March 23, 2008 Church Bulletin
Sunday, March 23, 2008
SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
ST. GREGORY PALAMAS, BISHOP OF THESSALONICA
Today's Celebrants: V. Rev. Fr. Timothy Ferguson;
Rt. Rev. Fr. Constantine Yanney;
Rev. Dn. Nicholas Belcher; Subdeacon Douglas Howdy;
Subdeacon Khalil Samara; Subdeacon Chadi Saad; Subdeacon James Irving
VARIATION IN TODAY'S DIVINE LITURGY
At the entrance (Service Book page 97):
1. TROPARION OF THE RESURRECTION - Tone 2: When Thou didst submit Thyself unto death, O Thou deathless and immortal One, then Thou didst destroy Hell, with Your Godly power. And when Thou didst raise the dead from beneath the earth, all the powers of Heaven did cry aloud unto Thee, O Christ Thou giver of life, Glory to Thee, O our God.
2. THE ENTRANCE HYMN: O Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ. O son of God, who art risen from the dead save us who sing unto thee: Alleluia.
3. Repeat #1 above.
4. TROPARION OF ST. GREGORY - Tone 8: O light of orthodoxy! O pillar of strength and teacher of the church! Glory of monks and nuns, and invincible protector of theologians! O preacher of grace and pride of Thessalonica! O wonderworker, Gregory, pray without ceasing for the salvation of our souls.
5. TROPARION OF ST. GEORGE - Tone 4: As deliverer of captives and defender of the poor, healer of the infirm, champion of kings, victorious, Great Martyr George, intercede with Christ our God for our soul's salvation.
6. KONTAKION FOR THE SUNDAYS IN LENT - Tone 8: Verily, I thy servant, O Theotokos, inscribe unto thee the banners of conquest, O defending soldier; I offer thanks to thee as a deliverer from tribulation, and since thine is the might unconquerable, deliver me, O deliver me from oppression, that I may sing unto thee: Rejoice, O bride without bridegroom.
Prokeimenon: You, O Lord, shall keep us and preserve us.
Save me, O Lord, for the godly man has failed.
EPISTLE: The reading is from St. Paul to the Hebrews. (Chapters 1:10-14; 2:1-3.)
"In the beginning, you O Lord, didst found the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands; they will perish, but thou remainest; they will all grow old like a garment, like a mantle thou wilt roll them up, and they will be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years will never end." But to what angel has he ever said, "Sit at my right hand, till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet?" Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?
Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For if the message declared by angels was valid and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him.
THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK (Chapter 2:1-12.)
At that time, when Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven." Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question thus in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your pallet and walk?' But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins"--he said to the paralytic--"I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home." And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"
Special note: Except for those who are elderly and/or disabled, please remain standing during Holy Communion.
NEXT WEEK'S HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT: Hebrews 4:14-5:6; Mark 8:34 to end; 9:1.
MARCH IS ANTIOCHIAN WOMEN'S MONTH
On Sundays during the month of March the ladies will read the epistle, collect the trays and hold the Communion cloth.
This Weeks LENTEN Services
- Monday Evening Liturgy for the Feast of The Annunciation - 6:30p.m.
- Tuesday Arabic Compline at 7p.m.
- Wednesday PreSanctified Divine Liturgy at 6:30 p.m.
- Friday Akathist Hymn at 7 p.m.
- Saturday Great Vespers at 5:30 p.m.
"Let us not, O Lord, be strangers
outside your house"
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE - (1) Once again the Syrian-Lebanese Women's Club of Greater Boston is making available scholarship awards in the amount of $1,000 to young women of Arab-American origin, residing in Massachusetts within a 50-mile radius of Boston, who plan to pursue a four-year college education. The awards are made on the basis of financial need, outstanding academic achievement and good character. Financial need will take precedence in the decision. Each applicant must be in good academic standing in her school and possess those personal attributes which best serve the community. Applications may be obtained by reaching Reem Elias Ozone, Esq. at 781.702.5890 or by email at Reem@Ozonelaw.com or by contacting Laurice Kurker at 781.643.7991. Completed applications must be postmarked by March 31, 2008. (2) Each year, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Women of North America award scholarships, $500 each, to help women continue their education in order to improve their circumstances and those of their families. The scholarships will be awarded in July at the Summer Meetings at the Antiochian Village. The applicant must be a female over 25 years of age; a member in good standing of a parish of the Antiochian Archdiocese; actively involved in her parish; applying for or registered in an academic or trade program of study and demonstrate financial need. If interested, applications are in the Church Office. Deadline for application is June 1, 2008. Any questions please feel free to call Kh. Helene Hajal 613.738.0476 or Cindy Nimey 315.796.7910. (3) High School Seniors visit www.antiochian.org, click on Youth Ministry and Scholarships for a listing of current Scholarships being offered and to download applications and instructions.
N.G. BERAM VETERANS SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARD APPLICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE. PLEASE CALL THE CHURCH OFFICE IF INTERESTED OR DOWNLOAD YOUR APPLICATION FROM www.stjohn.org/ngberam. DEADLINE DATE FOR SUBMISSION IS JUNE 1, 2008.
FOOTLAMPS LECTURE SERIES SPONSORED BY THE FELLOWSHIP OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE - Saturday, March 29, 2008 at St. George, Norwood. Topic: Raising a Balanced Family in an Unbalanced World, with Dr. Philip Mamalakis. Saturday, April 12, 2008 here at St. George, Boston. Topic: Christ: The Fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, with Father John A. Heropoulos. All series begin with Vespers at 5PM followed by lecture and light refreshments. Suggested donation, $5. For more info and to RSVP contact, Ghada Khouri, 781.275.7244, or online, nerfellowship@yahoo.com, www.antiochian.org/footamp.
THE SECOND ANNUAL FAMILY EVENT TO BENEFIT ST. JUDE'S KIDS - Sunday, March 30, 2008, 2-6PM at Lantana's in Randolph, MA. Have a great time with your family while raising money for the families at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Food, D.J., dancing, games, raffle prizes and live entertainment, (featuring Teen Time - D.J. and entertainment for young adults.) Tickets, $20 per person; Teens only 4-6PM, $10 each. For tickets call Marilyn Ganame, 781.769.1766.
BOOK DISCUSSION AND FELLOWSHIP SPONSORED BY THE FELLOWSHIP OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE HERE AT ST. GEORGE - This Lent, resurrect your passion for reading and join us for a book discussion and fellowship here at St. George, Boston, on Friday, April 4th at 8:15PM. following the Akathist service at 7:00PM (Please note change of location and time). Adults of all ages are welcome. Wounded by Love - The Life and the Wisdom of Elder Porphyrios will be the topic of discussion. --Plagued by suffering and hardship, a Greek monk priest learns how to live out the Christian faith through prayer and contemplation of his pain and suffering- Reading the entire book is not mandatory to attend the discussion. The book is available at Holy Cross Seminary (holycrossbookstore.com), Skete.com, Uncutmountainsupply.com and Amazon.com. Refreshments to be served. Donation: $5. RSVP to Danielle Kayal, deekayal@yahoo.com.
ADULT LENTEN RETREAT - St. Michael the Archangel Orthodox Church, 62 Main Street, Cotuit, MA, is sponsoring an Adult Lenten Retreat on Saturday, April 5, 2008 beginning with Registration at 8:30AM and finishing up with a Small Group Discussion from 2-3:30PM. Topic: Orthodox Monastic Wisdom - a Layperson's Roadmap for Life, presented by Fr. Ephraim Peters, Assistant Pastor of St. George Cathedral, Worcester. Donation: $20, Retreat & Luncheon. Please make check payable to St. Michael Orthodox Church and mail by March 31st to Lorraine Reiley, 495 Hay Rd., Eastham, MA 02642. For more info, call Lorraine at 508.240.2412.
EVELYN ABDALAH MENCONI MEMORIAL CULTURAL SERIES - The fourth Evelyn Abdalah Menconi Memorial Cultural Series will be held on Thursday, April 24th beginning with a Reception at 5:30PM at the Boston Public Library, Rabb Lecture Hall, Copley Square. Program begins at 6:30PM Watch for further details. (See flyer on our bulletin board.)
ALASKA MISSION TRIP & ST. HERMAN'S PILGRIMAGE - Dates: July 30th - August 11th, sponsored by OCMC and The Fellowship of St. John the Divine. The trip to Alaska will include 2 camps that we run for the youth of Ouzinkie and Old Harbor. The camps will be run like our local camps, with church services, Christian Ed, afternoon and evening programs, etc. After the camps, we will help prepare for St. Herman's Pilgrimage to Spruce Island. Applications and more information are now available online, www.ocmc.org/teams or e-mail Charles Abdelahad with any questions, abdelahad.c@gmail.com.