St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Diocese of Los Angeles and the West

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1 St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Diocese of Los Angeles and the West Mailing Address: 4718 Horsehaven, Post Falls, Idaho Church Phone: (208) Fr. Basil Caldaroni: (208) frbasil@caldaroni.net Church Website: Parish Directory: User: Faithful Password: TheWay Send announcements to members@stjohnorthodox.org Holy Fathers of the 1 st Ecumenical Council June 12, 2016 On the seventh Sunday of Pascha, we commemorate the holy God-bearing Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council. The Commemoration of the First Ecumenical Council has been celebrated by the Church of Christ from ancient times. The Lord Jesus Christ left the Church a great promise, I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Mt. 16:18). Although the Church of Christ on earth will pass through difficult struggles with the Enemy of salvation, it will emerge victorious. The holy martyrs bore witness to the truth of the Savior s words, enduring suffering and death for confessing Christ, but the persecutor s sword is shattered by the Cross of Christ. Persecution of Christians ceased during the fourth century, but heresies arose within the Church itself. One of the most pernicious of these heresies was Arianism. Arius, a priest of Alexandria, was a man of immense pride and ambition. In denying the divine nature of Jesus Christ and His equality with God the Father, Arius falsely taught that the Savior is not consubstantial with the Father, but is only a created being. A local Council, convened with Patriarch Alexander of Alexandria presiding, condemned the false teachings of Arius. However, Arius would not submit to the authority of the Church. He wrote to many bishops, denouncing the decrees of the local Council. He spread his false teaching throughout the East, receiving support from certain Eastern bishops. Investigating these dissentions, the holy emperor Constantine (May 21) consulted Bishop Hosius of Cordova (Aug. 27), who assured him that the heresy of Arius was directed against the most fundamental dogma of Christ s Church, and so he decided to convene an Ecumenical Council. In 325, 318 bishops representing Christian Churches from various lands gathered together at Nicea.

2 Among the assembled bishops were many confessors who had suffered during the persecutions, and who bore the marks of torture upon their bodies. Also participating in the Council were several great luminaries of the Church: St Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia (December 6 and May 9), St Spyridon, Bishop of Tremithos (December 12), and others venerated by the Church as holy Fathers. With Patriarch Alexander of Alexandria came his deacon, Athanasius (who later became Patriarch of Alexandria (May 2 and January 18). He is called the Great, for he was a zealous champion for the purity of Orthodoxy. In the Sixth Ode of the Canon for today s Feast, he is referred to as the thirteenth Apostle. The emperor Constantine presided over the sessions of the Council. In his speech, responding to the welcome by Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea, he said, God has helped me cast down the impious might of the persecutors, but more distressful for me than any blood spilled in battle is for a soldier, is the internal strife in the Church of God, for it is more ruinous. Arius, with seventeen bishops among his supporters, remained arrogant, but his teaching was repudiated and he was excommunicated from the Church. In his speech, the holy deacon Athanasius conclusively refuted the blasphemous opinions of Arius. The heresiarch Arius is depicted in iconography sitting on Satan s knees, or in the mouth of the Beast of the Deep (Rev. 13). The Fathers of the Council declined to accept a Symbol of Faith (Creed) proposed by the Arians. Instead, they affirmed the Orthodox Symbol of Faith. St Constantine asked the Council to insert into the text of the Symbol of Faith the word consubstantial, which he had heard in the speeches of the bishops. The Fathers of the Council unanimously accepted this suggestion. In the Nicean Creed, the holy Fathers set forth and confirmed the Apostolic teachings about Christ s divine nature. The heresy of Arius was exposed and repudiated as an error of haughty reason. After resolving this chief dogmatic question, the Council also issued Twelve Canons on questions of churchly administration and discipline. Also decided was the date for the celebration of Holy Pascha. By decision of the Council, Holy Pascha should not be celebrated by Christians on the same day with the Jewish Passover, but on the first Sunday after the first full moon of the vernal equinox (which occurred on March 22 in 325). WISDOM OF THE FATHERS You should continually and unceasingly call to mind all the blessings which God in His love has bestowed on you in the past, and still bestows for the salvation of your soul. You must not let forgetfulness of evil or laziness make you grow unmindful of these many and great blessings, and so pass the rest of your life uselessly and ungratefully. +St. Mark the Ascetic In short, let every action be a cause of your remembering and praising God, and lo! you will be praying without ceasing and therein your soul will always rejoice. +St. Peter of Damascus

3 RESURRECTIONAL APOLYTIKION IN TONE SIX When Mary stood at Thy grave, looking for Thy sacred body, angelic powers shone above Thy revered tomb. And the soldiers who were to keep guard became as dead men. Thou led Hades captive and wast not tempted thereby. Thou didst meet the Virgin and didst give life to the world, O Thou, Who art risen from the dead, O Lord, glory to Thee. APOLYTIKION OF THE ASCENSION IN TONE FOUR Thou hast ascended in glory, O Christ our God, and gladdened Thy Disciples with the promise of the Holy Spirit, having become confident of the blessing. Verily, Thou art the Son of God, and Deliverer of the world. APOLYTIKION OF THE HOLY FATHERS IN TONE EIGHT Thou, O Christ, art our God of exceeding praise Who didst establish our holy Fathers as luminous stars upon earth, and through them didst guide us unto the true Faith, O most merciful One, glory to Thee. KONTAKION OF THE ASCENSION IN TONE SIX When Thou didst fulfill Thy dispensation for our sakes, uniting the terrestrials with the celestials, Thou didst ascend in glory, O Christ our God, inseparable in space, but constant without separation, and crying unto Thy beloved: I am with you, and no one shall be against you. THE EPISTLE Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the God of our Fathers. For Thou art just in all Thou hast done. The Reading from the Acts of the Apostles. (20:16-18, 28-36) In those days, Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. And when they came to him, he said to them: Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I coveted no one s silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities, and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by so toiling one must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. And when he had spoken thus, he knelt down and prayed with them all. THE GOSPEL The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. John. (17:1-13) At that time, Jesus lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come; glorify Thy Son that the Son may glorify Thee, since Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom Thou hast given Him. And this is eternal life, that they know Thee the only true God, and

4 Jesus Christ Whom Thou hast sent. I glorified Thee on earth, having accomplished the work which Thou gavest Me to do; and now, Father, glorify Thou Me in Thy own presence with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was made. I have manifested Thy Name to the men whom Thou gavest Me out of the world; Thine they were, and Thou gavest them to Me, and they have kept Thy word. Now they know that everything that Thou hast given Me is from Thee; for I have given them the words which Thou gavest Me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from Thee; and they have believed that Thou didst send Me. I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom Thou hast given Me, for they are Thine; all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine, and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to Thee. Holy Father, keep them in Thy Name, which Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, even as We are one. While I was with them, I kept them in Thy Name, which Thou have given Me; I have guarded them, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to Thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. ANNOUNCEMENTS Catechism/Introduction to Orthodoxy Class Our final Catechism/Introduction to Orthodoxy session will be this Saturday, June 11 th. The topic this week is the Orthodox view of death and the funeral service. These lectures are a wealth of wisdom and teaching and have been a great blessing. Please join us in the hall Saturday at 4:30pm if you are able. Christian Education Team Leader Dear Brothers & Sisters, Christ is Ascended! Owen Rush has served as our Christian Education Team leader for several years now and is relinquishing the position as of this Fall. We wish to thank Owen for doing a great job these past several years! God bless you, good brother! We are in need of a person to replace Owen in this position. You do not need to be one of the Christian Education teachers to fulfill this vital ministry Owen himself is not one of the teachers. If you are a teacher that is great I think that would actually enhance your ability to serve as the CE PMT leader. The main job is simply to coordinate the teachers, determine supplies needed & obtain supples, set schedules, and represent the CE Team on the Parish Council as a voting member of the Council at the monthly Council meetings. Please consider stepping in to fulfill this vital ministry in the life of our beloved little parish! We need your help in this way before the beginning of the Sunday School year in September! Please contact Owen, Deacon Mark or myself if you are able to serve. Thank you, good brothers and sisters! Love in Christ, our Teacher, +Fr. Basil

5 ANNOUNCEMENTS Prosfora ( Holy Bread ) is being offered by Fr.Nicholas and Kh.Malvi ( Sete ): Thanking God for the good health of Hana, Mary, Juliette and Joseph. Upon God's Blessing's of the birth of their son and brother, George Hana El Hayek born Thursday morning June 9th at 9:am. God grant them all many Blessed Years. Pentecost Mission Speakers at Holy Trinity, Spokane Our Missions speakers at the dinner following the Pentecost Kneeling Vespers (Vespers begins at 5:00 PM on Sunday, June 19) will be James and Daphne Hargrave, who have served as OCMC missionaries in Tanzania and are now home in Abbotsford BC on leave until James starts classes at Holy Cross seminary this fall. We will be taking a collection for the OCMC Support a Mission Priest as usual. The past several years we have raised enough each Pentecost to support 3 indigenous mission priests. (Funds to assist the Hargraves with their educational costs are available from a separate source.) Also, if anyone in your parish would like to host them and their three-year-old son Nicholas in their home for Saturday and Sunday nights, that would be greatly appreciated. Fr. Stephen Supica, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church FrStephenS@holytrinityspokane.org Stephanie (Matthews) & Ryan Sommer Removal of Crowns & Celebration Stephanie & Ryan Sommer would like to invite you to celebrate their wedding with the 8th day removal of their wedding crowns. Removal of crowns will be at the end of Divine Liturgy, Sunday July 3rd at Holy Myrrhbearers, Bonners Ferry, ID. Celebration open house from 12:30 to 5pm at the Matthew's home, 348 Treetop Bluff Lane, Bonners Ferry, ID. Please RSVP (They've posted the following on the RSVP page for the wedding - We do not have a gift registry; your presence at our wedding and celebration is all that we ask.) Upcoming Fun Potluck Changes Christ is Risen! As summer is quickly approaching, warm weather and family vacation time is upon us, we are noticing the potluck lunches becoming slimmer. I tend to run out of lunch ideas around this time of year... hence the crock pot of buttered corn last year :) So, let s try something new this summer! For the month of June, we are asking that people sign up for a Themed lunch. June 12th... Asian foods... (Egg rolls, teriyaki anything, etc) June 19th... Taco bar! *Special sign-up sheet for this on the bulletin board in the hallway. June 26th... Italian Foods... (pasta, sauces, salads etc) Your favorite casserole or trusted church dish is always welcome regardless if it fits the theme!! So let s break out the cook books, or Google, get some friends together and let s put together some fantastic and creative foods for our Sunday luncheons!! Thanks in advance, The Hospitality team!! Mike, Gina & Victoria

6 SCHEDULE OF SERVICES & EVENTS Saturday, June 11: Catechism/Introduction to Orthodoxy Class 4:30pm; Great Vespers 6:00pm Sunday, June 12: Holy Fathers of the 1 st Ecumenical Council Orthros 9:00am, Divine Liturgy 10:00am, Lunch Following Tuesday, June 14: Parish Council 7:00pm Wednesday, June 15: Vespers 6:00pm Friday, June 17: Spiritual Circle 9:30am Saturday, June 18: Great Vespers for the Feast of Pentecost 6:00pm Sunday, June 19: GREAT FEAST OF PENTECOST Orthros 9:00am, Divine Liturgy 10:00am, Lunch Following EPISTLE READERS June 12 David Gencarella June 26 Tabitha Townsend June 19 Joy Corey July 3 Owen Rush POTLUCK LUNCHEON CLEANUP TEAM June 12 Theme: Asian! Team 2: Victoria Purviance, Dale Ayoub, Lydia Gross, Marina Williams, Bardwell family & the Ott family June 19 Theme: Taco Bar! Team 3: Joy Corey, Tecca family, Roth family, John Holmen & Morey Ransom June 26 Theme: Italian! Team 4: Kelly Peterson, Sandford family, Rush family & Foster Caldaroni July 3 Team 1: Schaefer family, Gallatin family, Ebert family & the Phillips family. CLEANING ROTATION (nave, narthex, hallway and upstairs restrooms) Week of 6/12 Fr. Basil Week of 6/26 Mary Jo Neiman Week of 6/19 Jeanne Rickert Week of 7/3 Joy Corey PRAYERS FOR THE LIVING: Ed Corey, Helen Odell, Stephanie Welzig, Suffering Christians throughout the Middle East, Metropolitan Paul Yazigi and Metropolitan Youhanna Ibrahim (hostages in Syria) PRAYERS FOR THE DEPARTED: Departed Victims of Terror attacks, Departed Christians in Syria and Iraq who have died for their Faith. PRAYERS FOR THE UPCOMING GREAT COUNCIL: Please pray for the upcoming Great and Holy Council in Cyprus, June ST THEOPHAN HOMESCHOOL COOP: Please keep the St. Theophan Home School Co-op in prayer every day as the children meet with their parents/teachers in our Church School space. A Note Regarding Holy Communion Since we understand Communion to mean that we have all things in common, sharing an identical Faith, only those who are members of the Orthodox Church who have prepared themselves through prayer, fasting and recent confession may participate in Holy Communion. (We invite all, however, to partake of the blessed bread which is distributed at the dismissal.) Please see the pastor for inquiries on how to become a member.