Weekend services: the weekend schedule is fixed for most of the year. The services take place in Carmel-by-the-Sea, at All Saints Church, lower level, 9th and Lincoln.
Saturdays: 5:00pm Vespers
Sundays: 8:30am Matins
9:45am Liturgy
Week-day services: during the week we may celebrate the major feast days of the Church either in Carmel or in Salinas. Please check the calendar! The schedule pattern is:
Wednesdays: 6:00pm Paraklesis
Eve of feasts: 6:00pm Vespers
Feast days: 8:30am Matins
9:45am Liturgy
Note: week-day services can be attended online via Zoom.
Friday, July 23
9:00am Matins - Church University
Saturday, July 24
5:00pm Vespers
Sunday, July 25 Dormition of Saint Anna, Mother of the Theotokos
8:30am Matins
9:45am Liturgy
Monday, July 26 Saint Paraskevi of Rome
9:00am Matins - Church University
6:00pm Vespers + Liturgy
Tuesday, July 27 Saint Panteleimon
9:00am Matins - Church University
Wednesday, July 28
9:00am Matins - Church University
10:00am Book Forum - The Mountain of Silence, Chapters 13+14
6:00pm Paraklesis
Thursday, July 29
9:00am Matins - Church University
Friday, July 30
9:00am Matins - Church University
Saturday, July 31
5:00pm Vespers
++++++++++++Dormition Fast Begins +++++++++++++++
Sunday, August 1
8:30am Matins
9:45am Liturgy
12:00pm Catechism Class
See the whole calendar at http://www.stjohn-monterey.org/parish-calendar
A ministry Lead by Nadia Zajicek
Join us for our parish picnic
Saturday, July 24 from 9:30 am
Signup here: https://signup.com/go/ZPLchhB
Come for a beautiful day of fellowship and relaxation outdoors.
The delicious BBQ Chicken and the macaroni salad will be provided by the leaders and hosts, Nadia and David Z.
Bring your picnic stuff:
The site is equipped with tables and benches. Consider bringing your own chairs to be used by the river or for gathering in groups.
Among the fun activities: horseshoe toss, bean bag toss, river tubing, and a stretching class (in which case bring a beach towel or a mat). Feel free to bring other games to share. Father Ion will hold a short discussion with the kids of all ages starting at 10am.
Directions to the Backus Cabin Picnic Site are made available when you sign in. The picnic site is about 75 minutes from Monterey and 45 minutes from Salinas.
Signup here: https://signup.com/go/ZPLchhB
Community
A ministry lead by Corkey Balcom
Serving these coming Sundays in church and at the fellowship hour following Liturgy:
July 25
Parish Council: David Zajicek
Welcoming: Mary Kanalakis
Fellowship Gratitude Luncheon: Team 4 (Green) 4th Sunday of the month
August 1
Parish Council: Brian Balcom
Welcoming: Temia Demakopoulos
Fellowship Gratitude Luncheon: Fifth Sunday- All Parishioners participate
Community
A Ministry led by Father Ion
The Catechism Class will continue this Sunday, August 1 following Fellowship The topic for this Sunday is The Church: worship, architecture, iconography, vestments, liturgical actions and behavior in church - Part 3. Father Ion will offer a Power Point presentation on Orthodox Worship after the Liturgy. Please pray for our catechumens: Angelina, Mikael, Justin and Jenel.
Education
A ministry led by Kathy Shaw.
About the author:
Kyriacos C. Markides, a professor of sociology at the University of Maine, is the author of Fire in the Heart: Healers, Sages, and Mystics (1992) and Riding with the Lion: In Search of Mystical Christianity (1995). In this extraordinary work, he presents the spiritual teachings of Father Maximos, a monk from Mount Athos who is abbot of Panagia Monastery in Cyprus. Clearly, Markides is quite taken by this charismatic representative of Greek Orthodox Christianity.
Markides manages to draw out Father Maximos on a variety of subjects including justice, evil, silence, the meaning of the church, saints, the Jesus prayer, icons, and the process of theosis, or union with God. The author's enthusiasm for his search for meaning in Eastern Orthodoxy gives this book its special momentum and vibrancy.
Our next meeting on Wednesday, JULY 28
Meeting time: from 10am, right after the Matins service.
To prepare: Please read Chapters 13-14
Zoom in at the known link.
Adult Education
A ministry lead by Kathy Shaw
Hello Fellow Book Lovers! We will be finished with The Mountain of Silence within the next few weeks. Our next book will be Big in Heaven: A Collection of Stories About Life in an American Orthodox Parish
This book is available on Amazon and will also be in our church Bookstore.
You will find this collection of short stories very interesting. Join the Book Forum on Wednesdays from 11am, right after the daily Matins service.
Adult Education, Community
A ministry led by Angela Wagoner
JOURNEY TO FULLNESS: An Introduction to the Fullness of the Original Christian Faith -
The Journey to Fullness presentations and small groups discussions will meet again is September. Enjoy the summer time off!
Education
A ministry led by Father Ion
Every weekday morning, the Church University will offer the daily Zoom webcasting from Saint Nektarios Chapel with the short Matins Services. At the end of the service Father Ion offers a reflection, teaching on the readings and the saints of the day. Connect via Zoom to extend Matins with the study of the Scripture readings, great discussion and fellowship time.
Worship and Education
A ministry led by Paige Benton
The small groups Faith and Fellowship evenings will take a break for the summer. We will resume our meetings in September.
Adult Education
Lighting Candles remotely is possible through our Light a Candle website. Click this link: Light a Candle
A Ministry Led by Mary Kanalakis
We are half way through the year. Please take a look at your Stewardship giving. It may need updating or improving as we move back into regular activities. Open your Stewardship account in Breeze here: BREEZE LOGIN
Many thanks to our 2021 Stewards. 70 families or individuals are now stewards. And thank you to the 16 (23%) of these families who have committed to percent giving. It is such a blessing for these families to lead us on the path to becoming a tithing parish.
Our pledged total so far is $131,677, or 81% of our budget goal. We are four fifths of the way there.
If you have not yet completed a 2021 pledge card, please complete the Stewardship Card ONLINE!! Just Click: I WANT TO SIGN UP NOW!
Living the Gospel
The “How-to” Green Your Parish series is an initiative of the Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations. New episodes will be released weekly featuring ideas and ways to introduce creation care and sustainability in your parish and home. Ranging from practical to theological, each three-minute video offers a unique perspective on environmental stewardship through the knowledge and expertise of Orthodox Christians across the United States.
You can see all the episodes by going to the link above. This a wonderful way to engage the whole family in Greening the Parish and your home.
Sunday July 25, 2021 is Prison Ministry Awareness Sunday in all United States Orthodox Parishes. Learn more about this and give them your help.
Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM) is the national prison ministry of the Orthodox Church. OCPM corresponds with thousands of prisoners across the country and provides spiritual books, Bibles, icons, and catechism courses. OCPM trains Orthodox priests and laypeople to enter prisons and minister to prisoners.
Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM) proclaims the love of Christ to men and women who are incarcerated. They do this by applying the teachings of the Orthodox Faith to correspond with thousands of prisoners, providing them personalized spiritual care, Bibles, books, icons, catechism, and study courses. For those wishing to live an Orthodox way of life, OCPM advocate on their behalf for correctional facilities around the country to recognize the Orthodox faith, so that priests can enter prison facilities and administer the Sacraments and Services. As the national prison ministry of the Orthodox Church, OCPM provides resources and training to local parishes and clergy, enabling them to offer local solutions and fulfill Christ’s command to visit Him in prison. As a result, families are reunited, marriages are healed, and thousands of incarcerated men and women have a new sense of peace and restored order in their lives.
IN 2020:
2 MILLION ICONS WERE DISTRIBUTED TO PRISONERS
40,723 BIBLE STUDIES, DAILY READINGS, AND SPIRITUAL REFLECTIONS WERE SENT
You can help, too.
Register for the exciting 2021 YAL (Young Adult League) Conference, Labor Day Weekend, September 2-6, Phoenix, Arizona! Are you ready to Exclaim your faith? Then the Young Adult League (YAL) Conference over Labor Day Weekend 2021 is where you need to be! Conference attendees will enjoy a weekend of events, workshops, worship and relaxation at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort. Highlights of the weekend include engaging workshops, daily worship, dances, a Grand Banquet, and a special western-themed event “YeeHaw YAL”. Online registration for the conference is now open! Take advantage of the discounted rate from now through June 30. This is your chance to reunite in person with young adults from across the country. Visit www.sanfran.goarch.org/YAL for more registration and hotel details.
Lord, Bless, strengthen, and guard, by Your grace, all those who, with love for humankind and a spirit of sacrifice, care for the sick in their homes or in hospitals.
We pray for the servants of God:
"Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on your servant (first name)."
Chris (Chrisanthi) Georgalos - for health, recovery, and endurance.
Judge John and Marlyn Anton - for endurance and God's mercy upon them.
Sheila (Despina) Doyle-Rickenbacher - for health, recovery, and endurance.
Sophie Britton - for strength and recovery.
Eleni Saites - for patience and endurance.
Maria Kastros - for strength and endurance.
Nina and George Kadiev - George going through many serious health trials.
Kylie and her family - for health, faith and hope.
For those who are in prisons: Constantine and Sergei.
And for our catechumens: Jenel, Mikael, Angelina and Justin.
In case of emergency, Father Ion is available for home visits. Please call him directly at 408.605.0621 if you would like to schedule one.
According to tradition, Anna, the ancestor of God, lived for sixty-nine years, and her spouse Joachim, for eighty; according to one account, Saint Joachim died two years before Saint Anna. The Theotokos had been orphaned of both her parents already when she was eleven years of age, when she was living in the Temple (see Sept. 8 and Nov. 21). Saint Anna is invoked for conceiving children, and for help in difficult childbirth.
Saint Paraskeve, who was from a certain village near Rome, was born to pious parents, Agatho and Politia. Since she was born on a Friday (in Greek, Paraskeve), she was given this name, which means "preparation" or "preparedness" (compare Matt. 27:62, Mark 15:42, Luke 23:54, and John 19:31, where 'Friday' is called "the day of the preparation"). From childhood she was instructed in the sacred letters and devoted herself to the study of the divine Scriptures, while leading a monastic life and guiding many to the Faith of Christ. During the reign of the Emperor Antoninus Pius, she was apprehended because she was a Christian and was urged to worship the idols, but she answered with the words of Jeremias: "Let the gods that have not made heaven and the earth perish from off the earth" (Jer. 10:11). Because of this she endured exceedingly painful torments, and was beheaded in the year 140. The faithful pray to her for the healing of eye ailments.
This Saint, who had Nicomedia as his homeland, was the son of Eustorgius and Eubula. His father was an idolater, but his mother was a Christian from her ancestors. It was through her that he was instructed in piety, and still later, he was catechized in the Faith of Christ by Saint Hermolaus (see July 26) and baptized by him. Being proficient in the physician's vocation, he practiced it in a philanthropic manner, healing every illness more by the grace of Christ than by medicines. Thus, although his parents had named him Pantoleon ("in all things a lion"), because of the compassion he showed for the souls and bodies of all, he was worthily renamed Panteleimon, meaning "all-merciful." On one occasion, when he restored the sight of a certain blind man by calling on the Divine Name, he enlightened also the eyes of this man's soul to the knowledge of the truth. This also became the cause for the martyrdom of him who had been blind, since when he was asked by whom and in what manner his eyes had been opened, in imitation of that blind man of the Gospel he confessed with boldness both who the physician was and the manner of his healing. For this he was put to death immediately. Panteleimon was arrested also, and having endured many wounds, he was finally beheaded in the year 305, during the reign of Maximian. Saint Panteleimon is one of the Holy Unmercenaries, and is held in special honor among them, even as Saint George is among the Martyrs.
Saint Irene, who was from Cappadocia, flourished in the ninth century. Because of her great beauty and virtue, she was brought to Constantinople as a prospective bride for the young Emperor Michael (842-867); however, as Saint Joannicius the Great foretold, it was God's will that she assume the monastic habit instead. She shone forth in great ascetical labours, and suffered many attacks from the demons; while yet a novice, she attained to the practice of Saint Arsenius the Great, of praying the whole night long with arms stretched out towards Heaven (see May 8). God showed forth great signs and wonders in her, and she became the Abbess of the Convent of Chrysovalantou. She was granted the gift of clairvoyance and knew the thoughts of all that came to her. She appeared in a vision to the king and rebuked him for unjustly imprisoning a nobleman who had been falsely accused. Through a sailor from Patmos to whom he had appeared, Saint John the Evangelist sent her fragrant and wondrous apples from Paradise. She reposed at the age of 103, still retaining the youthful beauty of her countenance. After her repose, marvelous healings beyond number have been wrought by her to the present day.
Fifth Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from Luke 24:13-35
At that time, two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, "What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?" And they stood still looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" And he said to them, "What things?" And they said to him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since this happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; and they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said; but him they did not see." And he said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further, but they constrained him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight. They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?" And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them, who said, "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Prokeimenon. 4th Mode. Psalm 67.35,26.
God is wonderful among his saints.
Verse: Bless God in the congregations.
The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 4:22-27.
Brethren, Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, the son of the free woman through promise. Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written, "Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and shout, you who are not in travail; for the children of the desolate one are many more than the children of her that is married."
5th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 8:28-34; 9:1
At that time, when Jesus came to the country of the Gergesenes, two demoniacs met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one would pass that way. And behold, they cried out, "What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" Now a herd of many swine was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged him, "If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine." And he said to them, "Go." So they came out and went into the swine; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and perished in the waters. The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, and what had happened to the demoniacs. And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood. And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city.