Assumption of the Virgin Mary Byzantine Catholic Church Grand and Malone Streets Trenton, NJ 08611

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1 Byzantine Catholic Church Grand and Malone Streets Trenton, NJ Saint Nicholas of Myra Byzantine Catholic Church Roland and Norman Avenues * Roebling, NJ Church Office 411 Adeline Street * Trenton * New Jersey Parish Contact Information Fr. Yuriy Oros, Administrator (Roebling Rectory) (Trenton Rectory) or (Cell Phone) yuriyorosit@gmail.com Parish Office Hours Schedule of Liturgical Services Parish and St. Nicholas Parish For the Week of March 25, 2018 Saturday, March 24 Vigil - Palm/Flowery Sunday and Feast of the Annunciation 3:00 3:30 Mystery of Reconciliation (Confession) 4:00 PM +Michael Katona by daughter Catherine Katona Sunday, March 25 Palm/Flowery Sunday and Feast of the Annunciation 8:00 AM St. Nicholas +Irene Lowther by Margaret Fleming 10:00 AM For the Parish Families of Assumption of the Virgin Mary and St. Nicholas Parishes With Baptism of Joseph David Arnao Festal Anointing in Commemoration of Palm/Flowery Sunday will follow the weekend Divine Liturgies Monday, March 26 Great & Holy Monday NOON Monday and Tuesday 9:00 AM to Noon * Saturday, March 31 Noon 1:30 the St. Nicholas the Wednesday, March 28 Great & Holy Wednesday NOON the and Holy Anointing St. Nicholas the and Holy Anointing Thursday, March 29 Great & Holy Thursday Vespers and the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil Friday, March 30 Great & Good Friday 3:00 PM 5:00 6:15 St. Nicholas St. Nicholas Mystery of Reconciliation (Confession) 2:00 PM Hall Simple Blessing of Food St. Nicholas Matins Sunday, April 1 The Great Day/Easter 8:00 AM St. Nicholas For the Parish Family of St. Nicholas Followed by the Blessing of Baskets 10:00 AM Matins & Divine Liturgy Followed by the Blessing of Baskets For the Parish Families of Assumption of the Virgin Festal Anointing in Commemoration of The Great Day/Easter will follow the weekend Divine Liturgies Holy Week & Easter Schedule Day Great Monday Great Wednesday Great Thursday Great Friday Great Saturday Sunday of Assumption of the Virgin Mary 12:00 Noon 12:00 Noon Holy Anointing Vespers with St. Basil 3:00 PM Noon 1:30 PM 2:00 PM Simple Blessing of Food 10:00 AM Matins and Divine Liturgy Blessing of Food St. Nicholas Holy Anointing 5:00 6:15 PM Matins 8:00 AM Divine Liturgy Blessing Of Food

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3 Readers Date Day Reader March 24 Saturday Anna Jane March 25 Sunday John Kashner April 1 Sunday Andrew Stitko April 7 Saturday John Kashner April 8 Sunday John Soganic April 14 Saturday Anna Jane April 15 Sunday Stephanie Hennessey April 21 Saturday Gregory Embley April 22 Sunday John Soganic April 28 Saturday Anna Jane April 29 Sunday Roger Embley Readers St. Nicholas Date Reader Sunday, March 25 Nick Sunday, April 1 Nick Sunday, April 8 Sara Winder Sunday, April 15 Mary Ann Yurcisin Sunday, April 22 Martha Hatrak Sunday, April 29 Nick New Byzantine Prayer App! Eastern Christian Publication, the supplier of our Sunday Bulletin covers has just announced a new app for Smartphones. It included an icon and the Troparia for the Saint of the Day, a short reflection from the book Java With Jesus, quotes for the day from a wide range of religious figures, the Daily Hours and Daily Vespers with changeable parts updated every day, the weekly Sunday bulletin image and commentary, the monthly electronic version of Theosis Magazine and an educational introduction to Byzantine Daily Prayer. The app is FREE and available in both the Apple Store for iphone and ipads and from Google Play for Android devices. Search for ECPubs and install with a few clicks. This is great for enhancing your spiritual reading and prayer during the Great Fast. If you know of anyone who is homebound, please call them and ask if they would like a visit from Fr. Yuriy. Then let him know and he will visit them. INVITE YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS! It s always amazed me that although we know many of family and friends who are LOOKING for a church to attend on Easter, we still feel nervous when inviting them. Maybe it s the fact that we all feel a bit nervous when talking about things that are important to us. The truth is, when you invite a friend to join you for church on Easter they very often will come, and even if they cannot, they ll appreciate the fact that you thought of them. Please Be Extra Generous With Your Easter Offering! Joseph David Arnao has been officially adopted by Laura Arnao and his Baptism/Chrismation/Eucharist will be held at the Palm Sunday Liturgy, March 25th at 10am. A cake and coffee reception will be held immediately following the liturgy and Joey's church family are all invited to celebrate with us! Please come welcome Joey officially to our faith community! SPECIAL GIFTS RECEIVED $50.00 Mickey and Joan Kuzma IN MEMORY OF JOHN YANNO $100 Anthony & Theresa Dolhon $25 Lorraine Scranton Lovena Haumann Veronica Kasian Ellen Jacko & Ron Ostrowski IN MEMORY OF JOSEPH KASIAN, SR. $100 Veronica Kasian

4 The Annunciation of the Theotokos Celebrated March 25 th Epistle: Hebrews 2:11-18 ~ Gospel: Luke 1:24-38 Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos! Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you! Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, for you have borne the Savior of our souls! The Incarnation, it has been rightly said, was not only the work of the Father, of His Power and His Spirit, it was also the work of the will and the faith of the Virgin. On the Feast of the Annunciation, therefore, the Church commemorates not only the divine initiative, but also the human response, whereby Mary freely accepted the vocation set before her. God always respects human liberty, so when He elected to become man, He desired to do so with the willing agreement of the woman He chose to be His mother. Mary's answer to the angel was not a foregone conclusion: she could have refused! She was not a passive instrument, but an active participant, with a free and positive part to play in God's scheme of salvation. In the services of the Church, Mary's doubts are set forth with the utmost directness; we see her incredulity and her embarrassment. This is done to make it clear that she acted in full freedom. This feast is celebrated nine months before Christ's birth, December 25 th. About the Icon In the center of the icon, a scroll on a stand reminds us of the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah that a virgin shall bear a child. The Angel Gabriel (on the left) points to Mary, with his hand centered over the scroll, as fulfillment of that prophecy. Mary, on the right, holds a spool of woolen yarn: as the sheep give their wool to clothe us, so she will give her flesh and blood to clothe the Son of God in a garment of humanity. Adapted from The Icon Book, by Boojamra, Essey, McLuckie & Matusiak. PALM SUNDAY (John 12:12-18). This Sunday commemorates the triumphant entrance of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. The people of Jerusalem received Christ as a king, and, therefore, took branches of palms and went out to meet Him, laying down the palms in His path. The people cried out the prophecy of Zechariah: "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel" (v. 13; of Zechariah 9:9). The celebration of the Jewish Passover brought crowds of Jews and converted Jews to Jerusalem. They had heard of the works and words of Christ, especially about the resurrection of Lazarus. All the events related to Christ had a Messianic meaning for the Jews at the time. This vexed the high priests and Pharisees. As usual, Christ went to the Temple to pray and teach. That evening Christ departed for Bethany. The tradition of the Church of distributing palms on this Sunday comes from the act of the people in placing the branches of palms in front of Christ, and henceforth symbolizes for the Christian the victory of Christ over evil forces and death. The Sacrament of Holy Unction: Holy Wednesday Evening On the evening of Great and Holy Wednesday, the Sacrament or Mystery of Holy Unction is conducted in Eastern Catholic parishes. The Sacrament of Holy Unction is offered for the healing of soul and body and for forgiveness of sins. At the conclusion of the service of the Sacrament, the body is anointed with oil, and the grace of God, which heals infirmities of soul and body, is called down upon each person. Holy Unction When one is ill and in pain, this can very often be a time of life when one feels alone and isolated. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, or Holy Unction as it is also known, reminds us that when we are in pain, physical, emotional, or spiritual, Christ is present with us through the ministry of His Church. He is among us to offer strength to meet the challenges of life, and even the approach of death. As with Chrismation, oil is also used in this Sacrament as a sign of God's presence, strength, and forgiveness. We do not view this Sacrament as available only to those who are near death. It is offered to all who are sick in body, mind, or spirit. Christ came to the world to bear our infirmities. One of the signs of His divine Messiahship was to heal the sick. The power of healing remains in the Church since Christ himself remains in the Church through the Holy Spirit. The Sacrament of the Unction of the sick is the Church's specific prayer for healing. If the faith of the believers is strong enough, and if it is the will of God, there is every reason to believe that the Lord can heal those who are diseased. The biblical basis for the Sacrament is found in James 5:14-16: Is any among you sick, let him call for the presbyters of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The express purpose of the Sacrament of Holy Unction is healing and forgiveness. Since it is not always the will of God that there should be physical healing, the prayer of Christ that God's will be done always remains as the proper context of the Sacrament. In addition, it is the clear intention of the Sacrament that through the anointing of the sick body the sufferings of the person should be sanctified and united to the sufferings of Christ. In this way, the wounds of the flesh are consecrated, and strength is given that the suffering of the diseased person may not be unto the death of his soul, but for eternal salvation in the resurrection and life of the Kingdom of God. The Sacrament of Unction is not the last rites as is sometimes thought; the ritual of the anointing itself in no way indicates that it should be administered merely in extreme cases. Holy Unction is the Sacrament of the spiritual, physical, and mental healing of a sick person whatever the nature or the gravity of the illness may be.

5 CONGRATULATIONS TO FR. YURIY! Bishop Kurt has named Fr. Yuriy the Administrator of both Parish in Trenton and St. Nicholas Parish in Roebling. Since arriving in September Fr. Yuriy has been working with Fr. Ed to learn the administrative aspects of running a parish in the United States. Bishop has deemed that he is ready to assume full responsibility for the spiritual and administrative needs of the two parishes. May God Grant to Fr. Yuriy and his family peace, health and happiness for many years!