

Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.
- Franklin Roosevelt

While their territory has been devastated and their homes despoiled, the spirit of the Serbian people has not been broken.
- Woodrow Wilson

Over 200 Serbian Youth meet for First Annual Chicago Folklore Festival

Serbian Folklore - Chicago

Chicago, IL - What a grand event for the Serbian community to see over 200 of our children from the Midwest come together on stage with pride and love of their Serbian heritage! Old Holy Resurrection Serbian Orthodox Church Sunday School was proud to host the First Annual Chicago Folklore Festival on April 28, 2012. This folklore competition brought together many Serbian families and friends from the Chicago land area, as well as from Rockford, Illinois, Mississauga and Toronto, Canada. It was indeed a beautiful program, well-organized and entertaining to all that had the chance to see it.

Hosted by the Old Holy Resurrection Serbian Orthodox Church Sunday School, the success of this event was due to the dedication of many people in their time, help and organization. The 2-hour program during the early evening displayed the distinguished dancing talents of our Serbian youth. With the setting of a school auditorium, including a spacious elevated stage, individual theater seats, and curtain call to close and open acts, our children captivated the audience with their choreography, graceful movements, and stunning traditional costumes.

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Although most folklore dancers were high school age kids from the big dancing groups, of the seven churches in all, the festival was graced with 14 total groups, and 17 various regional Serbian dances. Upon completion of the program and judging results, later in the evening awards were presented at the host Church Old Holy Resurrection on Palmer Square, a few blocks away. And the winners were…

Folklore - Chicago

1st Place – Oplenac St Sava from Mississauga, Canada
2nd Place – Oplenac St. Jovan Bellwood, IL
3rd Place – Soko Old Holy Resurrection Palmer Sq. Chicago, IL
Honorable Mention – “Naj kompletnija grupa” was awarded to: Oplenac, St. Jovan Bellwood, IL

In conclusion, it is our hope that these kinds of events promote the eminent heart and soul of our Orthodox faith and Serbian culture in the positive spirit it deserves. The most compelling part of the evening was the outright joy and comradeship of our glowing Serbian youth. As they complimented each other on their achievements, they also made new friends, and danced the night away in unison. We look forward to seeing you at next year’s 2nd Annual Chicago Folklore Festival, hosted by the Old Holy Resurrection Serbian Orthodox Church Sunday School, “SOKO” Folklore Group.

SA

 

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Stella Jatras

Stella Louis Jatras

Stella Louis Jatras (nee Katsetos) from Camp Hill, PA, was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, as the fourth and youngest daughter of Louis (Leonidas) and Marina Katsetos, originally of Sparta, Greece, and later of Harrisburg and Carlisle.

Stella was quite literally a daughter of Sparta - and her father's name was Leonidas, no less. As Julia Gorin noted, she was Sparta, truly worthy of that heroic heritage. Axia!

In addition to the U.S. Department of State, her professional work included service with the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA and the Veterans Administration.

In 1953, she married George Jatras, also the offspring of Greek immigrant parents, and began a long and varied life as the wife of a career U.S. Air Force Officer.

As a career military officer's wife, Stella traveled widely and lived in several foreign countries where she not only learned about other cultures but became very knowledgeable regarding world affairs and world politics. She lived in Moscow for two years, where she worked in the Political Section of the U.S. Embassy. She also lived in Germany, Greece, and Saudi Arabia. Her travels took her to over twenty countries.

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Publishing

The Church at Prayer

The Church at Prayer

by Archimandrite Aimilianos of Simonopetra

Publisher’s note

Many readers of the addresses of Elder Aimilianos, which have been published in the five-volume series, rchimandrite Aimilianos, Spiritual Instructions and Discourses (Ormylia, 1998-2003), have frequently expressed the wish for an abridged and more accessible form of his teaching. In response, we are happy to inaugurate a new series of publications incorporating key texts from the above-mentioned collection. Other considerations have also contributed o this new project, such as the selection of specific texts which address important, contemporary questions; the need for a smaller, more reader-friendly publication format; and the necessity for editing certain passages in need of clarification, without however altering their basic meaning.

Above all, the works collected in this volume reflect the importance which the Elder consistently attached to prayer, spirituality, community life, worship, and liturgy. Thus the experientially based works "On Prayer", and "The Prayer of the Holy Mountain", which deal primarily with the Prayer of the Heart, appear first, followed by the summary addresses on "The Divine Liturgy", and "Our Church Attendance". These are in turn followed by the more socially oriented discourses on "Our Relations with Our Neighbor", and "Marriage: The Great Sacrament". Finally, the present volume closes with the sermons on "Spiritual Reading" and "The Spiritual Life", which in a simple and yet compelling manner set forth the conditions for "ascending to heaven on the wings of the Spirit".

It is our hope that The Church at Prayer will meet the purpose for which it is issued and will serve as a ready aid and support for those who desire God and eternal life in Him.

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