Our Righteous Father Theoctistus, Abbot of Cucomo in Sicily
Saint Theoctistus, Abbot of the Monastery of Cucomo in Sicily, reposed in peace in the year 800.
Sunday Orthros - 8:00 a.m. followed by the Divine Liturgy
Saturday Vespers - 6:00 p.m.
Prokeimenon. Plagal Second Mode. Psalm 31.11,1.
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous.
Verse: Blessed are they whose transgressions have been forgiven.
The reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to Timothy 3:13-16; 4:1-5.
TIMOTHY, my son, those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our religion:
God was manifested in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit,
seen by angels,
preached among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, through the pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and enjoin abstinence from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving; for then it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
Saturday before Epiphany
The Reading is from Matthew 3:1-6
At that time, John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." Now John wore a garment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Saint Theoctistus, Abbot of the Monastery of Cucomo in Sicily, reposed in peace in the year 800.
The Seventy Disciples and Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ are those Whom our Saviour chose in addition to the Twelve and sent forth unto the work of preaching. With the passage of time, others were added to their number by the Holy Apostles, who, with the accompaniment and assistance of the Seventy, were preaching the Gospel of Christ in various lands. Although their number eventually exceeded seventy, they were all nonetheless referred to as "of the Seventy" out of reverence for the number of Apostles which the Lord chose.
The divine Apostle and Evangelist Luke describes the calling and the sending forth of the Seventy as follows in his Holy Gospel (Luke 10:1-16): "After these things the Lord appointed another seventy disciples, and sent them two and two before His face into every city and place, whither He Himself would come. Therefore said He unto them, the harvest is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He send forth labourers into His harvest. Go then: behold, I send you forth as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry neither purse, nor bag, nor sandals: and greet no man on the way. And into whatsoever house ye enter first say, Peace be on this house. And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it; if not, it shall turn to you again. And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. And into whatsoever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you; And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The Kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveeth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding know ye this, that the Kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be brought down to hades. He that heareth you heareth Me; and he that despiseth you despiseth Me; and he that despiseth Me despiseth Him that sent Me."After the Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension of our Lord, and after Pentecost, on which all the Apostles and men and women disciples of Christ, together with the Most Holy Theotokos (some 120 in number), were gathered in the upper chamber, they received the grace of the All-holy Spirit and went forth throughout the ends of the world, everywhere preaching and teaching the Gospel of Christ, and leading to the true Faith the peoples who were sunk in the darkness of impiety and idolatry.Synaxis of the 70 Holy Apostles
6:00PM Great Vespers
The Holy Martyrs Theopemptus and Theonas
8:00AM Orthros & Divine Liturgy
9:30AM Psaltes
THEOPHANY
8:00AM THEOPHANY - Orthros, Liturgy, Agiasmos
9:00AM Archangels Academy
4:30PM Plutarchos Academy
7:00PM Vespers at St. John's Des Plaines
St. John the Baptist
8:00AM St. John, Orthros & Divine Liturgy
9:00AM Archangels Academy
7:00PM Parish Council
Saint George the Chozebite
Fasting Day
9:00AM Archangels Academy
6:00PM Iconography
7:00PM Floga Practice
8:00PM Goya
Martyr Polyeuctus of Melitene, in Armenia
9:00AM Archangels Academy
7:00PM Philoptochos Meeting
Gregory of Nyssa
Fasting Day
8:00AM Orthros & Divine Liturgy
9:00AM Archangels Academy
4:30PM Plutarchos Academy
Our Righteous Father Theodosius the Cenobiarch
11:00AM Byzantine Music
6:00PM Great Vespers
Tatiana the Martyr of Rome
8:00AM Orthros & Divine Liturgy
9:30AM Choir
11:00AM Sunday School
1:00PM Baptism
The Holy Martyrs Hermylus and Stratonicus
9:00AM Archangels Academy
4:30PM Plutarchos Academy
5:00PM PTA Meeting
7:00PM Bible Study
Sabbas (Sava), Archbishop of Serbia
9:00AM Archangels Academy
John the Hut-Dweller
Fasting Day
9:00AM Archangels Academy
6:00PM Iconography
7:00PM Floga Practice
8:00PM Goya
Veneration of Apostle Peter's Precious Chains
9:00AM Archangels Academy
Fasting Day
Anthony the Great
8:00AM Orthros & Divine Liturgy
9:00AM Archangels Academy
4:30PM Plutarchos Academy
7:00PM Great Vespers at St. Athanasios
Athanasios and Cyril, Patriarchs of Alexandria
8:00AM St. Athanasios, Orthros & Divine Liturgy
11:00AM Byzantine Music
6:00PM Great Vespers
Mark, Bishop of Ephesus
“A Time for Every Purpose Under Heaven” The Stewardship of Time Dear Faithful of Saint Spyridon, The Stewardship forms for the New Year may be found at: http://www.saint-spyridon.org/stewardship.html Your stewardship donation is most meaningful when accompanied by your presence, by your willingness to serve, by your prayers, and by your commitment. We are grateful for your kind generosity and assistance to our parish family and we kindly ask that you continue to support our efforts. I offer you my thanks for your dedication to our parish and your participation in Christ’s work of salvation. Wishing all of you a blessed and joyous New Year 2020! Rev. Fr. Tilemahos Alikakos
Sunday Bulletin for January 5, 2020
Metropolis of Chicago Servant Leadership Awards The Metropolis will host its inaugural Servant Leadership Awards Dinner on Friday, May 1, 2020 at the Cotillion Banquets in Palatine, Illinois. On that date, the Metropolis will gather as one to recognize laypersons from our parishes who have distinguished themselves for their acts of service, leadership and innovation on behalf of our Holy Church. His Eminence Metropolitan Nathanael wishes to use this occasion to formally acknowledge and reward the hard work and achievements of the lay servant leaders in our parishes, and hopes that by highlighting their efforts, others will be inspired to get involved in the life of the Church. Tickets to the Servant Leadership Awards Dinner will go on sale in March.
Our Saint Spyridon Philoptochos is having a winter fundraiser lunch package “Winter warm-up, Greek style” where you can pre-order avgolemono soup, lagana (bread) and rice pudding/karithopita. This lunch pick up will be after church on Sunday January 26th. Once again, half of the proceeds from this fundraiser will be donated to a not for profit. Please pre-order to ensure that we are able to meet everyone’s needs. There will be pre-order forms available every Sunday during the coffee social.