Calendar

Parish Calendar

March 18 to April 22, 2024

Monday, March 18

+Strict Fast - Great Lent

Sunday, April 14

Sunday of St. John Climacus

8:15AM Orthros

9:30AM Divine Liturgy

10:45AM Parish Oratorical Festival (No Church School)

11:45AM Philoptochos Meeting

5:00PM Lenten Vespers @ St. Mary's GOC

Monday, April 15

6:00PM Compline

7:00PM Catechism #12 - Orthodoxy in America, Jurisdictions, Missions

Tuesday, April 16

6:00PM Choir Practice

6:30PM Parish Council Meeting

Wednesday, April 17

1:30PM Online Daytime Bible Study (via Zoom only)

5:30PM Ninth Hour

6:00PM Presanctified Liturgy

7:30PM Q&A on Prayer, Fasting, & Almsgiving

Friday, April 19

6:00PM Akathist Hymn

7:00PM Lenten Meal & Lecture

Saturday, April 20

9:30AM Divine Liturgy in Eau Claire, WI

Sunday, April 21

Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt

8:15AM Orthros

9:30AM Divine Liturgy

10:45AM Church School

11:45AM Church School Teachers Meeting

4:30PM Missions & Benevolence Meal at FOCUS MN

5:00PM Lenten Vespers @ St. Stephen Romanian Orthodox Church

Monday, April 22

+Apostle Nathanael
Ministries Calendar

May 3 to May 8, 2024

Friday, May 3

11:00AM HOLY FRIDAY RETREAT

Wednesday, May 8

6:00PM Greek School

Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the 4th Tone

The joyful news of your resurrection was proclaimed by the angel to the women disciples. Having thrown off the curse that fell on Adam, they ran elatedly to tell the apostles: Death has been vanquished; Christ our God is risen from the dead, blessing all the world with his great mercy.

Apolytikion for Sun. of St. John Climacus in the Plagal 4th Tone

With the rivers of your tears, you have made the barren desert fertile. Through sighs of sorrow from deep within you, your labors have borne fruit a hundred-fold. By your miracles you have become a light, shining upon the world. O John, our Holy Father, pray to Christ our God, to save our souls.

Apolytikion for St. George in the 4th Tone

As the deliverer of captives, and the protector of the poor, a physician of the sick, the defender of kings, O Great Martyr Saint George Victorious; intercede to Christ our God, to save our souls.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Plagal 4th Tone

Victorious Lady, mighty champion, defending us, we, your servants, now inscribe to you this hymn of thanks, for you rescued us from suff'ring and tribulation. Theotokos, with your power that can never fail, keep us safe from ev'ry danger our whole life long, that we may cry to you: Rejoice, O Bride unwedded.

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Sunday of St. John Climacus
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."

Announcements

Greeters

Bill Clemons & Misael Jordan

Prosfora

Annonymous

40-Day Blessing

Run Morillo and baby Raymond

Fellowship Hour

Thank you to the Canas Family for hosting this Sunday!

Oratorical Festival Logistics

To our Oratorical Festival Participants, please dismiss from the church immediately following Holy Communion to prepare for the festival. The festival will begin immediately following Divine Liturgy. There is no Church School today. Our entire church family is invited and encouraged to stay after Liturgy for the festival.

Philoptochos Meeting

Want to experience the joy of giving back while gaining a community that uplifts and supports you in return? Join us at our meeting today following Fellowship Hour.

Mother's Day Card Fundraiser

Celebrate the remarkable women in your life! Our Mother's Day Card Fundraiser starts today. It's a wonderful opportunity to show your appreciation while also supporting the mission of Philoptochos!

Lenten Pantry Drive

Almsgiving made easy this Lenten season. Consider donating some shelf-stable food items to Focus MN's Second Helping Food Pantry. We will be collecting Pasta Sauce, Canned Meals (SpaghettiOs, tuna, chili) Canned Fruits, Peanut Butter/Jelly and Cereal. Please drop off items in the collection box in the parking lot vestibule. Blessed Lent!

Daughters of Penelope Call for Donations

The Daughters have selected the Women's Advocate emergency shelter as the local beneficiaries for their fundraising efforts. They will be collecting donations today after Liturgy. Please consider donating some of the following items: adult size leggings, adult size backpacks, clorox wipes, body wash or bar soap, tissues.

Lenten Lectures

April 19 - Fr. Perry - Sharing the Faith through Social Media

Also, join us this Wednesday, immediately following Presanctified Liturgy, for our final Q&A pertaining to Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving.

Join us on the Saturday of Lazaros!

On April 27th, starting after services, there will be palm cross making, a potluck, and cleaning & decorating of the Church in preparation for Holy Week and Pascha.

Philoptochos Afternoon Tea

Mark your calendars! Philoptochos will be hosting an Afternoon Tea on Saturday, May 11th. We warmly invite you to join us for an enjoyable afternoon filled with tea, laughter, and fellowship!

2024 Stewardship Program

Goal

$64,215 of $275,000 (through March)

At the Fall Parish Assembly, we approved the 2024 Stewardship Goal of $275,000. We have hit this mark in the last couple of years, and we truly believe that with everyone’s support, we will hit that mark again. Now is the time to submit your 2024 pledge. Pledge Cards are at the candle stand, or click the link below to complete the form online. Thank you for your support of the work of the Church.

2024 Theme

"Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant,” from the Parable of the Talents. We are all blessed with certain gifts. This parable stresses the importance of developing our gifts, multiplying them, and offering them back in service to God.

Make Your 2024 Pledge Online

https://forms.gle/TAvAZUNCBrcRHX1KA

Make a Stewardship Donation Online

https://www.stgeorgegoc.org/give

AHEPA Pappas Academic Scholarship

Qualified applicants are to be parishioner’s children in good standing or members of St. George Greek Orthodox Church of St Paul, MN, and have been accepted or are currently enrolled in an accredited Undergraduate College or University four-year program and have a GPA 2.75 or higher. The award for this scholarship is $1,250 in a single academic calendar year. Recipients may reapply for this scholarship in subsequent years. The deadline for the application is June 15th. We will select the award winner before the fall session of the next school year. For more details or an application, please reach out to Frank Mortari, Dino Contolatis, or Dean Natto.

Join us for an Online Greek Language Learning Series

Who: The program is designed with an adult audience in mind. Teens welcome. All levels are welcome.
When: Sundays: 4/14, 4/21, 4/28, 5/12, 5/19, 6/2.
Time: 6pm (Part 1): A focus on learning the alphabet, & learning to read.
6:45pm (Part 2): A focus on conversational Greek, grammar, & vocabulary useful in various social settings (shopping, eating out, etc.)
[Learners may join both parts or choose one]

Parish Assembly - June 09

Join us on Sunday, June 09, immediately following Divine Liturgy, in the hall for a Parish Assembly meeting in person and on Zoom. https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84290595046?pwd=4rGTfXamOeOqs3iI2xrbpJ93VV0nbR.1

Fellowship Hour

Please host an upcoming coffee hour! Individuals, families, or even groups can sign up to host or co-host! Use this URL to sign up for Coffee Hour!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4CA5AD2BABFF2-46964197-fellowship#/

Silent Auction

Remember to check out the Silent Auction in the Social Hall. Proceeds support our Missions and Benevolence ministry. New items are added regularly. If you would like to donate items that are new with tags or something else valuable, such as theater/sports tickets, please contact Angela Mortari at apanoskaltsis@gmail.com or text 651-280-7123.

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Fr. Perry's Corner

If you have yet to see our parish's 75th Anniversary Video on YouTube, you should check it out. It is an inspiring glimpse into the life of our parish over the past 75-plus years. After watching it, one is left with immense gratitude to God and our people for their hard work to keep this lighthouse of Christ shining and our community strong all these years. Here is a beautiful quote that closes the video:

"In celebrating our 75th year, we remember that stone, bricks, steel, and mortar may make a church building, but they do not make up a church community. People do. Our community strength is not reflected in our edifices, but rather in our common faith in God, the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And we thank God the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, for the innumerable blessings He has bestowed on our parish community and each of our members for these 75 years. We ask the Virgin Mary, Theotokos, and our patron Saint George, the great martyr and trophy bearer, to continue their intercession on our behalf and to protect and strengthen our community for the decades ahead. May God's Holy Spirit come and dwell within us and inspire us to preach the gospel to teach the commandments of God, and to heal the brokenhearted."

Link to the video: https://youtu.be/87U6CJf4j-U?feature=shared

I would also like to compliment our Greek School for all of the festivities of Greek Independence Day, especially for the play they presented--The "Krifo Scholio" (the Underground School). The play gave us a glimpse of the Underground School that the Church organized during the Ottoman Occupation. The play was an inspiring reminder of the importance of sharing the faith, standing firm against tyranny, and education. We thank God for the many men and women who have stood on the front lines against tyranny in nations worldwide. This play highlighted the work done behind the scenes to ensure that no tyranny will snuff out the light of Christ in the people's hearts.

May we live up to this remarkable witness. May we continue to stand firmly, and with the other-worldly peace of Christ in our hearts, against tyranny, no matter the form, whether of the state or the ever-present tyranny of sin, the passions, and death. As they say, freedom is not free; it comes at a cost. May we continue to learn and share Christ's generous, self-sacrificial love, always doing our part to rise to the occasion in our walk of faith.

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

Welcome Visitors!

Thank you for joining us in worship. Whether you are an Orthodox Christian or this is your first visit to an Orthodox Church, we are pleased to have you with us! Although Holy Communion is offered only to baptized and chrismated Orthodox Christians, all are invited to receive the Antidoron (blessed bread) at the end of the service. The Antidoron and fellowship hour are reminiscent of the Agape Feast that followed worship in the early Church.

One does not have to be of Greek descent nor speak Greek to be an Orthodox Christian and member of our parish. All people of any background are welcome to join the Orthodox Church. For those interested in learning more about the Christian Faith or becoming a member of our church, please see Fr. Perry after services or contact him at frperry@stgeorgegoc.org or (651) 222-6220.

We hope you will join us in our hall upstairs this morning after services for fellowship and refreshments!

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Prosfora (Offering Bread)

Thank you to those who make the prosfora/offering bread for Liturgy. If you would like to sign up to bake and make an offering of bread to the church, please get in touch with Krisandrea at krisandreambr@icloud.com.

“Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” John 6:27

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Content for the Bulletin

All content for the bulletin (flyers, blurbs, calendar events, etc.) is due Wednesday each week. Content submitted after Wednesday will be included in the bulletin for the following week.

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Parish Email List Sign-Up

Text Message Reminders - Sign Up for Youth & Family Events!

We have some AWESOME Youth & Family events coming up, and you don't want to miss out. Join our text message system Remind to stay up to date with all of our communications. Join by clicking https://www.remind.com/join/stgyandf or

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Please Note

St. George GOC broadcasts its worship services live on the internet. Your presence in the church is subject to audio and video recording.

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Saints and Feasts

April 14

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.

April 14

Aristarchus, Pudens, Trophimus the Apostles of the 70

Saint Aristarchus is mentioned in the Epistle to the Colossians (4:10), and also in the Epistle to Philemon (v. 24). By his ascetical manner of life, this Saint proved to be another Saint John the Baptist. He became Bishop of Apamea in Syria, and brought many to the Faith of Christ. Saints Pudens and Trophimus are mentioned in II Timothy 4:20-21. Also, Acts 21:29 mentions that Trophimus was from Ephesus. According to sources that Saint Dorotheus of Tyre (celebrated on June 5) found written in Latin in Rome, these Apostles were beheaded in Rome during the reign of Nero (54-68).

April 16

Agape, Chionia, and Irene, the Holy Martyrs

When the Emperor Diocletian was at Aquileia, he learned that these Saints were Christians, and had them brought before him. Because they would not deny Christ, he had them imprisoned, and when he went into Macedonia, he committed them to Dulcitius the Prefect, who, however, lost his understanding and became incapable of doing them any harm. Diocletian then gave Count Sisinius charge over them. He had Saints Agape and Chionia burned; he ordered that Saint Irene be put in a brothel, but by the providence of God this was not accomplished, and she was shot with an arrow. These holy sisters suffered martyrdom in Thessalonica in the year 295.