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Sts. Constantine & Helen Cathedral
Publish Date: 2020-08-30
Bulletin Contents
Today
Gospel and Epistle Readings
Wisdom of the Fathers
This Week
Hymns of the Day
RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION AT STS CONSTANTINE AND HELEN CATHEDRAL IS DONE IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER:

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Sts. Constantine & Helen Cathedral

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (216) 932-3300
  • Fax:
  • (216) 932-0825
  • Street Address:

  • 3352 Mayfield Road

  • Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
  • Mailing Address:

  • 3352 Mayfield Road

  • Cleveland Heights, OH 44118

Past Bulletins


Today

Aug 30, 2020

08/30/2020

TWELFTH SUNDAY of MATTHEW
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PROSFORA: Anna Tsagaras
EPISTLE READING: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
GOSPEL: Matthew 19:16-26  (Greek text, p. 118, black books)
LITURGY: 9:30 a.m. 


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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Matins Gospel Reading

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."

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. 3rd Tone. Psalm 46.6,1.
Sing praises to our God, sing praises.
Verse: Clap your hands, all you nations.

The reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 15:1-11.

Brethren, I would remind you in what terms I preached to you the gospel, which you received, in which you stand, by which you are saved, if you hold it fast -- unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God which is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Gospel Reading

12th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 19:16-26

At that time, a young man came up to Jesus, kneeling and saying, "Good Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?" And he said to him, "Why do you call me good? One there is who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments." He said to him, "Which?" And Jesus said, "You shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and You shall love your neighbor as yourself." The young man said to him, "All these I have observed; what do I still lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.

And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

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Wisdom of the Fathers

The sign that thou lovest God, is this, that thou lovest thy fellow; and if thou hatest thy fellow, thy hatred is towards God. For it is blasphemy if thou prayest before God while thou art wroth. For thy heart also convicts thee, that in vain thou multipliest words: thy conscience rightly judges that in thy prayers thou profitest nought.
St. Ephraim the Syrian
ON ADMONITION AND REPENTANCE.

Wherefore then doth Christ thus reply to him, saying, "There is none good?" Because He came unto Him as a mere man, and one of the common sort, and a Jewish teacher; for this cause then as a man He discourses with him. And indeed in many instances He replies to the secret thoughts of them that come unto Him.
St. John Chrysostom
Homily 63 on Matthew 19, 4th Century

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This Week

THIS COMING WEEK

Weds, Sept 2nd -  9:30 a.m. - Liturgy (St Mamas)
Sat, Sept 5th - 5:00 p.m. - Vespers (& Confessions)


WEEKDAY SERVICES

The Orthodox Christian tradition presents many opportunities for worship outside of Sunday morning services, especially Liturgies on the feast days of beloved saints. In light of the current crisis, the number will increase to at least one Liturgy per week in addition to the Sunday service. As the restrictions on Sunday attendance are loosening up, those with special concerns may consider attending a weekday service, where the typical attendance is in the range of 10-20. 


RE-OPENING

As you know, COVID-19 statistics continue to go up and down; and we are adapting to the changes around us as best we can. As the State of Ohio continues to go down in cases, Cuyahoga County has remained at Level 2. This allows us to return to the Green Phase of our re-opening.

This means that while masks and social distancing requirements are still in place, parishioners of any age are once again welcome to return to services. That's some good news we can all be grateful for.


STEWARDSHIP

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.


Tithe.ly Giving App

Tithe.ly is an online giving tool that makes it simple to safely/securely give to your church. You can download the Tithe.ly app onto your phone, or click "give online" from their website. Your gift goes directly to the church. 


CANDLE OFFERINGS

Candles are one way to express our prayers and our presence in worship. During the crisis, you may light a candle several different ways:

1.  come to the church during office hours  (M-F, 9:00 – 5:00) and purchase a candle to take with you or leave the candle, lit or not, in the candle stands  
2. 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. 
5.  Make a Tithe.Ly donation from our website button. You can add a note with any special candle request.


REUSABLE MASKS

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.


Greek Festival 2020

Greek Festival 2020

We want to send a major Thank You out to everyone for your help and  support at our Drive Thru Festival!

The positive feedback from the general public was overwhelming. The enthusiasm with which our community handled the event was truly exceptional. We are incredibly grateful and would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who participated.

We will send out the financials in the next week or so; but in the mean time, know that we couldn't have managed to adapt our festival to these challenging times without the generous help and support of our church community. Together, we made it the success that it was. Opa!


FAITH IN ACTION

FAITH IN ACTION - Upcoming Activities

Bible Study

You can join us for 30 minutes for Bible Study - all are welcome. If you are interested in an invite, or for current dates and topics, please email peter.poulos@case.edu.

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Prayer Team

You can join the prayer team and keep others in your daily 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. 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

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St. Herman's Dinner Bags 


St. Herman's is not serving dinner inside the house because of the social distancing requirements. As a result, they have been handing out to-go bagged dinners. We will be assembling 90 dinner bags for St. Herman's after services on Sunday August 30th at 1 p.m. It generally takes less than one hour. If you are interested in bringing food for the bags and/or helping to assemble bags, please  please contact Peter Poulos at peter.poulos@case.edu. We do follow social distancing and require face coverings during the assembly process.

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Zelma George Family Shelter

If you are interested in supporting the families of the Zelma George Family Shelter, please email peter.poulos@case.edu to discuss volunteer opportunities.

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Thank you and keep the faith!

“Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”  (James 2:18)


EASTERN ORTHODOX WOMEN'S GUILD

Blessings for the New Church Year!

On Saturday, September 12, 2020 at 10:00 am, the Eastern Orthodox Women's Guild of Greater Cleveland will meet at St Matthew the Evangelist Church in celebration of the church's 58th Anniversary Year.

Agenda items include a Welcome to new members and visitors, the installation of Officers, a Fall Fundraiser discussion, the 10CC School Kit Service Project, fellowship and refreshments.

St. Matthew the Evangelist is located at 10383 Albion Rd., North Royalton OH 44133. For more information, you can contact the church at 440-582-5673 or by email to info@stmattroyalton.org.


GOYA / YOUNG ADULT ACTIVITIES

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.


ORTHODOX EDUCATION NEWS

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.


HOW TO WATCH OUR SERVICES ONLINE

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 


KEEPING CONNECTED

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

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


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Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the 3rd Tone

Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad, for the Lord has shown the power of his reign. He has conquered death by death and become the first born of the dead. He has delivered us from the depths of Hades and has granted the world great mercy.

Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Cross Press


Apolytikion for Apodosis of the Forerunner in the 2nd Tone

The memory of the just is celebrated with hymns of praise, but the Lord's testimony is sufficient for thee, O Forerunner; for thou hast proved to be truly even more venerable than the Prophets, since thou was granted to baptize in the running waters Him Whom they proclaimed. Wherefore, having contested for the truth, thou didst rejoice to announce the good tidings even to those in Hades: that God hath appeared in the flesh, taking away the sin of the world and granting us great mercy.

Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery


Apolytikion for the Church in the Plagal 4th Tone

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)


Seasonal Kontakion in the 4th Tone

In your holy birth, Immaculate One, Joachim and Anna were rid of the shame of childlessness; Adam and Eve of the corruption of death. And so your people, free of the guilt of their sins, celebrate crying: "The barren one gives birth to the Theotokos, who nourishes our life."

Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Narthex Press


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