St. Vasilios Greek Orthodox Church WWW.STVASILIOS.ORG

Pastor Fr. Christopher P. Foustoukos Email: frchris@stvasilios.org Assistant Pastor Fr. Timothy Curren Email: frtimothy@stvasilios.org Parish President Mrs. Pam Katsiris Email: Pam@stvasilios.org Stewardship Chairman Stephen S. Kalivas Email: Steve@stvasilios.org Pastoral Assistant Deacon Michael Fadel Pastor Emeritus Fr. Andrew Demotses Parish Nurse Sophia Grevelis, RN Office Manager Irene Stephanides Secretary Chrissa Pissios Office: Tel: 978-531-0777 Fax: 978-538-9522 website: www.stvasilios.org St. Vasilios Greek Orthodox Church WWW.STVASILIOS.ORG Sunday Before Theophany www.facebook.com/stvasiliospeabody Weekday Services Water Blessing Liturgy Monday, January 5 6 pm Divine Liturgy Holy Theophany Tuesday, January 6 8:00 am Orthros 9:00 am Divine Liturgy Synaxis of John The Baptist Wednesday, January 7 8:00 am Orthros 9:00 am Divine Liturgy Vespers of the Feast of the Three Hierachs Thursday, January 29 6:30 pm Feast of the Three Hierachs Friday, January 30 8:00 am Orthros 9:00 am Divine Liturgy Presentation of Our Lord Monday, February 2 8:00 a.m. Orthros 9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy KAQHMERINES IERES AKOLOUQIES Proe/rtia Twn Fw/twn Deute/ra, 5 h Ianouari/ou 6 m.m. Qei/a Leitourgi/a Agia Qeofa/neia Tri/th, 6 h Ianouari/ou Su/najic tou Timi/ou Iwa/nnou Tou Prodro/mou Teta/rth, 7 h Ianouari/ou Esperino/c Treic Iera/rxec Pe/mpth, 29 h Ianouari/ou 6:30 m.m. Oi Trei/c Iera/rxec Paraskeuh/, 30 h Ianouari/ou H Upapanth/ tou Kuri/ou Deute/ra, 2 h Febrouari/ou January 4, 2015

Sunday, January 4, 2015 Hymns Following the Gospel (Small Entrance) Apolytikion (First Mode) Let us worship the Word who is unoriginate * with the Father and the Spirit, and from a Virgin was born * for our salvation, O believers, and let us sing His praise. * For in His goodness He was pleased * to ascend the Cross in the flesh, and to undergo death, * and to raise up those who had died, * by His glorious Resurrection. Apolytikion (Fourth Mode) Be thou ready, Zabulon; prepare thyself, O Nephthalim. River Jordan, stay thy course and skip for gladness to receive the Sovereign Master, Who cometh now to be baptized. O Adam, be thou glad with our first mother, Eve; hide not as ye did of old in Paradise. Seeing you naked, He hath appeared now to clothe you in the first robe again. Christ hath appeared, for He truly willeth to renew all creation. St. Vasilios Your message was carried throughout Apoluti/kion (h/xoc Prw/toc) Τὸν συνάναρχον Λόγον Πατρὶ καὶ Πνεύματι, τὸν ἐκ Παρθένου τεχθέντα εἰς σωτηρίαν ἡμῶν, ἀνυμνήσωμεν πιστοὶ καὶ προσκυνήσωμεν, ὅτι ηὐδόκησε σαρκί, ἀνελθεῖν ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ, καὶ θάνατον ὑπομεῖναι, καὶ ἐγεῖραι τοὺς τεθνεῶτας, ἐν τῇ ἐνδόξῳ Ἀναστάσει αὐτοῦ. Apoluti/kion (h/xoc te/tartoc) Ἑτοιμάζου Ζαβουλῶν, καὶ εὐτρεπίζου Νεφθαλείμ. Ἰορδάνη ποταμέ, στήθι ὑπόδεξαι σκιρτῶν, τοῦ βαπτισθῆναι ἐρχόμενον τὸν Δεσπότην. Ἀγάλλου ὁ Ἀδὰμ σὺν τὴ Προμήτορι, μὴ κρύπτετε ἑαυτούς, ὡς ἐν Παραδείσῳ τὸ πρίν, καὶ γὰρ γυμνοὺς ἰδὼν ὑμᾶς ἐπέφανεν, ἵνα ἐνδύσῃ τὴν πρώτην στολήν, Χριστὸς ἐφάνη, τὴν πᾶσαν κτίσιν, θέλων ἀνακαινίσαι. Apoluti/kion tou Agi/ou Basilei/ou the world. As it received your mighty word, By which you divinely made manifest And clarified the nature of existing things You set in order the customs of men, You who are royal priesthood! Holy Father, intercede with Christ our God To grant us His great mercy. Konta/kion (h/xoc Te/tartoc) Ἐν τοῖς ῥείθροις σήμερον τοῦ Kontakion (Fourth Mode) Ἰορδάνου, γεγονῶς ὁ Κύριος, τῶ In the running waters of the Jordan River, on this day the Lord of all crieth to Ἰωάννη ἐκβοᾷ. Μὴ δειλιάσης βαπτίσαι με, σῶσαι γὰρ ἥκω, Ἀδὰμ John: Be not afraid and hesitate not to τὸν πρωτόπλαστον. baptize Me, for I am come to save Adam, the first-formed man. 2 11

A Heart Warming Letter The following is a copy of a letter from the Metropolis of Boston Philoptochos that was sent to our Philoptochos and the entire St. Vasilios Community. It highlights the success of one of the many philanthropic activities, ( Operation Housewarming a project for homeless veterans), that we have become involved with. It reads as follows: Prokeimenon. Mode Plagal 2. Psalm 27.9,1 O Lord, save your people and bless your inheritance. Verse: To you, O Lord, I have cried, O my God. St. Paul's Second Letter to Timothy 4:5-8 TIMOTHY, my son, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry. For I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. Προκείμενον. Ἦχος πλ β. ΨΑΛΜΟΙ 27.9,1 Σῶσον, Κύριε τὸν λαὸν σου καὶ εὐλόγησον τὴν κληρονομίαν σου. Στίχ. Πρὸς σἐ, Κύριε, κεκράξομαι ὁ Θεός μου. Πρὸς Τιμόθεον β' 4:5-8 Τέκνον Τιμόθεε, νῆφε ἐν πᾶσιν, κακοπάθησον, ἔργον ποίησον εὐαγγελιστοῦ, τὴν διακονίαν σου πληροφόρησον. Ἐγὼ γὰρ ἤδη σπένδομαι, καὶ ὁ καιρὸς τῆς ἐμῆς ἀναλύσεως ἐφέστηκεν. Τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν καλὸν ἠγώνισμαι, τὸν δρόμον τετέλεκα, τὴν πίστιν τετήρηκα λοιπόν, ἀπόκειταί μοι ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανος, ὃν ἀποδώσει μοι ὁ κύριος ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ὁ δίκαιος κριτής οὐ μόνον δὲ ἐμοί, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάσιν τοῖς ἠγαπηκόσιν τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν αὐτοῦ. 10 3

Sunday Before Epiphany The Gospel of Mark 1:1-8 The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, 'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.' John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair, and had a leather girdle around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." Κατὰ Μᾶρκον 1.1-8 Αρχὴ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ, υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ως γέγραπται ἐν τοῖς προφήταις, ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου πρὸ προσώπου σου, ὃς κατασκευάσει τὴν ὁδόν σου ἔμπροσθέν σου φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου, εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ,ἐγένετο Ιωάννης βαπτίζων ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ κηρύσσων βάπτισμα μετανοίας εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν. Καὶ ἐξεπορεύετο πρὸς αὐτὸν πᾶσα ἡ Ιουδαία χώρα καὶ οἱ Ιεροσολυμῖται, καὶ ἐβαπτίζοντο πάντες ἐν τῷ Ιορδάνῃ ποταμῷ ὑπ αὐτοῦ ἐξομολογούμενοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν. Ἦν δὲ ὁ Ιωάννης ἐνδεδυμένος τρίχας καμήλου καὶ ζώνην δερματίνην περὶ τὴν ὀσφὺν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐσθίων ἀκρίδας καὶ μέλι ἄγριον. Καὶ ἐκήρυσσε λέγων ἔρχεται ὁ ἰσχυρότερός μου ὀπίσω μου, οὗ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς κύψας λῦσαι τὸν ἱμάντα τῶν ὑποδημάτων αὐτοῦ ἐγὼ μὲν ἐβάπτισα ὑμᾶς ἐν ὕδατι, αὐτὸς δὲ βαπτίσει ὑμᾶς ἐν Πνεύματι Αγίῳ. PLEASE NOTE CHANGE TO THE MEN S CLUB DINNER MEETINGS DATE AND PLACE: January meeting will be on Thursday, January 28 at Angelica s February meeting will be on Thursday, January 25 at Angelica s 4 9

St. Vasilios to Celebrate Feast of Three Hierarchs This common feast of these three teachers was instituted a little before the year 1100, during the reign of the Emperor Alexis I Comnenus, because of a dispute and strife that arose among the notable and virtuous men of that time. Some of them preferred Basil, while others preferred Gregory, and yet others preferred John Chrysostom, quarreling among themselves over which of the three was the greatest. Furthermore, each party, in order to distinguish itself from the others, assumed the name of its preferred Saint; hence, they called themselves Basilians, Gregorians, or Johannites. Desiring to bring an end to the contention, the three Saints appeared together to the saintly John Mavropous, a monk who had been ordained Bishop of Euchaita, a city of Asia Minor, they revealed to him that the glory they have at the throne of God is equal, and told him to compose a common service for the three of them, which he did with great skill and beauty. Saint John of Euchaita (celebrated Oct. 5) is also the composer of the Canon to the Guardian Angel, the Protector of a Man's Life. In his old age, he retired from his episcopal see and again took up the monastic life in a monastery in Constantinople. He reposed during the reign of the aforementioned Emperor Alexis Comnenus (1081-1118). Please join us as we celebrate the Feast of The Three Hierarchs the Patron Saints of Greek Education Thursday, January 29 6:30 p.m. St. Vasilios Greek Orthodox Church Followed by a reception in the Rev. Andrew J. Demotses 8 PLEASE PRAY FOR: Nicholas, Penelope, Bill, Nicholas, James, Kassandra, Francine, Persephone, Robert, Alex, Frank, Victoria, Jimmy, Nina, John, Matthew, Eva, Eleni, Christine, Stephen, Ariana, Michael. If you wish to add or remove a name from the list, please call the Church Office. CEMETERY VISITS: Due to the number of sacraments, 40 day blessings and memorials on Sundays it is difficult to make cemetery visits on Sundays after liturgy. If you would like a Trisagion at the graveside during the week you are kindly asked to make an appointment by calling the church HOSPITAL VISITS Due to HIPAA privacy rules, hospitals no longer provide a list of Orthodox patients to us. Therefore, if you or a loved one are, or will be, in the hospital, please contact the church office for a pastoral visit. Also, please notify the office if a friend or family member is in a rehab center, nursing home, assisted living facility or under hospice care. WELCOME TO OUR VISITORS! Everyone is welcome in the Orthodox Church and may receive the blessed bread (antidoron) at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy. Sadly, the divisions in the church prompt us all to work towards reunited Christianity. The culmination of this reunion will be the ability of all Christians to receive the Eucharist together. Until that blessed day arrives, only Orthodox Christians who are in good sacramental order are permitted to receive Holy Communion in the Orthodox Church. If you have any questions or concerns please speak with Father Chris. MEMORIALS: We commemorate today the blessed memory of the following Member of our parish who has fallen asleep in the Lord: Theodore Mandragouras Our 2015 Parish Council members will take their Oath of Office immediately following the 1st Divine Liturgy. We thank them all for their representation of our Parish and their Orthodox faith. Along with the Parish Council, our new President and Vice President of Philoptochos, Haritomeni Frangias and Evelyn Rockas will also take their Oath of Office. 5

PTA COFFEE HOUR: Please join us for coffee hour today immediately following the first Divine Liturgy in the Educational Center. Today's coffee hour is fully sponsored by John and Pauline Petradelis for the good health of family and friends and in memory of family that has fallen asleep in the Lord. RELIGIOUS RESOURCE CENTER Please come by and visit the Religious Resource display today during coffee hour in the Educational Center. We will many beautiful items for sale that are perfect for the Christmas gift-giving season, especially for Godparents, Godchildren, relatives and loved ones. Some examples of what we will have are: Icons of Jesus, Panagia, Angels, and several Saints, many styles of Icon and Prayer rope bracelets, Pendants, Vasilopita Coins, Religious books and bookmarks, Charcoal and incense, Visor clips, night lights and more. It has always been the mission of the Religious Resource Center to provide materials that support the spiritual needs of our parish and beyond. Many books and icons can be ordered if we do not have what you are looking for, so please ask. All inquiries can be made by calling Stephanie Najjar at 978-531-1998 or to stephanienajjar@hotmail.com. Thank you for your support and many blessings to you and your family this Christmas season. Church School Giving Tree The Church School Giving Tree will be in support of Operation Troop Support. Please return new, unwrapped items to the red bins in the foyer of the Educational Center by January 4, 2015. Thank you for your generosity. To the St. Vasilios Community, It is with great joy and appreciation that we announce the extremely generous and loving gift of $100,000 made to the St Vasilios Accessibility Fund by the Gerondelis Foundation. There will be forthcoming information regarding a special Parish Assembly some time in February for the community to vote on continuing the project and on the Endowment grant. We are asking that our St. Vasilios family thank Irene Duros and Arthur Kourkoulis, as representatives of the Gerondelis Foundation, for their support and commitment to our Parish. I hope you are as excited as we are to be entering this next phase of our vibrant and fortunate community. Yours in Christ, Pamela Karamas Katsiris PTA Big ticket drawing winners! 50 inch TV -- 0405 Laptop -- 1561 ipad mini -- 1806 Please check your tickets to see if you are a winner!!! Contact stvalspta@gmail.com if you have the winning ticket! Winter Hours Orthros - Greek 8:00 a.m. 1 st Divine Liturgy - English 9:00am 2 nd Divine Liturgy - Greek & English 10:30am Office Hours 9 am - 5 pm XEIMERINES WRES Orqroc - Ellhnika/ 8:00 p.m. 1 h Qei/a Leitourgi/a-Agglika/ 9:00p.m. 2 h Qei/a Leitourgi/a Ellhnika/ kai Agglika/ 10:30 p.m. Ώρες γραφείou 9 π.μ. - 5 μ.μ. 6 7