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.
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Saint Peter Antiochian Orthodox Church
Madison, Mississippi
Friday, April 13, 2012
4/15 announcements
April 15, 2012
PASCHA
"Unique and holy day, King and lord of days, feast of feasts, solemnity of solemnities. . . " Thus we celebrate the Great Feast because of the resurrection of our Lord and begin the season of celebration which lasts through Pentecost. The paschal solemnities (of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday) are joined to the feast of the resurrection to endow the mystery of Christmas and the Incarnation with the fullness of its meaning and are the prerequisite condition for Pentecost. Easter, therefore, is the center, the heart of the Christian Year.
"Come, take light from the Light that has no evening, and glorify Christ, risen from the dead." The Church again represents the Christian mystery in terms of light; this Light, whose birth was marked by the star of Bethlehem, is shining among us with growing intensity; the darkness of Golgotha could not extinguish it. The physical Resurrection of Jesus would be without value to us if the divine light did not shine at the same time among us, within us. But the good news of the Resurrection is that the light brought by the Saviour now completely overcomes the darkness of our sins!
"Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down Death by death, and to those in the tomb He has given life!"
Acts 1:1-8: From our reading in Acts we are reminded that following the Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord, the Church would receive the Holy Spirit to empower Her in spreading the eternal gospel to all parts of the Earth.
John 1:1-17: Reading in the Gospel of John we see Jesus Christ as the eternally Begotten Son of The Father with Whom He has always existed. We also see John the Baptist coming to prepare the way for our Lord's ministry.
Paschal Troparion: Christ is risen from the dead; by Death has he trodden death, and upon those in the tombs, hath he bestowed life.
Hypakoe of Easter: 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 dwelleth in light eternal? Behold the grave wrappings; make haste and declare to the world that the Lord is risen, and hath caused death to die; for he is the Son of God, the Saviour of mankind.
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, April 15 (PASCHA)
4:00 p.m. -- Agape Vespers at Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church
Monday, April 16 (NO Fasting this week)
Office Closed -- Father John's Day Off
Tuesday, April 17
6:00 a.m. -- Orthros of Bright Week
Wednesday, April 18
NO Catechism class
6:30 p.m. -- Paschal Vespers
Thursday, April 19
6:00 a.m. -- Orthros of Bright Week
Friday, April 20
6:00 a.m. -- Orthros of Bright Week
Saturday, April 21
5:45 p.m. -- Ninth Hour followed by great Great Vespers
Sunday, April 22 (Thomas Sunday)
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 Schelvers for the Vesperal Liturgy of Holy Thursday morning, by the Morrises for the Vesperal Liturgy of Holy Saturday morning and by the Joneses for the Divine Liturgy today.
Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour
April 14 (Sat. p.m.) Jones Jones/Chamblee/?
April 22 Meadows Meadows/Lasseter
April 29 Joanna Meadows Ellis/Zouboukos
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#
April 14 (Sat. p.m.) Walt Wood Acts 1:1-8 25
April 22 Warren Strain Acts 5:12-20 32
April 29 Mildred Morris Acts 6:1-7 38
Please be reminded that the Sacristy/Vestry which is adjacent to and behind the altar in our church is considered by the Orthodox Church to be part of the Sanctuary (Altar area) and should not be entered without the blessing of the priest for a specific purpose. If you need to speak with a member of the clergy while they are in the Sanctuary, please ask them to come to you in the nave.
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 remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle and their daughter Abigail in your prayers.
Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
Please remember the following in your prayers: Maria Costas; Amy and Michael Surratt and Amy's family; Tom and Jennifer Skirtech and Jennifer's mother, Jessamine Hinkson; Warren and Sandi Strain and their family; Fr. Leo, Kh. Be'Be', Stephen and Amy, Justyn and Jeffrey; Steve, Sheryl and Stephen Chamblee; Amy and Brantley Oliver; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit; David Turner's mother Mary Jean; Georgia Buchanan, George Johns (Georgia's grandson) and his family; Dorin and Carolina Lavric and Victor (Carolina's brother); Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon's sister); Joanna Meadows and Jay Davis (as they prepare for their wedding).
Our condolences go to Rod and Emily Parker and their family in the death of Rod's mother, Velma Cole this past Wednesday. Please remember them in your prayers.
Memory Eternal! Mrs. Frankie Tattis of Holy Trinity and St. John the Theologian Greek Orthodox Church fell asleep in the Lord this past week. Please remember her daughter Ellen Hontzas and their family in your prayers.
Date Change for Baptism: due to a change in schedules, Isabelle Goss will be baptized on Saturday, April 21st at 10:30 a.m.
Opportunity for Almsgiving: Ian Jones will be travelling to Hogar Rafael Ayau in Guatemala the first week in June as part of a mission team led by Father Chad Hatfield. They plan to help the nuns prepare for their patronal feast, catechize incoming members of the church and help in moving the orphanage out to the monastery and away from its current location in one of the most crime-ridden parts of Guatemala City. As a team member, he is attempting to raise $1100. If you would like to contribute to this cause, make your check out to St. Vladimir's Seminary, earmarked "Guatemala Mission Trip 2012," and mail it to Ian at the following address:
St. Vladimir's Theological Seminary
575 Scarsdale Road
Tuckahoe, New York 10707
Calendar Items:
* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
* Agape Vespers will be celebrated this afternoon at Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Clinton, beginning at 4:00 p.m.
* Stewpot schedule (together with Holy Resurrection) – July 21st and December 29th.
Breakfast and Bible Study: will resume after Pascha -- date TBA. This is open to all who are interested. Be sure to come and enjoy the fellowship.
Bar-b-que on Sunday, May 6th: A sign-up sheet is in the foyer to reserve plates for the BBQ following the Hierarchical Liturgy on Sunday, May 6th. The cost is $10 per adult and $6 for each child over 6 years of age. The lunch is being catered through Chimneyville Smokehouse.
25TH Anniversary Weekend – May 4-6, 2012: A number of events are planned and special guests will be here the first weekend in May to join us in celebrating the 25th anniversary of our church's entrance into the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese. His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN will be here, along with Father Jon Braun and Kh. Mary Ellen and Father Peter Gillquist and Kh. Marilyn. Many other friends and family will be here, too—some from Orthodox churches in the area, along with friends from St. John in Memphis. MS Mary O'Connor, representing the National Office of the Order of St. Ignatius, will also be here. Among the events planned are:
FRIDAY, MAY 4TH 6:30 p.m. Daily Vespers followed by a teaching by Father Jon Braun, followed by an Ice Cream Social with light pick- up foods;
SATURDAY, MAY 5TH 10:00 a.m. 3rd Hour Prayers followed by a teaching by Father Peter Gilliquist, followed by light refreshments;
5:00 P.M. Great Vespers (Note: No 9th Hour) followed by our 25th Anniversary Reception/Banquet at the MS Museum of Art (201 E. Pascagoula St., Jackson), with a keynote address by Father Jon Braun;
SUNDAY, MAY 6TH 8:50 a.m. Orthros/Hierachical Divine Liturgy, followed by a lunch catered by Chimneyville Smokehouse.
The Order of St. Ignatius is a service organization in our Archdiocese that has founded many worthwhile projects. If you are interested in joining this organization during His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN's visit in May, please see Father John.
Fasting Discipline for April
There is no fasting of any kind during the week following Pascha (Bright Week). Following Bright Week, the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, wine and oil) is once again observed on the remaining Wednesdays and Fridays of the month.
Major Commemorations for April
April 22 Thomas Sunday
April 23 Great-martyr George
April 25 Apostle Mark
April 29 Sunday of the Myrrh-bearers
When you host Coffee Hour or the meal for a Feast please make sure that the oven, warmer, and coffee maker are turned off afterwards. On several occasions in the past, the cleaning ladies have found the oven still on when they came in to clean later during the week.
Happy Anniversaries in April:
April 12 -- Mike and Cheryl Piggott (#31!)
April 25 -- Jim and Desi Roehner (#63!)
April 28 -- Anthony and Athena Zouboukos (#22!)
Happy Birthdays in April:
April 4 -- Denis Lavric
April 6 -- John Wood (#19!)
April 11 -- Brandon Strain (#10!)
April 12 -- Lily Dabit
Quotable: "A third example of this process can be observed in people sitting in a church, a courtroom, or a doctor's waiting room. Most would agree that we are not quite the same people in those places that we are in the workplace, in a store, or in a restaurant. Actually, this phenomenon is most noticeable when someone does not go through the expected transformation in a place like that—a person who behaves in church as he might in his favorite restaurant sticks out from the rest of those present, often causing great embarrassment to those around him."
Archimandrite. Meletios Webber, Bread and Water, Wine and
Oil: an Orthodox Christian Experience of God
Worship: Sunday, April 22, 2012 (Thomas Sunday)
Scripture: Acts 5:12-20; John 20:19-31
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Warren Strain
Prosphora: Meadows
Coffee Hour: Meadows/Lasseters
