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Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2024-03-31
Bulletin Contents
Father Paisius McGrath, Presbyter
Hymns of the Day
Gospel and Epistle Readings
Wisdom of the Fathers
Saints and Feasts
Holy Trinity Calendar
Announcements and Events
Inserts
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Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (228) 388-6138
  • Street Address:

  • 255 Beauvoir Rd.

  • Biloxi, MS 39531

Contact Information

Father Paisius McGrath
Parish Presbyter

paisiusmcgrath@gmail.com | 228-546-4541
Mr. Edward Maikranze
Parish Council President

edmaikranze@gmail.com | 325-260-8891

Services Schedule

Service schedule varies.  The current schedule can be found in the bulletin or parish website.

 

Past Bulletins


Father Paisius McGrath, Presbyter

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Message from Father Paisius

03/31/2024

Glory to Jesus Christ! Greetings to the faithful members and families of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. May the Lord our God continue bless us with His Grace and Strength as we continue our spiritual journey through Great Lent to celebrate His Glorious Resurrection!

Today on the 2nd Sunday of Great Lent we have an occasion to think about faith and the hard work that faith calls for from each of us. In today's Gospel Reading from Saint Mark 2:1-12, we read of the story of the healing of the Paralysed Man and how this healing is accomplished through the faith and hard work of his friends. Their faith prompts them to go to extraordinary lengths to overcome what appear to be great obstacles to the healing of their friend. We are reminded here that true Faith requires of us great and diligent work to accomplish the growing of our faith and the fulfillment of our desire to grow in Christ.
 
This theme of faith and spiritual work is also presented to us on this 2nd Sunday of Lent as our Orthodox Church honors Saint Gregory Palamas. Saint Gregory reminds us that the goal of our Christian life is Theosis or truly becoming spiritual beings by dedicated and hard work of spiritual growth. This requires both the grace of God and our living faithfully in prayer and the practices of our Faith. Saint Gregory reminds us that the grace of God and diligence on our part allows us to so grow spiritually that we can experience a true transfiguration of our spiritual lives and so really experience God as Moses did and as the disciples did in their witness of the Transfiguration of  Christ on Mount Tabor. We truly are able to experience and see God , Saint Gregory explains, by experiencing the energies of God and this is what gives us the strength and grace to transformed truly into the People of God!
 
          Your Pastor; 
          Father Paisius R McGrath

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Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the 2nd Tone

When You descended unto death, O Lord who yourself are immortal Life, then did You mortify Hades by the lightning flash of Your Divinity. Also when You raised the dead from the netherworld, all the Powers of the heavens were crying out: O Giver of life, Christ our God, glory be to You.

Apolytikion for Sun. of St. Gregory Palamas in the Plagal 4th Tone

Light of Orthdoxy, pillar and teacher of the Church, adornment of monastics, invincible champion of theologians, O Gregory thou wonderworker, boast of Thessalonica, herald of grace: ever pray that our souls be saved.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Plagal 4th 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!"
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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. 2nd Tone. Psalm 117.14,18.
The Lord is my strength and my song.
Verse: The Lord has chastened me sorely.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 1:10-14; 2:1-3.

IN THE BEGINNING, Thou, Lord, didst found the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of thy hands; they will perish, but thou remainest; they will all grow old like a garment, like a mantle thou wilt roll them up, and they will be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years will never end." But to what angel has he ever said, "Sit at my right hand, till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet?" Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?

Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For if the message declared by angels was valid and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him.

Gospel Reading

Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas
The Reading is from Mark 2:1-12

At that time, Jesus entered Capernaum and it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven." Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak thus? It is a blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question thus in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your pallet and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins"-he said to the paralytic-"I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home." And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

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Wisdom of the Fathers

Take up your bed. Carry the very mat that once carried you. Change places, so that what was the proof of your sickness may now give testimony to your soundness. Your bed of pain becomes the sign of healing, its very weight the measure of the strength that has been restored to you.
St. Peter Chrysologus
Homily 50.6. Taken from: Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. Vol. 2: Mark. Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2005, p. 27.

Now Matthew indeed saith, that "they brought him," but the others, that they also broke up the roof, and let him down. And they put the sick man before Christ, saying nothing, but committing the whole to Him.
St. John Chrysostom
Homily 29 on Matthew 9, 1. B#54, pp. 195, 196, 4th Century

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Saints and Feasts

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March 31

Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas

This divine Father, who was from Asia Minor, was from childhood reared in the royal court of Constantinople, where he was instructed in both religious and secular wisdom. Later, while still a youth, he left the imperial court and struggled in asceticism on Mount Athos, and in the Skete at Beroea. He spent some time in Thessalonica being treated for an illness that came from his harsh manner of life. He was present in Constantinople at the Council that was convened in 1341 against Barlaam of Calabria, and at the Council of 1347 against Acindynus, who was of like mind with Barlaam; Barlaam and Acindynus claimed that the grace of God is created. At both these Councils, the Saint contended courageously for the true dogmas of the Church of Christ, teaching in particular that divine grace is not created, but is the uncreated energies of God which are poured forth throughout creation: otherwise it would be impossible, if grace were created, for man to have genuine communion with the uncreated God. In 1347 he was appointed Metropolitan of Thessalonica. He tended his flock in an apostolic manner for some twelve years, and wrote many books and treatises on the most exalted doctrines of our Faith; and having lived for a total of sixty-three years, he reposed in the Lord in 1359.

His holy relics are kept in the Cathedral of Thessalonica. A full service was composed for his feast day by the Patriarch Philotheus in 1368, when it was established that his feast be celebrated on this day. Since works without right faith avail nothing, we set Orthodoxy of faith as the foundation of all that we accomplish during the Fast, by celebrating the Triumph of Orthodoxy the Sunday before, and the great defender of the teachings of the holy Fathers today.

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Holy Trinity Calendar

  • Holy Trinity Calendar

    March 31 to April 7, 2024

    Sunday, March 31

    Sunday of Saint Gregory Palamas

    Second Sunday of Great Lent

    9:30AM Orthros

    10:00AM Divine Liturgy

    11:30AM Memorial - Evangelos Hagicostas

    6:00PM Lenten Sunday Vespers

    Monday, April 1

    6:00PM Parish Council Meeting

    Wednesday, April 3

    6:00PM Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts Potluck Meal with Talk

    Friday, April 5

    10:00AM Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts

    6:00PM Akathyst Hymn to Holy Theotokos: 3rd Stasis

    Saturday, April 6

    10:00AM Bible Study of Book of Tobit with Abraham Samander

    6:00PM Great Vespers

    Sunday, April 7

    3rd Sunday of Great Lent

    Sunday of the Holy Cross

    9:30AM Orthros with Veneration of the Cross

    10:00AM Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil

    6:00PM Lenten Sunday Vespers

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Announcements and Events

OUR JOURNEY TO PASCHA INFORMATION

On March 24 we began with our Lenten practice of celebrating the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great on the Sundays of Great Lent in place of the regular Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom. 

Also as we prepare to enter this Pascha season you can use a wonderful resource on the Archdiocese website.  Click on each day of the Triodion, Great Lent, Holy Week, or Pentekostarion to see a detailed explaination of the day and on many occasions it's respective icon.  Go to https://www.goarch.org/lent.  See the bulletin insert for a screenshot of the website.

Another great site our parishiners can use is a series of videos called Pilgrimage to Pascha.  Total time for the 8 videos is about 45 minutes.  Video titles include:  Pilgimage to Pascha,  Repentence, Family Prayer, Lenten Services, Fasting from Food, Fasting from Vices, Almsgiving, and The Light of Christ.  The videos were created by Greek Orthodox Church Archdiocese Center for Family Care.  Videos can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWopa4I5g3xCxfPh5dvQvsP8BIC4LuWn-

We offer a reminder that we will have our three Lenten Soul Saturday services on March 16, 23 and 30. Please make sure the names of your departed family members and friends are handed in to Father Paisius so that we can pray for them all at these special Memorial Services. Please provide your names to Father Paisius before services begin. 

As we begin the Great Fast and Great Lent, let us engage faithfully into the Lenten disciplines of fasting, holy confession, prayer, doing good for others and good spiritual reading. Let us fast from meat and dairy but also let us fasting from anger and jealousy and wrong words and actions. For more specific questions about how to engage ourselves with fasting and the other Lenten spiritual practices, please talk with Father Paisius.

During Great Lent we have special Lenten services such as the Salutations to the Holy Theotokos, the Liturgy of Pre Sanctified Gifts on Wednesday and Friday and the Liturgy of Saint Basil on Lenten Sundays. Let us all participate in these beautiful Lenten services and through this grow in our lives spiritually.

We also are asked to prepare ourselves spiritually through the Sacrament of Holy Repentance or Holy Confession . Let us all avail ourselves of the spiritual necessity during our coming time of Great Lent.

During Great Lent another way in which we help others is through participating in the ministry of the Orthodox Christian Ministry Center or OCMC. We can all help with this through their Lenten Coin Box ministry: we collect our loose change throughout Lent and offer it as an offering to God through supporting the mission efforts of OCMC. We have available today in the Narthex these Coin Boxes for everyone, please help us support the growth of our Faith in this way!

  ANNOUNCEMENTS

Sunday, March 31, we are pleased to welcome our newest Catechumens, Trent and Rachel Milam . May the Lord our God bless you and guide you as you continue on your spiritual journey and prepare to become members of the Orthodox Church. Welcome to our Parish Community!

We are pleased to have a special opportunity the next two Saturday mornings, April 6 and 13, at 10:00 AM for a Bible Study of the Book of Tobit in the Old Testament led by our parishioner Abraham Samander. This is a project for a class that Abraham is in and we invite everyone to join us as we learn more about the Book of Tobit!

As we have begun Great Lent we announce that we will once again have our Parish Holy Pascha Card and we encourage everyone to participate once again in this beautiful part of our Parish Community Life. Please talk with Chrysanthe Beach for more information on how to participate.

We once again ask for everyone to participate in donations for the flowers that will decorate our Kouvukion for Holy Pascha. Please use your offering envelopes and mark them for Easter Flowers and indicate if the donation is honor of the living or in memory of the departed. Please talk with Eleni Vganges for more information about this.

This year for Holy Pascha we will also be decorating our Church for Holy Pascha with Lilies and other flowering plants. Help us with this effort to beautify our Church as we celebrate our Lord's Holy Resurrection. For more information about donations for this wonderful decoration of the Church please talk with Cassidy and Crystal Anderson.

We are asking for everyone to come out to help on Saturday, April 20 at 9:30 am for our Parish Cleanup Day for Holy Week and Holy Pascha. We have inside and outside cleanup work and are asking for help from everyone, come and help us beautiful our Church and grounds as we prepare for Holy Pascha!

Our parish welcomes Father Ambrose to our community. We pray that you and your family will find your time here with us to be spiritually inspiring for both you and us.  Father Ambrose Perry is assigned to his new posting with the US Navy  in Pascagoula Mississippi. Father Ambrose is an Orthodox Priest and Navy Chaplain and he and his family will be part of our Parish Community here at Holy Trinity while they are living here.

We wish to announce that our Parish April Schedule is now available on the Parish website and printed copies are available in the Narthex and Church Side Entrance. Please pick up your copy and join us in worship as we continue our spiritual journey through Great Lent.

   BIRTHDAYS

Today we offer our best wishes and congratulations to Eleni Vganges who celebrates her birthday on April 1, Anastasia Aron who celebrates her birthday on April 2, and Oksana Kozhanova who celebrtaes her birthday on April 3.  May the Lord our God bless His servants Eleni, Anastasia, and Oksana. May He grant to them many more blessed and happy years!
 
If we missed your anniversary or birthday it means we don't have you information listed on our roster.  Please let us know so we can make the updates.
 
MEMORIAL
 
We wish to announce that next Sunday, March 31 at the end of Divine Liturgy, we will offer the 40th Day Memorial Service for the newly departed servant of Evangelos Hagicostas. May the Lord our God grant a blessed repose to His newly departed servant, Evangelos, and may his memory be eternal!
 
      PRAYERS FOR THE SICK AND RECOVERING 

Pray for Saidi Maalouf, Niki Arnold, Karen Henderson, Tristan Freeman, George Vaporis, Photine Hagicostas, and Demetri Vlahos as they recover from their illnesses.  May the Lord our God quickly heal His servants.  Get well soon. 

Please let Father Paisius know of any parishioner who is sick so we may pray for them. 

ORTHODOX STEWARDSHIP

Orthodox Christian Stewardship is a way of life, which acknowledges accountability, reverence, and responsibility before God. A primary goal of Stewardship is to promote spiritual growth and strengthen faith. Becoming a Steward begins when we believe in God, to whom we give our love, loyalty and trust and act on those beliefs. As Stewards, we affirm that every aspect of our lives comes as a gift from Him. Stewardship calls on the faithful to cheerfully offer back to God a portion of the gifts with which they have been blessed.  See bulletin insert for 2024 Stewardship Pledge Form.  

 

 

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Inserts

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