Sunday Bulletin

March 23, 2025

Sunday, March 23

Divine Liturgy at 9:30 am

Today we commemorate

Sunday of the Holy Cross

The Holy Righteous Martyr Nicon and His 199 Disciples 

Anatolios & Protoleon the Martyrs converted by the martyrdom of St. George

Luke the New Martyr of Mytilene

Click below to read today's scripture

Epistle Reading

Gospel Reading

40-Day Blessing for Sophia

Daughter of Kevin Zeng & Efthimia Matthaiou

Watch our live-streaming services here:

Upcoming Events

Thur., March 20, 2025

Modern Greek Language and Culture 101

6:00 PM

Bible Study

6:30 PM

Fri., March 21, 2025

3rd Salutations

7:00 PM

Sat., March 22, 2025

Greek Language & Culture Academy

9:00 AM

Sun., March 23, 2025

Divine Liturgy

9:30 AM

Greek Independence Day Celebration

Vespers - St. George, Albany

5:00 PM

Mon., March 24, 2025

Annunciation

Great Vespers

5:00 PM

Men's Basketball

6:30 PM

Parish Council Meeting (Zoom)

7:00 PM

Tues., March 25, 2025

Office Closed

Annunciation

Divine Liturgy

9:30 AM

Nia Moving to Heal

11:00 AM

Senior Program

12:00 PM

Wed., March 26, 2025

Presanctified Liturgy

9:30 AM

Knitters

12:15 PM

OPA-cize

6:30 PM

Thur., March 27, 2025

Modern Greek Language and Culture 101

6:00 PM

Fri., March 28, 2025

4th Salutations

7:00 PM

Sat., March 29, 2025

Greek Language & Culture Academy

9:00 AM

Sun., March 30, 2025

Divine Liturgy

9:30 AM

General Assembly

11:30 AM

GOYA Meeting - Damaskos Room

11:30 AM

Vespers - St. Innocent, Oneonta

5:00 PM

Mon., March 31, 2025

Men's Basketball

6:30 PM

Tues., April 1, 2025

Chair Yoga

11:15 AM

Senior Program

12:00 PM

DOP

6:30 PM

Wed., April 2, 2025

Knitters

12:15 PM

OPA-cize

6:30 PM

Thur., April 3, 2025

Modern Greek Language and Culture 101

6:00 PM

Sat., April 5, 2025

Greek Language & Culture Academy

9:00 AM

Sun., April 6, 2025

Divine Liturgy

9:30 AM

Parish Council Meeting

11:30 AM

Vespers - St. Basil, Troy

5:00 PM

The Greek Orthodox Church of St. Sophia is a parish under the spiritual and ecclesiastical shepherding of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.

Ecumenical Patriarchate

Fr. Pat will be on medical leave March 31 through April 11. Our prayers are with him for a strong and speedy recovery.

General Assembly

It’s an opportunity to listen, ask questions, and learn how to keep our church a vibrant and thriving part of our lives. Our spring General Assembly will be held next Sunday, March 30 immediately following church services. Everyone is invited to attend. Remember, though, in order to vote, you must have your 2025 Stewardship commitment card on file and your 2024 commitment paid in full. You can do both before the start of the meeting. See Anastasia Vasilakos, our financial secretary, for assistance. Please click below for the agenda.

2025 Stewardship

Stewardship. Commitment. Pledge. Often used interchangeably, these words are a reflection of a member’s dedication to our church. If you have not already done so, please find 2025 Stewardship Commitment cards on the information table in the exonarthex or by the church office. Simple to fill out, it includes your thoughtful “financial commitment” for this year. Remember there is no set mandatory donation for membership, just your personal expression of love for our church and gratitude for your blessings.

March 2025 Calendar

Please click below to view the calendar.

 Celebration for Greek Heritage at Capitol in Albany, New York

May/June/July Testament

Articles for the May/June/July Testament are now being accepted. Please address them to Fr. Pat at frpatriclegato@stsophiaalbany.org. They must be sent in Google Docs. The deadline is April 10. Articles are all subject to review and approval. All articles MUST be camera ready for publication. Articles received after April 10, 2025 will be considered for the August/September edition.

Due to an over shipment error, there are two extra cases of the 2025 Religious Calendars that were delivered at no extra charge. These calendars will be available on the information table by the church office for parishioners to share with family and friends.

“In Memory of” Donations for one of our many Lent and Easter services can be a special remembrance of a loved one and will be acknowledged in the May/June Testament. Lilies, flowered icons, candles are some of the items needed. Call the office for information. Philoptochos will have a collection basket in the exonarthex for Epitaphios donation through Palm Sunday.

There will be a collection basket in the Exonarthex each Sunday to accept donations for the Epitaphios flowers for Good Friday. Philoptochos will be sponsoring this collection through

Palm Sunday.

Our 2025 Festival Program Book will feature something really cool! Thirty two pages in the middle will be done in full color. (Color pages will be assigned on a first-come basis.) The book itself is an informative guide to all the activities at the festival but it also includes recipes and articles. Sponsorship ads come from business ads and family remembrance ads. Contracts will be available on the information table and online. Call the office for additional information.

August Cardona from Cardona’s Markets in Latham (formerly Roma’s) and their location in Albany reached out to ask if there are any specific Greek food items that the local Greek Community would like Cardona’s to carry in stock or special order if needed. With upcoming Easter holiday and other special events in the upcoming seasons they would like to be able to provide any special food items, spices, etc. to cater to the Greek community. Please send any requests to steve@bobarakis.com or text Steve at (518) 424-0434. 

In Memory

Please click below to donate in their memory to the General Fund.

Theodore Moisides

Margarita Christodoulou

Virginia Cholakis

Theodora M. Kelly

James Economides

Choir

We are now on a “Journey to Pascha”. The most beautiful Byzantine music will be sung! This is the best time for our Jr. High and High School SINGERS to join and sing with us each Sunday…including The Sunday of the Holy Cross, Palm Sunday, Holy Tuesday (the Hymn of Kassiani), Holy Thursday (The Crucifixion Hymn), Good Friday, The Lamentations, and Easter Sunday.

Western & Orthodox Easter are celebrated on the same day, April 20th this year. Nothing, I mean nothing you have ever sung with your school chorus, or in a school play, can ever be more challenging or more beautiful than the Orthodox Byzantine Hymns during Lent and Easter. Please text or see me after church if you are interested in being part of the beautiful Byzantine music leading up to Easter. Text (518) 573-7003 or e-mail hermides92@gmail.com.

Harry Ermides

Choir Director

Victory Café in Astoria bakes up some delicious tsourekia for Easter, and Philoptochos is once again taking orders. However, orders are limited so see Dora Mokhiber or call her at (518) 489-6679. The last day for orders is April 5. The cost is $10 per loaf. (Note: These breads freeze really well. Try them for some awesome French Toast!!!)

“Zito ee Ellas!” “Long live Greece!” Come and applaud their efforts as the young students from our Greek Language Academy present the annual Greek Independence Day Program today. It was a nightmare of nearly 400 years of oppression and terror under the Ottoman Turks before the Greeks achieved their hard-won freedom. Please take the time to attend this program immediately following church services as we celebrate Greek heroism and the determination to be free. A small reception sponsored by AHEPA will follow.  

Archdiocese Launches Fundraising Campaign to Support Fire Victims in Los Angeles

In response to the devastation caused by the recent and ongoing fires in Southern California, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, in collaboration with the Metropolis of San Francisco and the National Philoptochos Society, has launched a fundraising campaign to assist Orthodox Christians and others affected by this tragedy. The campaign aims to provide essential resources and support to help families and individuals rebuild their lives.

Fellowship, faith, and fun. These are the cornerstones of Camp Saint Paul located on the beautiful shores of Lake Bantam in Litchfield, CT. There are five one-week programs to choose from but please note that registration has already started. For information and registration details, go to www.campsaintpaul.org.

You can march. Or be a cheering member of the crowd. Top it off with supper in Astoria. St. George in Schenectady is sponsoring a bus trip on March 30 to the Greek Independence Day Parade. The bus will be leaving the church at 8:30 am and returning at 7 pm. Tickets are $45 for adults and $25 for children. For details or to sign up, please e-mail csarigiannis22@gmail.com.

Greek Language & Culture Academy

The Greek School Program for children ages pre-school through high school is in session. Please click below to register. If you have any questions, please e-mail greeklanguageacademy@stsophiaalbany.org.

Please click below to complete the survey from the National Census of Orthodox Christian Churches. Sharing your experiences and thoughts will help us to better understand congregational life. 

BI-MONTHLY TESTAMENT

Cookbook

For making and tasting traditional Greek recipes compiled by our Ladies Philoptochos, pick up a copy of “Treasured Greek Recipes”. In its 9th printing, the book has gained an appreciative audience over the years. The price is $20 for each book; $5 more to ship it anywhere in the U.S. See Maria Sokaris or call the church office. (The easy recipe for Paximathia, better known as Greek biscotti, is worth the price alone.) Note: Also makes for a unique hostess gift.

On the Road to Nicaea: Historic Pilgrimage Led by Archbishop Elpidophoros

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America announces a historic pilgrimage led by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America commemorating the 1700th Anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council which convened in Nicaea.

 

The trip will take place from May 19 - May 25, 2025, during which pilgrims will have the opportunity to visit the Sacred Center of Orthodoxy, the Mother Church of Constantinople, and receive the blessing of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. It will also include visits to sites of religious and cultural importance throughout Constantinople, as well as special trips to the Sacred Monastery of the Holy Trinity at the Theological School of Halki and the ancient city of Nicaea, modern day İznik, to explore this most sacred space significant to the development of the Christian faith.

Contact Cloud Tours at (718) 721-3808 or stephen@cloudtours.com to reserve your spot today!

Pilgrimage of Discovery

Albany Maritime Ministry

The Albany Maritime Ministry is seeking volunteers to welcome seafarers who dock at the Port of Albany. Most of these seafarers have been at sea for many months facing numerous hardships--separation from families, loneliness, dangerous weather conditions, human rights violations, and, from time to time, threats of actual piracy. A shopping trip to a Walmart's is a special outing for these men. The Ministry has a van for transportation but volunteer drivers are needed to take them to the store and then bring them back when finished. For further information, see Shalyn Docous. Volunteer applications are also available at the information table.

St. Michael’s Home is excited to share our new 3D rendering walkthrough video. We welcome you to join our Expansion & Relocation project; your support is vital to help make this dream a reality. To view the full video, and to learn more about our project and how you can get involved, visit our website www.stmichaelshome.org.

Solicitations

Solicitations of any kind are not allowed anywhere on Church property without

Parish Council approval.

Follow us on social media to stay up-to-date!