Philoptochos
Derived from the Greek "friends of the poor," the Ladies Philoptochos Society of St. George Greek Orthodox Church is a vibrant source of fellowship and philanthropic service in our community. The Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, Inc., is the duly accredited women's philanthropic society of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. The St. George Philoptochos has been a backbone of our Church for many years. Through the efforts of this group of engaged and dedicated women, St. George Philoptochos has supported numerous educational programs at our Church, worthy causes such as Philoxenia House and the Hellenic Cardiac Fund, as well as engaged in charitable endeavors in the Greater Lynn community that aid the poor, sick, elderly and underserved.
We are here to help and as you can see we are constantly asked for help. That is the mission of Philoptochos. We thank you for all your support!
Zoe Haskell, President
Anita Rassias - Vice President
For information about and/or to become involved in the St. George Philoptochos, please contact President Zoe Haskell via email zhaskell@comcast.net.
Click here for 2024 membership letter form!
Click here for 2024 membership brochure!
JUNE 2024 - NEWSLETTER - VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3
JANUARY 2024 - NEWSLETTER - VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2
OCTOBER 2023 - VOLUME 1 NEWSLETTER
2024 MY BROTHER'S TABLE LUNCH PROGRAM
2024 - 2025 BOOK CLUB DATES SCHEDULE
September 18, 2024 - 6:30PM - "A CALAMITY OF SOULS" by David Baldacci
Set in the tumultuous year of 1968 in southern Virginia, a racially-charged murder case sets a duo of white and Black lawyers against a deeply unfair system as they work to defend their wrongfully-accused Black defendants in this courtroom drama from #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci. Jack Lee is a white lawyer from Freeman County, Virginia, who has never done anything to push back against racism, until he decides to represent Jerome Washington, a Black man charged with brutally killing an elderly and wealthy white couple. Doubting his decision, Lee fears that his legal skills may not be enough to prevail in a case where the odds are already stacked against both him and his client. And he quickly finds himself out of his depth when he realizes that what is at stake is far greater than the outcome of a murder trial. Desiree DuBose is a Black lawyer from Chicago who has devoted her life to furthering the causes of justice and equality for everyone. She comes to Freeman County and enters a fractious and unwieldy partnership with Lee in a legal battle against the best prosecutor in the Commonwealth. Yet DuBose is also aware that powerful outside forces are at work to blunt the victories achieved by the Civil Right era. Lee & DuBose could not be more dissimilar. On their own, neither one can stop the prosecution's deliberate march towards a guilty verdict and the electric chair. But together, the pair fight for what once seemed impossible: a chance for a fair trial and true justice. Over a decade in the writing, A Calamity of Souls breathes richly imagined and detailed life into a bygone era, taking the reader through a world that will seem both foreign & familiar.
October 16, 2024 - 6:30PM - "BECOMING MADAM SECRETARY" by Stephanie Dray
Raised on tales of her revolutionary ancestors, Frances Perkins arrives in New York City at the turn of the century, armed with her trusty parasol and an unyielding determination to make a difference. When she's not working with children in the crowded tenements in Hell's Kitchen, Frances throws herself into a social scene in Greenwich Village, befriending an eclectic group of politicians, artists, and activists, including the millionaire socialite Mary Harriman Rumsey, the flirtatious budding author Sinclair Lewis, and the brilliant but troubled reformer Paul Wilson, with whom she falls deeply in love. But when Frances meets a young laywer named Franklin Delano Roosevelt at a tea dance, sparks fly in all the wrong directions. She thinks he's a rich, arrogant dilettante who gets by on a handsome face and a famous name. He thinks shes a priggish bluestocking and insufferable do-gooder. Neither knows it yet, but over the next 20 years, they will form a historic partnership that will carry them both to the White House. Frances is destined to rise in a political world dominated by men, facing down the Great Depression as FDR's most trusted lieutenant - even as she struggles to balance the demands of a public career with marriage and motherhood. And when vicious political attacks mount and personal tragedies threaten to derail her ambitions, she must decide what she's willing to do - and what she's willing to sacrifice - to save a nation.
NOVEMBER 20, 2024 – 6:30 PM - "THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN" by MARIE BENEDICT - VICTORIA CHRISTOPHER MURRAY
The remarkable, little-known story of Belle da Costa Greene, J.P. Morgan's personal librarian - who became one of the most powerful women in New York despite the dangerous secret she kept in order to make her dreams come true, from New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict and acclaimed author Victoria Christopher Murray. In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J.P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture on the New York societ scene and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, known for her impeccable taste and shrewd negotiating for critical works as she helps build a world-class collection. But Belle has a secret, one she must protect at all costs. She was born not Belle da Costa Greene but Belle Marion Greener. She is the daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and a well-known advocate for equality. Belle's complexion isn't dark because of her alleged Portuguese heritage that lets her pass as white - her complexion is dark because she is African American. The Personal Librarian tells the story of an extraordinary woman, famous for her intellect, style, and wit, and shares the lengths to which she must go - for the protection of her family and her legacy - to preserve her carefully crafted white identity in the racist world in which she lives.
JANUARY 15, 2025 – 6:30 PM - "TOM LAKE" by ANN PATCHETT
In this beautiful and moving novel about family, love, and growing up, Ann Patchett once again proves herself one of America's finest writers. In the spring of 2020, Lara's 3 daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a state and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew. Tom Lake is a mediation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born. Both hopeful and elegiac, it explores what it means to be happy even when the world is falling apart. As in all of her novels, Ann Patchett combines compelling narrative artistry with piercing insights into family dynamics. The result is a rich and luminous story, told with profound intelligence and emotional subtlety, that demonstrates once again why she is one of the most revered and acclaimed literary talents working today.
FEBRUARY 19, 2025 – 6:30 PM - "THE ADDRESS" by FIONA DAVIS
After a failed apprenticeship, working her way up to head housekeeper of a posh London hotel is more than Sara Smythe ever thought she'd make of herself. But when a chance encounter with Theodore Camden, one of the architects of the grand New York apartment house The Dakota, leads to a job offer, her world is suddenly awash in possibility - no mean feat for a servant in 1884. The opportunity to move to America, where a person can rise above one's station. The opportunity to be the female manager of The Dakota, which promises to be the greatest apartment house in the world. And the opportunity to see more of Theo, who understands Sara like no one else . . . and is living in The Dakota with his wife and 3 young children.
MARCH 19, 2025 - 6:30PM - "MAGIC HOUR" by KRISTIN HANNAH
Dr. Julia Cates was one of the country's preeminent child psychiatrists until a shocking tragedy ruined her career. Retreating to her small western Washington hometown, Julia meets an extraordinary six-year-old girl who has inexplicably emerged from the deep woods nearby - a child locked in a world of unimaginable fear and isolation. To Julia, nothing is more important than saving the girl she now calls Alice. But Julia will need help from others, including the sister she barely knows and a handsome doctor with secrets of his own. What follows will test the limits of Julia's faith and strength, as she struggles to find a home for Alice . . . and for herself.
MAY/JUNE 2025 - TBD - "THE UNLOCKED PATH" by JANIS ROBINSON DALY
The Unlocked Path presents and embraces a "New Woman" of the early 20th century: educated, career-minded, independent. In 1897 Philadelphia, after witnessing her aunt's suicide, Eliza Edwards vows to find ways to help and heal. Rejecting her mother's wishes for her society debut, Eliza enters medical college at a time when only 5% of doctors are female. With the support of a circle of women and driven by a determination to conquer curriculum demands, battle sexism, and overcome doubts, Eliza charts a new life course. Combining science and sympathy, can she triumph to heal others and herself?
