Hymns of the Day

Apolytikion of Great and Holy Pascha in the Plagal First Tone

Christ is risen from the dead, by death, trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs He has granted life.

Χριστός ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν, θανάτῳ θάνατον πατήσας, καί τοῖς ἐν τοῖς μνήμασι ζωήν χαρισάμενος.

Apolytikion for Thomas Sun. in the Grave Tone

Whilst the tomb was sealed, Thou, O Life, didst shine forth from the grave, O Christ God; and whilst the doors were shut, Thou didst come unto Thy disciples, O Resurrection of all, renewing through them an upright Spirit in us according to Thy great mercy.

Ἐσφραγισμένου τοῦ μνήματος ἡ ζωὴ ἐκ τάφου ἀνέτειλας Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, καὶ τῶν θυρῶν κεκλεισμένων, τοῖς Μαθηταῖς ἐπέστης ἡ πάντων ἀνάστασις, πνεῦμα εὐθὲς δι' αὐτῶν ἐγκαινίζων ἡμῖν, κατὰ τὸ μέγα σου ἔλεος.

Apolytikion for Great Martyr George in the Fourth Tone

Liberator of captives, defender of the poor, physician of the sick, and champion of kings, O trophy-bearer, Great Martyr George, intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.

Ως τών αιχμαλώτων ελευθερωτής, καί τών πτωχών υπερασπιστής, ασθενούντων ιατρός, βασιλέων υπέρμαχος, τροπαιοφόρε μεγαλομάρτυς Γεώργιε, πρέσβευε Χριστώ τώ Θεώ, σωθήναι τάς ψυχάς ημών.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Plagal Fourth Tone

Though You went down into the tomb, You destroyed Hades' power, and You rose the victor, Christ God, saying to the myrrh-bearing women, "Hail!" and granting peace to Your disciples, You who raise up the fallen.

Εἰ καὶ ἐν τάφῳ κατῆλθες ἀθάνατε, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ᾍδου καθεῖλες τὴν δύναμιν, καὶ ἀνέστης ὡς νικητής, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, γυναιξὶ Μυροφόροις φθεγξάμενος. Χαίρετε, καὶ τοῖς σοῖς Ἀποστόλοις εἰρήνην δωρούμενος ὁ τοῖς πεσοῦσι παρέχων ἀνάστασιν.

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Fourth Tone. Psalm 146.5;134.3.
Great is our Lord, and great is his power.
Verse: Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good.

The reading is from Acts of the Apostles 12:1-11.

ABOUT THAT TIME, Herod the king laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword; and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. So Peter was kept in prison; but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the Church.

The very night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison; and behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, "Get up quickly." And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, "Wrap your mantle around you and follow me." And he went out and followed him; he did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened to them of its own accord, and they went out and passed on through one street; and immediately the angel left him. And Peter came to himself, and said, "Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting."

Προκείμενον. Fourth Tone. ΨΑΛΜΟΙ 146.5;134.3.
Μέγας ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν, καὶ μεγάλη ἡ ἰσχὺς ἀὐτοῦ.
Στίχ. Αἰνεῖτε τὸν Κύριον, ὅτι ἀγαθός.

τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων 12:1-11.

Κατ᾿ ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν, Κατʼ ἐκεῖνον δὲ τὸν καιρὸν ἐπέβαλεν Ἡρῴδης ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰς χεῖρας κακῶσαί τινας τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας. Ἀνεῖλεν δὲ Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ἰωάννου μαχαίρᾳ. ΚαὶN ἰδὼν ὅτι ἀρεστόν ἐστιν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, προσέθετο συλλαβεῖν καὶ Πέτρον - ἦσαν δὲ αἱ ἡμέραι τῶν ἀζύμων - ὃν καὶ πιάσας ἔθετο εἰς φυλακήν, παραδοὺς τέσσαρσιν τετραδίοις στρατιωτῶν φυλάσσειν αὐτόν, βουλόμενος μετὰ τὸ Πάσχα ἀναγαγεῖν αὐτὸν τῷ λαῷ. Ὁ μὲν οὖν Πέτρος ἐτηρεῖτο ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ· προσευχὴ δὲ ἦν ἐκτενὴς γινομένη ὑπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ. Ὅτε δὲ ἔμελλεν αὐτὸν προάγειν ὁ Ἡρῴδης, τῇ νυκτὶ ἐκείνῃ ἦν ὁ Πέτρος κοιμώμενος μεταξὺ δύο στρατιωτῶν, δεδεμένος ἁλύσεσιν δυσίν· φύλακές τε πρὸ τῆς θύρας ἐτήρουν τὴν φυλακήν. Καὶ ἰδού, ἄγγελος κυρίου ἐπέστη, καὶ φῶς ἔλαμψεν ἐν τῷ οἰκήματι· πατάξας δὲ τὴν πλευρὰν τοῦ Πέτρου, ἤγειρεν αὐτὸν λέγων, Ἀνάστα ἐν τάχει. Καὶ ἐξέπεσον αὐτοῦ αἱ ἁλύσεις ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν. Εἶπέν τε ὁ ἄγγελος πρὸς αὐτόν, Περίζωσαι καὶ ὑπόδησαι τὰ σανδάλιά σου. Ἐποίησεν δὲ οὕτως. Καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ, Περιβαλοῦ τὸ ἱμάτιόν σου, καὶ ἀκολούθει μοι. Καὶ ἐξελθὼν ἠκολούθει αὐτῷ· καὶ οὐκ ᾔδει ὅτι ἀληθές ἐστιν τὸ γινόμενον διὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου, ἐδόκει δὲ ὅραμα βλέπειν. Διελθόντες δὲ πρώτην φυλακὴν καὶ δευτέραν, ἦλθον ἐπὶ τὴν πύλην τὴν σιδηρᾶν, τὴν φέρουσαν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, ἥτις αὐτομάτη ἠνοίχθη αὐτοῖς· καὶ ἐξελθόντες προῆλθον ῥύμην μίαν, καὶ εὐθέως ἀπέστη ὁ ἄγγελος ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος, γενόμενος ἐν ἑαυτῷ, εἶπεν, ῦν οἶδα ἀληθῶς ὅτι ἐξαπέστειλεν κύριος τὸν ἄγγελον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξείλετό με ἐκ χειρὸς Ἡρῴδου καὶ πάσης τῆς προσδοκίας τοῦ λαοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων.

Gospel Reading

Thomas Sunday
The Reading is from John 20:19-31

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them: "Peace be with you." When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them: "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him: "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them: "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in His side, I will not believe."

Eight days later, His disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said: "Peace be with you." Then He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." Thomas answered Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to Him: "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

Thomas Sunday
Κατὰ Ἰωάννην 20:19-31

Οὔσης οὖν ὀψίας τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ τῇ μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων, καὶ τῶν θυρῶν κεκλεισμένων ὅπου ἦσαν οἱ μαθηταὶ συνηγμένοι διὰ τὸν φόβον τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων, ἦλθεν ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς καὶ ἔστη εἰς τὸ μέσον, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· εἰρήνη ὑμῖν. καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἔδειξεν αὐτοῖς τὰς χεῖρας καὶ τὴν πλευρὰν αὐτοῦ. ἐχάρησαν οὖν οἱ μαθηταὶ ἰδόντες τὸν Κύριον. εἶπεν οὖν αὐτοῖς ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς πάλιν· εἰρήνη ὑμῖν. καθὼς ἀπέσταλκέ με ὁ πατήρ, κἀγὼ πέμπω ὑμᾶς. καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἐνεφύσησε καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· λάβετε Πνεῦμα ῞Αγιον· ἄν τινων ἀφῆτε τὰς ἁμαρτίας, ἀφίενται αὐτοῖς, ἄν τινων κρατῆτε, κεκράτηνται.

Θωμᾶς δὲ εἷς ἐκ τῶν δώδεκα, ὁ λεγόμενος Δίδυμος, οὐκ ἦν μετ᾽ αὐτῶν ὅτε ἦλθεν ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς. ἔλεγον οὖν αὐτῷ οἱ ἄλλοι μαθηταί· ἑωράκαμεν τὸν Κύριον. ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· ἐὰν μὴ ἴδω ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτοῦ τὸν τύπον τῶν ἥλων, καὶ βάλω τὸν δάκτυλόν μου εἰς τὸν τύπον τῶν ἥλων, καὶ βάλω τὴν χεῖρά μου εἰς τὴν πλευρὰν αὐτοῦ, οὐ μὴ πιστεύσω. Καὶ μεθ᾽ ἡμέρας ὀκτὼ πάλιν ἦσαν ἔσω οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ Θωμᾶς μετ᾽ αὐτῶν. ἔρχεται ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς τῶν θυρῶν κεκλεισμένων, καὶ ἔστη εἰς τὸ μέσον καὶ εἶπεν· εἰρήνη ὑμῖν. εἶτα λέγει τῷ Θωμᾷ· φέρε τὸν δάκτυλόν σου ὧδε καὶ ἴδε τὰς χεῖράς μου, καὶ φέρε τὴν χεῖρά σου καὶ βάλε εἰς τὴν πλευράν μου, καὶ μὴ γίνου ἄπιστος, ἀλλὰ πιστός. καὶ ἀπεκρίθη Θωμᾶς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· ὁ Κύριός μου καὶ ὁ Θεός μου. λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς· ὅτι ἑώρακάς με, πεπίστευκας· μακάριοι οἱ μὴ ἰδόντες καὶ πιστεύσαντες. Πολλὰ μὲν οὖν καὶ ἄλλα σημεῖα ἐποίησεν ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς ἐνώπιον τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ, ἃ οὐκ ἔστι γεγραμμένα ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τούτῳ· ταῦτα δὲ γέγραπται ἵνα πιστεύσητε ὅτι ᾿Ιησοῦς ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἵνα πιστεύοντες ζωὴν ἔχητε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ.

News & Events

THIS SUNDAY
St. George Feast Day and Reception, immediately following Divine Liturgy. Please join us as we celebrate the name day of our beloved St. George.

We will also host a town hall meeting to present an update on our church Iconography Project.

SUNDAY SCHOOL

Sunday, April 23rd - Mission Boxes Due

HOSPITALITY

Hospitality Ministry Meeting, Monday, April 24, Cultural Center 6:30 pm

COMING TOGETHER IN THE LORD

Sunday, April 30, 6:00 pm, St. George Library

Opportunity for our young married couples to integrate into the spiritual family life of St. George. Please call the Church Office at 732-775-2777 for more information

PHILOPTOCHOS

Board Meeting, Thursday, May 4, Library 7:00 pm

GOYA

St. George Greek Orthodox Church Goya Present: Cinco De Mayo Tricky Tray Event Friday, May 5, St. George Cultural Center. Please contact Presytera Angela Eugenis at Antigony2@aol.com or 732-768-8637

AHEPA

AHEPA is sponsoring a Souvlaki Lunch. Sunday, May 7, St. George Cultural Center, immediately following Divine Liturgy. Dedicated to the Order of AHEPA Scholarship Program.

PRAYER FELLOWSHIP

"Heavenly father physician of our souls and bodies, you have sent Your only-begotten Son and Our Lord Jesus Christ to heal every sickness and infirmity, we ask that you visit and heal also your servants, Connie, Mikayla, Tania, Larry,Penelope, Vasiliki, Sylvia, Michael, Athena, Scott, Tom, Mike, Security Forces, Anne,Anastasia, Tracy, from all physical and spiritual ailments through the grace of Your Christ. Grant them patience through this hardship, strength of body and spirit and recovery of health. Lord, You have taught us through Your word to pray for each other that we may be healed.
If you have an addition to this list, please contact the Church Office
732-775-2777 or George Moutis gmoutis@scinj.com

THE SPIRIT OF STEWARDSHIP

“As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.” John 20:21

Our Lord endows each of us with unique, personal and remarkable gifts and talents. Do we use them to Thank Him and support His Church? There are many ways to give back to the Church. Please consider how you can give back and participate in the family of St. George.

Remember – you can’t take what God has given you with you when you exit this life. Leave your legacy, whether it’s time, talent or treasure, to St. George where it will be used to further benefit the parish and continue to grow the fruits that have been planted.

The success at St. George depends on you!

Life Happens in Community!

Thank you to all our faithful stewards for support of our St. George Stewardship Program!

If not you – who? If not now – when?

Time + Talent + Treasure = Stewardship

ICONOGRAPHY
Since approval of the Iconography project at the October 16, 2016. Special Parish Assembly, the Iconography Committee has finalized the contract with the Iconographer George Gariskanis in March 1, 2017. Thank you to John Vrettos and Manny Tsarnas for their persistent efforts to negotiate and execute the contract. The Committee received and reviewed the Conceptual Iconography Design in December and reviewed with Metropolitan Evangelos on January 25. A scaffolding subcommittee meeting chaired by Marko Parlamas and George Nicholas was held on January 29 and attended by numerous Parish Council members. Thank you to those who have generously contributed to the Iconography project. If you are interested in donating to our project, an Iconography Fund has been created; information is available on our website and pledges can be made in VANCO or mailed to the Church. A fundraising brochure has been developed with the assistance of Rick Deet and Marissa Costidis. For additional information, please contact the Iconography Chair, Anne Papageorge at icons@stgeorgeap.org. A Community Town Hall will be held on Sunday, April 23rd, to present the Iconograpy Design and Fundraising opportunities. Dependent on fundraising, the Iconography Church Dome and Pendentives, and the Chapel Dome (Phase 1) are planned for Fall 2017. The Platytera and Solea Iconography (Phase 2) are planned for Fall 2018. The Iconostasis and Bishop Thrones Icons, Exonarthex Mosaics and Life of St. George Icons (Phase 3) are planned for Summer 2019.

ST. GEORGE SCHOLARSHIPS

Honoring High School and College Graduates

Applications may be optained through the church office. 732-775-2777. Deadline for submission is May 15, 2017. See attached flyer for details.

ST GEORGE SOCIAL MEDIA
"Remember to register St George Greek Orthodox Church for all your Amazon purchases. Our Church receives .5% for every purchase". Simply paste the link below in your browser, to be directed to the registration page Amazonsmile: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/21-0643361. The link appears on our website too. Follow us on social media, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and our live services each Sunday. The links appear on the web site for you convenience. www. stgeorgeap.org

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SERVE ST. GEORGE?
We are happy to train you for Narthex Service: Open & close the doors, extinguish candles & clean Icons. 7 Day Candle Placement. Rotating Schedule for service. If you would like to help, please contact the Church Office at 732-775-2777.

VANCO ENJOY THE CONVENIENCE OF ELECTRONIC GIVING!!
St. George Church wants to remind you that we offer electronic giving as a way to automate your regular weekly offerings. Electronic giving provides convenience for our Parish Community and provides much-needed donation consistency. Direct Debit Giving is used to automatically transfer funds from your checking or savings account to the church’s bank account. Credit & Debit Card Giving allows you to make offerings automatically on a pre-determined schedule using a credit or debit card. Online Giving allows you to go to www.stgeorgeap.org at any time to set up an automatic donation plan, change your donation plan, make a one-time donation or view your online donation history. As you contemplate future contributions, please consider electronic giving. Additional information is available from the church office.

BUILDING CAMPAIGN
Several naming opportunities for our building campaign are available, please email: johnp@warshauer.com or johnvret@aol.com

HERITAGE COMMITTEE
If you have a little time to spare, please help us in the St. George Library. Easy to learn. We meet on Tuesdays at 12 noon.

CHURCH OFFICE
A friendly reminder, when making a contribution; please ensure all checks include the specific “fund” where your contribution should be applied. THANK YOU!!

SPONSORING A COFFEE HOUR
Would you like to sponsor a coffee hour in honor of a loved one or to share a happy occasion with the community? Please contact the St. George Office 732-775-2777. For 40 Day Memorial Coffee Hours only we would be happy to: Reserve and Set 1 table complete with Kolyva, coffee service and desserts. Reserve a second table for extra guests. This allows the family to gather together for others to express their condolences and also not wait in the coffee line in their time of sadness.

HELP WANTED
Church Caretaker (Neokoro) Assists the Priest in all services, Liturgies and Sacraments Opens and closes the Church before/after all services. This is a part time position. Must have flexible hours and available to work every Sunday. For information, please contact the Church Office at 732-775-2777

AS DEVOTED AND RESPECTFUL PARISHIONERS OF ST. GEORGE
Please be considerate and make room in the pews for others. If you insist on keeping the end of the pew, please be aware of others looking for a seat and step out to allow them to enter. Those in the stasidia must step down onto the floor as follows: *When the Gospel is being read, *During the Small and Great entrances, *During Holy Communion. It is disrespectful to stand higher than the Holy Gifts. Please instruct your children in this discipline as well.

PROCEDURE FOR HOLY COMMUNION DISMISSAL
In order to insure proper reverence for the Holy Gifts before us,

1) Please exit FROM YOUR ROW, row by row into the CENTER AISLE.
2) Only Newly Illumin`-ed Christians, infants from the crying room, Sunday School teachers and their families, and the Choir proceed from the back rope-FIRST.

PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL OF THE PARISH COUNCIL WHO ARE MAINTAINING ORDER FOR YOUR PRAYERFUL APPROACH.

SECURITY
All doors and lights must be secured before leaving facility.
The township has advised fire lanes must be kept clear.
Lost keys or fobs will require a fifty dollar fee to replace.
Please do not adjust the thermostats.

Correspondence on the web site may be forwarded to LouieK@stgeorgeap.org for approval and posting at a minimum of 14 days before each event.