January 8, 2017 Sunday after Epiphany Martyr George the Chozevite Domnica the Righteous of Constantinople Atticus and Cyrus, Holy Patriarchs of Constantinople ENTRANCE HYMNS Resurrectional Apolytikion - To Fedhron Tis Anastaseos ( The Joyful News of Your Resurrection ) The joyful news of your resurrection was proclaimed by the angel to the women disciples. Having thrown off the curse that fell on Adam, they ran elatedly to tell the apostles: Death has been vanquished; Christ our God is risen from the dead, blessing all the world with his great mercy. 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.
EPISTLE READING The Reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians 4:7-13 Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon us. Verse: Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous. BRETHREN, grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men." (in saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is he who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Ἀνάγνωσις ἐπιστολῆς Πρὸς Ἐφεσίους 4:7-13 Γένοιτο, Κύριε, τὸ ἔλεός σου ἐφ' ἡμᾶς. Στίχ. Ἀγαλλιᾶσθε δίκαιοι ἐν Κυρίῳ Ἀδελφοί, ἑνὶ ἑκάστῳ ἡμῶν ἐδόθη ἡ χάρις κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τῆς δωρεᾶς τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Διὸ λέγει, Ἀναβὰς εἰς ὕψος ᾐχμαλώτευσεν αἰχμαλωσίαν, καὶ ἔδωκεν δόματα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Τὸ δέ, Ἀνέβη, τί ἐστιν εἰ μὴ ὅτι καὶ κατέβη πρῶτον εἰς τὰ κατώτερα μέρη τῆς γῆς; Ὁ καταβάς, αὐτός ἐστιν καὶ ὁ ἀναβὰς ὑπεράνω πάντων τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἵνα πληρώσῃ τὰ πάντα. Καὶ αὐτὸς ἔδωκεν τοὺς μὲν ἀποστόλους, τοὺς δὲ προφήτας, τοὺς δὲ εὐαγγελιστάς, τοὺς δὲ ποιμένας καὶ διδασκάλους, πρὸς τὸν καταρτισμὸν τῶν ἁγίων, εἰς ἔργον διακονίας, εἰς οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ μέχρι καταντήσωμεν οἱ πάντες εἰς τὴν ἑνότητα τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον, εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ.
GOSPEL READING The Reading is from the Gospel according to Matthew 4:12-17 At that time, Jesus heard that John had been arrested, He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth He went and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned." From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." EVΑΓΓÉΛΙΟΝ Κατὰ Ματθαῖον 4:12-17 Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ Ιησοῦς ὅτι Ιωάννης παρεδόθη, ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν, καὶ καταλιπὼν τὴν Ναζαρὲτ ἐλθὼν κατῴκησεν εἰς Καπερναοὺμ τὴν παραθαλασσίαν ἐν ὁρίοις Ζαβουλὼν καὶ Νεφθαλείμ, ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ Ησαΐου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος γῆ Ζαβουλὼν καὶ γῆ Νεφθαλείμ, ὁδὸν θαλάσσης, πέραν τοῦ Ιορδάνου, Γαλιλαία τῶν ἐθνῶν, ὁ λαὸς ὁ καθήμενος ἐν σκότειεἶδε φῶς μέγα, καὶ τοῖς καθημένοις ἐν χώρᾳ καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτουφῶς ἀνέτειλεν αὐτοῖς. Απὸ τότε ἤρξατο ὁ Ιησοῦς κηρύσσειν καὶ λέγειν μετανοεῖτε ἤγγικε γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.
Blessing of the Homes at Theophany If you wish to have your homes and/or businesses blessed by Fr. Peter, please call the Parish Office to schedule a visitation. Before the Priest Comes to Bless the House Be prepared (this is a serious sacrament.) Make sure ALL the lights in the house have been turned on, as Epiphany is known as the Feast of Lights. Make sure all radios, stereos, TVs, etc. are turned off. Have a table where a bowl of water (2/3 to 3/4 full enough to sprinkle the home with some left over if you wish) with an icon, a lit candle, and a list of names, living and deceased, of those you wish to commemorate, may be placed. When the priest begins to sprinkle the rooms, lead him to the rooms that you wish blessed. This procession should include all who are able to walk. Children who are very young may need to be carried (nursing mothers are exempted if the feeding needs to take place immediately.) Afterwards, return to the place you started (where the table, icon, etc., are) for the closing prayer and blessing. GOYA Service Project: On January 21 st at 2:30 pm we will meet in the Cultural Center to assemble Health Kits for delivery to the IOCC, who will then further deliver those kits to families in need in Syria. These small assistance packages can make a big difference and the need is great. Below is a list of items needed. Individuals interested in helping should purchase those supplies and bring them to the St. Sophia Cultural Center where we will pack them up. Each package will consist of: *One Hand Towel *One wash cloth *One comb *One bar of soap (bath size) *One metal nail file or nail clipper *One tooth brush (NO TOOTHPASTE) *Six Band-Aids
January 8, 2017 Sunday after Epiphany Martyr George the Chozevite Domnica the Righteous of Constantinople Atticus and Cyrus, Holy Patriarchs of Constantinople St. Nicholas Shrine Vigil Candle: Thank you to the Richie Family for sponsoring today s vigil candle. 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 is placed next to the icon of St. Nicholas until the construction of St. Nicholas Shrine has been completed. The asking donation is $10. House Blessings: If you wish to have your homes and/or businesses blessed after the Feast of Theophany, please call the Parish office beginning January 9 th to schedule a visitation. PTO Meeting Today: There will be a PTO meeting today in the Flex Room after the Divine Liturgy. Greek School: Greek school resumes this week. As Mrs. Erietta Fotiadou will still be away this coming week, she arranged for Ms. Maria Mirtsopoulou to conduct her classes for the week of January 10 th. Erietta will be back the week of January 16 th. Senior Citizen Ministry: St. Sophia s Senior Parea will resume on Thursday, January 12 th, in the Cultural Center from 10am to 12 noon. 2017 Ecclesiastical Calendars: In an effort to save the Parish resources, 2017 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! Girl Scout Cookie Sale: It s that time of year again to help support local Girl Scouts of our parish by purchasing delicious Girl Scout cookies! Girl Scouts of our parish will be selling cookies in the Cultural Center following Divine Liturgy starting Sunday, Jan. 22 nd through Sunday, Ma. 12 th. If you have a daughter(s) that are Girl Scouts and would like to sign up for a cookie booth, please contact Pres. Katherine at pkstfamily@verizon.net or see her after church with your first & second choices. Thanksgiving/Christmas/Theophany Food Drive: Once again, thank you to all those who have donated food for the food drive. We are happy to announce that approximately 1000 lbs. of food was collected for the Christmas stage of our food drive and was delivered to the Daily Bread Community Food Pantry in Schwenksville. The food that we have collected will soon be delivered to another area food pantry.
SAVE THE DATE! January 22, 2017 Stewardship Appreciation Sunday In appreciation for the tremendous support of our stewards, the Parish Council would like to invite you to a complimentary breakfast on Sunday, January 22, 2017, immediately following Divine Liturgy. We hope that you can join us in fellowship. Mortgage Update January 8, 2017 The current balance as of 11/28/2016 is $1,239,095.77
Stewardship Update January 8, 2017 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. GIANT shoppers: We have enrolled in their Gift Card Program and the gift cards are on sale during coffee hour. If you are interested, please see Alexis Witt. 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. Representative Needed: The Federation of Hellenic-American Societies of Philadelphia and the Greater Delaware Valley is the umbrella organization of over 45 Hellenic-American associations, representing over thousands of individuals in the Greek community. St. Sophia is looking for someone to act as our representative at the Federation meetings and then report back to our Parish Council (either in writing or in person) regarding the activities of the Federation. The meetings take place every 2 months or so; they rotate their meetings at the different churches in the area. If you are interested in being St. Sophia s representative or if you would like more information, please speak to Fr. Peter. Xronia Polla! Happy New Year! As we usher in the new calendar year, now is a wonderful time for renewal and new beginnings. Many make resolutions such as losing weight, eating better, exercising more, etc. But have you considered what the year ahead should hold for your spiritual life? Now is a most appropriate time to consider our many personal blessings from God-- family, friends, a warm home, food on the table, etc. What about your life itself? Stewardship is our way of thanking God for the many blessings He has bestowed upon us. What are you personally doing to show your gratitude to Him for your own blessings? Are you giving back to Him and the Church of your Time, Treasure and Talents? Our parish needs all three from us! We are a very active parish. With so much going on, we really need all of our Stewards to contribute their time, talents and treasure, to help this community serve Christ and the Orthodox faithful in the region. Thank you to everyone who has supported our 2016 Stewardship Program. The 2017 campaign will be starting shortly so it is imperative that we are able to finalize our stewardship roles for this year. Thank you! If you have not yet paid up your 2016 Stewardship Pledge, please do so today! Please be sure to indicate 2016 on the memo line of your check to receive proper credit. 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. 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 e-mail information to elaine.stsophia@verizon.net. Thank you. Elaine Piligian 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 610-650-8960.