Memorials
1 Year ~ His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos
3 Years ~ Claudia (Euthimia) Panos
40 Days ~ Ekaterini (Katina) Siaperas
42 Years ~ William (Vasillios) Jatos
Coffee Fellowship
No Coffee Fellowship will be hosted, please join us in the park.
Dates to Remember
Sunday ~ June 3
10:00 am Divine Liturgy in The Park
Monday ~ June 4
Apostles Fast Begins
Stewardship
Have you pledged for the calendar year 2018 yet? If not, we kindly ask that you please prayerfully consider your pledge commitment for 2018, complete the pledge card that can be found at the pangari in the Narthex, and return it to the Church Office. We are forever grateful to the many loving stewards, supporters, and friends of this Parish who stand tall in their commitment to our Lord, the Blessed Panagia and this ministry. If you need further information on becoming a steward, please see Dr. Voula Spyropoulos, Mary Zouras, or a member of the Parish Council.
Assumption Church Scholarship Fund Applications Available
Fr. Timothy, the members of the Parish Council, and the scholarship committee are pleased to announce that it will again award scholarship(s) for the 2018-19 academic year. “The Assumption Church Scholarship Fund” is available to a student entering college in the fall of 2018, or current college students. The parents of the applicants must be paid contributing members (stewards) of the Assumption Church for four (4) consecutive years leading up to 2018. Applications and further details are available by calling the Church Office (773.626.3114). Deadline to submit an application is Sunday, June 24th.
Nameday Festivities for Metropolitan Nathanael
Our very own Metropolitan NATHANAEL of Chicago celebrates his nameday on June 11th in honor of his patron saint, the Holy Apostle Bartholomew. To celebrate this joyous feast, the Metropolis of Chicago will be hosting an open house on Sunday, June 10th at St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago. The evening will begin with Great Vespers at 5pm followed by the open house reception from 6-9pm. The following day, the Metropolitan will celebrate the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the Annunciation Cathedral in Chicago. Orthros will begin at 8:30am, and the Liturgy will follow at around 9:30am. There will be free valet parking and a luncheon after the completion of the divine services. All of the faithful are invited to attend.
Philoptochos
We hope you are well and that we will soon enjoy much warmer weather and outdoor activities!
Please be reminded that there is no Philoptochos meeting scheduled for the month of June and information is forthcoming regarding our Philoptochos Bake Sale at the Oak Park Farmers’ Market on Saturday, July 14th. Meanwhile, we hope you will be able to participate in our June events.
We invite you to join us, on Thursday, June 14th for Luncheon and a production of South Pacific at Drury Lane Theatre. This production was given a 3 ½ star rating by the Chicago Tribune. Ticket including luncheon: $60 per person. Luncheon: 11:30 a.m. Theatre: 1:30 p.m. Meal choices: Sautéed Tilapia or Vegetable Linguine. Please RSVP by June 1st. Call Francine at 630-336-9442. Gentlemen are welcome as well! Tickets are limited.
Also, on Thursday, June 21st at 1:30 p.m. we will be visiting the residents at The Greek American Rehabilitation and Care Centre. All are welcome to attend as we provide refreshments and “parea” - fellowship for the residents. Our visit will last approximately one hour.
Assumption’s Annual Divine Liturgy in the Park and Family Picnic
On Sunday, June 3rd, the Annual Parish Divine Liturgy in the Park will take place at the Lombard Lagoon, 430 Marcus Drive (Grace & Marcus Drive), in Lombard, Illinois. The Divine Liturgy will begin promptly at 10:00 am, followed by the traditional picnic. All members and friends are certainly invited to join us for a fun-filled day of fellowship. A Flyer can also be found in this Bulletin. While the main course will be provided by the Church, we kindly ask that you bring a side dish, dessert, or drink. Please R.S.V.P to the Church Office by Tuesday, May 29th (773-626-3114). Volunteers are always welcome and needed. Please note that Divine Liturgy will also be held at our Church as well on this Sunday.
Parents' Coffee Talk
On Monday, June 4th, all parents in our Assumption parish are welcomed to join us for a coffee shop outing and discussion. We will be meeting at Brewpoint Coffee in Elmhurst (617 N. York Road) at 7pm for coffee, fellowship, and a lively discussion. The mission of this event is to connect our families and support them in the raising of healthy and spiritually fruitful families. We hope will come join us!
School Supply Drive
This summer, our parish will be teaming up with FOCUS North America, an Orthodox service organization, to collect school supplies for needy children from a local school. How can you help? See Lynn or Kim Voulgarakis in coffee hour to pick up a pre-purchased backpack. Each backpack will have an envelope and a packing list inside of it. Place a $10 donation in the envelope and purchase the supplies on the list. Put the envelope and supplies in the backpack and bring them back to Lynn or Kim at church. So simple! The deadline to return the backpacks is July 15th, so hurry up and get yours today! If you have any questions, please contact Fr. Dimitri at frdimitrios@assumptionchicago.org.
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.
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:
June 10, 24
July 8, 22, 29
August 5, 19, 26
September 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
October 7, 14, 21, 28
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.
Catechism Class
For those interested in joining the Orthodox Christian Church, our parish of Panagia will be beginning a catechism class after Pascha. Catechism is the process of learning and beginning to live the Orthodox faith under the guidance of the Church and is a necessary step to baptism and/or chrismation. Please contact Fr. Dimitri at frdimitrios@assumptionchicago.org to register. Once a class list is gathered, we will work out dates and times that work for everyone.
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: Theodore Pappas, Christina Arvanites, Thomas Collis, James Lakerdas