A Warm Welcome to Our Visitors

It is our hope that we will help you learn more about our parish and the Orthodox Christian faith that we confess. At St. Gregory of Nyssa, you will discover an ancient, yet dynamic faith, a warm Church family and even perhaps a spiritual home where you can grow roots and a deep relationship with Christ in the Holy Spirit. Please know that in the Holy Orthodox Church, Holy Communion is given only to those Baptized/Chrismated Orthodox Christians who have properly prepared themselves through prayer, fasting and recent Confession. You are welcome to come forward at the end of the Liturgy to be given the Blessed Bread(Antidoron), of which all are blessed to partake, & a blessing from the Priest.

Welcome to our Church Home! We would like to meet you! Please join us at Coffee Hour following the service.

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

The Reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 16:13-24

Brethren, be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. Now, brethren, you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints; I urge you to be subject to such men and to every fellow worker and laborer. I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicos, because they have made up for your absence; for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such men. The churches of Asia send greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. All the brethren send greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. If any one has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Gospel Reading

13th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 21:33-42

The Lord said this parable, "There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit; and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them. Afterward he sent his son to them, saying 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.' And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons." Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures: 'The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?'"

Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone

When the tidings of the resurrection from the glorious angel was proclaimed unto the women disciples and our ancestral sentence also had been abolished to the Apostles with the boasting did they proclaim that death is vanquished ever more and Christ Our God has risen from the dead and granted to the world His great mercy.

Apolytikion for Hieromartyr Anthimus in the Fourth Tone

As a sharer of the ways and a successor to the throne of the Apostles, O inspired of God, thou foundest discipline to be a means of ascent to divine vision. Wherefore, having rightly divided the word of truth, thou didst also contest for the Faith even unto blood, O Hieromartyr Anthimus . Intercede with Christ our God that our souls be saved.

Apolytikion for Righteous Theoctistus and Euthymius in the Eighth Tone

The barren wilderness thou didst make fertile with the streams of thy tears and by thy deep sighing thou hast given fruit through thy struggles a hundred-fold. Accordingly, thou hast become a star for the universe, sparkling with miracles. Therefore, O righteous Father Theoktistos, intercede with Christ God to save our souls.

Kontakion for the Church in the Third Tone

You were shown to have holy vigilance. And your piety was manifest in your teachings, O Hierarch Gregory. For the wisdom of your sacred dogmas gives joy to the fullness of the Church. Righteous Father, to Christ our God do intercede to grant our souls His great redeeming mercy.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Fourth Tone

By thy holy birth-giving, O pure one, Joachim and Anne were delivered from the reproach of barrenness; and Adam and Eve were delivered from the corruption of death; thy people do celebrate it, having been saved from the stain of iniquity, crying unto thee, the barren doth give birth to the Theotokos, who nourisheth our life.

Saints and Feasts

September 03

13th Sunday of Matthew

September 03

Anthimus, Bishop of Nicomedea

After the death of the 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, their Bishop Anthimus fled to a certain village to care for his remaining flock. The Emperor Maximian sent men in search of him. When they found him, he promised to show Anthimus to them, but first took them in as guests, fed them, and only then made himself known to them. Amazed at his kindness, the soldiers promised him to tell Maximian that they had not found him. But Anthimus went willingly with them, and converting them by his admonitions, baptized them on the way. He boldly confessed his Faith before Maximian, and after frightful tortures was beheaded in the year 303 or 304.

September 03

Holy Father Theoctistus and his fellow struggler Euthymius the Great

Saint Theoctistus, a monk at the Palestinian lavra of Pharan, embraced a more severe life in the wilderness with his friend Saint Euthymius the Great. They founded a monastery, of which Theoctistus was the abbot. He reposed in deep old age in 451.

September 03

Polydorus the Martyr of New Ephesus

September 03

Translation of the relics of St. Nectarius the Wonderworker, Bishop of Pentopolis

Prayer List

HEALTH & WELFARE:
Harry Harrison (God's Extended Hands), Pete Shenas Sr., Nick Koukoumaris, the Angeles Family, Arseny Lane, Olympia and the Peters Family, Penny and the Duncan Family, Abducted Metropolitan Paul & Archbishop John; Garland, Pierre, Michael Paschalydis, Ken and Ruth Guilliland, Jethmark, Helen and the Eveland Family, Vernon and Kathern Rogers, Alex, Patty, Lin, Jimmy, Honey, Elias, Richie, Margie, Paul Lane, Alexi, Ralph Bradley, Dr. Minerva, Sarah, Richard, Michael, Carl Anthony, Stan, James, Kyriakos, Dora, Julia, Alexandra, Sebastian, Queentina, Diana, Nico, Janet Burgess, Dionysios, Haralambos, Lillian Ana Grace, George(Marc's Uncle), Samantha(Marc's friend), Bonnie-Father's mother, Sarah-Betsy's mother, MaryAnn, Gabrielle, Kiki, Michael; Father John Pilafas & family;Virginia, Corey and family;Adrienne & Josef in Thessolonika; George, Maria Hazlaris, Sarah Oftedal and her family, Darin Williams, Marika Stantcheva, Athina Cavelaris, James, Dionisios & Eftixia Diakoumeas, Nicky, Michael and Cathy Jean Alexander, Dionysios, Haralambos.

DEPARTED: Wendell Duncan 40 days, Stella Angeles, John Peters, Nell Thornblad, Katherine Eveland, Carole, Steve Kosic, Effie Matsolis, George, Arety, Manny, Archimandrite Paul, Eleni (Kyriako's Sister), Gregory Galanis, Deacon Michael; George and Iris Pilafas, Manuel Dragan, Elizabeth Zogob, Darla Gliptis, George Mastorakos and Fr. Theodore and Pres. Mary Phillips, Sophia Vourexis, Jason Hyde, Peter Kanelos, Mary Giana, Katherine Armatas; Lana Piliaris; William Piliaris, Katherine Kladouras, Heather Grinnell and Danny Ranglos

FOR OUR CHURCH LEADERS:
Patriarch Bartholomew; Archbishop Demetrios; Metropolitan Gerasimos; Bishop Apostolos; Father Simeon Corona, Presbytera Joy & family; Chris Psillas & the members of the Parish Council; Philoptochos; Pete Shenas and our Building Committee; Chris Kotitsa & our Stewardship Committee; Chanters & our Sunday School teachers, Mothers Victoria, Melania & the Mothers & Sisters of St. Barbara's & Holy Assumption Monasteries. Frs. Dionisie & Neonil of Holy Resurrectuion Monastery in Temecula.

If you would like our community to pray for you or a loved one or have a name removed, please call the Church office 619-593-0707.

Wisdom of the Fathers

Many things does He intimate by this parable, God's providence, which had been exercised towards them from the first; their murderous disposition from the beginning; that nothing had been omitted of whatever pertained to a heedful care of them;...

St. John Chrysostom