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)

Weekly Services
During this COVID era, services dates and times are subject to change. Please read the schedule provided withing the bulletin itself for the dates and times of services, and whether they will be held "in person" or streamed via Zoom.

Members of our Parish Council are:
Joseph Barbera - Council Member at Large
Dori Kuziak - Council Secretary
Natalie Kucharski - Council Treasurer
Glenn PenkoffLidbeck - Council President
Kyle Hollis - Member at Large
Roderick Seurattan - Council Vice President

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

Video of the Annual Meeting

If you would like to review the annual meeting (the business of the parish), you may view it at this link: https://youtu.be/UKDYhycL79Y

"Open Doors"

Beginning this Wednesday, Dec 2nd, I will open a Zoom Session, available to anyone who wishes to login, for discussion, arrangements for confession or to ask questions etc. This replaces the Open Doors hours that were available before the COVID pandemic. This will be available through the month of December, and the will be reevaluated with the coming new year.

Fr. Steven Hosking is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Open Doors
Time: Dec 2, 2020 04:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Every week on Wed, until Dec 30, 2020, 5 occurrence(s)
Dec 2, 2020 04:30 PM
Dec 9, 2020 04:30 PM
Dec 16, 2020 04:30 PM
Dec 23, 2020 04:30 PM
Dec 30, 2020 04:30 PM
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Weekly: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZwuc-Gqqz8pHtGSIUiOxkhL2dtjGFRNj4pl/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGgrT8iGNGRsx2CRpw-A4-gWerwmClegrd6rzbQCg9LaQvaZOZWOJVZIvba

Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 883 4825 4345
Passcode: 1994
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Prayers, Intercessions and Commemorations

Archpriest Michael, Archpriest Dennis, Deacon Timothy, Evelyn, Katheryn, Anne, Veronica, Richard, Nancy, Susann, Carol, Luke, Aaron, Alexander, Gail, Vincent, Nina, Ellen, Maureen Elizabeth, Christopher, Joshua, Jennifer Petra, Olivia, Jessica , Sean, Sarah, Justin, Arnold, Michael, Kirk, Carol-Anne, Anthony, Natasha, Janice, Gene, John

Memory Eternal! Archbishop David of Sitka and All Alaska

___

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.

___

Today we commemorate:

Martyr Paramon and 370 Martyrs in Bithynia (250). Martyr Philumenus of Ancyra, and with him Martyrs Valerian and Phædrus (ca. 274). Ven. Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in The Ladder (6th c.). Ven. Nectarius the Obedient, of the Kiev Caves (Near Caves—12th c.). Hieromartyr Abibus (Avíva), Bishop of Nekresi in Georgia (6th c.).

Parish Calendar

Services and Events

November 29 to December 7, 2020

Sunday, November 29

13th Sunday of Luke

9:30AM Divine Liturgy

Monday, November 30

A Boyd - N

Ezekiel Joseph Watson

Andrew the First- Called Apostle

8:30AM Akathist to St Andrew

Tuesday, December 1

Nahum the Prophet

8:30AM Daily Matins

Wednesday, December 2

Habakkuk the Prophet

4:30PM Open Doors

6:30PM Akathist to St Porphyrios

Thursday, December 3

The Holy Prophet Sophonias (Zephaniah)

8:30AM Daily Matins

Friday, December 4

Barbara the Great Martyr

Glorification of St Alexander Hotovitzky

8:30AM Akathist to St Barbara

Saturday, December 5

Sabbas the Sanctified

5:00PM Akathist to St Nicholas

5:30PM Great Vespers

Sunday, December 6

10th Sunday of Luke

St. Nicholas the Wonderwork

9:30AM Divine Liturgy

Monday, December 7

Ambrose, Bishop of Milan

Saints and Feasts

November 29

Paramonus, Philumenus, and their 370 Companion Martyrs in Bithynia

Saint Paramonus contested for piety's sake during the reign of Decius, in the year 250. A ruler named Aquilinus, seeking relief from a bodily malady, visited a certain therapeutic hot spring. He brought with him captive Christians from Nicomedia, and commanded them to offer sacrifice in the temple of Isis. When they refused, he had them all slaughtered, to the number of 370. Saint Paramonus, beholding their murder, boldly cried out against such an act of ungodliness. When Aquilinus heard this, he sent men to take the Saint. Some smote him with spears, others pierced his tongue and body with sharp reeds, until he died.

Saint Philumenus' contest in martyrdom took place during the reign of Aurelian, in the year 270. Coming from Lycaonia, he was conveying a load of wheat into Galatia when he was denounced as a Christian to Felix, Governor of Ancyra. Nails were driven into his hands, feet, and head, and he was commanded to run. While running in the road, he fell and gave up his holy soul into the hands of God.

November 30

Andrew the First- Called Apostle

This Saint was from Bethsaida of Galilee; he was the son of Jonas and the brother of Peter, the chief of the Apostles. He had first been a disciple of John the Baptist; afterwards, on hearing the Baptist's witness concerning Jesus, when he pointed Him out with his finger and said, "Behold the Lamb of God, Which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1.29,36), he straightway followed Christ, and became His first disciple; wherefore he is called the First-called of the Apostles. After the Ascension of the Saviour, he preached in various lands; and having suffered many things for His Name's sake, he died in Patras of Achaia, where he was crucified on a cross in the shape of an "X," the first letter of "Christ" in Greek; this cross is also the symbol of Saint Andrew.

December 01

Nahum the Prophet

The Prophet Nahum had Elkesaeus (Elkosh) as his homeland, and was from the tribe of Symeon; he is seventh in order among the twelve Minor Prophets He prophesied during the time of Hezekias, after the destruction of Samaria (721 years before Christ), but before the ten tribes were taken into captivity; he prophesied against Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. His name means "comforter." His book of prophecy is divided into three chapters.

December 02

Habakkuk the Prophet

This Prophet, whose name means "loving embrace," is eighth in order of the minor Prophets. His homeland and tribe are not recorded in the Divine Scriptures; according to some, he was of the tribe of Symeon. He prophesied in the years of Joachim, who is also called Jechonias, before the Babylonian captivity of the Jewish People, which took place 599 years before Christ. When Nabuchodonosor came to take the Israelites captive, Habakkuk fled to Ostrakine, and after Jerusalem was destroyed and the Chaldeans departed, Habakkuk returned and cultivated his field. Once he made some pottage and was about to take it to the reapers in the field. An Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and carried him with the pottage to Babylon to feed Daniel in the lions' den, then brought him back to Judea (Bel and the Dragon, 33-39): His book of prophecy is divided into three chapters; the third chapter is also used as the Fourth Ode of the Psalter. His holy relics were found in Palestine during the reign of Emperor Theodosius the Great, through a revelation to Zebennus, Bishop of Eleutheropolis (Sozomen, Eccl. Hist., Book VII, 29).

December 03

The Holy Prophet Sophonias (Zephaniah)

This Prophet, who is ninth in order among the minor Prophets, was the son of Chusi (Cushi), from the tribe of Levi, or according to some, the great-grandson of King Hezekias. He prophesied in the years of Josias, who reigned in the years 641-610 before Christ. His book of prophecy is divided into three chapters. His name means "Yah is darkness."

December 04

Barbara the Great Martyr

Saint Barbara was from Heliopolis of Phoenicia and lived during the reign of Maximian.

She was the daughter of a certain idolater named Dioscorus. When Barbara came of age, she was enlightened in her pure heart and secretly believed in the Holy Trinity. About this time Dioscorus began building a bath-house; before it was finished he was required to go away to attend to certain matters, and in his absence Barbara directed the workmen to build a third window in addition to the two her Father had commanded. She also inscribed the sign of the Cross with her finger upon the marble of the bath-house, leaving the saving sign cut as deeply into the marble as if it had been done with an iron tool. (When the Synaxarion of Saint Barbara was written, the marble of the bath-house and the cross inscribed by Saint Barbara were still preserved, and many healings were worked there.) When Dioscorus returned, he asked why the third window had been added; Barbara began to declare to him the mystery of the Trinity. Because she refused to renounce her faith, Dioscorus tortured Barbara inhumanely, and after subjecting her to many sufferings he beheaded her with his own hands, in the year 290.

December 04

Alexander Hotovitzky, New Hieromartyr of Russia, Missionary to America

December 06

Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra

This Saint lived during the reign of Saint Constantine the Great, and reposed in 330, As a young man, he desired to espouse the solitary life. He made a pilgrimage to the holy city Jerusalem, where he found a place to withdraw to devote himself to prayer. It was made known to him, however, that this was not the will of God for him, but that he should return to his homeland to be a cause of salvation for many. He returned to Myra, and was ordained bishop. He became known for his abundant mercy, providing for the poor and needy, and delivering those who had been unjustly accused. No less was he known for his zeal for the truth. He was present at the First Ecumenical Council of the 318 Fathers at Nicaea in 325; upon hearing the blasphemies that Arius brazenly uttered against the Son of God, Saint Nicholas struck him on the face. Since the canons of the Church forbid the clergy to strike any man at all, his fellow bishops were in perplexity what disciplinary action was to be taken against this hierarch whom all revered. In the night our Lord Jesus Christ and our Lady Theotokos appeared to certain of the bishops, informing them that no action was to be taken against him, since he had acted not out of passion, but extreme love and piety. The Dismissal Hymn for holy hierarchs, The truth of things hath revealed thee to thy flock ... was written originally for Saint Nicholas. He is the patron of all travellers, and of sea-farers in particular; he is one of the best known and best loved Saints of all time.

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 (Martyrs)

Your holy martyrs Paramon and Philumenus and those with them, O Lord,
through their sufferings have received incorruptible crowns from You, our God.
For having Your strength, they laid low their adversaries,
and shattered the powerless boldness of demons.//
Through their intercession, save our souls!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

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!

now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Tone 4 Kontakion (Martyrs)

Urged on by the commandments of God,
with patience, you cleansed your souls from all defilement.
You reached perfection as spiritual athletes,
and renounced sacrifice to idols.
Imitating Christ, you were slain with a spear,
O most blessed Paramon and Philumenus.//
Always fervently intercede with Christ on behalf of the world!

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 Letter to the Ephesians 4:1-7.

Brethren, I, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.

Wisdom of the Fathers

Take heed, then, often to come together to give thanks to God, and show forth His praise. For when ye assemble frequently in the same place, the powers of Satan are destroyed, and the destruction at which he aims is prevented by the unity of your faith.

St. Ignatius of Antioch

Epistle to the Ephesians Ch. 13, 2nd century

It is only when in the darkness of this world we discern that Christ has already "filled all things with Himself" that these things, whatever they may be, are revealed and given to us full of meaning and beauty. A Christian is one who, wherever he looks, finds Christ and rejoices in Him.

Fr. Alexander Schmemann

For the Life of the World, p. 113, 20th century

Beyond the Sermon

This ministry of giving which you perform does not only make up for what the saints are lacking; it also overflows into thanksgiving to God.
—2 Co 9:12..

Giving thanks to God is the pre-occupation of those who love Him.

Our father in the faith, the Righteous Holy Patriarch Abraham, demonstrated this very clearly, and gave us a model to follow. We learn about his life in the Book of Genesis (Gen 12.1–3, See also 17.1–8, 22.1–18), where we discover a man dedicated to the obedient fulfillment of God’s will. As God made Himself known to Abraham and His promises to him, Abraham responded by giving thanks. He did this in the most characteristic manner: he would build an altar to the Lord, in order to worship Him with a sacrificial offering. And Abram built an altar there to the Lord, who was seen by him. (Ge 12:7) Again and again, Abraham turned to God in thanksgiving for the promises made to him, not for their fulfillment. St. John Chrysostom remarks at this remarkable trait of the Holy Patriarch:

"Do you see his sense of gratitude? I mean, once he set up camp, without delay he made an offering in thanksgiving for the promise made to him. On each spot where he made camp you will find him preoccupied with this concern above all, building an altar, offering prayers, and fulfilling the apostolic law bidding us pray in every place with pious hands raised on high. Do you see his soul carried aloft to the love of God and proving grateful for all his favors? Far from waiting for the promises to take effect, he even gives thanks and does all in his power to give evidence of gratitude for the favor ahead of time and thus to encourage his Lord to fulfill his promises. (Homily on Genesis, 34)."

The tradition of Thanksgiving Day in our nation, as proclaimed by our first President George Washington states that “…a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God…who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be…” Therefore, it is clear that our offering of thanksgiving is not merely for the benefits received, but with an eye towards God’s continued providential care for us: we thank Him for yesterday, today, and every tomorrow.

St. John Chrysostom, “Let us also imitate and trust in God’s promises, not allowing time to undermine our resolve, nor any obstacles to intervene in the meantime to weaken our determination. Trusting instead in God’s power as if we already had before our eyes the revelation of the promises, let us give evidence of unalloyed faith.” (Homily on Genesis, 34)

Like Abraham well-understood, it is most appropriate to give thanks to God in worship, according to our custom, in the bloodless sacrifice of the Divine Liturgy, “Let us offer God not sacrifices that are bloody, but that fine, composite sacrifice which is the sweet fragrance coming from virtues, the spiritual and unbloody worship.” (St. Cyril of Alexandria, Festal Letter 30) Therefore, if at all possible, as people who love God, I encourage all of you to take this sacred opportunity to sanctify and make holy the National Day of Thanksgiving, — to make it Orthodox, a day of right-glorification of the Living God, and not merely one of self-indulgence.

Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, since we are in the midst of a whirlwind of concerns, now is a most appropriate time for each of us to give thanks to the Giver of every good and perfect gift, which descends to us from above — not for the fulfillment of our personal desires, but for the indelible promise of God’s abiding care for each and every one of us, His holy Church, and the world itself, created out of His goodness and the mystery of His love.

I look forward to celebrating this celebration of God’s goodness with all of you in spirit.

In Christ,

Fr. Michael (New Rome Press)

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