Sunday, July 11, 2021
Great-Martyr Euphemia the All-Praised
Tone 2 and Eothinon 3
Olga (Helen), Princess of Kiev
Today’s Hymns and Readings
Apolytikion of the Resurrection – Tone 2
When thou, O immortal Life, didst humble thyself unto death, then didst thou destroy death by the brightness of thy Godhead; and when thou didst raise the bowels of the earth, then all the heavenly powers exclaimed, O Christ, thou art the Giver of life! Glory to thee, O our God!
Apolytikion of St. Euphemia the All-Praised – Tone 3
O Euphemia, Christ’s comely virgin, thou didst fill the Orthodox with gladness and didst cover with shame all the heretics; for at the holy Fourth Council in Chalcedon, thou didst confirm what the Fathers decreed aright. O all-glorious Great Martyr, do thou entreat Christ God that His great mercy may be granted unto us.
Apolytikion of the Nativity of the Theotokos – Tone 4
Thy nativity, O Theotokos, hath proclaimed joy to the whole universe. For from thee did shine forth the Sun of justice, Christ our God, annulling the curse, and bestowing the blessing, abolishing death and granting us life everlasting.
Kontakion of the Theotokos – Tone 2
O undisputed intercessor of Christians, the mediatrix unrejected by the Creator, turn not away from the voice of our petitions, though we be sinners. Come to us in time, who cry to thee in faith, with assistance; for thou art good. Hasten to us with intercessions, O Theotokos, who dost ever intercede for those who honour thee.
Epistle – II Corinthians 6:1-10 (St. Euphemia)
Prokeimenon. Psalm 67.35, 26. God is wondrous in His saints.
Verse. Bless God in the congregations.
BRETHREN, since we are fellow workers, we entreat you also not to receive the grace of God in vain – for He says, “At an acceptable season I hearkened unto thee, and in a day of salvation I helped thee;” behold, now is “the acceptable season;” behold, now is “the day of salvation” – giving no occasion of stumbling in anything, that the ministry is not blamed, but in everything commending ourselves, as ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in vigils, in fasts, in purity, in knowledge, in longsuffering, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in love unfeigned, in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
Gospel – Matthew 6:22-33 (Third Sunday of Matthew)
THE LORD SAID, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light but if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not the soul more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of heaven: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his stature? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon himself in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things shall be yours as well.”
Next week’s homework: Titus 3:8-15 (Fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical Council)
Matthew 5:14-19 (Fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical Council)
JULY 11, 2021 – GREAT-MARTYR EUPHEMIA THE ALL-PRAISED
Mission Statement - The mission of St. Mary’s Antiochian Orthodox Church of Brooklyn, NY, is to love and worship God through participation in the liturgical life of the Church, and to live and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We carry out this mission through education, outreach, fellowship, and works of mercy with love for each other, our neighbors, and our diverse world.
We are pleased to welcome you to worship with us today. Please note that only Orthodox Christians who have prepared themselves with prayer, fasting and a recent confession may approach to receive Holy Communion. Everyone is welcome to reverence the cross and to partake of the blessed bread at the dismissal. Please introduce yourself to our pastor, and ask him about membership in the Orthodox Church.
TODAY, JULY 11 - We pray for the repose of the souls of the servants of God Wajiha Arees, Joseph Arida, Joseph Fadool, Mary Farkouh, Ferris Samara, Amelia Khoury, John Molfino, Victor Makhoul, Nora Khoury, Joseph Klam, Edmund Saleeby, and Bassem Sukkarieh. Memory eternal!
Deacon Farid and Aline Farkouh offer the Holy Bread and Prayers of Oblation for the repose of the souls of the servants of God Mary and Ray Farkouh, Diana and Jossie Mansur, Pierre Mansur, and Julia and Elias Serror. Memory eternal!
Joey and Gareth Ganim offer Prayers of Oblation for the repose of the soul of the servant of God John Molfino. Memory eternal!
Ata and Ida Haddad and Family offer Prayers of Oblation and a 6-Month Memorial for the repose of the soul of the handmaiden of God Fadwa Haddad as well as a 3-Month Memorial for the handmaiden of God Najla Ishak. Memory eternal!
NEXT SUNDAY, JULY 18 – We will pray for the repose of the souls of the servants of God Jamila Eadeh, Victor Farkouh, Fr. Wakeem Dalack, Gloria Saba Galloway, Joseph Imtanios, Edmund A. Nahas, Josephine Khoury, Eissa Makarious Laham, Amelia Mansfield, Rose S. Razook, Odette Saadi, Marguerite Sabah, George Zrake, Donald Abraham Ballan, and William Anthony Soued. Memory eternal!
Nadia Soued will offer Prayers of Oblation for the repose of the soul of her beloved husband, the servant of God William Soued. Memory eternal!
HOLY BREAD – Additional donors are welcome for July and succeeding months. We ask for a donation of $50/week.
POST-COMMUNION PRAYERS – At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, a reader will read the Post-Communion Prayers of Thanksgiving. Please reverently hear these prayers before beginning to “chat.”
FASTING DISCIPLINE – For the month of July we return to our standard fasting days of Wednesdays and Fridays.
COFFEE HOUR – Weather permitting, there will be a “Grab and Go” Coffee Hour in front of the church following the Divine Liturgy. This week Lara and Marwan Al-Laham will sponsor the Coffee Hour. We would welcome anyone who would like to volunteer to set up and/or clean up. Please see Parish Council Chair Chris Athineos or Vice Chair Dianna Russo Kitchen. Donations are always welcome!
FOR THE INFIRM - Please remember our ailing brethren in your daily intercessions, especially, Yvonne Allawh (Clove Lakes), Clair Banat (Norwegian), Khalil Eid (Hamilton Park), Rouda Abboud, Albert Absey, Diana Finger, Mary Ganim, Alfred Nahas, Louis Savarese, Evelyn Shamoun, Leon Smatt, Jim Thompson (NJ), George Trisciuzzi, Dr. Samir Zamaria (MD), and Rose Zrake (at home).
PARISH COUNCIL – The Parish Council will hold its regular monthly meeting tomorrow, July 12, at 7:30 PM.
AIR CONDITIONING – We will set the A/C at a comfortable temperature, but if you feel the need, please remember to bring a sweater. We cannot adjust the temperature for individual needs.
WORD MAGAZINE – All registered members of the parish are entitled to receive the Word Magazine at home. If you are not receiving the Word, please contact the church office so that we can submit your name for the mailing list. Thank you.
BULLETIN ON-LINE – Miss church one Sunday? Did you know that we post the weekly bulletin on the web? Simply go to www.smaoc.org, and view the bulletin at home.
OFFERING ENVELOPES – Please note that if you receive monthly envelopes and do not use them, we cannot guarantee proper credit to you account. There are always envelopes in the vestibule for this purpose. Kindly use one of these envelopes if you have forgotten your own instead of just depositing a check in the basket. If you do not receive monthly envelopes, kindly inform the office, and the secretary will submit your name to the mailing company. Thank you!
ALTAR SERVERS – We ask that all altar servers continue to wear long pants and hard shoes through the summer months. Shirts and ties are preferable. Servers must also arrive prior to the start of the Divine Liturgy. Thank you for your faithful service.
UPDATED COVID POLICY – Worshippers who have completed the vaccination process (both injections of Pfizer or Moderna, or the single Johnson and Johnson vaccine, plus two weeks) may remove their masks while seated but must replace them when moving around the church. We have removed the blue caution tape from the pews, but we ask everyone to maintain personal space. We are also no longer collecting contact tracing information.
ARCHDIOCESE CONVENTION – As with the Parish Life Conference, there will be a “virtual” Archdiocese Convention on Friday, July 23, and Saturday, July 24. See the flyer in this bulletin.
PLEDGE GIVING – During these extraordinary times we ask everyone to maintain their pledge giving as much as possible. Please remember that St. Mary's Church now accepts donations online. Just visit https://smaoc.squarespace.com/donate and pay securely by credit card, debit card, or check.
PLEASE MAKE SURE all cell phones and electronic devices are turned off in church or at home.
DATES TO REMEMBER
Monday, July 12 Parish Council, 7:30 PM
July 23-July 24 Virtual Archdiocese Convention
August 1-14 Dormition Fast
Sunday, August 15 Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos
Sunday, September 12 Metropolitan JOSEPH visits
Monday, September 20 Saints and Sinners Golf and Tennis Outing
All services will be live streamed via twitch.tv/smaoc.
FROM THE FATHERS – “The demons cunningly withdraw for a time in the hope that we will cease to guard our heart, thinking we have now attained peace; then they suddenly attack our unhappy soul and seize it like a sparrow. Gaining possession of it, they drag it down mercilessly into all kinds of sin, worse than those which we have already committed and for which we have asked forgiveness. Let us stand, therefore, with fear of God and keep guard over our heart, practicing the virtues which check the wickedness of our enemies.”
- St. Isaiah the Solitary
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Union Church of Bay Ridge
[Presbyterian Church (USA)]7915 RIDGE BLVD.
ACCESSIBLE ENTRANCE ON 80TH ST. / INFO CALL (718) 745-0438
COVID-19 VACCINE SITE
Pfizer vaccine – now available for ALL NEW YORKERS age 12+
regardless of immigration status
WALK-INS are welcome!
FIRST DOSE EVENT:
THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2021, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
SECOND DOSE EVENT:
THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT THE VACCINATION?
A Maimonides Vaccination Team will be available to answer your questions throughout the day.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO WEAR A FACE MASK
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“The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (Acts 11: 26)
ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN ARCHDIOCESE OF NORTH AMERICA
358 Mountain Road, P.O. Box 5238, Englewood, NJ 07631-5238
(201) 871-1355 T, (201) 871-7954 F Archdiocese@antiochian.org
His Eminence, The Most Reverend Metropolitan JOSEPH
Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America
2021 Virtual Archdiocesan Convention
Schedule of Events
(All times are EST)
Friday, July 23, 2021:
3:00PM – 5:00PM Order of St. Ignatius Meeting
5:00PM – 7:30PM Antiochian Women Meeting
9:00PM – 10:30PM Teen SOYO Virtual Event
9:00PM – 10:30PM Young Adults Virtual Event
Saturday, July 24, 2021:
10AM – 11:00AM Breakout Rooms where members can choose to join particular topics related to current parish matters such as:
· Finance: Mr. Salim Abboud, Fr. Michael Tassos, Dr. Elias Hebeka
· Youth: Fr. Nicholas Belcher
· Stewardship: Mr. William Morrison
· Pandemic: Dr. Badie Alnemr, Dr. James Rossetti
11:00AM – 11:45AM Fr. Joseph Huneycutt, guest speaker
11:45AM - 12:30PM BREAK – Lunch
12:30PM - 3:00PM General Assembly Meeting and closing
12:30PM - 1:30PM Sayedna’s speech
· Mr. Salim Abboud – Department of Finance
· Fr. Nicholas Belcher – Young Adult Ministry, Department of Christian Education,
Department of Youth and Department of Camping
· Archdn. Emile P. Sayegh, Chancellor