April 1, 2012
Fifth Sunday of Lent;
Commemoration of St. Mary of Egypt
The facts of the life of St. Mary of Egypt are vague and clouded by time and separation, but the spirit of her story is a clear call to repentance and devotion. According to tradition, Mary was from Alexandria, where she was an actress and courtesan, living a life of sin and infamy. When spiritual intervention forbade her entry to Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, she spent the night in penitent prayer. The following morning she was able to enter, whereupon she venerated the cross and immediately removed herself to the life of a penitent and solitary in the Palestinian desert. She remained in isolation for forty-seven years, aided only by monks of the region and God’s grace. Only at her death was she found and given communion by the priest Zosimus. On this last Sunday of Lent, as we prepare for Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and the Great Feast of the eighth and eternal day, we call to mind this holy woman, her fear of the all-powerful God, her recognition of her sin, her repentance, her humility, her faith, and her unwavering intent to seek righteousness and the courts of her King.
Hebrews 9:11-14: In our reading from Hebrews, we hear the Apostle tell us that when Christ entered the heavenly Holy of Holies through His own blood, He obtained for us eternal redemption for our sins.
Mark 10:32-45: We again hear our Lord prophesy concerning His coming death and resurrection, but, His disciples do not understand, displaying concern for personal gain as a reward. The Lord then explains to them that greatness in the kingdom of God is attained through service to others.
Troparion of the Resurrection: The stone being sealed by the Jews, and thy pure body being guarded by the soldiers, thou didst arise on the third day, O Saviour, granting life to the world. Wherefore, the heavenly powers acclaimed thee, O Giver of life, crying, Glory to thy Resurrection, O Christ! Glory to thy kingdom! Glory to thy gracious providence, O only Lover of mankind.
Troparion of St. Mary of Egypt: In thee, O Mother, was preserved that which is according to God’s image, for thou hast taken up the Cross and followed Christ. By thine actions thou hast taught us to despise the flesh, for it passes away, but to care for the soul, which is a thing immortal; and so thy spirit, holy Mary, rejoices with the angels.
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 the Theotokos: O undisputed intercessor of Christians, O mediatrix, who is unrejected by the Creator, turn not away from the voice of our petitions though we be sinners; come to us in time, who cry to thee in faith, for thou art good. Hasten to us with intercessions, O Theotokos, who didst ever intercede for those who honor thee.
CALENDAR
Sunday, April 1 (Fifth Sunday of Lent; St. Mary of Egypt)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros
9:00 a.m. — Christian Education
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy
12:00 p.m. — Ladies of St. Peter
1:00 p.m. — Young Adults
Monday, April 2
Office Closed — Father John’s Day Off
Tuesday, April 3
6:00 a.m. –Lenten Orthros
Wednesday, April 4
5:00 p.m. — Catechism Class
6:30 p.m. — Presanctified Liturgy followed by Lenten Meal
Thursday, April 5
6:00 a.m. — Lenten Orthros
11:30 a.m. — Men’s Lunch
Friday, April 6
6:00 a.m. — Lenten Orthros
6:30 p.m. — Small Complines with Canon of St. Lazarus
Saturday, April 7 (Lazarus Saturday)
9:00 a.m. — Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy
5:45 p.m. — Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers
Sunday, April 8 (Palm Sunday)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros
9:00 a.m. — Christian Education
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy
12:00 p.m. — Annual Fish Fry
6:30 p.m. — Bridegroom Matins
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Hendersons 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
April 1 Henderson Henderson/Schelver
April 7 (Sat. a.m.) Algood Algood
April 8 Katool Meadows/Joanna/Freundt
April 12 (Thurs. a.m.) Schelver Meadows
April 14 (Sat. a.m.) Morris Cooper
April 14 (Sat. p.m.) Jones Jones/Chamblee/?
April 22 Meadows Meadows/Lasseter
April 29 Joanna Meadows Ellis/Zouboukos
Please remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle and their daughter Abigail in your prayers.
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#
April 1 Tom Willingham Heb. 9:11-14 290
April 7 (Sat. a.m.) Brenda Baker Heb. 12:28-13:8 291
April 8 Tom Skirtech Phil. 4:4-9 294
April 12 (Thurs. a.m.) Kh. Sharon Meadows I Cor. 11:23-32 295
April 14 (Sat. a.m.) Sh. Charlotte Algood Rom. 6:3-11 300-301
April 14 (Sat. p.m.) Walt Wood Acts 1:1-8 25
April 22 Warren Strain Acts 5:12-20 32
April 29 Mildred Morris Acts 6:1-7 38
Please be reminded that the Sacristy/Vestry which is adjacent to and behind the altar in our church is considered by the Orthodox Church to be part of the Sanctuary (Altar area) and should not be entered without the blessing of the priest for a specific purpose. If you need to speak with a member of the clergy while they are in the Sanctuary, please ask them to come to you in the nave.
Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
Please remember the following in your prayers: Maria Costas; Amy and Michael Surratt and Amy’s family; Tom and Jennifer Skirtech and Jennifer’s mother, Jessamine Hinkson; Warren and Sandi Strain and their family; Fr. Leo, Kh. Be’Be’, Stephen and Amy, Justyn and Jeffrey; Steve, Sheryl and Stephen Chamblee; Amy and Brantley Oliver; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit; David Turner’s mother Mary Jean; Georgia Buchanan, George Johns (Georgia’s grandson) and his family; Dorin and Carolina Lavric and Victor (Carolina’s brother); Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon’s sister); Joanna Meadows and Jay Davis (as they prepare for their wedding).
Date Changes for Baptism and Chrismation: due to a change in schedules, Oliver Yeatts will be chrismated during the Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil on Great and Holy Saturday morning (instead of May 12th). Isabelle Goss will be baptized on Saturday, April 21st at 10:30 a.m. (instead of Great and Holy Saturday as announced last week).
Confessions: Please go ahead and schedule your confessions so we do not have so many people trying to fit it in just before Holy Week. No confessions will be heard after Great and Holy Wednesday.
When you host Coffee Hour or the meal for a Feast please make sure that the oven, warmer, and coffee maker are turned off afterwards. On several occasions in the past, the cleaning ladies have found the oven still on when they came in to clean later during the week.
Breakfast and Bible Study: will resume after Pascha — date TBA. This is open to all who are interested. Be sure to come and enjoy the fellowship.
Calendar Items:
* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
* As is our parish custom, we will celebrate the Presanctified Liturgy on Wednesday evenings and the Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos on Friday evenings during the time of the fast.
* We will hold our annual catfish dinner NEXT Sunday, following the Divine Liturgy. Meals will be all-you-can-eat catfish, hushpuppies, cole slaw and French fries. Cost of the meal will be $9 for adults and children 12 and over, and $6 for children 5-11. Please be sure to stay for the fun and fellowship.
* The schedule of services for Holy Week is as follows:
Sunday, April 8 Bridegroom Matins, 6:30 p.m.
Monday, April 9 Bridegroom Matins, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 10 Bridegroom Matins, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 11 Holy Unction Service, 6:30 p.m. (remember to fast)
Thursday, April 12 Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, 6:00 a.m.
Reading of the Twelve Passion Gospels, 6:30 p.m
. Friday, April 13 Royal Hours, 6:00 a.m.
Taking down from the Cross, 3:00 p.m.
Lamentations Service, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 14 Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, 9:00 a.m.
Paschal Service, 10:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 15 Agape Vespers at Holy Resurrection, time TBA
* 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 Saturday, May 6th. Other events are being planned and more information will be available in the coming months.
* Stewpot schedule (together with Holy Resurrection) – July 21st and December 29th.
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.
Fasting Discipline for April
The traditional fasting discipline (no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, wine and oil) is observed on all days of the week until Pascha (except Palm Sunday on April 8th, when fish, wine and oil are permitted). There is no fasting of any kind during the week following Pascha (Bright Week). Following Bright Week, the traditional fasting discipline is once again observed on the remaining Wednesdays and Fridays of the month.
Major Commemorations for March
April 1 5th Sunday of Lent; St. Mary of Egypt
April 7 Lazarus Saturday
April 8 Palm Sunday
April 9-14 Holy Week
April 15 PASCHA
April 22 Thomas Sunday
April 23 Great-martyr George
April 25 Apostle Mark
April 29 Sunday of the Myrrh-bearers
Happy Anniversaries in April:
April 12 — Mike and Cheryl Piggott (#31!)
April 25 — Jim and Desi Roehner (#63!)
April 28 — Anthony and Athena Zouboukos (#22!)
Happy Birthdays in April:
April 4 — Denis Lavric
April 6 — John Wood (#19!)
April 11 — Brandon Strain (#10!)
April 12 — Lily Dabit
Quotable: “However, normal people also exhibit indications that fragmentation exists; it is not merely a problem for the mentally ill. Although generally fairly subtle, thi phenomenon is most obvious when someone loses his or her temper, a condition that happens to almost all of us from time to time. On becoming very angry, people often feel a change occurring within themselves, and it is not uncommon for such a person to feel quite different, quite ‘other’ than his or her normal self. Questioning such a person at that moment is often fruitless, since he or she is not ‘present’ to be questioned; however, if the situation is discussed later, many will admit to having felt much younger, even like a child, during the time they were angry. The person who loses his or her temper actually experiences the world and events within it from a point of view quite different from the one he or she normally experiences. This may be because, at some time in the past, such people have learned that be entering a ‘child state’ they are more likely to get what they want. Successful behaviors are the ones most likely to be employed again. At the very least, one may suppose that anger must have worked for them when they were children. Having learned a behavior that got them what they wanted, it is almost impossible to alter that behavior at a later stage, even when it has become entirely inappropriate and the grown-up is behaving like a child.”
Archimandrite. Meletios Webber, Bread and Water, Wine and
Oil: an Orthodox Christian Experience of God
Worship: Sunday, April 8, 2012 (Palm Sunday)
Scripture: Philippians 4:4-9; John 12:1-18
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Tom Skirtech
Prosphora: Katool
Coffee Hour: Anna Freundt/Meadows/Joanna Meadows
Saint Peter Antiochian Orthodox Church 