Prokeimenon. Fifth Tone. Psalm 11.7,1.
You, O Lord, shall keep us and preserve us.
Verse: Save me, O Lord, for the godly man has failed.
The reading is from St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians 1:21-24; 2:1-4.
Brethren, it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has commissioned us; he has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
But I call God to witness against me - it was to spare you that I refrained from coming to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith; we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith. For I made up my mind not to make you another painful visit. For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. For I wrote you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.
14th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 22:2-14
The Lord said this parable, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast; but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have made ready my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves are killed, and everything is ready; come to the marriage feast.' But they made light of it and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find.' And those servants went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment; and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen."
Holy Bread (Prosphora) and Coffee Hour is offered by: The Ferris Family
Orthodox servants of God, that they may have mercy, life, peace, health, salvation and visitation: Bruce & Joan Ferris & family, Valerie & Don DeBolt & family, Greg & Debbie Ferris & family, Cathy & Dennis Fairbanks & family, Eric & Tracy Namee & family
The Orthodox servants of God departed this life in the hope of resurrection unto life eternal: George, Lorraine, Evelyn
Trisagion Prayers of Mercy offered for the repose of: George & Lorraine Ferris, Evelyn Ferris
Your prayers are requested:
Nadia Abdelmaseh, George Augst, Kh. Cindy Baize, Dawneen Banks, Karl Beal, Dn. Stephen Beasley, Anita Bourgerie, Dennis Bourgerie, Joseph Broz, Jim Buckler, Teresa C., Deana Carothers, Roy Clark, George Cochran, Elisabeth Esquivel, Weine Habtemariam, Jacqueline Howk, Jordan Kaab, Edwin Kerley & family, Kandace Khoury, Mary Ann Khoury, Michael and Robin Khoury and family, Marlo and Sue Kinsey, Sean and Valerie Lehl & family, Matthew and Erica Lockwood, Linda Love, Donna Namee, Robbie Namee, Barbara Nassif, Lee Rosenbaum, Dolores Shaheen, Michelle Shaheen, Annalise Shearer, Danny Shipman, Brian Smith, Bonita Somerhalder, Rod & Becky Steven, Jacob Taylor, Corina, Cristian, and Iulian Todorache, Autumn and Kim Volhein, Sam Vulgamore, Andrea Vulgamore, Christina Vulgamore, Mary Vulgamore, Davin and Auggie Wallace, Glen Willett, Jadallah Wolf, Kouri Wolf, Marcia Pinkerton-Wolfe, Elena Zamfir
May God remember all of them and us in His Kingdom.
Our monthly newsletter, The Scroll, is available online. Each issue of The Scroll includes enriching articles about the faith, as well as pictures from recent events. In addition, we provide a monthly financial update to ensure we are fulfilling the biblical principle of transparency. You may access The Scroll here: The Scroll | St. Mary Orthodox Christian Church
On Monday, September 14, at 6:30 pm, an initial gathering of the Wichita Orthodox Mission Church will be held at the home of Russ & Adela Garton (7712 W Harvest Lane, Wichita, KS 67212). In addition to praying the Little Compline service together, the focus of the meeting will be identifying a future location for worship and meetings, as well as the best time of the week to regularly meet. We might also begin assigning individuals/committees with tasks to get the mission started. Attendees are asked to bring a Lenten dish to share at the meal since 9/14 is the Feast of the Cross and, thus, a fast day.
Our teens will be gathering at the home of Eric & Tracy Namee (2860 N Cypress) TODAY, September 6, from 4-7 pm for a pool party and dinner. All of our teens, including our teenage catechumens, are welcome to attend.
Beginning on Wednesday, September 9, following Daily Vespers each Wednesday we will have a Book Study. The book we will be using is "The Orthodox Way" by Bishop Kallistos Ware. We will also continue the Bible Study, but it will move to Thursday evenings beginning in September. If you wish to order your own copy of "The Orthodox Way" for this study from our parish bookstore, please let Eric or Nico know ASAP. You can find one or both of them in the bookstore Sundays after Liturgy.
The St. Mary Feast Day Picnic is September 13th following the Divine Liturgy. The location is the same as prior years - Edgemoor Recreation Center, 5815 East 9th street, Wichita. The parish will provide a main course (fried chicken); plates, utensils, cups, napkins and ice water. Parishioners attending are asked to bring a side dish, dessert, and/or beverage. The meal will start at approximately 12:30 p.m. Parishioners are also asked to bring softball equipment, if they wish to play.
The Belles of St Mary invite all parishioners (including men) who wish to learn or help to make holy bread to join them on Saturday, September 12, at 7:30 am as they will be making holy bread for the next few months.
The next catechism class meets on Sunday, September 20, at 10:30 am and will review the Church's liturgical calendar, with special emphasis on the 12 Great Feasts of the Church Year. Those who want to join the church are required to attend catechism classes, but anyone interested may attend (including those who are already members of our parish who want to learn more).
Those interested in joining Fr. Aaron in his prison ministry involvement at Winfield Correctional Facility are encouraged to attend one of the upcoming volunteer training sessions. Because paperwork and approval are required beforehand, please express interest as early as possible so there is enough time to complete the necessary forms. In addition, please contact Fr. Aaron to let him know you are planning to attend a training session.
2026 Training Dates
For more information, contact
Janie - [email protected] 620-705-7051
Lori Chrisman - [email protected] 316-300-3254
Many of our parishioners and friends have asked for an online option to make contributions to our parish. We now have this option on our website. You can make donations online for any reason: pledges, memorial gifts and special collections. You simply need to earmark your donation if it is for a memorial/special collection. If you choose to give online, we respectfully request you cover the associated fees. To give, you may visit the following webpage: Donate to St. Mary
Our text message system operates through tithe.ly. We need anyone who wants to receive text messages from the church to sign up for this service (even if you had already signed up using our previous Remind system). You can join by following these quick steps:
- Text the phone number 855-516-9861 with the following phrase in the message box: STMARYTEXT
- Click on the link sent back to you via text and fill out your name (having your name will make it much easier for us in the future to create separate groups, such as the Parish Council, the Belles of St Mary, etc.).
- Check the box giving permission to receive texts.
- Click the "Submit" button.
Once you have done this, you should be automatically added to our text message list. Contact Fr Aaron if you have any issues.
Ty Wangsgaard (9/9), Tana Salome (9/11).
May God grant them many years!
8:50AM Matins
10:00AM Divine Liturgy
4:00PM Teen SOYO Pool Party (2860 N Cypress)
Labor Day
6:00PM Great Vespers ~ Nativity of the Mother of God
8:00AM Divine Liturgy ~ Nativity of the Mother of God
6:00PM Daily Vespers
6:30PM Book Study ("The Orthodox Way")
5:30PM Parish Council Meeting
6:30PM Bible Study
7:30AM Belles Making Holy Bread
4:30PM Confession
5:00PM Great Vespers
6:00PM Chant Class
8:50AM Matins
10:00AM Divine Liturgy w/Chrismations
12:30PM Feast Day Celebration @ Edgemoor Park
5:00PM Dynamic Marriage - Pre-session
6:00PM Great Vespers w/Procession of the Cross ~ Elevation of the Cross
Fast Day ~ Elevation of the Cross
8:00AM Divine Liturgy ~ Elevation of the Cross
6:30PM Wichita Mission Church - Initial Gathering (Location TBA)
6:30PM Belles Meeting @ Robbie's (1958 N Sedgwick)
6:00PM Daily Vespers
6:30PM Book Study ("The Orthodox Way")
6:30PM Bible Study
9:00AM Teen Breakfast for our Neighbors
4:30PM Confession
5:00PM Great Vespers
8:50AM Matins
10:00AM Divine Liturgy
10:30AM Catechism Class
11:00AM Church School
5:00PM Lord's Diner
6:00PM Dynamic Marriage - Session 1
According to the ancient tradition of the Church, the Theotokos was born of barren and aged parents, Joachim and Anna, about the year 16 or 17 before the birth of Christ. Joachim was descended from the royal line of David, of the tribe of Judah. Anna was of the priestly tribe of Levi, a daughter of the priest Matthan and Mary, his wife.
Today, the day following the Nativity of the most holy Theotokos, we celebrate the synaxis of Saints Joachim and Anna, honouring them as her parents.
This saint was a bishop in Italy. Fleeing from the persecution of Diocletian in 298, he came to Bithynia, where he went from place to place converting many from the idols to the true God. Because of this, one day as he was celebrating the Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Archangels, they who worshipped wood and stones fell upon him and beat him to death with staves and stones.
CHURCH SCHOOL REGISTRATION
CSA 2026 GOLF CLASSIC
A CHRISTIAN ENDING
Read the latest Diakonia Newsletter for this Sunday
https://bulletinbuilder.org/diakonia-newsletter/2026-09-06?source=bulletin_web
September 6, 2026