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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Homily for Tuesday, January 10, 2018
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second set of announcements for 9/20
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Homily for August 16, 2015
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Saint Peter Antiochian Orthodox Church
Madison, Mississippi
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
3/31 announcements
March 31, 2013
Second Sunday of Lent
St. Gregory Palamas
St. Gregory Palamas (c. 1296-1359) - St. Gregory was a Greek monk and theologian and the chief exponent of Hesychasm. He was ordained a priest in the year 1326 and became Bishop of Thessalonica in 1347. The political conditions made it impossible for him to take possession of the see until 1350. He died on November 14, 1359, which is his feast day. He was canonized in 1368. St. Gregory stressed the biblical notion of man as a single and united whole, body and soul together. In virtue of this, he argued that the physical exercises used by the Hesychasts in prayer, as well as their claim to see the Divine Light with their bodily eyes, could be defended as legitimate. He distinguished between the essence and the energies of God: God's essence remains unknowable, but his uncreated energies, which are God Himself, permeate all things and can be directly experienced by man in the form of deifying grace.
In the earlier period, there was on this day a commemoration of the Great Martyr Polycarp of Smyrna (c. 155). St. Gregory replaced St. Polycarp on the Second Sunday of Lent in the fourteenth century.
Hebrews 1:10-2:3: Writing to the Hebrews, the Apostle quotes from Scripture to proclaim the greatness of Jesus Christ as compared with the angels; for this reason we must be careful not to neglect our salvation.
Mark 2:1-12: Reading in the Gospel of Mark, we see Jesus demonstrate His authority to forgive sins by healing a paralytic.
Troparion of the Resurrection: When thou, O immortal Life, didst humble thyself unto death, then didst thou destroy death by the brightness of thy Godhead; and when thou didst raise the bowels of the earth, then all the heavenly powers exclaimed, O Christ, thou art the Giver of life! Glory to thee, O our God!
Troparion of St. Gregory Palamas: O Gregory the Wonderworker, light of Orthodoxy, support and teacher of the Church, glory of monks and invincible protector of theologians, pride of Thessalonica and preacher of grace, pray without ceasing for the salvation of our souls.
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 Annunciation: To thee the champion leader, I thy servant offer thanks for victory, O Theotokos, thou who hast delivered me from terror. As thou hast power invincible, free me from every danger that I may cry unto thee: Rejoice, O bride without bridegroom.
CALENDAR
Sunday, March 31 (Second Sunday of Lent; St. Gregory Palamas)
8:50 a.m. -- Orthros
9:00 a.m. -- Christian Education
10:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy
5:30 p.m. -- Youth Group
Monday, April 1 (St. Mary of Egypt)
Office Closed -- Father John's Day Off
Tuesday, April 2
6:00 a.m. -- Lenten Orthros
Wednesday, April 3
6:30 p.m. -- Presanctified Liturgy followed by Soup Supper
Thursday, April 4
6:00 a.m. -- Lenten Orthros
Friday, April 5
6:00 a.m. -- Lenten Orthros
6:30 p.m. -- Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos
Saturday, April 6
5:45 p.m. -- Ninth Hour prayers followed by Great Vespers
Sunday, April 7 (Third Sunday of Lent; Adoration of the Cross)
8:50 a.m. -- Orthros
9:00 a.m. -- Christian Education
10:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Joneses for the Divine Liturgy this morning.
Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour
March 31 Jones Algood/Bassinger/Yeatts
April 7 Yeatts Pigott/Freundt/Turner
April 13 (Sat. a.m.) Abraham
(Saturday of the Souls)
April 14 Freundt Strain/Dabit
April 21 Bassinger R. Root/Abraham/Davis
April 27 (Sat. a.m.) Fahmy
(Lazarus Saturday)
April 28 Baker MEAL AT COCK OF THE WALK
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#
March 31 Brenda Baker Heb. 1:10-2:3 283
April 7 Walt Wood Heb. 4:14-5:6 285
April 13 (Sat. a.m.) Phillip Lasseter I Cor. 10:23-28 271
April 14 Warren Strain Heb. 6:13-20 287
April 21 Sh. Charlotte Algood Heb. 9:11-14 290
April 27 (Sat. a.m.) Kh. Sharon Meadows Heb. 12:28-13:8 291
April 28 Mildred Morris Phil. 4:4-9 294
Please remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers.
Please remember the following in your prayers: Steve, Sheryl and Stephen Chamblee; Amy and Brantley Oliver; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit and Sammie; Georgia Buchanan, George Johns (Georgia's grandson) and his family; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon's sister); Fr. Stephen Tewfik; Sh. Gail Shannon; Dn. Sidney and Sh. Mary Elliot;
Fr. Alexander Atty, the Dean of St. Thikon's who is battling cancer.
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 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 continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
Confessions: As we prepare our hearts and minds for Lent and the celebration of Holy Pascha, please be sure to schedule a time for confession.
Calendar Items:
* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
Saturday of the Souls: The Orthros and Divine Liturgy for Saturday of the Souls has been rescheduled for Saturday, April 13th beginning at 9:00 a.m.
Palm Sunday Feast: Due to our construction project, we will not be able to hold our Palm Sunday Fish Fry here at the church as usual. Instead we will be going to Cock of the Walk for our meal on Sunday, April 28th following the Divine Liturgy. A sign-up sheet will be available in the coming weeks to give the restaurant a headcount for the meal. They will be providing a separate room for us and will be offering the same menu that they give us when they serve us at the church (all-you-can-eat catfish, French fries, coleslaw, cornbread and tea). The cost of the meal with gratuities is $18.00 per adult. The restaurant has requested that we write one check. You may write your checks to St. Peter and designate them for the Palm Sunday Feast. If anyone wishes to donate extra, they may do so. If anyone has a financial difficulty with the cost of the meal, please see Fr. John. We do not want anyone to miss the meal because of financial reasons.
Paschal Feast: There will be a feast following the Pascal Liturgy on May 4. Cheryl Pigott and Kh. Be'Be' Schelver are in charge. They have posted a sign-up sheet in the fellowship hall, and need everyone to help by bringing items. We will need some folks to help with clean up after the feast as well.
Bible Study with Breakfast: We will suspend the biweekly Bible Study with Breakfast until after Pascha.
Vacation Church School …The Christian Education department will hold a Vacation Church School June 27-29 from 8:30-12:30 each day. The curriculum will be "Ark of our Salvation – Feast Days of the Theotokos." Parents, please be sure to mark your calendars now.
Fasting Discipline for April
The traditional fasting discipline (no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, wine or oil) is observed on all days of the week until Pascha (except Palm Sunday on April 28th, when fish, wine and oil are permitted).
Major Commemorations for April
April 1 St. Mary of Egypt
April 7 3rd Sunday of Lent; Adoration of the Cross
April 13 Saturday of the Souls
April 14 4th Sunday of Lent; St. John Climacus
April 21 5th Sunday of Lent; St. Mary of Egypt
April 23 Great-martyr George
April 25 Apostle Mark
April 27 Lazarus Saturday
April 28 Palm Sunday
April 29-May 4 Holy Week
Happy Birthdays in April:
April 4 -- Denis Lavric
April 6 -- John Wood (#20!)
April 11 -- Brandon Strain (#11!)
April 12 -- Lily Dabit
April 26 -- Alexander Andrei (#1!)
Happy Anniversaries in April:
April 12 -- Mike and Cheryl Piggott (#32!)
April 28 -- Anthony and Athena Zouboukos (#23!)
Parish Life Conference 2013: This year St. Basil Orthodox Church in Metairie, LA will be hosting the Parish Life Conference for our Diocese on June 12-16. His Grace, Bishop JOHN Abdallah will be the speaker. There will also be a special presentation by Fr. Philip Rogers on keeping our children in the Orthodox Christian Church. Parents are especially encouraged to hear his presentation. Please mark your calendars now and make plans to attend.
Quotable: "Every man's soul is one and manifold at the same time, as St. Gregory Palamas says. In another context St. Gregory Palamas teaches that as God is Trinity---Nous, Logos and Spirit---in a corresponding way man's soul has a trintarian nature: there is the nous –the core of man's existence--. the logos—begotten by the nous—and the spirit—'man's noetic love.'
The soul is closely linked to man's body. It is not located in only one part of the body.
According to Orthodox teaching God governs the world through his uncreated energies. Just as God acts in nature, so the soul moves and activates each member of the body to perform its function, according to St. Gregory of Sinai. Therefore, just as God governs the world in the same way does the soul govern the body.
As St. Gregory Palamas expresses it, the soul occupies the body with which it was created. It fills the entire body, giving life to the body, but it occupies the body to which it is attached."
Metropolitan HIEROTHEOS, Orthodox Spirituality
Worship: Sunday, April 7, 2013 (Third Sunday of Lent; Adoration of the Cross)
Scripture: Hebrews 4:14-5:6; Mark 8:34 to end; 9:1
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Walt Wood
Prosphora: Yeatts
Coffee Hour: Pigott/Freundt/Turner
Friday, March 22, 2013
3/24 announcements
March 24, 2013
First Sunday of Lent
Sunday of Orthodoxy
On the first Sunday of Great Lent, we celebrate the feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy. This is an historical feast commemorating the restoration of the icons, which had been banned for several decades, to their rightful liturgical use in the year 843 A.D.
The major emphasis of this feast is the victory of the true faith, the victory which always ultimately triumphs. Having completed the first week of our lenten efforts, we are reminded that Christ, the perfect image of God the Father, calls us to personal victory by restoring within ourselves "the image and likeness of God" in which we were first created (Genesis 1:26).
The icons of Our Lord, the Theotokos, and all the saints are images of true humanity, signs of what our eternal calling and vocation really is. They tell us that we are all called to be living icons and imitators of Christ, bearing the likeness of God as gracious vessels of the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 11:24-26;32-40: The writer of Hebrews calls us to consider the faith of those Old Testament saints who endured hardships and death and yet still did great things because of their faith. The Apostle encourages us to lay aside the encumbrances of sin and run with endurance the race that is set before us.
John 1:43-51: From our reading in the Gospel of John we see Jesus call Philip and Nathaniel to be His disciples.
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 Sunday of Orthodoxy: Thy pure image do we venerate, O good One, asking forgiveness of our sins, O Christ our God; for by thine own will thou didst ascend the Cross in thy body, to save thy creatures from the bondage of the enemy. Thou hast truly filled all with joy, since thou didst come, O our Saviour, to save the world.
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 Annunciation: To thee the champion leader, I thy servant offer thanks for victory, O Theotokos, thou who hast delivered me from terror. As thou hast power invincible, free me from every danger that I may cry unto thee: Rejoice, O bride without bridegroom.
CALENDAR
Sunday, March 24 (First Sunday of Lent; Sunday of Orthodoxy)
8:50 a.m. -- Orthros
9:00 a.m. -- Christian Education
10:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy
6:00 p.m. -- Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers at St. George in Vicksburg
Monday, March 25 (Feast of the Annunciation)
THE SCRIPTURE (Luke 1:26-38): The Angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee (the northernmost district of Palestine) named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house (family) of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Rejoice, you who are full of grace, the Lord is with you! Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold you shall conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father (ancestor) David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob (the father of all the tribes of Israel) for ever; and of His kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the Angel, "How can this be, since I have no husband?" And the Angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid (servant) of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the Angel departed from her.
THE SIGNIFICANCE: This feast commemorates the day when the Archangel Gabriel announced to a young virgin named Mary that she, among all women, had found favor with the Father. She was invited to cooperate with Him for the Incarnation of His pre-eternal Son through the operation of the Holy Spirit. This, "the beginning of our salvation," was conditioned not only by God's will and His election of Mary, but also by Mary's own "YES" to do God's will - "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word."
Office Closed -- Father John's Day Off
6:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy (only)
Tuesday, March 26 (Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel)
6:00 a.m. -- Lenten Orthros
Wednesday, March 27
6:30 p.m. -- Presanctified Liturgy followed by Soup Supper
7:30 p.m. -- Parish Council Meeting
Thursday, March 28
6:00 a.m. -- Lenten Orthros
Friday, March 29
6:00 a.m. -- Lenten Orthros
6:30 p.m. -- Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos
Saturday, March 30
5:45 p.m. -- Ninth Hour prayers followed by Great Vespers
Sunday, March 31 (Second Sunday of Lent; St. Gregory Palamas)
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 Joneses for the Divine Liturgy this morning.
Please remember the following in your prayers: Steve, Sheryl and Stephen Chamblee; Amy and Brantley Oliver; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit and Sammie; Georgia Buchanan, George Johns (Georgia's grandson) and his family; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon's sister); Fr. Stephen Tewfik; Sh. Gail Shannon; Dn. Sidney and Sh. Mary Elliot;
Fr. Alexander Atty, the Dean of St. Thikon's who is battling cancer.
Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour
March 24 Jones Skirtech/Skirtech/Parker
March 25 (Mon. a.m.) Meadows Meadows
(Feast of the Annunciation)
March 31 Davis Strain/Dabit
April 7 Yeatts Pigott/Freundt/Turner
April 13 (Sat. a.m.) Abraham
(Saturday of the Souls)
April 14 Freundt Algood/Bassinger/Yeatts
April 21 Bassinger R. Root/Abraham/Davis
April 27 (Sat. a.m.) Fahmy
(Lazarus Saturday)
April 28 Baker MEAL AT COCK OF THE WALK
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#
March 24 Mildred Morris Heb. 11:24-26, 32-40 281
March 25 (Mon. a.m.) Kh. Sharon Meadows Heb. 2:11-18 376
March 31 Brenda Baker Heb. 1:10-2:3 283
April 7 Walt Wood Heb. 4:14-5:6 285
April 13 (Sat. a.m.) Phillip Lasseter I Cor. 10:23-28 271
April 14 Warren Strain Heb. 6:13-20 287
April 21 Sh. Charlotte Algood Heb. 9:11-14 290
April 27 (Sat. a.m.) Kh. Sharon Meadows Heb. 12:28-13:8 291
April 28 Mildred Morris Phil. 4:4-9 294
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 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 continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
Confessions: As we prepare our hearts and minds for Lent and the celebration of Holy Pascha, please be sure to schedule a time for confession.
Calendar Items:
* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
* Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers will be hosted by St. George Orthodox Church in Vicksburg this evening, beginning at 6:00 p.m.
* We will celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation with Divine Liturgy (only) tomorrow morning, March 25th, beginning at 6:00 a.m.
March is Ladies Month in our Archdiocese when we honor the women in our church who serve so faithfully throughout the year. This month the Ladies will be reading the Epistle during the Liturgy.
Vacation Church School …The Christian Education department will hold a Vacation Church School June 27-29 from 8:30-12:30 each day. The curriculum will be "Ark of our Salvation – Feast Days of the Theotokos." Parents, please be sure to mark your calendars now.
Saturday of the Souls: The Orthros and Divine Liturgy for Saturday of the Souls has been rescheduled for Saturday, April 13th beginning at 9:00 a.m.
Palm Sunday Feast: Due to our construction project, we will not be able to hold our Palm Sunday Fish Fry here at the church as usual. Instead we will be going to Cock of the Walk for our meal on Sunday, April 28th following the Divine Liturgy. A sign-up sheet will be available in the coming weeks to give the restaurant a headcount for the meal. They will be providing a separate room for us and will be offering the same menu that they give us when they serve us at the church (all-you-can-eat catfish, French fries, coleslaw, cornbread and tea). The cost of the meal with gratuities is $18.00 per adult. The restaurant has requested that we write one check. You may write your checks to St. Peter and designate them for the Palm Sunday Feast. If anyone wishes to donate extra, they may do so. If anyone has a financial difficulty with the cost of the meal, please see Fr. John. We do not want anyone to miss the meal because of financial reasons.
Bible Study with Breakfast: We will suspend the biweekly Bible Study with Breakfast until after Pascha.
Fasting Discipline for March
March 17th is Cheesefare Sunday, the last day until Pascha that dairy and wine are permitted. Monday, March 18th is Clean Monday, the first day of Great Lent when the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, wine or oil) is observed on all days of the week until Pascha (except Annunciation on March 25th and Palm Sunday on April 28th, when fish, wine and oil are permitted).
Major Commemorations for March
March 24 1st Sunday of Lent ; Sunday of Orthodoxy
March 25 Feast of the Annunciation
March 26 Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel
March 31 2nd Sunday of Lent; Gregory of Palamas
(Remaining) Happy Birthdays in March:
March 24 -- Brenden Skirtech (#9!)
March 26 -- Katherine Habeeb (#5!)
March 29 -- Sophie Dansereau (#2!)
March 30 -- Aidan Milnor (#7!)
(Remaining) Happy Anniversaries in March:
March 27 -- Sam and Anne Habeeb (#9!)
Parish Life Conference 2013: This year St. Basil Orthodox Church in Metairie, LA will be hosting the Parish Life Conference for our Diocese on June 12-16. His Grace, Bishop JOHN Abdallah will be the speaker. There will also be a special presentation by Fr. Philip Rogers on keeping our children in the Orthodox Christian Church. Parents are especially encouraged to hear his presentation. Please mark your calendars now and make plans to attend.
Quotable: "From the narration of Genesis in the Old Testament, we know that initially God created Adam's body and then He breathed into it and created his soul. By saying 'He created the soul' it is made clear that the soul is not a particle of God, the spirit of God, as some claim. But, as St. John Chrysostom says, since the inbreathing of God is the energy of the Holy Spirit, it is this energy of the Holy Spirit which created the soul, without itself being the soul. It is of vital importance to state this, for thus we understand well that the soul cannot be examined autonomously but only in connection with God."
Metropolitan HIEROTHEOS, Orthodox Spirituality
Worship: Sunday, March 31, 2013 (Second Sunday of Lent; St. Gregory Palamas)
Scripture: Hebrews 1:10-2:3; Mark 2:1-12
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Brenda Baker
Prosphora: Davis
Coffee Hour: Strain/Dabit