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 /607/ 245-9988

 

Sunday, November 23, 2025

 

Welcome all visitors, please come again.

 

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"By 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. 

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Daily reading of the holy scripture, Saints for the day, liturgical schedule, news from the parish life, announcements and more, please read the Sunday Bulletin on the parish websitewww.stcatherine.ny.goarch.org 

Please submit to the parish priest all announcements for the church bulletin website before Thursday evening. Thank you.

Follow us on Facebook: St. Catherine Greek Orthodox Church of Ithaca, NY.

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Scripture Reading: Matins: Gospel Reading: Mark 16:1-8. Divine Liturgy Epistle: Ephesians 2:14-22. Gospel: Luke 12:16-21.

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.

BLESSED 60 ANNIVERSARY OF OUR CHURCH TO ALL OF YOU!

Happy Thanksgiving Day! 

We pray for those who celebrate their birthday. Хρόνια πολλά & ευλογημενα! November 19 Marina Billot, 26 Paulette Manos.

If you know someone who would like to rent church apartment please see Ike Nestopoulos or Fr. Zenoviy. Thank you. 

Please mark your calendar. December 19 and 20 Philoptochos Bake Sale.

Philoptochos is once again supporting the Salvation Army Adopt-a-Family program. Donations are being accepted until 12/7/2025. Please also consider donating ingredients for the bake sale: walnuts, butter, sugar are needed for group baklava baking. Thank you to all who have graciously committed to baking again this year! Please see Angela Teeter for more information.

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.

Sunday, December 7 - St. Nicholas will visit our church and give out presents for all of our children.

Sunday, December 7 - All children and parents following the Divine Liturgy are welcome to join Christmas crafts with Presbytera. 

November 25,Holy Great Martyress Catherine (305). She was the daughter of the governor of Alexandrian Egypt Constus. Living in the capital the centre of Hellenistic knowledge, and possessed of an uncommon beauty and intellect, Catherine received a most splendid of educations, having studied the works of the finest philosophers and teachers of antiquity. Young men from the most worthy families of the empire sought the hand of the beautiful Catherine, but none of them was chosen. She declared to her parents that she would be agreeable to enter into marriage only with someone who surpassed her in illustriousness, wealth, comeliness and wisdom.
Catherine's mother, a secret Christian, sent her for advice to her own spiritual father a saintly elder pursuing prayerful deeds in solitude in a cave not far from the city. Having listened to Catherine, the elder said that he knew of a Youth, who surpassed her in everything, such that "His beauty was more radiant than the shining of the sun, His wisdom governed all creation, His riches were spread throughout all the world this however did not diminish but rather added to the inexpressible loftiness of His lineage". The image of the Heavenly Bridegroom produced in the soul of the holy maiden an ardent desire to see Him. Truth, to which her soul yearned, revealed it to her. In parting, the elder handed Catherine an icon of the Mother of God with the God Child Jesus on Her arm and bid her to pray with faith to the Queen of Heaven the Mother of the Heavenly Bridegroom for the bestowing of the vision of Her Son.

Catherine returned again to the elder. He lovingly received her, instructed her in the faith of Christ, admonished her to preserve her purity and integrity and to pray unceasingly; he then performed over her the mystery sacrament of holy Baptism.                                 At this time the emperor Maximian was himself in Alexandria for a pagan feast day. Because of this, the feast was especially splendid and crowded. The cries of the sacrificial animals, the smoke and the smell of the sacrifices, the endless blazing of fires, and the bustling crowds at the arenas filled Alexandria. Human victims also were brought because they consigned to death in the fire the confessors in Christ, those not recanting from Him under torture. The Saint's love for the Christian martyrs and her fervent desire to lighten their fate impelled Catherine to go to the pagan head priest and ruler of the empire, the emperor-persecutor Maximian.

Introducing herself, the saint confessed her faith in the One True God and with wisdom denounced the errors of the pagans. 
Maximian, no longer hoping to convince the saint, tried to entice her with the promise of riches and fame. Having received an angry refusal, the emperor gave orders to subject the saint to terrible tortures and then throw her in prison. 
On the following day they again brought the martyress to the judgement court. Maximian again tried to entice the holy martyress, proposing marriage to her, and again he received a refusal. Saint Catherine firmly confessed her fidelity to the Heavenly Bridegroom - Christ, and with a prayer to Him she was martyred. The relics of Saint Catherine were taken to Mount Sinai. In the VI Century, through a revelation, the venerable head and left hand of the holy martyress were found and transferred with honour to a newly-constructed church of the Sinai monastery built by the holy emperor Justinian

25 Νοεμβρίου: Τω αυτώ μηνί ΚΕ', μνήμη της Αγίας και ενδόξου Μεγαλομάρτυρος του Χριστού Αικατερίνης.  Αικατερίνα και σοφή και παρθένος, Εκ δε ξίφους και Μάρτυς. Ω καλά τρία! Εικάδι πέμπτη άορ κατέπεφνεν ρήτορα κούρην.                                       Αύτη ήτον κατά τους χρόνους του Μαξιμιανού εν έτει τδ' [304], καταγομένη από την πόλιν της Αλεξανδρείας, θυγάτηρ βασιλίσκου τινός ονομαζομένου Κώνστου. Ωραία πολλά και μεγαλόσωμος, δεκαοκτώ χρόνων ούσα κατά την ηλικίαν. Αύτη έμαθεν εις το άκρον κάθε ελληνικήν και ρωμαϊκήν, ήτοι λατινικήν παιδείαν και επιστήμην: δηλαδή του Έλληνος Ομήρου, του των Λατίνων μεγαλωτάτου ποιητού Βιργιλίου, του Ασκληπιού, του Ιπποκράτους και Γαληνού των ιατρών, Αριστοτέλους και Πλάτωνος, Φιλιστίωνός τε και Ευσεβίου των φιλοσόφων, Ιαννή και Ιαμβρή των μεγάλων μάγων, Διονυσίου και Σιβύλλης. Αυτή εγυμνάσθη και όλην την ρητορικήν τέχνην, όση εφευρέθη από τους ανθρώπους. Ου μόνον δε ταύτας, αλλά και πολλάς γλώσσας και διαλέκτους πολλών εθνών έμαθεν η πάνσοφος, ώστε οπού έκαμνεν εκστατικούς, όχι μόνον εκείνους οπού την έβλεπον, αλλά και εκείνους οπού ήκουον την φήμην και την σοφίαν της. Κατά τους χρόνους δε του βασιλέως Μαξιμιανού και Μαξεντίου του υιού του, επιάσθη δια την εις Χριστόν ομολογίαν, και εδοκίμασε πολλά και διάφορα βάσανα. Και με την σοφίαν αυτής και διαλεκτικήν, εκατάπεισεν εκατόν πενήντα ρήτορας να πιστεύσουν εις τον Χριστόν, ομού με άλλους πολλούς Έλληνας. Με τους οποίους απεκεφαλίσθη η μακαρία, και έλαβε του μαρτυρίου τον στέφανον.

Saturday, November 15 Nativity Fast Begins. We keep fast till December 24

Wisdom of the Saints.  "Every mother is a martyr, primarily: a Christian mother. She dies every day for her children. If there is anything on earth that is admired by the Heavenly Angels, that us a good Christian, a good mother! And you children, will worthily repay your mother if every day you resurrect in your soul memory of her, and prayers for her and love and respect. /St. Justin Popovich/

"We are often indifferent to our brethren who are distressed or upset, on the grounds that they are in this state through no fault of ours. The Doctor of souls, however, wishing to root out the soul's excuses from the heart, tells us to leave our gift and to be reconciled not only if we happen to be upset by our brother, but also if he is upset by us, whether justly or unjustly; only when we have healed the breach through our apology should we offer our gift." /St. John Cassian/

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, November 24- 3:00 PM. JesusPrayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner" Day of Fasting 6:00 PM Festive Fespers. 

Tuesday, November 25 - 10:00 AM Divine Liturgy. Great Martyr Catherine, patron Saint of our church. 3:00 PM. Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner" Day of Fasting. 

Wednesday, November 26 - 3:00 PM. Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner" Day of Fasting.  Every Wednesday we remember when Judas betrayed Christ. 6:00 PM. Prayers near Miraculous Icon Mother of God "The Tender Heart" St. George's Orthodox Church in Taylor, PA.

Thursday, November 27 - 3:00 PM. Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner" Day of Fasting. 

Friday, November 28 - 3:00 PM. Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." Every Friday we commemorate Christ's Crucifixion. Day of Fasting. 

Saturday, November 29 - Day of Fasting. 3:00 PM. JesusPrayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner" 6:00 PM. Great Vespers/Confession. Reading the life of the Saints. Catechism classes following the Vespers.

Sunday, November 30 - 8:45 AM Orthros/Confession. 10:00 AM. Divine Liturgy. Every Sunday we commemorate Christ's resurrection. Day of Fasting.

Sunday School: Children please go to class after Holy Communion. Please see Emeline Mandeville for more information.

 

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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.

 

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