Somerville Greek church celebrates Name day

On August 17, 2010, in Latest News, by The Somerville Times

By Lauren C. Ostberg

Three generations of Greek family dine behind a posing Steve Petsalia (L) and Costas Hatzis by Lauren Ostberg

What’s in a name? A festival, for one. This past Sunday, Somerville’s Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church celebrated its “name day” with vespers, fanfare, and, naturally, delicious food.

Mary’s “dormition” is, following Greek Orthodox scripture, the day “she fell asleep in the Lord.” It is the last of 12 major feasts on the faith’s calendar. According to Father Panteleimon Klostri, who has headed the church since October, Mary is considered the most honorable of the saints, and her story serves as a reminder to parishioners to be “faithful until the end.”

“Those who hear the will of God, he invites to be part of the family of God,” said Klostri.

More than 300 people attended Saturday’s feast, a number much larger than Dormition’s average service attendance. A church’s name days, Klostri explained, often draw parishioners from the wider Greek Orthodox community. Even State Senator Sal DiDomenico, who is not affiliated with the parish, stopped in to pay his respects.

: Stumatina Balos, of Somerville, has attended this parish for the past 43 years.

They dined on roasted lamb, Greek salad, chicken kebabs, and an assortment of traditional baked goods, most of which were made with phyllo dough.

This Saturday was also the name day for Panagiotis, anglicized into the name “Peter.”

Carol Salvo, Chairperson of Dormition’s 95th anniversary committee, has attended the church her entire life, and draws parallels between the church’s name and namesake. “There’s a sense of family here,” said. “Everyone is very close.”

Faith, food, and family: themes of a name-day feast.