Sundays and Feast Days Divine Liturgy 9:30 am
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Green Hymnal
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA
This Martyr practiced the ascetic discipline in Nisibis of Mesopotamia; she was of such great beauty that the report of her came to the persecutor Selenus, and every attempt was made to make her deny Christ. After many horrible tortures, she was cruelly dismembered by the executioners, then beheaded, in the year 310 (or, according to some, in 302, during the reign of Diocletian).
Saint David, who was from Thessalonica, lived a most holy and ascetical life. For some years, he took up his dwelling in the branches of an almond tree, exposed to all the elements and extremes of the weather. He reposed in peace during the reign of Saint Justinian the Great, in the sixth century.
Saint Samson was from Rome and flourished during the reign of Saint Justinian the Great. Being a physician, he came to Constantinople, where he so distinguished himself for his virtue and his love for the sick and the poor that Patriarch Menas ordained him priest. The Emperor Justinian was healed by him, and out of gratitude built him a large hospital, which was afterwards known as "The Hospice of Samson." Saint Samson is one of the Holy Unmercenaries.
These Saints lived during the years of Diocletian. Saint Cyrus was from Alexandria, and Saint John was from Edessa of Mesopotamia. Because of the persecution of that time, Cyrus fled to the Gulf of Arabia, where there was a small community of monks. John, who was a soldier, heard of Cyrus' fame and came to join him. Henceforth, they passed their life working every virtue, and healing every illness and disease freely by the grace of Christ; hence their title of "Unmercenaries." They heard that a certain woman, named Athanasia, had been apprehended together with her three daughters, Theodora, Theoctiste, and Eudoxia, and taken to the tribunal for their confession of the Faith. Fearing lest the tender young maidens be terrified by the torments and renounce Christ, they went to strengthen them in their contest in martyrdom; therefore they too were seized. After Cyrus and John and those sacred women had been greatly tormented, all were beheaded in the year 292. Their tomb became a renowned shrine in Egypt, and a place of universal pilgrimage. It was found in the area of the modern day resort near Alexandria named Abu Kyr.
By their life and teachings, our righteous Fathers Sergius and Herman did much to spread and confirm Orthodoxy among the Karelian Finns, who had suffered much oppression at the hands of Swedes of the Latin creed. They founded on Lake Ladoga the renowned Monastery of Valaam, which later became one of the chief centers of the monastic life. Both Saints reposed about 1353.
The great defender of the Orthodox Faith against the Iconoclasts, our righteous Father John of Damascus (See Dec. 4), was slandered to the Caliph of Damascus by the Iconoclast Emperor Leo the Isaurian (reigned 717-741). Saint John was accused of sedition and his right hand was cut off. Having asked for the severed hand, Saint John passed the night in great pain, praying for the aid of the most holy Theotokos. Awaking from sleep, he found that his hand had been miraculously restored, with only a red scar about the wrist where it had been severed, as a testimony to the wonderous healing. In thanksgiving, he had a silver hand attached to the icon to commemorate this great miracle. On becoming a monk in the lavra of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified in the Holy Land, John brought the icon with him. There it remained until the thirteenth century, when it was given to Saint Sabbas of Serbia (see Jan. 14), who brought it to Serbia, where it remained for a time. Later, it was miraculously transported by an unguided donkey that carried it to the Serbian Monastery of Hilandar on the Holy Mountain, Athos, where it remains to this day.
The divinely-blessed Peter was from Bethsaida of Galilee. He was the son of Jonas and the brother of Andrew the First-called. He was a fisherman by trade, unlearned and poor, and was called Simon; later he was renamed Peter by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Who looked at him and said, "Thou art Simon the son of Jonas; thou shalt be called Cephas (which is by interpretation, Peter)" (John 1:42). On being raised by the Lord to the dignity of an Apostle and becoming inseparable from Him as His zealous disciple, he followed Him from the beginning of His preaching of salvation up until the very Passion, when, in the court of Caiaphas the high priest, he denied Him thrice because of his fear of the Jews and of the danger at hand. But again, after many bitter tears, he received complete forgiveness of his transgression. After the Resurrection of Christ and the descent of the Holy Spirit, he preached in Judea, Antioch, and certain parts of Asia, and finally came to Rome, where he was crucified upside down by Nero, and thus he ascended to the eternal habitations about the year 66 or 68, leaving two Catholic (General) Epistles to the Church of Christ.
Paul, the chosen vessel of Christ, the glory of the Church, the Apostle of the Nations and teacher of the whole world, was a Jew by race, of the tribe of Benjamin, having Tarsus as his homeland. He was a Roman citizen, fluent in the Greek language, an expert in knowledge of the Law, a Pharisee, born of a Pharisee, and a disciple of Gamaliel, a Pharisee and notable teacher of the Law in Jerusalem. For this cause, from the beginning, Paul was a most fervent zealot for the traditions of the Jews and a great persecutor of the Church of Christ; at that time, his name was Saul (Acts 22:3-4). In his great passion of rage and fury against the disciples of the Lord, he went to Damascus bearing letters of introduction from the high priest. His intention was to bring the disciples of Christ back to Jerusalem in bonds. As he was approaching Damascus, about midday there suddenly shone upon him a light from Heaven. Falling on the earth, he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?" And he asked, "Who art Thou, Lord?" And the Lord said, "I am Jesus Whom thou persecutest; it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." And that heavenly voice and brilliance made him tremble, and he was blinded for a time. He was led by the hand into the city, and on account of a divine revelation to the Apostle Ananias (see Oct. 1), he was baptized by him, and both his bodily and spiritual eyes were opened to the knowledge of the Sun of Righteousness. And straightway- O wondrous transformation! - beyond all expectation, he spoke with boldness in the synagogues, proclaiming that "Christ is the Son of God" (Acts 9:1-21). As for his zeal in preaching the Gospel after these things had come to pass, as for his unabating labors and afflictions of diverse kinds, the wounds, the prisons, the bonds, the beatings, the stonings, the shipwrecks, the journeys, the perils on land, on sea, in cities, in wildernesses, the continual vigils, the daily fasting, the hunger, the thirst, the nakedness, and all those other things that he endured for the Name of Christ, and which he underwent before nations and kings and the Israelites, and above all, his care for all the churches, his fiery longing for the salvation of all, whereby he became all things to all men, that he might save them all if possible, and because of which, with his heart aflame, he continuously traveled throughout all parts, visiting them all, and like a bird of heaven flying from Asia and Europe, the West and East, neither staying nor abiding in any one place - all these things are related incident by incident in the Book of the Acts, and as he himself tells them in his Epistles. His Epistles, being fourteen in number, are explained in 250 homilies by the divine Chrysostom and make manifest the loftiness of his thoughts, the abundance of the revelations made to him, the wisdom given to him from God, wherewith he brings together in a wondrous manner the Old with the New Testaments, and expounds the mysteries thereof which had been concealed under types; he confirms the doctrines of the Faith, expounds the ethical teaching of the Gospel, and demonstrates with exactness the duties incumbent upon every rank, age, and order of man. In all these things his teaching proved to be a spiritual trumpet, and his speech was seen to be more radiant than the sun, and by these means he clearly sounded forth the word of truth and illumined the ends of the world. Having completed the work of his ministry, he likewise ended his life in martyrdom when he was beheaded in Rome during the reign of Nero, at the same time, some say, when Peter was crucified.
Third Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from Mark 16:9-20
When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.
After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.
Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they sat at table; and he upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover."
So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it. Amen.
Prokeimenon. Second Mode. Psalm 117.14,18.
The Lord is my strength and my song.
Verse: The Lord has chastened me sorely.
The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans 5:1-10.
BRETHREN, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man -- though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
3rd Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 6:22-33
The Lord said, "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well."
Prayer List:
Please pray for our brothers and sisters: Gloria, Niko, Christina, Kostas, Malina, John, Simona, Louise, Pete, Vincent, Rose.
Liturgy times: Summer services will start promptly at 9:30 a.m. in order to finish by 11:00 a.m. Please plan accordingly.
The Giving Tree – Can you help our tree grow? The Giving Tree is a way to raise money needed to cover the many costs of our very successful Greek Food Festival. A donation sheet and list of needed items is located in the Narthex. Once you make your donation, be sure to place your name on a flower or butterfly from the Narthex display and attach it to the tree found there. If mailed, we will do this part for you. Watch our tree grow with your generosity! We are grateful for any donation large or small.
UPCOMING FESTIVAL WORKSHOPS:
Lamb Shanks: 6/24 9:30 am (Christos Patrinos) Please join us tomorrow!
Dolmathes: 6/26 and 6/27 9:30 am (Chrysanthe Machiros and Christos Patrinos)
Meatballs: 6/28 prep 5:00 pm; 6/29 rolling 5:00 pm (Eddie Connor and Joanna Tsiantas)
Green Beans: 7/10, 7/11 (Charlie Neos)
Lamb Shanks: 7/15 9:30 am (Christos Patrinos)
Rice Pudding: 7/26 (Eric Hansen)
Galotaboureko: 7/27 during the day (Andrea Jones and Maria Andriotakis Connor)
Plaki: 7/27 5:00 pm (Gina Dussi and Melinda Patrick)
Food Festival Committee: Meeting is on Monday, June 26th at 7:00 pm.
The dates for the 2017 Greek Food Festival are Friday, July 28th--Sunday, July 30th.
Greek Ladies Aid Society: Today is the Ladies Aid End of Year Social at the Old Salt in Hampton, NH. at 12:30pm. The cost is $24.00 Please see Irene Falite to join us and to make your reservation.
The 100th Anniversary Cookbook Committee needs your recipes! Please fill out a recipe form found in the Narthex OR go to www.typensave.com to type in your recipe following the simple instructions. User name is AGOC and the password is eggnog847. Questions should be directed toward Andrea Jones (andreajones1@comcast.net) or Ruth Riley (rsrileyfineart@gmail.com). We hope to have one recipe for every parishioner. Thank you!
Summer at St. Basil’s Ministries: Saint Basil’s Ministries offers its Monday Meal to all those who enter our church doors. The need for a hot meal or for companionship is constant; it knows no season. This ministry belongs to everyone at Annunciation Church. Consider coming just one Monday to help out. The children of the parish are welcome to come and help too. Cleaning out those closets? Saint Basil’s Ministries works directly with the Lighthouse Thrift Shop in Salisbury. We will take any bags of clothing or household items you bring to church to the thrift shop for you. The proceeds go to local charities.
METROPOLIS OF BOSTON CAMP:
SUMMER 2017
Session 1: July 3rd - July 9th
Session 2: July 10th - July 16th FULL
Session 3: July 17th - July 23rd​
Session 4: July 24th - July 30th
Session 5: July 31st - August 6th FULL
To Register campers, please visit www.metropolisofbostoncamp.org
Scholarships for all sessions are available via the camp office !!!
Visit the camp website: www.mbcamp.org for more information and to REGISTER TODAY! For more information, or help with scholarships, please contact the camp office by email (mbcamp@boston.goarch.org) or phone (617-277-4742).
Summer Camp is a week of fun, fellowship and faith. Campers will have the opportunity to meet other youth from throughout the Metropolis, while participating in camp activities including: campfires, theater, music, hiking, swimming, tubing, olympics, athletics, canoeing, Orthodox Life discussion sessions, and much more.
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Center for Family Care: Our archdiocese has developed a family program called SOAK UP the SON. Each week a new activity is presented so you and your family can stay in contact with God. This is especially important during the summer months when there are no Sunday School classes. You can access SOAK UP the SON at this web address: www.family.goarch.org.
Annunciation Online: Please "Like" our Facebook page so that you may be kept up on services, events and activities: https://www.facebook.com/AnnunciationGreekOrthodoxChurch/
Please return church keys: As many of you are aware, there have been several break-ins and thefts from Newburyport churches. We’re looking to upgrade our exterior keys. If you have a key, make sure to let a Council member know over the next few weeks! Also, please never leave doors unlocked with the key even when you are in the complex. Instead, block them open with the little wrenches provided, and don’t forget to unblock when you leave!!!!
Thermostat settings: The Parish Council has determined an acceptable temperature range for the thermostats in the building complex. 60-75 in winter, 65-80 in summer. Please respect these settings!
Council Members on duty today: Gina Dussi and Louis Andriotakis
Prosphoro Schedule:
June 25 - Kathy Tsiantas
July 2 - Anna Chetsas
July 9 - Lisa Housianitis
July 16 - Tina Klidaris
July 23 - Melinda Patrick
July 30 - Freezer
Monday, June 26: 9:30 am: Dolmathes Workshop (Chrysanthe Machiros and Christos Patrinos)
11:00 am: St. Basil's Lunch, all are welcome!
6:00 pm: Chant Class
7:00 pm: Food Festival Committee
Tuesday, June 27th: 9:30 am: Dolamathes Workshop (Chrysanthe Machiros and Christos Patrinos)
Wednesday, June 28th: 5:00 pm: Meatball Workshop (prep) Ed Connor and Joanna Tsiantas
Thursday, June 29th 9:30 am: Saints Peter and Paul Divine Liturgy
5:00 pm: Meatball Workshop (rolling) Ed Connor and Joanna Tsiantas
Fellowship Hour:
We enjoy visiting with our Church Family over a cup of coffee and treats following Sunday Liturgy. Please sign up to host a Fellowship/Coffee Hour and keep the coffee brewing every Sunday.
We are in need of hosts! The Fellowship Hour Coordinator has prepared a calendar scheduling out though the end of the summer of 2017. Please email AndreaJones1@Comcast.net, phone at home 978 465-1021or text cell 978 621-6123 to schedule your coffee hour.
Sunday, June 25: Open
Sunday, July 2: 100th Anniversary Cookbook Committee - Mezes
Sunday, July 9: Dollas/Dubus Memorial for George Dollas
Sunday, July 16: Chris and Mary Malonis
Sunday, July 23: Open
Sunday, July 30: Greek Food Festival (no coffee hour)
Card used in the pews to recite the Creed in Greek on the first Sunday of the month
Bulletin Insert in half-legal format on the Sunday of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council with Resources for Couples and Families provided by the Center for Family Care of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
request for donations for Greek Food Festival.
Events and persons in charge, monthly calendar
The Center for Family Care of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese will host its second family ministry conference, The Orthodox Family in a Changing World, in an effort to explore critical issues in the family life-cycle and practical methods to address them in the parish and the home.