March 31, 2019 Sunday of the Holy Cross

Transcript

1 March 31, 2019 Sunday of the Holy Cross The Holy Hieromartyr Hypatius, Bishop of Gangra Innocent, Enlightener of Siberia & Alaska Akakios the Confessor Epistle: Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:1-6 Gospel: Mark 8:34-38, 9:1 Sunday of the Holy Cross 937 Chase Parkway Waterbury, CT Phone: (203) Fax: (203) Fr. Perikles Cell: (203) Office Sunday Mar 31 Sunday School; Koulourakia Baking; Greek Dancing 11:30am; GOYA Trip to Trampoline Park 12:30pm Monday April 1 Sports Banquet 5:30pm Tuesday April 2 Greek School - 5:00pm youth, 6:30pm adults; Greek Dancing 6:30pm Wednesday April 3 Presanctified Liturgy 6:30pm; Soup, Salad & Lenten Discus sion 7:30pm Friday April 5 Salutations 6:30pm Sunday April 7 Sunday of Saint John Climacus - Orthros 8:30am, Divine Litur gy 9:45am; 40-Day Memorial for Matoula Tsetsos; 3-Year Me morial for Evangelos Kiriazis; Sunday School; Greek Dancing...

2 ΙΕΡΟΣ ΝΑΟΣ ΑΓΙΑΣ ΤΡΙΑΔΟΣ Sundays: Orthros 8:30am, Divine Liturgy 9:45am Office hours: 9:00am - 4:00pm; Closed Tuesdays Rev. Perikles Kallis, Pastor Rev. Demetri Belsito, Ph.D., Deacon Welcome to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church! We hope that you will make this your spiritual home. We have ministries and organizations for all ages and all walks of life. Connect with us on Facebook and our list to stay up to date on upcoming events. APOLYTIKION Apolytikion of the Feast Save, O Lord, Your people and bless Your inheritance, granting victory to the faithful over the enemy, and by Your Cross protecting Your commonwealth. Kontakion O Champion General, I your City now inscribe to you Triumphant anthems as the tokens of my gratitude, Being rescued from the terrors, O Theotokos. Inasmuch as you have power unassailable, From all kinds of perils free me, so that unto you I may cry aloud: Rejoice, O unwedded Bride. ἈΠΟΛΥΤΊΚΙΟΝ Ἀπολυτίκιον τῆς Ἑορτῆς Σῶσον, Κύριε, τὸν λαόν σου καὶ εὐλόγησον τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, νίκας τοῖς βασιλεῦσι κατὰ βαρβάρων δωρούμενος, καὶ τὸ σὸν φυλάττων διὰ τοῦ Σταυροῦ σου πολίτευμα. Κοντάκιον. Προεόρτιον Ὡς λυτρωθεῖσα τῶν δεινῶν εὐχαριστήρια, Ἀναγράφω σοι ἡ Πόλις σου Θεοτόκε. Ἀλλ' ὡς ἔχουσα τὸ κράτος ἀπροσμάχητον, Ἐκ παντοίων με κινδύνων ἐλευθέρωσον, Ἵνα κράζω σοι Χαῖρε νύμφη ἀνύμφευτε. EPISTLE - HEBREWS 4:14-16, 5:1-6 ΠΡῸΣ ἙΒΡΑΙΟΥΣ 4:14-16, 5:1-6 Reader - O Lord, save your people and bless your inheritance. To you, O Lord, I have cried, O my Ἀφοῦ λοιπὸν ἔχομεν ἀρχιερέα μέγαν, ὁ ὁποῖος ἔχει διέλθει τοὺς οὐρανούς, τὸν Ἰησοῦν τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ 2

3 God. The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:1-6. BRETHREN, since we have a high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. And one does not take the honor upon himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, "Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee"; as he says also in another place, "Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek." Θεοῦ, ἂς κρατᾶμε στερεὰ τὴν πίστιν ποὺ ὁμολογοῦμεν. Διότι δὲν ἔχομεν ἀρχιερέα, ποὺ νὰ μὴ μπορῇ νὰ συμπαθήσῃ εἰς τὰς ἀδυναμίας μας, ἀλλὰ ἔχομεν ἕνα ποὺ ἔχει δοκιμασθῆ καθ ὅλα, σύμφωνα μὲ τὴν ὁμοιότητά του μ ἐμᾶς, χωρὶς νὰ ἁμαρτήσῃ. Ἂς π ρ ο σ ε ρ χ ώ μ ε θ α λ ο ι π ὸ ν μ ὲ πεποίθησιν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου τῆς χάριτος, διὰ νὰ λάβωμεν ἔλεος καὶ νὰ βροῦμε χάριν ὅταν θὰ ἔχωμεν ἀνάγκην διὰ βοήθειαν. Διότι κάθε ἀ ρ χ ι ε ρ ε ὺ ς λ α μ β ά ν ε τ α ι ἀ π ὸ ἀνθρώπους καὶ ἐγκαθίσταται ἀρχιερεὺς χάριν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, διὰ νὰ ὑπηρετῇ ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, διὰ νὰ προσφέρῃ δῶρα καὶ θυσίας διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας. Μπορεῖ νὰ εἶναι ὑπομονητικὸς πρὸς ἐκείνους οἱ ὁποῖοι βρίσκονται εἰς ἄγνοιαν καὶ πλάνην, διότι καὶ αὐτὸς περιβάλλεται ἀπὸ ἀδυναμίαν, λόγῳ τῆς ὁποίας εἶναι ὑποχρεωμένος νὰ προσφέρῃ θυσίας περὶ ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ διὰ τὸν ἑαυτόν του ὅπως κάνει διὰ τὸν λαόν. Καὶ κανεὶς δὲν παίρνει μόνος του τὴν τιμὴν αὐτήν, ἀλλὰ μόνον ὅταν καλῆται ἀπὸ τὸν Θεόν, καθὼς ἀκριβῶς καὶ ὁ Ἀαρών. Ἔτσι καὶ ὁ Χριστός, δὲν ἐπῆρε μόνος διὰ τὸν ἑαυτόν του τὴν δόξαν νὰ γίνῃ ἀρχιερεύς, ἀλλ ἔγινε ἀρχιερεὺς ἀπὸ ἐκεῖνον ποὺ τοῦ εἶπε, Υἱός μου εἶσαι σύ, ἐγὼ σήμερα σὲ ἐγέννησα, ὅπως καὶ εἰς ἄλλο μέρος λέγει, Σὺ εἶσαι αἰώνιος ἱερεὺς κατὰ τὴν τάξιν τοῦ Μελχισεδέκ. The Lord said: "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me 3

4 GOSPEL - MARK 8:34-38, 9:1 ΚΑΤᾺ ΜᾶΡΚΟΝ 8:34-38, 9:1 The Lord said: "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For what can a man give in return for his life? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power." GOSPEL - MARKU 8:34-38, 9:1 Καὶ ἀφοῦ ἐκάλεσε τὸ πλῆθος μαζὶ μὲ τοὺς μαθητάς του τοὺς εἶπε, «Ἐὰν κανεὶς θέλῃ νὰ μὲ ἀκολουθήσῃ, ἂς ἀπαρνηθῇ τὸν ἑαυτόν του καὶ ἂς σηκώσῃ τὸν σταυρόν του καὶ ἂς μὲ ἀκολουθήσῃ. Διότι ὅποιος θέλει νὰ σώσῃ τὴν ζωήν του, αὐτὸς θὰ τὴν χάσῃ, ἐκεῖνος δὲ ποὺ θὰ χάσῃ τὴν ζωήν του ἐξ αἰτίας ἐμοῦ καὶ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, αὐτὸς θὰ τὴν σώσῃ. Διότι τί θὰ ὠφελήσῃ τὸν ἄνθρωπον νὰ κερδίσῃ τὸν κόσμον ὅλον καὶ νὰ ζημιωθῇ τὴν ψυχήν του; Ἢ τί ἀντάλλαγμα εἶναι δυνατὸν νὰ δώσῃ ὁ ἄνθρωπος διὰ τὴν ψυχήν του; Διότι ὅποιος ἐντρέπεται δι ἐμὲ καὶ διὰ τοὺς λόγους μου εἰς τὴν γενεὰν αὐτὴν τὴν μοιχαλίδα καὶ ἁμαρτωλὴν καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου θὰ αἰσθανθῇ ντροπὴ γι αὐτόν, ὅταν ἔλθῃ μὲ ὅλην τὴν δόξαν τοῦ Πατέρα του μαζὶ μὲ τοὺς ἁγίους ἀγγέλους». Καὶ τοὺς ἔλεγε, «Ἀλήθεια σᾶς λέγω, ὅτι ὑπάρχουν μερικοὶ ἀπὸ αὐτούς, ποὺ στέκονται ἐδῶ, οἱ ὁποῖοι δὲν θὰ γευθοῦν θάνατον, ἕως ὅτου ἰδοῦν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ νὰ ἔρχεται μὲ δύναμιν». Dhe thirri pranë vetes turmën bashkë me dishepujt e u tha: «Kush dëshiron të vijë pas meje, le të mohojë veten, të marrë kryqin e vet dhe të më ndjekë. Sepse kushdo që dëshiron ta shpëtojë jetën e vet, do ta humbasë atë dhe kushdo që e humbet jetën e vet për shkakun tim dhe të ungjillit, do ta shpëtojë atë. Ç'dobi do të kishte njeriu po të fitonte mbarë botën, por të humbte jetën e vet? Çfarë do të jepte 4 njeriu në këmbim të jetës së vet? Nëse dikush ka turp për mua dhe për fjalët e mia para kësaj breznie të pafe dhe mëkatare, po ashtu do të ketë turp për ta edhe Biri i njeriut kur të vijë me engjëjt e shenjtë në lavdinë e Atit të tij». Jezui u tha: «Me të vërtetë po ju them se disa nga ata që janë këtu nuk do ta provojnë vdekjen pa e parë mbretërinë e Perëndisë, duke ardhur me fuqi».

5 OLD TESTAMENT - ISAIAH 49:13-18 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee. Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth. Coffee Hour today is given by Hope & Joy. We thank them and cordially invite everyone to the Coffee Hour Room, up the ramp, following Divine Liturgy. Koulourakia Baking for the Greek Fest is taking place today as well as Sunday, April 7 and Sunday, April 14th. Please see Anthony or Cassandra Rinaldi for more info. Help for 1, 2, even all 3 days! The Sports Banquet is set for tomorrow - Monday, April 1st at 5:30pm. Please let Carrie know in the office if you ll be attending. Camp St. Paul registration is open. Visit: for more info. Camp Saint Paul is a summer camp for youth ages Soup, Salad & Lenten Discussion: Please join us on Wednesday, April 3rd following Presanctified Liturgy (scheduled at 6:30pm) for soup, salad & a Lenten discussion. Please sign up outside Fr. Perry s office with what you d like to bring. The Jr/Sr Divisions of the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival will be held here at Holy Trinity on Sunday, April 7th. Parents - 5

6 please encourage your children to be prepared. Parents are invited to their child s classroom on that day to hear their speeches. Palm Sunday: Please make reservations now for the Palm Sunday Luncheon, held on April 21st. Fish - $20 per person, pasta - $5 per person. There will be assigned seating, please let us know your table of 10 so we can accommodate. You can contact Mary Peterson or Carrie in the office. A Young Adult Lenten Retreat Who Are We Really given by Rev. Dr. Harry Pappas is being held at Archangels in Stamford (1527 Bedford Street) on Saturday, April 6th beginning at 2:30pm. Breakout sessions include Why Be Orthodox, Spiritual Identity and The Akathist Hymn. Great Vespers and Dinner will follow. Please RSVP by April 4th to: steve@archangelsgoc.org or Myrofores: Any girls 3rd grade and older interested in being a myrofora for Holy Week, please see Janet Gagas or Mia Rickenbach. Myrofores should plan on serving on Holy Friday as well as at least one more day. Lenten Vespers will be held at 4:00 pm today at Holy Ghost Orthodox Church in Bridgeport. During that service a collection will be taken to support the work of the Fellowship of Orthodox Churches of CT (FORCC). Many people may not know what FORCC does as a pan orthodox organization, so, a brochure will be distributed and a short talk will be provided. Everyone is encouraged to attend Vespers and help to support FORCC. For more information about FORCC go to or unity@forcc.org. Scholarship Opportunities: There are a few different scholarship applications available in the church office - look for the green folder on the wall in the office. Both AHEPA & Daughters of Penelope scholarships are available as well as the Pan Gregorian of CT scholarship. Missions Opportunities: Have you thought about serving on a short-term mission? Traveling to a distant place and being a part of a growing 6

7 Church s first steps? OCMC Mission Teams need volunteers in There are openings for hard workers in Albania, Colombia, Ghana, Guatemala, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Sweden and Alaska. Details are available on the OCMC website Please consider these opportunities to serve in missions. CHURCH CALENDAR For the most up-to-date church calendar, please visit: or check out our bulletin board by the office. CHECK OUT THE PODCAST "SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES LIVE! ON ANCIENT FAITH RADIO Presvytera and Dr. Jeannie Constantinou guides us through Holy Scripture with the eyes of the Church Fathers and answers listener questions in this edition of the Search the Scriptures podcast recorded live. *Children Helping Children* Please don t forget your Sunday School Weekly Stewardship we will be making a donation to the soup kitchen in June. & OCMC Mission Boxes have been distributed. Please help the children by making a donation to their mission boxes. Mission boxes are due Palm Sunday (April 21st) to your Sunday School teachers. 7

8 Volunteering: We need volunteers in each area of the Greek Fest! Please see one of the department chairpersons to sign up! Buffet line - Margo Ricciardi ; Bar - George Ricciardi ; Raffle - Carrie Smernoff ; Taverna - John Gagas ; Pastry - Janet Gagas or Nicki Gagas ; Loukoumades - Eleni Tinios ; Frappe - Virginia Kotsaftis Baking for the Greek Fest has begun! Baking will take place this week (April 1-5), 10:00am on each day. Also, baking will take place on Tuesday, April 15th and Weds, April 16th, 10:00am on. Please see Janet Gagas for more info on that week. Greek Fest Flyers are now available! Pick yours up in the office on top of the black cabinet. Ad Book Please help us gather ads for our Festival Ad Book. Blank forms are available in the office - ask your hairstylist, your landscaper, handyman, anyone you do regular business with. Deadline to submit ads is April 15th. Raffle Ticket sales are ongoing. Please do your best to sell yours - we are not looking for parishioners to buy their own tickets; rather, we d love for you to sell them! Please let Carrie know if you need more tickets. Basket Raffle Anyone interested in donating a basket for the Basket Raffle, please contact Barbara Tzepos. Monetary donations towards a basket are also accepted - deadline for submissions is May 1st. No amount is too small. Thank you, thank you, thank you! 8

9 *Red Dye for Paschal Eggs is now available Non-toxic dye from Greece; each packet dyes up to 30 eggs. Suggested donation - $2.00 *Holy Week Books are also now in the Bookstore - $30 each. I give permission for the following info to be included in the updated Church Directory. I understand it is not to be used for solicitation. Name: Address: Home Phone: Cell Phone: Family includes: Signature: x Please return to the church office ASAP. 9

10 Attention Parishioners! Join the $5 more per week Stewardship Club * Membership Has Its Privileges... Membership includes: -weekly church services with a direct line to God -spiritual counseling -education: Sunday School, bible study... -youth groups: GOYA, HOPE & JOY, Mommy and Me -sports: volleyball & basketball -peer bonding activities -group outings, coffee hour... -cultural enrichment - Greek School, Greek Dancing... AND the satisfaction of knowing you are engaged and growing in your support of the church! A steward is typically considered an adult who is 18 years of age or older and making their own income. Our children are introduced to stewardship through our Sunday School program by donating to the soup kitchen and the mission boxes that support international church missionary work. *Not a real club, but you can join! 10

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12 OUR 2019 STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN IS NOW UNDERWAY! Stewardship is a free-will offering of our time, talent and treasure to the church. Contributions are tax-deductible. Participating in our Stewardship Program is how individuals/families become active stewards of our church. Your contributions give the church the resources needed to fulfill its mission. We thank God for every good gift that comes from above and we thank you for your support of the work of the church! If you are interested in volunteering your time or talents, please see Fr. Perry or a Parish Council Member to find out how you can make a difference in the various ministries & organizations of our community. WELCOME TO ALL VISITORS! For those visiting an Orthodox Church for the first time, please be aware that Holy Communion is a sign of unity of Faith which is offered to Baptized and/or Chrismated Orthodox Christians. All present are welcome, however, to partake of the Antidoro (blessed bread) which is distributed at the end of the service. All people are welcome to join the Orthodox Church! Those interested in learning more about the Orthodox Christian Faith or becoming a member, please see Fr. Perry after services. 12