April 15, 2018 Thomas Sunday Crescens the Martyr Leonidas, Bishop of Athens Michael the New Martyr of Smyrna ENTRANCE HYMNS Apolytikion for the Feast Christos Anesti ( Christ is Risen ) Christ is risen from the dead, by death trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs He has granted life. Apolytikion for St. Thomas Esfraghizmenou tou mnimatos ( O Life, You rose from the sepulcher ) O Life, You rose from the sepulcher, even though the tomb was secured with a seal, O Christ God. And though the doors had been bolted, You came to Your disciples, O Resurrection of all. Through them You renew a right spirit in us, according to Your great mercy. Apolytikion of St. Sophia/Ss. Faith, Hope & Agape Greek Oς ελαία κατά καρπος ανεβλάστησας, έν ταίς ανλαίς του Κυρίου, Σοφία μάρτυς σεμνή, καί προσήγαγες Χριστώ καρπόν η δύτατον, τούς τής νηδύος σου βλαστούς, δί α γώνων εύαγων, Αγάπην τε καί `Ελπίδα σύν τη θεόφρονι Πίστει, μεθων δυσώπει υπέρ πάντων ήμων. English Phonetics for Greek Os elea kata karpos anevlastisas, en tes avles tu Kyriou Sofia martys semni, ke prosigages Christo karpon idytaton, tus tis nidyos su vlastus, di agonon evagon, Agapin te ke Elpida, syn ti theofroni Pisti; meth on dysopi yper pandon imon. English As an olive tree laden with fruit you sprouted forth, in the courtyards of the Lord, Sophia martyr dignified, and you brought to Christ a fruit most sweet, Namely your womb s own sprouts, brought up by instructive deeds: your daughters Love and Hope, along with God-minded Faith; together intercede with God for us all. Kontakion for the Feast I ke en tafo ( Though You went down into the tomb ) 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.
EPISTLE READING The Reading is from Acts of the Apostles 5:12-20 Great is our Lord, and great is his power. Verse: Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good. In those days, many signs and wonders were done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high honor. And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and pallets, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed. But the high priest rose up and all who were with him, that is, the party of the Sadducees, and filled with jealousy they arrested the apostles and put them in the common prison. But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out and said, "Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life." Ἀνάγνωσις ἐπιστολῆς Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων 5:12-20 Μέγας ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν, καὶ μεγάλη ἡ ἰσχὺς ἀὐτοῦ. Στίχ. Αἰνεῖτε τὸν Κύριον, ὅτι ἀγαθός. Ἐν ταῖς ἡμεραῖς ἐκείναις, διὰ δὲ τῶν χειρῶν τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐγίνετοb σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα ἐν τῷ λαῷ πολλά καὶ ἦσαν ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἅπαντες ἐν τῇ στοᾷ Σολομῶντος. Τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν οὐδεὶς ἐτόλμα κολλᾶσθαι αὐτοῖς, ἀλλʼ ἐμεγάλυνεν αὐτοὺς ὁ λαός μᾶλλον δὲ προσετίθεντο πιστεύοντες τῷ κυρίῳ, πλήθη ἀνδρῶν τε καὶ γυναικῶν ὥστε κατὰ τὰς πλατείας ἐκφέρειν τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς, καὶ τιθέναι ἐπὶ κλινῶν καὶ κραββάτων, ἵνα ἐρχομένου Πέτρου κἂν ἡ σκιὰ ἐπισκιάσῃ τινὶ αὐτῶν. Συνήρχετο δὲ καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν πέριξ πόλεων εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ, φέροντες ἀσθενεῖς καὶ ὀχλουμένους ὑπὸ πνευμάτων ἀκαθάρτων, οἵτινες ἐθεραπεύοντο ἅπαντες. Ἀναστὰς δὲ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ πάντες οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ - ἡ οὖσα αἵρεσις τῶν Σαδδουκαίων - ἐπλήσθησαν ζήλου, καὶ ἐπέβαλον τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀποστόλους, καὶ ἔθεντο αὐτοὺς ἐν τηρήσει δημοσίᾳ. Ἄγγελος δὲ κυρίου διὰ τῆς νυκτὸς ἤνοιξεν τὰς θύρας τῆς φυλακῆς, ἐξαγαγών τε αὐτοὺς εἶπεν, Πορεύεσθε, καὶ σταθέντες λαλεῖτε ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ τῷ λαῷ πάντα τὰ ῥήματα τῆς ζωῆς ταύτης.
GOSPEL READING The Reading is from the Gospel of John 20:19-31 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them: "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them: "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him: "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them: "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe." Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said: "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name. ΕVΑΓΓÉΛΙΟΝ Ἐκ τοῦ Κατὰ Ἰωάννην 20:19-31 Εὐαγγελίου τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα Οὔσης ὀψίας τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ τῇ μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων, καὶ τῶν θυρῶν κεκλεισμένων ὅπου ἦσαν οἱ μαθηταὶ συνηγμένοι διὰ τὸν φόβον τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ ἔστη εἰς τὸ μέσον, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν. Καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἔδειξεν αὐτοῖς τὰς χεῖρας καὶ τὴν πλευρὰν αὐτοῦ. Ἐχάρησαν οὖν οἱ μαθηταὶ ἰδόντες τὸν Κύριον. Εἶπεν οὖν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς πάλιν Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν. Καθὼς ἀπέσταλκέ με ὁ πατήρ, κἀγὼ πέμπω ὑμᾶς. Καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἐνεφύσησε καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς Λάβετε Πνεῦμα Ἅγιον ἄν τινων ἀφῆτε τὰς ἁμαρτίας, ἀφίενται αὐτοῖς, ἄν τινων κρατῆτε, κεκράτηνται. Θωμᾶς δὲ εἷς ἐκ τῶν δώδεκα, ὁ λεγόμενος Δίδυμος, οὐκ ἦν μετ αὐτῶν ὅτε ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς. Ἔλεγον οὖν αὐτῷ οἱ ἄλλοι μαθηταί Ἐωράκαμεν τὸν Κύριον. Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ἐὰν μὴ ἴδω ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτοῦ τὸν τύπον τῶν ἥλων, καὶ βάλω τὸν δάκτυλόν μου εἰς τὸν τύπον τῶν ἥλων, καὶ βάλω τὴν χεῖρά μου εἰς τὴν πλευρὰν αὐτοῦ, οὐ μὴ πιστεύσω. Καὶ μεθ ἡμέρας ὀκτὼ πάλιν ἦσαν ἔσω οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ Θωμᾶς μετ αὐτῶν. Ἔρχεται ὁ Ἰησοῦς τῶν θυρῶν κεκλεισμένων, καὶ ἔστη εἰς τὸ μέσον καὶ εἶπεν Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν. Εἶτα λέγει τῷ Θωμᾷ Φέρε τὸν δάκτυλόν σου ὧδε καὶ ἴδε τὰς χεῖράς μου, καὶ φέρε τὴν χεῖρά σου καὶ βάλε εἰς τὴν πλευράν μου, καὶ μὴ γίνου ἄπιστος, ἀλλὰ πιστός. Καὶ ἀπεκρίθη Θωμᾶς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ὁ Κύριός μου καὶ ὁ Θεός μου. Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς Ὅτι ἑώρακάς με, πεπίστευκας μακάριοι οἱ μὴ ἰδόντες καὶ πιστεύσαντες. Πολλὰ μὲν οὖν καὶ ἄλλα σημεῖα ἐποίησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐνώπιον τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ, ἃ οὐκ ἔστι γεγραμμένα ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τούτῳ ταῦτα δὲ γέγραπται ἵνα πιστεύσητε ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἵνα πιστεύοντες ζωὴν ἔχητε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ.
Thomas Sunday Though the doors were shut at the dwelling where the disciples were gathered for fear of the Jews on the evening of the Sunday after the Passover, our Saviour wondrously entered and stood in their midst, and greeted them with His customary words, "Peace be unto you." Then He showed unto them His hands and feet and side; furthermore, in their presence, He took some fish and a honeycomb and ate before them, and thus assured them of His bodily Resurrection. But Thomas, who was not then present with the others, did not believe their testimony concerning Christ's Resurrection, but said in a decisive manner, "Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe." Wherefore after eight days, that is, on this day, when the disciples were again gathered together and Thomas was with them, the Lord Jesus came while the doors were shut, as He did formerly. Standing in their midst, He said, "Peace be unto you"; then He said to Thomas, "Bring hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and bring hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not unbelieving, but believing." And Thomas, beholding and examining carefully the hands and side of the Master, cried out with faith, "My Lord and my God." Thus he clearly proclaimed the two natures - human and divine - of the God-man (Luke 24:36-49; John 20:19-29). This day is called Antipascha (meaning "in the stead of Pascha," not "in opposition to Pascha") because with this day, the first Sunday after Pascha, the Church consecrates every Sunday of the year to the commemoration of Pascha, that is, the Resurrection.
April 15, 2018 Thomas Sunday Crescens the Martyr Leonidas, Bishop of Athens Michael the New Martyr of Smyrna St. Nicholas Shrine Vigil Candle: Thank you to Mr. Athanasios Saki Evagelou for sponsoring today s vigil candle for St. Nicholas Shrine. Anyone wishing to sponsor a vigil candle should sign up at the Pangari. (Each vigil candle lasts one week). Each week a new vigil candle will be placed next to the icon of St. Nicholas until the construction of St. Nicholas Shrine has been completed. The asking donation is $10. Memorial Service: Today s memorial service is being chanted for Effie Demetris (40 days), beloved wife of the late John P. Demetris. She left behind her daughter, Cynthia Diccianni and her husband, Daniel; her daughter-in-law Jeanne Demetris; her sisters-in-law Sophia Ammon, and Catherine Nicholas; her brother-inlaw William Demetris; her grandchildren Zachary Demetris, Alexander Demetris, Danielle Sears, and Christopher Diccianni; and many nieces and nephews. In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by her son James Demetris, and her sister Sophia Melohis. May her memory be eternal. Festival Committee Meeting: The next festival committee meeting will take place on Monday evening, April 16 th, at 6:00 pm SHARP! All those interested in participating in the organization of the festival are welcome to attend. Senior Citizen Ministry: St. Sophia s Senior Parea is open to all senior citizens of the community. The next meeting of the Senior Parea will be on Thursday, April 19 th. Graduates Wanted: Do you have a son or daughter who is graduating this year? If so, please call the Parish office OR send an e-mail TODAY so that we can acknowledge their achievements on Sunday, May 20 th. Please provide the following information: Name of graduate; Name of school from which he/she is graduating (high school, vocational-tech school or college/university), Diploma/Degree received; Where attending college in the fall; Will be studying / majoring in? THIS INFORMATION MUST BE RECEIVED BY FRIDAY, MAY 11 TH, IN ORDER TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED IN CHURCH ON MAY 20 TH. AHEPA Track Meet - The 41st Annual AHEPA 445 "Thermopylae" Pan-Hellenic Track meet will take place on Saturday, June 9 th at 10:00 am at Upper Darby High School (601 N. Lansdowne Avenue, Upper Darby, PA 19082). This meet welcomes children (ages 5-18), and adults as well! Please support the St. Sophia Team and come participate in any and all track and field events! We welcome beginners as well as experienced athletes! Last year we placed 2 nd and we would love to bring home the GOLD Team Trophy this year! Rain Date: Sunday, June 10, 2018. If you are interested in participating, please contact either Donna Christou (donnachristou@gmail.com) or Lou Christou (christoulou69@gmail.com). Yiayia s Attic Postponed: Our Ladies Philoptochos will not be opening Yiayia s Attic at the upcoming Spring Festival. They will NOT be accepting any donations at this time. Please contact Alexis Witt with any questions 610-948-7875. Pastoral Visits - A Request to All Parishioners: If you desire a pastoral visit in case of a hospitalization, or for someone who is homebound, in a nursing facility, or in prison, please have an immediate family member notify the Parish office at 610-650-8960 so that a visit can be arranged. Register Tapes: Don t forget to save your Shop-Rite register tapes. We can only use receipts from any of the ten Brown s stores located in: Bensalem PA, East Norriton, PA, Fairless Hills PA, Cheltenham, PA and in Philadelphia, PA, on Island Ave., Oregon Ave., 52 nd & Parkside, Haverford Ave., and Ridge Ave. in the Roxborough section. They also have one store in Brooklawn, NJ. The drop off box is located in the lobby of the Cultural Center. Please submit receipts timely, only tapes from within 4 months of the transaction date are accepted. REDNER S Register Tapes: We are now collecting Redner s Market register tapes. Remember to use your Pump Perks card when making purchases. The drop off box is located in the lobby of the Cultural Center. Bulletin Announcements: Any church organization requesting that their announcement or flyer be placed in the bulletin must submit their material by 12 noon Wednesday for the upcoming Sunday s bulletin. Please e- mail information to office@saintsophiachurch.org Thank you. Elaine Piligian In Case of Emergency: If you are having an extreme medical emergency ONLY and are in need of an Orthodox priest, please call the Parish office at 610-650-8960.
April 15, 2018 Stewardship Update Xristos Anesti! Christ is Risen! Last Sunday we celebrated Christ s triumphant Resurrection. He has defeated death and has given much to save all of mankind. It was wonderful to see so many familiar and new faces join us throughout Holy Week and for the Resurrection service to proclaim together that Christ is Risen! Now, during the Paschal season, is a most appropriate time to consider God s many blessings upon us and how we can live better Orthodox lives. The mortgage balance as of 4/5/18 is $1,152,075.69 Throughout the year, and especially during the Lenten and Easter seasons, God is calling each and every one of us! Are you listening? As stewards of the faith, it is important that we thank God for His blessings by giving of our time, in addition to talents and treasure. All year, and especially during the Lenten season, we must all make time to come to church not just for adults but for the children, too. Let us set a good example for the future of our faith and heritage. Worshipping together helps to refresh all of us spiritually each week as we prepare to face the following week of earthly demands. Everyone seems very busy these days, but let s make sure we are scheduling time for God, too! The Stewardship Program is off to a great start! Thank you to everyone who has already returned their 2018 Stewardship Commitment Form. If you have not yet returned your Commitment Form, please do so today. As a busy parish, there are plenty of opportunities for all of us to get involved by giving of our time and talents to support His work. Actively participating is not only spiritually rewarding it can be really fun too! God Bless You for your support of His work and our parish! Alithos Anesti! Truly He is Risen! So far, 131 stewards have pledged for 2018, and our total pledges have reached $152,035. To date we have received $64,471 For comparison, by this time last year, we had 139 pledged stewards, and our total pledges had reached $164,820. If your name does not appear on the 2018 Stewardship Listing, we request that you complete a 2018 Stewardship Commitment Form. If you have any questions, please contact Tom Cox at 215-859-1009.
Mr. & Mrs. George Argiris Mr. & Mrs. Nick Argyropoulos Mr. & Mrs. Don Avgerinos Mrs. Niki Avgerinos Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Bailey Mr. & Mrs. Matt Bannon Mrs. Frieda Bell Mr. & Mrs. Angelo Bragitikos Mr. & Mrs. Vincent Caliendo Mr. & Mrs. Elias Christou Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Collias Mrs. Betty Cooper Mr. & Mrs. George Coutavas Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Cox Mrs. Marie A. DelViscio Mrs. Iris Demas Mrs. Effie Demetris (deceased) Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Dicciani Mr. & Mrs. Robert Downs Mr. & Mrs. Steven Dowzicky Mr. & Ms. Athanasios Evagelou Mr. & Mrs. George Evangelopoulos Mr. & Mrs. Kosmas Fotiadis Mrs. Irini Gaskin Mr. & Mrs. Marques Glaze Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Guano Mr. & Mrs. Art Happas Mr. & Mrs. Harry Hatzipavlides Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Hatzipavlides Ms. Vela Hatzipavlides Ms. Konstantina Hronis Mr. & Mrs. Anestis Kalderemtzis Mr. & Mrs. Andreas Kamaratos Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Kane Mr. & Mrs. Christos Karagiannopoulos Mr. & Mrs. Theodore Karas, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. John Karistinos Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey K. Kerns Ms. Evangelia Klapakis Mr. & Mrs. Bart Kline Mrs. Peggy Kostomite Mrs. Despina Kourtidis Mr. Haralambos Kourtidis Mr. & Mrs. Kiriakos Kourtidis Mr. & Mrs. Nikolaos Kourtidis Mr. & Mrs. Dean Laskaris Mr. Ernest Laskaris Mr. & Mrs. John Lathiris Ms. Vicky Lathiris Mrs. Effie Liacouras Miss Aphrodite Nicole Liantis Mr. Nicholas Liantis Mr. & Mrs. Petros Liantis Mr. & Mrs. Anthony C. Limberakis Drs. Anthony & Maria Limberakis Dr. & Mrs. Cary Limberakis Mr. & Mrs. Peter Lowry Mrs. Irene Malagari Dr. & Mrs. Paul Matsiras Mr. & Mrs. Angelo Metropoulos Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Migdalias Mr. & Mrs. Kyriakos Mitses Mrs. Mary Moukoulis Ms. Phidella Natale Mr. Louis P. Nemphos Mr. & Mrs. Louis Nemphos Mr. & Mrs. George Neofotistos Hon. William Nicholas Mr. Alexander & Dr. Marianne Nikas Mr. & Mrs. Michael Nikolaou Mr. & Mrs. Serafim Notaras Mr. Thomas Novitski Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Pantazopoulos Mr. & Mrs. Harry Papadakes Ms. Sophia Papadakes-Frangakis Mr. & Mrs. John Papadimitriou Mr. & Mrs. Anastasios Pappanastasiou Mrs. Athena Pappas Dr. & Mrs. Peter Patukas Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Patukas Mr. & Mrs. Chris Pavlou Dr. & Mrs. James Peoples Mr. & Mrs. Aram Piligian, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. John Pogas Mr. & Mrs. David Poloway Mr. George Prieston Mr. & Mrs. John Rackas Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Ruser Mr. Dimitri Samaras Mr. & Mrs. John G. Samaras Mr. & Mrs. Constantine Samios Mrs. Margaret Callipolites Scandalios Mr. & Mrs. Sam Sinoimeri Mr. Ari Sitaras & Miss Yasmine Colclough Mrs. Anna Skylakon Drs. Charalambos & Melpo Solomides Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Soutos Mr. & Mrs. Trevor Speir Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Stolarczyk Mr. & Mrs. John Stratis Mr. & Mrs. Vasilios Tatsis Miss Alexandra Thomloudis Mr. & Mrs. Ilias Thomloudis Mr. & Mrs. Marc Toth Ms. Linda Tripolitis Mrs. Shirley E. Tripolitis Mr. & Mrs. Nikolaos Trontsios Mr. & Mrs. Alex Tsioulfaidis Ms. Katherine Tsipras Ms. Maria Tsipras Mr. & Mrs. Seraphim Tsipras Mr. & Mrs. Socratis Tsipras Mrs. Irene Tsokas Dr. & Mrs. William Tsoubanos Mr. & Mrs. Anastasios Tzivekis Mr. & Mrs. Peter Tzivekis Mr. & Mrs. Michael Vail Mrs. Stella Vatsakis Ms. Helene Vellios Miss Lexie Volakis Mr. & Mrs. Dimitrios Voutsinas Mr. & Mrs. Robert Watts Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Williams Mr. & Mrs. Roger Witt Mr. & Mrs. Robert Zacharatos Mrs. Ita Zaferes Mr. & Mrs. Charles Zarcone Mr. & Mrs. Richard Zarynow Dr. & Mrs. George Zavitsanos Dr. & Mrs. Thomas Zavitsanos 2018 Stewardship Listing as of 4/13/18