Memorials:
1 year ~ Julia (Yanoula) Cutsuvitis
5 years ~ Vasiliki Trambas
Coffee Fellowship:
Please join us in Plato Hall after the Divine Liturgy for Coffee Hour Fellowship! Today the Philoptochos will be selling loukoumades to support their many philanthropic efforts. Please support their efforts in buying some of the delicious treats.
Lenten/Easter Needs:
As we enter the Lenten Season and as in the past we look for donors for the flowers that are used during the Lenten/Easter Season. Should you wish to offer a donation for one of the items below, please call the Church Office - 773-626-3114
Icon for The Salutations to the Theotokos (5 Friday’s) - $175 per week - DONATED
Jonquils for the Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross March 11th - $250 - DONATED
Palm Leaves for Palm Sunday April 1st- $1,175.00 - DONATED
Icon for Bridegroom Services, April 2nd, April 3rd, April 4th - $175 - DONATED
Large Icon of the Last Supper – April 4th - $400 - DONATED
3 Wreaths for Holy Thursday, April 5th - $325 each - DONATED
Rose Pedals, Holy Friday, April 6th - DONATED
Carnations, Holy Friday, April 6th - DONATED
Lavaro, April 7th - $200 - DONATED
Easter Lilies for Holy Pascha, April 7th - $625 ($425 Remaining)
Philoptochos:
Enjoy warm and delicious Loukoumathes today, and Sunday, March 25th during the coffee fellowship! Proceeds to benefit Philoptochos charitable endeavors.
This is the last week that orders will be accepted for The Philoptochos and Sunday Church School “ Be Kind” tees shirt fundraiser tobenefit the children of St. Basil Academy. The project was inspired by the thoughtful design of Stephen Kozil. The price of the shirt is$15 and available in various sizes. Orders will be taken during the coffee fellowship following the Divine Liturgy. Please take this opportunity to support this very worthy project!
Our Philoptochos Chapter is delighted to announce their 20th Anniversary Celebration on Thursday, April 26, 2018. We cordially invite you to join us for A Mystery Dinner Theater experience at Maggiano’s in Oak Brook as we honor our founders who paved the way for the Assumption Philoptochos. Please gather friends and family, donning your 1920’s attire to enjoy a fabulous meal, professional entertainment and plenty of laughs as we solve the mystery of “who-done-it?” We look forward to seeing you and celebrating this milestone event to raise funds to benefit our philanthropic endeavors! Further information is forthcoming.
St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival:
Today is our parish oratorical festival. Make sure to stop by the table in Plato Hall to view our children's accomplishments.
Annual Palm Sunday Luncheon:
Please reserve Sunday, April 1, 2018 for our Annual Palm Sunday Luncheon in Plato Hall. Donation: Adults $12.00, Children $6.00. For reservations, please contact either Mrs. Demetra Spyropoulos: 630-789-4559 or 630-833-1773, call the Church Office at 773-626-3114, or stop by the Church’s Bookstore in Plato Hall during the Coffee Fellowship Hour. The cost of luncheon has been graciously underwritten by an anonymous donor. Proceeds will benefit the Orthodox Mission in Kenya, under the care of Bishop Neofitos Kongai Please join us in Plato Hall to enjoy fellowship.
Pascha Agape Meal
Following the Midnight Resurrection and Divine Liturgy services, join us at the Agape Pascha Meal in Plato Hall. The meal is generously underwritten by an anonymous donor. We hope that everyone will stay and enjoy fellowship together on this most holy day.
College Students -- Check Out OCF (Orthodox Christian Fellowship):
To our young people who are going away to college for the first time, or to those returning to school to continue their studies, Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) is the organization which keeps you connected to your Church and your Orthodox Faith. OCF has 300 chapters in colleges and universities throughout North America, so be sure to check out their website to locate and find out about your chapter -- WWW.OCF.NET. We also encourage our college young people to share their e-mail addresses with our Church so that we may keep them informed of their “Spiritual Home” while they are away. And always remember, your Assumption Church’s weekly Divine Liturgy Services are just a click away on your computer as we now broadcast live each Sunday. Just access it by going to our website at: www.assumptionchicago.org
Also, our parish is starting a database of all college students in the community. If you have a college student in your family or if you are a college student, please send your name, school, area of study, address, and email address to Fr. Dimitri at frdimitrios@assumptionchicago.org.
Dates to Remember:
Monday, March 12th
6:00 pm – Great Compline
Wednesday, March 14th
9:00 am – Presanctified Liturgy
Friday, March 16th
7:00 pm – 4th Salutations
Saturday, March 10th
9:00 am - Lenten Youth Retreat
Wednesday - March 21st
6:00 pm - Presanctified Liturgy & Lenten Lecture
Saturday, March 24th
11:00 am - Enthronement of Metropolitan-Elect Nathanael
Annunciation Cathedral, Chicago
Archimandrite Nathanael Symeonides Elected Metropolitan of Chicago
Ecumenical Patriarchate Announcement - Under the chairmanship of His All-Holiness, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate convened today, Wednesday February 7, 2018, for its regularly scheduled meeting and reviewed all the items in the agenda.
During this meeting, following the recommendation of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the members of the Holy and Sacred Synod duly casted their votes in the Sacred Patriarchal Church electing unanimously the Very Rev. Archimandrite Nathanael Symeonides, clergyman of the Holy Archdiocese of America, as Metropolitan of Chicago.
His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America will enthrone metropolitan-elect Nathanael on Saturday, March 24, 2018 at the Annunciation Cathedral with the service beginning at 11:00 a.m. A celebratory luncheon will follow at the Hilton Chicago. Luncheon Tickets are $125.00. Individual and Ministry Sponsorships are available for $1,000.00. To reserve seating and/or purchase a sponsorship, or for more information, please call the Church Office (773.626.3114).
Movie Outing
Take time out of your busy schedule to come enjoy a night at the movies with your fellow Panagia parishioners! On Tuesday, March 20th, we will be going to see the movie "I Can Only Imagine" at 6:30pm at the AMC Yorktown in Lombard. Tickets are only $5 per person, and we have currently secured 16 tickets (we may be able to get more if needed, but they are very limited). Because the content of the movie is heavy, we recommend that we limit children to be 15 years old or older and attend with their parents if they are under 17. If you would like to join us, please RSVP to Fr. Dimitri at frdimitrios@assumptionchicago.org.
Lenten Lecture
Following the Pre-Sanctified Divine Liturgy on Wednesday, March 21st, join us for a Lenten Lecture on the theme of "Forgive Us, As We Forgive" by Dn. Perry Hamalis. Liturgy will begin at 6:00p.m. and the lecture will follow at 7:30p.m. Deacon Hamalis is a renowned speaker and professor at North Central College. Refreshments will be served. We hope that everyone can take advantage of this worthwhile event.
Save The Date:
Mark your calendars! The Assumption Golf Outing will be held on Monday, May 14, 2018 at 11:00 am at the White Pines Golf Course. Watch for more information.
Coffee Fellowship Hosts Needed:
Have you considered selecting a day to host the Weekly Fellowship Hour following Worship Services on a specific Sunday in 2018? You might want to celebrate a family event, a memorial, or just want to share time with the Church family. Please call the Church Office (773.626.3114) to book a date and for more information. Available dates for the 2018 Year:
April 29
May 13, 27
June 3, 10, 24
July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
August 5, 19, 26
We are in the Loop!
Through a generous donation by Mr. and Mrs. Chris Maniates in memory of Mrs. Helen Maniates, we are delighted to announce that we are now part of a growing number of places with a hearing loop. If you need assistance, please see one of the Parish Council Ushers for assistance.
Assumption Prayer Ministry:
The Assumption Adult Bible Study Group has developed an idea that may be of interest to parishioners and friends of our Panagia Parish. They are interested in being able to form a ministry comprised of individuals who would like to pray for the health of those individuals who may be ill or experiencing health issues. Our Orthodox Faith teaches us that the ‘power of prayer’ literally works miracles, and Jesus instructs us in the Bible that we should “always pray for one another in the fellowship of love and through the Holy Spirit”. As a Panagia Parish, we are united as brothers and sisters in Christ, and we are encouraged to pray for one another as any family would do. So, how do we plan to do it? It’s simple, easy, and spiritually uplifting and rewarding. Here is what we can all do:
- If you are interested in participating, you need only submit your name and email address to the Church Office or Fr. Timothy.
- When a name is submitted to be prayed for, you will be contacted by email, given the first name of the person to be prayed for, along with the prayer to be read by you, offering the prayer for the intercession of God upon that individual, and asking that the afflicted be healed by God’s abundant blessing.
- Your prayer, together with the many others who are offering a prayer for the person who is ill, will bring comfort beyond comprehension.
Just think about that….collectively praying for a person who needs the loving and tender Hand of God during his/her special time of need. It’s that simple. Just provide us with your email address, and you can join this ministry team who will pray for the person who needs help the most. It costs nothing, takes only a few seconds to do, but will make us all part of a spiritual family that looks and cares for one another.
Prosfora Bakers Needed:
One of the blessings of Stewardship that we are given is the ability to serve our Church in a number of ways. Our Church is in need of individuals who can offer the weekly Prosforo (Bread) for the Divine Liturgy. Should you be able to offer your service, please inform the Church office or see either Fr. Timothy or Fr. Dimitrios. With the help of each steward/member, we come together as a Church family to better offer our thanks to our Lord.
Bookstore:
Do you need gifts for your family or relatives? Then please visit the Bookstore in Plato Hall after the Divine Liturgy on Sundays. There you will find unique gifts for everyone, such as books for children and adults, icons of your or your children’s patron saints, crosses, key chains and other beautiful items, which will make much appreciated gifts this year. Please stop in and browse, you’ll be glad you did.
Holy Communion Announcement:
While we pray and work for the reconciliation and unity of all the world’s Christians, the reality remains that there is still no intercommunion between our Orthodox Churches and the Churches of the West. This means that only baptized, chrismated, and observant Orthodox faithful are allowed to receive Holy Communion in our churches. At the same time, we warmly welcome all non-Orthodox to join us in prayer and celebration, and humbly offer to all present the Antidoro bread of fellowship at the end of the worship service. We offer this important symbol ‘instead of the Gifts’, in the words of the Apostle Paul, ‘Till we all come to the unity of the Faith’ (Eph. 4.13).
Thinking of Converting to Orthodoxy?
If you, a family member, or friend, who are not of the Orthodox Faith, and may be considering conversion to Orthodoxy, please contact the Church Office (773.626.3114) or speak with Fr. Timothy or Fr. Dimitrios. A Confirmation/Chrismation Class is being formed to prepare those who have expressed interest to convert to Orthodoxy. This also includes couples who are planning to be married in the Orthodox Church in the near future, and where one of the couple is contemplating converting to the Orthodox Faith. We plan to begin this process in late March.
Website News:
In addition our Parish’s website, we encourage you to keep abreast on the latest news and happenings about Orthodoxy from our Metropolis of Chicago and our Holy Archdiocese.
Please use the links below to access any of the three sites:
Assumption Church: www.assumptionchicago.org
Metropolis of Chicago: www.metropolisofchicago.org
Archdiocese of America www.goarch.org
All three websites will provide you with articles and resources for the Orthodox Church. They include the history of Orthodoxy, special Services and Blessings, Spirituality, Teachings of the Orthodox Church, how to become a member of the Orthodox Church, the meaning and celebration of The Holy Eucharist, the form and characteristics of Orthodox worship, the Sacrament of Confession, Holy Week Meditation and Study Guide, Fasting, the Orthodox Calendar, and much more. Specifically, on our Parish’s website, we have uploaded past and current editions of the Assumption Newsletter and the St. Catherine Newsletter, which are available for reading online.
We Need Your E-mail Address:
Are you receiving the weekly bulletin online in your e-mail mailbox each week? How about our Assumption Church’s Newsletter and the Saint Catherine’s Newsletter? If not, please give the Church Office your e-mail address so that you can stay informed about the schedule of religious services, events, and news of our Community.
Our Sunday Church Services are broadcast live on the Internet each week:
A reminder to all, our Parish of Panagia began broadcasting live to the internet each Sunday. This is of particular benefit to our shut-ins, elderly, college students, and vacationers who are away from home, yet need to receive the benefit and blessing of the weekly Divine Liturgy experience. All you need to do is log on to our website www.assumptionchicago.org, and click the link to begin watching the Worship Service live. We have also archived our Services, allowing anyone to click and watch the Service/sermon at their leisure. We encourage you to give it a try.
NOTE: Please note that this morning’s Divine Liturgy, as well as prior Divine Liturgies, are available for rebroadcast. Simply log on to our Parish’s website (www.assumptionchicago.org) and click on the “Watch Worship Services Online” link.
Ushers: Andrew Kanel, Dr. Evie Maggos, Dr. Peter Panton, George Sefer, Lynn Voulgarakis, Dr. Voula Spyropoulos