Saint Paul the Apostle Orthodox Church - ACROD
Publish Date: 2025-04-13
Bulletin Contents
Announcements
Bulletin Inserts
Hymns of the Day
Gospel and Epistle Readings
Wisdom of the Fathers
Saints and Feasts

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Saint Paul the Apostle Orthodox Church - ACROD

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (732) 254-7155
  • Street Address:

  • 24 Burke Road

  • Freehold, NJ 07728

Contact Information

Parish Administration His Eminence Metropolitan Gregory of Nyssa
Diocesan Bishop


Rev. Father Thomas K. Kovalak
Parish Priest - Administrator


Very. Rev. Father Andrew Fetchina
Dean - Emergency Contact


Services Schedule

Sunday 

Hours:              9:00 AM

Divine Liturgy:  9:30 AM

 

Confessions Prior to all Divine Liturgies

Past Bulletins


Announcements

Welcome to St. Paul the Apostle Orthodox Church - Freehold, NJ

 Mission Parish of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of North America

Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople

  

Glory to Jesus Christ!  Glory Forever!
   

April 13, 2025

Palm Sunday

Upcoming Church Schedule:

Sunday April 13, 2025 

The Hours 9:00AM  Divine Liturgy - 9:30AM 

Blessing of Palms and Pussy Willows

Palm Sunday: Honoring the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem ...

Hosanna in the Highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

  

 Lenten Food Drive Please remember to donate a non perishable food to the People's Pantry. Our St Paul food drive is going on now and will last for the next three weeks 

 

 Lenten Devotional Book- 

The Diocesan Lenten Devotional Book, "48 Days to the Great Day", is available for each parish family. This book is an invaluable resource for us!  We all need tangible tools to encourage us, strengthen us, and bring us nearer to Christ.  Read the daily entry and journey together as a Church family for this special, holy season.  

 

New parish email:  [email protected]. Please spread the word.

Parish Bake sale - April 11 - 12th.

Monthly Parish meeting Sunday April 13.

Happy Birthday to Albert Vira.  God Grant you many years!

 

Holy Week Schedule: 

4/18/25 Vesper Service of Great Friday - 3:00PM

4/19/25 Resurrection Matins - 6:00PM

Guarding of the Grave - Please see sign up sheet in kitchen

4/20/25 Pascha - Divine Liturgy 9:30AM

  

SPECIAL INTENTIONS:

Please keep in your minds and hearts our parishioners, family, and friends in need of our prayers.  May God grant them peace, health and happiness for many blessed years! 

Please pray for Catechumens and inquirers, for those preparing for Marriage, for Expecting Mothers, for those serving in the Armed Forces and Civil Authorities. 

 

FOR FURTHER THOUGHT:

realitatea.md

The Blessing of the Branches

In the first prayer of the blessing, we are reminded that Jesus Christ, entering the Holy City on Palm Sunday, voluntarily accepted His passion and death for our salvation, and that the triumphant procession with palm branches heralded His glorious resurrection.  And now we, continue the prayer, carrying blessed branches in our hands, wish to associate ourselves with Christ in order that we also may participate with Him in the joy and happiness of His resurrection.

The second Prayer of Blessing alludes to the olive branch brought to Noah by a dove at the end of the deluge as a token of divine protection and blessing (peace). Therefore, in prayer, the priest asks divine protection and blessing on every home where the blessed branches will be reverently preserved.  The two prayers of the blessing mention only branches in general and palm-branches in particular (“vitvy i vaja sija”), just as these are mentioned in the Gospels (Mt. 11 :8; Jn. 12:13).  But early documents, from the end of the tenth century, testify that in Constantinople, besides palms other branches, such as those of the olive or myrtle tree, lilac blossoms, laurel fronds and some other “flowers of the season” were blessed and distributed. Therefore, from ancient times and in various countries, a variety of branches used to be blessed for this celebration. Because of the cold weather in the Carpathian region neither palm nor olive trees are able to thrive, and even other trees rarely blossom in time of the celebration of Palm Sunday.

For this reason our ancestors introduced the custom of blessing willow-branches, which, at that time, are already budding (pussy-willows) . Pussy-willows also express the liturgical symbolism of Palm Sunday in a proper manner.  During the winter the willow tree seems to be dead and yet, with the coming of spring, it sprouts and gives a sign of life. Thus the willow-branches bring to our mind the wood of the Tree of the Cross, while the buds (a sign of new life) remind us of our own glorious resurrection. This symbolism is described and presented to us by the first Prayer of Blessing.  The blessed branches should be carried home as a sacramental and visible symbol of Christ’s presence. They should be entwined on the crucifix or used to decorate an icon, and to serve as a ” sign of salvation,” and a “pledge of protection and blessing” during the coming year as invoked by the second Prayer of Blessing.  Let us then “come with branches and praise Christ the Lord!”  (From Matins of Palm Sunday).

Holy Mystery of Confession :

Father will hear Confessions at 9:00 AM in front of the Icon of Christ on Sunday.  

 

 

 

 

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Bulletin Inserts

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Hymns of the Day

Apolytikion for Palm Sunday in the First Tone

O Christ our God, You confirmed the resurrection of all * before the time of Your Passion by raising Lazarus from the dead. * Therefore, we as the children of Israel carry the symbols of victory * and cry out to You, the Conqueror of death: * "Hosanna in the highest! * Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord."

Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: American Carpatho-Russian Diocese


Apolytikion for Palm Sunday in the Fourth Tone

O Christ our God, You confirmed the resurrection of all * before the time of Your Passion by raising Lazarus from the dead. * Therefore, we as the children of Israel carry the symbols of victory * and cry out to You, the Conqueror of death: * "Hosanna in the highest! * Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord."

Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: American Carpatho-Russian Diocese


Seasonal Kontakion in the Sixth Tone

In heaven You are carried upon a throne: * on earth You rode upon a colt, O Christ our God. * You received the praise of angels and the hymns of children crying out to You: * "Blessed is He Who came to restore Adam."

Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: American Carpatho-Russian Diocese


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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Fourth Tone. Psalm 117.26,1.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Verse: Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His mercy endures forever.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Philippians 4:4-9.

BRETHREN, rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.

Gospel Reading

Palm Sunday
The Reading is from John 12:1-18

Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazaros was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; Martha served, and Lazaros was one of those at table with him. Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" This he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box he used to take what was put into it. Jesus said, "Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me."

When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came, not only on account of Jesus but also to see Lazaros, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazaros also to death, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

The next day a great crowd who had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" And Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it; as it is written, "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!" His disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that this had been written of him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazaros out of the tomb and raised him from the dead bore witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.

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Wisdom of the Fathers

But observe the wisdom of the Evangelist, how he is not ashamed to parade their former ignorance. That it was written they knew, that it was written of Him they knew not. For it would have offended them if He being a King were about to suffer such things, and be so betrayed.
St. John Chrysostom
Homily 66 on John 12, 2. B#58, p.245., 4th Century

Besides, they could not at once have taken in the knowledge of the Kingdom of which He spake; for another Evangelist saith, that they thought the words were spoken of a kingdom of this world. (Matt. xx. 21.)
St. John Chrysostom
Homily 66 on John 12, 2. B#58, p.245., 4th Century

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Saints and Feasts

April 13

Palm Sunday

On Sunday, five days before the Passover of the Law, the Lord came from Bethany to Jerusalem. Sending two of His disciples to bring Him a foal of an ass, He sat thereon and entered into the city. When the multitude there heard that Jesus was coming, they straightway took up the branches of palm trees in their hands, and went forth to meet Him. Others spread their garments on the ground, and yet others cut branches from the trees and strewed them in the way that Jesus was to pass; and all of them together, especially the children, went before and after Him, crying out: "Hosanna: Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord, the King of Israel" (John 12:13). This is the radiant and glorious festival of our Lord's entry into Jerusalem that we celebrate today.

The branches of the palm trees symbolize Christ's victory over the devil and death. The word Hosanna means "Save, I pray," or "Save, now." The foal of an ass, and Jesus' sitting thereon, and the fact that this animal was untamed and considered unclean according to the Law, signified the former uncleanness and wildness of the nations, and their subjection thereafter to the holy Law of the Gospel.

April 13

Martin the Confessor, Pope of Rome

Saint Martin was born in Tuscany. He had been the papal delegate at Constantinople; upon the death of Pope Theodore, Saint Martin was elected his successor. At this time the Emperor Constans II, also known as Constantine Pogonatus (reigned 641-668), was seeking support of his confession of faith called the Typos, which espoused the Monothelite heresy, that is, that there is only one will and energy in the Incarnate Son of God. But the newly-consecrated Pope not only did not accept the Typos, but convened the Lateran Council of 649 (attended by 105 of his bishops, and Saint Maximus the Confessor, who was then in Rome), which anathematized the Typos and the Monothelite heresy. Because of this Saint Martin was seized by an imperial force in 653 and brought to Constantinople, where he was charged with sending money to the Saracens and conspiring with them, and blaspheming against the most holy Mother of God. Though innocent of these accusations, he was exiled to Cherson on the Black Sea, where, after many sufferings and privations, he received the crown of his courageous confession in the year 655.

April 13

Theodosios the Martyr

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