Sunday Bulletin. Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral. 19 February 2012 Judgment Sunday Meat Fare Sunday. God s people, serving God s people

Transcription

1 Sunday Bulletin 19 February 2012 Judgment Sunday Meat Fare Sunday God s people, serving God s people Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral 1324 South Normandie Avenue, Los Angeles, Office: Fax: Very Reverend Father John S. Bakas, Dean Reverend Father Allan Boyd, Assistant Priest

2 CALENDAR FOR THIS WEEK Sunday, February 19 th Orthros :45am Studies in the Faith... 9:15am Memorials..9:45am Divine Liturgy :00am Monday, February 20 th Office Closed for holiday Bible Studies with Father John: Philoptohos/Women s Bible Study cancelled for the holiday Men s Bible Study. cancelled for the holiday Bible Study in the Faith (in the chapel)...cancelled for the holiday Wednesday, February 22 nd Hellenic Academy (Adults)..7:00pm Bible Study with Father Allan 7:30pm Thursday, February 23 rd Catechism with Father Allan... 7:30pm Saturday, February 25 th Saturday of the Souls Orthros :30am Divine Liturgy :30am Hellenic Academy (PreK & K) :30am Hellenic Academy (K & 1-6) :30am Hellenic Academy (Adults). 12:30pm Coffee Hour will be held in the Maniatakos Fellowship Hall EPISTLE READER Estelle Skouras 2

3 DAILY VITAMINS FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH 3

4 MEMORIALS Penny Rovas (7 years), Rebecca Rovas (19 years), George Rovas (22 years), Peter Rovas (52 years), Daniel P. Skouras (3 years), Stephen Jiavis (14 years), Evdokia Argyris, Mihail Argyris, Ioannis Argyris, Vassilios Argyris, Periklis Argyris, Constantinos Argyris, Christos Vasiliadis, Marigo L. Stamatiades, Stan Rebiga (6 months), Dorin Drozan (1 year), Maria Gemanaru (25 years), Ioan Covaci, Elena Rebiga, Stephen Joackim ALTAR CANDLES One side offered in loving memory of Penny, Rebecca, George and Peter Rovas by Anna Gehart, Eva Friebe, James Rovas One side offered in loving memory of Evdokia, Ioannis Vassilios, Mihail, Periklis and Constantinos Argyris, Christos Vasiliadis by Chase & Mary Morrison. SANCTUARY CANDLES Both sides offered in loving memory of Stan Rebiga, Dorin Drozan, Maria Gemanaru, Ioan Covaci, and Elena Rebiga by the Rebiga Family PERPETUAL LIGHTS Offered in loving memory of Marigo L. Stamatiades by Dortothea P. & John L. Stamatiades and grandchildren Leah J. & Lambros J. Stamatiades II. Offered in loving memory of Stephen Joackim by his wife Virginia and son Gregory May their memory be eternal 4

5 Υμνος ΑΠΟΛΥΤΙΚΙΑ Τροπαριον του Ναου, Ηχος πλ δ Ευλογητος ει Χριστε ο Θεος ημων, ο πανσοφους του αλιεις αναδειξας, καταπεμψας αυτοις το Πνευμα το Αγιον, και δι αυτων την οικουμενην σαγηνευσας, φιλανθρωπε, δοξα σοι. ΚΟΝΤΑΚΙΟΝ 5

6 HYMNS OF THE DAY Apolytikion - Third Tone Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad, for the Lord, by His Mighty Arm, has created a Dominion. He has conquered death by death, and become the firstborn of the dead. He has delivered us from the depths of Hades, and has granted the world great mercy. Troparion of Saint Sophia (Holy Wisdom) Blessed are You O Christ our God, Who as all wise the fishermen You showed forth; By sending your Holy Spirit down upon them and through them the universe You drew unto your net. O lover of mankind Glory to You. Kontakion Third Tone O God, when You come upon the earth in glory, the whole world will tremble. A river of fire will baring all before Your Judgement Seat and the books will be opened and everything in secret will become public. At that time, deliver me from the fire which never dies, and enable me to stand by Your right hand, O Judge most just. 6

7 ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ Πρὸς Κορινθίους α' 8:8-13;9:1-2 Ἀδελφοί, βρῶμα ἡμᾶς οὐ παρίστησιν τῷ θεῷ οὔτε γὰρ ἐὰν φάγωμεν περισσεύομεν, οὔτε ἐὰν μὴ φάγωμεν ὑστερούμεθα. Βλέπετε δὲ μήπως ἡ ἐξουσία ὑμῶν αὕτη πρόσκομμα γένηται τοῖς ἀσθενοῦσιν. Ἐὰν γάρ τις ἴδῃ σε τὸν ἔχοντα γνῶσιν ἐν εἰδωλείῳ κατακείμενον, οὐχὶ ἡ συνείδησις αὐτοῦ ἀσθενοῦς ὄντος οἰκοδομηθήσεται εἰς τὸ τὰ εἰδωλόθυτα ἐσθίειν; Καὶ ἀπολεῖται ὁ ἀσθενῶν ἀδελφὸς ἐπὶ τῇ σῇ γνώσει, δι ὃν Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν; Οὕτως δὲ ἁμαρτάνοντες εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφούς, καὶ τύπτοντες αὐτῶν τὴν συνείδησιν ἀσθενοῦσαν, εἰς Χριστὸν ἁμαρτάνετε. Διόπερ εἰ βρῶμα σκανδαλίζει τὸν ἀδελφόν μου, οὐ μὴ φάγω κρέα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἵνα μὴ τὸν ἀδελφόν μου σκανδαλίσω. Οὐκ εἰμὶ ἀπόστολος; Οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐλεύθερος; Οὐχὶ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν ἑώρακα; Οὐ τὸ ἔργον μου ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἐν κυρίῳ; Εἰ ἄλλοις οὐκ εἰμὶ ἀπόστολος, ἀλλά γε ὑμῖν εἰμι ἡ γὰρ σφραγὶς τῆς ἐμῆς ἀποστολῆς ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἐν κυρίῳ. 7

8 EPISTLE READING Let Us Be Attentive.. Verse: The Lord is my strength and my song. chastened me sorely. The Lord has Wisdom.. The Reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 8:8-13; 9:1-2 Let us be Attentive.. Brethren, food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. Only take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if any one sees you, a man of knowledge, at table in an idol's temple, might he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak man is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of my brother's falling, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to fall. Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 8

9 GOSPEL READING The Reading is from Matthew 25:31-46 The Lord said, "When the Son of man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." 9

10 MINISTRY NEWS PHILOPTOHOS NEWS MOTHER OF THE YEAR: It is with great pleasure to announce that the Mother of the Year is BESS PAPPAS. She will be honored at our Mothers Day Luncheon and Fashion Show on Saturday, May 12 at the Universal Sheraton Hotel. Letters for the program book and invitations will be forth coming. We hope you will join us in honoring Bess as chairman Judie Christopoulos and her committee is working hard to put on a wonderful event! Our next general assembly meeting is Sunday, March 18 th immediately after church in the NEW Huffington Center General Assembly room on the 2 nd floor! Philoptohos is now starting a new project to raise money for the Metropolis Kids n Cancer Camps. We will be selling See s Easter Candy items at our meeting for the next four Sundays thru April 8 th. All proceeds will go towards our donation for the Kids n Cancer Camps. DEBUTANTE BALL: Chairman Katrina Beers is making plans for the next Debutante Ball, to be held on Sunday, January 20, She is planning an informational meeting in May. For further details you may call Katrina at (714) CHANGE FROM THE HEART: PENNIES AND PRAYER PROGRAM is a Commission for Orthodox Missions and Evangelism that spreads the word of our faith through Missions. If you d like to donate, you may pick up a Pennies and prayer canister in the church office. Your spare change can help support our current mission parishes and begin new ones. Canisters should be returned to the office in care of Philoptohos on or before the Sunday of Pentecost, May 27. For further information you may call Sophie Mastor, chairman, (310) FEED THE NEIGHBORHOOD PROJECT is being changed for the moment. We will work with the Los Angeles Mission or the Midnight Mission, to help distribute our lunch collections. In order to actually hand out lunches we need at least 200 or more because there are so many hungry people. If we do not have enough on a collection day for the Mission then we may drop the food off to the people who are gathered on the corners or under the freeways. Should you wish to be an angel and make a lunch, they need to be ready to go and dropped off to us at the bench located closest to the parking lot outside church (near the ramp). We leave promptly at 11:30 a.m. to distribute the food. Please do not go into the church kitchen or ask the staff for supplies or help with this project. Items in the sack lunch should be a plain, dry sandwich, a small bottle of water, carton of milk or juice, and perhaps a bag of chips or a cookie bar, something along those lines. Whatever you would like to make will be greatly appreciated. Thank you to all of you who helped last week! The next donation date will be announced in the Sunday bulletins. Don t forget to pay your Philoptohos membership dues! Your dues support our commitments to the Metropolis and National Philoptohos programs. You will also be added to our membership mailing list to be kept informed of our events. For we are God s handiwork created in Christ Jesus, to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10. With love, Virginia Noyes and the Philoptohos Board of Directors 10

11 MINISTRY NEWS (continued) PHILOPTOHOS VIP NEWS FEBRUARY ACTIVITIES Monday, February 27th - KATHARA DEFTERA Let us all celebrate the first day of Lent with liturgy at 10:00am followed by a delicious Lenten lunch which will be prepared by our lovely VIP Chefs and served in the Maniatakos Fellowship Hall - yia sta heria sas! Donation $ Reservations are a must. Please call chairperson Irene Mitropetros (323) or co-chair Athena Lolonis (818) MARCH ACTIVITIES Thursday, March 22nd - THE GETTY VILLA We will be visiting the beautiful Getty Villa in Malibu, followed by a luncheon at a near by restaurant. Paid reservations are a must. Please call chairperson Vickie Deryiades (310) or co-chair Alex Markos (818) Make checks payable to Philoptohos VIP c/o Alex Markos 5720 Wilhelmina Ave, Woodland Hills, CA Cost of the trip is $26.00 which includes bus, museum and lunch. The bus will depart from church at 9:30am. Please be at church by 9:15. We will be returning at 3:00pm. In his Service, Mary Morrison, Philoptohos VIP President ******************************************* SAINT SOPHIA BOOKSTORE AND GIFT SHOP NEWS This Lenten season, take advantage of the wisdom and guidance found in some excellent books. They include Walk in the Light: Spiritual Exercises in Great Lent for Young Adults, Daily Lenten Meditations for Orthodox Christians, The Lenten Spring: Readings for Great Lent, Ascending the Heights: A Layman's Guide to "The Ladder of Divine Ascent", When You Fast: Recipes for Lenten Seasons, First Fruits of Prayer: A Forty-Day Journey Through the Canon Of St. Andrew, Great Lent: Journey to Pascha, and Orthodox Lent, Holy Week and Easter: Liturgical Texts With Commentary. All titles are in stock at the Saint Sophia Bookstore and Gift Shop, which is open every Sunday following the Divine Liturgy. We are pleased to also announce our Saint Sophia Book Club! Our first selection is The Jesus Prayer: The Ancient Desert Prayer that Tunes the Heart to God by Frederica Mathewes-Green. The bookstore will have copies available & may also be purchased on Amazon.com. We will have our first meeting in the bookstore to discuss this book on March 12 th at 7:30 pm and look forward to a wonderful conversation and further instruction on this ancient prayer. All are welcome & encouraged to join. 11

12 PHILANTHROPIA NEWS FUTURE SCHEDULED PROJECTS MINISTRY NEWS (continued) CONFESSIONS: During Great Lent, beginning Monday, February 27 th Father Peter will be available for confessions every Wednesday afternoon from noon until 6:30 p.m. If this time is not convenient for you, please call Father at (818) GET ON THE BUS: This project is coming soon and will be observed on Mothers Day and Fathers Day respectively. We will keep you posted as the day approaches. USED CLOTHING and CANNED GOODS: Please identify all clothing donations on the outside of the bags by indicating whether they are for men, women or children. The two new receptacles for "used clothing" and "canned goods" are working great. Their new location will be announced in our next bulletin. Thank you! ANNUAL APPEAL: We thank you for your wonderful support in our annual appeal. PHILANTHROPIA WEBSITE: The Winter issue of the PHILANTHROPIA Newsletter is in the works and will be on the website shortly at: We thank Perry Lambert who is coordinating our website effort. Take care and God Bless. With love, Father Peter ******************************************* On Sunday, February 26 th we will be welcoming John Giannaris, who will be visiting Saint Sophia. John was the commander of the Greek Battalion (OSS, Group 2) that battled the Germans in Nazioccupied Greece. This genuine Greek-American hero is the author of his autobiography "Yannis." He will be the guest of honor of The American Legion, Leonidas Post 285, at coffee hour in the Maniatakos Fellowship hall, after Divine Liturgy. All parishioners are invited to greet and welcome Captain Giannaris to Saint Sophia. 12

13 MINISTRY NEWS (continued) Southern California Pre-Lenten GOYA Retreat The 2012 Southern California Pre-Lenten GOYA Retreat will be held on February 24-26, 2012 at the Valley Trails Camp in Castaic, CA and all youth in grades 6-12 are invited to participate. Fr. Jason Roll (Saint Nicholas - Northridge), Fr. Haralambos Fox (Saints Constantine and Helen - Lancaster), Fr. Christos Kanakis (Saint Anthony - Pasadena) and Paul Gikas (Metropolis Youth and Young Adult Ministries Director) will present this retreat. Drop-off and registration will be on Friday, February 24 between 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Valley Trails Camp. Pick-up will be on Sunday, February 26 at 1:00 p.m., but parents are also invited to come earlier to attend the Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. For registration forms, a map, flyer and additional important information, please contact Paul Gikas, Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, pgikas@sanfran.goarch.org, ******************************************* RELIGIOUS EDUCATORS WORKSHOP The Metropolis Committee on Christian Formation and Religious Education will be offering a workshop for Religious Educators on Saturday, March 10, This event will be held from 9:30 a.m. 3:00 p.m. and is being hosted by the Saint John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church, 405 N. Dale Street, Anaheim, The theme for this year s workshop will be Christ the Teacher The Teacher as Christ which will explore the way in which Jesus Christ taught, and how each teacher can learn to be a perfect icon of Christ in the ministry of teaching. Rev. Father Anthony Savas, from Saint Nicholas in Northridge, will be the Keynote Speaker for the workshop. The day will include breakfast and lunch, prayers of the sixth hour, instructional presentations by local area teachers, and break-out discussion sessions where teachers will meet to discuss and compare best practices. The registration fee is only $20 per person, with registration being available online at sfre.ticketleap.com/religious-education-seminarworkshop. This is an excellent opportunity to improve your skills as a religious educator, share ideas with others, or explore how religious education might be a part of your future stewardship. Please contact Patricia Bangos (pbangos@aol.com) or Kally Attard (att9901@att.net) for more information. 13

14 MINISTRY NEWS (continued) SAINT SOPHIA CAMP NEWS: ******************************************* ST. SOPHIA CATHEDRAL DOCENTS Each year our St. Sophia Cathedral welcomes thousands of visitors who come from all over the world to see this designated historical site of Los Angeles. With the addition of the Huffington Center, we anticipate that we will have even more visitors, so we are seeking volunteers to become Docents to welcome these guests to enjoy the magnificence of our Cathedral. Becoming a Docent is a wonderful way to serve our church, learn about its history and iconography, and also meet interesting people. It only takes 4 hours, one day per month. No public speaking experience is necessary. All materials are given to you. For further information please call Faye Demetriou (818) or Jimmy Karatsikis (213) WE WELCOME YOU TO JOIN US! 14

15 MINISTRY NEWS (continued) CAMP ZOE: Saint Sophia Cathedral and Are excited to announce a partnership to give to Camp Zoe utilizing Ralphs Grocery Store Community Contributions Program. By registering your Ralphs Card online or in person for every dollar your household spends a percentage will be given by Ralphs to Camp Zoe to further the mission of providing a camping program structured to meet the needs of children with severe physical and mental disabilities who come from families living with economic challenges within the city of Los Angeles. Camp Zoe is designed to help campers develop a "sense of self. Your own rewards will not be affected. 100% of the money received will go directly to Camp Zoe. Camp Zoe is a Ministry of Saint Sophia. Register by one of two ways: 1. Online at - Our NPO is If you have not registered your card online before with Ralphs you will have to register it at this time. 2. By taking this letter into Ralphs the next time you shop and having them scan the Bar Code with your Rewards Card. For the Cashier: -Please scan the Bar code at the bottom of this letter with the customers Ralphs card or their Alt. Id with their order. A purchase is required at time of registration. -The procedure is successful when you hear an audible beep and see the word loyalty DIV on the receipt. For more information please go to Thank you for your involvement in helping us at Camp Zoe! The Camp Zoe Team 15

16 COMMUNITY NEWS Saint Sophia Moms N Tots St. Sophia Moms N' Tots Program is a Faith, Music and Movement program designed for Moms and/or Dad's with infants/toddlers between the ages of 6 months - 4 years old. If you are a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle with a little one, please join us! DATE: Thursday, March 1 st through Thursday, June 7 th TIME: Thursdays, 10:30am -11:30am WHERE: Huffington Center at Saint Sophia, in the Nursery Room COST: $20 registration fee per child If you and your little one enjoy singing, dancing and spending time with friends, then you will love what we have in store for you! Our weekly gathering will consist of singing (both religious and secular), dance and movement activities, followed by story time and finally an activity based on our church calendar, be it a Feast Day or a Saints day, etc. We will learn how to do our cross, say our prayers, and much more! It will be a great opportunity for both parents and children to connect and share with one another in the spirit of Christian unity! If you have any questions please contact the St. Sophia Moms N Tots coordinator, Katia Boudouvas - kbakas@gmail.com HOLY WEEK FLOWERS ******************************************* Donations are being accepted for floral arrangements, Icons and all related flowers for Holy Week & Easter. Altar plants donations may be made in any amount in memory of loved ones. Please call Cathedral office for specific floral arrangements and candles throughout the week. Please contact Ann Pappas or Jimmy Karatsikis for any additional information Ext 207 (Ann) or Ext. 302 (Jimmy) 16

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20 For those who are sick or suffering St. James advises us, If anyone among you is 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. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. (James 5:13-14) Ensuring that St Sophia s parishioners continue to be cared-for and prayed-for, please list names below of those in our midst that need prayer. Feel free to request the personal prayer of one of our priests after services, or to schedule this with one our priests during St Sophia Cathedral s office hours. As you request prayer, you may also wish to make an offering to Saint Sophia s Altar Fund. Label: For the health of PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY: Please submit this form to: Saint Sophia Cathedral Office 1324 S Normandie Ave. Los Angeles CA

21 SATURDAY OF THE SOULS February 18, February 25, March 3, June 2 Prayers for the Souls of the Dead Please commemorate the souls of the blessed dead, whose names are here written: I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord; He who believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." 21

22 Growing Up In God s Love During Lent (Psalm 51) Lent was created as a time for devoting greater personal attention towards two goals: maturing in our love for God; and maturing in our intentional, acts of love to all others around us. Those two simple goals are the essence of what the word repentance means. Psalm 51 (or 50 in the Septuagint) was written by King David as a result of his sin with Bathsheba. Consumed by a self-absorbed flurry of his own passions, he committed adultery, then in an effort to cover it up he committed murder (2 nd Kingdoms, chapters 11 & 12). After King David was confronted about his sin by the Prophet Nathan, he finally chose to repent devoting greater personal attention back towards those two greater loves. It was during that time of repentance and soul searching that David wrote this Psalm. In these following verses, he expresses all of our heartfelt need to be right with God. In the spirit of growing up in God s Love through Lent, we recommend that each adult and teenage member of our Saint Sophia family, commit King David s prayer (just 19 little verses) to your daily life memorizing it if you can. 1 Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your loving kindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. 4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. 6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. 22

23 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. 9 Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. 14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise. 16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart These, O God, You will not despise. 18 Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, With burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar. 23

24 Office Bible Closed Studies with Fr John cancelled Bible during Lent Studies cancelled 8:30am Orthros 9:30am Liturgy 10am Evening Bible Studies cancelled during Lent Also on 2/29 7:30pm Pre Sanctified Lliturgy 24