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1 Saint Katherine Greek Orthodox Church 5965 N. Wickham Road, Melbourne, Florida Church Phone: (321) fax (321) Church hall: (321) website: FATHER DEMETRI TSIGAS cell phone: Orthros: 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy: 10:00 AM Fellowship Hour: Noon Church office hours: Mon. through Fri. 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. / Saturday & Sunday closed ~ VISION & MISSION STATEMENT ~ Our Vision (dream) is to be a growing, loving, united Orthodox Christian family open to all. Our Mission (job) is to grow our faith in Christ through love and respect, with humility and forgiveness. Sunday, SEPTEMBER 16, th Morning Gospel - Grave Mode 15th SUNDAY OF MATTHEW After-feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross Great Martyr Euphemia +305 Martyr Melitine of Marcianopolis Dorotheos, Hermit of Egypt Sebastiana, Disciple of St. Paul the Apostle ~ Welcome to Our Guests ~ We are delighted that you are with us today. Please keep in mind that according to the Holy Canons and teachings of the Orthodox Church, you must be a baptized and chrismated member of the Orthodox faith in good standing in order to receive Holy Communion. You are welcome to receive a portion of the blessed bread (antidoron) distributed at the end of the Divine Liturgy. Please join us for fellowship hour following services.

2 Divine Liturgy of St. John the Chrysostom Τοῦ Σταυρού - Ἦχος A - p. 180 Σῶσον, Κύριε, τὸν λαόν σου, καὶ εὐλόγησον τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, νίκας τοῖς βασιλεῦσι κατὰ βαρβάρων δωρούμενος, καὶ τὸ σὸν φυλάττων διὰ τοῦ Σταυροῦ σου πολίτευμα. Ἀπολυτίκιον Ἀναστάσιμον Ήχος Βαρύς - σ Κατέλυσας τῷ Σταυρῷ σου τὸν θάνατον ἠνέῳξας τῷ Λῃστῇ τὸν Παράδεισον τῶν Μυροφόρων τὸν θρῆνον μετέβαλες καὶ τοῖς σοῖς Ἀποστόλοις κηρύττειν ἐπέταξας ὅτι ἀνέστης Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, παρέχων τῷ κόσμῳ τὸ μέγα ἔλεος. Resurrectional Apolytikion - 1st Mode - p By Your cross, O Lord, You destroyed death; to the thief You opened paradise. The myrrhbearers sorrow You transformed into joy, and You sent Your apostles forth to proclaim that You had risen from the dead, Christ our God, bestowing on all the world Your great mercy. Apolitikion p. 181 Save, O Lord, save Your people and bless Your inheritance. Give vict;ry to those who battle evil and protect us all by Your holy cross. Ἀπολυτίκιον τής Άγίας Αικατερίνης - Ήχος Πλ. Α Τήν πανεύφημον νύμφην Χριστού υμνήσωμεν * Αικατερίναν τήν θείαν καί πολιούχον Σινά * τήν βοήθειαν ημών καί αντίληψιν ότι εφίμωσε λαμπρώς * τούς κομψούς τών ασεβών * τού Πνεύματος τή δυνάμει καί ως Μάρτυς Κυρίου στεφθείσα * αιτείται πάσι τό μέγα έλεος. Apolytikion of St. Katherine - Plagal 1st Mode The all-blessed bride of Christ let us extol in song * Katerina the divine and protector of Sinai * our assistance and unfailing firm support; * for she did muzzle brilliantly * the ungodly clever men by the power of the Spirit. And now as a crowned Martyr * the great mercy she pleads for all of us. 2

3 Κοντάκιον - Ήχος Δ - σ Ὁ ὑψωθεὶς ἐν τῷ Σταυρῷ ἑκουσίως, τῇ ἐπωνύμῳ σου καινῇ πολιτείᾳ, τοὺς οἰκτιρμούς σου δώρησαι, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός εὔφρανον ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου τοὺς πιστοὺς βασιλεῖς ἡμῶν, νίκας χορηγῶν αὐτοῖς κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων. Τὴν συμμαχίαν ἔχοιεν τὴν σήν, ὅπλον εἰρήνης, ἀήττητον τρόπαιον. Kontakion - 4th Mode - p Bestow Your mercies on the people called by Your name, Christ God, who freely let Yourself be raised on the cross. To all who battle evil give joy in Your pow r, by gracing them with vict ry over every foe, for having You as their ally they possess a weapon of peace, an invincible trophy of vict ry. The Reading is from St. Paul s First Letter to the Galatians 2:16-20 Brethren, knowing that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law shall no one be justified. But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we ourselves were found to be sinners, is Christ then an agent of sin? Certainly not! But if I build up again those things which I tore down, then I prove myself a transgressor. For I through the law died to the law, that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. The Reading is from The Gospel of Mark 8:34-38; 9:1 The Lord said: "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For what can a man give in return for his life? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power." 3

4 Please pray for our: Spiritual Leaders: Patriarch Bartholomew; Archbishop Demetrios; Metropolitan Alexios; & Fr. Demetri Civil Leaders: President Donald Trump, US Congress & Supreme Court; Governor Rick Scott; County Commissioners, all our civil authorities & armed forces. Parish Leadership: Parish Council, Philoptochos, Chanters, Choir, Sunday & Greek School teachers & students, Youth & Dance Group leaders and children. Those who are sick, awaiting surgery, recovering from surgery, in need of prayers and/or shut in: Alexandra Diamond, Mae Charos, Dorothy Pappademetriou, Bill & Ellen Werner, Olga Bouras, Despina Kalimnios, Yvonne Yacoub, Savannah & Zander Kelly, Mirsini Sirounis, Suzanne Orosz, Faye Nicholas, John & JoAnne Macheras, John & Anne Cominos, Angela DeCosta, Marlaine Manus, George & Siham Kanazeh, John Figari, Jan, James Petersen, Anna Kokotis, Leah Thomas, Mary & Pete Faines, Robert & Vel, Katie, Jamie, George & Steven, Carlo Sedney, Georgia & Vasili Menegas, Brandon Gilsenan, Aurelia Bocanu, Peter & JoAnn Zuras, Kris & Jonathan, Athena Giglio, Peter, Alice & Jim Zavitsanos, Michael Cora & family, Harry Paris, Samuel Smith, Kosta, Anastasia, Maggie & Andromahi Theodorou, Peter Katsoulas, Stylianos Theodorou, Isabella Inzirillo, Manny, Androniki, Margie Clore, Peter Thomas Zavitsanos, Teresa Swiderski, Fr. Nicholas Harris, Nick & Nora Yanas, Phyllis Balba, Ben Bernett, Erika Platock, Bob & Mary Jane Dearman, Dottie Phillips, Shirley Skarlis, Lisa Paunovich, George & Elaine, Karen, Ainsleigh Grace Brems, Lenny Lloyd, Matt F., Paula, Courtney B., Baby R., Eleni, Konstantina, Mark, Kathy, Konstantina, Christina (Madison) Martin, Crum Family, Marie Irene Kragenbrink, Wayne, Maria, Alexis, Mike, Penny & Joseph Jones, George Demopoulos, Sylvia Demopoulos, Mark & Christine Balba, Efstratia Triantafilou, Kathy S., Maria Meraz, Anne Figari. For those expecting: For those with new babies: Those preparing for Baptism: Angeliki Gatidis & Noah Salmon, baby Noah James; Shane & Jonna Myatt (baby Norah Violet) Those serving in the Armed Forces: Joseph Abadiotakis, Jr., Harold David Ballard, George Peter Biniaris, Nicholas Cannaverde, James Christian Figari, Travis Hunter, Samuel Joseph III, Ethan Macheras, Elias Panayiotis Maldonado, Matthew Ryan Stinnett, Nicholas Tsamoutales, Yanni Tshontikidis. First Responders - Police, Fire & Rescue: Blake (Andrew) Ballard, Kevin Cincimino, Nicole Contos, Firefighter/Paramedic Panayiotis (Taki) Panayiotopoulos. For the protection of Christians being persecuted for their faith. For the protection and freedom of the kidnapped Metropolitan Boulos Yazigi and Archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim, both of Aleppo, Syria. Those preparing for Marriage: College Students: Arianna & Theodora Bendlin, Barbara Brewster, Elizabeth & Michael Courey, Joseph Daniel Figari, Elizabeth Gaherty, Alyssa Giglio, Marianthi 4

5 & Callia Karas, Kimberley & Dana Marie Koines, Jennifer & Andrew Loso, Evgenia Miller, Melanie & Michelle Niarhos, Elena & Tommy Panouses, Victoria Pappademetriou, Nikoleia Paterakis, Catherine & Maria Psarakis, Ronnie Rickard, George & Jessica Saad, Catie & Sydney Sergis, Alex & Costas Stathis, Austen & Leah Thomas, Catherine Triantafyllidis, Jordan Tsigas, Thomas Tsoukalas, WE WILL ONLY LIST NAMES OF COLLEGE STUDENTS FOR WHOM AN ADDRESS IS SUBMITTED. SO PARENTS & GRANDPARENTS, PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR STUDENT S TO THE CHURCH OFFICE. (If you know of anyone that should be added to this list, please call the Church office.) If any parishioners, families, group of families, koumbari or friends would like to host a fellowship hour following Sunday Liturgy please contact : Church office Or - admin@saint-katherine.org Available dates: Oct 7, 21 & 28 This is a wonderful opportunity to extend our Christian hospitality with one another and any guests or visitors who attend our services. Duties: 1) Set up the large coffee pot in hall 2) Provide a simple snack 3) Clean up 5

6 ~ TODAY ~ 2nd tray today for Holy Cross/Hellenic College Fellowship Hour sponsored today by the Tsamoutales Family in memory of their beloved Vada ~ Upcoming Liturgies & Events ~ Sun., Sept. 23rd - Festival Meeting following Sunday School Sun., Sept 30th - AHEPA Breakfast - Adults $10, Children 12 & Under $6 Philoptochos Meeting following Breakfast Sun., Oct. 7th - St. Romanos Sunday - Teaching Liturgy, SS in Church and bring a friend to Church day. Thurs., Oct. 11th - ZOE special presentation Sun., Oct. 14th - Clergy Appreciation Day Fundraiser sponsored by the Parish Council - Lamb Dinner $15 per person Children 12 & Under $10 Sat., Oct. 27th - Taverna Night sponsored by Philoptochos - More details to follow. Sun., Oct. 28th - Fall General Assembly 12:30 pm. Must have a signed steward ship card and are up to date with your payments in order to participate. Check with Despina to be sure. KITS DEADLINE FOR KITS OCTOBER 15TH Please turn your cell phones & pagers off or on vibrate before entering Church 6

7 SUNDAY SCHOOL - ~ Vision Statement ~ To be a community of engaged and educated young Orthodox Christians. ~ Mission Statement ~ To encourage and foster spiritual growth of young people in our Orthodox Faith. 2nd- 4th grade Jonna Myatt We learned about the Elevation of the Cross. We started the class by looking at the icon and tried to figure out what it was about. It was a bit tricky for the kids! So we made the story of the discovery of Jesus' cross come to life! We talked about St. Helen and her trip to Jerusalem to look for the cross and the basil she found growing on Golgotha. We also talked how they figured out which cross belonged to Jesus. Kids had great questions such as " Where is the cross now? " And after hearing the story EVERYONE was able to name the people in the icon. We also sniffed basil, ate basil and planted basil seeds:) Attendance: 8 7

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9 SCHEDULE WEDNESDAY EVENINGS BEGINNING AT 7 PM THE GOSPELS & THE NEW TESTAMENT LETTERS September 12: The Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew September 19: The Holy Gospel According to St. Mark September 26: The Holy Gospel According to St. Luke October 3: The Holy Gospel According to St. John October 10: The Acts of the Holy Apostles October 17: The Holy Apostle Paul's Letter to the Church in Rome October 24: The Holy Apostle Paul s Letters to the Church in Corinth October 30 (Tuesday): The Holy Apostle Paul's Letters to the Church in Corinth November 7: The Holy Apostle Paul's Letters to the Church in Ephesus & Galatia November 14: The Holy Apostle Paul's Letters to the Church in Philippi, Colossae & Thessalonica November 20 (Tuesday): The Holy Apostle Paul's Letters to Timothy, Titus & Philemon November 28: The Letter to the Hebrews December 4 (Tuesday): Letters of James, Peter, John & Jude December 12: The Revelation of Jesus Christ to John the Be loved Disciple 9

10 MESSAGE FROM HIS EMINENCE METROPOLITAN ALEXIOS My Beloved Ones, I greet you with love and joy in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, having returned to our Holy and God-Protected Metropolis of Atlanta from Mount Athos. This Friday, we are blessed once more to celebrate a unique and glorious feast on our Ecclesiastical calendar, the Elevation of the Holy Cross. Holy Tradition explains that after St. Constantine legalized Christianity, his blessed mother, the Empress St. Helen, made it her goal, not only to build churches over the pagan temples, but also to seek out earthly relics of Christ, including the True Cross. By the time she arrived at Golgotha in the year 325, the former execution place of rebels and criminals was now a trash dump. In all the waste and garbage, many would have felt overwhelmed and discouraged. However, guided by her steadfast faith, St. Helen continued to search, not with her senses, but with her heart. And with her heart, she saw and smelled a plant she did not recognize; the plant which we now know as Basil, because it belongs to our King. After careful excavation near the basil, three crosses were uncovered: one was the True Cross of Christ (which had been separated from the sign that had declared our Lord the King of the Jews ) and the others were the crosses of the two thieves who were crucified with Him. In order to determine which of the crosses the True Cross was, a sick woman was brought before all three. She venerated the first and the second, with neither bringing any change in her illness. But when she kissed the third she was instantly made well. Similarly, when a funeral procession passed by, the dead man was placed atop each of the crosses, and the True Cross of Christ raised him from the dead. For many modern Christians, especially those who do not have Holy Tradition in their liturgical lives, the veneration of the Cross of Christ poses a stumbling block: how can an instrument of torture oppression be worthy of devotion? Even St. Paul recognized this when he wrote to the church at Corinth, we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gen- 10

11 tiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 23-24). Indeed, it is only when we consider that God turned all human logic upside down, that we begin to understand His intentions. Not only did He come to save humanity in the form of poor child, but instead of vanquishing His enemies with a vast army, he chose instead to end death by death. By the Cross that we shall soon uplift and venerate, Christ demonstrates not only by words, but actions, that the Son of Man did not come to be served. But to serve... (Mark 10:45) For as He said, what greater love can there be than to lay down one s life for one s friends? And truly, through the course of His whole earthly life even on the Cross we shall venerate the Son of Man truly showed philanthropia, His Love of Humanity. +ALEXIOS Metropolitan of Atlanta REFLECTIONS FROM FR. JAMES ROUSAKIS Alert screaming sirens, whaling whistles, here we go again! Hurricane Florence is riding atop of the Atlantic and about to impact the southern eastern coastline and move in-land. September is the peak of Hurricane Season, which we dread, bringing Florence s fury of panic, death and destruction as it visits the Carolinas. Prepare and evacuations are the instructions and stores begin to deplete in stock of water and can goods. Normal schedules are interrupted, business and schools close; churches suspend services. Last year, just having survived Hurricane Irma, the feast day of my small parish, St. Sophia in Winter Haven, almost did not occur because still another hurricane was predicted to hit the area with strong winds, rain and flooding. Since His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios was not able to travel to St. Sophia in Miami because of the inclement weather, therefore, St. Sophia in Winter Haven would experience His whirlwind visit for Great Vespers bringing faith, hope and love, as he impacted us with His blessing. His Eminence inspired everyone with His presences and words about the steadfastness of the sagacious Sophia and her three daughters, Faith, Hope and Love or Pistis, Elpis and Agape. The name Sophia means wisdom and is recorded to 11

12 be first given in the 4th century. It became very popular in the later 1990s and was one of the most popular names given to girls in the first decade of the 2000s and, thus, our granddaughter was named Sophia and His Eminence told her she is blessed to have this name. Sophia and her daughters unwavering sensibility brought panic to the Emperor of Rome, defeating his insults. Since torture could not extinguish the life of the girls, Sophia witnessed the beheading of her daughters. This faithful mother, Sophia, rejoiced greatly that she had nurtured the trinity of her offsprings, so blessed by God, and extended her praise and thanks to the Lord. She buried the precious relics of her much-beloved daughters, and, afterwards, remained at the gravesides for three days, begged God to take her from this fleeting life. God heard this prayer and called her overjoyed soul to join her daughters. Her precious relics were buried next to the three graves, as an eternal testimony of the unified love of all four of them for Christ, Who crowned them in heaven. As Orthodox Christians, we are accustomed to the accounts of martyrdoms such as those suffered by the three children saints. The last appeal to God, however, describing Saint Sophia s sentiments, is something which our society does not find comfortable. It should be remembered that not long ago, only twice the life-time of someone like me in their 70s, the Victorians would have understood Saint Sophia very well and applauded both her feelings and the manner of her demise. The novel, Dombey and Son, by Charles Dickens, will confirm this feeling exemplified by the character, Florence, who never wavered in faith, hope and love. Somewhat earlier, in Hamlet, Horatio meets his friend s death with the words: Goodnight sweet prince and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest. So, it may be that our present attitude, influenced by the materialistic society in which we live, is out of tune with that of earlier generations. Where is our faith, our hope and our love? Preparing for this year s celebration of St. Sophia, without any visitations from Mother Nature or His Eminence, let us put the sacred example of the relationship of St. Sophia and her daughters, Faith, Hope and Love, in front of our minds in everything we do, in our relationship with others, and in our own spiritual lives. Their synergy as a family and their bond of love, respect and trust, helped them in martyrdom, and is an example to us of not only of family relationships, but, also, of symbolic sacrifice. The lesson learned from Saint Sophia and her daughters, is that in order to live 12

13 with faith and hope, we must practice love, as Christ first loved us. The true miracle, of course, is that through the ecclesiastical and sacramental life of the Church, through fasting, prayer and acts of kindness and charity, and above all, love, we can develop a bonding relationship with God and with each other. St. Sophia and her daughters did it and you, too, can do it. Let the feast day be an inspiration for us to act accordingly in our lives, with Faith, Hope and Love. Greetings from ZOE ZOE A very important topic will be shared on Thurs., October 11th at our get together, Georg Baker (Helen Sebekos daughter) from DAMSEL IN DEFENSE will empower, equip and educate us on our personal Safety with a situational awareness discussion and demonstration. Role play and questions and answers to follow. More to follow in coming weeks. Please let us know if you will be joining us. Tresa Roman Christine Balba Elaine Roman Thurs., Oct 11 Thurs., Nov 8 Thurs., Dec 13 13

14 Taverna Night Sponsored by Philoptochos Saturday, October 27th Check back for more information Upcoming Meeting Dates for Philoptochos Sun., Sept. 30th Wed, Nov. 14th Thurs, Jan. 17th Sun., Mar. 24th Sat. May 18th Additional Dates: Sept. 9th: Nov. 18th: Jan 13th: Feb. 2nd: Feb. 10th March 31st: April 25th: 1:00 pm in church hall (after church and AHEPA Breakfast) 10:00 am here in Community Center - Family Promise presentation 11:30 am Perkins in Suntree/ Viera 1:00 pm in church hall End of Year Luncheon 1:00 at Victoria's Restaurant pass 2nd tray for HC pass 2nd tray for Ecumenical Council Vasilopita cutting Annual Membership Luncheon Go Red Sunday Soup for the Soul Luncheon Pascha Egg Dyeing 14

15 STEWARDSHIP Give of your time and talents. It's a good idea. It doesn't matter if you can't give a lot of money, you give what you can. Better yet, give what you will. At Christmas we remember the story of the Little Drummer Boy whose gift was his music. Your talents, skills, and time that you can give to the church, these are just as helpful as money and perhaps more so because they are personal. What are we as a church but a group of people joined together in worship. Our community is God's community. Each of us has gifts and is a facet of his image. More important than giving money is to be involved. By being involved we are living our faith, for if we cannot reach out to those we worship with, who can we reach out to? Signing up as a steward is a reminder to ourselves that our lives are here, in this church. We give what money we can but more important is our commitment. Our donation is a reflection of our love for our faith and our church. Love is love and there is no minimum or maximum. Everyone knows that time is the most important treasure of all. Everyone has it and we all have a limited amount and give it to the things we care about. And so we are in church on Sunday. God blesses us with his gifts, hears and answers our prayers, and we search for ways to thank him - though our worship and our charity to each other. Stewardship Forms are in the Pews, Narthex & Education Building. 15

16 STEWARDSHIP PRAYER In the name of Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Amen. Lord Jesus Christ our God, accept our offerings as You have accepted the gifts of Your people throughout the ages. We offer these gifts to Your glory, for the support of the ministries of Your Holy Church, for the alleviation of suffering and hunger, and for the proclamation of Your Gospel to the whole world. Grant us Your blessing, Lord our Savior, that we may always be faithful stewards, continuing to share the gifts you have given us, by the power of Your grace, mercy and love. May Your name be glorified forever. Amen STEWARDSHIP 117 Stewards Pledging $121,925 Paid to Date $92,100 Average Stewardship per family $1, Friends of St. Katherine s have paid $44,828 Stewardship Thermometer represents Our Budget of $326,313 vs. Stewardship Pledges For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:34 THE JESUS PRAYER Κύριε Ἰησοῦ Χριστέ, Υἱέ Θεοῦ, ἐλέησόν με τὸν ἁμαρτωλόν. (τὴν ἁμαρτωλόν if prayed by a female) Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.