81st Street and Ridge Boulevard Website: www.smaoc.org
Brooklyn, NY 11209 Church Office: (718) 238-8008
Email: churchsecretary@smaoc.org Rectory: (718) 745-8481
His Eminence Metropolitan SABA
Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of all North America
Very Rev. Fr. Michael Ellias, Pastor Rev. Deacon Farid Farkouh
Email: pastor@smaoc.org farkouhfarid@gmail.com
Sunday, May 18, 2025
Fifth Sunday of Pascha: Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
Tone 4 and Eothinon 7
Today’s Hymns and Readings
Apostle Karpos of the Seventy
After “Blessed is the Kingdom…”, “Christ is risen…” (3 times)
During the Little Entrance, “Christ is risen…”
Entrance Hymn – In the gathering places bless ye God the Lord from the springs of Israel. O Son of God, who art risen from the dead, save us, who sing unto Thee. Alleluia!
Apolytikion of the Resurrection – Tone 4
Having learned the joyful message of the Resurrection from the angel, the women disciples of the Lord cast from them their parental condemnation, and proudly broke the news to the disciples, saying, Death hath been spoiled. Christ God is risen, granting the world great mercy.
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.
Apolytikion of Mid-Pentecost – Tone 8
In the midst of this Feast, O Saviour, give thou my thirsty soul to drink of the waters of true worship; for thou didst call out to all, saying, Whosoever is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Wherefore, O Christ our God, Fountain of life, glory to thee.
Kontakion of Holy Pascha – Tone 8
Though thou, O deathless One, didst descend into the grave, thou didst destroy the power of hell and, as Victor, thou didst rise again, O Christ our God. Thou didst greet the ointment bearing women, saying, rejoice! Thou didst bestow peace upon thy Disciples, and resurrection upon those that are fallen.
Epistle – Acts of the Apostles 11:19-30 (Sunday of the Samaritan Woman)
Prokeimenon. Psalm 103.24, 1. O Lord, how magnificent are your works. You have made all things in wisdom.
Verse. Bless the Lord, O my soul.
IN THOSE DAYS, those apostles who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to none except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number that believed turned to the Lord. News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad; and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose; for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a large company was added to the Lord. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church, and taught a large company of people; and in Antioch the disciples were for the first time called Christians.
Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabos stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world; and this took place in the days of Claudius. And the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brethren who lived in Judea, and they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.
Gospel – John 4:5-42 (Sunday of the Samaritan Woman)
AT THAT TIME, Jesus came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and so Jesus, wearied as he was with his journey, sat down beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.
There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ’Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst forever; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying ’I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband; this you said truly.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped on this mountain; and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming [he who is called Christ]; when he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
Just then his disciples came. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but none said, “What do you wish?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” So the woman left her water jar, and went away into the city, and said to the people, “Come, see a man who said to me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” They went out of the city and were coming to him.
Meanwhile the disciples besought him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” So the disciples said to one another, “Has any one brought him food?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see how the fields are already white for harvest. He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”
Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He said to me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his words. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”
MEGALYNARION FOR PASCHA (Tone 1) – Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord hath arisen upon thee; dance now and be glad, O Zion, and do thy exult, O pure Theotokos, in the arising of Him Whom thou didst bear.
COMMUNION HYMN (Tone 8) – Receive ye the body of Christ; taste ye the Fountain of immortality.
Next week’s homework: II Corinthians 4:6-15 (Finding of the Head of John the Baptist)
John 9:1-38 (Sunday of the Blind Man)
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.”
NO FASTING – Within the Patriarchate of Antioch some suspend fasting until the Feast of the Ascension, May 29. There is also no kneeling until Holy Pentecost on June 8.
PLEASE MAKE SURE all cell phones and electronic devices are turned off in church or at home.
A Parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
May 18, 2025 – FIFTH SUNDAY OF PASCHA: SUNDAY OF THE SAMARITAN WOMAN
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.
CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!
TODAY, MAY 18 – We pray for the repose of the souls of the servants of God Madeleine Abousleman, George M. Alsifi, Lorraine Ghiz, Rose Ghiz, Abraham J. Karkenny, Margaret Kassatly, Valerie J. Konecny, Brian E. Mackoul, Marie and George Saab, Buddy B. Saleeby, Samuel G. Samman, and Gloria Rose Shawah.
Brenda Samman offers Prayers of Oblation for the repose of the soul of her husband, the servant of God and former Parish Council Chair Samuel G. Samman. Memory eternal!
George Trisciuzzi offers Prayers of Oblation for the repose of the soul of the handmaiden of God Pilar Louapre Garcia. Memory eternal!
The Family of Claudette Teen offers Prayers of Oblation and a 40-Day memorial for the repose of her soul. A Coffee Hour in her memory will follow the Divine Liturgy. Memory eternal!
NEXT SUNDAY, MAY 25 – We will pray for the repose of the souls of the servants of God Fares Deban, Alan Fadel, Thomas Gehshan, Archimandrite Agapios Golam, Rose Makhoul, Victoria Makhoul, Victor M. Samra, Jr., Mildred Sarkis, and Adib Zamlout. Memory eternal!
The Kabah Family will offer Prayers of Oblation, the Holy Bread, and a 6-month memorial for the repose of the soul of the handmaiden of God Nadia Zaher Kabah. A Coffee Hour in her memory will follow the Divine Liturgy. Memory eternal!
FOR THE INFIRM - Please remember our ailing brethren in your daily intercessions, especially, John Petrick (Norwegian), Joyce Samaha (Sunrise, Mountain Lakes), Alice Farkouh, Renee Setteducato, Rouda Abboud, Isla Albishara, Yvonne Allawh, Diana Finger, Robert Ghiz, George Khoury, Denise McBride, Alfred Nahas, Charlie Sahadi, Victoria Sleyman, and Anthony Speer (at home).
ROOF APPEAL – This week the Parish Council mailed an appeal for the replacement of the church roof. If all of our 300 households contributed approximately $400 each, we would cover the cost. Let’s prayerfully consider our response to this necessary project.
ADULT EDUCATION – We will continue our study of the Book of Acts on Wednesday at 7 PM. In addition, there will be a class for catechumens and inquirers at the same time. Instructors for both classes are a mystery!
HOME BLESSINGS – Several parishioners have requested spring time blessings of their homes. Please feel free to call for an appointment between now and the Feast of the Ascension (May 29).
PARKING – We know that parking is scarce in the neighborhood, but we respectfully ask that we leave the parking spots in front of the church for those with mobility issues.
ON-LINE GIVING – St. Mary's Church now accepts donations online. Just visit https://smaoc.squarespace.com/donate and pay securely by credit card, debit card, or checking account. There is an option to indicate gifts made in honor of or in remembrance of someone.
DID YOU KNOW? It costs $1,023 every single day to operate our parish. That number does not include capital expenses like the roof replacement.
ESTATE PLANNING – Have I made a bequest in my estate plan for my beloved St. Mary’s Church?
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 receive the blessing and partake of the blessed bread at the dismissal. Please introduce yourself to our pastor during the coffee hour and ask him about membership in the Orthodox Church.
DATES TO REMEMBER
Tuesday, May 20 1700-Year Anniversary of Council of Nicea, 7:30 PM @
Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Cathedral
Wednesday, May 21 Bible Study and Catechumen Classes, 7:00 PM
Saturday, May 24 Great Vespers, 5:00 PM
Sunday, May 25 Niles Bracy Baptism, 1:00 PM
Wednesday, May 28 Evening Divine Liturgy, 7:00 PM
Thursday, May 29 Feast of the Ascension
Saturday, May 31 PTO Games Festival
All services will be live streamed via twitch.tv/smaoc.
Christ is risen from the dead trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.
Al Maseeh qam min bain il amwat, wa wati al mawt bil mawt, wa wahabal hiyat lil la dhina fil qoobur.
Christos anesti ek nekron thanato thanaton patisas, kai tis en tis mnimaszi zoin, charisamenos.
“Christ is risen” “Truly/Indeed He is risen!
“Christos Anesti” “Alithos Anesti”
“Christos Voskrese” “Vo Istinu Voskrese”
“Al Maseeh Qam” “Ha’an Qam”
CHRIST IS RISEN! INDEED HE IS RISEN!