Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,

Christ is in our midst!

Welcome to the website of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church of Brockton, MA. The Annunciation is within the Metropolis of Boston, which is part of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America – one of the daughter Churches of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Church of the Annunciation is the only Eastern Orthodox Church in Brockton and its surrounding communities.

At the Annunciation, we conduct the full cycle of Sunday services, commencing with Great Vespers on Saturday evenings through Orthros (Matins) and the Divine Liturgy on Sunday mornings. Throughout the liturgical year, we also celebrate the feasts of our Lord and the Theotokos (Mother of God), as well as the feasts of all major saints of the Church. From fall through spring, Small Vespers are also celebrated on most Wednesdays nights, with adult religious education sessions following the service.

We welcome all to worship with us, whether you are visiting the area or live locally. May God bless you!

+Fr. Anthony Evangelatos
Presbyter

Beloved in Christ,

The feast of Holy Pentecost is almost upon us, which will be celebrated this year on Sunday, June 23. As we celebrate this great feast, it is a good time to remember the important role of the Holy Spirit in the Church, and in our own lives as well.

The Holy Spirit is the breath of life for the Church. There could be no Church without the Holy Spirit, which is precisely why God sent the Spirit on the original day of Pentecost. This indwelling of the Holy Spirit is what energizes the holy mysteries of the Church, and what brings grace to everything we do. This grace resides as well with the various liturgical appointments in our churches, most especially the holy icons.

When we gather as the united Body of Christ in worship, the Holy Spirit is with us, sanctifying us through the divine services of the Church. We are touched by the Spirit in a very profound manner, when we participate in the holy mysteries. Some of these mysteries transform us in a very real way, such as the mystery of marriage, which unites two people as one flesh in the name of Christ. In holy baptism, the baptized individual dies and rises again in Christ through the baptismal waters, thus being completely reborn, spiritually.

Since we are members of the Body of Christ, we must remind ourselves that we also have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. After a baptism, the newly baptized is chrismated, being anointed with consecrated oil containing the power and energy of the Holy Spirit. From this point, he/she becomes a living temple of the Spirit. Knowing this, an Orthodox Christian should always seek to respect and nurture the body, and never abuse it.

I’m sure that we all can comprehend the idea of church buildings being temples of the Holy Spirit. How many of us, however, comprehend the fact that we too, are living temples? It truly is an awesome thought to envision God dwelling within us. From childhood we have been programmed, so to speak, to look upward toward heaven when we contemplate God. There is logic to this approach, since we know that the Lord ascended upward into the heavens, when he physically left the earth after His resurrection. As the Creator of the heavens and everything that we see in space, the Lord is naturally sought by looking upwards.

Now, if we meditate a bit on the Church’s understanding of the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit, we would realize that seeking God within ourselves, is equally as awesome and majestic as staring into space. Although we don’t go through life each day thinking of ourselves as temples of the Holy Spirit, it is our reality. What a sublime view of the human being! How comforting to know that at our lowest moments, when we think that we are alone and hurting, God is right there with us.

Since we know that the Holy Spirit dwells in the Church, and in each one of us as members of the Church, it would behoove us to remember the importance of prayer in our lives, so that we may discern the will of God for us. In order to be open to the Spirit and to benefit from Its multiple gifts, we must be praying people, for this is our only way of communicating with God straight from the soul.

When all the members of the Body of Christ pray together – for the Church, the world, and for one another – then we truly see the power of the Holy Spirit at work. An important concept to remember in our Orthodox tradition, is that we cannot be Christians on our own. As members of the Body of Christ, we need each other. St. Paul spoke about his in his letter to the Romans (12:4): For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

Beloved in Christ, let us therefore open ourselves to the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, both for ourselves individually, as well as for the entire Body of Christ – both here locally, and everywhere on earth. As we all kneel on the holy day of Pentecost awaiting to be renewed by the Holy Spirit, let us humbly ask for Divine guidance and strength to become prayerful and exemplary Orthodox Christians, seeking our own salvation and the salvation of everyone around us.

In Christ’s love,

†Fr. Anthony

Online Chapel
Read today's prescribed Epistle and Gospel passages and learn about the saints commemorated by the Church on this day

Orthodox Calendar
Our online calendar listing the major saints, feasts, and fasting periods in the Orthodox Church for this month

Featured Video
Enjoy a weekly video feature by GOTelecom on our Church's faith and life.

Iconograms
Send electronic icon greeting cards to your family, friends or loved ones on their name day or any special occasion.

June 2013 Bulletin »
Church Services for June appear on page 7

Past Bulletins »

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Sign the Petition to the White House for the Release of Orthodox Bishops

His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios calls all faithful to sign the White House petition urgently asking the United States Government to use all its influence for the release of these two Orthodox Christian Archbishops and to bring a peaceful settlement to this bloodletting Syrian conflict through a negotiated settlement. This is an urgent appeal to President Obama and his Administration for the release of two Orthodox Christian Archbishops, namely Archbishop Paul Yazigi (left photo) and Archbishop Youhanna Ibrahim (right photo), who were abducted by armed rebels on April 23, 2013 in the suburbs of Aleppo, Syria. The driver of the Archbishops was murdered and the Archbishops were forced by the rebels to go to an unknown location either in Syria or in Turkey.

You may sign the petition by clicking here »

Metropolis of Boston »

National Philoptochos »

OCA (Orthodox Church in America) »

Metropolis of Boston Camp (MBC) Summer Program
The Metropolis of Camp is home to over 700 campers and families each summer. Our program is built on the foundation of six pillars - honesty, respect, openess, trust, love and forgiveness, - and centered on engaging each other through FUN, faith and fellowship. We offer six differnt unique camping experiences each summer and through the efforts of His Eminence Metropolistan Methodios we are pleased to offer three different types of ministry through our camp; one is to youth (ages 8 - 18),  the second is to FAMILIES (all ages), and the third is to campers with special needs through our embracing children program.

• Session 1 - Family Summer Camp: July 3 - 7, 2013
• Session 2 - Youth Session: July 8 - 14, 2013
• Session 3 - Youth Session: July 15 - 21, 2013
• Session 4 - Youth Session: July 22 - 28, 2013
• Session 5 - Youth Session: July 29 - August 4, 2013
• Session 6 - Youth Session: August 5 - August 11, 2013

Registration is now open!
Learn more »

Ionian Village 2013 Registration now Open
Ionian Village, the summer camping ministry of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, is now accepting registrations for its Summer 2013 programs.

Operating from a beautiful seafront campsite on western Peloponessos in Greece, Ionian Village brings its campers and staff into close contact with their faith and heritage as they travel throughout the country to sites of cultural and religious importance.

In its 43rd year, Ionian Village has reached over 16,000 campers, staff and clergy through its programs. Participants return home each summer with strengthened faith and an expanded appreciation for the Church and our Greek heritage.

“Ionian Village is more than just a camping program, it's like nothing you've ever done before,” says Fr. Evagoras Constantinides, Director of Ionian Village. “Our campers and Staff Members get to experience Greece and live their Orthodox Faith, which in turn helps them discover who it is they truly are. This isn't just a summer camp; Ionian Village promises to be the best summer of your life.”

Ionian Village offers two camping sessions:

• Summer Travel Camp (June 23 to July 12)
• Byzantine Venture (July 20 to August 8)

Registration is open to Greek Orthodox youth who have completed grades 8 through 12.

In addition, Ionian Village offers our Young Adult program, Spiritual Odyssey.  This shorter pilgrimage-style trip is open to young adults ages 19 to 28.

• Cyprus and Crete (May 30 to June 9)

For more information about any of the Ionian Village programs, or to participate in this summer’s programs, visit www.ionianvillage.org or contact the Office of Ionian Village at 212-570-3536.

Classes are held every Saturday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
2012-2013 Greek School Class Schedule »

UPDATE: Spring 2012 General Assembly votes unanimously to proceed with the project to be fully-funded by the Dean Georgantas Scholarship Foundation.
Learn more »

UPDATE: Spring 2012 General Assembly votes unanimously to proceed with the project to be fully-funded by the Dean Georgantas Scholarship Foundation.
Learn more »

Classes are held every Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
2012-2013 Greek School Class Schedule »

The Annunciation Church now offers an online bill pay service for the convenience of our parishioners. Click on the links below to fulfill your Stewardship or make other payments by credit card.

Hungry Friends

Bulletin Advertising

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church

457 Oak Street
Brockton, MA 02301
508-559-0910

Office hours:
Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm

Rev. Fr. Anthony Evangelatos - Presiding Priest

From Route 24 take Exit 18B (Route 27 North - Stoughton).
At lights take a right on to Pearl Street.
At second set of lights take a right on to Oak Street.
Drive 1 mile. The church is on the left. Welcome!

Winter Hours
Weekday Services:
Orthros: 9:00 am; Divine Liturgy: 10:00 am
Sunday Services:
Orthros: 8:45 am; Divine Liturgy: 10:00 am
Great Vespers:
Saturdays at 6:00 pm

Fr. Anthony Evangelatos - priest@annunciationbrockton.org

Office - office@annunciationbrockton.org

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For questions or comments concerning this web site please contact the Webmaster at
helpdesk@annunciationbrockton.org