St. Paul Greek Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2023-05-14
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St. Paul Greek Orthodox Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (440) 237-8998
  • Street Address:

  • 4548 Wallings Road

  • North Royalton, OH 44133-3121


Contact Information





Services Schedule

WEEKDAY SERVICES

   8:30 AM   Orthros
   9:30 AM   Liturgy

 

SUNDAY SERVICES

   8:15 AM   Orthros
   9:30 AM   Liturgy

Sunday School begins immediately following Holy Communion September through May


Past Bulletins


Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Fourth Mode. Psalm 103.24,1.
O Lord, how manifold are your works. You have made all things in wisdom.
Verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul.

The reading is from Acts of the Apostles 11:19-30.

In those days, those apostles who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to none except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number that believed turned to the Lord. News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad; and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose; for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a large company was added to the Lord. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church, and taught a large company of people; and in Antioch the disciples were for the first time called Christians. Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabos stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world; and this took place in the days of Claudius. And the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brethren who lived in Judea, and they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.


Gospel Reading

Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
The Reading is from John 4:5-42

At that time, Jesus came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and so Jesus, wearied as he was with his journey, sat down beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.

There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?" Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."

Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband; this you said truly." The woman said to him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain; and you say that Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." The woman said to him, "I know that the Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ); when he comes, he will show us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he."

Just then his disciples came. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but none said, "What do you wish?" or, "Why are you talking with her?" So the woman left her water jar, and went away into the city and said to the people, "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?" They went out of the city and were coming to him.

Meanwhile the disciples besought him, saying "Rabbi, eat." But he said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." So the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought him food?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see how the fields are already white for harvest. He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."

Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony. "He told me all that I ever did." So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard ourselves, and we know that this is indeed Christ the Savior of the world."


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Saints and Feasts

May 14

Sunday of the Samaritan Woman

One of the most ancient cities of the Promised Land was Shechem, also called Sikima, located at the foot of Mount Gerazim. There the Israelites had heard the blessings in the days of Moses and Jesus of Navi. Near to this town, Jacob, who had come from Mesopotamia in the nineteenth century before Christ, bought a piece of land where there was a well. This well, preserved even until the time of Christ, was known as Jacob's Well. Later, before he died in Egypt, he left that piece of land as a special inheritance to his son Joseph (Gen. 49:22). This town, before it was taken into possession by Samaria, was also the leading city of the kingdom of the ten tribes. In the time of the Romans it was called Neapolis, and at present Nablus. It was the first city in Canaan visited by the Patriarch Abraham. Here also, Jesus of Navi (Joshua) addressed the tribes of Israel for the last time. Almost three hundred years later, all Israel assembled there to make Roboam (Rehoboam) king.

When our Lord Jesus Christ, then, came at midday to this city, which is also called Sychar (John 4:5), He was wearied from the journey and the heat, and He sat down at this well. After a little while the Samaritan woman mentioned in today's Gospel passage came to draw water. As she conversed at some length with the Lord and heard from Him secret things concerning herself, she believed in Him; through her many other Samaritans also believed.

Concerning the Samaritans we know the following: In the year 721 before Christ, Salmanasar (Shalmaneser), King of the Assyrians, took the ten tribes of the kingdom of Israel into captivity, and relocated all these people to Babylon and the land of the Medes. From there he gathered various nations and sent them to Samaria. These nations had been idolaters from before. Although they were later instructed in the Jewish faith and believed in the one God, they worshipped the idols also. Furthermore, they accepted only the Pentateuch of Moses, and rejected the other books of Holy Scripture. Nonetheless, they thought themselves to be descendants of Abraham and Jacob. Therefore, the pious Jews named these Judaizing and idolatrous peoples Samaritans, since they lived in Samaria, the former leading city of the Israelites, as well as in the other towns thereabout. The Jews rejected them as heathen and foreigners, and had no communion with them at all, as the Samaritan woman observed, "the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans" (John 4:9). Therefore, the name Samaritan is used derisively many times in the Gospel narrations. After the Ascension of the Lord, and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the woman of Samaria was baptized by the holy Apostles and became a great preacher and Martyr of Christ; she was called Photine, and her feast is kept on February 26.


May 14

Isidore the Martyr of Chios

This Saint was a soldier from Alexandria. He came with the Roman fleet to Chios, where he was betrayed as a Christian to Numerian, Commander of the Fleet. Because he boldly pro-fessed himself to worship Christ as God and refused to worship any other, he was tormented and beheaded in 251, during the reign of Decius.


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Hymns of the Day

Apolytikion of Great and Holy Pascha in the Plagal First Mode

Χριστός Ανέστη εκ νεκρών, θάνατω θάνατον πάτησα, και τοις εν τοις μνήμασί, ζώνη, χαρισάμενος.
Christos anesti ek nekron, thanato thanaton patisas, ke tis en ti mnimasi zoi, harisamenos.
Christ is Risen from the dead | by death trampling down upon death | and to those in the tombs He has | granted life.

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Fourth Mode

Τό φαιδρόν τής Αναστάσεως κήρυγμα, εκ τού Αγγέλου μαθούσαι αι τού Κυρίου Μαθήτριαι, καί τήν προγονικήν απόφασιν απορρίψασαι, τοίς Αποστόλοις καυχώμεναι έλεγον· Εσκύλευται ο θάνατος, ηγέρθη Χριστός ο Θεός, δωρούμενος τώ κόσμω τό μέγα έλεος.
Το fethron tis Anastaseos kirigma, ek tou Agelou mathouse e tou Kyriou Mathitrie, ke tin progonikin apofasin aporipsase, tis Apostolis kafhomene elegon. Eskilefte o thanatos, igerthi Christos o Theos, doroumenos to kosmo to mega eleos.
The women disciples of the Lord, having learned from the Angel the joyous news of the Resurrection and having rejected the ancestral decision, then told the Apostles elatedly: Death has been stripped of its power; Christ God has risen, granting to the world His great mercy.

Apolytikion for Mid-Pentecost in the Plagal Fourth Mode

O Lord, midway through the feast, give drink to my thirsty soul from the waters of true religion. For to all You the Savior cried aloud, “Let whoever is thirsty come to Me and drink.” O Christ our God, the fountain of life, glory to you.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Plagal Fourth Mode

Into the grave you descended, Immortal One, | yet you destroyed the power of Hades, | and as victor | you arose, O Christ our God; | you proclaimed to the myrrh-bearing women a greeting of joy, | you brought peace to your holy apostles, | and to the fallen you granted resurrection.
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Welcome

This Weeks Announcements

 Welcome to all our guests!
We are glad you are here worshiping with us today!

  • Holy Communion in the Orthodox Church is only offered to Orthodox Christians who have prepared themselves through the disciplines of our faith. Speak to Fr. Costas for further details.
  1. Today ~ MNYMOSINO: 10 years for Helen Ballas [for Helen Fantis] | 5 years for Chrysoula Gonakis [for Emmanouil Gonakis].
  2. Today ~ Maids of Athena Elpitha 274 plant sale offering assorted herb and fruit plants.  Proceeds to benefit Maids of Athena charities, including the Children’s Miracle Network.
  3. Today ~ Golf outing sponsorship and registration during coffee social.  See Stephanie Ocker.
  4. Today – Saturday ~ Father on vacation.  Call the church office for any pastoral needs.
  5. Monday - Tuesday ~ 9:00 AM Festival baking koulourakia.  We invite you to join us.
  6. Monday ~ 5:30 PM Greek School.
  7. Monday ~ 6:30 PM GOYA meeting and elections in the Sanctuary.
  8. Tuesday ~ 8:00 PM Orthodoxy 101 with Soci Phyrillas for GOYAns via Teams https://tinyurl.com/Orthodox101.
  9. Wednesday ~ 4:00 PM Women’s Study via Teams https://tinyurl.com/STPWomenStudy.
  10. Wednesday ~ 7:00 PM Choir rehearsal.
  11. Thursday ~ 1:00 PM Senior OPA Fellowship presents Meet the Author with John Sakellakis who will discuss his new book.  Refreshments to follow with pies in honor of Mother’s Day.  Open to all!
  12. Saturday ~ 7:00 PM Great Vespers at Sts Constantine & Helen Cleveland Hts.
  13. Food Pantry items ~ Please make sure any items that you bring for the North Royalton Hunger Center DO NOT HAVE expired dates on them. Buy fresh non-perishable food items to donate.
  14. St Paul Prayer Chain ~ If you have a prayer request, email it to: [email protected]
  15. 2023 Stewardship Card ~ Please complete stewardship card located at the candle stands or form online at https://tinyurl.com/STPStewardship.  

Upcoming Events in Our Parish and Beyond

  1. Next Sunday ~ Orthros John 20:11-18 | Epistle Reading Acts 26:1, 12-20 | Gospel John 9:1-38.
  2. Next Sunday ~ MNYMOSINA: 40 days for Angela Hughes [for William Hughes] | 6 years for Anna Elliott Karadimas [for George Elliott | for Michael Elliott | for Irene and Arthur Mavres | for Emanuel and Anna Mavrikes | for Catherine and Panayoti Theophylactos.
  3. Next Sunday ~ Salute to Graduates following Liturgy.  All St Paul Seniors in high school and college who called the office will be recognized. Please remember to complete information, ASAP, at https://tinyurl.com/GradSalute and submit picture to [email protected].
  4. Next Sunday ~ Dance Practice for all groups following Sunday School.
  5. May 23 ~ 6:00 PM Membership committee meeting | 7:00 PM Family Ministry meeting.
  6. May 25 ~ Holy Ascension | 8:30 AM Orthros; 9:30 AM Liturgy.
  7. May 27 ~ 9:00 AM Graveside Trisagia at St Theodosius Cemetery.
  8. May 28 ~ Greek Corner sponsors Loukoumade Sale.
  9. May 29 ~ 10:00 AM Memorial prayers at the flag followed by graveside Trisagia at St. Theodosius.
  10. May 30 ~ 6:00 PM Stewardship committee meeting.
  11. June 3 ~ Saturday of Souls | 8:30 AM Orthros; 9:30 AM Liturgy.
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Flyers

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