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 Three Hierarchs in the First Mode

The three most great luminaries of the Three-Sun Divinity have illumined all of the world with the rays of doctrines divine and true; they are the sweetly-flowing rivers of wisdom, who with godly knowledge have watered all creation in clear and mighty streams: The great and sacred Basil, and the Theologian, wise Gregory, together with the renowned John, the famed Chrysostom of golden speech. Let us all who love their divinely-wise words come together, honouring them with hymns; for ceaselessly they offer entreaty for us to the Trinity.

Τούς τρείς μεγίστους φωστήρας τής Τρισηλίου θεότητος, τούς τήν οικουμένην ακτίσι δογμάτων θείων πυρσεύσαντας, τούς μελιρρύτους ποταμούς τής σοφίας, τούς τήν κτίσιν πάσαν θεογνωσίας νάμασι καταρδεύσαντας, Βασίλειον τόν μέγαν, καί τόν Θεολόγον Γρηγόριον, σύν τώ κλεινώ Ιωάννη, τώ τήν γλώτταν χρυσορρήμονι, πάντες οι τών λόγων αυτών ερασταί, συνελθόντες ύμνοις τιμήσωμεν, αυτοί γάρ τή Τριάδι, υπέρ υμών αεί πρεσβεύουσιν.

Seasonal Kontakion in the First Mode

Your birth sanctified a Virgin's womb and properly blessed the hands of Symeon. Having now come and saved us O Christ our God, give peace to Your commonwealth in troubled times and strengthen those in authority, whom You love, as only the loving One.

Ὁ μήτραν παρθενικὴν ἁγιάσας τῶ τόκω σου, καὶ χείρας τοῦ Συμεὼν εὐλογήσας ὡς ἔπρεπε, προφθάσας καὶ νὺν ἔσωσας ἡμᾶς Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός. Ἀλλ' εἰρήνευσον ἐν πολέμοις τὸ πολίτευμα, καὶ κραταίωσον Βασιλεῖς οὓς ἠγάπησας, ὁ μόνος φιλάνθρωπος.

Services and Sacraments

Sunday, January 30, 2022 - Sunday of the Three Hierarchs

40 Day Blessing: LEDA ROSE CIUNGAN, Parents: Kostas and Bianca Ciungan

Congratulations!

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 If you wish to follow along with the text, please use the link listed below: https://dcs.goarch.org/

Sunday, January 30 – SUNDAY OF THE THREE HIERARCHS, Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am

Wednesday, February 2 – PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD IN THE TEMPLE

Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Saints 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:

Miriam, John, Marty, 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, 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

January 30

Synaxis of The Three Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, & John Chrysostom

This common feast of these three teachers was instituted a little before the year 1100, during the reign of the Emperor Alexis I Comnenus, because of a dispute and strife that arose among the notable and virtuous men of that time. Some of them preferred Basil, while others preferred Gregory, and yet others preferred John Chrysostom, quarreling among themselves over which of the three was the greatest. Furthermore, each party, in order to distinguish itself from the others, assumed the name of its preferred Saint; hence, they called themselves Basilians, Gregorians, or Johannites. Desiring to bring an end to the contention, the three Saints appeared together to the saintly John Mavropous, a monk who had been ordained Bishop of Euchaita, a city of Asia Minor, they revealed to him that the glory they have at the throne of God is equal, and told him to compose a common service for the three of them, which he did with great skill and beauty. Saint John of Euchaita (celebrated Oct. 5) is also the composer of the Canon to the Guardian Angel, the Protector of a Man's Life. In his old age, he retired from his episcopal see and again took up the monastic life in a monastery in Constantinople. He reposed during the reign of the aforementioned Emperor Alexis Comnenus (1081-1118).

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Plagal Fourth Mode. Psalm 18.4,1.
Their voice has gone out into all the earth.
Verse: The heavens declare the glory of God.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 13:7-16.

Brethren, remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God; consider the outcome of their lives, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings; for it is well that the heart be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited their adherents. We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go forth to him outside the camp and bear the abuse he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city which is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Προκείμενον. Plagal Fourth Mode. ΨΑΛΜΟΙ 18.4,1.
Εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος αὐτῶν.
Στίχ. Οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται δόξαν Θεοῦ.

τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα Πρὸς Ἑβραίους 13:7-16.

Ἀδελφοί, μνημονεύετε τῶν ἡγουμένων ὑμῶν, οἵτινες ἐλάλησαν ὑμῖν τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ· ὧν ἀναθεωροῦντες τὴν ἔκβασιν τῆς ἀναστροφῆς, μιμεῖσθε τὴν πίστιν. Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς χθὲς καὶ σήμερον ὁ αὐτός, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Διδαχαῖς ποικίλαις καὶ ξέναις μὴ παραφέρεσθε· καλὸν γὰρ χάριτι βεβαιοῦσθαι τὴν καρδίαν, οὐ βρώμασιν, ἐν οἷς οὐκ ὠφελήθησαν οἱ περιπατήσαντες. Ἔχομεν θυσιαστήριον, ἐξ οὗ φαγεῖν οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἐξουσίαν οἱ τῇ σκηνῇ λατρεύοντες. Ὧν γὰρ εἰσφέρεται ζῴων τὸ αἷμα περὶ ἁμαρτίας εἰς τὰ ἅγια διὰ τοῦ ἀρχιερέως, τούτων τὰ σώματα κατακαίεται ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς. Διὸ καὶ Ἰησοῦς, ἵνα ἁγιάσῃ διὰ τοῦ ἰδίου αἵματος τὸν λαόν, ἔξω τῆς πύλης ἔπαθεν. Τοίνυν ἐξερχώμεθα πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς, τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν αὐτοῦ φέροντες. Οὐ γὰρ ἔχομεν ὧδε μένουσαν πόλιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν μέλλουσαν ἐπιζητοῦμεν. Διʼ αὐτοῦ οὖν ἀναφέρωμεν θυσίαν αἰνέσεως διὰ παντὸς τῷ θεῷ, τοῦτʼ ἔστιν, καρπὸν χειλέων ὁμολογούντων τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ. Τῆς δὲ εὐποιΐας καὶ κοινωνίας μὴ ἐπιλανθάνεσθε· τοιαύταις γὰρ θυσίαις εὐαρεστεῖται ὁ θεός.

Gospel Reading

Synaxis of The Three Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, & John Chrysostom
The Reading is from Matthew 5:14-19

The Lord said to his disciples, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

Synaxis of The Three Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, & John Chrysostom
Κατὰ Ματθαῖον 5:14-19

Εἶπεν ὁ Κὐριος τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς· ῾Υμεῖς ἐστε τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου. οὐ δύναται πόλις κρυβῆναι ἐπάνω ὄρους κειμένη· οὐδὲ καίουσι λύχνον καὶ τιθέασι αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τὸν μόδιον, ἀλλ᾿ ἐπὶ τὴν λυχνίαν, καὶ λάμπει πᾶσι τοῖς ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ. οὕτω λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως ἴδωσιν ὑμῶν τὰ καλὰ ἔργα καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἦλθον καταλῦσαι τὸν νόμον ἢ τοὺς προφήτας· οὐκ ἦλθον καταλῦσαι, ἀλλὰ πληρῶσαι. ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω ὑμῖν, ἕως ἂν παρέλθῃ ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ, ἰῶτα ἓν ἢ μία κεραία οὐ μὴ παρέλθῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου ἕως ἂν πάντα γένηται. ὃς ἐὰν οὖν λύσῃ μίαν τῶν ἐντολῶν τούτων τῶν ἐλαχίστων καὶ διδάξῃ οὕτω τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ἐλάχιστος κληθήσεται ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν· ὃς δ᾿ ἂν ποιήσῃ καὶ διδάξῃ, οὗτος μέγας κληθήσεται ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν.

Parish News and Updates

EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: GREEK FEST 2022! Mark your calendars now for Saturday February 19^th! Saints Constantine and Helen will be hosting our 2^nd annual Greek Fest, a one day, indoor Greek Festival! We are planning a day of delicious food, Live Greek music and dancing, and much more!

TLC VALENTINE’S LUNCHEON: Our next TLC luncheon will be held on Tuesday, February 8^th at 12:00 noon. We will share a delicious meal, some good conversation, and there may even be a little chocolate involved. All ages are welcome to join us and share the Valentine’s love! Please RSVP to Caryl Lowes at 734.751.3683 or cvlowes@gmail.com or the church office.

GOYA HAPPENINGS: On Friday, February 4^that 5:30 pm, our GOYA members will be joining the GOYAs from the Nativity of the Virgin Mary and Holy Cross churches for a night of bowling at Plaza Lanes in Plymouth. RSVP to Maria Haviland by 2/2 at mariahaviland@gmail.com

The next GOYA meeting will be held on Sunday, February 27th immediately following the church service. All young people ages 12 – 18 are welcome to join.

PHILOPTOCHOS GENERAL MEETING: On Sunday, February 6^th, there will be a general meeting of the St. Helen Philoptochos in the multi-purpose room immediately following the church service.

GODPARENTS SUNDAY: February 13^th is Godparents’ Sunday. Please plan to attend the Divine Liturgy service with your Godchild or invite your Godparent to join you in church on that day and take communion together. WE HOPE TO CREATE A DISPLAY OF ST CONS BAPTISM PHOTOS FROM OUR CHURCH’S LONG HISTORY. PLEASE SEND COPIES OF PHOTOS TO ANNETTE AT STCONS2@GMAIL.COM, OR LEAVE IN THE CHURCH OFFICE. If you are leaving a hard copy, you will not receive it back. Feel free to use the office copy machine to make a copy, if needed.

HOLY UNCTION SERVICE: The next scheduled Holy Unction service will be held at St Cons on Wednesday, February 16^th at 7:00 pm. Adults and children will be anointed with Holy oil for physical health, well-being and forgiveness. Our sister churches Holy Cross and Nativity have joined with Sts. Cons to offer Holy Unction services on a rotating schedule once a month.

ATTENTION ST. CONS’ “GALS”! Join us for a “Galentine’s Day” Celebration: An Evening of Pampering and Fun! The event, hosted by our Moms’ Group, will be held on Sunday, February 27, from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm in the library. For more information, contact Corrin Stamatakos at 312.961.8615, or cstamatakos@gmail.com.

ADULT BIBLE STUDY: Our Adult Bible Study group meetings will continue on Tuesday February 1st, at 7:00 pm on the ZOOM platform. Reading and discussion of the Gospel of Matthew. ZOOM LINK is: https://zoom.us/j/7345256789, Meeting ID: 734 525 6789 All adults are welcome to join, no pre-registration needed.

VACATION CHURCH SCHOOL: SAVE THE DATES! As you are planning your summer vacations and summer camp schedules, be sure to save these dates - Our Vacation Church school will be held the week of August 8^th – 12^th. If you have a young person between the ages of 4 and 12, save this week for learning about our faith, making new friends, and big fun! Teens ages 13 – 18 are needed to work as volunteers, teacher’s aids, etc. We also need adult help that week with teaching, crafts, and outside play. If you can help, contact Frances Marinos at fmarinos@comcast.net or the church office.

NEWS AND NOTICES

SUPPORT OUR GREEK FEST! All hands on deck! We need YOUR help to make Greek Fest a success! Please sign up to volunteer for a 3-hour shift on February 19^th. All of volunteers work hard, but have a lot of fun, too! (And you get a cool Greek Fest t-shirt as a thank you!) Sign up to volunteer on the parish website at: https://www.stcons.org/projects-7

This year, our church is also offering Festival Sponsorships for area businesses, and Family listings in our festival program book. Each family listing is $75, for which you receive 2 lines of text in the program, and 4 free Greek Fest admission tickets. The Family Sponsorship Form is included in the Bulletin and on the GreekFest page of our website. SIGN UP AT THE COFFEE HOUR TO VOLUNTEER, PURCHASE AN AD, OR GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SPONSORHIP!

HOME BLESSINGS: If you wish to have your home blessed for the New Year, please contact the church office to be added to Father Teodor’s schedule. Father will wear a mask in the home for those who prefer. Due to safety precautions, Father will keep the visit short - offer the blessing and leave (approx.. 15 minutes) and would prefer not to be served any food and drink.

STEWARDSHIP PLEDGE: If you haven’t already done so, we encourage you to submit your 2022 Stewardship Pledge card today, indicating the time, talent and treasure that you will offer as a member of the Church, the Body of Christ on earth. You ae not considered a member in good standing at the parish, unless this card is completed each year. Stewardship Pledge cards we sent out to home, and are available at the Pangari or the church office.

Parishioners can also complete the 2022 Stewardship Pledge Card online from our website, or at this direct link: https://form.jotform.com/220062911610138

SPANAKOPITAS AVAILABLE: There are still frozen, unbaked spanakopitas on sale by our Philoptochos. Price is $30 for ½ sheet pan. If you would like to purchase, contact the church office or Carol Bozadzis.

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:

Baptism: 1/29/22 CHRISTINA ANDREEA BURNEA, Parents: Sorin and Roxana Burnea; Godparents: Daniel and Andreea Bud

Chrismation: 1/29/22 LUCIAN VASILI BURNEA, Parents: Sorin and Roxana Burnea; Godparents: Daniel and Andreea Bud

Congratulations!

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

"But whosoever shall do and teach," said He, "shall be called great." For not to ourselves alone, should we be profitable, but to others also; since neither is the reward as great for him who guides himself aright, as for one who with himself adds also another.

St. John Chrysostom

Homilies 15 and 16 on Matthew 5, 4th Century

Since he who cannot teach himself, yet attempts to set others right, will have many to ridicule him. Or rather such a one will have no power to teach at all, his actions uttering their voice against him.