The Right Hand of the Priest

Over the years, Philoptochos has reached out to many organizations and individuals, but our obligation does not end here. We are the right hand of the Priest and of his Parish Council. Whenever a special occasion arises within our parish – a celebration, or the hosting of visiting Dignitaries and other fellow Orthodox Christians, you can be sure that the loving hands of our Sisterhood are behind the preparation. The Vasilopita, when we organize a luncheon for our community to raise funds for St. Basil’s Academy; the Father’s Day luncheon, given in honor of the beloved fathers of our parish; the breakfasts following Divine Liturgy on the Saturday of Lazarus and Thanksgiving Day; and the serving of the mayeritsa following the climax of our glorious Holy week are a few examples of our service to the church and our community. Another event organized by Philoptochos through the generosity of the members of our community is one we all enjoy – the Sunday Agape Hour. We all look forward to partaking of the appealing array of goodies and the fellowship which await us when we go down to the church hall after the liturgy.

Our favorite ministries and those closest to our hearts have to do with our service to children. We have an ongoing relationship with the Children’s Home Society by providing children, particularly the teens, with the personal items they need. Another ministry to children in which we are active is our annual Angel Tree Christmas party, when we give gifts to the children of prisoners in the name of their incarcerated parent. The joy we see on their faces when they open a gift from Mother or Father is mirrored in our hearts!

Keeping true to our mission over the past 5 years we have contributed more than $30,000 to the various causes we sponsor. This sum of money has been more than matched by the in-kind services that we have performed for our own church community, as well as the Jacksonville community.

Education is important to Philoptochos

For many years our Chapter has helped students realize their dreams of serving in the priesthood, or in other callings pertaining to the Orthodox Church. The Philoptochos Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in recent years in loving memory of Father Nicholas Graff’s grandmother, Agnes (Argyro) Dakis. This fund and our fundraising endeavors in its support, enable us to send students to Holy Cross for the necessary training which will prepare them for their calling to service.

“Many Hands Make Light Work”

Philoptochos serves by this saying. After reading about the many ways Philoptochos serves the community, you may be hesitant to get involved. It sounds too much like work! It is work, but when many are involved, the work becomes light.

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.
Ecclesiastes 4:9

The next generation of women, busy with their professions, family, often serving as caregivers to their parents can, through Philoptochos, find a way to channel their desire to serve Him through fellowship with other women of like minds.

It is a great blessing to be a part of this Sisterhood of Philoptochos, and we would dearly love for all women of the church to receive this blessing. Come share our joy in serving, for we are the woman at the well; we are she who washed the feet of Christ with her tears; we are the women who stayed close to the cross when Christ was crucified for us. We are Philoptochos, and we need you!