Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral January 1, 2017
St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral Church Office 508-791-7326 Mon.-Fri.: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. www.spyridoncathedral.org Reverend Doctor Dimitrios Moraitis Dean Reverend Father Dean N. Paleologos Dean Emeritus Reverend Deacon Andrew Giourelis Georgia Parafestas -Parish Council President Email - frdimitri@spyridoncathedral.org Metropolis of Boston WELCOME Welcome to the Saint Spyridon Cathedral in Worcester, Massachusetts. We are honored that you have chosen to worship with us today. It is our hope that your visit here will bring you many blessings from God. Please be sure to tell us if you are visiting or if you are new to our community. Our Church Family worships the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and every Sunday, the Lord s Day, we commemorate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our mission is to live the Holy Gospel in accordance with the Orthodox Faith; towards sanctification through God s grace in worship, the Divine Liturgy and the Sacraments: glorifying God through all joys and struggles; and as a Church Community, in Christian love, we seek to do His will so that through His mercy, we may attain His Kingdom. We are blessed to have the slippers of St. Spyridon, which are located in the narthex of the Church, please be sure to venerate them. We pray you have a blessed day and that you visit with us again soon. Also, please remember that one must be an Orthodox Christian in order to receive Holy Communion. If you would like to embrace the Orthodox Faith, please see Father Dimitrios Moraitis. May God Bless you! January 1st, 2017 The Circumcision of our Lord, and feast of St. Basil On behalf of Fr. Dimitri, our clergy families and the Parish Council, we would like to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year. Name Day Flowers Barbara Douka-Efstathiou is sponsoring Name Day flowers in loving memory of her father, Vasilios Douka, for the month of January SUNDAY SERVICES Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:45am WEEKDAY SERVICES Eve of Epiphany Thursday, January 5, 2017 Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:45am Epiphany Friday, January 6, 2017 Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:45am St. John the Baptist Saturday, January 7, 2017 Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:45am Saints of the Day Circumcision of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia Righteous Theodosios of Triglia Περιτομή του Ιησού Χριστού Ὁ Μέγας Βασίλειος Ὅσιος Θεοδόσιος Τριγλίας SUNDAY SCHOOL FAMILY WORSHIP TODAY NOTICE The church office will be closed on Monday, January 2, 2017 Happy Name Day Stephanos, Stephania, Vasilios, Vasilia
Entrance Hymns Apolytikion.Our human form hast Thou taken on Thyself without change, O greatlycompassionate Master, though being God by nature; fulfilling the Law, Thou willingly receivest circumcision in the flesh, that Thou mightest end the shadow and roll away the veil of our sinful passions. Glory be to Thy goodness unto us. Glory be to Thy compassion. Glory, O Word, to Thine inexpressible condescension. Μορφήν αναλλοιώτως ανθρωπίνην προσέλαβες, Θεός ών κατ' ουσίαν, πολυεύσπλαγχνε Κύριε, καί Νόμον εκπληρών, περιτομήν, θελήσει καταδέχη σαρκικήν, όπως παύσης τά σκιώδη, καί περιέλης τό κάλυμμα τών παθών ημών, Δόξα τή αγαθότητι τή σή, δόξα τή ευσπλαγχνία σου, δόξα τή ανεκφράστω Λόγε συγκαταβάσει σου..your voice resounded throughout the world that received your word by which, in godly manner, you taught dogma, clarified the nature of beings, and set in order the character of people. Venerable father, Royal Priesthood, intercede to Christ God to grant us great mercy..εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γὴν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος σου, ὡς δεξαμένην τὸν λόγον σου, δι' οὗ θεοπρεπῶς ἐδογμάτισας, τὴν φύσιν τῶν ὄντων ἐτράνωσας, τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἤθη κατεκόσμησας, Βασίλειον Ἱεράτευμα, Πάτερ Ὅσιε, Χριστὸν τὸν Θεὸν ἱκέτευε, δωρήσασθαι ἡμῖν τὸ μέγα ἔλεος. Kontakion.Now the Lord of all that is doth undergo circumcision, in His goodness cutting off the sins and failings of mortals. He this day doth give salvation unto the whole world; and the hierarch and bright daystar of the Creator now rejoiceth in the highest, Basil the wise and divine initiate of Christ. Κοντακιον Ο τών όλων Κύριος, πειριτομήν υπομένει, καί βροτών τά πταίσματα, ως αγαθός περιτέμνει, δίδωσι, τήν σωτηρίαν σήμερον κόσμω, χαίρει δέ, εν τοίς υψίστοις κάι ο τού Κτίστου, Ιεράρχης καί φωσφόρος, ο θείος μύστης Χριστού Βασίλειος.
Ο ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΟΣ Πρὸς Κολοσσαεῖς 2:8-12 Τὸ στόμα μου λαλήσει σοφίαν καὶ ἡ μελέτη τῆς καρδίας μου σύνεσιν. Στίχ. Ἀκούσατε ταῦτα, πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Ἀδελφοί, βλέπετε μή τις ὑμᾶς ἔσται ὁ συλαγωγῶν διὰ τῆς φιλοσοφίας καὶ κενῆς ἀπάτης, κατὰ τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, κατὰ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ οὐ κατὰ Χριστόν ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ κατοικεῖ πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος σωματικῶς, καί ἐστε ἐν αὐτῷ πεπληρωμένοι, ὅς ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλὴ πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας ἐν ᾧ καὶ περιετμήθητε περιτομῇ ἀχειροποιήτῳ, ἐν τῇ ἀπεκδύσει τοῦ σώματος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τῆς σαρκός, ἐν τῇ περιτομῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, συνταφέντες αὐτῷ ἐν τῷ βαπτίσματι, ἐν ᾧ καὶ συνηγέρθητε διὰ τῆς πίστεως τῆς ἐνεργείας τοῦ θεοῦ, τοῦ ἐγείραντος αὐτὸν ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν. ΤΗΕ EPISTLE St. Paul's Letter to the Colossians 2:8-12 My mouth shall speak wisdom and the meditation of my heart shall bring forth understanding. Verse: Hear this all you nations. BRETHREN, see to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fulness of life in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ; and you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
ΤΟ ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΟΝ Κατὰ Λουκᾶν 2:20-21, 40-52 Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ὑπέστρεψαν οἱ ποιμένες δοξάζοντες καὶ αἰνοῦντες τὸν Θεὸν ἐπὶ πᾶσιν οἷς ἤκουσαν καὶ εἶδον καθὼς ἐλαλήθη πρὸς αὐτούς. Καὶ ὅτε ἐπλήσθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι ὀκτὼ τοῦ περιτεμεῖν τὸ παιδίον, καὶ ἐκλήθη τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ιησοῦς, τὸ κληθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀγγέλου πρὸ τοῦ συλληφθῆναι αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ. Τὸ δὲ παιδίον ηὔξανε καὶ ἐκραταιοῦτο πνεύματι πληρούμενον σοφίας, καὶ χάρις Θεοῦ ἦν ἐπ αὐτό. Καὶ ἐπορεύοντο οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ κατ ἔτος εἰς Ιερουσαλὴμ τῇ ἑορτῇ τοῦ πάσχα. καὶ ὅτε ἐγένετο ἐτῶν δώδεκα, ἀναβάντων αὐτῶν εἰς Ιεροσόλυμα κατὰ τὸ ἔθος τῆς ἑορτῆςκαὶ τελειωσάντων τὰς ἡμέρας, ἐν τῷ ὑποστρέφειν αὐτοὺς ὑπέμεινεν Ιησοῦς ὁ παῖς ἐν Ιερουσαλήμ, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνω Ιωσὴφ καὶ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ. νομίσαντες δὲ αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ συνοδίᾳ εἶναι ἦλθον ἡμέρας ὁδὸν καὶ ἀνεζήτουν αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς συγγενέσι καὶ ἐν τοῖς γνωστοῖς καὶ μὴ εὑρόντες αὐτὸν ὑπέστρεψαν εἰς Ιερουσαλὴμ ζητοῦντες αὐτόν. καὶ ἐγένετο μεθ ἡμέρας τρεῖς εὗρον αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ καθεζόμενον ἐν μέσῳ τῶν διδασκάλων καὶ ἀκούοντα αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπερωτῶντα αὐτούς ἐξίσταντο δὲ πάντες οἱ ἀκούοντες αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ συνέσει καὶ ταῖς ἀποκρίσεσιν αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἰδόντες αὐτὸν ἐξεπλάγησαν, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ εἶπε τέκνον, τί ἐποίησας ἡμῖν οὕτως; ἰδοὺ ὁ πατήρ σου κἀγὼ ὀδυνώμενοι ἐζητοῦμέν σε. καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτούς τί ὅτι ἐζητεῖτέ με; οὐκ ᾔδειτε ὅτι ἐν τοῖς τοῦ πατρός μου δεῖ εἶναί με; καὶ αὐτοὶ οὐ συνῆκαν τὸ ῥῆμα ὃ ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς. καὶ κατέβη μετ αὐτῶν καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς Ναζαρέτ, καὶ ἦν ὑποτασσόμενος αὐτοῖς. καὶ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ διετήρει πάντα τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῆς. Καὶ Ιησοῦς προέκοπτε σοφίᾳ καὶ ἡλικίᾳ καὶ χάριτι παρὰ Θεῷ καὶ ἀνθρώποις. THE HOLY GOSPEL Circumcision of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ The Gospel according to Luke 2:20-21, 40-52 At that time, the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him. Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom; and when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the company they went a day's journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances; and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him. After three days, they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions; and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously." And he said to them, "How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" And they did not understand the saying which he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man. Fasting / Νηστεία No fasting on Wednesday, Thursday is a strict fast, Friday is a normal fast day
GOYA GOYA will meet in the Cotsidas Cultural Center on Tuesday, January 3, 2017 at 6:30pm. PHILOPTOCHOS The Philoptochos will meet on Tuesday, January 3,2017 at 7:00pm GREEK SCHOOL Greek school vacation will be Dec. 26nd Jan. 9, 2017 Parish Council Election results We are happy to announce that Dean Alexandrou and George Maniatis were elected into the 2017 Parish Council to humbly serve. Thank you and Congratulations Dean and George. HOLY TRINITY The residents wish to thank the parishes for the wonderful Christmas gifts they brought to Holy Trinity Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, which brought them delight and comfort to their holiday season. The staff and residents are very grateful for the thoughtfulness of the parishes and wish everyone a Blessed New Year! COED BASKETBALL 5TH-8TH Co Ed Basketball (5th-8th) is seeking players. The main goal is to teach and enhance fundamental basketball skills as well as encourage team building. Practices will be open to 5th 8th graders. Please contact the office if interested.. Little Angels 2016-2017 Tuesday afternoons 2:30 to 4:00 January 3rd & 17th, February 7th & 21st, March, 7th & 21st, April 4th & 18th, May 2nd & 16th, June 6th Things all Church Members Should Think About If a church wants a better pastor, it only needs to pray for the one it has. God Himself doesn t propose to judge a man until he is dead. So why should you? COTSIDAS CULTURAL CENTER Web Site The web site for the rental of the Cultural Center can now be accessed at www.cotsidasculturalcenter.com Note that Parishioner rental rates are priced considerably lower to those advertised to the General Public, (Hall $850, Founders Court $300). Rental rates for Cathedral Affiliates (AHEPA, Epirotic Society, Union Hristohorafiton, etc) are half of the Parishioner rate. There is no charge for rentals to Cathedral Ministries (Philoptochos, GOYA, Holy Trinity etc.). For more information contact Mike Dionis or Jim Voyiatzis through the Cathedral office. Please submit any news, updates, fliers and photos you would like to see in the Sunday Bulletin to: gvp@spyridoncathedral.org Also if you d like to be added to the email list to receive the bulletin via email please contact Georgia at the above email address. The Sunday Bulletin can also be viewed on the St. Spyridon website www.spyridoncathedral.org by clicking on the About tab, Weekly Bulletin.
BIBLE STUDY Why Forgiveness is so Important Wednesday, January 11, 2017 7:00pm in the Tonna Room Fr. Dimitri will be leading a discussion on the Gospel of Matthew, specifically concerning forgiveness in Jesus teachings. If you wish to learn about the Bible, please come to this informative presentation.
Orthodoxy 101 The Fourth Crusades and the Fall of Constantinople Wednesday, January 25th 7:00pm Please come to this informative presentation where Fr. Dimitri will talk about how the Fourth Crusades sealed the fate for the permanent Schism between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.
James Zographos Steven Zoulas Bessie Zona
JOY The Junior Orthodox Youth (JOY) group of our Cathedral is open to children between 3rd - 6 th grades. The group is based on four characteristics of Orthodox Christianity: Worship, Fellowship, Witness, and Service. JOY is an Orthodox Christian youth group that helps our children experience and explore the orthodox faith. Is a group, to enjoy fellowship, and to have FUN! The events are geared to not only bring the youth of Saint Spyridon together in a fun and educational way, but also to start to plant the seeds of giving back to the community through charity projects. We look forward to seeing your child in our youth group and helping them to grow closer to our Lord Jesus Christ. HOPE The Hellenic Orthodox Primary Education group (HOPE) is a ministry for children from Kindergarten through second grade. Some of the activities include meetings with Fr. Dimitri; faith-learning crafts and snack time; field trips; and seasonal activities. Parents with children in K-6 th grades are encouraged to become active in these ministries Please check our Weekly Bulletin for upcoming parish and regional HOPE & JOY events. For further information please welcome, and contact our new JOY/HOPE ministry leader Anna Coulouras @508-887- 1828 JOY and HOPE will meet on Friday, January 20, 2017 at 5:30pm
The blessing of our homes with the Holy Water of Epiphany is a meaningful way to begin the New Year. This beautiful tradition of our Orthodox Church allows us to start the year off in a most holy way by sanctifying our homes -the place where we spend most of our time. Please have an icon, a list of the living members of your family, a bowl as well as a spring of Basil or some other plant. We will bring the holy water, the cross and a copy of the service so you can follow along. The following days and times are available for house blessings. We ask that you please contact your neighbors to find a day and a block of time that satisfies all of you. For instance, you should contact your neighbors that live on your block, as well as other parishioners who live within a mile of your home, and schedule them either before or after your blessing. This will help us tremendously, especially since there are so many families, and we are still getting to know the neighborhoods around the Church. Please remember to allow at least 30 minutes for each house blessing. These dates are on a first come first serve basis. Contact the Church office to book your time. The available dates and times are as follows: Friday, January 6, 12:00pm-9:00pm Saturday, January 7, 12:00pm-9:00pm Monday January 9, 9:00am-6:00pm Tuesday, January 10, 11:00am-6:00pm Wednesday, January 11, 9:00am-5:30pm Thursday, January 12, 9:00am-8:00pm Friday, January 13, 9:00am-8:00pm Saturday, January 14, 9:00am-8:00pm Monday, January 16, 12:00pm-8:00pm Tuesday, January 17, 11:00am 6:00pm Wednesday, January 18, 11:00am-9:00pm Thursday, January 19, 9:00am 6:00pm Friday, January 20, 9:00am-5:00pm Saturday, January 21, 9:00am-9:00pm Monday, January 23 9:00pm-9:00pm Tuesday, January 24, 11:00am-6:00pm Wednesday, January 25 11:00am-6:00pm Thursday, January 26, 9:00am-9:00pm Friday, January 27, 9:00pm-9:00pm
JANUARY 8, 2017 00pm
2016 Stewardship Report * GOAL Week 2016 Total 635pledges received Stewardship Budget 52 $297,018.50 $468 average/pledge $330.000.00 * GOAL amount includes the 2016 Stewardship Budget Receipts of $330,000.00. Funds reflect all monies received in 2016 We suggest you budget your Stewardship contribution as you do your monthly home expenses Our Cathedral must meet the Financial needs of its ministries and annual operating budget by way of its Christian Stewardship Program. It is each and everyone's responsibility to accept honor and support your role as a Contributing Steward. Please pledge your Required Stewardship Contribution now, if you have not done so. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.