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Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2017-05-21
Bulletin Contents
Hymns of the Day
Gospel and Epistle Readings
Wisdom of the Fathers
Saints and Feasts
Events
Jcblind1
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Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (201) 652-4774 for emergencies: 201 870 2676
  • Fax:
  • (201) 652-0789
  • Street Address:

  • 467 Grandview Avenue

  • Wyckoff, NJ 07481

Contact Information

Reverend Basil C. Gikas
Pastor

frbill@stnicholasnj.org | 201 652 4774 ext. 12

Ms. Rula Thasites
Administrator

office@stnicholasnj.org | 201 652 4774 ext. 10

Services Schedule

 

Sundays in the fall, winter & spring:

Matins: 9 a.m. &  Divine Liturgy 10a.m. except during the summer

 

Summer hours for Sundays in July and August:

Matins: 8:30a.m.  & Divine Liturgy 9:30a.m.

Past Bulletins


Hymns of the Day

Apolytikion of Great and Holy Pascha in the Plagal First Mode

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

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Plagal First Mode

Let us worship the Word, O ye faithful, praising Him that with the Father and the Spirit is co-beginningless God, Who was born of a pure Virgin that we all be saved; for He was pleased to mount the Cross in the flesh that He assumed, accepting thus to endure death. And by His glorious rising, He also willed to resurrect the dead.

Apolytikion for Constantine and Helen in the Plagal Fourth Mode

Having seen the image of Thy Cross in Heaven, and like Paul, having received the call not from men, Thine apostle among kings entrusted the commonwealth to Thy hand, O Lord. Keep us always in peace, by the intercessions of the Theotokos, O only Friend of man.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Plagal Fourth Mode

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.

The translations of hymns are under copyright and used by permission. All rights reserved. These works may not be further reproduced, in print or on other websites or in any other form, without the prior written authorization of the copyright holder:

  • Apolytikion of Great and Holy Pascha in the Plagal of the First Tone © Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
  • Resurrectional Apolytikion in Plagal of the First Tone © Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA
  • Apolytikion for Constantine and Helen in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone © Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA
  • Seasonal Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone © Narthex Press - Northridge, CA
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    Gospel and Epistle Readings

    Matins Gospel Reading

    Eighth Orthros Gospel
    The Reading is from John 20:11-18

    At that time, Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." Mary Magdalene went and said to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that He had said these things to her.

    Epistle Reading

    Prokeimenon. Fourth Mode. Psalm 18.4,1.
    Their voice has gone out into all the earth.
    Verse: The heavens declare the glory of God.

    The reading is from Acts of the Apostles 26:1, 12-20.

    IN THOSE DAYS, King Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to speak for yourself." Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense: "I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining round me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It hurts you to kick against the goads.' And I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and bear witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles-to whom I send you to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.' "Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and perform deeds worthy of their repentance."

    Gospel Reading

    Sunday of the Blind Man
    The Reading is from John 9:1-38

    At that time, as Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him. We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." As he said this, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man's eyes with the clay, saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar, said, "Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?" Some said, "It is he"; others said, "No, but he is like him." He said, "I am the man." They said to him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" He answered, "The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash'; so I went and washed and received my sight." They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know."

    They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. The Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, "He put clay on my eyes and I washed, and I see." Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" There was a division among them. So they again said to the blind man, "What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."

    The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight, and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself." His parents said this because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess him to be Christ he was to be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, "He is of age, ask him."

    So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, "Give God the praise; we know that this man is a sinner." He answered, "Whether he is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see." They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered them, "I have told you already and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you too want to become his disciples?" And they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from." The man answered, "Why, this is a marvel! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." They answered him, "You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?" And they cast him out.

    Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, "Do you believe in the Son of man?" He answered, "And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to you." He said, "Lord, I believe": and he worshiped him.

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    Wisdom of the Fathers

    But I assert that he even received benefit from his blindness: since he recovered the sight of the eyes within.
    St. John Chrysostom
    Homily 56 on John 9, 4th Century

    When, then, have they taken place, save when the Word of God Himself came in the body? Or when did He come, if not when lame men walked, and stammerers were made to speak plain, and deaf men heard, and men blind from birth regained their sight? For this was the very thing the Jews said who then witnessed it, because they had not heard of these things having taken place at any other time.
    St. Athanasius
    Incarnation of the Word 38, 4th Century

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    Saints and Feasts

    Jcblind1
    May 21

    Sunday of the Blind Man

    The Lord Jesus was coming from the Temple on the Sabbath, when, while walking in the way, He saw the blind man mentioned in today's Gospel. This man had been born thus from his mother's womb, that is, he had been born without eyes (see Saint John Chrysostom, Homily LVI on Matthew; Saint Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book V:15; and the second Exorcism of Saint Basil the Great). When the disciples saw this, they asked their Teacher, "Who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?" They asked this because when the Lord had healed the paralytic at the Sheep's Pool, He had told him, "Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee" (John 5:14); so they wondered, if sickness was caused by sin, what sin could have been the cause of his being born without eyes. But the Lord answered that this was for the glory of God. Then the God-man spat on the ground and made clay with the spittle. He anointed the eyes of the blind man and said to him, "Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam." Siloam (which means "sent") was a well-known spring in Jerusalem used by the inhabitants for its waters, which flowed to the eastern side of the city and collected in a large pool called "the Pool of Siloam."

    Therefore, the Saviour sent the blind man to this pool that he might wash his eyes, which had been anointed with the clay-not that the pool's water had such power, but that the faith and obedience of the one sent might be made manifest, and that the miracle might become more remarkable and known to all, and leave no room for doubt. Thus, the blind man believed in Jesus' words, obeyed His command, went and washed himself, and returned, no longer blind, but having eyes and seeing. This was the greatest miracle that our Lord had yet worked; as the man healed of his blindness himself testified, "Since time began, never was it heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind," although the Lord had already healed the blind eyes of many. Because he now had eyes, some even doubted that he was the same person (John 9:8-9); and it was still lively in their remembrance when Christ came to the tomb of Lazarus, for they said, "Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have caused that even this man should not have died?" Saint John Chrysostom gives a thorough and brilliant exposition of our Lord's meeting with the woman of Samaria, the healing of the paralytic, and the miracle of the blind man in his commentaries on the Gospel of Saint John.

    21_conshel
    May 21

    Constantine and Helen, Equal-to-the Apostles

    This great and renowned sovereign of the Christians was the son of Constantius Chlorus (the ruler of the westernmost parts of the Roman empire), and of the blessed Helen. He was born in 272, in (according to some authorities) Naissus of Dardania, a city on the Hellespont. In 306, when his father died, he was proclaimed successor to his throne. In 312, on learning that Maxentius and Maximinus had joined forces against him, he marched into Italy, where, while at the head of his troops, he saw in the sky after midday, beneath the sun, a radiant pillar in the form of a cross with the words: "By this shalt thou conquer." The following night, our Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him in a dream and declared to him the power of the Cross and its significance. When he arose in the morning, he immediately ordered that a labarum be made (which is a banner or standard of victory over the enemy) in the form of a cross, and he inscribed on it the Name of Jesus Christ. On the 28th Of October, he attacked and mightily conquered Maxentius, who drowned in the Tiber River while fleeing. The following day, Constantine entered Rome in triumph and was proclaimed Emperor of the West by the Senate, while Licinius, his brother-in-law, ruled in the East. But out of malice, Licinius later persecuted the Christians. Constantine fought him once and again, and utterly destroyed him in 324, and in this manner he became monarch over the West and the East. Under him and because of him all the persecutions against the Church ceased. Christianity triumphed and idolatry was overthrown. In 325 he gathered the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, which he himself personally addressed. In 324, in the ancient city of Byzantium, he laid the foundations of the new capital of his realm, and solemnly inaugurated it on May 11, 330, naming it after himself, Constantinople. Since the throne of the imperial rule was transferred thither from Rome, it was named New Rome, the inhabitants of its domain were called Romans, and it was considered the continuation of the Roman Empire. Falling ill near Nicomedia, he requested to receive divine Baptism, according to Eusebius (The Life of Constantine. Book IV, 61-62), and also according to Socrates and Sozomen; and when he had been deemed worthy of the Holy Mysteries, he reposed in 337, on May 21 or 22, the day of Pentecost, having lived sixty-five years, of which he ruled for thirty-one years. His remains were transferred to Constantinople and were deposed in the Church of the Holy Apostles, which had been built by him (see Homily XXVI on Second Corinthians by Saint John Chrysostom).

    As for his holy mother Helen, after her son had made the Faith of Christ triumphant throughout the Roman Empire, she undertook a journey to Jerusalem and found the Holy Cross on which our Lord was crucified (see Sept. 13 and 14). After this, Saint Helen, in her zeal to glorify Christ, erected churches in Jerusalem at the sites of the Crucifixion and Resurrection, in Bethlehem at the cave where our Saviour was born, another on the Mount of Olives whence He ascended into Heaven, and many others throughout the Holy Land, Cyprus, and elsewhere. She was proclaimed Augusta, her image was stamped upon golden coins, and two cities were named Helenopolis after her in Bithynia and in Palestine. Having been thus glorified for her piety, she departed to the Lord being about eighty years of age, according to some in the year 330, according to others, in 336.

    Allsaint
    May 21

    Pachomios the Righteous New Martyr

    Allsaint
    May 22

    Basiliscus the Martyr, Bishop of Comana

    This Martyr was from the city of Amasia on the Black Sea, and a nephew of Saint Theodore the Tyro (Feb. 17). When his fellow Martyrs Eutropius and Cleonicus had been crucified (see Mar.8), Basiliscus was shut up in prison. As he was praying the Lord to count him also worthy to finish his course as a martyr, the Lord appeared to him, telling him first to go to his kinsmen and bid them farewell, which he did. When it was learned that he had left the prison, soldiers came after him, and brought him to Comana of Cappadocia, compelling him to walk in iron shoes set with nails. He was beheaded at Comana, and his body was cast into the river, during the reign of Diocletian (284-305).

    Allsaint
    May 22

    Holy New Martyrs Demetrius and Paul of Tripoli

    Allsaint
    May 22

    John-Vladimir, Ruler of Serbia

    Allsaint
    May 22

    6th Monday after Pascha

    Allsaint
    May 23

    Michael the Confessor, Bishop of Synnada

    This Saint was from Synnada in Phrygia of Asia Minor. In Constantinople he met Saint Theophylact (see Mar. 8); the holy Patriarch Tarasius, learning that Michael and Theophylact desired to become monks, sent them to a monastery on the Black Sea. Because of their great virtue, Saint Tarasius afterwards compelled them to accept consecration, Theophylact as Bishop of Nicomedia, and Michael as Bishop of his native Synnada. Because Saint Michael fearlessly confessed the veneration of the holy icons, he was banished by the Iconoclast Emperor Leo V the Armenian, who reigned from 813 to 820. After being driven from one place to another, in many hardships and bitter pains, Saint Michael died in exile.

    Allsaint
    May 23

    Mary the Myrrhbearer & wife of Cleopas

    Allsaint
    May 23

    6th Tuesday after Pascha

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    Events

    Christos Anesti! Cristos Anesth!

     Orthodox Christians greet each other with the joyous greeting of “Christ is Risen” and the response is “Truly (indeed) He has Risen”. During the Paschal period, we do not kneel during our worship, as kneeling is a symbol of penitence, whereas, standing is the sign of Christ’s victory and joy in our midst.

     

    Memorial: A 9 month memorial for George Rousos, beloved son, brother, nephew, council and friend.  Eternal be his memory.

     

     

     

    Today is The Feast Day of Saints Constantine & Helen: Chronia Polla (Many Years) to all who celebrate!    

     

     

     

    AHEPA Sunday:  In church today after worship, Daughters of Penelope Agape Chapter #336 President, Effie Stratis-Tefarikis and AHEPA Chapter President Jason Fink, V.P. Paul Goulet and Scholarship Chairman, Steve Konstantellis of Ramapo Chapter #453 will present the Daughters of Penelope and AHEPA scholarships. AHEPA- American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association is an international fraternal organization that promotes the Hellenic culture, history and language throughout the world.

     

     

     

    Religious Education: Parents please note that Sunday, May 28th, 2017 we will not have Religious Education classes due to the Memorial Day weekend. All families are encouraged to attend the Divine Liturgy together. A reminder, Sunday, June 4th is our last class, and our Religious Education Graduation! Parents, please inform your teachers if your students will be absent on graduation day. Thank you.

     

     

     

    Tray Collection: Today we will pass a collection tray for OCPM: Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry

     

     

     

    Feast day of the Holy Ascension: ThisThursday, May 25th is Ascension Thursday.  Orthros at 9:00a.m.; Divine Liturgy at 10:00a.m. The Ascension Church in Fairview will be celebrating Great Vespers on Wednesday, May 24th, at 7:00pm. His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos will be officiating.

     

     

     

    PARISH GENERAL ASSEMBLY: SUNDAY, JUNE 11 after worship services

    SAINT NICHOLAS is on Social Media! Like us on Facebook @stnicholasnj and follow us on Instagram @stnicholasgoc. To share your ministry’s events and activities email socialmedia@stnicholasnj.org.

     

     

     

    AHEPA:    The Ramapo Ahepa Chapter invites you to the 14th Annual Cigar Night Extravaganza on Wednesday, May 24th, 2017 at Seasons in Washington Township, NJ.  We deeply appreciate your previous support of this event.  Your continued support is also greatly appreciated. For Reservations contact John Tsadilas at 201-707-2657 or email, jtsadilas@verizon.net

     

    Wyckoff Day: We are preparing for the annual Wyckoff Day on June 3rd at the Wyckoff YMCA. Event is 11:00am until 6:00 pm.  We are proud to announce that our Saint Nicholas Juniors/GOYA dancers will be performing at 2:30 pm. Please promote our

     

     

     

     

     

    Faith, promote our Festival, support our youth and our Wyckoff community.  Questions?  Please contact Claire Melissas 201-742-5521 or Nick Karras 201-848-9361.

     

     

     

    Daughters of Penelope: If you go to the Blue Moon Cafe in Wyckoff on Tuesday, May 23rd for lunch or dinner, a percentage of your bill will be donated to our Agape Chapter.  (Can't get there that day?) Take-out, gift certificates or E-Gift Cards are an option. As always, your support will assist in funding our charities. Please present the special coupon with each purchase. Coupons will be available during the Sunday Fellowship Hour after the Liturgy or through e-blasts sent through the Saint Nicholas Office.

    Camp Good Shepherd (CGS): Registration is Now Open!
    JOY Session (ages 8-11) July 9th-15th, 2017
    GOYA Session #1 (ages 12-18) July 16th-22nd, 2017: GOYA Session #2 (ages 12-18) July 23rd -29th, 2017
    Register: app.campdoc.com/register/gomnj                  Location: Linwood Macdonald YMCA in Branchville, NJ
    For more information:  Alexia Lekkas gomnjcgs@gmail.com ,  Assistant Camp Director

    SAINT  NICHOLAS VACATION CHURCH SCHOOL (on our site): July 31- August 4, 9am-12:30pm for children 5-11 years of age. Contact frbill@stnicholasnj.org for information. VCS planning meeting Friday, May 26 @ 4:30pm

    The Orthodox Ladies Prayer Group:  All ladies are welcome to join our prayer meetings held on the 2nd and 4th Thursday evening of each month at 7:30pm in our Theotokos chapel.  We spend a dedicated time of informal prayer for our nation, church community, families and friends.  All prayer requests are kept confidential.  Please call the church office or Irene Ayvas 201-803-2307, with any prayer requests you want added to our list or submitted to the “Email Prayer Chain”.
    “Email Prayer Chain”: Prayer is a simple, effective way to serve the people of our community. Since the majority of people read emails on a daily basis, we invite members of our congregation to join our “Email Prayer Chain”.  You will receive occasional urgent prayer requests for those in immediate crisis, and we ask only that you take a moment and pray.  It’s simple and powerful.  If you are interested in being a part of this ministry, email Irene Ayvas at iayvas@yahoo.com with your email contact info or call 201-803-2307.   

    Festival: Please join us in helping Saint Nicholas once again proudly showcase our faith and heritage via our wonderful Festival, in which we were recognized as one of the top three in its category by 201 Magazine in 2016. Please respond by sending your name, e-mail address, and which station you would like to volunteer for in 2017 to office@stnicholasnj.org. OPA!
    Please note we are still looking for Chairperson(s) for the following: Inside Food Line, Cleaning Tables, & Busses/Parking. Contact Nick Pirsos for further information at Pirsos@verizon.net

    Candle Money:Earn a convenient tax deduction record for your candle donations. Booklets are available for purchase at the Office or Narthex (Sundays). Candle money comes in a $2 booklet of 25 for $50; a $5 booklet of 10 for $50; a $10 booklet of 5 for $50 and a $20 booklet of 5 for $100. Candle money can only be used for candle donations. It is non-refundable, must be used for its full value and cannot be exchanged for cash.

    Saint Nicholas Benevolent Fund: In his Epistle, Saint James teaches that “faith without works is dead.” Giving alms (charity) is an act of faith through good works. Anyone can donate anonymously to this Fund benefitting a family or a person in need. Mail your donation check or drop it in the collection plate in our Narthex. “God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7). God bless you always for your open heart! You have made a difference! Contact Fr Bill for info frbill@stnicholasnj.org

    Amazon Smile: Amazon has a unique feature for charitable organizations. For any amount spent on Amazon, the company will donate 0.5% of your entire shopping proceeds to your charity of choice. If you wish to participate in the program, rather than logging in directly to “amazon.com”, please login to “smile.amazon.com” and search for “St. Nicholas Wyckoff”.

    Mortgage Burning: Participate in making Saint Nicholas debt free by pledging specific donations to this program. Further information can be found at the Narthex or contacting any Parish Council member.


    Other Ways to Give: Please consider St. Nicholas throughout the year in the following ways: Gift in Stock; Gifting from an Estate; Corporate Matching Programs; recurring gift payments via credit card or PayPal. Call the Office for details.

    Grandview LLC: If interested in assisting “friends of St. Nicholas” acquire additional property for church benefit; please contact Nick Pirsos at Pirsos@verizon.net  for additional details.

    Parish Stewardship Status:  Stewardship is composed of our personal offering of time, talent and treasure. Stewardship is not dues but is based on Holy Scripture from both the Old and New Testaments. Since time and talent offerings are more difficult to measure, one measurement of our response to God is our average “treasure” pledge per steward household. In 2016, we had 430 steward households that donated a total of $347,301 or 51% of our budgetary needs. To date in 2017, we have 230 steward households that have pledged a total of $220,860.

     

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