WELCOME

Welcome Visitors

We extend a heartfelt welcome to all our visitors and newcomers - may you feel at home as you worship with us. Please join us for fellowship hour following the Divine Liturgy. Take a moment to sign our guest book in the Narthex so we can stay in touch and share more about the parish life at St. Anna.

SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING SERVICES:

Thursday, August 27: Feast Day of St. Phanourios
- Orthros 9:00 am / Divine Liturgy 10:00 am
Saturday, August 29: Beheading of St. John the Baptist
- Orthros 9:00 am / Divine Liturgy 10:00 am
Sunday, August 30: 12th Sunday of Matthew
- Orthros 8:00 am / Divine Liturgy 9:00 am*

*NOTE: SUMMER HOURS UNTIL SEPT. 6

For a complete list of services, click here.

40 DAY BABY BLESSING

Congratulations to Stefanos & Irene Nyktas on the 40 day blessing of baby George! Να σας ζήσει. God bless.

WEDDING

Congratulations to Dionysios & Krystal Papagrigoratos on their upcoming wedding at St. Anna on Thursday, August 27. May God bless your marriage and grant you many joyful years together.

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

12th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 15:1-11

Brethren, I would remind you in what terms I preached to you the gospel, which you received, in which you stand, by which you are saved, if you hold it fast -- unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God which is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Gospel Reading

12th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 19:16-26

At that time, a young man came up to Jesus, kneeling and saying, "Good Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?" And he said to him, "Why do you call me good? One there is who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments." He said to him, "Which?" And Jesus said, "You shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and You shall love your neighbor as yourself." The young man said to him, "All these I have observed; what do I still lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.

And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

ANNOUNCEMENTS

FAREWELL BANQUET FOR NEWLY-ELECTED ARCHBISHOP APOSTOLOS OF CANADA

His Eminence, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America invites the Faithful and Friends of the Sacred Metropolis of New Jersey to a dinner in honor of His Eminence, Archbishop Apostolos of Canada, September 8, 2026 at 5.30 pm at the Venetian, in Garfield, New Jersey.

Tickets can only be purchased using the following link: https://givebutter.com/archbishop-apostolos-of-canada-farewell-dinner-ibbazu

MINISTRY REGISTRATION FAIR

Mark your calendars as the new ecclesiastical year is right around the corner... On Sunday, September 13, our ministry leads will be taking registrations and answering your questions during fellowship hour. Come and learn about all that St. Anna has to offer.

UNIVERSAL YOUTH MINISTRY REGISTRATION: Now Open!

Fall youth ministry registration is NOW OPEN. Please complete our new Universal Youth Ministry Registration Form for the 2026/2027 ministry year. We encourage all to use the online form but if you prefer to complete a hard copy form, copies will be available during the Ministry Fair on Sept. 13.

Families only need to complete ONE form per child and indicate which ministries they plan to participate in, including Sunday School, Little Blessings, GOYA, Junior Greek Dance, and Senior Greek Dance. (Please note that Greek School registration will continue to be handled separately.)

Completing registrations early will help our ministry leaders plan over the summer and prepare for a successful year ahead. Our goal is to have all students registered before ministries begin in the fall, so we encourage families to submit their forms as soon as possible.

Thank you for helping us prepare for another wonderful year of faith, fellowship, and learning at St. Anna!

PILGRIMAGE TO HOLY PROTECTION MONASTERY

Please join us for a day of prayer, fellowship, and spiritual renewal as we visit the Holy Protection Monastery, Agia Skepi, on Saturday, September 19. Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, a bus will be chartered provided we can fill it at least half way. Your response is important, as the number of attendees will help determine whether chartering a bus is feasible. If not, we will need to consider carpooling. Additional details will be forthcoming.

Please respond to Aimee Douvris at [email protected].

PARISH DIRECTORY UPDATE (Don't be left out)

UPDATE: 56 out of 144 stewards have responded. 39% response rate. 1.5 months to go..

It’s time to update our parish directory! Beginning Sunday, March 22 and continuing until September 27, we will be collecting parishioner information.

The goal is to have ALL parishioners complete the Parish Directory Google Form (or a hard copy form available at church). This will allow us to electronically update our parish records and then compile and print a new Parish Directory for everyone.

Your participation will help us ensure that our contact information is accurate and that our parish community stays well connected.

Thank you for taking a few minutes to complete the form as we kick off this initiative. Hard copy forms will also be available at the Registration Table during coffee hour. Please see Maria Tattoli.

Link to Parish Directory form

PARISH NEWS AT A GLANCE

TODAY, 8/23:

Byzantine Chant Class @ 11:00 am
Volleyball practice @ 11:30 am

THIS WEEK:

No events

UPCOMING EVENTS:

9/6: Sunday School Teacher Orientation
9/13: Ministry Registration Fair & Choir Rehearsal
9/19: Monastery Trip
9/27: First Day of Sunday School

MINISTRY MATTERS

PHILOPTOCHOS

For the month of August, Philoptochos will be collecting for Operation Classroom. Francis. A. Desmares Elementary School in Flemington is in need of indoor/outdoor recess items for students pre-K through 4th grade. New or gently-used items; such as chalk, balls, hula hoops, card games, memory games, Uno, board games, Candyland, Sorry, Monopoly, Legos, etc. would be greatly appreciated. The collection begins August 2 and ends August 30. Please see Katina with any questions.

BOOKSTORE

Come visit the Bookstore today and browse our newest selection of books, icons, and other gift items. Questions? See Angela Ferreira.

CHOIR

The Choir will return on Sept. 20. A rehearsal is planned for Sunday, Sept. 13 after church. New members are welcome. You do not need to read Greek to participate . We offer mentoring for youth 9 yrs old and up. Contact Choir Director Diana Grina if interested.

WOMEN'S BOOK CLUB

Our summer reading selection is "God’s Path to Sanity: Lessons from Ancient Holy Counselors on How to Have a Sound Mind" by Dee Pennock, which is currently available in the bookstore.

Book Club meets on the 3rd Thursday of every month. Next gathering is Thursday, Sept. 17, from 6:00-8:00 pm in the conference room. Questions? See Angela Ferreira.

Diakonia Newsletter

Read the latest Diakonia Newsletter for this Sunday

https://bulletinbuilder.org/diakonia-newsletter/2026-08-23?source=bulletin_web

August 23, 2026

BULLETIN INSERTS

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