INSIDE THIS ISSUE Fr. Nick s Net Pg. 2

Transcription

1 News & Events INSIDE THIS ISSUE Fr. Nick s Net Pg. 2 News & Events Pg. 3 Youth Events Pg. 5 A Month in Review Pg. 6 From the Inter-NET Pg. 7 Around the World Pg. 8 A Good Word Pgs. 9&10 HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH STEUBENVILLE, OHIO APRIL, 2018 VOLUME X ISSUE 4 ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE: April Calendar 2018 Holy Week Schedule Great and Holy Friday Trisagion Name sheet THE MISSION OF THE HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF STEUBENVILLE, OHIO, IS TO BE DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST BY SHARING THE JOY OF THE ORTHODOX FAITH THROUGH LOVE, COMPASSION AND CHARITY FOR ALL. 1 The Net January /August 2015

2 Fr. Nick s Net The Net is the Monthly Newsletter of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church PARISH INFORMATION PARISH PRIEST: FR. NICHOLAS M. HALKIAS PHONE: (740) HOME: (724) FRNICK@HOLYTRINITYSTB.ORG ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: OFFICE@HOLYTRINITYSTB.ORG PARISH ADDRESS: 300 SOUTH FOURTH STREET P.O. BOX 788 STEUBENVILLE, OH PHONE: (740) FAX: (740) OFFICE@HOLYTRINITYSTB.ORG WEB: Holy Trinity Church is a parish of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh (pittsburgh.goarch.org) and Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America ( under the Spiritual Jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople ( Tony Mougianis Nick Riley Pete Caleodis Rikki Kamarados Don Kronstein Joanne McCraley Marianne Balakos Nick Demitras Maria Matzorkis PARISH MINISTRIES PARISH COUNCIL President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Asst. Treasurer Asst. Treasurer George Berris Rana Mahfood Don Richardson Philoptochos... Rikki Kamarados Religious Education... Stewardship... GOYA... Rikki Kamarados JOY... Maria Matzorkis HOPE... Maria Matzorkis Choir... Pete Caleodis Library / Bookstore... Louise Kronstein Senior Citizens... Barbara Lee Maragos Chian Society... John Kamarados Pan-Icarian Brotherhood... Stacey Kotsanis AHEPA... Tommy Kotsanis 2 The Net April 2018 April, 2018 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, There was a woman who could not have children or even get pregnant. After many years of trying, she prayed and was directed to get some of the myrrh from the Kardiotissa icon the same icon that visited our parish in March. She blessed herself with the piece of cotton that had the myrrh on it. Then, without any reason or instruction, she actually ate the piece of cotton. She was pregnant just a few weeks later. That s not the end of the story, though. When the time came for the baby to be born, the baby was born beautifully. The doctors saw that the baby s hands were clenched shut. A baby normally has to have its nails clipped right after birth to avoid scratching or scraping its own face with them, so they tried to open its hands. One hand opened easily, but they had to really pry open the other hand. When they finally got it open, in the baby s hand was the piece of cotton that the mother swallowed. I got chills when Fr. Mark Leasure told me that story. Do you know when he was told that story for the first time? Right here, in our parish of Holy Trinity. Someone, after the service was done here, took him aside and shared with him yet another amazing story of God s blessing upon us. Sometimes, you have to just smile and admit how much God loves us. We can look at the death and destruction around the world, and we can be saddened by it. But to be fair, we must also look at the good that, without any of our help, still manages to penetrate this fallen world. The bad can only end in a temporal death, but the good can lead us to all eternity in Christ. Do we see, Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ, how limited the evil in this world is? Even if it is all around us, as we feel it is sometimes, it really cannot do anything to harm us eternally unless we too participate in it. Temporarily, it can make us uncomfortable for awhile. But if we endure graciously, it cannot harm or touch our eternal life with Christ. So limited the power of evil is. It has nothing on the eternal love of Christ. When I ponder this, I am amazed at how much of my life is spent choosing the temporal evil rather than the eternal good. When we encounter the evils in this world, we react with the same evil. We want to feel hurt when others try to hurt us. We want to feel bitter, when we are slighted. We want to hold a grudge, when our pride has been tarnished. Some of these grudges can last a long time. But there is another way, Beloved, to choose; and we find it exemplified on the cross of Christ. After all, didn t Christ experience the evils of this world? And how! When Jesus was lied against, spat upon, betrayed, denied, mocked, beaten and crucified what was His response? Anger? Hatred? Bitterness? None of these. His response was love. Father, forgive them, they don t know what they are doing. Beloved, as we enter Holy Week and experience the Lord s passion, death and resurrection, let us use His example in the trying times of His life to show us how we should respond during the trying times of our lives. Choosing the eternal good, instead of temporal evil, let us greet with love and patience those who approach with malicious intent, and speak with compassion about our enemies. Father, forgive them. Καλή Ἀνάσταση! God Bless You All!

3 News & Events WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sunday Worship... April Our Sunday Worship schedule is as follows: Orthros begins at 9:00 A.M., and Divine Liturgy begins at 10:00 A.M. Wednesday Paraklesis Services... April 18, 25 Paraklesis Services will be offered every Wednesday evening at 6:00 P.M. unless otherwise stated. APRIL These are the services for the month of April. Please check your schedules and plan to attend. Sunday, April 1... Palm Sunday 6:30 P.M. Bridegroom Service Monday, April 2... Holy Monday 6:30 P.M. Bridegroom Service Tuesday, April 3... Holy Tuesday 6:30 P.M. Bridegroom Service Wednesday, April 4... Holy Wednesday 9:00 A.M. Presanctified Liturgy 2:30 P.M. Holy Unction 6:30 P.M. Bridegroom Service w/ Anointing Thursday, April 5... Holy Thursday 8:00 A.M. Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil 6:30 P.M. Service of Twelve Gospels 11:00 P.M. Service of the First Hour with Vigil to Follow Friday, April 6... Holy Friday 8:30 A.M. Service of the Ninth Hour 2:30 P.M. Apokatheilosis (Vespers of the taking down from the Cross) 6:15 P.M. Trisagion 6:30 P.M. Lamentations Saturday, April 7... Holy Saturday 8:00 A.M. Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil 10:30 P.M. Orthros of the Resurrection 11:15 P.M. Paschal Liturgy Sunday, April 8... Great and Holy Pascha 11:00 A.M. Agape Vespers Wednesday, April 11 6:00 P.M. Resurrectional Orthros Friday, April Life-Giving Fount 9:30 A.M. Orthros & Liturgy - Martins Ferry, OH Monday, April St. George 8:30 A.M. Orthros 9:30 A.M. Liturgy HAPPY BIRTHDAY The following people will be celebrating their birthday in the month of April: Steve Markis 4-03 Olivia Balakos 4-05 Jack Shea 4-07 Samantha Rebon 4-08 Aizek Demitras 4-09 Zoe Locascio 4-09 Georgiann Hart 4-10 Thomas Koehnlein4-11 Art Baz 4-16 Kathy McCraley 4-16 Peri Dimitriou 4-18 Karen Markakis 4-24 Argie Kisner 4-27 Jennifer Caleodis 4-28 Niko Dimitriou 4-28 Sara Koehnlein 4-28 Dimitri Panagis 4-30 If your name was not listed and you had a birthday during this month, please contact the office; and we will be happy to place it on our roster for next year. PASCHAL TAXIMATA The Taximata are available for the 2018 Lenten, Holy Week and Paschal Season. Please contact Kalope Diniaco or Stacey Kotsanis to reserve your sponsored donation for this year. LUMINARIES The Taki Romios Memorial Library is selling the Luminaries for this year. They are being sold for $5.00 each. Please give the names of your deceased loved ones to Louise Kronstein, Marianne Balakos or Gloria Sergakis before Palm Sunday, April 1. HOLY WEEK HELPING HANDS There are many hands that go into putting together a successful Holy Week. Here are some of the ways we could use a helping hand during Holy Week: Setting up and cleaning up the church for each of the services; making Palm crosses; dyeing eggs; decorating the Epitaphio with flowers; helping with the Holy Friday Youth Retreat; reciting the Gospel in various languages; and the list continues. If you or anyone can help with these tasks, please ask Fr. Nick; and we can direct you to something that would helpful for the week. We look forward to seeing you! 3 The Net April 2018

4 News & Events PASCHAL AGAPE MEAL After the Midnight Pascha Service of the Resurrection, please join us for the Annual Breaking of the Fast Agape meal sponsored by our Parish Council. It is a wonderful way to bring in the Resurrection of Jesus surrounded by our brothers and sisters in Christ. SAINT PHOTIOS AWARDS BANQUET The 5th Annual St. Photios Awards Banquet is scheduled for April 21, It will be held at The DoubleTree Hotel in Cranberry, PA (910 Sheraton Drive, Mars, PA) with hors d'oeuvres at 4:00 P.M. and dinner at 5:15 P.M. The cost is $85 per person for adults and $25 per person for children under 12. Reservations are required and the deadline is April 6. Please turn all reservations into Tara at Apollo , so that we can reserve tables. Make checks payable to Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh. Congratulations to Marianne Balakos and Don Kronstein! They were selected to be Holy Trinity s 2018 St. Photios honorees! ARCHDIOCESAN PRESBYTERS COUNCIL Father Nick will be away April attending the National APC Meetings in Boca Raton, FL. Please call the office for any emergencies and we will contact Fr. Nick. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION BIBLE STUDY... April 11, 25 The Bible Study normally meets on the 1st and 3rd, Wednesday of the month at 10:00 A.M. Please check the monthly calendar and weekly bulletins for times and changes. THEOLOGY ON TAP & OPA... April 26 Theology on Tap is our Men s and Women s (OPA) study group. The meeting will take place at Apollo in Wintersville (1626 Cadiz Road). You don t need to be Orthodox to come. Hope to see you there! PARISH GROUPS AHEPA... TBA The AHEPA Society will now have their meetings scheduled through our Notify-Now system. CHOIR... TBA Rehearsals are held whenever possible and the times vary. Anyone who would be interested in joining the Choir is welcome to do so. Please contact Pete Caleodis if you are interested in joining. Thank You. PARISH COUNCIL... April 10 Parish Council meetings are held the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 P.M. at the church unless otherwise stated. PHILOPTOCHOS... April 12 The Philoptochos Ladies will have their monthly meeting on Thursday, April 12, at 6:30 P.M. at Undo s Restaurant located at 350 Three Springs Dr, Weirton. FESTIVAL BAKING Festival baking is in full swing. Anyone who is able to help would be greatly appreciated. In April, we will be baking the following dates: Monday, April 9 Thursday April 12 Monday, April 16 Tuesday April 17 Thursday April 19 Tuesday, April 24 Thursday April 26 De-stem Grapeleaves Roll Grapeleaves De-stem Grapeleaves Roll Grapeleaves Roll Grapeleaves Roll Grapeleaves Galatobouriko FEBRUARY FINANCIALS February weekly income $5, February weekly expense $6, The Net April

5 Holy Week Youth Events SATURDAY OF LAZARUS HOLY FRIDAY RETREAT FRIDAY, APRIL :00 AM TO 2:30 PM, MARCH 31,, 2018 DATE:: SATURDAY, TIIME:: DIIVIINE LIITURGY AT 8::30 AM PLEASE JOIN US FOR SATURDAY OF LAZARUS LITURGY AND STAY FOR A PANCAKE BREAKFAST AND PALM CROSS MAKING. HOLY & GREAT THURSDAY ALL NIGHT VIGIL GOYA* - APRIL 5, 2018 Stay with Christ as He stayed on the Cross for us 11:00 A.M.- 12 P.M. Registration & Lenten Lunch 12 P.M. - 2:00 P.M. Youth Retreat 2:30 P.M. Taking down from the Cross Please call Carla or Spiro Alexander (304) to register your child(ren). PASCHA EGG HUNT 11 pm Service of the First Hour Vigil by the Cross, Reading of the Psalms, Light Refreshments, Fellowship The remaining Services of the Hours will be done throughout the night *All are welcome to attend, but the program will be designed for GOYA and older participants Bring a pillow and sleeping bag in case you get tired R.S.V.P. Fr. Nick at or e- mail: FrNick@holytrinitystb.org SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2018 FOLLOWING AGAPE VESPERS AT 11 AM Come with your children for Agape Vespers and listen to the Gospel of the Lord s Resurrection in many languages from around the world! After Agape Vespers, we will start looking for all the eggs and enjoy some family time together on the day of the Lord s Resurrection! 5 The Net April 2018

6 A Month in Review Kardiotissa Icon Visit - 3/23 More Kardiotissa Visit and GOYA Volleyball Tournament 3/24 Greek Independence Day with Mayor Jerry Barrila - 3/25 6 The Net April

7 Beginning on the evening of Palm Sunday and continuing through the evening of Holy Tuesday, the Orthodox Church observes a special service known as the Service of the Bridegroom. Each evening service is the Matins or Orthros service of the following day (e.g. the service held on Sunday evening is the Orthros service for Holy Monday). The name of the service is from the figure of the Bridegroom in the parable of the Ten Virgins found in Matthew 25:1-13. The first part of Holy Week presents us with an array of themes based chiefly on the last days of Jesus' earthly life. The story of the Passion, as told and recorded by the Evangelists, is preceded by a series of incidents located in Jerusalem and a collection of parables, sayings and discourses centered on Jesus' divine sonship, the kingdom of God, the Parousia [Second Coming], and Jesus' castigation of the hypocrisy and dark motives of the religious leaders. The observances of the first three days of Great Week are rooted in these incidents and sayings. The three days constitute a single liturgical unit. They have the same cycle and system of daily prayer. The Scripture lessons, hymns, commemorations, and ceremonials that make up the festal elements in the respective services of the cycle highlight significant aspects of salvation history, by calling to mind the events that anticipated the Passion and by proclaiming the inevitability and significance of the Parousia. The Orthros of each of these days is called the Service of the Bridegroom (Akolouthia tou Nimfiou). The name comes from the central figure in the well-known parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). The title Bridegroom suggests the intimacy of love. It is not without significance that the kingdom of God is compared to a bridal feast and a bridal chamber. The Christ of the Passion is the divine Bridegroom of the Church. The imagery connotes the final union of the Lover and the beloved. The title Bridegroom also suggests the Parousia. In the patristic tradition, the SERVICES OF THE BRIDEGROOM From the Inter-NET aforementioned parable is related to the Second Coming; and is associated with the need for spiritual vigilance and preparedness, by which we are enabled to keep the divine commandments and receive the blessings of the age to come. The troparion "Behold the Bridegroom comes in the middle of the night ", which is sung at the beginning of the Orthros of Great Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, relates the worshiping community to that essential expectation: watching and waiting for the Lord, who will come again to judge the living and the dead. "The Bridegroom" Icon portrays Christ during His Passion, particularly during the period when our Lord was mocked and tortured by the soldiers who crowned Him with thorns, dressed Him in purple and placed a reed in His Hands, jeering Him as the "King of the Jews." The services conducted on Palm Sunday evening and on the evenings of Holy Monday and Tuesday are the Matins or Orthros services of the following day. After the reading of the Psalms at the beginning of the service the Troparion of the Bridegroom Service is chanted three times. On Palm Sunday evening as this hymn is being chanted, the priest carries the icon of Christ as Bridegroom in procession. The icon is placed in the middle of the solea of the church and remains there until Holy Thursday. In most parishes a Presanctified Liturgy will be conducted on the mornings of Holy Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The Liturgy of the Pre- Sanctified Gifts has a distinct character and order. It is comprised of three major parts or components: a) the service of Great Vespers peculiar to this Liturgy; b) the solemn transfer of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts to the Holy Table; and c) the preparation for and the distribution of holy Communion. The Liturgy does not contain the Anaphora, the Gifts of the bread and wine having been consecrated at the Divine Liturgy on the previous Sunday or Saturday. -Excerpted from The Net April 2018

8 Around the World JERUSALEM'S HOLY SEPULCHRE CHURCH REOPENS AFTER PROTEST AFP - February 28, 2018 The Jerusalem church built at the site many see as the holiest in Christianity reopened on Wednesday after a three-day closure to protest against Israeli measures had left thousands of visitors locked outside. The two men who act as keepers of the key of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre opened its large wooden doors at around 4:00 am (0200 GMT), ending the protest that began on Sunday at noon. Shortly afterwards, a group of pilgrims emerged from the still darkened corridors of Jerusalem's Old City to visit the sacred site. "We prayed in front of the doors every day since Sunday," said Francois-Roch Ferlet, a 29-year-old visiting with a group of 50 people from France, standing near the ornate shrine encasing the traditional site of Jesus's tomb inside the church. They were due to leave later on Wednesday and were relieved they were able to visit. The church is built where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. Custody of it is shared by the Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Roman Catholic denominations. The closure seemed to be the longest since at least Christian leaders decided to reopen the church after Israel on Tuesday suspended tax measures they strongly oppose. A proposed law that Christian leaders say would allow Israel to expropriate church land is also to be shelved. A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said a "professional team" would be appointed to come up with a solution to the tax measures imposed by Israeli authorities in Jerusalem. Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi will also look into the issue of land sales in Jerusalem by Christian bodies, which prompted the proposed law that is now also suspended. Christian leaders are in part angry over attempts by Israeli authorities in Jerusalem to enforce tax collection on church property they consider commercial, saying exemptions only apply to places of worship or religious teaching. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat says the city is due 650 million shekels ($186 million/152 million euros) in uncollected taxes on church properties. He stresses the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and all other churches are exempt, with the changes only affecting establishments like "hotels, halls and businesses" owned by churches. Christian leaders say the measure jeopardises their ability to conduct their work, which also includes social services to those in need. A separate controversial bill seeks to allay fears of Israelis who live in homes on lands previously held by the Greek Orthodox Church and which were sold to private developers, according to the lawmaker proposing the legislation. The bill would allow certain lands sold by the Greek Orthodox Church to be handed over to the state, which would then compensate those who bought it from the church. "This reminds us all of laws of a similar nature which were enacted against the Jews during a dark period in Europe," Christian leaders said in a statement on Sunday. Recent land sales by the Greek Orthodox Church -- a major landowner in Jerusalem -- to unknown buyers have drawn fire from both Israelis and Palestinians. Palestinians fear the sales will favour Israeli settlement construction in east Jerusalem, while Israelis are concerned over private developers' intentions for the land. The dispute over the taxes and proposed law is also linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The church is located in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians see as the capital of their future state. Israel sees the whole city as its undivided capital. Christians in Jerusalem are mainly Palestinians and Arab Israelis. The decision to close the church was extremely rare. In 1990, Christian sites including the Holy Sepulchre were closed for a day to protest the installation of Jewish settlers near the church. Christian sites were shut for two days in 1999 to protest at the planned construction of a mosque near Nazareth's Church of the Annunciation, where tradition holds the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary she was to become the mother of Jesus. -Taken from 8 The Net April

9 The Good Word (pg. 1) 9 The Net April 2018

10 The Good Word (pg. 2) 10 The Net April

11 The NET-Minders The Parish of Holy Trinity would like to thank the following benefactors for making this Monthly Newsletter possible: In Honor of MARIE & ALEX KAMARADOS 60th Wedding Anniversary April 13, April 13, 2018 In Loving Memory Of Nicholas Mougianis 11 The Net April 2018

12 Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church P.O. Box South Fourth Street Steubenville, OH NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE P A I D STEUBENVILLE, OH PERMIT NO. 83 Submissions for THE NET are to be submitted by the 20 th of each month About the Icon on the Cover THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS (HOLY TUESDAY) On Holy Tuesday the Church calls to remembrance two parables, which are related to the Second Coming. The one is the parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-3); the other the parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). These parables point to the inevitability of the Parousia [Second Coming] and deal with such subjects as spiritual vigilance, stewardship, accountability and judgment. From these parables we learn at least two basic things. First, Judgment Day will be like the situation in which the bridesmaids (or virgins) of the parable found themselves: some ready for it, some not ready. The time one decides for God is now and not at some undefined point in the future. If time and tide waits for no man, certainly the Parousia is no exception. The tragedy of the closed door is that individuals close it, not God. The exclusion from the marriage feast, the kingdom, is of our own making. Second, we are reminded that watchfulness and readiness do not mean a wearisome, spiritless performance of formal and empty obligations. Most certainly it does not mean inactivity and slothfulness. Watchfulness signifies inner stability, soberness, tranquility and joy. It means spiritual alertness, attentiveness and vigilance. Watchfulness is the deep personal resolve to find and do the will of God, embrace every commandment and every virtue, and guard the intellect and heart from evil thoughts and actions. Watchfulness is the intense love of God. -Taken from