Parish News

This Week:

Schedule of Services for the Week of May 25, 2025
Sunday        5/25   8:30 a.m.  Orthros/Divine Liturgy - Sunday of the Blind Man
Wednesday  5/29   9:00 a.m.  Orthros/Divine Liturgy - Holy Ascension

Today, Sunday, May 25, 2025, there will be a Memorial Day Prayer Service to remember our fallen soldiers and departed veterans. This service focuses on remembrance, prayer, and eternal life for all who served!! Parishioners are encouraged to submit departed family member names to Father Jimmy. Philoptochos is preparing the Koliva and sponsoring the coffee hour in their honor. Family members are welcome to place labeled photographs of their loved ones on a designated table in the church hall.

The Oath of Office will be administered to the newly elected Philoptochos board by Father Jimmy TODAY, Sunday, May 25th after Divine Liturgy. Congratulations to all the ladies who continue to serve St. Anna! Axies!

Reminder: There is no Sunday School today. Sunday School will resume in the fall.

OPA SIGNUP TODAY! During fellowship hour.

College Care Ministry- Graduate Recognition: >>LAST CALL<< We would like to recognize all of our Saint Anna 2025 high school and college graduates (undergrad, post grad, and trade school) in our June bulletin.
Please email [email protected] with the following information no later than 5/25/25 (TODAY!)
* Graduate's Name
* If high school graduate: name of high school and college/trade school/other plans
* If college grad: college and degree conferred.

Upcoming Dates & Deadlines:

June 1st: 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 next Sunday for the last time until the fall.

June 1st: Sunday School graduation ceremony followed by the End of Year Ice Cream Social for our youth. Please contribute to the Ice Cream Social by visiting the sign up genius here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4EABAE23A7F85-56756569-icecream#/.

HOPE & JOY: Will be hosting an End of the Year Ice Cream Social on JUNE 1st after Sunday School for all youth ministries. Please use the signup genius link to bring in toppings to share. Hope to see you there!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4EABAE23A7F85-56756569-icecream

Greek School: On Monday, 6/2/25 Greek School will be having its End of Year Celebration.

OPA FESTIVAL JUNE 6-8: Festival Website: Opafestival.com
*DOWNLOAD THE FESTIVAL FLYER HERE
* JUNE 12th, 6 pm: Volunteer Appreciation Pizza Party at Alfresco's Flemington
* Parishioner Sponsors Needed: Please donate to help offset the costs of the festival. This compliments our business sponsors. DOWNLOAD THE FORM HERE.
* To stay up to date on Opa News: Please add [email protected] to your mailbox.
* Volunteer Signup today!

Parea: Our June Senior Parea will meet on June 10th at 12:00 in the fellowship hall. PLEASE NOTE THE DATE CHANGE. Please RSVP for food planning purposes a few days ahead. RSVP after church or contact Olympia Tzovolos, (908) 285-3983, or Aimee Douvris, (908) 339-2511, [email protected]. We will meet again in the fall.

New Women's Group Book Club. Our first gathering is Wednesday, June 11th at 6:30pm, on the book "EVERYWHERE PRESENT: CHRISTIANITY IN A ONE-STOREY UNIVERSE" by Fr. Stephen Freeman (available in the Bookstore and on Audible). Come for an evening of conversation, fellowship and spiritual nourishment. If you can read it ahead of time, terrific; if you don't finish it, come anyway. Bring your book, a drink and a snack. RSVP by June 4th at [email protected].

Save the Date: When: Sunday, June 22nd, 11:30 to 2:00. What: Philoptochos End of Year Celebration! (more info to follow).

General Updates:

PHILOPTOCHOS CORNER: Xristos Anesti!
We are continuing the "Hunterdon County Global Health for Guatemala" drive through the end of June!
Items needed: Empty pill bottles, trial size personal hygiene products, such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, lotions, shampoo, OTC cold & allergy medications. Especially for Kids: crayons, coloring books, small toys, and more...
There is a Collection Box in the hallway with a complete "what's needed item list". Thank you as always for your generosity to those in need!

As the school year comes to the end, Kyria Lisa, Kyria Kelly, Despinis Nikoleta, Kyrio Petro Kyria Katerina and Kyria Maria would like to thank our Greek school families for their support and dedication to our St. Anna Greek School.

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. Please see the signup list by the church office to sign up.

2025 Stewardship Status: We have 107 Pledges totaling $183,505 for an average of $1,715 and $128,515 received to date. We also have 3 families who have contributed $1,400 to date but have not submitted a stewardship card. Families must complete a stewardship card to be considered a steward. Click HERE for the card. 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.

Sunday School To register your child for the fall, please email Nikol Toulatos at [email protected]. Thank you all for a wonderful year!

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].

ST. ANNA BOOKSTORE - Christ is Risen! Visit us and see what is new. Recommendations:
For adults: "Thinking Orthodox"
For children: "Children’s Bible Reader"
Questions? Send email to [email protected]

PARISH LINKS:

FORMS: The following forms are on the website and can be downloaded from the following links:
2025 STEWARDSHIP PLEDGE CARD
KOLIVA REQUEST FORM (for memorials already scheduled with Father Jimmy)
PHILOPTOCHOS MEMBERSHIP FORM

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 general questions: [email protected]

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

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Grave Tone. Psalm 63.11,1.
The righteous shall rejoice in the Lord.
Verse: Oh God, hear my cry.

The reading is from St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians 4:6-15.

Brethren, it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

Since we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, "I believed, and so I spoke," we too believe, and so we speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

Gospel Reading

Sunday of the Blind Man
The Reading is from John 9:1-38

At that time, as Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him. We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." As he said this, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man's eyes with the clay, saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar, said, "Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?" Some said, "It is he"; others said, "No, but he is like him." He said, "I am the man." They said to him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" He answered, "The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash'; so I went and washed and received my sight." They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know."

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. The Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, "He put clay on my eyes and I washed, and I see." Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" There was a division among them. So they again said to the blind man, "What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."

The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight, and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself." His parents said this because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess him to be Christ he was to be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, "He is of age, ask him."

So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, "Give God the praise; we know that this man is a sinner." He answered, "Whether he is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see." They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered them, "I have told you already and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you too want to become his disciples?" And they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from." The man answered, "Why, this is a marvel! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." They answered him, "You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?" And they cast him out.

Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, "Do you believe in the Son of man?" He answered, "And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to you." He said, "Lord, I believe"; and he worshiped him.

Hymns of the Day

Apolytikion of 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.

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Plagal 1st Tone

Let us worship the Word, O ye faithful, praising Him that with the Father and the Spirit is co-beginningless God, Who was born of a pure Virgin that we all be saved; for He was pleased to mount the Cross in the flesh that He assumed, accepting thus to endure death. And by His glorious rising, He also willed to resurrect the dead.

Apolytikion for 3rd Discovery of the Head of the Forerunner in the 4th Tone

Christ God hath revealed to us thy truly ven'rable head as a divine treasure that had been concealed in the earth, O Prophet and Forerunner. Wherefore, as we gather on the feast of its finding, with our hymns inspired of God, we praise Christ the Saviour, Who by thy mighty prayers saveth us from every kind of harm.

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.

Bulletin Inserts:

"Take and Bake" Fundraiser:

We have frozen 1/2 trays of Pastitsio/ $60 and Spanakopita/ $50 for sale. Quantities are limited, first come first serve!

General Information

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