EPISTLE READING The reading is from St. Paul's Second Letter to Timothy 4:5-8. Ἀνάγνωσις ἐπιστολῆς Πρὸς Τιμόθεον β' 4:5-8 τὸ τὸ ἀνάγνωσμα

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1 December 31, 2017 Sunday before Epiphany Apodosis of the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ Melania the Younger, Nun of Rome The Martyr and Presbyter Zoticus of Rome, Patron of Orphans ENTRANCE HYMNS Resurrectional Apolytikion - Ton Sinanarhon Logon ( The Word Who Always Was ) O, The Word Who always was with the Father and Spirit, who for us and our salvation was born of a Virgin let us faithful believers praise and adore, For it did please Him to ascend the Cross in the flesh and Death to endure. And to raise up the dead with Him through His own glorious Resurrection. Apolytikion for the Nativity I Ghennisis sou, Christe ( Your nativity, O Christ our God ) Your nativity, O Christ our God, has caused the light of knowledge to rise upon the world. For therein the worshippers of the stars were by a star instructed to worship You, the Sun of Righteousness, and to know You as Orient from on high. Glory to You, O Lord. Apolytikion for the Ancestors of God Evanghelizou, Iosif Annunciate the miracles to David the ancestor of God, O Joseph. You saw the Virgin pregnant. You glorified with the shepherds. You worshipped with the Magi. And you were warned by an Angel. Entreat Christ God to save our souls. Apolytikion of St. Sophia/Ss. Faith, Hope & Agape Greek Oς ελαία κατά καρπος ανεβλάστησας, έν ταίς ανλαίς του Κυρίου, Σοφία μάρτυς σεμνή, καί προσήγαγες Χριστώ καρπόν η δύτατον, τούς τής νηδύος σου βλαστούς, δί α γώνων εύαγων, Αγάπην τε καί `Ελπίδα σύν τη θεόφρονι Πίστει, μεθων δυσώπει υπέρ πάντων ήμων. English Phonetics for Greek Os elea kata karpos anevlastisas, en tes avles tu Kyriou Sofia martys semni, ke prosigages Christo karpon idytaton, tus tis nidyos su vlastus, di agonon evagon, Agapin te ke Elpida, syn ti theofroni Pisti; meth on dysopi yper pandon imon. English As an olive tree laden with fruit you sprouted forth, in the courtyards of the Lord, Sophia martyr dignified, and you brought to Christ a fruit most sweet, Namely your womb s own sprouts, brought up by instructive deeds: your daughters Love and Hope, along with God-minded Faith; together intercede with God for us all. Kontakion for the Forefeast I Parthenos simeron ton iperousion tikti ( On this day the Virgin gives birth ) On this day the Virgin gives * birth to the Super-essential. * To the Unapproachable, * earth is providing the grotto. * Angels sing and with the shepherds offer up glory. * Following a star the Magi are still proceeding. * He was born for our salvation, a newborn Child, the pre-eternal God.

2 EPISTLE READING The reading is from St. Paul's Second Letter to Timothy 4:5-8 O Lord, save your people and bless your inheritance. Verse: To you, O Lord, I have cried, O my God. TIMOTHY, my son, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry. For I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. Ἀνάγνωσις ἐπιστολῆς Πρὸς Τιμόθεον β' 4:5-8 τὸ τὸ ἀνάγνωσμα Σῶσον, Κύριε τὸν λαὸν σου καὶ εὐλόγησον τὴν κληρονομίαν σου. Στίχ. Πρὸς σἐ, Κύριε, κεκράξομαι ὁ Θεός μου. Τέκνον Τιμόθεε, νῆφε ἐν πᾶσιν, κακοπάθησον, ἔργον ποίησον εὐαγγελιστοῦ, τὴν διακονίαν σου πληροφόρησον. Ἐγὼ γὰρ ἤδη σπένδομαι, καὶ ὁ καιρὸς τῆς ἐμῆς ἀναλύσεως ἐφέστηκεν. Τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν καλὸν ἠγώνισμαι, τὸν δρόμον τετέλεκα, τὴν πίστιν τετήρηκα λοιπόν, ἀπόκειταί μοι ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανος, ὃν ἀποδώσει μοι ὁ κύριος ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ὁ δίκαιος κριτής οὐ μόνον δὲ ἐμοί, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάσιν τοῖς ἠγαπηκόσιν τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν αὐτοῦ.

3 GOSPEL READING The Gospel According to Mark 1:1-8 The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophets, 'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.' John was baptizing in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair, and had a leather girdle around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." ΕVΑΓΓÉΛΙΟΝ Ἐκ τοῦ Κατὰ Μᾶρκον 1:1-8 Εὐαγγελίου τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα Αρχὴ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ, υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ως γέγραπται ἐν τοῖς προφήταις, ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου πρὸ προσώπου σου, ὃς κατασκευάσει τὴν ὁδόν σου ἔμπροσθέν σου φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου, εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ, ἐγένετο Ιωάννης βαπτίζων ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ κηρύσσων βάπτισμα μετανοίας εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν. Καὶ ἐξεπορεύετο πρὸς αὐτὸν πᾶσα ἡ Ιουδαία χώρα καὶ οἱ Ιεροσολυμῖται, καὶ ἐβαπτίζοντο πάντες ἐν τῷ Ιορδάνῃ ποταμῷ ὑπ αὐτοῦ ἐξομολογούμενοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν. Ἦν δὲ ὁ Ιωάννης ἐνδεδυμένος τρίχας καμήλου καὶ ζώνην δερματίνην περὶ τὴν ὀσφὺν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐσθίων ἀκρίδας καὶ μέλι ἄγριον. Καὶ ἐκήρυσσε λέγων ἔρχεται ὁ ἰσχυρότερός μου ὀπίσω μου, οὗ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς κύψας λῦσαι τὸν ἱμάντα τῶν ὑποδημάτων αὐτοῦ ἐγὼ μὲν ἐβάπτισα ὑμᾶς ἐν ὕδατι, αὐτὸς δὲ βαπτίσει ὑμᾶς ἐν Πνεύματι Αγίῳ.

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5 December 31, 2017 Sunday before Epiphany Apodosis of the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ Melania the Younger, Nun of Rome The Martyr and Presbyter Zoticus of Rome, Patron of Orphans Once again we wish to welcome to our parish Rev. Fr. Duane Johnson, who is celebrating the Divine Liturgy today in Fr. Peter s absence. PLEASE NOTE: Unfortunately, Fr. Peter cannot return from his trip in time for Divine Liturgy tomorrow (New Year s Day); therefore, the Divine Liturgy previously scheduled for tomorrow morning, January 1 st, HAS BEEN CANCELLED. St. Nicholas Shrine Vigil Candle: Thank you to Ana Sinoimeri for sponsoring today s vigil candle for St. Nicholas Shrine in memory of her beloved father, Vangjush Nasi. Anyone wishing to sponsor a vigil candle should sign up at the Pangari. (Each vigil candle lasts one week). Each week a new vigil candle will be placed next to the icon of St. Nicholas until the construction of St. Nicholas Shrine has been completed. The asking donation is $10. Senior Citizen Ministry: St. Sophia s Senior Parea is open to all senior citizens of the community. The next meeting of the Senior Parea will be on Thursday, January 4 th Ecclesiastical Calendars: In an effort to save the Parish resources, 2018 Church calendars are available for pickup on the table outside of the Parish office on a first come, first serve basis. We respectfully request that each stewarding family take only 1 calendar per household. Thank you! St. Basil s Academy Fundraising Breakfast: Each year, the local chapters of the National Philoptochos Society hold an event in January to raise funds for the operating expenses of St. Basil's Academy. Please join the Ladies' Philoptochos Society on Sunday, January 7, 2018, for breakfast in the "New Year! Stewardship: Thank you to everyone who has supported our 2017 Stewardship Program. If you have not yet returned your 2017 Stewardship Pledge Card, please do so today! They are available at the Pangari. We still need to hear from some of our regulars! If you have not yet finished paying your pledge, please do so TODAY so that your payment is posted in In addition, when paying by check, it is imperative that you indicate Stewardship 2017 in the memo line so that your account is properly credited. Also, if you make cash donations, please be sure to include your name either on the outside of the envelope or on a slip of paper attached to the cash. Should you have any questions, please see Tom Cox, our stewardship chairperson. The 2018 campaign will be starting shortly, so it is imperative that we are able to finalize our stewardship roles for this year. Thank you!

6 The son of Fr. Constantine Andrews recently sent a thank you note to Fr. Peter and the Parishioners of St. Sophia.

7 To Parents of Young Children: In case you are not aware, our church has a Cry/Bride Room in the Narthex. For those parents whose young children might understandably get fussy during a service, please feel free to take your youngster into that room for a short while. (There is a closed circuit TV showing the service in the room as well as a bathroom/changing station). The intention is NOT to relegate you to another room; rather, this will enable you to attend to your child in a quiet environment before bringing him/her back into the church. New Iconography: As you can see by the new iconography on the walls of our church, the beautification of our church is complete. There are many new opportunities to sponsor an icon. If you are interested in sponsoring any of these, please see either Dr. Peter Patukas or Fr. Peter Thornberg for more details. Register Tapes: Don t forget to save your Shop-Rite register tapes. We can only use receipts from any of the ten Brown s stores located in: Bensalem PA, East Norriton, PA, Fairless Hills PA, Cheltenham, PA and in Philadelphia, PA, on Island Ave., Oregon Ave., 52 nd & Parkside, Haverford Ave., and Ridge Ave. in the Roxborough section. They also have one store in Brooklawn, NJ. The drop off box is located in the lobby of the Cultural Center. Please submit receipts timely, only tapes from within 4 months of the transaction date are accepted. REDNER S Register Tapes: We are now collecting Redner s Market register tapes. Remember to use your Pump Perks card when making purchases. The drop off box is located in the lobby of the Cultural Center. Bulletin Announcements: Any church organization requesting that their announcement or flyer be placed in the bulletin must submit their material by 12 noon Wednesday for the upcoming Sunday s bulletin. Please information to elaine.stsophia@verizon.net. Thank you. Elaine Piligian Pastoral Visits - A Request to All Parishioners: If you desire a pastoral visit in case of a hospitalization, or for someone who is homebound, in a nursing facility, or in prison, please have an immediate family member notify the Parish office at so that a visit can be arranged. In Case of Emergency: If you are having an extreme medical emergency ONLY and are in need of an Orthodox priest, please call the Parish office at

8 Thank you to the following families who have donated poinsettia plants in honor of or in memory of loved ones, or just to beautify our church at Christmastime Matt, Joann and Nicholas Bannon Frieda Bell James and Mary Caravoulias Betty Cooper Marie Del Viscio Iris Demas Vicky and Steve Dowzicky Eleni Evangelopoulos George Evangelopoulos and Family Mark, Lesa, Megan and Erin Finn The Good Family Theodore, Pamela, Michael and Theodora Karas Georgia C. Katsafanas Bart and Lucy Kline Peggy P. Kostomite Dean, Nina and Leo Laskaris The Lathiris Family Effie Liacouras Alexis and Cary Limberakis Francine, Peter, Demetri and Stefan Lowry Irene Malagari Maria Nasi The Nazzaro Family In memory of Nick Moukoulis, and Bill and Judi Bannon In memory of William Bell In memory of our parents In memory of Andrew Nicholas Petrelis In memory of Frank Del Viscio In memory of George Demas In memory of Harry Papastrat and James Miras In memory of Nicholas Papageorge In memory of Andreas Evangelopoulos and Nicholas Papageorge In memory of Nick and Tula Ganavazos and Georgia Reynolds In memory of Stergios Dikos, and Effie and Mary Doukas In memory of Theodore Karas Sr. and Peter Pappas In memory of Constantinos and Elpida Katsafanas In honor of the Ladies Philoptochos Society of St. Sophia In memory of Leon and Helen Laskaris In memory of George C. Liacouras In memory of Fr. John A. Limberakis, Jack M. Demetris, and Olga "Dolly" Demetris, and In honor of Presbytera Elizabeth Limberakis In memory of Mary and Thomas Stathopulos In memory of John and Helen Christopher In memory of Vangjush Nasi In memory of George, Athena, Yanni, Paraskevi, Thora and Vangeli, and In honor of Spiros and Stella Vanezalos over

9 Bill and Effie Neatherly and Family George and Bessie Neofotistos Alexander and Marianne Nikas and Family Serafim and Despina Notaras Elias and Athanasia Papachristos John and Maria Papadimitriou and Family Chris, Angie, James and Isabella Pavlou The Peoples Family The Pogas Family David and Flora Poloway Jeff, Georgia and Marlena Ruser John, Christine and Dimitri Samaras Constantine and Effie Samios Anna Skylakon Vasilios and Sofia Tatsis Fr. Peter, Presbytera Katherine and Sophia Thornberg Shirley Tripolitis Maria and Katherine Tsipras Irene Tsokas The Tsouros Family Anastasios and Sofia Tzivekis Charles and Catherine Zarcone In memory of our Yiayia Vasiliki Raikos In memory of our beloved son Steven and our parents In memory of G. William and Carolyn Ruhl and Alexandros and Despina Tsinikas, and In memory of Demetrios and Anna Manolis and Ralph and Alberta Andrews, and In honor of Nicholas and Ruth Nikas In memory of our parents In memory of Athanasia Alexopoulou In memory of Peter Kostomite In memory of James and Kay Pavlou In memory of Anna Maciejewska and in honor of James Peoples and James Concannon In memory of Anastasios and Katina Pogas and Marvin and Eileen Reiman In memory of Aris Podotas and Mr. and Mrs. Michael Poloway In memory of George Tripolitis In memory of George and Angela Samaras and Anthony and Sophia Prousi In memory of George and Fotini Samios In memory of Alexander Skylakon In memory of our parents In memory of our grandparents, and in honor of our parents In memory of George Tripolitis In memory of Speros and Olga Tsipras In loving memory of my husband Chris and my sister Niki In memory of Isidoros N. Tsouros, Phokion C. Lacas, Father Stephen P. Theophilos, and In memory of Isidoros C. Costalas, Zoitsa Costalas and Michael Rapitis In memory of our parents, brothers and sisters In memory of our parents