George, Bp. of Mytylene
The righteous George struggled in behalf of the holy icons, and reposed in peace about the year 821.
Sundays / Κυριακή
7:00am - Matins / Όρθρος
8:15am - Divine Liturgy (Greek) / Θεία Λειτουργία
11:00am - Diving Liturgy (English) / Θεία Λειτουργία
Wednesdays / Τετάρτη
6:00pm - Paraklesis to Theotokos / Παράκληση στη Θεοτόκο
Saturdays / Σάββατο
6:00pm - Great Vespers / Μέγας Εσπερινός
Where Doubt Left Off
Many sermons are preached from pulpits around the globe about Faith. “Have faith!” “It just requires faith.” “If you have faith….” Faith is a strong and necessary thing for our Christian journey, but is it a sin to doubt?
In the Gospel According to Mark we hear a story of a father struggling with his faith. His son was possessed by demons, but when he was brought by his father to Christ’s disciples, they were unable to heal him. He had nowhere else to turn, but to come to Jesus with his doubt. The young man’s father said to Jesus, “’If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.’ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.’” (Mark 9.22-24) And the child was healed by Jesus.
The invitation by Jesus and the Church to have faith is a common struggle to all Christians. We struggle to have faith not always because we refuse to believe, but because sometimes all we know is pain and struggle. Our “real life experience” is filled with examples of the fallen reality of human existence, and we wonder sometimes if God is really listening? We wonder if our faith is strong enough to either convince God to help us, or to accept that He might not help us in our moment of pain.
Having faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit, and as a gift, must be accepted by us in order for it to have any power in our life. Accepting the gift however sometimes requires a bit of effort on our part for our faith to “come out” in us. This is when Jesus says to us, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.” (Mark 9.29) Doubt is not a sin; not trying is.
Doubt is having the experience that sometimes, maybe even many times, things don’t work out like we want them to work out. Doubt is wondering if God wants we what we want. Doubt is believing that God can help us, but wondering if He will. The journey of Great Lent is that time of year when we learn to distinguish between belief and doubt, and allowing God to complete our faith where doubt left off.
Dear St. Nicholas Cathedral Family,
After a week off we enter back into our lessons on the Ecumenical Councils and today we will be talking about the 6th Ecumenical Council which was called by St. Constantine the New. According to the Nicene and Post-Nicene fathers the council began on November 7, 680, for its first session, and ended its meetings, which are said to have been eighteen in number, on September 16th of the next year. According to historians, The number of bishops present fluctuated at each meeting but all meetings were under three hundred.
When the Emperor first summoned the council he had no intention that it should be ecumenical. From the Sacras it appears that he had summoned all the Metropolitans and bishops of the jurisdiction of Constantinople, and had also informed the Archbishop of Antioch that he might send Metropolitans and bishops. When the synod assembled however, it assumed at its first session the title “Ecumenical,” and all the five patriarchs were represented, Alexandria and Jerusalem having sent deputies although they were at the time in the hands of the infidel.
This council dealt with the heresy of the Monothelitism. Monothelitism is a Greek word meaning “one will” and was a teaching about how the divine and human relate in the person of Jesus. Monothelitism teaches that Jesus Christ had two natures but only one will. This is contrary to the orthodox Christology, and St. Maximos the Confessor led the charge in defending the correct teaching that Jesus Christ has two wills (human and divine) corresponding to his two natures. Monothelitism is a development of the Monophysitism position in the Christological debates. It enjoyed considerable support in the seventh century before being rejected as heretical at the Sixth Ecumenical Council in 680. In addition to the condemnation of Monothelitism, the council anathematized as heretics Pope Honorius I of Rome and Sergius I of Constantinople, as well as Cyrus of Alexandria, Paul II and Peter of Constantinople, and Theodore of Pharan for their part in propagating the heresy of Monothelitism.
Next week we will discuss the council of Trullo ,or also known as the Quinisext Council, which was mostly an administrative council that raised some local canons to ecumenical status and established principles of clerical discipline. It is not considered to be an Ecumenical Council because it did not determine matters of doctrine however, this council is accepted by the Orthodox Church as a part of the Sixth Ecumenical Council.
With Love in the Lord,
Rev. Fr. Sampson N. Kasapakis
The righteous George struggled in behalf of the holy icons, and reposed in peace about the year 821.
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.
8:15 AM Divine Liturgy (Greek)
Anastasia Tsangaris - 3 Months
Pantelis Krouskos - 6 Months
Michael Alesafis - 9 Months
11:00 AM Divine Liturgy (English)
Fr. Theophilos Karaphillis Family Memorial
*THE DEADLINE IS MONDAY 5PM FOR ALL BULLETIN INFORMATION*
If you are in need of a Memorial or are contemplating having an Artoklasia Service, call our Parish Office at (727) 937-3540 to make arrangements.
Kollyva (μνημόσυνα) for memorials can be ordered through:
Antonia Korfias (727) 937-8785
Irene Koutelas (727) 934-5245
Evangelia Stavropoulos (727) 937-5649
Contact info for these preparers is provided as a service to parishioners and does not imply endorsement.
Evangelos, Philip, Irene, Nikitas, Evdokia, Konstantinos, Nicoletta, Athanasios, Fotini, Georgios, Janathan, Kalliope, Michalis, Maria, Angela, George, Kathryn
A Prayer for Healing
"Heavenly Father, physician of our souls and bodies, who have sent Your only-begotten Son and our Lord Jesus Christ to heal every sickness and infirmity, visit and heal me, Your servant, from all physical and spiritual ailments through the grace of Your Christ. Grant me patience in this sickness, strength of body and spirit, and recovery of health. Lord, You have taught us through Your word to pray for each other that we may be healed. I pray that You heal me as Your servant and grant me the gift of complete health. For You are the source of healing and to You I give glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen."
To add a loved one to this list, or to keep one from being taken off after 40 days, please contact our Administrative Assistant on Mondays by 5:00pm. (denise@stnicholastarpon.org / (727) 937-3540 ext 102)Team 1
James Shoemaker
Niko Conkel
Charles Samarkos
Costas Sisois
Gus Tsambis
Themis Fountotows Tezza
Tony Zaronias
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.
Sunday of St. John Climacus
Πρὸς Ἑβραίους 6:13-20
Ἀδελφοί, τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ἐπαγγειλάμενος ὁ θεός, ἐπεὶ κατʼ οὐδενὸς εἶχεν μείζονος ὀμόσαι, ὤμοσεν καθʼ ἑαυτοῦ, λέγων, Ἦ μὴν εὐλογῶν εὐλογήσω σε, καὶ πληθύνων πληθυνῶ σε. Καὶ οὕτως μακροθυμήσας ἐπέτυχεν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας. Ἄνθρωποι μὲν γὰρ κατὰ τοῦ μείζονος ὀμνύουσιν, καὶ πάσης αὐτοῖς ἀντιλογίας πέρας εἰς βεβαίωσιν ὁ ὅρκος. Ἐν ᾧ περισσότερον βουλόμενος ὁ θεὸς ἐπιδεῖξαι τοῖς κληρονόμοις τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τὸ ἀμετάθετον τῆς βουλῆς αὐτοῦ, ἐμεσίτευσεν ὅρκῳ, ἵνα διὰ δύο πραγμάτων ἀμεταθέτων, ἐν οἷς ἀδύνατον ψεύσασθαι θεόν, ἰσχυρὰν παράκλησιν ἔχωμεν οἱ καταφυγόντες κρατῆσαι τῆς προκειμένης ἐλπίδος· ἣν ὡς ἄγκυραν ἔχομεν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀσφαλῆ τε καὶ βεβαίαν, καὶ εἰσερχομένην εἰς τὸ ἐσώτερον τοῦ καταπετάσματος· ὅπου πρόδρομος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν εἰσῆλθεν Ἰησοῦς, κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδὲκ ἀρχιερεὺς γενόμενος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.
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."
Sunday of St. John Climacus
Κατὰ Μᾶρκον 9:17-31
Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ἄνθρωπός τις προσῆλθε τῷ Ἰησοῦ λέγων, διδάσκαλε, ἤνεγκα τὸν υἱόν μου πρός σε, ἔχοντα πνεῦμα ἄλαλον. καὶ ὅπου ἂν αὐτὸν καταλάβῃ, ῥήσσει αὐτόν, καὶ ἀφρίζει καὶ τρίζει τοὺς ὀδόντας αὐτοῦ, καὶ ξηραίνεται· καὶ εἶπον τοῖς μαθηταῖς σου ἵνα αὐτὸ ἐκβάλωσι, καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσαν. ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς αὐτῷ λέγει· ὦ γενεὰ ἄπιστος, ἕως πότε πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἔσομαι; ἕως πότε ἀνέξομαι ὑμῶν; φέρετε αὐτὸν πρός με. καὶ ἤνεγκαν αὐτὸν πρὸς αὐτόν. καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν εὐθέως τὸ πνεῦμα ἐσπάραξεν αὐτόν, καὶ πεσὼν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐκυλίετο ἀφρίζων. καὶ ἐπηρώτησε τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ· πόσος χρόνος ἐστὶν ὡς τοῦτο γέγονεν αὐτῷ; ὁ δὲ εἶπε· παιδιόθεν. καὶ πολλάκις αὐτὸν καὶ εἰς πῦρ ἔβαλε καὶ εἰς ὕδατα, ἵνα ἀπολέσῃ αὐτόν· ἀλλ᾿ εἴ τι δύνασαι, βοήθησον ἡμῖν σπλαγχνισθεὶς ἐφ᾿ ἡμᾶς. ὁ δὲ ᾿Ιησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ τὸ εἰ δύνασαι πιστεῦσαι, πάντα δυνατὰ τῷ πιστεύοντι. καὶ εὐθέως κράξας ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ παιδίου μετὰ δακρύων ἔλεγε· πιστεύω, κύριε· βοήθει μου τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ. ἰδὼν δὲ ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς ὅτι ἐπισυντρέχει ὄχλος, ἐπετίμησε τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἀκαθάρτῳ λέγων αὐτῷ· τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἄλαλον καὶ κωφόν, ἐγώ σοι ἐπιτάσσω, ἔξελθε ἐξ αὐτοῦ καὶ μηκέτι εἰσέλθῃς εἰς αὐτόν. καὶ κράξαν καὶ πολλὰ σπαράξαν αὐτὸν ἐξῆλθε, καὶ ἐγένετο ὡσεὶ νεκρός, ὥστε πολλοὺς λέγειν ὅτι ἀπέθανεν. ὁ δὲ ᾿Ιησοῦς κρατήσας αὐτὸν τῆς χειρὸς ἤγειρεν αὐτόν, καὶ ἀνέστη. Καὶ εἰσελθόντα αὐτὸν εἰς οἶκον οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπηρώτων αὐτὸν κατ᾿ ἰδίαν, ὅτι ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἠδυνήθημεν ἐκβαλεῖν αὐτό. καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· τοῦτο τὸ γένος ἐν οὐδενὶ δύναται ἐξελθεῖν εἰ μὴ ἐν προσευχῇ καὶ νηστείᾳ. Καὶ ἐκεῖθεν ἐξελθόντες παρεπορεύοντο διὰ τῆς Γαλιλαίας, καὶ οὐκ ἤθελεν ἵνα τις γνῷ· ἐδίδασκε γὰρ τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς ὅτι ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παραδίδοται εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ἀποκτενοῦσιν αὐτόν, καὶ ἀποκτανθεὶς τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἀναστήσεται.
St. Nicholas Community Center & Conference Hall's 18,000 sq ft, commercial kitchens, full-service bar area, professional stage & audio/visual equipment and comfortable seating make it a perfect venue for hosting your next event.
For booking information, or to arrange a venue tour, please visit our new venue website or call the Parish Offices at (727) 937-3540.
One day, a person complained to their priest that the Church and Christianity is one continual “give, give, give.” To which the priest replied, “Thank you very much for the finest definition of Christianity I have ever heard. You’re right, Christianity is all about a constant “give, give, give.”
God giving His only Son to the world to show His unconditional love. His Son Jesus giving His life on the cross to forgive our sins and destroy death. Then our Lord’s disciples giving all they had to make sure God’s Good News of love was preached to all people everywhere. They not only gave away their homes and businesses, but even gave up their lives as martyrs in gratitude to God!
If you are not a Steward this year, we invite you
to have the opportunity to participate!
Visit www.stnicholastarpon.org/give to start today.
Are you participating in a sacrament and need to prove you are an active member of St Nicholas Cathedral? Do you need a copy of your baptismal information? Letters of good sacramental & financial standing are provided following a meeting with the Dean of the Cathedral; please plan your appointment with Fr Athanasios well in advance in order to meet all deadlines prior to the scheduled sacrament. If you need a baptism or marriage transcript, please allow an extra 2-3 weeks for signature verification from our Metropolis.
The Sunday School ministry is seeking volunteers and donors to assist with this year's Holy Friday retreat, April 26, 2019. Areas of need: - Planning and Set-Up - Assisting with Program and Children - Registration - Food Planning and Preparation - Clean-Up - Donations to cover expenses Please contact George Tsongranis to assist by March 17, 2019 George.tsongranis@gmail.com or 727-942-3502.
Looking for Tarpon High School and Tarpon Middle School Mentors! We are looking for spirited volunteer mentors who are willing to join the Pinellas County School system in transforming the path for our youth and the communities they live in during their lunch hours. There are many opportunities to volunteer as a mentor to the youth of Pinellas County such as Role Modeling, Tutoring, Take Stock in Kids, Big Brother Big Sister, and Lunch Pals. The volunteer coordinators have helped Fr. Sampson and other church’s volunteers make matches with youth from their own respective communities but ultimately will pair volunteers with youth that will enrich both the Mentee and the Mentor. If you are interested, contact Fr. Sampson Kasapakis at FrSampson@stnicholastarpon.org or on his phone (941)-266-3229. Please note that before you can begin, you will need to attend a one-hour workshop with presenters from the County School Board and you will be matched to a school closest to where you live or work. Bring a Friend - Make an Impact, be a Mentor. Act Now.
1st Sunday, March 17 at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Tarpon Springs 2nd Sunday, March 24 at St Nicholas Antiochian Church in Pinellas Park 3rd Sunday, March 31 at St. John GOA in Tampa 4th Sunday, April 7 at St. George Serbian in Clearwater 5th Sunday, April 14 at St. Philip OCA in Tampa Each Vespers begins at 5:00 pm and features a guest homilist, and light reception.
Existential Threats and Unprecedented Opportunities for the Ecumenicl Patriarchate: Issues, Stakeholders, Actions
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral Holy Friday Youth Retreat April 26, 2019. Ages and Times: Little Lambs and Parents, 10 am - 12:30 pm in the Nursery Room at Community Center. Preschool/Kindergarten, 10 am - 1 pm in the Regular Classroom. Grades 1-5, 10 am-1:30 pm in the Sunday School Building. To register online, visit bit.ly/2019HolyFridayRetreat You must register by April 19 to guarantee a spot for your child (ren). Classroom size will be limited based on space and staffing. For questions, contact: george.tsangranis@gmail.com or 727-942-3502.
OCMC Coin Boxes
Lazarkakia and Palm Cross Folding
Existential Threats
St. Nicholas Bookstore has Easter Items!
Congratulations to Francisco Tezza (age 12) 6th Grade student of Clearwater Fundamental Middle School who won the Geography Bee in his school and qualified to advance to the Florida State Geo Bee where he is within the top 10 students in this event sponsored by National Geographic. Francisco is a graduate of our St. Nicholas Pre-School where he completed VPK and was a student of Tarpon Springs Elementary where he started in Kindergarten as a Gifted student. He is also a graduate of our St. Nicholas Greek School where he started since he was in Kinder. Francisco is fluent in Greek and Spanish and he has a passion for Geography, History, Greek Mythology and is in the Advanced Math program. He is currently part of two of our St. Nicholas Ministries as an Altar Boy and GOYA. Parents Aldo and Themis, brothers Nicolas and Michael are extremely proud of Francisco’s achievements so far and wish him a bright future! Let's encourage and support of all our kids in any educational endeavor, they are our future!
5:00PM GOYA Lenten Retreat @ St. John
Fr Athanasios On-Call (727) 741-0139 for Emergencies
Sunday of St. John Climacus
7:00AM Othros/Matins
8:15AM First Divine Liturgy
10:20AM Sunday School
10:30AM Adult Catechism
11:00AM Second Divine Liturgy
The Holy Apostles of the Seventy Herodion, Agabus, Rufus, Asyncritus, Phlegon, and Hermes
8:00AM Soup Kitchen Meal
11:30AM Visitation: Helen Hatton
12:30PM Funeral: Helen Hatton
4:30PM Greek Folk Dance Practice - Elementary School
5:00PM Byzantine Children's Choir
5:30PM Folk Music Ministry
6:00PM Great Compline
6:30PM Greek Folk Dance Practice - Middle School
7:00PM Orthodoxy 101
7:15PM Greek Folk Dance Practice - High School
7:30PM For Fun Dance Group
8:00PM Orthodoxy 201
The Holy Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea
4:30PM Greek School
6:00PM Great Compline
7:00PM Boy Scout Troop 106
7:00PM Preschool Board Meeting
7:00PM Young Adult Open Gym
Terence and his Companions beheaded at Carthage
10:30AM Little Lambs
6:00PM Presanctified Liturgy
7:30PM GOYA Open Gym Night
Antipas, Bishop of Pergamum
9:30AM Women's Book Club
4:30PM Greek School
6:00PM Great Compline
7:00PM Parish Council
7:00PM Choir Practice
Basil the Confessor, Bishop of Parium
9:00AM Presanctified Liturgy
7:00PM Salutations to the Theotokos
Martin the Confessor, Pope of Rome
9:30AM Tampa Bay District Oratoricle Festival
9:30AM Philadelphia Men's Ministry
6:00PM Great Vespers
Fr Sampson On-Call (941) 266-3229 for Emergencies
Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt
7:00AM Othros/Matins
8:15AM First Divine Liturgy
10:20AM Sunday School
10:30AM Adult Catechism
11:00AM Second Divine Liturgy
Crescens the Martyr