Weekly Update

Sunday, April 13th

Palm Sunday

Saturday, April 12th

The Raising of Lazarus

The time has once again come to invite you to participate in the divinely inspired services of Great and Holy Week. As we come together to worship the one true God who became man, died on the cross, and rose on the third day for our salvation, we must remember what a great privilege it is to be able experience these profound historical moments through the sacred services. Consider the words of our Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples before the betrayal of Judas Iscariot:

You will all fall away, for the scripture says: I shall strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. (Mark 14:27)

With these prophetic words, the Lord predicts that the faith of his disciples would waver, preventing them from witnessing His death on the cross, or to likewise to come and find His tomb empty on the third day. We must understand how great a blessing it is then for us to be accounted worthy to be present in the Church as the last moments of His life are commemorated. By our presence in the Church during these Holy services we are given the grace to participate in events that the very pillars of the Church, the disciples themselves, were not found worthy to witness!

We must take a gift such as this seriously! We must ensure that we do not fall away like the disciples at the critical time! I therefore urge you to study carefully at the schedule of services attached with this letter. While I realize that many families have a usual routine as to which services they attend during the week, but I urge you to prayerfully consider being fully present.

Finally, we ask for you to prepare yourselves through prayer, fasting, and receiving the Holy Sacrament of Confession. In this way we pray that our faith will not waver as did that of the disciples, but we can stand attentively with our Lord.

Wishing you the blessings of the Paschal season,

Fr. Anastasios

Epistle Reading

Gospel Reading

WEEKLY CALENDAR:

Sunday, April 13:

Palm Sunday

Fish, Wine, & Oil Permitted

8:15am Orthros 9:30am Divine Liturgy

Prosphoro: Theodora Kalantzis

Fellowship: Palm Sunday Luncheon

6:30pm Bridegroom Orthros

Monday, April 14:

Great and Holy Monday

Strict Fast

6:30pm Bridegroom Orthros

Tuesday, April 15:

Great and Holy Tuesday

Strict Fast

6:30pm Bridegroom Orthros

Wednesday, April 16:

Great and Holy Wednesday

Strict Fast

3:30pm Holy Unction

6:30pm Mystical Supper Orthros

Thursday, April 17

Great and Holy Thursday

Strict Fast

9:00am Vesperal Divine Liturgy

10:30am Easter Egg Dying

6:30pm Orthros of the Passion (12 Gospels)

Friday, April 18

Good Friday

9:00am Great Hours

10:30am Decorating Kouvouklion

3:00pm Removal From the Cross Vespers (Presided by Bishop Timothy of Hexamilion)

6:30pm Lamentations Service

Saturday, April 19

Great and Holy Saturday

9:00am Vesperal Divine Liturgy (1st Anastasi)

11:15pm Canon (resurrection service to follow)

Sunday, April 20

12:00 Midnight: Resurrection Service, Orthros, & Divine Liturgy, followed by Agape Meal

10:30am Agape Vespers

UPCOMING

SERVICES & EVENTS:

Wednesday, April 23:

St. George the Trophybearer

Fast Free

9:00am Orthros 10:00am Divine Liturgy

Friday, April 25:

Theotokos of the Life-giving Spring

Fast Free

9:00am Orthros 10:00am Divine Liturgy

Sunday, April 27:

Thomas Sunday

8:15am Orthros 9:30am Divine Liturgy

Prosphoro: Kathy Macris

Fellowship: Open

Monday, May 1

6:00pm Philoptochos Estate Planning Seminar

Sunday, May 4:

Sunday of the Myrrh Bearers

8:15am Orthros 9:30am Divine Liturgy

Prosphoro: Maria Macris

Fellowship: Panagiotopoulos Family

Memorial: Mary Panagiotopoulos - 1 year

Spring Parish Assembly Following Divine Liturgy

Sunday, May 11:

Sunday of the Paralytic

8:15am Orthros 9:30am Divine Liturgy

Prosphoro: Nancy Griparis

Fellowship: Vasiliades Family

Memorial: Irene Vasiliades - 40 Days

Wednesday, May 14

Mid-Pentecost

8:30am Orthros 9:30am Divine Liturgy

Palm Sunday Luncheon

Join us this Sunday, following the Divine Liturgy, for our Annual Palm Sunday Luncheon.

The Palm Sunday Luncheon is sponsored by the Argoudelis Family in Memory of Frank Argoudelis

Parish Assembly

Please join us for our Parish Assembly!

Sunday, May 4th

Following Divine Liturgy

Events

Great Lent and Pascha

Luminary Sign-Up

Saturday of Lazarus Sign-Up

CELEBRATIONS

Happy Birthday to Fr. Anastasios who turns 37 on April 16th!

Happy Birthday to Dimitri Rousonelos who turns 19 on April 16th!

Click the link to the right in order to submit you special occasions to share with the community via our online form.

OR contact the church office to share your birthday, engagement, wedding, anniversary, retirement, birth, baptism or any other celebration or accomplishment with our community!

815.722.1727

Online Form

PHILOPTOCHOS

Click HERE to register for our Estate Planning Event

Thank you to everyone who has donated thus far, we have 41 kits sponsored. We would love to get to 50!

Join us on Saturday, April 26th after our meeting where we will package all the kits.

If necessary, we will continue preparing on Sunday, April 27th after Church.

Click HERE to Purchase a Kit

GREEK FEST

SAVE THE DATE - JULY 12 & 13

IN MEMORIAM

Sunday, May 4

Mary Panagiotopoulos - 1 Year

Sunday, May 11

Irene Vasiliades - 40 Days

Sunday, May 18

Jimmy Hondros - 1 Year

FELLOWSHIP HOUR HOSTS

Coffee hour sign up

April

13: Palm Sunday Luncheon

20: Great and Holy Pascha

27:

May:

4: Panagiotopoulos Family

11: Vasiliades Family

18: AHEPA

25:

Please, pray for the health and protection of our beloved parishioners:

Thelma Theodore, Esther Anthos,

Elaine Koliopoulos, Michelle Kooy,

Vange Policandriotes, Dempsey Taylor,

Mary Tucci, and Margie Walsh.

Please also pray for some of those individuals who are facing challenging situations in their life, who are supported by our community's Community Outreach Ministry:

Demetri, Ryan, Michelle, Kenadi, Michael, and Nik.

*contact the church office to be added to our prayer list*