ANNUNCIATION-ST. PARASKEVI

GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

http://forministry.com/USMIGOARCAAAPA

18000 Behner Road

New Buffalo, MI

Mailing address: P.O. Box 93, New Buffalo, MI 49117

Rev. Fr. Paul Martin

Presiding Priest

fr.paulmartin@sbcglobal.net

cell: (708)717-1841

Mike Kerhoulas

Council President

(269)469-1550

April-May, 2013

Hymn of the Feast

Apolytikion, First Tone

"In confirming the common Resurrection, O Christ God, You raised up Lazarus from the dead before Your Passion.  Wherefore, we also, like the children, bearing the symbols of victory, cry to You, the Vanquisher of death: Hosanna in the highest; blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!"

Palm Sunday, April 28

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Orthros begins at 10 a.m., Divine Liturgy at 10:30 a.m.

PLEASE ARRIVE AT LEAST BY THE BEGINNING

OF DIVINE LITURGY

Confessions are heard on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. or by appointment.

Welcome!

We are a diverse community of Orthodox Christians who come together to worship the Holy Trinity, offer our hearts to God, and receive the Body and Blood of Christ.  All are welcome to pray with us.  All are invited.  But only Orthodox Christians who have prepared themselves may partake of Holy Communion.

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Worship Schedule, April and May, 2013

Wednesday, April 3, Presanctified Liturgy, 6:30 p.m. Those preparing to 

             receive the Presanctified Gifts should fast from 12 noon.

Sunday, April 7, Sunday of the Holy Cross

Wednesday, April 10, Presanctified Liturgy, 6:30 p.m.

Friday, April 12, Salutations to the Theotokos, 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 14, Sunday of St. John Climacus; 40 Day Memorial Service

            for Patsy Govatos following Divine Liturgy

Friday, April 19, Akathist Hymn. 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 21, Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt.  Parish Council meeting to

            follow services.

Saturday, April 27, Lazarus Saturday.  Cleaning of church to follow.

Sunday, April 28, Palm Sunday

HOLY WEEK SERVICES

Wednesday, May 1, 6:30 p.m., Holy Wednesday Annointing

Thursday, May 2,  10:30 a.m., Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil

                                 6:30 p.m., Orthros of Great Friday-Passion Service

Friday, May 3, 1:00 p.m., Great Friday Vespers, the Apokathelosis

                                        (Taking down from the Cross)

                           6:30 p.m., Orthros of Holy Saturday--The Lamentations

Saturday, May 4-Sunday, May 5: Great and Holy Pascha

                           11:00 p.m., Orthros of the Resurrection

                           11:30 a.m., Resurrection Service and Divine Liturgy

       Lights will be extinguished at 11:30 p.m.  Please arrive before then!

Sunday, May 5, Pascha Agape Vespers, 11:00 a.m.  Those who cannot

       attend our Resurrection Services are encouraged to attend Agape

       Vespers Easter Sunday morning.

Sunday, May 12, Sunday of Thomas (Mother's Day)

Sunday, May 19, Sunday of the Myrrh Bearers.  Parish Council meeting to

         follow services.

Sunday, May 26, Sunday of the Paralytic.  Adult education topic to be

         announced.

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*Holy Wednesday: The Sacrament of Holy Unction: "The Sacrament of Holy Unction is given for spiritual and physical healing, 'unto soul and body,' as the prayers state repeatedly throughout the service.  We should listen intently to all the hymns and prayers, and, more importantly, commit to live the words we hear.  The Sacrament of Holy Confession is presupposed, and indeed very necessary for soul cleansing...In this particular service, we can readily see how the Sacrament of Penance is closely allied to the Sacrament of Holy Unction."  (Adapted from an introduction to Holy Wednesday Evening services, compiled and translated by Fr. George Papadeas, Patmos Press, 1976).

*Holy Thursday Morning: The Institution of Holy Eucharist:  On Holy Thursday morning, the Church is mystically present at the Lord's Last Supper.  The Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil is served with great reverence, for here and now Christ God is giving us His very Body and Blood as we prepare for His Holy Passion.

St. Gregory Palamas says this about the Holy Eucharist:

"Christ has become our brother by sharing our flesh and blood and so becoming assimilated to us...He has joined and bound us to Himself, as a husband his wife, by becoming one single flesh with us through the communion of His blood; He has also become our Father by divine baptism which renders us like Him, and He nourishes us at His own breast as a tender mother nourishes her babies

...Come, He says, eat My Body, drink My Blood...so that you be not only made after God's image, but become gods and kings, eternal and heavenly, clothing yourselves with Me, King and God!"

On Holy Thursday morning we offer the sacred Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil.  Please come and experience the Institution of the Holy Eucharist.

*Holy Thursday Evening--Passion Service (Orthros of Great Friday):  On Holy Thursday evening, we hear all of the Gospel accounts concerning Christ's trial and passion, a solemn and sobering experience.  All should attend.  It is our very real way of being there with our Lord as He suffers and dies for the life of the world.  At the conclusion of the service, all come forward to venerate the Cross (Estavromenos).

*Great Friday: Vespers and Orthros of Holy Saturday:  On the morning of Great Friday, the Kouvoulkion (sepulchre or tomb) is decorated with flowers.

Early Great Friday afternoon, we serve Great Friday Vespers, concluding the remembrance of events of the Lord's passion. Yet for the first time during Holy Week, the order of a festive service is used..."It is finished," as Christ says from the Cross; all has been accomplished!  This signals the beginning of the transformation of lipi (sorrow) into xara (joy).  The corpus of Christ is removed from the large Cross (Apokathelosis--literally meaning "un-nailing"), wrapped in a sheet, and taken up to the altar, where it will remain until the Apodosis of Pascha.  We process around the church with the Epitaphios (the embroidered icon of Christ's body), finally placing it in the Kouvouklion, which is moved to the middle of the solea, in front of the Holy Doors.

On the evening of Great Friday, we serve Orthros of Holy Saturday, which is festive by nature--mourning is being transformed into joy.  Following The Lamentations, which are sung in a spirit of xarmolipi (joyful sadness), and after the procession around the church with the Kouvouklion, all pass under the Epitaphios, thus expressing our belief that in Christ we have already passed from life to death.  The priest then receives the Epitaphios from the tomb and places it on the altar, demonstrating the truth of Christ's victory over death.  At the end of the service, the people come forward to venerate the empty tomb.

GREAT AND HOLY PASCHA!

HAVING WITNESSED CHRIST'S SAVING PASSION AND HIS GLORIOUS RESURRECTION, WE RECEIVE HIS BODY AND BLOOD, CRYING OUT WITH JOY, "CHRISTOS ANESTI! ALITHOS ANESTI!" "CHRIST IS RISEN!  INDEED HE IS RISEN!" 

A JOYOUS PASCHA TO ALL!

***

Greek Nite, May 18!

The Parish Council has decided to hold our annual Greek Nite on Saturday, May 18 this year.  We hope that this change from previous years will encourage a larger attendance.  Anticipate the day.  Hold the date!  Spread the word!  Tickets will be available soon.

Church Sign: Donations are appreciated and needed

We thank all who have made contributions toward the purchase of a new, illuminated sign to be visible from Interstate 94 and Hwy 12.  This is an important improvement, and we hope it will make our presence in the community better known.  We continue to encourage parishioner and friends to contribute to this worthy cause.  God bless all of you who have already responded so generously.

Pascha Donations

Enclosed is an envelope for your Easter offering.  Please be generous.  The parish needs your support.

The Greeks of Berrien County Exhibit is on display each Sunday after Church Services and by appointment (call 269 469 0081 or 630 655 2077).    
  
Vintage photos, interpretative labels, quotations, and artifacts  tell a compelling story of the Greeks who settled and vacationed in  Berrien County and the contributions they made. It covers 100 years, from the early years of the 20th century to the present.
 
The Berrien County Historical Association and the Annunciation and St. Paraskevi Greek Orthodox Church developed the exhibit. It was funded in part by the Michigan Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endownment for the Humanities.

Holy Week comes to an end at sunset of Great and Holy Saturday, as the Church prepares to celebrate her most ancient and preeminent festival, Pascha, the feast of feasts. The time of preparation will give way to a time of fulfillment. The glorious and resplendent light emanating from the empty Tomb will dispel the darkness. Christ, risen from the dead, cracks the fortress of death and takes "captivity captive" (Psalm 67:19). All the limitations of our createdness are torn asunder. Death is swallowed up in victory and life is liberated. "For as by a man came death, by a man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive" (I Corinthians 15:21-22). Pascha is the dawn of the new and unending day. The Resurrection constitutes the most radical and decisive deliverance of humankind.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the fundamental truth and absolute fact of the Christian faith. It is the central experience and essential kerygma of the Church. It confirms the authenticity of Christ's remarkable earthly life and vindicates the truth of His teaching. It seals all His redemptive work: His life, the model of a holy life; His compelling and unique teaching; His extraordinary works; and His awesome, life-creating death. Christ's Resurrection is the guarantee of our salvation. Together with His Ascension it brings to perfection God's union with us for all eternity.

The Resurrection made possible the miracle of the Church, which in every age and generation proclaims and affirms "God's plan for the universe, the ultimate divinization of man and the created order." The profound experience of and the unshakable belief in the risen Lord enabled the Apostles to evangelize the world and empowered the Church to overcome paganism. The Resurrection discloses the indestructible power and inscrutable wisdom of God. It disposes of the illusory myths and belief systems by which people, bereft of divine knowledge, strain to affirm the meaning and purpose of their existence. Christ, risen and glorified, releases humanity from the delusions of idolatry. In Him grave-bound humanity discovers and is filled with incomparable hope. The Resurrection bestows illumination, energizes souls, brings forgiveness, transfigures lifes, creates saints, and gives joy.

The Resurrection has not yet abolished the reality of death. But it has revealed its powerlessness (Hebrews 2:14-15). We continue to die as a result of the Fall. Our bodies decay and fall away. "God allows death to exist but turns it against corruption and its cause, sin, and sets a boundary both to corruption and sin." Thus, physical death does not destroy our life of communion with God. Rather, we move from death to life - from this fallen world to God's reign.

One of the most symbolic of the Festal Icons of the Orthodox Church is that of the Holy Resurrection. In the center of this radiant event is Christ pulling Adam and Eve up from their tombs. The gates of the Realm of Death are broken and thrown down. Death, personified in human form is defeated, and bound hand and foot at the bottom of the scene. We recall the joyous words of St. Paul: "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Corinthians 15:55)

In the background stands the host of the departed, so numerous they can not be depicted. Among them in the front of the multitude are some of the righteous dead, though now invigorated by the Resurrection. King David and his son Solomon are seen on the left wearing crowns. Near the center is Saint John the Baptist. On the other side is Abel, the son of Adam and the first man to ever die. He wears a shepherds robe and has a cane. Many Icons of this subject depict large crowds with a few other recognizable prophets.

Before midnight on Saturday evening, the Odes of Lamentation of the previous day are repeated. The Orthros of the Resurrection begins in complete darkness. The priest takes light from the vigil light and gives it to the faithful, who are holding candles. The priest sings: "Come ye and receive light from the unwaning light, and. glorify Christ, who arose from the dead", and all the people join him in singing this hymn again and again. From this moment, every Christian holds the Easter candle as a symbol of his vivid, deep faith in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as Savior. In many churches the priest leads the people outside the church, where he reads the Gospel which refers to the Angels statement: "He is Risen; He is not here," (Mark 16:1-8).

Then comes the breathless moment as the people wait for the priest to start the hymn of Resurrection, which they join him in singing, repeatedly: "Christ has Risen from the dead, by death trampling upon Death, and has bestowed life upon those in the tombs". From this moment the entire service takes on a joyous Easter atmosphere. The hymns of the Odes and Praises of Resurrection which follow are of superb meaning and expression. The people confess, "It is the Day of Resurrection, let us be glorious, let us embrace one another and speak to those that hate us; let us forgive all things and so let us cry, Christ has arisen from the dead". By this hymn they admit that love of one's fellowman is the solid foundation of the faith in the Resurrection of Christ.

The Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom is then officiated. At the end of the Liturgy, a part of the marvelous festival sermon of Saint Chrysostom is read, which calls upon the people to "Take part in this fair and radiant festival. Let no one be fearful of death, for the death of the Savior has set us free . . . O Death, where is thy sting? O Hades, where is Thy victory? Christ is Risen and Thou art overthrown. To Him be glory and power from all ages to all ages."

The Scripture readings for the Divine Liturgy are: Acts 1:1-8 and John 1:1-17.

On Easter Sunday afternoon the faithful gather once more for prayer with lighted candles. All sing the hymn, "Christ is Risen from the Dead". The people greet one another joyously, saying: "Christ is Risen", the Easter salutation which is answered, "Truly He is Risen". They sing, "the dark shadows of the Law has passed away by the coming of grace", and standing in exaltation they exclaim, "Who is so great a God as our God?"

The Gospel according to John (20:19-25) is read in various languages, proclaiming the Good News of Resurrection all over the universe without discrimination. The fruit of faith in the Resurrection of the Lord is love in His Name; therefore, this day is called "Sunday of Agape" (love feast), a day dedicated to Christian principles, especially to forgiveness and charity. At this time, Christians seek to end misunderstanding and arguments among those whom they may be at odds. Apostle Paul firmly interprets the Resurrection of Christ, saying: "If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:14). The Church also states in its Creed, "The Third day He rose again."

Photos from Bishop Nicholas' Visit August 25 - 26, 2012:

https://picasaweb.google.com/110110865324262516246/AnnunciationStParaskeviParishVisitationNewBuffaloMI#