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St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2019-04-07
Bulletin Contents
Saints and Feasts
Hymns of the Day
Gospel and Epistle Readings
Wisdom of the Fathers
Ministry News
Bulletin Inserts
Stewardship
Allsaint
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St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (908) 968-4004
  • Fax:
  • (908) 968-4002
  • Street Address:

  • 85 Voorhees Corner Road,

  • Flemington, NJ 08822

Contact Information

St. Anna Office staff

stannagoc@gmail.com | (908) 968-4004

Proistamenos Rev. Fr. Anastasios Kousoulas

frakousoulas@gmail.com | mobile (908) 528-1077

Services Schedule

Weekly Services

(Please note schedule subject to change.  Please call church office to confirm times.)

Sunday Services:  Orthros 8:15 am; Divine Liturgy 9:15  am.  Followed by Sunday School and Fellowship Hour in our Community Center.

Weekly Feastday / Major Saint Day Liturgies:  9 am Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy.

Past Bulletins


Saints and Feasts

Allsaint
April 07

Sunday of St. John Climacus

The memory of this Saint is celebrated on March 30, where his biography may be found. He is celebrated today because his book, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, is a sure guide to the ascetic life, written by a great man of prayer experienced in all forms of the monastic polity; it teaches the seeker after salvation how to lay a sound foundation for his struggles, how to detect and war against each of the passions, how to avoid the snares laid by the demons, and how to rise from the rudimental virtues to the heights of Godlike love and humility. It is held in such high esteem that it is universally read in its entirety in monasteries during the Great Fast.

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Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Fourth Mode

When the women Disciples of the Lord had learned from the Angel the joyful message of the Resurrection and had rejected the ancestral decision, they cried aloud to the Apostles triumphantly: Death has been despoiled, Christ God has risen, granting His great mercy to the world.

Apolytikion of Sun. of St. John Climacus in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone

With the streams of thy tears, thou didst cultivate the barrenness of the desert; and by thy sighings from the depths,thou didst bear fruit a hundredfold in labours; and thou becamest a luminary, shining with miracles upon the world, O John our righteous Father. Intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Plagal Fourth Mode

To you, Theotokos, invincible Defender, having been delivered from peril, I, your city, dedicate the victory festival as a thank offering. In your irresistible might, keep me safe from all trials, that I may call out to you: "Hail, unwedded bride!"
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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Fourth Mode. 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 Letter to the Hebrews 6:13-20.

BRETHREN, when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore to himself, saying, "Surely I will bless you and multiply you." And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise. Men indeed swear by a greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he interposed with an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God should prove false, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

Gospel Reading

Sunday of St. John Climacus
The Reading is from Mark 9:17-31

At that time, a man came to Jesus kneeling and saying: "Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit; and wherever it seizes him it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able." And he answered them, "O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me." And they brought the boy to him; and when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, "How long has he had this?" And he said, "From childhood. And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us." And Jesus said to him, "If you can! All things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again." And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse; so that most of them said, "He is dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting." They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he would not have any one know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise."

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Wisdom of the Fathers

Seest thou how He now proceeds to lay beforehand in them the foundation of His doctrine about fasting? ... See, at any rate, how many blessings spring from them both. For he that is praying as he ought, and fasting, hath not many wants, and he that hath not many wants, cannot be covetous; ...
St. John Chrysostom
Homily 57 on Matthew 17,4,5. B#54, pp.355,356., 4th Century

... he that is not covetous, will be also more disposed for almsgiving. He that fasts is light, and winged, and prays with wakefulness, and quenches his wicked lusts, and propitiates God, and humbles his soul when lifted up. Therefore even the apostles were almost always fasting.
St. John Chrysostom
Homily 57 on Matthew 17,4,5. B#54, pp.355,356., 4th Century

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Ministry News

Agia_anna

Congratulations to all 10 participants at the parish St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival last Sunday, March 31! In the Junior Division (gr. 7-9) we heard speeches from (in speaker order): Sophia Twitchell, Julianna Coutros, Demetri Kousoulas, and Lindsay Andriopoulos-Dodd. In the Senior Division (gr 10-12), the following 6 offered their speeches: Sofia Douvris, Mark Tattoli, Ioannis Ypsilantis, Elena Andriopoulos-Perez, Stefania Ferreira and Evangelos Kousoulas.  

TODAY Sophia Twitchell and Stefania Ferreira will offer their speeches.  They were selected to represent St. Anna at the District Oratorical Festival to be held in Roseland, NJ on Saturday, April 13.

TODAY Fellowship Hour is sponsored by the Kaldes family.

Church Calendar:

Weekly Lenten Services

Great Compline Services, Mondays, 5:30 pm - April 15 (no svce Apr 8) 

9thHour/Presanctified Liturgies, Wednesdays, 6 pm - Apr 10, 17

Great Compline Services, Thursdays, 7 pm, – April 11, 18

9thHour/Presanctified Liturgies, Fridays, 8 am - Apr 12, 19

Salutations to the Virgin Mary, Fridays, 7 pm - April 12 

A copy of the 2019 Easter Appeal Letter was emailed to all Parishioners for their immediate consideration.  Please support out beautiful Easter services in any way you can. 

PALM SUNDAY LUNCHEON: Once again, the PC will be offering a Palm Sunday Luncheon on April 21 following services: Flounder with Spanakorizo for $12 and pasta for children $5.  Please register TODAY so that we know how much fish to order in advance.

Education:  The St Basil Academy Almsgiving envelopes should be returned to Greek school and Sunday school teachers by Palm Sunday. Thank you to those that participated and donated their coins. The proceeds will be sent to St Basils at the end of the month.  Thank you.

St. Anna Bookstore:Come visit our Bookstore in the hallway and see our latest additions for Easter.  Books about our faith are great gifts for Godchildren, family and friends. See Kim Vaporakis or Angela Ferreira during Fellowship Hour for assistance. Kalo Pascha!

Scholarships: The St. Anna Scholarship program is available for eligible HS Seniors (information at www.stannagoc.org).  Applications for Archdiocese Scholarship and Fellowship programs can be found at www.goarch.org(Deadline: May 3, 2019).  

 

HOLY WEEK SERVICES

Saturday, April 20:          Lazarus Saturday – 10 am

Sunday, April 21:             Palm Sunday – 9 am  

Bridegroom Service – 7 pm

Monday, April 22:             Presanctified Liturgy – 9 am

Bridegroom Service – 7 pm 

Tuesday, April 23:           Presanctified Liturgy – 9 am

Bridegroom Service -  7 pm 

Wednesday, April 24:       Presanctified Liturgy – 9 am

Holy Unction Sacrament – 4 pm

Holy Unction Sacrament – 7 pm

Thursday, April 25:          Holy Thursday Liturgy (St. Basil)– 9 am

Service of Holy Passion (12 Gospels)– 7 pm

Friday, April 26:              Holy and Great Hours – 9 am

Apokathelosis – 3 pm

Lamentations Service – 7 pm

Saturday, April 27:          Liturgy of St. Basil– 9 am

Resurrection Service – 11:15 pm

Sunday, April 28:             Agape Vespers Service – 10:30 am

Renewal Friday, May 3:    Theotokos of the Life-Giving Font:  10 am  

St. Anna Bistro:  Bistro event will take place on Saturday and Sunday, May 18 and 19.  Please register for any food preparation days you can attend.  We will start at 6:30 pm on the following dates:

            April 16 – Galaktoboureko              May 7 - Baklava

The week of the event, starting on Tuesday May 14, we will start the preparation of the remaining items.

 

Philoptochos News:  On Lazarus Saturday, April 20, please join us after services to make palm crosses. Many hands make light work!  A light luncheon will be served (bagels, PB&J, fasolada, halva). Please bring your own scissors.

TODAY is the final day to order Easter Tsourekia, $17.  Checks payable to "St. Anna Philoptochos"

YiaYia's Attic:  This year’s YiaYia's Attic will take place on Saturday, June 1, from 8 am – 1 pm. Donations will be collected starting May 26.  As you do your Spring Cleaning consider donating unneeded items to our sale: clothing, toys, household goods, jewelry, bicycles, seasonal décor, etc.  Please no electronics or large items such as furniture, which is difficult to sell.  We are also collecting lightly worn women's business attire for the organization "Dress for Success". 

 

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Bulletin Inserts

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Stewardship

Stewardship is the sharing of the talents and treasures that God has provided for us.  An Orthodox Christian Steward is an active participant in the life of the Church. The parish encourages all who accept the Orthodox Faith to become practicing Stewards.

 

2019 Stewardship Drive:  

91 Pledges totaling $112,434 for an average of $1,236 and $64,932 received to date.  We also have 9 families who have contributed $4,875 to date but have not submitted a stewardship card.  It is important that all families complete a stewardship card to be considered a steward.  Current Stewardship List and other stewardship information is posted in bulletin board by water cooler.

 

We need everyone’s participation to exceed this year’s stewardship pledge target of $170,000.  If the remaining 79, 2018 stewards give at the same level as last year we could exceed our budget and reach a record high number of stewards

 

 

…Remember a rich man is not one who has much, but one who gives much

 

 

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