His Eminence Metropolitan JOSEPH, Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of all North America His Grace Bishop BASIL Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America Rev. Father Joseph Hector Abouid Rev. Deacon Miguel Sifuentes Pastor Deacon And the Disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. Acts 11:26 Tel.: 915-584-9100 www.stgeorge-elpaso.org office@stgeorge-elpaso.org October 21th, 2018 Pentecost & Sixth Sunday of Luke Venerable Hilarion the Great of Palestine Christodoulos of Patmos the wonderworker; Martyrs Socrates and Theodota at Ancyra; Venerable-confessors Vissarion & Sophronios of Ciorara, & Martyr Oprea of Salistie in Romania Tone 4 Eothinon 10 Saturday Service: Vespers 5:00 P.M Sunday Service: Orthros (Matins) 9:15 AM, Followed by the Divine Liturgy Epistle: Teresa Salloum Sermon: James Shaheen Altar Boys: All are welcome to serve. RESURRECTIONAL APOLYTIKION IN TONE FOUR Having learned the joyful message of the Resurrection from the angel the women disciples of the Lord cast from them their parental condemnation. And proudly broke the news to the Disciples, saying: Death hath been spoiled; Christ God is risen, granting the world Great Mercy. APOLYTIKION OF ST. HILARION THE GREAT IN TONE EIGHT The barren wilderness thou didst make fertile with the streams of thy tears; and by thy deep sighing thou hast given fruit through thy struggles a hundred-fold. Accordingly, thou hast become a star for the universe, sparkling with miracles. Therefore, O righteous Father Hilarion, intercede with Christ God to save our souls.
APOLYTIKION FOR ST. GEORGE THE GREAT-MARTYR TONE FOUR Since thou art a liberator and deliverer of captives, a help and support of the poor and needy, a healing physician of the sick, a contender and fighter for kings, O great among Martyrs, the victory-clad George; intercede with Christ God for the salvation of our soul. ORDINARY KONTAKION IN TONE TWO O protection of Christians that cannot be put to shame, mediation unto the Creator most constant, O despise not the suppliant voices of those who have sinned; but be thou quick, O good one, to come unto our aid, who in faith cry unto thee: Hasten to intercession, and speed thou to make supplication, thou who dost ever protect, O Theotokos, them that honor thee. THE EPISTLE (For the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost) O Lord, how magnified are Thy works. In wisdom hast Thou made them all. Bless the Lord, O my soul. The Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians. (2:16-20) Brethren, you know 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 GOSPEL (For the Sixth Sunday of Luke) The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke. (8:26-39) At that time, Jesus arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. And as He stepped out on land, there met Him a man from the city who had demons; for a long time he had worn no clothes, and he lived not in a house but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him, and said with a loud voice, What hast Thou to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beseech
Thee, do not torment me. For Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. [For many a time it had seized him; he was kept under guard, and bound with chains and fetters, but he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the desert.] Jesus then asked him, What is your name? And he said, Legion ; for many demons had entered him. And they begged Jesus not to command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside; and they begged Jesus to let them enter these. So He gave them leave. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled, and told it in the city and in the country. Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told them how he who had been possessed with demons was healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked Jesus to depart from them; for they were seized with great fear; so He got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with Jesus; but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to your home, and declare all that God has done for you. And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city all that Jesus had done for him. THE SYNAXARION On October 21 in the Holy Orthodox Church we commemorate our righteous Father Hilarion the Great of Palestine. Like a rose growing among thorns, this great saint was born of pagan parents in the village of Tabatha near Gaza in Palestine. Hilarion s parents sent him to study in Alexandria, where the gifted youngster quickly excelled in both secular learning and spiritual wisdom. Coming to know the Lord Christ, he was baptized, and desired to dedicate himself completely to the service of the true God. With this desire in his heart, Hilarion visited St. Anthony in the desert and became his disciple. Then he returned to his homeland and lived a life of asceticism near Maïuma at Gaza. Demons tried to terrify Hilarion in various ways, but by prayer to God and the sign of the Cross he always overcame them and drove them away. Many lovers of the spiritual life gathered around him. Hilarion became for Palestine what St. Anthony was for Egypt. A divine teacher, a strict ascetic and a wonderful miracle-worker, Hilarion was revered not only by Christians but also by pagans. He peacefully entered the Heavenly Kingdom in the year 372 at the age of 80. On this day, we also commemorate Christodoulos of Patmos the wonderworker; Martyrs Socrates and Theodota at Ancyra; Venerable-confessors Vissarion and Sophronios of Ciorara, and Martyr Oprea of Salistie in Romania. By the intercessions of Thy Saints, O Christ God, have mercy upon us. Amen.
Thought of the Day If a person earnestly seeks salvation with his whole heart, God will lead him to a true instructor. Do not worry, each will find the one who is just right for him. St Leo of Optina Holy Bread is offered by: Anonymous Virginia Mansour in memory of my brother Rickie Hanna, his children, Timothy & Gina, parents, Elias & Emily Hanna, aunt Sara Hanna, and my beloved husband, Walter Mansour. Deadline for Holy Bread offering and any bulletin announcement should be in the church office or emailed to vanessasalloum@hotmail.com and/or cedarfam4@aol.com by Friday of every week in order to have it placed in the following week bulletin. GENERAL DONATIONS Salah & Nada Al-Hanna for the health of Ammar Esper. Milad & Laurice Farah for the health of Eva Mowad. Jamie Isaac for the health of Patricia Borschow, Phillip Borschow & families. Congratulations to Ramsey Esper, Salah Al-Hanna, and Nassim Salloum, Inducted as Knights in the Order of St. Ignatius! Vanessa Salloum for the health of His Grace Bishop Basil, Fr. Joseph Abouid, Kh. Carol & Aidan, and all members of The Theotokos Choir. ARCHDIOCESE DUES Salah, Nada, Angela, Angenette & George Al-Hanna SEMINARY DONATIONS Ken & Marilyn Drayhan Salma Isaac
In Christ our Saviour, +Bishop Basil Diocese of Wichita & Mid-America Message from His Grace Bishop Basil Dear to Christ Father Joseph and Deacon Miguel, Dr Raed and the Parish Council, Sylvana and the Ladies Society, P.J. and the Altar Boys, and all members of St George Church in El Paso: Blessings and much love to you and your families. Thank you so very, very much for your warm welcome and gracious hospitality, for your generous gifts and, most especially, for the unique opportunity you offered to so many by hosting the world-renowned Theotokos Orthodox Choir from Beirut. I so enjoyed visiting and praying with you this past weekend. I am grateful for and exceedingly proud of your Christ-loving congregation! Looking forward to being with you again in June at our Diocese s Parish Life Conference in Fort Worth, and assuring you of my continued paternal love, prayers and blessings, I remain. Message from Theotokos Orthodox Choir The time has come to get back home. From St. George Orthodox Church in El Paso Texas, we come back to Lebanon, our hearts filled with the parishioners' exceptional love and hospitality. Father Joseph Hector Abouid, pastor of this lovely community, our choir's dear friend and the main reason behind our tour to Texas, you have spent long days and nights working with love and joy to make our trip possible, you were beside us in every moment and didn't spare the least opportunity to make us feel at home and between family. Your main concern was to show that the Word of God can be served through prayer and byzantine music, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for giving us this honor. We pray that God sends you and your family, and the St. George community his graces and blessings at all times.
Thanks to His Grace Bishop Basil On behalf of the Parish Council and St. George parishioners, we thank His Grace Bishop Basil for his visit, word of wisdom and the great Divine Liturgy. Dr. Raed Aldouri Thanks to the Ladies Society Many thanks to all the ladies who contributed financially and supported the breakfast with His Grace Bishop basil. We were blessed to have His Grace with us, it was a very successful and enlighten event. Sylvana Aldouri Thanksgiving Luncheon Donations Dalal Young Donations are accepted for the annual Thanksgiving luncheon. Please see any member of the Ladies Society or Salma Isaac. Proceeds go to the Antiochian Women s project. Epistle: Sammy Odeh Sermon: Angela Al-Hanna Refreshments: Angela, Zoe, Odeh Teen Soyo Month October 28
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Date Time Event Thursday October 23 5:30 PM Sunday School Annual Pumpkin carving & Pizza party @ church hall Looking forward to seeing our students. Sunday October 28 IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING LITURGY Please come support the teens and their annual Teen Month luncheon. Tickets are $10 and all proceeds go to helping support future events. Tickets will be sold after church on Sunday. God bless you all for your continued support! Alexie, PJ and the Teens Sunday November 4 12:30 PM Thanksgiving Luncheon Bake Table Adults: $15 Children: $10 ALTAR BOYS I'd like to personally thank all the Altar Boys and their parents for their continued dedication to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and our Blessed St. George. Once again, the servers were absolutely amazing in serving with His Grace, Bishop Basil. He was extremely impressed with how many boys there were and how well they conducted themselves. He also mentioned they're some of the best he's ever seen, especially for their age. May God continue to keep them close to their church and family. Love, PJ Ferris
Message from Fr. Joseph to the sponsors: To all who contributed financially, through their time, or their moral support towards this magnanimous event: I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart! This event not only elevated the spirits of our beloved parish, it also contributed to that evangelical mission that we as Christians were called to. We gave testimony of our faith and who we are as Orthodox Christians in this world we live in. We moved so many people with this once-in-a-lifetime event. It all happened because of you. By supporting this event, you also proved to me that you support my vision of where St. George can and must be And together, we will elevate our Church to the heights of the celestial Jerusalem. Now more than ever, I am committed to serve this God-protected community with all my heart and all my soul. Thank you, and may we continue to bring the light of Orthodoxy to El Paso, and to all America! Theotokos Orthodox Choir Sponsors Salah and Nada Al-Hanna & Fam. Virginia Aziz Nada Aziz & Family Dr. Raed & Sylvana Aldouri Geoffrey Borschow Daniel & Kimberly Crawford Adib, Helen, & Jennifer Dayoub Albert & Jameelie Dayoub Tony Dayoub Joby & Joanna Denny Drs. Rami & Rosa Dieb Christopher & Catherine Esper Ramsey & Wafaa Esper Ruben & Andrea Espinosa Salma Farah & Family Christopher Ferris Laila Ferris Bryan & Annette Haddad Jamie Isaac Joseph & Melissa Isaac Salma Isaac Tony Jarjour & Family Chris & Tiffany Joudi Gilbert Malooly Sr. & Family: in memory of Our Beloved Geraldine Haifa Malooly Eva Mowad Yani & Susana Payides Sudie & Deanna Nasser George & Mary Esther Salom Jean-Marc & Marisela Salloum Drs. Hassan & Maha Salloum Habib & Hessen Salloum Vanessa Salloum Nabil & Doris Shaheen Svetlana Ulrich Sada Vaughan Reem Yacoub Phillip & Edwina Youngblood
A Taste of Orthodoxy Study Group Come and join us every Saturday from 4:00 5:00 PM! Interesting discussions about our Faith, Worship, and Spiritual Life. The classes are led by Dr. Sandra Edwards and Fr. Joseph Abouid. Don t miss out on this great opportunity to strengthen your knowledge and faith! CONTACT INFORMATION For Pastoral needs and/or Emergencies contact Fr. Joseph Abouid at: Office: 915-584-9100 Cell phone: (708)415-7050 Email: pastor@stgeorge-elpaso.org Or Deacon Michael Sifuentes at: Cell Phone: (915)309-1511 Email: monkeyelp56@hotmail.com OFFICE HOURS: Tuesday Friday: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Hospital & Pastoral Visits (During the morning or evenings Please contact Fr. Joseph to schedule the visits or in case of any emergency at any time). Confessions: Saturdays from 3:00 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. (or during the week by appointment).
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