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Assumption Greek Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2016-02-07
Bulletin Contents
Gospel and Epistle Readings
Hymns of the Day
Wisdom of the Fathers
Saints and Feasts
Parish News and Events
Allsaint
Organization Icon
Assumption Greek Orthodox Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (773) 626-3114
  • Fax:
  • (773) 626-3141
  • Street Address:

  • 601 South Central Avenue

  • Chicago, IL 60644-5089

Contact Information

Proistamenos Very Rev. Timothy Bakakos

frtimothy@assumptionchicago.org | 773-626-3114

Associate Pastor Rev. Fr. Dimitrios Burikas


frdimitrios@assumptionchicago.org | 773-626-3114

Services Schedule

Worship Hours:

Sunday

8:30 am - Orthros

10:00 am - Divine Liturgy

Sunday Summer Hours
8:00 am - Orthros

9:30 am - Divine Liturgy

Sunday Church School 

 9:30 am - Divine Liturgy

Weekday Services

8:30 am - Orthros

9:30 am - Divine Liturgy

Past Bulletins


Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Grave Mode. Psalm 28.11,1.
The Lord will give strength to his people.
Verse: Bring to the Lord, O sons of God, bring to the Lord honor and glory.

The reading is from St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians 6:1-10.

BRETHREN, working together with him, then, we entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says, "At the acceptable time I have listened to you, and helped you on the day of salvation." Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in any one's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labors, watching, hunger; by purity, knowledge, forbearance, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

Gospel Reading

16th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 25:14-30

The Lord said this parable: "A man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more. So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.' And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.' He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth." As he said these things he cried out: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

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Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Third Mode

Let the Heavens rejoice; let earthly things be glad; for the Lord hath wrought might with His arm, He hath trampled upon death by death. The first-born of the dead hath He become. From the belly of Hades hath He delivered us, and hath granted great mercy to the world.

Apolytikion for Afterfeast of the Presentation in the First Mode

Rejoice, thou who art full of grace, O Virgin Theotokos, for from thee hath risen the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God, enlightening those in darkness. Rejoice, thou also, O righteous Elder, as thou receivest in thine arms the Redeemer of our souls, Who also granteth unto us the Resurrection.

Seasonal Kontakion in the First Mode

Your birth sanctified a Virgin's womb and properly blessed the hands of Symeon. Having now come and saved us O Christ our God, give peace to Your commonwealth in troubled times and strengthen those in authority, whom You love, as only the loving One.

Apolytikion of Great Martyr Catherine in the Plagal of the First Tone

Let us praise the most auspicious bride of Christ, the divine Catherine, protectress of Sinai, our aid and our help. For, she brilliantly silenced the eloquence of the impious by the sword of the spirit, and now, crowned as a martyr, she asks great mercy for all.

Kontakion of Great Martyr Catherine in the Second Tone

O friends of martyrs, now divinely raise up a renewed chorus, praising the all-wise Catherine. For, she proclaimed Christ in the arena, trampled on the serpent, and spat upon the knowledge of the orators.
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Wisdom of the Fathers

There is an old saying: 'Excesses meet.' Too much fasting and too much eating come to the same end. Keeping too long a vigil brings the same disastrous cost as ... sluggishness... Too much self-denial brings weakness and induces the same condition as carelessness. Often I have seen men who would not be snared by gluttony fall, nevertheless, through immoderate fasting and tumble in weakness into the very urge which they had overcome. Unmeasured vigils and foolish denial of rest overcame those whom sleep could not overcome. Therefore, 'fortified to right and to left in the armor of justice,' as the apostle says (2 Cor. 6:7), life must be lived with due measure and, with discernment for a guide, the road must be traveled between the two kinds of excess so that in the end we may not allow ourselves to be diverted from the pathway of restraint which has been laid down for us nor fall through dangerous carelessness into the urgings of gluttony and self-indulgence.
St. John Cassian
Conferences, Conference Two: On Discernment no. 16; Paulist Press pg. 76, 5th century

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Saints and Feasts

Allsaint
February 07

Parthenius, Bishop of Lampsacus

Saint Parthenius was born in Melitopolis on the Hellespont, the son of a deacon named Christopher. Because of the miracles that he wrought even as a young man, he was ordained a priest and then Bishop of Lampsacus in the days of Saint Constantine the Great, from whom he received great gifts and authority both to overturn the altars of the idols and to raise up a church to the glory of Christ. Working many miracles throughout his life, he reposed in peace an old man and full of days.

Loukas
February 07

Luke of Mount Stirion

Saint Luke was the descendant of a family from Aegina which, because of the frequent invasions of the Saracens, left Aegina and dwelt in Phocis, where the Saint was born in 896. From his earliest childhood Luke ate neither flesh, nor cheese, nor eggs, but gave himself over with his whole soul to hardship and fasting for the love of heavenly blessings, often giving away his clothing to the poor, for which his father punished him. After his father's death he secretly left home to become a monk, but the Lord, inclining to the fervent prayers of his mother, made him known, and he returned to her for a time to care for her. For many years he lived as a hermit, moving from place to place; he spent the last part of his life on Mount Stirion at Phocis, where there is a city named Stiris. The grace of God that was in him made him a wonder-worker, and his tomb in the monastery of Hosios Loukas, famous for its mosaics, became a source of healings and place of pilgrimage for the faithful. According to some he reposed in the year 946; according to others, in 953.

10_charalambos1
February 10

The Holy Hieromartyr Haralambos

This Saint was a priest of the Christians in Magnesia, the foremost city of Thessaly, in the diocese having the same name. He contested during the reign of Alexander Severus (222-235), when Lucian was Proconsul of Magnesia. At the time of his martyrdom the Saint was 103 years of age.

St. Haralampus is commemorated on February 10th, with the exception when this date falls on the Saturday of the Souls preceding Lent or on Clean Monday (the first day of Lent), in which case the feast is celebrated on February 9th.

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Parish News and Events

PARISH NEWS AND EVENTS

Memorials:
40 Days ~ Olga (Peggy) Thomopoulos Bancroft, Right Row 1
1 Year ~ Thomas Ekman, Right Rows 2– 3
1 Year ~ Lillian (Evangelia) Pierce, Right Rows 4 – 5
15 Years ~ Eva (Evanthia) Vermis, Right Rows 2 - 3
31 Years ~ Donald J. (Demetrios) Pierce, Right Rows 4 – 5

40 Day Baby Blessing:
The son of Theodore and Stephanie Hadzis will be churched today.

Coffee Fellowship:

This Sunday, the Coffee Fellowship is hosted by the Bancroft, Bovino and Thomopoulos families in memory of Olga (Peggy) Thomopoulos Bancroft.  Join us in Plato Hall for fellowship.

Sunday Church School:

Our Panagia Sunday Church School Divine Liturgy begins promptly at 9:45am. Sunday Church School classes takes place immediately following the Divine Liturgy in Plato School.  If you have not, as yet, registered your child for the 2015-16 school year, please do so by contacting the Church Office, securing a registration form online at our Church’s Website (www.assumptionchicago.org), or by speaking with our SCS Director, Mrs. Christina Arvanites.

Dates to Remember:

 Sunday, February 7th
Philoptochos, “Go Red Sunday”

 Monday, February 8th
7:00 pm – Adult Bible Study will meet
in St. Catherine’s Meeting Room

 Wednesday, February 10th
Feast Day of St. Haralambos the Martyr
8:30 am – Orthros
9:30 am – Divine Liturgy

 Sunday, February 14th
Godparents Sunday and Breakfast

Monday, February 15th
7:00 pm – Adult Bible Study will meet
in St. Catherine’s Meeting Room

Thursday, February 18th
10:30 am – Philoptochos General Meeting
in St. Catherine’s Meeting Room

 Friday, February 19th
7:30 pm – Youth Night at the Oak Brook Park District

Sunday, February 21st
Triodion Begins

Sunday, February 21st
Adult Education Program following Divine Liturgy
in St. Catherine's Chapel

Saturday, February 27th
5:00 pm - Sledding in Bartlett

Sunday, February 28th
SCS Students, Teachers and families
will be worshipping in the main Church as a ‘Church Family’   

The Next Orthodox Adult Bible Study Monday February 8, 2016:

Our Adult Bible Study will meet Monday evening, February 8, 2016, at 7:00 pm, in Saint Catherine’s Meeting Room.  We will continue our study of St. Paul’s Epistle to Timothy.  This class is open to all, and it is hoped that you will avail yourself to the opportunity to study the Bible in-depth.  All you need to bring along with you is your Bible. For further information and/or questions, please see Father Timothy.

Adult Education Program:

Father Dimitrios will be offering a new adult education program that will be held in our St. Catherine's Chapel immediately following SCS Divine Liturgy.  It is a 3-part series "Introduction To The Divine Liturgy".  The dates are Sunday, February 21st, Sunday, March 20th and Sunday, April 10th.

 Youth Ministries:

Our next youth night (Joy, Jr. GOYA and GOYA) will be Friday, February 19, 2016 at 7:30pm at the Oak Brook Park District. We look forward to seeing everyone there!  If you have any questions regarding Assumption Youth Programs, please contact Fr. Dimitri at frdimitrios@assumptionchicago.org.

 Philoptochos "Go Red Sunday":

February has been designated as Women’s Heart Health Month.  GO RED FOR WOMEN is the American Heart Association's national call to increase awareness of heart disease, the number one killer of American women.  This is a national call for women, by women, to take charge of their wellbeing and live stronger, healthier lives.  Across America, the red dress and the color red are becoming instantly recognized as symbols of women's empowerment to improve their heart health. In support of this program, National Philoptochos is designating this Sunday, February 7th as GO RED SUNDAY and is asking that our parishioners wear red when you attend Church services as a symbol of support for this program.  We pray this is a HEART HEALTHY year for us all!

 Be The Bee Youth Retreat:

Be the Bee Youth Retreat will be held on Saturday, February 27, 2016 at Sts. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church.  Sts. Peter and Paul in Glenview will be hosting a Metropolis of Chicago Be the Bee Retreat with the Archdiocesan Youth and Young Adult Ministries Director, Steven Christoforou (possibly better known as the 'Be the Bee Guy').

The day retreat (9:30am-roughly 3pm) is intended to be a PanOrthodox event for Youth (6th-12th Grades), Parents, and Youth Workers.  There will also be an evening event for Young Adults (18-35 year olds) at a TBD location in the city with Steve, beginning at 7pm.

Registration will be done online at: bethebee.goarch.org/retreats.

AHEPA 13th District Scholarships Available:

Applications for the Order of AHEPA’s 13th District Scholarship Awards are now being accepted.  Eligible students must be high school seniors, have a minimum four-year cumulative grade point average of ‘B’, and be either of Greek heritage or have a parent that is an active member of the AHEPA family.  For further info, or to obtain an application, please call the Church Office (773.626.3114).  Deadline for submitting application is March 15, 2016.

The Greek Women’s University Club:

The Greek Women’s University Club (GWUC) was founded in 1931.  It has been the mission of our organization to promote higher education and to support a variety of endeavors in the arts, literature, and sciences within our community.  Since its inception, the GWUC has supported women of Greek descent by offering academic scholarships. The Greek Women’s University Club is pleased to offer two (2) scholarships of $2,500 each for the 2016-17 schoolyear.

Selection of Award Recipients is made by an independent selection committee appointed by the GWUC Board of Directors. This committee will work independently and make decisions based on the criteria set forth in the scholarship application, including academic achievement, a written statement of academic objectives, faculty recommendations, and extracurricular activities. The semi-finalists are then invited for a personal interview. All candidates are advised of their status after each step in the process. Final notifications will be made by mid-May, 2016.

Application forms are available to any eligible women in the Church Office.  Please call 773-626-3114 if you wish to receive an application.

Application materials must be returned by March 31st, 2016, via email to:

Eleni Fosses
Email: elenifosses@gmail.com
773-617-2945

 AJM Architecture & Design Scholarship:

The Andreas J. Mourelatos Architectual & Design Scholarship fund is presented by the Mourelatos family in honor of Andreas who passed away in August of 2014.  The scholarship is open to all Greek American students across the United States in the fields of architecture, interior and exterior design, and construction management.  Please contact the AJM Architecture and Design to receive an application at:  www.AJMscholarship.com or AJMarchdesign@gmail.com.   Due date is May 30th.

 

Outing to the Field Museum of Chicago, February 28, 2016:

THE GREEKS

Agamemnon to Alexander the Great

 SUNDAY,
FEBRUARY 28, 2016

(Bus Leaving Directly following Divine Liturgy)

See more than 500 artifacts
From ancient Greece
At The Field Museum

Explore epic stories from the perspectives of the ancient Greeks
themselves, including men and women known to us through historical
accounts, mythological tales, and the archaeological record.

RESERVATIONS:

$27 per Adults:  $20 for students:  including bus and lunch (at the museum)
Please call the Church Office #773.626.3114 or email office@assumptionchicago.org to make your reservations.

RSVP:  No Later than February 18, 2016

Church School on FACEBOOK:

Our Sunday Church School has created a FACEBOOK page. Like our page: Assumption Sunday Church School! Keep up to date on upcoming events and view photos from recent events.

Coffee Fellowship Hosts Needed:

Have you considered selecting a day to host the Weekly Fellowship Hour following Worship Services on a specific Sunday in 2016?  You might want to celebrate a family event, a memorial, or just want to share time with the Church family.  Please call the Church Office (773.626.3114) to book a date and for more information.  Available dates for the first half of 2016 are:

Feb. 21                April 17        June 5           July 10        

Feb. 28                May 8          June 12         July 17

March 6               May 15        June 19         July 31

March 27             May 22        June 26         Aug. 7

April 10                May 29        July 3            Aug. 21

Assumption Prayer Ministry:

The Assumption Adult Bible Study Group has developed an idea that may be of interest to parishioners and friends of our Panagia Parish.  They are interested in being able to form a ministry comprised of individuals who would like to pray for the health of those individuals who may be ill or experiencing health issues.  Our Orthodox Faith teaches us that the ‘power of prayer’ literally works miracles, and Jesus instructs us in the Bible that we should “always pray for one another in the fellowship of love and through the Holy Spirit”.   As a Panagia Parish, we are united as brothers and sisters in Christ, and we are encouraged to pray for one another as any family would do.  So, how do we plan to do it?  It’s simple, easy, and spiritually uplifting and rewarding.  Here is what we can all do:

  • If you are interested in participating, you need only submit your name and email address to the Church Office or Fr. Timothy.
  • When a name is submitted to be prayed for, you will be contacted by email, given the first name of the person to be prayed for, along with the prayer to be read by you, offering the prayer for the intercession of God upon that individual, and asking that the afflicted be healed by God’s abundant blessing.
  • Your prayer, together along with the many others who are offering a prayer for the person who is ill, will bring comfort beyond comprehension.

Just think about that….our prayers collectively praying for a person who needs the loving and tender Hand of God during his/her special time of need.  It’s that simple.  Just provide us with your email address, and you can join this ministry team who will pray for the person who needs help the most.  It costs nothing, takes only a few seconds to do, but will make us all part of a spiritual family that looks and cares for one another.

  Bookstore:

Do you need gifts for your family or relatives?  Then please visit the Bookstore in Plato Hall after the Divine Liturgy on Sundays.  There you will find unique gifts for everyone, such as books for children and adults, icons of your or your children’s patron saints, crosses, key chains and other beautiful items, which will make much appreciated gifts this year.  Please stop in and browse, you’ll be glad you did.

Prosfora Bakers Needed:

One of the blessings of Stewardship that we are given is the ability to serve our Church in a number of ways.  Our Church is in need of individuals who can offer the weekly Prosforo (Bread) for the Divine Liturgy.  Should you be able to offer your service, please inform the Church office or see either Fr. Timothy or Mrs. Demetra Spyropoulos.  With the help of each steward/member, we come together as a Church family to better offer our thanks to our Lord.

College Students -- Check Out OCF  (Orthodox Christian Fellowship):

To our young people who are going away to college for the first time, or to those returning to school to continue their studies, Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) is the organization which keeps you connected to your Church and your Orthodox Faith.  OCF has 300 chapters in colleges and universities throughout North America.  So be sure to check out their web site to locate and find out about your chapter --  WWW.OCF.NET.  We also encourage our college young people to share their e-mail addresses with our Church so that we may keep them informed of their “Spiritual Home” while they are away.  And always remember, your Assumption Church’s weekly Divine Liturgy Services are just a click away on your computer each Sunday as we now broadcast live each Sunday.  Just access it by going to our website at:  www.assumptionchicago.org

Cemetery Graves Update:

Individuals/Families interested in purchasing graves at Elmwood Cemetery, please be advised of the following rates:  $1,995.00 (members), and $2,295.00 (non-members).  Our Parish has only twenty-six (26) graves remaining in the Panagia section, and the Church pricing is about 50% less than the graves that are being sold at Elmwood.  For more information, please call the Church office and speak with Gail (773.626.3114).

Proper Church Etiquette:

Worship Services are vital instruments and components to our prayer development.  In order to help us achieve this, we need to be cognizant of our fellow parishioners and all those around us.  Therefore, please make sure that cell phones are completely turned off during Services.  In addition, while we most welcome children to participate in the liturgical life of the Church, it remains the responsibility of parents to make sure that children do not become a distraction to those around them.  Therefore, if a child is crying, or in some way in need of attention, please feel free to take him/her to the Narthex or Cry Room.  You are most welcome to enter and exit the Church proper as many times as necessary.  By doing this, all who are in attendance will be afforded the opportunity to worship and pray together. (Please keep in mind that we are also privileged to have a complete Sunday School Liturgy celebrated in Saint Catherine’s Chapel each week for your use as well).  We ask for your cooperation.  Ushers will be available to help you, if needed.

Holy 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 are allowed to receive Holy 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 worship 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).

We Need Your E-mail Address:

Are you receiving the weekly bulletin online in your e-mail mailbox each week?  How about our Assumption Church’s Newsletter and the Saint Catherine’s Newsletter?  If not, please give the Church Office your e-mail address so that you can stay informed about the schedule of religious services, events, and news of our Community.

Website News:

In addition our Parish’s website, we encourage you to keep abreast on the latest news and happenings about Orthodoxy from our Metropolis of Chicago and our Holy Archdiocese.

Please use the links below to access any of the three sites:

Assumption Church:               www.assumptionchicago.org
Metropolis of Chicago:           www.metropolisofchicago.org
Archdiocese of America         www.goarch.org

All three websites will provide you with articles and resources for the Orthodox Church.  They include the history of Orthodoxy, special Services and Blessings, Spirituality, Teachings of the Orthodox Church, how to become a member of the Orthodox Church, the meaning and celebration of The Holy Eucharist, the form and characteristics of Orthodox worship, the Sacrament of Confession, Holy Week Meditation and Study Guide, Fasting, the Orthodox Calendar, and much more.  Specifically, on our Parish’s website, we have uploaded past and current editions of the Assumption Newsletter and the St. Catherine Newsletter, and are available for reading online.

Our Sunday Church Services are broadcast live on the Internet each week:

A reminder to all, our Parish of Panagia began broadcasting live to the internet each Sunday.  This is of particular benefit to our shut-ins, elderly, college students, and vacationers who are away from home, yet need to receive the benefit and blessing of the weekly Divine Liturgy experience.  All you need to do is log on to our website www.assumptionchicago.org, and click the link to begin watching the Worship Service live.  We have also archived our Services allowing anyone to click and watch the Service/sermon at their leisure.  We encourage you to give it a try.

NOTE:  Please note that this morning’s Divine Liturgy, as well as prior Divine Liturgies, are available for rebroadcast.  Simply log on to our Parish’s website (www.assumptionchicago.org), and click on the “Watch Worship Services Online” link.

Ushers:

Ted Pappas, Rose Marie Stewart, James Lakerdas, Voula Spyropoulos, Tom Collis

 

 

 

 


 

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