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:

Carolyn Neiss- President     Greg Jankura - Vice President
Boris Doph - Treasurer.       James Ifkovic - Secretary
Sharon Hanson - Member at Large
Luba Martins - Member at Large    Brett Malcolm - Member at Large

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.

I would like to send the ladies of St Alexis 
invite  to a "TEA CUP SOCIAL." sponsored by the Sts. Elizabeth and Barbara Sisterhood.  It is our'
very first event of this kind and we are excited to meet the ladies!

Can you please tell me the best way to get the message out to your ladies about our event?

We are in the process now of printing an invitational poster which we would like to send.

Our event with be held at Holy New Martyrs Church, 364 Canterbury Tpke, Norwich, CT 06360.
The date of the event is Saturday, May 3, from 2:00 pm to 4pm.

Holy New Martyrs website:  Holynewmartrys.org
My contact info:  860-887-3145 and email:  [email protected]

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Camilla Tarryk,
Sisterhood President

-----------------------------------------
Holy New Martyrs Church, Norwich, CT 06360 - Camilla Tarryk, Sts Elizabeth and Barbara Sisterhood
[email protected]

Pray for: All those confined to hospitals, nursing homes, and their own homes due to illness; for all those who serve in the armed forces; widows, orphans, prisoners, victims of violence, and refugees;

• All those suffering chronic illness, financial hardship, loneliness, addictions, abuse, abandonment and despair; those who are homeless, those who are institutionalize, those who have no one to pray for them;
• All Orthodox seminarians & families; all Orthodox monks and nuns, and all those considering monastic life; all Orthodox missionaries and their families.
• All those who have perished due to hatred, intolerance and pestilence; all those departed this life in the hope of the Resurrection.

Please let Fr. Steven know via email if you have more names for which to pray.

• Departed: Nicholas, William
• Clergy and their families: Fr Sergei B, Fr Vladimir, Matushka Anne, Fr Vasily, Fr Justin
• ​Catechumen: James
• Individuals and Families: Luba, Suzanne, Rosemary, Daniel & Dayna, Kristen, Charles, Victor, Susan, Gregory,
• Birthdays and Name’s Days this Month: Michael and Zachery Neiss (B-3 Mar), Matthew Kuziak (B-18 Mar)
• Anniversaries this Month:
• ​Expecting and Newborn: Katie and Aaron and their unborn child, Valery and Jason and their new born, Augusta Mary.
• ​Traveling: Mat. Anne

• ​Sick and those in distress: Thomas, Sheri, Joanna, Joshua, Julia, Stormy, Scott, Anne, Noah, Nancy, Sophia, Gregory, Tomas, Nancy, Nicholas, Carol, Vincent, Matthew, Mark, Hermon, Sandra, Dorothy, Alan, Phyllis 

  Stormy, Scott, Anne, Noah, Nancy, Sophia, Gregory, Tomas, Nancy, Nicholas, Carol, Vincent, Matthew, Mark, Hermon, Sandra, Peter and Loretta 

 Today’s commemorated feasts and saints

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT — Tone 7. St. John Climacus (of The Ladder). Ven. John Climacus of Sinai, author of The Ladder (6th c.). St. Sophróny (Sophronius), Bishop of Irkutsk (1771). Prophet Joad (1 Kings 13:11—10th c. B.C.). Apostles Sosthenes, Apollos, Cephas, Cæsar, and Epaphroditus, of the Seventy (1st c.). St. Eubula, mother of St. Panteleimon (ca. 303). Ven. John the Silent of St. Savva Monastery (6th c.). St. Zosimas, Bishop of Syracuse (ca. 662).

• Again we pray for those who have lost their lives because of the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East: that the Lord our God may look upon them with mercy, and give them rest where there is neither sickness, or sorrow, but life everlasting.
• Again we pray for mercy, life, peace, health, salvation, for those who are suffering, wounded, grieving, or displaced because of the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East.
• Again we pray for a cessation of the hostilities against Ukraine and the Middle East, and that reconciliation and peace will flourish there, we pray thee, hearken and have mercy.

Tone 7 Troparion (Resurrection)
By Your Cross You destroyed death.
To the thief You opened Paradise.
For the Myrrhbearers You changed weeping into joy.
And You commanded Your disciples, O Christ God,
to proclaim that You are 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 1 Troparion (St. John Climacus)
O dweller of the wilderness and angel in the body,
you were a wonderworker, O our God-bearing Father John.
You received heavenly gifts through fasting, vigil and prayer,
healing the sick and the souls of those drawn to you by faith.
Glory to Him Who gave you strength!
Glory to Him Who granted you a ^crown!//
Glory to Him Who grants healing to all!

Tone 7 Kontakion (Resurrection)
The dominion of death can no longer hold men captive,
for Christ descended, shattering and destroying its powers.
Hell is bound, while the Prophets rejoice and cry:
“The Savior has come to those in faith;//
enter, you faithful, into the Resurrection!”

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 4 Kontakion (St. John Climacus)
The Lord truly set you on the heights of abstinence,
to be a guiding star, showing the way to the universe,//
O our father and teacher John.

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!

(Instead of “It is truly meet…,” we sing the following)

Hymn to the Theotokos

All of creation rejoices in you, O Full of Grace:
the assembly of angels and the race of men.
O sanctified temple and spiritual paradise,
the glory of virgins,
from whom God was incarnate and became a Child –
our God before the ages.
He made your body into a throne,
and your womb He made more spacious than the heavens.
All of creation rejoices in you, O Full of Grace.
Glory to you!

Communion Hymn

Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest!
The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance! He shall not fear evil
tidings! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Christ was transfigured on Mount Tabor, revealing His divine nature to His disci-
ples. Immediately after the manifestation of His glory, He began to speak of the coming
suffering and death He was to experience, followed by His Resurrection. In this way, He
prepared His disciples for the most significant trial to come and taught them about faith
and hope.
After the Transfiguration, as Jesus and the disciples come down from the mountain
and continue their travels around the region of Galilee, a desperate father seeks out the
Lord to help his son. The boy is possessed by an evil spirit, which causes seizures and
prevents him from speaking. Besides the tremendous suffering the boy and his family are
enduring, his life is also in danger.
At the time of his greatest need, the boy’s father has some measure of hope, which
is why he brings his son to Christ’s disciples. The father is desperate for help because he
loves his son and has heard that Jesus is known for healing those who come to Him.
However, the disciples were not able to help, and when Jesus returns, He rebukes them.
“O faithless generation,” the Lord says, “how long am I to be with you? How long
am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” They bring the boy to Him, and when the evil
spirit is in the presence of the Lord, it immediately causes convulsions in the boy. The fa-
ther tells the Lord that this has been happening since the boy’s childhood. He pleads for
pity and help, hoping Jesus could do something for them.
The Lord teaches us that all things are possible for those who have faith in Him.
Faith is the key to our spiritual life. Faith needs to be nurtured so that it develops and
grows. On the other hand, the absence of faith can be a stumbling block in our lives.
Faith connects us to God and becomes the channel through which our lives can be trans-
formed.
Through faith, we draw near to the Lord and open ourselves to His will. By faith, we
“entrust ourselves and one another, and our whole lives to Christ our God,” as we petition
in the Divine Liturgy. Through faith, God’s grace enters our lives and fills our whole being,
enabling us to turn away from sin and towards God, even when we face challenging trials
and powerful temptations. As Saint Paul writes, “Let us run with endurance the race that
is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy
that was set before Him endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
The disciples could not help the boy because they did not yet completely trust the
Lord, so their faith faltered. When the boy’s father brought his son to the Lord, he also was
unsure that Jesus could help. The Lord answers him and tells him not to doubt because
all things are possible for those who believe. Immediately, the father cries out, “I believe;
help my unbelief!” The Lord satisfies the father’s request because of His great love and
mercy.
This simple yet honest and powerful prayer
— I believe; help my unbelief! —
can become our own prayer as our confidence and faith in Christ continue to grow every day,
with His help and guidance. The Lord says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and
you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). The father in the Gospel
lesson seeks to increase his faith so that his son may be healed, and the Lord responds
with love and compassion. He answers the prayer, and it becomes a kind of resurrection
for the boy. The son who could not speak and appeared lifeless is healed by the Son of
God, who would Himself rise from the dead, forever changing the course of humankind.
Faith in Christ requires trust in Him, and through faith, He who rose from the dead also
restores our lives to renewal.
Sickness in Scripture is often connected to demonic possession because the physi-
cal world is intertwined with the unseen world. As human beings, we are comprised of soul
and body. The spiritual and physical worlds are united within us in ways that transcend our
understanding. Ultimately, we aim to draw near to God as integrated human beings
in soul and body with faith and love. In this way, we can be healed of our spiritual infirmities
and transfigured by God’s grace. This begins with repentance and humility. Metaphorical-
ly, it is a journey to scale the mountain of faith and climb the ladder of spiritual ascent.
The father in the Gospel reading shows humility by kneeling, but he still lacks faith.
The disciples also lack faith, but Christ rebukes the man for reproaching the disciples
since the boy’s healing was prevented by his own lack of faith. In effect, Jesus publicly
defends His disciples, only to rebuke them privately later. We are similarly encouraged
to graciously correct others first in private and avoid publicly embarrassing them. In this
regard, Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia generally instructs us to “exercise ourselves in
patience and endurance” and to approach all situations “with love, kindness, meekness,
patience and humility.”
When the disciples ask the Lord why they could not cast out the spirit from the boy,
Jesus says that spiritual bondage can only be broken by prayer and fasting. Banishing
spiritual enemies requires an inclusive approach based on faith, prayer, and fasting. In this
light, we come to understand the spiritual purpose of fasting. As Saint Nektarios of Ae-
gina explains, “Fasting is recommended as a means of preparing the mind and the heart
for divine worship, for long prayer, for rising from the earthly, and for spiritualization.”
During this time of Great Lent, we have been given the opportunity to increase our
efforts in the spiritual disciplines
— fasting, praying, and almsgiving —
and grow in faith. If
we trust in the Lord when we ask for His help, He will answer us according to our spiritual
needs. He will come to our rescue because the Lord is always with us. He loves us and
longs for our salvation.

https://www.goarch.org/documents/32058/6612234/Sunday+of+Saint+John+Climacus/d58eb76d-d2a2-cea4-3b5a-a0440eda86eb