February 8, 2009
Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee
   

   
II Timothy 3:10-15:  In St Paul's second letter to Timothy we are reminded that godliness will bring persecutions;  and we are encouraged to continue doing those things that we have been taught so as to gain the wisdom that leads to salvation in Christ.

 

Luke 18:10-14:  In the parable of the Pharisee and the tax-gatherer, Jesus teaches us that justification does not come to those who are proud and arrogant, but rather to those who are humble and repentant.

 

Troparion of the Resurrection:  The stone being sealed by the Jews, and thy pure body being guarded by the soldiers, thou didst arise on the third day, O Saviour, granting life to the world.  Wherefore, the heavenly powers acclaimed thee, O Giver of life, crying, Glory to thy Resurrection, O Christ! Glory to thy kingdom! Glory to thy gracious providence, O only Lover of mankind.

 

Troparion of the Presentation:  Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos, full of grace; for from thee arose the Sun of justice, Christ our God, lighting those who are in darkness.  Rejoice and be glad, O righteous old man, carrying in thine arms the Deliverer of our souls, who granteth us resurrection.

 

Troparion of the Great Martyr Theodore:  Thy Martyr, O Lord, in his courageous contest for Thee received as the prize the crown of incorruption and life from Thee, our immortal God.  For since he possessed Thy strength, he cast down the tyrants and wholly destroyed the demons' strengthless presumption.  O Christ our God, by his prayers, save our souls, since Thou art merciful.
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 Presentation: Thou, O Christ God, who by your Birth, didst sanctify the Virgin's womb, and as is meet, didst bless Simeon's arms, and didst also come to save us, preserve thy fold in wars, and confirm them whom thou didst love; for thou alone art the Lover of mankind.

 

 

 

Sunday, February 8
 8:50 a.m. – Orthros
 9:00 a.m. – Sunday School
 10:00 a.m. – Divine Liturgy
 5:30 p.m. – Youth Group 

 

Monday, February 9
 Office Closed – Father John's Day Off
 NOTE: The week following the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee is fast-free.

 

Tuesday, February 10 (Hieromartyr Haralampos)
 6:00 a.m. – Festal Orthros
 6:30 p.m. – Choir Practice
  
Wednesday, February 11 (Blaise, Bishop of Sebaste)
 6:30 p.m. – Daily Vespers, followed by Clergy Meeting

 

Thursday, February 12
 6:00 a.m. – Daily Orthros
  
Friday, February 13
 6:00 a.m. – Daily Orthros
        
Saturday, February 14
 6:30 p.m. – Great Vespers

 

Sunday, February 15 (Sunday of the Prodigal Son)
 8:50 a.m. – Orthros
 9:00 a.m. – Sunday School
 10:00 a.m. – Divine Liturgy
 6:00 p.m. – Young Adults

 

 

 

The Eucharist Bread was offered by the Bakers for the Divine Liturgy today.

Please remember the following in your prayers: Mona Fahmy, Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family, Deborah and Paul Finley, Effie Johnson (Kh. Susan Cushman's mother) and the Cushman family (St. John's in Memphis)

 

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
                 Eucharist Bread      Coffee Hour
February 8      Bakers                     Freundts
February 15    Woods                     Strains
February 22    R. Roots                   Fahmys

 

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 #
February 8      Brenda Baker     II Tim. 3:10-15    258
February 15  Tom Willingham    I Cor. 6:12-20     265
February 22      Walt Wood       I Cor. 8:8-9:2      273

 

Congratulations!! ...and many years to Ben and Meghan Brock, who were married yesterday!!

 

Help needed for PLC 2009 Souvenir Journal!!   The PLC committee is starting to sell ads for the souvenir journal for the Parish Life Conference and we need your help! Our goal is to sell $20,000 of ads by May 1. Please consider talking to your employer about donating for a corporate ad, and if you have any suggestions of businesses to go to or people to talk to, please let Anna Kathryn know.

 

House Blessings!  A sign-up sheet is available to sign up for your house blessing.  Please schedule these as soon as possible.  Everyone should have their house blessed.  However, the responsibility for scheduling lies with individuals and not Father John.  No house blessings will be done once Great Lent starts (March 1st this year).

 

The forms for camping scholarships (to the Village and Camp St. Thekla) have arrived.  We have $700 to be divided among as many as 7 campers.  The deadline for scholarship application is March 1st, and this is a strict deadline.  If you are interested in camping scholarships, please see Father John ASAP.  We have also received the applications for this year's camp.  They are located in the foyer.

 

Valentine's Fund-raiser: The Ladies of St. Peter are having a valentine's fund-raiser to raise money our AOCWNA project.  The Ladies will be raffling off a bracelet and earring set designed by Jaqui Katool of J. Paige Design.  The raffle will last February 1-8 and tickets will be $5.

 

Those hosting Coffee Hour or feasts MUST be sure to place fresh trash bags in the trash cans when cleaning up afterwards.  If this is not done, items get thrown into the empty trash cans and then dumped as is into the cans outside.  The trash people will NOT pick up loose trash from the cans and have even dumped it out in the past.  This means that Father John has to pick these items up by hand and bag them!  Please help us with this!!

 

Pledge letters have been mailed.  Please fill these out and return them in the self-addressed envelope as soon as possible.  This information will help the Parish Council to establish a working budget for the fiscal year 2009.

 

The Lower MS Valley Deanery's annual teen retreat will be held the week-end of February 20-22, 2009 at John W. Kyle State Park.  Joel Finley, the Youth Director at St. Ignatius Orthodox Church in Franklin, will handling registration.  More details will be available at a later date.

 

 
 * The next meeting for the PLC 2009 Planning Committee will Thursday, February 19th at 7:00 p.m.

 
 * Annual Teen Retreat for the Lower MS Valley Deanery – February 20-22, 2009 at John W. Kyle State Park.

 
 * St. Peter's will be hosting the Parish Life Conference next year.  The dates for the conference will be June 10-14.  This will a wonderful opportunity to showcase our parish.  More information will be available in the future.

 

Fasting Discipline for February:
   The traditional fasting (no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, wine and oil) is observed on all Wednesdays and Fridays of the month until Monday, February 9th.  The week following the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee (February 8th) is a fast-free week.  Sunday, February 22nd is Judgment Sunday (Meat Fare Sunday), the last day until Pascha that meat poultry, and fish are permitted.  But during the following week, beginning Monday, February 23rd, dairy products (milk, cheese, eggs, etc.) are permitted, even on Wednesday and Friday.  March 1st is Forgiveness Sunday (Sunday of Cheese Fare), the last day until Pascha that cheese, dairy and wine (some also include oil) are permitted.  Monday, March 2nd, is Clean Monday, the first day of Great Lent when the traditional fasting discipline is observed on all days of the week until Pascha (except Annunciation on March 25th and Palm Sunday on April 12th, when fish, wine and oil are permitted).

 

   On days when the Holy Eucharist will be received at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, no food or drink should be taken until after the Liturgy.

 

    Major Commemorations During February
 February 8  Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee
 February 10  Hieromartyr Haralampos
 February 15  Sunday of the Prodigal Son
 February 21  Saturday of the Souls
 February 22  Sunday of Meat Fare
 February 24  1st and 2nd Discoveries of the Head of the Forerunner
 March 1  Sunday of Cheese Fare (Forgiveness Sunday)
 March 2  Clean Monday (First Date of Great Lent)

 

Please supervise your children to avoid spills, ink stains or marks from their writing and drawing on our new chairs.  We also ask that you not allow them to stand on the kneelers.  Thank you for your help with this.

 

Quotable: "Who is this who strikes terror into the sea of the passions and quells its waves?  It is the Lord of Hosts, who delivers those who love Him from the danger of sin and pacifies the turbulence of their thoughts, who puts His works into their mouths and protects them under the shadow of His hands."
    - Nikitas Stithatos

 

Weekly Quote:  "Sit in the presence of the Lord every moment of your life, as you think of Him and recollect Him in your heart.  Otherwise, when you think only of Him after a period of time, you will lack freedom of converse with Him, out of shame; for great freedom of converse is born out of constant association with Him."
    - St. Isaac the Syrian

WORSHIP: Sunday, February 15, 2008 (Sunday of Prodigal Son)

 

 Scripture:  I Corinthians 6:12-20; Luke 15:11-32
 Celebrant:  Father John
 Homily:  Father Leo
 Deacon:  Deacon Terry
 Epistle Reader  Tom Willingham
 Acolytes:  TBA
 Prosphora:  Woods
 Coffee Hour:  Strains
 Teen Hosts:  TBA