Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2025-07-06
Bulletin Contents
Worship Guidelines
Hymns of the Day
Gospel and Epistle Readings
Saints and Feasts
Wisdom of the Fathers
News and Announcements
This Week's Events

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Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • 707-642-6916
  • Street Address:

  • 1224 Alabama Street

  • Vallejo, CA 94590

Contact Information

Fr. Ninos Oshaana
Priest

[email protected] | 408-910-1144

Services Schedule

A full listing of all our services and events is provided in this bulletin.  

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“Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am in the midst of them.” -Matthew 18:20

 

Since the time of the Apostles, the Divine Liturgy has offered us communion with our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ through hymns, prayers, the hearing of the Scriptures and the great miracle of the Holy Eucharist for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

Upon entering this holy church, you are entering into worship with the angels and saints who continually worship God in heaven and are sanctified by His presence. Through your prayerful and heartfelt participation, through your sincere repentance and desire for union with Christ, the Divine Liturgy we celebrate today can be for you a powerful experience of "the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit" (2 Corinthians 13:14). Join in this holy and grace-filled work by following the service in the Divine Liturgy book in your pew or by simply being present, praying in your heart, “Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.”

 

Past Bulletins


Worship Guidelines

We enter the temple of God with reverence, humbly and quietly so as not to disturb those who are in prayer and as an expression of faith and awareness of the presence of the Lord, his saints and angels. No loud talking, irrelevant conversations, joking, etc. should take place in the Narthex or in the Sanctuary at anytime. To stand during worship is to affirm that we are in the presence of the Almighty God. The elderly, the sick and children may be seated as needed. There are specific parts of the service during which no one should be moving about. These parts of the service are: 

The Small Entrance, the Epistle and Gospel; the Cherubic Hymn, Great Entrance, Nicene Creed, the hymn Se Ymnoumen, the prayers: "Take, eat, this is my Body..." and, "we offer to you these gifts...", the prayer of institution: "And make this bread the precious Body of your Christ...", the Lord's Prayer,  Holy Communion, the sermon, dismissal prayer, any special services, e.g, memorial services. Whenever the Priest is facing the people or outside of the altar, everyone should stand wherever they are.

Dressing for God: The church is not just any ordinary place. We dress as modestly and respectfully as we can, because we are in the presence of God Himself. If invited by any earthly king or queen, we would dress in our finest clothes. Therefore, we should dress similarly when accepting an invitation from the Lord of Heaven. The way Orthodox Christians dress, both in and outside the temple, reflects their way of life and dedication to and fear of God. We dress modestly at all times, not in a flashy or provocative way that brings attention to ourselves.  

GENTLEMEN: Collared, button-up shirts, clean dress pants, sweaters or vests, ties and coats. Avoid jeans and shorts.

LADIES: Modest dresses and blouses, knee-length skirts or longer, clean dress pants. Avoid jeans or shorts, short skirts, skin-tight clothing, and strapless or sleeveless tops, high-heels shoes as they make noise on our floors. Head coverings may be worn, according to the biblical tradition and are available in the narthex.

Only Orthodox Christians may participate in Holy Communion. Please be in church at the beginning, say the pre-communion prayers the previous evening or in the morning, fasting from food this morning (unless there is a medical reason) and had a recent confession. Allow the altar boys to place the red cloth under your chin. Do not wipe your mouth with it but consume everything that may be on your lips. Ladies please avoid wearing lipstick or lip-gloss when receiving Holy Communion.

 

 

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Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the 3rd Tone

Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad, for the Lord has shown the mighty power of his arm. He has trampled down death by death, becoming the first born of the dead. He has delivered us from the depths of hell and has granted to all the world his great mercy.

Apolytikion for the Church in the 8th Tone

Tou stavrou sou ton typon en ourano theasamenos, ke os o Pavlos tin klisin, ouk exanthropon dexamenos, o en vasilefsin Apostolos sou, Kyrie, Vasilefousan polin, ti kheeree sou paretheto, een perisoze dia pantos en irini, presvies tis Theotokou, moni Philanthrope. 

Your Apostle among the Rulers, St. Constantine, who once beheld in the sky the image of Your Cross, and who like Paul received his calling not from man, once entrusted the Ruling City into Your hand. We entreat You to restore it in peace forever, at the intercession of the Theotokos, O Lord Who loves humanity.

Seasonal Kontakion in the 2nd Tone

O unfailing protection of Christians, and our faithful advocate before the Creator: though we are sinners, do not ignore our entreaty; but in your goodness, grant your timely help to us who appeal to you in faith. Quickly make intercession; on our behalf make speedy supplication, O Theotokos, for you always protect those who honor you.
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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. 3rd Tone. Psalm 46.6,1.
Sing praises to our God, sing praises.
Verse: Clap your hands, all you nations.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans 6:18-23.

Brethren, having been set free from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once yielded your members to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now yield your members to righteousness for sanctification.

When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But then what return did you get from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the return you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Gospel Reading

4th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 8:5-13

At that time, as Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress." And he said to him, "I will come and heal him." But the centurion answered him, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, "Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth." And to the centurion Jesus said, "Go; be it done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed at that very moment.

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Saints and Feasts

July 06

Sisoes the Great

This Saint, great and renowned among the ascetics of Egypt, lived in the fourth century in Scete of Nitria. After the death of Saint Anthony the Great, he left Scete to live in Saint Anthony's cave; he said of this, "Thus in the cave of a lion, a fox makes his dwelling." When Sisoës was at the end of his long life of labours, as the Fathers were gathered about him, his face began to shine, and he said, "Behold, Abba Anthony is come"; then, "Behold, the choir of the Prophets is come"; his face shone yet more bright, and he said, "Behold, the choir of the Apostles is come." The light of his countenance increased, and he seemed to be talking with someone. The Fathers asked him of this; in his humility, he said he was asking the Angels for time to repent. Finally his face became as bright as the sun, so that the Fathers were filled with fear. He said, "Behold, the Lord is come, and He says, 'Bring Me the vessel of the desert,'" and as he gave up his soul into the hands of God, there was as it were a flash of lightning, and the whole dwelling was filled with a sweet fragrance.

July 07

Kyriaki the Great Martyr

Saint Kyriake was the daughter of Christian parents, Dorotheus and Eusebia. She was given her name because she was born on Sunday, the day of the Lord (in Greek, Kyriake). She contested in Nicomedia during the reign of Diocletian, in the year 300. After many bitter torments she was condemned to suffer beheading, but being granted time to pray first, she made her prayer and gave up her holy soul in peace.

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Wisdom of the Fathers

Nothing equals the mercy of God or surpasses it. To despair is therefore to inflict death on oneself.
St. John Climacus
The Ladder of Divine Ascent Step 5:Penitence, Paulist Press pg. 130, 6th century

We must not hate those who ignore the way of life which is good and conforms to God's will, and who pay no heed to the teachings that are true and divine. Rather, we must show mercy to them as being crippled in discrimination and blind in heart and mind. For in accepting evil as good, they are destroyed by ignorance; and, being wretched and obtuse in soul, they do not know God.
St. Antony the Great
On the Character of Men no. 83, Philokalia Vol. 1 edited by Palmer, Sherrard and Ware; Faber and Faber pg. 342, 4th century

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News and Announcements

Prayer List - Email [email protected] to add

Keep in your prayers the servants of God: Maro, Roger, Joshua, Andreas, Michael, Dorothy, Amy, Evangelos, Mary, Alberto and Rosa, Stephanie Val, Michael, Gregory, Nick, Julie, Nitsa, Sayge, Stamatoula, Emilio, Sitheri, Ghassan, Maria, Daniel, Porphyrios, Paul, Irvin, Katrina, Lygeri, Iris, Georgia, Jana, Serafim, Iris, Suzanna, Despina, Gregory, Eleni, Eleni, Charlotte, Kathryn, Nikolaos, Zeenah, Nektarios, Ron, Mac, Marie, Ron, Deme, Mary Thomas, Magda, Ourania, Isaak Stylianos, Pat Lofas, Mary Dorer

Catechumens: Jhanel, Jeffrey, Itzayana, Mason, Rohelio, Zoe, Alyvia, Warren, Jesse


Volunteer for the Greek Fest!

As a reminder, we will be having a two-day Greek Street Food Fest this year: Saturday, July 12 from 11:30am-6:00pm and Sunday, July 13 from 12:00pm-5:00pm.

Please contact Rolan (510-386-1042) at [email protected] or Itzayana at [email protected] to volunteer!


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This Week's Events

  • Upcoming Events

    July 6 to July 14, 2025

    SUN
    MON
    TUE
    WED
    THU
    FRI
    SAT
    6
    4th Sunday of Matthew
    8:30AM Matins
    10:00AM Divine Liturgy
    7
    Kyriake the Great Martyr
    5:00PM Vespers
    8
    The Holy Great Martyr Procopius
    5:00PM Vespers
    9
    ☦️ Hieromartyr Pancratius, Bishop of Tauromenium in Sicily
    5:00PM Akathist
    6:00PM Faith Discussion
    10
    45 Holy Martyrs of Nikopolis, Armenia
    5:00PM Vespers
    11
    ☦️ Euphemia the Great Martyr
    6:00PM Paraklesis
    12
    Proclus & Hilary the Martyrs of Ancyra
    11:30AM Greek Street Food Fest
    5:00PM Great Vespers
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