May 19, 2019

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 19 (Sunday of the Paralytic)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

9:00 a.m. — Christian Education

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

Monday, May 20

Father John’s Day Off

Tuesday, May 21 (Sts. Constantine and Helen)

6:00 a.m. — Festal Orthros

Wednesday, May 22

6:30 p.m. — Daily Vespers

7:15 p.m. — Choir Practice

7:30 p.m. — Parish Council Meeting

Thursday, May 23

6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros

Friday, May 24

Saturday, May 25 (The Forerunner, 3rd Discovery)

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

Sunday, May 26 (Sunday of the Samaritan Woman)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

9:00 a.m. — Christian Education

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

12:00 p.m. — POT LUCK MEAL

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:

Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour

May 19 R. Root Schelver/Karam/Pacurari

May 26 Baker POT LUCK MEAL

Set-up: Katool/Davis/Staursky/Baba

June 2 Henderson Meadows/Jones/Turner

June 5 (Wed. p.m.) Katool Mary Guy Lockhart

(Feast of the Ascension)

June 9 Schelver Ellis/Zuoboukos/Waites

June 16 Morris PICNIC POT LUCK MEAL

(Feast of Pentecost) Set-up: R. Root/Habeeb/Cooper

June 23 Jones Henderson/Lockhart/Alaeetawi

June 29 (Sat. a.m.) D. Root Marica Pacurari

(Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul)

June 30 Davis Pigott/Dabit/Strain/Lavric

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 19 Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver Acts 9:32-42 45

May 26 Mildred Morris Acts 11:19-30 52

June 2 Sam Habeeb Acts 16:16-34 58

June 5 (Wed. p.m.) Brenda Baker Acts 1:1-12 63

June 9 Walt Wood Acts 20:16-18, 28-36 66

June 16 Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver Acts 2:1-11 77

June 23 Warren Strain Heb. 11:33-12:2 84

June 29 (Sat. a.m.) Brenda Baker II Cor. 11:21-33; 12:6-9 389

June 30 Mildred Morris I Cor. 4:9-16 135

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.

His Grace, Bishop NICHOLAS will make his next arch-pastoral 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!

For updates on Fr. Leo’s condition, please go to caringbridge.com.

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.

* His Grace, Bishop NICHOLAS will be with us for a visit on May 26-27th. More details will be available at a later date.

* We will celebrate the Feast of the Ascension with Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy on Wednesday evening, June 5th, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

* The Parish Life Conference will be held in Raleigh NC, June 13-16.

* We will celebrate the Feast of Pentecost with a Picnic Pot Luck Meal following the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, June 16th.

* We will have the Kneeling Vespers of Pentecost on the evening of June 16th, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

* Vacation Church School will be held again this year in July on the 11th,12th, and 13th. More information will be available later.

* Our next date for serving at the Stewpot is Saturday, September 28th.

Fasting Discipline for May

There will be no fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays until the Feast of the Ascension, for the whole forty days, as decided by the Holy Synod of the Church of Antioch in 1997. (This is a departure from what we have done in the past, but is what we have been directed to do by the Archdiocese.)

Major Commemorations for May

May 19 Sunday of the Paralytic

May 25 The Forerunner (#rd Discovery)

May 26 Sunday of the Samaritan Woman

For Parents: Children in the nursery during Coffee Hour MUST be supervised just as they are on the playground. This room is used for Sunday School each week. Children who are unsupervised create disarray and use materials set aside for the teaching of Christian Education. This creates extra work for the Sunday School teachers who have to come in and set the room in order before class or who find supplies depleted unexpectedly. A parent must be in the room with their children at all times. Please help us with this! — Fr. John

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.

ead of ManHead of Maonasteries

Quotable: “The Spirit of grace lives in Christians from the time of baptism and chrismation. And to participate in the sacraments of repentance and communion—is not this to receive the most abundant floods of grace?’”

St. Theophan the Recluse

Worship: Sunday, May 26, 2019 (Sunday of the Samaritan Woman)

Scripture: Acts 11:19-30; John 4:5-42

Celebrant: Father John

Epistle Reader: Mildred Morris

Prosphora: R. Root

Coffee Hour: POT LUCK MEAL

Set-up: Katool/Davis/Staursky/BaBa