SUNDAY OF ST. JOHN CLIMACUS / FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT
MATINS: 8:15 a.m.
LITURGY: 9:30 a.m.
EPISTLE: Hebrews 6:13-20
GOSPEL: Mark 9:17-31
GREEK TEXT: p. 192
ACOLYTES: Team A
PROSFORA: Maria Misthos
PANGARI: Team B: Marguarite Stephanopoulos, Jason Berry, Costa Sarris
COFFEE HOSTS: the Giannirakis/Savakis family
CREDIT CARD SUNDAY
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STREAMING SERVICE: youtube.com/stsconstantine
Eighth Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from John 20:11-18
At that time, Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." Mary Magdalene went and said to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that He had said these things to her.
Prokeimenon. Plagal 4th Tone. Psalm 75.11,1.
Make your vows to the Lord our God and perform them.
Verse: God is known in Judah; his name is great in Israel.
The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 6:13-20.
BRETHREN, when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore to himself, saying, "Surely I will bless you and multiply you." And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise. Men indeed swear by a greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he interposed with an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God should prove false, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
Sunday of St. John Climacus
The Reading is from Mark 9:17-31
At that time, a man came to Jesus kneeling and saying: "Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit; and wherever it seizes him it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able." And he answered them, "O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me." And they brought the boy to him; and when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, "How long has he had this?" And he said, "From childhood. And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us." And Jesus said to him, "If you can! All things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again." And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse; so that most of them said, "He is dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting." They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he would not have any one know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise."
Mon, Apr 4th - 7:00 p.m. - Great Compline
- 7:30 p.m. - Gamblers Anonymous
Tues, Apr 5th - 7:00 p.m. - Adult Greek, Beginners
Weds Apr 6th - 6:00 p.m. - Presanctified Liturgy
- 7:15 p.m. - Potluck Supper
Thurs, Apr 7th - 10:30 a.m. - Beginner's Online Greek
- 11:30 a.m. - Intermediate Online Greek
Fri, Apr 8th - 7:00 p.m. - Salutations Service
Sat, Apr 9th - 9:00 a.m. - Greek Kindergarten
- 10:00 a.m. - 1st Grade Greek
- 5:00 p.m. - Vespers (& Confessions)
Sun, Apr 10th - 8:15 a.m. - Matins
- 9:30 a.m. - Liturgy
- 40 Day Memorial: Dimitrios Hliatzos
- 11:30 a.m. - District Oratorical Festival (@ St. Cons)
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.
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 3rd:
Electronic Version of Divine Liturgy on Apr 3rd:
There will be a potluck supper after this Wednesday's Presanctified Liturgy. All are invited; the Liturgy begins at 6:00 PM. Those wishing to receive Holy Communion may eat light, lenten food for breakfast and lunch (as close to noon as possible) and then no food or drink until the liturgy.
The Orthodox Forum will be returning to the 11:30 am. timeslot this Sunday. This week's speaker will be Dr. Michael Kellis on the subject “A Life of Miracles”.
We are preparing the 2022 Luminaries which will be used to line the Holy Friday Epitaphios procession route. Forms are available in the foyer on the display table. All the proceeds will go towards Camp Nazareth Scholarships for our students. Your support is greatly appreciated. Scholarship requests should be directed to Fr. Stephen. For information about the luminaries please contact Anna Warren (216-287-6890).
The St. Photios award is conferred by the Metropolis of Pittsburgh annually to two parishioners from every parish, to the "unsung heroes" who enrich parish life. This year's nominees selected by the Parish Council at its meeting of Feb. 10, are Dick Warren and Irene Theodore (sadly, 10 days before her passing). They will receive their award at a banquet in Pittsburgh on April 30th. Those wishing to honor and celebrate with our honorees may find ticket information at stphotiosawardsbanquet.eventbrite.com. Please note that the banquet reservation deadline has been extended. The new deadline is April 15th, 2022. Please refer any questions to Mary Doreza, (412) 877-3415, or email her at doreza@verizon.net.
Faith in Action will be holding a family Easter crafts event in the parking lot of the Zelma George Family Shelter on Saturday April 9th from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. We hope to get volunteers to set up several tables for crafts activities such as:
If you are interested in volunteering and/or contributing to the event, please contact Denise and Peter Poulos at pmp17@case.edu.
Faith in Action will be serving Guy's Pizza for dinner to the St. Herman's community on Sunday, April 10th at 5:30 p.m. We may be serving the food outside. If you are interested in contributing money toward the pizza/dinner, bringing items for the dinner, or in helping serve the dinner, please contact Peter or Denise Poulos at pmp17@case.edu.
See below for list of needed items:
The annual pilgrimage to St. Gregory Palamas will take place on April 13th. Those wishing to carpool should meet at the Golden Gate center on Mayfield Rd just west of I-271 at 8:45 AM; expect to return by 4:00-4:30 PM. The group attends the Presanctified Liturgy, has lunch with the monks, speaks with one of the priests and visits the bookstore. There is no cost for this, but those wishing to attend should notify Fr Stephen no later than Monday, April 11, 10:00 AM, so that he may give the monks a count for the lunch.
The annual Palm Sunday Luncheon will be held on Sunday, April 17th. There will be a choice of fish or pasta. The cost of the food is underwritten; therefore, all proceeds benefit the Church. Please plan to attend immediately following the Divine Liturgy.
1) A new acolyte (altar boy) orientation session will take place April 3rd, after Divine Liturgy & Orthodox Education classes. Boys must be 10 years old or older, and willing to commit to regular attendance. The orientation will take place in the Church at 11:30 a.m.
2) Online registration for 2022 Summer Camp @ Camp Nazareth will open on April 7th @ 7:00 p.m. The website is: y2am.pittsburgh.goarch.org/summercamp. Spots can and will fill up quickly, so make sure you sign up early! Contact Fr. Stephen directly for information regarding parish scholarships.
3) GOYA is invited to a 1-day Metropolis volleyball tournament on Saturday, April 9th. The tournament will be hosted by St. Nicholas, Pittsburgh. This is not an overnight event. Let Ted or Coach Jimmy know ASAP if you are interested in participating so we can organize our team and carpools.
4) The annual GOYA Palm Folding Night will take place on Friday, April 15th from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Food and drink will be provided, and the sacrament of Holy Confession will also be available for your Lenten journey. Contact Ted with any questions.
5) Our next Orthodoxy on Tap event for young adults (ages 21 - 35ish) will take place on Friday, May 13th at St. Paul, North Royalton @ 7:00 p.m. Our guest speaker is still TBA, but save the date.
Sunday, April 17th -- Palm Sunday—There will be a Palm Procession for PreK-8th Grade. This is also the registration deadline for our Good Friday Program.
Friday, April 22nd -- Great and Holy Friday & Program 9:30am-3pm
Sunday, April 24th -- Family Worship/Feastday of Pascha/Agape Vespers Service: 12noon, followed by our Egg Hunt
If there are any questions, please email Maria Sikoutris at orthodox_education@stsconstantine.com.
Bible Study
Online Bible Study sessions are currently being scheduled. If you are interested in an invite, or for current dates and topics, please email dtsengas@yahoo.com.
Prayer Team
We will be holding prayer sessions every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday of each week at 8:30pm (EST) for all those who are able to participate. Dean Tsengas will be leading the evening prayer sessions on Zoom. Contact him at dtsengas@yahoo.com for the Zoom link.
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)
We are very happy to announce that the 2022 Fish Fry is back on the schedule! Running for six weeks, through April 8th, from 5:00 - 7:30 pm. Full information, including a link to the menu, is now available at http://stsconstantine.com/fish-fry/.
General help is needed on the front line and also in the kitchen. Please click on the Sign Up Genius link to volunteer to help! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D48A5AD23A4F58-2022
Philoptochos would like to thank you for your past support and ask you to join us as a member in 2022. If you aren't already, please become a member today by mailing a check for $30 with the membership form (available on the website or at church) along with your name, address and phone number to the church or to Anne Mitchell. We hope you are blessed with health and happiness in the new year!
Coffee Hour is back in the Cathedral Center. We have several openings for coffee hosts in the weeks ahead. Please send an email to office@stsconstantine.com or call the church office to book your preferred day.
We need volunteers who are willing to take turns running the Sunday livestream for those unable to come to church. The setup is in the balcony; a level of comfort with computers is all that is needed. Hours: 9:00-11:00 AM. Please contact Fr. Stephen at frstephen@stsconstantine.com or Clay White at rcw69@case.edu.
As the humanitarian relief and development agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, IOCC, International Orthodox Christian Charities, works in cooperation with the Orthodox Church and other partners to serve people in need. With long-standing relationships in the region, including in Romania and Moldova, IOCC has mobilized to serve people affected by the crisis in Ukraine. As refugees flee Ukraine—mostly elderly persons, people with disabilities, and women with infants and young children—and enter neighboring countries, IOCC is working with local partners to make sure their needs are met.
While word on the ground in Romania and Moldova is that even the most basic items—like food, water, and milk products—are in short supply in shops, IOCC and its partners there are purchasing items in bulk and distributing them to people in need. You can support our work today, and together we can help Ukrainians who have fled receive necessities. Visit iocc.org/blog/will-you-respond-to-the-ukraine-crisis to donate or learn more.
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
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: Narthex Press