Parish News

This Week:

Schedule of Services for the Week of June 1, 2025
Sunday 6/1 8:30 a.m. Orthros/Divine Liturgy - Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council
Saturday 6/7 9:00 a.m. Orthros/Divine Liturgy - Saturday of Souls
NOTE EARLIER START next Sunday, June 8th: Orthros 8:00AM/Divine Liturgy at 9:00 AM: WE MUST HAVE THE PARKING LOT CLEARED BEFORE OPA OPENS TO THE PUBLIC

First Sundays are Youth Sundays at St. Anna. GOYA, HOPE & JOY (grades K-6th), and our Little Blessings (Pre-K and under) ministries will meet today for the last time until the fall.

Today is National Presvytera's Day!! We are blessed and very proud to honor our very own beloved Presvytera Antonia! Axia! Please join Philoptochos in congratulating her during fellowship!

Sunday School, HOPE, & JOY: Will be hosting an End of the Year Ice Cream Social on JUNE 1st after Sunday School for all youth ministries. Please use the signup genius link to bring in toppings to share. Hope to see you there!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4EABAE23A7F85-56756569-icecream

Greek School: Tomorrow, Monday, 6/2/25, Greek School will be having its End of Year Celebration.

OPA FESTIVAL JUNE 6-8: Sign up To Volunteer Here: SIGNUP LINK

* JUNE 12th, 6 pm: Volunteer Appreciation Pizza Party at Alfresco's Flemington: Please reserve your spot by June 9th HERE

*Festival Website: Opafestival.com

* Parishioner Sponsors: Please donate to help offset the costs of the festival. DOWNLOAD THE FORM HERE.
*For Opa News: Please add [email protected] to your mailbox.

*See Festival Chair Diana Grina during Fellowship hours with any questions or help signing up.

Upcoming Dates & Deadlines:

June 8th: Sunday School graduation ceremony. Please note the date change.

Parea: Our June Senior Parea will meet on June 10th at 12:00 in the fellowship hall. PLEASE NOTE THE DATE CHANGE. Please RSVP for food planning purposes a few days ahead. RSVP after church or contact Olympia Tzovolos, (908) 285-3983, or Aimee Douvris, (908) 339-2511, [email protected]. We will meet again in the fall.

New Women's Group Book Club. Our first gathering is Wednesday, June 11th at 6:30pm, on the book "EVERYWHERE PRESENT: CHRISTIANITY IN A ONE-STOREY UNIVERSE" by Fr. Stephen Freeman (available in the Bookstore and on Audible). Come for an evening of conversation, fellowship and spiritual nourishment. If you can read it ahead of time, terrific; if you don't finish it, come anyway. Bring your book, a drink and a snack. RSVP by June 4th at [email protected].

2025 Philoptochos End of Year Celebration:
When: Sunday, June 22nd, 11:30 to 2:00
Where: Nick & Anna Bouras Fellowship Hall
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090D4BAAA629A1F49-57082821-2025

Holy Metropolis of New Jersey Camp Good Shepherd: Registration for Camp Good Shepherd is now open. The camp is open to ages 8-18 and will be at Camp Linwood Macdonald (Sandyston, NJ) on July 13-19, 2025. Please see the attached flyer for more information; call 908-301-0500; or click on this link: https://www.nj.goarch.org/camp-good-shepherd.

General Updates:

We are pleased to inform the Parish that we will have a new full time Psalti starting in early July. His name is Jordan Michael Zanetis. We look forward to him joining us and working with our volunteer chanters. The Parish Council would once again like to thank our chanters for their dedication and service to our St. Anna Parish. We are excited that they will be able to continue their training and chanting journey under Jordan's leadership, leveraging his experience as a byzantine chanting instructor.

PHILOPTOCHOS CORNER:
We are continuing the "Hunterdon County Global Health for Guatemala" drive through the end of June!
Items needed: Empty pill bottles, trial size personal hygiene products, such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, lotions, shampoo, OTC cold & allergy medications. Especially for Kids: crayons, coloring books, small toys, and more...
There is a Collection Box in the hallway with a complete "what's needed item list". Thank you as always for your generosity to those in need!

As the school year comes to the end, Kyria Lisa, Kyria Kelly, Despinis Nikoleta, Kyrio Petro Kyria Katerina and Kyria Maria would like to thank our Greek school families for their support and dedication to our St. Anna Greek School.

Procedure for Holy Communion:
Enter into the center aisle. Please wait until a member of the Parish Council calls your pew. The order is as follows:
- Any Newly illumined (newly Baptized, Chrismated)
- Choir
- Pew by pew per PC direction. Please wait until your pew is called.
- Those remaining in the narthex.

"Take and Bake" Fundraiser: We have frozen 1/2 trays of Pastitsio/ $60 and Spanakopita/ $50 for sale. Please see attached flyer and contact any Parish Council member for purchase. The items are ready for pickup. Quantities are limited, first come first serve!

Sunday Fellowship Hour Sponsors: Please sponsor a fellowship hour to support the Saint Anna parish. The requested fellowship hour sponsorship donation is $50. Please see the signup list by the church office to sign up.

2025 Stewardship Status: We have 110 Pledges totaling $185,455 and $135,808 received to date. We also have 3 families who have contributed $1,400 to date but have not submitted a stewardship card. Families must complete a stewardship card to be considered a steward. Click HERE for the card. Current Stewardship List and other stewardship information is posted in bulletin board by water cooler.

Sunday School To register your child for the fall, please email Nikol Toulatos at [email protected]. Thank you all for a wonderful year!

The Young Adult League will assist in PC duties on the second Sundays of the month (YAL Sundays). If you are of YAL age (18-35) and interested in participating or for more information about monthly meetings and events, please reach out to Steven Tattoli at yal‑[email protected].

ST. ANNA BOOKSTORE - Visit us and see what is new. Recommendations:
For adults: "Thinking Orthodox"
For children: "Children’s Bible Reader"
Questions? Send email to [email protected]

PARISH LINKS:

FORMS: The following forms are on the website and can be downloaded from the following links:
2025 STEWARDSHIP PLEDGE CARD
KOLIVA REQUEST FORM (for memorials already scheduled with Father Jimmy)
PHILOPTOCHOS MEMBERSHIP FORM

St Anna Website: https://www.stannagoc.org/

St Anna Greek Orthodox Church Calendar: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/[email protected]&ctz=America/New_York

For general questions: [email protected]

To be added to the weekly bulletin email: [email protected]

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. 4th Tone. Daniel 3.26,27.
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers.
Verse: For you are just in all you have done.

The reading is from Acts of the Apostles 20:16-18, 28-36.

IN THOSE DAYS, Paul had decided to sail past Ephesos, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. And from Miletos he sent to Ephesos and called to him the elders of the church. And when they came to him, he said to them: "Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities, and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by so toiling one must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, 'it is more blessed to give than to receive.' " And when he had spoken thus, he knelt down and prayed with them all.

Gospel Reading

Fathers of the 1st Council
The Reading is from John 17:1-13

At that time, Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work which you gave me to do; and now, Father, you glorify me in your own presence with the glory which I had with you before the world was made.

"I have manifested your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world; yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you; for I have given them the words which you gave me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you did send me. I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are mine; all mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me; I have guarded them, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves."

Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Plagal 2nd Tone

Angelic powers were above Thy tomb, and they that guarded Thee became as dead. And Mary stood by the grave seeking Thine immaculate Body. Thou hast despoiled Hades and wast not tried thereby. Thou didst meet the Virgin and didst grant us life. O Thou Who didst arise from the dead, Lord, glory be to Thee.

Apolytikion for Holy Ascension in the 4th Tone

Thou hast ascended in glory, O Christ our God, and gladdened Thy disciples with the promise of the Holy Spirit; and they were assured by the blessing that Thou art the Son of God and Redeemer of the world.

Apolytikion for Fathers of the 1st Council in the Plagal 4th Tone

Most glorified art Thou, O Christ our God, Who hast established our Fathers as luminous stars upon the earth, and through them didst guide us all to the true Faith. O Most Merciful One, glory be to Thee.

Apolytikion for St. Anna (Dec. 9) in the 4th Tone

Today the bonds of childlessness are loosed; for God hearkened to Joachim and Anna. And though it was beyond hope, He clearly promised them that they should bear a divine child, from whom was born the Uncircumscribable One Himself Who became a mortal, and through an Angel commanded them to cry unto her: Rejoice, thou who art full of grace, the Lord is with thee."

Seasonal Kontakion in the Plagal 2nd Tone

O Christ our God, upon fulfilling Your dispensation for our sake, You ascended in Glory, uniting the earthly with the heavenly. You were never separate but remained inseparable, and cried out to those who love You, "I am with you and no one is against you."

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