Announcements

FELLOWSHIP HOUR

Today’s Fellowship is being sponsored in loving memory of Josephine Betses by David & Jean Betses and James & Maureen Betses. Everyone is welcome to join us for Fellowship following Liturgy.

RISE AGAINST HUNGER

Last Saturday, on March 15, Rise Against Hunger and 74 Transfiguration volunteers gathered in our fellowship hall to bag, weigh, seal, label, box, and ship 10,150 meals to the hungry of a third-world country (to be announced). The bags consisted of a vitamin pack, freeze-dried vegetables, rice, and tofu and are ready to eat with the simple addition of hot water. We thank God for this amazing outreach opportunity to feed His people; “When I was hungry, you fed Me.” Thank you to all who helped make this beautiful ministry so successful. We pray that this will become an annual Lenten ministry. Glory to God!

LA FIRE RELIEF

With grateful thanks to our parishioners, we supported the families of the LA wild fires through gift cards and monetary donations. Along with the gift cards we were able to send $2,000 from our Transfiguration church family.

May our Lord and Saviour offer continued strength to those who lost so much.

SAVE THE DATE

Saturday of Lazarus, April 12^th – Liturgy at 9:30 am followed by Palms & Pancakes

Palm Sunday, April 13^th – Please join us for a traditional fish dinner and fellowship. Be sure to make your reservation by clicking on this link Transfiguration Palm Sunday Luncheon 2025 or scan the QR code on the flyer in the Narthex.

Holy Friday, April 18th – Royal Hours 9:00 am – 10:00 am and Family Retreat 10:30 am – 2:00 pm

Let's come together and celebrate 101 years at the Transfiguration Parish. Please join us for a traditional fish dinner and fellowship. Please use

Holy Friday, April 18th – Royal Hours 9:00 am – 10:00 am and Family Retreat 10:30 am – 2:00 pm

PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS

Philoptochos are baking Koulourakia after church today, March 23. All are welcome to come help.

The next General Meeting takes place after Compline Service Monday, March 24 at 7:00 pm in Philoptochos room. Please join us.

This year is Election Year, which brings a unique opportunity for growth and renewal within our organization. In May, a new Board will be elected for a two-year term. We want to extend a heartfelt invitation to members to consider taking an active role in shaping the future of our beloved Philoptochos. Serving on the Board is a unique and rewarding opportunity to make a lasting impact on the lives of those we serve and to help guide the mission of our chapter. More information to follow.

FESTIVAL INFORMATION

Volunteers needed in all areas! Please consider helping make our Grecian Festival successful by donating your time. Sign-up sheets are posted in the Church Hall, or you can use this link to sign up online. If you have any questions, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Martha Coravos at (978) 697-9393. Thank you in advance for your help!

LTLC

The Transfiguration Parish family hosts dinner at the Lowell Transitional Living Center on the second Saturday of each month. The opportunity to serve dinner is open to all parishioners. Please consider signing up on the poster in the church hall. Thank you.

STEWARDSHIP UPDATE
Right now, we’re covering 53% of our monthly expenses through your generous stewardship, and we’re so grateful for every contribution! But we’re not stopping there—our goal is 100%. When we hit that milestone, we will be able to use extra funds from events like our Greek Festival and Golf Tournament to go towards even more outreach opportunities, helping us make an even bigger impact in our community!

Save the Date!

Grecian Festival

May 30 – June 1

Trinity votive candles (To Sponsor a Candle please call the Church Office.)

†Vigil Light at the Side Altar (Icon of the Theotokos): In Loving Memory of all our loved ones. Memory eternal!
†Vigil Light at the Icon of Christ: In Loving Memory of Deborah Victoria Skrekas and George and Avra Skrekas
†Vigil Light at the Theotokos: In Loving Memory of Ioannis "John" Zaralidis - from his family
†Vigil Light at the Icon of the Forerunner: Available
†Vigil Light at the Foot of the Holy Cross: In Loving Memory of George Tsoukalas - from his family

Weekly Inserts

Palm & Pancakes

Saturday of Lazarus - Palms & Pancakes

Palm Sunday Luncheon

Palm Sunday Luncheon 2025

Stewardship Update

Lenten Lecture Series 2025

Buy A Brick Order Form

Weekly Calendar

Sunday, March 23 SUNDAY OF THE HOLY CROSS
†Orthros 8:30 am
†Liturgy 9:30 am
40 Day Churching for Stephanie and baby Elena
40 Day Memorial for Josephine Betses

Monday, March 24
Compline, 6:00 pm
Philoptochos General Meeting following Compline

March 25
Annunciation of the Theotokos – Liturgy at Holy Trinity
Greek Independence Day

Wednesday, March 26
Pre-Sanctified Liturgy, 6:00 pm
Lenten Meal hosted by the Choir to follow

Friday, March 28
Salutations, 6:00 pm

Sunday, March 30 SUNDAY OF ST. JOHN CLIMACUS
†Orthros 8:30 am
†Liturgy 9:30 am
Chrismation – Joanna Tsaknopoulos
Chrismation – Ashley Longacre
Chrismation – Jack Henry

TODAY’S PARISH COUNCIL: Ann Marie Stelman, Olivia Sintros & Philip Eliopoulos

UPCOMING EVENTS

March 31
Compline, 6:00 pm

April 2
Pre-Sanctified Liturgy - Meal to follow, 6:00 pm

April 4
Akathist Hymn

April 5
LTLC Meal

April 6
Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt
Monthly Trisagion
5 Year Memorial for Efstratios Gavriil
5 Year Memorial for Anthi Gavriil
Parish Assembly

April 7
Compline, 6:00 pm

April 9
Presanctified Liturgy – Meal to follow, 6:00 pm

April 12
Saturday of Lazarus - Liturgy, 9:30 am
Palms & Pancakes following Liturgy

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Plagal Second Mode. Psalm 27.9,1.
O Lord, save your people and bless your inheritance.
Verse: To you, O Lord, I have cried, O my God.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:1-6.

BRETHREN, since we have a high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. And one does not take the honor upon himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, "Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee"; as he says also in another place, "Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek."

Gospel Reading

Sunday of the Holy Cross
The Reading is from Mark 8:34-38; 9:1

The Lord said: "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For what can a man give in return for his life? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power."

Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Plagal Second Mode

The angelic powers appeared at your tomb, the soldiers guarding it became as dead men, and Mary stood at your grave seeking, seeking your most pure body. But you made hell a captive; you were untouched by its might. You came to the virgin and granted life. O Lord, who rose from the dead, glory to you.

Apolytikion for Sun. of the Holy Cross in the First Mode

Save, O Lord, save your people and bless your inheritance. Give vict'ry to those who battle evil and protect us all by your holy cross.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Plagal Fourth Mode

Victorious Lady, mighty champion, defending us, we, your servants, now inscribe to you this hymn of thanks, for you rescued us from suff'ring and tribulation. Theotokos, with your power that can never fail, keep us safe from ev'ry danger our whole life long, that we may cry to you: Rejoice, O Bride unwedded.

Wisdom of the Fathers

The key to knowledge is the humility of Christ. The door of the Kingdom of Heaven is open, not to those who only know in their learned minds the mysteries of faith and the commandments of their Creator, but to those who have progressed far enough to live by them.

St. Bede the Venerable

Unknown, 8th century

To deny oneself means to give up one's bad habits; to root out of the heart all that ties us to the world; not to cherish bad thoughts and desires; to suppress every evil thought; to avoid occasions of sin; not to desire or to do anything out of self-love, but to do everything out of love for God. To deny oneself, according to St. Paul means "to be dead to sin. . . but alive to God."

St. Innocent of Alaska

The Lenten Spring, SVS Press, p. 147, 19th Century

Saints and Feasts

March 23

Sunday of the Holy Cross

With the help of God, we have almost reached the middle of the course of the Fast, where our strength has been worn down through abstinence, and the full difficulty of the labour set before us becomes apparent. Therefore our holy Mother, the Church of Christ, now brings to our help the all-holy Cross, the joy of the world, the strength of the faithful, the staff of the just, and the hope of sinners, so that by venerating it reverently, we might receive strength and grace to complete the divine struggle of the Fast.

March 24

Our Holy Father Theonas, Archbishop of Thessolonica

March 25

Annunciation of the Theotokos

Six months after John the Forerunner's conception, the Archangel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth, a town of Galilee, unto Mary the Virgin, who had come forth from the Temple a mature maiden (see Nov. 21). According to the tradition handed down by the Fathers, she had been betrothed to Joseph four months. On coming to Joseph's house, the Archangel declared: "Rejoice, thou Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women." After some consideration, and turmoil of soul, and fear because of this greeting, the Virgin, when she had finally obtained full assurance concerning God's unsearchable condescension and the ineffable dispensation that was to take place through her, and believing that all things are possible to the Most High, answered in humility: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." And at this, the Holy Spirit came upon her, and the power of the Most High overshadowed her all-blameless womb, and the Son and Word of God, Who existed before the ages, was conceived past speech and understanding, and became flesh in her immaculate body (Luke 1:26-38).

Bearing in her womb the Uncontainable One, the blessed Virgin went with haste from Nazareth to the hill country of Judea, where Zacharias had his dwelling; for she desired to find Elizabeth her kinswoman and rejoice together with her, because, as she had learned from the Archangel, Elizabeth had conceived in her old age. Furthermore, she wished to tell her of the great things that the Mighty One had been well-pleased to bring to pass in her, and she greeted Elizabeth and drew nigh to her. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, she felt her six-month-old babe, Saint John the Baptist, prophesied of the dawning of the spiritual Sun. Immediately, the aged Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and recognized her as the Mother of her Lord, and with a great voice blessed her and the Fruit that she held within herself. The Virgin also, moved by a supernatural rejoicing in the spirit, glorified her God and Savior, saying: "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour," and the rest, as the divine Luke hath recorded (1:39-55)

March 26

Synaxis in honor of the Archangel Gabriel

This festive Synaxis is celebrated to the glory of the Archangel Gabriel, since he ministered to the marvelous mystery of God's incarnate dispensation.

March 27

Martyr Matrona of Thessaloniki

This martyr was the servant of a certain Jewish woman named Pantilla, the wife of the Governor of Thessalonica. When Matrona refused to follow her mistress into the synagogue Pantilla beat her so severly that she died in a few days, and thus received the crown of her confession.

March 28

Hilarion the New

Saint Hilarion took up the monastic life from his youth and lived in seclusion. Later, as Abbot of the Monastery of Pelecete in Asia Minor (believed to be in Bithynia, not far from Triglia), he suffered much from the Iconoclasts, and reposed in the year 754.

March 29

Mark, Bishop of Arethusa

Saint Mark was Bishop of Arethusa in Syria. In the days of Saint Constantine the Great, Saint Mark, moved with divine zeal, destroyed a temple of the idols and raised up a church in its stead. When Julian the Apostate reigned, in 361, as the pagans were now able to avenge the destruction of their temple, Saint Mark, giving way to wrath, hid himself; but when he saw that others were being taken on his account, he gave himself up. Having no regard to his old age, they stripped him and beat his whole body, cast him into filthy sewers, and pulling him out, had children prick him with their iron writing-pens. Then they put him into a basket, smeared him with honey and a kind of relish of pickled fish, and hung him up under the burning sun to be devoured by bees and wasps. But because he bore this so nobly, his enemies repented, and unloosed him.

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