SUNDAY of ALL SAINTS
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PROSFORA: Maria Gentis
EPISTLE READING: Hebrews 11:33-40; 12:1-2
GOSPEL: Matthew 10:32-33; 37-38; 19:27-30 (Greek text, p. 94, black books)
LITURGY: 9:30 a.m.
MEMORIAL: Adam Michalos (15 yr)
First Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from Matthew 28:16-20
At that time, the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age. Amen."
Prokeimenon. 4th Tone. Psalm 67.35,26.
God is wonderful among his saints.
Verse: Bless God in the congregations.
The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 11:33-40; 12:1-2.
Brethren, all the saints through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, ill-treated - of whom the world was not worthy - wandering over deserts and mountains and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.
The Sunday of All Saints
The Reading is from Matthew 10:32-33; 37-38; 19:27-30
The Lord said to his disciples, "Every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny him before my Father who is in heaven. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." Then Peter said in reply, "Lo, we have left everything and followed you. What then shall we have?" Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of man shall sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many that are first will be last, and the last first."
SUNDAY of ALL SAINTS - June 14th
9:30 a.m. – Liturgy
Reusable, reversible, washable cloth masks made by our own Philoptochos ladies are available for sale in the church lobby! Masks have a gentle nose clip for proper fit, and a side opening to add extra filtering if one chooses.
Make checks payable to Philoptochos or purchase with $10.00 cash (sorry, we cannot make change at this time). For more information, email Christina at ctcallos@gmail.com.
We are taking "baby steps" towards a more normal church life. We are not yet returning to the way things were. Our personal freedom to worship is limited by our responsibility to those around us, and to those near and dear to us.
Our services are now open to parishioners with certain restrictions:
1. Anyone with symptoms of illness must stay home. Anyone aged 65 or older is asked to worship at home, watching the live stream of services.
2. You must pre-register to attend. Please pre-register by calling the church office no later than 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. You may pre-register for any of the remaining Sundays in June. Once you have attended a service, you will be at "the back of the line" until others have had an opportunity to attend.
3. Everyone over the age of 10 must wear a mask. If you do not bring one, a mask will be provided at church.
4. Social distancing is required. Only households that live together may sit together.
5. Someone will take your temperature, name, and contact information when you arrive.
6. Offerings may be made by cash in an envelope or credit card. We will be unable to make change for anyone.
7. Everyone entering must acknowledge that no environment is free from risk, and that you assume responsibility for your own safety.
8. Holy Communion will be offered in the Slavic Orthodox fashion. Fr. Tom will explain this at the appropriate time.
9. There will be no coffee hour or social gatherings after church.
You should have received a letter in the mail this week giving fuller detail on each of these steps. If you did not and wish to receive a printed copy, please contact the office at 216 932-3300 during normal business hours. God willing, the crisis will soon pass and we may return to our familiar ways as a church community.
Our parish strives "To lead people to God through Orthodox Christianity and to provide ways for them live and share God's love." It does so in good days and in bad, such as we now experience. Church attendance may be difficult or impossible for you, but we endeavor to spread the "good news" as best we can. Any financial help that you might offer is deeply appreciated.
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."
If you haven't gotten an email from us lately, perhaps we don't have an current email address for you. Please 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
Philoptochos is sponsoring Memorials for Father’s Day to honor our Fathers, Grandfathers and Godfathers who have departed. This is the last week to submit the names of 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 Father’s Day Memorial
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!
Love Thy Neighbor Webinar
The Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, Inc. was proud to participate in the "Love Thy Neighbor" webinar series hosted by the Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations. You can watch the entire Zoom discussion on YouTube here.
For more updates on the work of Philoptochos, you can visit the Philoptochos, Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Community, Cleveland Ohio Facebook page.
FAITH IN ACTION - Upcoming Activities
Prayer Team
You can join the prayer team and keep others in your daily prayers. If you have any requests for our prayer team, or if you have questions about other activities, please send them to peter.poulos@case.edu.
Our team has been holding evening prayers via Zoom every other night at 8 p.m. These last about 15 minutes from 8:30 to 8:45 p.m. every other evening. You can participate either by just listening and/or volunteering to read a section of those prayers. If you are interested, 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.
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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.
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. 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)
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.
All 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.
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) come to the church during regular office hours (Mon-Fri, 9:00 – 5:00) and purchase a candle to take with you or leave the candle, lit or not, in the candle stands
(2) make an email request to office@stsconstantine.com, no later than 3:00 pm on a day of regular business hours
(3) call the church office during regular hours
(4) make a request through 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.
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
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:
Church & Community, a Historic Perspective
NHS Talks Stories will be a mini-series of panel presentations focusing on the history of the Greek Orthodox Church and the Greek American Community as seen through the eyes of individuals with unique perspectives and insights. The series will be recorded, archived and shared with the National Hellenic Museum and available on the NHS Talks Series website.
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Cross Press
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Your Apostle among the Rulers, St. Constantine, who once beheld in the sky the image of Your Cross, and who like Paul received his calling not from man, once entrusted the Ruling City into Your hand. We entreat You to restore it in peace forever, at the intercession of the Theotokos, O Lord who loves humanity. (Copyright Fr. Seraphim Dedes, used by permission. All rights reserved)
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery