Online DIVINE LITURGY - 10:00am
or
In-church TYPICA Reader Service - 10:00am
Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco
St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Mission Church
Serving Tricity Orthodox Christians
627 West Bonneville St., Pasco, WA 99301
All are welcome at St. Nectarios!
CHRIST IS RISEN!
Saturday, May 25 In church Divine Liturgy will be celebrated with Fr. Michael Tervo
Next Zoom/Facebook Services:
Saturday, May 18 5:00PM Vespers Service Online
1:00PM Enquirers Class (Tentative)
See complete a listing of Services and Activities below.
For information and questions - call Jim or Tammy Droppo at 5O9 366-8745.
7:00PM Holy Unction Service - Zoom / Facebook Online
7:00PM The Twelve Passion Gospels - Zoom / Facebook Online
7:00PM Lamentations - Zoom / Facebook Online
10:00PM VESPERAL LITURGY OF ST. BASIL Zoom / Facebook Online
11:00PM Service before Resurrection - Zoom / Facebook Online
12:00AM Resurrection Service - Zoom / Facebook Online
11:00AM Orthodox Easter - Agape Vespers (In Church)
10:00AM Divine Liturgy - Zoom / Facebook Online
1:00PM Enquirers Class (Tentative)
10:00AM Divine Liturgy - Zoom / Facebook Online
1:00PM Enquirers Class (Tentative)
10:00AM REVISED - 10:00AM Online Divine Liturgy Service
1:00PM No Enquirers Class Today
THE FIRST EVANGELISTS
The first Evangelists of Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead were the Myrrh-Bearing women. They had come to the tomb of Christ to finish the anointing of Jesus’ body that first Sunday morning. In their way, they worried about the large stone that covered His tomb. But their worries disappeared quickly as soon as they saw the bright Angel of God sitting on the removed stone. He greeted them joyfully and turned their sadness into great joy. He proclaimed to them that “Jesus is Risen! See the empty tomb and His burial clothes!” “Go proclaim the joyous news to his apostles.”
The Myrrh-Bearers were frightened when they saw the angel of God. The sad events of the past three days had overwhelmed them and filled their hearts with fear. What a sudden turning around of events! Their Lord and beloved Teacher, Jesus, is now alive!
The Myrrh-Bearers were now running to bring the good News of Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead to the apostles! Their Risen Lord Himself met them on their way and Reassured them of His Resurrection. They bowed down to worship Him and embrace His feet.
The Apostles did not want to believe the Myrrh Bearers at first. John and Peter ran to the tomb to see for themselves. And they found the tomb as the Myrrh-Bearers had told them. They returned to the other Apostles and shared with them the good news; But at the same time, it was very difficult for them to understand all these events. They remembered later that Jesus had foretold them about his Resurrection from the dead, after His suffering.
Jesus never leaves us alone in our doubts at difficult moments of our life. Jesus himself appeared to His Apostles and showed them and Thomas the marks of His Crucifixion, as we read in last Sunday’s Gospel lesson. Thomas fell on his knees and proclaimed Jesus as “my Lord, and my God!”
We greet each other with the joyous words “Christ is risen!” This season. And we respond, “Truly He is Risen!” These are not mere words of formality, but a proclamation of the truth of the Christian faith. Our faith is based upon the real resurrection of Jesus Christ, God’s incarnate Son, who became one of us. He assumed our sins and nailed them to the cross, to forgive them. He, the innocent, suffered for us sinners to grant us eternal life. Now He is Risen! We will never cease proclaiming His Resurrection from the dead; and His Ascension to Heaven.
The stone over our grave will be also removed at the 2nd Glorious Coming of our Risen Lord. All the dead will then rise to reap the reward of their deeds in this life.
Now is the time for us to cultivate our soul and produce in humility an abundance of good deeds to reap their benefit in eternity. Let us therefore produce good fruit as members of His Body, the Church.
Christ is Risen!
With love, Fr. John P. Angelis
THE FIRST EVANGELISTS
About the beginning of His thirty-second year, when the Lord Jesus was going throughout Galilee, preaching and working miracles, many women who had received of His beneficence left their own homeland and from then on followed after Him. They ministered unto Him out of their own possessions, even until His crucifixion and entombment; and afterwards, neither losing faith in Him after His death, nor fearing the wrath of the Jewish rulers, they came to the sepulchre, bearing the myrrh-oils they had prepared to annoint His body. It is because of the myrrh-oils, that these God-loving women brought to the tomb of Jesus that they are called the Myrrh-bearers. Of those whose names are known are the following: first of all, the most holy Virgin Mary, who in Matthew 27:56 and Mark 15:40 is called "the mother of James and Joses" (these are the sons of Joseph by a previous marriage, and she was therefore their step-mother); Mary Magdalene (celebrated July 22); Mary, the wife of Clopas; Joanna, wife of Chouza, a steward of Herod Antipas; Salome, the mother of the sons of Zebedee, Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus; and Susanna. As for the names of the rest of them, the evangelists have kept silence (Matt 27:55-56; 28:1-10. Mark 15:40-41. Luke 8:1-3; 23:55-24:11, 22-24. John 19:25; 20:11-18. Acts 1:14).
Together with them we celebrate also the secret disciples of the Saviour, Joseph and Nicodemus. Of these, Nicodemus was probably a Jerusalemite, a prominent leader among the Jews and of the order of the Pharisees, learned in the Law and instructed in the Holy Scriptures. He had believed in Christ when, at the beginning of our Saviour's preaching of salvation, he came to Him by night. Furthermore, he brought some one hundred pounds of myrrh-oils and an aromatic mixture of aloes and spices out of reverence and love for the divine Teacher (John 19:39). Joseph, who was from the city of Arimathea, was a wealthy and noble man, and one of the counsellors who were in Jerusalem. He went boldly unto Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus, and together with Nicodemus he gave Him burial. Since time did not permit the preparation of another tomb, he placed the Lord's body in his own tomb which was hewn out of rock, as the Evangelist says (Matt. 27:60).
Saint Patrick was Bishop of Prusa, a city in Bithynia (the present-day Brusa or Bursa). Because of his Christian Faith, he was brought before Julius (or Julian) the Consul, who in his attempts to persuade Patrick to worship as he himself did, declared that thanks was owed to the gods for providing the hot springs welling up from the earth for the benefit of men. Saint Patrick answered that thanks for this was owed to our Lord Jesus Christ, and explained that when He, Who is God, created the earth, He made it with both fire and water, and the fire under the earth heats the water which wells up, producing hot springs; he then explained that there is another fire, which awaits the ungodly. Because of this, he was cast into the hot springs, but it was the soldiers who cast him in, and not he, who were harmed by the hot water. After this Saint Patrick was beheaded with the presbyters Acacius, Menander, and Polyaenus. Most likely, this was during the reign of Diocletian (284-305).
The translations of hymns are under copyright and used by permission. All rights reserved. These works may not be further reproduced, in print or on other websites or in any other form, without the prior written authorization of the copyright holder:
Prokeimenon. Second Tone. Psalm 117.14,18.
The Lord is my strength and my song.
Verse: The Lord has chastened me sorely.
The reading is from Acts of the Apostles 6:1-7.
In those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists murmured against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the body of the disciples and said, "it is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word." And what they said pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochoros, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaos, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands upon them. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women
The Reading is from Mark 15:43-47; 16:1-8
At that time, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. And Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. And he bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.
And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?" And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back; for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you." And they went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
ST. NECTARIOS GREEK ORTHODOX MISSION CHURCH
Diocese of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco.
This Tri-Cities Christian Orthodox Community has a church located at 627 West Bonneville St., Pasco, WA 99301. All are invited to attend. A light lunch fellowship time normally follows the In-Church Liturgy and Typica Services.
Prayers: Please send us (or call us) with names of those you would like to be included in our prayers for healing. Frist names may be entered in the St Nectarios - Pasco Group.
INFORMATION SOURCES
For information on services and activities, you may:
1) access our "Saint Nectarios - Pasco" Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/334558973222227/
2) access the church website:
Welcome to Our Parish Website | St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Mission (stnectariostricities.org)
3) The online Saint Nectarios Bulletin is the best source of up to date) information on church Services and activities. ( http://bulletinbuilder.org/stnectariospasco/ )
NOTIFICATIONS
To receive the weekly Services Reminder by email, please send an email request.
For those not connected to the internet, please call Jim (on 5O9 366 8745) to request either
a) by a phone call on the 'week of the in-church Service'
or
b) by a weekly smart-phone Service reminder text message.
CHURCH SERVICES
Greek Orthodox Divine Liturgy. Each month, we try to have at least one Divine Liturgy (with a visiting Priest). That Service is normally on a Saturday (or a Special Service/Feast weekday) and is scheduled when a Priest is available. In addition to communion during the Service, private meetings with the Priest are available by appointment (for personal matters, planning future events, and Confession).
Special Invitation - Saint Nectarios Church welcomes all: During Divine Liturgy, which is mostly in English, the Lord's Prayer is said by parishioners in their native languages. Currently the prayer is normally said in English, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, and Greek. If you wish to participate (and perhaps add a language), just let us know.
On most weeks, we remotely celebrate Saturday Vespers and Sunday Online Divine Liturgy with Father John in the Seattle area. During the remote Divine Liturgy, Communion is served to Father's attending family and friends - but is unavailable to those participating online.
Online Greek Orthodox Vespers and Other Special Services are normally celebrated online with Father John in Seattle. The link for joining Zoom to actively participate in on-line Services is
https://goarch.zoom.us/j/98009355049?pwd=UmttUUN2aG4raUc4WS9Zelo1REYxdz09
On the last Sunday of each month, there normally is a Typica Reader Service with a Parish Fellowship Time. This in-Church Service is held as an opportunity to bring the local community together - and hopefully eventually returning St. Nectarios to having a full time Priest.
All are welcome to join in the celebration these Christian Orthodox Services.
Saint Mary and Saint Abanoub Coptic Orthodox Church. This Coptic Church is currently holding services at the St. Nectarios Church. A Saturday or Sunday Holy Liturgy with a visiting Priest is nromally held once per month. All are invited to attend. A fellowship time and Christian Study Class for older students normally follows the Services. For more information, please contact Nader Samaan ([email protected]) or access the website:
https://www.stmary-stabanoub-tricities.org/