May 15, 2011
Sunday of the Paralytic
In the miracle of the healing of the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda, we see the Son’s power over life and sin, power which becomes fully evident in the Resurrection. The paralytic is a man crippled in body and spirit, for, even as He heals the body, Jesus warns against results of further sin. Christ frees us from our bodies of corruption and grants us flesh glorified in Him; He also frees us from the power of sin and grants us perfection in His Spirit. As the man at the pool accepted God’s grace and found life, so let us walk in His light and come into His presence.
Acts 9:32-42: Empowered by the Holy Spirit, St Peter heals a paralyzed man and raises a woman from the dead; both acts lead to many people believing in the Lord.
John 5:1-15: Jesus demonstrates His lordship over creation and the Sabbath when He heals a sick man at the pool of Bethsaida.
Troparion of the Resurrection: Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad; for the Lord hath done a mighty act with his own arm. He hath trampled down death and become the First-born from the dead. He hath delivered us from the depths of hades, granting the world the Great Mercy.
Troparion of the Chains of St. Peter: O Holy Apostle, Peter, thou dost preside over the Apostles by the precious chains which thou didst bear. We venerate them with faith and beseech thee that by thine intercessions we be granted the great mercy.
Kontakion of Pascha: When Thou didst descend into the grave, O Immortal, Thou didst destroy the power of Hades. In victory didst Thou arise, O Christ God, proclaiming ARejoice@ to the myrrh-bearing women, granting peace to Thine apostles and bestowing resurrection on the fallen.
CALENDAR
Sunday, May 15
8:50 a.m. — Orthros
9:00 a.m. — Christian Education
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy
12:00 p.m. — Pot Luck Meal honoring our graduating High School Seniors
1:00 p.m. — Young Adults
Monday, May 16
Office Closed — Father John’s Day Off
Tuesday, May 17
6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros
Wednesday, May 18
5:00 p.m. — Catechism Class
6:30 p.m. — Daily Vespers followed by Parish Council Meeting
7:30 p.m. — Choir Practice
Thursday, May 19
6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros
Friday, May 20
6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros
Saturday, May 21 (Constantine and Helen)
5:00 p.m. — Catechism Class
5:45 p.m. — Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers
Sunday, May 22
8:50 a.m. — Orthros
9:00 a.m. — Christian Education
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy
5:30 p.m. — Youth Group
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Eucharist Bread …was offered by Schelvers for the Divine Liturgy today.
Please be reminded of the following:
Be very careful with the Blessed Bread when you take it after communion. Because this bread has been blessed, we should take care not to let crumbs fall on the floor. Parents, especially, please help your children to choose a small piece and treat it carefully.
Also, at the end of the liturgy, maintain a prayerful disposition during the veneration of the cross as the prayers of thanksgiving after communion are still underway. Please exchange your greetings with each other in the Fellowship Hall during Coffee Hour.
Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour
May 15 Schelvers POT LUCK MEAL
May 22 Morrises Schelvers
May 29 Joneses Pigotts
Schedule for Epistle Readers – Page numbers refer to the Apostolos (book of the Epistles) located on the front pew. Please be sure to use this book when you read.
Reader Reading Page#
May 15 Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver Acts 9:32-42 45
May 22 Tom Willingham Acts 11:19-30 52
May 29 Tom Skirtech Acts 16:16-34 58
Please remember the following in your prayers: Fr. Leo, Kh. Be’Be’, Stephen and Amy, Justyn and Jeffrey; Steve, Sheryl and Stephen Chamblee; Maria Costas; Amy and Brantley Oliver; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit; David Turner’s mother Mary Jean; Fr. Joseph Bittle, Kh. Joanna, their daughter Abigail and the rest of their family.
Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
Because our clergy will be attending the Parish Life Conference there will be no Daily Vespers on Wednesday June 15th. There will also be no catechism class on Wednesday June 15th or Saturday June 18th. Nor will there be Daily Orthros on Thursday or Friday of that week. However, Father James will be returning on Saturday afternoon. So our regular services will be celebrated on Saturday and Sunday June 18th and 19th.
We are looking for new faces in the choir….anyone 7th grade or older who is interested should contact Karen or Sh. Margaret.
The Updated Directory is temporarily on hold. We hope to have it available in the near future.
Calendar Items:
* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
* The 2011 Parish Life Conference is being hosted by St. John Orthodox Church in
* Memphis on June 16-19. More information (hotels, etc.) is available through the Archdiocese website at antiochian.org.
* We will be serving a meal at the Stewpot in Jackson on July 9th and November 19th.
* His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN will be here the weekend of May 6, 2012 to help us celebrate our 25th anniversary as a parish. The planning committee is working very hard to make our celebration a memorable one. There will be an evening event at the MS Museum of Art on Friday, May 5th. Other events are being planned and more information will be available in the coming months.
If you are planning to attend the Parish Life Conference in Memphis, please register as soon as possible. St. John needs our registrations as they continue their preparations to host this event.
Fasting Discipline for May
The traditional fasting discipline (no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, wine and oil) is observed on all Wednesdays and Fridays of the month.
Major Commemorations during May
May 21 Sts. Constantine and Helen
May 25 The Forerunner (3rd discovery)
Antiochian Women’s Scholarship: Each year AOCWNA is able to award scholarships, usually in the amount of $500 each, to help women continue their education in order to improve their circumstances and those of their families. In order to be eligible, a woman must be over 25 years of age, a member in good standing and active in her parish, registered in an academic or trade program of study, and demonstrate financial need. The application deadline is May 27, 2011. If you are interested in applying for this scholarship, please see Fr. John for an application.
Lost Items! Are you missing any items?? …most notably 3 sets of keys or a thread-counted bookmark.? These may be claimed in the church office. Please see Kh. Sharon.
If you are the last to leave the building, please make sure that the heating and cooling unit in the Fellowship Hall is turned off.
Happy Anniversaries in May:
May 2 — Samer and Irene N’Ser (1999)
May 12 — Cliff and Anna Kathryn Stewart (2007)
May 30 — Tom and Jennifer Skirtech (1977)
Happy Birthdays in May:
May 5 — Joanna Meadows
— Dale Cooper
May 7 — Tiffany Strain (#14!)
May 8 — Kh. Janet Henderson
May 10 — Fr. Leo Schelver
May 11 — Meghan Brock
May 15 — Tom Skirtech
May 21 — Jacob Skirtech (#4!)
May 24 — Daniel Root
— Paul Katool
May 26 — David Turner
May 27 — Luke Habeeb (#6!)
May 30 — Dn. Terry Algood
May 31 — Stephen Chamblee
Quotable: “The holy Apostles were themselves poor but enriched many (cf. II Cor. 6:10). They were rich despite their poverty, because they possessed the marvelous gift of God—the heavenly grace which even in this life made them infinitely blissful! Is it possible that poverty could have been a great evil for them who had found the treasure of eternal life?”
Archimandrite Seraphim Aleksiev
Worship: Sunday, May 22, 2011 (Sunday of the Samaritan Woman)
Scripture: Acts 11:19-30; John 4:5-42
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Tom Willingham
Prosphora: Morrises
Coffee Hour: Schelvers
Saint Peter Antiochian Orthodox Church 