Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Fourth Mode

Τὸ φαιδρὸν τῆς Ἀναστάσεως κήρυγμα, ἐκ τοῦ Ἀγγέλου μαθοῦσαι αἱ τοῦ Κυρίου Μαθήτριαι, καὶ τὴν προγονικὴν ἀπόφασιν ἀπορρίψασαι, τοῖς Ἀποστόλοις καυχώμεναι ἔλεγον· Ἐσκύλευται ὁ θάνατος, ἠγέρθη Χριστὸς ὁ Θεός, δωρούμενος τῷ κόσμῳ τὸ μέγα ἔλεος.

The faithful women disciples of the Lord * learned from the Angel the bright news of His rising, * and having cast aside the ancestral way * proudly announced to the Apostles: * Death is despoiled, Christ our God resurrected, * granting the world His great mercy.

Apolytikion of the Annunciation in the Fourth Mode

Today is the beginning of our salvation and the revelation of the mystery of the ages. O the Son of God becomes on this day the Virgin’s Son and Gabriel proclaims this gift from God. Together with him we cry out to the Theotokos singing: Hail to you who are filled with grace. The Lord is with you.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Second Mode

The protection of Christians unshameable, intercessor to our Holy Maker, unwavering, do not turn from the prayerful cries of those who are in sin; instead, come to us, for you are good; your loving help bring unto us, who are crying in faith to you: Hasten to intercession and speed now to supplication as a protection for all time, Theotokos, for those who honor you.

Προστασία τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἀκαταίσχυντε, μεσιτεία πρὸς τὸν Ποιητὴν ἀμετάθετε. Μὴ παρίδῃς ἁμαρτωλῶν δεήσεων φωνάς, ἀλλὰ πρόφθασον, ὡς ἀγαθή, εἰς τὴν βοήθειαν ἡμῶν, τῶν πιστῶς κραυγαζόντων σοι· Τάχυνον εἰς πρεσβείαν, καὶ σπεῦσον εἰς ἱκεσίαν, ἡ προστατεύουσα ἀεί, Θεοτόκε, τῶν τιμώντων σε.

Saints and Feasts

February 18

Sunday of the Canaanite

February 18

Leo the Great, Pope of Rome

According to some, this Saint was born in Rome, but according to others in Tyrrenia (Tuscany), and was consecrated to the archiepiscopal throne of Rome in 440. In 448, when Saint Flavian, Archbishop of Constantinople, summoned Eutyches, an archimandrite in Constantinople, to give account for his teaching that there was only one nature in Christ after the Incarnation, Eutyches appealed to Saint Leo in Rome. After Saint Leo had carefully examined Eutyches's teachings, he wrote an epistle to Saint Flavian, setting forth the Orthodox teaching of the person of Christ, and His two natures, and also counseling Flavian that, should Eutyches sincerely repent of his error, he should be received back with all good will. At the Council held in Ephesus in 449, which was presided over by Dioscorus, Patriarch of Alexandria (and which Saint Leo, in a letter to the holy Empress Pulcheria in 451, was the first to call "The Robber Council"), Dioscorus, having military might behind him, did not allow Saint Leo's epistle to Flavian to be read, although repeatedly asked to do so; even before the Robber Council was held, Dioscorus had uncanonically received the unrepentant Eutyches back into communion. Because Saint Leo had many cares in Rome owing to the wars of Attila the Hun and other barbarians, in 451 he sent four delegates to the Fourth Ecumenical Council, where 630 Fathers gathered in Chalcedon during the reign of Marcian, to condemn the teachings of Eutyches and those who supported him. Saint Leo's epistle to Flavian was read at the Fourth Council, and was confirmed by the Holy Fathers as the Orthodox teaching on the incarnate person of our Lord; it is also called the "Tome of Leo." The Saint wrote many works in Latin; he reposed in 461. See also Saint Anatolius, July 3.

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Fourth Mode. Psalm 103.24,1.
O Lord, how manifold are your works. You have made all things in wisdom.
Verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul.

The reading is from St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians 6:16-18; 7:1.

Brethren, you are the temple of the living God; as God said, "I will live in them and move among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore come out from them, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, and make holiness perfect in the fear of God.

Προκείμενον. Fourth Mode. ΨΑΛΜΟΙ 103.24,1.
Ὡς ἐμεγαλύνθη τὰ ἔργα σου Κύριε, πάντα ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐποίησας.
Στίχ. Εὐλόγει ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν Κύριον.

τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα Πρὸς Κορινθίους β' 6:16-18, 7:1.

Ἀδελφοί, ὑμεῖς ἐστε ναὸς Θεοῦ ζῶντος, καθὼς εἶπεν ὁ θεός ὅτι Ἐνοικήσω ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσω· καὶ ἔσομαι αὐτῶν θεός, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἔσονταί μοι λαός. Διὸ, Ἐξέλθετε ἐκ μέσου αὐτῶν καὶ ἀφορίσθητε, λέγει κύριος, καὶ ἀκαθάρτου μὴ ἅπτεσθε· κἀγὼ εἰσδέξομαι ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἔσομαι ὑμῖν εἰς πατέρα, καὶ ὑμεῖς ἔσεσθέ μοι εἰς υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας, λέγει κύριος παντοκράτωρ. Ταύτας οὖν ἔχοντες τὰς ἐπαγγελίας, ἀγαπητοί, καθαρίσωμεν ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ παντὸς μολυσμοῦ σαρκὸς καὶ πνεύματος, ἐπιτελοῦντες ἁγιωσύνην ἐν φόβῳ θεοῦ.

Gospel Reading

Sunday of the Canaanite
The Reading is from Matthew 15:21-28

At that time, Jesus went to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon." But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." And he answered, "It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.

Sunday of the Canaanite
Κατὰ Ματθαῖον 15:21-28

Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ἐξελθὼν ἐκεῖθεν ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς τὰ μέρη Τύρου καὶ Σιδῶνος. καὶ ἰδοὺ γυνὴ Χαναναία ἀπὸ τῶν ὁρίων ἐκείνων ἐξελθοῦσα ἐκραύγαζεν αὐτῷ λέγουσα· ἐλέησόν με, Κύριε, υἱὲ Δαυΐδ· ἡ θυγάτηρ μου κακῶς δαιμονίζεται. ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῇ λόγον. καὶ προσελθόντες οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἠρώτων αὐτὸν λέγοντες· ἀπόλυσον αὐτήν, ὅτι κράζει ὄπισθεν ἡμῶν. ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· οὐκ ἀπεστάλην εἰ μὴ εἰς τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολωλότα οἴκου ᾿Ισραήλ. ἡ δὲ ἐλθοῦσα προσεκύνησεν αὐτῷ λέγουσα· Κύριε, βοήθει μοι. ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· οὐκ ἔστι καλὸν λαβεῖν τὸν ἄρτον τῶν τέκνων καὶ βαλεῖν τοῖς κυναρίοις. ἡ δὲ εἶπε· ναί, Κύριε· καὶ γὰρ τὰ κυνάρια ἐσθίει ἀπὸ τῶν ψυχίων τῶν πιπτόντων ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης τῶν κυρίων αὐτῶν. τότε ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῇ· ὦ γύναι, μεγάλη σου ἡ πίστις! γενηθήτω σοι ὡς θέλεις. καὶ ἰάθη ἡ θυγάτηρ αὐτῆς ἀπὸ τῆς ὥρας ἐκείνης.

Ministry Awards Nominations

Dear parishioners,

Each year, for the last 37 years, the Metropolis of Boston holds a Ministry Awards Celebration which honors an exemplary individual from each of the 62 parishes.

The person who is honored with this award is one who is involved in one or more of our church ministries, is a steward of the church, and if physically able, attends church services on a regular basis.

In the past, the Parish Council members would suggest parishioners whom they feel are deserving of this honor. A vote would be taken by the Parish Council members and an honoree would be selected. This year, however, the Parish Council would like our parishioners to be part of the process. We are inviting you to nominate one or more parishioners for the Ministry Award. Nomination slips are located in the Narthex. You are invited to fill out the slip(s) and deposit them in the slotted box.

Nominations will close at the end of Liturgy on March 10 and names will be brought to the March Parish Council meeting on March 21 for discussion and a vote. The 2024 honoree(s) will be announced on Sunday, March 24

Parish News and Events

Please pray for our brothers and sisters: Christina, Malina, Athena, Ivana, Deborah, Nicholas, Christine, James, Joanne, Seraphima, Matthew, Yakov, Paul, Despina and Panayioti. Please submit the names to Fr. Costin.

Stewardship - Please remember to turn in your 2024 Stewardship Pledge, your Time, Talet & Treasure Cards, and the completed Parish Questionnaire. All forms can be dropped off in the Stewardship Box on the Pangari or emailed to the Parish Council President. The Stewardship Committee thanks everyone for a blessed 2023 filled with time, talent, and treasure. May God continue to bless as we continue our journey to be "good and faithful servants." Thank you, The Stewardship Committee. Save the date for the Aprokries Carnival Celebration scheduled for Satuday, March 9th, just before MeatFare Sunday. See attached flyer.

Stewardship Committee Meeting - The Stewardship Committee will meet this Thursday, February 22nd at 6pm in the Church Conference Room to plan the Apokries Carnival Celebration. Please join us if you'd like to help plan, decorate/set up this event which is scheduled for Saturday, March 9th. Thank you.

GLAS Meeting - The Greek Ladies Aid Society will meet this Sunday, February 18th in the conference room immediately following Diving Liturgy. Please grab a cup of coffee and a treat as the meeting will start promptly after Liturgy. Please join us to discuss upcoming events include Paint Night and other GLAS related activities. See attached flyer for Paint Night.

The Stewardship Committee hosted a "Souper" event on Sunday, February 11th and would like to thank everyone who donated their time, treasure, and talent to set up, bake bread, prepare soup, serve, and clean up. Special thanks to Andrea Jones and Melinda Patrick for spearheading this event, John Housianitis, Maria Connor, and Cyndi Kofos for Saturday set up, Johh and Arthur Housianitis for providing and serving wine, and the "Clean Up" crew on Sunday!

The competition for the best tasting soup is in celebration of Souper Bowl Sunday supporting the International Orthodox Christian Charites (IOCC) fundraiser whose mission "in the spirit of Christ’s love, offers emergency relief and development programs to those in need worldwide, without discrimination, and strengthens the capacity of the Orthodox Church to so respond". https://iocc.org/ Thanks to the generosity of all we raised over $300 for this ministy.

Our participating soup chef were Stella Andriotakis and Maria Connor, Annunciation Greek Orthodox Middle School class, Suzy and Rick Brown, Mike Cusack, Eric Hansen, Andrea Jones, Rachael Kokaras, Cyndi Kofos, Debbie Kouklamanis, John and Ashley Kounsalieh, Lucia Mihailescu, Melinda Patrick, Kimberley Patton, David and Nina Tanis, and Joanna Tsiantas.

The #1 winning soup was Sunshine Soup (butternut squash) prepared by Kimberley Patton, the #2 winning soup was Creamy Cheesy Vegetable perpared by Debbie Kouklamanis, and the #3 winning soup was Meatball and Vegtable Sour Soup prepared by Lucia Mihailescu! Congratulations to our top 3 chefs and thanks again to everyone who participated! A great time was had by all!

Outreach and Evangelism

Sunday School continues. We welcome back our Sunday School students and their families to continue their worship in the New Year. We will discuss the icon of Holy Archangel Michael (on exit door of the iconostasis - left).

Evening Bible study continues February 19th - Mondays at 7pm, and meets every other week. We study the book of Acts, chapter by chapter. Bring your own bible - we will be using the Orthodox Study Bible, but always refer to the original and occasionally look at other translations.

Reading assigment: Acts ch 8-10.

Virtual Bible study on Thursdays at noon. This small interdenominational group discusses the readings in the Common Lectionary. If you are interested in participating, please contact Fr. Costin.

Help West Newbury Pizza Company, which has been closed for a month because George Christinakis, the owner, has been hospitalized. We are glad to report that George is home, feeling better. George and his family have always been generous to our church. Please consider helping the business https://www.gofundme.com/f/lets-help-the-west-newbury-pizza-company

Liturgical Ministry

Music Rehearsals Every Thursday at 9:15am (after morning service) chant rehearsal and 10-11am choir rehearsal. The choir will also practice on some Sundays after the service. Everyone is welcome!

Morning Service will continue - Tuesday and Thursday this week. These brief 30 min matins are a great way to start the day. All participants are invited to read and chant according to their level of comfort. You are also invited to stay for a cup of coffee with Fr. Costin. Please let Fr. Costin know if you plan to attend.

Prosforo Schedule - For February: Feb 18 - Anna Chetsas, Feb 25 - Freezer. Thank you to all our dedicated Proforo bakers.

Sunday Liturgies we will recite the Creed and the Lord's Prayer in both Greek and English. For those who do not read Greek, the yellow cards in the pews provide English phonetics.

Parish Calendar

Next two weeks

February 18 to March 3, 2024

Sunday, February 18

9:00AM Matins (Orthros)

10:00AM Divine Liturgy

Monday, February 19

7:00PM Bible Study - Acts

Thursday, February 22

8:30AM Morning service

9:15AM Chant rehearsal

10:00AM Choir rehearsal

Sunday, February 25

9:00AM Matins (Orthros)

10:00AM Divine Liturgy

Tuesday, February 27

8:30AM Morning service

Thursday, February 29

8:30AM Morning service

9:15AM Chant rehearsal

10:00AM Choir rehearsal

Sunday, March 3

9:00AM Matins (Orthros)

10:00AM Divine Liturgy

Flyers

Apokries dance

Mardi Gras style ball

Soup cook-off winner

Pictures from last Sunday event

General Information

Contact Information

Services Schedule

Past Bulletins