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Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2022-06-05
Bulletin Contents
Hymns of the Day
Saints and Feasts
Gospel and Epistle Readings
Bulletin Inserts
Wisdom of the Fathers
Parish News and Events
Calendar of Events
Hlyfthrs
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Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (412)366-8700
  • Fax:
  • (412)366-8710
  • Street Address:

  • 985 Providence Blvd.

  • Pittsburgh, PA 15237-5951

Contact Information

Rev. Fr. John Touloumes, Protopresbyter
Proistamenos

fjt@HolyTrinityPgh.org | 412-366-8700

Rev. Fr. Radu Bordeianu
Assistant Priest

FrRadu@HolyTrinityPgh.org

Mary Portellos
Office Administrator

office@HolyTrinityPgh.org | 412-366-8700

Services Schedule

Worship Schedule

8:15 a.m. Orthros

9:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy

Worship Locations:

Sunday worship location: Holy Trinity Church, 985 Providence Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA 15237

Weekday/Feast Day worship location: St. George Chapel, 8941 Ringeisen Rd., Allison Park, PA

Past Bulletins


Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Sixth Tone

The heavenly powers appeared at Your tomb, and those guarding it became like dead men. Mary stood at Your grave, seeking Your pure body. You stripped the power of hades, not touched by its corruption. You met the virgin woman as one Who grants life. O Lord, Who rose from the dead, glory to You. (Page 53)

Apolytikion for Holy Ascension in the Fourth Tone

You have ascended in glory, Christ our God. You have made glad the disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit and have confirmed them through the blessing that You are the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world. (Page 74)

Apolytikion for Fathers of the 1st Council in the Eighth Tone

Most glorified are You, O Christ our God, Who has established our Fathers as luminous stars upon the earth, and through them did guide us all to the true Faith. O Most Merciful One, glory to You.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Sixth Tone

O Christ our God, upon fulfilling Your dispensation for our sake, You ascended in Glory, uniting the earthly with the heavenly. You were never separate but remained inseparable, and cried out to those who love You, "I am with you and no one is against you."
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Saints and Feasts

Hlyfthrs
June 05

Fathers of the 1st Council

The heresiarch Arius was a Libyan by race and a protopresbyter of the Church of Alexandria. In 315, he began to blaspheme against the Son and Word of God, saying that He is not true God, consubstantial with the Father, but is rather a work and creation, alien to the essence and glory of the Father, and that there was a time when He was not. This frightful blasphemy shook the faithful of Alexandria. Alexander, his Archbishop, after trying in vain to correct him through admonitions, cut him off from communion and finally in a local council deposed him in the year 321. Yet neither did the blasphemer wish to be corrected, nor did he cease sowing the deadly tares of his heretical teachings; but writing to the bishops of other cities, Arius and his followers requested that his doctrine be examined, and if it were unsound, that the correct teaching be declared to him. By this means, his heresy became universally known and won many supporters, so that the whole Church was soon in an uproar.

Therefore, moved by divine zeal, the first Christian Sovereign, Saint Constantine the Great, the equal to the Apostles, summoned the renowned First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, a city of Bithynia. It was there that the shepherds and teachers of the Church of Christ gathered from all regions in the year 325. All of them, with one mouth and one voice, declared that the Son and Word of God is one in essence with the Father, true God of true God, and they composed the holy Symbol of Faith up to the seventh article (since the remainder, beginning with "And in the Holy Spirit," was completed by the Second Ecumenical Council). Thus they anathematized the impious Arius of evil belief and those of like mind with him, and cut them off as rotten members from the whole body of the faithful.

Therefore, recognizing the divine Fathers as heralds of the Faith after the divine Apostles, the Church of Christ has appointed this present Sunday for their annual commemoration, in thanksgiving and unto the glory of God, unto their praise and honour, and unto the strengthening of the true Faith.

St_dorotheus_bishop_of_tyre
June 05

The Holy Hieromartyr Dorotheus, Bishop of Tyre

Saint Dorotheus became Bishop of Tyre in Phoenicia about the end of the third century. During the persecution of Diocletian and Maximian, about the year 303, he fled to Odyssopolis in Thrace to preserve his life, and after the death of the tyrants he returned to Tyre. He lived until the reign of Julian the Apostate (361-363), from whose persecution he again fled to Odyssopolis (or, according to Theophylact of Bulgaria, Edessa), but was found by Julian's men and slain in great torments, at the age of 107, in 361. He was very learned, and has left behind writings in both Latin and Greek relating the lives of the holy Prophets, Apostles, and other Saints.

June 05

Christophoros & Konon the Martyrs of Rome

June 05

Holy Martyrs Nicandrus, Gorgus and Apollonus and those with them

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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Fourth Tone. Daniel 3.26,27.
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers.
Verse: For you are just in all you have done.

The reading is from Acts of the Apostles 20:16-18, 28-36.

IN THOSE DAYS, Paul had decided to sail past Ephesos, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. And from Miletos he sent to Ephesos and called to him the elders of the church. And when they came to him, he said to them: "Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities, and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by so toiling one must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, 'it is more blessed to give than to receive.' " And when he had spoken thus, he knelt down and prayed with them all.

Gospel Reading

Fathers of the 1st Council
The Reading is from John 17:1-13

At that time, Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work which you gave me to do; and now, Father, you glorify me in your own presence with the glory which I had with you before the world was made.

"I have manifested your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world; yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you; for I have given them the words which you gave me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you did send me. I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are mine; all mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me; I have guarded them, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves."

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Bulletin Inserts

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Wisdom of the Fathers

For there is One God, and One Mediator between God and Man, the Man Christ Jesus. For He still pleads even now as Man for my salvation; ...
St. Gregory the Theologian
4th Theological Oration, 4th Century

... for He continues to wear the Body which He assumed, until He make me God by the power of His Incarnation; although He is no longer known after the flesh -- I mean, the passions of the flesh, the same, except sin, as ours.
St. Gregory the Theologian
4th Theological Oration, 4th Century

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Parish News and Events

 

TODAY'S EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

 

Memorials Today

Memorial prayers will be offered at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy today for the repose of the souls of the servants of God, Vladimir Peregontsev (40 days), Nicholas Georgallis (1 year), Marian Pantelas (2 years), Julia Welsh (16 years) and Herbert Kosanovich (20 years). May their memory be eternal. The Hospitality Hour will be sponsored today by the Peregoncev, Georgallis and Pantelas families.

 

National Sisterhood of Presvyteres Sunday – We Love You Presvytera!

Today we are celebrating the National Sisterhood of Presvyteres Sunday. This day, the closest Sunday to June 4, the feast of the Holy Sisters Mary and Martha, has been chosen because it reflects with great distinctiveness the service and ministry of our Presvyteres. Holy Trinity is blessed to have many wonderful Presvyteres! Let us show our gratitude, love, and respect to Presvytera Becky Touloumes, Presvytera Loredana Bordeianu, Presvytera Ethel Androutsopoulos, Presvytera Evangelia Daskalakis and Presvytera Eileen Sedor. May God Grant You Many Years!

 

UPCOMING EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

Hospitality Hour “Open Table” Sundays: June 12 and 19

Thank you to the ministries and individuals who have hosted our new Hospitality Hour. There are several Sundays coming up without hosts, so rather than have a Sunday without Hospitality Hour, we are introducing a new idea to fill the gap: “Open Table” Sundays.  On those days, we are asking parishioners to bring an item to share. Keep it simple! Maybe some cookies, some fruit, some munchies. Put it on a plate and place it on the table in the Gallery on the way into Liturgy. Maybe a favorite homemade dish, or something store bought is ok!  Also, if you are willing to make coffee, help set up or clean up email hospitality@holytrinitypgh.org. The next OPEN TABLE dates are June 12 and 19.

 

[Jun 11-13] Holy Trinity Pentecost Feast Day Weekend

Join the Holy Trinity community from June 11-13 in celebrating its Feast Day Weekend and the ninth anniversary of the opening of the new Holy Trinity Church. The schedule of services and events is as follows. Please note that the Saturday of Souls is at the Saint George Chapel, all other services at Holy Trinity Church.

-  Sat. June 11, 8:30am Orthros/9:30am Liturgy: Saturday of the Souls (SG)

-  Sun. June 12, 8:15am Orthros/9:30am Liturgy: The Great and Holy Pentecost followed by the “Kneeling Vespers” (HT)

-  Mon. June 13, 8:30am Orthros/9:30am Liturgy: Monday of the Holy Spirit/Feast Day of Holy Trinity Church (HT)

 

Faith & Family Weekdays – Spring 2022

Faith and Family Weekdays is back, and there is something for everyone! Ready to learn more about the Bible, about your Faith, about navigating life’s challenges as a Christian, a woman, or a man? It’s all there. There is something for everyone! Watch the bulletin and check the online calendar at HolyTrinityPgh.org/calendar for details and locations.

THIS WEEK:

  • Mon. June 6, 7:00pm: “Journey to Fullness” – An overview of the Orthodox Christian Faith for newcomers interested in joining or life-long members yearning to deepen their understanding. Videos and Q&A discussion. This adult catechism series will continue on Mondays at 7:00pm through June 13. All are welcome.
  • Thur. June 9, 7:00am: “Prayer & Panera” – Prayer and Christian fellowship for men. Meet at church promptly at 7:00am for a 15–20-minute morning prayer and scripture, then move up the hill to Panera for 45 minutes of coffee & conversation.

 

Upcoming Greek Dance Troupe Practice Schedule

Please plan on having your children attend as many of the dance troupe practice sessions as possible. As a reminder, the groups are HOPE (5 years old through 2nd grade), JOY (3rd through 6th grade) and GOYA (7th through 12th grade). Any recent graduates can also attend if they would like to dance. All practices will be held at Holy Trinity Church. Please feel free to reach out with any questions to Eleni Dedousis (412-953-3699) or Victoria Andromalos-Dale (412-496-9128).

  • TODAY Sunday, June 5: GOYA, during Hospitality Hour
  • Saturday, June 11: HOPE 3:00-3:30pm / JOY 3:30-4:30pm
  • Sunday, June 19: HOPE & JOY, during Hospitality Hour
  • Sunday, June 26: ALL Groups, during Hospitality Hour

 

[June 6] Bereavement Support Ministry Meeting - Tomorrow

Please make plans to join us for our next Bereavement Support group gathering tomorrow, Monday, June 6. The Holy Trinity Bereavement Support Ministry Team provides spiritual care to our parishioners and their extended family & friends in times of grief and loss of a loved one. Fellowship & Light Refreshments begin at 6:30pm followed by Group Support, Learning and Conversation from 7:00-8:00pm. All are welcome to participate in group sharing or observe through quiet time with others who care. To learn more about our Bereavement Support Ministry and/or our private support sessions, please contact Amy Armanious at visitation@HolyTrinityPgh.org.

 

[June 7-July 23] Festival Cooking – IT’S BACK!

IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY to get started on our FESTIVAL COOKING 2022!  Please mark your calendars and plan to come and help on the following days. Bring the kids, bring your husbands, bring your wives, bring your friends!  All are welcome...no experience necessary. Tons of light and heavy tasks for all. THANK YOU!

  • THIS Tuesday, June 7, 9:00am-9:00pm – Kourambiethes         
  • Tuesday, June 14, 9:00am-9:00pm – Finikia and Portokalopita          
  • Tuesday, June 21, 9:00am-9:00pm – Diples                                     
  • Tuesday, June 28, 9:00am-9:00pm – Souzoukakia
  • Thursday, July 21, 11:00am-9:00pm – Moussaka
  • Friday July 22, 9:00am-9:00pm – Moussaka
  • Saturday, July 23, 9:00am-5:00pm – Moussaka

 

[June 12] Philoptochos Meeting – Next Sunday

The Ladies Philoptochos will hold its monthly meeting next Sunday, June 12 in the Fireside Room following Divine Liturgy. All members are invited to attend. Not yet a member of Philoptochos? Get involved. Sign up at the meeting!

 

[June 26] Regular Spring General Assembly

Please plan to attend the regular Spring General Assembly following Divine Liturgy on Sunday, April 26. An agenda has been included in the June edition of the Herald. This Assembly is to review parish life and hear reports on important parish matters. It is vital to the life of a healthy community that all members attend, as these meetings are quite important in the day-to-day life of the parish. Please remember, to vote at an assembly, you must be a member in good standing as defined in the Uniform Parish Regulations, which includes but is not limited to having a signed 2022 Holy Trinity Stewardship Pledge card submitted. Whether it is attending assemblies, taking in a leadership role in a ministry or just getting involved more, the Lord has a calling and a role for every one of us at Holy Trinity Church because you are a part of the Body of Christ and have an important contribution to offer.

 

Holy Trinity Cemetery – 2022 Grave and Grave Services Rates

The Cemetery Committee, with the approval of the Parish Council, has released a new schedule of rates for the purchase of graves and the services related to burials at Holy Trinity Cemetery, effective June 30, 2022. Though there have been some increases, our costs are still well below rates for many other cemeteries, and families have the comfort and blessing of laying their loved ones to rest in an Orthodox Christian place of repose, where regular Liturgies and Memorial Services are offered. This funding will also assist in the maintenance and development of this treasured parish resource, which is sustained solely by cemetery income and donations. See the enclosed sheet or visit HolyTrinityPgh.org/cemetery.

 

Our Church, Our Stewardship

As we enter into the summer months, please remember to stay current on your 2022 Stewardship pledge.  Even though many of us will be traveling away from Holy Trinity during the summer, the church continues to have daily operating expenses that require our support.  It is easy to keep up with your pledge even when you are away through our on-line giving program.  This way your contributions can be more equally distributed throughout the year enabling better planning of our financial obligations.  Additionally, if you have not yet turned in your pledge card for 2022, it is not too late! Our member-funded church needs each of us to participate in the Stewardship program.  Stewardship is the foundation for belonging to Holy Trinity Church and providing support for its many ministries and activities, financially, and with your time and talents.  With the pandemic the past two years, our Stewardship program has fallen slightly behind our pre-pandemic levels of participation - while, just like most things nowadays, operating the church has gotten more costly.  If you have not maintained your stewardship involvement, it is time to renew your commitment to Holy Trinity and be a full participant again in the life of the Church.  If you are new to Holy Trinity, please consider joining as a member.  Pledge cards can be found in the Narthex, or through the church office, or from any Stewardship committee member.  If you have any questions, contact Mike Kritiotis or George Mellis; or email stewardship@holytrinitypgh.org.

 

Holy Trinity Church Completion & Consecration Campaign: Have You Pledged?

Plans are now being developed to complete the necessary items so Holy Trinity Church can be consecrated by the end of 2023, as was approved by the General Assembly last November. The plans provide for completing all the items required for consecration including completing the remaining iconography in the Church and Narthex; installation of numerous items of handcrafted ecclesiastical wood furnishings, most notably a permanent iconostasis and required new Holy Altar table; Altar furnishings and other liturgically required items for the Consecration; and more appropriate seating to replace the temporary chairs in the Church. If you haven’t done it already, please fill out the center section of the “ONE HOLY TRINITY” Pledge Card with your Church Completion and Consecration Campaign pledge amounts for 2022-2023.

 

Holy Trinity’s Taste of Greece - Labor Day Weekend – September 1 through September 4

Please mark Thursday, September 1, through Sunday, September 4 on your calendar for the next “Taste of Greece” festival. The Festival Committee is asking everyone, new members, and old hands, young and young at heart, to pledge a donation of their time and talents so that we can continue to grow both the success of the festival and the fellowship with all our Holy Trinity church family members!

 

Sunday Hospitality Hour Sponsors Needed

Did you know that sponsoring the Hospitality Hour is not just for Memorials or Holy Trinity Ministry Groups? Individual parishioners are encouraged to sponsor the Hospitality Hour in honor of a loved one’s Birthday, Anniversary, Graduation, Baptism, Chrismation or simply out of love for their parish family. Parishioners can also reach out and combine their efforts with other individuals or families! For additional information please contact Coordinator: Stacy Dickos (412-298-9409), Scheduler: Theanne Gagianas (724-986-4546) or by email at hospitality@HolyTrinityPgh.org. Additional information is available on our website: www.HolyTrinityPgh.org/hospitality-hour or on the sign-up board located in the Gallery following Divine Liturgy today.

 

Welcome, Holy Trinity Guests!

We welcome all our guests to Holy Trinity Church today, whether as visitors from out of town, family members joining others here for worship today or even soon-to-be members here for the first time. No matter what the reason the Holy Spirit brought you here today, we welcome you with open arms and hearts filled with the love of Christ. Please help us welcome you by signing in at the hospitality table in the Narthex, where you will be presented with a yellow lapel Cross to help our Holy Trinity family know you're here. Please fill out an information card so we can contact you with any information you may need concerning life here at Holy Trinity Church. Following Liturgy, we invite you to join us for our Hospitality hour.

 

About Receiving Holy Communion in the Orthodox Church

As an extension of our hospitality and outreach ministries, we welcome all who have come to worship with us today. Whether you are an Orthodox Christian, an inquirer to the faith or a first-time guest in an Orthodox Church, we are pleased to have you with us and thankful for the opportunity to share and bear witness to this ancient and timeless Faith. In accordance with the holy canons and traditions of the Church, please note that Holy Communion and the other Holy Mysteries (Sacraments) are received only by those who are baptized and chrismated (confirmed) Orthodox Christians who have properly prepared through prayer, fasting and confession. All others are invited receive the antidoron (blessed bread) and a blessing from the priest at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy. The antidoron is not a sacramental offering but is blessing and a reflection of the agape (love) feast that followed worship in the ancient Christian Church. Please join our parish family for hospitality after the holy services and allow us to meet and welcome you. Interested in joining or learning more about the Orthodox Christian Faith? Please see one of our priests or complete a visitor’s card today!

How to receive: Please remember the following helpful hints aimed at helping to preserve the solemnity and safety of the Holy Mystery. Anyone wearing lipstick should remove it before receiving. Be sure to offer your baptismal name to priest before receiving. Please take great care that the red cloth held by the acolytes (you should not hold it) is fully under your chin and please fully open your mouth so that none of the precious Body and Blood of Christ is accidentally spilled. Thank you for your cooperation, and may God have mercy on us all!

 

Summer Sermons Reminder - Be Here on Time!

Please remember that during the summer months, when there is no Church School, the sermon is offered at its proper liturgical place following the Gospel (that’s usually about 9:45am!). Much as we are all reminded how important it is to arrive for the start of Divine Liturgy, perhaps there are times of genuine, urgent need that prohibit our personal on-time arrival. If you arrive during the sermon, please remember to enter quietly and wait until the end of the homily to find a seat. Better yet, set your alarm to get you there on time so you don’t miss a single blessing! Thank you.

 

Note for Summer Travel – Easy Way to Find the Nearest Orthodox Church!

Where we travel, whenever we go, we take our faith with us, for as it says in the Psalms, "God is with us!" Keeping that in mind, please remember to plan ahead and check for the location of the nearest Orthodox Christian Church if you will be staying over a Sunday. There are two great web sites to check: our own Archdiocese (www.goarch.org) and Orthodoxy in America (www.OrthodoxyInAmerica.org), a multi-jurisdictional listing of all Orthodox parishes. Also, for major trips such as overseas travels, please feel free to stay following antidoron and ask Father John or Father Radu to offer a special blessing to your family for your travels. Remember, "God is with us" always. Let’s not forget to invite Him!

 

Vacationing or Travelling with No Church Nearby? Watch and Listen Online!

As noted above, we should all try to find a nearby Orthodox Church when we’re travelling or vacationing, but sometimes that’s just not practical or possible. So, for the next best thing, join your church family back here at Holy Trinity by watching or listening online! Find us at www.HolyTrinityPgh.org/live.

 

IOCC Ukraine Crisis Response

Please continue to pray for everyone affected by the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, and for the teams who are serving them on the ground. The conflict in Ukraine has greatly affected ordinary people, destroying infrastructure and forcing millions to flee their homes seeking safety. The result is the largest displacement of people in Europe since World War II. With long-standing relationships in the region, including in Romania and Moldova, IOCC has mobilized to serve people affected by the crisis in Ukraine. Women and children, persons with disabilities or serious medical conditions, older persons, and minority groups are increasingly facing barriers in accessing critical services such as transportation, food products, medicines, and emergency healthcare in impacted areas. You can serve people affected by the Ukraine crisis with a gift today to IOCC's Ukraine Crisis Response Fund by visiting www.iocc.org/ukraine22 to make a secure online donation or by phone at 877.803.4622 or by stopping at the church office window to pick up a pre-addressed IOCC donation envelope. Kindly make your personal check payable to “IOCC” and note “Ukraine Crisis” in the memo line. Thank you!

 

In the Hospital? Home-Bound? Please let the Church Office know! 
In today’s age of information privacy, churches are not notified when parishioners are admitted to hospitals, nursing homes or other care facilities. Both those facilities and your church depend on having the church notified by a friend or family member so that pastoral care and outreach can be offered. The same goes for those homebound. If you or any of your loved ones are in any of these situations, please contact the Church Office at 412-366-8700 to request a visit from our priests or our new and wonderful Visitation Ministry. Also, interested in helping reach out to fellow parishioners in those situations? Please contact Amy Armanious at visitation@HolyTrinityPgh.org.

 

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