St. Gregory of Nyssa Greek Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2025-06-01
Bulletin Contents
Saints and Feasts
Hymns of the Day
Gospel and Epistle Readings
Wisdom of the Fathers
Calendar
Tithes and Offerings
Philoptochos News
Prayer List

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St. Gregory of Nyssa Greek Orthodox Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • 619-593-0707
  • Street Address:

  • 1454 Jamacha Rd.

  • El Cajon, CA 92019-3752

Contact Information

Parish Priest Father Simeon B. Corona
Presbyter

[email protected] | 619-760-6373

Services Schedule

Saturday Vespers

5:00 PM

Sunday Liturgies

9:00AM Orthros

10:00AM Divine Liturgy

 

Parish Calendar:  http://saintgregoryofnyssa.org/parish-calendar

Follow Us on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/StGregoryGOC

Past Bulletins


Saints and Feasts

June 01

Fathers of the 1st Council

The heresiarch Arius was a Libyan by race and a protopresbyter of the Church of Alexandria. In 315, he began to blaspheme against the Son and Word of God, saying that He is not true God, consubstantial with the Father, but is rather a work and creation, alien to the essence and glory of the Father, and that there was a time when He was not. This frightful blasphemy shook the faithful of Alexandria. Alexander, his Archbishop, after trying in vain to correct him through admonitions, cut him off from communion and finally in a local council deposed him in the year 321. Yet neither did the blasphemer wish to be corrected, nor did he cease sowing the deadly tares of his heretical teachings; but writing to the bishops of other cities, Arius and his followers requested that his doctrine be examined, and if it were unsound, that the correct teaching be declared to him. By this means, his heresy became universally known and won many supporters, so that the whole Church was soon in an uproar.

Therefore, moved by divine zeal, the first Christian Sovereign, Saint Constantine the Great, the equal to the Apostles, summoned the renowned First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, a city of Bithynia. It was there that the shepherds and teachers of the Church of Christ gathered from all regions in the year 325. All of them, with one mouth and one voice, declared that the Son and Word of God is one in essence with the Father, true God of true God, and they composed the holy Symbol of Faith up to the seventh article (since the remainder, beginning with "And in the Holy Spirit," was completed by the Second Ecumenical Council). Thus they anathematized the impious Arius of evil belief and those of like mind with him, and cut them off as rotten members from the whole body of the faithful.

Therefore, recognizing the divine Fathers as heralds of the Faith after the divine Apostles, the Church of Christ has appointed this present Sunday for their annual commemoration, in thanksgiving and unto the glory of God, unto their praise and honour, and unto the strengthening of the true Faith.

June 01

Justin the Philosopher and Martyr and his Companions

This Saint, who was from Neapolis of Palestine, was a follower of Plato the philosopher. Born in 103, he came to the Faith of Christ when he was already a mature man, seeking to find God through philosophy and human reasoning. A venerable elder appeared to him and spoke to him about the Prophets who had taught of God not through their own wisdom, but by revelation; and he led him to knowledge of Christ, Who is the fulfillment of what the Prophets taught. Saint Justin soon became a fervent follower of Christ, and an illustrious apologist of the Evangelical teachings. To the end of his life, while preaching Christ in all parts, he never put off his philosopher's garb. In Rome, he gave the Emperor Antoninus Pius (reigned 138-161) an apology wherein he proved the innocence and holiness of the Christian Faith, persuading him to relieve the persecution of Christians. Through the machinations of Crescens, a Cynic philosopher who envied him, Saint Justin was beheaded in Rome in 167 under Antoninus' successor, Marcus Aurelius (reigned 161-180). Besides his defense of Christianity (First and Second Apologies), Saint Justin wrote against paganism (Discourse to the Greeks, Hortatory Address to the Greeks), and refuted Jewish objections against Christ (Dialogue with Trypho).

June 02

Nicephorus the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople

Saint Nicephorus was born in Constantinople about the year 758, of pious parents; his father Theodore endured exile and tribulation for the holy icons during the reign of Constantine Copronymus (741-775). Nicephorus served in the imperial palace as a secretary. Later, he took up the monastic life, and struggled in asceticism not far from the imperial city; he also founded monasteries on the eastern shore of the Bosphorus, among them one dedicated to the Great Martyr Theodore.

After the repose of the holy Patriarch Tarasius, he was ordained Patriarch, on April 12, 806, and in this high office led the Orthodox resistance to the Iconoclasts' war on piety, which was stirred up by Leo the Armenian. Because Nicephorus championed the veneration of the icons, Leo drove Nicephorus from his throne on March 13, 815, exiling him from one place to another, and lastly to the Monastery of Saint Theodore which Nicephorus himself had founded. It was here that, after glorifying God for nine years as Patriarch, and then for thirteen years as an exile, tormented and afflicted, he gave up his blameless soul in 828 at about the age of seventy. See also March 8.

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Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Sixth Tone

Angelic powers appeared at Your tomb, and those guarding it became like dead, and at Your grave Mary was standing, seeking Your most pure body. You plundered Hades, not being tempted by it; You encountered the virgin, granting life. O Lord, who rose from the dead, glory to You!

Apolytikion for Holy Ascension in the Fourth Tone

You ascended in glory O Christ Our Lord and God, and Your disciples were filled with joy, by the promise of the Holy Spirit unto them. And through this blessing You did proclaim and thus assure them, that You are truly the Son of God and the redeemer of the world.

Apolytikion for Fathers of the 1st Council in the Eighth Tone

Thou, O Christ, art our God of exceeding praise who didst establish our holy Fathers as luminous stars upon earth, and through them didst guide us unto the true Faith, O most merciful One, glory to thee.

Kontakion for the Church in the Third Tone

You were shown to have holy vigilance. And your piety was manifest in your teachings, O Hierarch Gregory. For the wisdom of your sacred dogmas gives joy to the fullness of the Church. Righteous Father, to Christ our God do intercede to grant our souls His great redeeming mercy.



Seasonal Kontakion in the Sixth Tone

When thou didst fulfill the dispensation for our sake and unite earth to heaven, thou didst ascend in glory, O Christ our God, in no way parted from those who love thee but remaining with them and crying: I am with thou and no one will be against thou.
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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Fathers of the 1st Council
The Reading is from Acts of the Apostles 20:16-18, 28-36

IN THOSE DAYS, Paul had decided to sail past Ephesos, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. And from Miletos he sent to Ephesos and called to him the elders of the church. And when they came to him, he said to them: "Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities, and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by so toiling one must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, 'it is more blessed to give than to receive.' " And when he had spoken thus, he knelt down and prayed with them all.

Gospel Reading

Fathers of the 1st Council
The Reading is from John 17:1-13

At that time, Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work which you gave me to do; and now, Father, you glorify me in your own presence with the glory which I had with you before the world was made.

"I have manifested your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world; yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you; for I have given them the words which you gave me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you did send me. I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are mine; all mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me; I have guarded them, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves."

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Wisdom of the Fathers

For there is One God, and One Mediator between God and Man, the Man Christ Jesus. For He still pleads even now as Man for my salvation; ...
St. Gregory the Theologian
4th Theological Oration, 4th Century

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Calendar

  • Calendar

    June 1 to June 9, 2025

    Sunday, June 1

    Fathers of the 1st Council

    9:00AM Morning Prayers (Orthros)

    10:00AM Divine Liturgy

    11:30AM General Meeting

    Monday, June 2

    1:00PM Prayers at Carroll's

    2:00PM Prayers at Orangewood

    6:30PM St. Kevin Vesperal Liturgy

    Thursday, June 5

    2:00PM Prayers at Hillcrest Manor

    3:00PM Prayers at Frederika Manor

    7:00PM No Study

    Friday, June 6

    10:30AM Trisagion and brief Wake for Iris Daglas

    11:00AM Funeral at St. Gregory’s for Iris

    12:00PM Interment at Singing Hills for Iris

    Saturday, June 7

    9:00AM Saturday of Souls Matins and Liturgy AT St. Gregory's

    5:00PM Great Vespers

    6:00PM Confessions, Compline with Prayers of Preparation

    Sunday, June 8

    Pentecost

    9:00AM Morning Prayers (Orthros)

    10:00AM Divine Liturgy

    Monday, June 9

    Holy Spirit Monday

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Tithes and Offerings

Our Deposit from last Sunday (5/25) was: $200 towad the Icon Fund. 142.63 in kind for the Icon Fund and 2,201.94 for the General Fund. Please, Pray with and for us! Prayerfully consider becoming a Steward of the Church by signing a 2025 Stewardship Commitment Card. Here we give our time, our talents AND our treasure in order to fulfill the Great Commission.
We're welcoming and raising Christian Disciples to become Apostles in order to extend His Kingdom. We're hoping to secure this our "home base" in order to set the foundation for the next welcoming and Disciple/Apostle raising Church.

 

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Philoptochos News

Philoptochos News: Recently Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzos presented a sermon on the First Epistle of last John to the National Board. Here is a brief excerpt.

"The central message of this epistle can be summed up in one phrase: God is love...This is a message that you, the women of the Philoptochos, live out in your ministries every day. You tend to the sick, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, support the ministries of our Church, and hold up communities through prayer, compassion, and action. Whether you are organizing a fundraiser, writing a card to a shut-in, or advocating for the vulnerable, you embody the call of Saint John—to not “love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18)."

Icon Flowers: If you would like to either decorate or sponsor flowers for an upcoming feast day or in memory of a loved one, you can call Olga at (619) 980-9124 or email us at [email protected]. Thank you for beautifying our church and honoring our holy saints and feasts.

Coffee hour: This week's Coffee Hour was provided by the Nosal Family... Thank You! Our Calendar of Hosts is blank for the remainder of June! This includes Pentecost/Founder's Day on the 8th and Father's Day on the 15. If you can host one Sunday, or help organize a Potluck, please sign up on the poster in the hall. The community we experience as we break bread together is an invaluable continuation of the work of the Divine Liturgy. 

 

 

 

 

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Prayer List

Prayer List

Living: Herman, Tom Ward, Jacque Gamboa, Marianne, Tamara, Stamati, Elanora, Joanna Jacob,  Virginia, Fr. Josef Candelario, Derek, Hugito, Liam Michael Gardener (Ysadora’s new Grandson), Valerie, Augustine, Janet, Ben,Trevonia Jones-Blacknall,Ben, Katherine Cripe, Jesus and Giselle (Amanuel’s Parents), Lavar Maze, Daniela, Josephine, Gregory, Roberto Rojas, Bryan Jones, Juan Bowles, Suzette, Maria Cacho, Costa, Michelle, Gail, Irene, Jeanne Leventis, Larry Roach, Olympia, Jan Manos, Adrianne, Leilani, Frank, Pamela McVey (Gaye’s Sister), Kyriako, Dori, Elaine, Anastasia, Efstratia (Honey), Kristen, Lititia, Diana, TrixAnna, Ortans (Nellie’s Mom in Syria), Elias and Hanna Meamari (Issa’s Folks), Joanne Nichols, Michaila, Barbara Anderson (Fr. Michael’s Mom), Debby, Trevor, Ripley, Ljlijana, Deeann, Gino Volvo, Levi, Hannah, Dick, Kelly, Nicolas, Karen, Susan, Mandy, Melissa, Demetra, Gaye, Maria Olga, Vernon, Kathern and the Rogers Family, John Findel, Lisa Kotitsa, Christine Fanos, Iris, Elizabeth Terris, Magdalyn,  Michael Piliaris, Darin Williams, Cathy Jean Alexander, Our Monasteries and Monastics.


Asleep in the Lord: Stavros, Sophia, Andonis, Stevroula Metaxas, Doug Burleigh,  Fr. Panayiotis Leventis and Presvytera Despina Leventis,  Leul and Maria, Celia, Tula (Demetra) Nicholas, Shirley Nash, Michael Counce, Maria Damala, Don and Sally Farr, Thomas Crowell, Eleftheria, Deiter (Fr. Josef’s Father), Susan (sister of Lisa Kotitsa), William (Bill) Diamond, Mary Mckinn, Maria, Merissa, Madeline (Olga’s Sister), Michelle (Olga’s Cousin), Partheni, Sue Lubinski, Daniel Delgado Teneus Partheni Baptiste, Steve, Mario,Fr. George Larin, Randolph (Ysadora’s Uncle),Fr. Emanuel Lillios, James Pappas (Dr. Socrates Cousin), Khouria Dina and Eliana Maria Bahou, Mary Koulaxes, Christopher Pekos, Peter Karalambas, John Pertides, Calomira, James (Demetrius) Mastorakis, Evangelina,  Warren Cormier, Sally Farr, Margie (Mary) Brock, Soteria (Bunny) Angeles, (Haralambos) Polis, Athina, Mark Mellis,  Heidi, Presvytera Kay Eftathiu, Alexandra, Nicole, Kenn, Archdeacon Joe, Nicholay, Maria Elena, John Angeles, Emanuel, Irene Cantos, Joanne, James and Marika Deemas, Georgia (Sophie) Deemas, George Deemas, Antone (Tony) Broodrookas, Barbara and Patrick Easley, Arthur and Christine Gonos, John, Angelo, Tom Hyatt, Morgan, Bonnie, Salvador, William, Sarah Elizabeth, Penny (Laurie Paschalydis’ Sister), Janis Efstratia, Kosta Stephens

Please let Father know if you have any names that you would like to add to or that are ready to  remove from the list.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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