Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church

Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church Sunday, April 2, 2017 Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt Why Is St. Mary of Egypt Remembered During Lent? By John Sanidopoulos Christians can learn to purify their hearts and become vessels of the Holy Spirit by grace. Each of the Sundays of Great Lent has its own special theme in the Orthodox Church. The First Sunday of Great Lent we celebrate the "Triumph of Orthodoxy" since it was on this day in 843 A.D. that the final great heresy against the person of Christ, that of Iconoclasm, was eradicated and the Orthodox Faith became the standard by which mankind could achieve salvation and union with God. The Second Sunday of Great Lent is dedicated to St. Gregory Palamas and serves as another triumph of the Orthodox Faith, this time against the heresy of Barlaam the Calabrian who taught that mankind cannot partake of glorification in this life. St. Gregory Palamas defended the true Orthodox Faith at this time and taught the biblical and patristic method of glorification that through prayer, virtue and ascetical living man can indeed participate in God's glory in both this life as well as the next. The Third Sunday of Great Lent falls in the middle of Great Lent and on this day we hold up the Cross of Christ for veneration to remind believers to continue to fight the good fight against the passions through vigilance, prayer and fasting, remembering the words of the Savior: "He who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me" (Mt. 10:38). Having established ourselves in the Orthodox Faith the first two Sundays of Great Lent and having begun our path along the narrow road of salvation on the third Sunday of Great Lent, we now come to the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent which is dedicated to St. John of the Ladder. St. John wrote a spiritual text titled Ladder of Divine Ascent which is read daily in Orthodox monasteries during the entire lenten period because of its high esteem through the centuries as the surest and most inspiring guide through which Orthodox The Fifth Sunday of Great Lent marks the final Sunday before Holy Week begins and this day is set aside for St. Mary of Egypt. St. Mary of Egypt is commemorated during Great Lent for a few reasons: First, she is the example par excellence of Christian repentance, who turned away from a life of harlotry to live a repentant life of extreme asceticism and prayer for the love of Christ in the desert beyond the Jordan River. Great Lent itself is a season of repentance and during the final leg of the weary fast she is held up as an example to persevere. Second, the life of St. Mary reveals that she was discovered by St. Zosimas the priest during his isolation period which fell during the period of Great Lent. Because so much of her story takes place during Great Lent, and we are also told she received her last communion on Holy Thursday and died the same day, that the Church found it fitting to hold a special commemoration for the greatest of repentant sinners. Lastly, we are told that from the day St. Mary entered the Jordanian desert up until she was discovered by St. Zosimas, 47 years had passed. The number "47" is significant for the lenten season since all Christians are encouraged to emulate the life of St. Mary during this time through extra efforts in our prayers and fasting which last 40 days for the Great Lenten period and another 7 days during Holy Week. It's as if the Holy Fathers are asking us: "If St. Mary of Egypt could live such a lifestyle for 47 years, can't we all at least try to do so for a mere 47 days?" The Synaxarion for this day seems to say the same thing: "The memory of this Saint is celebrated on April 1, where her life is recorded. Since the end of the holy Forty Days is drawing nigh, it has been appointed for this day also, so that if we think it hard to practice a little abstinence forty days, we might be roused by the heroism of her who fasted in the wilderness forty-seven years; and also that the great loving-kindness of God, and His readiness to receive the repentant, might be demonstrated in very deed." 7560 South Archer Road, Justice, Illinois 60458 (708) 594-2040, fax (708) 594-8362 Web: www.holycrossil.org; Email: office@holycrossil.org Rev. Fr. Demetrios Kounavis Parish Priest

ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΗΜΕΡΑΣ EPISTLE READING FOR THE DAY ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΟΝ ΤΗΣ ΗΜΕΡΑΣ GOSPEL READING FOR THE DAY Ἀδελφοί, Χριστὸς δὲ παραγενόμενος ἀρχιερεὺς τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν, διὰ τῆς μείζονος καὶ τελειοτέρας σκηνῆς, οὐ χειροποιήτου, τοῦτʼ ἔστιν, οὐ ταύτης τῆς κτίσεως, οὐδὲ διʼ αἵματος τράγων καὶ μόσχων, διὰ δὲ τοῦ ἰδίου αἵματος εἰσῆλθεν ἐφάπαξ εἰς τὰ ἅγια, αἰωνίαν λύτρωσιν εὑράμενος. Εἰ γὰρ τὸ αἷμα ταύρων καὶ τράγων, καὶ σποδὸς δαμάλεως ῥαντίζουσα τοὺς κεκοινωμένους, ἁγιάζει πρὸς τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς καθαρότητα, πόσῳ μᾶλλον τὸ αἷμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὃς διὰ πνεύματος αἰωνίου ἑαυτὸν προσήνεγκεν ἄμωμον τῷ θεῷ, καθαριεῖ τὴν συνείδησιν ὑμῶν ἀπὸ νεκρῶν ἔργων, εἰς τὸ λατρεύειν θεῷ ζῶντι; BRETHREN, when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, παραλαβάνει ὁ Ἰησοῦς τοὺς δώδεκα μαθητάς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἤρξατο αὐτοῖς λέγειν τὰ μέλλοντα αὐτῷ συμβαίνειν, ὅτι ἰδοὺ ἀναβαίνομεν εἰς Ιεροσόλυμα καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παραδοθήσεται τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσι καὶ γραμματεῦσι, καὶ κατακρινοῦσιν αὐτὸν θανάτῳ καὶ παραδώσουσιν αὐτὸν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ ἐμπαίξουσιν αὐτῷ καὶ μαστιγώσουσιν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐμπτύσουσιν αὐτῷ καὶ ἀποκτενοῦσιν αὐτόν, καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἀναστήσεται. Καὶ προσπορεύονται αὐτῷ Ιάκωβος καὶ Ιωάννης υἱοὶ Ζεβεδαίου λέγοντες διδάσκαλε, θέλομεν ἵνα ὃ ἐὰν αἰτήσωμεν ποιήσῃς ἡμῖν. ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς τί θέλετε ποιῆσαί με ὑμῖν; οἱ δὲ εἶπον αὐτῷ δὸς ἡμῖν ἵνα εἷς ἐκ δεξιῶν σου καὶ εἷς ἐξ εὐωνύμων σου καθίσωμεν ἐν τῇ δόξῃ σου. ὁ δὲ Ιησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς οὐκ οἴδατε τί αἰτεῖσθε. δύνασθε πιεῖν τὸ ποτήριον ὃ ἐγὼ πίνω, καὶ τὸ βάπτισμα ὃ ἐγὼ βαπτίζομαι βαπτισθῆναι; οἱ δὲ εἶπον αὐτῷ δυνάμεθα. ὁ δὲ Ιησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς τὸ μὲν ποτήριον ὃ ἐγὼ πίνω πίεσθε, καὶ τὸ βάπτισμα ὃ ἐγὼ βαπτίζομαι βαπτισθήσεσθε τὸ δὲ καθίσαι ἐκ δεξιῶν μου καὶ ἐξ εὐωνύμων οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμὸν δοῦναι, ἀλλ οἷς ἡτοίμασται. Καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ δέκα ἤρξαντο ἀγανακτεῖν περὶ Ιακώβου καὶ Ιωάννου. ὁ δὲ Ιησοῦς προσκαλεσάμενος αὐτοὺς λέγει αὐτοῖς οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ δοκοῦντες ἄρχειν τῶν ἐθνῶν κατακυριεύουσιν αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ μεγάλοι αὐτῶν κατεξουσιάζουσιν αὐτῶν οὐχ οὕτω δὲ ἔσται ἐν ὑμῖν, ἀλλ ὃς ἐὰν θέλῃ γενέσθαι μέγας ἐν ὑμῖν, ἔσται ὑμῶν διάκονος, καὶ ὃς ἐὰν θέλῃ ὑμῶν γενέσθαι πρῶτος, ἔσται πάντων δοῦλος καὶ γὰρ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἦλθε διακονηθῆναι, ἀλλὰ διακονῆσαι, καὶ δοῦναι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ λύτρον ἀντὶ πολλῶν. At that time, Jesus taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles; and they will mock him, and spit upon him, and scourge him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise." And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him, and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." And he said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?" And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" And they said to him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant of James and John. And Jesus called them to him and said to them, "You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Το δάκρυ του Ιησού - Σάββατο του Λαζάρου Σήμερα η αγία μας Εκκλησία εορτάζει το θαύμα της έγερσης του Λαζάρου, όπως μας το περιγράφει ο ευαγγελιστής Ιωάννης. Βλέπουμε με τον Χριστό να αποκαλύπτει με θαυμαστό τρόπο την παντοδυναμία Του: αντιστρέφει την πορεία του θανάτου, αναδομεί την σάρκα του τετραήμερου Λάζαρου και τέλος ανασταίνει εκ νεκρών τον φίλο Του. Αξίζει ωστόσο να σταθούμε σε μια λεπτομέρεια της διήγησης του Ευαγγελίου: όταν ο Ιησούς οδηγήθηκε στον τάφο του φίλου Του και άκουσε α- πό την Μάρθα να Του λέει «Κύριε, ήδη όζει» και ατένισε τον λίθο που έφραζε την θύρα του μνήματος, τότε εδάκρυσε και οι παρευρισκόμενοι σχολίασαν «ίδε πώς εφίλει αυτόν». Τούτο το δάκρυ του Ιησού δεν είναι τόσο απλό όσο φαίνεται, γιατί ο Χριστός δεν ήταν απλά ένας φίλος του Λάζαρου και δεν πήγε απλά να δει τον τόπο που τον έθαψαν, αλλά είναι ο σαρκωθείς Λόγος του Θεού που πήγε στην Βηθανία με σκοπό να αναστήσει τον Λάζαρο, όπως φαίνεται ξεκάθαρα μέσα από την διήγηση του ευαγγελιστή Ιωάννη. Με δεδομένα λοιπόν ετούτα τα στοιχεία, ο Ιησούς δακρύζει. Είναι η μοναδική φορά που στην ζωή Του δάκρυσε. Και το δάκρυ αυτό είναι θεανθρώπινο, αφού ο Ιησούς Χριστός είναι τέλειος Θεός και τέλειος άνθρωπος. Δακρύζει λοιπόν ως άνθρωπος, γιατί πραγματικά αγαπά πολύ τον φίλο Του, γιατί νιώθει θλίψη για τον χωρισμό. Δακρύζει και ως Θεός, γιατί βλέπει τον θάνατο να κυριεύει τα πλάσματά Του, την δημιουργία Του να φθείρεται, την θλίψη να ταλαιπωρεί τους ανθρώπους, την α- πελπισία να τους καταβάλλει. Δακρύζει γιατί βρίσκεται μπροστά σε μια πραγματικότητα που ο ίδιος δεν έκαμε, γιατί βλέπει την έσχατη μοίρα του ανθρώπου που είναι δέσμιος της αμαρτίας, της φθοράς και του θανάτου. Έξω από το μνήμα του Λάζαρου βρίσκεται ο Θεός. Μέσα στο μνήμα είναι ο θάνατος, η φθορά, η σαπίλα. Έρχεται δηλαδή τρόπον τινά ο Θεός πρόσωπο με πρόσωπο με τον προαιώνιο εχθρό Του. Είναι η ώρα της πρώτης μεγάλης αναμέτρησης ανάμεσα στην Ζωή και τον θάνατο. Γιατί μέχρι τώρα η καταδίκη του θανάτου συνόδευε όλους τους ανθρώπους. Ο λίθος μετακινείται. Μα πριν προλάβει η οσμή του θανάτου να σκορπίσει στον αέρα, ο Ιησούς φωνάζει: «Λάζαρε, δεύρο έξω!». Το θαύμα έχει γίνει. Η Ζωή έχει καταγράψει την πρώτη της νίκη. Σύντομα, με την πορεία του Χριστού στον Άδη και την Ανάστασή Του, θα επιτευχθεί ο οριστικός θρίαμβος και θα καταλυθεί το κράτος του θανάτου. Από τούτη τη στιγμή ανατέλλει η ελπίδα και της δικής μας ανάστασης, που σε λίγες ημέρες θα γίνει βεβαιότητα, πίστη, γεγονός. Αρκεί να έχουμε την ταπείνωση να ακολουθήσουμε τον Ιησού στην δύσκολη ανάβαση στο Γολγοθά. Μετά, σίγουρα θ ανατείλει το φως της Αναστάσεως! π.χερουβείμ Βελέντζα Η πίστη στον Θεό αλλάζει τα πάντα. Μην σταματάς ΠΟΤΕ να έχεις πίστη. Ο Θεός είναι η ηρεμία μας, η ασφάλειά μας, η αγάπη μας.

21 Interesting Facts About St. Mary of Egypt By John Sanidopoulos 1. Her life was recorded by St. Sophronios of Jerusalem, who served as Patriarch of Jerusalem from 634 to 638. He says St. Mary lived within his lifetime and he heard the tale from a fellow monk of St. Zosimas himself. 2. One third of the Life is of Mary's firstperson account to Zosimas of her sinful youth, conversion, and flight into the desert. 3. Mary left home at 12-years-old, was a "prostitute" in Alexandria for 17 years, and at the age of 29 converted and left for the desert. During the entire time she was a "prostitute", she never actually received payment for her sexual favors, but survived by begging and by "spinning coarse flax fibers". Her "prostitution" was merely to gratify her sexual appetite. 4. Mary must have been baptized as a child, since there is no record of her having been baptized after her conversion. And in her story to Zosimas, she says: "I am protected by Holy Baptism." Furthermore, we can assume she had some sort of Christian education in her youth, since her first prayer of repentance was addressed to the Virgin Mary. 5. Mary's conversion occurred on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which was on September 14th. We know that in 614 the Persians stole fragments of the Cross from Jerusalem, and it wasn't returned until after the Persian Campaign by Emperor Heraclius himself in 629. 6. The Icon of the Virgin Mary before which Mary of Egypt prayed in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was displayed on a raised place in the courtyard before the Church of Constantine; it is mentioned, for example, by the Piacenza Pilgrim (ca. 570) and by Epiphanios the Monk (8th century). Epiphanios states explicitly that he saw on the left side of Saint Constantine... the icon of the Most-holy Theotokos, who forbade Saint Mary to enter the church on the day of the Exaltation. St. John the Damascene references this icon which St. Mary of Egypt prayed before in his defense of holy icons. 7. Before going into the desert Mary received Holy Communion in the Church of St. John the Baptist near the Jordan River. The church, built by the emperor Anastasios I (491 518), was located approximately 8 km north of the Dead Sea (and about 30 km from Jerusalem), at the traditional site of Christ s baptism by John the Baptist. 8. St. Euthymios the Great in the early 5th century was the first to introduce the practice of monks going into the innermost desert of Palestine alone for 40 days. However, he established for it to be done on January 14th following the feast of Epiphany, in imitation of Christ who spent 40 days in the desert following His baptism. Through prayer and fasting they thus prepared themselves for Easter. A few decades later St. Savvas the Sanctified moved the date of the retreat to after the celebration of the feasts of Sts. Anthony and Euthymios (17 and 20 January). Soon after it was placed to the first week of Great Lent. 9. Mary lived 47 years in the desert, and never encountered a human being all those years. Thus when she encountered Zosimas, she was 76-years-old. Zosimas was 53-years-old when he encountered Mary in the desert, having lived in a monastery since infancy. Mary died when she was approximately 78-years-old. Zosimas died when he was nearly 100-years-old. 10. Mary encountered great temptation in the desert for 17 years, which is the same number of years she lived a licentious lifestyle in Alexandria. 11. Since Mary was illiterate, the writing on the sand where her dead body lay must be looked upon as miraculous. 12. Mary died on April 1st, which was a Holy Thursday. This means that Easter that year was April 4th. If one consults a perpetual calendar that is keyed to the Julian Calendar (the one in use at the time), one finds that there are 24 years in the relevant centuries on which April 1 occurs on a Thursday. Of these, the years on which Easter would fall on April 4 according to the Julian Calendar are: 443, 454, 527, 538, and 549. We must incur from all the evidence of dates and ages mentioned above, that only the last two or three years are candidates for the date of the death of Mary of Egypt. 13. The earliest manuscript of the Life of Mary of Egypt dates to the ninth century. 14. Paul the Deacon translated the Life of Mary of Egypt to Latin in the 8th century. 15. In the National Library of Athens alone, 27 manuscripts of the Life of Mary of Egypt are preserved. 37 manuscripts are in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris and numerous others in the libraries of Athos, Mt. Sinai, the Vatican, Oxford and Cambridge. The great number indicates the popularity of the text in both the East and West. 16. While the Orthodox Church celebrates Mary of Egypt's feast on the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent and on April 1st, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates her feast on either April 2, 3, 9, or 10, depending on the local tradition and which calendar they follow. The Coptic Church celebrates her on April 1st. 17. There is a chapel dedicated to Mary of Egypt at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, commemorating the moment of her conversion. 18. The Temple of Portunus in Rome was preserved by being rededicated to Saint Mary of Egypt in 872. 19. The Catholic Encyclopedia says that "relics of the saint are venerated at Rome, Naples, Cremona, Antwerp, and some other places." 20. In Goethe's Faust Mary of Egypt is one of the three penitent saints who pray to the Virgin Mary for forgiveness for Faust. Her words are set by Mahler in his 8th Symphony as the final saint's appeal to the Mater Gloriosa. 21. Scholars who only view such texts as the Life of Mary of Egypt as literature often try to prove that the life of Mary of Egypt was based on previous accounts of a certain woman named Mary who lived in the Judean desert, as described by St. Cyril of Skythopolis and St. John Moschos. But St. Sophronios both in the beginning and at the end of his text goes to great length to dissuade people from such thinking, assuring his readers that what he wrote had never been recorded before and that he had heard the tale from a monk of the monastery in which Zosimas lived and circulated the tale. He also assured the reader that he would never make up such a holy tale, which he believed would incur judgment upon him. To say that he borrowed from other accounts, therefore, is highly improbable.

Today s coffee fellowship is hosted by the Kefalinos family in memory of their loved ones. Everyone is invited to our community hall to enjoy fellowship. May their memory be eternal! April 7-9: Philoptochos Bake Sale April 8: Lenten Children s Retreat April 21: Bright Friday Feast April 28-29: Women s Overnight Retreat May 6: Spring Food Fest May 7: Women s Outing June 23-25: GREEK FEST 2017 Έχουν ξεκινήσει προετοιμασίες για Προσκυνηματικό Ταξίδι στα Ιεροσόλυμα και στο Σινά μαζί με την ενορία του Αγ. Νικολάου και τον π. Χριστόδουλο. Θα αναχωρήσουμε Οκτωβρίου 29-9 Νοεμβρίου 2017. Εάν θέλετε να ταξιδέψετε σε αυτά τα άγια μέρη, να μιλήσετε με τον π. Δημήτριο. In conjunction with St. Nicholas Church and Fr. Christodoulos, we are planning a trip to the Holy Land and Mt. Sinai. The trip will be from October 29 - November 9th. Details will be coming soon. This is a once in an lifetime experience!

Lenten and Holy Week Needs 2017 Flowers for Sunday of the Holy Cross (Processional Icon) - $225.00 Flowers for Palm Sunday Icon - $225.00 Flowers for the Kouvouklion (Christ s Tomb) - $2100.00 $1250 donated so far Rose Petals for Myrophores - $150.00 Easter Lilies - $550.00 25 cases of white candles - $50 per case 2 cases donated so far 1000 red cups for Good Friday - $250 1000 white cups for Anastasi - $250 Thank you for helping us bring the proper dignity to our services during this holy season. Flowers for the Panagia Icon (4 Salutations Services) - $225.00 each Flowers for the Panagia Icon (Akathist Hymn Service) - $225.00 Flowers for the Sunday of the Holy Cross (Iconostasi Icon) - $350.00 Daffodils for Sunday of the Holy Cross - $425.00 Bouquet of Daffodils - $80.00 Dikerotrikera Candles for Sunday of the Holy Cross - $50.00 Lambathes for Vespers of the Holy Cross - $140.00 Palms & Bay Leaves for Palm Sunday - $1050.00 Flowers for the Nymphios Icon - $225.00 Flowers for the Last Supper Icon - $200.00 Wreath for the Cross of Christ - $200.00 Candles for the 12 Gospels - $125.00 Rose Water - $50.00 Gardenias for the Epitaphio - $200.00 Priest Paschal Candle - $250.00 12 Altar Candles - $120.00 Flowers for the Crucifixion Icon - $200.00 Anastasi Icon - $225.00 Flowers for the Lavaron - $300.00

WEEKLY EVENTS TODAY 7pm: Solemn Vespers at St. Demetrios Church, Hammond, IN Tuesday, April 4 7pm: Philoptochos Meeting Friday, April 7 9am-4pm: Philoptochos Bake Sale Saturday, April 8 8:30am: Saturday of Lazarus 9am-4pm: Philoptochos Bake Sale 10am: Greek School Children s Lenten Retreat; making of the palms Sunday, April 9 Palm Sunday Plaki Luncheon 11am-2pm: Philoptochos Bake Sale 7pm: Nymphios Service MEMORIALS Andriana Kefalinos, 40 days, Right 1-3 John Kefalinos, 40 days, Right 1-3 Markos Athitakis, 9 months, Right 4 May their memory be eternal! ΗΜΕΡΟΛΟΓΙΟ ΣΗΜΕΡΑ 7.00μ.μ.: Κατανυκτικός Εσπερινός στον Ι.Ν. Αγ. Δημητρίου, Hammond, IN Τρίτη, 4 Απριλίου 7.00μ.μ.: Συνεδρίαση Φιλοπτώχου Παρασκευή, 7 Απριλίου 9π.μ.-4μ.μ.: Philoptochos Bake Sale Σάββατο, 8 Απριλίου 8.30π.μ.: Σάββατο του Λαζάρου 9π.μ.-4μ.μ.: Philoptochos Bake Sale 10.00π.μ.: Ελληνικό Σχολείο Παιδική Πνευματική Σύναξη; ετοιμασία των βαΐων Κυριακή, 9 Απριλίου Γεύμα Κυριακής των Βαΐων 11π.μ.-2μ.μ.: Philoptochos Bake Sale 7μ.μ.: Ακολουθία Νυμφίου CALLING ALL READERS Any parishioners who are able to read a foreign language and would enjoy reading the Gospel at the AGAPE Vespers on Pascha, April 16th, please contact the Church office. SPECIAL COLLECTION Today after church there will be a special tray for the remaining balance of our flowers and Lenten and Holy Week needs. We need to collect approximately $3650. Thank you for all that you do for our beloved parish of Holy Cross!