Sunday Bulletin 30 October 2011 Fifth Sunday of Luke God s people, serving God s people Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral 1324 South Normandie Avenue, Los Angeles, 90006 Office: 323.737.2424 Fax: 323.737.7029 www.stsophia.org Very Reverend Father John S. Bakas, Dean Reverend Father Allan Boyd, Assistant Priest
CALENDAR FOR THIS WEEK Sunday, October 30 th Orthros.......8:15am Studies in Faith.....9:15am Memorials..9:45am Divine Liturgy...... 10:00am Monday, October 31 st Bible Study with Father John: Philoptohos Women s Bible Study........10:30am Men s Bible Study......12:30pm Bible Studies in the Faith (in the chapel).....7:30pm Tuesday, November 1 st Cosmas & Damianos Orthros.......8:30am Divine Liturgy....... 9:30am Hellenic Academy (Adults).7:00pm Wednesday, November 2 nd Bible Study with Father Allan: Kingdom of Heaven Bible Study CANCELLED FOR TONIGHT Saturday, November 5 th Hellenic Academy (PreK & K)...9:30am Hellenic Academy (K & 1-6)....9:30am Hellenic Academy (Adults)....12:30pm Coffee Hour will be held in the Fellowship Tent EPISTLE READER Jeanine Hanna USHERS Dinah Wellington Shelmadine Wellington 2
DAILY VITAMINS FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH 3
MEMORIALS Nikolaos Papanicolaou (40 days), Stanley Funk, Anthony Xenopolou Christine Xenopolou, Jenny Xenopolou, Anthony Psaltis (1 year), Chris Julius, George Gialketsis, Mr. Papadakis, Nick & Ernie Tassop, Frank Desby (19 years), Theodore ALTAR CANDLES Both sides offered in loving memory of Nikolaos Papanicolaou by his son John and Family PERPETUAL LIGHTS Offered in loving memory of Stanley Funk by his wife Helen Offered in loving memory of Anthony & Christine Xenopolou & Jenny Xenopolou by their daughter and sister Helen Funk Offered in loving memory of Frank Desby by his family 4
Υμνος ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΙΜΑ ΑΠΟΛΥΤΙΚΙΑ Ηχος γ Ηχος δ 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. Ηχος β 5
HYMNS OF THE DAY Apolytikia 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 depth of Hades, and has granted the world great mercy. Fourth Tone For their struggle, O Lord, Your Martyrs received the crown of immortality from You our God. Armed with Your might they defeated the tyrants. They also crushed the arrogance of demons. By their intercessions, O Christ our God, save our souls. 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. Second Tone Champion of Christians not put to shame, advocate before the Maker always steadfast, do not spurn sinners voices raised in prayer. In your goodness respond to bring help to us who devoutly petition you. Hasten your intercession and urgently make entreaty; for you unfailingly defend, Theotokos, those who honor you. 6
ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ Πρὸς Γαλάτας 1:11-19 Ἀδελφοί, γνωρίζω δὲ ὑμῖν, ἀδελφοί, τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τὸ εὐαγγελισθὲν ὑπ ἐμοῦ, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν κατὰ ἄνθρωπον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐγὼ παρὰ ἀνθρώπου παρέλαβον αὐτό, οὔτε ἐδιδάχθην, ἀλλὰ δι ἀποκαλύψεως Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ. Ἠκούσατε γὰρ τὴν ἐμὴν ἀναστροφήν ποτε ἐν τῷ Ἰουδαϊσμῷ, ὅτι καθ ὑπερβολὴν ἐδίωκον τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ ἐπόρθουν αὐτήν καὶ προέκοπτον ἐν τῷ Ἰουδαϊσμῷ ὑπὲρ πολλοὺς συνηλικιώτας ἐν τῷ γένει μου, περισσοτέρως ζηλωτὴς ὑπάρχων τῶν πατρικῶν μου παραδόσεων. Ὅτε δὲ εὐδόκησεν ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἀφορίσας με ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου καὶ καλέσας διὰ τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ, ἀποκαλύψαι τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐμοὶ ἵνα εὐαγγελίζωμαι αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, εὐθέως οὐ προσανεθέμην σαρκὶ καὶ αἵματι οὐδὲ ἀνῆλθον εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα πρὸς τοὺς πρὸ ἐμοῦ ἀποστόλους, ἀλλὰ ἀπῆλθον εἰς Ἀραβίαν, καὶ πάλιν ὑπέστρεψα εἰς Δαμασκόν. Ἔπειτα μετὰ ἔτη τρία ἀνῆλθον εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα ἱστορῆσαι Πέτρον, καὶ ἐπέμεινα πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡμέρας δεκαπέντε. Ἕτερον δὲ τῶν ἀποστόλων οὐκ εἶδον, εἰ μὴ Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ κυρίου. 7
EPISTLE READING Let Us Be Attentive.. Verse: Sing praises to our God, sing praises. Clap your hands, all you nations. Wisdom.. The Reading is from St. Paul's Letter to Galatians 1:11-19 Let us be Attentive.. BRETHREN, I would have you know that the gospel which was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it; and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia; and again I returned to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother. 8
GOSPEL READING The Reading is from Luke 16:19-31 The Lord said, "There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazaros, full of sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried; and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Lazaros in his bosom. And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Lazaros to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazaros in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.' And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.' But Abraham said, 'They have Moses, and the prophets; let them hear them.' And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if some one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He said to them, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.'" 9
The Joy of Belonging Through Christian Stewardship STEWARDSHIP REPORT THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2011 FAMILIES PLEDGED 626 AMOUNT PLEDGED $672,879.00 AMOUNT PAID $641,389 49% of 1,271 Mailing List 67% of $1,000,000 Stewardship Goal 42% of $1,600,000 Annual Budget 64% of $1,000,000 Stewardship Goal 40% of $1,600,000 Annual Budget We are deeply grateful to our Stewards, who have made their pledges for this year, and kindly remind those who have not yet pledged to please do so, as the stewardship income is vital to the daily operation of our Cathedral and its ministries. We hope and pray for the participation and support of all our Parishioners. CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP PROVIDES THE FOUNDATION FOR OUR ORTHODOX FAITH ENHANCES OUR SPIRITUAL AND CULTURAL GROWTH ENSURES THE TRANSITION OF FAITH AND CULTURE TO THE NEXT GENERATIONS YOU MAY PLEDGE USING ONE OF THE FOLLOWING METHODS: COMPLETE your PLEDGE CARD CALL us at 323 737 2424 E MAIL us at office@sts ophia.org or accountant@stsophia.org VISIT our WEB SITE at stsophia.org and click on STEWARDSHIP PICK UP a STEWARDSHIP PACKET in the NARTHEX WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND CONSIDERATION. The earth is the Lord s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Psalms 24:1 10
MINISTRY NEWS PHILOPTOHOS NEWS EVENING WITH FRIENDS DINNER: ANNOUNCEMENT: Our Evening with Friends dinner honoring Father Peter Lambert, will not be held in the new Fellowship Hall. The Building Committee has informed us that even though most of the building will be done, the City of Los Angeles and the Fire Department, will probably not be able to issue the Certificate of Occupancy before our event. So the dinner has been moved back to the Bel-Air Country Club, on Saturday, January 28 th, 2012. The solicitation letters will be going out very soon and we hope you will consider honoring Father Lambert with a greeting and supporting Philoptohos. Philoptohos and Philanthropia are working together to help the Los Angeles Mission before winter arrives. The Mission is in need of plain coffee, boxes of plain Cheerios or plain Corn Flakes. Breakfast is one of the busiest times for the Mission after people have been out on the street all night. We will be outside the church near the collection bins, to receive any donation you might wish to make. Please do not buy any fruit or sugary cereals. The last day for the collection drive is Sunday, November 13 th. Anything you would like to donate will be greatly appreciated. DON T FORGET: The Thanksgiving Luncheon will be held on Sunday, November 20 th, at 1:00 p.m. at the Wilson and Harding Clubhouse, in Griffith Park. Reservations must be made in advance and are $22 per person. Everyone is invited to attend, husbands, children, friends, etc. There will be a reservation form in the November Herald Newsletter. Maria Props will be joining us and is bringing her jewelry and handbags for you to purchase. You can do some of your holiday shopping at the meeting! Valet Parking will be available. We know it may not be convenient to travel to Griffith Park, but we hope you will join us before the holidays. Remember, there is NO general assembly meeting in December. Today, we celebrate the Feast Day of Cosmas and Damianos (November 1 st ), the Patron Saints of Philoptohos. The Philoptohos will pass a tray for National Philoptohos. All proceeds are used to benefit the philanthropic charities of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. We hope to see you at our upcoming 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 in Christ s service, The Philoptohos Board of Directors 11
PHILOPTOHOS VIP NEWS MINISTRY NEWS (continued) Artoklasia - Sunday, November 6: Artoklasia is offered for the health of the Philoptohos VIP members (senior citizens) and their families. In His Service, Vivi Demopoulos, VIP President ******************************************* CHOIR NEWS Saint Sophia Cathedral 14th Annual Christmas Musicfest under the Byzantine Dome "Glory to God in the Highest" Sunday, December 4, 2011-7:00 p.m. The program will include Orthodox Christmas Hymns and Chants, selections from Gloria by Antonio Vivaldi, and traditional carols of the holiday season. The concert will feature Michele Patzakis Prappas and Genna Ambatielos Yaitanes as soloists, the Saint Sophia Cathedral Choir and Chamber Ensemble under the direction of Jim H. Kollias, and the Harmonies of Saint Thomas All Girls Choir, under the direction of Antonio Espinal. Freewill offering. Reception immediately following concert. Thank you Neal Desby ************* As part of the memorial to our beloved Dr. Frank Desby, his son Neal will conduct the choir today. The congregation will hear the choral responses to the Great Ektenis and Supplications composed by Dr. Desby whose choral compositions are sung each week at Saint Sophia and at numerous parishes throughout the United States. 12
MINISTRY NEWS (continued) PHILANTHROPIA MINISTRY NEWS PHILANTHROPIA TEAM BOARD MEETING: TODAY, Sunday, October 30 th, @ 12;30 in St Constantine Chapel, we will have our annual meeting. Please plan to attend this very important meeting. Thank you. As we begin the new year, the following are some scheduled projects: NAMI WALKS National Alliance on Mental Illness: On October 1, 2011 we sponsored walkers. Please check out their website at infor@nami.org LOS ANGELES MISSION: Philanthropia is partnering with Philoptohos to collect plain coffee and cereal needed at the L.A. Mission. Last day for collection is November 13 th. Please deposit your donations next to the chapel, near the collection bins. CITY OF HOPE PEDIATRIC MEMORIAL BOOKLET: This is now our 9 th year sponsoring the Memorial Service and Booklet for the City of Hope Medical Center Pediatric Unit, which will take place on Thursday November 10 th. Our liaison, Dr. Randi McAllister, on the Pediatric staff, together with a team of doctors and nurses, hosts the parents and families to remember their children who were victims to cancer. Each parent and family have a page dedicated to their child with pictures, love notes, poems, etc.; a way of helping the family deal with the loss of the child. Please mail your donations to the Philanthropia Inc. 6357 Crebs Ave. Tarzana, 91335. As always, thank you so much for your concern and support. 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. They are located side by side, in the general area of the chapel. Thank you! PHILANTHROPIA WEBSITE: The Summer issue of the PHILANTHROPIA Newsletter is now on the website: www.philanthropiaministry.org. We thank Perry Lambert who is coordinating our website. Take care and God Bless. With love, Father Peter 13
COMMUNITY NEWS SAVE THE DATE NOVEMBER 5, 2011 PATRIARCH ATHENAGORAS ORTHODOX INSTITUTE (PAOI) SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AUXILIARY invites you to attend the 20 th Anniversary Celebration honoring Chris & Joan Caras and Harry & Agopie Pappas, board members & loyal supporters of PAOI & the Greek Orthodox Church Community. The event will take place at Town and Gown, USC and will also host the debut exhibit of the PAOI Icon Collection. For more information, please contact Chris Haidos (310 832 1459) or Roz Halikis (310 378 5672). ******************************************* ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF LONG BEACH CORDIALLY INVITES YOU TO JOIN US IN THE JOYOUS CELEBRATION OF OUR 20 TH ANNIVERSARY SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2011 ASSUMPTION GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 5761 EAST COLORADO ST. LONG BEACH, CA 90814 6:00 PM 7:00 PM HORS D OEUVRES ASSUMPTION CENTER FORMAL ATTIRE DINNER, MUSIC & DANCING BETTY RECKAS CENTER FOR RESERVATIONS PLEASE CALL THE CHURCH OFFICE 562 494 8929 $100 DONATION PER ADULT 14
COMMUNITY NEWS (continued) APARTMENT VACANCY There is a vacancy in the cathedral apartments at 1425 South Mariposa. Anyone interested should call the cathedral office and ask for Angelo or Ann Pappas. ******************************************* MR. & MRS. CLUB EVENT An evening of "Comedy, Music, Cocktails & Cuisine" November 5, 2011 There are a limited number of tickets available for a performance by the hilarious comic, Basile, appearing live at the Mission Viejo Country Club. Prior to the comedy concert, the evening kicks off with cocktails (no host bar) and dinner. After the concert the evening continues with cocktails, music and dancing, dessert and coffee. A raffle with great prizes will also take place at the end of the evening. Parking is complementary. The cost of the festivities is $100 per person, which includes dinner, the comedy concert, musical entertainment (dancing), coffee and dessert. All proceeds from this event will benefit the ministries of the Greek Orthodox Mission of South Orange County. To purchase tickets for this event, please contact Father Bill frbill@gomsoc.org - cash, check, Visa, Mastercard and Amex will be accepted and full refunds are available for last minute cancelations. For more details please contact Dean & Christina Peratsakis - 310-293-4907 - dotos@msn.com or Father Bill Tragus - 949-542-3445 - frbill@gomsoc.org ******************************************* AHEPA and Daughters of Penelope Cordially invite you to join us for our Annual Christmas Dinner Party Sunday Dec 11 th 5:30 PM The Great Greek Restaurant 13362 Ventura Blvd Sherman Oaks Reservations by Dec 4 th $45 per person Make checks payable to: DOP Alkandre Mail to: Mrs Mary Kezios, 10409 Casanes Ave. Downey CA 90241 Call Mary Kezios (562) 923.7110 Amelia Skoutaris (818) 887.3720 Family and friends are welcome. Valet parking available 15
COMMUNITY NEWS (continued) QUESTIONS FOR OUR PRIESTS? On the 1st Sunday of each month, at 12:30 PM, following the English liturgy, either Fr. John, or Fr. Allan (or possibly even both) will be available in the Cathedral to answer any questions you may have about the Orthodox Faith, or about passages of scripture that you may be struggling with, or questions about others' beliefs. We dearly hope to make the Orthodox Faith as accessible to you as possible. ******************************************* AMERICAN LEGION LEONIDAS POST 285 37 th Annual Veterans Day Luncheon Friday, November 11 th @ 12:00 pm TAIX French Restaurant 1911 Sunset Blvd. (1 block east of Alvarado Blvd.) Adults: $25 Children (12 & under): $12 Please make your pre-paid reservations with your choice of entrée no later than November 7 th @ 5:00pm Chase Morrison 818.500.0904 or- John Stamatiades 323.737.5458 Please support our Post Youth Programs! ******************************************* Holy Communion Order: Please remain in your pew until children and choir receive, after which you will be dismissed row by row by the ushers Ladies, kindly remove your lipstick before receiving When receiving Holy Communion, make the sign of the Cross, state your name and naturally receive as if being fed. Non-Orthodox Christians may not receive Holy Communion, but may receive the Blessed Bread at the end of the service. All Orthodox Christians must be spiritually prepared to receive the Sacrament. Please see the priest if you have any questions. 16
COMMUNITY NEWS (continued) THE HERALD MONTHLY NEWSLETTER To All Stewards: If your anniversary/birthday is not already listed in our monthly Herald newsletter and you wish for it to be listed in the appropriate issue for your month, please e-mail your information to: Stephanie Caiopoulos Lubian (secretary@stsophia.org). + Please note the deadline due date is listed on the front cover of each issue. Please send your articles to Stephanie (secretary@stsophia.org) If you wish to view the Herald online, please go to the cathedral website: stsophia.org and click on the HERALD link. SUNDAY WEEKLY BULLETIN Please note the deadline for articles is Wednesday at noon of each week. Please send your articles to either Stephanie (secretary@stsophia.org) or Christina (office@stsophia.org). The Weekly Bulletin is now accessible online at the cathedral website: stsophia.org. To navigate from the Home page, hover over the HERALD link on the tool bar, and then select WEEKLY from the drop-down menu. CATHEDRAL MAILINGS If you wish to receive electronic mass-mailings from the cathedral, such as a notice each month that the Herald is online, or a weekly notice that the Sunday bulletin is online, please register on our cathedral website: stsophia.org. To navigate from the Home page, click on ABOUT US/CONTACT US/EMAIL SIGNUP. Then click on SIGN UP FOR THE ST. SOPHIA E-MAIL LIST. On the SUBSCRIBE PAGE, just input your email address and click SUBSCRIBE. If you are currently receiving e-mails from the cathedral and wish to be removed from the email list, you may UNSUBSCRIBE online using the SUBSCRIBE PAGE mentioned in above paragraph. If you wish to receive the Herald in paper form, please call the cathedral office. If you do not wish to receive the monthly paper version of the Herald, please ask the cathedral office to remove your name from our Herald postal mailing list. 17
DID YOU KNOW the following facts about the Bible? The Bible is not just one single book. The Bible is actually a collection of 66 books, which is called the canon of scriptures. These 66 books contain a variety of genres: history, poetry, prophecy, wisdom literature, letters, and apocalyptic writings, just to name a few. These 66 books were written by 40 different authors. These authors came from a variety of back-grounds: shepherds, fishermen, doctors, kings, prophets, and others. And most of these authors never knew one another, personally. These 66 books were written over a period of 1,500 years. Yet again, this is another reminder that many of these authors never knew or collaborated with one another in writing these books. Fourth, the 66 books of the Bible were written in 3 different languages. In the Bible we have books that were written in the ancient languages of Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic; a reflection of the historical and cultural circumstances in which each of these books were written. These 66 books were written on 3 different continents: Africa, Asia and Europe. Once again, this is a testament to the varied historical and cultural circumstances of God s people. Think about the above realities: 66 books, written by 40 different authors, over 1,500 years, in 3 different languages, on 3 different continents. What s more, this collection of books shares a common theme God s universal love for all of humanity; and a common message salvation is available to all who repent of their sins and commit to following God with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength. In addition to sharing these commonalities, these 66 books contain no historical errors or contradiction. In addition to the 66 Canonical books, there are also 10 additional Deuterocanonical books, thus totaling 76 books of the Bible. The word deuterocanonical comes from the Greek and is translated to mean 'belonging to the second canon'. God s word truly is an amazing collection of writings! 18
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 St Sophia s Altar Fund. Label: For the health of PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY: Please submit this form to: St Sophia Cathedral Office 1324 S Normandie Ave. Los Angeles CA 90006 19
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