GRADUTE/SCHOLARSHIP SUNDAY: Will be held on Sunday, June 11 th, 2017. So we are asking all our parents and children to inform us of the kids of Saint Nicholas who will be graduating High school & College this year. We would like to honor you and will have a special gift for all graduates. Please call the office 708-636-5460 to let us know of any graduates. Deadline to submit names is Tuesday, June 6 th, 2017. GREEKFEST HELP: We are in need of Volunteers. Please reach out to family and friends and ask for help in working our Greekfest. It is our largest fund raiser of the year. The more help we get the smoother everything will run. Mark your calendars for the dates and then take a moment to sign up in the Narthex. Sign up sheets have been placed by the Pangari. Thank you and let this be our best Greekfest yet! JUNIOR OLYMPICS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND: This year s Junior Olympics competition is fast approaching. This event is held on Memorial Day weekend (May 26 th 28 th ) at Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church in Palos Hills. We are making an active push to get as many of our parishioners to join us on all three days to cheer on our kids during their individual and group events. We have a great group of kids and let us show our love and appreciation. Please join us and enjoy a wonderful weekend. FESTIVAL DONATIONS: Please watch for Greek Fest 2017 Alerts. We will are collecting donations. You all made it such a great success last year! Every donation in any amount helps the Church. May is Wine & Pop month! Please see the enclosed flyer for details. Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church NO RELIGIOUS ED THIS WEEK: Due to a funeral this Wednesday and Great Vespers for the Ascension in Lincolnshire Wednesday Evening. There will be No religious Education This week. We will be back at it next Week. MEMORIAL DAY: On Monday, May 29 th, at 10:30 a.m. there will be a Joint Memorial Service at Evergreen Cemetery Graveside prayers will be read at the request of parishioners, from 8:00 a.m. until Noon. FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE COMMEMORATION: All are warmly and strongly invited to join in this unique remembrance, which will take place on Tuesday, May 30 th beginning at 7:00 p.m., in the Greenhouse Theater at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave in Chicago, IL. The centerpiece of the Fall of Constantinople 2017 program will be a screening of Engineering: an Empire: The Byzantines a documentary. Also a musical presentation featuring Traditional Asia Minor Musician's. See enclosed Flier for more information. A NIGHT OF SOCCER AT TOYOTA PARK: We have been invited to join Assumption Parish in Homer Glen for their outing to see the Chicago Fire play on July 1 st. Tailgating will begin at 3:00 p.m. before the game with a cooking of a lamb. This is a great opportunity and should be a wonderful Time. See enclosed flier for more details. SUMMER CHURCH ATTENDANCE: Sunday School children and their parents are reminded to faithfully attend the Liturgy throughout the summer months. St. Paul reminds us of the importance to pray without ceasing which includes every day of the year. See you in church! Very Reverend Archimandrite Christodoulos Margellos frchristos@gmail.com 10301 S Kolmar Ave. Oak Lawn, IL 60453 (708)-636-5460 www.stnicholasil.org
Sunday, May 21 st, 2017 Sunday of the Blind Man/Last Day of Sunday School Saints Constantine & Helen, Equal to the Apostles Readings: Epistle: Acts 26: 1; 12-20 Gospel: John 9: 1-38 Epistle Reader: Sue Smith Coffee Fellowship Hour immediately follows the Divine Liturgy and is sponsored today by Christina and Joe Marchione in loving memory of Catherine and Gus Boudos In the Dr. Mary Dochios-Kamberos Community Center LAST DAY OF SUNDAY SCHOOL UNTIL SEPTEMBER Junior Olympic Meeting following Liturgy in the 3 Hierarchs Room Memorial Andrew Buhelos 6 months Catherine Boudos 5 Years Gus Boudos 21 years May Their Memory be Eternal THIS WEEK AT SAINT NICHOLAS Monday, May 22 nd, 2017 4:30 p.m. Greek School 7:00 p.m. Philoptochos Meeting & Elections Tuesday, May 23 rd, 2017 9:30 a.m. Philoptochos Baking Day Apodosis of Pascha Vigil 6:00 p.m. Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy Wednesday, May 24 th, 2017 Fish Allowed 4:30 p.m. Last Day of Greek School Party 6:30 p.m. Junior Dance Troupe 7:00 p.m. Great Vespers for the Ascension of our Lord Lincolnshire, IL Thursday, May 25 th, 2017 Ascension of our Lord 8:30 a.m. Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy 7:00 p.m. Holy Land Pilgrimage Meeting at Saint Nicholas 7:00 p.m. Adult Greek Dance Group at Saint Spyridon s Friday, May 26 th, 2017 Strict Fast Junior Olympic Bowling 5:00-7:00 p.m. Brunswick Zone, 1555 W 75 th St. Woodridge, IL Saturday, May27 th 2017 Junior Olympics Stagg High School Palos Hills, IL 8:00 a.m. Junior Olympics Opening Ceremony at Stagg Football Field With His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos CHANGE OF DATE: Our Graduate/Scholarship Sunday is being moved to Sunday, June 11 th as Father did not realize the original date falls on Pentecost. μενος εἰς τὴν Δαμασκὸν μετʼ ἐξουσίας καὶ ἐπιτροπῆς τῆς παρὰn τῶν ἀρχιερέων, ἡμέρας μέσης, κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν εἶδον, βασιλεῦ, οὐρανόθεν ὑπὲρ τὴν λαμπρότητα τοῦ ἡλίου, περιλάμψαν με φῶς καὶ τοὺς σὺν ἐμοὶ πορευομένους. Πάντων δὲ καταπεσόντων ἡμῶν εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἤκουσα φωνὴν λαλοῦσαν πρός με καὶ λέγουσαν τῇ Ἑβραΐδι διαλέκτῳ, Σαούλ, Σαούλ, τί με διώκεις; Σκληρόν σοι πρὸς κέντρα λακτίζειν. Ἐγὼ δὲ εἶπον, Τίς εἶ, κύριε; Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν, Ἐγώ εἰμι Ἰησοῦς ὃν σὺ διώκεις. Ἀλλὰ ἀνάστηθι, καὶ στῆθι ἐπὶ τοὺς πόδας σου εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ ὤφθην σοι, προχειρίσασθαί σε ὑπηρέτην καὶ μάρτυρα ὧν τε εἶδες ὧν τε ὀφθήσομαί σοι, ἐξαιρούμενός σε ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν, εἰς οὓς ἐγὼ σε ἀποστέλλω, ἀνοῖξαι ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν, τοῦ ὑποστρέψαι ἀπὸ σκότους εἰς φῶς καὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ Σατανᾶ ἐπὶ τὸν θεόν, τοῦ λαβεῖν αὐτοὺς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν, καὶ κλῆρον ἐν τοῖς ἡγιασμένοις πίστει τῇ εἰς ἐμέ. Ὅθεν, βασιλεῦ Ἀγρίππα, οὐκ ἐγενόμην ἀπειθὴς τῇ οὐρανίῳ ὀπτασίᾳ ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἐν Δαμασκῷ πρῶτον καὶn Ἱεροσολύμοις, εἰς πᾶσάν τε τὴν χώραν τῆς Ἰουδαίας, καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ἀπαγγέλλων μετανοεῖν, καὶ ἐπιστρέφειν ἐπὶ τὸν θεόν, ἄξια τῆς μετανοίας ἔργα πράσσοντας. Acts of the Apostles 12: 1; 12-20 IN THOSE DAYS, King Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to speak for yourself." Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense: "I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining round me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It hurts you to kick against the goads.' And I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and bear witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles-to whom I send you to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.' "Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and perform deeds worthy of their repentance." HOLY LAND MEETING & DINNER: On Thursday, May 25 th at 7:00 p.m. there will be one more meeting for those planning on or thinking about joining the Holy Land Pilgrimage. Tom Lambros Bornstein from the company organizing our tour will be here to give a presentation and answer any questions. Dinner will be provided for at the meeting. Please take advantage and join us on this trip. We all have a tendency to put things off and before we know it, it is too late to do all we dreamed of. Live in today and join us for this Once in a Life time Opportunity. SAVE THIS IMPORTANT DATE: Our Saint Nicholas Church will be turning 90 Years old this year and we are going to celebrate in a big way! Saint Nicholas 90 th Anniversary Dinner Dance is on Sunday, September 24 th, 2017 at Tuscany Falls in Mokena. The cost will be $125 per adult, and $25 for children 3 to 12 years of age. Children under 3 are free. The ticket includes hors d'oeuvres, a four hour open bar, a full four-course meal, music, dancing and other surprises. PLEASE don t leave your weekly bulletin in the pew. Take it home with you and share the message and announcements, written here, with your family and friends. Thank You!
Resurrectional Apolotikion Ἦχος πλ α 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. Mode Plagal of the First 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. Hymn for Saints Constantine & Helen Equal to the Apostles Ἦχος πλ δ Τοῦ Σταυροῦ σου τὸν τύπον ἐν οὐρανῷ θεασάµενος, καὶ ὡς ὁ Παῦλος τὴν κλῆσιν οὐκ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων δεξάµενος, ὁ ἐν βασιλεῦσιν, Ἀπόστολός σου Κύριε, Βασιλεύουσαν πόλιν τῇ χειρί σου παρέθετο ἣν περίσῳζε διὰ παντὸς ἐν εἰρήνῃ, πρεσβείαις τῆς Θεοτόκου, µόνε Φιλάνθρωπε. Mode Plagal of the Fourth Your Apostle among the Rulers, St. Constantine, who once beheld in the sky the image of Your Cross, and who like Paul received his calling not from man, once entrusted the Ruling City into Your hand. We entreat You to restore it in peace forever, at the intercession of the Theotokos, O Lord who loves humanity. Hymn of Saint Nicholas Ἠχος δ Κανόνα πίστεως καί εικόνα πραότητος, εγκρατείας Διδάσκαλον, ανέδειξέ σε τή ποίμνη σου, η τών πραγμάτων αλήθεια, διά τούτο εκτήσω τή ταπεινώσει τά υψηλά, τή πτωχεία τά πλούσια, Πάτερ Ιεράρχα Νικόλαε, πρέσβευε Χριστώ τώ Θεώ, σωθήναι τάς ψυχάς ημών. Fourth Mode A model of faith and the image of gentleness, the example of your life has shown you forth to your sheep-fold to be a master of temperance. You obtained thus through being lowly, gifts from on high, and riches through poverty. Nicholas, our father and priest of priests, intercede with Christ our God that He may save our souls. Memorial Hymn Μνήσθητι, Κύριε, ὡς ἀγαθὸς τῶν δούλων σου, καὶ ὅσα ἐν βίῳ ἥμαρτον, συγχώρησον οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀναμάρτητος, εἰμὴ σὺ ὁ δυνάμενος, καὶ τοῖς μεταστᾶσι δοῦναι τήν ἀνάπαυσιν. Kontakion Ἠχος πλ δ Εἰ καὶ ἐν τάφῳ κατῆλθες Ἀθάνατε, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ᾅδου καθεῖλες τὴν δύναµιν καὶ ἀνέστης ὡς νικητής, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, γυναιξὶ Μυροφόροις φθεγξάµενος, Χαίρετε, καὶ τοῖς σοῖς Ἀποστόλοις εἰρήνην δωρούµενος, ὁ τοῖς πεσοῦσι παρέχων ἀνάστασιν. Mode Plagal of the Fourth Though You went down into the tomb, O Immortal One, yet You brought down the dominion of Hades; and You rose as the victor, O Christ our God; and You called out "Rejoice" to the Myrrh-bearing women, and gave peace to Your Apostles, O Lord who to the fallen grant resurrection. Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων 26: 1; 12-20 Ἐν ταῖς ἡμεραῖς ἐκείναις, Ἀγρίππας πρὸς τὸν Παῦλον ἔφη Ἐπιτρέπεταί σοι περὶ σεαυτοῦ λέγειν. τότε ὁ Παῦλος ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα ἀπελογεῖτο Ἐν οἷς καὶ πορευό- SUNDAY OF THE BLIND MAN: The Lord Jesus was coming from the Temple on the Sabbath, when, while walking in the way, He saw the blind man mentioned in today's Gospel. This man had been born thus from his mother's womb, that is, he had been born without eyes. When the disciples saw this, they asked their Teacher, "Who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?" They asked this because when the Lord had healed the paralytic at the Sheep's Pool, He had told him, "Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee" (John 5:14); so they wondered, if sickness was caused by sin, and what sin could have been the cause of his being born without eyes. But the Lord answered that this was for the glory of God. Then the Jesus spat on the ground and made clay with the spittle. He anointed the eyes of the blind man and said to him, "Go, and wash in the Pool of Siloam." Siloam (which means "sent") was a well-known spring in Jerusalem used by the inhabitants for its waters, which flowed to the eastern side of the city and collected in a large pool called "the Pool of Siloam." Therefore, the Savior sent the blind man to this pool that he might wash his eyes, which had been anointed with the clay-not that the pool's water had such power, but that the faith and obedience of the one sent might be made manifest, and that the miracle might become more remarkable and known to all, and leave no room for doubt. Thus, the blind man believed in Jesus' words, obeyed His command, went and washed himself, and returned, no longer blind, but having eyes and seeing. This was the greatest miracle that our Lord had yet worked; as the man healed of his blindness himself testified, "Since time began, never was it heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind," although the Lord had already healed the blind eyes of many. Because he now had eyes, some even doubted that he was the same person (John 9:8-9); and it was still lively in their remembrance when Christ came to the tomb of Lazarus, for they said, "Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have caused that even this man should not have died?" Saint John Chrysostom gives a thorough and brilliant exposition of our Lord's meeting with the woman of Samaria, the healing of the paralytic, and the miracle of the blind man in his commentaries on the Gospel of Saint John. SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS: Some people see God everywhere. They see Him in every tree, in every mountain, in every ray of sunshine, in every event, in every person. But the spiritually blind see Him nowhere. We miss seeing God in the world because we do not have enough God in our hearts. We have failed to cultivate the vision of God. We have trained our eyes to see things, to count dollars, to measure distances, but we have neglected the most important capacity that belongs to man, the capacity to see God through prayer and worship. If we are to see again, a miracle must take place. Jesus must touch our eyes as He touched the eyes of the man born blind. Then we will come to realize that without Jesus no man can truly see and with Him no man can be truly blind. He is the opener of the eyes of the soul, and without Him it is always darkness. I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life. THE FEAST OF THE ASCENSION: On Thursday, May 25 th, we see our Lord Jesus ascending into heaven in glory, 40 days after his Resurrection, to sit at the right hand of the Father. His earthly mission completed, yet as He ascended, He stretched out His hands and sent His unending blessings to His disciples. In observance of this day, let all the faithful attend the Divine Liturgy Thursday, May 25 th with Orthros beginning at 8:30 a.m., for the Feast Day of the Ascension.
COMMUNION ANNOUNCEMENT: While we pray and work for the reconciliation and unity of all the world's Christians, the reality remains that there is still no intercommunion between our Orthodox Churches and the Churches of the West. This means that only baptized, chrismated and observant Orthodox faithful receive Communion in our churches. At the same time, we warmly welcome all non- Orthodox to join us in prayer and celebration, and humbly offer to all present the Antidoro bread of fellowship at the end of the service. We offer this important symbol 'instead of the Gifts', in the words of the Apostle Paul, 'Till we all come to the unity of the Faith' (Eph. 4.13).