TODAY
NINTH SUNDAY OF MATTHEW
GOSPEL: Matthew 14:22-34
GREEK TEXT p. 110 (black book)
SUNDAY SCHEDULE:
MATINS: 8:15 am
LITURGY: 9:30 am
SATURDAYS (subject to change):
VESPERS: 5:00 p.m.
NINTH SUNDAY OF MATTHEW
Prokeimenon. Plagal 4th Tone. Psalm 75.11,1.
Make your vows to the Lord our God and perform them.
Verse: God is known in Judah; his name is great in Israel.
The reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 3:9-17.
Brethren, we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. Let each man take care how he builds upon it. For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw - each man's work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If any one destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are.
9th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 14:22-34
At that time, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately he spoke to them, saying "Take heart, it is I; have no fear."
And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "O man of little faith, why did you doubt?" And when they entered the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret.
We’re happy you’ve joined us today. Please sign our guestbook and introduce yourself to one of our greeters or anyone wearing a nametag. We’re here to answer your questions and make your visit to our church meaningful and enjoyable.
Everyone is welcome in the Orthodox Church & may receive the blessed bread (antidoron) at the end of the service, but only practicing Orthodox Christians may receive the sacrament of Holy Communion.
Those wishing to follow the livestreamed services with a written text may do so using the links below.
Electronic Version of Orthros (Matins) on Aug 10th:
Electronic Version of Divine Liturgy on Aug 10th:
Please extend a warm welcome to Penny Sherman, who will be phasing in as our new organist during the next few weeks as Faye Hliatzos prepares to attend Ohio State later this month. Please come over and welcome Penny during coffee hour.
Sunshine Group: our next lunch is on August 21 at 1 pm at Panini’s on Wilson Mills in Mayfield Village. Please let Maria Cashy know if you can attend by 8/17. Call 216-390-2294 or email at [email protected]. Looking forward to seeing you there.
The Sts Constantine and Helen Library will be hosting a mini retreat series this fall. 'Experiencing God's Presence and Transformational Love' will be held on Saturdays: September 6, 13, and 27. Event starts with breakfast refreshments at 9:30 followed by reflections and discussions from 10:00 - noon. $10 covers all three sessions; attend as many as you like. To register, contact program facilitator Cynthia Terezis at [email protected]. A handout of reflection questions will be provided.
Join us for a 5K walk/run to support the humanitarian work of IOCC! Make your steps count and impact the life of a person in need. Saturday, September 6 2025 beginning at Lakewood Park, 14532 Lake Ave, Lakewood. Individuals $25 • Families $50
Check In 8:15 a.m., Opening Prayer/Photo 8:45 a.m.; Walk/Run begins 9:00 a.m. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Sophia Kayafas at 440-525-6914
Thank you all for your incredible dedication and hard work leading up to and during our recent 2025 Festival. Your commitment truly made a difference, and we could not have succeeded without each one of you.
To build on our achievements and ensure we learn from this experience, we invite you to an opportunity to reflect on what went well, discuss any challenges, and gather your valuable feedback. Your insights will help us improve future events and celebrate the contributions of our amazing team.
Our follow-up meeting will be held Tuesday, September 16th at 7pm in the Fellowship Room. Please let us know if you are able to attend, and feel free to suggest topics you would like to discuss. We look forward to coming together once more to share stories, recognize our collective effort, and plan for even greater success in the future.
Please join the Philoptochos for the 3rd annual Men Who Cook on Saturday Oct 4th 5:30-8pm. Our talented parishioners and friends will create samples of their signature dishes for you to enjoy and judge to see which of our chefs win the Golden Spoon award. There will be a cash bar. If you cannot attend, please consider underwriting /sponsoring the event. All proceeds will benefit the charities of the Philoptochos. Admission tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door. Sponsorships and tickets can be purchased on Sundays after church or online at https://www.jotform.com/build/252113594246152. Please contact Helen Demore 216 324-9293 or Anne Mitchell 440 465-6014 for more information.
Interested in hosting coffee hour? We only have a few open coffee hour dates for this summer. Help us keep our fellowship going. Visit our online sign-up and put your name down today:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D48A5AD23A4F58-48824692-sunday#/
1) GOYA is joining FOCUS for its annual backpack drive. You can participate by volunteering to fill a backpack for a student in need right here in Cleveland. The packing list includes items like pencils, folders, and index cards. The deadline to have everything collected is Sunday, August 10th. Please see Ted to get involved.
2) Metropolitan Savas & Fr. Joe DiStefano request GOYA & young adult volunteers to help staff the GOMoPalooza Music & Arts Festival on Saturday, August 23rd at St. Demetrios Community Center (3223 Atlantic St NE, Warren, 44483). The event will run from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. For more information or to register, contact Fr. Joe at: [email protected].
3) New altar boys are being accepted this fall. Boys must (1) be 10 years old or older, (2) willing to commit to regular attendance and (3) attend an orientation on Saturday, September 13th from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Names should be given to Ted Cherpas [email protected] by Sunday, September 7th.
4) St. Kyranna Cooking Class will have its next meeting on Saturday, September 13th. Our hosts will be Bob & Deena Short, and our theme still is TBD (suggestions welcome). The evening begins with Great Vespers @ 5:00 p.m. Kindly RSVP to Ted by Monday, September 8th.
5) Registration for our Metropolis Family Camp (Sept 19th- 21st) at Camp Nazareth is now live! Two of our parishioners, Priscilla Callos & Marina Giannirakis, will be the keynote speakers. Space in this program is very limited, so please reserve your spots quickly at https://y2am.pittsburgh.goarch.org/family-camp. Contact Fr. Joe DiStefano at [email protected] with any questions.
We’ve noticed that sometimes there aren’t coffee hosts signed up for Sunday coffee hour, and we want to make sure we still have a time for fellowship and connection.
On these Sundays, we’re introducing a new concept: Community Potluck Coffee Hour! We will provide the coffee, cream, sugar, and paper products, but we ask that each person or family bring a small offering to share. It could be as simple as cookies, donuts, or
pastries—whatever you'd like to contribute!
This is a great way to share in the spirit of community, and it doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. Let’s come together and make these Sundays extra special.
Thank you for helping make Coffee Hour a warm and welcoming place for everyone!
Our parish strives "To lead people to God through Orthodox Christianity and to provide ways for them live and share God's love." It does so in good days and in bad. Any financial help that you might offer is, as always, deeply appreciated.
We are on break for the summer. Look for us to restart in September.
Please join St. Makrina Bible Study! We are reading the book- "Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis.
“Lewis discusses that everyone is curious about: right and wrong, human nature, morality, marriage, sins, forgiveness, faith, hope, generosity, and kindness.”
We meet every Wednesday from 9:30-11am over Zoom. You do not have to attend every session and can contribute to the discussions as much or as little as you wish. The book can be purchased through Amazon. Please contact Toni Madden at [email protected] for the Zoom link. We would love for you to join us!
Your Apostle among the Rulers, St. Constantine, who once beheld in the sky the image of Your Cross, and who like Paul received his calling not from man, once entrusted the Ruling City into Your hand. We entreat You to restore it in peace forever, at the intercession of the Theotokos, O Lord who loves humanity. (Copyright Fr. Seraphim Dedes, used by permission. All rights reserved)