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
Saturday, June 22, 2013
6/23 announcements
June 23, 2013
Pentecost
In several senses, Pentecost marks for us the end of many months of anticipation, commemoration, and celebration and the beginning of the fullness of the life and faith we share. It is a day bringing our focus on the Holy Spirit, the embodiment of divine grace, the supreme gift, the ongoing presence of God in our lives; yet, it is a day directing us to the praise of the Trinity, the three divine persons, and the historical and spatial relationship God's people have with Him. For the disciples, the day marks their spiritual maturity. Their faith began in their nationality, for they were of the nation that God the Father chose to glorify Him. The faith was completed in their confrontation with God the Son, through His presence and the nourishment He gave. The fullness of the faith came with the coming in power of God the Spirit. The disciples had grown in spirit and were ready for their work; the birth of the Church was imminent; the Bride was to be made ready. In the cycle of the calendar, we now stand ready to do likewise, and all weeks from now until our preparation for Advent are the weeks of Pentecost. In the picture of the birth of the Church there are symbols beyond mention here; the unity in the common tongue, the Light that shines brighter than day, the bold proclamation to all men of the Gospel. We look forward from this day to weeks without special celebrations, to days without reference to past days of enormous import--to normal, uneventful days. But these are not uneventful days; they are the days for which we have prepared, the days of the Church, the days of our maturity and growth, the days when, through the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit, we run the good race and cross the finish to bring praise and glory to our glorious God, the eternal Trinity.
Acts 2:1-11: In the reading from Acts we see the pouring out of God's Spirit on the apostles, the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy, and the beginning of the Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
John 7:37-52, 8:12: Our Lord calls those thirsting for righteousness to Himself, promising to eternally quench their thirst by the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Pharisees, however, view Jesus as a threat to their authority and seek for ways to undermine His authority.
Troparion of Pentecost: Blessed art thou, O Christ our God, who hast revealed the fishermen as most wise, having sent upon them the Holy Spirit, and through them thou hast fished the universe, O Lover of mankind, glory to thee.
Kontakion of Pentecost: When the high One descended, confusing tongues, he divided the nations. And when he distributed the fiery tongues he called all to one unity. Wherefore, in unison we glorify the most Holy Spirit.
CALENDAR
Sunday, June 23 (Pentecost) [NO FASTING THIS WEEK]
8:50 a.m. -- Orthros
10:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy
12:00 p.m. -- Pot Luck Meal for Pentecost
6:30 p.m. -- Kneeling Vespers
Monday, June 24 (Nativity of the Forerunner)
Office Closed -- Father John's Day Off
Tuesday, June 25
6:00 a.m. -- Daily Orthros
Wednesday, June 26
6:30 p.m. -- Daily Vespers
7:30 p.m. -- Choir Practice
7:30 p.m. -- Parish Council Meeting
Thursday, June 27
NO Daily Orthros
8:30 a.m. -- Vacation Church School (until 12:30 p.m.)
Friday, June 28
NO Daily Orthros
8:30 a.m. -- Vacation Church School (until 12:30 p.m.)
Saturday, June 29 (Chief Apostles Peter and Paul)
8:30 a.m. -- Vacation Church School (until 12:30 p.m.)
11:15 a.m. -- Serving at Stewpot
5:45 p.m. -- Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers
Sunday, June 30 (Sunday of All Saints)
8:50 a.m. -- Orthros
10:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy
5:30 p.m. -- Youth Group
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Yeatts for the Saturday of the Souls Liturgy yesterday morning and by the Abrahams for the Divine Liturgy this morning. The Koliva for yesterday's liturgy was offered by the Joneses.
Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour
June 23 Abraham Algood/Meadows/Volunteers
June 29 (Sat. a.m.) Liturgy for Sts. Peter and Paul cancelled due to Church School
June 30 Basinger Skirtech/Skirtech/Parker
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#
June 23 Mildred Morris Acts 2:1-11 77
June 29 (Sat. a.m.) Liturgy for Sts. Peter and Paul cancelled due to Church School
June 30 Kh. Be'Be' Schelver I Cor. 4:9-16 130
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 remember Charles and Vivian Hadad in your prayers. They are members of Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church and have been dear friends of St. Peter's for many years. Both are experiencing issues with their health.
Continue to pray for Metropolitan Paul (who is also the brother of our Patriarch) and the Syriac Archbishop John of Aleppo who were abducted recently while on a humanitarian mission in Syria.
Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
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.
Many Thanks!! to Fr. James and Dn. Richard, to Fr. Leo and Dn. Terry and to everyone else who helped complete our construction project. We are very thankful to the Lord that we have been able to add this additional space to our facility!
Father John and his family will be on vacation June 20-24th. Please contact Fr. Leo or Fr. James if you need a priest during his absence.
Fasting Discipline for June
The traditional fasting (no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, wine or oil) is observed on all Wednesdays and Fridays of the month until the Feast of Pentecost. There is no fasting of any kind during the week following Pentecost (June 24-28th). Due to the lateness of Pentecost this year, there will be no fast of the Apostles.
Major Commemorations for June
June 23 Pentecost
June 24 Nativity of the Forerunner
June 29 Chief Apostles Peter and Paul
June 30 Sunday of All Saints
Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles
Calendar Items:
* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
Due to the July Fourth holiday, they will meet on July 11th next month.
* Vacation Church School will be held this week on June 27-29, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
* There will be no liturgy this year for Sts. Peter and Paul due to Vacation Church School.
Happy Birthdays in June:
June 1 -- Fr. James Meadows
June 5 -- George Wood
June 6 -- Michel Root (2012)
June 12 -- Ellie Yeatts (1998)
June 13 -- Lou Turner
June 17 -- Sh. Margaret Root
June 21 -- Sandra Strain
June 22 -- Isabelle Goss (2010)
June 29 -- Jennifer Skirtech
June 30 -- Jeffrey Bassinger
Happy Anniversaries in June:
June 8 -- Nader and Lily Dabit (2008)
June 10 -- Dorin and Carolina Lavric (2011)
June 14 -- Ken and Anastasia Jones (1970)
-- Saliba and Lamia Dabit (1964)
June 22 -- Fr. Leo and Kh. Be'Be' Schelver (1974)
June 31 -- Denis and Tatiana Lavric (2010)
Quotable: "Consequently the Saint—a bearer of Orthodox spirituality—possess all three of these memories, which act and function simultaneously without influencing one another. A Saint is the most 'natural of men.' He is conscious of the world, involved in various concerns, yet—because his nous has attained to its natural function—'he lives on earth but is a citizen of heaven."
"Therefore, the centre of Orthodox spirituality is the heart, within which man's nous must inherently operate. The energy of the soul—the nous—must return within the soul's essence—in the heart--; and thus by uniting these powers by the grace of God acquire unity and communion with God the Trinity. A spirituality outside of this perspective is not Orthodox but moralistic, pietistic, abstract and rationalistic."
Metropolitan HIEROTHEOS, Orthodox Spirituality
Worship: Sunday, June 30, 2013 (Sunday of All Saints; Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles)
Scripture: I Corinthians 4:9-16; Matthew 10:32-33, 37-38; 19:27-30
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Kh. Be'Be' Schelver
Prosphora: Basinger
Coffee Hour: Skirtech/Skirtech/Parker
