The Trophy-Bearer A monthly publication of Saint George Greek Orthodox Church New Castle, Pennsylvania March 2019 Volume III, Issue 3

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1 The Trophy-Bearer A monthly publication of Saint George Greek Orthodox Church New Castle, Pennsylvania March 2019 Volume III, Issue 3 Holy Fathers Slain at the Monastery of St. Savas (797 A.D.) March 20th

2 ΙΕΡΟΣ ΝΑΟΣ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΓΕΩΡΓΙΟΥ SAINT GEORGE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 315 W. Englewood Avenue - New Castle, PA Church: (724) Fr. Michael A. Gavrilos - Parish Priest FrMichael@stgeorgenewcastle.org Parish Council Members President Helen Ritchie Vice-President Artie Christou Treasurer Nicholas Ligerakis Secretary Deno Neofotistos Nik Foukas Eric Karmecy Service Times Please Check the Monthly Calendar for Services Services Times Unless Otherwise Noted Sunday Orthros Sunday Mon-Sat Evening Services Confession: By Appointment 8:15 a.m. 9:30 a.m. The Trophy-Bearer If you would like an article, or photos in The Trophy-Bearer, submit them electronically to Fr. Michael (FrMichael@stgeorgenewcastle.org) no later than the 15th of the month. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. -James 5:14 If you or your loved one is sick, in the hospital, or need a priest, please contact Fr. Michael so that he will be able to visit them.

3 Fr. Michael s Message Christ is in our Midst! On Monday March 11th, in the life of the Church, we will begin the period of Great & Holy Lent. When the average person hears the term Great Lent, they seem to have a negative feeling toward this period. And why is this? Several things come to mind. We are called to fast from meat and dairy products, we have more, and longer services, i.e. Great Compline, 9 th Hour &, Salutation Services to the Theotokos, as well as the longer St. Basil on Sundays during Lent. These two things, fasting and more/longer services, is sometimes why people have a negative connotation associated with Great Lent. I urge us all to rather have a sense of joy for what is to happen over this Lenten Period. Lent is the perfect time for each and every one of us to focus in more and continue to improve our Orthodox Life. Lent is a time that we Orthodox Christians need to approach with respect, love, and with joy. We must be able to forgive our brothers and sisters for everything that they may have done to offend us in one way or another. In the Gospel of Matthew, there is a very powerful verse that states: If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. It seems pretty straightforward and simple, and there is a good reason for this - if we are unable to forgive our brothers and sisters here on earth, then we will not be forgiven by our Lord in heaven. There is no asterisk here that says you do not have to forgive other people as long as you go to Church every Sunday and feed the poor a few times a year. Those who do not forgive are not forgiven period, end of statement, no fighting about it. If we are unable to forgive, we are willfully fleeing from the forgiveness of God for ourselves. Forgiveness towards others is one of the many things that we need to do during this Lenten period. Another thing that we must do is fast. When we thinking of fasting, we typically think of the food that we are eating. As we all know, during fasting periods in the Church we are to abstain from eating meat and dairy products. Fasting from foods is not something that is supposed to hurt our bodies, it is to help our souls. By fasting from certain foods, we are constantly reminding ourselves why we are doing this, we are awaiting the joy of the Resurrection in a few short weeks. We simplify our diets by eating lighter foods, not foods that are weighing ourselves down. With this being said, if we are eating all fasting food but stuff ourselves unto the point that we feel we are going to burst, then we are defeating the purpose of fasting. Fasting is supposed to help bring us closer to God. Throughout the Old and New Testament there are numerous examples of people fasting, usually during a time of prayer and supplication to God. Jesus himself fasted before beginning his ministry. When we fast, we are emptying ourselves of heavy foods and worldly cares, which leaves us feeling hungry, or maybe like something is missing. We need to fill this empty space with God, through prayer, reading scripture and holy books, attending extra church services, receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. Great Lent provides us with the perfect opportunity to draw as close to Christ as possible before the feast of feasts, His glorious Resurrection. Fasting, however, is not just from food. We also have other types of fasting. We also have to be mindful of fasting with our mouth. All throughout the year, and especially during the Lenten period, we need to be mindful of not only what goes into our mouth, but also what comes out of our mouth. We have to let out mouth fast from foul words and criticism that is unjust to everyone around us. We must let our eyes fast by being careful what we look at, what we watch and see and read. We must fast with our bodies by being careful of our actions, what we do with our bodies, how we dress, how we present ourselves. We must fast with our mind by staying humble and by not even thinking unkind and unjustly of others, foul words, lustful or prideful thoughts. We must have our ears fast by not listening to obscene music, evil talk, and the gossip that is all around us every day. As Saint John Chrysostom says For what good is it if we abstain from birds and fishes, but bite and devour our brothers? Fasting is a total body experience, it encompasses all of our senses, the physical and spiritual and emotional. It is a complete cleansing of all aspects of our being, more powerful and effective than any of those detox diets out there. What I want to leave everyone with is a few words to start us all on the right foot for Great Lent. We often tend to focus is on the bad things in life, and not the good things that surround us. The same goes for fasting. While we are fasting, and we might see this as very difficult, let us instead focus on the good we are trying to attain, and feast that we are all working towards, the banquet with our Lord in the Kingdom of Heaven! In Christ, Fr. Michael A. Gavrilos

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8 March 2019 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Judgment Sunday (Meatfare) Saturday of Souls Orthros,, Memorials Saturday of Souls Orthros,, Memorials 10 Forgiveness Sunday (Cheesefare) Parish Council Meeting 4:00 p.m. Holy Unction & Vespers 17 Sunday of Orthodoxy 11 Orthros, 1st Hour, 3rd Hour, 6th Hour 5:00 p.m. 9th Hour, Vespers, & Great Compline 12 Great Compline Great Compline st Salutations to the Theotokos 2nd Salutations to the Theotokos ~~~ Fr. Michael Will be away from Friday March 15-Saturday March 23rd ~~~ 16 ~~~ Fr. Michael Will be away from Friday March 15- Saturday March 23rd ~~~ Sunday of St. Annunciation Greogry Palamas Lenten Shrimp Dinner 6:30 p.m. Great Vespers Annunciation Farrell 31 Sunday of the Holy Cross Great Compline 3rd Salutations to the Theotokos

9 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 Great Compline 2 3 April th Salutations to the Theotokos 6 GOYA Fall Retreat 7 Sunday of St. John Climcaus Parish Council Meeting 14 Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt Spring General Assembly Meeting 21 Palm Sunday followed by Fish Dinner 6:30 p.m. Bridegroom Service 28 Great & Holy Pascha 12:00 a.m. 8 Great Compline 15 Great Compline 22 6:30 p.m. Bridegroom Service 29 St. George :30 p.m. Bridegroom Service 30 Saints Irene, Raphael, & Nicholas 24 3:00 p.m. Holy Unction 6:30 p.m. Orthros with Anointing 11 Canon of St. Andrew of Crete Vesperal 6:30 p.m. Service of the 12 Gospels Akathist to the Theotokos 6:30 p.m. Small Compline & Canon of St. Lazarus 26 Royal Hours 3:00 p.m. Apokathilosis 6:30 p.m. Lamentations Life-Giving Font 13 Saturday of the Akathist 8:00 a.m. 20 Saturday of Lazarus 6:30 p.m. Great Vespers 27 Vesperal 11:15 p.m. Pre-Resurrection Service 11:35 p.m. Father Preaches 11:45 p.m. Δεῦτε λάβετε φῶς/ Come receive the light 4 St. George Dinner/Dance ~~~FAST FREE WEEK~~~BRIGHT WEEK~~~FAST FREE WEEK~~~BRIGHT WEEK~~~FAST FREE~~~ ~~~FAST FREE WEEK~~~BRIGHT WEEK~~~FAST FREE WEEK~~~BRIGHT WEEK~~~FAST FREE~~~

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14 COVER ICON Holy Fathers Slain at the Monastery of St. Savas (797 A.D.) March 20th Saints John, Sergios, Patrick and others, a total of twenty Holy Fathers, were slain in the Monastery of Saint Savvas on March 20th of 797. During the eighth century the area around Jerusalem was subjected to frequent incursions of the Saracens, who are specifically called Ethiopians or "Blacks" in the Synaxarion of Constantinople. The Monastery of Saint Chariton was devastated and fell into ruin. Twice the Saracens tried to plunder the Lavra of Saint Savvas the Sanctified, but God's Providence protected the Monastery. The monks would have been able to escape the barbarians by going to Jerusalem, but they decided not to forsake the place where they had sought salvation for so many years. On March 13, around sixty Saracens broke into the Monastery and demanded all the valuables. The monks told them that there was nothing in the Monastery but a meager supply of food and old clothing. Then the Saracens began to shoot arrows at the monks, and they plundered and burnt their cells. Thirteen monks were killed and many wounded. The Saracens intended also to torch the Monastery church, but seeing a throng of people in the distance, they mistook this for an army sent from Jerusalem. The Saracens managed to get away, carrying off the little they were able to plunder. After the enemy fled, Father Thomas, an experienced physician, began to help those who remained alive. On Great Thursday, March 20, the Saracens again descended upon the Lavra with a larger force and began to beat the monks. The survivors were driven into the church, where they were tortured in order to force them to reveal where any treasure might be hidden. The Monastery was surrounded, so no one could save himself by fleeing. The barbarians seized John, a young monk, who had cared for vagrants. They beat him fiercely, then they cut the sinews of his hands and feet and dragged him over stones by his feet, which tore the skin from the Martyr's back. The keeper of the church vessels, Saint Sergios, hid the church vessels and attempted to flee, but he was captured and beheaded. Several of the monks nevertheless managed to hide themselves outside the Monastery in a cave, but they were spotted by a sentry on a hill, and they ordered everyone to come out. Inside the cave, Saint Patrick whispered to the brethren huddled with him, "Fear not, I will go alone and meet my death. Meanwhile, sit and pray." The Saracens asked whether there was anyone else in the cave, and Patrick said that he was alone. They led him to the Lavra, where the captives awaited their fate. The Saracens demanded of them a ransom of 4,000 gold pieces and the sacred vessels. The monks were not able to give such a ransom. Then they led them into the Cave of Saint Savvainside the Monastery walls. They lit a fire on which they piled up dung in front of the entrance to the cave, hoping to suffocate the monks with the poisonous fumes. Eighteen men perished in the cave, among whom were Saints John and Patrick. The Saracens continued to torture those who were still alive, but got nothing out of them. Finally, they left the Monastery. Later, on the night of Great Friday, the monks hidden in the hills returned to the Lavra, they took up the bodies of the murdered Fathers to the church and buried them there. Father Thomas again tended to the wounded fathers, at which time one died of his wounds, thus rounding the total number of slain monks to twenty. The barbarians who plundered the Monastery were punished by God. They were stricken with a sudden illness, and they all perished. Their bodies were devoured by wild beasts. The above account was delivered to us by Stephen of Damascus, nephew of John of Damascus. It should be noted that the slaughter of the Holy Fathers of Saint Savvas Lavra commemorated on May 16 are different from the above-mentioned Holy Fathers, having suffered in the seventh century, during the reign of Heraclius ( ) in the year 614. Apolytikion in the Second Tone Blessed is the earth that drank your blood, O prizewinners of the Lord, and holy are the tabernacles that received your spirits; for in the stadium ye triumphed over the enemy, and ye proclaimed Christ with boldness. Beseech Him, we pray, since He is good, to save our souls. Kontakion in the Fourth Tone Shunning all earthly and corruptible pleasures, ye chose a life of great ascetical struggles, disdaining worldly beauty and all fleeting fame; wherefore, ye dwell joyously in the Kingdom of Heaven with the Martyrs' holy choirs and the ranks of ascetics. Hence, we revere your memory and cry: From every peril, O Fathers, deliver us. Source:

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16 Saint George Greek Orthodox Church 315 W. Englewood Avenue New Castle, PA 16105