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Sts. Constantine & Helen Cathedral
Publish Date: 2020-12-13
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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

December 13, 2020

12/13/2020

ELEVENTH SUNDAY OF LUKE

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LITURGY: 9:30 a.m.
PROSFORA: Demos Ioannou
PANGARI: Team B: Marguerite Stephanopoulos, Jason Berry, Costa Sarris
EPISTLE READING: Colossians 3:4-11
GOSPEL: Luke 14:16-24
              (GREEK TEXT p. 160, black books)
BLESSING:

  • 40 Day Blessing for Andrew Kontos

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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Matins Gospel Reading

Fifth Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from Luke 24:13-35

At that time, two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, "What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?" And they stood still looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" And he said to them, "What things?" And they said to him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since this happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; and they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said; but him they did not see." And he said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further, but they constrained him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight. They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?" And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them, who said, "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.


Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. 4th Tone. Daniel 3.26,27.
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers.
Verse: For you are just in all you have done.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Colossians 3:4-11.

Brethren, when Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience. In these you once walked, when you lived in them. But now put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all, and in all.


Gospel Reading

11th Sunday of Luke
The Reading is from Luke 14:16-24

The Lord said this parable: "A man once gave a great banquet, and invited many; and at the time of the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, 'Come; for all is now ready.' But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a field, and I go out and see it; I pray you, have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I must go to examine them; I pray you, have me excused.' And another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' So the servant came and reported this to his master. Then the householder in anger said to his servant, 'Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame.' And the servant said, 'Sir, what you commanded has been done, and there is still room.' And the master said to the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet. For many are called, but few are chosen.'"


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Wisdom of the Fathers

This parable ... proclaims beforehand both the casting out of the Jews, and the calling of the Gentiles; and it indicates together with this also the strictness of the life required, and how great the punishment appointed for the careless ....
St. John Chrysostom
Homily 69 on Matthew 22, 4th Century

And when were they bidden? By all the prophets; by John again; for unto Christ he would pass all on, saying, "He must increase, I must decrease;" by the Son Himself again, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you;" and again, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink."
St. John Chrysostom
Homily 69 on Matthew 22, 4th Century

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This Week

THIS COMING WEEK

Mon,  Dec 14th   - 7:30 p.m. - Gamblers Anonymous
Tues, Dec 15th   - 9:30 a.m. - Liturgy (St. Eleftherios)
Fri,     Dec 18th  - 7:30 p.m. - Gamblers Anonymous
Sun,   Dec 20th  - 8:15 a.m. - Matins
                             9:30 a.m. - Liturgy


ONLINE TEXTS OF SERVICES

Those wishing to follow the livestreamed services with a written text may do so using the links below.
Electronic Version of Orthros (Matins) on Dec 13:
https://www.agesinitiatives.com/dcs/public/dcs/p/s/2020/12/13/ma/gr-en/se.m12.d13.ma.pdf
Electronic Version of Divine Liturgy on Dec 13:
https://www.agesinitiatives.com/dcs/public/dcs/p/s/2020/12/13/li/gr-en/se.m12.d13.li.pdf


UPLIFTING INFO

The Archdiocese Office of Family Ministry has some valuable insights. If you want to be included in their email contacts, subscribe to the Family Ministry List, at family.goarch.org.


ZELMA GEORGE TOY COLLECTION

Although we are unable to host our annual Christmas party at Zelma George,  we are still collecting gifts for the children (approximately 90 children  from the ages of 1 to 18). Please help by either donating new toys ($15-20 range) or making a cash  donation which will be used to purchase gifts. Please place unwrapped toys in the brown donation box or send monetary donations to Philoptochos (3352 Mayfield Road, Cl. Hts., OH 44118) with Zelma George in the memo line. Gifts and donations are needed by Sunday, December 13th. Please contact Maria Giannirakis or Anna Warren with questions.


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 our church anywhere at any time. You can download the Tithe.ly giving app onto your phone, or click the green "Give Now" button on the church website. Your gift goes directly to the church. Plus, you can track all your gifts, setup recurring donations, and more!


PHILOPTOCHOS

Many thanks to those of you who have been lifelong members of Philoptochos, and a warm welcome to all the new parishioners who have just joined us! If you have not already done so, please join Philoptochos as we start our 2021 year.  Forms are now available in the church office or online at  http://stsconstantine.com/outreach/philoptochos/ For more updates on the work of Philoptochos, you can visit the Philoptochos, Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Community, Cleveland Ohio Facebook page.


HEALTH NOTICE

We are fortunate that Cuyahoga County has avoided being designated as purple, the highest level for infections. However, virus levels are still on the rise, and Cuyahoga County has issued a stay at home advisory. Therefore, we continue to ask you to avoid large gatherings, maintain social distance, and wear masks for the good health of all.


FAITH IN ACTION - Upcoming Activities

St. Herman's Pizza Dinner

We are bringing Guy's Pizza dinner meals for St. Herman's on Saturday, December 19th.  If you are interested in donating money for the pizza and/or purchasing the following items for the 90 dinner meals, please let us know:

-donating money for the pizza (partially covered; $220.00 still needed)
-90 large styrofoam food containers
-90 pieces of fruit
-90 water bottles (already donated - Thank You!)
-90 snacks/treats such as chips, etc. (already donated - Thank You!)

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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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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)


ONLINE CHRISTMAS MARKETS

As many of us will be doing our Christmas shopping from home this year, we would like to pass along some links to sites offering gift items appropriate to the Orthodox lifestyle.

The Ancient Faith Christmas Shoppe offers Christmas cards, ornaments, icons, gifts, books, and more. You can browse their offerings by category here.

The Online Christmas Market of St. Elisabeth Convent offers a range of unique handmade Christmas gifts. Click here to visit their Online Christmas Market.


GOYA / YOUNG ADULT ACTIVITIES

1)  The Orthodox Young Adult Group (OYAG) will be hosting a virtual holiday party on Tuesday, December 22nd at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will begin with a short reading and discussion, holiday-themed games, and (maybe) caroling! Please RSVP to <orthodoxyag@gmail.com> by Wednesday, December 16th so you can get the Zoom link.
2Orthodoxy on Tap will have its next young adult event (ages 21 - 35ish) on Thursday, January 21st @ 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. The guest speaker will be Christian Gonzaelz, the young adult coordinator of the entire Archdiocese. RSVP by Wednesday, January 20th to gorealcleveland@gmail.com 
3)  CrossRoad is accepting applications until January 4th, 2021. CrossRoad "prepares high school juniors and seniors to make big life decisions and invites them to connect with the Orthodox Christian theological and spiritual tradition." Our own Angelique Myers will serve on staff as part of this year's program too. To learn more or register, go to https://www.crossroadinstitute.org/ 
4)  "Telos POP" is organizing a nationwide network of penpals for GOYAns who are tired of Zoom calls but would like to make new friends. Participants will be matched with another student from across the country to build a new connection and discuss their faith. To join the program or ask a question, contact Ted at  tcherpas@stsconstantine.com


ORTHODOX EDUCATION UPDATED NEWS

Due to the inceased pandemic restrictions in Cuyahoga County, Orthodox Education classes are returning to internet-only platforms for the time being. We will update you as soon as anything changes.

Zoom events:

Dec. 13th -- OE Christmas play on zoom at 12 noon. Open to the whole parish. Children will present "The Christmas Robin".

Dec. 20th -- Class zooms for PreK-12th, last day of the Fall session

Contact Maria at orthodox_education@stsconstantine.com with any questions or comments.


Unknown Heroes Project

As part of a series of events to celebrate the Bicentennial of Greece's Independence, the Metropolis of Pittsburgh is collaborating on a project to uncover unknown heroes. We are asking for children to ask their grandparents, great grandparents, etc. last names and first names, villages in Greece where they were born or grew up or going back as far as they know. Maybe their families participated in the Greek War of Independence.

A project team will work on uncovering as much as they can.  Families will be honored in March of 2021.  Please look at the attached flyers. This is open to Greek School Students and Goyans; the deadline is December 15, 2020. Send their information to contact@panhellenicfoundation.org 


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Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the 2nd Tone

When you descended into death, O life immortal, you destroyed Hades with the splendor of your divinity, and when you raised the dead from the depths of darkness, all the heavenly powers shouted: O giver of life, Christ our God, glory to you.

Apolytikion for 11th Sun. of Luke in the 2nd Tone

By faith didst Thou justify the Forefathers, when through them Thou didst betroth Thyself aforetime to the Church from among the nations. The Saints boast in glory that from their seed there is a glorious fruit, even she that bare Thee seedlessly. By their prayers, O Christ God, save our souls.

Seasonal Kontakion in the 3rd Tone

On this day the Virgin cometh to the cave to give birth to * God the Word ineffably, * Who was before all the ages. * Dance for joy, O earth, on hearing * the gladsome tidings; * with the Angels and the shepherds now glorify Him * Who is willing to be gazed on * as a young Child Who * before the ages is God.
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