St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2025-04-20
Bulletin Contents
Parish News
Saints and Feasts
Gospel and Epistle Readings
Hymns of the Day
Bulletin Inserts:

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St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (908) 968-4004
  • Fax:
  • (908) 968-4002
  • Street Address:

  • 85 Voorhees Corner Road,

  • Flemington, NJ 08822

Contact Information

St. Anna Office
staff

[email protected] | (908) 968-4004

Clergy
Father Jimmy Pavlow

[email protected] | (609) 498-4672

Corresponding Secretary
Paul Vespa

[email protected]

Services Schedule

Sunday Services:  Orthros 8:30 am; Divine Liturgy 9:30  am.  

Weekday Services:  See parish website calendar link for updates.

 

Past Bulletins


Parish News

Schedule of Services for Saturday April 19th and the Week of April 20, 2025

Saturday    4/19   11:00  p.m. Midnight Service of the Resurrection 
                           Midnight     Resurrection of our Lord, Orthros followed by the Divine Liturgy 
Sunday      4/20   11:00  a.m. Great Vespers of Agape, Reading of the Holy Gospel in Various Languages
Friday        4/25    9:00  a.m.  Zoodohos Peghe Orthos/Divine Liturgy

Email Spoofing: We have learned that several people are getting fake emails from someone posing as Fr. Jimmy. As a rule, please ignore any emails that do not come from <role>@stannagoc.org. 

Procedure for Holy Communion:
Enter into the center aisle. Please wait until a member of the Parish Council calls your pew. The order is as follows:
- Any Newly illumined (newly Baptized, Chrismated)
- Choir
- Pew by pew per PC direction. Please wait until your pew is called. 
- Those remaining in the narthex. 

"Take and Bake" Fundraiser: We have frozen 1/2 trays of Pastitsio/ $60 and Spanakopita/ $50 for sale. Please see attached flyer and contact any Parish Council member for purchase. The items are ready for pickup. Quantities are limited, first come first serve!

Sunday Fellowship Hour Sponsors: Please sponsor a fellowship hour to support the Saint Anna parish. The requested fellowship hour sponsorship donation is $50.

Our 2025 Stewardship drive is in progress, please complete your 2025 stewardship pledge to allow the parish council to properly plan for the year.

2025 Stewardship Status: We have 95 Pledges totaling $156,995 and $102,787 received to date.  We also have 4 families who have contributed $11,362 to date but have not submitted a stewardship card.  It is important that all families complete a stewardship card to be considered a steward.  Current Stewardship List and other stewardship information is posted in bulletin board by water cooler.  

House Blessings: This is the time when we normally schedule House Blessings.  If you would like Father Jimmy to come and bless your home, please email/call Father and the office by emailing [email protected] and/or calling (908) 968-4004.

Parish Council Updates:

Thank you for all your support during the Lenten and Holy Week periods, especially those that contributed toward the Easter Appeal (see attached form). The Parish Council prays that you all have a blessed Pascha gathering with Family and Friends as we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. We look forward to greeting you in the days ahead with Χριστός Ανέστη! / Christ is Risen!, and hearing your response - Aληθώς ανέστη! / Truly He has Risen!

On May 12th, the NJ Metropolis is hosting the annual Honoree Banquet. Please join us in congratulating this year's honorees:

Parish Council - Paul Costalas
Philoptochos - Iosifina Costalas
Community - Katina Foglia
Senior Steward - Constantine Kamnitsis
Greek School - Peter Grina
Sunday School - Marianna Bunce
Youth Advisor - Elizabeth Soteropoulos
GOYA - Adriana Tattoli

PHILOPTOCHOS CORNER: 

We will begin baking for the festival on the following days.  Any and all help is appreciated. April 28, April 29, May 8, May 13. The start times are at 10:00am. If anyone has any questions please see Popi or Aimee. Let us know that you can lend a hand. Thank you for volunteering for St Anna. 

As you all know, annual elections are coming up on May 18th! Please contact an "Election Committee Member" if you are interested in running for a position on the Board! Thank You!

We are continuing our membership drive until the May elections. Please become a member of the St. Anna Philoptochos as we strive to help our neighbors and community!
“Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, it is more blessed to give than to receive.” – Acts 20:35 

Thank you to everyone who made a purchase of a Palm Cross in the last few weeks! The sale was a huge success!
We also want to thank everyone who ordered a Tsoureki from Agia Skepi Monastery. If you have not picked up your order, please see Arge Mardakis or Aimee Douvris to do so.

A special Paschal message from Fay Vespa, St. Anna Philoptochos President:

My dearest brothers and sisters in the Lord,
As a family, we all participated in Holy Week’s beautiful hymns and services; As a family, we fasted and prayed; As a Philoptochos family, we helped a family in need, an orphanage, Holy Cross/Hellenic College, and many other charities in Christ’s name, showing the example of His compassion, His love and His forgiveness so that we may obtain His ultimate promise of our redemption!
So, as a St. Anna family, let us rejoice in His Resurrection and celebrate His love for us, by continuing to serve those in need within our community and family.
As we proclaim «Χριστός Ανέστη» (“Xristos Anesti”) “Christ is Risen”, may His love surround your family with grace, health, and happiness as we embrace our one true faith as Orthodox Christians! 

"Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said." ~ Matthew 28:5

Save the Date: Our next senior Parea event is Tuesday, May 6th at 12:00 p.m. in the fellowship hall. Please note the DATE change for our last Parea before summer. We will meet the second Tuesday in June { June 10th } due to Festival prep. 

YOUTH MINISTRY:

First Sundays are Youth Sundays at St. Anna. GOYA, HOPE & JOY (grades K-6th), and our Little Blessings (Pre-K and under) ministries will meet on the First Sunday of the month. 

GOYA: The GOYA will be collecting quarters and monetary donations for Family Promise of Hunterdon County for their Lenten project. The organization works with those who are experiencing unsheltered homelessness in our community. Quarters are needed to assist clients with laundry at the laundromat. Your donations are greatly appreciated.

YAL: The Young Adult League will assist in PC duties on the second Sundays of the month (YAL Sundays). If you are of YAL age (18-35) and interested in participating or for more information about monthly meetings and events, please reach out to Steven Tattoli at yal‑[email protected].

Forming new Women's Group Book Club. If interested, please send email (including day and time preferences) to [email protected].   Additional information will be coming soon.

ST. ANNA BOOKSTORE - Pascha is here. Kali Anastasi! Stop by the book store for great Pascha gift ideas. We're featuring beautiful Easter Candles made by the nuns at Holy Protection Monastery. Other merchandise includes religious mugs, prayer ropes, Easter greeting cards, a variety of children's Easter books, and adult spiritual books. Questions? Send email to [email protected]. 

PARISH LINKS: 

St Anna Website: https://www.stannagoc.org/

St Anna Greek Orthodox Church Calendar: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/[email protected]&ctz=America/New_York 

For questions to the parish council: [email protected]

For general questions: [email protected]

To be added to the weekly bulletin email:  [email protected]

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Saints and Feasts

April 20

Great and Holy Pascha

Mary Magdalene, and the other women who were present at the burial of our Saviour on Friday evening, returned from Golgotha to the city and prepared fragrant spices and myrrh, so that they might anoint the body of Jesus. On the morrow, because of the law which forbids work on the day of the Sabbath, they rested for the whole day. But at early dawn on the Sunday that followed, almost thirty-six hours since the death of the Life-giving Redeemer, they came to the sepulchre with the spices to anoint His body. While they were considering the difficulty of rolling away the stone from the door of the sepulchre, there was a fearful earthquake; and an Angel, whose countenance shone like lightning and whose garment was white as snow, rolled away the stone and sat upon it. The guards that were there became as dead from fear and took to flight. The women, however, went into the sepulchre, but did not find the Lord's body. Instead, they saw two other Angels in the form of youths clothed in white, who told them that the Saviour was risen, and they sent forth the women, who ran to proclaim to the disciples these gladsome tidings. Then Peter and John arrived, having learned from Mary Magdalene what had come to pass, and when they entered the tomb, they found only the winding sheets. Therefore, they returned again to the city with joy, as heralds now of the supernatural Resurrection of Christ, Who in truth was seen alive by the disciples on this day on five occasions.

Our Lord, then, was crucified, died, and was buried on Friday, before the setting of the sun, which was the first of His "three days" in the grave; observing the mystical Sabbath, that "seventh day" in which it is said that the Lord "rested from all His works" (Gen. 2:2-3), He passed all of Saturday in the grave; and He arose "while it was yet dark, very early in the morning" on Sunday, the third day, which, according to the Hebrew reckoning, began after sunset on Saturday.

As we celebrate today this joyous Resurrection, we greet and embrace one another in Christ, thereby demonstrating our Saviour's victory over death and corruption, and the destruction of our ancient enmity with God, and His reconciliation toward us, and our inheritance of life everlasting. The feast itself is called Pascha, which is derived from the Hebrew word which means "passover"; because Christ, Who suffered and arose, has made us to pass over from the curse of Adam and slavery to the devil and death unto our primal freedom and blessedness. In addition, this day of this particular week, which is the first of all the rest, is dedicated to the honour of the Lord; in honour and remembrance of the Resurrection, the Apostles transferred to this day the rest from labour that was formerly assigned to the Sabbath of the ancient Law.

All foods allowed during Renewal Week.

April 20

Theodore the Trichinas

Saint Theodore who was from Constantinople, was born to parents who were pious and of means. He took up the monastic life in a monastery in the imperial city, and wore nought but a rough hair shirt for all his life, from whence also he received his name. He reposed in the late fourth, or early fifth century. Saint Joseph the Hymnographer composed a canon in his honour.

April 20

Zacchaeus the Apostle of Caesaria

The conversion of the publican Zacchaeus, and our Saviour's compassion for him, is narrated in the Holy Gospel (Luke 19:1-10). Afterwards he laboured as a companion of the Holy Apostles, and became first Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine.

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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Plagal 4th Tone. Psalm 117.24,29.
This is the day which the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Verse: Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his mercy endures for ever.

The reading is from Acts of the Apostles 1:1-8.

In the first book, O Theophilos, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me, for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of lsrael?" He said to them, "it is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth."

Gospel Reading

Great and Holy Pascha
The Reading is from John 1:1-17

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light.

The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. (John bore witness to him, and cried, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.'") And from his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

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Hymns of the Day

Apolytikion for Great and Holy Pascha in the Plagal 1st Tone

Christ is risen from the dead, by death hath He trampled down death, and on those in the graves hath He bestowed life.

Hypakoe of Great and Holy Pascha in the 4th Tone

When they who were with Mary came, anticipating the dawn, and found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre, they heard from the Angel: Why seek ye among the dead, as though He were mortal man, Him Who abideth in everlasting light? Behold the grave-clothes. Go quickly and proclaim to the world that the Lord is risen, and hath put death to death. For He is the Son of God, Who saveth the race of men.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Plagal 4th Tone

Though You went down into the tomb, You destroyed Hades' power, and You rose the victor, Christ God, saying to the myrrh-bearing women, "Hail!" and granting peace to Your disciples, You who raise up the fallen.
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Bulletin Inserts:

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