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

Stewardship Form

Located on the candle desk (as well as attached to the ebulletin) you will find the 2024 Stewardship form (part 1). Please complete this form and return it to Fr Steven before out Annual Meeting in November.

Prayer at the receiving of Pledges
We give thanks, O Lord, for all the bounties you have provided us, the faithful of St Innocent Orthodox Church, and that, having yourself endowed us with the gift of the Holy Spirit, a share in the communion of the saints and the promise of the inheritance of the Kingdom to come, you also have led your people to pledge offerings to your Church from what you yourself have abundantly given to us. We pray that you would bless those who have offered these pledges of support, granting them mercy, life, peace, health, and furtherance in everything good for their salvation. Bless now these pledges of support that we offer before your holy altar, your own of your own offered to you again. Multiply them as your Son our Savior Jesus Christ multiplied the five loaves and two fish to feed the five-thousand. Accept them as a pledge of our cooperation in the saving work of your Church throughout the world, so that the Church may never be put to confusion but would ever trust in your provision and faithfulness. For you are a merciful God who loves mankind, and to you we send up glory, Father without beginning, with your only-begotten Son, and your most- holy, good and living-giving Spirit, now and ever, and to ages of ages. Amen.

Fundraiser for an AED. We have currently raised just over $700 toward the purchase of an AED. Thank you. Each device costs $850, having two would ensure that we have one for each floor of parish.

https://inaheartbeat.networkforgood.com/projects/197916-st-alexis-orthodox-church-aed-campaign

Prayers, Intercessions and Commemorations

Many Years! to Dn Timothy and Maureen Skuby on the occasion of their anniversary; and to Anastasia Littlefield and Irene Kaiser on the occasion of their birthdays.

Memory Eternal on the anniversary of the falling asleep of Archbishop Nikon.

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

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.

Ven. Pœmen the Great (ca. 450). Hieromartyr Kuksha and Ven. Pimen (Pœmen) of the Kiev Caves (Near Caves—12th c.). St. Hosius the Confessor, Bishop of Córdoba (359). St. Liberius, Pope of Rome (366). Ven. Pœmen of Palestine (ca. 602). Martyr Anthusa. Ven. Savva of Benephali. St. Cæsarius, Bishop of Arles (543).

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

Departed: Archbishop Nikon, Bishop Tikhon, Nicholi, Monica, Gena, Gregory
Clergy and their families: Mat. Clara, Mat. Evelyn, Mat. Ann, Mat. Amanda, Fr John
Catechumen:
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 this Month: Michael Kuziak, Susan Davis, Douglas Kuziak, Stasia PenkoffLidbeck, Samuel Jankura, Kyle Hollis, Susan Egan, Anastasia Littlefield, Irene Kaiser
Anniversaries this Month: Jason and Valery Danilack-Federer, Fr Steven and Anne Hosking, Dn Timothy and Maureen Skuby
Expecting and Newborn: Stella
Traveling: Dn Timothy & Maureen Skuby
Sick and those in distress: Barbara, Olga

Parish Calendar

Schedule of Services and Events

September 3 to September 11, 2023

Sunday, September 3

13th Sunday of Matthew

9:30AM Divine Liturgy

Monday, September 4

Babylas the Holy Martyr

Righteous Priest Aaron

Tuesday, September 5

Holy Prophet Zacharias, Father of the Venerable Forerunner

8:30AM Daily Matins

Wednesday, September 6

🍇 The Commemoration of the Miracle Wrought by Archangel Michael in Colossae (Chonae)

4:30PM Open Doors

Thursday, September 7

The Forefeast of the Nativity of the Theotokos

8:30AM Daily Matins

Friday, September 8

🐟 The Nativity of Our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary

8:30AM Akathist to the Theotokos

Saturday, September 9

The Holy & Righteous Ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna

5:00PM Readers’ Workshop

5:30PM Great Vespers

Sunday, September 10

Sunday before Holy Cross

+Deborah Bray

9:30AM Divine Liturgy

Monday, September 11

Theodora of Alexandria

Saints and Feasts

September 03

Translation of the relics of St. Nectarius the Wonderworker, Bishop of Pentopolis

September 03

Anthimos, Bishop of Nicomedea

After the death of the 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, their Bishop Anthimus fled to a certain village to care for his remaining flock. The Emperor Maximian sent men in search of him. When they found him, he promised to show Anthimus to them, but first took them in as guests, fed them, and only then made himself known to them. Amazed at his kindness, the soldiers promised him to tell Maximian that they had not found him. But Anthimus went willingly with them, and converting them by his admonitions, baptized them on the way. He boldly confessed his Faith before Maximian, and after frightful tortures was beheaded in the year 303 or 304.

September 04

Moses the Prophet & Godseer

The Prophet Moses-whose name means "one who draws forth," or "is drawn from," that is, from the water-was the pinnacle of the lovers of wisdom, the supremely wise lawgiver, the most ancient historian of all. He was of the tribe of Levi, the son of Amram and Jochabed (Num. 26:59). He was born in Egypt in the seventeenth century before Christ. While yet a babe of three months, he was placed in a basket made of papyrus and covered with pitch, and cast into the streams of the Nile for fear of Pharaoh's decree to the mid-wives of the Hebrews, that all the male children of the Hebrews be put to death. He was taken up from the river by Pharaoh's daughter, became her adopted son, and was reared and dwelt in the King's palace for forty years. Afterward, when he was some sixty years old, he fled to Madian, where, on Mount Horeb, he saw the vision of the burning bush. Thus he was ordained by God to lead Israel and bring it out of the land of Egypt. He led Israel through the Red Sea as it were dry land and governed the people for forty years. He wrought many signs and wonders, and wrote the first five books of the Old Testament, which are called the Pentateuch. When he reached the land of Moab, he ascended Mount Nabau, on the peak called Phasga, and there, by divine command, he reposed in the sixteenth century before Christ, having lived for some 120 years. The first two Odes of the Old Testament, "Let us sing to the Lord" and "Attend, O heaven, and I will speak," were written by him. Of these hymns, the first was chanted by the shore of the Red Sea as soon as the Israelites had crossed it; the second, in the land of Moab, a few days before his repose. The Holy High Priest Aaron was the elder brother of the Holy Prophet Moses. He was appointed by God to serve as the spokesman of Moses before the people, and also before Pharaoh, in Egypt. Afterwards, in the wilderness, he was called to the ministry of the high priesthood, as narrated in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers in the Old Testament. The name Aaron means "enlightened."

September 04

Hermione the Martyr, daughter of St. Philip the Deacon

September 05

Zacharias the Prophet & Righteous Elizabeth, parents of St. John the Baptist

According to the opinion of many Fathers of the Church, based on an ancient tradition, this is the Zacharias whom, as our Lord said, the Jews slew between the temple and the altar (Matt. 23:35), first, because even after the Virgin Mary gave birth, he continued to refer to her as virgin and number her among the virgins; second, because Zacharias' son John was not found during the slaughter of the Innocents, since the elderly Elizabeth had taken him and carefully hid him while he was yet an infant, in an unnamed place somewhere in the desert, where, according to the Evangelist, "the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel" (Luke 1:80). When the child was not found, his father was slain by Herod's command.

September 05

Elizabeth, Mother of the Forerunner

September 08

The Nativity of Our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary

According to the ancient tradition of the Church, the Theotokos was born of barren and aged parents, Joachim and Anna, about the year 16 or 17 before the birth of Christ. Joachim was descended from the royal line of David, of the tribe of Judah. Anna was of the priestly tribe of Levi, a daughter of the priest Matthan and Mary, his wife.

September 09

The Holy & Righteous Ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna

Today, the day following the Nativity of the most holy Theotokos, we celebrate the synaxis of Saints Joachim and Anna, honouring them as her parents.

September 09

Memory of the Third Holy Ecumenical Council in Ephesus

Hymns of the Day

Tone 4 Troparion (Resurrection)

When the women disciples of the Lord
learned from the angel the joyous message of Your Resurrection,
they cast away the ancestral curse
and elatedly told the apostles:
“Death is overthrown!
Christ God is risen,//
granting the world great mercy!”

Tone 4 Troparion (St. Anthimus)

By sharing in the ways of the Apostles,
you became a successor to their throne.
Through the practice of virtue, you found the way to divine contemplation, O inspired one of God;
by teaching the word of truth without error, you defended the Faith, even to the shedding of your blood.//
O Hieromartyr Anthimus, entreat Christ God to save our souls!

Tone 8 Troparion (St. Theoctistus)

By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile,
and your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance.
By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe.//
Our holy Father Theoctistus, pray to Christ our God to save our souls!

Tone 4 Kontakion (Resurrection)

My Savior and Redeemer
as God rose from the tomb and delivered the earth-born from their chains.
He has shattered the gates of hell,
and as Master,//
He has risen on the third day!

Tone 4 Kontakion (St. Anthimus)

Living hon’rably as a priest,
you completed the course of martyrdom;
you extinguished the worship of idols
and became a champion of your flock, O divinely wise one.
Therefore, we honor you,
mystically crying out://
“Through your prayers deliver us from calamity, ever-memorable Anthimus.”

Communion Hymn

Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest! (Ps. 148:1)
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. 4th Tone. Psalm 103.24,1.
O Lord, how manifold are your works. You have made all things in wisdom.
Verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul.

The reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 16:13-24.

Brethren, be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. Now, brethren, you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints; I urge you to be subject to such men and to every fellow worker and laborer. I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicos, because they have made up for your absence; for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such men. The churches of Asia send greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. All the brethren send greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. If any one has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Gospel Reading

13th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 21:33-42

The Lord said this parable, "There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit; and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them. Afterward he sent his son to them, saying 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.' And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons." Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures: 'The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?'"

Wisdom of the Fathers

Many things does He intimate by this parable, God's providence, which had been exercised towards them from the first; their murderous disposition from the beginning; that nothing had been omitted of whatever pertained to a heedful care of them;...

St. John Chrysostom

Homily 68 on Matthew 21, 4th Century

And observe also both His great care, and the excessive idleness of these men for what pertained to the husbandmen, He Himself did ... and He left little for them to do; to take care of what was there, and to preserve what was given to them.

St. John Chrysostom

Homily 68 on Matthew 21, 4th Century

Beyond the Sermon

Smail Commemorative Prosphora

The Holy Mystery of Communion, or the Eucharist, is embodied in the wine and leavened bread that are offered as the "gifts" (or body and blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ) in the Divine Liturgy. "Prosphora" comes from the Greek word meaning "that which is offered". The method of making prosphora is an ancient one, and is always accompanied with prayer and humility.

In the Slavic tradition, smaller commemorative prosphora have important significance during the Divine Liturgy. Many of the faithful who gather that day will offer a small commemorative prosphora and submit a list of names to the altar, both living and deceased, whom they would like to have remembered in prayer during the Proskomedia ("Liturgy of Preparation").

As the priest reads the individual names of each person aloud, he removes a small particle from their commemorative prosphora which is then placed on the Diskos beside the larger particle which has been removed from the prosphora for both the living and those fallen asleep in the Lord. The names of those individuals prayed for rest alongside the Lamb of God, the mother of God and the nine ranks of saints.

After the Holy Eucharist has been distributed, the presbyter places the remaining particles from the Diskos, each representing a specific person known by God, and puts them into the Chalice with these words: "Wash away, O Lord, the sins of all those remembered here, by Thy precious Blood, and through the prayers of all the saints."

After Divine Liturgy, the now blessed commemorative prosphoras are returned to the faithful who had submitted the prayer requests. They are often taken home and reverently consumed, and also shared with family memebers and friends.

Prosphora is a Greek word meaning "offering." Historically, the bread was not only a gift for use in the Divine Liturgy, but it was also a gift to feed the poor.

Prosphora is made of just four ingredients:

Unbleached flour
Yeast
Water
Salt
The Slavic tradition uses a small seal, stamped on five loaves, to signify our Lord's "Feeding of the Five Thousand." These small loaves are made with two layers to represent both the two-fold nature of Christ (Human and Divine), and the uniting of heaven and earth. The Greek style, which uses one large loaf marked with ICXC - NIKA in the center, surrounded by several other seals, signifies the one Body of Christ.