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:
Joseph Barbera - Council Member at Large
Susan Davis- Council Member at Large
Carolyn Neiss - President
Marlene Melesko - Vice President
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

Clinton Family Services is once again asking for donations of school supplies.

Here are the current most needed items—

Plastic 3 ring folders
Highlighters, multi colors
3 or 5 subject lined notebooks
Subject dividers
Small denomination gift cards $5 or $10 to Staples would be great as well for miscellaneous items families need, like poster paper/project boards, etc for school projects.
No one subject notebooks please!!!
Thank you. Items needed by August 17 for packing/sorting purposes, families come into office week prior to school starting, which is 8/30

HOW FAR WILL YOU TREK4MISSIONS IN 2022?

HAVE YOU HEARD THE GOOD NEWS?

The OCMC Trek4Missions is back this summer from Monday, August 8, until Sunday, September 18! Start dusting off your running shoes and charging the fitness gear. It's time to go the distance to share the faith!

Because of YOU and our dedicated participants and sponsors from previous years, this event has raised over $300,000 to date. We pray you'll join us again to make an impact supporting the work of OCMC ministries and missionaries to proclaim Jesus Christ and His Church to the world. Our goal is to virtually total 25,000 miles and raise $100,000. As St. Luke wrote:

The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. (Luke 12:1-2)

Registration is open online. Talk to your previous teammates about getting the band back together or sign up for a solo Trek. Click the button below to register, then begin customizing your fundraising page.

Thank you for supporting Orthodox missions and making this event a tremendous success. We hope to see your name amongst this year's participants. If you want to discuss this event in more detail, contact our Development Department at (904) 829-5132 ext. 165 or at events@ocmc.org.

Click Here to Trek4Missions!

Prayers, Intercessions and Commemorations

Please pray for our catecumen David.

Many Years! to Glenn Penkoffledbeck on the occasion of his birthday; and to all those who take St Anne as their patron.

Memory Eternal for Sonja Gever and Ann Kieran on the anniversary of their repose.

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.

Martyrs and Passion-Bearers Boris, in Holy Baptism Romanus and Gleb, in Holy Baptism David (1015). St. Athenagoras of Athens (914). Martyr Christina of Tyre (ca. 300). Ven. Polycarp, Archimandrite of the Kiev Caves (1182).

Parish Calendar

Schedule of Services and Events

July 24 to August 1, 2022

Sunday, July 24

6th Sunday of Matthew

Glenn PenkoffLidbeck

9:30AM Typica

Monday, July 25

Repose of Sonja Geyer

Dormition of St. Anna, mother of the Theotokos

Tuesday, July 26

Paraskeve the Righteous Martyr of Rome

Akathist to Venerable Moses of Carpathians

Repose of St. Jacob Netsvetov

Samuel Boyd

8:30AM Akathist to St Jacob Netsvetov

Wednesday, July 27

Repose of Ann Kiernan

Panteleimon the Great Martyr & Healer

8:30AM Akathist to St Panteleimon

Thursday, July 28

Prochoros, Nicanor, Timon, & Parmenas the Apostles of the 70

Friday, July 29

The Holy Martyr Callinicus

Chobor

Saturday, July 30

Silas, Silvan, Crescens, Epenetus and Andronicus the Apostles of the 70

5:30PM Great Vespers

Sunday, July 31

Prison Ministry Awareness

7th Sunday of Matthew

9:30AM Divine Liturgy

Monday, August 1

The Holy Seven Maccabee Children, Solomone Their Mother, and Eleazar Their Teacher

Church Clearning: Sue Egan

Procession of the Lifegiving Cross

Saints and Feasts

July 24

Boris and Gleb, the Passion-bearers

The holy Passion-bearers Boris and Gleb, named Romanus and David in sacred Baptism, were the pious sons of the holy Great Prince Vladimir. In 1015 they were slain at the command of their brother Svyatopolk-Saint Boris, on July 24 on the Alta River, near Pereyaslavl, and Saint Gleb, on September 5 on the bank of the Smyadinya River, near Smolensk. Although both had understood their brother's designs against them, they refused to take up arms against him and bring civil war upon their land, preferring to fulfill the commandment, "Resist not evil" (Matt. 5:39). The holy relics of Saint Boris were then buried in Vyshgorod, to which the holy relics of his brother were transferred five years later. Miracles were worked through the holy relics of the meek and guileless brothers during the consecration in Vyshgorod of a church in their honor on this day in 1021.

July 24

Christina the Great Martyr of Tyre

Saint Christina was from Tyre in Syria, the daughter of a pagan named Urban. Enlightened in her heart to believe in Christ, she broke her father's idols, made of gold and silver, and distributed the pieces to the poor. When her father learned this, he punished her ruthlessly, then cast her into prison. The rulers subjected her to imprisonments, hunger, torments, the cutting off of her breasts and tongue, and finally impalement, in the year 200, during the reign of the Emperor Septimius Severus.

July 25

Dormition of St. Anna, mother of the Theotokos

According to tradition, Anna, the ancestor of God, lived for sixty-nine years, and her spouse Joachim, for eighty; according to one account, Saint Joachim died two years before Saint Anna. The Theotokos had been orphaned of both her parents already when she was eleven years of age, when she was living in the Temple (see Sept. 8 and Nov. 21). Saint Anna is invoked for conceiving children, and for help in difficult childbirth.

July 25

Olympias the Deaconess

Saint Olympias the Deaconess was the daughter of the senator Anicius Secundus, and by her mother she was the granddaughter of the noted eparch Eulalios (he is mentioned in the life of Saint Nicholas). Before her marriage to Anicius Secundus, Olympias’s mother had been married to the Armenian emperor Arsak and became widowed. When Saint Olympias was still very young, her parents betrothed her to a nobleman. The marriage was supposed to take place when Saint Olympias reached the age of maturity. The bridegroom soon died, however, and Saint Olympias did not wish to enter into another marriage, preferring a life of virginity.

After the death of her parents she became the heir to great wealth, which she began to distribute to all the needy: the poor, the orphaned and the widowed. She also gave generously to the churches, monasteries, hospices and shelters for the downtrodden and the homeless.

Holy Patriarch Nectarius (381-397) appointed Saint Olympias as a deaconess. The saint fulfilled her service honorably and without reproach.

Saint Olympias provided great assistance to hierarchs coming to Constantinople: Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium, Onesimus of Pontum, Gregory the Theologian, Saint Basil the Great’s brother Peter of Sebaste, Epiphanius of Cyprus, and she attended to them all with great love. She did not regard her wealth as her own but rather God’s, and she distributed not only to good people, but also to their enemies.

Saint John Chrysostom (November 13) had high regard for Saint Olympias, and he showed her good will and spiritual love. When this holy hierarch was unjustly banished, Saint Olympias and the other deaconesses were deeply upset. Leaving the church for the last time, Saint John Chrysostom called out to Saint Olympias and the other deaconesses Pentadia, Proklia and Salbina. He said that the matters incited against him would come to an end, but scarcely more would they see him. He asked them not to abandon the Church, but to continue serving it under his successor. The holy women, shedding tears, fell down before the saint.

Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria (385-412), had repeatedly benefited from the generosity of Saint Olympias, but turned against her for her devotion to Saint John Chrysostom. She had also taken in and fed monks, arriving in Constantinople, whom Patriarch Theophilus had banished from the Egyptian desert. He levelled unrighteous accusations against her and attempted to cast doubt on her holy life.

After the banishment of Saint John Chrysostom, someone set fire to a large church, and after this a large part of the city burned down.

All the supporters of Saint John Chrysostom came under suspicion of arson, and they were summoned for interrogation. They summoned Saint Olympias to trial, rigorously interrogating her. They fined her a large sum of money for the crime of arson, despite her innocence and a lack of evidence against her. After this the saint left Constantinople and set out to Kyzikos (on the Sea of Marmara). But her enemies did not cease their persecution. In the year 405 they sentenced her to prison at Nicomedia, where the saint underwent much grief and deprivation. Saint John Chrysostom wrote to her from his exile, consoling her in her sorrow. In the year 409 Saint Olympias entered into eternal rest.

Saint Olympias appeared in a dream to the Bishop of Nicomedia and commanded that her body be placed in a wooden coffin and cast into the sea. “Wherever the waves carry the coffin, there let my body be buried,” said the saint. The coffin was brought by the waves to a place named Brokthoi near Constantinople. The inhabitants, informed of this by God, took the holy relics of Saint Olympias and placed them in the church of the holy Apostle Thomas.

Afterwards, during an invasion of enemies, the church was burned, but the relics were preserved. Under the Patriarch Sergius (610-638), they were transferred to Constantinople and put in the women’s monastery founded by Saint Olympias. Miracles and healings occurred from her relics.

July 27

Panteleimon the Great Martyr & Healer

This Saint, who had Nicomedia as his homeland, was the son of Eustorgius and Eubula. His father was an idolater, but his mother was a Christian from her ancestors. It was through her that he was instructed in piety, and still later, he was catechized in the Faith of Christ by Saint Hermolaus (see July 26) and baptized by him. Being proficient in the physician's vocation, he practiced it in a philanthropic manner, healing every illness more by the grace of Christ than by medicines. Thus, although his parents had named him Pantoleon ("in all things a lion"), because of the compassion he showed for the souls and bodies of all, he was worthily renamed Panteleimon, meaning "all-merciful." On one occasion, when he restored the sight of a certain blind man by calling on the Divine Name, he enlightened also the eyes of this man's soul to the knowledge of the truth. This also became the cause for the martyrdom of him who had been blind, since when he was asked by whom and in what manner his eyes had been opened, in imitation of that blind man of the Gospel he confessed with boldness both who the physician was and the manner of his healing. For this he was put to death immediately. Panteleimon was arrested also, and having endured many wounds, he was finally beheaded in the year 305, during the reign of Maximian. Saint Panteleimon is one of the Holy Unmercenaries, and is held in special honor among them, even as Saint George is among the Martyrs.

July 28

Prochoros, Nicanor, Timon, & Parmenas the Apostles of the 70

These Apostles of the Seventy are mentioned in Acts 6:5. Saint Prochoros became Bishop of Nicomedia and reposed in peace. Saint Nicanor was stoned to death in Jerusalem. Saint Timon became Bishop of Bostra in Arabia and ended his life in martyrdom by fire at the hands of the pagans. Saint Parmenas died in peace in Jerusalem.

Hymns of the Day

Tone 5 Troparion (Resurrection)

Let us, the faithful, praise and worship the Word,
co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit,
born for our salvation from the Virgin;
for He willed to be lifted up on the Cross in the flesh,
to endure death,
and to raise the dead//
by His glorious Resurrection.

Tone 2 Troparion (Sts. Boris and Gleb)

Righteous passion-bearers and true fulfillers of the Gospel of Christ,
chaste Boris and guileless Gleb,
You did not resist the attacks of your brother, the enemy,
when he killed your bodies but could not touch your souls.
Therefore, let the evil lover of power mourn
while you rejoice with the Angels standing before the Holy Trinity.
Pray that those who honor your memory may be pleasing to God,//
and that all Orthodox Christians may be saved!

Tone 5 Kontakion (Resurrection)

You descended into hell, O my Savior,
shattering its gates as Almighty,
resurrecting the dead as Creator,
and destroying the sting of death.
You have delivered Adam from the curse, O Lover of man,//
and we cry to You: “O Lord, save us!”

Tone 3 Kontakion (Sts. Boris and Gleb)

Today your most glorious memory shines forth,
noble participants in the passion of Christ, holy Boris and Gleb,
for you call us together to sing praises to Christ our God.
Praying to Him before your sacred images,//
we receive the gift of healing by your prayers, for you are indeed divine healers.

Tone 5 Prokeimenon (Resurrection)

You, O Lord, shall protect us / and preserve us from this generation forever.
(Ps. 11:7)

V. Save me, O Lord, for there is no longer any that is godly! (Ps. 11:1a)

Tone 4 Prokeimenon (Sts. Boris and Gleb)

The Lord has shown the wonders of His will / to the saints who are in His land. (Ps. 15:3a)

Communion Hymn

Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest! (Ps. 148:1)
Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous; praise befits the just! (Ps. 32:1)
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. 5th Tone. Psalm 11.7,1.
You, O Lord, shall keep us and preserve us.
Verse: Save me, O Lord, for the godly man has failed.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans 12:6-14.

Brethren, having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; he who teaches, in his teaching; he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who contributes, in liberality; he who gives aid, with zeal; he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

Gospel Reading

6th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 9:1-8

At that time, getting into a boat Jesus crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, they brought to him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven." And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming." But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say 'Rise and walk?' But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" he then said to the paralytic -- "Rise, take up your bed and go home." And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Bible Cross Reference

Mt 9:1-8. HEALING A PARALYTIC. ( = Mr 2:1-12; Lu 5:17-26).

9:2–8 As shown by the healing of the paralytic, faith is an indispensable condition for salvation. Faith is collective as well as personal, for the faith of the paralytic’s friends helped in his healing (v. 2). Three signs of Jesus’ divinity are shown: (1) He knows the secrets of hearts (see 1Kg 16:7; 2Ch 6:30); (2) He forgives sins, a power which belongs to God alone; and (3) He heals by the power of His word.

Wisdom of the Fathers

[The Lord] does not on all occasions require faith on the part of the sick - as for instance when they are mentally ill or in any other way, through their disease, have no self control. However, in this case the sick man also had part in the faith, for he would not have allowed himself to be let down, unless he had believed.

Saint John Chrysostom

Homily XXIX on Matthew IX, 1, 2, Fourth Century

In this case indeed He discloses also another sign, and that no small one, of His own Godhead, and of His equality in honor with the Father. For whereas they said, "To unbind sins pertains to God only," He not only unbinds sins, but also before this He makes another kind of display in a thing which pertained to God only; the publishing the secrets in the heart. For neither had they uttered what they were thinking.

St. John Chrysostom

Homily 29 on Matthew 9, 4th Century

In this place He gives a complete likeness of the resurrection. Healing wounds of mind and body, He forgives the sins of souls and makes an end of the infirmity of the flesh: This is to cure the whole man. And though it is a great thing to forgive men their sins. . . nevertheless, it is a much more divine work to give resurrection to their bodies, because the Lord is Himself the resurrection.

Saint Ambrose

The Healing of the Paralytic, P. L. 15 (col. 1638), Fourth Century

Beyond the Sermon

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
Paralitic man
Sunday 14 July 1985

In the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

A man was brought to the Lord Jesus Christ, paralysed, by four of his friends. And Christ, seeing their faith, said to him that he could be healed.

There are two things in this story which I would like you to think about. The one is that this man was ill, he was in need; perhaps he was unable either to express his need, or to express the faith that he had in the possibility of healing; but his friends had faith: faith in Christ, faith in His power to heal, to make whole. And they took this man and brought him to the Lord.

But their faith would not have been sufficient; many were paralysed, many were sick who did not find friends who would bring them to the healer. It is not only their faith in Christ; it is also their love to their friend that prompted them to act. And again, it is because this man, in the years when he was whole, was able to call out love, friendship, devotion, faithfulness in their hearts that in the hour of need they came to his rescue.

Here are two lessons for us. The one is that we can bring forth the needs of people - physical, spiritual and other needs; we can bring forth their needs to God if we have faith in His healing power, and our faith can open the gates of salvation for those who perhaps have not enough faith, who might not even be able to say, ‘I believe, Lord, help my unbelief - those who doubt, those who hesitate, those who are uncertain that we can bring them to the Lord. But this is possible only if the person in need has created in us, called out in us love; a love so personal, so faithful that we prove capable of acting. Or perhaps, if our life in Christ is deep enough that God has sawn into our hearts so much of His own compassion, of His own love that we can turn to the unknown, turn to whom we have never heard of, prompted by nothing but by his or her need, and bring him or her to God unto salvation, unto healing.

We must remember both the necessity for us to become capable of love and capable of calling out love around us. And also we must learn to have the daring of faith when we see need around us, and bring it to the Only One Who can resolve it, Who can heal, Who can make whole not only bodies, and minds, and souls, but the complex relationship between people.

Here is a calling, here is a vocation for us; let us pay attention to what God says to us in this Gospel, in this Good News of the power of love, divine and human, and the power of faith to which God's love and mercy responds. Amen.

The Back Page

Useful Resources and References

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Parish Shared Folder (for all documents, bulletins etc) - http://bit.ly/St-Alexis

The QR Code here may be used as well.

Parish Members' Directory - https://stalexischurch.sharepoint.com

This directory contains access to studies, sermons, and many other resources. It does require a login to access this "internal" site, so please see Fr Steven for this information.

Parish Web Site - http://www.stalexischurch.org ; calendar (https://bit.ly/StA-Calendar)

Facebook - @stalexisorthodox

Youtube Channel - https://bit.ly/StA_Youtube

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Troparion to St Alexis

O righteous Father Alexis, / our heavenly intercessor and teacher, / divine adornment of the Church of Christ! / Entreat the Master of All / to strengthen the Orthodox Faith in America, / to grant peace to the world / and to our souls, great mercy!

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