Holy Cross Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2025-03-09
Bulletin Contents
Sunday March 9, 2025 - Sunday of Orthodoxy
Hymns of the Day
Gospel and Epistle Readings
Wisdom of the Fathers
Saints and Feasts
Announcements
Parish Calendar
Online Donations

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Holy Cross Orthodox Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • 724-346-9937
  • Street Address:

  • 950 Maple Dr

  • Hermitage, PA 16148-2333

Contact Information

The Most Rev. NATHANIEL
Archbishop


Right. Rev. ANDREI
Vicar Bishop


Rev. Father Spyridon Ickes
Parish Priest

[email protected] | 216-372-6217

Services Schedule

Wednesdays: Daily Vespers 6 pm; Bible Study after

Saturdays: Great Vespers 6 pm; Confessions heard after

Sundays: Matins 9 am, Divine Liturgy 10 am

 

Past Bulletins


Sunday March 9, 2025 - Sunday of Orthodoxy

     

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Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone

Having learned the joyful proclamation of the Resurrection from the Angel, and having cast off the ancestral condemnation, the women disciples of the Lord spake to the Apostles exultantly: Death is despoiled and Christ God is risen, granting great mercy to the world.

Apolytikion for 40 Martyrs of Sebastia in the First Tone

Be Thou entreated for the sake of the sufferings of Thy Saints which they endured for Thee, O Lord, and do Thou heal all our pains, we pray, O Friend of man.

Apolytikion for Sun. of Orthodoxy in the Second Tone

We worship Thine immaculate icon, O Good One, asking the forgiveness of our failings, O Christ our God; for of Thine own will Thou wast well-pleased to ascend the Cross in the flesh, that Thou mightest deliver from slavery to the enemy those whom Thou hadst fashioned. Wherefore, we cry to Thee thankfully: Thou didst fill all things with joy, O our Saviour, when Thou camest to save the world.

Apolytikion for the Church in the First Tone

O Lord save your people and bless your heritage. Grant victory to Orthodox Christians over the enemy, and preserve your people by your cross.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Eighth Tone

To you, Theotokos, invincible Defender, having been delivered from peril, I, your city, dedicate the victory festival as a thank offering. In your irresistible might, keep me safe from all trials, that I may call out to you: "Hail, unwedded bride!"

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:

  • Resurrectional Apolytikion in Fourth Tone © Holy Transfiguration Monastery
  • Apolytikion for 40 Martyrs of Sebastia in the First Tone © Holy Transfiguration Monastery
  • Apolytikion for Sun. of Orthodoxy in the Second Tone © Holy Transfiguration Monastery
  • Seasonal Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone © Narthex Press
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    Gospel and Epistle Readings

    Matins Gospel Reading

    Fourth Orthros Gospel
    The Reading is from Luke 24:1-12

    On the first day of the week at early dawn, the women went to the tomb, taking spices, which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel; and as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise." And they remembered His words and returning from the tomb they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told this to the Apostles; but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home wondering at what had happened.

    Epistle Reading

    The Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebastia
    The Reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 12:1-10

    BRETHREN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation which addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are punished by him. For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father.

    Gospel Reading

    Sunday of Orthodoxy
    The Reading is from John 1:43-51

    At that time, Jesus decided to go to Galilee. And he found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael, and he said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these." And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."

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    Wisdom of the Fathers

    For in a contest there is much labor needed--and after the contest victory falls to some, to others disgrace. Is the palm ever given or the crown granted before the course is finished? ... Therefore no one can receive a reward, unless he has striven lawfully; nor is the victory a glorious one, unless the contest also has been toilsome.
    St. Ambrose of Milan
    Chapter 15, Three Books on the Duties of the Clergy, 4th century

    Moses... was himself saved by means of wood and water before the Law was given, when he was exposed to the Nile's currents, hidden away in an Ark (Exod. 2:3-10). And by means of wood and water he saved the people of Israel, revealing the Cross by the wood, Holy Baptism by water (Exod. 14:15-31). Paul, who had looked upon the mysteries, says openly, 'They were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud' (I Cor. 10:2). He also bears witness that, even before the events concerning the sea and his staff, Moses willingly endured Christ's Cross, 'Esteeming', he says, 'the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt' (Heb. 11:26). For the Cross is the reproach of Christ from the standpoint of foolish men. As Paul himself says of Christ, 'He endured the cross, despising the shame' (Heb. 12:2).
    St. Gregory Palamas
    Homilies Vol. 1, Homily Eleven para. 14; Saint Tikhon's Seminary Press pg. 123, 14th century

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    Saints and Feasts

    March 09

    Sunday of Orthodoxy

    For more than one hundred years the Church of Christ was troubled by the persecution of the Iconoclasts of evil belief, beginning in the reign of Leo the Isaurian (717-741) and ending in the reign of Theophilus (829-842). After Theophilus's death, his widow the Empress Theodora (celebrated Feb. 11), together with the Patriarch Methodius (June 14), established Orthodoxy anew. This ever-memorable Queen venerated the icon of the Mother of God in the presence of the Patriarch Methodius and the other confessors and righteous men, and openly cried out these holy words: "If anyone does not offer relative worship to the holy icons, not adoring them as though they were gods, but venerating them out of love as images of the archetype, let him be anathema." Then with common prayer and fasting during the whole first week of the Forty-day Fast, she asked God's forgiveness for her husband. After this, on the first Sunday of the Fast, she and her son, Michael the Emperor, made a procession with all the clergy and people and restored the holy icons, and again adorned the Church of Christ with them. This is the holy deed that all we the Orthodox commemorate today, and we call this radiant and venerable day the Sunday of Orthodoxy, that is, the triumph of true doctrine over heresy.

    March 09

    The Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebastia

    These holy Martyrs, who came from various lands, were all soldiers under the same general. Taken into custody for their faith in Christ, and at first interrogated by cruel means, they were then stripped of their clothing and cast onto the frozen lake which is at Sebastia of Pontus, at a time when the harsh and freezing weather was at its worst. They endured the whole night naked in such circumstances, encouraging one another to be patient until the end. He that guarded them, named Aglaius, who was commanded to receive any of them that might deny Christ, had a vision in which he saw heavenly powers distributing crowns to all of the Martyrs, except one, who soon after abandoned the contest. Seeing this, Aglaius professed himself a Christian and joined the Martyrs on the lake, and the number of forty remained complete. In the morning, when they were almost dead from the cold, they were cast into fire, after which their remains were thrown into the river. Thus they finished the good course of martyrdom in 320, during the reign of Licinius. These are their names: Acacius, Aetius, Aglaius, Alexander, Angus, Athanasius, Candidus, Chudion, Claudius, Cyril, Cyrion, Dometian, Domnus, Ecdicius, Elias, Eunoicus, Eutyches, Eutychius, Flavius, Gaius, Gorgonius, Helianus, Heraclius, Hesychius, John, Lysimachus, Meliton, Nicholas, Philoctemon, Priscus, Sacerdon, Severian, Sisinius, Smaragdus, Theodulus, Theophilus, Valens, Valerius, Vivianus, and Xanthias.

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    Announcements

    The Chair in the Front of the Church

    What is the chair in the front of the church? Why do we keep a picture of the bishop in it? Why does the priest cense this chair in the liturgy?
     
    This chair is the Bishop’s Throne. The Bishop’s throne is a practical chair that holds a place of honor reserved for the bishop while he is at the parish, but it holds much more significance than that. The Bishop’s throne is a reminder of who is the Shepard and the leader of our parish. In the Orthodox Church, the local congregation does not have the authority to do whatever it wishes. The local community, the parish, is under the authority of their bishop who receives his administrative and spiritual authority from his canonical ordination as a bishop. At his ordination the bishop receives the Holy Spirit like at Pentecost and becomes a successor to the Apostles. The bishop is unable to be physically present at every parish in his diocese. Because of this the bishop appoints a priest to administer the parishes on his behalf, and we place the bishop’s throne in the church to remind us of our pastor and spiritual leader.

    Great Lent

    "When a man leaves on a journey, he must know where he is going. Thus with Lent. Above all, Lent is a spiritual journey and its destination is Easter, 'The Feast of Feasts.' It is the preparation for the 'Fulfilment of Pascha, the true Revelation.' We must therefore by trying to understand this connection between Lent and Easter, for it reveals something very essential, very crucial about our Christian faith and life." - Fr. Alexander Schememann, Great Lent

    Though for some of us Lent may seem like a time full of rules and regulations, it is much more. It is our communal journey to the Resurrection. The "rules" have no meaning in and of themselves. Everything we do in the Great Lent is preparation for approaching the Holy resurrection of Christ our God. Fast as well as you can. When you fail at fasting, may it be a reminder of our weakness and the strength that exists in Christ. When we complete the fast, may we acknowledge the Grace of God that has allowed us to do so, and not fall into our own pride. 

    Fasting and prayer rules are not meant to be self-prescribed. Dispensation from fasting or altering of the fasting plans and our prayer rules must be done in conjunction with and the blessing of our spiritual father. If anyone has any questions on fasting, prayer, or anything in our journey of Lent, please speak with Fr. Spyridon.


    Pan-Orthodox Lenten Vespers

    During Great Lent, our parish will be participating along with the other parish belonging to the Eastern Orthodox Clergy Association of Greater Youngstown. During Great Lent, there will be a Sunday Lenten Vespers held at a different area parish that will be attended by the faithful of Greater Youngstown and served by the clergy of the various Orthodox Dioceses. 

    Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers 3/9/25

    5 pm Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church 

    401 12th St Campbell, OH 44405

    Lenten Vespers 3/16/25

    5 pm Saint John the Baptist Orthodox Church

    2220 Reeves Rd NE Warren, OH 44483

    Lenten Vespers 3/23/25

    5 pm Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church

    2053 North Rd NE Warren, OH 44483

    Lenten Vespers 3/30/25

    5 pm Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church

    429 High St NE Warren, OH 44481

    Lenten Vespers

    5 pm Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

    220 N. Walnut St Youngstown, OH 44503


    The Holy Altar

    It has always been the ancient custom of the Holy Church that only clergy may enter the Holy Altar. The Altar is a sacred and Holy place. In keeping with the Holy Tradtion and Cannon Law of the Church, we remind you that no one besides the ordained clergy may enter the altar for any reason. The only exception to when a layperson may enter the altar is with the specific blessing of the parish priest. If you have not recived a blessing from Fr. Spyridon to enter the altar, then you may not. Those who do receive a blessing to enter the Holy Altar are reminded that we must show reverence when in the Altar. Upon entering the Altar, cross yourself and bow to the Holy Table. No one besides the ordained clergy may stand in front of or touch the Holy Table or any item that is on the Holy Table. The laity are also forbidden from touching the Proskomidi table and any item on it. If you have any need to enter the Holy Altar, for any reason, you must first ask for and receive the blessing of the parish priest. This includes any all reasons for enter the Altar. ie, cleaning purposes, maintenance, retrieval of book and or items stored in the Holy Altar. 


    Membership Form 2025

    You will find at the candle stand the membership form for 2025. It is very important to fill out this form and return it to the parish. These forms, help us keep our records up to date, and properly budget for the coming year. You will a few more question on this years form, such as birthday and anniversery dates. Such information allows Father Spyridon, and the parish to be able to celebrate the milestones of our lifes. 


    Use of Parish Facilities

    Please be aware that any use of any parish facilities must have the blessing of Fr. Spyridon. As the Bylaws of the ROEA remind us, "Nothing may take place in the parish without the blessing of the parish priest." Please note that this includes any and all events, rentals, choir rehearsals, or anything that takes place at the parish. No one besides the parish priest is able to authorize the use of parish facilities and property. Please be aware that the parish council, parish council members, and parish council president are unable to authorize the use of parish facilities and property. 


    Saint Emmelia Women’s Group

    Next Saint Emmelia meeting is this Tuesday, March 11th at 7pm, see you there!


    Bible Study

    Every Wednesday at 6 pm, our parish has Bible study! During Great Lent, we will serve the Presanctified Liturgy and have a potluck and bible study following. 

    Please come, and bring your friends!


    Prayer List

    Please keep the following in your prayers:

    Living:

    • Mary Ann 
    • Helen
    • JaBree & the child to be born of her

    Departed: 

    • Emil

    The Chair in the Front of the Church

    What is the chair in the front of the church? Why do we keep a picture of the bishop in it? Why does the priest cense this chair in the liturgy?

    This chair is the bishop's throne. The bishop's throne is a practical chair that holds a place of honor reserved for the bishop while he is at the parish, but it holds much more significance than that. The bishop's throne is a reminder of who is the Shepherd and leader of our parish. In the Orthodox Church, the local congregation does not have the authority to do whatever it wishes. The local community, the parish, is under the authority of their bishop who receives his administrative and spiritual authority from his canonical ordination as a bishop. At his ordination the bishop receives the Holy Spirit like at Pentecost and becomes a successor to the Apostles. The bishop is unable to be physically present at every parish in his diocese. Because of this, the bishop appoints a priest to administer the parishes on his behalf, and we place the bishop's throne in the church to remind us of our pastor and spiritual leader. 


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    Parish Calendar

    • Calendar

      March 9 to March 23, 2025

      Sunday, March 9

      9:00AM Matins

      10:00AM Divine Liturgy

      5:00PM Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers *Archangel Michael Campbell*

      Tuesday, March 11

      7:00PM Saint Emmelia

      Wednesday, March 12

      10:00AM Matins

      6:00PM Presanctified Liturgy

      7:00PM Bible Study

      Thursday, March 13

      10:00AM Matins

      Friday, March 14

      10:00AM Presanctified Liturgy

      Saturday, March 15

      6:00PM Great Vespers

      Sunday, March 16

      9:00AM Matins

      10:00AM Divine Liturgy

      5:00PM Lenten Vespers *St. John Warren*

      Tuesday, March 18

      10:00AM Matins

      Wednesday, March 19

      10:00AM Matins

      6:00PM Presanctified Liturgy

      7:00PM Bible Study

      Thursday, March 20

      10:00AM Matins

      Sunday, March 23

      10:00AM Divine Liturgy

      5:00PM Lenten Vespers *St. Nicholas Warren*

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    Online Donations

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