Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Plagal Second Mode

When the angelic powers appeared at Your grave, the soldiers guarding it feared and became as dead. And standing by the sepulcher was Mary who was seeking Your immaculate body. You devastated Hades, not afflicted by it. You went to meet the virgin, and granted eternal life. You resurrected from the dead. O Lord, glory to You.

Apolytikion for Holy Ascension in the Fourth Mode

You ascended in glory, O Christ our God, after You filled the Disciples with joy, by promising to send them the Holy Spirit, and You blessed them and established their faith, that You are the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world.

Apolytikion for Fathers of the 1st Council in the Plagal Fourth Mode

Supremely blessed are You, O Christ our God. You established the holy Fathers upon the earth as beacons, and through them You have guided us all to the true Faith, O greatly merciful One, glory be to You.

Apolytikion for the Church in the Fourth Mode

Liberator of captives, defender of the poor, physician of the sick and champion of kings, O trophy-bearer Great Martyr George, intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Plagal Second Mode

When You had fulfilled the dispensation for our sake, * and united things on earth with the things in heaven, * You were taken up thither in glory, O Christ our God, * going not away from any place, * but continuing inseparable, * and to them that love You crying out: * "I am with you, and there is, therefore, none against you."

Saints and Feasts

May 31

Fathers of the 1st Council

The heresiarch Arius was a Libyan by race and a protopresbyter of the Church of Alexandria. In 315, he began to blaspheme against the Son and Word of God, saying that He is not true God, consubstantial with the Father, but is rather a work and creation, alien to the essence and glory of the Father, and that there was a time when He was not. This frightful blasphemy shook the faithful of Alexandria. Alexander, his Archbishop, after trying in vain to correct him through admonitions, cut him off from communion and finally in a local council deposed him in the year 321. Yet neither did the blasphemer wish to be corrected, nor did he cease sowing the deadly tares of his heretical teachings; but writing to the bishops of other cities, Arius and his followers requested that his doctrine be examined, and if it were unsound, that the correct teaching be declared to him. By this means, his heresy became universally known and won many supporters, so that the whole Church was soon in an uproar.

Therefore, moved by divine zeal, the first Christian Sovereign, Saint Constantine the Great, the equal to the Apostles, summoned the renowned First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, a city of Bithynia. It was there that the shepherds and teachers of the Church of Christ gathered from all regions in the year 325. All of them, with one mouth and one voice, declared that the Son and Word of God is one in essence with the Father, true God of true God, and they composed the holy Symbol of Faith up to the seventh article (since the remainder, beginning with "And in the Holy Spirit," was completed by the Second Ecumenical Council). Thus they anathematized the impious Arius of evil belief and those of like mind with him, and cut them off as rotten members from the whole body of the faithful.

Therefore, recognizing the divine Fathers as heralds of the Faith after the divine Apostles, the Church of Christ has appointed this present Sunday for their annual commemoration, in thanksgiving and unto the glory of God, unto their praise and honour, and unto the strengthening of the true Faith.

May 31

Hermias the Martyr at Comana

According to some, this Martyr strove in contest during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, also called Antoninus (161-180); according to others, it was in the reign of Antoninus Pius (138-161). Already an old man, the Saint was brought before Sebastian, Proconsul in Comana of Cappadocia, and because he would not renounce his confession of Christ, his tormentors showing no reverence to his grey hairs, broke his jaw, tore the flesh from his face, pierced his eyes with a sharp instrument, subjected him to many other torments, and finally, after three days of such torture, beheaded him.

June 01

Justin the Philosopher and Martyr and his Companions

This Saint, who was from Neapolis of Palestine, was a follower of Plato the philosopher. Born in 103, he came to the Faith of Christ when he was already a mature man, seeking to find God through philosophy and human reasoning. A venerable elder appeared to him and spoke to him about the Prophets who had taught of God not through their own wisdom, but by revelation; and he led him to knowledge of Christ, Who is the fulfillment of what the Prophets taught. Saint Justin soon became a fervent follower of Christ, and an illustrious apologist of the Evangelical teachings. To the end of his life, while preaching Christ in all parts, he never put off his philosopher's garb. In Rome, he gave the Emperor Antoninus Pius (reigned 138-161) an apology wherein he proved the innocence and holiness of the Christian Faith, persuading him to relieve the persecution of Christians. Through the machinations of Crescens, a Cynic philosopher who envied him, Saint Justin was beheaded in Rome in 167 under Antoninus' successor, Marcus Aurelius (reigned 161-180). Besides his defense of Christianity (First and Second Apologies), Saint Justin wrote against paganism (Discourse to the Greeks, Hortatory Address to the Greeks), and refuted Jewish objections against Christ (Dialogue with Trypho).

June 02

Nicephorus the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople

Saint Nicephorus was born in Constantinople about the year 758, of pious parents; his father Theodore endured exile and tribulation for the holy icons during the reign of Constantine Copronymus (741-775). Nicephorus served in the imperial palace as a secretary. Later, he took up the monastic life, and struggled in asceticism not far from the imperial city; he also founded monasteries on the eastern shore of the Bosphorus, among them one dedicated to the Great Martyr Theodore.

After the repose of the holy Patriarch Tarasius, he was ordained Patriarch, on April 12, 806, and in this high office led the Orthodox resistance to the Iconoclasts' war on piety, which was stirred up by Leo the Armenian. Because Nicephorus championed the veneration of the icons, Leo drove Nicephorus from his throne on March 13, 815, exiling him from one place to another, and lastly to the Monastery of Saint Theodore which Nicephorus himself had founded. It was here that, after glorifying God for nine years as Patriarch, and then for thirteen years as an exile, tormented and afflicted, he gave up his blameless soul in 828 at about the age of seventy. See also March 8.

June 03

Lucillian of Byzantium, 4 martyred Youths and Paula the Virgin

Formerly a priest of the idols near Nicomedia, the Saint came to the Christian Faith in his old age; this was during the reign of Aurelian (270-275). Lucillian was brought before Silvan the Count; when he refused to return to the service of the idols, his jaw was broken, he was beaten with rods, and hanged upside down, then imprisoned with four Christian children, Claudius, Hypatius, Paul, and Dionysius. All of them were brought out again before Silvan, and remaining constant in their faith, were cast into a raging furnace. Preserved unharmed, they were sent to Byzantium, where the children were beheaded, and Lucillian was crucified. The virgin Paula, a Christian, buried their holy relics. For this, she was taken before the Count, and refusing to sacrifice to the idols, was stripped naked and mercilessly thrashed; after other torments, she was beheaded, in 270. There was a church in their honor in Constantinople.

June 04

Our Father Metrophanes, Archbishop of Constantinople

Saint Metrophanes was born of pagan parents, but believed in Christ at a young age, and came to Byzantium. He lived at the end of the persecution of the Roman Emperors, and became the Bishop of Byzantium from about 315 to 325, during which time Saint Constantine the Great made it the capital of the Roman Empire, calling it New Rome. Saint Metrophanes sent his delegate, the priest Alexander, to the First Ecumenical Council in 325, since he could not attend because of old age. He reposed the same year and was buried by Saint James of Nisibis (celebrated Jan. 13), one of the Fathers present at the First Ecumenical Council. The Canons to the Trinity of the Octoechos are not the work of this Metrophanes but another, who was Bishop of Smyrna about the middle of the ninth century, during the life of Saint Photius the Great.

June 04

Mary & Martha, the sisters of Lazarus

The Holy Myrrh-bearers Mary and Martha, together with their brother Lazarus, were especially devoted to our Savior, as we see from the accounts given in the tenth chapter of Saint Luke, and in the eleventh and twelfth chapters of Saint John. They reposed in Cyprus, where their brother became the first Bishop of Kition after his resurrection from the dead. See also the accounts on Lazarus Saturday and the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women.

June 05

The Holy Hieromartyr Dorotheus, Bishop of Tyre

Saint Dorotheus became Bishop of Tyre in Phoenicia about the end of the third century. During the persecution of Diocletian and Maximian, about the year 303, he fled to Odyssopolis in Thrace to preserve his life, and after the death of the tyrants he returned to Tyre. He lived until the reign of Julian the Apostate (361-363), from whose persecution he again fled to Odyssopolis (or, according to Theophylact of Bulgaria, Edessa), but was found by Julian's men and slain in great torments, at the age of 107, in 361. He was very learned, and has left behind writings in both Latin and Greek relating the lives of the holy Prophets, Apostles, and other Saints.

June 06

Hilarion the New of Dalmation Monastery

Saint Hilarion, the fervent zealot for the veneration of the holy icons, was born in 775 and had Cappadocia as his homeland. About 806-811 he became Abbot of the Monastery of Dalmatus (see May 30), but was exiled by the Emperor Leo the Armenian, and later again by Theophilus; he was set free by the pious Empress Theodora, and again became Abbot of the Monastery of Dalmatus from 843 to 845, until the time of his repose.

Ecclesiastical Feast

For the Sunday of the Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Council.

For Hermias the Martyr at Comana, Eusebius and Haralambos the Monk-martyrs, and Eustathios, Patriarch of Constantinople.

Upcoming Church Services

You can watch the Services via live stream at

https://www.youtube.com/c/franthonyc-stgeorgesouthgate

Saturday, June 6

Saturday of Souls

9 & 10 am - Orthros/Liturgy

5:00 pm - Great Vespers

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Matins Gospel Reading

Tenth Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from John 21:1-14

At that time, being raised from the dead, Jesus revealed himself to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any fish?" They answered him, "No." He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish. The disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and sprang into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.

When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Fourth Mode. Daniel 3.26,27.
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers.
Verse: For you are just in all you have done.

The reading is from Acts of the Apostles 20:16-18, 28-36.

IN THOSE DAYS, Paul had decided to sail past Ephesos, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. And from Miletos he sent to Ephesos and called to him the elders of the church. And when they came to him, he said to them: "Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities, and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by so toiling one must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, 'it is more blessed to give than to receive.' " And when he had spoken thus, he knelt down and prayed with them all.

Gospel Reading

Fathers of the 1st Council
The Reading is from John 17:1-13

At that time, Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work which you gave me to do; and now, Father, you glorify me in your own presence with the glory which I had with you before the world was made.

"I have manifested your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world; yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you; for I have given them the words which you gave me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you did send me. I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are mine; all mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me; I have guarded them, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves."

Wisdom of the Fathers

"We try to stand before God with the whole of our being. Invocation of the Name of God the Savior, uttered in the fear of God, together with a constant effort to live in accordance with the commandments, little by little leads to a blessed fusion of all our powers. We must never seek to hurry in our ascetic striving. It is essential to discard any idea of achieving the maximum in the shortest possible time. God does not force us, but neither can we compel Him to anything whatsoever. Results obtained by artificial means do not last long and, more importantly, do not unite our spirit with the Spirit of the Living God."

Elder Sophrony of Essex

Prayer List / Visitation

Please remember in your prayers the following:

Peter, Kyriaki and family, Gus & Maria Grias, Marianthi Pappas, Virginia Sikavitsas, Lillian Constantakis, Nick, Bobbie, & Aleko Tsahtsiris, Bobby Cotton, Vicki Anastasiou, Foula Kotsou, Penelope Kakaris, Koula Stathis, Ari Gaitanis, Marina Kandrevas, Garefo Kollias, Andrew, Jennifer, Nicholas, Gary, George, Nicoletta, Maria

If you would like the Church to pray for you, please contact the Church office to add your name, of the names of your loved ones, to the Prayer List.

It is important to care for the elderly and those whose immune systems are compromised for other reasons among us - ensuring that they have all that they need, and that we check in with them frequently, must be our highest responsibility in this time. Please be attentive to those in the parish who have smaller families or whose families live farther away. Please be proactive to care for them yourselves, and to inform Fr. Anthony or the Church office so that we can add our efforts to yours.

SPECIAL PRAYERS

Besides our local ongoing service live streams (and those of countless other churches around the world) there are two ongoing efforts at united prayer by ALL the Faithful. Locally, our Faithful are urged to join together in singing the Troparion of the Holy Cross (Σῶσον Κύριε…) each evening at 6 pm. Around the world, the monastic Fathers of Mount Athos invite all the Orthodox Faithful to join in praying “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on Your world” between 10 and 10:15 pm each day.

Announcements

From Fr. Anthony

The church office will remain closed until further notice. However, Susan or Susie may be present during regular office hours to answer calls or return messages - however, they will not be able to let anyone into the building. Please note that Susan has 24/7 access to our office email at stgeorgesouthgate@gmail.com and will check the answering machine regularly. The church office phone number is 734-283-8820. In emergency situations, please call Fr. Anthony directly at 734-716-2268.

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Due to COVID-19, all social events are cancelled.

We are continuing with our scheduled services of services, although the doors will be closed and only the priest and chanter are able to be present. See the schedule under "Upcoming Church Services" or check our website for times. All these services can be viewed on the parish live stream at:

https://www.youtube.com/c/franthonyc-stgeorgesouthgate

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Saturday of Souls on June 6

As we remain in lockdown for this coming Saturday of Souls on June 6, we are unable to do the normal memorial services with Kollyva. Fr. Anthony will instead do a Trisagion Service following the Saturday Liturgy that day, and he will remember the names of all those that have fallen asleep in the hope of the Resurrection since he arrived at St. George. If you have additional names that you would like to have commemorated at this service, please submit them at the following link, or send them by mail to the Church. Please pass this message on to those who do not have email so that they can submit their names by mail.

https://giving.parishsoft.com/App/Form/386d5ce0-a634-45e9-923b-03d58137967b

Orthodox Life (Bible Study)

This Tuesday, June 2, Orthodox Life will be held virtually from 6:00-7:00 pm. Please install the ZOOM app on your phones or computers. See the information at the end of the announcements on how to participate in a ZOOM session.

Greek School

Our last Greek School classes end this Tuesday, virtually, from 5:30-7:30 pm.

Graduation Celebration

Normally we celebrate the completion of the school year and the graduation of the high school and college seniors with Graduation Exercises in the Church, and a picnic afterward. As we are unable to do that this year, we are instead planning the following.

On Sunday, June 14, we will have a “Graduation Parade” in the parking lot at 12 noon. Sunday School families are invited to drive to the Church, and perhaps to decorate their vehicles. The young people may bring noisemakers if they wish, or may simply plan to roll the windows down and greet one another from a distance as we circle the parking lot a few times.

After the Parade, we will be offering, at NO CHARGE, a light take-out meal of a “bratwurst dog,” chips, bottled water, and a brownie at the Grecian Center Bar Door. It is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY that everyone who wants a meal make a reservation in advance, no later than Wednesday, June 10. Please use the following link to make your reservations.

https://giving.parishsoft.com/App/Form/1062f8a9-d22b-4d34-b018-45991011c251

The Parade and meal are available at no charge to all our Faithful - please take this opportunity to join us as we celebrate our young people and provide for them a memorable send-off from this unprecedented school year.

Online Giving

We have set up an option for online donations from either a credit card or directly from your bank account on the Church website. The direct link is included here: https://giving.parishsoft.com/app/giving/st1630219. That said - we know that these same uncertainties face all of us. Please do not feel an obligation to support the Church if your regular income has been disrupted - we all have a primary responsibility to care for those whom God has entrusted to our care. But if you are still working, either as an essential employee, or from home, please consider giving some additional support to the Church in this time. And if you have your regular Sunday offering envelopes set aside from the last several weeks, please consider sending those to the Church in the mail. On a related note - if you, or anyone you know, are facing challenges at this time, whether financial or practical, please do not hesitate to contact Fr. Anthony. There are several volunteers from the parish ready and waiting to lend a hand should one be needed.

Communion

We can no longer distribute Holy Communion, either during a pastoral visit, or at the Church. All pastoral visits are prohibited outside of dire emergencies. In these circumstances, we urge all our Faithful to begin a discipline of prayer within the home, either by participating in the Live Streams, or (even better) by beginning or increasing their family rule of prayer in the home. As we are kept away from the Church for this time, we have the opportunity to make each of our homes into a Church, and turn these difficult circumstances into an opportunity to draw closer to the Lord and to one another. You can find texts for Services that can be done without a priest at all times of the day at http://www.agesinitiatives.com/dcs/public/dcs/dcs.html. It is possible to do any service except the Divine Liturgy and other sacraments without a priest - you simply say “Lord, have mercy” three times every time there is a set of petitions, and say “Through the Prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us and save us” every time there is a prayer or exclamation by the Priest. If you have questions regarding how to do Readers’ Services - please call or email Fr. Anthony. I would love to help you all develop this beautiful practice in your homes!

Subscriptions

In this time of lockdown, we have limited ways of keeping in touch with all of you. If you know of anyone who is not on the Listserv list, please provide their email address to Susan or Fr. Anthony, or urge them to do so. If you use Facebook, please like and begin to follow our parish page (https://www.facebook.com/StGeorgeGOCSouthgate/). You can also befriend Fr. Anthony on Facebook, if you wish, to keep touch with him more easily through this time (https://www.facebook.com/franthonyc). Finally, we urge you all to subscribe to our Youtube channel, so that you may receive notifications every time we begin a Live Stream. The channel may be found at https://www.youtube.com/c/franthonyc-stgeorgesouthgate.

Prayer/Candle Requests (new form available)

If you would like for us to light a candle in the Church in prayer for you and your family, please use the folowing Google Form: Prayer/Candle Requests: https://giving.parishsoft.com/App/Form/386d5ce0-a634-45e9-923b-03d58137967b

You can pay by credit card or send a check in the mail to the Church.

Memorial Services

Although we will not have memorial services with koliva, you can still submit the names of your departed loved ones for the priest to read during the Sunday Divine Liturgies. You can also make arrangements for private memorial services at the cemetery with only the priest and immediate family.

Appointments

All appointments will be held via phone or video-conference. You may make an appointment for confession by contacting Fr. Anthony by email (franthonyc@mac.com) or phone (734.716.2268).

Grecian Center

The Grecian Center remains closed, but staff may be present during regular office hours to answer calls or return messages. Any visits to the facility are by appointment only.

Parishioner Restaurants List

In these extraordinary times, we know that those Faithful who own or operate restaurants are in need of our support - and carry-out/food delivery is one way in which we are able to give that support. Fr. Anthony would like all parishioner business-owners to send him the information for how orders can be placed, so that we can provide a single space for all of our Faithful to access menus and place orders. Please see a list of parishioner owned restaurants at the end of announcements.

Church Beautification

We know these times are very difficult but as we also know that they will not last forever, we will continue to include the announcement below in the hope of better days to come.

Since we began to raise funds for Church Beautification last summer, we have found donors for almost all of the items, including the new Epitaphios, the new Kouvouklion, and the white, gold, and purple Kalimata for the Holy Table and the Proskynitaria. The only color remaining is Green, used on several high occasions throughout the Church year, including feasts of the Forerunner, Palm Sunday, and Pentecost. The Green set will cost $2,435. If you are interested in donating this item, please contact the Church office or speak with Fr. Anthony.

Basic Information for St. George "Shelter in Place"

Church Website: http://stgeorge.mi.goarch.org

Online Giving: https://giving.parishsoft.com/app/giving/st1630219

Church LiveStream: https://www.youtube.com/c/franthonyc-stgeorgesouthgate

Service Texts: http://www.agesinitiatives.com/dcs/public/dcs/dcs.html

Prayer/Candle Requests: https://giving.parishsoft.com/App/Form/386d5ce0-a634-45e9-923b-03d58137967b

Parish Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/StGeorgeGOCSouthgate/

Fr. Anthony Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/franthonyc

Fr. Anthony Cell Phone: 734-716-2268

Archdiocese Resources/Activities/Lessons/Crafts for this Sunday: https://www.goarch.org/-/religious-ed-at-home-week-3?inheritRedirect=true

PARISH ZOOM INFORMATION

Zoom Meeting Join: https://zoom.us/j/9419524282