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Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2017-08-06
Bulletin Contents
Hymns of the Day
Gospel and Epistle Readings
news
Saints and Feasts
Wisdom of the Fathers
Transfiguration
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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 for Holy Transfiguration in the Grave 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 ever-unending, through the prayers of the Theotokos. Light-bestower, glory be to Thee.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Grave Mode

You were transfigured upon the mount, O Christ our God, and Your disciples, in so far as they could bear, beheld Your glory. Thus, when they see You crucified, they may understand Your voluntary passion, and proclaim to the world that You are truly the effulgence of the Father.

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 for Holy Transfiguration in the Grave Tone © Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA
  • Seasonal Kontakion in the Grave Tone © Narthex Press - Northridge, CA
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    Gospel and Epistle Readings

    Matins Gospel Reading

    Transfiguration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
    The Reading is from Luke 9:28-36

    At that time, Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white. And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, and when they wakened they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah" - not knowing what he said. As he said this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Beloved; listen to him!" And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silence and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

    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. Peter's Second Universal Letter 1:10-19.

    BRETHREN, be more zealous to confirm your call and election, for if you do this you will never fall; so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

    Therefore I intend always to remind you of these things, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to arouse you by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. And I will see to it that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

    For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," we heard this voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word made more sure. You will do well to pay attention to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

    Gospel Reading

    Transfiguration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
    The Reading is from Matthew 17:1-9

    At that time, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain apart. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." He was still speaking, when lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces, and were filled with awe. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and have no fear." And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Tell no one the vision, until the Son of man is raised from the dead."

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    news

    News & Events

    08/06/2017

     

    Orthros:  8:30AM   

    Epistle: II Peter 1: 10-19  (pg. 1378)

    Divine Liturgy: 9:30AM

    Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9   (pg. 1164)

     

    Acolytes: Chris Angelis, Alex Angelis, James Gougousis, Nick   Saros, Connor O’Neill, Alexandros Christakos

     

    Narthex: John Tsadilas, Angelo   Lefer, George Bayiokos

     

     


           Reader & Greeter: GOYA  

     

    Fellowship Hour: Daughters   of Penelope

               

     

    Ushers: Arthur Kominos, Nick Karras
     
      Artoclasia: The Karsos Family

     
         

     

     

                 August 6, 2017                                                         The Transfiguration of Our Lord            

     

    The Transfiguration or Metamorphosis of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ is one of the twelve Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church and is celebrated today. To all who celebrate Chronia Polla (Many Years)!  Accounts of the Transfiguration are found in the New Testament: Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-9, Luke 9:28-36, and II Peter 1:16-19.  he biblical account describes the ascent of Jesus on Mt. Tabor, with his three disciples, Peter, James and John.  During the time of prayer on this mountain, a brilliant light surrounded Jesus and he became transfigured by it so intensely that his disciples could not look upon him.  Moses and Elijah also appeared before Jesus and spoke to him.  They were the Lawgiver and the Prophet of the Old Testament period.  Their very presence in this mystical vision points to Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ who fulfills the Old Testament prophecies and hopes. Jesus’ disciples were never the same after this experience.  No one ever is after meeting the mystical, spiritual Christ in the inner person.  “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away.”  “Behold, the new has come.” writes the Apostle Paul.  Our commemoration of the Lord’s Transfiguration reminds us that we, too, need a transformation in our heart in order to make room for God who is light, purity, love and joy. 

     

    Dekapentaugouston:  The 14-day period (August 1st thru 14th) of fasting and prayer that we observe in honor of the Feast of the Dormition (Falling asleep) of the All Holy Mother (Panaghia) Mary has begun. At the evening Paraclesis (Supplications) services, we petition Mary to pray along with us to Christ for our well-being and protection.  At these services the priest reads the baptismal names of the living for their health and well-being.  Prayer request forms have been placed in the Narthex of our Church for this purpose.  Our Paraclesis services are this Wednesday, August 9th and August 11th at 7:00pm.  Services will be held in the Theotokos Chapel. We are in a fasting period through August 14th. Abstain from sin, the eating and drinking of animal products and dairy products as well. Consult your 2017 Orthodox calendar for details on fasting.

     

    Vacation Church School 2017: Thank you to all our awesome volunteers: Agapi Schmarge, Zoe Kominos, Jackie O’Neill, Christina Eliades, Dee Bouloukos, Laurie Sigalos, Ryan Griffin, Stella Bayiokos, Alex Pirsos, Barbara Martello,  Michaela Tsapatsaris, Eleni Konstantellis, Lilli Gikas, Georgie Hess, Presvytera Sophia Gikas, Jim Nonas, Cassandra Meyer.

     

    Panaghia Cards: The Panaghia cards were mailed last week and are available in the Narthex & reception areas. 

     

    Bookstore: Have you stopped by to visit our bookstore lately?  New volumes are being added and existing ones are worth looking at again.  Enrich your spiritual life and learn our rich faith. Come and See!

     

     

     

     

    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.

     

    Greek Festival: Please join us in helping Saint Nicholas once again proudly showcase its 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!

     

    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.  Not only are we seeing countless answers to prayers, but this intimate time of fellowship together is encouraging and deepening our own faith.  Please feel welcome to join us anytime.  All prayer requests are kept confidential.  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. 

    Greek School: Greek School registration is underway for the 2017/2018 academic year.  There are some still seats available! Greek School meets Fridays from 4:15pm – 6:30pm.  The registration documents are located in the parish office reception area. Greek School will begin on September 15th, 2017 and the school calendar will be distributed to registered families later this summer.  If you have questions, contact Angela Rokkos Bachardy at angelarokkos@hotmail.com or Demetra Pittas at demetra.pittas@ericsson.com.

    Readers & Greeters: We are always looking for volunteers to greet parishioners on Sunday and to read the Epistle during the Divine Liturgy.  If you are interested in this ministry, contact Katherine Corniotes at 201-327-3645.

     

    Community Garden: We are seeking parishioners interested in creating a community garden at St. Nicholas. The garden will be run by and for members of our community. It will nourish us physically as we work outside and eat together from the garden, but it will also serve as a reaffirmation that we exist within a larger ecological chain. Anyone interested in further information and in planning the initial stages of the garden, please contact Billy Tsadilas at (551) 427 2805 or wtsadilas@gmail.com. 

     

    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 information frbill@stnicholasnj.org

    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 Saint 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 Parish 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 240 steward households that have pledged a total of $233,210.


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    Saints and Feasts

    Transfiguration
    August 06

    Transfiguration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

    Our Lord had spoken to His disciples many times not only concerning His Passion, Cross, and Death, but also concerning the coming persecutions and afflictions that they themselves would endure. Since all these evils were near at hand, but the enjoyment of good things which they hoped to receive in their stead was yet to come, our Savior desired to give them full assurance, evidently and openly, concerning that glory which is prepared for those who endure to the end. Therefore, fulfilling that which He had promised shortly before, that "there be some standing here which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His Kingdom" (Matt. 16:28), He took His three foremost disciples and ascended Mount Tabor, where He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as the light. Suddenly, together with this dread and marvelous effulgence of light, there appeared those pinnacles of the Prophets, Moses and Elias, who spoke with the Lord Jesus concerning His saving Passion which was about to take place. Standing before Him as reverent servants, they showed that He is the Lord of both the living and the dead, for Moses came forth from Hades, having died many centuries before, and Elias, as it were from heaven, whither he had been taken up while yet alive. After a little while a radiant cloud overshadowed them and out of the cloud they heard that same voice which had been heard at the Jordan at the Baptism of Christ, testifying to the Divinity of Jesus and saying: "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well-pleased; hear ye Him" (Matt. 17: 5).

    Such are the marvels, truly worthy of God, celebrated in this present feast, which is an image and prefiguring of the future state of the righteous, whose splendor the Lord spoke of, saying: "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun" (Matt. 13:43). It is because of this that the Kontakion of this Feast is said daily (when there is not a great feast) in the Service of the Typica in perpetual commemoration of the glory that will be the lot of the Saints. According to tradition, the Lord's Transfiguration came to pass forty days before His Crucifixion; this is why the Transfiguration is celebrated forty days before the Exaltation of the Cross.

    Allsaint
    August 07

    Sozon of Nicomedea

    Allsaint
    August 07

    Our Holy Father Nicanorus the Wonderworker

    Allsaint
    August 07

    Theodosius the New

    Allsaint
    August 07

    The Holy Righteous Martyr Dometius

    This Martyr, who lived during the reign of Saint Constantine the Great, was a Persian by race and an idolater by religion. He was catechized by a certain Christian named Abarus. He went to Nisibis, a city of Mesopotamia, where he was baptized and donned the monastic habit in a certain monastery. He afterwards ascended a mountain and there endured in extreme ascetical struggles, working miracles for those that came to him, and converting many unbelievers. Julian the Apostate learned of these things as he was marching against the Persians in 363, and at his command the Saint and his two disciples were stoned to death, as they were chanting the Sixth Hour.

    Transfiguration
    August 07

    Afterfeast of the Transfiguration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

    Allsaint
    August 07

    Narcissus the Hieromartyr of Jerusalem

    Allsaint
    August 07

    Joseph Gerontogiannis of Lithines Sitia

    Allsaint
    August 07

    The Holy Ten Thousand Ascetics of Thebes

    Triantaphillus
    August 08

    Holy New Martyrs Triantaphillus of Zagoras and Anastasius of Thessolonica

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    Wisdom of the Fathers

    The Lord does not always appear in glory to all who stand before Him. To beginners He appears in the form of a servant (Phil. 2:7); to those able to follow Him as He climbs the high mountain of His transfiguration He appears in the form of God, the form in which He existed before the world came to be (John 17:5).
    St. Maximos the Confessor
    Second Century on Theology, 13., 7th Century

    It is therefore possible for the same Lord not to appear in the same way to all who stand before Him, but to appear to some in one way and to others in another way, according to the measure of each person's faith.
    St. Maximos the Confessor
    Second Century on Theology, 13., 7th Century

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