Please see our online calendar for dates and times of Feast Day services.
Jesus Christ taught us to love and serve all people, regardless of their ethnicity or nationality. To understand that, we need to look no further than to the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Every time we celebrate the Divine Liturgy, it is offered "on behalf of all, and for all." As Orthodox Christians we stand against racism and bigotry. All human beings share one common identity as children of God. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatian 3:28)
Members of our Parish Council are:
Greg Jankura - Vice President
Susan Davis- President
Sharon Hanson - Member at Large
Luba Martins - Member at Large
Susan Egan - Treasurer
Dn Timothy Skuby - Secretary
Pastoral Care - General Information
Emergency Sick Calls can be made at any time. Please call Fr Steven at (860) 322-2906, when a family member is admitted to the hospital.
Anointing in Sickness: The Sacrament of Unction is available in Church, the hospital, or your home, for anyone who is sick and suffering, however severe.
Marriages and Baptisms require early planning, scheduling and selections of sponsors (crown bearers or godparents). See Father before booking dates and reception halls!
Funerals are celebrated for practicing Orthodox Christians. Please see Father for details. The Church opposes cremation; we cannot celebrate funerals for cremations.
Stewards of the New England Diocese
If you are planning on making a donations to the Stewards of the New England Diocese (formally ONE Stewards), please DO NOT send your donation to the Pittsfield address on the provided envelope. Instead, place your donation, in the envelope, in our donation basket (or give them directly to Fr Steven) and they will be collected and sent to a new address all together.
Bible Study
We will begin a bible study on the Epistles of St John, via Zoom, on Tuesday July 30th at 7pm. This study will run through the month of August (with one week exception) and will be lead by Boris Dolph. I hope you will all plan on participating.
A need for volunteers
Once again, we are need of volunteers to help with the maintenance of the church grounds, most in particular with weeding. If you have some time to give in service to our community, your contribution of time would be greatly appreciated.
Dear FORCC clergy and representative,
FORCC will be celebrating 31 years of FORCC at a banquet on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. A buffet menu will be provided which will include: appetizers (veggies, fruit, crackers/cheese), salad and rolls, chicken marsala, pork tenderloin, Mediterranean pasta (vegan), eggplant rollatini with rice (vegan), cake, soft drinks/coffee/wine. All other details are included on the attached flyer. Also attached is a form for an ad for our program journal. Please note that if you wish to repeat your ad from 2023, just check on the line provided on the form.
Everyone's support is appreciated.
Questions? Contact me at [email protected] or call 203-924-0936. If I don't answer, leave a message, and I'll get back to you.
Nina KOSOWSKY
The following is a brief synopsis of the last Parish Council meeting held on 17 July 2024.
Financial Report for June: Income for the month of May totaled $14,329 and expenses totaled $8,889. YTD we have a positive cash flow of $674.
Weeding of Grounds: We are in need of assistance in weeding the church grounds. Please consider volunteering some time to help clean up the grounds around the church.
Bible Study: A bible study will be offered starting at the beginning of the Dormition Fast. It will be hosted by Boris Dolph, assisted by Father Steven, and will concentrate on the Epistles of St. John.
Special Parish Meeting to be held Sunday 18 August: At last year’s Annual Meeting, the following mandate was passed in regards to the Red House – ‘Parish agrees to look into selling the property.’ This Special Parish Meeting will provide the parish the findings and potential proposals for action.
Feast of the Holy Transfiguration
Greetings in the Lord.
I am writing to invite brother clergy and faithful to join us in celebrating our patronal Feast of Transfiguration on Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 5-6. We will be celebrating Vigil on the eve of the Feast at 6:00pm, and Divine Liturgy on Tuesday at 9:00am. Concelebrating clergy, please bring white vestments.
We anticipate having a lite luncheon after Liturgy, so if you could give me an approximate number to anticipate coming from your parish, we would be most grateful!
Looking forward to a festive patronal feast celebration with deanery clergy and faithful!
In Christ,
Fr. Steven Voytovich
Please let Fr. Steven know via email if you have more names for which to pray.
5th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST — Tone 4. Holy Apostles of the Seventy and Deacons: Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, and Parmenas (1st c.). St. Pitirím, Bishop of Tambov (1698). Ven. Moses, Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves (Far Caves—13th-14th c.). Martyr Julian of Dalmatia (2nd c.). Martyr Eustathius (Eustace—ca. 321), of Apamea. Ven. Paul of Xeropotamou, founder of the Monastery of St. Paul on Mt. Athos (10th c.).
5th Sunday of Matthew
9:30AM Divine Liturgy
The Holy Martyr Callinicus
Silas, Silvan, Crescens, Epenetus and Andronicus the Apostles of the 70
8:30AM Matins
7:00PM Bible Study on the Epistles of St John
☦️ Forefeast of the Precious Cross
☦️ The Holy Seven Maccabee Children, Solomone Their Mother, and Eleazar Their Teacher
Procession of the Lifegiving Cross
7:30AM Akathist to the Cross
8:30AM Matins
☦️ Translation of the Relics of Stephen the Protomartyr
7:30AM Akathist to St Stephen
🍇 Isaacius, Dalmatus, & Faustus, Ascetics of the Dalmation Monastery
5:30PM Great Vespers
Michael Kuziak
🍇 6th Sunday of Matthew
Susan Davis
9:30AM Divine Liturgy
☦️ Forefeast of the Transfiguration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
These Apostles of the Seventy are mentioned in Acts 6:5. Saint Prochoros became Bishop of Nicomedia and reposed in peace. Saint Nicanor was stoned to death in Jerusalem. Saint Timon became Bishop of Bostra in Arabia and ended his life in martyrdom by fire at the hands of the pagans. Saint Parmenas died in peace in Jerusalem.
Saint Irene, who was from Cappadocia, flourished in the ninth century. Because of her great beauty and virtue, she was brought to Constantinople as a prospective bride for the young Emperor Michael (842-867); however, as Saint Joannicius the Great foretold, it was God's will that she assume the monastic habit instead. She shone forth in great ascetical labours, and suffered many attacks from the demons; while yet a novice, she attained to the practice of Saint Arsenius the Great, of praying the whole night long with arms stretched out towards Heaven (see May 8). God showed forth great signs and wonders in her, and she became the Abbess of the Convent of Chrysovalantou. She was granted the gift of clairvoyance and knew the thoughts of all that came to her. She appeared in a vision to the king and rebuked him for unjustly imprisoning a nobleman who had been falsely accused. Through a sailor from Patmos to whom he had appeared, Saint John the Evangelist sent her fragrant and wondrous apples from Paradise. She reposed at the age of 103, still retaining the youthful beauty of her countenance. After her repose, marvelous healings beyond number have been wrought by her to the present day.
Saint Silas was a companion and fellow labourer of the Apostle Paul: "And Paul chose Silas and departed...and he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches" (Acts 15:40-41). He later became Bishop of Corinth, and reposed in peace. Saint Silvanos became Bishop of Thessalonica, and also reposed in peace. Saint Crescents, whom Saint Paul mentions in his Second Epistle to Timothy(4:10), became Bishop of Chalcedon, and brought many to the Faith. As for him whom the Apostle of the Nations praises as "my well-beloved Epenetus, the first-fruits of Achaia unto Christ" (Roman 16:5), he became Bishop of Carthage, and after enduring many afflictions from the idolators, and bringing many of them to Christ, he departed to the Lord.
Saint Joseph of Arimathea was a prominent Jewish leader during the time of Jesus Christ. He is mentioned in the Gospels as being a rich man from Arimathea who was a secret disciple of Christ due to his status in the Sanhedrin. After the crucifixion and death of our Lord, Joseph approached Pontius Pilate out of piety and asked for the body of Jesus so that he might bury it honorably. He, together with Saint Nicodemus, removed the body of Christ from the cross in the presence of the Theotokos and the Myrrh-Bearing Women, wrapped it in a linen shroud, anointed it with spices, and laid it in a new tomb that he owned. This disciple later traveled the world proclaiming the Gospel until he reposed in peace in England. The Church commemorates him individually on July 31st and along with the Myrrh-Bearing Women and Nicodemus on the 3rd Sunday of Pascha (the Sunday of the Holy Myrrh-Bearers).
The names of the Holy Maccabees are Abim, Anthony, Guria, Eleazar, Eusebona, Achim, and Marcellus. They were Jews by race and exact keepers of the Laws of the Fathers. They lived during the reign of Antiochus, who was surnamed Epiphanes ("Illustrious"), the King of Syria and an implacable enemy of the Jews. Having subjugated their whole nation and done many evil things to them, not sparing to assail the most sacred matters of their Faith, he constrained them, among other things, to partake of swine's flesh, which was forbidden by the Law. Then these pious youths, on being apprehended together with their mother and their teacher, were constrained to set at nought the Law, and were subjected to unspeakable tortures: wrackings, the breaking of their bones, the flaying of their flesh, fire, dismemberment, and such things as only a tyrant's mind and a bestial soul is able to contrive. But when they had endured all things courageously and showed in deed that the mind is sovereign over the passions and is able to conquer them if it so desires, they gloriously ended their lives in torments, surrendering their life for the sake of the observance of the divine Law. The first to die was their teacher Eleazar, then all the brethren in the order of their age. As for their wondrous mother Solomone, "filled with a courageous spirit, and stirring up her womanish thoughts with a manly wrath" (II Macc. 7:21), she was present at her children's triumph over the tyrant, strengthening them in their struggle for the sake of their Faith, and enduring stout-heartedly their sufferings for the sake of their hope in the Lord. After her last and youngest son had been perfected in martyrdom, when she was about to be seized to be put to death, she cast herself into the fire that they might not touch her, and was thus deemed worthy of a blessed end together with her sons, in the year 168 before Christ.
Because of the many diseases that occur in the month of August, the custom prevailed of old in Constantinople to carry the precious Wood of the Cross in procession throughout the city for its sanctification and its deliverance from illnesses. It was brought forth from the imperial treasury on the last day of July and placed upon the Holy Table of the Great Church of the Holy Wisdom; and beginning today, until the Dormition of the Theotokos, it was carried in procession throughout the city and was set forth for veneration before the people.
After the First Martyr had been stoned to death (see Dec. 27), Gamaliel, his teacher, encouraged certain of the Christians to go by night and take up the Saint's body and bury it in his field, which was at a distance of some twenty miles from Jerusalem and was called by his name, "Kaphar-gamala," that is, "the field of Gamala," where Gamaliel himself was later buried. About the year 427, a certain pious man called Lucian, who was the parish priest of a church near to that field, received from God a revelation in a dream concerning the place where the First Martyr was buried. He immediately made this known to John, the Patriarch of Jerusalem. Thus, coming to the place indicated, and digging there, they found a box with the word "Stephen" in Aramaic letters. On opening it, they took these most sacred relics and transferred them to Jerusalem with great honor and in the company of a very great multitude of the faithful.
Tone 4 Troparion (Resurrection)
When the women disciples of the Lord
learned from the angel the joyous message of Your Resurrection,
they cast away the ancestral curse
and elatedly told the apostles:
“Death is overthrown!
Christ God is risen,//
granting the world great mercy!”
Tone 4 Troparion (St. Alexis)
O righteous Father Alexis, our heavenly intercessor and teacher, divine adornment of the Church of Christ! Entreat the Master of All to strengthen the Orthodox Faith in America, to grant peace to the world and to our souls great mercy.
Tone 3 Troparion (Apostles)
Holy Apostles Próchorus, Nícanor, Tímon, and Parménas,
entreat the merciful God,//
to grant our souls forgiveness of transgressions!
Tone 4 Kontakion (Resurrection)
My Savior and Redeemer
as God rose from the tomb and delivered the earth-born from their chains.
He has shattered the gates of hell,
and as Master,//
He has risen on the third day!
Tone 5 Kontakion (St. Alexis)
Let us, the faithful praise the Priest Alexis,
a bright beacon of Orthodoxy in America, a model of patience and humility,
a worthy shepherd of the Flock of Christ.
He called back the sheep who had been led astray
and brought them by his preaching to the Heavenly Kingdom.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit
Tone 1 Kontakion (Apostles)
The glorious Nícanor, Próchorus, Parménas, and Tímon,
the honored deacons and ^eyewitnesses of the Word,
have been revealed as chosen vessels of the Faith.
Therefore, we celebrate your holy memory today,//
blessing you with gladness of heart.
now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Tone 6 Kontakion (Steadfast Protectress)
Steadfast Protectress of Christians,
Constant Advocate before the Creator;
despise not the entreating cries of us sinners,
but in your goodness come speedily to help us who call on you in faith.
Hasten to hear our petition and to intercede for us,
O Theotokos, for you always protect those who honor you!
COMMUNION HYMN
Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest! Alleluia (3X)
Prokeimenon. 4th Tone. Psalm 103.24,1.
O Lord, how manifold are your works. You have made all things in wisdom.
Verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul.
The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans 10:1-10.
Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened. For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law, that every one who has faith may be justified. Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on the law shall live by it. But the righteousness based on faith says, Do not say in your heart, "Who will ascend into heaven?" (that is, to bring Christ down) or "Who will descend into the abyss?" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach); because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved.
5th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 8:28-34; 9:1
At that time, when Jesus came to the country of the Gergesenes, two demoniacs met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one would pass that way. And behold, they cried out, "What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" Now a herd of many swine was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged him, "If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine." And he said to them, "Go." So they came out and went into the swine; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and perished in the waters. The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, and what had happened to the demoniacs. And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood. And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city.
Jesus, during His ministry, was going about the region of Galilee, bringing healing of soul and body to the people. Through signs and wonders, He was revealing Himself as the Messiah, the only begotten Son of God. In His own words, He was fulfilling the prophecy made by the prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament. He said of Himself, the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me to preach the Gospel to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, proclaim
liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the Kingdom of God. As He traveled by foot with His disciples, He came to the region the Apostle Matthew calls the country of the Gergesenes. This was the east side of the Sea of Galilee, one of the ten cities of the Decapolis (present-day southern Golan Heights). There were many Gentiles there — those who were not part of the people of Israel and who did not follow the Mosaic Law.
As such, the people in that area practiced pagan worship and herded swine, both of which were prohibited by Jewish Law. Pagan worship opened people spiritually to interact with false gods, which made them vulnerable to malicious spirits. It is there that Christ encounters two “demoniacs” — men who were afflicted by dark spiritual forces. This was likely the result of their worship practices. These men were fierce and angry, characteristic of such a spiritual state. They were living in the tombs of a cemetery, which symbolizes the deathly state of their spiritual condition of being far from God, Who is the source of life. These two men were experiencing pain and suffering as they resided among the tombs because they were homeless. Their existence was essentially a living death, enslaved to the evil one. Living far from the Light of the Gospel leads to the darkness of demonic possession and spiritual death.
The two men, speaking with the inspiration of the dark spirits, recognize Jesus as the Son of God. They ask Him if He has come there to torment them before the end of time because they knew the Messiah would come at the end of the age and put an end to all evil, darkness, sin, and death. They knew that He would come to judge the living and the dead and establish the eternal Kingdom, where there would be no more suffering or sorrow. They ask why He is coming to judge them before the Last Day of Judgment. The truth is that the Lord’s work of our restoration and deliverance from sin and death begins at His first coming, in His Incarnation. It will be brought to completion af- ter His second coming, on the Last Day of Judgment. This was why His earthly ministry included preaching the Good News (the Gospel) and the accompanying healings of the soul and body of everyone who asked for His help. The Lord came to save the suffering and the lost.
The demons say to Jesus, if you cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine. Jewish Law prohibited herding and eating swine, which is another indication of the non-Jewish presence in that area. The spirits addressing Jesus are evil beings that oppose God and hate humankind because they were created in God’s image and likeness. They implore Jesus not to send them to the gloomy spiritual realms but rather to animals — in this case, the pigs raised in the area. Symbolically, pigs were appropriate for the unclean spirits’ temporary home because they were regarded as impure under Jewish Law. It is also a demonstration of the incomparable value of human beings, whose salvation comes
before all else.
The Lord orders the demons to leave the men so they can be brought back to life. The herd of pigs then rush down the steep bank into the sea and perish in the waters. The waters in Scripture appear as both a symbol of death and new life. We see this in the narrative of the Flood, the parting of the Red Sea, and the institution of Baptism. In this case, dark spiritual forces, like the armies of Pharaoh, perish in the waters, whereas the people of God are delivered and eventually brought to the Promised Land.
When Jesus encounters them, there is a miracle of light driving out darkness, il- luminating the tombs and the lives being renewed. Jesus’ interaction with the two men is a picture of His interaction with humanity and with each one of us personally. We all encounter darkness in this world and the opposition of evil against us. Sometimes, the darkness comes from the demons and sometimes from the passions in our own hearts. Yet, Christ gives us His grace to deliver and restore us when we cry out and draw close to Him.
Saint John Chrysostom says, “His providence is not only over all in common, but also over each in particular . . . For where His name was great, He did not greatly display Himself: but where no one knew Him . . . He made His miracles to shine out, so as to bring them over to the knowledge of His Godhead.” The miracle of Christ delivers the two men, and His providence and love are present to bring life out of death to each of us as well.
We can experience God’s grace everywhere, and uniquely through the Holy Sacraments, which are miracles like healing and deliverance. We are called to take action and work out our salvation by preserving God’s grace in our hearts. If we do not try to keep the joy of the Gospel, the peace of the Liturgy, and the love of serving those in need, we darken God’s light in us and close the door to Christ and His grace. Jesus wishes to restore us as He restored the two demoniacs to dignity, freedom, peace, and joy. In this world, we can find ourselves in depressing situations and feel imprisoned by our circumstances, people who mistreat us, sickness, injury, misfortune, and failure. Yet, since Christ loves us, He comes to us to save us from sin, death, and physical and spiritual bondage. On the Cross, He overcame sin and death, the powers of the evil one, and the snares of this world. Through the Resurrection, He defeats sin and death and offers us holiness and eternal life. The devil and the world no longer have any power over us if we put our trust in God. The dignity of human life and freedom is God’s will for us because Jesus is the Light of the world, and His presence dispels our darkness.
With God’s Word and the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, He brings us back to spiritual sobriety and abundant life. Let us stand before Him in adoration and readiness to serve, seeking His presence above all else. Let us lay aside everything in this world that would seek to imprison us and lead us away from Him. God provides us with deliverance from sin and death, and He shines His light in our hearts to make us beacons of light to
the whole world.