Please see our online calendar for dates and times of Feast Day services.
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)
Weekly Services
Tuesdays at 8:30a - Daily Matins
Wednesdays at 6:00p - General Confession; First Wed of the Month
(The Church is open at 4:30p for "Open Doors" - during fasting seasons or by appointment).
Thursday at 8:30a - Daily Matins
Saturday at 5:30p - Great Vespers
Sunday at 9:30a - Divine Liturgy
Members of our Parish Council are:
Deacon Timothy Skuby - Attached
Greg Jankura - Council President
Michael Kuziak - Council Vice President
Natalie Kucharski - Council Treasurer
Glenn PenkoffLidbeck - Council Secretary
Kyle Hollis - Member at Large
Roderick Seurattan - Member at Large
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.
Services during the Diocesan Assembly
Vespers Friday Evening
Liturgy Saturday Morning
Everyone is invited to attend.
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Sunday, November 10th
Baptism of Stella Ann, granddaughter of Bill and Sophia Brubaker
Exorcism prayers will begin at 9:15a.
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Sunday, November 17th
Parish Annual Meeting after Liturgy
All members are expected to attend.
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Glory to Jesus Christ!
Sunday, October 27 has been designated by the Holy Synod of Bishops as Steward Sunday. The Stewards of the OCA is an important part of the support system necessary for the Church to fulfill her great mission and vision here in North America. As we begin to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the glorification of Saint Herman, and the establishment of the Orthodox Church in America as an autocephalous Church, we need to believe in the mission of the OCA, and position her to effectively minister to those seeking the peace, love and salvation offered through our Lord, Jesus Christ.
On Steward Sunday we are asked to unite with our Metropolitan Tikhon and our own Diocesan Bishops, to contribute to the great potential of the Orthodox Church in America by providing the extra aid necessary for the Church to fulfill her apostolic mission and vision. Each parish is asked to take a second collection on Sunday, October 27, and to urge the faithful to become more acquainted with the vision of Metropolitan Tikhon as found in his work, Of What Life Do We Speak, and the good work of the various ministry departments as they seek to implement that vision.
Through our stewardship, and our free-will giving, we are reminded that we are, “servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” [I Cor. 4:1], called to respond to the realities of our North American context by being stewards and apostles of Christ. In the coming days you can expect to receive an Archpastoral Letter on stewardship from His Beatitude to be read on Steward Sunday. It is my prayer that you and your parish community will joyfully take up this call to participate in expanding the mission of the Orthodox Church in America.
With love in Christ,
Archdeacon Joseph Matusiak
William, Sophia, Robert, Ann, Evelyn, Nina, John, Alex, Vincent, James, Luke, Aaron, Kathryn, Veronica, Richard, Darlyne, Irene, Nancy, Susanne
All of our College Students: Alex, Sam, Nadia, Isaac, Jack and Matthew.
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Many years! to Victor Hoehnebart and Greg Jankura on the occasion of their birthdays.
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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 and intolerance and all those departed this life in the hope of the Resurrection.
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Today we commemorate:
Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch (362). Righteous Child Artemius of Verkola. Ven. Gerasimos the New Ascetic, of Cephalonia (1579). Ven. Matrona of Chios (14th c.).
6th Sunday of Luke
Evangelism and Outreach Ministry meeting
Victor Hoehnebart
9:15AM Reading of the 3rd Hour
9:30AM Divine Liturgy
Hilarion the Great
Abercius, Equal-to-the-Apostles and Wonderworker of Hierapolis
8:30AM Daily Matins
Akathist to St James, Brother of Our Lord
James (Iakovos) the Apostle, brother of Our Lord
Arethas the Great Martyr & Syncletiki and her two daughters
Greg Jankura -B
8:30AM Daily Matins
Diocesan Assembly
The Holy Martyrs Marcian and Martyrius the Notaries
Victor & Gail Kuziak - A
Akathist to St Demetrius
The Holy Great Martyr Demetrius the Myrrh-streamer
Thomas & Nora Dudchik - A
5:30PM Great Vespers
Buildings and Grounds Ministry Meeting
Commemoration of the Flood
7th Sunday of Luke
9:15AM Reading of the 3rd Hour
9:30AM Divine Liturgy
The Holy Protection of the Theotokos
Nicholas Melesko - B
Saint Artemius lived during the years of Saint Constantine the Great, and was appointed by him to be Governor of Alexandria; later, he was honoured with the rank of patrician. During the reign of Julian the Apostate, in the year 361, Artemius appeared before the Emperor and censured him for his apostasy. For this, he endured many torments and was finally beheaded.
Saint Gerasimus was from the Peloponnesus, the son of Demetrius and Kale, of the family of Notaras. He was reared in piety by them and studied the Sacred writings. He left his country and went throughout various lands, and finally came to Cephalonia, where he restored a certain old church and built a convent around it, where it stands to this day at the place called Omala. He finished the course of his life there in asceticism in the year 1570. His sacred relics, which remain incorrupt, are kept there for the sanctification of the faithful.
This Saint was born at Tabatha, near Gaza in Palestine, of pagan parents. Sent as a young man to Alexandria to be educated, he learned the Christian Faith and was baptized. While in Egypt he heard the fame of Saint Anthony the Great, and upon meeting that truly great man, the Father of monks, Saint Hilarion determined to devote himself also to the ascetical life. He returned to Gaza, when, he gave himself over to extreme fasting and unceasing prayer. Because of the miracles which he soon began to work, he found himself compelled by his growing renown to leave Gaza, to escape from the throngs of people coming to ask his prayers. In his journeys he visited Egypt, and came again with longing to the place where Saint Anthony had lived; but he was not able to remain in any one place for long, since despite all his attempts to conceal himself, the light of the grace that was in him could not be hid. After passing through Egypt and Libya, and sailing to Sicily, he came at last to Cyprus, where he ended the course of his life at the age of eighty, in the year 372.
Saint Abercius, Bishop of Hierapolis in Phrygia in the times of Marcus Aurelius, was adorned with the grace of wonderworking and with apostolic zeal. During a festival in honour of Apollo, the chief deity of Hierapolis, the holy bishop was instructed in a revelation to destroy the idols. He went to the temple by night and overturned the statues of Apollo and the others. When this was discovered, the Saint boldly cried out that the gods, becoming drunk from the wine of the libations offered them, had struck one against another in their confusion. A multitude of furious pagans came to avenge the insult to their gods, but when the Saint cast the demons out of three afflicted young men, fear fell upon the idolaters and they with the whole city became Christian. After many labours, and afflictions, Saint Abercius reposed in peace about the year 167 (or, according to some, 186).
According to some, this Saint was a son of Joseph the Betrothed, born of the wife that the latter had before he was betrothed to the Ever-virgin. Hence he was the brother of the Lord, Who was also thought to be the son of Joseph (Matt. 13: 55). But some say that he was a nephew of Joseph, and the son of his brother Cleopas, who was also called Alphaeus and Mary his wife, who was the first cousin of the Theotokos. But even according to this genealogy, he was still called, according to the idiom of the Scriptures, the Lord's brother because of their kinship.
This Iakovos is called the Less (Mark 15:40) by the Evangelists to distinguish him from Iakovos, the son of Zebedee, who was called the Great. He became the first Bishop of Jerusalem, elevated to this episcopal rank by the Apostles, according to Eusebius (Eccl. Hist., Book II: 23), and was called Obliah, that is, the Just, because of his great holiness and righteousness. Having ascended the crest of the Temple on the day of the Passover at the prompting of all, he bore testimony from there concerning his belief in Jesus, and he proclaimed with a great voice that Jesus sits at the right hand of the great power of God and shall come again upon the clouds of heaven. On hearing this testimony, many of those present cried, "Hosanna to the Son of David." But the Scribes and Pharisees cried, "So, even the just one hath been led astray," and at the command of Ananias the high priest, the Apostle was cast down headlong from thence, then was stoned, and while he prayed for his slayers, his head was crushed by the wooden club wielded by a certain scribe. The first of the Catholic (General) Epistles written to the Jews in the Diaspora who believed in Christ was written by this Iakovos.
Tone 1 Troparion (Resurrection)
When the stone had been sealed by the Jews,
while the soldiers were guarding Your most pure ^body,
You rose on the third day, O Savior, granting life to the world.
The powers of heaven therefore cried to You, O Giver of Life:
“Glory to Your Resurrection, O Christ!
Glory to Your ^Kingdom!//
Glory to Your dispensation, O Lover of mankind!”
Tone 4 Troparion (Great Martyr Artemius)
Your holy martyr Artemius, O Lord,
through his sufferings has received incorruptible crowns from You, our God.
For having Your strength, he laid low his adversaries,
and shattered the powerless boldness of demons.//
Through his intercessions, save our souls!
Tone 1 Kontakion (Resurrection)
As God, You rose from the tomb in glory,
raising the world with Yourself.
Human nature praises You as God, for death has vanished.
Adam exults, O Master!
Eve rejoices, for she is freed from bondage and cries to You://
“You are the Giver of Resurrection to all, O Christ!”
Tone 2 Kontakion (Great Martyr Artemius)
Let us gather to sing worthy hymns in honor of Artemius,
the pious and victorious martyr who defeated his enemies.
He is great among martyrs
and generous in performing miracles,
and he intercedes with the Lord on behalf of us all.
Communion Hymns
Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest!
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Prokeimenon. 1st Tone. 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 Second Letter to the Corinthians 9:6-11.
Brethren, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. As it is written, "He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever." He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your resources and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for great generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.
Metropolitan Anthony Sourozh
THE PARABLE OF THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS
In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
As every of Christ's parables of the judgement today's parable has got a very simple aspect and at the same time should be reflected on a deeper level.
The simple aspect is this: you have had on earth all that was good, Lazarus has had nothing; he therefore receives in eternity all the goods which he has lacked on earth and you are deprived of it. But this is not the real and deeper meaning of it.
Who is this rich man? It is a man who not only possessed all that the earth could give him: wealth, a good name, a status among his follow-citizens; it is a man who craved for nothing else. All he wanted, all he needed was material wealth, a good standing among men, reverence, admiration, a slavish obedience of those who were under him.
Lazarus possessed nothing; but from the parable we see that he did not complain, he received what the rich man needed not; he ate the crumbs from his table. But — he had a living soul; perhaps did he crave for more: who doesn't want to have a roof, who doesn't want to have the security of food? But he received what was given with gratitude.
And when they died, what did they take with them? The rich man had nothing to take because he had never had any concern for anything that the earth couldn't give. Lazarus had always longed for more than the earth could give: for justice, for peace, for love, for compassion, for human brotherhood — for all those things which make the human being human. The rich man was in condition which is described in one of the prophecies: Israel has grown fat with wealth and has forgotten God... The poor man could do no such thing; he was too poor to be rooted into the earth — he was free.
Now, this applies to all of us; because all of us we possess within ourselves both the rich man and Lazarus. On the one hand, how much we have, how rich we are, how secure, how opulent. On the other hand, if we are here, it means that there is another dimension within our soul that longs for something else. But the question is to be asked: if we had to choose — what we would choose? What is what we really treasure? Is it security which the earth so far has given us — or is it the vastness, the depth of understanding, communion with God, love of our neighbour, compassion — so many other things which the Gospel has taught us?
And this is where the parable refers not only to two men of the past, or to others than we are, it refers to us personally: who am I, — or if you prefer, which is more fair — who predominates in me? Am I more like the rich man, so rooted into the earth that the things of God, the things of the spirit, the things of eternity, or simply, what is truly human comes secondly — or am I one of those for whom what to be human matters more than anything?
And then, there is another thing in the parable. The rich man, seeing himself devoid of all, of every thing turns to Abraham and says, Send Lazarus to my brothers who are still on earth to give them a warning, that they may not come to this place of torment... And Christ says, Even if one came back from the dead, if they have not listened to what has been revealed in the past, they will not believe, they will perish in their sin...
How, that echoes in a tragic way with the situation in which people were when they stood as a milling crowd around the Cross on which Christ was dying. Some were believers, His own people — but where were they? They had fled. Some were His disciples faithful at the core of their being, faithful with their hearts, the women who had followed Him — they stood at a distance; only the Mother of God and John stood by the Cross.
But in the crowd there were such who, together with the High Priest, the Pharisees who had condemned Christ, were saying: Descend now from the Cross — and we shall believe... How many thought: If He only did that, we could believe without taking any risk, believe with security, safely; believe and follow One Who had already won His victory; but can we, can we possibly believe and follow One Who now, defeated, reviled, rejected hangs on the Cross between two criminals? We can't...
That is what the parable says; and which is shown in the life of so many.
Where do we stand? Are we prepared to believe Christ's word? Are we prepared, captured by the beauty, the ineffable, the unutterable beauty of Christ's personality to follow Him at all risk? And risk, we know, is great: we will be reviled, we will be laughed at, we will be strangers, people will think that we are tramps on earth, not that we are pilgrims of Heaven; but are we prepared to do this?
We must give thought to these two aspects of the parable; because otherwise it is irrelevant, it has nothing to do with us — and yet, so much it has!
Let us think of it, deeply, standing judgement before it. God does not judge us in order to condemn. God presents us with reality and asks of us only one thing: Respond to reality! Do not accept a world which is a mirage! Do not accept yourself while you remain a mirage: be real, and then you will be children of the Kingdom.
And what can be greater: brothers and sisters of Christ, sons and daughters of the Living God; and messengers — messengers of God on earth. Can we hope for anything greater? And yet — this is what is offered to each and all of us! What a wonder, what a joy! How can we turn away from this? Amen.
Three Saints Orthodox Church
St John's Orthodox Church