Dear Fellow Scout Leaders,
Many thanks for the numerous responses from my email on 12/30/08.
I must apologize to you all …. I forgot when we made up the calendar for 2008-09 that the Independence Day Parade is schedule for April 26, 2009 and most of you will be participating.
All the replies stated that the original date of May 2 & 3, 2009 was perferred.
Larry Sherman and Ron are working on holding The Lackawanna Valley Heritage Trail for that date. Larry and Ron chaired this event for the EOCS twice before with great success. At the last EOCS Membership meeting in December the members requested that we look into having another trail hike similar to the previous two. The chairman contacted Larry Sherman and Larry was very receptive. He is already working on it for our May 2 & 3 weekend and we should have a final go shortly. I will email you all when finalized and with details.
This hike has a great number of extremely interesting sites for our Scouts: including the Steamtown National Historical Site and a going down into coal mine with a tour.
The boys will camp out on the St. Tikhon Seminary grounds and Larry will make arrangements for the girls.
Many thanks for your continued devotion to our Scouting program.
George N. Boulukos
Dear fellow Scout Leaders,
I need input from you all!
The EOCS calendar that was approved at the annual EOCS meeting in June 2008, it scheduled the annual EOCS Camporee for May 2 & 3, 2009. At the last EOCS meeting December 3, 2008 it was recommended to look into going again on the Scranton Historical Hike. The chairman contacted Board Member Larry Sherman [who chaired the previous 2 Scranton hikes] to look into arranging another Scranton Historical Hike for this spring using the calendar dates of May 2 & 3, 2009. He has agreed to try to put a local committee together and look at and arrange all the details.
It has come to my attention that the May dates conflict with numerous District and local Council events which effects a number our units.
The problem is the two Easters and Palm Sundays in the middle of April.
The Executive EOCS Board meets on January 14, 2009 and we need input from you all.
One idea is to move the date up to April 25 & 26, 2009 which is the week after Orthodox Easter.
I need feedback with your ideas and the scheduling and also if your unit will participate.
Please email me back before January 14, 2009.
George N. Boulukos
EOCS Chair
At the last EOCS National board meeting, the possibility of going back to Scranton, PA came up as a alternative to the traditional Boy Scout Camporee we normally hold at St. Basil’s Academy every spring. It has been a few years since we have visited the town of Scranton and George Boloukos (our chairman) said that he would contact Larry Sherman and the boys in PA and see if they were willing to host us once again.
Well it looks like Larry is willing to get the ball rolling as long as his team is ready, willing, & able to host us. We are also told that Scranton has actually changed in the past ten years, more than in the previous fifty years. The tentative date at this point in the game is: May 1- 3, 2009.
More news as we get it…..
The next national board meeting is on Wednesday December 3, 2008 at Holy Cross Orthodox Church, Brooklyn, New York. 7:30 PM Coffee etc 8:00 PM meeting. Pleas.e make sure that a representative from your unit shows up
On November 21, 2008 Dr. Larry Sherman will be presented with the Whitney M. Young Jr Service Award. Dr. Sherman will become the Inagural Honoree of this prestigiuos national award from the Boy Scouts of America.
He started his scouting career in 1946 and has been a key advocate for youth in Scouting in the states of Texas, North Carollina, & Pennsylvania. Dr Sherman has been awarded the Silver Antelope, Silver Beaver, Eagle Scout, Prophet Elias, Vigil Honor, District Award, Prof. Emeritus Univ of Scranton, Fellow Royal Society of Chemistry.
The recption will be held on Friday, November 21, 2008 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at the Radisson Hotel, Scranton PA. If you are intrested in attending please contact George Boloukos so that we may reserve a ticket for you. Tickets are $50 a person or $400 per table. RSVP by Nov 12th.
The 48th annual religious retreat was a great success! We had over 150 scouts in attendance and clergy from all over New York & New Jersey came out to support us. Our beloved Tony Triant made sure that the weather was spectacular and his memorial service was very emotional for all that attended. The back road that leads to the campsites has been renamed “Tony Triant Street” and the sign was unveiled for all to see.
The seminarians from Holy Cross did a great job and had some good ideas for next year’s retreat. The EOCS board would like to thank everyone that made this weekend one of the best ever in EOCS history!
If you have pictures please post them for all to see by hitting the comment button below!
From Andy Yiannakos
Rev Fathers, your blessings…
We would like to remind all that at this weekend’s Annual Religious Retreat, we encourage our Scouts and Scouters to bring any older Palms from their household, as well as older/tattered American flags to be retired.
At the Saturday night Campfire, we burn the Palms and Flags in a proper retirement ceremony.
In addition, names of the deceased will be collected, for an Orthodox Memorial at Sunday’s Liturgy. We should continue to remember and memorialize members of our Scouting families that have passed, as well as family members and friends.
Feel free to have your Scouts and Scouters to bring names to the Retreat, an we will add to the list, or you can use the attached form (we started to list names from past EOCS members, our Troop 715 family, District friends and volunteers, for example). May their memories be eternal!
Andrew Yiannakos, EOCS Chair Emeritus
We have been using the old website for a few years already and we have all been wanting change… well here it is!
We have decided to use a blog based website that will allow all EOCS members to add their pictures, stories, news to the site for the world to see….
Please post your comments and let us know what you would like to see on the site…
Please click here to register yourself to be able to post comments and post your news on our site!
SCHEDULE
2008 E.O.C.S. Retreat October 11 & 12, 2008
Retreat Theme “Know that I am God ”
Friday:
8:00 PM Early check - in
11:00 PM Committee meeting with Seminarians
Saturday:
7:00 AM Regular Check - in and registration
10:30 AM Registration and check - in ends
12:00 PM Formation of all units at main house [by the statue]
All Scouts must have their bag lunches with them
12:10 PM Opening Prayer and ceremony
12:30 PM Seminarian program
12:45 PM Fall out into retreat groups and Scouts take their lunch with them
12:45 PM Retreat program begins
1:00 PM Confession begins at Saint Basil Chapel
2:00 PM Adult program by Holy Cross Seminarian or leader
4:00 PM Confession and retreat program ends
5:00 PM Vesper Services at Saint Basil Chapel, in full uniform
6:30 PM Dinner in the gym
8:00 PM Campfire program with songs and skits by Scouts & Seminarians
9:00 PM Rap sessions divided into groups for older age Scouts with the seminarians
10:00 PM Cracker Barrel for all unit leaders
Sunday:
9:30 AM Divine Liturgy in Saint Basil Chapel
11:00 AM Closing ceremonies, recognition’s, thank yous and closing prayer
12:00 PM Sunday brunch at rear of main house
1:00 PM Break Camp
Mark your calendars!
The annual Northeast Region retreat is set for Columbus day weekend at St. Basil’s Academy in Garrison, NY.
This will be a extra special retreat with the passing of our retreat chairman, Tony Triant. We will try to do something special to honor him for his dedication and support to our program.
We are currently working on a retreat patch which will be posted as soon as we get it.
This year’s theme as decided by the Holy Cross seminarians is : “Know that I am God”
