Sunday School News - May 2026

Hello Sunday School Students and Families,

Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti! Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!  Here is the Sunday School class and worship schedule for May and June 2026:

May

• May 3 Worship and Classes; Spark Sunday

• May 10 No Classes, Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day poems read by Sunday School Students.

• May 17 Worship and Classes

• May 24 No classes, Memorial Day weekend

• May 31 Worship, Great Feast of Pentecost; Divine Liturgy followed by Vespers of Pentecost and Pizza Party in Social Hall to commemorate both the end of the Sunday School year and the Birthday of the Church.

June

• June 21 Father’s Day poems read by Sunday School Students.

National Orthodox Baby Shower

Please enjoy this lovely letter from our devoted National Orthodox Baby Shower Chairperson, and Sunday School teacher, Helen Kopitas, to the donors to this wonderful outreach:

“Thank you for participating in the National Orthodox Baby Shower and for being a beautiful witness - in our St. Luke Parish, to the community…and for the world! What a wonderful tribute to the Annunciation, a meaningful reflection during Great Lent, and a cause for great joy during Pascha! We are so humbled by your kindness and generosity! All thanks be to God! Here are our parish results:

1,760 Diapers; 99 Packages of wipes; 28 Bottles Shampoo/Wash; 9 Bottles Baby Lotion; 5 Desitin/ Diaper Rash creams; 6 Cans of Formula; 6 Baby Bottles; 8 Baby toys; 126 Pieces of clothing (NB-4T; 12 Blankets; 1 Baby towel; 6 Baby bibs; 9 Pairs of socks; 1 Baby nail clipper; 2 car seats; 1 stroller; 1 high chair; 4 Kids’ dinnerware sets; 9 Kids’ suitcases with blanket/toy; 6 Wooden Growth Chart Keepsakes; $60 total gift cards.” All items were given to Chester County ConnectCare in West Chester.

We would like to personally thank Helen for bringing this awesome outreach to the families of our Sunday School and the St. Luke Community. Her passion for this cause, to support women who choose to keep their babies despite being in very difficult financial circumstances, has inspired all of us to remember yet another very vulnerable sector of our community - in prayer, as well as with much needed baby supplies. Xronia Polla, dear Helen!

Palm Folding on Lazarus Saturday

Our Sunday School staff and students, along with other St. Luke parishioners, joined together in the Social Hall after the Divine Liturgy for Lazarus Saturday in order to make palm crosses for distribution in church the next day. Thank you to all who attended this get together and continued our yearly tradition of making palm crosses in remembrance of Our Lord’s Entrance into Jerusalem. More than 1300 palm crosses were made! Very special thanks go to our generous donors from the Westgate Pub in Havertown - Pete and Sophia Alexopoulos and the Raptis family - who provided lunch for our all of our talented palm cross artists. Xronia Polla to Pete and Sophia, and the Raptis family!

Holy Friday Helpers Retreat

The Sunday School conducted its annual Holy Friday Retreat following the morning Royal Hours service on April 11, 2026. We were very pleased to have more than 50 of our Sunday School students in attendance! Our younger students, with some adult help and supervision, began the retreat by pulling bay leaves off their branches so that the leaves could be joyfully tossed by Metropolitan Apostolos during the Holy Saturday morning service. Two large baskets were filled with bayleaves by our eager students. When needed, the children also fluffed flowers for the ladies of Philoptochos who were working nearby in church, decorating the Epitaphion. The GOYA-aged students had the job of preparing the candles for Holy Friday and Pascha by feeding red or white cups onto the tall tapers. Following the completion of these tasks, the Sunday School provided food for all those who were working to prepare themselves and the church for the Holy Friday and Anastasi services, namely: the young people attending the Sunday School retreat; the amazing women of Philoptochos who decorated the Epitaphion so beautifully; Parish Council members; and Sunday School families and teachers. Special thanks go to the entire Kevgas family for behind the scenes planning for the day, and for ordering and overseeing the food.  Marina Despotopoulou, our 4th grade Sunday School teacher, worked very hard to develop 2 special crafts for the day- a Crucifixion scene for the children to color and put together, to remind them of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross, and special candles to decorate, reminding the children that Christ is the Light of the World.  Last, but certainly not least,  it was a true blessing and inspiration to have Fr. Christ speak to the Sunday School students about the significance of the Holy Cross, in general, and Holy Friday, in particular. Father Christ is completely in his element when speaking to our young people, holding the attention of all who were listening, from the youngest children to the oldest teenagers. They benefited greatly from his wisdom and counseling. Xronia Polla to our dear Fr. Christ!

Many young ladies served as Myrrh-bearers during the weekend of Pascha. They were: Alexia Brennan, Maria Canakis, Margarita Georgelos, Eirini Kalisperis, Eleni Kalisperis, Stavroula Karalis, Kalliopi Kathopoulis, Marianthi Kathopoulis, Markella Kevgas, Katalina Kontostergios, Kolette Kontostergios, Zoe Miller, Grace Parkerson, Irma Poggio, Andonia Pylaras, Chryssa Rodgers, Alessandra Sioutis, Penelope Sioutis, Sophia Thomas, Lianna Thompson, and Evelyn Uritsky. We are so grateful to them for embodying the spirit of the original Myrrh-bearers who were devoted followers of our Lord, both before and after His Passion. They were also the first to receive the news of the Resurrection.  May our Myrrh-bearers be likewise blessed throughout their lives for their service to Christ and His holy church. We also appreciate Marina Despotopoulou, Marianna and Markella Kevgas, and Alexis Limberakis for helping Panayota Kevgas prepare them for their roles at the various services between April 10 and April 12!

We also thank George, Marianna and Markella Kevgas, Art Karros, Andy Kalisperis, and Tanya Uritsky for their invaluable assistance wherever and whenever it was needed during the retreat. We couldn’t have had such a successful day without your help! Our deepest apologies to anyone who helped whom we have not acknowledged by name. Our Good, Gracious and Resurrected Lord knows of your good works-may He bless you abundantly for them!

Readers for Agape Service on Pascha

We were honored by the linguistic gifts of these members of the Sunday School family who read the Gospel at the Agape service on Pascha morning in the following languages: Katalina Kontostergios (Greek); Kolette Kontostergios (English); Konstantinos Kontostergios (Spanish); Marina Despotopoulou (French); and Victoria Vlahos (Italian). It was a truly awesome opportunity for each of them to not only read the Gospel in front of the congregation, but to also announce the Good News of Christ’s Resurrection to all peoples! God bless and Xronia Polla to Katalina, Kolette, Konstantinos, Marina, and Victoria for continuing this vital Pascha tradition for our parish!

Readers for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day Poems

The Sunday School is currently recruiting 3 readers to honor the mothers, grandmothers, godmothers and aunts of our parish by reading heartfelt poems on Mother’s Day, May 10, 2026 at the end of Liturgy. We would, likewise, love to have the same number of readers on Father’s Day, June 21, 2026, to honor the fathers, grandfathers, godfathers and uncles of our parish with poems. To volunteer your child or children, and to receive the readings in advance, please contact our Sunday School Directors at  stlukesundayschool@gmail.com.

Readers for Divine Liturgy

Please encourage your children to volunteer to read the Epistle or the Communion Prayer during Divine Liturgy. We will send you the reading(s) ahead of time so that your child can practice and become comfortable with the texts beforehand. Please be sure that your child is dressed appropriately for church on the day when he or she is scheduled to read - modestly and respectfully, as is common for all weekly services, a special Feast Day, or when celebrating a Holy Sacrament of the church. For example, athletic or workout clothes would not be appropriate for a reader to wear while leading the congregation in prayer or a reading from the Holy Bible. To volunteer your child, or to ask a question, please contact our Sunday School Directors at stlukesundayschool@gmail.com.

Readers for Agape Service on Pascha

We are seeking volunteers to read the Gospel in different languages at 11 am on Easter morning during the Agape Vespers of Pascha. We are also excited to say that readers have already volunteered for Greek, English, and Spanish, but  we also have copies of the Gospel in the following languages: Latin, French, Italian and Albanian. Any other language that you can offer would be most welcome. The reading in the appropriate language will be given to volunteers prior to the service. To volunteer to read the Agape Gospel in one of these, or any other, language(s), please contact our Sunday School Directors at stlukesundayschool@gmail.com.

Questions about Sunday School?

Please contact our Sunday School Directors at stlukesundayschool@gmail.com or visit https://www.ss.st-luke.org, which will be updated throughout the year with additional information and resources for families.