St Stefanos Greek Orthodox Church - St Petersburg Florida

St Stefanos 2009 Greek Festival

The 2009 St. Stefanos Super Greek Festival will be held on Friday, February 6th through Sunday, February 8th 2009. There will be Greek Food, Greek Dancing, Church Tours, Greek Music, Greek Cooking Demos, Greek Marketplace, Kids Fun Area and much more. You can also enter to win a 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid from Crown Honda and St. Stefanos. Car drawing tickets are available through St. Stefanos call 727-345-8235. Click here to purchase tickets online. Go to supergreekfest.com to find out more.

Parish History

In late 1961, approximately 30 families came together to found the parish of Saint Stefanos. Many of the families had been attending church at St. John the Baptist Church in Tampa or St. Nicholas Cathedral in Tarpon Springs, so St. Stefanos became a community centered in southern Pinellas County.

Hours

The Church Office is open Monday - Friday, 9:30AM-3:30PM.

The Church Office closes for all liturgical services, including Orthros and Divine Liturgy on a Feastday, Baptisms, Funerals, and any other special services that may occur during normal office hours; the Office will reopen following the conclusion of the service.

Acolytes: A Call to Follow

"Grant me a true spirit of faith, and humble obedience, so that I may ever behold the Priest as a representative of God, and I may serve alongside of him, willingly following Your Way, the Truth, and a Life in Christ. Amen." - Taken from the Acolyte's Prayer of Preparation

The term "acolyte" (nowadays, also commonly called altar boys) is a very old term in the church, meaning "follower" in Greek. Today, it is a term that has come to mean attendant or helper. Assistants (altar boys or altar servers) were mentioned as early as 3rd century AD by church historians. In many cases, they were young boys who were orphaned and taken in by the church. In return, they offered the church service as assistants to the priests, freeing them to attend to the other spiritual needs of their flocks. The acolytes dedicated themselves to this work, and often lived their entire lives within the church building, serving the church and God; others grew up and became priests themselves.