Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral

Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral Sunday, December 4, 2016

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! December 4, 2016 10th Sunday of St. Luke Memorials Georgia Stratis-1 year Trisagion Paul Kiritsy-6 months Helen Kiritsy-43 years Coffee Hour Coffee hour is sponsored in loving memory of Georgia Stratis, and Yolanda Lee Lekas by their families Memorial for Yolanda Lee Lekas was last week. IOCC SUNDAY Today Please see flier for more information SUNDAY SERVICES Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:45am WEEKDAY SERVICES Tuesday, December 6th St. Nicholas Orthros 8:45am Divine Liturgy 9:30am Altar Flowers Altar flowers are sponsored in loving memory of Georgia Stratis, Yolanda Lee Lekas, Paul Kiritsy and Helen Kiritsy by their families. Name Day flowers are sponsored for the month of December by Barbara Douka- Efstathiou in honor of her Name Day Saints of the Day Barbara the Great Martyr John the Righteous of Damascus New Hieromartyr Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar in Greece Βαρβάρα Μεγαλομάρτυς Ἰωάννης ὁ Δαμασκηνός Σεραφεὶμ Νεομάρτυς Happy Name Day Andrew, Adrianna, Andreas, Andromahi, Barbara 40 Day Blessing Kostas and Evangelia Fetfatsidis for their son Apostolos

Entrance Hymns Apolytikion Thou didst abolish death by Thy Cross; Thou didst open Paradise to the thief; Thou didst transform the myrrh-bearers' lamentation, and didst bid Thine Apostles to preach that Thou art risen, O Christ God, granting great mercy to the world. Κατέλυσας τῷ Σταυρῷ σου τὸν θάνατον, ἠνέῳξας τῷ Λῃστῇ τὸν Παράδεισον, τῶν Μυροφόρων τὸν θρῆνον μετέβαλες, καὶ τοῖς σοῖς Ἀποστόλοις κηρύττειν ἐπέταξας, ὅτι ἀνέστης Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, παρέχων τῷ κόσμῳ τὸ μέγα ἔλεος. Let us honor the holy Barbara for, with the aid of the Cross as her weapon, she crushed the snares of the enemy, and was rescued from them like a bird. Βαρβάραν τὴν Ἁγίαν τιμήσωμεν, ἐχθροῦ γὰρ τὰς παγίδας συνέτριψε, καὶ ὡς στρουθίον ἐρρύσθη ἐξ αὐτῶν, βοηθεία καὶ ὅπλω τοῦ Σταυροῦ ἡ Πάνσεμνος. For The Memorials Keep Thy servants in remembrance, O Lord, since Thou art good; and do Thou forgive every sin in this life; for no man is without sin, except for Thee Who art able to grant rest even unto him who has departed hence. Saint Spyridon Father, God-bearer, Spyridon, you were proven a champion and Wonder Worker of the First Ecumenical Council. You spoke to the girl in the grave and turned the serpent to gold. And, when chanting your prayers, most sacred One, angels ministered with you. Glory to Him who glorified you; glory to Him who crowned you; glory to Him who, through you, works healing for all. Kontakion On this day the Virgin cometh to the cave to give birth to * God the Word ineffably, * Who was before all the ages. * Dance for joy, O earth, on hearing * the gladsome tidings; * with the Angels and the shepherds now glorify Him * Who is willing to be gazed on * as a young Child Who * before the ages is God. Απολυτίκιον του Αγίου Σπυρίδωνος Της Συνόδου της πρώτης ανεδείχθης υπέρμαχος, και θαυματουργός Θεοφόρε, Σπυρίδων Πατήρ ημών, διο νεκρά συ εν τάφω προσφωνείς, και όφιν εις χρυσούν μετέβαλες, και εν τω μέλπειν τας αγίας σου ευχάς, Αγγέλους εσκες συλλειτουργούντας σοι Ιερώτατε, Δοξα τω σε δοξάσαντι, δόξα τω σε στεφανώσαντι, δόξα τω ενεργούντι διά σου πάσιν ιάματα. Κοντακιον Ἡ Παρθένος σήμερον, τὸν Προαιώνιον Λόγον, ἐν Σπηλαίῳ ἔρχεται, ἀποτεκεῖν ἀπορρήτως. Χόρευε ἡ οἰκουμένη ἀκουτισθεῖσα, δόξασον μετὰ Ἀγγέλων καὶ τῶν Ποιμένων, βουληθέντα ἐποφθῆναι, παιδίον νέον, τὸν πρὸ αἰώνων Θεόν.

Ο ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΟΣ Πρὸς Γαλάτας 3:23-29, 4:1-5 Θαυμαστὸς ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τοῖς Ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ. Στίχ. Ἐν Ἐκκλησίαις εὐλογεῖτε τὸν Θεὸν. ΤΗΕ EPISTLE St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 3:23-29; 4:1-5 God is wonderful among his saints. Verse: Bless God in the congregations. Ἀδελφοί, πρὸ τοῦ δὲ ἐλθεῖν τὴν πίστιν, ὑπὸ νόμον ἐφρουρούμεθα, συγκεκλεισμένοι εἰς τὴν μέλλουσαν πίστιν ἀποκαλυφθῆναι. Ὥστε ὁ νόμος παιδαγωγὸς ἡμῶν γέγονεν εἰς Χριστόν, ἵνα ἐκ πίστεως δικαιωθῶμεν. Ἐλθούσης δὲ τῆς πίστεως, οὐκέτι ὑπὸ παιδαγωγόν ἐσμεν. Πάντες γὰρ υἱοὶ θεοῦ ἐστε διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. Ὅσοι γὰρ εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε, Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσασθε. Οὐκ ἔνι Ἰουδαῖος οὐδὲ Ἕλλην, οὐκ ἔνι δοῦλος οὐδὲ ἐλεύθερος, οὐκ ἔνι ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ πάντες γὰρ ὑμεῖς εἷς ἐστε ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. Εἰ δὲ ὑμεῖς Χριστοῦ, ἄρα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ σπέρμα ἐστέ, καὶ κατʼ ἐπαγγελίαν κληρονόμοι. Λέγω δέ, ἐφʼ ὅσον χρόνον ὁ κληρονόμος νήπιός ἐστιν, οὐδὲν διαφέρει δούλου, κύριος πάντων ὤν ἀλλὰ ὑπὸ ἐπιτρόπους ἐστὶν καὶ οἰκονόμους, ἄχρι τῆς προθεσμίας τοῦ πατρός. Οὕτως καὶ ἡμεῖς, ὅτε ἦμεν νήπιοι, ὑπὸ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου ἦμεν δεδουλωμένοι ὅτε δὲ ἦλθεν τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου, ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, γενόμενον ἐκ γυναικός, γενόμενον ὑπὸ νόμον, ἵνα τοὺς ὑπὸ νόμον ἐξαγοράσῃ, ἵνα τὴν υἱοθεσίαν ἀπολάβωμεν. BRETHREN, before faith came, we were confined under the law, kept under restraint until faith should be revealed. So that the law was our custodian until Christ came, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a custodian; for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no better than a slave, though he is the owner of all the estate; but he is under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father. So with us; when we were children, we were slaves to the elemental spirits of the universe. But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

ΤΟ ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΟΝ Κατὰ Λουκᾶν 13:10-17 Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, Ην δὲ διδάσκων ἐν μιᾷ τῶν συναγωγῶν ἐν τοῖς σάββασι. καὶ ἰδοὺ γυνὴ ἦν πνεῦμα ἔχουσα ἀσθενείας ἔτη δέκα καὶ ὀκτώ, καὶ ἦν συγκύπτουσα καὶ μὴ δυναμένη ἀνακῦψαι εἰς τὸ παντελές. ἰδὼν δὲ αὐτὴν ὁ Ιησοῦς προσεφώνησε καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ γύναι, ἀπολέλυσαι τῆς ἀσθενείας σου καὶ ἐπέθηκεν αὐτῇ τὰς χεῖρας καὶ παραχρῆμα ἀνωρθώθη καὶ ἐδόξαζε τὸν Θεόν. ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ ἀρχισυνάγωγος, ἀγανακτῶν ὅτι τῷ σαββάτῳ ἐθεράπευσεν ὁ Ιησοῦς, ἔλεγε τῷ ὄχλῳ ἓξ ἡμέραι εἰσὶν ἐν αἷς δεῖ ἐργάζεσθαι ἐν ταύταις οὖν ἐρχόμενοι θεραπεύεσθε, καὶ μὴ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ σαββάτου. ἀπεκρίθη οὖν αὐτῷ ὁ Κύριος καὶ εἶπεν ὑποκριτά, ἕκαστος ὑμῶν τῷ σαββάτῳ οὐ λύει τὸν βοῦν αὐτοῦ ἢ τὸν ὄνον ἀπὸ τῆς φάτνης καὶ ἀπαγαγὼν ποτίζει; ταύτην δέ, θυγατέρα Αβραὰμ οὖσαν, ἣν ἔδησεν ὁ σατανᾶς ἰδοὺ δέκα καὶ ὀκτὼ ἔτη, οὐκ ἔδει λυθῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ δεσμοῦ τούτου τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ σαββάτου; καὶ ταῦτα λέγοντος αὐτοῦ κατῃσχύνοντο πάντες οἱ ἀντικείμενοι αὐτῷ, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ὄχλος ἔχαιρεν ἐπὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἐνδόξοις τοῖς γινομένοις ὑπ αὐτοῦ. THE HOLY GOSPEL 10th Sunday of Luke The Gospel according to Luke 13:10-17 At that time, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your infirmity." And he laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, said to the people, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the sabbath day." Then the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?" As he said this, all his adversaries were put to shame; and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him. Fasting / Νηστεία The Christmas Fast has begun. Please abstain from meat and dairy until December 24th. Fish and oil are allowed.

GOYA GOYA will meet in the Cotsidas Cultural Center on Tuesday, December 6, 2016 at 6:30pm. PHILOPTOCHOS The Philoptochos Society will be hosting a Christmas party on Tuesday, December 6th, 2016 at El Basha restaurant on 256 Park Ave. Worcester, MA. Please see flier in this bulletin. PARISH COUNCIL Elections The Parish Council Elections for the 2017-2019 term will be held on Sunday, December 11, 2016 in the Tonna room. This year 5 Parish Council members are to be elected for a term of 3 years. NOTICE We as a parish help fellow Greeks and parishioners in various capacities. It will be greatly appreciated if you can find it in your heart to help with housing or a job for a young man in our parish that is seeking assistance. Please call Andreas at 774-265-7696. Thank you. DAUGHTERS OF PENELOPE The Daughters of Penelope will be having their Christmas Party on Monday, December 12, 2016 at 5:30pm at Park Grill & Spirits 257 Park Ave, Worcester. Please see flier in this bulletin Things all Church Members Should Think About Don t let your worries get the best of you; remember, Moses started out as a basket case. Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited until you try to sit in their pews. HOLY TRINITY It's not too late to support Holy Trinity through the United Way. The deadline to submit 2017 Pledges is December 30th. You can donate online at unitedwaycm.org; click "Donate", and in the comments/questions window, write "designate to Holy Trinity Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Worcester, MA". Or, you can call Doreen Thornburg @ United Way, (508)757-5631, ext. 210. Also, check to see if your employer has a Little Angels 2016-2017 Tuesday afternoons 2:30 to 4:00 December 6th & 20th, January 3rd & 17th, February 7th & 21st, March, 7th & 21st, April 4th & 18th, May 2nd & 16th, June 6th SUNDAY SCHOOL The Sunday School Christmas Pageant has been rescheduled to Sunday, December 18, 2016 immediately following Divine Liturgy. 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..

BIBLE STUDY The Transfiguration of Christ Wednesday, December 7, 2016 7:00pm in the Tonna Room Come and learn about what exactly happened during Christ s transfiguration, what it meant for the disciples, and what it means for us today.

TODAY DECEMBER 4, 2016

There is a slight change regarding the Philoptochos Vasilopita Fundraiser. Dough prep will be on Tuesday, December 13th @4:30pm and baking will be on Wednesday, December 14th @ 7:00am due to a scheduling conflict. Orders may be picked up between 2:30pm to 4:45pm that day or on Sunday, December 18th, 2016.

The Daughters of Penelope once again will be decorating St. Spyridon Cathedral for the Christmas Holiday Season with Poinsettia Plants. Fr. Dimitri will commemorate the names of all who have donated, during the Christmas Liturgy. Plants may be purchased after church, in the church hall, from the Daughters of Penelope from November 20, 2016 through December 4, 2016 After the holidays, you may pick up the plant(s) you have purchased. The Daughters of Penelope supports many charities (including St. Spyridon Cathedral). We look forward to your support and wish everyone a Joyous Holiday Season.

JANUARY 8, 2017 00pm

STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2016 On Sunday, December 11th, we will be celebrating Stewardship Sunday. Please be sure to be present for the Liturgy, as a wonderful sermon will be preached and stewardship packets will be distributed, which will include the 2017 Church Calendar.

2016 Stewardship Report * GOAL Week 2016 Total 603 pledges received Stewardship Budget 48 $273,226.00 $447 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.