SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2016 14th Sunday After Pentecost Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria; Venerable-martyr Paphnoutios and those with him; repose of Venerable Sergios of Radonezh; translation of the relics of Herman, archbishop of Kazan, Tone 5 Eothinon 3 // SAINT ELIAS ORTHODOX CHURCH 408 E. 11 STREET AUSTIN, TX 78701 (512) 476-2314 www.sainteliaschurch.org TH WELCOME to all our visitors worshipping with us! Please be sure to sign the Guest Book or fill out a Visitor s Card and drop it in the collection plate (or give it to a greeter). Please be our guest downstairs in the Fellowship Hall for coffee and refreshments after the service this morning. We look forward to meeting you and welcoming you personally to Saint Elias. We re glad you re here!
ST ELIAS ORTHODOX CHURCH A Parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America and the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America METROPOLITAN JOSEPH, PRIMATE BISHOP BASIL, BISHOP OF WICHITA Parish Office: The Parish Office is located at: 12731 Research Blvd, Ste. A110 Austin, TX 78759 Church Office Phone: (512) 476-2314 Church Hall Phone: (512) 476-2316 Office Hours: Tuesday Friday 10:00 AM 4:00 PM Church & Clergy email addresses: Office: office@sainteliaschurch.org Very Rev. Fr. David Barr, Pastor frdavidbarr@gmail.com Rev. Fr. Raphael Daly, Assistant Pastor synaxis@gmail.com Very Rev. Fr. Traian Buican tbuican@yahoo.com Reverend Archdeacon Niketas Sanders niketas@yahoo.com Reverend Deacon Gregory Farman gregfarman@gmail.com Reverend Deacon Elisha Long rlongsummer@gmail.com Parish Council: Officers: Mark Cherry, Chairman Dn. Elisha Long, Vice Chairman Adam Wall, Treasurer Imad Zaccak, Secretary Nesreen Khoury, Financial Sec. Members: Joshua Treviño Phillip Gunter David Jabour James Mercier Abraham Ghebremicael Michael Friends Organizational Representatives: Choir: Bill Attal Church School: Dn. Elisha Long FOSJD: Adam Wall Ladies Guild: Rania Cruz 2 Check out our parish website: www.sainteliaschurch.org Sacraments: Baptism, Matrimony, Adult Initiation Contact the Church Office and set up an appointment with the Pastor to discuss the arrangements for these sacraments. Pastoral Care of the Sick Please call the Parish Office with names of the sick and hospitalized of the parish so they can receive proper pastoral care. Offering the Holy Bread Sign up to offer Holy Bread by calling the Church Office. Become a Member of St. Elias We would love to have you be a part of our community! Please talk to the Pastor or call the Church Office to get an information packet on becoming a member of the parish. Times for Confession: Confessions are heard before Vespers on Wednesday and Saturday evenings, and by appointment during the week. One of the priests will be available in the church starting at 5:00 PM prior to Vespers. You may also call the church office or email one of the priests to set up an appointment for confession. To indicate your desire to go to Confession, come to the front right pew and wait for the priest. Due to time constraints, the priests will not be able to hear confessions between the two Divine Liturgies.
THE DIVINE LITURGY OF ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM 8:30 AM Liturgy: Congregational Singing We will be using the blue-covered Congregational Liturgy books found in the pews this morning for the 8:30 AM Divine Liturgy. Check the Early Liturgy supplement for music for the Troparia of the day. 10:30 AM Liturgy: St. Elias Choir The Divine Liturgy may be found in the white Visitor s Liturgy books. When we reach the point in the service for Antiphons and hymns, the ones for today's service are listed below and on the next page. 1st Antiphon Psalm 103:1-5 Bless the Lord, O my soul! Blessed art Thou, O Lord Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His praises, Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases, [Who redeemeth thy life from destruction, who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies.] [The Lord is compassionate and merciful, longsuffering and of great goodness.] Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His Holy Name! Blessed art Thou, O Lord! 2nd Antiphon Psalm 146 Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have being. Put not your trust in princes, in sons of men in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs he returns to his earth; on that very day his plans perish. The Lord will reign forever, Thy God, O Zion, to all generations. Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. and Only-begotten Son page 95 3rd Antiphon The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) In Thy Kingdom remember us, O Lord, when Thou comest in Thy Kingdom. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. 3
Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake: Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in Heaven The Daily Hymns Troparion of the Resurrection (Tone 5) Let us the faithful praise and worship the Word, co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, born of a Virgin for our salvation; for he took pleasure in ascending the Cross in the flesh, to endure death, and to raise the dead by his glorious resurrection. Troparion of the St. Euphrosyne (Tone 8) Through thee, the divine likeness was securely preserved, O mother Euphrosyne; for thou didst carry the cross and follow Christ. By example and precept thou didst teach us to ignore the body, because it is perishable, and to attend to the concerns of the undying soul. Therefore, doth thy soul rejoice with the angels. Troparion of the Prophet Elias (Tone 4) The incarnate Angel and the Prophets summit and boast, the forerunner of the second coming of Christ our God, Elias the glorious, from above sent down his grace upon Elisha; he doth cast out sickness and doth also cleanse lepers; and unto all that honour him, he poureth forth streams of cures. Kontakion for Most Sundays (Tone 2) 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. 4
Prokeimenon in Tone 5 (from Psalm 11) Thou, O Lord, shalt keep us and shalt preserve us from this generation, and forevermore. Save me, O Lord, for a righteous man there is no more. The Reading is from the Second Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Corinthians 1:21-24 & 2:1-4 Brethren, it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has commissioned us; he has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. But I call God to witness against me--it was to spare you that I refrained from coming to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith; we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith. For I made up my mind not to make you another painful visit. For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. For I wrote you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. Alleluia Verses in Tone 5 (from Psalm 88) Of Thy mercies, O Lord, will I sing forever. Unto generation and generation will I declare Thy truth with my mouth. For Thou hast said: Mercy shall be built up forever. In the Heavens shall Thy truth be established. The Holy Gospel St. Luke 5:1-11 At that time, while the people pressed upon Jesus to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. And Simon answered, Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets. And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus knees, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of the fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to 5
Simon, Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men. And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. Sermon: Father David Barr Today s Commemorations Prayers are requested for Markella Aguirre by John Aguirre. Prayers are requested by Bishop BASIL for Metropolitan Paul of Aleppo, Syria, and the Syrian Orthodox Archbishop Youhanna (John), also from Aleppo, Metropolitan Saba and the clergy and people of our sister diocese of Bosra-Hauran, Valerie Farha, Violet Karam, Father Michael and Khouriya Angelina Keiser, Shamassy Vivian Miles, Father John & Khouriya Cheryl Morris, Archdeacon George and Shamassy Linda Palmer, and Father Stephen and Khouriya Joan Walinski. Departed remembered from the Parish Dyptichs: for the repose of Alex Johns ( 9/27/1976) and. These names come from the parish dyptichs the record of those who have been buried from St. Elias. May their memory be eternal. At the Divine Liturgy during the Great Entrance, we normally commemorate only Orthodox Christians by name among the living and departed since this is the Church praying for the Church. Non-Orthodox are remembered liturgically in prayers at Vespers and other intercessory services of the Church. On Receiving Holy Communion in the Orthodox Church: Only Orthodox Christians who are prepared through prayer, fasting, and a recent sacramental confession should approach the Chalice for the Eucharist. The Orthodox Church does not practice open communion and has no intercommunion with other churches (non-orthodox). If you have any questions concerning this, please talk to one of the priests before taking communion. And Remember to receive Holy Communion, one should be present at the Divine Liturgy no later than the time for the Epistle and Gospel readings. We feed both our minds and our hearts as part of the Orthodox Christian life. To feast on the Lord without listening to his words is disrespectful. Trisagion prayers are offered by David Jabour, Margaret Jabour, and family for the newly departed handmaid of God Antoinette Diab. 6
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 Our Greeters this morning are Sh. Nina Long (8:30) and Margaret Jabour (10:30). Next week's greeters Bob and Janet Bennett and David Jabour. Thank you for this important ministry of hospitality. Coffee Hour Schedule September 25: October 2: October 9: October 16: October 23: October 30: R-Z A-C D-I J-Q R-Z Everyone brings Mark your calendars for your week and participate in this ministry of fellowship in our parish. And remember, help clean up afterwards on your Sunday Mediterranean Festival 2016 is over! Thanks to All Who Helped! Thanks to our chairmen and everyone who worked so hard to make it a successful event, once again! THANKS! Clean Up After Med Fest We need everyone s help today, to finish the clean up after Med Fest and return the parking lots to useable and clean places. Come to church, wear your work clothes; everyone is expected to stay and help. Plan to stay for 60-90 minutes after each service. There will be a coordinator after each service to lead the cleanup. The more hands we have working, the quicker we can finish. Everything must be back to normal before Monday morning office workers arrive. Let s finish strong. Sam Ibrahim and Fadi Diab Festival Co-Chairs No Church School Today Because of the Festival this weekend, we will not have Church School this Sunday. We ll be back on schedule next week. 7
Canned Food Drive Sunday, Oct. 2 - Sunday, Nov. 13 Our annual Canned Food Drive for Caritas will begin Sunday, Oct. 2 and will run through Sunday, Nov. 13th. Last year, we exceeded our goal and collected over 200 lbs of cans! This year our goal is to collect 300 lbs of food for our neighbors in need. There will be designated boxes for you to place your items in the Church Hall. We would like to encourage each family to bring a paper sack full of cans (~10 cans). Please see the insert in the bulletin for the list of requested items from Caritas. Please note that anything un-opened and non-perishable is also welcome! As you'll see, Caritas is also in need of a number of hygiene items including: shampoo, conditioner, and toilet paper. Thank you in advance for your help with this ministry! September Sunday School Schedule October 2 October 9 October 16 October 23 October 30 Class: Adam & Eve Disobey Class: Cain & Abel Noah & the Flood The Tower of Babel Abraham Times for Confession: Confessions are now available before Vespers on Wednesday and Saturday evenings. Confessions will no longer be heard following Vespers for security and safety reasons. The priests will also not be able to hear confessions between the two liturgies. They are preparing the gifts for the Liturgy and should not be disturbed at this time. Confessions can be heard prior to the 8:30 AM Liturgy. Remember, you can always make an appointment with one of the priests for confession during the week. Thanks for your help in this. Announcing: Fall Evening Classes at St. Elias! Orthodoxy and Sexuality Wednesday evenings, October 12, 19, and 26 Session 1: Sex, Family and the Culture Wars with Dr. Mark Cherry Session 2: Sexuality and St. Maximos the Confessor with Fr. John Ballard Session 3: Pastoral Concerns: Ask Abouna with Father David Barr Game of Thrones: Preparation for the Coming of the Messiah Wednesday evenings, November 30, and December 7 & 14 Fathers David Barr and Raphael Daly A look at the Kings of Israel and Judah in the Old Testament and the prophesies of the coming Messiah. 8
Teen SOYO Meeting & Elections Our first Teen SOYO meeting of the church year will be Saturday, October 16 at 2 PM. Teens and Parents, please join us at the Cherry s House 300 Orchid Circle Cedar Park, TX 78613. Contact Fr. Raphael or Ronnie Long for more information. Classes on the Fathers of the Church r. Daniel Daly is continuing his series of classes each Sunday at 10:00AM. F The first set of classes will be on the very early Fathers sometimes known as the Apostolic Fathers. The text that we will use is Early Christian Fathers, edited by Cyril C. Richardson. This morning s class will cover the writings of St. Ignatius of Antioch. Book Store News Check out our parish book and gift store for wonderful reading material and gifts. We need volunteers to work in the bookstore. Contact the church office if you can help. Today s volunteer: Emily Poole Good Work Opportunities at St. Elias: Meals for Caritas! We are helping the homeless and needy in our community by providing meals for Caritas. Caritas feeds 300-350 people in need Monday-Friday of every week. Our community provides a meal for 100+ on the first Monday of each month. How can you be involved? We need the following: Sponsor a meal! We need monthly sponsor(s) for each meal. Sponsors will donate $100+ to cover the cost of the food. Sunday Afternoon Prep! We need a small team of helpers each month to prepare on the Sunday afternoon before the meal Next Opportunity: October 2! How do you want to help? Contact Kh. Luanne Barr for more information and to volunteer your help. 9
October Looking ahead 2 Sunday Caritas Prep (after 1st service) 12 Wednesday 7:00 PM Orthodoxy and Sexuality 16 Sunday 2:00 PM Teen SOYO Meeting 18 Tuesday 7:00 PM Parish Council Meeting 19 Wednesday 7:00 PM Orthodoxy and Sexuality 26 Wednesday 7:00 PM Orthodoxy and Sexuality 30 Sunday 7:00 PM Teen SOYO GotoMeeting November 2 Wednesday 7:00 PM Orthodoxy and Sexuality 6 Sunday Caritas Prep (after 2nd service) 8 Tuesday 10:00 AM Liturgy for Synaxis of the Archangels 12 Saturday 10:00 AM Family Picnic at North Campus 2:30 PM Vespers at North Property 15 Tuesday 7:00 PM Parish Council Meeting 19 & 20 Advent Retreat 21 Monday 10:00 AM Liturgy for Entrance of the Theotokos 21-25 Church Office Closed 30 Wednesday 7:00 PM Advent Class: Game of Thrones December 4 Sunday Caritas Prep (after 1st service) 7 Wednesday 7:00 PM Advent Class: Game of Thrones 14 Wednesday 7:00 PM Advent Class: Game of Thrones 10
Catechism Classes 2016/2017 Saturday Afternoons before Great Vespers Each year, St. Elias holds a series of Catechism Classes. These classes are geared for all those interested in learning more about the Orthodox Church, for those interested in becoming Orthodox, and for our own members who may never have gone through a series of catechism classes. The classes will be held on Saturday afternoons in the Parish Library, starting on September 6 at 4:00 PM (before Great Vespers come to the class, stay for Vespers!). Session Date* Topic** 1 9/10 Sources of Doctrine 2 10/1 Nicene Creed - Part I I believe in One God 3 10/15 Nicene Creed - Part II Who is Jesus Christ? 4 10/29 Nicene Creed Part III The Holy Trinity 5 12/3 An Orthodox Approach to the Bible 6 12/17 Mariology and Hagiology 7 1/14 Sacraments & Worship 8 1/28 Theology in Iconography 9 2/18 Spirituality and Prayer 10 3/4 Preparing to Receive the Mysteries Confession and Entrance into the Church *Dates are subject to change. **Topics may be adjusted as needed for the specific class. This class would also be great for anyone (teens, young adults, adults, etc.) who would like to learn more about the Orthodox Church and its beliefs. 11
This Week at St. Elias Saturday, Oct. 1 Sunday, Oct. 2 5:45 PM 9 th Hour 6:00 PM Great Vespers Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost 8:10 AM 3 rd & 6 th Hours 8:30 AM Divine Liturgy 10:30 AM Divine Liturgy 12