Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral New Orleans, Louisiana

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral New Orleans, Louisiana MARCH 22, 2015 ST. JOHN CLIMACUS Sunday, March 22 ~ 9:00 am Orthros, 10:00 am Divine Liturgy Sunday School following Holy Communion Youth Hymnology in Common Area First 12:00 pm ~ Greek Independence Day Program and PTA Luncheon in Gymnasium Monday, March 23 ~ 9:00 am Proforon Workshop 6:00 pm ~ Great Compline Service 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm ~ Adult Beginner Greek School in Room 210 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm ~ Adult Elementary Greek School in Room 210 Tuesday, March 24 ~ 9:30 am to 2:30 pm Greek Festival Pastry Workshop Wednesday, March 25 ~ Divine Liturgy ANNUCIATION OF THE THEOTOKOS 10:30 am to 2:30 pm ~ Greek Festival Pastry Workshop Thursday, March 26 ~ 6:30 pm Hellenic Dancers Practice in Gymnasium Friday, March 27 ~ 11:00 am Archives Committee Meeting in Boardroom 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm ~ HTC Youth Soccer 7:00 pm ~ Akathist Hymn 8:30 pm ~ Philoptochos Lenten Pot Luck Dinner in Coffee Room Saturday, March 28 ~ 8:00 am GET FIT HTC in the Gymnasium LAST SESSION Western Conference Oratorical Festival District Level in Gulf Shores, Alabama 10:00 am ~ Philoptochos Board Meeting in Boardroom 10:00 am to 11:00 am ~ Youth Beginner Greek School in Room 210 10:30 am ~ Philoptochos General Meeting in Coffee Room 11:00 am to 12:00 pm ~ Youth Elementary Greek School in Room 210 2:00 pm ~ Philoptochos Ozanam Inn Sunday, March 29 ~ 9:00 am Orthros, 10:00 am Divine Liturgy ST. MARY OF EGYPT Sunday School following Holy Communion Youth Hymnology in Common Area First MEMORIALS PARASKEVAS KANARES 3-YEARS and STYLIANE KANARES 16-YEARS 12:00 pm ~ Greek Festival Chairpersons Meeting in Coffee Room 12:00 pm ~ Kids' Café 12:00 pm ~ PTA Meeting in Upstairs Common Area 12:00 pm ~ Youth Pre-K/K Greek School and Dance Practice in Room 210 1:00 pm ~ Hellenic Dancers Practice in Gymnasium COFFEE HOUR SPONSOR The Spetsiotis Family is sponsoring the Coffee Hour during March in memory of Pagona Spetsiotis and Dimitrios Spetsiotis. The Cathedral family thanks them for their generosity. In Celebration of Greek Independence March 25, 1821 HTC PTA cordially invites you to the GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY PROGRAM TODAY Sunday, March 22, 2015 following Divine Liturgy Hellenic Cultural Center Lenten Appetizers and Lunch, Drink, and Dessert will be served. Tickets are available in the Coffee Room. Adults - $10.00 Children 12 and under - $6.00 2015 DENNIS A GEORGES LECTURE TOMORROW The 2015 Dennis A. Georges Lecture in Hellenic Culture is scheduled for TOMORROW, Monday, March 23, 2015, at 7:00 pm in Freeman Auditorium-Tulane University. Adriaan Lanni, Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, is speaking on Ancient Athens and Institutional Design: Community Justice and Transitional Justice in Comparative Perspective. A reception to follow in Woodward Way. This lecture is free and open to the public. GET FIT HTC UPDATE The last GET FIT HTC fitness session will be held Saturday, March 28, beginning at 8:00 am. YOUTH SOCCER SESSIONS The next spring session for HTC Youth Soccer is this Friday, March 27, from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Please note that church services will begin promptly at 7:00 pm and that the Philoptochos Lenten Pot Luck Dinner will follow. If anyone has questions about the soccer program, email Soccer Director Angeliki Frezoulis at frecco1@yahoo.com. SUNDAY, MARCH 15 CHURCH ATTENDANCE 175 ~ CANDLE AND TRAY COLLECTIONS $756

PHILOPTOCHOS PLEASE SUPPORT THE PHILOPTOCHOS FOOD DRIVE. Non-perishable food is needed for special families within the Holy Trinity community. Some suggestions include canned foods and soups, powdered drinks, boxed biscuit or muffin mix, boxed macaroni and cheese, sugar and flour, canned tuna or chicken, canned evaporated milk. There is a collection bin in the Coffee Room. Thank you for your support. ALL MEN OF THE COMMUNITY ARE INVITED TO JOIN THE PHILOPTOCHOS MEMBERSHIP ROLES. Thank you to all, who have renewed their Philoptochos membership for this year. If you are not currently a member, please consider joining. At this time Philoptochos takes the opportunity to remind everyone that MEN ARE IMPORTANT in the life of the Philoptochos chapter. For many years Philoptochos has enjoyed the support shown by gentlemen, who often take time away from their families to offer good works in the name of the ministry. All men of the community are invited to join the Philoptochos membership roles and to be an important part of the work done in the name of charity and philanthropy. Everyone has special talents, and the members welcome new ideas and suggestions. PHILOPTOCHOS MEMBERS ARE CALLED TO ATTEND TWO VERY IMPORTANT MEETINGS. A short special meeting today, March 22, after church in the boardroom to discuss and select an adult nominee and youth nominee for the Archangel Michael Award. A regular meeting on Saturday, March 28, at 10:30 am in the Coffee Room. Nick Chronis will present a special program titled "Planting a Church - An Orthodox Pathway to Peace." Also, nominations for 2015-17 board members will be made. Members are asked to bring items for the food drive. Please mark your calendar and make plans to attend. PHILOPTOCHOS LENTEN POT LUCK DINNER Philoptochos will sponsor a Lenten Pot Luck Dinner this Friday, March 27, at the conclusion of the last Salutations of the Theotokos Service. Everyone is cordially invited to participate and share in the fellowship by offering a Lenten dish of choice. Please consider bringing your favorite Lenten salad; vegetable; pasta, rice, vegetable, or shrimp entrée; fruit pie; havla; cake; fresh fruit; or a nut, raisin, and cranberry mix. Chairpersons Mary Kontos (504-835-3358) and Helen Malachias (504-304-4839) will appreciate hearing from you so they can better coordinate the evening meal. Hopefully, you will join the other parishioners at this spiritual gathering as we anticipate and prepare for Holy Week and Holy Pascha. GREEK FESTIVAL CHAIRPERSONS MEETING WITH NANCY MOORE All Greek Festival chairpersons are asked to meet on Sunday, March 29, in the Coffee Room after Divine Liturgy. Nancy Moore will be attending. This is an opportunity for chairpersons to discuss with Nancy their various booth requests to help expedite the upcoming event. Chairpersons are encouraged to invite their assistants. Please note that a light lunch will be served. Contact Stacy Rico at 504-282-0259 with questions.

PARENTS ~ SAVE THE DATE APRIL 11, 2015 ~ 9:00 am SHARP! SUNDAY SCHOOL HYMNOLOGY On Holy Saturday Morning, April 11, our students will chant the Hymn of the Three Youths. Children must be in church by 9:00 am. All children of the community are welcome to participate! Practice will take place every Sunday in Sunday School until that day. Also, the students are learning Christos Anesti - Christ is Risen. The response to the Hymnology Program has been wonderful. The students are willing and eager to learn, and they have improved a great deal. If you have questions about this program, feel free to email Viki Moustoukas at vmoustouka@aol.com. Thanks to Pat Latour, teachers, and parents for their support! SPECIAL NOTE: There will be a brief rehearsal in church immediately after Divine Liturgy on Lazarus Saturday, April 4, 2015. GREEK FESTIVAL PASTRY WORKSHOPS Weekly Greek Festival Pastry Workshops continue. Please come help on Tuesday, March 31, and Wednesday, April 1, from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm. Lunch is provided. PRE-GREEK FESTIVAL PASTRY SALE The Pastry Committee will sell several pastries to assist you with your paschal holiday preparations. Frozen tiropites, almond rolls, and galaktobourika will be available at $12 per dozen. Koulourakia ($6) and Easter tsourekia ($10) will also be available. You may place your order by calling Stacy Rico 504-282-0259 Monday through Wednesday or mail in your order. Order forms are available in the Narthex. Tsourekia will be ready Wednesday, April 8, at the conclusion of the afternoon Holy Unction Service. All other items will be ready Palm Sunday. The Committee looks forward to filling your order and thanks you in advance. HOLY WEEK-EASTER BOOKS A new shipment of Holy Week-Easter books arrived. They are published in the original Greek with a new modern English translation on the opposing pages. Each is $25 and may be purchased from the Cathedral office or in the Narthex from a Parish Council member. Message from Father George UNIQUELY RELATED IN CHRIST All of the men and women, who were raised in God s Glory to be identified as Saints of our Holy Church, have a very unique relationship with Christ, one another, and with us. Saints are the perfect role-models for the modern day Christian, but many of those we hold up as Saints were also influenced by the Saints who proceeded them and by their peers, men and women who lived a holy and pious life. Today, we commemorate Saint John Climacus (of the Ladder) for his treatise on the Spiritual Life presently known as the Ladder of Divine Ascent. When His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios consecrated our Cathedral, he placed the relics of Saint George, Saint Demetrios, and the Holy Martyrs of Raitho in our Altar table. The Holy Martyrs of Raitho were groups of monastic fathers killed on at least two occasions during the 4th century AD at the Biblical location called Elim (today called El Tur), where Moses arrived at the seventy date palms and twelve springs of water (Exodus 15:27). Later, in the 6th century monastic life flourished at Elim, and in the 7th century it was the abbot, John of Raitho, who asked Saint John Climacus, abbot of Saint Katherine monastery in the Sinai, to write a spiritual guide. That guide is the Ladder of Divine Ascent for which John Climacus is known today. So, the unique relationship is that Saint John Climacus was influenced by the abbot of the monastery whose forefathers were martyred whose relics are now blessing us here in the Cathedral. All these men lived for Christ and taught others how they could live a life in Christ. Through their prayers may we all enjoy a fruitful remainder of this Lenten season as we each struggle on our Spiritual Journey to Pascha and our growth in Christ! The Martyrdom of the Fathers of Raitho is commemorated in our Church on January 14. DONATIONS NEEDED FOR GREAT LENT SERVICES Please consider donating toward the purchase of items required for Great Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha, including flowers, incense, and charcoal. Contributions for these items are most welcomed. You may contact the Cathedral office at 504-282-0259 to make your donation. Mark Your Calendars ANNUAL PASCHA PICNIC APRIL 12 After Agape Vespers - Cathedral Grounds - Details Forthcoming

WEDNESDAY NIGHT LENTEN POT LUCK DINNERS The Presanctified Divine Liturgies are celebrated each Wednesday during Great Lent. Services begin at 6:00 pm and are followed by a Lenten Pot Luck gathering. Bring a Lenten dish to share with other parishioners and come for an evening of spiritual inspiration and communal fellowship. Holy Trinity Cathedral Greek Orthodox Community of New Orleans 1200 ROBERT E. LEE BOULEVARD NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA 70122 Reverend Father George Wilson, Dean priest@holytrinitycathedral.org PHONE: (504) 282-0259 FAX: (504) 283-5586

22α ΜΑΡΤΙΟΣ 2015 ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ Δ ΝΗΣΤΕΙΏΝ ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ ΤΗΣ ΚΛΙΜΑΚΟΣ 22 ND MARCH 2015 4 th SUNDAY OF LENT ST. JOHN CLIMACUS Ἑωθινόν Η Eothion 8 Ἀπολυτίκιον τῆς Ἀνάστασης Ἐξ ὕψους κατῆλθες ὁ εὔσπλαγχνος, ταφὴν καταδέξω τριήμερον, ἵνα ἡμᾶς ἐλευθερώσῃς τῶν παθῶν. Ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ἡ Ἀνάστασις ἡμῶν, Κύριε δόξα σοι. Ἀπολυτίκιον Ταίς τών δακρύων σου ροαίς, τής ερήμου τό άγονον εγεώργησας, καί τοίς εκ βάθους στεναγμοίς, εις εκατόν τούς πόνους εκαρποφόρησας, καί γέγονας φωστήρ, τή οικουμένη λάμπων τοίς θαύμασι, Ιωάννη Πατήρ ημών, Όσιε, Πρέσβευε Χριστώ τώ Θεώ, σωθήναι τάς ψυχάς ημών. Ἀπολυτίκιον τῆς Ἁγίας Τριάδας Εὐλογητὸς εἶ, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, ὁ πανσόφους τοὺς ἁλιεῖς ἀναδείξας, καταπέμψας αὐτοῖς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν τὴν οἰκουμένην σαγηνεύσας, φιλάνθρωπε, δόξα σοί. Κοντάκιον Τὴ ὑπερμάχω στρατηγῶ τὰ νικητήρια, ὡς λυτρωθεῖσα τῶν δεινῶν, εὐχαριστήρια, ἀναγράφω σοὶ ἡ Πόλις σου, Θεοτόκε, ἀλλ' ὦς ἔχουσα τὸ κράτος ἀπροσμάχητον, ἐκ παντοίων μὲ κινδύνων ἐλευθέρωσον ἵνα κράζω σοί, Χαῖρε, Νύμφη ἀνύμφευτε. Resurrection Apolytikion You descended from on high, O compassionate One, and condescended to be buried for three days, so that from the passions You might set us free. Our life and resurrection, O Lord, glory be to You. Apolytikion With the rivers of your tears, you have made the barren desert fertile. Through sighs of sorrow from deep within you, your labors have borne fruit a hundred-fold. By your miracles you have become a light, shining upon the world. O John, our Holy Father, pray to Christ our God, to save our souls. Apolytikion of the Holy Trinity Blessed are You, O Christ our God, who made fishermen all-wise, sending upon them the Holy Spirit and, through them, netting the world. O Loving One, glory to You. Kontakion To you, Theotokos, invincible Defender, having been delivered from peril, I, your city, dedicate the victory festival as a thank offering. In your irresistible might, keep me safe from all trials, that I may call out to you: "Rejoice, unwedded bride!"

ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΟΣ Ἑβραίους στ 13-20 Ἀδελφοί, τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ἐπαγγειλάμενος ὁ θεός, ἐπεὶ κατʼ οὐδενὸς εἶχεν μείζονος ὀμόσαι, ὤμοσεν καθʼ ἑαυτοῦ, λέγων, Ἦ μὴν εὐλογῶν εὐλογήσω σε, καὶ πληθύνων πληθυνῶ σε. Καὶ οὕτως μακροθυμήσας ἐπέτυχεν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας. Ἄνθρωποι μὲν γὰρ κατὰ τοῦ μείζονος ὀμνύουσιν, καὶ πάσης αὐτοῖς ἀντιλογίας πέρας εἰς βεβαίωσιν ὁ ὅρκος. Ἐν ᾧ περισσότερον βουλόμενος ὁ θεὸς ἐπιδεῖξαι τοῖς κληρονόμοις τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τὸ ἀμετάθετον τῆς βουλῆς αὐτοῦ, ἐμεσίτευσεν ὅρκῳ, ἵνα διὰ δύο πραγμάτων ἀμεταθέτων, ἐν οἷς ἀδύνατον ψεύσασθαι θεόν, ἰσχυρὰν παράκλησιν ἔχωμεν οἱ καταφυγόντες κρατῆσαι τῆς προκειμένης ἐλπίδος ἣν ὡς ἄγκυραν ἔχομεν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀσφαλῆ τε καὶ βεβαίαν, καὶ εἰσερχομένην εἰς τὸ ἐσώτερον τοῦ καταπετάσματος ὅπου πρόδρομος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν εἰσῆλθεν Ἰησοῦς, κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδὲκ ἀρχιερεὺς γενόμενος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. ΤΟ ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΟΝ Μᾶρκον θ 17-31 Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ἄνθρωπός τις προσῆλθε τῷ Ἰησοῦ λέγων, διδάσκαλε, ἤνεγκα τὸν υἱόν μου πρός σε, ἔχοντα πνεῦμα ἄλαλον. καὶ ὅπου ἂν αὐτὸν καταλάβῃ, ῥήσσει αὐτόν, καὶ ἀφρίζει καὶ τρίζει τοὺς ὀδόντας αὐτοῦ, καὶ ξηραίνεται καὶ εἶπον τοῖς μαθηταῖς σου ἵνα αὐτὸ ἐκβάλωσι, καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσαν. ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς αὐτῷ λέγει ὦ γενεὰ ἄπιστος, ἕως πότε πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἔσομαι; ἕως πότε ἀνέξομαι ὑμῶν; φέρετε αὐτὸν πρός με. καὶ ἤνεγκαν αὐτὸν πρὸς αὐτόν. καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν εὐθέως τὸ πνεῦμα ἐσπάραξεν αὐτόν, καὶ πεσὼν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐκυλίετο ἀφρίζων. καὶ ἐπηρώτησε τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ πόσος χρόνος ἐστὶν ὡς τοῦτο γέγονεν αὐτῷ; ὁ δὲ εἶπε παιδιόθεν. καὶ πολλάκις αὐτὸν καὶ εἰς πῦρ ἔβαλε καὶ εἰς ὕδατα, ἵνα ἀπολέσῃ αὐτόν ἀλλ εἴ τι δύνασαι, βοήθησον ἡμῖν σπλαγχνισθεὶς ἐφ ἡμᾶς. ὁ δὲ Ιησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ τὸ εἰ δύνασαι πιστεῦσαι, πάντα δυνατὰ τῷ πιστεύοντι. καὶ εὐθέως κράξας ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ παιδίου μετὰ δακρύων ἔλεγε πιστεύω, κύριε βοήθει μου τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ. ἰδὼν δὲ ὁ Ιησοῦς ὅτι ἐπισυντρέχει ὄχλος, ἐπετίμησε τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἀκαθάρτῳ λέγων αὐτῷ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἄλαλον καὶ κωφόν, ἐγώ σοι ἐπιτάσσω, ἔξελθε ἐξ αὐτοῦ καὶ μηκέτι εἰσέλθῃς εἰς αὐτόν. καὶ κράξαν καὶ πολλὰ σπαράξαν αὐτὸν ἐξῆλθε, καὶ ἐγένετο ὡσεὶ νεκρός, ὥστε πολλοὺς λέγειν ὅτι ἀπέθανεν. ὁ δὲ Ιησοῦς κρατήσας αὐτὸν τῆς χειρὸς ἤγειρεν αὐτόν, καὶ ἀνέστη. Καὶ εἰσελθόντα αὐτὸν εἰς οἶκον οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπηρώτων αὐτὸν κατ ἰδίαν, ὅτι ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἠδυνήθημεν ἐκβαλεῖν αὐτό. καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς τοῦτο τὸ γένος ἐν οὐδενὶ δύναται ἐξελθεῖν εἰ μὴ ἐν προσευχῇ καὶ νηστείᾳ. Καὶ ἐκεῖθεν ἐξελθόντες παρεπορεύοντο διὰ τῆς Γαλιλαίας, καὶ οὐκ ἤθελεν ἵνα τις γνῷ ἐδίδασκε γὰρ τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς ὅτι ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παραδίδοται εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ἀποκτενοῦσιν αὐτόν, καὶ ἀποκτανθεὶς τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἀναστήσεται. THE EPISTLE St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 6:13-20 BRETHREN, when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore to himself, saying, "Surely I will bless you and multiply you." And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise. Men indeed swear by a greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he interposed with an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God should prove false, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. THE GOSPEL Mark 9:17-31 At that time, a man came to Jesus kneeling and saying: "Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit; and wherever it seizes him it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able." And, he answered them, "O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me." And, they brought the boy to him; and when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And, Jesus asked his father, "How long has he had this?" And, he said, "From childhood. And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us." And, Jesus said to him, "If you can! All things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" And, when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again." And, after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse; so that most of them said, "He is dead." But, Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And, when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" And, he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting." They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And, he would not have any one know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise."