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Sts. Constantine & Helen Cathedral
Publish Date: 2024-01-07
Bulletin Contents
Today
Gospel and Epistle Readings
Wisdom of the Fathers
This Week
Hymns of the Day
RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION AT STS CONSTANTINE AND HELEN CATHEDRAL IS DONE IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER:

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Sts. Constantine & Helen Cathedral

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (216) 932-3300
  • Street Address:

  • 3352 Mayfield Road

  • Cleveland Heights, OH 44118

Contact Information

Sade L Frayer
office manager


Services Schedule

SUNDAY SCHEDULE:

MATINS: 8:15 am
LITURGY: 9:30 am

SATURDAYS (subject to change):

VESPERS: 5:00 p.m.

Past Bulletins


Today

January 7, 2024

01/07/2024

SUNDAY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST / VASILOPITA SUNDAY
MATINS:      8:15 a.m.
LITURGY:     9:30 a.m. 
EPISTLE:      Acts 19:1-8 
GOSPEL:       John 1:29-34  
ACOLYTES:   Team A
PROSFORA:  Artemis Papouras    
PANGARI:    Team A: Steve Demetriou III, Eftihia Nunes, Tom Parras
ORTHODOX ED: 9:30 a.m. - Family Worship Sunday / Student Church Learning;   
                    5:00-8:00 pm - HS Class    
PARISH COUNCIL:  11:15 a.m. - Parish Council Oath    
PHILOPTOCHOS:  will pass a second basket to benefit St Basils. Please be generous!
COFFEE HOSTS: Philoptochos
STREAMING SERVICE:   youtube.com/stsconstantine


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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Matins Gospel Reading

Ninth Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from John 20:19-31

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, even so I send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in His side, I will not believe." Eight days later, His disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see My hands; and put out your hand, and place it in My side; do not be faithless, but believing." Thomas answered Him, "My Lord and My God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, you may have life in His name.

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Grave Tone. Psalm 63.11,1.
The righteous shall rejoice in the Lord.
Verse: Oh God, hear my cry.

The reading is from Acts of the Apostles 19:1-8.

In those days, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said, "No, we have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They said, "Into John's baptism." And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve of them in all. And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, arguing and pleading about the kingdom of God.

Gospel Reading

Synaxis of John the Holy Glorious Prophet, Baptist, & Forerunner
The Reading is from John 1:29-34

At that time, John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.' I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel." And John bore witness, "I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."

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Wisdom of the Fathers

When we are being baptised, our soul, purified by the Spirit, becomes brighter than the sun; not only are we then able to look at the glory of God, but we ourselves take on something of its radiance. As polished silver, illuminated by the rays of the sun, radiates light not only from its own nature, but also from the radiance of the sun, so a soul, purified by the Divine Spirit, becomes more brilliant than silver; it both receives the ray of Divine glory, and from itself reflects the ray of this same glory. Therefore the Apostle says: 'But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory' (2 Cor. 3:18)...)
Monks Callistus and Ignatius
Directions to Hesychasts no. 5, Writings from the Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart; Faber and Faber pg. 166

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This Week

THIS COMING WEEK

Mon, Jan.  8th           - 6:00 pm - Greek School - adult
                                 - 6:30 p.m. - Boys Basketball
                                 - 7:30 p.m. - Gamblers Anonymous
Tues, Jan. 9th          - 6:30 p.m. - OPA Dance
                                 - 7:00 p.m. - Metallinos Guitar workshop
Weds, Jan.  10th      - 6:00 pm - Greek School - adult
                                 - 7:00 p.m. - Choir Practice
Thurs, Jan.  11th      -  Greek School – Youth
                                 - 6:30 p.m. - Girls Basketball
                                 - 7:30 p.m. - Memory Eternal Zoom Group 
Sat, Jan.  13th          - 9:00 a.m. - Greek School – Youth
                                  - 5:00 p.m. - Vespers (& Confessions)
Sun, Jan.  14th         - 8:15 a.m. - Matins
                                  - 9:30 a.m. - Liturgy
                                  - 10:45 a.m. - Memorial: Drenen family
                                  - 10:45 a.m. - 6 year Memorial: Maria M. Sarris


WELCOME VISITORS!

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.


VISITORS & SACRAMENTS

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.


ONLINE TEXTS OF SERVICES

Those wishing to follow the livestreamed services with a written text may do so using the links below.
Electronic Version of Orthros (Matins) on Jan 7th:

Electronic Version of Divine Liturgy on Jan 7th:


CONGRATULATIONS

Fr Tom Drenen celebrated the 5th anniversary of his ordination to the Holy Priesthood on Dec. 30. May God grant him many years serving in His Holy Vineyard. 


TITHE.LY - IMPORTANT UPDATES!

PLEASE NOTE that if you’ve set up a recurring donation on Tithe.ly, it’s time to update your pledge for this year. It did NOT automatically change to the current year’s Stewardship Fund, so please make sure your gift is being allocated as intended - some of you still have donations coming in tagged for 2021!

Tithe.ly is an online giving tool that makes it simple to safely/securely give to your church anywhere at any time. No downloads required; simply visit the Sts. Constantine and Helen homepage, and click the Donate link in the menu at the upper right of the page. Your gift goes directly to the church, and is an easy way to make your donation by credit card. However, please be aware that if you choose not to cover the fee, it will be deducted from your donation.


STEWARDSHIP

Our parish strives "To lead people to God through Orthodox Christianity and to provide ways for them live and share God's love."  It does so in good days and in bad. Any financial help that you might offer is, as always, deeply appreciated.


ORTHODOX FORUM

We have concluded the Fall session of the Orthodox Forum. Please join us again at the end of January for the Spring session. See you then!


PROSFORO BAKING CLASS

Interested in learning to bake prosforo for communion?  Please come to our class on Saturday, February 10th at 10 am in the upstairs kitchen. The class should last about 1 to 1.5 hours.  Please contact Maria Misthos at mmisthos@mindspring.com if you are interested or have any questions.  


GREETERS WANTED

Why not make it your new year's resolution to help continue our Sunday Morning Greeting Tradition? All it requires is a warm smile, a handshake, and the fun of meeting and welcoming new friends in the community. We only ask that you volunteer your time at least one Sunday every few months to serve as a greeter before and during the liturgy. Below is a “Sign Up Genius” link with preset dates to schedule with ease. Most of you should be familiar with this process from staffing our church festival. Please feel free to reach out to Vanessa Pasiadis with questions. Her email address is: Vmpasiadis@sbcglobal.net and the Sign Up Link can be found at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D48A5AD23A4F58-sunday#/


METALLINOS GUITAR WORKSHOP

The next session of the MGW is scheduled for Tuesday, January 9, 2024, 7pm at the church. If your new year's resolutions include picking up that old guitar laying around and learning to play it, come visit us. This a no-pressure environment. All you need to do is come and listen if you like. If there are any questions please contact Dean Peters at deanmp58@gmail.com or (216) 570-4537. 


SUNSHINE GROUP

Please join us at Ho Wah's for lunch at 1 PM on Thursday, January 11.  Ho Wah's is at La Place on the corner of Richmond and Cedar Rd.  Please call or email Maria Cashy at 216-390-2294 if you can attend, or email mcashy@aol.com.  Our next lunch will be on February 8 at 1 PM.  Look for more details soon!


FISH FRY MEETING

Our famous Fish Fry this year will be held from Friday, February 16 thru Friday, March 22. We have scheduled a meeting for Monday, January 22 at 7:00 pm at Church in the Fellowship Hall. Everyone's involvement, opinions, and input are essential. Please RSVP to Marguarite Stephanopoulos at mstephanopoulos1@gmail.com if you will be able to attend or have any questions.  


PRAYER GROUP

In the Fall, we zoomed together to read "Prayer: Encounter with the Living God", and discovered a desire to read and discuss praying for our departed loved ones and grieving our losses. We plan to meet again to read and discuss "Memory Eternal: Living with Grief as Orthodox Christians", by Sarah Byrne-Martelli, DMin; a chaplain, bereavement counselor and St. Vladimir graduate.

The group will meet weekly over Zoom on Thursday evenings at 7:30-8:30 pm starting January 11th. If interested, contact Cynthia Terezis at cterezis@aol.com to be added to the Zoom email invite. 


PHILOPTOCHOS GIVING GARLAND

Winter is here! Today is the last day to help Philoptohos keep the students at Fairfax Elementary School warm. Choose a gift tag hanging on the Philoptochos Giving Garland in the lobby and purchase a hat and gloves set for a child ages K-5th grade. Drop it off in the brown donation box in the lobby by Sunday January 7th. No need to wrap them.

Thank you and Happy New Year!


GOYA / YOUNG ADULT ACTIVITIES

1) Greek Heritage Night with the Cleveland Cavaliers is back! Wednesday, January 17th will be the primary "Greek Night." The first 500 people to purchase tickets for this game will also receive an exclusive two-sided Cavs/Greek Heritage Scarf. The December 29th Bucks @ Cavs game is not the primary night, but still offers a discounted opportunity to watch Giannis and the Cavs. Order your tickets at: https://cavaliers.group/greek.

2) St. Kyranna Cooking Class will have its next meeting on Saturday, January 20th. Tom & Toni Madden will co-host. Great Vespers will be at 5:00 p.m. with class immediately following. Participants are asked to bring a bottle of wine and their favorite board game(s). Kindly RSVP to Ted by Monday, January 15th.

3) St. George Antiochian Church (2587 W 14th Street, Cleveland) will host a Pre-Lenten Young Adult Retreat February 23rd - 25th, 2024. Fr. John Ojami, Fr. Mark Hagan, and Fr. John Chagnon will be speaking on, "Developing Spiritual Maturity." Register today at https://www.eventcreate.com/e/pre-lenten-yam

4) 2024 Summer Camp @ Camp Nazareth staff applications will go live on January 1st! This is a wonderful way to "give back" and support our camp program. The Metropolis receives lots of applications, so candidates are encouraged to apply early. For more information, visit: y2am.pittsburgh.goarch.org/campstaff.

5) The Metropolis of Pittsburgh offers a NEW youth ministry: A "Wonderfully Made" day retreat for those with moderate to intensive special needs (ages kindergarten through 35). The event will be on Saturday, February 10th at St. Nicholas Church (220 N. Walnut St., Youngstown, 44503). Registration is now live at: https://y2am.pittsburgh.goarch.org/wonderfully-made. Contact Alyssa Kyritsis with any questions.


OPA DANCE

OPA Dance is back! We invite all to join us for dancing and parea. OPA meets every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.  


2024 COFFEE HOSTS WANTED

Thank you to those who have responded to our request for coffee hosts - we have filled all the dates for the first months of the year! We now have only the following dates to cover for the weeks ahead:

  • Mar 17th
  • Mar 24th
  • Mar 31st - and beyond..

Please email office@stsconstantine.com or call Sade in the church office at 216 932-3300 to ask about your preferred day. 


NATIONAL HELLENIC SOCIETY

The National Hellenic Society's Heritage Greece Program is a complementary, 2-week cultural immersion odyssey for accomplished Greek American college students who share their experiences with a peer group of exceptional students from the American College of Greece (ACG) in Athens, Greece or the American College of Thessaloniki (ACT) in Thessaloniki, Greece. The Heritage Greece Program® goal is to connect the participants with their faith, heritage, roots, and Greek identity. For more information, visit www.hellenicsociety.org


SPIRITUAL GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES

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).


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Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Plagal 2nd Tone

The angelic powers appeared at your tomb, and those guarding it became as dead. Mary stood at your grave seeking your pure body. But you stripped the power of Hades, yet were not touched by corruption. You met the virgin and granted her life. O Lord, who

Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Cross Press


Apolytikion for Afterfeast of the Theophany in the 1st Tone

When Thou wast baptized in the Jordan, O Lord, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest; for the voice of the Father bare witness to Thee, calling Thee His beloved Son. And the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the certainty of the word. O Christ our God, Who hast appeared and hast enlightened the world, glory be to Thee.

Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery


Apolytikion for Synaxis of John the Forerunner in the 2nd Tone

The memory of the just is celebrated with hymns of praise, but the Lord's testimony is sufficient for thee, O Forerunner; for thou hast proved to be truly even more venerable than the Prophets, since thou was granted to baptize in the running waters Him Whom they proclaimed. Wherefore, having contested for the truth, thou didst rejoice to announce the good tidings even to those in Hades: that God hath appeared in the flesh, taking away the sin of the world and granting us great mercy.

Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery


Apolytikion for the Church in the Plagal 4th Tone

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)


Seasonal Kontakion in the 4th Tone

You appeared to the world today, and Your light, O Lord, has left its mark upon us. With fuller understanding we sing to You: "You came, You were made manifest, the unapproachable light."

Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Narthex Press


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