PALM SUNDAY
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MATINS: 8:15 a.m.
LITURGY: 9:30 a.m.
PROSFORA: Anna Tsagaris
PANGARI: Team A: Eftihia Tsengas, Dr. Michael Manos, Tom Parras
EPISTLE READING: Philippians 4:4-9
GOSPEL: John 12:1-18 (GREEK TEXT p. 200, black book)
PHILOPTOCHOS TRAY for HOLY CROSS: 11:00 a.m.
BRIDEGROOM SERVICE: 6:00 p.m.
CONFESSIONS: 7:30 p.m.
Palm Sunday
The Reading is from Matthew 21:1-11; 15-17
At that time, when Jesus drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If any one says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and he will send them immediately." This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
"Tell the daughter of Zion,
Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their garments on them, and he sat thereon. Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" And when he entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, "Who is this?" And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee." But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant; and they said to him, "Do you hear what they are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read,
'Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings,
you have brought perfect praise'?"
And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.
Prokeimenon. 4th Tone. Psalm 117.26,1.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Verse: Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His mercy endures forever.
The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Philippians 4:4-9.
BRETHREN, rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.
Palm Sunday
The Reading is from John 12:1-18
Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazaros was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; Martha served, and Lazaros was one of those at table with him. Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" This he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box he used to take what was put into it. Jesus said, "Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me."
When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came, not only on account of Jesus but also to see Lazaros, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazaros also to death, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.
The next day a great crowd who had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" And Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it; as it is written, "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!" His disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that this had been written of him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazaros out of the tomb and raised him from the dead bore witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.
Mon Apr 26 HOLY MONDAY
7:00 pm - Bridegroom Service
8:30 pm – Confessions
Tue Apr 27 HOLY TUESDAY
7:00 pm - Bridegroom Service
8:30 pm – Confessions
Wed Apr 28 HOLY WEDNESDAY
6:40 am - Presanctified Liturgy
4:00 pm - Holy Unction
7:00 pm – Matins (opportunity to be anointed with Holy Unction)
Thu Apr 29 HOLY THURSDAY
9:30 am - Vespers & Liturgy
7:00 pm – Service of 12 Gospels
Fri Apr 30 HOLY FRIDAY
9:30 am - Royal Hours
9:30 am - 4:15 pm - Orthodox Education Program
3:00 pm - Vespers – Burial of the Lord
4:15-7:30 pm - Open Church
7:30 pm – “Epitaphios” - Service at the Tomb
Sat May 1 HOLY SATURDAY
8:00 am - Vespers & Liturgy
11:00 pm - Vigil
Sun May 2 PASCHA (Orthodox Easter)
12:00 am-1:30am - Liturgy
12:00 pm - Agape Vespers
1:00 pm- Easter Egg Hunt
Everyone is welcome in the Orthodox Church & may receive the blessed bread (antidoron) at the end of the service, but only practicing Orthodox Christians may receive the sacrament of Holy Communion.
Our current attendance rules require that we must maintain social distancing and wear masks while in church. We also ask that those not feeling well should stay home, but there are no limitations based on age. All are welcome, young and old.
Those wishing to follow the livestreamed services with a written text may do so using the links below.
Electronic Version of Orthros (Matins) on Apr. 25:
www.agesinitiatives.com/dcs/public/dcs/p/s/2021/04/25/ma/gr-en/se.m04.d25.ma.pdf
Electronic Version of Divine Liturgy on Apr. 25:
www.agesinitiatives.com/dcs/public/dcs/p/s/2021/04/25/li/gr-en/se.m04.d25.li.pdf
Parishioners may come anytime on Palm Sunday up to 12:30 PM to receive a blessed palm or a special blessing.
On Holy Friday, the church will be open from 9:30 AM through 10:30 PM. During the time between the afternoon and evening services, there will be parishioners reading from the Psalms and singing the “Lamentations” in their unedited form (all 176 Lamentations). Anyone wishing to come, to light a candle, to pray, to receive a flower from the Epitaphios and to leave will be able to do so. To accommodate the “open church” session, we will begin the Epitaphios Service at 7:30 PM, later than in the past.
We will, weather permitting, have the outdoor procession of the Epitaphios on Holy Friday. On Holy Friday and Holy Saturday evenings there will be monitors about the building displaying the web broadcast of our service, and weather permitting, a monitor and speakers in front of the church so that people may observe the service from our recently renovated patio.
Donations of pure olive oil for the vigil lamp on the Holy Altar would be greatly appreciated.
Bible Study
Zoom Evening Prayers: Zoom in and participate in Evening Prayers with other parishioners held from 8:30 to 8:50 p.m. every Tuesday, Thursday, & Sunday. It is a great way to have fellowship during these challenging times. For a zoom invite, please email peter.poulos@case.edu.
Zoom Bible Study: Zoom in and participate in Bible Study with other parishioners held from 8:30 to 9 p.m. once every few weeks (usually on Thursdays). It is a great way to have fellowship during these challenging times. For a zoom invite, please email peter.poulos@case.edu.
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Prayer Team
If you are interested in joining the prayer team to keep others in your daily prayers, 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)
The Sts. Constantine and Helen Philoptochos Spring Fundraiser is a Gyro and Pastry Sale. Place your order online by May 12th at www.clevelandgreek.com. Drive thru order pickup is on Saturday, May 15th. ONLINE AND PREPAID ORDERS ONLY.
Thank you in advance for your support!
WE NEED YOUR HELP
Please volunteer to help with the Gyro and Pastry Sale. We will be preparing and filling orders May 13th, 14th or 15th. Go to the SignUpGenius link and select the day and time you are able to help:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B44A4A72AA02-gyro
The Eastern Orthodox Women’s Guild annual Pan-Orthodox Benefit Luncheon will be held at Holy Trinity Church Hall, 6822 Broadview Rd. in Parma on Saturday 5/15/21 at 12:00 p.m. Contact Katherine Kartalis for free tickets. Seating & food service will be in accordance with all current health protocols.
Orthodox Education is resuming in-person classes. The same safety protocols that have been in place this school year, will be in effect now.
Upcoming Class Events:
Sun, Apr 25th - Palm Sunday Procession for PreK-5th Grades
& 6pm Nymphios (no evening classes)
Fri, April 30th - Great and Holy Friday Retreat 9:30-4:30
deadline to register is Sun Apr 25th; see Maria to do so.
Sun, May 2nd - Pascha
Parents are encouraged to check their email for up to the minute announcements of classes. Contact Maria at orthodox_education@stsconstantine.com with any questions or comments.
Join us for an EASTER EGG HUNT after the Agape Service on PASCHA / EASTER SUNDAY, May 2nd (Don't forget your basket!) Event will be rescheduled in the event of rain or inclement weather.
1) GOYA will have a "Pascha party" on Saturday, May 8th from 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. This will be an in-person outdoor event, and the Comber family will host us. We'll have a brief GOYA meeting to discuss plans for this summer. Kindly RSVP to Ted at tcherpas@stsconstantine.com.
2) Camp Nazareth will host its next young adult fellowship (ages 21 - 35ish) call via Zoom on Thursday, May 13th @ 7:30 p.m. The guest speaker is TBA, but this will be another great opportunity to connect with young adults from all over the country. Send questions to youngadultretreats@gmail.com.
3) GOYA will be going to "Topgolf" in Independence for a fun field trip on Sunday, May 23rd at 6:30 p.m. Topgolf is a "sports entertainment complex that features an inclusive, high-tech golf game that everyone can enjoy." To participate, you must RSVP to Ted by Friday, May 14th.
4) Orthodoxy on Tap will have its next young adult event (ages 21 - 35ish) on Thursday, May 27th @ 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. The guest speaker will be Fr. Jacob Saylor, a young adult priest currently serving Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Scottsdale, AZ. RSVP by Wednesday, May 26th to gorealcleveland@gmail.com.
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We have closed our livestreaming service on Facebook in favor of using YouTube for all future livestreaming of services. To continue participating with our livestream services, please visit, subscribe, & bookmark our channel at YouTube.com/stsconstantine.
With recent increases in attendance at the church, we have once again begun collecting forgotten possessions. Hats, umbrellas, masks, toys, and more are filling our unclaimed basket. Please, contact the office if you think we might have something of yours!
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
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Narthex Press