Welcome to our Parish

Welcome to St. John Chrysostome Greek Orthodox Church

We are a thriving community of 65 families, working to share the Orthodox Faith with the South Florida area. We try to balance our lives with both corporate and personal prayer, philanthropic works to our greater community and common meals together. Our goal is the progression towards the kingdom of God in this life, in loving our fellow man and seeing Christ in the person sitting next to us.

We are pleased that you have joined us today for worship. To receive Communion in the Orthodox Church, one must be Baptized and/or Chrismated in the Orthodox Faith. The Orthodox Church understands Holy Communion as the sign of unity. If you are interested in learning more about the Orthodox Faith, please contact Father Andrew. Whether you are an Orthodox Christian or not, please come forward at the dismissal to receive the blessed bread which is offered to everyone as you leave. May Christ's blessings be with all of you.

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Following directives from the Ecumenical Partiarchate and the Archdiocese and our Metropolitan

HERE IN HOBE SOUND, AT ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM,

FATHER ANDREW WILL CONTINUE TO DO THE SERVICES BUT NOT IN THE PRESENCE OF PARISHIONERS. YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO STAY HOME AND LIMIT YOUR MOVEMENTS AND CONTACT WITH OTHER PEOPLE.

We will conduct All the services of Holy Week with the exception of Holy Unction. We will conduct the Orthros for that day, instead. We will not distribute Palms, Untion, Holy Cmmunion (except to those who chant and the person helping Father Andrew in the Altar). there will be no distribution of flowers on Holy Friday because the Kouvouklion will Not be decorated. There will be NO distribution of the light to anyone, not even those helping Father Andrew. These instructions are from the Holy Eparchy Synod of Bishops of our Archdiose and our local bishop, Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta.

We realize that these guidelines are very difficult, but they are in place to keep EVERYONE safe and healthy. I am sure that we will be dizzy with joy one the sheltering at home ends and we can be together again in worship. May our Good God keep us safe and healthy so we may all see that day in the near future.

Just as you all miss worshipping at church an miss each other, I also miss ALL of you, wspecially when I turn aroudn to bless and no one is there. May God continue to grant us patience and love.

+FATHER ANDREW MAHALARES

Saints and Feasts

April 12

Palm Sunday

On Sunday, five days before the Passover of the Law, the Lord came from Bethany to Jerusalem. Sending two of His disciples to bring Him a foal of an ass, He sat thereon and entered into the city. When the multitude there heard that Jesus was coming, they straightway took up the branches of palm trees in their hands, and went forth to meet Him. Others spread their garments on the ground, and yet others cut branches from the trees and strewed them in the way that Jesus was to pass; and all of them together, especially the children, went before and after Him, crying out: "Hosanna: Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord, the King of Israel" (John 12:13). This is the radiant and glorious festival of our Lord's entry into Jerusalem that we celebrate today.

The branches of the palm trees symbolize Christ's victory over the devil and death. The word Hosanna means "Save, I pray," or "Save, now." The foal of an ass, and Jesus' sitting thereon, and the fact that this animal was untamed and considered unclean according to the Law, signified the former uncleanness and wildness of the nations, and their subjection thereafter to the holy Law of the Gospel.

Hymns of the Day

Apolytikion for Palm Sunday in the First Mode

In confirming the common Resurrection, O Christ God, Thou didst raise up Lazarus from the dead before Thy Passion. Wherefore, we also, like the children, bearing the symbols of victory, cry to Thee, the Vanquisher of death: Hosanna in the highest; blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord.

Apolytikion for Palm Sunday in the Fourth Mode

As by baptism we were buried with Thee, O Christ our God, so by Thy Resurrection we were deemed worthy of immortal life; and praising Thee, we cry: Hosanna in the highest; blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Plagal Second Mode

In Heaven, He is seated upon a Throne and on earth He rides upon a foal. O Christ our God, accept the praise of the Angels and the hymn of the Children who cry out to You, "Blessed are You who comes to recall Adam."

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Matins Gospel Reading

Palm Sunday
The Reading is from Matthew 21:1-11; 15-17

At that time, when Jesus drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If any one says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and he will send them immediately." This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

"Tell the daughter of Zion,
Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their garments on them, and he sat thereon. Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" And when he entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, "Who is this?" And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee." But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant; and they said to him, "Do you hear what they are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read,

'Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings,
you have brought perfect praise'?"

And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Fourth Mode. Psalm 117.26,1.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Verse: Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His mercy endures forever.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Philippians 4:4-9.

BRETHREN, rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.

Gospel Reading

Palm Sunday
The Reading is from John 12:1-18

Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazaros was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; Martha served, and Lazaros was one of those at table with him. Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" This he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box he used to take what was put into it. Jesus said, "Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me."

When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came, not only on account of Jesus but also to see Lazaros, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazaros also to death, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

The next day a great crowd who had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" And Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it; as it is written, "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!" His disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that this had been written of him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazaros out of the tomb and raised him from the dead bore witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.

Wisdom of the Fathers

But observe the wisdom of the Evangelist, how he is not ashamed to parade their former ignorance. That it was written they knew, that it was written of Him they knew not. For it would have offended them if He being a King were about to suffer such things, and be so betrayed.

St. John Chrysostom

Homily 66 on John 12, 2. B#58, p.245., 4th Century

Besides, they could not at once have taken in the knowledge of the Kingdom of which He spake; for another Evangelist saith, that they thought the words were spoken of a kingdom of this world. (Matt. xx. 21.)

St. John Chrysostom

Homily 66 on John 12, 2. B#58, p.245., 4th Century

St John's Prayer Circle

Please pray for our brothers and sisters in our Community and their families, and all those who are in need of our prayers.

William, Harry, Mirsini, Peter, Helen, Eleni, Becky, Mary D’Jay, Presbytera Helen, Fr. Constantine, Fr. Demetri Tsigas (Melbourne Priest), SAVAS, Kosta, Demetrios, Mary, Evangelia, Kyriakos (Charley), Danny, Peter, Kay, Linda, Chris, Diana, Tom and Family, Nick K, Maggie, Helen, Gena Mildner, Joanna, Constantina, Mimi, Virginia, Apostolos, Sophie, Joshua, Despina, Thomas, Jan, Aristides, Lucas, Baby Paul, Leona, Mary, Toula, Eleni, Phylitsa, George Edward, Efrosini, George, Stella, Phyllis, Irene, Georgia, Marcia, Sheila and Maureen, Laura, Sophia.

Liturgical Services

APRIL SCHEDULE OF SERVICES AND ACTIVITIIES

***The Services listed below are now private, NOT public until further notice. Just the priest and chanters. You might want to consider them cancelled for yourselves.***

APRIL

11th Sat., Saturday of Lazarus, Orthros & Div. Liturgy, 9-11:30am

12th Sun.. Palm Sunday, Orthros and Divine Liturgy, 9-11:30am

Bridegroom Service (Nymphios) follwing the Liturgy.

13th Mon., Bridegroom Service, 6:00pm

14th Tue., Bridegroom Service, 6:00pm

15th Wed., Orthros instead of Unction, 10am

16th Thurs., Liturgy of Saint Basil, 10am; Crucifixion and 12 Gospels, 6pm

17th Fri., Royal Hours, 10am; Apokathelosis (taking down from the Cross), 1pm;

Lamentations, Epitaphios, 6pm

18th Sat., Holy Saturday, service with Divine Liturgy begins at 10am

19th Sun., Holy Pascha, EASTER, 9:30-11:30am (Service which usually takes place at

midnight.) with the traditional Agape Vesper to follow.

Wishing to all Kali Anastasi! Happy Easter! Easier said than done, but with God's help we do it.

*** Donations for the usual trays for your Sunday donation (tray 1) and the mortgage reduction (tray two) may be sent in, PLEASE, to the church or on line thru our website. Please remember that the routine expenses of the church continue, regardless of your presence. (water, electricity, mortgage payment, priest's salary, telephone, internet) just to mention a few that come to mind.

Please make checks to St. John's and write in the notation, in the bottom left of the check, the purpose of the check, i.e. Stewardship, donation, tray 1 or tray 2, candle or other for something else.

We sincerely appreciate your continued moral and financial support during this difficult time. You might want to check out our website which now has buttons, for Stewardship, donation, candle. Jump on the website and take a look.

If you woud like Father Andrew to light a candle or candles for you, please let me know by email, phone call or text. I will be more than happy to do that for you. You can then simply make out a check for the amount you wish, and mail it to the church.

Stewardship

Stewardship is our response to God’s grace and moves us from grace to gratitude. Just as we love because God first loved us (John 4:14), we give because God first gave to us. The question of the Psalmist “What shall I give to the Lord in return for all His benefits towards me?” (Ps 116:2), is answered in every liturgy when the celebrant calls us to “offer ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.”

If you haven't finished paying your 2019 Pledge yet, please to do so as soon as possible so we may close the books on 2019. If you have already fulfilled your 2019 stewardship pledge, we thank you very much. We would like to encourge all of you to now make your pledge for 2020 by completing your pledge form and begining the fulfillment of the pledge you make (i.e. paying it all at one time or quarterly, monthly or weekly thoughout the coming the year). We thank you in advance for your cooperation and generosity.

You must have completed a Stewardship form and submitted it to be considered a Steward of Saint John's.

IF YOU NEED US TO SEND YOU A FORM, PLEASE LET US KNOW.

NOW, GIVEN THE CURRENT CRISIS, YOUR TIMELY STEWARDSHIP PLEDGE AND PAYMENT IS CGRACIOUISLY ACCEPTED. JUST MAIL IT TO THE CHURCH. WE ARE TRYING TO SET UP A PAYMENT BUTTON ON OUR WEBSITE AND TILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN THAT IS COMPLETED AND FUNCTIONING.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT STEWARDSHIP, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT FATHER ANDREW AT 561-818-6215 OR

AT Frdrew1947@gmail.com

WE HAVE COMPLETED STEWARDSHIP PLEDGE FORMS FROM THE FOLLOWING PARISHIONERS:

Alexandrou, Anna & Lazarus,

Bakas, Pericles & Toula,

Coury, Katherine,

Dionisopoulis, Nick & Athanasia (Mimi),

Laskaris, John & Joanna,

Lefco, Evelyn & Michael,

Lena, Joanne,

Loizos, Helen,

King, Stephanie,

Koltis, Denise & Sotiri,

Koumas, Chrysanthe,

Kuzemka, Nick & Carole,

Mahalares, Father Andrew,

Manos, George,

Malliaroudakis, George,

Mihaltse, William & Diana,

Monsma, Joel & Connie,

Moulis, Peter & Helene,

Nakos, Peter & Anastasia,

Neamonitis, Nicholas & Thomae,

Nickas, Aristides (Steve) & Barbara,

Papadopoulos, Demetrios (Jim) & Vie,

Pappaconstantinou, Cynthia,

Pappas, Steven & Rose Marie (Posie)

Pantazopoulos, Anthony & Katherine,

Parasco, Odeseffs (Ted) & Mary

Petrides, Pat,

Reams, Bill and Jodie,

Tambakis, John & JoAnn,

Theodorakis, Marika,

Tsaftarides, Christos & Saadia Maria

Tzellas, Chris,

Wilshire, Maria,

Zafiropoulos, Despina (Debbie).

Zaimes, Dena & George

IF YOU DON'T SEE YOUR NAME HERE, IT MEANS WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED A STEWARDSHIOP PLEDGE FORM FROM YOU!!!

General Information

Contact Information

Services Schedule

Past Bulletins