Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral New Orleans, Louisiana DECEMBER 4, 2016 TENTH SUNDAY OF LUKE

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral New Orleans, Louisiana DECEMBER 4, 2016 TENTH SUNDAY OF LUKE Sunday, December 4 ~ 9:00 am Orthros, 10:00 am Divine Liturgy Parish Council on Duty P. Andersson, N. Bouzon, A. Labatut, and B. Wolf Annual Christmas Pageant Practice and Sunday Church School after Holy Communion STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY 2017 Presentation in Cathedral 12:00 pm ~ Daughters of Penelope Bake Sale Pick Up in Gymnasium 12:00 pm ~ GOYA Community Christmas Card Fundraiser in Coffee Room 12:00 pm ~ Holy Trinity PTA Meeting in Upstairs Common Area 12:00 pm ~ Kids' Café in Upstairs Common Area 12:00 pm ~ Parish Council Elections in Boardroom 12:00 pm ~ Philoptochos Angel Tree Project in Coffee Room Tuesday, December 6 ~ 10:00 am Divine Liturgy ST. NICHOLAS THE WONDERWORKER 11:30 am ~ Philoptochos Senior Citizens Luncheon in Coffee Room 6:00 pm ~ Adult Greek School Beginners in Room 210 7:00 pm ~ Adult Greek School Elementary in Room 210 Wednesday, December 7 ~ 7:00 pm Adult Greek School Advanced in Room 210 7:00 pm ~ Bible Study with Father George in Boardroom Thursday, December 8 ~ 6:00 pm Paraklesis Friday, December 9 ~ 9:45 am CMS Chapel in Cathedral 9:00 pm ~ Hall Rental COHEN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Saturday, December 10 ~ 10:00 am GRASS CHRISMATION 10:00 am ~ Youth Greek School Intermediate in Room 210 10:30 am ~ GRASS BAPTISM 10:30 am ~ Junior Neolea Dance Practice Beginners 11:00 am ~ Junior Neolea Dance Practice Advanced 11:00 am ~ Youth Greek School First Grade Primer in Room 210 12:15 pm ~ Youth Greek School Level 1 Beginners in Room 210 5:00 pm ~ PTA-GOYA Celebration in the Oaks ALL YOUTH ARE WELCOME! 9:00 pm ~ Hall Rental JAZZ CITY CORVETTE CLUB Sunday, December 11~ 9:00 am Orthros 10:00 am Divine Liturgy ELEVENTH SUNDAY OF LUKE Parish Council on Duty M. Anastasiou, N. Bouzon, A. Labatut, P. Patselikos, and B. Wolf 10:00 am ~ STACY AND ALEXIA RICO 40-DAYS BLESSING Annual Christmas Pageant Practice and Sunday Church School after Holy Communion 12:00 pm ~ 2017 Epiphany Meeting in Boardroom AHEPA-DAUGHTERS CHRISTMAS PARTY The AHEPA-Daughters of Penelope Christmas party will be held on Sunday, December 18, 2016, at 6:00 pm in the Hellenic Cultural Center. All AHEPANS, Daughters, and their spouses are invited to attend. ANGEL TREE Once again, the Philoptochos Society is accepting donations for the Angel Tree Project. With input from Holy Trinity PTA, HOPE & JOY, and GOYA, the project helps special families within the Cathedral Community. Major grocery store and Wal-Mart gift cards of any value will be collected in the Coffee Room on December 4, 11, and 18. All gifts are due back by December 18. Please contact Diana Peterson at dnmpeterson@gmail with any questions. METROPOLITAN ALEXIOS UPCOMING PASTORIAL VISIT His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios will visit Holy Trinity Cathedral on December 17 and 18. A Community dinner will be served in the Hellenic Cultural Center on Saturday at 7:00 pm. On Sunday, he will celebrate a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy and attend the annual Christmas Pageant. A reception sponsored by Holy Trinity PTA and the Parish Council will follow. PHILOPTOCHOS SENIOR CITIZENS LUNCHEON Sincere appreciation is extended to Barbara Stavis Wolf, who is sponsoring the luncheon in memory of her parents Gladys and William Stavis, and to Carol and Steve Venturatos, who are sponsoring the luncheon in memory of their parents Dita and George Venturatos and Lillian and Harold Amerland. Seniors, mark your calendars and plan to attend. John Koniditsiotis, Patrick Latour, and Alex Tiliakos are cooking a delicious Lenten meal. The children from the Cathedral Montessori School will sing Christmas carols, and each senior will receive a beautiful favor. Prizes will be awarded during a fun game. The Church School staff continues preparations for the annual Christmas Pageant. Parents are asked that their child/children attend the remaining SUNDAY CHURCH SCHOOL CLASSES and practices between now and Sunday, December 18. Also, it is imperative that all children attend the full pageant rehearsals to become familiar with THE SONGS, WHERE TO STAND, and THE OVERALL PROGRAM. The remaining schedule is as follows: Sunday, December 4 select names for lead roles and readers Sunday, December 11 full rehearsal during Sunday Church School Saturday, December 17 full rehearsal immediately following Communion Breakfast If you have any questions, please contact Christina Kogos at cmkogos2@aol.com.

Sunday, December 11 ~ Continued 12:00 pm ~ Holy Trinity Archives Christmas Bazaar in Foyer ONE DAY ONLY 12:00 pm ~ GOYA Community Christmas Card Fundraiser in Coffee Room LAST DAY 12:00 pm ~ Kids' Café in Upstairs Common Area 12:00 pm ~ Philoptochos Angel Tree Project in Coffee Room 12:00 pm ~ STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN Personalized Pledge Forms in Coffee Room Message from Father George ] SAINT JOHN OF DAMASCUS I do not worship matter, I worship the God of matter, who became matter for my sake and deigned to inhabit matter, who worked out my salvation through matter. I will not cease from honoring that matter, which works for my salvation. I venerate it, though not as God. This statement was written during the season of Church History known as the Iconoclastic Controversy (730-843 AD), whose followers are known as iconoclasts. The term was penned by a monk named John, who was born and raised in Damascus, Syria. John was well-acquainted with the teachings of his family s Christian Faith, as well as with Islam because his father held a position high in the court of the caliph at the time when Damascus was under the control of an Islamic caliph. At around the age of 50, John became a monk at Mar Saba, approximately eight (8) miles southeast of Jerusalem, and later became a priest. A learned man, he reflected on the erroneous teaching of the then Hierarchy of the Christian Church, who believed that icons were no different than the idols that were banned from the time of Moses in the Ten Commandments. From his monastery in Palestine, John expressed in three papers the correct Christian teaching on the icons. The position of the Church is that icons should not be worshiped, but they could be venerated. Among his many points, John explained: "Often, doubtless, when we have not the Lord's passion in mind and see the image of Christ's crucifixion, his saving passion is brought back to remembrance, and we fall down and worship not the material but that which is imaged: just as we do not worship the material of which the Gospels are made, nor the material of the Cross, but that which these typify." (Christianity Today, Issue 54, 1997) John wrote many poems, hymns, and treaties, one of which is called "An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith." This work is a systematic theological summary of all the basic doctrines of the first seven centuries, a monumental work that became a classic in Orthodox Theology. (goarch.org) His work was instrumental in the discussions of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, which was held in Nicaea, Asia Minor, in 787. Britannica online states: Empress Irene convoked the Council at Nicaea at which Iconoclasm was condemned and the use of images was reestablished. The Iconoclasts regained power in 814, and the use of icons was again forbidden in 815. The second Iconoclast period ended with the death of the emperor Theophilus in 842. In 843 his widow finally restored icon veneration, an event still celebrated in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Feast of Orthodoxy. We commemorate the memory of John of Damascus on December 4. CATHEDRAL CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS The Cathedral family sincerely thanks Evangelia Kouniaris and her assistants, who decorated the Cathedral for the Nativity Season. The group included Faith Kyame, Stella Lykourinou, and Georgia Zervoudis. GOYA COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS CARD GOYA is once again ready to assist with your holiday greetings through its beautiful Community Christmas Card! Save precious time and postage, while supporting GOYA, by adding your name or organization to this year's Christmas card that will be mailed to the entire community. Proceeds from the holiday greetings project sustain the spiritual, service, social, and athletic activities of GOYA throughout the year. Look for the table in the Coffee Room, where you may complete your form and submit your donation of $20. The youth of Holy Trinity appreciate your support and wish you a joyous holiday season! EPIPHANY SWIMMERS The 4th Annual Epiphany Celebration will take place on Sunday, January 8, 2017. Members of the community are encouraged to consider applying to be a Cross Retrieval swimmer. This is a wonderful opportunity to spiritually celebrate the baptism of Christ in the Jordan River by St. John the Forerunner as swimmers attempt to retrieve the blessed wooden cross from Bayou St. John in front of the Cathedral. The one, who retrieves the cross, receives a special blessing from the Church, a gold cross and chain, a personal plaque, and his name engraved on the Theophany Plaque in the Hellenic Cultural Center. All swimmers receive a special blessing in the Church prior to the swim, are honored for their participation in this celebration of our Faith, and are recognized at the Epiphany Luncheon Program. All GOYANS and young adults of the community are encouraged to consider being a swimmer for this event, which involves only about a minute in the water to swim to retrieve the cross. Swimmer applications are available in the Narthex and Cathedral office. Please submit applications by December 16. STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY 2017 Today, December 4, is designated as Stewardship Sunday 2017. Stewardship Chairperson Nick Bouzon will make a presentation in the Cathedral, and the following two Sundays a table will be placed in the Hellenic Cultural Center, where you can pick up your personalized (individual or family) 2017 stewardship form, review the information, and make any needed changes before returning the updated sheet, along with your 2017 commitment, to the Cathedral office during the month of December. Payments are not required at this time, only the amount that you pledge to give for 2017. This helps the Parish Council prepare a more accurate budget for the coming year and also ensures that the Cathedral office has up to date contact information for you. Thank you for your cooperation and your continued support of the Church.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27 ATTENDANCE 130 ~ CANDLE AND TRAY COLLECTIONS $618 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

4η ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ 2016 ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ Ι ΛΟΥΚΑ ΤΗΣ ΑΓΙΑΣ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΜΑΡΤΥΡΟΣ ΒΑΡΒΑΡΑΣ ΤΟΥ ΟΣΙΟΥ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΔΑΜΑΣΚΗΝΟΥ Ἑωθινόν Β 4 TH DECEMBER 2016 10 TH SUNDAY OF LUKE HOLY GREAT MARTYR BARBARA HOLY FATHER JOHN OF DAMASCUS Eothion 2 Ἀπολυτίκιον τῆς Ἀνάστασης Ἦχος Βαρύς Κατέλυσας τῷ Σταυρῷ σου τὸν θάνατον ἠνέῳξας τῷ ληστῇ τὸν παράδεισον τῶν μυροφόρων τὸν θρῆνον μετέβαλες, καὶ τοῖς σοῖς ἀποστόλοις κηρύττειν ἐπέταξας, ὅτι ἀνέστης, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, παρέχων τῷ κόσμῳ τὸ μέγα ἔλεος. Ἀπολυτίκιον τῆς Ἁγίας Ἦχος δ Βαρβάραν τὴν Ἁγίαν τιμήσωμεν, ἐχθροῦ γὰρ τὰς παγίδας συνέτριψε, καὶ ὡς στρουθίον ἐρρύσθη ἐξ αὐτῶν, βοηθεία καὶ ὅπλω τοῦ Σταυροῦ ἡ Πάνσεμνος. Ἀπολυτίκιον τοῦ Ὁσίου Ἦχος πλ δ Ορθοδοξίας Οδηγέ, ευσεβίας διδάσκαλε καί σεμνότητος, τής οικουμένης ο φωστήρ, αρχιερέων θεόπνευστον εγκαλλώπισμα, Ιωάννη σοφέ, ταίς διδαχαίς σου πάντας εφώτισας, λύρα τού Πνεύματος, πρέσβευε Χριστώ τώ Θεώ, σωθήναι τάς ψυχάς ημών. Ἀπολυτίκιον τῆς Ἁγίας Τριάδας Ἦχος πλ δ 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 Ἦχος γ 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. Resurrection Apolytikion Tone Grave By means of Your Cross, O Lord, You abolished death. To the robber You opened Paradise. The lamentation of the myrrhbearing women You transformed, and You gave Your Apostles the order to proclaim to all that You had risen, O Christ our God, and granted the world Your great mercy. Apolytikion for Saint Barbara Tone 4 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. Apolytikion for John of Damascus Plagal Tone 4 You are a guide of Orthodoxy, a teacher of piety and modesty, a luminary of the world, the God inspired pride of monastics. O wise John, you have enlightened everyone by your teachings. You are the harp of the Spirit. Intercede to Christ our God for the salvation of our souls. Apolytikion of the Holy Trinity Plagal Tone 4 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 Tone 3 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.

ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΟΣ Γαλάτας γ 23-29, δ 1-5 Θαυμαστὸς ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τοῖς Ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ. Ἐν Ἐκκλησίαις εὐλογεῖτε τὸν Θεὸν. 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. ΤΟ ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΟΝ Λουκάν ιγ 10-17 Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ἦν διδάσκων ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν μιᾷ τῶν συναγωγῶν ἐν τοῖς σάββασι. Καὶ ἰδοὺ γυνὴ πνεῦμα ἔχουσα ἀσθενείας ἔτη δέκα ὀκτώ, καὶ ἦν συγκύπτουσα καὶ μὴ δυναμένη ἀνακύψαι εἰς τὸ παντελές. Ἰδὼν δὲ αὐτὴν ὁ Ιησοῦς προσεφώνησεν καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ, Γύναι, ἀπολέλυσαι τῆς ἀσθενείας σου,καὶ ἐπέθηκεν αὐτῇ τὰς χεῖρας καὶ παραχρῆμα ἀνωρθώθη, καὶ ἐδόξαζεν τὸν θεόν. Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ ἀρχισυνάγωγος, ἀγανακτῶν ὅτι τῷ σαββάτῳ ἐθεράπευσεν ὁ Ιησοῦς, ἔλεγεν τῷ ὄχλῳ ὅτι ἓξ ἡμέραι εἰσὶν ἐν αἷς δεῖ ἐργάζεσθαι ἐν αὐταῖς οὖν ἐρχόμενοι θεραπεύεσθε καὶ μὴ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ σαββάτου. Ἀπεκρίθη δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ κύριος καὶ εἶπεν, Υποκριταί, ἕκαστος ὑμῶν τῷ σαββάτῳ οὐ λύει τὸν βοῦν αὐτοῦ ἢ τὸν ὄνον ἀπὸ τῆς φάτνης καὶ ἀπαγαγὼν ποτίζει;ταύτην δὲ 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 πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐνδόξοις τοῖς γινομένοις ὑπ αὐτοῦ. EPISTLE Galatians 3:23-29; 4:1-5 God is wonderful among his saints. Bless God in the congregations. 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. THE GOSPEL 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.

C HRISTMAS P OINSETTIAS TO BE PLACED ON THE SOLEA To purchase a Christmas poinsettia in honor or in memory of someone, please fill out the form below and return it to the Cathedral office no later than THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2016. Cost is $10.00 each. All money must be in by the December 15th deadline. (PRINT) DONOR ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP (PRINT) (PRINT) IN MEMORY OF IN HONOR OF