Oakland Greek Festival Update

Hello Ascension Family!

I hope this email finds you all well and healthy. It has been a rocky 2020 to say the least!  The 2020 Festival Committee has been monitoring and staying in close contact with Alameda County as well as the state with the ever-changing guidelines.  As much as we would love to have our community together to cook, eat, dance and celebrate, it has become abundantly clear that due to continued restrictions we are not able to host our Festival in October. 

We had hoped the pandemic would have cleared by now and restrictions would ease, but that is not the case.  Therefore, the 2020 Festival Committee along with the Parish Council have made the tough decision to cancel the Festival for 2020.  We will assemble again as a committee in early 2021 to begin discussions on a return in May.  Although no one can be certain next Spring will be any better, we will continue to pray so we can once again assemble together and do what we love: Cook, Eat, Dance and Celebrate! 

As you know, the Festival is Ascension's largest fundraising event each year with an estimated income of $200k for the church.  Many tough decisions have already been made by the Parish Council to mitigate the expected loss of the festival however, we still need your help.  We are asking each of you to, once again, consider a donation in honor of the 2020 Oakland Greek Festival as we set our sights on 2021!

Yanni Limnios
2020 Festival Chair

Request for Support of Hellenic College Holy Cross

This Monday we will celebrate the Feast of the Holy Cross. This is the patronal feast of Hellenic College Holy Cross the accredited undergraduate and graduate schools of our Archdiocese, and annually on this feast we consider how we can continue to support the essential work of these two institutions. Through these uniquely Orthodox academic institutions, the visibility of our Faith is expanded, spiritual and intellectual formation is advanced and the sacred work of our Church is sustained.

We also celebrate the accomplishments of our Ascension Cathedral’s most recent graduate James Koumarelas, and look forward to all that he will offer through his education and formation in ministry!

Please prayerfully consider financially contributing to Hellenic College Holy Cross and take a moment to read the following message from His Eminence Metropolitan GERASIMOS of San Francisco on behalf of this sacred institution.