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Saint Peter Antiochian Orthodox Church

Madison, Mississippi

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Thursday, January 27, 2011

1/30 announcements

January 30, 2011

The Three Hierarchs

Hebrews 13:17-21: Reading in Hebrews, we hear St. Paul encourage us to obey our spiritual leaders and obey them, for they watch over our souls. He tells us that they should do so with joy, and conduct themselves honorably.

Luke 19:1-10: In the story of Zaccheus we are reminded of why the Only-begotten Son of the

Father became incarnate: to save mankind from our sin and its consequences.

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 Three Hierarchs: The three most great luminaries of the Three Sun Divinity have illumined all of the world with the rays of doctrines divine and true; they are the sweetly-flowing rivers of wisdom, who with godly knowledge have watered all creation in clear and mighty streams: The great and sacred Basil, and the Theologian, wise Gregory, together with the renowned John, the famed Chrysostom of golden speech. Let us all who love their divinely-wise words come together, honouring them with hymns; for ceaselessly they offer entreaty for us to the Trinity.

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.

CALENDAR

Monday, January 31

Office Closed -- Father John's Day Off

Tuesday, February 1

6:00 a.m. -- Daily Orthros

6:00 p.m. -- Orthros followed by the Divine Liturgy

Wednesday, February 2 (Presentation of the Lord in the Temple)

Many years before the coming of Christ there lived a very pious and saintly man called Simeon. He was one of the most intelligent Jewish scholars of his day. Simeon prayed for the day that the Saviour would come and deliver all Israel (and the world) from sin. One evening while kneeling in prayer, Simeon heard the voice of God saying to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Holy Tradition tells us that Simeon waited many long years. Some Holy Fathers inform us that Simeon was over 150 years old when the Promise of God was fulfilled. The Holy Scriptures tell us that 40 days after the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ the Virgin Mary brought the Christ Child to the Temple for Presentation. It was a law that the first born son of a family should be offered to God and His service, as soon as a period of purification was past. It was here that Simeon waited patiently that day, as he had done for so many years. The Spirit of the Lord brought him to the baby Jesus. Simeon took the infant Child in his trembling hands and recited the following beautiful prayer which is recited in the Orthodox Church every evening during Vesper services:

"Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word.

For mine eyes have seen Thy Salvation which thou hast prepared before the

face of all peoples. A Light to enlighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of

thy people Israel."

Thus the promise to the aged Simeon was finally fulfilled. The next day Simeon died in peace, thankful to Almighty God that he was honored to see the coming of Christ.

This custom has continued down to our own day for both male and female children, and every mother who brings her new-born child to Church on the fortieth day is remembering the Great Feast of the Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple.

5:00 p.m. -- Catechism Class

6:30 p.m. -- Daily Vespers

7:30 p.m. -- Choir Practice

Thursday, February 3 (Simeon the God-receiver)

6:00 a.m. -- Daily Orthros

11:30 a.m. -- Men's Luncheon

Friday, February 4

6:00 a.m. -- Daily Orthros

Saturday, February 5

5:00 p.m. -- Catechism Class

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

Sunday, February 6

8:50 a.m. -- Orthros

9:00 a.m. -- Christian Education

10:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy

5:30 p.m. -- Youth Group

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

Please remember to keep Fr. Leo, Kh. Be'Be', Stephen and Amy, Justyn and Jeffrey in your prayers.

Please remember the following in your prayers: Joanna Meadows, Mary Jeanne Turner, David and Lou Turner; Sandra Strain, Warren, Tiffany and Brandon; Mrs. Gouras, Ken, Anastasia and their family; the Longa and Dn. Sidney Elliott families from St. John's in Memphis; Sh. Charlotte Algood, Dn. Terry and their family; Fr. James and Kh. Linda Ellison; Bobby Webb (Deborah Finley's father); Tom Skirtech, Amy and Brantley Oliver; Reader Basil's family; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Jared and Stacy Autrey and their daughter Olivia Kate (St. Ignatius in Franklin).

Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, bishop ANTOUN.

Please 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.

Our condolences go to Alvin Buckles on the falling asleep of his father, Aubrey Buckles, this past week.

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:

Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour

January 30 Bakers Meadows

February 1 (Tues. p.m.) Woods D. Roots

Feast of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple

February 6 R. Roots POT LUCK MEAL

Set-up: Strains/Meadows

February 13 Hendersons Jones/Stewarts

February 20 Algoods Morrises

February 26 (Sat. a.m.) Katools

February 27 Schelvers R. Roots

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#

January 30 Tom Skirtech Heb. 13:17-21 365

February 1 (Tues pm) Sh. Charlotte Algood Heb. 7:7-17 371

February 6 Walt Wood II Cor. 6:16-18; 7:1 173

February 13 Warren Strain II Tim. 3:10-15 258

February 20 Kh. Sharon Meadows I Cor. 6:12-20 265

February 26 (Sat am) Kh. Sharon Meadows I Cor. 10:23-28 271

February 27 Mildred Morris I Cor. 8:8-13; 9:1-2 273

Calendar Items:

· The Men of the parish have begun meeting for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.

· We will celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple with Orthros followed by the Divine Liturgy this Tuesday evening, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

· The Lower MS Valley Deanery will hold its annual Youth Retreat the weekend of February 11-13 at Roosevelt State Park in Morton. Fr. John Parker of Holy Ascension Orthodox Church in Charleston, SC will be speaking on the topic "The Storms of Life: Can God Save Me?" Information of registration, etc. will be available at a later date.

· The day before Meatfare Sunday is designated as Saturday of the Souls. This year it will fall on Saturday, February 26^th. We will celebrate Orthros followed by the Divine Liturgy, beginning at 9:00 a.m. that morning.

· The Youth Group will hold its annual Cheesefare Fund-raising Luncheon on Sunday, March 6^th following the Divine Liturgy. They will be raising money to cover their expenses for the upcoming Parish Life Conference in June. Please plan to stay and enjoy the fellowship.

· The Youth Group will also be having a Garage Sale on Saturday morning, April 2^nd. More information (concerning when and where to bring items) will be available later.

House Blessings! A sign-up sheet is available in the Foyer 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 7^th this year).

Pledge Letters for 2011 have been mailed. Please return yours as soon as possible, either by mail in the enclosed envelope, or by placing your pledge slip in the Tithes box at the back of the nave.

If you are the last to leave the building, please make sure that the heating and cooling unit in the Fellowship Hall is set to the optimum temperature for the building when unoccupied.

Fasting Discipline for February

The traditional fasting (no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, wine and oil) is observed on Wednesdays and Fridays of the month. However, there is no fasting during the week following the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee (February 13^th). Following Meatfare Sunday (February 27^th) meat will not be eaten again until Pascha.

Major Commemorations during January/February

January 31 Cyros and John the Unmercenary Healers

February 2 Presentation of the Lord in the Temple

February 3 Simeon the God-receiver

February 10 Hieromartyr Haralampos

February 11 Blaise, Bishop of Sebaste

February 13 Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee

February 20 Sunday of the Prodigal Son

February 24 The Forerunner (1^st and 2^nd Discoveries)

February 26 Saturday of the Souls

February 27 Meatfare Sunday

Happy Birthdays in January/February:

January 30 -- Chris Dansereau

January 31 -- Jared Buckles

February 4 -- Chris Carlton

February 11 -- Cassie Freundt (#18!)

-- Zoe Freundt (#18!)

February 15 -- Mary Guy Lockhart

February 22 -- Kh. Sharon Meadows

February 24 -- Nimr Fahmy

February 28 -- Cole Parker (#6!)

Happy Anniversaries in February:

February 7 --- Ben and Meghan Brock (#2!)

February 18 -- David and Lou Turner (#5!)

February 21 -- Michael and Amy Surratt (#13!)

February 25 -- Daniel and Elizabeth Root (#5!)

Quotable: "The man who loves his enemies soon comes to know the Lord in the Holy Spirit, but of the man who does not love his enemies I have no wish to write. Yet he is to be pitied, for he is a torment to himself and to others, and will not know the Lord."

Saint Silouan

Worship: Sunday, February 6, 2011 (Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost; Sunday after

the Presentation of the Lord)

Scripture: II Corinthians 6:16 to end, 7:1; Matthew 15:21-28

Celebrant: Father John

Epistle Reader: Walt Wood

Prosphora: R. Roots

Coffee Hour: POT LUCK MEAL (Set-up: Strains/Meadows)

posted by Daniel Root at 11:20 AM Parish Life