January 21, 2018 15th Sunday of Luke Maximus the Confessor Neophytos the Martyr of Nicaea Martyrs Neophytos, Agnes, Patroclus, Maximus the Greek and Eugene of Trebizond ENTRANCE HYMNS Resurrectional Apolytikion - Ex Ipsus Katilthes ( From On High You Descended ) From on high you descended, O merciful Lord. You accepted the cross and three days in the tomb to free us from the bondage of sin, O our life and resurrection. Glory to You, O Lord. Apolytikion for Maximus the Confessor Orthodhoxias odhighe ( Guide of Orthodoxy ) Guide of Orthodoxy and a sacred teacher of piety and dignity, luminary of the world, and God-inspired jewel of monastics, O wise Maximus, the Spirit's instrument: by your teachings you enlightened all. Intercede with Christ our God for the salvation of our souls. 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. Seasonal Kontakion O mitran parthenikin ( the virginal womb ) You sanctified the virginal womb by Your birth, O Lord, and blessed the hands of Symeon fittingly, O Christ God; and even now You came and saved us. Now, give peace to our Nation in time of war, and empower our Leaders, so loved by You, the only one who loves humanity.
EPISTLE READING The reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to Timothy 4:9-15 Make your vows to the Lord our God and perform them. Verse: God is known in Judah; his name is great in Israel. Timothy, my son, the saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and suffer reproach, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things. Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Till I come, attend to the public reading of scripture, to preaching, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophetic utterance when the council of elders laid their hands upon you. Practice these duties, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. Ἀνάγνωσις ἐπιστολῆς Πρὸς Τιμόθεον α' 4:9-15 τὸ ἀνάγνωσμα Εὔξασθε καὶ ἀπόδοτε Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν. Στίχ. Γνωστὸς ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ ὁ Θεός, ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ μέγα τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ. Τέκνον Τιμόθεε, πιστὸς ὁ λόγος καὶ πάσης ἀποδοχῆς ἄξιος. Εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ κοπιῶμεν καὶ ὀνειδιζόμεθα, ὅτι ἠλπίκαμεν ἐπὶ θεῷ ζῶντι, ὅς ἐστιν σωτὴρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων, μάλιστα πιστῶν. Παράγγελλε ταῦτα καὶ δίδασκε. Μηδείς σου τῆς νεότητος καταφρονείτω, ἀλλὰ τύπος γίνου τῶν πιστῶν ἐν λόγῳ, ἐν ἀναστροφῇ, ἐν ἀγάπῃ, ἐν πνεύματι, ἐν πίστει, ἐν ἁγνείᾳ. Ἕως ἔρχομαι, πρόσεχε τῇ ἀναγνώσει, τῇ παρακλήσει, τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ. Μὴ ἀμέλει τοῦ ἐν σοὶ χαρίσματος, ὃ ἐδόθη σοι διὰ προφητείας μετὰ ἐπιθέσεως τῶν χειρῶν τοῦ πρεσβυτερίου. Ταῦτα μελέτα, ἐν τούτοις ἴσθι, ἵνα σου ἡ προκοπὴ φανερὰ ᾖ ἐν πᾶσιν.
GOSPEL READING The Gospel According to Luke 19:1-10 At that time, Jesus was passing through Jericho. And there was a man named Zacchaios; he was a chief collector, and rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaios, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today." So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." And Zacchaios stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost." ΕVΑΓΓÉΛΙΟΝ Ἐκ τοῦ Λουκᾶν 19:1-10 Εὐαγγελίου τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, διήρχετο τὴν Ιεριχώ καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ ὀνόματι καλούμενος Ζακχαῖος, καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν ἀρχιτελώνης, καὶ οὗτος ἦν πλούσιος, καὶ ἐζήτει ἰδεῖν τὸν Ιησοῦν τίς ἐστι, καὶ οὐκ ἠδύνατο ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄχλου, ὅτι τῇ ἡλικίᾳ μικρὸς ἦν. καὶ προδραμὼν ἔμπροσθεν ἀνέβη ἐπὶ συκομορέαν, ἵνα ἴδῃ αὐτόν, ὅτι ἐκείνης ἤμελλε διέρχεσθαι. καὶ ὡς ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον, ἀναβλέψας ὁ Ιησοῦς εἶδεν αὐτὸν καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτόν Ζακχαῖε, σπεύσας κατάβηθι σήμερον γὰρ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου δεῖ με μεῖναι. καὶ σπεύσας κατέβη, καὶ ὑπεδέξατο αὐτὸν χαίρων. καὶ ἰδόντες πάντες διεγόγγυζον λέγοντες ὅτι παρὰ ἁμαρτωλῷ ἀνδρὶ εἰσῆλθε καταλῦσαι. σταθεὶς δὲ Ζακχαῖος εἶπε πρὸς τὸν Κύριον ἰδοὺ τὰ ἡμίση τῶν ὑπαρχόντων μου, Κύριε, δίδωμι τοῖς πτωχοῖς, καὶ εἴ τινός τι ἐσυκοφάντησα, ἀποδίδωμι τετραπλοῦν. εἶπε δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Ιησοῦς ὅτι σήμερον σωτηρία τῷ οἴκῳ τούτῳ ἐγένετο, καθότι καὶ αὐτὸς υἱὸς Αβραάμ ἐστιν. ἦλθε γὰρ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ζητῆσαι καὶ σῶσαι τὸ ἀπολωλός.
January 21, 2018 15th Sunday of Luke Maximus the Confessor Neophytos the Martyr of Nicaea Martyrs Neophytos, Agnes, Patroclus, Maximus the Greek and Eugene of Trebizond St. Nicholas Shrine Vigil Candle: Thank you to Elia and Athanasia Papachristou for sponsoring today s vigil candle for St. Nicholas Shrine in memory of Athanasia Alexopoulou. 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. TODAY is Stewardship Appreciation Sunday: The 2018 Stewardship campaign is now under way. Please check your mail at home for your 2018 Stewardship letter and Pledge Form. Today marks the first Stewardship Sunday of 2018. We are asking all of our stewards to commit not only of your Treasure, but of your Time and Talent as well. To continue to grow as a parish and provide the programs and support to the Orthodox faithful in the region, we really need everyone s help! We truly appreciate all of the support from our many stewards and friends. Please join us after Divine Liturgy today for a complimentary thank you breakfast sponsored by the Parish Council. Parish Council Update: Last Sunday, after the Affirmation of Office (Swearing-In Ceremony), the Parish Council met to elect the Officers for the coming year. The following Parish Council members were elected for office: John Pogas, President; Matt Bannon, Vice-President; Alexander Nikas, Treasurer and George Coutavas, Secretary. Girl Scout Cookie Sale: It s that time of year again to help support local Girl Scouts of our parish by purchasing delicious Girl Scout cookies! Girl Scouts of our parish will be selling cookies in the Cultural Center following Divine Liturgy starting today through Sunday, Mar. 11 th. If anyone in the Parish has a daughter(s) who would like to sell Girl Scout Cookies during Coffee Hour in the Cultural Center, please see Presvytera Katherine or contact her at pkstfamily@verizon.net to select an upcoming date. Please be prepared to set-up your table and clean-up once you are finished. 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, January 25 th. OUR EMAIL ADDRESSES HAVE CHANGED: Emails to the parish office should now be sent to office@saintsophiachurch.org. If you need to contact Fr. Peter directly, his email address is now frpeter@saintsophiachurch.org.
Scout Sunday: On Sunday, February 11 th, we will recognize all those children and adults who are part of Scouting (February 4 th is National Scout Sunday). All Scouts MUST be in their Class A uniforms. Please e-mail or call the Parish office with the names (children and adults), ranks and branch of Scouting you are in by Friday, February 2 nd in order to be included in the program at the end of the Divine Liturgy. We are very excited to support scouting in this community. Please remember that there are numerous religious service awards that our children can work towards earning for all levels of Scouting. Please see Fr. Peter for more information! Koliva Class Friday, February 9 th : The class on how to prepare Koliva will be offered so that the tradition can live on through the generations. This class is open to all, and no experience is necessary. All materials will be provided except for a small bowl that holds about 2 cups of koliva. Participants will learn how to prepare the dish for the 1 st Saturday of Souls on Saturday, February 10th. The class will be offered from 6-8 pm and will be led by Maria Tsipras. The cost to participate in the class is only $10. Please contact Maria with questions. RSVP by phone 610-539-5413 or email tsipras@verizon.net. The deadline to sign up is February 3 rd. 2018 Ecclesiastical Calendars: In an effort to save the Parish resources, 2018 Church calendars are available for pickup on the table outside of the Parish office on a first come, first serve basis. We respectfully request that each stewarding family take only 1 calendar per household. Thank you! To Parents of Young Children: In case you are not aware, our church has a Cry/Bride Room in the Narthex. For those parents whose young children might understandably get fussy during a service, please feel free to take your youngster into that room for a short while. (There is a closed circuit TV showing the service in the room as well as a bathroom/changing station). The intention is NOT to relegate you to another room; rather, this will enable you to attend to your child in a quiet environment before bringing him/her back into the church. New Iconography: As you can see by the new iconography on the walls of our church, the beautification of our church is complete. There are many new opportunities to sponsor an icon. If you are interested in sponsoring any of these, please see either Dr. Peter Patukas or Fr. Peter Thornberg for more details. House Blessings: If you wish to have your homes and/or businesses blessed by Fr. Peter, please call the Parish office to schedule a visitation. 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 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. 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.
` PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS JANUARY 2018 SOCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT Telephone Discussion Group The National Philoptochos Society Department of Social Services is sponsoring a confidential telephone discussion group for members undergoing treatment for cancer. Six consecutive sessions are being offered from January 11th through Feb. 15th at 7pm with facilitator Theodora Ziongas, M.A. Pre-registration required by emailing: supportgroup@philoptochos.org. Project Mexico & St. Innocent Orphanage Project Mexico, through works of mercy, helps build homes in Mexico for the poor and provide a home to orphaned boys at St. Innocent Orphanage. There are many opportunities to get involved as faithful Orthodox Christians: Apply for a summer internship, help feed the boys of St. Innocent Orphanage by donating to the food pantries or sign up to sponsor a boy s education through the School Buddies program. For more information please visit projectmexico.org. COMMITMENTS & PROGRAMS Our chapter supports established National and Metropolis commitments and programs through fundraising activities. With your support, we continue to meet our obligations and support those in need. DECEMBER DONATIONS UNICEF $110 General Medical Fund $100 Please join us at our next Philoptochos meeting on Tuesday, February 13 at 7pm. UPCOMING EVENTS Trivia Nite - January 27 Purchase your tickets today - Limited Seating! For more information, registration form and rules visit www.saintsophiachurch.org/trivia-nite. Godparents Sunday - February 4 Godparents and Godchildren are encouraged to come to church together to worship and receive Holy Communion. Please join us for a Superbowl Tailgate lunch immediately following Divine Liturgy. Koliva Class - February 9 Come learn how to prepare Koliva, the boiled wheat dish made for memorial services and Saturday of Souls Liturgies. The class will be offered from 6-8 pm and will be led by Maria Tsipras. The cost to participate in the class is only $10. Please contact Maria with questions. RSVP by phone 610.539.5413 or email tsipras@verizon.net. The deadline to sign up is February 3rd. Project Mexico - March 13 Please join us for a presentation from Presbytera Katherine on her visit to St. Innocent Orphanage and details on Project Mexico. There will be a brief meeting for members and some light refreshments to follow. We look forward to learning more on this philanthropy of Philoptochos. 2018 MEMBERSHIP The 2018 Membership drive begins on January 1 st and runs through April 30 th. Look for your membership packet later in the month. The suggested annual membership is $30.