Sunday, March 29

Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt

Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt

When Mary was only twelve years old, she left her parents and departed to Alexandria, where she lived a depraved life for seventeen years. Then, moved by curiosity, she went with many pilgrims to Jerusalem, that she might see the Exaltation of the venerable Cross. Even in the Holy City she gave herself over to every kind of licentiousness and drew many into the depth of perdition. Desiring to go into the church on the day of the Exaltation of the Cross, time and again she perceived a certain invisible power preventing her entrance, whereas the multitude of people about her entered unhindered. Therefore, wounded in heart by this, she decided to change her way of life and reconcile herself to God by means of repentance. Invoking our Lady the Theotokos as her protectress, she asked her to open the way for her to worship the Cross, and vowed that she would renounce the world. And thus, returning once again to the church, she entered easily. When she had worshipped the precious Wood, she departed that same day from Jerusalem and passed over the Jordan.

She went into the inner wilderness and for forty-seven years lived a most harsh manner of life, surpassing human strength; alone, she prayed to God alone. Toward the end of her life, she met a certain hermit named Zosimas, and she related to him her life from the beginning. She requested of him to bring her the immaculate Mysteries that she might partake of them. According to her request, he did this the following year on Holy and Great Thursday. One year after this, Zosimas again went thither and found her dead, laid upon the ground, and letters written in the sand near her which said: "Abba Zosimas, bury here the body of wretched Mary. I died on the very day I partook of the immaculate Mysteries. Pray for me." Her death is reckoned by some to have taken place in 378, by some, in 437, and by others, in 522. She is commemorated also on the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent. Her life was recorded by Saint Sophronius of Jerusalem.

SAVE THE DATE: JULY 18-19

vol. 005 - George Skiniotes

vol. 005 - George Skiniotes

As we continue to celebrate 110 years of our community, we are also highlighting the people who made up the vibrant quilt of this community. It should be no surprise that one of the first people who comes to mind is George Skiniotes. George, like so many, made his way to America from his home in Mykonos as a young man in 1912, moving to Joliet in 1915. Like so many of our forefathers, George did what he had to do in order to survive in his new homeland, where he began as a laborer, preforming the backbreaking work of a brickmaker. In his early days, he was even known to engage in local wrestling matches to earn some extra money on the side. He would, go on to meet his wife, Maria Kapellas, and they would have 5 children together. Like many of the Greeks in Joliet, they took up a residence on Bluff Street and George would go on to become a local delivery driver. Tragically, after only ten years of marriage, in 1934 Maria suddenly reposed, leaving George a widower with five children under the age of nine years old to take care of. George did not despair, nor did he re-marry, but rather dedicated himself to providing for and taking care of his family.

Despite the great challenge of raising five children alone, George seemingly overflowed with generosity. In 1948, he sponsored and took into his home his dear friend Dimitri Bati and his son Frank while they got established in the United States. Somehow, George was always at the Church, of course, moreso after his retirement. He was the chanter, he made the koliva, he cleaned, he made repairs, he was a member of the Mykonos Society and AHEPA. Everything he did, he did as a labor of love. He was known to spend hours at church, meticulously arranging trays of koliva, making sure that not a single grain of wheat was out of place. Jokingly, his grandchildren would say that after his children grew up, 102 N. Broadway would become his second wife. Looking back at pictures from the fifties and sixties, we find ourselves hard pressed to find any pictures that do not feature George Skiniotes smiling broadly at us through his signature glasses. Before departing this life in 1969 he was honored by Bishop Timotheos of Chicago for his more than forty years of service as chanter at All Saints. He serves as a shining example of someone who was not only a survivor of adversity, but who took up his cross and built towards the legacy of our amazing community.

George and his five children, Nicholas, James, John, Alice, and Irene

Preparing Kolyva

Left to right: Tony Samios, Nick Skiniotes, George Skiniotes, Jim Vrakas, Dino Dimas

The All Saints Choir - seated in the front row are Fr. Manousos Lionikis and George Skiniotes
(Picture taken between 1951-1961)

110 Stories History Series: all are invited to submit photos with a short (or not so short) story from the life and history of this parish, or its parishioners. We want this to be an open expression to celebrate everyone from the first Greek immigrants who settled in Joliet to to those who are just now joining this community. We will be sharing at least one story a week here in the bulletin and on social media.

Happy Birthday Gregory Kontos who celebrated his birthday on March 26!

Click the link to the right in order to submit you special occasions to share with the community via our online form.

OR contact the church office to share your birthday, engagement, wedding, anniversary, retirement, birth, baptism or any other celebration or accomplishment with our community!



All Saints Greek

Orthodox Church

102 N. Broadway St.

Joliet, IL 60435

Office: 815-722-1727

Fr. Anastasios: 847-414-4874

Email: tasso.theo@gmail.com

allsaintsjoliet.com