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Assumption Church
Publish Date: 2020-08-16
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Napkin
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Assumption Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (203) 748-2992
  • Fax:
  • (203) 748-7747
  • Street Address:

  • 30 Clapboard Ridge Road

  • Danbury, CT 06811


Contact Information




Services Schedule

 
Orthros at 8:45 am - Sundays
Divine Liturgy at 10am - Sundays
 
Weekday Divine Liturgies without Orthros begin with the Doxology at 9:50 am
 
Summer Services Schedule (Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend):
Orthros at 8:15 am - Sundays
Divine Liturgy at 9:30 am - Sundays
 
Summer weekday Divine Liturgies without Orthros begin with the Doxology at 9:20 am


Past Bulletins


Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. First Mode. Psalm 32.22,1.
Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon us.
Verse: Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous.

The reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 4:9-16.

Brethren, God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are ill-clad and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become, and are now, as the refuse of the world, the off-scouring of all things. I do not write this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me.


Gospel Reading

10th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 17:14-23

At that time, a man came up to Jesus and kneeling before him said, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; for often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him." And Jesus answered, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me." And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move hence to yonder place,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. But this kind never comes out except by prayer and fasting." As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day."


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Saints and Feasts

Napkin
August 16

Translation of the Image of Our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ

When the fame of our Lord Jesus Christ came to Abgar, the ruler of Edessa, who was suffering from leprosy, Abgar sent a messenger named Ananias, through him asking the Savior to heal him of his disease, while bidding Ananias bring back a depiction of Him. When Ananias came to Jerusalem, and was unable to capture the likeness of our Lord, He, the Knower of hearts, asked for water, and having washed His immaculate and divine face, wiped it dry with a certain cloth, which He gave to Ananias to take to Abgar; the form of the Lord's face had been wondrously printed upon the cloth. As soon as Abgar received the cloth, which is called the Holy Napkin (Mandylion), he reverenced it with joy, and was healed of his leprosy; only his forehead remained afflicted. After the Lord's Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, the Apostle Thaddaeus (see Aug. 21) came to Edessa, and when he had baptized Abgar and all his men, Abgar's remaining leprosy also was healed. Abgar had the holy image of our Savior fixed to a board and placed at the city gate, commanding that all who entered the city reverence it as they passed through. Abgar's grandson, however, returned to the worship of the idols, and the Bishop of Edessa learned of his intention to replace the Holy Napkin with an idol. Since the place where it stood above the city gate was a rounded hollow, he set a burning lamp before the Holy Napkin, put a tile facing it, then bricked up the place and smoothed it over, so that the holy icon made without hands was no longer to be seen, and the ungodly ruler gave no further thought to it.

With the passage of time, the hidden icon was forgotten, until the year 615, when Chosroes II, King of Persia, was assaulting the cities of Asia, and besieged Edessa. The Bishop of Edessa, Eulabius, instructed by a divine revelation, opened the sealed chamber above the city gate and found the Holy Napkin complete and incorrupt, the lamp burning, and the tile bearing upon itself an identical copy of the image that was on the Holy Napkin. The Persians had built a huge fire outside the city wall; when the Bishop approached with the Holy Napkin, a violent wind fell upon the fire, turning it back upon the Persians, who fled in defeat. The Holy Napkin remained in Edessa, even after the Arabs conquered it, until the year 944, when it was brought with honor and triumph to Constantinople in the reign of Romanus I, when Theophylact was Ecumenical Patriarch. The Holy Napkin was enshrined in the Church of the most holy Theotokos called the Pharos. This is the translation that is celebrated today.


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Parish News

Did you notice there's no Sign Up / Registration for this Sunday's Liturgy? 

Don't worry, it's not something we forgot about and not anything you may have missed in your inbox.  Instead, after some thought, prayer and consideration of the attendance trends over the last two months, we have decided to permit attendance at worship on a "walk-in," first-come first-seated basis.  We wil continue to keep record of attendees.

Having said that, please continue offering us your patience and understanding with this process, for which we are grateful. Please be assured that above all, we endeavor to create and maintain a safe worship experience for our parishioners and as clergy and lay leadership, there are many things that we learn along the way seeing as this is a "new abnormal" for us too.

One other modification to the way we have been operating since our re-opening in June has to do with the timing for Holy Communion.  Beginning with Sunday, August 16, 2020 services, our faithful will receive the Eucharist at the usual appointed time, within the context of the Divine Liturgy. Antidoron (the blessed bread) will still be left in the narthex of the Church to pick up as our faithful exit the Church at the conclusion of the service and following the directions of our Parish Council and ushers.

As always, we will revisit our policies and procedures as we move along into the fall and as conditions may influence.  We are thankful for your ongoing prayerful presence and support of our Assumption Church family as we navigate the challenges of this time together as one in Christ Jesus.

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Links for Livestreaming Services & Calendar

Links for Livestreaming Services

Pray with us by subscribing to the Assumption YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9tD5mB_u3GgO1J8ikwIW0g

Or by visiting our Assumption page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pg/assumptiongreekorthodoxchurch/videos/?ref=page_internal

Live events will be streamed on both these services on programmed service hours.

Weekday Divine Services

During the balance of the summer, we will schedule and pray a variety of weekday services, including an evening Vespers, and as always, morning Orthros & Divine Liturgies for various saints and major feasts.  Please keep an eye on our Google Calendar (https://agoc.us/services-calendar/) for the most up-to-date details and services which will also be announced via our Listserv whenever possible.  We encourage attendance at these weekday services for our seniors and others who would like to avoid the larger gatherings on Sundays.  We continue to livestream on YouTube and FaceBook Live. 

Sights & Sounds Ministry

If these services have been a blessing to you, we’d love to hear from you!  We have invested approximately $10,000 in upgrades to our Live-streaming infrastructure in order to enhance the quality and reliability of our audio-visual (A/V) ministry that will last well beyond the Coronavirus pandemic.  This has and will continue to be an essential ministry to enable our seniors and homebound parishioners to pray with us from anywhere in the world!

Might you consider a monetary gift (small or large) toward the AGOC Sights & Sounds Ministry?  Please contact Fr. Nikolas or a member of the Parish Council to join in this effort. With your prayers and support, we can improve the quality and bring the beauty of our Orthodox Liturgical Life and the Good News of Christ Risen into the homes of so many others!

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Church is Open

Greetings and Welcome Home!  We hope and pray that you continue to feel safe and secure as you worship with us in person.  And we continue to be grateful to our faithful parishioners who find ways to pray the liturgy with us from the safety of their homes.  We continue to monitor and implement the most current guidelines from state authorities, health officials and from the Archdiocese and Church leadership.  If you have a positive experience worshipping with us, please tell your family and friends! And as always, use your discretion and follow the advice of your physician as you navigate the world during these difficult times.

Reservations are no longer required
 
Those in attendance and those at home may want to access the text of the divine services by visiting Digital Chant Stand at https://www.agesinitiatives.com/dcs/public/dcs/dcs.html.  Just click on the date on the left side of the page and/or download the app and navigate to the appropriate service. For safety, we have removed the service books from the pews and chances are that folks at home may not have a copy of the Divine Liturgy.

As you begin to resume your "normal" weekly routines in these challenging times, we ask that you consult the guidelines listed below (subject to change) to help you prepare for what to expect during this "new abnormal" way of attending Church.

Latest Guidelines for Attending Divine Worship

ON TIME ARRIVAL

Please arrive between 8:15-10:00am. Only the north entrances, near the handicapped parking, will be open. Allow extra time for social distancing protocol upon arrival. Please leave all nonessentials in your car.

MASKS REQUIRED

All attendees are required to put on protective face masks before exiting their vehicle. Exceptions are only permitted for those with valid medical reasons, special needs and children less than 2 years of age.

FOLLOW THE SIGNS

Please follow signs to posted entry points and maintain distancing via the ground markers. These have been prepared in advance to provide safe social distancing and need to be respected for everyone’s well-being.

UPON ENTRY

Be prepared for a touchless temperature reading of your forehead by an infrared thermometer and hand sanitizing. Temperature must not exceed 99.1 for admittance. Next, a member of Parish Council will hand you a candle to light. Please venerate Icons with a bow only. No touching or kissing.

SEATING

A member of Parish Council will escort you to your designated seat and record your name for our attendance recordkeeping. Seating has been designed to adhere to social distancing requirements. Only members of the same family may sit together without distancing between them. Please remain in your designated seat throughout the entire service, except for restroom needs. The restroom in the “crying room” is the only restroom open to attendees. A Parish Council member will open the room for one person at a time. Please use provided wipes to clean faucets and doorknob after use.

HOLY COMMUNION AND DISMISSAL

On Sundays, Holy Communion will be offered at the usual appointed time. Baptized or chrismated Orthodox Christians who have prepared themselves are invited to receive communion keeping in mind the following:

  • Parish Council members will guide attendees by row, adhering to distancing markers placed in the aisle.
  • Remove mask before approaching the Holy Chalice.
  • Please do not touch the Communion cloth or dab it on your lips. It will be held by altar servers to prevent spills.
  • A separate metal spoon will be used for each communicant.
  • Antidoron will be individually wrapped on tables in the Narthex.
  • Continue walking to your car. No congregating inside please.

Kindly know that we are doing our best to "normalize" what is a challenging and strange time.  What remains True and Pure and Eternal throughout is Jesus Christ and our human desire to praise, glorify, thank and honor Him, the Panagia, and the Saints.  When you are tempted by the "strangeness" of how we've temporarily made provisions for the safest possible experience for our faithful, and as everyone regains a level of confidence, I encourage you to return your thoughts as quickly as possible to the "why am I here" - to remember that you are an essential part of His Body and the ranks of angels and archangels rejoice with us when we invoke His name.

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

Fr. Nikolas

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Parish Precautions

We continue to clean and disinfect the church between each service, require masks, temperature checks, hand washing, limited capacity and appropriate distancing.

In addition, an application of G200, a disinfecting solution approved by the CDC, is applied to all non-wood surfaces (doorknobs, handles, bathroom fixtures, etc) at the CDC recommended intervals. G200 continues to repel bacteria, including Coronavirus, for up to 30 days.

We have also upgraded the air filters in our HVAC system to those that filter even more fine particles as part of our overall risk mitigation approach.

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Stewardship Ministry

In this time of social distancing we'd like to remind our parishioners of the Church's new ability to accept online donations by CLICKING HERE  You will be taken to Assumption Church's secure payment portal through Vanco, a reputable and leading provider of electronic payment and donation processing solutions (https://www.vancopayments.com).  More than 40,000 churches, faith-based groups, nonprofits, schools and educational organizations trust Vanco to simplify administrative processes, organize events and securely complete transactions every day.

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Parish Council

Next Parish Council Meeting - August 20, 7:30-9pm

As has always been the case, any member of the Assumption Church in good standing is welcome to attend our monthly parish council meetings as non-voting observers.  The date and time of our monthly meetings is published on our Parish Google Calendar and in our Weekly Bulletin.  Since March, we have been conducting our meetings via Zoom and so with this in mind, we would ask that if you are interested in attending a parish council meeting as an observer, please contact Fr. Nikolas, Zoy Beretis (PC President) and/or Gregg Verses (Vice President) so that you can be provided with the meeting login information.

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Ladies Philoptochos Society

Registration for the National Philoptochos Virtual Biennial Convention Now Open

Registration is now open for the National Philoptochos Virtual Biennial Convention to be held August 21 & 22, 2020. 

Register Now below. Also email Caryn Flannery, Philoptochos President if interested or registering. We are allowed 3 delegates and unlimited observers. Please note, registration is exclusively by credit card. 

  • Friday, August 21, 2020 5:00pm-9:00pm EST
  • Saturday, August 22, 2020 11:00am- 6:00pm EST
  • $50 – Registration Fee for Delegates 

Click here to register online.
Deadline to register is August 17, 2020


For more information please access the Convention 2020 page at: 

https://www.philoptochos.org/2020-national-philoptochos-biennial-convention/

NOTE: See email also sent to all Assumption Philoptochos members.

Locally, our Ladies Philoptochos continues our outreach to church family members to offer support and "stay in touch" even as church is opening.  As a chapter, we continue to look for ways we can help and/or donate to support others as we focus on our philanthropic mission.  There are many needs out there during this pandemic. To help us continue to offer support as well as meet our monthly National obligations, we welcome any donations in place of our monthly trays and fundraisers.   Donations may be made directly to our Philoptochos on the church website or mailed to church (see details below).   Information regarding our National obligations can be found at:  https://www.philoptochos.org/commitments/

Some of our ladies have graciously offered their talents by sewing face masks as we joined the National Philoptochos "Mask On" campaign. Face masks are available for families in the parish. If you are in need of masks, please email Eleni Manolakes at eleni.manolakes@yahoo.com.  Email us (philoptochos@agoc.us) with any questions or comments.  May God bless us all and keep us safe.

Philoptochos Stewardship/Donations:

We are over 115 stewards strong. Thank you all.  If you have not already done so this year (Stewardship is from Jan. to Dec. 2020), please consider renewing your Philoptochos stewardship. You may email us (see below) if you are not sure if you completed a stewardship form. We invite all ladies 18 years and older to join. We accept online stewardship and donations as we have joined with the Church's secure payment portal through Vanco by CLICKING HERE.  BE SURE TO CHECK OFF LADIES PHILOPTOCHOS. You may also visit our website www.agoc.us – just click the "WE NOW ACCEPT ONLINE DONATIONS" or the “DONATE ONLINE” buttons on our home page.  Of course we still accept checks and cash.  Please mail to The Ladies Philoptochos, Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, 30 Clapboard Ridge Road, Danbury, CT 06811.  Please be sure to include a Stewardship Form, which is available on the church site: https://agoc.us/agoc-organizations/philoptochos/ . We pick up mail about once a week.  Philoptochos provides the opportunity to offer time, talent and treasure through Christian fellowship.  NOTE: If you donate online, we may be in contact with you to confirm your personal information or confirm the intent of your donation (stewardship, general donation, etc.) or you may email us at philoptochos@agoc.us with the same information. A huge thank you for your support - we have been blessed with many thinking about stewardship and donations. You are helping us make a difference. 

Link to Philoptochos promo video:

Come Join Us!

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Celebrations

August 17 - Stacy and Chris Neofitidis' Wedding Anniversary – 40 years

August 18 - Susan & Peter Chipouras’ Wedding Anniversary - 41 years

August 21- Peter Chipouras’ Birthday 

August 22 – Stacy Neofitidis’ Birthday

August 22 – Cathy Hatzis’ Birthday

Your Assumption Church Community wants to celebrate with you! Please let us know of any upcoming events in your life, birthdays, name days, anniversaries so we can (virtually) share the joy! Your submissions will be announced in future weekly bulletins. Email details to: creationcare@agoc.us

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Youth/Family Ministry

GOARCH - The Dormition of the Theotokos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6AAzN1anw0

Bee the Be #44 - Not Just Mustard Seeds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkQrADgCgbw

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Creation Care Ministry

We are pleased to announce the first Vespers for the Preservation of Creation on Monday, August 31 at 6pm. All are encouraged to attend this service of healing and restoration.

Volunteers welcomed! Please email creationcare@agoc.us

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Archepiscopal Message

Encyclical of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America The Feast of the Holy Dormition, 2020

08/10/2020

We, who are brothers and sisters of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of one another, are therefore also the adopted children of the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. She is truly our mother, and we all depend upon her, and bless her as did the nameless woman who lifted up her voice: “Blessed is the womb that gave birth to You, and the breasts that You suckled” (Luke 11:27).
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Calendar

  • Month at a Glance

    August 16 to September 14, 2020

    Sunday, August 16

    10th Sunday of Matthew

    8:15AM Orthros

    9:30AM Divine Liturgy

    Thursday, August 20

    7:30PM Parish Council

    Sunday, August 23

    11th Sunday of Matthew

    8:15AM Orthros

    9:30AM Divine Liturgy

    Sunday, August 30

    12th Sunday of Matthew

    8:15AM Orthros

    9:30AM Divine Liturgy

    Monday, August 31

    6:00PM Vespers of Creation

    Tuesday, September 1

    Beginning of the Ecclesiastical Year

    Sunday, September 6

    8:15AM Orthros

    9:30AM Divine Liturgy

    Tuesday, September 8

    Nativity of the Theotokos

    8:45AM Orthros

    10:00AM Divine Liturgy

    Wednesday, September 9

    Clergy Laity Congress 2020 - Virtual

    Thursday, September 10

    Clergy Laity Congress 2020 - Virtual

    Sunday, September 13

    Forefeast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross

    8:45AM Orthros

    10:00AM Divine Liturgy

    Monday, September 14

    Exaltation of the Holy Cross

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