Agape Coffee Fellowship: Today’s Coffee Fellowship is sponsored by Parish Council/Stewardship Committee and the Ladies Philoptochos for Stewardship Sunday. Thank you to our volunteer hostesses.
Sunday of Orthodoxy - Procession with Icons TODAY & Visit of Anna Dounelis, President of the Direct Archdiocesan District (D.A.D) Federation of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians for the Demetrios Pappas Scholarship Presentation
Pan-Orthodox Vespers - Sunday of Orthodoxy 4:00PM today, at Christ the Savior Orthodox Church in Southbury, CT (1070 Roxbury Rd.)
Directives to be followed by the Clergy dealing with Covid-19 (Coronavirus), until further notice, based on the instructions of the US Center for Disease Control (CDC)
1) All parishes will provide stations in the Narthex and/or Nave for the Faithful to disinfect their hands as they enter the Church.
2) Signs will be posted at the entrance that recommend sick persons not attend the Services, but participate via television or the Internet (URL should be posted as well)
3) The clergy will not offer their hands to be reverenced and will refrain from touching the faithful either through handshakes or an embrace.
4) Signs will be posted recommending that honor be shown to Icons and the blessing cross by only bowing.
5) No books – Liturgical or Scriptural, will be kept in the pews. Parishioners will be instructed to bring their own books from home.
6) The Faithful will not receive the Antidoron from the Clergy, but on their own as they leave the church.
7) In the case of the use of flowers (Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross, Palm Sunday, Holy Friday), the Faithful will take them on their own as they leave the church. On Holy Wednesday (Holy Unction), each priest will anoint each Faithful using separate cotton-tipped swabs.
8) The Eucharist will be distributed as per usual.
9) In concelebrations, the clerical “Kiss of Peace” will be through bowing to one another. In parishes where the laity exchange the “Kiss of Peace,” they will avoid contact through bowing to one another.
10) After every service, all liturgical objects and surfaces to be thoroughly cleaned.
See: https://www.goarch.org/-/2020-03-06-covid-19-news-release and https://www.goarch.org/-/directives-covid-19
Calendar at a Glance
- Mar 9 (M) - Compline @6:00PM
- Mar 9 (M) - Philoptochos Meeting @7:00PM
- Mar 11 (W) - Pre-Sanctified Liturgy @6:00PM; Lenten+Creation Care Study Group @7:30PM
- Mar 12 (Th) - End-of-Year Basketball Party 6:00-8:00PM
- Mar 13 (F) - Pre-Sanctified Liturgy @10:00AM
- Mar 13 (F) - Salutations to the Theotokos @6:00PM
- Mar 13 (F) - Philoptochos Lenten Potluck (7pm) after Salutations Service (6pm *earlier start time)
- Mar 14 (Sa) - D.A.D. Clergy-Laity Assembly at St. Nicholas in Flushing, NY - Registration & Refreshments from 8:30-10:00AM with Call to Order @10:00AM
Ladies Philoptochos Society News: Today our Ladies Philoptochos will pass their monthly tray. Our national obligations are Orthodox Christian Missions and Support A Mission Priest which provide financial support to missionary priests and teams and also the Hellenic College Holy Cross Lenten Event/Veneration of the Holy Cross, with proceeds providing for Hellenic College Holy Cross operational expenses. Thank you for your continued generous support.
Our next Philoptochos meeting is tomorrow, Monday, March 9th, at 7:00 PM. Please join us for as long as you can. Adjusted date/time*
Our Annual Assumption Church Family Lenten Potluck dinner, hosted by Philoptochos, will be held on Friday, March 13th at 7:00 PM (after church services). Please bring a Lenten food item ready to be served and bring a beverage of your choice. For questions please contact Caryn 203-512-5698. Sign-up using this link Lenten Potluck Dinner
Our 2020 Stewardship/Membership drive continues for the Ladies Philoptochos – Visit our Philoptochos table in the Church hall and learn about the exciting things our chapter and this wonderful organization is doing locally, regionally and nationally. Please consider gifting a membership for a loved one or daughter 18 years or older. Your stewardship helps in so many ways - with our time, talent and treasure. You do not have to do anything unless you can. Our chapter will host events throughout the year, so if you are free please join us.
The Michael Kallas Memorial Scholarship Fund in association with the Ladies Philoptochos Society is pleased to announce that applications are being accepted for the 2020 Michael Kallas Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship is available for any graduating High School boy or girl. Applications have been emailed. Completed applications must be returned by March 15, 2020. Applications received after this date will not be accepted.
Lenten & Creation Care Study Group: As Great and Holy Lent is an occasion for us to “purify our hearts and transform our habits,” our Assumption Church family will avail ourselves of this season’s time for increased prayer, fasting and charity to engage in a Lenten study focused on Creation Care. Our first gatherings take place on Wednesdays of Lent after Pre-Sanctified Liturgy (the service begins at 6:00PM and concludes around 7:20PM) on the following dates: March 11, March 18, April 1 and April 8.
Please join us for any one or all of these gatherings as they will each explore some of the distinctive ways in which our Orthodox theology of creation has implications on our Christian practice/praxis and lifestyle, as expressed in its fullness.
YOUTH CHOIR NEEDS YOU! Looking for a new co-director since Therese Papadopoulos will be moving in the spring. He/she should be responsible, reliable and motivated! Music background is helpful but not mandatory. Please contact Cindy or Therese if interested. Cindyvz37@gmail.com or therese.papadopoulos@gmail.com
June 12-13-14 The Greek Experience Festival--Dance Group Program Join us for an experience of learning traditional Greek folk dances, for creating lifelong friendships, and sharing our culture with our Church community as well as the greater Danbury area. The Assumption Greek folk dance Groups are a part of the Church’s Youth ministry and we welcome all children/young adults to join us.
March 1st through April 5th: Registrations for the dance groups will take place following Divine Liturgy in our Community Hall every Sunday starting March 1st. Registrations will end April 5th.
Practices will start following Pascha on Thursday, April 30. Contact Presbytera Maria at yiayiamk@gmail.com for any questions.
The Greek Experience Festival is a labor of love that allows all of us, young and old, to celebrate our traditions and culture. It gives us the opportunity to rejoice in our young people as they experience and discover their Orthodox Faith and Hellenic Heritage.
Ahepa 2020 Macricostas Scholarship: Ahepa is pleased to offer this year's Ahepa Macricostas Scholarship. The application is available on the church website, in the Church Narthex and students can email TonyVEsq@millplainlaw.com for a copy. The deadline is May 10, 2020.
The Sacrament of Repentance and Confession is available by appointment during Great Lent and before and after a variety of our daily and weekend services. See Fanari Newsletter and Sunday Bulletins for times of Services on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays of Great Lent and avail yourself of this most sacred, underutilized and purifying Sacrament/Mysterion.
IV-On-The-Go Retreat! Our Sister Parish, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of New Rochelle has been selected to host IV-On-The-Go!
Date: Saturday March 21st, 2020
Time: 9:30 am - 5 pm
Location: 10 Mill Road, New Rochelle, NY 10804
Details: The goal of IV On-The-Go is to spread the Ionian Village program domestically. To give those the opportunity to experience who might not be able to attend, give those interested a sneak peak of what’s to come or give those who have attended the opportunity to relive their memories. The retreat is run by former staff of the IV summer program. Activities throughout the day include arts and crafts, music and culture and will resemble what a real day at IV might feel like. All activities are played in game format (jeopardy, charades), encourage team building, are fun and explore the role of Orthodoxy in our children's daily lives. There will be Orthros and Vespers services to start and end the day.
Attendees: The retreat is offered to children in grades 7-12. The retreat is open to all parishes so please spread the word.
Cost: The retreat is FREE to attend. Holy Trinity New Rochelle has graciously offered to serve breakfast and lunch to all the attendees.
View a video clip from 2019 IV on-the-go highlights to get a better sense of what the day may look like: https://www.facebook.com/bestsummerofyourlife/videos/vb.47133538724/402196286996321/?type=2&theater. Please contact Anda Benekos with any questions (avagenas@hotmail.com). Hope to see you there!
Holy Communion: Please follow the directions of the Parish Council, allowing our Sunday School students and teachers to enter the center aisle first, so that they may begin classes promptly with the limited time that we have. Adults who are baptized or chrismated in the Orthodox faith & waiting to prayerfully receive the Sacrament, please take this opportunity to read the prayers before Holy Communion if you have prepared to receive Holy Eucharist. All are invited to receive the blessed bread (antidoron) after Liturgy concludes, regardless of faith tradition.
Creation Care: “We challenge each Church and religious community to educate its own members through preaching, teaching and example. They should encourage men and women of faith actively to participate in the work of environmental justice whatever their walk of life.”
- Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, 1997
Interested in becoming more involved in being stewards of God’s earth? For more information, email creationcare@agoc.us
