Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Grave Mode

By means of Your Cross, O Lord, You abolished death. * To the robber You opened Paradise. * The lamentation of the myrrhbearing women You transformed, * and You gave Your Apostles the order to proclaim to all * that You had risen, O Christ our God, * and granted the world Your great mercy.

Κατέλυσας τῷ Σταυρῷ σου τὸν θάνατον, ἠνέῳξας τῷ Λῃστῇ τὸν Παράδεισον, τῶν Μυροφόρων τὸν θρῆνον μετέβαλες, καὶ τοῖς σοῖς Ἀποστόλοις κηρύττειν ἐπέταξας, ὅτι ἀνέστης Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, παρέχων τῷ κόσμῳ τὸ μέγα ἔλεος.

Apolytikion for Sabbas the Sanctified in the Plagal Fourth Mode

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 Savas our righteous Father. Intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.

Ταίς τών δακρύων σου ροαίς, τής ερήμου τό άγονον εγεώργησας, καί τοίς εκ βάθους στεναγμοίς, εις εκατόν τούς πόνους εκαρποφόρησας, καί γέγονας φωστήρ, τή οικουμένη λάμπων τοίς θαύμασι, Σάββα Πατήρ ημών, Όσιε, Πρέσβευε Χριστώ τώ Θεώ, σωθήναι τάς ψυχάς ημών.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Third Mode

On this day the Virgin cometh to the cave to give birth to * God the Word ineffably, * Who was before all the ages. * Dance for joy, O earth, on hearing * the gladsome tidings; * with the Angels and the shepherds now glorify Him * Who is willing to be gazed on * as a young Child Who * before the ages is God.

Ἡ Παρθένος σήμερον, τὸν Προαιώνιον Λόγον, ἐν Σπηλαίῳ ἔρχεται, ἀποτεκεῖν ἀπορρήτως. Χόρευε ἡ οἰκουμένη ἀκουτισθεῖσα, δόξασον μετὰ Ἀγγέλων καὶ τῶν Ποιμένων, βουληθέντα ἐποφθῆναι, παιδίον νέον, τὸν πρὸ αἰώνων Θεόν.

Services and Sacraments

Sunday, December 5, 2021-10^th Sunday of Luke

Memorials:

EVANGELIA CLYMER – 40 Days

DIONYSIA BOUKAS – 1 Year

ILIA MARKO – 1 Year

MELPO MENI SIMAKAS – 14 Years

May their memory be eternal!

SERVICES THIS WEEK

We strongly encourage those who will not be attending church to participate in services through our website at https://www.stcons.org/video-streaming

Sunday, December 5th – 10th SUNDAY OF LUKE Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am If you wish to follow along with the text, please use the link listed below: https://dcs.goarch.org/goa/dcs/dcs.html

Sts. Constantine and Helen, Westland

Sunday, December 5 – VESPERS FOR FEAST DAY OF ST. NICHOLAS

5:00 pm St. Nicholas Church, Troy; 7:00 pm, St. Nicholas Church, Ann Arbor

Monday, December 6 – FEAST DAY OF ST. NICHOLAS, Orthos 8:45,

Divine Liturgy 10:00 am, Sts. Constantine and Helen, Westland

LIGHT A CANDLE AND SAY A PRAYER: When you are not able to attend church, you can purchase a candle from our church website (home page or video-streaming page), which be lit before the following service or a service that you specify. Please give specific names, living or deceased, that you would like Father to remember in prayer. Father will light candles one hour before each service. For Sunday services, please place candle orders prior to 8:00 am Sunday morning.

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PLEASE PRAY FOR:

Marian, Kathy, Marty, Bill, Georgene, Janet, Patricia, Juliana, John, Paul, Zacharias, Connie, Vanessa (Vasiliki), Jake, Maegan, Irene, Lisa, Pat, Christopher, Jonathan, Alexandra, Tracy, Dianna, Lazarus, Betty, Catherine, Susan, Evelyn, Gregg, Peter, Stella, Ann Marie, Vasilios, Carol, George, Demetri, Steve, Molly, Maria, Elizabeth, Evans, Katherine, Mary, Margaret, Angela, Connie, Bill, Carrie, Vito, Pete, Amalia, Stephanie, Lisa, Anastasia, Rima, Kylie, Effie, Nicholas, and Maria. Names may be added to the prayer list by request. If you would like to add or remove someone to the prayer list, please contact the church office at stcons2@gmail.com

Saints and Feasts

December 05

Holy Martyr Diogenes

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Grave Mode. Psalm 149.5,1.
The saints shall rejoice in glory.
Verse: Sing to the Lord a new song.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 5:22-26; 6:1-2.

Brethren, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us have no self-conceit, no provoking of one another, no envy of one another. Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Look to yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Προκείμενον. Grave Mode. ΨΑΛΜΟΙ 149.5,1.
Καυχήσονται ὅσιοι ἐν δόξῃ
Στίχ. Ἄσατε τῷ Κυρίῳ ᾆσμα καινόν.

τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα Πρὸς Γαλάτας 5:22-26, 6:1-2.

Ἀδελφοί, ὁ καρπὸς τοῦ πνεύματός ἐστιν ἀγάπη, χαρά, εἰρήνη, μακροθυμία, χρηστότης, ἀγαθωσύνη, πίστις, πρᾳότης, ἐγκράτεια· κατὰ τῶν τοιούτων οὐκ ἔστιν νόμος. Οἱ δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τὴν σάρκα ἐσταύρωσαν σὺν τοῖς παθήμασιν καὶ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις. Εἰ ζῶμεν πνεύματι, πνεύματι καὶ στοιχῶμεν. Μὴ γινώμεθα κενόδοξοι, ἀλλήλους προκαλούμενοι, ἀλλήλοις φθονοῦντες. Ἀδελφοί, ἐὰν καὶ προληφθῇ ἄνθρωπος ἔν τινι παραπτώματι, ὑμεῖς οἱ πνευματικοὶ καταρτίζετε τὸν τοιοῦτον ἐν πνεύματι πρᾳότητος, σκοπῶν σεαυτόν μὴ καὶ σὺ πειρασθῇς. Ἀλλήλων τὰ βάρη βαστάζετε, καὶ οὕτως ἀναπληρώσατε τὸν νόμον τοῦ Χριστοῦ.

Gospel Reading

10th Sunday of Luke
The Reading is from Luke 13:10-17

At that time, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your infirmity." And he laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, said to the people, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the sabbath day." Then the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?" As he said this, all his adversaries were put to shame; and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

10th Sunday of Luke
Κατὰ Λουκᾶν 13:10-17

Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ῏Ην δὲ διδάσκων ἐν μιᾷ τῶν συναγωγῶν ἐν τοῖς σάββασι. καὶ ἰδοὺ γυνὴ ἦν πνεῦμα ἔχουσα ἀσθενείας ἔτη δέκα καὶ ὀκτώ, καὶ ἦν συγκύπτουσα καὶ μὴ δυναμένη ἀνακῦψαι εἰς τὸ παντελές. ἰδὼν δὲ αὐτὴν ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς προσεφώνησε καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ· γύναι, ἀπολέλυσαι τῆς ἀσθενείας σου· καὶ ἐπέθηκεν αὐτῇ τὰς χεῖρας· καὶ παραχρῆμα ἀνωρθώθη καὶ ἐδόξαζε τὸν Θεόν. ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ ἀρχισυνάγωγος, ἀγανακτῶν ὅτι τῷ σαββάτῳ ἐθεράπευσεν ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς, ἔλεγε τῷ ὄχλῳ· ἓξ ἡμέραι εἰσὶν ἐν αἷς δεῖ ἐργάζεσθαι· ἐν ταύταις οὖν ἐρχόμενοι θεραπεύεσθε, καὶ μὴ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ σαββάτου. ἀπεκρίθη οὖν αὐτῷ ὁ Κύριος καὶ εἶπεν· ὑποκριτά, ἕκαστος ὑμῶν τῷ σαββάτῳ οὐ λύει τὸν βοῦν αὐτοῦ ἢ τὸν ὄνον ἀπὸ τῆς φάτνης καὶ ἀπαγαγὼν ποτίζει; ταύτην δέ, θυγατέρα ᾿Αβραὰμ οὖσαν, ἣν ἔδησεν ὁ σατανᾶς ἰδοὺ δέκα καὶ ὀκτὼ ἔτη, οὐκ ἔδει λυθῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ δεσμοῦ τούτου τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ σαββάτου; καὶ ταῦτα λέγοντος αὐτοῦ κατῃσχύνοντο πάντες οἱ ἀντικείμενοι αὐτῷ, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ὄχλος ἔχαιρεν ἐπὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἐνδόξοις τοῖς γινομένοις ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ.

Parish News and Updates

EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

TLC CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON: Our TLC Christmas luncheon will be held on Tuesday, December 14^th at 12:00 noon. We will share a delicious lunch, and have a Christmas Carol sing-a-long, and maybe another surprise or two! All ages are welcome to join us. Please RSVP no later than December 10^th to Caryl at: 734.751.3683, or the church office at 734.525.6789.

COCOA, COOKIES, AND A VERY SPECIAL GUEST!! On Sunday, December 12^th, all of our children, Pre K – High School, are needed for a special rehearsal of our Christmas pageant during Sunday School time. Following the Divine Liturgy service, our HOPE and JOY children will host the coffee hour for all parishioners with hot cocoa and sugar cookies, music, and a special surprise guest from the North Pole!

CHRISTMAS BAKE SALE: On Sunday, December 19^th our St. Helen Philoptochos will have their annual Christmas Bake Sale, with tasty Greek sweets, spinach and cheese pies, cookies, and other baked goods for sale for your holiday entertaining and gift-giving. All proceeds support the Philoptochos charities.

TREE OF LIGHTS: Our 27^th annual Mary Drakos Tree of Lights Ceremony will be held on Sunday, December 19^th. You may place an ornament on the tree in honor or in memory of a loved one for a donation of $10. Forms are available at the Pangari, or contact Diane Plungis at 734.462.1179.

ADULT BIBLE STUDY: Our Adult Bible Study is cancelled for this week. Our next meeting will be Tuesday December 14th, at 7:00 pm on the ZOOM platform. All adults are welcome.

BLOOD DRIVE: The holiday season is a time for festivities and family. It’s also a time for giving back. The American Red Cross is currently experiencing an emergency blood shortage. We will be having a Blood Drive on Tuesday, December 28^th. Everyone who gives blood will receive a long sleeve t-shirt with a great “Give Blood” logo. To schedule an appointment, please log onto RedCrossBlood.org (our sponsor code: stcons) or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) today.

NEWS AND NOTICES

2022 PARISH COUNCIL: Announcing our 2022 Parish Council members: Athansios Alexandris, John Avdoulos, Jim Bigas, Leah Calagias, Mark Chuey, Lou Frango, Robert Herta, Peter Kalergis, Lou Kircos, Dino Lembesis, Dean Perestakis, Maria Psilis, Evangelos Skoures, Paul Stavropoulos, Antonios Stergiadis, Jeff Zeh. Since there are 19 Parish Council slots allotted in our parish by-laws, no General Assembly election was needed.

SHARING OUR WARMTH While you hang your Christmas stockings this year, please remember those in need. Through December 25^th, we are collecting new socks, gloves, hats and scarves on the Christmas tree outside the church office. They will be distributed to needy and homeless adults, children, and families through the Westland Housing Commission, and the Community Housing Network, Pontiac.

PARISH CHRISTMAS CARD: Once again this year, there is no charge to be included in our annual parish Christmas card, however, only families who have completed a 2021 pledge card this year will be included in the Christmas card. If you have not done so, it is not too late to complete a 2021 pledge card and make your offering today. If you aren’t sure, feel free to call the church office and check to see if you are a member in good standing for the year 2021. Pledge cards are available on the parish website (stcons.org/stewardship), at the Pangari, or in the church office.

GREEK FESTIVAL VOLUNTEERS, SPONSORS NEEDED: Our indoor Greek Festival planning committee members are putting together a fantastic event for February 19, 2022! If you are interested in volunteering to sell ads or sponsorships, prepare food, mailings, or any other advance volunteer work for GREEKFEST 2022, please contact Mark Chuey at markchuey@aol.com. If your business is interested in being a GreekFest sponsor, please contact Christina Tripp at christinatripp16@gmail.com or Annette in the church office at stcons2@gmail.com or 734.525.6789.

MEMORIAL SERVICES: Koliva that has been prepared for memorial services can now be distributed to parishioners at the end of service. Requested Coffee Hour sponsorship donation is $150, and the HCC will set up a table with cloth and coffee, etc. for your family. Paximadia and koulourakia may also be distributed at the coffee hour. Please call the church office to schedule memorials and coffee hour sponsorships in a timely manner so we can include the information in the bulletin. On the day of the service, please bring a list of family names you would like Father to remember in prayer.

SERVICES AND SACRAMENTS

Funeral: PAM ALEXANDER

Arrangements are as follows:

Monday, December 6, Visitation, 4:00 pm; Trisagion, 7:00 pm
Tuesday, December 7, Funeral, 10:30 am

THE FAMILY REQUESTS THAT ALL IN ATTENDANCE WEAR MASKS.

DID YOU KNOW: WHO IS ST. NICHOLAS?

The true story of “Santa Claus” begins with St. Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while St. Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," St. Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. St. Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships. Under the Roman Emperor, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, St. Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. Many prisoners were converted to the Christian faith by his witness.

Through the centuries many stories and legends have been told of St. Nicholas' life and deeds, and why he is so beloved and revered as protector and helper of those in need. Saint Nicholas conveys a spirit of Christ’s generosity and love, we remember him as part of our Christmas celebrations and we too give gifts.

Dr. Clement C. Moore, a professor of Greek and Biblical Studies at General Theological Seminary of New York, wrote "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (more commonly known as "Twas the Night Before Christmas") in 1822. If “Santa Claus” has become too commercial, too secularized, perhaps it is because we have forgotten his historical origin in the beloved Bishop of Myra who obeyed Christ's command that we help all those who are in need

Non-Orthodox Visitors Please Note: Holy Communion is offered to Orthodox Christians who have properly prepared themselves. Visitors are welcome to receive the Antidoron (Blessed Bread), which is distributed at the end of the Divine Liturgy.

Wisdom of the Fathers

Patience is a labor that does not crush the soul. It never wavers under interruptions, good or bad...Patience sets a boundary to the daily onslaught of suffering...Patience comes from hope and mourning, and indeed to lack those is to be a slave of despondency.

St. John Climacus

Ladder of Divine Ascent, Step 27: On Stillness; Paulist Press pg.271, 6th century

Virtues are formed by prayer. Prayer preserves temperance, suppresses anger, restrains pride and envy, draws down the Holy Spirit into the soul and raises man to heaven.

St. Ephraim the Syrian

Unknown, 4th century

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