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St. George Greek Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2017-04-16
Bulletin Contents
Hymns of the Day
Saints and Feasts
Gospel and Epistle Readings
Wisdom of the Fathers
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese News
Message from His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios
Fr. Rick's Sermon
News and Events
Bulletin Inserts
Anastasi
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St. George Greek Orthodox Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (651) 222-6220
  • Fax:
  • (651) 225-9276
  • Street Address:

  • 1111 Summit Avenue

  • Saint Paul, MN 55105

Contact Information

Priest Rev. Fr. Richard Demetrius Andrews

fatherrick@stgeorgegoc.org

Administrative Assistant Julie Delton

office@stgeorgegoc.org

Bookstore Steve Arsenault


bookstore@stgeorgegoc.org

Newsletter- Glad Tidings Julie Delton

gladtidings@stgeorgegoc.org

Youth Minister Nathaniel Kostick

nathaniel@stgeorgegoc.org

Services Schedule

Sunday Morning Orthros/Matins 8:15am, Divine Liturgy 9:30am; Saturday Great Vespers 5:00pm (October thru May); Weekday Services (see Online Calendar, Sunday Bulletin & Monthly Newsletter); Confession (by appointment).

Past Bulletins


Hymns of the Day

Apolytikion for Great and Holy Pascha in the Plagal 1st Mode

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death, and bestowing life on those in the graves.

Hypakoe of Great and Holy Pascha in the 4th Mode

When they who were with Mary came, anticipating the dawn, and found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre, they heard from the Angel: Why seek ye among the dead, as though He were mortal man, Him Who abideth in everlasting light? Behold the grave-clothes. Go quickly and proclaim to the world that the Lord is risen, and hath put death to death. For He is the Son of God, Who saveth the race of men.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Plagal 4th Mode

Though You went down into the tomb, You destroyed Hades' power, and You rose the victor, Christ God, saying to the myrrh-bearing women, "Hail!" and granting peace to Your disciples, You who raise up the fallen.
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Saints and Feasts

Anastasi
April 16

Great and Holy Pascha

Mary Magdalene, and the other women who were present at the burial of our Saviour on Friday evening, returned from Golgotha to the city and prepared fragrant spices and myrrh, so that they might anoint the body of Jesus. On the morrow, because of the law which forbids work on the day of the Sabbath, they rested for the whole day. But at early dawn on the Sunday that followed, almost thirty-six hours since the death of the Life-giving Redeemer, they came to the sepulchre with the spices to anoint His body. While they were considering the difficulty of rolling away the stone from the door of the sepulchre, there was a fearful earthquake; and an Angel, whose countenance shone like lightning and whose garment was white as snow, rolled away the stone and sat upon it. The guards that were there became as dead from fear and took to flight. The women, however, went into the sepulchre, but did not find the Lord's body. Instead, they saw two other Angels in the form of youths clothed in white, who told them that the Saviour was risen, and they sent forth the women, who ran to proclaim to the disciples these gladsome tidings. Then Peter and John arrived, having learned from Mary Magdalene what had come to pass, and when they entered the tomb, they found only the winding sheets. Therefore, they returned again to the city with joy, as heralds now of the supernatural Resurrection of Christ, Who in truth was seen alive by the disciples on this day on five occasions.

Our Lord, then, was crucified, died, and was buried on Friday, before the setting of the sun, which was the first of His "three days" in the grave; observing the mystical Sabbath, that "seventh day" in which it is said that the Lord "rested from all His works" (Gen. 2:2-3), He passed all of Saturday in the grave; and He arose "while it was yet dark, very early in the morning" on Sunday, the third day, which, according to the Hebrew reckoning, began after sunset on Saturday.

As we celebrate today this joyous Resurrection, we greet and embrace one another in Christ, thereby demonstrating our Saviour's victory over death and corruption, and the destruction of our ancient enmity with God, and His reconciliation toward us, and our inheritance of life everlasting. The feast itself is called Pascha, which is derived from the Hebrew word which means "passover"; because Christ, Who suffered and arose, has made us to pass over from the curse of Adam and slavery to the devil and death unto our primal freedom and blessedness. In addition, this day of this particular week, which is the first of all the rest, is dedicated to the honour of the Lord; in honour and remembrance of the Resurrection, the Apostles transferred to this day the rest from labour that was formerly assigned to the Sabbath of the ancient Law.

All foods allowed during Renewal Week.

April 16

Agape, Chionia, and Irene, the Holy Martyrs

When the Emperor Diocletian was at Aquileia, he learned that these Saints were Christians, and had them brought before him. Because they would not deny Christ, he had them imprisoned, and when he went into Macedonia, he committed them to Dulcitius the Prefect, who, however, lost his understanding and became incapable of doing them any harm. Diocletian then gave Count Sisinius charge over them. He had Saints Agape and Chionia burned; he ordered that Saint Irene be put in a brothel, but by the providence of God this was not accomplished, and she was shot with an arrow. These holy sisters suffered martyrdom in Thessalonica in the year 295.

April 16

Leonidas and Charissa, Nike, Galene, Kallida, Nounenchia, Vasilissa, and Theodora the Martyrs

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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Plagal 4th Mode. Psalm 117.24,29.
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.

The reading is from Acts of the Apostles 1:1-8.

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."

Gospel Reading

Great and Holy Pascha
The Reading is from 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.

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Wisdom of the Fathers

But why did He appear not to all, but to the Apostles only? Because to the many it would have seemed a mere apparition, inasmuch as they understood not the secret of the mystery For if the disciples themselves were at first incredulous and were troubled, and needed the evidence of actual touch with the hand, and of His eating with them, how would it have fared in all likelihood with the multitude? For this reason therefore by the miracles [wrought by the Apostles] He renders the evidence of His Resurrection unequivocal, so that not only the men of those times-- this is what would come of the ocular proof--but also all men thereafter, should be certain of the fact, that He was risen. Upon this ground also we argue with unbelievers. For if He did not rise again, but remains dead, how did the Apostles perform miracles in His name? But they did not, say you, perform miracles? How then was our religion instituted?
St. John Chrysostom
Homily I on Acts I, 4th Century

Now this is a proof that Christ is God the Word, and the Power of God. For whereas human things cease, and the Word of Christ abides, it is clear to all eyes that what ceases is temporary, but that He Who abides is God, and the true Son of God, His only-begotten Word.
St. Athanasius of Alexandria
On the Incarnation 55, 4th Century

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Fr. Rick's Sermon

The Bride of Christ (5-1-2016)

   During our annual Lenten retreat, our guest speaker, Presvytera Jeannie Constantinou reflected on the role of women throughout salvation history, from the Old Testament, to the New Testament, to the Saints, and to our present day. She presented a strong case that women are not only important, but essential to the life of the Church yesterday, today and in the future. I would like to expand on that a bit tonight.

   During Holy Week every year we celebrate the Bridegroom services on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evening. They are essentially an Orthros/Matins service adapted with special hymns and readings. Why do we call these Holy Week worship services by the “Bridegroom” title? A simple answer would be that they all contain the well-known hymn that goes like this:

   Behold the Bridegroom comes in the middle of the night; and blessed is the servant, whom He shall find vigilant; and unworthy is he, whom He shall find heedless.  Beware, therefore, O my soul, that you will not be overcome by sleep, lest you be given up to death, and be shut out of the Kingdom.  Wherefore, rouse yourself, crying out: “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, our God, through the prayers of the Heavenly Hosts and the Theotokos save us.”

   Who is the bridegroom? It’s an interesting term. In modern English we use ‘bride’ to refer to the female spouse and ‘groom’ to refer to the male spouse. In this context, bridegroom refers to what most people think of as the groom, the male spouse. All these terms are used in the context of a wedding. We might say things like “she’s a new bride” but as the marriage continues, we start using the terms husband and wife.

   The bridegroom that we are referring to is of course Jesus Christ. So, whom is He going to marry? Who will be His wife? The bride of Christ is the Church, the people who believe Him as God, who united to Him in baptism and chrismation, who follow Him, and seek to do His will at all times. If we consider ourselves to members of the Church of Christ, then each one of us is the bride of Christ, both women and men.

   This is crucial to our understanding of our humanity, especially in our present age when gender is seen as a fluid, self-identifying concept. Bottom line is that the female, the woman, is the icon of the Church. It is one of the reasons that the Virgin Mary is so revered, above all Christians, as Panagia. Even though she is the mother of Jesus, she is the Bride of Christ, par excellance.

   The language of Christ as bridegroom arises out of the words of Jesus Himself. It is reflected in the parable He told recorded the Gospel of Matthew 25:1-13 that is read as part of a longer passage during the Liturgy of Holy Tuesday. Let me share it with you now.

Matthew 25:1-13                   Parable of Ten Virgins; Watch for Second Coming

     1“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6“And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11“Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. 

   We can draw several meanings and symbols out of the text. First, the ten virgins represent the Church, those called out by God to be His disciples. Second, Father Lev Gilet, the author of the excellent book, The Year of the Grace of the Lord (p.145), notes that without oil it is impossible to have fire, warmth and light in the lamp. Likewise, he says that without the oil of charity (generous love of the poor and needy), it is impossible to have the fire, warmth and light of God in the lamp of our heart. Charity and almsgiving make the inner flame possible.

   Thirdly, he says about the five foolish virgins who wanted take some of the oil that the five wise virgins had stocked for themselves, that the oil of charity is not something that can be borrowed. It must be bought. In other words acquiring the oil of charity requires a costly effort.

   Fourth, the bridegroom is coming to get married to His bride at the wedding feast. Jesus spoke about that in

Matthew 22:1-14

     1And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: 2"The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, 3and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. 4Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding." ' 5But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. 7But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.' 10So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. 13Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14For many are called, but few are chosen."

   In conclusion, my brothers and sisters in Christ, the Kingdom of Heaven is not just a future reality in some other place. More importantly it is a present reality and displayed for us today in all her glory at the Wedding Banquet of the Divine Liturgy, the main course being the Eucharist. In order to become the Bride of Christ, it is necessary for us to understand and appreciate what is characteristically feminine in women. And then see how those characteristics can be identified and expressed in all of us, both men and women, in our relationship with God. Perhaps that’s a sermon for another day.

   Nevertheless, from the Parable of the Ten Virgins, Christ tells us to be ready and prepared for Him who is coming as the Bridegroom to the Wedding Feast. We prepare through virginity, chastity, and purity of body and soul. We prepare by showing His love and mercy to others. Everyone is called and invited, but few are chosen to enter into the bridal chamber. Not because God is trying to be exclusive, but because we exclude ourselves through the selfish choices we make. Therefore, let us enter into the Resurrection service, stay for the heavenly banquet of the Divine Liturgy receiving the Amnos, the sacrificial Lamb is Christ crucified and risen in the Holy Eucharist. And finally, let us share in fellowship at the earthly banquet of our sumptuous lamb dinner to follow. Amen! 

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News and Events

ST. GEORGE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

REV. FR. RICHARD DEMETRIUS ANDREWS, PRESBYTER

www.stgeorgegoc.org

 

April 16, 2017                                  GREAT & HOLY PASCHA              Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

 

TODAY’S EVENTS: Lamb Dinner following midnight Divine Liturgy; Youth Easter Egg Hunt & Piñata after Agape Vespers Service.

 

Epistle Reader: Aida Abebe                                               

Prosfora (midnight): Krisandrea Ballas-Rylander & Theologia Pitsavas

Fellowship: Lamb Dinner-Barbes Family & Friends; After Agape Vespers- Kanavati Family

Ushers: Bill Clemons, Nanette Gomez, Jon Kennedy, Dan Simon, Jim Theros, Joe Weiser

 

Monday        04-17     Office closed;BRIGHT/RENEWAL WEEK begins- NO FASTING

Tuesday       04-18     DIVINE LITURGY- STS RAPHEL, NICHOLAS & IRENE                                    9:00AM

                                      Bright Week Breakfast                                                                                 10:30AM

                                      Parish Council Meeting                                                                                   6:30PM

Thursday     04-20     MEOCCA Meeting at IOCC office in Minneapolis                                            11:00AM

                                      OCF at St. Thomas University                                                                     12:00PM

                                      AHEPA & Daughters of Penelope Meeting                                                      7:00PM

Saturday      04-22     Prison Ministry Reunion Breakfast                                                                10:00AM

                                      Pan-Orthodox Women’s Tea at St. George Antiochian                                   3:00PM

                                      GREAT VESPERS                                                                                            5:00PM

                                      Parish Feast Day Dinner                                                                                 6:00PM

Sunday         04-23     ORTHROS (8:15am) &DIVINE LITURGY- ANTIPASCHA/THOMAS SUNDAY   9:30AM

                                      Parish Feast Day Luncheon                                                                          12:00PM

                                      Greek School                                                                                               12:00PM

                                      Serve-a-Meal at FOCUS MN                                                                          4:00PM

                                      Greek Dance Practice                                                                                    4:30PM

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:           

Memory Eternal! Mary Manesis fell asleep in the Lord on April 5, 2017. The funeral was held in Eau Claire, WI on Monday, April 10. One of the pioneer Greek families in Eau Claire, Mary and her husband Nick raised six children; she is survived by four of them, along with fourteen grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

Thank You! to everyone who helped make Holy Week services, decor and activities possible. Many offered valuable time, talents and treasures. We are still accepting donations for the Pascha Lamb dinner.

Think About It: If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.                                            C.S. Lewis

Bright Week Breakfast- this Tuesday, April 18th,Divine Liturgy at 9am and breakfast at 10:30am.

Daughters of Penelope & AHEPA: will meet this Thursday, April 20, 2017 at 7pm.

Parish Feast Day! next Saturday, April 22nd with Vespers starting at 5pm and dinner prepared by Jason Barbes. On Sunday, April 23rd, Divine Liturgy with luncheon hosted by Dino Contolatis. Please plan to participate for both worship services and meals. Contact Jason and Dino to help with setup and cleanup. Xronia Polla and Many Years to our community and everyone who celebrates their name day!

Youth: Christ is Risen! Here is the schedule for youth program during the month of May: As the Festival of Nations will be held on our regular meeting time, JOY group will have their youth night at St. George GOC following Vespers on May 13. GOYA will meet on May 20 at Minnehaha Falls from 12-3pm. Please add vacation church school to your calendars for June 12-15.

Sixth Annual Pan-Orthodox Ladies Tea on Saturday, April 22nd, from 3-5pm at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, 1250 Oakdale Ave., W. St. Paul. The featured speaker is Doria Saros, speaking on Visitation Ministry. Please plan to join the fellowship and Vespers at 5pm; and if you would like, bring a treat to share.

Wisdom from the Church Fathers:   So, all of you, enter into the joy of our Lord: first and second, share the bounty. Rich and poor alike, celebrate together. Sober or heedless, honor the day. Those who fasted and those who did not, rejoice today. The table is full, everyone fare sumptuously. The calf is fatted, no one go away hungry. Everyone savor the banquet of faith; relish the riches of His goodness. Chrysostom on Pascha (+407)

Philoptochos: will hold a combined April/May meeting on Tuesday, April 25 at 1:30pm. 2017 memberships are now due. Payments can be placed in the Philoptochos mailbox outside the conference room, or mailed to Tina Sageotis, 1000 Forest Glen Court, Burnsville, MN 55337. A reminder that a total of $25 from each membership contribution goes to the national and diocesan Philoptochos.

Chicago Metropolis Oratorical Festival: hosted by St. Mary’s GOC onSaturday, April 29th at 10am. Please come and support the young people of our Metropolis representing our Faith so beautifully! Paid reservations ($20 for adults and $15 for children under 12) are required for the Luncheon/Award Ceremony at 12:30 pm. RSVP to Cristina Nicklow at cnicklow@outlook.com by Tuesday, April 18th.

The Church Fathers Speak: O Lord my God, I shall sing You a funeral hymn and a burial ode; for through Your Burial You opened for me the portals of life and by Death You have put Death and Hades to death.

Mural Icons Installed! thank you to iconographer Mother Theodora Balaban and woodcarver Doug Trail-Johnson for their beautiful work. Thank you to the four families who designated memorials and provided additional funding to complete the project. What a wonderful addition to our sanctuary. Glory to God!

Stewardship 2017: Our theme is You are the Voice of Christ in a Changing World: As the Father Has Sent Me, So I Send You (John 20:21). We have received 95 pledge cards for 2017 with a total of $151,836 and an average of $1,598. When pledging be sure to increase your pledge, even if only a few dollars. This reflects spiritual growth and overcomes stagnation. We encourage everyone to give a minimum of 2% pledge of gross yearly income to become a self-sustaining community. This is far less than the biblical ideal of tithing, giving 10%.

Summer Camp Early Bird Registration: opens this Tuesday, April 18th at 10am. Registration fees are as follows: Early Bird Discount:  $425 from April 18- May 5, 2017; Standard Fee:  $475 from May 6-25, 2017 at 4:30pm. Please register at: www.stmaryscamp.com. Summer Camp dates are July 1-7, 2017.

Patristic Wisdom:   You came from a Virgin who knew no travail; Your side O my Creator was pierced, by which You accomplished the re-creation of Eve, having Yourself become Adam. Supernaturally, You fell into a sleep that renewed nature, awakening life from sleep and corruption as the Almighty.

Pictorial Directory 2015: is now available for $5 per copy. They can be purchased either from Julie in the office or in the bookstore (limit, one per family).

Greek Cookbooks: various vintage hardcover editions in Greek are available in the bookstore.

Welcome Visitors Thank you for joining with us in prayer and fellowship. The worship of the Orthodox Church is deeply rooted in and very similar to that of the early Christian Church. Unique sensory stimuli and mystery are elements that go back even to the liturgy of the Jewish temple. Everything in an Orthodox Christian church communicates the majestic presence of God the Holy Trinity with His Saints. It is literally heaven on earth. It is a sad aconsequence of the divisions in Christianity that we cannot extend a general invitation to receive Holy Communion. Visitors are invited to receive the blessed bread (antithoron) at the conclusion of the liturgy. We pray and work for the reconciliation and unity of all Christians. If you are interested in learning more about Orthodoxy, please contact Fr. Rick at fatherrick@stgeorgegoc.org. We are proud of our Greek heritage but one does not have to be of Greek descent, nor speak Greek to be a Greek Orthodox Christian.

Note to Orthodox about Holy Communion: Receiving the Body and Blood of Christ is one of the most Holy experiences for a Christian in order to be granted the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. We are never worthy to partake of Divine Nature. Yet, it is essential that we prepare ourselves for this sacred Communion by constant prayer, reading the Scriptures, regular fasting and periodic Confession. At a minimum, we should fast all morning before Communion, arrive at the beginning of Liturgy, and come for Confession at least once a year. In addition, we should not have separated ourselves from the Church through serious sin. Otherwise, please refrain from Communion to avoid “judgment…not discerning the Lord’s body” (1Cor. 11:29). Contact Fr. Rick for pastoral guidance.

Glad Tidings deadline: The 10th of each month. Glad Tidings email: gladtidings@stgeorgegoc.org  Sunday Bulletin Deadline: Wednesday Noon each week.  Email: office@stgeorgegoc.org

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Bulletin Inserts

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