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Onward To Greece
On October 5th, the Church School students traveled to Greece. Aristea Zekios presented the highlights of Saint Paul's life including his conversion and three missionary journeys that were filled with danger. He brought Christianity to Greece where many church communities were established. Aristea's helpers were Briana, Alexandra, and Andriana. They helped distribute the homemade baklava to all the listeners.
Saint Paul preached on Mars Hill at the foot of the Acropolis in Athens. He expounded on the inscription there which read, "To the Unknown God." This enabled him to proclaim the True God to the Athenians.
St. Luke Feast Day Celebration
It was appropriate to begin this day of celebration in honor of St Luke with the chrismation of two new souls into the Orthodox Faith. Following the ceremony preformed by Father Andrew the congregation celebrated Divine Liturgy together. At the conclusion of Liturgy, the congregation moved to our new fellowship hall to enjoy a catered dinner. Our fellowship ministry did a wonderful job setting up the event and our thanks goes out to them. During the dinner our outreach team leader, Lee, spoke about the history of St. Luke parish and the life of St. Luke himself.
To view the Life of St. Luke, please click here
Great food, great people, and great fellowship make for a wonderful day. Below are a series of pictures of the banguet.
St. Luke Annual Forum: Islam, Christianity, And Love
Once again this year, St. Luke Parish held it's annual forum at Moraine Valley Community College. The topic this year was Islam, Christianity, and Love. Our guest speaker was Dr. Harry Boosalis. Before the event began visitors and parishioners gathered to share views and meet with our guest speaker. See pictures above and below
The above picture shows Father Harrison opening the forum by introducing Dr. Boosalis and providing the group with information on his background. Dr. Boosalis spoke concerning the various beliefs that Islam and Christianity held in common, the differences between the tow, and the role that love plays in the whole picture. (See picture below.)
Dr. Boosalis address the assembly.
Following the lecture a question and answer session occurred which was started off by Father Harrison. (See above) As it turned out, one of the visitors was a member of the Muslim faith and he was kind enough to share his views with us. (See below)
As it turned out, Dr. Boosalis invited our Muslim guest to the podium to help us in our understanding of their faith.
Refreshments were provided and we thank all those who participated in making this forum a success.
Bond Program Refinance Begins
Due to dropping interest rates, it was decided to refinance our bond program. This weekend began the process as parishioners met with the representative from the bond company. This will save the parish considerable funds and allow us to move forward with several necessary projects. If you have not participated in the program before you can do so now. It is a wonderful opportunity to get competitive rates on your investments while helping St. Luke Parish with your committment.
All Roads Lead To Rome
This week our Passport Program turned it's sights on Rome. Sherri spoke to the students about life in ancient Rome for the early Christians. Simulating life in the catacombs, Andy guarded the entrance and visitors had to knock and give a secret password to gain entrance. Inside the lights were turned off and candles were used for illumination.
New Roof For Old Section
A new roof has been added to the old section of the building that matches the new roof on the rest of the structure. Very shortly the entire area will be sided to improve appearance and insulate the structure. Next year we will work on the interior to turn this into a clergy area.
A Day Of Remembrance - Morning Liturgy
On September 11th, 2003 St Luke held it's annual day of remembrance for those who perished in the terrorist attacks. Centered in the church was the piece of I beam from the World Trade Center which Father Andrew acquired as a memorial along with some remnants from the Pentagon. We were blessed to have His Grace, Bishop Job in attendence for the ceremonies. The day began with Divine Liturgy as Father Andrew chanted "Blessed is the Kingdom."
Here we see Father Andrew blessing the memorial with incense.
Following the Liturgy, the congregation was dismissed and received a blessing from Bishop Job as they venerated the Cross. During the day the church was kept open for visitors and the bells were rung on the hour.
A Day Of Remembrance - Public Patriotic Memorial Program
In the evening there was a Public Patriotic Memorial Program. Here we see Bishop Job entering for the program.
A color guard brought in the flags accompanied by a bagpiper.
It was a moving program with patriotic moments such as this one.
Mayor Bennett of Palos Hills adressed the crowd and thanked St. Luke Parish for hosting this event.
Next His Grace, spoke on why we shall never forget the tragic events that occurred on 9-11.
The color guard removed the flags at the end of the service.
Before exiting, our dignitaries spent a silent moment in solemn reflection.
Following the program, refreshments and fellowship were shared.
The memorial remains in the vestible of St. Luke all year round for people to remember and pray for those who perished on that tragic day.