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Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Atlanta
Publish Date: 2016-04-28
Bulletin Contents
MESSAGE FROM HIS EMINENCE METROPOLITAN ALEXIOS
FROM THE CHANCELLOR'S DESK
Family Life Ministry
Metropolis of Atlanta STRATEGIC PLAN
FLYER ANNOUNCEMENTS
Gospel and Epistle Readings
Wisdom of the Fathers
Saints and Feasts
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Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Atlanta

General Information

  • Phone:
  • 404-634-9345
  • Fax:
  • 404-634-2471
  • Street Address:

  • 2480 Clairmont Rd. NE

  • Atlanta, GA 30329

Past Bulletins


MESSAGE FROM HIS EMINENCE METROPOLITAN ALEXIOS

John-16-33

My Beloved Ones,

I greet you with love in the name of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. I wish that I could be with you to celebrate the holiest time of the year, but I want you to know that I will be praying for our God-protected Metropolis from Mt. Athos during Holy Week and Pascha.

After all our preparation during Great Lent, our fasting and prayer, our worship and charity, we are now invited to enter Holy Week. In the Orthodox Church, Holy Week is not simply a commemoration of historical events; it is a chance to relive the saving Crucifixion and Life-giving Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is a terrible and wonderful journey: terrible because the Lord will have to endure so much; wonderful because if we take this journey with Him, it has the power to transform us not only for seven days, but for the rest of our lives.

We will behold the resurrection of Jesus’ friend after four days in the tomb, on the Saturday of Lazarus. 

We will stand by the side of the road in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and hail the triumphant Jesus with palm branches while He enters the city as a King, riding on a donkey.

We will prepare our souls at the beautiful Bridegroom Services on Palm Sunday evening, and the following two nights, Holy Monday and Holy Tuesday.

We will receive spiritual and bodily healing in the Sacrament of Holy Unction, on Holy Wednesday.

We will share in the Mystical Supper, enriching our lives on Holy Thursday morning; and we shall suffer with our Lord Jesus, as we listen to the Gospel accounts of His Crucifixion on Holy Thursday evening.

We will mourn beside His dead body, singing the Lamentations, as we accompany His funeral procession and see His sacred body entombed on Holy Friday.

We will anticipate His coming Resurrection at the morning Liturgy on Holy Saturday and at night as we gather to prayerfully await the Resurrection. At midnight in the darkened Church, the Paschal Candle will illumine the darkness and the light shall spread throughout the world as we sing “Christ is Risen!” and celebrate the Divine Liturgy of the Resurrection.

And then we shall join together for the Agape Vespers, those Vespers of Love which restate the victory of Christ against all that distorts our true humanity.

My beloved children, I pray that we are all prepared for this journey; that our hearts are open and ready to accept the spiritual gifts that shall come about from witnessing the end of our Lord and Savior’s earthly ministry, and the beginning of something truly glorious.

Καλή Ανάσταση,

+ALEXIOS
Metropolitan of Atlanta

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FROM THE CHANCELLOR'S DESK

 

St. Gregory the Great who lived in the sixth century wrote: “If a dead man is raised to life, all men spring up in astonishment. Yet every day One that had no being is born, and no man wonders, though it is plain to all, without doubt, that it is a greater thing for that to be created which was without being than for that which had being to be restored. Because the dry rod of Aaron budded, all men were in astonishment; every day a tree is produced from the dry earth ... and no man wonders ... Five thousand men were filled with five loaves; every day the grains of seed that are sown are multiplied in a fullness of ears, and no man wonders. All wondered to see water once turned into wine. Every day the earth's moisture, being drawn into the root of the vine, is turned by the grape into wine, and no man wonders. Full of wonder then are all the things which men never think to wonder at, because they are by habit become dull to the consideration of them.”

 Faithfully yours,

+Fr. George Tsahakis
Chancellor

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Family Life Ministry

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Journey of Marriage (Pre-Marital Seminar)

IMPORTANT: All couples marrying in the Metropolis must attend a Metropolis-sponsored Journey of Marriage seminar prior to their wedding. The couple will present their certificate of completion to their parish priest after the seminar. 

  • May 14 - Atlanta, GA

To see the full list of seminars through 2016, and to register, please visit: http://www.familylifeministry.atlanta.goarch.org/upcoming-events-2/

Check out the latest weekly offerings from the Metropolis' blog: from Pres. Kelley Lawrence's moving entries on "Mothering in the Womb", to  Fr. George Tsahakis' beautiful reflections for your family "Sunday Lunch", and Pres. Georget Photos' inventive series which puts together the pieces that make up Great Lent! www.familylifeministry.atlanta.goarch.org 

 

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Metropolis of Atlanta STRATEGIC PLAN

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WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM THE STRATEGIC PLAN IN THE FUTURE?

11/19/2015

A Best Practices Resource Portal!

This web-based "Best Pracitices Portal" will have all the programs, materials, videos, podcasts, information, training, systems, processes and any other content developed by any group or Strategic Goal Implementation Task Force and will be housed and made available to everyone 24 hours a day! 

Look out for this resource in the future after the Strategic Plan Implentation Plan is complete! 

 


LIVE STRATEGIC PLAN TWO-PART VIDEO

10/15/2015

St. John the Divine in Jacksonville, FL has provided a two-part  live video  (click here to watch! )  about the Strategic Planning program presented by Bill Marianes. In this two- part video, Bill gives full insight (WHY/WHAT/HOW) towards the Strategic Plan of our Metropolis! Enjoy!


Who can YOU contact in YOUR Parish about the Strategic Plan?

10/02/2015

Easy... Your Parish Champion! Each Parish in our Metropolis has been assigned a designated Parish Champion.

What's a Parish Champion?
The Parish Champion works with the Metropolis Communications Director to help everyone at each Parish to be fully informed about our progress and how each parishioner can get involved or participate! 

Whose your Parish Champion? 
Email: communications@atlmetropolis.org and find out! 


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FLYER ANNOUNCEMENTS

    Byzantine Iconography Workshop and Retreat

    Byzantine Iconography Workshop and Retreat

    5 ½ Day Workshop & Retreat - Instruction by Fr. Anthony Salzman - May 22 – 27, 2016 at Diakonia Retreat Center, SC - Combining the natural mountain setting and daily prayer and attentive instruction, you will learn to write an icon according to the ancient techniques.

    2017 FIT Committee Positions

    2017 FIT Committee Positions

    In addition to the on-going work of the Hellenic Dance Festival Committee, we are pleased to offer another opportunity for YOU to share your expertise, experience, and love as a member of our redesigned Festival Implementation Team.

    2017 HDF Committee Positions

    2017 HDF Committee Positions

    As we continue to enhance the experience and enjoyment of the Metropolis of Atlanta Hellenic Dance Festival (HDF), we are asking YOU to join us. We feel it is important to allow those with a deep love of our Faith and heritage an opportunity to join our team and continue the great work which has been accomplished.

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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Gospel Reading

Palm Sunday
The Reading is from John 12:1-18

Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazaros was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; Martha served, and Lazaros was one of those at table with him. Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" This he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box he used to take what was put into it. Jesus said, "Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me."

When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came, not only on account of Jesus but also to see Lazaros, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazaros also to death, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

The next day a great crowd who had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" And Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it; as it is written, "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!" His disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that this had been written of him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazaros out of the tomb and raised him from the dead bore witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.

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Wisdom of the Fathers

Out of love for Him you should make, therefore, an ikon of Him Who became man for our sakes, and through His ikon you should bring Him to mind and worship Him, elevating your intellect through it to the venerable body of the Saviour, that is set on the right hand of the Father in heaven.
St. Gregory Palamas
A New Testament Decalogue no. 2, Philokalia Vol. 4 edited by Palmer, Sherrard and Ware; Faber and Faber pg. 324, 14th century

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Saints and Feasts

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May 05

Renewal Thursday

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May 05

Irene the Great Martyr

Saint Irene was the daughter of a princelet called Licinius; named Penelope by her parents, through a divine revelation she was brought to faith in Christ and at Baptism was renamed Irene. In her zeal for piety she broke in pieces all the idols of her father, who commanded that she be trampled underfoot by horses. But while she remained unharmed, one of the horses rose up and cast down her father, killing him. By her prayer she raised him to life again, and he believed and was baptized. Afterwards, in many journeyings, Saint Irene suffered torments and punishments for her faith, but was preserved by the power of God, while working dread miracles and converting many thousands of souls. At last she came to Ephesus, where she fell asleep in peace, in the first half of the fourth century. Two days after her death, her gravestone was found lifted off, and her grave empty. At least two churches were dedicated to Saint Irene in Constantinople, and she is also the patroness of the Aegean island of Thera, which is commonly called Santorin (or Santorini), a corruption of "Saint Irene."

Allsaint
May 06

Job the Prophet

This faithful servant of God, the most perfect icon of all virtue, and especially of patience, was the son of Zare and Bosorra, and was the fifth from Abraham. He was true, blameless, just, devout, and abstained from every evil thing. He was very wealthy and blessed by God in all things, as was none other of the inhabitants of the land of Ausis, his homeland, which lies between Idumea and Arabia. But by divine permission, that he might be tried, he was suddenly deprived of his children, wealth, glory, and every consolation, and was covered with grievous sores over all his body. Some say that he endured courageously in this unparalleled calamity for seven whole years. Then, by divine blessing, he was restored again to a prosperity even more illustrious than the first. Having lived after his affliction for 170 years, he reposed full of days at the age of 240, in the year 1350 B.C. Others say that his affliction lasted only one year, and that he lived thereafter 140 years, living 210 years altogether.

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