Memorials:
5 years ~ Mary Maniates, Right Rows 1-2
25 years ~ Anton Zogas, Right Rows 1-2
Coffee Fellowship:
Please join us in Plato Hall after the Divine Liturgy for Coffee Hour Fellowship! The Coffee Fellowship this week is hosted by the Szubert and Papafotopoulos families.
Lenten/Easter Needs:
As we enter the Lenten Season and as in the past we look for donors for the flowers that are used during the Lenten/Easter Season. Should you wish to offer a donation for one of the items below, please call the Church Office - 773-626-3114
Icon for The Salutations to the Theotokos (5 Friday’s)
March 23rd - $175 per week (All other weeks DONATED)
Jonquils for the Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross March 11th - $250
Palm Leaves for Palm Sunday April 1st- $1,175.00
Icon for Bridegroom Services, April 2nd, April 3rd, April 4th - $175
Large Icon of the Last Supper – April 4th - $400
3 Wreaths for Holy Thursday, April 5th - $325 each - 1 DONATED
Rose Pedals, Holy Friday, April 6th - DONATED
Carnations, Holy Friday, April 6th - DONATED
Lavaro, April 7th - $200
Easter Lilies for Holy Pascha, April 7th - $625
Philoptochos:
The Assumption Philoptochos is hosting the Metropolis Lenten Retreat on Saturday, March 10th from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The theme of the Retreat is "The Body: Temple of the Holy Spirit...RAISING DIABETES AWARENESS." All are welcome to attend. Please see the flyer printed in the bulletin for further details.
Enjoy warm and delicious Loukoumathes on Sundays March 11th and March 25th during the coffee fellowship. Proceeds to benefit our charitable endeavors.
This Sunday, March 4th, is the last day that donations will be accepted for the One Warm Coat Drive. Thank you very much for supporting this very worthy cause that bestows the gift of warmth to so many! We are most grateful to Jette Georgopoulos and her family for their dedication and hard work.
The Philoptochos and Sunday Church School continue their fundraising partnership to benefit the children of St. Basil Academy – the sale of “Be Kind” tees shirts. The project was inspired by the thoughtful design of Stephen Kozil. The price of the shirt is $15 and available in various sizes. Orders will be taken during the coffee fellowship following the Divine Liturgy. Please support this worthwile project!
St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival:
The Oratorical Festival is an annual event that encourages 7th-12th grade SCS students to engage with their faith by writing essays, speeches, or poetry based on topics that the Archdiocese provides. Creating icons, videos, or other media is also a great way to get involved if a student prefers. Submissions will be judged, and the winners will move on to represent Panagia at the Metropolis Festival on April 14th.
Students in 4th-6th grade are also able to participate in Panagia's Festival by giving a 30-90 second talk. These students will not be judged for competition, and do not advance to the Metropolis Festival. This is a chance for younger SCS students to practice talking about their faith, and will prepare them for future Oratorical competition.
This year's Oratorical Festival is scheduled for Sunday, March 11th. Submissions are due Wednesday, March 7th. Please note the following details about how to submit:
- Icons: Beginning this Sunday, a box will be placed in the narthex of St. Catherine's Chapel. Please leave icons in the box. The student's name should be written on the back. I will collect the icons the evening of Wednesday, March 7th, after the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.
- Essays, poems, videos and other media: Please email any documents or links by 7pm on Wednesday, March 7th to event coordinator Maki Gilroy at philipgilroy94@gmail.com.
- Speeches: Students will deliver speeches the day of the Festival. However, a document with a speech transcript should be emailed to the address above by 7pm, Wednesday, March 7th. In the email, please indicate that the student intends to deliver a speech.
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 website 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 as we now broadcast live each Sunday. Just access it by going to our website at: www.assumptionchicago.org
Also, our parish is starting a database of all college students in the community. If you have a college student in your family or if you are a college student, please send your name, school, area of study, address, and email address to Fr. Dimitri at frdimitrios@assumptionchicago.org.
Dates to Remember:
Monday, March 5th
6:00 pm – Great Compline
7:00 pm - Adult Bible Study
Wednesday, March 7th
6:00 pm – Presanctified Liturgy
Friday, March 9th
7:00 pm – 3rd Salutations
Saturday, March 10th
9:00 am - Metropolis Philoptochos Retreat
Saturday, March 24th
11:00 am - Enthronement of Metropolitan-Elect Nathanael
Annunciation Cathedral, Chicago
Archimandrite Nathanael Symeonides Elected Metropolitan of Chicago
Ecumenical Patriarchate Announcement - Under the chairmanship of His All-Holiness, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate convened today, Wednesday February 7, 2018, for its regularly scheduled meeting and reviewed all the items in the agenda.
During this meeting, following the recommendation of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the members of the Holy and Sacred Synod duly casted their votes in the Sacred Patriarchal Church electing unanimously the Very Rev. Archimandrite Nathanael Symeonides, clergyman of the Holy Archdiocese of America, as Metropolitan of Chicago.
His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America will enthrone metropolitan-elect Nathanael on Saturday, March 24, 2018 at the Annunciation Cathedral with the service beginning at 11:00 a.m. A celebratory luncheon will follow at the Hilton Chicago. Luncheon Tickets are $125.00. Individual and Ministry Sponsorships are available for $1,000.00. To reserve seating and/or purchase a sponsorship, or for more information, please call the Church Office (773.626.3114).
Movie Outing
Take time out of your busy schedule to come enjoy a night at the movies with your fellow Panagia parishioners! On Tuesday, March 20th, we will be going to see the movie "I Can Only Imagine" at 6:30pm at the AMC Yorktown in Lombard. Tickets are only $5 per person, and we have currently secured 16 tickets (we may be able to get more if needed, but they are very limited). Because the content of the movie is heavy, we recommend that we limit children to be 15 years old or older and attend with their parents if they are under 17. If you would like to join us, please RSVP to Fr. Dimitri at frdimitrios@assumptionchicago.org.
Lenten Lecture
Following the Pre-Sanctified Divine Liturgy on Wednesday, March 21st, join us for a Lenten Lecture on the theme of "Forgiveness" by Dn. Perry Hamalis. More details to follow.
Save The Date:
Mark your calendars! The Assumption Golf Outing will be held on Monday, May 14, 2018 at 11:00 am at the White Pines Golf Course. Watch for more information.
Coffee Fellowship Hosts Needed:
Have you considered selecting a day to host the Weekly Fellowship Hour following Worship Services on a specific Sunday in 2018? 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 2018 Year:
April 29 June 3 July 8 Aug. 5
May 6 June 10 July 15 Aug. 12
May 13 June 24 July 22 Aug. 19
May 27 July 1 July 29 Aug. 26
We are in the Loop!
Through a generous donation by Mr. and Mrs. Chris Maniates in memory of Mrs. Helen Maniates, we are delighted to announce that we are now part of a growing number of places with a hearing loop. If you need assistance, please see one of the Parish Council Ushers for assistance.
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 with the many others who are offering a prayer for the person who is ill, will bring comfort beyond comprehension.
Just think about that….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.
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 Fr. Dimitrios. With the help of each steward/member, we come together as a Church family to better offer our thanks to our Lord.
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.
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).
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, which are available for reading online.
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.
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: James Lakerdas, Ted Pappas, Christina Arvanites, Tom Collis