Weekly Bulletin
His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas
120 W. Seneca St. Ithaca, NY 14850 http://www.stcatherine.ny.goarch.org
TEL. 607-273-2767 e-mail: stcatherinegoc@gmail.com
Fr. Zenoviy Zharsky
SAINT CATHERINE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH.
Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Detroit His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas.
120 W. Seneca St. Ithaca N.Y. 14850
May 3, 2026
/607/ 273-2767 Fr. Zenoviy Zharsky stcatherinegoc@gmail.com
Welcome all visitors, please come again.
“Changing ourselves in Christ, we are able to change the world around us”
Please let Father know who is in need of visiting and prayers.
Saints for the day, liturgical schedule, news from the parish life, please read the Sunday Bulletin on the parish website: www.stcatherine.ny.
Please submit to the parish priest all announcements for the church bulletin website before Thursday evening. Thank you.
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Scripture Reading: Matins: Gospel Reading: Luke 24:12-35. Divine Liturgy Epistle: Acts 9:32-42. Gospel John 5:1-15.
We pray for those who celebrate their birthday. Хρόνια πολλά & ευλογημενα! May - 2 Jerry Wang, 2 Andrea Vogtman, 5 Vivek Poovathoor, 6 Evangelos Georgantonis, Ionna Georgantonis.
May 4 - Steven and Susan Huskins will celebrate their 30th Wedding Anniversary. May God bless them for many more years!
Announcement: If you didn't give names and date of your birthdays and your families birthdays please provide them. Also please give the names and dates of your family members who fell asleep in the Lord. We will pray for them. The list of the names located near the Sunday Bulletins. Thank you.
When you write your will, won't you please remember St. Catherine's Church? Such a gift will live forever as our church minister to our spiritual needs and others it's an investment in the Gospel of our Lord and life eternal.
Memory Eternal! Αιώνια η μνήμη του! May 5 Vasiliki Stratakos, 9 Metropolitan Ephiphanios.
Liturgical Schedule: Daily 3:00 PM. Let's pray Jesus Prayer for 10 minutes straight saying,“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner”
Monday, May 4 - 3:00 PM Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”
Tuesday, May 5 - 3:00 PM JesusPrayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”
Wednesday, May 6 - 3:00 PM Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” Day of Fasting. 6:00 PM. Prayers near Miraculous Icon Mother of God “The Tender Heart” St. George's Orthodox Church in Taylor, PA. Every Wednesday we commemorate when Judas betrayed Christs.
Thursday, May 7 - 3:00 PM Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”
Friday, May 8 - 3:00 PM Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” Day of Fasting. Every Friday we commemorate Christ's Crucifiction.
Saturday, May 9 - 10:00 AM. Divine Liturgy. Prophet Isaiah. Translation of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari. Reading the life of the Saints and Catechism classes following the Divine Liturgy. 3:00 PM Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”
Sunday, May 10 - 8:45 AMOrthros/Confession. 10:
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4th Wednesday after Pascha May 6 - Mid-Pentecost. After the Saviour had miraculously healed the paralytic, the Jews, especially the Pharisees and Scribes, were moved with envy and persecuted Him, and sought to slay Him, using the excuse that He did not keep the Sabbath, since He worked miracles on that day. Jesus then departed to Galilee. About the middle of the Feast of Tabernacles, He went up again to the Temple and taught. The Jews, marvelling at the wisdom of His words, said, "How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?" But Christ first reproached their unbelief and lawlessness, then proved to them by the Law that they sought to slay Him unjustly, supposedly as a despiser of the Law, since He had healed the paralytic on the Sabbath. Therefore, since the things spoken by Christ in the middle of the Feast of Tabernacles are related to the Sunday of the Paralytic that is just passed, and since we have already reached the midpoint of the fifty days between Pascha and Pentecost, the Church has appointed this present feast as a bond between the two great feasts, thereby uniting, as it were, the two into one, and partaking of the grace of them both. Therefore this feast is called Mid-Pentecost, and the Gospel Reading, "At Mid-feast" though it refers to the Feast of Tabernacles is used. It should be noted that there were three great Jewish feasts: the Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. Passover was celebrated on the 15th of Nisan, the first month of the Jewish calendar, which coincides roughly with our March. This feast commemorated that day on which the Hebrews were commanded to eat the lamb in the evening and anoint the doors of their houses with its blood. Then, having escaped bondage and death at the hands of the Egyptians, they passed through the Red Sea to come to the Promised Land. It is also called "the Feast of Unleavened Bread," because they ate unleavened bread for seven days. Pentecost was celebrated fifty days after the Passover, first of all, because the Hebrew tribes had reached Mount Sinai after leaving Egypt, and there received the Law from God; secondly, it was celebrated to commemorate their entry into the Promised Land, where also they ate bread, after having been fed with manna forty years in the desert. Therefore, on this day they offered to God a sacrifice of bread prepared with new wheat. Finally, they also celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles from the 15th to the 22nd of "the seventh month," which corresponds roughly to our September. During this time, they live in booths made of branches in commemoration of the forty years they spent in the desert, living in tabernacles, that is, tents (Ex. 12:10-20; Lev. 23).
Ἀπολυτίκιον:Μεσούσης τῆς ἑορτῆς, διψῶσάν μου τὴν ψυχήν, εὐσεβείας πότισον νάματα ὅτι πᾶσι Σωτὴρ ἐβόησας· ὁ διψῶν, ἐρχέσθω πρός με καὶ πινέτω· Ἡ πηγὴ τῆς ζωῆς, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεὸς δόξα σοι.
Κοντάκιον: Τῆς ἑορτῆς τῆς νομικῆς μεσαζούσης, ὁ τῶν ἁπάντων Ποιητὴς καὶ Δεσπότης, πρὸς τοὺς παρόντας ἔλεγες, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός· Δεῦτε καὶ ἀρύσασθε, ὕδωρ ἀθανασίας· ὅθεν σοι προσπίπτομεν, καὶ πιστῶς ἐκβοῶμεν· Τοὺς οἰκτιρμούς σου δώρησαι ἡμῖν· σὺ γὰρ ὑπάρχεις πηγὴ τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν.
Join us for a Greek Sunset Cruise - Reserve Your Spot! Dear Saint Catherine Parish Family,We are excited to invite you to a truly special evening on the water! Join us for our Greek Sunset Cruise Night on Thursday, May 28, 2026 from 7:00-9:00 PM on Cayuga Lake. Enjoy a joyful evening filled with: Greek music & dancing, delicious μεζέδες (included), bring your own κρασί (wine), beautiful sunset views and fellowship.This will be a relaxed, festive night to spend together as a parish community while supporting our church. We encourage you to reserve your spot early! All proceeds will benefit St. Catherine Greek Orthodox Church. We hope you’ll join us for a beautiful and memorable evening together!
Wisdom of the Saints: “The mother's spiritual life will quietly help the souls of her children. Thus, her children will live happily, and she will be joyful because she will have Christ within her.”
“All my happiness and unhappiness are contained in the thoughts and inclinations of my heart. If the thoughts and inclinations of my heart are in the will of my God, then I am at rest, filled with divine light, joy, and blessedness; if not, I am uneasy, filled with spiritual, soul-corrupting darkness, heaviness, and despondency” /St. Paisios/
Saturday, May 9-10:00 AM. Divine Liturgy in memory of Prophet Isaiah Prophet Isaiah lived 700 years before the Birth of Christ, and was descended of royal lineage. The father of Isaiah, Amos, raised his son in the fear of God and in the law of the Lord. Having attained the age of maturity, the Prophet Isaiah entered into marriage with a pious maiden-prophetess and had a son Jashub. Saint Isaiah was called to prophetic service during the reign of Oziah, king of Judea, and he prophesied for 60 years during the reign of kings Joatham, Achaz, Hezekiah and Manasseh. The start of his service was marked by the following vision: he beheld the Lord God, sitting in a majestic heavenly temple upon an high throne. Six-winged Seraphim encircled Him. With two wings they covered their faces, and with two wings they covered their feet, and with two wings they flew about crying out one to another "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord Sabaoth, heaven and earth art filled of His Glory!" The pillars of the heavenly temple did shake from their shouts, and in the temple swelled the smoke of incense. The prophet cried out in terror: "Oh, accursed a man am I, granted to behold the Lord Sabaoth, and having impure lips and living amidst an impure people!" Then was sent him one of the Seraphim, having in hand a red-hot coal, which he took with tongs from the altar of the Lord. He touched it to the mouth of the Prophet Isaiah and said: "Here, I have touched it to thine lips and the Lord doth do away with thine offences and doth cleanse thy sins". After this Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord, directed towards him: "Whom shalt I send and who wilt go to the Jews, who wilt go for Us?" Isaiah answered: "Here am I, send me, Lord, and I shalt go" And the Lord sent him to the Jews to exhort them to turn from the ways of impiety and idol-worship and to offer repentance. To those that repent and turn to the True God, the Lord promised mercy and forgiveness, but punishment and the judgement of God are appointed the unrepentant. Then Isaiah asked the Lord, how long would the falling-away of the Jewish nation from God continue. The Lord answered: "Until that time, as they neglect the city, nor be there people in the houses and this land be made desolate. Just as when a tree be felled and from the stump come forth new shoots, so also from the destruction of the nation wilt remain an holy remnant, from which emerged a new tribe". Isaiah left behind him a book of prophecy, in which he denounces the Jews for their unfaithfulness to the God of their fathers, and he predicts the captivity of the Jews and their return from captivity during the time of the emperor Cyrus, the destruction and renewal of Jerusalem and of the Temple. Together with this he predicts the historical fate also of the other nations bordering the Jews. But what is most important of all for us, the Prophet Isaiah with particular clearness and detail prophesies about the coming of the Messiah Christ the Saviour. The prophet names the Messiah as God and Man, Teacher of all the nations, Founder of the Kingdom of Peace and Love. The prophet foretells the Birth of the Messiah from a Virgin, and with particular clearness he describes the Suffering of the Messiah for the sins of the world, he foresees His Resurrection and the universal spreading of His Church. By his clear foretelling about Christ the Saviour, the Prophet Isaiah merited being called an Old Testament Evangelist. To him belong the words: "This One beareth our sins and is smitten for us. He was wounded for our sins and tortured for our transgressions. The chastisement of our world was upon Him, and by His wounds we were healed..." The holy Prophet Isaiah had also a gift of wonderworking. And thus so, when during the time of a siege of Jerusalem by enemies the besieged had become exhausted with thirst, he by his prayer drew out from beneath Mount Sion a spring of water, which was called Siloam, i.e. "sent from God". It was to this spring afterwards that the Saviour sent the man blind from birth to wash, and for whom was restored sight by Him. By the prayer of the Prophet Isaiah, the Lord prolonged the life of Hezekiah for 15 years. The Prophet Isaiah died a martyr's death. By order of the Jewish king Manasseh he was sawn through by a wood- saw. The prophet was buried not far from the Pool of Siloam. The relics of the holy Prophet Isaiah were afterwards transferred by the emperor Theodosius the Younger to Constantinople and installed in the church of Saint Lawrence at Blakhernai. At the present time part of the head of the Prophet Isaiah is preserved at Athos in the Khilendaria monastery.
Saturday, May 9 - 10:00 AM. Divine Liturgy in memory of St. Nicholas. The Transfer of the Relics from Lycian Myra to Bari in Italy.
In the XI Century the Byzantine Greek empire was living through some terrible times. The Turks put an end to its influence in Asia Minor, they destroyed cities and villages, the murdered the inhabitants, and they accompanied their cruel outrage with the desecration of churches, holy relics, icons and books. The Mussulmen attempted also to destroy the relics of Saint Nicholas, deeply venerated by all the Christian world.
In the year 792 the caliph Aaron Al'-Rashid sent Khumeid at the head of a fleet to pillage the island of Rhodes. Having lain waste this island, Khumeid set off to Lycian Myra with the intent to rob from the tomb of Saint Nicholas. But instead of it he robbed another, standing alongside the crypt of the saint. Just as they succeeded in committing this sacrilege, a terrible storm lifted upon the sea and almost all the ships were shattered into pieces. The desecration of holy things shocked not only Eastern, but also Western Christians. Christians in Italy were particularly apprehensive for the relics of Saint Nicholas, and among them were many Greeks. The inhabitants of the city of Bari, located on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, decided to save the relics of Saint Nicholas.
In the year 1087 merchants from Bari and Venice set out to Antioch for trade. Both these and others also had proposed on the return trip to take up the relics of Saint Nicholas and transport them to Italy. In this plan the men of Bari commissioned the Venetians to land them at Myra. At first two men were sent in, who in returning reported that in the city all was quiet, and in the church where rested the glorified relics, they encountered only four monks. Immediately 47 men, having armed themselves, set out for the church of Saint Nicholas. The monk-guards, suspecting nothing, showed them the raised platform, beneath which was concealed the tomb of the saint, where by custom, they anointed foreigners with myrrh from the relics of the saint. The monks told them during this about an appearance of Saint Nicholas that evening to a certain elder. In this vision Saint Nicholas ordered the cautious preserving of his relics. This account encouraged the barons, they saw an avowal for them in this vision and as it were a decree from the saint. In order to facilitate their activity, they revealed their intent to the monks and offered them money 300 gold coins. The monk-guards refused the money and wanted to warn the inhabitants about the misfortune threatening them. But the newcomers bound them and put their own guards at the doorway. They took apart the church platform beneathe which stood the tomb with the relics. In this effort the youth Matthew was excessive in his especial zeal, wanting to as quickly as possible to find the relics of Saint Nicholas. In his impatience he broke the cover and the barons saw, that the sarcophagus was filled with fragrant holy myrrh. The compatriots of the barons, the presbyters Luppus and Drogus, made a litany, after which the break of Matthew began to flow with myrrh from the overflowing sarcophagus of the relics of the saint. This occurred on 20 April 1087.
Seeing the absence of a container chest, presbyter Drogus wrapped the relics in the cover cloth, and in the company of the barons he carried them to the ship. The monks having been set free, alerted the city with the sad news about the abduction of the relics of the Wonderworker Nicholas by foreigners. A crowd of people gathered at the shore, but it was too late...
On 8 May the ships arrived in Bari, and soon the joyous news made the rounds of all the city. On the following day, 9 May 1087, they solemnly transported the relics of Saint Nicholas into the church of Saint Stephen, situated not far from the sea. The solemn bearing of the relics was accompanied by numerous healings of the sick, which inspired still greater reverence for the Saint of God. A year afterwards a church was built in the name of Saint Nicholas and consecrated by Pope Urban II.
This event, connected with the transfer of the relics of Saint Nicholas, evoked a particular veneration for the Wonderworker Nicholas and was marked by the establishing of a special feast day on 9 May. At first the Feastday of the Transfer of the Relics of Saint Nicholas was observed only by the people of the city of Bari.
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Methods of Giving:
Cash and checks can be brought to the church and put in the donation baskets.
Checks made out to Saint Catherine Greek Orthodox Church can also be mailed to:
St. Catherine Greek Orthodox Church
120 W. Seneca St Ithaca, NY 14850
When you write your will, won't you please remember St. Catherine's Church? Such a gift will live forever as our church minister to our spiritual needs and others. It's an investment in the Gospel of our Lord and life eternal.
Removal of the Relics of St. Athanasius the Great Visit the Online Chapel for more daily readings, hymns, a monthly calendar of saints and feasts, and more.Online Chapel
Saints and Feasts Commemorated