May 17, 2020
SUNDAY of THE PARALYTIC / MOTHER'S DAY
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PROSFORA: Nellie Baltazzi
EPISTLE READING: Acts of the Apostles 11:19-30
GOSPEL: John 4:5-42 (Greek text, p. 72, black books)
LITURGY: 9:30 a.m.
SUNDAY of THE PARALYTIC / MOTHER'S DAY
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PROSFORA: Nellie Baltazzi
EPISTLE READING: Acts of the Apostles 11:19-30
GOSPEL: John 4:5-42 (Greek text, p. 72, black books)
LITURGY: 9:30 a.m.
Seventh Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from John 20:1-10
On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.
Prokeimenon. 4th Tone. Psalm 103.24,1.
O Lord, how manifold are your works. You have made all things in wisdom.
Verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul.
The reading is from Acts of the Apostles 11:19-30.
In those days, those apostles who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to none except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number that believed turned to the Lord. News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad; and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose; for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a large company was added to the Lord. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church, and taught a large company of people; and in Antioch the disciples were for the first time called Christians. Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabos stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world; and this took place in the days of Claudius. And the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brethren who lived in Judea, and they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.
Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
The Reading is from John 4:5-42
At that time, Jesus came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and so Jesus, wearied as he was with his journey, sat down beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.
There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?" Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."
Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband; this you said truly." The woman said to him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain; and you say that Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." The woman said to him, "I know that the Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ); when he comes, he will show us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he."
Just then his disciples came. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but none said, "What do you wish?" or, "Why are you talking with her?" So the woman left her water jar, and went away into the city and said to the people, "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?" They went out of the city and were coming to him.
Meanwhile the disciples besought him, saying "Rabbi, eat." But he said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." So the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought him food?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see how the fields are already white for harvest. He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."
Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony. "He told me all that I ever did." So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard ourselves, and we know that this is indeed Christ the Savior of the world."
SUNDAY OF THE FATHERS - May 31st
9:30 a.m. – Liturgy
Live streaming of our services will be available on both Facebook and YouTube. Please note that we have been experiencing some recent technical difficulties with our streaming capabilities; we are working with our internet provider to resolve this issue as quickly as possible and are hopeful we can provide you with the best viewing experience possible again soon.
We have worked hard to make improvements to lighting, sound, and video quality as we strive to bring the church into the homes of our community during this unusual time. Our pages/channels are listed here. Please join, like, subscribe, and follow for future services.
(1) You can find, like, and subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/stsconstantine
(2) the new Facebook page is located at https://www.facebook.com/stsconstantineCLE/live/ Look for the live stream on that page on Sunday mornings.
(3) As a member, you may also see the live stream automatically on your own Facebook feed on Sunday mornings (if you follow the group).
You can utilize the AGES Initiatives Daily Services website for accompanying texts or assistance in singing or reading the hymns: http://www.agesinitiatives.com/dcs/public/dcs/servicesindex.html
You may also replace the litanies of petitions by saying "Lord, have mercy" three times, and replace the Priest's exclamations or blessings with "Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God have mercy on us and save us. Amen."
We are exploring other ways of bringing the service to you while you are confined at home. We do send updates out via email as they occur. If you haven't gotten an email from us lately, it may be because we don't have an current email address for you. You can contact the office at office@stsconstantine.com or by phone at (216) 932-3300 to keep your contact information up to date.
Parishioners can also take advantage of the following online aids:
- Spend time at the appropriate moments to participate in the services via video. You can find online services at https://www.goarch.org/live-broadcasts
- Those with newer AppleTV devices, Roku, or Amazon Fire can find the Archdiocesan channel: https://www.goarch.org/tv
- Utilize the Archdiocesan Online Chapel for texts of services, daily readings, and lives of the Saints: https://www.goarch.org/chapel
- There are many edifying bible studies and educational podcasts available via Ancient Faith Ministries (https://www.ancientfaith.com/ ) or Orthodox Christian Network ( http://myocn.net )
- Fr. Stavros Akrotirianakis offers a wonderful daily message through his “Prayer Team” ministry. Sign up using the following link: https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin
FAITH IN ACTION - Activities for May 2020
Prayer Team
Our team has been holding evening prayers via Zoom every other night at 8 p.m. If you are interested in participating, you should either email pmp17@case.edu or text (216) 288-1972 ahead of time to receive the link. You will need to provide your name and email address to receive the Zoom invite.
You can join the prayer team and keep others in your daily prayers. (Prayer Requests - If you have any prayer requests for our prayer team, or if you have questions about other activities, please send them to peter.poulos@case.edu).
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Bible Study
We will have a Zoom Bible study on Wed. May 27 from 8 to 8:30 p.m. We will discuss Daniel Chapter 3, and the story of the three youths in the furnace: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
If you would like a zoom invite, send an email to peter.poulos@case.edu
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Faith In Action
St. Herman's is currently not serving dinner inside the house because of the social distancing requirements. As a result, they have been handing out to-go bagged dinners for those in need.
For the month of May, we are looking to coordinate a group of 10 or less people (to allow for social distancing) who can help us assemble these bagged sandwich dinners. Each dinner needs about 80 assembled bags; it generally takes about one hour. The group has been meeting at the Church to assemble these bags in a safe and socially distanced manner.
If you are interested in participating and/or donating food for the bags, please let us know as soon as possible. We would ask each person to possibly contribute part of the meal - e.g., someone brings the bread, someone brings the water, etc.
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Zelma George Shelter
The Salvation Army Zelma George Family Shelter needs our help! The Shelter is part of the Salvation Army's Harbor Light Complex in downtown Cleveland. Unfortunately, several staff members of the Complex have been infected with COVID-19. Therefore the families are essentially limited to staying in their single rooms most of the time. We are purchasing arts and crafts supplies for the kids. If you are interested in donating money for the supplies, please contact Peter Poulos at peter.poulos@case.edu.
REMEMBER - we are the Church. And we haven’t gone anywhere.
“Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18)
Philoptochos is still sponsoring Memorials for Father’s Day to honor our Fathers, Grandfathers and Godfathers who have departed. Everyone is invited to submit the names of their loved ones who are no longer with us.
Father will read the Fathers’ names on June 21, 2020. If you would like to make a donation to the Philoptochos, it would be greatly appreciated.
You may submit names/checks for
to:
Melissa Manos
3356 Lansmere Road
Shaker Heights, Ohio 44122
Or
Sts Constantine and Helen Cathedral
3352 Mayfield Rd
Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118
Attn: Philoptochos Mother’s/Father’s Day Memorials
Please write Father’s Day Memorial in the memo area of your check.
If you have any questions about the Memorials please contact:
Anne Mitchell at mitchell.matt1@gmail.com/ or text to 440 465-6014
Thank you so much!
National Philoptochos Responds to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Realizing the critical food insecurity that would increase as a result from unemployment due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, in March, the National Philoptochos Executive Board approved immediate disbursements to two food distribution organizations:
$25,000 to Feeding America
$25,000 to Meals on Wheels America
In addition, a COVID-19 Emergency Drive was established to provide funding for social service requests resulting from the economic crisis. The drive has received overwhelming support from Philoptochos metropolises, chapters and stewards. To date, $93,515 has been contributed to the drive. Thanks go to our faithful and generous sponsors, as well as to Arlene Siavelis Kehl, Chair of the 2020 Convention Sponsorship Committee, for contacting the sponsors and securing the transfer of these funds.
For more updates on the work of Philoptochos, you can visit the Philoptochos, Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Community, Cleveland Ohio Facebook page.
Graduates: Orthodox Education Reminder!
Just a reminder that any high school or college senior who is graduating this school year is asked to notify Maria Sikoutris no later than Wednesday, May 27th.
We know things are very different this year due to the global situation, but we want to be sure to recognize our young people's accomplishments. Whether they’re graduating from high school or progressing from the university level to set foot into adult life, we want to let our graduates know how proud we are of what they've achieved.
Send their name, the name of the school they are graduating from, and a small bio with a picture to orthodox_education@stsconstantine.com and we will include this in our church's Koinonia.
Thank you so much!
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All other Orthodox Education activities have been suspended until further notice. E-ministry will continue to greatest degree possible. Contact Maria at orthodox_education@stsconstantine.com with any questions or suggestions.
All in-person youth ministry has been suspended until further notice. E-ministry will continue to greatest degree possible. Contact Ted at tcherpas@stsconstantine.com with any questions or suggestions.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America has announced the creation of the “Greek Orthodox Archdiocese COVID-19 Relief Fund” as an important part of its efforts to support those around the country who have been impacted by the current pandemic. His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros stated:
“During this desperate time, we believe it is our responsibility to provide, in addition to our spiritual care, material support for our brothers and sisters who are facing unexpected financial hardship. We are committed to helping people in their daily lives, and are grateful to those who will join our cause.”
Those facing an economic or financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and in need of emergency help with expenses such as rent, mortgage, utilities, food, childcare, medical, funeral or other daily costs, may apply to the COVID-19 Relief Fund, which has been privately funded, through the GOARCH website: https://www.goarch.org/covid19relief
Those who wish to contribute to the Fund may do so at www.goarch.org/covid19/donate.
Further information on the creation of this program is available online:
Coffee Hosting: For the time being, coffee hours are being cancelled but you can still get on the calendar. Sign up now for hosting coffee when at last we are able to resume, and keep this beautiful tradition of our church going strong.
Here are the dates we currently have open:
Host coffee in memory of your loved ones or in honor of your family's birthdays, anniversary, or namedays. See Christina Callos to sign up for your Sunday or email: ctcallos@gmail.com
Each week the deadline for entries for the Sunday bulletin will be Wednesday by Noon. Any submissions after that will be included in the bulletin for the following week.
Candles are one way to express our prayers and our presence in worship. During the crisis, you may make a request to light a candle several different ways:
(1) coming to the church during regular office hours and purchasing a candle to take with you or leaving the candle (lit or not) in the candle stands
(2) making an email request to office@stsconstantine.com, no later than 3:00 pm on a day of regular business hours
(3) calling the church office during regular hours, M-F, 10:00 am-4:00 pm
(4) making a request thru the Facebook live stream during a service. This is an honor system in which we trust that you will make a monetary gift for your candle.
This parish strives "To lead people to God thorugh Orthodox Christianity and to provide ways for them live and share God's love." It does so in good days and in difficult ones, such as we now expeience. Our doors may be closed to the general public, but we endeavor to spread the "good news" as best we can. Any financial help that you might offer is deeply apprciated.
1) Join the "Search the Scriptures" live call-in show hosted by Dr. Jeannie Constantinou, Professor at the University of San Diego on Monday evenings from 8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Link: ancientfaith.com/radio/live. Call in to the show: 1 (855) 237-2346.
3) Join ""The Whole Counsel of God" online Bible study hosted by Father Stephen de Young on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Link for live stream: facebook.com/TheWholeCounselOfGod/ Podcast Link: ancientfaith.com/podcasts/wholecounsel
4) Join "3 Men & a Bible" livestream show Thursdays from 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Fr. Panagiotis Boznos, Nick Lionas, and Steve Christoforou meet every week to discuss the Sunday Gospel and Epistle readings. Link: goarch.zoom.us/j/249935036
Christ is risen! ....and we're still at home. We hope you're staying healthy and safe. By now, we've all been encouraged to exercise or clean house; but here are some other things you can do to pass the time:
- Journal Daily: Journaling is a great way to express your thoughts and experiences in a healthy way. Write down your thoughts and fears or a few things you’re grateful for to help you center yourself.
- Practice Mindfulness: The world is a scary place right now, and tensions are high. Instead of scrolling through social media, take a break and focus. Short meditation or prayer sessions can help you relieve stress and calm down from feeling overwhelmed.
- Check Books off your To-Read List: It can be difficult to find time for quiet reading during the hustle and bustle of everyday life, but now is the perfect time to immerse yourself in a book that may have been gathering dust as an escape from the pressures of the outside world.
- Take an Online Course: Lots of educational institutions and hobbyists are offering online classes for free right now, so take advantage of them! If you’ve always wanted to explore a particular subject or you’re looking to bolster your resume, now is the time to learn something new.
By keeping your mind and body active and engaged, you can help shed the stress of being stuck at home while also improving your skills, your space, and yourself.
Hellenic Public Radio - COSMOS FM (HPR) is a New York based internet radio station dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Hellenic heritage in the United States via the media of mass communication. This public channel exists solely to serve the interests of the community as a whole.
You can tune in online for daily, bilingual non-commercial Greek radio, including local, national and international news; news from Greece and Cyprus; and programs on politics, science, social issues, religion, health, finance, music, the arts, sports, and community affairs.
Programs air Mon-Fri from 7-8 pm, Sat from noon-3:30 pm and Sunday from 9:30 am - 1:30 pm. You can tune in directly here or visit http://www.cosmosfm.org/ for more information.
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