V. Rev. Dr. Michael G. Kovach, Associate V. Rev. Neal J. Carrigan, Asst; April 15, 2007

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1 Rev. Seraphim Majmudar, Acting Pastor V. Rev. Daniel D. Ressetar, Pastor Emeritus Christ the Saviour Orthodox Church Orthodox Church in America Colonial Park 5501 Old Locust Lane Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Ph: Fax: V. Rev. Dr. Michael G. Kovach, Associate V. Rev. Neal J. Carrigan, Asst; April 15, 2007 ANTIPASCHA. 2nd SUNDAY OF PASCHA - Tone 1. St. Thomas Sunday. Commemorating Apostles of the Seventy: Aristarchus, Pudens and Trophimus, Martyrs Basilissa and Anastasia of Rome, disciples of Apostles Peter and Paul; Martyr Suchias and his company in Georgia; and Martyr Sabbas the Goth, of Wallachia. Readings: Epistle: Acts 5:12-20 Gospel: John 20: :00 a.m. Orthodox Radio on AM 720 WW II 9:00 a.m. Church School Classes for Students & Adults; Prayers of Repentance; Confessions 9:30 a.m. Prayers of Repentance; Confessions 10:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy, Sermon, Student and Senior A cappella Choirs 11:45 a.m. Fellowship 1:30 p.m. Blessing of Graves Calendar: Apr 19, Thu: Pan-Orthodox Bible Study at Holy Trinity Apr 20, Fri: Parish Council Meeting 7 p.m.; F.O.C.A. National Basketball Tournament in Pittsburgh begins Apr 21, Sat: Vespers 7 p.m. Apr 22, Sun: Myrrhbearing Women; 720 AM Radio 8:00 a.m.; Church School 9:00 a.m.; Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.; Fellowship 11:45 a.m. Apr 24, Tue: General Session Orthodox Christian Academy at the Y: in Camp Hill 7-8 p.m.; Church Choir rehearsal 7 p.m. Apr 26, Thu: Pan-Orthodox Bible Study at Holy Trinity Apr 29, Sun: Sunday of the Paralytic; 720 AM Radio 8:00 a.m.; Church School 9:00 a.m.; Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.; Fellowship 11:45 a.m. Apr 30, Mon: Men s Club meeting 7:30 p.m. May 3, Thu: Pan-Orthodox Bible Study at Holy Trinity May 5, Sat: Sight and Sound Event 1 p.m.; Vespers 7 p.m. Today s Prayers: Please remember those mentioned here in your daily prayers in the morning and in the evening, at home and in church. The detailed prayer list is published once a month in the parish mailing. However, the names will be mentioned during the Liturgy of Preparation every Sunday. Parishioners are urged to update or delete their prayer listings. Those Ailing: Daniel Pankiw, Mary Essock, sister of George Krempasky; Archpriest Igor Soroka, Daria Kostylev; John Pusey; Tony Macinanti friend of Lydia Mantle; Steve Fecho; Joseph Parson; Stanley Seitzinger; Fr. John Onofrey; Mary Guise, friend of John R. Barns; Ruth Rogoff, friend of Katharine Macut; Anastasia Volk, niece of Evelyn Krempasky and her son William Nicholas; Helen Osuch; Lucy Koloski; Barbara Toporcer, aunt of Dorothy Sysak; Margaret Yawkey; Robert Michael Snydr, brother of Evelyn & George Krempasky; Nancy Sheaffer and William Sheaffer; Mary Hoffman; John Fatich; Roberta Cona; John Caba; Carol Boyer; Alex Kuzupas; Nina Shvartsakh; Joe Krajsa; Eva Kondratick; Tanner Carmen; Alexander Galvin; Gregory Burch; Health and well-being of: SSG Kevin Leonhard in Iraq, friend of the Hancher s; Andrea Atkins, Brianna Atkins, Anna Thompson; Michael Egan, Anna Doray s son-in-law, who is being deployed to Iraq; Nicholas Serio, in Iraq; Katherine Pilc; Russ Sass; Newly Departed from This Life: Margaret Olaf Apr 2 nd ; Peter King; Eugene Telep; John Oleska Mar 14 th ; Helen Sass Mar 1 st ; Anniversaries of Those Departed from This Life: Henry Hess, grandfather of Monica Burgett, April 15 th is the 6 th anniversary; Stephen Fatich, father of Janet Kuzupas, April 19 th is the 38 th anniversary; Mildred D. Ettinger, April 19 th is the 14 th anniversary; Candle Offerings: Seven Day Eternal Lamp Votive Candles were placed April 1 st in memory of Protodeacon Basil Hubiak (brother of Matushka Olga Kovach) by Father Michael Kovach. April 9 th was the 5 th anniversary of Protodeacon Hubiak s departure from this life. On March 31 st & April 8 th, 2 candles were placed on the table of preparation for Mary Hubiak Sysak (mother of Harry Sysak) by the Sysak Family. April 1 st was the 33 rd anniversary of Mary s departure from this life. On April 1 st, two candles were placed on the center table for Gregory Sysak, Lyudmila and infant son Pyotr who were traveling April 5 th and 8 th. On April 1 st, nine altar candles were placed for the health of Helen Osuch by John Osuch and Family. Three candles are placed today for the health & well being of Father Michael & Matushka Kovach by Tom and Dolores Chase. Many Years (Names for the singing of MANY YEARS after the Sunday Divine Liturgy will be accepted for publication in the weekly bulletin. Please ctsocahbg@aol.com with the information.) Mary Ann Hadginske will celebrate her birthday April 16 th. Fr. Dan and Matushka Theodora Ressetar will celebrate Michael Kuchta, Bill Kuchta s Godfather & uncle, April 11 th is their 49 th wedding anniversary on April 20 th. the anniversary; Helen Tatusko will celebrate her birthday on April 20 th. Adam Mallick will celebrate his birthday on April 18 th. George Krempasky will celebrate his birthday on April 21 st. Anna Kuchta will celebrate her birthday on April 18 th Pascha Decorated Candles

2 Two Decorated Candles on the center table, offered for the Health and Welfare of the Norato Family by Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Norato Two Large Decorated Candles behind the center table: In memory of Dolly from Adam Mallick; On the altar table: Seven in memory of Mother and Father; Simon and Ksenia; and husband Thomas by Mrs. Middlesworth Two candles on the Table of Preparation: Two in memory of Sonia Mioff from Angie Mioff and children In front of the iconostas: Two offered by Father Dan and Matushka Ressetar in memory of their parents One offered in memory of the Hancher & Starinshak Families by Libby and Ron Hancher Sr One offered by Libby and Ron Hancher Sr in memory of their parents One offered by June Taleff, In memory of her husband Peter One offered by Dotty Fedetz in memory of deceased members of the Fedetz Family One offered by Dotty Fedetz in memory of deceased members of the Matyuf Family Two offered by Betty Motz in memory of Ted Motz and parents Two offered by Betty Motz for the Health of the Motz Family Two offered by Suzanne Demchak for Parents Mary and George, and her brother George One offered by Jerry and Ann Cole for Sam and Dora Telech One offered in memory of Protodeacon Basil Hubiak by Father and Matushka Kovach From Father Seraphim Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, CHRIST IS RISEN! These three words are deceptively simple. But take a look at each: 1. Christ. The eternal Word of the Father, true God, Creator of all things, Fulfillment of the Prophets, takes on human nature and makes it His own: two natures, divine and human, in the one divine Person. He who became man that we might become divinized! 2. Is. Not, "hopefully will be", or "for some He is, but for others, not", or "if you wish to believe it, then He is for you", but IS. It is an empirical fact that Christ is risen, because He is the One who said, "I Am". 3. Risen. Not just in "spirit", but fully, totally, in body and in soul, is truly and empirically risen from the dead, taking all the dead with Him, and destroying the power of death forever. Incredible! The canon for Pascha proclaims: "now all is filled with light: heaven, earth and hades." Think of this: the worst thing we can possibly imagine, the deepest hell and the worst nightmare, the most despicable and unspeakably horrible thing that can ever be, is filled with light. Simple logic will tell us that therefore, there is no reason for fear or sorrow. If the worst thing possible is filled with light, then there is no cause for worry. Not a bad way to think about life, it seems. Truly God loves us! Truly Christ is risen! May the hope of the resurrection fill our hearts to overflowing! Yours in the loving, risen Christ, Fr Seraphim The Miraculous Holy Fire in Jerusalem Comes Again! Many have heard of the amazing miracle that has occurred in the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The following is a brief description of the miracle, taken from orthodoxphotos.com (which is a great site for many other photos of elders, saints, etc.) Miracle in the Orthodox Church: The Ceremony of the Holy Light in Jerusalem This ceremony takes place in the Orthodox Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) in the Holy city of Jerusalem in such a way that bewilders the soul of the Christians. It takes place every single year, at the same time, in the same manner, and on the same spot. On Pascha Saturday, at noon, the Orthodox Patriarch, or any other Orthodox Archbishop, enters the Holy Sepulchre, recites special prayers and remains waiting. Sometimes the waiting is long, sometimes short. The crowd, in the darkened church, repeats continually with a loud voice: "Lord, have mercy." (Kyrie eleison). At a certain moment the Holy Light flashes from the depth of the Holy Sepulchre in a supernatural way, miraculously, and lights up the little lamp of olive oil put on the edge of it. The Patriarch (or the Archbishop), after having read some prayers, lights up the two clusters of 33 candles he is holding, and begins to distribute the Holy Light to the multitude of pilgrims, who receive it with great emotion, accompanied with the pealing of bells, acclamations, and an unbridled enthusiasm. The Holy Light is not only distributed by the Archbishop, but operates also by itself. It emits from the Holy Sepulchre having a gleam of a hue completely different from that of natural light. It sparkles, it flashes like lightning, it flies like a dove around the tabernacle of the Holy Sepulchre, and lights up the unlit lamps of olive oil hanging in front of it. It whirls from one side of the church to the other. It enters to some of the chapels inside the church, as for instance the chapel of the Calvery (at a higher level than the Holy Sepulchre) and lights up the little lamps. It lights up also the candles of certain pilgrims. In fact there are some very pious pilgrims who, every time they attended this ceremony, noticed that their candles lit up on the own accord! This divine light also presents some special peculiarities: As soon as it appears it has a bluish hue and does not burn. At the first moments of its appearance, if it touches the face, or the mouth, or the hands, it does not burn. The appearance of the Holy Light is an event which occurs every year in front of thousands of visual witnesses. Nobody can deny it. On the contrary, this miracle can reinforce those who have lack of faith. Watch a video of last year's miracle at: Incredible! Fr Seraphim TODAYS NEWS SERVING this weekend at St. Herman Church in Shillington south of Reading is Fr. Dan; at Holy Ascension Church in Frackville is Fr. Neal; at Holy Resurrection Church in Lebanon is Fr. Michael. THE 40 TH DAY commemoration for Reiad (Rickie) Danfora is today. Following the blessing of his grave, the Essis Family will have a memorial meal at 12:30 p.m. at our parish hall downstairs. GRAVE BLESSINGS today will start at Shoop s Cemetery in Lower Paxton Township at 12 noon; then at Churchville Cemetery in Oberlin 1:30 p.m.; at Baldwin Cemetery in

3 Steelton at 2:15 p.m.; at Woodlawn Cemetery at 3:00 p.m.; and at Middletown Cemetery at 4:30 p.m. If the weather is inclement, the grave blessings and prayers will be cancelled. To check on the schedule or if there will be prayers at any of the cemeteries listed, please call after 12 noon today. THE THREE WREATHS placed outside the church and fellowship hall were prepared by Marisa Montany, Ruth Sysak, and Dorothy Sysak. They all worked together to add beauty to the Feast Day and we thank them! ALIVE IN CHRIST, the 80-page Spring 2007 issue published by our diocese, has arrived for distribution. This journal will now be published twice a year. Father Dan s Retirement Celebration last September is one of the featured articles with many colored photos. The Cup of the Lord write-up on page 38 deals with the scientific medical qualities of Holy Communion throughout the centuries no disease has ever been transmitted by the taking of Holy Communion. Take a copy of ALIVE Read it and share it. Please do not discard it leave a copy somewhere, or return it to church for further distribution. PARISH NEWS AN INFORMAL Parish meeting will take place next Sunday April 22 after Divine Liturgy (during the Fellowship Hour) to discuss the ongoing OCA crisis. THANK YOU... Dear Fr. Seraphim, Fr. Daniel, Fr. Michael and faithful members of Christ the Saviour Orthodox Church: Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever! What an unexpected blessing it was to receive your latest donation to our family. By an act of God s Providence and your overwhelming generosity we are now able to cover our expenses for another month! Please be assured of our sincerest appreciation. May God bless your entire parish community, especially as we journey through this Great and Holy Week and enter into the joy of the Resurrection! With love in Christ, Dn. Stephen, Anna, Sophia and Zoe Vernak THANK YOU... Dear Fathers and Beloved Faithful: Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to him forever! Once again, with profound thanks, I acknowledge your most generous donation of Two Thousand, Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500) to St. Tikhon s Seminary, offered last April 3, as a scholarship to assist a deserving student in financial need at our theological school. As per Father Dan s suggestion, our committee has presented this scholarship award to: James Worthington, a first-year married student with three children, from Holy Trinity Church in Pottstown, the Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania, who is carrying an honors GPA. We at St. Tikhon s thank God for such generous benefactors as you! You are truly a faithful steward of God s gifts. In thinking of you, we are reminded of King David s praise of the Lord: Thine, O Lord, is greatness, and the power, and the glory, the might, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is Thine... Both riches and honor come from Thee...for all things come from Thee, and of Thine own have we given to Thee (II Chronicles 29:11, 12, 14). You, dear friends at Christ the Saviour parish in Harrisburg, who support our Seminary so very faithfully, have acknowledged this very thing: Everything is a gift from God, and we only give back in offering what is already His. Thanking you for your generosity to our seminarians, I pray that you will continue to be good stewards of God s gifts to you, and that the Lord in Return will bless you many times over for your charity to His Holy Church and to our theological school. With warm prayerful best wishes, I remain With love, Very Rev. Michael G. Dahulich, Ph. D., Dean of St. Tikhon s Seminary THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN JOURNAL (OCJ) in its Winter 2007 issue features Father Michael Kovach as our second Orthodox military chaplain during World War II. The issue gives a history of the FROC/FOCA and the military chaplains. Pictured in his U.S. Army uniform, Father Michael relates three interesting events that are quite exciting!! Copies of the OCJ are on the desk in the narthex. Borrow one, then return it. Nick Ressetar is the editor of the journal. SIGHT AND SOUND EVENT Sat. May 5 th : There are 5 tickets available for the newest spectacular staging of "In the Beginning", the Biblical account of creation with special effects that will surpass all you've ever seen on Sight and Sound stages. The price of the tickets is $52.00 and we are initiating a car pool system to Lancaster to save the high price of the bus on a Saturday (premium price of a chartered bus). The price also includes lunch following the show at a picnic pavilion for continued fellowship on hopefully a delightfully warm spring day. See Angie McGreevy or Willard Brown for additional information and reservations. These remaining reservations will be on a first come--first served basis. Call today.

4 SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALL DINNER: The Men s Club is sponsoring a Spaghetti and Meatball Dinner on Sunday, April 29 following the Divine Liturgy. The cost will be $6.00 per person, with children 12 yrs. and younger free. Please plan to attend. THE MEN S SOFTBALL TEAM defends their championship on Thursday, May 3 against Capital Baptist/Calvary Independent at 6 p.m. and Sunday, May 6 against Crosspoint United Methodist at 5:30 pm. Games are played at Veterans' Park in Susquehanna Township... THE NATIONAL F.O.C.A. BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT will be held in Pittsburgh, April Joshua Di Florio and Nicholas Schilling are the coaches this year. The team this year consists of: Levi Jekel/Mission Church, Matthew Lennihan/Mission Church, Dimitri Ressetar/CTS, Derek Givler/Mission Church and Gregory Janakos/Michigan. Fr. Dan and Nick Ressetar are chaperones. FUTURE EVENTS APRIL 19 th, Thur: Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church, 1228 Second Ave., Berwick, PA, is hosting Choir of Valans from Island Valaam, Russia. Admission is free but a free will offering will be taken. Light refreshments will be served in the church hall following the concert. APRIL 29 th, Sun: Spaghetti and Meatball Dinner at Noon APRIL 30 th, Mon: Men s Club meeting at 7:30 p.m. MAY 1 st, Tue: St. Mary s Altar Guild Pirogi making at 8:30 a.m. MAY 3 rd, Thu: St. Mary's Altar Guild meeting at 6:30 p.m. MAY 15 th, Tue: St. Mary s Altar Guild Pirogi making at 8:30 a.m. MAY 30 th, Wed: St. Mary s Altar Guild Nut roll and kiefli baking at 8:30 a.m. JUNE 1 st, Fri: Food Festival Preparation at 8:30 a.m. JUNE 2 nd, Sat: Food Festival Preparation at 8:00 a.m. JUNE 3 rd, Sun: Mark your calendar for the Annual Ethic Food Fest! A YARD SALE: There will be a Yard Sale at our parish hall on Saturday, July 14. Donations are being sought - please NO clothing except children s clothing or adult jeans. All donations can be dropped off at the Parish Hall a week or two prior to the event and please mark items Yard Sale. (Please bring all items by Sunday July 9 th.) We will also need baked goods on the day of the yard sale to be sold. Thank you in advance for your support. Send your treasures to the heavenly storage room. Deposit your wealth in God s Bank, distributing it to the poor, the orphans and the widows, so that you can receive a million times more in the Second Coming of Christ. ~ Elder Joseph the Hesychast

5 CHRIST IS RISEN! INDEED HE IS RISEN! PASCHA 2007 To the Very Reverend and Reverend Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of The Orthodox Church in America Dearly Beloved in Christ, If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty... And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 1 Corinthians 15:14, 17 Recently, there have been a number of attempts to disprove the central tenet of our faith: that Christ is risen from the dead. Television documentaries claim that Our Lord s grave and that of his family have been discovered. Scholars debate whether Christ really died on the cross, or whether He merely fell victim to a condition that mimics death, only to be revived while resting in the tomb. That which generated tremendous controversy 2000 years ago even Our Lord s murderers spread the belief that His disciples had stolen His body! continues to breed controversy and attempts to prove or disprove the very foundation of our faith as Orthodox Christians. Scientifically, the Resurrection cannot be proven. Ultimately, it is a Mystery the greatest Mystery of all time. It is a Mystery that can only be understood through the eyes of faith, through an intense trust in the will of the Creator Who, as we sing in one Vesper hymn, can change the order of nature as He desires. It is a Mystery that simply cannot be understood by those who question or reject the very notion that God so loved the world that He sent His only-begotten Son to renew and restore all creation and its relationship to its Creator. For those who deny God, or who are indifferent to Him, or who refuse to embrace His very existence, the Resurrection is reduced to myth, even as it renders the death of Christ meaningless, just one more senseless death not unlike the countless others perpetrated by the civil authorities of the time. While indeed we preach Christ crucified, as Saint Paul writes elsewhere, it is only through the glorious Resurrection that the Crucifixion holds any real meaning. The cross that dreaded sign of death and corruption is transformed into a sign of victory, the ultimate symbol of God s presence and loving kindness and forgiveness. Hence, while we preach Christ crucified, we look beyond the cross to the empty tomb, in which we discover the Christ Who emptied Himself precisely to ensure that our preaching and faith are not empty or futile, the Christ Who loves us so much that He literally gives His life lest we remain captives to sin, corruption, and ultimately, death itself. Someone once wrote that, when the Good News of the Resurrection ceases to be controversial, it loses its very power to transform lives. Today, as in centuries past, Our Lord s Resurrection remains the subject of controversy, doubt, and even blatant denial. But surely we must acknowledge that, despite 2000 years of controversy and scientific enquiry and archeological digs, the light of the risen Christ has not and cannot - be extinguished. The Resurrection remains at the heart of our faith and lives as Christians. The eyes of faith can see beyond the Mystery into the deepest reality of all: the very love of God that makes the Resurrection of Our Lord possible and holds for us the promise of our own resurrection and delight in life eternal. This year, as we celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior, let us arm ourselves against every temptation to doubt the central Mystery and reality of our faith. Let us be assured of the forgiveness and new life that shines forth from the empty tomb. And let us renew our commitment and conviction that only by and through the incomprehensible Mystery of the Resurrection can we discover our true destiny and calling as the People of God, living in this world, yet already delighting in the life of the world to come. May the risen Savior renew, restore, and refresh us during this most joyous season, and every day of our lives, so that in all things, He and He alone may be glorified! With love in the Risen Lord, + HERMAN Archbishop of Washington and New York Metropolitan of All America and Canada