The Late Helen Phillips: A Life of Giving and Community

By Catherine Tsounis

“The good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.” – MOTHER TERESA ¹

She was a woman of her time of the 50’s and sixties that emphasized working for family and being a housewife. A person devoted to her community and Greek Orthodox faith, she inspired her husband, She was generous, giving donations openly and anonymously to help her community at the Transfiguration of Christ Greek Orthodox Church, Mattituck, N.Y., grow. She was an immigrant from Cyprus, who always remembered her roots. The Late Mrs. Helen Phillips did good, never expecting any return.

Mrs. Helen Phillips passed away on December 29^th. 2025, Her funeral was held at Sr. Demetrios Cathedral in Astoria. How did I know of her community service? I am not a person of her network. I her about Mr. and Mrs. Pete Phillips from late Mr. Theofanis Kyvernitis, the founder and first President of the Transfiguration Church of Mattituck and the late Cleo P. Tsounis, parish council president from 1986-87 and church secretary who donated her services for 25+ years. They asked me to cover news events of the church that I have continued in our present time.

Mrs. Helen Phillips , who was called “Eleni” by everyone, worked in the Ladie Philoptohos in a leadership role, Openly and anonymously giving donations, Mrs. Phillips believed in unity, with an aim in keeping the Greek Orthodox Church of Mattituck prosperous.

In November 1984, the church burnt due to candle left lit in the altar. There was total destruction. Church services were held in the basement. Donations by middle class families built the church. Their Building Fund motto was “together We Will Grow.” The reopening took place on May 1, 1988.

Mr. Peter Phillips, inspired by his wife Helen, beautified the interior with a donation that astonished all of us. The late Peter Philips widow, Mrs. Helen Philips, his wife and inspiration, said in a 2018 interview that “We donated the Platytera (icon wall drawings in the altar), iconostasis (altar screen), three icons in the iconostasis and the psalterio (Chanter’s stand)Anonymous, low key, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Phillips are the primary reason the church is what it is today after the disastrous burning in November 1984.³The altar was hand carved by Konstantinos Pylarinos and donated by the Late Peter Phillips. The Platytera (ceiling icons) in the altar sanctuary was drawn by the late Rev. Spilios of Brooklyn. Theodore Fillipakis created the iconography in the Cretan style.

The average person doesn’t understand the meaning of the Platytera. What is the Platytera in a Greek Orthodox Church? The Platytera is an icon of the Virgin Mary, holding the Christ Child, in the apse of the church, above the altar. The name “Platytera” means “More Spacious,” referring to Mary as the one who bore God. It is an important element in the liturgical life of the church, often venerated during services.³Whenever we go to church in Mattituck, we see and pray to this beautiful icon above the altar of the Virgin Mary.

The original contract of the altar from the papers of the late Cleo P. Tsounis, stated: September 2, 1988, a woodcarver iconostasis in the Byzantine style will be hand-carved; size 45’x9’ with a height of 13″ for $58,500.” At that time, one could buy two houses in Mattituck for that price.²

Mrs. Helen Phillips was baking at cake sales, always helping the Ladies Society of the Philoptohos. She was a great low key force in rebuilding the Transfiguration Church after it was burned in the late 1980s. She inspired her husband the late Peter Phillips to help rebuild the Church interior. She is a legend. She gave and wanted nothing in return. Her deep devotion to the Greek. Orthodox Church was her motivation. Everything she did was influenced by her background in Cyprus, a deeply religious Greek Orthodox island.

In my viewpoint as a person who covered the Transfiguration Church development since I was a college student in the late 1960’s, Mrs. Phillips
can be considered as one of the Godmothers of the Transfiguration of Christ Greek Orthodox Church in Mattituck. Her unselfish devotion, donations with her husband Peter Phillips, and always working behind the scenes to see the Church prosper, makes her a legend. The Church is what it is today largely for Mrs. Phillips stepping up with her husband Peter at the lowest moment of the community, inspiring all with their donations to rebuild the Church. Mrs. Helen Phillips was a woman of her Era. No one is irreplaceable. I sincerely doubt I will ever meet a person in 2026 like Mrs. Helen Phillips.