THE MANTLE Saint Michael s Orthodox Church 7313 N. Waukegan Road Niles, Illinois

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1 THE MANTLE Saint Michael s Orthodox Church 7313 N. Waukegan Road Niles, Illinois January 21, 2018 Sunday of Zacchaeus Very Rev. Protopresbyter Samuel J. Sherry, Pastor ~ FrSam@juno.com Rev. Deacon Peter E. Sodini Phone/Fax (847) Today: Schedule of Events 9:00 A.M. Confessions heard by appointment! 9:15 A.M. Adult Religious Education. 10:00 A.M. Divine Liturgy begins! Church School Classes will be held downstairs following Holy Communion. Today s Panachida is for God s Departed Servants Margie Sremaniak Katarina & John Stanko, Sr. offered by Vickie and Roy Graffius Mary Hebel Anniversary of her Repose (1/18) offered by Nicholas Pavlik, Helen Janowiak and her Family The Coffee Social will be held and is sponsored by Pam Kuhn and Andrea Haralampopoulos. All of our Faithful and guests are invited to join in fellowship. 6:30 P.M. Sanctity of Life Service at Saint Haralambos (see attached flyer) Sunday, January 28: 9:00 A.M. Confessions heard by appointment! 9:15 A.M. Adult Religious Education. 10:00 A.M. Divine Liturgy begins! Church School Classes will be held downstairs following Holy Communion. A Combined Panachida is scheduled to be served. The Coffee Social will be held and is sponsored by Steve Smandra plus his team. Epistle Reading St. Paul's First Letter to Timothy 4:9-15. TIMOTHY, my son, the saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things. Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Till I come, attend to the public reading of scripture, to preaching, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophetic utterance when the council of elders laid their hands upon you. Practice these duties, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. Gospel Reading Saint Luke 19:1-10. At that time, Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief collector, and rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today." So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost." Today s Rubrics Hardbound Divine Liturgy Book: (Page 102) Resurrection Tropar - Tone 8 (Page 102) Resurrection Kondak - Tone 8 (Page 104) Prokimen - Tone 8 (Page 104) Alleluia Verses

2 The Mantle ~ Saint Michael s Orthodox Church Saints and Feasts Maximus the Confessor. The divine Maximus, who was from Constantinople, sprang from an illustrious family. He was a lover of wisdom and an eminent theologian. At first, he was the chief private secretary of the Emperor Heraclius and his grandson Constans. When the Monothelite heresy became predominant in the royal court, out of hatred for this error the Saint departed for the Monastery at Chrysopolis (Scutari), of which he later became the abbot. When Constans tried to constrain him either to accept the Monothelite teaching, or to stop speaking and writing against it - neither of which the Saint accepted to do - his tongue was uprooted and his right hand was cut off, and he was sent into exile where he reposed in 662. At the time only he and his few disciples were Orthodox in the East. Neophytos the Martyr of Nicea. The Martyr Neophytos, who was from Nicea in Bithynia, was the son of pious parents, Theodore and Florence. Led by grace from his childhood, he took up his dwelling in a cave upon Mount Olympus at the age of nine and lived there in asceticism and prayer. At the age of fifteen, during the reign of Diocletian about the year 290, he presented himself to the local Governor named Decius. Roused to fury by his unexpected boldness, Decius had him scourged, then laid out on a bed of fire. When he had been preserved by grace through these torments, he gave him up to wild beasts. But since the Saint remained unharmed, a certain pagan fell on him with a sword and slew him. Martyrs Neophytos, Agnes, Patroclus, Maximus the Greek and Eugene of Trebizond Wisdom of the Fathers For Christ's presence is like that of some life-giving, scented balsam which restores health, enriches life and gives savor to the soul, the thoughts, the words of a man. In brief, distance from Christ means corruption and death, and closeness to Him means salvation and life. Christ is the salvation that comes, and Zacchaeus is the house to which He comes. Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic I Must Stay at Your House Today! Have you ever had an unexpected visitor at your house? Maybe somebody called your parents and said, I m coming over! All of a sudden, everybody is running around. We have to clean the house! We have to find something to serve for dinner! We have to change out of our sloppy clothes and into something nice! In today s Gospel, we hear about a man named Zacchaeus who saw that Jesus was coming to his town. There were so many people, and Zacchaeus was so short, that he climbed up a tree so he could see Jesus! But the Lord saw Zacchaeus up in the tree, and He told him, Zacchaeus, hurry and come down! I must stay at your house today! Imagine! Jesus surprised him, I must stay at your house today! Today, and every day, let s always remember to be ready for our Lord. God always wants us to be close to Him, just like He wanted to be close to Zacchaeus. We have to be ready to invite Him to be with us. That means we talk to God in prayer. That means we learn about Him in the Bible. That means we help other people, who are God s children too. That means we visit with Him at Church. When we re always ready to receive Christ, He won t seem like that unexpected visitor! We ll be waiting for Him! By Presvytera Alexandra Houck in The Children's Word Saint Michael s Annual Parish Meeting SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2018 Announcement #3: Our Annual Parish Meeting will be held following the Liturgy on Sunday, February 4 th. All adult members in good sacramental and financial standing are urged to attend and take an interest in the life of our church and are eligible to vote on certain issues! A sign-up sheet is posted on the bulletin board downstairs for the 2018 Church Board. Any adult who has been a member in sacramental and financial goodstanding of our Saint Michael s Parish for two years (minimum) is eligible. You can write your name in and initial it if interested. If someone else writes in your name, please initial it to signify your acceptance of the nomination. Our new Board will be voted in and take the Oath of Office at our Annual Parish Meeting. 2

3 The Mantle ~ Saint Michael s Orthodox Church STEWARDSHIP Obligations If you attend Saint Michael s parish, we ask you to consider being a good steward and support our parish not only financially (if you are able), but also with your time and talent! Stewardship is based on service we need your service! Please contact Father Sam or one of the Church Officers to volunteer your time and talent! The 2018 Church Envelopes are available by the Officer Counter. Please note there is an envelope in your Church Collection box for Diocesan Dues. The envelope says $68, but this past November, it was announced that the assessment is $70 based on the 2.1 CPI-U increase for This entire assessment must be given to the Diocese; our parish receives no proceeds! Thousands of Pirohi Made in 2017 During the 2017 year, more than 15,000 pirohi were made by our St. Michael s Pirohi Workers. That s a lot of pirohi! Easter sales of $3, and Christmas sales of $3, were noted. Total pirohi income for the 2017 year amounted to $7, Thanks and Appreciation Thanks and appreciation are extended to Vickie and Roy Graffius for their $300 donation to St. Michaels Church in memory of: Margie Sremaniak Katarina and John Stanko, Sr. May God grant them Blessed Repose & Eternal Memory Save the Dates! February 4: Annual Parish Meeting; Maintenance Mania Drawing & Souper Bowl Sunday February 11: Annual Pre-Lenten Brunch February 19: Great FAST Begins! February 24: Mortgage Burning, Holy Transfiguration Church in Crawfordsville, IN March 15: Mission Team Chicago (OCMC) Benefit Dinner March 24: Chicago Deanery Lenten Mission hosted by our Descent of the Holy Spirit Orthodox Church at 2:00pm in Schererville, IN April 26: IOCC Chicago Grand Banquet & Silent Auction MORE THAN 28 YEARS AGO, the Souper Bowl of Caring began with a simple prayer from a single youth group: Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those without a bowl of soup to eat. Please support this event on February 4, 2018! Every Souper Bowl dollar collected on Super Bowl Sunday at Saint Michael s Church will go to International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC). All food items will be given to the Village of Niles Food Pantry. Vigil Candles at the Iconostas For the Good Health of Archon Wesley A. Stinich Birthday Wishes offered by the Stinich Family In Loving Memory of William Charnota Anniversary of his Repose (1/17) offered by Mary & Donna Berzinis & Anthony R. Charnota his Sister, Goddaughter, Brother For the Good Health & Happiness of Helen Vavrinchik on the occasion of her 92 nd Birthday (1/26) Mnohaja Blahaja Lita! offered by Mary, Donna & Tony For the Good Health & Speedy Recovery of Nancy Moran on her upcoming surgery offered by the Pirohi Workers In Memory of Beloved Sister & Aunt Mary Hebel Anniversary of Repose (1/18) offered by Nicholas Pavlik, Helen Janowiak and her Family For the Good Health of John M. Janowiak on the occasion of his Birthday (1/19) offered by Helen Janowiak, Uncle Nicholas Pavlik, Sister Linda Georgiev, Niece & husband Helen & Brian Mahony and Great-nephew Luke Follow Our Diocese On-Line Diocesan Website: Camp Nazareth: Facebook: Twitter: You Tube: The MANTLE is sponsored by Wesley A. Stinich, Funeral Director Call direct or Chapels throughout Chicago and the Suburbs 3

4 The Orthodox Christian Clergy Association of Greater Chicago Presents The 10th Annual Pan-Orthodox Sanctity of Life Prayer Service and Presentation Man As The Icon Of The Icon Presenter: Father George Dokos Sunday, January 21 6:30 PM Holy Taxiarhai & St. Haralambos Greek Orthodox Church 7373 N Caldwell Ave, Niles, IL The Rev. Dr. George Dokos received a Master of Divinity from Holy Cross Geek Orthodox School of Theology in 1999 and a Doctor of Theology from the Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece in He has translated several works of St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain into English and also a spiritual text on the Jesus Prayer called The Watchful Mind, written by an unknown hesychast of Mount Athos. Fr. George was ordained to the holy priesthood in 2002 and is married to Presvytera Christa. They have four children and he currently serves as the Proistamenos of St. Mary's Greek Orthodox Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Come join in prayer that the Lord will guide us to keep all life sacred.

5 Make Our Joy Complete! Saturday, February 24, 2018, 11:00AM Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church Bishop Gregory will be with us for the 20th anniversary of the parish and the burning of the mortgage Schedule of events: 11AM Moleben to the Theotokos Memorial Service Mortgage Burning Fine Arts Concert presented by Central Indiana Orthodox Youth Complimentary Lunch Please encourage all youth in the area to participate in the concert. Father Alex Miller at or call 765/ with name and a brief description of the performance. An electronic keyboard will be available.

6 Sunday Of Orthodoxy Pan Orthodox Vespers Sponsored by the Orthodox Christian Clergy Association of Greater Chicago Sunday, February 25, 2018 at 6:30 pm Ss. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church S. Roberts Road, Palos Hills, IL Homilist: Very Rev. Dr. Nathanael Symeonides Director, Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Responses chanted by The Pan Orthodox Choir of Greater Chicago Gordana Trbuhovich, Director

7 CAMP NAZARETH SUMMER CAMP 2018 The time for Summer Camp is Rapidly Approaching!!! The clock is ticking!! REGISTER ONLINE STARTING MAR. 1, 2018!!! ========================================================= Dates for the Summer Camping Program Week 1 -- July 15-21, 2018 New England, NY, NJ, Florida and Canada Deaneries Week 2 -- July 22 - July 28, 2018 Johnstown, Pocono, Southern Tier, Youngstown and Chicago Deaneries Week 3 -- July 29 - August 4, 2018 Pittsburgh, Mid-Atlantic, Tri-State and Washington D.C. Deaneries ========================================================= Register Online Starting March 1, 2018 Register at campnazareth.org From the Home Page, From the 2018 Summer Camp Icon, or From the Diocesan Summer Camp Tab found under the Summer Camp Tab and look for Camper Registration. If you are Clergy or a Volunteer go to the 2018 Summer Camp Icon on the Home Page or the Diocesan Summer Camp Tab found under the Summer Camp Tab and look for the paper forms under Clergy/Volunteers. ========================================================== $20 Early Bird Discount Per Child!!!! (one-time only, not per week) Register & pay by May 15, 2018!!!! Online Registration MUST be complete AND payment must be submitted by May 15 in order to qualify for the Early Bird Discount. Registrations after June 15 will incur an additional $20 late fee. When you register online please note that you will still need to submit a paper copy of the Medical Examination Form (i.e. Camper Physical) which must be filled out and signed by a licensed medical professional (licensed physician or physician s assistant). This form will be ed to you after you complete the online registration process. Payment by check, money order, or credit card is accepted. Checks and Money Orders are to be made payable to Camp Nazareth and sent to Camp Nazareth at 339 Pew Road, Mercer, PA

8 DIOCESAN LENTEN RETREATS For All Orthodox Christians, Family & Friends CENTRAL REGION LOCATION: St Nicholas Church DATE: Sat March 17, 2018 TIME: 9:00 am 5:00 pm Homestead, PA TOPIC: PRESENTER: Adults/Teens Our Calling as Disciples and Evangelists His Grace, Bishop Gregory Ages 6-12 " Windows To Heaven - Icons & The Feasts Of The Church.." Fr. David Urban REGISTRATION DEADLINE: 3/10/18 EASTERN REGION Co-sponsored By The Ukrainian Orthodox League of the USA LOCATION: St Francis Center For Renewal DATE: Sat March 24, 2018 TIME: 9:00 am 6:00 pm 395 Bridle Path Rd Bethlehem, PA TOPIC: PRESENTERS: Adults & Our Calling as Disciples and Evangelists His Grace, Bishop Gregory Adolescents Fr Anthony Perkins Ages 6-11 A Day In The Footsteps of St. Herman Fr. Matthew Stagon Subdeacon Andrew Wythe REGISTER EARLY!!! DEADLINE: 3/14/18 ($20 Late Fee After Deadline) WESTERN REGION LOCATION: Descent of the Holy Spirit Church DATE: Sat March 24, 2018 TIME: 2:00 pm (CST) Schererville, IN SCHEDULE Moleben to the Holy Cross With Homily By Father Gregory Allard Presentation by Pani Marianna Bannon: "Practical Preparations for the Spiritual Preparatory Seasons." Lenten Confessions Fellowship Come Escape From the World For A Day and Be Spiritually Renewed! Sponsored By The National A.C.R.Y.