· The 15^th year of Memorial Service is being offered for the soul of the departed Servant of God, Asimo Floutsis, brother of Adriana Bonnoris. Eternal be his memory. Refreshment is being offered by Adriana Bonnoris.

· There will be a Parish Council meeting after coffee hour

· There will no 12:30 pm Paraklesis to Saint Nectarios

WEDNESDAY, December 4th, 2019 –Barbara the Great Martyr

· 8:30 am -Matins/Orthros

Click this link to Orthros/Matins Gospel Reading

9:30 am - Divine Liturgy.

Click this link to Epistle Reading

Click this link to Holy Gospel Reading

· 7:00 pm -Paraklesis Service to Saint Nectarios.

FRIDAY, December 6th, 2019 – Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra

· 8:30 am -Matins/Orthros

Click this link to Orthros/Matins Gospel Reading

9:30 am - Divine Liturgy.

Click this link to Epistle Reading

Click this link to Holy Gospel Reading

· 5:30 PM—Greek School Elementary

· 6:30 PM—Greek School Intermediate

Resurrectional Apolytikion.

Grave Mode

By means of Your Cross, O Lord, You

abolished death. To the robber You opened

Paradise. The lamentation of the myrrh-bearing

women You transformed, and You

gave Your Apostles the order to proclaim to

all that You had risen, O Christ our God, and

granted the world Your great mercy.

Ἀπολυτίκιον Ἀναστάσιµον.

Ἦχος βαρύς.

Κατέλυσας τῷ Σταυρῷ σου τὸν

θάνατον, ἠνέῳξας τῷ Λῃστῇ τὸν

Παράδεισον, τῶν Μυροφόρων τὸν θρῆνον

μετέβαλες, καὶ τοῖς σοῖς Ἀποστόλοις

κηρύττειν ἐπέταξας· ὅτι ἀνέστης Χριστὲ ὁ

Θεός, παρέχων τῷ κόσμῳ τὸ μέγα ἔλεος.

Resurrectional Kontakion.

No longer will death's dominion have

power to detain mortal men. For Christ went

down and smashed and destroyed its powers.

Now Hades is bound, and the Prophets in

unison exult and declare: The Savior has

appeared to those with faith. Come out, you

faithful, to the Resurrection.

Κοντάκιον Ἀναστάσιµον.

Οὐκέτι τὸ κράτος τοῦ θανάτου, ἰσχύσει

κατέχειν τοὺς βροτούς· Χριστὸς γὰρ

κατῆλθε συντρίβων, καὶ λύων τὰς δυνάμεις

αὐτοῦ, δεσμεῖται ὁ ᾍδης, Προφῆται

συμφώνως ἀγάλλονται. Ἐπέστη λέγοντες

Σωτήρ, τοῖς ἐν πίστει, ἐξέρχεσθε οἱ πιστοὶ

εἰς τὴν ἀνάστασιν.

November 30^th - Andrew the First-Called Apostle

This Saint was from Bethsaida of Galilee; he was the son of Jonas and the brother of Peter, the chief of the Apostles. He had first been a disciple of John the Baptist; afterwards, on hearing the Baptist's witness concerning Jesus, when he pointed Him out with his finger and said, "Behold the Lamb of God, Which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1.29,36), he straightway followed Christ, and became His first disciple; wherefore he is called the First-called of the Apostles. After the Ascension of the Saviour, he preached in various lands; and having suffered many things for His Name's sake, he died in Patras of Achaia, where he was crucified on a cross in the shape of an "X," the first letter of "Christ" in Greek; this cross is also the symbol of Saint Andrew.

Apolytikion of Andrew the First-Called Apostle

Fourth Tone

As first of the Apostles to be called, O Andrew, brother of him (Peter) who was foremost, beseech the Master of all to grant the world peace and our souls great mercy.

Kontakion of Apostle Andrew the First-Called Apostle

Second Tone

Let us praise the namesake of bravery, the divinely eloquent and first to be called of the Disciples of Christ, the kinsman of Peter. As he called out to him in days of old, so now he calls to us, "Come, we have found Him for whom we yearned."

December 4^th - Barbara the Great Martyr

Saint Barbara was from Heliopolis of Phoenicia and lived during the reign of Maximian.

She was the daughter of a certain idolater named Dioscorus. When Barbara came of age, she was enlightened in her pure heart and secretly believed in the Holy Trinity. About this time Dioscorus began building a bath-house; before it was finished, he was required to go away to attend to certain matters, and in his absence, Barbara directed the workmen to build a third window in addition to the two her Father had commanded. She also inscribed the sign of the Cross with her finger upon the marble of the bath-house, leaving the saving sign cut as deeply into the marble as if it had been done with an iron tool. (When the Synaxarion of Saint Barbara was written, the marble of the bath-house and the cross inscribed by Saint Barbara were still preserved, and many healings were worked there.) When Dioscorus returned, he asked why the third window had been added; Barbara began to declare to him the mystery of the Trinity. Because she refused to renounce her faith, Dioscorus tortured Barbara inhumanely, and after subjecting her to many sufferings he beheaded her with his own hands, in the year 290.

Apolytikion of Great Martyr Barbara

Fourth Tone

Let us honor the holy Barbara for, with the aid of the Cross as her weapon, she crushed the snares of the enemy, and was rescued from them like a bird

Kontakion of Great Martyr Barbara

Fourth Tone

O noble Champion, following God who is reverently praised in Trinity, you abandoned the temples of idols. Struggling amid suffering, O Barbara, you were not overwhelmed by the threats of the tyrants, O brave One, even singing aloud, "I worship the Trinity, the one Godhead."

December 6^th - Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra

This Saint lived during the reign of Saint Constantine the Great, and reposed in 330, As a young man, he desired to espouse the solitary life. He made a pilgrimage to the holy city Jerusalem, where he found a place to withdraw to devote himself to prayer. It was made known to him, however, that this was not the will of God for him, but that he should return to his homeland to be a cause of salvation for many. He returned to Myra, and was ordained bishop. He became known for his abundant mercy, providing for the poor and needy, and delivering those who had been unjustly accused. No less was he known for his zeal for the truth. He was present at the First Ecumenical Council of the 318 Fathers at Nicaea in 325; upon hearing the blasphemies that Arius brazenly uttered against the Son of God, Saint Nicholas struck him on the face. Since the canons of the Church forbid the clergy to strike any man at all, his fellow bishops were in perplexity what disciplinary action was to be taken against this hierarch whom all revered. In the night our Lord Jesus Christ and our Lady Theotokos appeared to certain of the bishops, informing them that no action was to be taken against him, since he had acted not out of passion, but extreme love and piety. The Dismissal Hymn for holy hierarchs, “The truth of things hath revealed thee to thy flock ... was written originally for Saint Nicholas. He is the patron of all travellers, and of sea-farers in particular; he is one of the best known and best loved Saints of all time.

Apolytikion of Nicholas the Wonderworker

Fourth Tone

A model of faith and the image of gentleness, the example of your life has shown you forth to your sheep-fold to be a master of temperance. You obtained thus through being lowly, gifts from on high, and riches through poverty. Nicholas, our father and priest of priests, intercede with Christ our God that He may save our souls

Kontakion of Nicholas the Wonderworker

Third Tone

Saintly One, (St. Nicholas) in Myra you proved yourself a priest; for in fulfilling the Gospel of Christ, venerable One, you laid down your life for your people and saved the innocent from death. For this you were sanctified as One learned in divine grace.

Special Announcement:

· Voting for Parish Council members will take place on December 8th, 2019 in the church Hall after Coffee Hour. Attending and voting in a General Assembly requires that you be a member in good standing and/or have paid your due up to date.

· If someone wants to sponsor the coffee hour, there is a sign-up sheet in the Hall. Please write legibly your name next to the date you want to sponsor

· We need oil (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) for the Church, please donate.

· Please notify us if someone in the member of the family or yourself is sick, so that we may offer healing prayer.

· For new projects of the St. Nectarios Philoptochos society, please click this link