Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral New Orleans, Louisiana

Transcript

1 Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral New Orleans, Louisiana JUNE 26, 2016 SUNDAY OF ALL SAINTS Sunday, June 26 ~ 9:00 am Orthros, 10:00 am Divine Liturgy Parish Council on Duty Nicholas Bouzon and Nick Moustoukas, MD MIHALIS VATAKIS 1-YEAR MEMORIAL Father George leaves for St. Stephen's Summer Camp Immediately after Services St. Stephen's Summer Camp Session 1 June 26 through July 2 Sunday, July 3 ~ 9:00 am Orthros 10:00 am Divine Liturgy SECOND SUNDAY OF MATTHEW Parish Council on Duty Argeta Labatut and Barbara Wolf 12:00 pm ~ Stavros Kiriazis Memorial Coffee in Coffee Room Father George leaves for 2016 Clergy-Laity Congress Immediately after Services ARCHIVES COMMITTEE SEEKS HTC ARTIFACTS Help the Archives Committee preserve an accurate history of the Holy Trinity Community so that the parish can present it as a legacy to future generations. Please check your possessions to see if your family was one of the many that saved precious documentation and artifacts when the congregation moved from one church to the next. Of course, Hurricane Katrina destroyed numerous artifacts, but there are still items and documents safely stored and safeguarded for when the time is right. Well, now is the right time, and the Archives Committee is ready. The Committee is particularly interested in documents and photos from the 19th century and early 20th century. For example, the earliest Parish Council document, dated 1929, is actually a news article that names the officers, who had been recently elected. Please bring your items to the Cathedral office. The Archives Committee thanks you in advance. BIBLE STUDY There will be NO weekly Bible Study on two consecutive Wednesdays June 29 and July 6. Classes will resume in the boardroom on Wednesday, July 13, at 7:00 pm. All are welcome. FATHER WILL BE IN AND OUT OF TOWN THROUGH JULY 8 Immediately following Divine Liturgy this afternoon, Father George will leave to attend Session 1 of St. Stephen's Summer Camp at the Diakonia Retreat Center in Salem, South Carolina. He will return to celebrate Divine Liturgy on Sunday, July 3, but again will leave to attend the 2016 Clergy-Laity Congress in Nashville, Tennessee. During his absence Father Peter Nugent of St. Basil Antiochian Orthodox Church will be available for emergencies. GREEK NIGHT IN OCTOBER Everyone is asked to SAVE THE DATE and plan to attend the GREEK NIGHT celebration at the Hellenic Cultural Center on Saturday, October 22, A portion of the proceeds will benefit St. Jude Hospital. Further details are forthcoming. HOMEMADE BREAD SALE TO BENEFIT GREEK FESTIVAL Vicki McCallef is selling homemade bread in four varieties to benefit the Greek Festival. The project is to fulfill a commitment that she made prior to the Festival but was unable to complete due to uncontrolled circumstances. You may place your order by ing her at vmccallef@yahoo.com or sending a text to The breads will be available for pickup after church services on Sunday, July 17. Each loaf is $6. Please make checks payable to Greek Festival. Below are the four varieties of which she plans to bake 25 loaves of each. Feta and Herb Kalamata Olive and Herb Plain with Herbed Butter Rosemary and Garlic JUNE SUNDAY FELLOWSHIP SPONSOR The Sunday Fellowship refreshments in June are offered by the Ladies Philoptochos Society. The Cathedral family is thankful for their hospitality. If you would like to participate in this ministry, call Maria Anastasiou at to select a month. ORDER OF ST. MARKELLA RECEPTION The Order of St. Markella of Chios is hosting a reception on Sunday, July 17, after church services and invites the entire community to participate in commemorating St. Markella. NASHVILLE TO HOST 2016 CLERGY-LAITY CONGRESS The 2016 Clergy-Laity Congress and the National Philoptochos Convention will convene on Sunday, July 3, 2016, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The biennial event, whose theme is "You Are the Voice of Christ in the Changing World," will conclude on Friday, July 8, Father George, Presvytera Harriet, and Parish Council President Barbara Wolf will attend. For almost one week the schedule will be filled with meetings, workshops, religious services, and receptions. In the interim, several vendors will present a plethora of wares related to the Orthodox faith. The Gaylord Opryland Resort, nestled in a bend of the Cumberland River, will offer guests all the excitement and energy of Music City under a spectacular singular glass atrium. During their off time, however, delegates can enjoy Opryland. One interesting note is that Divine Liturgy on Sunday, July 3, will be held at the Grand Ole Opry House!

2 FLORAL DONATIONS FOR PENTECOST The floral decorations that adorned the Hospitality of Abraham icons during Pentecost last Sunday were generously donated by Sandy Bouzon and Mary Pepps. The Cathedral family sincerely thanks them for their consideration and generosity, particularly in commemorating the feast day of Holy Trinity. GREEK FESTIVAL COMMITTEE THANK YOU MEMOS PASTRY Chairpersons Sandy Bouzon, Mary Kontos, and Helen Malachias gratefully acknowledge the many hours that the ladies and gentlemen dedicated to preparing this year's Greek Festival pastries, understanding that from start to finish the volunteer effort was a labor of love and loyalty to Holy Trinity. It took a village to complete the task, and many thanks are extended to each and all, who made up the proud workers in that village. Bravo on a job well done and again THANK YOU! SOFT DRINK-WATER Chairman John Koniditsiotis thanks all of the wonderful volunteers, who assisted during the Memorial Day weekend at the Soft Drink-Water Booths. PHILOPTOCHOS SAVE THE DATE SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016 one hour after church One of the ultimate acts of being a friend to the poor (the purpose, vision, and meaning of Philoptochos) is feeding hungry children in desperate need. The Elpis Chapter here at Holy Trinity is working with The Hunger Project in a unique and very meaningful Christian effort to combat hunger in children. Please make plans to join the Philoptochos family and help package healthy meals for hungry children around the world. Volunteers, who can range from age 5 to 100, will bag a Lentil Casserole that is an all-natural meal composed of lentils, rice, veggies, and salt. Working together in assembly lines and receiving expert help from The Hunger Project representatives, the group will place the ingredients in plastic bags, while striving to achieve their goal of completing 10,000 meals in one hour. No experience is needed just a desire to help others because together all are empowered to make a difference for those in need. VCS T-SHIRTS READY FOR PICK UP Vacations Church School families and staff are asked to pick up their "Saints Alive" t-shirts in the small Narthex room where the Quiet Bags are located. Your participation and assistance during VCS is greatly appreciated. SUNDAY, JUNE 19 ATTENDANCE 150 ~ CANDLE AND TRAY COLLECTIONS $650 Message from Father George THE APOSTLES FAST THIS MONDAY AND TUESDAY Fasting is one of seven specific agenda items that our Church hierarchs are discussing at the Great and Holy Council, which was taking place in Crete this past week. (June 18 27, 2016) With the celebration of the major feast day of Pentecost last Sunday, we enjoyed a fast free week. However, beginning tomorrow, Monday, June 27, we enter into the Fast of the Holy Apostles. This year, since Pascha was so late, the entire fast for the Apostles consists of only two days: Monday and Tuesday of this week. Like a nurturing mother, the Orthodox Church has defined what is beneficial for people s salvation and established the holy periods of fasting as God-given protection in the believers new life in Christ against every snare of the enemy. Following the example of the Holy Fathers, the Church preserves today, as she did in the past, the holy apostolic precepts, synodal canons, and sacred traditions, always advancing the holy fasts as the perfect ascetic path for the faithful leading to spiritual perfection and salvation, while proclaiming the necessity to observe all the fasts throughout the year. (Pre-Conciliar Document for the Great and Holy Council) For those of us that are healthy and not on physician regulated diets or nutrition plans, we ought to incorporate the tradition of fasting into our lives. During the regular week, we ought to fast on Wednesdays to commemorate the betrayal of our Lord Jesus and on Fridays to commemorate the Crucifixion and Death of our Lord. And, then on the day that we wish to receive Holy Communion, we arrive at Church without having eaten anything before we partake of the Body and Blood of the Lord. Our Church encourages us as Christians to center our lives around the person of Jesus Christ, emulating his Life and Teachings and becoming more like Him. Our Lord fasted according to the Jewish tradition of the day. As we endeavor to be like Him, we should incorporate fasting as a norm in our lives according to the teachings of the Holy Orthodox Church. We fast that we may learn discipline and gain control of things that are indeed within our control but that we so often allow to control us. (OCA website) Please do not reduce the practice of fasting with merely eating or not eating certain foods. As we prepare ourselves to receive the Eucharist, we must prepare both physically by fasting and spiritually by reading our Bibles and praying, as well as participating in almsgiving, which is charitable giving. And, finally, our preparation would not be complete without participating in the Sacrament of Penance (the Service of Confession). Quite often we take great care to eat the right foods according to the fasting rules, but are we just as careful in controlling the things that we do and say? If we follow fasting rules perfectly and then slander our brother or gossip or harbor anger in our hearts, then the fasting is for naught as we are not growing in our Christ likeness but seemingly growing away from Him.

3 INQUIRERS SEMINAR Father George will hold an inquirer's seminar, Introducing the Orthodox Church, on Saturday, July 16, 2016, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm for those interested in learning more about the Greek Orthodox Church and its teachings. To reserve a space at the seminar, please call Father at Holy Trinity Cathedral Greek Orthodox Community of New Orleans 1200 ROBERT E. LEE BOULEVARD NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA Reverend Father George Wilson, Dean priest@holytrinitycathedral.org PHONE: (504) FAX: (504)

4 26η ἸΟΥΝΙΟΥ 2016 ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ Α ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΥ ΤΩΝ ΑΓΙΩΝ ΠΑΝΤΩΝ Ἑωθινόν Α 26 TH JUNE ST SUNDAY OF MATTHEW ALL SAINTS Eothion 1 Ἀπολυτίκιον τῆς Ἀνάστασης Εξ ὕψους κατῆλθες ὁ εὔσπλαγχνος, ταφὴν ατεδέξω τριήμερον, ἵνα ἡμᾶς ἐλευθερώσῃς τῶν παθῶν. Ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ἡ ἀνάστασις ἡμῶν, Κύριε, δόξα σοι. Ἀπολυτίκιον τῶν Ἁγίων Πάντων Ἦχος δ Τῶν ἐν ὅλω τῶ κόσμω Μαρτύρων σου, ὡς πορφύραν καὶ βύσσον τὰ αἵματα, ἡ Ἐκκλησία σου στολισαμένη, δι' αὐτῶν βοᾷ σοί, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, τῶ λαῶ σου τοὺς οἰκτιρμούς σου κατάπεμψον, εἰρήνην τὴ πολιτεία σου δώρησαι, καὶ ταὶς ψυχαὶς ἡμῶν τὸ μέγα ἔλεος. Ἀπολυτίκιον τῆς Ἁγίας Τριάδας Εὐλογητὸς εἶ, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, ὁ πανσόφους τοὺς ἁλιεῖς ἀναδείξας, καταπέμψας αὐτοῖς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν τὴν οἰκουμένην σαγηνεύσας, φιλάνθρωπε, δόξα σοί. Κοντάκιον τῶν Ἁγίων Πάντων Ὡς ἀπαρχὰς τῆς φύσεως, τῶ φυτουργῶ τῆς κτίσεως, ἡ οἰκουμένη προσφέρει σοὶ Κύριε, τοὺς θεοφόρους Μάρτυρας, ταὶς αὐτῶν ἱκεσίαις, ἐν εἰρήνῃ βαθεῖα, τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν σου, διὰ τῆς Θεοτόκου συντήρησον, πολυέλεε. Resurrection Apolytikion You descended from on high, O compassionate One, and condescended to be buried for three days, so that from the passions You might set us free. Our life and resurrection, O Lord, glory be to You. Apolytikion of All-Saints Tone 4 Your Church, O Christ our God, clothed itself in the blood of Your martyrs from throughout the world, as though it were a robe of linen and purple; through them, she cries out to You, Send down upon Your people compassion, grant peace to Your commonwealth, and to our souls, great mercy. Apolytikion of the Holy Trinity Blessed are You, O Christ our God, who made fishermen all-wise, sending upon them the Holy Spirit and, through them, netting the world. O Loving One, glory to You. Kontakion of All-Saints As first fruits of nature, Lord, creation s Planter, the world offers you, the god-bearing Martyrs; at their intercessions preserve your Church in profound peace, through the Mother of God, O most merciful.

5 ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΟΣ Ἑβραίους ια 33-40, ιβ 1-2 Θαυμαστὸς ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τοῖς Ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ. Ἐν Ἐκκλησίαις εὐλογεῖτε τὸν Θεὸν. Ἀδελφοί, οἱ Ἅγιοι πάντες διὰ πίστεως κατηγωνίσαντο βασιλείας, εἰργάσαντο δικαιοσύνην, ἐπέτυχον ἐπαγγελιῶν, ἔφραξαν στόματα λεόντων, ἔσβεσαν δύναμιν πυρός, ἔφυγον στόματα μαχαίρας, ἐνεδυναμώθησαν ἀπὸ ἀσθενείας, ἐγενήθησαν ἰσχυροὶ ἐν πολέμῳ, παρεμβολὰς ἔκλιναν ἀλλοτρίων. Ἔλαβον γυναῖκες ἐξ ἀναστάσεως τοὺς νεκροὺς αὐτῶν ἄλλοι δὲ ἐτυμπανίσθησαν, οὐ προσδεξάμενοι τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν, ἵνα κρείττονος ἀναστάσεως τύχωσιν ἕτεροι δὲ ἐμπαιγμῶν καὶ μαστίγων πεῖραν ἔλαβον, ἔτι δὲ δεσμῶν καὶ φυλακῆς ἐλιθάσθησαν, ἐπρίσθησαν, ἐπειράσθησαν, ἐν φόνῳ μαχαίρας ἀπέθανον περιῆλθον ἐν μηλωταῖς, ἐν αἰγείοις δέρμασιν, ὑστερούμενοι, θλιβόμενοι, κακουχούμενοι - ὧν οὐκ ἦν ἄξιος ὁ κόσμος - ἐν ἐρημίαις πλανώμενοι καὶ ὄρεσιν καὶ σπηλαίοις καὶ ταῖς ὀπαῖς τῆς γῆς. Καὶ οὗτοι πάντες, μαρτυρηθέντες διὰ τῆς πίστεως, οὐκ ἐκομίσαντο τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν, τοῦ θεοῦ περὶ ἡμῶν κρεῖττόν τι προβλεψαμένου, ἵνα μὴ χωρὶς ἡμῶν τελειωθῶσιν. Τοιγαροῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς, τοσοῦτον ἔχοντες περικείμενον ἡμῖν νέφος μαρτύρων, ὄγκον ἀποθέμενοι πάντα καὶ τὴν εὐπερίστατον ἁμαρτίαν, διʼ ὑπομονῆς τρέχωμεν τὸν προκείμενον ἡμῖν ἀγῶνα, ἀφορῶντες εἰς τὸν τῆς πίστεως ἀρχηγὸν καὶ τελειωτὴν Ἰησοῦν. ΤΟ ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΟΝ Ματθαῖον ι 32-33, 37-38, ιθ Εἶπεν ὁ Κὐριος τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς Πᾶς ὅστις ὁμολογήσει ἐν ἐμοὶ ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὁμολογήσω κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς. ὅστις δ ἂν ἀρνήσηταί με ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀρνήσομαι αὐτὸν κἀγὼ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Ο φιλῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος καὶ ὁ φιλῶν υἱὸν ἢ θυγατέρα ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος καὶ ὃς οὐ λαμβάνει τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθεῖ ὀπίσω μου, οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος. Τότε ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Πέτρος εἶπεν αὐτῷ ἰδοὺ ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν πάντα καὶ ἠκολουθήσαμέν σοι τί ἄρα ἔσται ἡμῖν; ὁ δὲ Ιησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ὑμεῖς οἱ ἀκολουθήσαντές μοι, ἐν τῇ παλιγγενεσίᾳ, ὅταν καθίσῃ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπὶ θρόνου δόξης αὐτοῦ, καθίσεσθε καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐπὶ δώδεκα θρόνους κρίνοντες τὰς δώδεκα φυλὰς τοῦ Ισραήλ. καὶ πᾶς ὃς ἀφῆκεν οἰκίας ἢ ἀδελφοὺς ἢ ἀδελφὰς ἢ πατέρα ἢ μητέρα ἢ γυναῖκα ἢ τέκνα ἢ ἀγροὺς ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόματός μου, ἑκατονταπλασίονα λήψεται καὶ ζωὴν αἰώνιον κληρονομήσει. Πολλοὶ δὲ ἔσονται πρῶτοι ἔσχατοι καὶ ἔσχατοι πρῶτοι. THE EPISTLE Hebrews 11:33-40, 12:1-2 God is wonderful among his saints. Bless God in the congregations. BRETHREN, all the saints through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, ill-treated - of whom the world was not worthy - wandering over deserts and mountains and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfection of our faith. THE GOSPEL Matthew 10:32-33; 37-38; 19:27-30 The Lord said to his disciples, "Every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny him before my Father who is in heaven. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." Then Peter said in reply, "Lo, we have left everything and followed you. What then shall we have?" Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of man shall sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many that are first will be last, and the last first."