April 14, 2019

Fifth Sunday of Great Lent

Commemoration of 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.

Troparion of the Resurrection: Let us believers praise and worship the Word, co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, born of the Virgin for our salvation; for he took pleasure in ascending the Cross in the flesh, to suffer death, and to raise the dead by his glorious Resurrection.

Troparion of St. Mary of Egypt: Through thee the divine likeness was securely preserved, O Mother Mary; for thou didst carry the cross and followed Christ. By example and precept thou didst teach us to ignore the body because it is perishable, and to attend to the concerns of the undying soul. Therefore, doth thy soul rejoice 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 Sundays of Lent: To thee the champion leader, I thy servant offer thanks for victory, O Theotokos, thou who hast delivered me form terror. As thou hast power invincible, free me from every danger that I may cry unto thee: Rejoice, O bride without bridegroom.

CALENDAR

Sunday, April 14 (Mary of Egypt)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

9:00 a.m. — Christian Education

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

Monday, April 15

Father John’s Day Off

Tuesday, April 16

6:00 a.m. — Lenten Orthros

Wednesday, April 17

6:30 p.m. — Presanctified Liturgy followed by Soup Supper

Thursday, April 18

6:00 a.m. — Lenten Orthros

Friday, April 19

6:30 p.m. — Small Complines with the Canon of St. Lazarus

Saturday, April 20 (Lazarus Saturday)

9:00 a.m. — Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy

5:45 p.m. — Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers

Sunday, April 21 (Palm Sunday)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

9:00 a.m. — Christian Education

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

12:00 p.m. — Fish Fry Meal

6:30 p.m. — Bridegroom Matins

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Schelvers for the Divine Liturgy this morning.

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:

Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour

April 14 Schelver Pigott/Dabit/Strain/Lavric

April 20 (Sat. a.m.) Morris Anastasia Jones

(Lazarus Saturday)

April 21 Jones Kh. Janet Henderson/Christina Katool

April 25 (Thurs. a.m.) Katool Kh. Sharon Meadows

(Great and Holy Thursday)

April 27 (Sat. a.m.) Davis Karen Cooper

April 27 (Sat. p.m.) D. Root Turners/Kh. Be’Be’/Mary Guy/Joanna

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 14 Warren Strain Heb. 9:11-14 290

April 20 (Sat. a.m.) Brenda Baker Heb. 12:28-13:8 291

April 21 Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver Phil. 4:4-9 294

April 25 (Thurs. a.m.) Kh. Sharon Meadows I Cor. 11:23-32 295

April 27 (Sat. a.m.) Kh. Sharon Meadows Rom. 6:3-11 300

April 27 (Sat. p.m.) Sam Habeeb Acts 1:1-8 25

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.

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 remember the following in your prayers: Steve, Sheryl Chamblee; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit and Sammie; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon’s sister); Lynda Costas; Fr. Nicholas, Kh. Jan and Angelina Speier; David Morris and his family; Vernie Meadows, Fr. James and Kh. Sharon and their family; Walt and Charlotte Wood and their family; Lou Turner’s cousin Amy and her husband John; Noah and Beth Ann (Baker) Pappas, the Reader Basil and Brenda and all of the Baker family; Chris and Rebecca Dansereau and their daughters; Fr. Leo and Kh. Be’Be’ and their family.

Continue to pray for Metropolitan Paul (who is also the brother of our Patriarch) and the Syriac Archbishop John of Aleppo who were abducted while on a humanitarian mission in Syria.

Please remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers.

Please keep Fr. John Morris and Kh. Cheryl in your prayers. They have both been ill recently.

During Great Lent we will once again be collecting goods for the Commissary at Sunnybrook Children’s Home. Lists of the items that are needed are available in the foyer and also in the Fellowship Hall. Please bring your donated items to the church and place them in the East end of the Fellowship Hall. Dn. Terry will collect them and take them to Sunnybrook.

We will have our annual Fish Fry Meal on Palm Sunday, April 20th. The meal will once again be provided by Sal & Phil’s. The cost is $10 for adults and children over 10; $5 for children 5-10. A sign-up sheet is available on the information table in the hallway. Please sign up as soon as possible so that we can have a headcount for the meal!

Agape Vespers: St. Peter will be hosting Agape Vespers this year on Pascha. A committee is being formed to plan the event. The Church will be providing the meats. A sign-up sheet is available in the Fellowship Hall. Please sign up for appetizers, desserts, bread and drinks. We especially need volunteers to help with clean up afterwards!! If you plan to drink beer, please bring your own.

Readers for Agape Vespers: We need readers for the Gospel Reading in the different languages. If you would like to participate, please see Father John and he will give you a copy of the reading in the language that you need, if you do not have it already.

We will have an Easter Egg Hunt after Agape Vespers on Sunday, April 28th. If you would like your child or children to participate, please bring a dozen or more plastic eggs filled with candy or treats to Elizabeth or Daniel Root any time before the 28th.

His Grace, Bishop NICHOLAS will make his next archpastoral visit to St. Peter’s on May 26-27th (he will be leaving on Tuesday morning, May 28th). More information will be available at a later date. Please mark your calendars now!

Unsupervised children in the Kitchen: For health and safety concerns children are not to be allowed in the kitchen unless accompanied by a parent. Please get ice for your children and do NOT allow them to use the icemaker themselves.

Calendar Items:

* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.

* The Ladies of St. Peter meet at 10:00 a.m. on the second Saturday of the month to pray the Akathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children.

* The Ladies of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the last Tuesday of the month.

* We will celebrate the Presanctified Liturgy on Wednesday evenings in place of Daily Vespers during Lent, beginning at 6:30 p.m..

* On Friday evenings of Great Lent we will pray the Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

* NEXT Sunday we will have our annual Fish Fry Meal following the Divine Liturgy.

* Schedule for Holy Week Services is as follows (all evening services begin at 6:30 p.m.):

Sunday, April 21st — Bridegroom Matins

Monday, April 22nd — Bridegroom Matins

Tuesday, April 23rd — Bridegroom Matins

Wednesday, April 24th