January 6, 2019 The Theophany of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Theophan the Recluse Today we celebrate the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great. The differences between this Liturgy and the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom are found in the priest's prayers of the Anaphora, between pages 19 and 28 of your Divine Liturgy books. The Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is celebrated on Christmas Eve, the feast of St. Basil, the Feast of Theophany, Holy Saturday morning, and the Sundays of Great Lent. ENTRANCE HYMNS Resurrectional Apolytikion En Iordhani ( As You were baptized ) As You were baptized in the Jordan, O Lord, then the worship of the Trinity became manifest, for the voice of the Father bore witness to You, naming You the Beloved Son; and the Spirit, in the form of a dove, confirmed the certainty of the word. O Christ God, who appeared and illumined the world, glory to You. Apolytikion for the Feast En Iordhani ( As You were baptized ) As You were baptized in the Jordan, O Lord, then the worship of the Trinity became manifest, for the voice of the Father bore witness to You, naming You the Beloved Son; and the Spirit, in the form of a dove, confirmed the certainty of the word. O Christ God, who appeared and illumined the world, glory to You. 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. Seasonal Kontakion Epefanis simeron ( You appeared today to us ) You appeared today to us * on earth, O Master, * and Your light was signed on us * who cry aloud to You and say * with understanding, O Christ our God: You came and shone forth, O Light unapproachable.
THE EPISTLE The Reading is from St. Paul's Letter to Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Verse: Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His mercy endures forever. TITUS, my son, the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men, training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world, awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of the great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life. Ο ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΟΣ Πρὸς Τίτον 2:11-14, 3:4-7 τὸ ἀνάγνωσμα Scout Sunday: Sunday, February 10 th, is National Scout Sunday and on that day we will recognize all those children and adults who are part of Scouting. All Scouts MUST be in their Class A uniforms. Please submit to the Parish office (by e-mail, if possible) the names (children and adults), ranks and branch of Scouting you are in by Monday, January 28 th in order to be included in the program at the end of the Divine Liturgy. We are very excited to support scouting in this community. Please remember that there are numerous religious service awards that our children can work towards earning for all levels of Scouting. Please see Fr. Peter for more information! Εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου. Στίχ. Ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῷ Κυρίῳ ὅτι ἀγαθὸς, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ. Τέκνον Τίτε, ἐπεφάνη γὰρ ἡ χάρις τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ σωτήριος πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις, παιδεύουσα ἡμᾶς ἵνα ἀρνησάμενοι τὴν ἀσέβειαν καὶ τὰς κοσμικὰς ἐπιθυμίας σωφρόνως καὶ δικαίως καὶ εὐσεβῶς ζήσωμεν ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι, προσδεχόμενοι τὴν μακαρίαν ἐλπίδα καὶ ἐπιφάνειαν τῆς δόξης τοῦ μεγάλου Θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὃς ἔδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἵνα λυτρώσηται ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ πάσης ἀνομίας καὶ καθαρίσῃ ἑαυτῷ λαὸν περιούσιον, ζηλωτὴν καλῶν ἔργων. ὅτε δὲ ἡ χρηστότης καὶ ἡ φιλανθρωπία ἐπεφάνη τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Θεοῦ, οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων τῶν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ ὧν ἐποιήσαμεν ἡμεῖς, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸν αὐτοῦ ἔλεον ἔσωσεν ἡμᾶς διὰ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας καὶ ἀνακαινώσεως Πνεύματος Αγίου, οὗ ἐξέχεεν ἐφ ἡμᾶς πλουσίως διὰ Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, ἵνα δικαιωθέντες τῇ ἐκείνου χάριτι κληρονόμοι γενώμεθα κατ ἐλπίδα ζωῆς αἰωνίου.
THE GOSPEL The Reading is from the Gospel of Matthew 3:13-17 At that time, Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." ΕVΑΓΓÉΛΙΟΝ Ἐκ τοῦ Κατὰ Ματθαῖον 3:13-17 Εὐαγγελίου τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, παραγίνεται ὁ Ιησοῦς ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἐπὶ τὸν Ιορδάνην πρὸς τὸν Ιωάννην τοῦ βαπτισθῆναι ὑπ αὐτοῦ. ὁ δὲ Ιωάννης διεκώλυεν αὐτὸν λέγων ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι, καὶ σὺ ἔρχῃ πρός με; ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ιησοῦς εἶπε πρὸς αὐτόν ἄφες ἄρτι οὕτω γὰρ πρέπον ἐστὶν ἡμῖν πληρῶσαι πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην τότε ἀφίησιν αὐτόν καὶ βαπτισθεὶς ὁ Ιησοῦς ἀνέβη εὐθὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνεῴχθησαν αὐτῷ οἱ οὐρανοί, καὶ εἶδε τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ καταβαῖνον ὡσεὶ περιστερὰν καὶ ἐρχόμενον ἐπ αὐτόν καὶ ἰδοὺ φωνὴ ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν λέγουσα οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἐν ᾧ εὐδόκησα. Stewardship: Thank you to everyone who has supported our 2018 Stewardship Program. If you have not yet finished paying your pledge, please do so TODAY! In addition, when paying by check, it is imperative that you indicate Stewardship 2018 or Stewardship 2019 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 2019 campaign will be starting shortly, so it is imperative that we are able to finalize our stewardship rolls for last year. Thank you! Parish Appeal: Thank you to all those who responded to our parish appeal last fall. We appreciate your generosity and dedication to the financial stability of our community. Assisted Listening Devices Available: If you have difficulty hearing spoken words during the Divine Liturgy, ask one of the Parish Council members at the Pangari to give you one of the listening devices. They re easy to use and will help you enjoy the Liturgy! 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. 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. 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 610-650-8960 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 a t 610-650-8960.
AHEPA Meeting: AHEPA Valley Forge Chapter 432 will be holding its 1 st meeting of the year after liturgy on Sunday January 13, 2019. This meeting will be our kickoff for our upcoming 2 nd annual Super Bowl Party to be held on Sunday, February 3 rd, in our Cultural center. For any/all member interaction and interested individuals in joining AHEPA please contact: Matthew "Matt" Stolarczyk (215)740-8841 mattstolarczyk@cs.com https://ahepapowerdistrict4.com/chapter/432/index.htm AHEPA Super Bowl Party: Super Bowl Sunday promises to be an exciting day here at St. Sophia! The Valley Forge AHEPA Chapter #432 is having a Super Bowl Party in our Cultural Center beginning at 4pm (see flyer attached). All proceeds from the event will go to AHEPA Service Dogs for Warriors Project. You can read all about this program in the bulletin insert. If you have any questions, or if you would like more information, please contact either Matt Stolarczyk at mattstolarczyk@cs.com.
January 6, 2019 The Theophany of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Theophan the Recluse St. Nicholas Shrine Vigil Candle: Thank you to Anne Sabia for sponsoring today s vigil candle for St. Nicholas Shrine in honor of Margaret Callipolites Scandalios. 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. St. Basil s Academy Fundraising Breakfast TODAY: 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 today, for breakfast in the "New Year! Liberty Ministries Presentation TODAY: During the Philoptochos St. Basil Breakfast today, a representative from Liberty Ministries will join us to talk about the programs of Liberty Ministries and their journey. This presentation is open to ALL parishioners. Senior Citizen Ministry: St. Sophia s Senior Parea is open to all senior citizens of the community. The next meeting will take place on Thursday, January 10, 2019, in the Cultural Center from 10 am to 12 noon. Philoptochos Meeting: Join us on Monday, January 14, at 7:00 pm in the Cultural Center for our first meeting in 2019. Light refreshments will be served. Blessing of the Homes at Theophany: If you wish to have your homes and/or businesses blessed after the Feast of Theophany, please call the Parish office beginning January 8 th to schedule a visitation. TRIVIA NITE: St. Sophia Is hosting Trivia Nite on Saturday, January 26, 2019. Stay tuned for more information! SAVE THE DATE! The Saint Sophia PTO Mardis Gras BINGO event will be on Saturday, February 23, 2019, at 12 Noon. Come enjoy food, fun, and fellowship at the Cultural Center while we play for prizes and raffles! The snow date is 2/24/19 following the Divine Liturgy. Parish Food Drive Great Success: We delivered almost 250 pounds of nonperishable food items to the Daily Bread Food Pantry in Collegeville from the collections made between Thanksgiving and Theophany. This is in addition to the 200 pounds collected prior to Thanksgiving. Thank you to everyone who donated to this very important ministry!