SUNDAY SCHEDULE:
MATINS: 8:15 am
LITURGY: 9:30 am
SATURDAYS (subject to change):
VESPERS: 5:00 p.m.
SUNDAY OF ST. JOHN CLIMACUS / FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT
MATINS: 8:15 a.m.
LITURGY: 9:30 a.m.
EPISTLE: Hebrews 6:13-20
GOSPEL: Mark 9:17-31
GREEK TEXT p. 192
ACOLYTES: Team B
PROSFORA: Maria Misthos
PANGARI: Team A: Eftihia Tsengas, Steven Demetriou, Tom Parras
NO COFFEE HOUR
OE: 11:30 a.m. - Greek Independence Day Program & Luncheon
STREAMING SERVICE: youtube.com/stsconstantine
Eighth Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from John 20:11-18
At that time, Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus has lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabboni," which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, "Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God." Mary Magdalene went and said to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and she told them that He had said these things to her.
Prokeimenon. Plagal 4th Tone. Psalm 75.11,1.
Make your vows to the Lord our God and perform them.
Verse: God is known in Judah; his name is great in Israel.
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
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."
Mon, Mar. 27th - 7:00 p.m. - Great Compline
- 7:30 p.m. - Gamblers Anonymous
- 7:30 p.m. - Adult Beginner's Greek
Tues, Mar. 28th - 6:30 p.m. - OPA Dance
- 7:00 p.m. - Adult Intermediate Greek
Weds, Mar. 29th - 9:30 a.m. - St. Makrina Zoom Bible Study
- 6:00 p.m. - Presanctified Liturgy
Thurs, Mar. 30th - 11:30 a.m. - Adult Intermediate Online
Fri, Mar. 31st - 11:30 a.m. - Adult Beginner's Online
- 7:30 p.m. - Salutations Service
Sat, Apr. 1st - 9:30 a.m. - Greek Kindergarten
- 10:00 a.m. - Greek School
- 12:00 a.m. - Daffodil Luncheon
- 5:00 p.m. - Vespers (& Confessions)
Sun, Apr. 2nd - 8:15 a.m. - Matins
- 9:30 a.m. - Liturgy
- 10:45 a.m. - 40 Day Memorial for Tulip Karavalos
- 10:45 a.m. - 3 Year Memorial for Michael Tsironis
- 10:45 a.m. - 4 Year Memorial for Mike Papouras
- 10:45 a.m. - 10 Year Memorial for Angelo Sikoutris
- 10:45 a.m. - Memorial in memory of Athanasios & Olympia Christides
- 10:45 a.m. - Memorial in memory of Ioannis & Androniki
- 10:45 a.m. - Memorial in memory of Frideriki Kontonikolaou
- 11:30 a.m. - Greek Independence Program & Luncheon
We’re happy you’ve joined us today. Please sign our guestbook and introduce yourself to one of our greeters or anyone wearing a nametag. We’re here to answer your questions and make your visit to our church meaningful and enjoyable.
Everyone is welcome in the Orthodox Church & may receive the blessed bread (antidoron) at the end of the service, but only practicing Orthodox Christians may receive the sacrament of Holy Communion.
Those wishing to follow the livestreamed services with a written text may do so using the links below.
Electronic Version of Orthros (Matins) on Mar. 26th:
Electronic Version of Divine Liturgy on Mar. 26th:
This week there will be three special Lenten services: Compline on Monday at 7:00 PM, the Presanctified Liturgy on Wednesday at 6:00 PM and the Salutations service on Friday at 7:30 PM. There will be a lenten potluck supper on Wednesday following the Liturgy.
Orthodox Forum will not meet this Sunday (3/26), so we can all participate in the Greek Independence Day celebration.
The annual pilgrimage to St Gregory Palamas Monastery will take place on Wednesday, April 5. A carpool group will gather at the Golden Gate shopping area on Mayfield Road west of I-271, departing at 8:45 AM and returning around 4:00 PM. There is no charge for this, but we must tell the monastery how many are coming. Please let Fr Stephen know if you plan to attend by Monday, April 3, 10:00 AM (frstephen@stsconstantine.com)
The annual Palm Sunday Luncheon will be held on Sunday, April 09th. There will be a choice of fish or pasta. The cost of the food is underwritten, therefore, all proceeds benefit the Church. Please plan to attend immediately following the Divine Liturgy.
We are preparing the 2023 Luminaries which will be used to line the Holy Friday Epitaphios procession route. Orders will be accepted this Sunday through Palm Sunday. Forms are available in the foyer on the display table. All the proceeds will go towards Camp Nazareth Scholarships for our students. Your support is greatly appreciated. Scholarship requests should be directed to Fr. Stephen. For information about the luminaries please contact Anna Warren (216-287-6890).
The Philoptochos Daffodil Luncheon will be held on APRIL 1, 2023. The Metropolis of Pittsburgh Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society’s Daffodil Luncheon is the largest fundraiser to support our organization. This year, we are committing 2/3 of the profits from our Daffodil Luncheon to Social Services and 1/3 to the “Seminarians of our Future Scholarship Fund”. We are asking for your support through sponsorship of the Daffodil Luncheon. We will recognize all sponsors in our event program. Please contact Anna Vedouras (216) 235-2798 or annavedouras@gmail.com with any questions.
The Sts. Constantine and Helen Great and Holy Friday Retreat on Friday, April 14, 2023, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Lunch and snacks will be provided. Families are invited, but not required, to join their children for the Royal Hours Service at 9:30 a.m. and the Vespers Service at 3:00 p.m. Students and volunteers may register by visiting: https://forms.gle/byUtBh39dynfNyRu8 by Sunday, April 9, 2023.
Please contact Ted Cherpas at tcherpas@stsconstantine.com with any questions.
St Herman’s Paul Finley Retirement Banquet
Please join us as we celebrate Paul Finley’s 10 years of service at St Hermans; at the Woodside event center at St. Michaels in Broadview Heights on Saturday, April 22nd at 6 pm. Donations can also be made to the new Paul Finley St. Herman's endowment fund that will continue his legacy of service to the ministries of St Herman’s. For details please go to sainthermans.org or use your camera on the QR code below. Please reach out to Maria Misthos with any questions, 440-552-3270.
The St. Photios Award is granted annually by the Metropolis of Pittsburgh to two people from each parish. Nominees are parishioners who have voluntarily served the parish in exemplary fashion- "men and women who have served your community in previously unsung ways..." The 2023 awardees from our parish are Mike Vasilakes and Emily Scocos.
The awards banquet will be held at the DoubleTree Pittsburgh Cranberry in Mars, PA, on Saturday, April 29. Hors d'oeuvres at 4:00 PM, Dinner and Awards at 5:00 PM. (Information: https://www.pittsburgh.goarch.org/st-photios-awards-banquet). All are welcome to attend.
Please join us for our children's program and luncheon immediately following the Divine Liturgy today in the Fellowship Hall. $12.00 for seafood linguine and $7.00 for a pasta dinner. Everyone is invited to attend!
If there are any questions, please email orthodox_education@stsconstantine.com.
1) Registration for the 2023 GOYA Spring Retreat @ Camp Nazareth is now live at pittsburgh.goarch.org. The event will be March 31st - April 2nd. Camp Naz can and does sell out, so please reserve your spots quickly. Contact Fr. Stephen for parish scholarship codes, and Ted about the St. Cons carpool.
2) The annual GOYA Palm Folding Night will take place on Friday, April 7th from 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Pizza and drinks will be provided, and each family is asked to bring a Lenten item to share. The sacrament of Holy Confession will also be available for your Lenten journey. See Ted with any questions.
3) Our young adult group (ages 21 - 35ish) will have its next event on Bright Wednesday, April 19th. We will meet at the Kiwanis Pavilion in Elmwood Park (6363 Selig Dr, Independence, 44131) @ 6:00 p.m. Participants are each asked to each bring something. Come and celebrate your Paschal joy with your Orthodox friends!
Sts. Constantine & Helen strongly encourages all youth to participate in Summer Camp at Camp Nazareth! To facilitate this, the Church is offering $600 scholarships to all parish campers. Each family is asked to pay only $75 per child/GOYAn.
You will need a scholarship code prior to signing up to take advantage of this opportunity. Contact either Fr. Stephen or Ted Cherpas for the code or for more information.
Summer Camp registration will begin on Tuesday, April 4th @ 7:00 p.m. at https://y2am.pittsburgh.goarch.org/summercamp. Camp Nazareth can and does sell out, so please act fast!
The Cleveland chapter of the International Orthodox Christian Charities is holding its annual fundraising banquet on Monday, May 8, 6-9 PM, at St. Michael's Woodside Event Center, 5025 Mill Road, Broadview Heights. Tickets ($60 each) are available through Fr. Stephen (frstephen@stsconstantine.com).
Scholarship applications for graduating high school seniors are now available from the John M. Manos Cleveland AHEPA Chapter #36. Applications must be completed and returned no later than Saturday, May 6, 2023. Please contact Scholarship Chairman Alex Rokakis for an application via email at alekomon@mac.com. Please make sure you type AHEPA in the subject line to ensure your request is received.
Invites all to join us every Wednesday, from 9:30-11am.
Our next book to read and discuss is:
Open and Unafraid: The Psalms as a Guide to Life, by WD Taylor.
Contact Toni Madden at tmadden722@gmail.com for the Zoom link. We encourage you to join us!
We have restarted OPA after a long hiatus, and invite all to join us for dancing and parea. We meet every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Note that as of this week, we will be moving to the Fellowship Hall while the gym floor is being refinished.
The Senior Hellenic Dancers began their 2023 practices on Sunday, March 5th. Practice sessions will begin after OE classes and will last one hour. There will be no practices on Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday, or May 21st (Sts. Constantine & Helen Day). To join the group, you must be 13 by December 31st, 2023. See Pres. Christina Callos or Ted with any questions.
Our Community Fish Fry will run thru Friday, March 31st. Our hours are 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm.
General help is needed on the front line, order taking, runners, bar, and also in the kitchen. Please click on the below Sign-Up Genius link to volunteer to help.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D48A5AD23A4F58-fish1
Evening Prayer Sessions
The Faith In Action group has Evening Prayer Sessions Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday of each week at 8:30pm (EST) for all those interested.
Zoom link: https://cwru.zoom.us/j/8671878236?pwd=ajgvNWRwQ3NQcmlSZTc4MmFWRU4wdz09
Meeting ID: 867 187 8236 Passcode: Jesus
One tap mobile: +13126266799,,8671878236# US (Chicago) +16465588656,,8671878236# US (New York).
Coffee hour dates open again later this spring. Please call the church office or send an email to office@stsconstantine.com to ask about your preferred day.
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Cross Press
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Your Apostle among the Rulers, St. Constantine, who once beheld in the sky the image of Your Cross, and who like Paul received his calling not from man, once entrusted the Ruling City into Your hand. We entreat You to restore it in peace forever, at the intercession of the Theotokos, O Lord who loves humanity. (Copyright Fr. Seraphim Dedes, used by permission. All rights reserved)
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Narthex Press