Sunday August 17, 10^th Sunday of Matthew

Memorial:     ANASTASIA JULIA PERATSAKIS – 40 Days

Coffee Hour Sponsors: Maria Wright, Dean and Christina Peratsakis

May her memory be eternal!

Services This Week

There are no additional services this week.

VIDEO ARCHIVE:  Previously recorded Sunday Divine Liturgy services are archived and available on our website! Go to https://www.stcons.org/video-streaming and you can click on the service you would like to view. 

LIGHT A CANDLE AND SAY A PRAYER:  When you are not able to attend church, you can purchase a candle from our church website (home page or video-streaming page), which will be lit before the following service or a service that you specify.  Please give specific names, living or deceased, that you would like Father to remember in prayer. Father will light candles one hour before each service. For Sunday services, please place candle orders prior to 8:00 am Sunday morning.

PLEASE PRAY FOR: Lynne, Al, Joe, Glenna, Alexsa and child, Frank, Pamela, Michele, Fania, Diana, George, Theodore, Anastasia, Constantinos, Phyllis, Joe, Dina, Pamela, Mia, Michael, Tracy, Anna, Sue, Nicole, Amalia, Nydia, Ann, John, Janek, Frank, George, Patrick, Joanne, Betty, Deana, Gloria, Jeannette, Michael, Niko, Maria, Sevasti, Mariam, George, Gene, Pete, Lazaros, John, Christopher, George, David, Marcos, Lela, Dawn, Panagioti, Joanna, Suzanne, Nick, Fotini, Niki, George, Matthew, Stefanos, Georgia, Leonidas, Gus, Connie, Maria, Brenda, Panagiota, Nicholas, Vicki, Susan, Tom, Thomas, Jim, Gloria, Evans, Phyllis, Marti, Janet, John, Zacharias, Vanessa (Vasiliki), Jake, Maegan, Irene, Lisa, Pat, Jonathan, Tracy, Dianna, Betty, Catherine, Evelyn, Gregg, Peter, Angela, Bill, Carrie, Vito, Stephanie, Lisa, Kylie, Nicholas, and Maria.  If you would like to add a name to the prayer list, or if there is a name that should be removed from the prayer list, please contact the church office.

EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES:

SAVE THE DATES!  As you enjoy the last weeks of summer, please mark your calendars for these upcoming fall events and activities:

·         September 14 - Welcome Back Luncheon/ First Day of Sunday School

·         September 16 – TLC Luncheon

·         September 27 - Philoptochos Fall Fashion Show

·         November 9 - BASILE/”Putting on the Glitz” Event

NEWS AND NOTICES:

SUMMER SURVIVAL: Our Summer Survival Board is back in the church Narthex. Even though church attendance unfortunately decreases during the summer months, regular building and property maintenance, utilities, and other expenses continue. That is why, again this year, we are asking for your help by making an additional donation to our “Summer Survival” campaign. You can make a donation online at stcons.org or by cash or check at the church office (or by mail).  Your help will make a big difference! 

THE LIGHT OF THE SANCTUARY:  The Light of the Sanctuary Campaign, a community-wide effort to install elegant chandeliers. There are still two chandeliers to be sponsored. Here’s how you can help:

• Make a donation of any amount - every gift helps illuminate the house of God.
• Sponsor a chandelier in full, in your name or in honor/memory of a loved one. 

SCHOOL SUPPLY COLLECTION:  Join our St. Helen Philoptochos in collecting new school supplies to be donated to FOCUS Detroit for students and teachers at Detroit’s Commonwealth Academy.  All items must be new and in original packaging, and to the church by September 7^th.  Collection box is located outside the church office.

GREEK FESTIVALS: It’s Greek festival season!  Please attend these upcoming events and support our sister churches.

·         8/15-8/17- Assumption GreekFest 

·         8/22-8/24- Taste of Greece Festival @ Nativity

MEMORIAL SERVICES:  Please call the church office to schedule all memorials and coffee hour sponsorships at least two weeks in advance.  On the day of the service, please bring a list of family names you would like Father to remember in prayer. Koliva will be distributed at the coffee hour; if you wish to bring in paximadia, koulourakia, or other dry cookie it may also be distributed. Coffee Hour sponsorship is not required, however the church is grateful to those who wish to make a sponsorship donation of $200, and the HCC will set up a table with cloth and coffee, etc. for your family.

DID YOU KNOW?: Guardian Angels

Did you know that God manifests His love for us through the presence of guardian angels?

Guardian angels, like all angels, were created with the heavens (Psalms 148:2–5; Colossians 1:16). Angels do not have physical bodies like ours but rather spiritual ones, which is why we cannot see them with our physical eyes. However, there are instances where they have appeared in human form to fulfill a mission assigned to them by God. The Church adopted the belief in guardian angels from Judaism. There are many references to this ministerial role of angels in the Psalms. Christ Himself continued this tradition, telling His disciples that little children's angels "always behold the face of My Father which is in heaven" (Matt 18:10). Like their Lord, the Apostles believed in the presence of guardian angels.

The Church Fathers also talk about guardian angels. Saint Basil the Great says angels are "set over men as tutors and guardians." Saint John of the Ladder notes that when we feel joyful sorrow (Greek: χαρμολύπη) in prayer, our angel is praying with us.

Each Orthodox Christian receives a guardian angel in Baptism. During the Service of Making a Catechumen, the priest reads: "Yoke unto his (her) life a shining Angel." Guardian angels protect and guide us. We can pray to our guardian angel in times of need and distress, especially when we do not know what direction to take or are in a dangerous situation. If we have fallen into sin, we can ask our angel to intercede for us.

Remember, we are never alone—our guardian angel is always with us as a constant sign of God's care and love for us, providing reassurance and comfort in our daily lives.

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America