Saints and Feasts

January 08

Sunday after Epiphany

Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Fourth Mode

When the women Disciples of the Lord had learned from the Angel the joyful message of the Resurrection and had rejected the ancestral decision, they cried aloud to the Apostles triumphantly: Death has been despoiled, Christ God has risen, granting His great mercy to the world.

Apolytikion for Afterfeast of the Theophany in the First Mode

When Thou wast baptized in the Jordan, O Lord, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest; for the voice of the Father bare witness to Thee, calling Thee His beloved Son. And the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the certainty of the word. O Christ our God, Who hast appeared and hast enlightened the world, glory be to Thee.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Fourth Mode

You appeared to the world today, and Your light, O Lord, has left its mark upon us. With fuller understanding we sing to You: "You came, You were made manifest, the unapproachable light."

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. First Mode. Psalm 32.22,1.
Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon us.
Verse: Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians 4:7-13.

BRETHREN, grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men." (in saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is he who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Gospel Reading

Sunday after Epiphany
The Reading is from Matthew 4:12-17

At that time, Jesus heard that John had been arrested, He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth He went and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned." From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Wisdom of the Fathers

Take heed, then, often to come together to give thanks to God, and show forth His praise. For when ye assemble frequently in the same place, the powers of Satan are destroyed, and the destruction at which he aims is prevented by the unity of your faith.

St. Ignatius of Antioch

Epistle to the Ephesians Ch. 13, 2nd century

For as persons not even knowing where to put a step forward, so they sat, overtaken by the darkness.

St. John Chrysostom

Homily 14 on Matthew 4, 4th Century

Ministry News

TODAY there will be a Memorial Service for Georgia Staikos, loving wife of Anthony Staikos, mother of George Staikos, and Yia Yia of Angelica, Anthony and Christopher. May her memory be eternal.

TODAY there will be a 14-year Memorial Service for Dimitrios Tsovolos, loving husband of Olympia and father of Irene, Dimtiri and Eleni. May his memory be eternal.

TODAY we will hold the Annual Parish Vasilopita Cutting hosted by the Philoptochos

TODAY Fellowship Hour is sponsored by the Staikos and Tsovolos families in memory of their beloved Georgia and Dimitrios.

TODAY we will swear in the 2017 Parish Council: Joanne Diver, John Douvris, Jorge Ferreira, Cliff Gillman, Nikolaos Kritharis, Michael Kypridakes, John Kaldes, Arge Mardakis, Bill Panageas, Dean Soteropoulos, Costa Tstatsos, Larry Tattolli and Peter Zannikos.

CHURCH CALENDAR

Please contact Father Anastasios on his mobile phone to schedule House Blessings this month.

January 17: Feast Day of St. Anthony, Orthros & Divine Liturgy, 9 am

January 17: St. Athanasios Great Vespers at St. Athanasios Church in Paramus, NJ, 7 pm

January 18: Sts. Athanasios and Cyril Patriarchs Alexandria, Orthros & Divine Liturgy, 9 am

January 25: St. Gregory the Theologian - Orthros & Divine Liturgy, 9 am

January 30: Three Hierarchs - Orthros & Divine Liturgy, 9 am

Ministry Update:

Education: Sunday School reconvenes today.

Greek School resumes on Monday, January 9. Please remember that there is no Greek School on Monday, January 16 due to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr holiday.

Apokriatiko Glendi – February 18, 2017, 7 pm – 11 pm

The Parish Council and Philoptochos are jointly sponsoring St. Anna’s Apokriatiko Glendi (Mardi Gras), an evening of music, dancing, food and family fellowship. Please support this fundraiser for our beloved St. Anna, as it is part of our parish’s history on our path towards continuing growth. Tickets are $50 for adults, $25 for children under 18 and free for children under five. You have choices to sign up to attend – every Sunday after church or contact Margaret Panageas at 908-246-7527 or Arge Mardakis at 908-253-0484. We look forward to hearing from you.

PC Corner

PC elections were completed and all names have been submitted ratified by HE. PC members will take oath today, elect officers, and start work to plan the year. John Giannouris has decided to take some time off and Nikolaos Kritharis was ratified as the seventh PC member after a tie.
2017 is an exciting year as we mark our 15^th anniversary since we were first incorporated in 2002.
In the next few weeks the PC will invite all the ministry heads to a 2017 planning session so that we can efficiently manage the church calendar.
PC priority will be given to the "Nicholas and Anna Memorial Hall" dedication event, the donor recognition and the launch of the iconography project tentatively planned for May 7, 2017. Please MARK THIS DATE and plan not to miss it. If you are interested in helping with this event, please contact John Kaldes at jskaldes@aol.com or 908-764-0220
Our financials finished 2016 positively We had a very 2016 finishing positive without the support from the Foundation. All need to be congratulated for this tremendous achievement!
PC will encourage that the audit committee completes the 2016 audit by no later than end of February so we can report the findings in the spring 2017 GA meeting

Bulletin Inserts

Apokriatiko Glendi - Save the Date

Saturday, February 18

Stewardship

STEWARDSHIP: Stewardship is the sharing of the talents and treasures that God has provided for us. An Orthodox Christian Steward is an active participant in the life of the Church. The parish encourages all who accept the Orthodox Faith to become practicing Stewards.

2017 Stewardship Status: We have 55 Pledges totaling $66,250 for an average of $1,205 and $11,960 received to date. It is important that all families complete a stewardship card to be considered a Steward.

2016 Stewardship Status: There were 128 Pledges totaling $166,530 for an average of $1,301 and $164,211 received to date. There were also 6 families who contributed $2,975 but did not submit stewardship cards. Therefore, the total 2016 stewardship contribution was $167,186. Any Stewards who could not fulfill their 2016 commitment are asked to please see Father

…Remember a rich man is not one who has much, but one who gives much…

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