St. Mary's Philoptochos

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St. Mary's Philoptochos

Welcome to St. Mary's Greek Orthodox Church Philoptochos page.

A ministry of St Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church in Minneapolis, Philoptochos Chapter 2049 proudly serves our community through Philantropy, Fellowship, and Faith in Action. Philoptochos offers assistance to anyone who may need the help of the Church through fund raising efforts, to promote the charitable, benevolent, and philanthropic purposes of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, to preserv

e and perpetuate Orthodox Christian concepts and the Orthodox Christian Family, and to promote participation in the activities of the Greek Orthodox community.

05/16/2026

What a beautiful and meaningful time together as we gathered for a sacred baking class focused on preparing Artos bread for the Artoklasia Service.

A heartfelt thank you to Presvytera Alexandra for leading us through not only the process of baking the bread, but also the deeper spiritual meaning behind it and the beauty of the Artoklasia service itself. Her warmth, knowledge, and joyful spirit made the evening truly special.

The Artoklasia service commemorates the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 and reminds us that Christ is the Bread of Life. It is a joyful tradition of blessing, breaking, and sharing bread with others and a beautiful expression of fellowship and God’s abundant blessings.

We learned so much and are excited to share our new Artos baking skills with our congregation.

Thank you again, Presvytera Alexandra, for such a delightful and informative class!

03/22/2026

As we navigate the Lenten journey, a special thank you to the 25+ Philoptochos members that showed up to prepare, setup, serve and clean up our Lenten meal.

Such a blessing.

An additional blessing was a short presentation from Christopher Brenna, Executive Director of Philoxenia House in Rochester, MN.

Philoxenia house is a special organization to our parish, as they offer lodging to patients facing their worst of times at Mayo Clinic. All proceeds from ourLenten meal will support their important mission.

03/17/2026

We love FOCUS - Minnesota!

02/23/2026

So grateful for our community here at St. Mary's Greek Orthodox Church.

Saturday was a beautiful day filled with faith, service, and compassion as we enter the Lenten season. As Tia so eloquently summed it up in today's Philoptochos General Assembly, we came together to give service for others, but in truth, we gain so much more by sharing time and fellowship with each other.

We were hoping for maybe 20, and 40 of you showed up. Last count we had over 60 pillow cases for Bridging, 35 wheelchair bags for Courage Center, and 18 hygiene kits for Days for Girls.

A special shout out to the sisters Tina, Jamie & Carrie and ALL your recruits, and of course to Sofia for sharing your time, skills, and compassion with so many.

So thankful for all of you. 💛

02/18/2026

In the Greek Orthodox Church, koliva is more than a traditional dish, it is a sacred symbol of faith, remembrance, and hope in the Resurrection.

Koliva is offered during memorial services as an act of love and remembrance for those who have fallen asleep in the Lord. It reflects our belief that death is not the end, but a passage into eternal life.

Koliva is deeply symbolic. The wheat reminds us that just as a seed is buried and rises again as new life, so too do we believe in the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.

The Gospel reminds us, “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24).

Each ingredient carries meaning:
• Wheat symbolizes the departed soul seeking resurrection.
• White almonds remind us our life on earth is temporary.
• Spices signify the aromas of this world.
• Parsley expresses the wish for rest.
• Nuts represent the life that reproduces.
• Raisins convey the sweetness of life in Christ, who is the vine.
• The sugar covering symbolizes the sweetness of paradise and
the triumph of life.
• Pomegranates reveal the glory of heaven.

When members of our church learn this sacred tradition, they are not learning a recipe, they are learning how to serve, comfort, and support one another in times of grief.

Thank you Toni Bazakos for sharing the art of sacred baking within our community.

May we always remember that in every grain of wheat, there is a promise of new life.

02/14/2026

💗🍪 Sweet Sunday = Sweet Success 🍩💗

A huge thank you to the 60+ signup slots fulfilled that provided, served, and sold over 600 baked goods, various fruit, granola, lefse (yes, we are most definitely in Minnesota), and cleaned up. Proceeds of over $2,000 from this sweet event will go to FOCUS Minnesota.

Thanks you to everyone for your contributions!

01/25/2026

Special blessings to the amazing twelve that braved this evening’s sub zero temps for the Prosphoro workshop, not to mention Fr Tim for his introduction and blessing, and Toni Bazakos for sharing her passion.

Preparing prosphoro for Divine Liturgy is a great privilege.

Thank you Toni for sharing the importance of sacred baking in our church.

01/16/2026

Congratulations to Nick Santrizos for receiving the coin in the cutting of this year's Vasilopita, and a huge thanks to the women of Philoptochos for all their hard work behind the scenes.

This year, over 180 loaves of Vasilopita were baked with more than 600 pieces sliced and distributed last Sunday.

Proceeds from the sale of the loaves are looking to be over $2,000 and will go to benefit St Basil Academy and other children's programs.

There are a few loaves still available, so swing by the Philoptochos table this Sunday and pick one up for $15.

12/08/2025

Philoptochos hard at work spreading a little Christmas beauty at St Mary's this weekend ✨🎄♥️

Address

3450 Irving Avenue S
Minneapolis, MN
55408

Website

https://stmarysgoc.org/ministries/philoptochos/

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