April 27, 2008 Church Bulletin
Sunday, April 27, 2008
GREAT AND HOLY PASCHA
THE FEAST OF THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST
CHARACTERISTICS OF NEW WEEK AND THEREAFTER
1. The doors of the Iconostasis are kept open from Pascha until Saturday evening before Thomas Sunday (May 4th), to indicate that Christ has opened the doors of the Kingdom.
2. "CHRIST IS RISEN" is the usual greeting of all Christians from Pascha until Ascension Thursday (June 5th) (40 days after Easter).The response is TRULY HE IS RISEN!
3. During the Paschal Season (until Ascension), there is NO FASTING (except prior to communion) as we continue the festive celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection.
4. The practice is to refrain from kneeling during this season. The practice of prayerful kneeling will begin again at Pentecost (June 15th).
5. During this season we replace the Prayer to the Holy Spirit, "O Heavenly King…," with the Paschal Troparion, “Christ is risen from the dead…”.
ALTAR SERVERS TODAY
All Altar Servers are invited and welcome to serve today!
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PASCHAL TROPARION - Tone 5: Christ is risen from the dead; trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.
HYPAKOE OF PASCHA - Tone 4: They who were with Mary came before the dawn, found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre, and heard the angels say unto them, Why seek ye him as man with the dead, who dwells in light eternal?
KONTAKION OF PASCHA - Tone 8: Down to the grave though thou wentest immortal Lord; yet didst thou there hurl down death by thy throne of might. And art risen with victory crowned, O Christ our true God; and hast hailed with glad greeting the women that came with myrrh; and unto thine apostles hast graciously sent thy peace, O Lord, that grantest the fallen to rise with thee.
Instead of the Trisagion ("Holy God...") sing "As many as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. Alleluia"
The Megalynarion for Pascha: The angel when he saw Mary full of grace cried saying: O Holy Maid, I hail thee! Yea, once again I hail thee! For in three days returning, thy Son from death is risen, and He hath raised the dead with Him: O rejoice every people. O shine with clear radiance, O shine thou new Jerusalem! For on thee now is dawning glory from the risen Lord. O dance thy joy, dance and be glad, O Sion, and grieve no more, Maiden Theotokos, but look with joy on thy risen Son.
The Communion Hymn (Koinonikon): "Receive the Body of Christ, taste the fountain of immortality. Alleluia."
Instead of "We have seen the true Light..." sing, CHRIST IS RISEN...
Instead of "Blessed be the Name of the Lord..." sing, CHRIST IS RISEN...
The Dismissal: "May He who rose again from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life, Christ our true God..."
Priest: CHRIST IS RISEN!
People: TRULY HE IS RISEN!
Prokeimenon: This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy endures for ever.
EPISTLE: The reading is from the Acts of the Apostles. (Chapter 1:1-8.)
In the first book, O Theophilos, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. To them he presented himself alive after his passion by any proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me, for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?" He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth."
THE HOLY GOSPEL LESSON ACCORDING TO SAINT JOHN. (Chapter 1:1-17.)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but was to bear witness to the light.
The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own, and his own received him not. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. (John bore witness to him, and cried, "This is he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.'") And from his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
NEXT WEEK’S HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT: Acts 5:12-20; John 20:19-31
AN INVITATION FROM THE SYRIAN LEBANESE WOMEN'S CLUB - The Syrian Lebanese Women's club cordially invite everyone to attend their Annual Scholarship Award program to be held at St. John of Damascus Church Hall, Dedham, MA, on Thursday, May 8, 2008 at 7:00PM. Come and help us celebrate as 10 deserving young recipients from our community receive their scholarships. Guest speaker will be Ghada Massabni, D.M.D., D.D.S.
A NOTE FROM THE THEOPHANY SCHOOL TO SAVE THE DATE - The Theophany School Family asks that you set aside the evening of Sunday, May 18th to attend a special event to honor the memory of Sonia Daly Belcher; to celebrate her life and honor her vision. Theophany School, which began as a dream in Sonia's heart, is now in its eleventh year due to her faithful leadership. Sonia's last wish for the School was to build a permanent home for Theophany; a goal that she intended to announce at this year's Spring Fundraiser. Event details will be made available soon. Everyone is welcome to attend this event as we carry out her wishes and take the next steps toward fulfilling her dream. Please watch for further details.
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE -. 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.
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.stjohnd.org/ngberam. DEADLINE DATE FOR SUBMISSION IS JUNE 1, 2008.
LOOKING FOR DELICIOUS ARABIC RECIPES? - Look no further, the Adult Fellowship's new and revised cookbook, The Door to Arabic Cooking, is available for $10 at the church office, at the bookstore or by calling John Ayoub at 781.326.6755 and includes all your favorite recipes.
WARM THE CHILDREN - If you like to knit, crochet or sew, the Adult Fellowship will be collecting hats, mittens, scarves, or other items to keep children warm. They will be sent to Orphanages outside of this country. This will be an on-going project so anytime you have accumulated items that will keep children warm, please give them to a member of the Adult Fellowship. If you don't knit but want to be involved to any degree, purchased items are welcome including school supplies and new shoes, etc. The children range fro 6 - 18 years of age.