Parish Life
Welcome to the Parish Life section of Saint Peter Orthodox Church website. This is where we post news, events, photographs and more.
Welcome to the Parish Life section of Saint Peter Orthodox Church website. This is where we post news, events, photographs and more.
Previous Posts
Homily for Tuesday, January 10, 2018
Homily for September 13, 2015
second set of announcements for 9/20
9/13 announcements
9/6 announcements
Homily for August 30, 2015
Homily for August 16, 2015
8/30 announcements
Homily for August 16, 2015
8/23 announcements
Archives
November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
July 2006
August 2006
October 2006
February 2007
March 2007
August 2007
September 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009
October 2009
November 2009
December 2009
January 2010
February 2010
March 2010
April 2010
May 2010
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
January 2011
February 2011
March 2011
April 2011
May 2011
June 2011
July 2011
August 2011
September 2011
October 2011
November 2011
December 2011
January 2012
February 2012
March 2012
April 2012
May 2012
June 2012
July 2012
August 2012
September 2012
October 2012
November 2012
December 2012
January 2013
February 2013
March 2013
April 2013
May 2013
June 2013
July 2013
August 2013
September 2013
October 2013
November 2013
December 2013
January 2014
February 2014
March 2014
April 2014
May 2014
June 2014
July 2014
August 2014
September 2014
October 2014
November 2014
December 2014
January 2015
February 2015
March 2015
April 2015
May 2015
June 2015
July 2015
August 2015
September 2015
December 2017
Saint Peter Antiochian Orthodox Church
Madison, Mississippi
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
5/29 announcements
May 29, 2011
Sunday of the Blind Man
Today is the Sunday of the Blind Man. Though the Gospel account of the healing of the blind man touches many subjects, there is but one theme: Christ is the divine Light which illuminates the hearts of those who behold Him in faith. Despite the intimidation of the authorities, despite the confusion of the people who know him, despite the fear of his parents, the blind man given sight refuses to deny what he knows is the truth: Jesus has given him sight, has healed the affliction he has born from birth, and one who does such good is from God. To deny his healer is to deny the truth, and he prefers persecution and rejection to that denial. More than his eyes have been opened; his heart has been opened to true and eternal Light. As were the Israelites cast into the dark despair of his fear, as are we all blinded by the frustration of sin and of our weakness, so this man was trapped by his closed eyes; and, as may all be, he was freed by the coming of the Messiah. In faith we open our eyes to the radiant glory of our Lord and King.
Acts 16:16-34: In our reading from Acts we see Paul and Silas imprisoned unjustly; but the Lord uses the circumstances to bring the jailer to Himself by means of a dramatic rescue.
John 9:1-38: After Jesus heals a man born blind, we see the hypocrisy and unbelief of the Pharisees as they seek to learn how the man came to see. After being put out of the temple, the formerly blind man again encounters Jesus, whom he worships as his savior.
Troparion of the Resurrection: Let us believers praise and worship the Word, co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, born of the Virgin for our salvation; for he took pleasure in ascending the Cross in the flesh, to suffer death, and to raise the dead by his glorious Resurrection.
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 Pascha: When Thou didst descend into the grave, O Immortal, Thou didst destroy the power of Hades. In victory didst Thou arise, O Christ God, proclaiming ARejoice@ to the myrrh-bearing women, granting peace to Thine apostles and bestowing resurrection on the fallen.
CALENDAR
Sunday, May 29 (Sunday of the Blind Man)
8:50 a.m. -- Orthros
9:00 a.m. -- Christian Education
10:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy
5:30 p.m. -- Youth Group
Monday, May 30
Office Closed -- Father John's Day Off
Tuesday, May 31
6:00 a.m. -- Daily Orthros
6:30 p.m. -- Paschal Vespers for the Leave-taking
Wednesday, June 1 (Leave-taking of Pascha)
NO Catechism Class
6:00 p.m. -- Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy
Thursday, June 2 (Feast of the Ascension)
The fortieth day after Easter is the day of the Ascension, the liturgical end to the celebration of the Resurrection and the opening of the season observing the glory of the Messiah. This is a day too often associated with the sadness of departure; yet this day brought great joy to the Disciples. They saw not the departure of one dear to them, but the glorious entry of their King to His heavenly throne. They saw not the loss of their Intercessor, but the Father accepting the eternal sacrifice and blessing the completion of man's salvation. They saw not their separation from Christ but their assumption with Him into glory through the Incarnation. They saw not the removal of the blessed One but the promise from Him of further blessings. This day is another step in our procession into eternity, a remembrance of heavenly things, a reminder that the essence of our lives is the heavenly, a refreshing of the image of our God in all His glory.
NO Daily Orthros
11:30 a.m. -- Men's Luncheon at Pigskins in Ridgeland
Friday, June 3
6:00 a.m. -- Daily Orthros
Saturday, June 4 (Metrophanes of Constantinople)
5:00 p.m. -- Catechism Class
5:45 p.m. -- Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers
Sunday, June 5 (Sunday of the Holy Fathers)
8:50 a.m. -- Orthros
10:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy
1:00 p.m. -- Young Adults
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Joneses for the Divine Liturgy today.
Please be reminded of the following:
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.
Also, at the end of the liturgy, maintain a prayerful disposition during the veneration of the cross as the prayers of thanksgiving after communion are still underway. Please exchange your greetings with each other in the Fellowship Hall during Coffee Hour.
Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour
May 29 Joneses Pigotts
June 1 Meadows Woods/T. Skirtech/
(Wed. p.m. – Feast of the Ascension) Mary Guy
June 5 Joanna Meadows D. Roots
June 12 Freundts POT LUCK
June 19 Fahmys Strains
June 26 Bakers Morrises
June 28 Woods Schelvers
(Tues. p.m. – Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul)
We will NOT hold the service for Saturday of the Souls on the day before Pentecost. This was scheduled for Saturday morning June 11, but has been cancelled for this year only.
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#
May 29 Tom Skirtech Acts 16:16-34 58
June 1 (Wed. p.m.) Sh. Charlotte Algood Acts 1:1-12 63
June 5 Walt Wood Acts 20:16-18, 28-36 66
June 12 Mildred Morris Acts 2:1-11 77
June 19 Warren Strain Heb. 11:33-12:2 84
June 26 Phillip Lasseter Rom. 2:10-16 90
June 28 (Tues. p.m.) Brenda Baker II Cor. 11:21-33, 12:1-9 389
Please remember the following in your prayers: Fr. Leo, Kh. Be'Be', Stephen and Amy, Justyn and Jeffrey; Steve, Sheryl and Stephen Chamblee; Maria Costas; Amy and Brantley Oliver; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit; David Turner's mother Mary Jean; Fr. Joseph Bittle, Kh. Joanna, their daughter Abigail and the rest of their family; Brees Johns.
Because our clergy will be attending the Parish Life Conference there will be no Daily Vespers on Wednesday June 15th. There will also be no catechism class on Wednesday June 15th or Saturday June 18th. Nor will there be Daily Orthros on Thursday or Friday of that week. However, Father James will be returning on Saturday afternoon. So our regular services will be celebrated on Saturday and Sunday June 18th and 19th.
We are looking for new faces in the choir….anyone 7th grade or older who is interested should contact Karen or Sh. Margaret.
Fr. John is in Pensacola and will return tomorrow evening. He has been filling in for Fr. David Bleam at St. Andrew's and taking time for a family vacation.
If you are planning to attend the Parish Life Conference in Memphis, please register as soon as possible. St. John needs our registrations as they continue their preparations to host this event.
New Parish Directory: The Parish Council has decided to implement a new Directory with family pictures. Pictures will taken on the following Sundays: May 29th, June 5th, June 12th, June 26th and July 3rd. A group picture will taken on Pentecost (June 12th) for the cover of the Directory.
Lost Items! Are you missing any items?? …most notably 3 sets of keys or a thread-counted bookmark.? These may be claimed in the church office. Please see Kh. Sharon.
Calendar Items:
* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
The next meeting will be this Thursday at Pigskins in Ridgeland.
* The Paschal Season will come to a close with Paschal Vespers for the Leave-taking of Pascha on Tuesday evening beginning at 6:30 p.m.
* Thursday is the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord. We will have Orthros followed by the Divine Liturgy the preceding night (June 1st), beginning at 6:00 p.m. There will be no Daily Orthros on Thursday morning.
* We will celebrate the Feast of Pentecost with a Pot Luck Meal on Sunday, June 12th. As is our custom, we will also have the service of Kneeling Vespers that evening, beginning at 6:30 p.m. There will be no fasting during the following week.
* The Fast of the Apostles will run from June 20-28 this year. We will celebrate Orthros and Divine Liturgy for the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul on Tuesday evening, July 28th, beginning at 6:00 p.m.
* The 2011 Parish Life Conference is being hosted by St. John Orthodox Church in
* Memphis on June 16-19.
* We will be serving a meal at the Stewpot in Jackson on July 9th and November 19th.
* Father John will be out of town July 21-31st for the Archdiocese Convention in Chicago.
* His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN will be here the weekend of May 6, 2012 to help us celebrate our 25th anniversary as a parish. The planning committee is working very hard to make our celebration a memorable one. There will be an evening event at the MS Museum of Art on Saturday, May 6th. Other events are being planned and more information will be available in the coming months.
Fasting Discipline for June
The traditional fasting discipline (no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, wine and oil) is observed on all Wednesdays and Fridays of the month. There will be no fasting during the week following Pentecost (June 12th). The traditional fasting discipline is again observed on all days during the Fast of the Apostles (June 20-28).
Major Commemorations during June
June 1 Justyn Martyr
June 2 Feast of Ascension
June 4 Metrophanes of Constantinople
June 5 Holy Fathers of the First Council of Nicea
June 8 Theodore the General (transfer of relics)
June 11 Apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas
June 12 Feast of Pentecost
June 19 Sunday of All Saints
June 24 Nativity of the Forerunner
June 29 Chief Apostles Peter and Paul
June 30 Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles
If you are the last to leave the building, please make sure that the heating and cooling unit in the Fellowship Hall is turned off.
Happy Anniversaries remaining in May/June:
May 30 -- Tom and Jennifer Skirtech (#34!)
June 14 -- Ken and Anastasia Jones (#41!)
-- Saliba and Lamia Dabit (#57!)
June 22 -- Fr. Leo and Kh. Be'Be' Schelver (#37!)
Happy Birthdays in May/June:
May 30 -- Dn. Terry Algood
May 31 -- Stephen Chamblee
June 1 -- Fr. James Meadows
June 5 -- George Wood
June 12 -- Ellie Yeatts (1998)
June 13 -- Lou Turner
June 17 -- Sh. Margaret Root
June 21 -- Sandra Strain
June 29 -- Jennifer Skirtech
Quotable: "But sin is the most wretched poverty of the heart—poverty blocking the treasure of grace. Sin is a deadly sickness of the soul, a sickness which deprives us both of the joys of earth and the joys of heaven. Sin is a terrible and most lamentable spiritual death which separates us eternally from the joy of the heavenly inhabitants in paradise and buries us in the darkness of hell."
Archimandrite Seraphim Aleksiev
Worship: Sunday, June 5, 2011 (Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Council
of Nicea)
Scripture: Acts 20:16-18, 28-36; John 17:1-13
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Walt Wood
Prosphora: Joanna Meadows
Coffee Hour: D. Roots
Thursday, May 19, 2011
5/22 announcements
May 22, 2011
Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
This Sunday concludes the week which includes mid-Pentecost. The scriptures for that day make reference to the great and final feast and the Lord's words concerning fountains of living water and the nourishment of the spirit. The episode of the Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well and Jesus' further description of Himself as living water continue this theme. There are innumerable nuances to the message of this episode, ranging from the allusion to the patriarch Joseph to the faith of those who believe without seeing, but let us concentrate on the woman who comes into the presence of her God. Christ asks service of her, asks her to ignore their traditional enmity, confuses her with parables, confronts her with her sins, and claims to be her Messiah and Lord. She enters the scene with skepticism, but she does not let circumstances blind her, for the words of the man before her ring with unmistakable authority and truth. Whether she wants to or not, she must believe herself to be in the presence of the Son of God; she not only believes, but she quickly bears witness to the others of her town. We join her in her faith, and we, too, partake of the Water of Life.
Acts 11:19-30: Reading in the book of Acts, we see the establishment of the first predominately Gentile church in Antioch under the leading of Barnabas and Saul.
John 4:5-42: In Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman we see our Lord's concern with the truth, both in our dealings with others and in our worship of God. We also see that spreading the eternal gospel of the Kingdom is a corporate action and not that of just one or two.
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 for mid-Pentecost: In the midst of this Feast, O Saviour, give my thirsty soul to drink of the waters of true worship; for thou didst call out to all, saying, Whosoever is thirsty, let him come unto me and drink. Wherefore, O Christ our God, Fountain of life, glory to thee.
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 Pascha: When Thou didst descend into the grave, O Immortal, Thou didst destroy the power of Hades. In victory didst Thou arise, O Christ God, proclaiming ARejoice@ to the myrrh-bearing women, granting peace to Thine apostles and bestowing resurrection on the fallen.
CALENDAR
Sunday, May 22 (Sunday of the Smaritan Woman)
8:50 a.m. -- Orthros
9:00 a.m. -- Christian Education
10:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy
1:00 p.m. -- Young Adults
Monday, May 23
Office Closed -- Father John's Day Off
Tuesday, May 24
6:00 a.m. -- Daily Orthros
Wednesday, May 25 (The Forerunner – Third Discovery)
5:00 p.m. -- Catechism Class
6:30 p.m. -- Daily Vespers
7:30 p.m. -- Choir Practice
Thursday, May 26
NO Daily Orthros
Friday, May 27
NO Daily Orthros
Saturday, May 28
NO Catechism Class
5:45 p.m. -- Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers
Sunday, May 29 (Sunday of the Blind Man)
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 Morrises for the Divine Liturgy today.
Please be reminded of the following:
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.
Also, at the end of the liturgy, maintain a prayerful disposition during the veneration of the cross as the prayers of thanksgiving after communion are still underway. Please exchange your greetings with each other in the Fellowship Hall during Coffee Hour.
Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour
May 22 Morrises Schelvers
May 29 Joneses Pigotts
June 1 Meadows Woods/T. Skirtech/
(Wed. p.m. – Feast of the Ascension) Mary Guy
June 5 Joanna Meadows D. Roots
June 12 Freundts POT LUCK
June 19 Fahmys Strains
June 26 Bakers Morrises
June 28 Woods Schelvers
(Tues. p.m. – Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul)
We will NOT hold the service for Saturday of the Souls on the day before Pentecost. This was scheduled for Saturday morning June 11, but has been cancelled for this year only.
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#
May 22 Tom Willingham Acts 11:19-30 52
May 29 Tom Skirtech Acts 16:16-34 58
June 1 (Wed. p.m.) Sh. Charlotte Algood Acts 1:1-12 63
June 5 Walt Wood Acts 20:16-18, 28-36 66
June 12 Mildred Morris Acts 2:1-11 77
June 19 Warren Strain Heb. 11:33-12:2 84
June 26 Phillip Lasseter Rom. 2:10-16 90
June 28 (Tues. p.m.) Brenda Baker II Cor. 11:21-33, 12:1-9 389
Please remember the following in your prayers: Fr. Leo, Kh. Be'Be', Stephen and Amy, Justyn and Jeffrey; Steve, Sheryl and Stephen Chamblee; Maria Costas; Amy and Brantley Oliver; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit; David Turner's mother Mary Jean; Fr. Joseph Bittle, Kh. Joanna, their daughter Abigail and the rest of their family; Brees Johns.
Calendar Items:
* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
The next meeting will be June 2nd at Pigskins in Ridgeland.
* The Paschal Season will come to a close with Paschal Vespers for the Leave-taking of Pascha on Tuesday evening, May 31st beginning at 6:30 p.m.
* Thursday, June 2nd is the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord. We will have Orthros followed by the Divine Liturgy the preceding night (June 1st), beginning at 6:00 p.m.
There will be no Daily Orthros on Thursday morning.
* We will celebrate the Feast of Pentecost with a Pot Luck Meal on Sunday, June 12th. As is our custom, we will also have the service of Kneeling Vespers that evening, beginning at 6:30 p.m. There will be no fasting during the following week.
* The Fast of the Apostles will run from June 20-28 this year. We will celebrate Orthros and Divine Liturgy for the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul on Tuesday evening, July 28th, beginning at 6:00 p.m.
* The 2011 Parish Life Conference is being hosted by St. John Orthodox Church in
* Memphis on June 16-19. More information (hotels, etc.) is available through the Archdiocese website at antiochian.org.
* We will be serving a meal at the Stewpot in Jackson on July 9th and November 19th.
* Father John will be out of town July 21-31st for the Archdiocese Convention in Chicago.
* His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN will be here the weekend of May 6, 2012 to help us celebrate our 25th anniversary as a parish. The planning committee is working very hard to make our celebration a memorable one. There will be an evening event at the MS Museum of Art on Saturday, May 6th. Other events are being planned and more information will be available in the coming months.
Because our clergy will be attending the Parish Life Conference there will be no Daily Vespers on Wednesday June 15th. There will also be no catechism class on Wednesday June 15th or Saturday June 18th. Nor will there be Daily Orthros on Thursday or Friday of that week. However, Father James will be returning on Saturday afternoon. So our regular services will be celebrated on Saturday and Sunday June 18th and 19th.
We are looking for new faces in the choir….anyone 7th grade or older who is interested should contact Karen or Sh. Margaret.
Antiochian Women's Scholarship: Each year AOCWNA is able to award scholarships, usually in the amount of $500 each, to help women continue their education in order to improve their circumstances and those of their families. In order to be eligible, a woman must be over 25 years of age, a member in good standing and active in her parish, registered in an academic or trade program of study, and demonstrate financial need. The application deadline is May 27, 2011. If you are interested in applying for this scholarship, please see Fr. John for an application.
Fr. John leave for Pensacola Thursday, May 26th and will return on Monday, May 30th. He will be filling in for Fr. David Bleam at St. Andrew's and will be remaining for a family vacation. There will be no Thursday or Friday Daily Orthros or Saturday Catechism Class in his absence.
Fasting Discipline for May/June
The traditional fasting discipline (no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, wine and oil) is observed on all Wednesdays and Fridays of the month. There will be no fasting during the week following Pentecost (June 12th). The traditional fasting discipline is again observed on all days during the Fast of the Apostles (June 20-28).
Major Commemorations during May/June
May 25 The Forerunner (3rd discovery)
June 1 Justyn Martyr
June 2 Feast of Ascension
June 4 Metrophanes of Constantinople
June 5 Holy Fathers of the First Council of Nicea
June 8 Theodore the General (transfer of relics)
June 11 Apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas
June 12 Feast of Pentecost
June 19 Sunday of All Saints
June 24 Nativity of the Forerunner
June 29 Chief Apostles Peter and Paul
June 30 Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles
If you are planning to attend the Parish Life Conference in Memphis, please register as soon as possible. St. John needs our registrations as they continue their preparations to host this event.
New Parish Directory: The Parish Council has decided to implement a new Directory with family pictures. Pictures will taken on the following Sundays: May 29th, June 5th, June 12th, June 26th and July 3rd. A group picture will taken on Pentecost (June 12th) for the cover of the Directory.
Lost Items! Are you missing any items?? …most notably 3 sets of keys or a thread-counted bookmark.? These may be claimed in the church office. Please see Kh. Sharon.
If you are the last to leave the building, please make sure that the heating and cooling unit in the Fellowship Hall is turned off.
Happy Anniversaries remaining in May:
May 30 -- Tom and Jennifer Skirtech (1977)
Happy Birthdays in remaining May:
May 21 -- Jacob Skirtech (#4!)
May 24 -- Daniel Root
-- Paul Katool
May 26 -- David Turner
May 27 -- Luke Habeeb (#6!)
May 30 -- Dn. Terry Algood
May 31 -- Stephen Chamblee
Quotable: "Disease is not the greatest evil for man, because a disease of the body endured with humility, faith, and patience can cure the soul sick with sin and bring it closer to God—the greatest good for man."
Archimandrite Seraphim Aleksiev
Worship: Sunday, May 29, 2011 (Sunday of the Blind Man)
Scripture: Acts 16:16-34; John 9:1-38
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Tom Skirtech
Prosphora: Joneses
Coffee Hour: Pigotts