Saint John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2026-10-11
Bulletin Contents
Saint John's Evangelism Season
Schedule of Services
You are Invited
Recurring Ministries
Assembly of Bishops News
Diakonia Newsletter
Saints and Feasts
Gospel and Epistle Readings

Organization Icon
Saint John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • 408.605.0621
  • Street Address:

  • 9th and Lincoln

  • Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
  • Mailing Address:

  • PO Box 5808

  • Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93921

Contact Information

Priest: Father Ion Coman


[email protected] | 408.605.0621

Services Schedule

 

Weekend services: the weekend schedule is fixed for most of the year. The services take place in Carmel-by-the-Sea, at All Saints Church, lower level, 9th and Lincoln.

Saturdays: 5:00pm Vespers

Sundays:   8:30am Matins

                   9:45am Liturgy

Week-day services: during the week we may celebrate the major feast days of the Church either in Carmel or in Salinas. Please check the calendar! The schedule pattern is:

Wednesdays:  6:00pm Paraklesis

Eve of feasts: 6:00pm Vespers

Feast days:    8:30am Matins

                       9:45am Liturgy

Past Bulletins


Saint John's Evangelism Season

Saint John’s Evangelism Season 2026:

~ A Season of Prayer ~

 

AT HOME: We will all pray daily for those whom we will select for this spiritual effort – non-Orthodox whom we would like to discover God’s love, mercy, fullness and healing in the Orthodox Church. Their names will be written on the prayer cards at the beginning of the Season.

 

ONLINE: Multiple Instagram messaging per week with pointers to the joy of finding Christ and His Body, the Church.

 

AT CHURCH: All the names collected from the prayer cards will be brought in prayer at the Akathist service every Friday. The full schedule of remaining events is as follows:

 

Friday, October 9, 6pm:

• Akathist to Saint Herman of Alaska.

Sunday, October 11:

• Catechumen’s witness #3: Joe.

Friday, October 16, 6pm:

• Akathist to Saint Herman of Alaska.

Saturday, October 17:

• 8:30am - Prayer.

• 9am - 12 noon - Evangelism Season Retreat with Kenny Scott, Director of the Metropolis Missions and Evangelism (ME) Ministry. Sister parishes invited to attend.

Sunday, October 18, after Liturgy:

• Presentation by Kenny Scott – Witness and Direction.

• Fundraiser Luncheon in support of Metropolis ME Ministry.

Friday, October 23, 6pm:

• Akathist to Saint Herman of Alaska.

Sunday, October 25:

• Catechumen’s witness #4: Spenz.

Friday, October 30, 6pm:

• Akathist to Saint Herman of Alaska.

Sunday, November 1:

• Catechumen’s witness #5: Doug.

• Conclusion of the Evangelism Season: Address by Father Ion

 

May the Lord bless all those who will labor this Season!


Schedule of Services

Our services are posted on Zoom unless specified otherwise. To see the whole calendar, go to //www.stjohn-monterey.org/parish-calendar

 

Fri · Oct · 9
 
6:00 PM · Akathist to Saint Herman of 
             Alaska
7:00 PM · Orthodoxy 101: Journey to Fullness
 
Sat · Oct · 10
 
5:00 PM · Vespers
 
Sun · Oct · 11
 
8:30 AM · Matins + Liturgy
 
Mon · Oct · 12
 
6:00 PM · Akathist to Saint Herman of 
             Alaska (moved from Friday)
 
Tue · Oct · 13
 
9:00 AM · Food Bank Distribution - 
              Community Service
 
Wed · Oct · 14
 
9:30 AM · Book Forum: The Imitation of Christ (Zoom)
6:00 PM · Paraklesis + Catechism Class
 
Thu · Oct · 15
 
6:00 PM · Vespers
6:30 PM · Men's Night Out
 
Fri · Oct · 16
 
7:00 PM · Orthodoxy 101: Journey to 
              Fullness <= CANCELLED
 
Sat · Oct · 17
 
8:30 AM · Evangelism Season Workshop
5:00 PM · Vespers
 
Sun · Oct · 18
St Luke the Evangelist
 
8:30 AM · Matins + Liturgy
11:00 AM · Evangelism Season Lecture 
               (Kenny Scott)
11:45 AM · Evangelism Season Fundraiser    
                Luncheon

 



You are Invited

SPECIAL EVENTS

 

Evangelism Season 2026

Starting Sunday, September 27, through October

Our third ES Witness this Sunday is Joey Cox. Joey has been with us since February, and he is in the process of becoming a catechumen. We also know his family: Heather and their children Zoey and Joey.

This year we will again focus on prayer for those whom you would like to come closer to Christ in the Orthodox Church, we will hold witness presentations by some of our newcomers and catechumens, and we will have a special event on Sunday, October 18. The director of the Missions and Evangelism Metropolis ministry, Kenny Scott, will be the guest speaker. 

Co-laboring with us this year will be Saint Herman of Alaska. Thank God for this blessing!

Listen to the Akathist to Saint Herman here.
Watch the short movie about Saint Herman here.
Pray the Akathist this Friday, 6pm in the chapel.
 

 


Local Fellowship

Community

 

 

Men's Night Out

Thursday October 15

Men are invited for a night of food and fellowship each month on the third Thursday of each Month. BBQ or fasting food and drinks will be served usually on the patio following the Vespers service. Come prepared for a 10-15 dollar contribution toward the meal. 

Our next night out: this Thursday.

Community

 

 

Greek Baking Lessons

October 13, 15, 20 

November 11

Anyone interested in learning to bake traditional Greek pastries is invited to join us in the church kitchen for baking delicious goodies:

  • Baklava: Oct. 13, 9:30am
  • Koulourakia: Oct. 15, 9:30am
  • Kourambiethes: Oct. 20, 9am
  • Galaktoboureko: Nov. 11, 9:30am

 

 

Community

Philoptochos BYOB Fundraiser

Sunday, November 1

Dear Saint John's community,

Please participate in the

Philoptochos BYOB Fundraiser

Sunday, November 1st after the liturgy

We invite you to Bring Your Own… The last B stands for Bottle of wine, liquor, olive oil, olives, homemade jam, etc., and/or a Baked good, both regular or gluten free.

A few already signed up: Nick Fettis will be our auctioneer; he is very kind to do so. Charles has agreed to bring his infamous rice pudding which is sure to create a bidding war. There is a promise of gluten free homemade muffins, as well. I commit to bring a special bottle of wine and gluten free peanut butter blossom cookies (the kind with a candy kiss in the middle). This was the number one trending cookie in the United States this past Christmas. We encourage all ethnic specific baked goods, as well. Even Maxwell signed up to bring juice, a true testament that even our youngest find it in their hearts to contribute!

If you plan to be out of town that weekend, please bring an item for the auction a week early and give it to me or to Nadia.

Our goal is to raise $2500

The proceeds go towards helping community members in need. Many ask our organization for help at difficult moments in their lives, especially during the upcoming holidays, and the demand is always more than we can provide.

Thank you in advance for your support and participation!

"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." - Ephesians 2:10

Most sincerely,

Kathryn Walkowiec, member of the Philoptochos Board

 

 




Recurring Ministries

SPIRITUAL FELLOWSHIP

Education, Community

NEW! Bible Study:

The First Epistle of John 

A ministry led by Fr. Ion

One of the most beautiful letters of the New Testament, 1 John challenges us with very practical tests of true Christian life. Its short five chapters touch the heart. They call on us to face ourselves and our faith in a world of darkness, hatred and death. Saint John the Evangelist invites us to opt for God's light, love and life. 

So, touch your Orthodox Study Bible and bring it to our classes on Monday evenings. The New Testament OSB is preferred. No OSB or no Bible at all? Come anyway and God will provide. If lucky, sweets might be provided for fellowship. Not certain though...

The first class will take place on

Monday, October 19, 7pm

right after the Vespers for Saint Gerasimos, in the chapel of Saint Nektarios. 

 

Education, Community

Book Forum

A ministry led by Katherine Shaw

The next book for discussion and spiritual growth is The Imitation of Christ. You may purchase it from Amazon.

 

The next meeting will be on

 

Wednesday, October 14

 

We will continue with book two of this compilation:

 

"Grace must be Hidden Under the Mantle of Humility"

 

 


EDUCATION/ CATECHISM


Education

ORTHODOXY 101: A Journey to Fullness -  An Introduction to the Fullness of the Original Christian Faith

A ministry led by Edward Mar

THIS Friday evening, 7pm

Session 14: 

Orthodox Worship

The Journey to Fullness continues with online sessions that will take us through 16 episodes. The presentations of Father Barnabas Powell will lead us to discussions on matters pertaining to how the Orthodox Church sees herself. 

 

The class is offered to inquirers and catechumens, but it benefits all the members of the Church.

Outline:

1.    Is This Trip Really Necessary? 
2.      What Is the Orthodox Church?
3.      When Did Orthodoxy Begin?
4.      Characteristics of Orthodox 
      Christianity
5.      Mindset Matters
6.      A Healing Purpose
7.      Truth and Tradition
8.      How Do I Understand The Bible?
9.      When We See God (1/2)
10.  When We Say God (2/2)
11.  God With Us
12.  Our Ultimate Purpose
13.  Salvation as Participation
14.  Orthodox Worship
15.  A Beautiful Rhythm
16.  The Journey Continues

Fridays  at 7:00 PM (Zoom)

 

Living the Gospel

Catechism Class

A ministry led by Fr. Ion

The class will continue to meet on Wednesdays from 6:45pm, after the Paraklesis service. It is offered for newcomers, catechumens and for the faithful who desire to grow and embrace Orthodoxy.

Catechism

 

Education

Parish Council Leadership Training

A ministry led by Thimi Saites

Two of our PC memebers have started the "2x2" program that our Metropolis offers to ministry leaders. Part of this class, Thimi and Edward will work on 9 different topics pertaing to the life of our community. They will be conducting brief surveys on a monthly basis until the end of the year. The results will be reported by the  Metropolis to the Parish Council along with wisdom for improvements. Please offer them your support if you are among those selected to provide input.

 

The next 2x2 class: Tuesday, October 13.
Sunday School

 


SERVING OUR COMMUNITY

Community

Welcoming and Agape Meal

A Ministry lead by Miriam Aguilar

This Sunday, October 11 

PC Representative: Mikael Vellonen
Greeter: NEED VOLUNTEER
Agape Meal: Orange Team – Thank you to Melanie, Irene M., Nick B., Nicholas Harper. SUBSTITUTES NEEDED => PLEASE CONTACT MIRIAM

 

Next Sunday, October 18

PC Representative: Thimi Saites
Greeter: Rania Zavitsanos
Agape Meal: Pink Team – Thank you to Nadia, Maria G, Christine D, Alex

 

Thank you for your effort and participation in our Agape Meal. If you cannot contribute when it is your turn, please arrange coverage and inform your team leader or Miriam.

Living the Gospel, Community

Serving Others

A Ministry Led by Despina Hatton

FOOD BANK:

Our next turn for distribution is Tuesday,  October 13.

@St Francis Xavier Catholic Church

 

LADIES I-HELP:

 

Thursday, October 30 (5th Thursday) – Cooking: 4pm, Dinner with the ladies: 5:30pm

Tuesday, November 3 – Cooking: 4pm, Dinner with the ladies: 5:30pm





Diakonia Newsletter

“A Sower Went Out to Sow…”—Reflections From Today’s Reading – Luke 8:5-15

“A Sower Went Out to Sow…”—Reflections From Today’s Reading – Luke 8:5-15

“Seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not  understand.” Jesus applies this phrase to his opponents in today’s Gospel reading in order to explain why they heard all that he said and saw all that he did, but then they turned away from him in rejection instead of turning to him in faith. Pontius Pilate, for example, stared into the face of the living God and asked, “What is truth?” He saw. He heard. But he did not believe because his heart was closed to the truth. Seeing, he does not see. Hearing, he does not hear. Such hardness of heart does not apply only to Jesus’ opponents. Our own hearts can be hardened in a similar way: we might appear to be engaging with God and with the people around us, but our actions are empty. Think of how many times you sat in a divine service and were overcome with boredom or indifference. We say the prayers and we hear their words, but the words mean nothing to us. Praying, we do not pray. Or, think of how many times we deal with members of our families and we say that we love them, but our actions show something else. Loving, we do not love. The same delusion might accompany our service to the Church and to others. We may appear to be performing selfless acts of service for the good of the Church, but all the while our real concern is to be thanked and honored profusely. Serving, we do not serve. To avoid these pitfalls, let us examine our hearts before we act, knowing that we will never be perfectly humble, but striving ever more to be authentic in our Christian faith.

Fr. George Parsenios is Professor of New Testament at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. www.hchc.edu

What does “Demon” mean? From The Original Greek: Daimonion (Δαιμόνιον)

What does “Demon” mean? From The Original Greek: Daimonion (Δαιμόνιον)

Fr. George Parsenios (HCHC ’96)

The English word “demon” refers specifically to evil spirits or forces, but it has no such negative connotation in pagan religion. Ancient Greeks believed in a sky full of deities, and they gave the name daimonion—or the related term daimôn—to the less powerful gods. Socrates even claimed that a special daimôn guided him in moral decisions. Even earlier, Hesiod wrote that “demons” served as personal overseers who brought benefit or harm to the people they supervised. 

A fortunate person was said to possess eudaimonia which literally meant that he was guided by a “good demon.” When Jews and Christians spoke in the Bible about the gods of the Greeks, however, the term took on an utterly negative sense. For Christians and Jews, the Greek gods were evil forces that seduced people away from honoring the one true God. St. Paul famously reprimanded the Church in Corinth for participating in pagan sacrifices and cultic meals by saying, “You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons” (using daimonia, the plural of daimonion). Christians, therefore, believe that when pagans worship a daimonon and not the one true God, they honor an evil spirit.

Fr. George Parsenios is Professor of New Testament at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. www.hchc.edu

This Week’s Look at Church History: The Seventh Ecumenical Council

This Week’s Look at Church History: The Seventh Ecumenical Council

Ben Malian, MTS-Holy Cross 2026

Today the Orthodox Church commemorates the Seventh Ecumenical Council, known also as the Second Council of Nicaea, which convened over several sessions from September 24th to October 13th, 787.

For decades at that time, imperial policy in the East had been “iconoclastic”: the veneration of icons was blanketly prohibited, and many were simply painted over or destroyed. More than 300 bishops gathered at the Council of Hieria in 754 to endorse imperial iconoclasm and affirm the sophisticated theological arguments of Emperor Constantine V.

Yet by 784, the shrewd Empress Irene and her handpicked Patriarch of Constantinople, St. Tarasios, began spearheading a council whose task would be to defend both the production and veneration of icons. Citing “the divinely inspired tradition of the catholic Church” and underscoring the vital significance of the doctrine of the Incarnation—namely, that icons “provide confirmation that the becoming man of the Word of God was real and not just imaginary”—the Definition promulgated at the Second Council of Nicaea in 787 remains today a remarkable summation of the Orthodox faith.

17th Century Russian icon of the Seventh Ecumenical Council. Public Domain.



Saints and Feasts

October 11

Sunday of the 7th Ecumenical Council

On the Sunday that falls on or immediately after the eleventh of this month, we chant the Service to the 350 holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, which gathered in Nicaea in 787 under the holy Patriarch Tarasius and during the reign of the Empress Irene and her son, Constantine Porphyrogenitus, to refute the Iconoclast heresy, which had received imperial support beginning with the Edict issued in 726 by Emperor Leo the Isaurian. Many of the holy Fathers who condemned Iconoclasm at this holy Council later died as Confessors and Martyrs for the holy Icons during the second assult of Iconoclasm in the ninth century, especially during the reigns of Leo the Armenian and Theophilus.

October 11

Philip the Apostle of the 70, one of the 7 Deacons

Saint Philip, who had four daughters that prophesied, was from Caesarea of Palestine. He preached throughout Samaria; it was he also who met the eunuch of Candace, the Queen of the Ethiopians, as the eunuch was reading the Prophet Esaias, and he instructed and baptized him (Acts 8:26-39). He reposed in Tralles of Asia Minor while preaching the Gospel.

October 12

Symeon the New Theologian

Saint Symeon became a monk of the Studite Monastery as a young man, under the guidance of the elder Symeon the Pious. Afterwards he struggled at the Monastery of Saint Mamas in Constantinople, of which he became abbot. After enduring many trials and afflictions in his life of piety, he reposed in 1022. Marvelling at the heights of prayer and holiness to which he attained, and the loftiness of the teachings of his life and writings, the church calls him "the New Theologian." Only to two others, John the Evangelist and Gregory, Patriarch of Constantinople, has the church given the name "Theologian." Saint Symeon reposed on March 12, but since this always falls in the Great Fast, his feast is kept today.

October 14

Kosmas the Hagiopolite

Saint Cosmas was from the Holy City, Jerusalem, and was a contemporary and peer of Saint John of Damascus (Dec. 4), with whom also he was reared when, because of his orphanhood he was adopted by Sergius, Saint John's father, and with whom he had the same instructor. About the year 743, he was elected Bishop of Maiuma, a coastal city of Palestine, aforetime under the jurisdiction of Gaza, with the name Port Gaza. During the reign of Saint Constantine the Great, it became a separate township and at that time was renamed Constantia, after Constantine, the son of the Emperor (see Sozomen, Eccl. Hist., V:3). Cosmas became an excellent hymnographer, from whence he is called "the Composer and Melodist," Among his many compositions are the Canon of the Cross (Sept. 14) and the Canon for the Nativity of Christ, "Christ is born, give ye glory."

October 18

Luke the Evangelist

This Apostle was an Antiochean, a physician by trade, and a disciple and companion of Paul. He wrote his Gospel in Greek after Matthew and Mark, after which he wrote the Acts of the Apostles, and dedicated both works to Theophilus, who, according to some, was Governor of Achaia. He lived some eighty-six years and died in Achaia, perhaps in Patras, the capital of this district. His emblem is the calf, the third symbolical beast mentioned by Ezekiel (1:10), which is a symbol of Christ's sacrificial and priestly office, as Saint Irenaeus says.

October 16

Longinos the Centurion

This Martyr was in the service of Pontius Pilate at the time of Christ our Saviour's Passion. While standing guard at the Cross and beholding the earthquake and all that came to pass, he cried out with fear, "Truly this was the Son of God" (Matt. 27:54). After the Resurrection, he forsook the military and departed for Cappadocia, his homeland, where he preached Christ. By the agency of Pontius Pilate, Tiberius Caesar had him arrested and beheaded.

October 17

Hosea the Prophet

According to some, Hosea, whose name means "God is help," was from the tribe of Issachar, or more likely, from that of Reuben; he was the son of Beeri. He is the first in order of the twelve minor Prophets and the most ancient of all. He prophesied in the days of the divided Kingdom; the Lord told him to take a harlot to wife (Hosea 1:2), and then an adulteress (ibid., 3:1). The harlot, a known sinner, was a figure of the Kingdom of Israel in Samaria, which openly worshipped idols; the adulteress, lawfully married yet sinning secretly with her lovers, was a figure of the Kingdom of Judah in Jerusalem, which, while having the Temple, and the priesthood, and the divine worship according to the Law, stealthily served the idols also. The Prophet Hosea prophesied for sixty years, and lived for some ninety years, from 810 to 720 B.C. His book is divided into fourteen chapters.



Gospel and Epistle Readings

Matins Gospel Reading

Eighth Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from John 20:11-18

At that time, Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus has lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabboni," which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, "Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God." Mary Magdalene went and said to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and she told them that He had said these things to her.

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. 4th Mode. Daniel 3.26,27.
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers.
Verse: For you are just in all you have done.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to Titus 3:8-15.

Titus, my son, the saying is sure. I desire you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to apply themselves to good deeds; these are excellent and profitable to men. But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels over the law, for they are unprofitable and futile. As for a man who is factious, after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is perverted and sinful; he is self-condemned.

When I send Artemas or Tychicos to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. And let our people learn to apply themselves to good deeds, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not to be unfruitful.

All who are with me send greeting to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.

Gospel Reading

Sunday of the 7th Ecumenical Council
The Reading is from Luke 8:5-15

The Lord said this parable: "A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the path, and was trodden under foot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew, and yielded a hundredfold." And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy; but these have no root, they believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. And as for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience." As he said these things, he cried out "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

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