November 1, 2020

Holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian of Asia

I Corinthians 12:27-31;13:1-8: In our reading from St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, we are reminded that although we all have received gifts from the Holy Spirit, they are meaningless without love.

Luke 16:19-31: In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, our Lord teaches us that giving mercy to others, regardless of the form, is essential to holiness.

Troparion of the Resurrection: Having learned the joyful message of the Resurrection from the angel, the women Disciples cast from them their parental condemnation, and proudly broke the news to the Disciples, saying, Death has been spoiled. Christ God is risen, granting the world Great Mercy.

Troparion of Sts. Cosmas and Damian: O ye silver-hating, wonder-working saints, Cosmas and Damian, visit our sicknesses. Freely received ye, freely give unto us.

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.

From Father John: In His Eminence, Metropolitan JOSEPH’s last communique regarding the restrictions for participation in the services at our churches, he stated that, we should follow the guidelines based on our local numbers with the virus. As our numbers locally are rising, we will be dropping back to 25 participants at liturgies (which includes the priest and chanters). I will continue to try my best to rotate, as fairly as possible, our members who are healthy and wish to come to the services. Thank you for your cooperation with these restrictions.

Please continue to follow the CDC Guidelines to limit contagion and the spread of the COVID virus.

ATTENTION: Please be reminded that both the Archdiocese and the Governor have issued directions which mandate that masks be worn while in public/group settings. If you are inside of the church, you must wear a mask. Only the chanters and serving clergy are exempted from this during services. Masks should be worn outside, too, if you are in close proximity to others. You have done well with this for the most part, but with a few lapses recently, I wanted to remind you of this essential precaution. — Fr. John

CALENDAR

UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE: All services listed on the calendar will be available through streaming and webcast.

Sunday, November 1 (Cosmas and Damian of Asia)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros (webcast)

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy (webcast)

Monday, November 2

Father John’s Day Off

Tuesday, November 3 (Dedication of the Church of St. George)

NO Services

Wednesday, November 4

6:30 p.m. — Daily Vespers

Thursday, November 5

NO services

Friday, November 6

NO services

Saturday, November 7(Raphael, Bishop of Brooklyn)

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

6:00 p.m. — Great Vespers (No Ninth Hour Prayers)

Sunday, November 8 (Archangels Michael and Gabriel)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros (webcast)

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy (webcast)

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

Eucharist Bread Schedule (NO Coffee Hour):

Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour

November 7 (Sat. a.m.) Katool

(Feast of St. Raphael, Bishop of Brooklyn)

November 8 Schelver

November 15 Morris

November 21 (Sat. a.m.) Jones

(Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple)

November 22 Meadows

November 29 Davis

December 6 D. Root

December 13 Karam

December 20 Brock

December 24 (Thurs. p.m.) Henderson

December 27 Algood

December 31 (Thurs. p.m.) Baker (Artoklasia Bread)

(Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord and the Feastday of St. Basil the Great)

Please remember that the schedule for prosphora is still in place as we will continue to serve the Divine Liturgy.

Also, please remember that we still need your tithes and offerings which may be placed in the tithe box at the back of the nave or be mailed to: St. Peter Orthodox Church, P.O. Box 2084, Madison, MS 39130-2084.

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 the following in your prayers: Steve, Sheryl Chamblee; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon’s sister); Lynda Costas; Fr. Nicholas, Kh. Jan and Angelina Speier; David Morris and his family; Jay and Joanna; Chris and Rebecca Dansereau and their daughters; Fr. Leo and Kh. Be’Be’ and their family; Emad and Natalia Alaeetawi and their family; Tom and Kathy Willingham.

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

If you are ready to return to the services of our church, please let Fr. John know so that he can add you to the list of attendees. It is up to individuals to request attendance at the services. Fr. John attempts to be fair in allotting slots, but he does not make assignments or phone calls.

If you get sick, especially with the Corona virus, please let Fr. John know.

Memory Eternal! Warren Strain fell asleep in the Lord this past Tuesday morning after a 10-month battle following a massive stroke on December 23rd. Warren passed in his sleep at home. Please keep Sandra, Tiffany and Brandon in your prayers as well as the rest of their family.

A Benevolence account remains in effect at St. Peter to help the Strain family deal with Warren’s medical bills and other needs. If you would like to make a donation to this fund, please note on your check that it is for the Warren Strain Benevolence Fund. 100% of these funds will go to the Strain family. (All funds previously raised to go toward the purchase of a special van will now be applied to Warren’s funeral expenses.)

Congratulations to Niko and Stephanie Petrogeorge (and Grandparents Reader Basil and Brenda Baker) on the birth of Alexios (Alexi) Nicholas Petrogeorge this past Monday. Alexi weighed 7lb. 8 oz. and was 20 3/4″ long. Mother and son are home and doing well. May God grant them all Many Years!!

The Archdiocese Convention scheduled for 2021 in Pittsburgh has been cancelled due to the pandemic. This was necessitated by the hotel’s demand for an excessive nonrefundable deposit.

Calendar Items:

* We will be celebrating the Feast of St. Raphael, Bishop of Brooklyn, with Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy on Saturday morning, November 7th, beginning at 9:00 a.m.

* The Fast of the Nativity begins on November 15th. During this time, we will celebrate the Advent Paraklesis on Wednesday evenings instead of Daily Vespers.

* The Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple will be celebrated with Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy on Saturday morning, November 21st, beginning at 9:00 a.m.

* As is our custom, we will not have services on November 25th, the eve of Thanksgiving.

Instructions for streaming our services can be found on the parish website.

Metropolitan JOSEPH recently announced that the Archdiocese has raised just under one million dollars for relief for Lebanon following the explosion there. Two thirds of the money raised will go to St. George Hospital which sustained severe damage and the remainder of the money will be distributed to our churches in the area that were also damaged.

Fasting Discipline for November

In November, the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) is observed on Wednesdays and Fridays until the 15th of the month, when the Fast of the Nativity begins. During this fast the traditional fasting discipline is observed each day of the week. Note, however, through December 19th there is a katlysis on Tuesdays and Thursdays when wine and oil are permitted, and on Saturdays and Sundays when fish, wine and oil are permitted.

Major Commemorations for November

November 1 Cosmas and Damian of Asia

November 3 Dedication of the Church of St. George

November 7 Raphael, Bishop of Brooklyn

November 8 Archangels Michael and Gabriel

November 9 Nektarios of Pentapolis

November 13 John Chrysostom (repose)

November 14 Apostle Philip

November 16 Apostle and Evangelist Matthew

November 21 Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple

November 25 Great-martyrs Catherine and Mercurios

November 30 Apostle Andrew, the First-called

ead of ManHead of Maonasteries

Quotable: “The saint always radiates a spirit of generosity, of forbearance, of attention and willingness to share, without any thought for himself. His warmth gives warmth to others and makes them feel they are regaining their strength, and lets them experience the joy of not being alone. The saint is like an innocent lamb, always ready to be sacrificed and to take to himself the suffering of others, but he is an unshakeable wall against which all can lean for support. Sharing thus the lot of others the saint sometimes shows great discretion, while at other times he expresses himself without reserve. It is hardly necessary to speak of the total absence of self-interest in his relationshipsoly Spirit, goiven and sent by both the FFaa.”

Dumitru Staniloae, Prayer and Holiness

Worship: Sunday, November 8, 2020 (Archangels Michael and Gabriel)

Scripture: Hebrews 2: 2-10; Luke 8:41-56

Celebrant: Father John

Prosphora: Schelver