April 7-8, 2018 Holy Saturday Easter Sunday Resurrection Service of Our Lord Jesus Christ The Divine Liturgy According to St. John Chrysostom St. Nicholas Shrine Vigil Candle: Thank you to Mr. & Mrs. Ilias and Christina Loshe Kochi 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. Agape Service: The Agape Service will begin at 12 noon on Easter Sunday. As is tradition, the Gospel will be read in several languages. Please make an effort to attend this beautiful service. Easter Egg Hunt: The children of the parish are invited to join us for an Easter Egg Hunt following the Agape Service on Easter Sunday. Office Closed for Bright Monday: In observance of Bright Monday, the Parish Office will be closed this Monday, April 8 th. Festival Committee Meeting: The next festival committee meeting will take place on Tuesday evening, April 10 th, at 6:00 pm. 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 12 th.
GOSPEL READING The Reading is from Mark 16:1-8 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they said among themselves, Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us? But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you. So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. ΕVΑΓΓÉΛΙΟΝ Κατὰ Μáρκον 16:1-8 Καὶ διαγενομένου τοῦ σαββάτου Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ καὶ Μαρία ἡ τοῦ Ιακώβου καὶ Σαλώμη ἠγόρασαν ἀρώματα ἵνα ἐλθοῦσαι ἀλείψωσιν αὐτόν. καὶ λίαν πρωῒ τῆς μιᾶς σαββάτων ἔρχονται ἐπὶ τὸ μνημεῖον, ἀνατείλαντος τοῦ ἡλίου. καὶ ἔλεγον πρὸς ἑαυτάς τίς ἀποκυλίσει ἡμῖν τὸν λίθον ἐκ τῆς θύρας τοῦ μνημείου; καὶ ἀναβλέψασαι θεωροῦσιν ὅτι ἀποκεκύλισται ὁ λίθος ἦν γὰρ μέγας σφόδρα. καὶ εἰσελθοῦσαι εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον εἶδον νεανίσκον καθήμενον ἐν τοῖς δεξιοῖς, περιβεβλημένον στολὴν λευκήν, καὶ ἐξεθαμβήθησαν. ὁ δὲ λέγει αὐταῖς μὴ ἐκθαμβεῖσθε Ιησοῦν ζητεῖτε τὸν Ναζαρηνὸν τὸν ἐσταυρωμένον ἠγέρθη, οὐκ ἔστιν ὧδε ἴδε ὁ τόπος ὅπου ἔθηκαν αὐτόν. ἀλλ ὑπάγετε εἴπατε τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῷ Πέτρῳ ὅτι προάγει ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν ἐκεῖ αὐτὸν ὄψεσθε, καθὼς εἶπεν ὑμῖν. καὶ ἐξελθοῦσαι ἔφυγον ἀπὸ τοῦ μνημείου εἶχε δὲ αὐτὰς τρόμος καὶ ἔκστασις, καὶ οὐδενὶ οὐδὲν εἶπον ἐφοβοῦντο γάρ.
EPISTLE READING The Reading is from Acts of the Apostles 1:1-8 This is the day which the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Verse: Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his mercy endures for ever. IN THE FIRST BOOK, O Theophilos, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me, for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit." So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of lsrael?" He said to them, "it is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth." Ἀνάγνωσις ἐπιστολῆς Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων 1:1-8 Aὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα, ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ Κύριος ἀγαλλιασώμεθα καὶ εὐφρανθῶμεν ἐν αὐτῇ Στίχ. ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὅτι ἀγαθός, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ Τὸν μὲν πρῶτον λόγον ἐποιησάμην περὶ πάντων, ὦ Θεόφιλε, ὧν ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς ποιεῖν τε καὶ διδάσκειν, ἄχρι ἧς ἡμέρας, ἐντειλάμενος τοῖς ἀποστόλοις διὰ πνεύματος ἁγίου οὓς ἐξελέξατο, ἀνελήφθη οἷς καὶ παρέστησεν ἑαυτὸν ζῶντα μετὰ τὸ παθεῖν αὐτὸν ἐν πολλοῖς τεκμηρίοις, διʼ ἡμερῶν τεσσαράκοντα ὀπτανόμενος αὐτοῖς, καὶ λέγων τὰ περὶ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ θεοῦ. Καὶ συναλιζόμενος παρήγγειλεν αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων μὴ χωρίζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ περιμένειν τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ πατρός, Ἣν ἠκούσατέ μου ὅτι Ἰωάννης μὲν ἐβάπτισεν ὕδατι, ὑμεῖς δὲ βαπτισθήσεσθε ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ οὐ μετὰ πολλὰς ταύτας ἡμέρας. Οἱ μὲν οὖν συνελθόντες ἐπηρώτων αὐτὸν λέγοντες, Κύριε, εἰ ἐν τῷ χρόνῳ τούτῳ ἀποκαθιστάνεις τὴν βασιλείαν τῷ Ἰσραήλ; Εἶπεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς, Οὐχ ὑμῶν ἐστιν γνῶναι χρόνους ἢ καιροὺς οὓς ὁ πατὴρ ἔθετο ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ. Ἀλλὰ λήψεσθε δύναμιν, ἐπελθόντος τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς καὶ ἔσεσθέ μοι μάρτυρες ἔν τε Ἱερουσαλήμ, καὶ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ καὶ Σαμαρείᾳ, καὶ ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς.
GOSPEL READING The Reading is from the Gospel of John 1:1-17 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light. The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. (John bore witness to him, and cried, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.'") And from his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ΕVΑΓΓÉΛΙΟΝ Κατὰ Ἰωάννην 1:1-17 Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος, καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν, καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος. Οὗτος ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. πάντα δι αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἓν ὃ γέγονεν. ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἦν, καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἦν τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει, καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν. Εγένετο ἄνθρωπος ἀπεσταλμένος παρὰ Θεοῦ, ὄνομα αὐτῷ Ιωάννης οὗτος ἦλθεν εἰς μαρτυρίαν, ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτός, ἵνα πάντες πιστεύσωσι δι αὐτοῦ. οὐκ ἦν ἐκεῖνος τὸ φῶς, ἀλλ ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτός. Ην τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν, ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον. ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἦν, καὶ ὁ κόσμος δι αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ ὁ κόσμος αὐτὸν οὐκ ἔγνω. εἰς τὰ ἴδια ἦλθε, καὶ οἱ ἴδιοι αὐτὸν οὐ παρέλαβον. ὅσοι δὲ ἔλαβον αὐτόν, ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα Θεοῦ γενέσθαι, τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, οἳ οὐκ ἐξ αἱμάτων, οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος σαρκός, οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος ἀνδρός, ἀλλ ἐκ Θεοῦ ἐγεννήθησαν. Καὶ ὁ Λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν, καὶ ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας. Ιωάννης μαρτυρεῖ περὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ κέκραγε λέγων οὗτος ἦν ὃν εἶπον, ὁ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν, ὅτι πρῶτός μου ἦν. Καὶ ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἐλάβομεν, καὶ χάριν ἀντὶ χάριτος ὅτι ὁ νόμος διὰ Μωϋσέως ἐδόθη, ἡ χάρις καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια διὰ Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐγένετο.
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. 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. 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.
The mortgage balance as of 4/5/18 is $1,152,075.69 Stewardship Update April 7-8, 2018 Xristos Anesti! Christ is Risen! Today we celebrate Christ s triumphant Resurrection. He has defeated death and has given much to save all of mankind. It has been wonderful to see so many familiar and new faces join us throughout Holy Week and now as we light candles to mark the Resurrection and proclaim together Christ is Risen! As we mark Pascha, now is a most appropriate time to consider God s many blessings upon us and how we can live better Orthodox lives. Throughout the year, and especially during the Lenten and Easter season, 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. In the days leading up to Pascha, we must all make time to come to church not just for adults but for children, too. Last Sunday we heard the glorious voices of our children. Special thanks to the parents who brought their children on time to participate in learning and singing the beautiful hymns. As parents, WE set the example for our children. If you do not bother to bring them on time, what does that teach them about their faith? As stewards, please keep in mind that we all need to set a good example for the next generation (as well as each other). By attending church regularly and on time we not only are showing Him the respect He deserves, but can help set the right example for others. 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. If you have any questions, please see Tom Cox. Alithos Anesti! Truly He is Risen! So far, 127 stewards have pledged for 2018, and our total pledges have reached $148,535. To date we have received $63,670. 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. Athanasios Evagelou & Ms. Nicole Reffner 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. Georgiana Kane 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 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 & Mrs. Catherine 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. Costas Samios Mrs. Margaret Callipolites Scandalios Mr. & Mrs. Sam Sinoimeri Mr. Ari Sitaras & Miss Yasmine Colclough Mrs. Anna Skylakon Drs. Charalambos & Melpo Solomides 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. Nikolaos Tsouros 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 4/5/18