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
4/5 announcements
3/29 announcements
3/22 announcements
Homily for March 15, 2015
3/15 announcements
Homily for March 8, 2015
3/8 announcements
Homily for Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers Mar 1, 2015
Homily for Mar 1, 2015
3/1 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, April 08, 2015
4/12 announcements
April 12, 2015
Great and Holy 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 fulness 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 12 (PASCHA)
4:00 P.M. -- Agape Vespers at Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Clinton
Monday, April 13
Office Closed -- Father John's Day Off
Tuesday, April 14
6:00 a.m. -- Bright Week Orthros
Wednesday, April 15
6:30 p.m. -- Paschal Vespers
Thursday, April 16
Friday, April 17
Saturday, April 18
10:00 a.m. -- Ladies gather to pray the Akathist
5:45 p.m. -- Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers
Sunday, April 19 (Thomas Sunday)
8:50 a.m. -- Orthros
9:00 a.m. -- Christian Education
10:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy
5:30 p.m. -- Young Adults
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Brocks Thursday morning for the Vesperal Liturgy of Great and Holy Thursday, by the Fahmys this morning for the Vesperal Liturgy of Great and Holy Saturday and by the Woods for the Divine Liturgy tonight.
Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour
April 11 (Sat. pm) Wood Kh. Be'Be' Schelver and
Kh. Sharon Meadows
April 19 R. Root Henderson/Lockhart
April 26 Henderson Karam/Stewart/Meadows
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 11 (Sat. pm) Walt Wood Acts 1:1-8 25
April 19 Sh. Charlotte Algood Acts 5:12-20 32
April 26 Warren Strain Acts 6:1-7 38
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 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 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.
Vivian Haddad from Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Clinton is at UMMC, having suffered a stroke. She and her husband Charles have been dear friends of many here at St. Peter. Please keep them and their family in your prayers.
Mrs. Betty Long, the mother of Dn Basil Long, was moved to hospice this past week. She suffered a stroke a few years ago and has been in poor health since. Please keep her, Dn. Basil, Sh. Josie and all their family in your prayers.
Welcome and Many Years! to the Alaeetawi family! Emad, Sophia, Gabriella and Noor were chrismated this morning and Natalia was received back into the fellowship of the Church!
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 the 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. However, since Pascha falls on the second week-end this year, we will meet for the Akathist on the Third Saturday of April.
* Agape Vespers will be held tomorrow afternoon at 4:00 p.m. at Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Clinton.
* We will be serving at the Stewpot on Saturday, May 23rd, along with members of Holy Resurrection and Holy Trinity/St. John the Theologian Orthodox Churches.
* Vacation Church School will be held Thursday, July 2nd through Saturday, July 4th.
Young Adults Study Group: The Young Adults agreed to begin meeting twice a month. One of these meetings will feature a teaching by Fr. John on various aspects of the Orthodox Christian faith. Topics will include education, ethics and parenting children. The next meetings will be Sunday, April 19th.
Fasting Discipline for April
During Bright Week (the week following Pascha) there is no fasting of any kind. Following Bright Week, the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) will be observed on the remaining Wednesdays and Fridays of the month.
Major Commemorations for April
April 19 Thomas Sunday
April 23 Great-martyr George
April 25 Apostle Mark
April 26 Sunday of the Holy Myrrh-bearers
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).
Thermostats in the Fellowship Hall: There are two thermostats in the Fellowship Hall—one in the main room to control the air in the main room, and a second one in the Nursery room that controls the air in all four of the Sunday School rooms. Please be sure when you leave the building that both thermostats are set to 80 degrees in warm weather or 60 degrees in cold weather.
Happy Birthdays in April:
April 4 -- Denis Lavric
April 6 -- John Wood
April 11 -- Brandon Strain (#13!)
April 12 -- Lily Dabit
April 15 -- Anna Grace Dansereau (#2!)
April 26 -- Alexander Andrei (#3!)
Happy Anniversaries in April:
April 11 -- Simon and Rola Karam (#5!)
April 12 -- Mike and Cheryl Pigott (#34!)
April 28 -- Anthony and Athena Zouboukos (#25!)
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.
Quotable: "The Christian must be such as was Jesus Christ. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, said the holy Apostle Paul (Phil. 2:5). Are you the kind of person that Jesus Christ was? Do you behave as He did? Do you live by His teaching, or Gospel, that He gave us as a rule of life?"
How to Live a Holy Life by Metropolitan GREGORY of
St. Petersburg
Worship: Sunday, April 19, 2015 (Thomas Sunday)
Scripture: Acts 5:12-20; John 20:19-31
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Sh. Charlotte Algood
Prosphora: R. Root
Coffee Hour: Henderson/Lockhart
