Holy Transfiguration Church
Publish Date: 2026-10-25
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Holy Transfiguration Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (907) 344-0190
  • Fax:
  • (907) 344-9909
  • Street Address:

  • 2800 O'Malley Road

  • Anchorage, AK 99507
  • Mailing Address:

  • 2800 O'Malley Road

  • Anchorage, AK 99507


Contact Information



Services Schedule

Saturday 5pm - Great Vespers

Sunday 8:45 am - Orthros

Sunday 10 am - Divine Liturgy


Past Bulletins


Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Fourth Mode

The women disciples of the Lord, having learned from the Angel the joyous news of the Resurrection and having rejected the ancestral decision, then told the apostles elatedly: Death has been stripped of its power; Christ God has risen, granting to the world His great mercy.
Τὸ φαιδρὸν τῆς Ἀναστάσεως κήρυγμα, ἐκ τοῦ Ἀγγέλου μαθοῦσαι αἱ τοῦ Κυρίου Μαθήτριαι, καὶ τὴν προγονικὴν ἀπόφασιν ἀπορρίψασαι, τοῖς Ἀποστόλοις καυχώμεναι ἔλεγον· Ἐσκύλευται ὁ θάνατος, ἠγέρθη Χριστὸς ὁ Θεός, δωρούμενος τῷ κόσμῳ τὸ μέγα ἔλεος.

Apolytikion for Martyrs Marcian and Martyrius in the Fourth Mode

Thy Martyrs, O Lord, in their courageous contest for Thee received as the prize the crowns of incorruption and life from Thee, our immortal God. For since they possessed Thy strength, they cast down the tyrants and wholly destroyed the demons' strengthless presumption. O Christ God, by their prayers, save our souls, since Thou art merciful.
Οι Μάρτυρές σου, Κύριε, εν τή αθλήσει αυτών, στεφάνους εκομίσαντο τής αφθαρσίας, εκ σού τού Θεού ημών, σχόντες γάρ τήν ισχύν σου, τούς τυράννους καθείλον, έθραυσαν καί δαιμόνων, τά ανίσχυρα θράση. Αυτών ταίς ικεσίαις, Χριστέ ο Θεός, σώσον τάς ψυχάς ημών.

Apolytikion for the Church in the First Mode

Thou wast transfigured on the mountain, O Christ our God. Showing to Thy Disciples Thy Glory, as each one could endure. Shine forth Thou on us, who are sinners all, Thy light never ending, through the prayers of the Theotokos; Light-Bestower, Glory to Thee!

O divine Neo-martyrs, you are truly the glowing lamps * of the isle of Samothraki and the treasures of Makri, * for you contested mightily for Christ, * denouncing the delusions of the foe, * Saints Manuel and Theodore and Michael, * and you the pair of Georges. * Glory to Him whose might supported you! * Glory to Him who placed the crowns on you! * Glory to Him who works healings for all through you!

Seasonal Kontakion in the Second Mode

The protection of Christians unshameable, intercessor to our Holy Maker, unwavering, do not turn from the prayerful cries of those who are in sin; instead, come to us, for you are good; your loving help bring unto us, who are crying in faith to you: Hasten to intercession and speed now to supplication as a protection for all time, Theotokos, for those who honor you.
Προστασία τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἀκαταίσχυντε, μεσιτεία πρὸς τὸν Ποιητὴν ἀμετάθετε. Μὴ παρίδῃς ἁμαρτωλῶν δεήσεων φωνάς, ἀλλὰ πρόφθασον, ὡς ἀγαθή, εἰς τὴν βοήθειαν ἡμῶν, τῶν πιστῶς κραυγαζόντων σοι· Τάχυνον εἰς πρεσβείαν, καὶ σπεῦσον εἰς ἱκεσίαν, ἡ προστατεύουσα ἀεί, Θεοτόκε, τῶν τιμώντων σε.


Saints and Feasts

October 26

Demetrios the Myrrh-streamer & Great Martyr of Thessaloniki

Saint Demetrius was a Thessalonian, a most pious son of pious and noble parents, and a teacher of the Faith of Christ. When Maximian first came to Thessalonica in 290, he raised the Saint to the rank of Duke of Thessaly. But when it was discovered that the Saint was a Christian, he was arrested and kept bound in a bath-house. While the games were under way in the city, Maximian was a spectator there. A certain friend of his, a barbarian who was a notable wrestler, Lyaeus by name, waxing haughty because of the height and strength of his body, boasted in the stadium and challenged the citizens to a contest with him. All that fought with him were defeated. Seeing this, a certain youth named Nestor, aquaintance of Demetrius', came to the Saint in the bath-house and asked his blessing to fight Lyaeus single-handed. Receiving this blessing and sealing himself with the sign of the precious Cross, he presented himself in the stadium, and said, "O God of Demetrius, help me!" and straightway he engaged Lyaeus in combat and smote him with a mortal blow to the heart, leaving the former boaster lifeless upon the earth. Maximian was sorely grieved over this, and when he learned who was the cause of this defeat, he commanded straightway and Demetrius was pierced with lances while he was yet in the bath-house, As for Nestor, Maximian commanded that he be slain with his own sword.


October 28

Holy Protection of the Theotokos

The Feast of the Protection commemorates the appearance of the most holy Theotokos in the Church of Blachernae in Constantinople in the tenth century, as recorded in the life of Saint Andrew the Fool for Christ's sake. While the multitudes of the faithful were gathered in church, Epiphanius, the friend of Saint Andrew, through the Saint's prayers, beheld the Virgin Mary above the faithful and spreading out her veil over them, signifying her unceasing protection of all Christians. Because of this we keep a yearly feast of gratitude, imploring our Lady never to cease sheltering us in her mighty prayers.

The Feast is celebrated on October 1. In the 1950s, the Church of Greece began to observe the Feast on October 28.


October 30

Zenobios & Zenobia the Martyrs

These Saints were from Aegae in Cilicia, brought up in piety by their parents. Zenobius was a physician, and healed many freely by the power of God; because of his virtue he was consecrated Bishop of Aegae. With his sister he was taken by Lysias the Governor, and after many tortures they were beheaded, about the year 290, during the reign of Diocletian.




Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Fourth Mode. Psalm 103.24,1.
O Lord, how manifold are your works. You have made all things in wisdom.
Verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 2:16-20.

Brethren, knowing that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law shall no one be justified. But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we ourselves were found to be sinners, is Christ then an agent of sin? Certainly not! But if I build up again those things which I tore down, then I prove myself a transgressor. For I through the law died to the law, that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Προκείμενον. Fourth Mode. ΨΑΛΜΟΙ 103.24,1.
Ὡς ἐμεγαλύνθη τὰ ἔργα σου Κύριε, πάντα ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐποίησας.
Στίχ. Εὐλόγει ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν Κύριον.

τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα Πρὸς Γαλάτας 2:16-20.

Ἀδελφοί, εἰδότες ὅτι οὐ δικαιοῦται ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ἔργων νόμου, ἐὰν μὴ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐπιστεύσαμεν, ἵνα δικαιωθῶμεν ἐκ πίστεως Χριστοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων νόμου· διότι οὐ δικαιωθήσεται ἐξ ἔργων νόμου πᾶσα σάρξ. Εἰ δέ, ζητοῦντες δικαιωθῆναι ἐν Χριστῷ, εὑρέθημεν καὶ αὐτοὶ ἁμαρτωλοί, ἆρα Χριστὸς ἁμαρτίας διάκονος; Μὴ γένοιτο. Εἰ γὰρ ἃ κατέλυσα, ταῦτα πάλιν οἰκοδομῶ, παραβάτην ἐμαυτὸν συνίστημι. Ἐγὼ γὰρ διὰ νόμου νόμῳ ἀπέθανον, ἵνα θεῷ ζήσω. Χριστῷ συνεσταύρωμαι· ζῶ δέ, οὐκέτι ἐγώ, ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός· ὃ δὲ νῦν ζῶ ἐν σαρκί, ἐν πίστει ζῶ τῇ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντός με καὶ παραδόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ.


Gospel Reading

6th Sunday of Luke
The Reading is from Luke 8:26-39

At that time, as Jesus arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, there met him a man from the city who had demons; for a long time he had worn no clothes and he lived not in a house but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him, and said with a loud voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beseech you, do not torment me." For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him; he was kept under guard, and bound with chains and fetters, but he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the desert.) Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside; and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them leave. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. When the herdsmen saw what happened, they fled, and told it in the city and in the country. Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told them how he who had been possessed with demons was healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked him to depart from them; for they were seized with great fear; so he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but he sent him away, saying, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

6th Sunday of Luke
Κατὰ Λουκᾶν 8:26-39

Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ἐλθόντι τῷ Ἰησοῦ εἰς τὴν χώραν τῶν Γαδαρηνῶν, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἀντίπερα τῆς Γαλιλαίας. ἐξελθόντι δὲ αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ὑπήντησεν αὐτῷ ἀνήρ τις ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, ὃς εἶχε δαιμόνια ἐκ χρόνων ἱκανῶν, καὶ ἱμάτιον οὐκ ἐνεδιδύσκετο καὶ ἐν οἰκίᾳ οὐκ ἔμενεν, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν τοῖς μνήμασιν. ἰδὼν δὲ τὸν ᾿Ιησοῦν καὶ ἀνακράξας προσέπεσεν αὐτῷ καὶ φωνῇ μεγάλῃ εἶπε· τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί, ᾿Ιησοῦ, υἱὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου; δέομαί σου, μή με βασανίσῃς. παρήγγειλε γὰρ τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἀκαθάρτῳ ἐξελθεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. πολλοῖς γὰρ χρόνοις συνηρπάκει αὐτόν, καὶ ἐδεσμεῖτο ἁλύσεσι καὶ πέδαις φυλασσόμενος, καὶ διαρρήσσων τὰ δεσμὰ ἠλαύνετο ὑπὸ τοῦ δαίμονος εἰς τὰς ἐρήμους. ἐπηρώτησε δὲ αὐτὸν ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς λέγων· τί σοί ἐστιν ὄνομα; ὁ δὲ εἶπε· λεγεών· ὅτι δαιμόνια πολλὰ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς αὐτόν· καὶ παρεκάλει αὐτὸν ἵνα μὴ ἐπιτάξῃ αὐτοῖς εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον ἀπελθεῖν. ἦν δὲ ἐκεῖ ἀγέλη χοίρων ἱκανῶν βοσκομένων ἐν τῷ ὄρει· καὶ παρεκάλουν αὐτὸν ἵνα ἐπιτρέψῃ αὐτοῖς εἰς ἐκείνους εἰσελθεῖν· καὶ ἐπέτρεψεν αὐτοῖς. ἐξελθόντα δὲ τὰ δαιμόνια ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰσῆλθον εἰς τοὺς χοίρους, καὶ ὥρμησεν ἡ ἀγέλη κατὰ τοῦ κρημνοῦ εἰς τὴν λίμνην καὶ ἀπεπνίγη. ἰδόντες δὲ οἱ βόσκοντες τὸ γεγενημένον ἔφυγον, καὶ ἀπήγγειλαν εἰς τὴν πόλιν καὶ εἰς τοὺς ἀγρούς. ἐξῆλθον δὲ ἰδεῖν τὸ γεγονός, καὶ ἦλθον πρὸς τὸν ᾿Ιησοῦν καὶ εὗρον καθήμενον τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀφ᾿ οὗ τὰ δαιμόνια ἐξεληλύθει, ἱματισμένον καὶ σωφρονοῦντα παρὰ τοὺς πόδας τοῦ ᾿Ιησοῦ, καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν. ἀπήγγειλαν δὲ αὐτοῖς οἱ ἰδόντες πῶς ἐσώθη ὁ δαιμονισθείς. καὶ ἠρώτησαν αὐτὸν ἅπαν τὸ πλῆθος τῆς περιχώρου τῶν Γαδαρηνῶν ἀπελθεῖν ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν, ὅτι φόβῳ μεγάλῳ συνείχοντο. αὐτὸς δὲ ἐμβὰς εἰς τὸ πλοῖον ὑπέστρεψεν. ἐδέετο δὲ αὐτοῦ ὁ ἀνήρ, ἀφ᾿ οὗ ἐξεληλύθει τὰ δαιμόνια, εἶναι σὺν αὐτῷ· ἀπέλυσε δὲ αὐτὸν ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς λέγων· ὑπόστρεφε εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου καὶ διηγοῦ ὅσα ἐποίησέ σοι ὁ Θεός. καὶ ἀπῆλθε καθ᾿ ὅλην τὴν πόλιν κηρύσσων ὅσα ἐποίησεν αὐτῷ ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς.




Wisdom of the Fathers

Some say, 'Why do they [demons] possess people?' I answer those who wish to have this explained that the reason of these things is very deep. Somewhere one of His saints addressed God by saying, 'Your judgments are a vast abyss.' As long as we bear this in mind, we will perhaps not miss the mark.
St. Cyril of Alexandria
Commentary on Luke, Homily 44. (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture; vol 3: Luke, Intervarsity Press)



Parish News & Events

SPIRITUAL FORMATION BOOK STUDY

10/11/2026

Our Orthodox Spiritual Formation book study will continue until Mid-December on Saturday evenings after Great Vespers. All are welcome!


CONGRATULATIONS!

10/25/2026

Congratulations to Hope, Hunter, and Big Brother Reuben on the birth of boy #2! Theophane Michael Lorenz was born on October 21st weighing in at 9lb-9oz! Mama and baby are both doing great!


FALL GENERAL ASSEMBLY

10/11/2026

Please plan to join us for our Fall General Assembly on Sunday, November 8th (the Feast of St Olga of Kwethluk!). We will get a major update on our finances, and hear about the status of several grants, our Greek Dance program, the Consecration, etc. We will also take nominations for the 2027 Parish Council elections. As a reminder, in order to make nominations, vote on the budget, or vote in the PC elections, you must be an official Steward of the parish. If you are unsure of your status, please see Luke Cooley by the end of this month!


NEW BOOKSTORE ITEMS!

10/25/2026

Please stop by the bookstore to view our new children's book display on the center table. We also have a variety of new very fragrant incense from Holy Protection Monastery in Pennsylvania. Come check it out!


HONORING OXI DAY

10/25/2026

This morning we will hear the encyclical from Archbishop Elpidophoros on the occasion of the anniversary of Oxi Day, the date that began Greek resistance to Nazi tyranny during WWII. We will not have a presentation downstairs this year, but it is good for us to remember the occasion and those thousands of heroic Greek citizens who lost their lives during those tumultuous and difficult days! May their memory be eternal!


LADIES PILGRIMAGE THIS WEEK

10/25/2026

Fr Vasili will be traveling with 15 women from our parish on a pilgrimage to St John the Forerunner Greek Orthodox Monastery in Goldendale. Cell phone coverage is spotty at the monastery, so if you have an emergency and need to reach Fr Vasili he will return your call/text as soon as he has coverage. Please pray for their safe travel, they will all return on Friday night.


HTGOC CHRISTMAS BAZAAR

10/25/2026

Preparations are already underway for our Annual Christmas Bazaar. It will be held on Saturday December 19th from 09:00am to 06:00pm (Vespers will be at 6pm that Saturday). The cost for a small (6ftx1.5ft) table will be $90, and for the large (6ftx2.5ft) table $110. (Additional costs: outlet use for $10). This includes the rent for the space that the table and two chairs will occupy. All payments are to be made in cash by November 15th. We are looking for artists and bakers who create with love and passion but also, we are looking for musicians who would like to reserve a 20-30min time slot to perform Christmas appropriate music during the event! All proceeds for this event are donated to a local charity.


WHAT IS ANTIDORON?

10/18/2026

Antidoron (the blessed bread) literally means "Instead of the Gifts", meaning that it was originally intended to be a blessing for those who were not recieving Holy Communion that day. There are many reasons that one would not be partaking of Communion on a particular Sunday, and it was not a given, or seen as a "right", that one would receive. So the Church began handing out, at the end of the Divine Liturgy, the pieces of bread that surrounded the Sanctified Lamb as a blessing. Over time, the Antidoron would be offered during the time when the faithful would receive Holy Communion as a way of cleaning the mouth of the Holy Sacrament - in the Slavic tradition, this is often accompanied by a sip of warm water and wine. The Antidoron is not a snack - it is a blessing that is blessed by the Priest over the Holy Gifts during the Divine Liturgy. As such, we should be very careful with it, and not let its crumbs fall onto the floor - and if they do, we should immediately pick them up. Leftover Antidoron and crumbs should never be thrown in the garbage. If they are no longer edible they can be burried in the ground. Please be careful with the Antidoron, and pick it up off of the floor whenever you see that it has fallen (Parents, especially will need to watch thier children while they are eating it). If someone wants to volunteer for this job, we could use someone to sweep the floors immediately after the Liturgy and dump the crumbs outside into the ground. Please see Fr Vasili if you are willing to take this on! Thank you!




Diakonia Newsletter

“Actions Speak Louder than Words.”—Reflections From Today’s Reading – Galatians 2:16-20

“Actions Speak Louder than Words.”—Reflections From Today’s Reading – Galatians 2:16-20

Fr. George Parsenios (HCHC ’96)

When Abraham Lincoln honors the Union soldiers who died at Gettysburg, he says, “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” Actions speak louder than words. St. Paul makes the same point today when he says, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Paul’s letters and his preaching are filled with eloquent words that explain how to live the new life in Christ. But St. Paul’s most eloquent explanation of how to follow the Gospel was written on his own self and articulated by his actions. His actions explained the Gospel and provided a model for others to follow. Tomorrow, on October 26, we commemorate St. Demetrios the Great Martyr; as we do, we should recall that St. John Chrysostom said that the actions of the saints were more convincing explanations of the Gospel than any sermon could ever be. Chrysostom explains this by imagining people wondering whether the water in a bath is too hot to enter. People standing beside the bath may talk endlessly about how hot the water might be, but the most convincing person is the one who dips his toe into the water. His actions tell the tale. If this example is true, then even more are the martyrs eloquent evangelists, because they testify to Christ not merely with a toe or even a limb, but with their entire selves. Their actions are a masterful and convincing sermon on what it means to follow Christ. Like St. Paul, the martyrs were crucified with Christ, and so when we look at them, we see an image of Christ. We, too, must not merely call ourselves Christians in words, but preach Christ in our actions.

Fr. George Parsenios is Professor of New Testament at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. www.hchc.edu


Satan, Evil, and Exorcism in the Orthodox Church

Satan, Evil, and Exorcism in the Orthodox Church

To understand exorcism in the Orthodox Church, one must first understand the Orthodox teaching on evil and Satan. According to the Church Fathers, Satan was created by God as a free angel who chose to rebel against God's will. He became evil through his own choices. Satan is viewed as a real, personal force that opposes God, promotes deception, and seeks to draw humanity away from divine truth. Although he recognizes God's existence and power, he continually works to corrupt and disorder creation. We believe that evil is not inherent in the world. Creation is good, but evil resides in the rebellious powers opposed to God. Ultimately, Satan and all evil will be defeated through Christ's victory over death and the final renewal of creation.

The Orthodox Church has long recognized the reality of demonic influence and has prayers and rites to combat evil. Exorcism is commonly associated with Baptism, where candidates renounce Satan and unite themselves to Christ. The prayers invoke God's power to expel evil spirits and reject every form of deception, idolatry, falsehood, and impurity associated with the devil.

The Church also addresses evil through prayers related to vaskania, commonly known as the evil eye. Traditionally, this refers to the destructive effects of jealousy and envy directed toward another person or blessing. While the Church rejects superstitious and magical interpretations of the evil eye as incompatible with divine providence, it recognizes envy as a genuine spiritual problem. Consequently, prayers against vaskania seek God's protection from the harmful effects of jealousy while avoiding magical practices or folk rituals.

The New Testament records numerous instances of Christ and the Apostles healing and delivering people from demonic influence. The Orthodox Church views its prayers of exorcism as a continuation of this ministry. Through prayer, fasting, repentance, and faith in Christ, believers seek freedom from spiritual oppression and the power of evil.

Orthodox prayer books contain seven well-known exorcism prayers: three by Saint Basil the Great and four by Saint John Chrysostom. These prayers ask God, in the name of Jesus Christ, to liberate those suffering from demonic affliction or other spiritual maladies. While exorcism remains part of Orthodox practice, the Church teaches that it must always be used with caution, discernment, and pastoral care, emphasizing God's healing grace rather than sensationalism.

Based on a longer article by Rev. George C. Papademetriou, Ph.D. found on goarch.org (https://bit.ly/4hhHC3A)

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