Welcome

Jesus Christ taught us to love and serve all people, regardless of their ethnicity or nationality. To understand that, we need to look no further than to the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Every time we celebrate the Divine Liturgy, it is offered "on behalf of all, and for all." As Orthodox Christians we stand against racism and bigotry. All human beings share one common identity as children of God. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatian 3:28)

Members of our Parish Council are:
Greg Jankura - Vice President
Susan Davis- Council Member at Large
Carolyn Neiss - President
Marlene Melesko - Council Member at Large
Susan Egan - Treasurer
Dn Timothy Skuby - Secretary

Pastoral Care - General Information

Emergency Sick Calls can be made at any time. Please call Fr Steven at (860) 866-5802, when a family member is admitted to the hospital.
Anointing in Sickness: The Sacrament of Unction is available in Church, the hospital, or your home, for anyone who is sick and suffering, however severe.
Marriages and Baptisms require early planning, scheduling and selections of sponsors (crown bearers or godparents). See Father before booking dates and reception halls!
Funerals are celebrated for practicing Orthodox Christians. Please see Father for details. The Church opposes cremation; we cannot celebrate funerals for cremations.

Announcements

A Special Outreach Event: The Outreach Committee is hosting a Baby Shower for “Birthright of Clinton”, an organization which supports mothers before and after the birth of their baby. They not only provide clothing for the moms and babies, as well as much needed baby items, but also support for the mother who needs info and services before and after delivery.

Our Baby Shower will be held downstairs after Liturgy on Sunday, October 29th during our coffee hour. All are invited to attend. We have placed invites on the candle desk in the back of the church which also lists gift items needed by Birthright for their clients. Any questions about the Shower can be asked of Joan Skrobat or Marlene Melesko. Birthright is also sending a representative to our Baby Shower to explain their program as well as answer any questions we have. See you there!

Stewardship

You have already received your Stewardship pledge forms, soon you will receive a Stewardship service form, on which we will ask you to provide the area(s) in which you would be will to serve the parish. Areas that need constant and consistent attention are the lawns and gardens. How the church grounds look, particularly to new visitors, is nearly as important as how the sanctuary looks as first impressions make a difference. Please prayerfully consider this aspect of your stewardship as we approach our Annual Meeting (Nov 19th).

My apologies, but there will be no printed bulletin this week. I have also not completed the service calendar for the month, but will do so as soon as I am able.

Services will also not be streamed again this weekend. Streaming will resume once I return. Thank you for your patience.

Prayers, Intercessions and Commemorations

Please pray for Evelyn Leake, Melissa Josefiak and Victor Hoehnebart who are in need of God's mercy and healing.

Memory Eternal for the newly departed Kelley Billings and for Nadine Faro on the anniversary of her falling asleep in the Lord..

Pray for: All those confined to hospitals, nursing homes, and their own homes due to illness; for all those who serve in the armed forces; widows, orphans, prisoners, victims of violence, and refugees;
All those suffering chronic illness, financial hardship, loneliness, addictions, abuse, abandonment and despair; those who are homeless, those who are institutionalize, those who have no one to pray for them;
All Orthodox seminarians & families; all Orthodox monks and nuns, and all those considering monastic life; all Orthodox missionaries and their families.
All those who have perished due to hatred, intolerance and pestilence; all those departed this life in the hope of the Resurrection.

Please let Fr. Steven know via email if you have more names for which to pray.

Departed: Bishop Tikhon, Monica, Gena, Gregory

Clergy and their families:Mat. Clara, Mat. Evelyn, Mat. Ann, Mat. Amanda

Catechumen: Robert, Abbie, Matthew, Joseph, Mary

Individuals and Families: Susan, Peter, Luba, Daniel, Danya, Suzanne, Gail Galina Evelyn, Rosemary, John, Kelley, Lucille, Kenneth, Karen, Oleg, Lucia, Victor, Melissa, Christine, Sebastian, Olga,

Birthdays and Name’s Days this Month: Vincent Melesko, Lloyd Davis, Marlene Melesko, Victor Hoehnebart, Greg Jankura

Anniversaries this Month:Ed and Susan Hayes, John and Joan Skrobat, Melissa and Lou Josefiak

Expecting and Newborn:

Traveling:

Sick and those in distress:Barbara

The Protection (Pokrov) of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary . Apostle of the Seventy Ananias (1st c.). Ven. Romanus the Melodist (“Sweet-singer”—5th c.). Ven. Savva (Sabbas), Abbot of Vishera (Novgorod—1461). Martyr Domninus of Thessalonica (4th c.). Martyr Michael, Abbot in Armenia, and 36 Fathers with him (780-790). Ven. John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos (Albanian—12th c.). Ven. Gregory of Lavra (Mt. Athos—12th c.).

Parish Calendar

Schedule of Services and Events

October 1 to October 9, 2023

Sunday, October 1

2nd Sunday of Luke

9:30AM Typica Service

Monday, October 2

The Holy Hieromartyr Cyprian and the Virgin Martyr Justina

+Nadine Faro

Tuesday, October 3

Dionysios the Areopagite

Alex & Luba Martins - A

8:30AM Daily Matins

6:00PM Deanery meeting

Wednesday, October 4

☦️ Hierotheus, Bishop of Athens

Thursday, October 5

Charitina the Martyr

8:30AM Daily Matins

Friday, October 6

🍇 The Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas

Glorification of St. Innocent, Apostle to America

8:30AM Akathist to St Innocent

Saturday, October 7

Sergius & Bacchus the Great Martyrs of Syria

5:30PM Great Vespers

6:00PM General Confession

Sunday, October 8

3rd Sunday of Luke

Vincent Melesko - B

9:30AM Divine Liturgy

Monday, October 9

James the Apostle, son of Alphaeus

Archbishop Nikon - B

Glorification of St. Tikhon of Moscow

Saints and Feasts

October 01

The Feast of the Holy Skepi of the Theotokos

The Feast of the Protection commemorates the appearance of the most holy Theotokos in the Church of Blachernae in Constantinople in the tenth century, as recorded in the life of Saint Andrew the Fool for Christ's sake. While the multitudes of the faithful were gathered in church, Epiphanius, the friend of Saint Andrew, through the Saint's prayers, beheld the Virgin Mary above the faithful and spreading out her veil over them, signifying her unceasing protection of all Christians. Because of this we keep a yearly feast of gratitude, imploring our Lady never to cease sheltering us in her mighty prayers.

The Feast is celebrated on October 1. In the 1950s, the Church of Greece began to observe the Feast on October 28.

October 01

Romanos the Melodist

Saint Romanos flourished during the reign of Anastasius (491-518). He was from Emesa of Syria, and apparently was born of Jewish parents, for a hymn written in his honour in Greek says he was "of Hebrew stock," and it has furthermore been noted that he uses many Semitic idioms in his writings. He was baptized an Orthodox Christian, and at some time became a deacon in the Church of Beirut. He was the first composer of the kontakia, the foremost of which is that of the feast of Christ's Nativity, On this day the Virgin .... In composing many of his kontakia. Saint Romanos was inspired by the hymns of Saint Ephraim of Syria.

October 03

Dionysios the Areopagite

This Saint was from Athens, a learned man, and a member of the famous judicial court of Mars Hill (in Greek Aeros Pagos, hence the name Areopagite (see Acts 17:19-34). When Saint Paul preached in Athens, he was one of the first there to believe in Christ, and, according to some, became the first bishop of that city. Others say -- and this may be more probable--that he was the second Bishop of Athens, after Saint Hierotheus, whom Dionysios calls his friend and teacher "after Paul" (On the Divine Names, 3:2). With Saint Hierotheus he was also present at the Dormition of the most holy Theotokos; the Doxasticon of the Aposticha for the service of the Dormition is partly taken from a passage in Chapter III of On the Divine Names. According to ancient tradition, he received a martyr's end (according to some, in Athens itself) about the year 96.

October 06

Thomas the Apostle of the 12

The name Thomas means, "twin." He was one of the Twelve, a Galilean by birth. Sophroneus (not the famous Patriarch of Jerusalem [7th Century, celebrated March 11], but a friend of Jerome's), quoted also by Jerome, says that Saint Thomas preached to the Parthians, Pesians, Medes, Hyrcanians, Bactrians, and neighbouring nations. According to Heracleon, the Apostle died a natural death; according to other accounts, he was martyred at Meliapur His tomb was known by Saint John Chrysostom to be at Edessa in Syria, to which city his holy relics may have been translated from India in the fourth century.

October 05

Peter, Alexis, Jonah, Hermogenes & Tikhon, Metropolitans of Moscow

The feast of the Hierarchs of Moscow was established during the reign of Tsar Theodore Ioannovich and Patriarch Job in the year 1596. Their individual feasts are: Saint Peter (+1326), December 21, and August 24, translation of holy relics; Saint Alexis (+14th cent.), February 12, and May 20, recovery of holy relics; Saint Jonah (+1461), March 31 and June 15, with the recovery of his holy relics celebrated on May 27. In 1875, at the proposal of Metropolitan Innocent of Moscow, to this feast was joined the commemoration of Saint Philip of Moscow (+1569), whose feast is kept on January 9, and the recovery of his holy relics on July 3. In more recent times, the holy Patriarchs Hermogenes (+1612) and Tikhon (+1925) have been added to the Synaxis. Saint Hermogenes, who was starved to death by the Poles, is also celebrated on February 17 and May 12, and Saint Tikhon, a confessor under the atheist yoke, on March 25. the Menaion service itself makes reference only to Saints Peter, Alexis, Jonah, and Philip.

Hymns of the Day

Tone 8 Troparion (Resurrection)

You descended from on high, O Merciful One!
You accepted the three day burial to free us from our sufferings!//
O Lord, our Life and Resurrection, glory to You!

Tone 4 Troparion (Protection)

Today the faithful celebrate the feast with joy,
illumined by your coming, O Mother of God.
Beholding your pure image, we fervently cry to you:
“Encompass us beneath the precious veil of your protection;
deliver us from every form of evil
by entreating Christ, your Son and our God,//
that He may save our souls.”

Tone 4 Troparion (St. Romanus)

You gladdened Christ’s Church by your melodies
like an inspired heavenly trumpet.
You were enlightened by the Mother of God
and shone on the world as God’s poet.//
We lovingly honor you, righteous Romanus.

Tone 8 Kontakion (Resurrection)

By rising from the tomb, You raised the dead and resurrected Adam.
Eve exults in Your Resurrection,//
and the world celebrates Your rising from the dead, O greatly Merciful One!

Tone 8 Kontakion (St. Romanus)

You were adorned from childhood with the godly virtues of the Spirit;
you were a precious adornment of the Church of Christ, all-wise Romanus,
for you made it lovely with beautiful hymnody.
Therefore we entreat you, grant your divine gift to those who desire it,//
that we may cry out to you: “Rejoice, all-blessed Father, beauty of the Church!”

Tone 3 Kontakion (Protection)

Today the Virgin stands in the midst of the Church,
and with choirs of saints she invisibly prays to God for us.
Angels and bishops worship,
Apostles and Prophets rejoice together,//
since for our sake she prays to the pre-eternal God.

Tone 8 Prokeimenon (Resurrection)

Pray and make your vows / before the Lord, our God! (Ps. 75:10a)
V. In Judah God is known; His Name is great in Israel. (Ps. 75:1)

Tone 3 Prokeimenon (Song of the Theotokos)

My soul magnifies the Lord, / and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. (Lk. 1:46-47)

Communion Hymn

Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest! (Ps. 148:1)
I will receive the cup of salvation and call on the Name of the Lord. (Ps. 115:4)
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. 8th Tone. Psalm 75.11,1.
Make your vows to the Lord our God and perform them.
Verse: God is known in Judah; his name is great in Israel.

The reading is from St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians 6:16-18; 7:1.

Brethren, you are the temple of the living God; as God said, "I will live in them and move among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore come out from them, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, and make holiness perfect in the fear of God.

Gospel Reading

2nd Sunday of Luke
The Reading is from Luke 6:31-36

The Lord said, "As you wish that men would do to you, do so to them. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful."

Wisdom of the Fathers

There are three things that impel us towards what is holy: natural instincts, angelic powers and probity of intention. Natural instincts impel us when, for example, we do to others what we would wish them to do to us (cf. Luke 6:31), or when we see someone suffering deprivation or in need and naturally feel compassion. Angelic powers impel us when, being ourselves impelled to something worthwhile, we find we are providentially helped and guided. We are impelled by probity of intention when, discriminating between good and evil, we choose the good.

St. Maximos the Confessor

Second Century on Love no. 32, Philokalia Vol. 2 edited by Palmer, Sherrard and Ware; Faber and Faber pg. 71, 7th century

Every work which does not have love as its beginning and root is nothing.

St. John Chrysostom

Unknown, 4th century

Beyond the Sermon

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Thank you for continued prayers and condolences. As many of you know, my sister’s struggle has be long and difficult. She is now found peace, as has her husband and family. While it would have been all too easy to give up on this struggle, the peace found at its conclusion is commensurate and eternal!
The gift that I have been given by my sister I have yet to fully comprehend, but I do know that she has taught me how to live with strength and grace even when there is no hope for the physical body. For it is the spirit which will abide and our true hope is in the Resurrection.
While the past three years have indeed been a struggle for myself and my family, I have found peace in the Grace of our Risen Lord, and in your love and prayers. And while I am tired, I will continue to offer a Sacrifice of Praise to our God, on behalf of all and for all.

In Christ,
Your unworthy priest,
Fr Steven

Elevation