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Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2017-07-02
Bulletin Contents
Hymns of the Day
Gospel and Epistle Readings
Saints and Feasts
Wisdom of the Fathers
Rev Protopresbyter Panagiotis Papanikolaou
July Liturgical Calendar
Parish Life
Bulletin Submission Guidelines
Driving Directions to the Church
Centurian
Organization Icon
Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (540) 667-1416
  • Fax:
  • (540) 667-1990
  • Street Address:

  • 1700 Amherst Street

  • Winchester, VA 22601

Contact Information

Rev Protopresbyter Panagiotis Papanikolaou, Presiding Priest


frpeter.dormition@gmail.com | Office: (540) 667-1416

Services Schedule

Sunday Services

Matins -                 8:45am 

Divine Liturgy -    10:00am

Sunday School -  In summer recess

Past Bulletins


Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Third Mode

Let the Heavens rejoice; let earthly things be glad; for the Lord hath wrought might with His arm, He hath trampled upon death by death. The first-born of the dead hath He become. From the belly of Hades hath He delivered us, and hath granted great mercy to the world.

Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA


Apolytikion for Robe of the Theotokos in the Plagal Fourth Mode

O Ever-Virgin Theotokos, shelter of mankind, thou hast bestowed upon thy people a mighty investure, even thine immaculate body's raiment and sash, which by thy seedless childbirth have remained incorrupt; for in thee nature and time are made new. Wherefore, we implore thee to grant peace to the world, and great mercy to our souls.

Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA


Seasonal Kontakion in the Fourth Mode

O godly shelter that dost cover all mankind, the sacred robe that covered thy sacred body hast thou bestowed on all the faithful graciously, O pure Virgin, as a robe of divine incorruption. As we celebrate with love its august deposition, we cry to thee with fear, O graced of God: Rejoice, O modest one, boast of the Christian race.

Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA


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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Matins Gospel Reading

Fourth Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from Luke 24:1-12

On the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women went to the tomb, taking the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel; and as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of man must be delivered in to the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise." And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told this to the apostles; but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.

But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home wondering at what had happened.

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Third Mode. Luke 1: 46-48.
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
Verse: For he has regarded the humility of his servant.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 9:1-7.

BRETHREN, the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary. For a tent was prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence; it is called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain stood a tent called the Holy of Holies, having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, which contained a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. These preparations having thus been made, the priests go continually into the outer tent, performing their ritual duties; but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood which he offers for himself and for the errors of the people.

Gospel Reading

4th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 8:5-13

At that time, as Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress." And he said to him, "I will come and heal him." But the centurion answered him, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, "Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth." And to the centurion Jesus said, "Go; be it done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed at that very moment.

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Saints and Feasts

Centurian
July 02

4th Sunday of Matthew

26_theotokos2
July 02

Deposition of the Precious Robe of the Theotokos in Blachernae

During the reign of Leo the Great (457-474) two patricians and brethren on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land lodged with an old widow, a Christian of Jewish descent. Seeing the many miracles wrought at a small shrine in her house, they pressed her until she revealed to them that she had raiment of the most holy Theotokos kept in a small coffer. Our Lady had had two virgins in her lifetime who attended upon her; before her holy dormition, she gave each of them one of her divine garments as a blessing. This old widow was of the family of one of those two virgins, and it had come through the generations into her hands. With the permission of God, that this holy relic might be had for the profit of many, the two men took the garment by stealth and brought it to Blachernae near Constantinople, and building a church in honor of the Apostles Peter and Mark, they secretly enshrined the garment therein. But here again, because of the multitude of miracles that were worked, it became known to the Emperor Leo, and a magnificent church was built, as some say, by that same Leo, but according to others, by his predecessors Marcian and Pulcheria, and enlarged by Leo when the holy raiment was found. The Emperor Justin the Younger completed the church, which the Emperor Romanus IV Diogenes raised up immediately again after it had burned in 1070. It burned again in 1434, and from that time it remained a small house of prayer together with the renowned holy spring. After the seventh century, the name Blachernae was given to other churches and monasteries by their pious founders out of reverence for this famous church in Constantinople. In this church John Catacuzene was crowned in 1345; also, the Council against Acindynus, the follower of Barlaam, was convoked here (see the Second Sunday of the Great Fast).

Allsaint
July 02

Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos of the Orphan

Maximovitch
July 02

John Maximovitch, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco

The Holy Hierarch John Maximovitch was born in the Kharkov region in 1896, and reposed in Seattle in 1966. In 1921, during the Russian Civil War, his family fled to Belgrade, joining the ranks of Russian exiles in Serbia, where he later became a monk and was ordained priest. In 1934 he was made Bishop of Shanghai, where he served until the Communists came to power. Thereafter he ministered in Europe, serving as Bishop first in Paris then in Brussels, until he became Archbishop of San Francisco in 1962. Throughout his life he was revered as a strict ascetic, a devoted man of prayer, and a truly wondrous unmercenary healer of all manner of afflictions and woes. He served the Divine Liturgy daily, slept little more than an hour a day, and kept a strict fast until the evening. It is doubtful that any one man gave so much protection and comfort as he to the Russian Orthodox people in exile after the Revolution of 1917; he was an unwearying and watchful shepherd of his sheep in China, the Philippines, Europe, and America. Through his missionary labors he also brought into the Church many who had not been "of this fold." Since his repose in 1966, he has been especially glorified by God through signs and miracles, and his body has remained incorrupt.

Allsaint
July 02

Juvenal the Protomartyr of America & Alaska

Saint Juvenal was (together with Saint Herman; see Dec. 12) a member of the first mission sent from Russia to proclaim the Gospel in the New World. He was a priest-monk, and a zealous follower of the Apostles, and baptized hundreds of the natives of Alaska. He was martyred by enraged pagans in 1796.

Allsaint
July 02

Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem

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Wisdom of the Fathers

Let us hearken, as many as are to receive Christ: for it is possible to receive Him even now. Let us hearken, and emulate, and receive Him with as great zeal; for indeed, when you receive a poor man who is hungry and naked, you have received and cherished Him.
St. John Chrysostom
Homily 26 on Matthew 8, 4th Century

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Rev Protopresbyter Panagiotis Papanikolaou

"It Is Proper And Right To. . .Worship You In All Places Of Your Dominion"

My beloved in the Lord:

     What is worship? Why is it important? In English, the words “worship” and “worth” have the same root. We worship whatever is of ultimate value to us. We, as Orthodox Christians, believe that worship of the one, true and living God is our highest calling as human beings and gives our lives meaning, purpose and direction. True worship, worship in the Holy Spirit, happens when – as the Lord commands in the Sermon on the Mount – we put God and the seeking of His Kingdom as our first priority, above anyone or anything else. Worship is to love God with all of our mind, all our heart, all our strength and all our soul (Mark 12:30). For this reason, worship should not be thought of merely as a part of life. Real worship is the offering of the whole of our lives – everything that we are and everything that we have – to God. In this sense, worship is more than simply going to Church for the Divine Liturgy on Sunday mornings. It is a way of life – a lifestyle of complete and total surrender to God, a burning desire to do His Will in every facet of one’s life – that is nurtured by the Divine Liturgy.

     We attend Church to participate in the Divine Liturgy, setting apart a specific time each week to offer ourselves to God in love, gratitude and joy for what He has done for us. In return, at each Divine Liturgy we attend, the gift of the Body and Blood of His Beloved Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is offered to nurture His life in us so that we can become more Christ-like. We become more Christ-like by more loving, more patient, more compassionate towards others, more forgiving, more grateful, more peaceful, more faithful and more joyful. In the Divine Liturgy, we are called to be transformed – to become like the God Whom we worship. In our Holy Tradition, this process is called “theosis,” a Greek word that means “becoming like God.” We are to become what we worship.

     Praying that the abundant grace and rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ dwell in your hearts and minds, directing your steps to every good deed that is well pleasing to God, I humbly remain,

With love and blessings in the Lord,
+Fr. Panagiotis 

 

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July Liturgical Calendar

4th Sunday of Matthew

Sunday, July 2
8:45am - Matins & Divine Liturgy


5th Sunday of Matthew

Sunday, July 9
8:45am - Matins & Divine Liturgy


Sunday of the Holy Fathers

Sunday, July 16
8:45am - Matins & Divine Liturgy


Prophet Elias

Thursday, July 20
9:00am - Matins & Divine Liturgy


7th Sunday of Matthew

Sunday, July 23
8:45am - Matins & Divine Liturgy


Saint Panteleimon the Great Martyr

Thursday, July 27
9:00am - Matins & Divine Liturgy


8th Sunday of Matthew

Sunday, July 30
8:45am - Matins & Divine Liturgy


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Parish Life

Philoptochos Scholarship

The Philoptochos Scholarship applications may be found in the brochure holder across from Father's Study. The completed application together with all required items must be mailed or delivered to the Church attention: Scholarship Committee by Sunday, July 2.


Festival Baking

Friday, July 7
We will begin baking for our Annual Greek Festival starting at 10:00am in the Social Hall. Your kind assistance is truly appreciated.


Dormition's Annual Greek Festival

Will be held this year on Saturday, August 19, from 11:00am to 7:00pm and Sunday, August 20, from 12;00 noon to 7:00pm. If you would like to help with the festival, please contact George Manuel Sampeles at (540) 539-8198. Your kind assistance will be truly appreciated.


Sunday School

Classes will begin on Sunday, September 17, immediately following Holy Communion. We encourage our youth to participate in Sunday School to learn and live the catechism of the Holy Orthodox Faith. For more information, please contact Presvytera Tina at (240) 578-2549.

 


Altar Boys

Young men between the ages of 10 to 18 are invited to serve in the Holy Altar. Altar Boys are requested to be in the Holy Altar at 9:45am. For more information, please contact Father Panagiotis at (540) 667-1416.

 

 


CCAP Ministry

Please help the less fortunate by donating non-perishable foods, pantry items, clothing and baby needs for the CCAP Ministry. Place your donations in the CCAP bin in the Social Hall. 


Coffee Hour

Everyone is welcome to join in fellowship during the Coffee Hour following the Divine Liturgy on Sundays. If you would like to host a coffee hour, please sign up on the bulletin board next to Father's Study. For more information regarding hosting a Coffee Hour, please contact Marie Hughes at (540) 664-1185. 


Cell Phones

We respectfully request that you please turn off or silence your cell phone prior to entering the Narthex during the Church services. If you have a professional reason to carry a cell phone for emergencies, keep it on mute, not vibrate, and sit near to the exits so that leaving for an emergency will not be a distraction to others who are praying. Thank you for your kind understanding and cooperation.


Parish Calendar

Is on the Dormition’s website and can be viewed for upcoming liturgical services, meetings and events. To view the Parish Calendar  Click here.

All ministries are kindly requested to coordinate with Father Panagiotis, as early as possible, the date/time of proposed meetings and events to prevent scheduling conflicts. E-mail new postings or updates to frpeter.dormition@gmail.com. Everyone's cooperation is essential.


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Bulletin Submission Guidelines

Bulletin Announcements

Announcements for the Sunday e-bulletin and printed bulletin may be submitted by e-mail to frpeter.dormition@gmail.com or by fax to Father's Study at (540) 667-1990. The deadline for all announcements is Wednesday morning by 9:00 for the upcoming  bulletins. When feastdays or holidays fall on Thursday or Friday, the bulletins will be published earlier in that week.

All announcements must be in connection with Parish events, activities, fundraisers or community services. Fundraiser and community service announcements must be for non-commercial/non-profit events and activities. The content of the announcement must be in accordance with Orthodox Christian teachings, believes and values.

All ministries are requested to coordinate with Father Panagiotis, as early as possible, the date/time of proposed meetings and events to prevent scheduling conflicts. E-mail new postings, updates and changes to Father. Everyone's cooperation is essential.

To ensure the privacy of our Parishioners, announcements for births, baptisms, and weddings are not automatically included.  The family should make this request to Fr. Panagiotis. 

All announcements should be brief and concise including accurate contact information. All submissions are subject to edit by the Presiding Priest.

 


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Driving Directions to the Church

The Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church welcomes you to worship with us on Sunday and whenever the Divine Liturgy is celebrated. Orthros begins at 8:45am and the Divine Liturgy at 10:00am.

Click here for Google Map & Specific Driving Directions »

DIRECTIONS TO THE CHURCH FROM THE NORTH:

1. Proceed south on Interstate 81 South heading toward Winchester
2. Take exit 317 for VA-37/ US-11 toward US-522 N/ US-50 W/ Winchester/ Stephenson (0.3 mi)
3. Turn right at US-11 S/ VA-37 S/ Martinsburg Pike, Continue to follow VA-37 S (3.8 mi)
4. Take the ramp to US-50 E/ Northwestern Pike (0.2 mi)
5. Turn left at US-50 E/ Northwestern Pike, Continue to follow US-50 E (0.6 mi )
6. Turn left at Omps Dr, Continue to entrance of the Church`s parking lot (100 ft)
7. Turn left into the Church`s parking lot.

DIRECTIONS TO THE CHURCH FROM THE SOUTH:

1. Proceed north on Interstate 81North heading toward Winchester
2. Take exit 310 for VA-37 toward US-11/VA-642/ Winchester/ Kernstown/ US-50/ US-522/ Berkely Spgs/ Romney (0.2 mi)
3. Turn left at VA-37 N (5.2 mi)
4. Take the US-50 ramp to Winchester/ Romney (0.3 mi)
5. Turn right at US-50 E/ Amherst St (0.5 mi)
6. Turn left at Omps Dr, Continue to entrance of the Church`s parking lot (100 ft)
7. Turn left into the Church`s parking lot.

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