The Sunday of Orthodoxy. Volume 34 February 25, 2018 Number 8

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1 The Church Herald Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church 2053 North Road, NE Warren, OH Church Phone: (330) Rectory Phone: (330) Pastor: The Very Rev. Protopresbyter Kenneth M. Bachofsky, D. Min. Parish Web Page: Volume 34 February 25, 2018 Number 8 The Sunday of Orthodoxy The Sunday of Orthodoxy is the first Sunday of Great Lent. The dominant theme of this Sunday since 843 A.D. has been that of the victory of the Icons. In that year the iconoclastic controversy, which had raged on and off since 726 A.D. was finally laid to rest, and Icons and their veneration were restored on the first Sunday of Lent. Ever since, this Sunday has been commemorated as the Triumph of Orthodoxy. The Seventh Ecumenical Council dealt predominantly with the controversy regarding Icons and their place in Orthodox worship. It was convened in Nicaea in 787 A.D. by Empress Irene at the request of Tarasios, Patriarch of Constantinople. The Council was attended by 367 bishops. Almost a century before this, the iconoclastic controversy had once more shaken the foundations of both Church and State in the Byzantine empire. Excessive religious respect and the ascribed miracles to Icons by some members of society, approached the point of worship (due only to God) and idolatry. This instigated excesses at the other extreme by which Icons were completely taken out of the liturgical life of the Church by the Iconoclasts. The Iconophiles, on the other-hand, believed that Icons served to preserve the doctrinal teachings of the Church; they considered Icons to be man s dynamic way of expressing the divine through art and beauty. The Council decided on a doctrine by which Icons should be venerated but not worshipped. In answering the Empress invitation to the Council, Pope Hadrian replied with a letter in which he also held the position of extending veneration to Icons but not worship, the last befitting only God. The decree of the Council for restoring Icons to Churches added an important clause which still stands at the foundation of the rational for using and venerating Icons in the Orthodox Church to this very day: We define that the Holy Icons, whether in color, mosaic, or some other material, should be exhibited in the Holy Churches of God, on the sacred vessels and liturgical vestments, on the walls, furnishings, and in houses and along the roads, namely the Icons of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, that our of Lady the Theotokos, those of the venerable angels and those of all saintly people. Whenever these representations are contemplated, they will cause those who look at them to commemorate and love their prototype. We define also that they should be kissed and that they are an object of veneration and honor (timitiki proskuynisis), but not of real worship (latreia), which is reserved for Him Who is the subject of our faith and is proper for the Divine Nature. The veneration accorded to an Icon is in effect transmitted to the prototype: he who venerates the Icon, venerated in it the reality for which it stands. A n E n d e - mousa (regional) Synod was called in Constantinople in 843 A.D. Under Empress Theodora. The veneration of Icons was solemnly proclaimed at the Hagia Sophia Cathedral. The Empress, her son Michael III, Patriarch Methodios, and monks and clergy came in procession and restored the Icons in their rightful place. The day was called Triumph of Orthodoxy. Since that time, this event is commemorated yearly with a special service on the first Sunday of Lent, the Sunday of Orthodoxy. Orthodox teaching about Icons, as defined at the Seventh Ecumenical Council of 787 A.D. is embodied in the tests sung on this Sunday. From Vespers: Inspired by your Spirit, Lord, the prophets foretold your birth as a child incarnate of the Virgin. Nothing can contain or hold you; before the morning star You shone forth eternally from the spiritual womb of the Father. Yet You were to become like us and be seen by those on earth. At the prayers of those Your prophets in Your mercy reckon us fit to see Your Light, for we praise Your resurrection, holy and beyond speech.

2 Infinite, Lord, as divine, in the last times You willed to become incarnate and so finite; for when You took on flesh you made all its properties you own. So we depict the form of Your outward appearance and pay it relative respect, and so are moved to love You; and through it we receive the grace of healing, following the divine traditions of the apostles. The grace of truth has shone out, the things once foreshadowed now are revealed in perfection. See, the Church is decked with the embodied image of Christ, as with beauty not of this world, fulfilling the tent of witness, holding fast the Orthodox Faith. For if we cling to the Icon of Him whom we worship, we shall not go astray. May those who do not so believe be covered with shame. For the image of Him who became human is our glory: we venerate it, but do not worship it as God. Kissing it, we who believe cry out: O God, save Your people, and bless Your heritage! We have moved forward from unbelief to true faith, and have been enlightened by the light of knowledge. Let us then clap our hands like the psalmist, and offer praise and thanksgiving to God. And let us honor and venerate the Holy Icons of Christ, of His Most Pure Mother, and of all the Saints, depicted on walls, panels and sacred vessels, setting aside the unbelievers ungodly teaching. For the veneration given to the Icon passes over, as Basil says, to its prototype. At the intercession of Your Spotless Mother, O Christ, and of all the Saints, we pray You to grant us Your great mercy. We venerate Your icon, Good Lord, asking forgiveness of our sins. O Christ our God. For You freely willed in the flesh to ascend the Cross, to rescue from slavery to the enemy those whom You had formed. So we cry to You with thanksgiving: You have filled all things with joy, our Savior, by coming to save the world! The name of this Sunday reflects the great significance which Icons possess for the Orthodox Church. They are not optional devotional extras, but an integral part of Orthodox faith and devotion. They are held to be a necessary consequence of Christian faith in the incarnation of the Word of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, in Jesus Christ. They have a sacramental character, making present to the believer the person or event depicted on them. So the interior of the Orthodox Churches is often covered with Icons painted on walls and domed roofs, and there is always an Icon screen, or Iconostasis, separating the sanctuary from the nave, often with several rows of Icons. No Orthodox home is complete without an Icon corner (Iconostasion), where the family prays. Icons are venerated by burning lamps and candles in front of them, buy the use of incense and by kissing. But there is a clear doctrinal distinction between the veneration paid to the Icons and the worship due to God. The former is not only relative, it is in fact paid to the person represented by the Icon. This distinction safeguards the veneration of Icons from any charge of idolatry. The theme of the victory of the Icons, by its emphasis on the incarnation, points us to the basic Christian truth that the one whose death and resurrection we celebrate at Easter was none other than the Word of God who became human in Jesus Christ! Before the Triumph of Orthodoxy came to be celebrated on the first Sunday of Lent, there was on this day a commemorated of Moses, Aaron, Samuel and the prophets. Traces of this more ancient observance can still be seen in the choice of the Epistle reading at the Liturgy and in the Alleluia verses appointed before the Gospel: Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among them that call upon His Name. The Icon of the Sunday of Orthodoxy commemorated the restoration of Icons in the Churches and to their use in Orthodox worship. The focal point of the Icon is an Icon itself, the Virgin Hodegetria, a popular depiction of the Theotokos as Directress, or literally She who shows the way to God. The Icon is carried by two angels. To the left of the Icon is the Empress Theodora and her son Michael III. To the right of the Icon are the Patriarchs Methodios and Tarasios. The Icon is surrounded by the numerous saints who struggled against the Iconoclastic heresy. The Icon also represents the triumphant procession that was made on Sunday, March 11, 843 A.D., from the Church of the Theotokos in Blachernai to Hagia Sophia, where a Liturgy was celebrated to mark the restoration of Icons. The Sunday of Orthodoxy is commemorated with the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. The hymns of the Triodion for this day are added to the usual prayers and hymns of the weekly commemoration of the Resurrection of Christ. Scripture readings for the Sunday of Orthodox Divine Liturgy are: Hebrews 11:24-26,32-40; and the Gospel is John 1: It is becoming a common practice that the Procession of the Icons is conducted as part of a Pan-Orthodox Vespers service on the evening of the Sunday of Orthodoxy. This is a service when Orthodox Christians of the various

3 jurisdictions in American come together for worship and in a united affirmation of the Truth of the Orthodox Faith! - From: goarch.org/sun. of Orthodoxy - Our Worship Schedule Sunday, February 25th 9:30 a.m. The Reading of the Third Hour. 10:00 a.m. The 1st Sunday of Great Lent: The Sunday of Orthodoxy, Tone 5. (Page 93 & 179). St. Tarasius, Archbishop of Constantinople, the Martyr Alexander of Thrace are commemorated. Epistle Hebrews 11;24-26,32-12:2 Gospel John 1:43-51 Monday, February 26th 4:00 p.m. The Akathist Service to the Theotokos with prayers for the sick and anointing of the faithful. Wednesday, February 28th 6:00 p.m. The Liturgy of the Pre Sanctified Gifts. Friday, March 2nd 6:00 p.m. The Liturgy of the Pre Sanctified Gifts. Saturday, March 3rd 4:00 p.m. The Evening Vesper Service followed by Bible Study Class. Sunday, March 4th 9:30 a.m. The Reading of the Third Hour. 10:00 a.m. The 2st Sunday of Great Lent: The Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas, Tone 6 (Page 96 &181). The Venerable Gerasimus of Jordan, St. Daniel of Moscow and the Relics of St. Vaclav are commemorated. Epistle Hebrews 1:10-2:3 Gospel Mark 2:1-12 Monday, March 5th 4:00 p.m. The Akathist Service to the Theotokos with prayers for the sick and anointing of the faithful. Wednesday, March 7th 6:00 p.m. Liturgy of the Pre Sanctified Gifts. Friday, March 9th 6:00 p.m. Liturgy of the Pre Sanctified Gifts. Saturday, March 10th 9:00 a.m. All Souls Saturday. Liturgy with the Reading of the Parish Dyptics. 2:00 p.m. Lenten Confessions 4:00 p.m. Evening Vesper Service followed by Bible Study Class. Sunday, March 11th 9:30 a.m. The Reading of the Third Hour. 10:00 a.m. The 3rd Sunday of Great Lent: The Veneration of the Holy Cross, Tone 7. (). St. Sophronius of Jerusalem, St. Euthymius and the Venerable Pionius are commemorated. Epistle Hebrews 4:14-5:6 Gospel Mark 8:34-9:1 Happy Birthday! Kathlene Sekela.. Don Christley. A Lenten Message His Grace, Bishop Gregory has made a Lenten video message that he would like to share with the faithful of our Diocese, especially the youth and young adults of our parishes. It is posted on the Diocesan web site (acrod.org) and the direct link is: watch?y=3coy-krxpl4. Thank you for viewing this site and hopefully it will provide you an insightful lesion for your Lenten journey! With Sympathy! T h e faithful of St. Nicholas C h u r c h would like to extend their warmest sympathy to Chris and Terri Ahladis and the members of the Akladis family on the loss of their beloved father and father-in-law, +James Ahladis, who fell asleep in this Lord this past Wednesday. He has been lovingly ministered to during his illness. And he was surrounded by much love at his last moments being comforted by his family. We pray that our Lord will bless Chris and Terri and all their family with His abiding peace and strengthen and comfort them in this time of sorrow! With the Saints, O Lord, grant to Your newly departed servant, +James Ahladis, a blessed repose, where there is no pain, sorrow nor mourning, but only Life Everlasting! Eternal Memory! Samaritan Outreach N e x t on the schedule for the St. Nicholas Samaritan Outreach is the Free Dinner, at the American Legion in W i n d h a m, Ohio. This has been scheduled for Tuesday, Feb-

4 Annual Parish Meeting ruary 27, 2018 with dinner being served from 5:00 until 6:00 p.m. that day. The menu will feature: Beef w/noodles, vegetables, bread & butter, dessert, and beverage. We are going to need workers to cook, work at the dinner as well as clean up afterwards. If you able to give of your stewardship of time and talent for this charitable work, please contact either Father Ken or Deacon Ed during the coffee social or directly by . Your support of this most important ministry of our parish is greatly appreciated! T h e Faithful of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church will gather together as a F a m i l y - in- Christ on Sunday, March 4, 2018 for their Annual Parish Meeting. This meeting will be held in the Fellowship Hall after the coffee social. We ask that all of the officers, trustees and faithful of our parish attend so that we may discuss various matters concerning the operation of our parish. During the meeting the agenda will include: the reading and taking of minutes, financial reports of the parish and parish organizations, matters of concern for parish life, and the election of a offers and trustees for the new year. Your stewardship of time and talent is needed for the growth of our parish and its stability. In order to have an accurate recording of the reports from the parish organizations it would help if the representatives provide the following information: Name of parish group, leaders/ officers, purpose of the group, past year s activities, monies taken in and spent, and the financial statues/reports of funds on hand. It would also help if this information can be provided prior to the meeting. Thanks, you help and cooperation will be greatly appreciated in this matter. Orthodoxy Sunday All are invited to a joint celebration of the Triumph of Orthodoxy for the clergy and faithful of the Mahoning and Trumbull Counties this af- ternoon beginning at 5:00 p.m. The Sunday of Orthodoxy Vesper Service will be hosted by St. John the Forerunner Greek Orthodox Church located at 4955 Glenwood Avenue in Boardman, Ohio. The service will be concelebrated by the clergy from both counties with the liturgical responses being sung by a combined choir. The highlight of the service with be the Solemn Procession with the Holy Icons and the reading of the Synadicon from the Seventh Ecumenical Council! A light reception will follow in the parish hall. Our Lenten Mission Each year the clergy of our Youngstown Deanery sponsor Lenten Mission Service! It provides a opportunity for the clergy and the laity of our Youngstown Deanery parish to gather together for worship, spiritual reflection, and Christian fellowship. The first of the Lenten Missions will be held on Sunday, March 11, 2018 and will here at St. Nicholas Church. The Lenten Vesper Service will begin at 4:00 p.m. that afternoon with a guest homilest being the Very Rev. Andrew Harmon, Pastor of St. Matthew s Orthodox Church in North Royalton, Ohio. The liturgical responses will be according to our plain chant. Following the service there will be Lenten Dinner in our Fellowship Hall to which all will be invited to enjoy the delicious food and the Christian fellowship. Our St. Nicholas Society will provide the Perohi and Fish for the dinner and we will be asking our parishioners to provide other Lenten dishes for the rest of the meal including desserts. If you are able to cook and bring a food for the dinner please kindly inform Kathy Clark, so that we do not have any duplicate foods. Our parish has been known for the vast items on the menu and we would not want to disappoint our guest. Thank you in advance for your kind cooperation in this matter! A flyer listing the schedule of the Youngstown Deanery Lenten Mission can be found on the bulletin boards of our complex. Please consult them for more information. We will publish these dates and times as they come up on the Lenten schedule in The Church Herald. Pan Orthodox Liturgy Taste and See That the Lord is Good! On Wednesday, March 14th the clergy and faithful of our greater Warren Orthodox parishes will gather together for a Pan Orthodox Liturgy of the Pre Sanctified Gifts! It will be held at St. John s Church on Reeves Road and will be served at 6:00 p.m. that evening. All of our faithful are encouraged to join us

5 TEST in this PAGE Lenten 5 TEXT Worship! Following the Liturgy there will be a Lenten Supper and fellowship in the Church Hall. A Lenten Retreat The Central Region Diocesan Lenten Retreat has been scheduled for Saturday, March 17, 2018 and will be held at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church 903 Ann Street in Homestead, Pennsylvania. It will begin with Divine Liturgy at 9:00 a.m. followed by a coffee social. The first session will begin at 11:00 a.m. followed by a Lenten lunch at 12:00 noon. The second session will begin at 2:30 p.m. The retreat will conclude with the Evening Vesper Service beginning at 4:00 p.m. The main speaker will be His Grace, Bishop Nicholas. There will be a Free Will Offering at the lunch. This offering will be used to cover the expenses of the retreat including lunch. The deadline for registration is March 10, You can register by either filling out the form and sending it in to Cathy Pawlik at: 10 J Longfellow Drive Munhall, PA Or you may Cathy at: cmpawlik@verizon.net or call at: (412) all of you 100 fold for your gracious gifts offered for the continuing salvic work being done at our beloved St. Nicholas Church!!! St. Nick s Book Club The St. Nick s Book Club meet last week and chose the newest book to read for the Lenten season. The new book is: Wounded by Love by Elder Porphyrios. This books has been ordered by our Church School and is available this morning for sale. We will pass on our discounted price which is $25.00 (normally $29.95) dollars per copy. If you would like to be a part of our book club, you can purchase your book from Father Ken this morning during the coffee social. It s easy read with some fascinating insights into the deeper spiritual life as revealed by a modern elder of the Orthodox Church will provide many hours of Lenten reflection. Church Kitchen News With the blessings of the Lord and the excellent help and cooperation of our Kitchen Crew we realized another week, serving our Internationally Renowned Perohi & Holupki Dinners! We are so grateful for the patronage of our customers! God bless you all! We would like to report that the income from the sale of dinners and take outs were $3, The weekly expenses were $ This gave us a net profit of $2, dollars. Attention all of our Kitchen Crew! Please allocate some of your stewardship of time and talent to work in the Church Kitchen. Your help and cooperation is needed for the successful operation of the dinners and will be greatly appreciated! God bless all of you for your dedicated and loving support! Our Church Offerings One of the many acts of worship conducted at each Sunday Divine Liturgy, is performed in our generous donations made during the Church Offering! This is an excellent way of expressing our love, devotion to the Lord, as well as our thanksgiving for the many blessings received from His Hands! We would like to share with you the Church Offerings from last Sunday s Diving Liturgy: Regular Offering $719.0/ Candle Offering $108.00/ Church Dues $150.00/ Total Church Offerings = $ May our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, bless Camp Nazareth News The official opening of the 2018 Summer Camping Season will be the Camp Nazareth Family Camp in conjunction with the celebration of Family Day! Family Camp will begin Friday, June 1st and will end with Family Day on Sunday, June 3rd! The Youngstown Deanery Summer Camping Session: will be held from Sunday, July 22nd until Saturday, July 28th, 2018! Registration will officially begin on March 1st! Register at: campnazareth.org by May 15, 2018 and take advantage of the $10.00 Early Bird Discount per child (one time only, not per week)! Parishioner weekly camping fee is $ and non parishioner is $ per child. If you need financial assistance please contact Father Ken. Seniors Retreat: For the first time our Diocese will sponsor a Seniors Retreat from April at Camp Nazareth, for those 65 years of age and older! The schedule will include worship, fellowship, learning, fun, time for reflection and relaxation, and time spent together! The central theme is: I consider the days of old, I remember the years long ago...i will call to mind the deeds of the Lord (Psalm 77:5) and the keynote speaker will be Bishop Gregory. On line reservations will begin on March 1st at: acrod.org. or call (724) All registrations are due by April 18, See posted flyers on the parish bulletin boards for more information.