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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April 6, 2014 Fifth Sunday of Lent ...
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Saint Peter Antiochian Orthodox Church
Madison, Mississippi
Friday, May 23, 2014
5/25 announcements
May 25, 2014
Sunday of the Blindman
Discovery of the Head of the Forerunner
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.
II Corinthians 4:6-15: From our reading in II Corinthians we hear St Paul discuss how his and the other apostles' sufferings have brought forth life in the people of God.
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 Forerunner: Verily, from the earth rose the head of the Forerunner, bequeathing to believers incorruptible rays of healing, gathering the crowds of angels from above and calling below the races of mankind to address their voices in unison in glory to Christ God.
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 25 (Sunday of the Blindman)
8:50 a.m. -- Orthros
9:00 a.m. -- Christian Education
10:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy
4:30 p.m. -- Morgan/Henderson Wedding
Monday, May 26
Office Closed -- Father John's Day Off
Tuesday, May 27
6:00 a.m. -- Daily Orthros
11:30 a.m. -- Ladies Lunch
6:30 p.m. -- Paschal Vespers for the Leavetaking of Pascha
Wednesday, May 28
6:00 p.m. -- Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy
Thursday, May 29 (Ascension)
Friday, May 30
Saturday, May 31
5:45 p.m. -- Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers
Sunday, June 1 (Sunday of the Holy Fathers of Nicea)
8:50 a.m. -- Orthros
10:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy
12:00 p.m. -- Special Coffee Hour honoring Graduating Seniors
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Karams for the Divine Liturgy last Sunday and by the Fahmys for the Divine Liturgy today.
Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour
May 25 Fahmy NO COFFEE HOUR TODAY
May 28 (Wed. p.m.) Baker Christina Katool
(Feast of the Ascension)
June 1 Wood Karam/Stewart/Meadows
June 7 (Sat. a.m.) R. Root
(Saturday of the Souls – Koliva: Anastasia Jones)
June 8 Henderson POT LUCK MEAL
set-up: Skirtech/Skirtech/Parker
June 15 Algood Pigott/Brock/Strain
June 22 Katool D. Root/Dansereau/Dale Cooper
June 29 Schelver Algood/Yeatts/Lasseter
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 25 Tom Willingham II Cor. 4:6-15 163
May 28 (Wed. p.m.) Walt Wood Acts 1:1-12 63
(Feast of the Ascension)
June 1 Sh. Charlotte Algood Acts 20:16-18, 28-36 66
June 7 (Sat. a.m.) Warren Strain Acts 28:4-31 72-74
(Saturday of the Souls)
June 8 Kh. Sharon Meadows Acts 2:1-11 77
June 15 Mildred Morris Heb. 11:33-12:2 84
June 22 Phillip Lasseter Rom. 2:10-16 90
June 29 Kh. Be'Be' Schelver II Cor. 11:21-33; 12:6-9 389-390
Continue to pray for Metropolitan Paul (who is also the brother of our Patriarch) and the Syriac Archbishop John of Aleppo who were abducted while on a humanitarian mission in Syria.
Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
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;
Walt and Charlotte Wood and their family; Tom and Jennifer Skirtech and their family; Tom and Kathy Willingham; Athena and Anthony Zouboukos and their family.
Please remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers.
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.
Archdiocese Special Assembly: The date of June 5, 2014 has been set for the special assembly to nominate 3 candidates for Metropolitan of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. These will be forwarded to His Beatitude, Patriarch John X and the Holy Synod where the final decision will be made as to who succeeds His Eminence, Metropolitan PHILIP of Thrice Blessed Memory. Father John will represent St. Peter's at this assembly which will be held in Chicago from 9-5 at an, as yet, undisclosed hotel. Please pray for the guidance of the Holy Trinity in these proceedings.
Congratulations and Many Years! to Carrie Morgan and Nicholas Henderson who will be married this afternoon!
Congratulations! to Alexa Zouboukos who graduated from Jackson Academy on May 16th and to Emil Ellis who graduated from Ridgeland High School on May 20th! We will have a special Coffee Hour in their honor next Sunday.
Congratulations! also to Thomas Wood who graduated from the University of MS Medical School and to Dale Cooper who graduated from the Physical Therapy Assistant Program at Hinds Community College!
We will not have Coffee Hour today due to the wedding this afternoon.
Calendar Items:
* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
* The Ladies of St. Peter will meet at 10:00 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month to pray the Akathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children. Those who are able will go out for lunch and fellowship afterwards.
* The leavetaking of Pascha will be celebrated with Paschal vespers on Tuesday evening, May 27th, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
* We will celebrate the feast of the Ascension with Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy on Wednesday evening, May 28th beginning at 6:00 p.m.
* Special Coffee Hour honoring our Graduating High School Seniors will be held following the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, June 1st.
Fasting Discipline for May/June
The traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) will be observed on all the Wednesdays and Fridays of the month until the Feast of Pentecost (June 8th). There is no fasting of any kind during the week following Pentecost (June 9th -13th). The Fast of the Apostles begins on Monday, June 16th and continues through the 28th. During this time the traditional fasting discipline is observed on all days of the week.
Major Commemorations for May/June
May 25 Sunday of the Blindman/The Forerunner (3rd Discovery)
May 29 Feast of the Ascension
June 1 Sunday of the Holy Fathers of Nicea
Justyn Martyr
June 4 Metrophanes of Constantinople
June 7 Saturday of the Souls
June 8 Feast of Pentecost
Theodore the General (transfer of relics)
June 11 Apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas
June 15 Sunday of All Saints
June 24 Nativity of the Forerunner
June 29 Chief Apostles Peter and Paul
June 30 Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles
Young Adults Study Group: The Young Adults will meet once a month on Sunday evening from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. (time will be strictly adhered to) for a meal, fellowship and teaching. The date for next meeting is, Sunday, June 15th . Please let Father John know by text or e-mail if you will be there, so that plans may be made for the meal.
Canned food drive: The Christian Education classes are collecting canned goods for the needy.
Vacation Church School: We will be holding our Vacation Church School on Thursday-Saturday, June 26-28. The focus of this year's school will be on educating our children about the lives of their Name-Saints and of Sts. Peter and Paul. Sam Habeeb is looking for volunteers to help with this wonderful program.
Happy Anniversaries in MayJune:
May 30 -- Tom and Jennifer Skirtech (#37!)
June 8 -- Nader and Lily Dabit (#6!)
June 10 -- Dorin and Carolina Lavric (#3!)
June 14 -- Ken and Anastasia Jones (#44!)
-- Saliba and Lamia Dabit (#50!)
June 22 -- Fr. Leo and Kh. Be'Be' Schelver (#40!)
June 31 -- Denis and Tatiana Lavric (#4!)
Happy Birthdays in May/June:
May 26 -- David Turner
May 27 -- Luke Habeeb (#9!)
May 30 -- Dn. Terry Algood
May 31 -- Stephen Chamblee
June 1 -- Fr. James Meadows
June 5 -- George Wood
June 6 -- Michel Root (#2!)
June 7 -- Simon Karam
June 12 -- Ellie Yeatts (#16!)
June 13 -- Lou Turner
June 17 -- Sh. Margaret Root
June 21 -- Sandra Strain
June 22 -- Isabelle Goss (#4!)
June 29 -- Jennifer Skirtech
Suggestions on use of the Cry Room:
-- Please remember you're in liturgy when you're in the cry room.
-- Its main purpose should be a place for parents to take their children if they're being disruptive during liturgy, staying for 5-10 minutes (or until the child is calmed down) and then returning to liturgy.
-- It should not be used as a main sitting area during the liturgy.
-- Children should not be eating snacks or watching electronic devices while in the cry room.
Parents, please supervise your children with food in the Fellowship Hall. We are getting stains on the new carpet (and also the chairs in the nave).
Quotable: "The essential act in the celebration of the holy mysteries is the transformation of the elements into the Divine Body and Blood; its aim is the sanctification of the faithful, who through these mysteries receive the remission of their sins and the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven. As a preparation for, and contribution to, this act and this purpose we have prayers, psalms, and readings from Holy Scripture; in short, all the sacred acts and forms which are said and done before and after the consecration of the elements. While it is true that God freely gives us all holy things and that we bring him nothing, but that they are absolute graces, he does nevertheless necessarily require that we should be fit to receive and preserve them; and he would not permit those who were not so disposed to be thus sanctified."
Nicholas Cabasilas, A Commentary on the Divine Liturgy
Worship: Sunday, June 1, 2014 (Sunday of the Holy Fathers of Nicea)
Scripture: Acts 20:16-18, 28-36; John 17:1-13
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Sh. Charlotte Algood
Prosphora: Wood
Coffee Hour: Special Coffee Hour honoring Graduating Seniors
Set-up: Karam/Stewart/Meadow
