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, January 11, 2026

 

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: John 20:19-31. Divine Liturgy Epistle: Ephesians 4:7-13. Gospel: Matthew 4:12-17.

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

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

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. 

Memory Eternal! Αιώνια η μνήμη του! January - 12 Konstandinos Lambrou, 17 Peter G. Nickels

We pray for those who celebrate their birthday. Хρόνια πολλά & ευλογημενα! January - 8 Alaksandar Bradic', 11 Sofia Zharsky, 12 Dara Archin, 12 Dimitra Stratakos, 15 Leon Edward Zaharis. 

Dear Parishioners, this week a new project will begin in our church. On the steps of Solea near the Iconostasis and in the Altar, the carpet will be replaced with tile. In addition, after Christmas a new floor was installed in the kitchen of the church hall. We thank our parishioner, as well as the Philoptochos and all those who donated toward these necessary changes in the church and the church hall. Thank you to everyone who supports this Church of St. Catherine. If you would Ike to become involved and help the church, please contact the financial secretary John Franck or the president of the parish council, Ike Nestopoulos. 

What Orthodox church teach on sexual orientation and gender identity? While Eastern Orthodox churches are autocephalous, there is consensus on official LGBTQ+ policy. For example the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese lists homosexuality beside fornication, adultery, abortion and abusive sexual behavior as "immoral and inappropriate forms of behavior in and of themselves, and also because they attack the institution of marriage and the family." It adds that, "The Orthodox Church believes that homosexual behavior is a sin." Similarly, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States, declares, "Like adultery and fornication, homosexual acts are condemned by Holy Scripture." The Eastern Orthodox Church does not perform or recognize same-sex marriages. According to a statement by the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops, "The Orthodox Church cannot and will not bless same-sex unions. Whereas marriage between a man and a woman is a sacred institution ordained by God, homosexual union is not." Orthodox Christian teaching on marriage and sexuality is "Firmly grounded in Holy Scripture 2000 years of church tradition, canon law holds that marriage consists in the conjugal union of a man and a woman" 

I wanted everyone to be informed we will begin holding a Paraklesis service on Thursday's night at 6pm. Following the service you will be anointed with the holy oil from Kardiotissa miracle icon.

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, January 12 - 3:00 PM. Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." 

Tuesday, January 13 - 3:00PM Jesus Prayer "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." 

Wednesday, December 14 - 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 remember when Judas betrayed Christ. 

Thursday, January 15 - 3:00 PM. Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." 6:00 PM. Paraklesis. Following the service you will be anointed with the holy oil from Kardiotissa miracle icon. 

Friday, January 16 - 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 Crucifixion. 

Saturday, January 17 - 3:00 PM. Jesus Prayer: "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, January 18 - 8:45 AM. Orthros/Confession. 10:00 AM. Divine Liturgy. Every Sunday we commemorate Christ's resurrection.

Today, church commemorate Monk Theodosius the Great.  He lived during the V-VI Centuries, and was the initiator of common life monasteries. He was born in Cappadocia of pious parents. Endowed with a splendid voice, he zealously toiled at church reading and singing. And the Monk Theodosios prayed fervently, that the Lord would guide him on the way to salvation. In his early years he visited the Holy Land and met with the Monk Simeon the Stylite who blessed him and predicted future pastoral service for him. Yearning for the solitary life, Saint Theodosios settled in Palestine into a desolate cave, in which by tradition, the three Magi had spent the night, having come to worship at the Nativity of the Saviour of the world. In it he dwelt for 30 years in great abstinence and unceasing prayer. Steadily there began to throng to the ascetic those wanting to live under his guidance. When the cave could no more hold all the gathered monks, the Monk Theodosios began to pray, that the Lord Himself would point out the place for the monks. Taking with him a censer with cold unlit coals, the monk went into the wilderness. At a certain spot the coals fired up and set the incense smoke to rising. Here also the monk founded the first common-life monastery. Soon the monastery of the Monk Theodosios became reknown, and up to 700 monks gathered at it. According to the final testament of the Monk Theodosios, the Lavra rendered service to neighbour, giving aid to all the poor and providing shelter for wanderers. The Monk Theodosios was extremely compassionate. One time when there was a famine in Palestine and a multitude of people gathered at the monastery, the monk gave orders to allow everyone into the monastery enclosure. His disciples were annoyed, knowing, that the monastery did not have the means to feed all those who had come. But when they went into the bakery, they saw that then through the prayers of the abba, that it was filled with bread. And suchlike a miracle was repeated every time, when the Monk Theodosios wanted to give help to the destitute.

At the monastery the Monk Theodosios built an home for taking in strangers, separate infirmaries for monks and laymen, and also a shelter for the dying. Seeing that at the Lavra were gathered people from various lands, the monk arranged for Divine-services in the various languages Greek, Georgian and Armenian. For communing the Holy Mysteries all gathered in the large church, where Divine-services were done in Greek.
During the reign of the Constantinople emperor Anastasias (491-518) there arose the heresy of Eutykhios and Severus, which recognised neither the sacraments nor the clergy. The emperor joined in with the false-teaching, and the Orthodox began to suffer persecution. The Monk Theodosios stood firmly in defense of Orthodoxy and on behalf of the wilderness monks wrote a missive to the emperor, in which they denounced him and refuted the condemned heresy with the teachings of the Ecumenical Councils. He affirmed moreover, that the wilderness dwellers and monks would firmly support the Orthodox confession. The emperor showed restraint for a short while, but then he renewed persecution of the Orthodox. The holy elder then manifest great zeal for the truth. Leaving the monastery, he came to Jerusalem and in the "Great" church, stood at the high place and cried out for all to hear: "Whoever honoureth not the four Ecumenical Councils, let them be anathema!". For this bold deed the monk was sent to prison, but soon returned after the death of the emperor. The Monk Theodosios during his life accomplished many healings and other miracles, coming to the aid of the needy. Before his death, the Monk Theodosios summoned to him three beloved bishops and revealed to them, that he would soon expire to the Lord. After three days he died at the age of 105, in the year 529. The body of the saint was buried with reverence in the cave, in which he lived at the beginning of his ascetic deeds. 

Wisdom of the Saints:

"Undistracted prayer is a sign of love for God; but careless or distracted prayer is a sign of love for pleasure." /St. Mark the Ascetic/

"One always needs to repent of one's sins. It is especially important every evening, before sleep, to repent to God for the sins that we have committed over the course of the day."

"Separately, love, peace, and joy work miracles, but united they can rule over all things. When they are united and deeply rooted in a person's heart, wherever that person emits a thought, there is peace, for such a person radiates peace." /Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica/

 

Ιανουαρίου 12: Ἡ Ἁγία Μάρτυς Τατιανὴ καταγόταν ἀπὸ τὴ Ρώμη καὶ ἔζησε κατὰ τὴν ἐποχὴ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορα Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ Σεβήρου (222 - 235 μ.Χ.). Ὁ πατέρας της εἶχε διατελέσει ὕπατος. Ἡ Ἁγία Τατιανὴ εἶχε τὸ ἐκκλησιαστικὸ ἀξίωμα τῆς διακόνισσας καὶ στὴν ὑμνολογία παρίσταται ὡς μαθήτρια τῶν Ἁγίων Ἀποστόλων Πέτρου καὶ Παύλου. Ἡ ἐπισημότητα τῆς καταγωγῆς της καὶ ὁ ἔνθεος ζῆλος μὲ τὸν ὁποῖο ἐκτελοῦσε τὰ διακονικά της καθήκοντα, ἔδωσαν στὴν Τατιανὴ περιφανὴ θέση μεταξὺ τῶν Χριστιανῶν. Καὶ οἱ Ἐθνικοὶ ὅμως εἶχαν ἀκούσει περὶ αὐτῆς καὶ δὲν μποροῦσαν νὰ δεχθοῦν τὸ γεγονὸς ὅτι μία τέτοια γυναίκα καταφρονοῦσε τὶς κοσμικὲς βλέψεις καὶ περιφρονοῦσε τὰ εἴδωλα, γιὰ νὰ ὑπηρετεῖ μὲ τόση αὐταπάρνηση τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς καὶ νὰ κηρύττει τὸ Εὐαγγέλιο τοῦ Κυρίου. Ὅταν, ἐπὶ Σεβήρου, διατάχθηκε δίωξη τῶν Χριστιανῶν, ἡ Τατιανὴ συνελήφθη καὶ ἐπειδὴ διεκήρυττε τὴν πίστη της στὸν Χριστό, τὴν ὁδήγησαν μπροστὰ στὸ βασιλέα καὶ μαζὶ μὲ αὐτὸν εἰσῆλθε σὲ ἕνα εἰδωλολατρικὸ ναό. Ἐκεῖ ὅμως ἡ Ἁγία, μὲ μιὰ θερμὴ προσευχὴ στὸ Χριστό, συντάραξε τὰ ξόανα (τὰ ξύλινα ἀγάλματα) τῶν θεοτήτων τῆς εἰδωλολατρίας καὶ τὰ γκρέμισε στὸ δάπεδο. Γιὰ τὸν λόγο αὐτὸ τὴν ὑπέβαλαν σὲ βασανιστήρια. Τὴν κτύπησαν καὶ μὲ σιδερένια νύχια τῆς ξέσκισαν τὰ βλέφαρα. Ἔπειτα τὴν κρέμασαν καὶ τῆς ξύρισαν τὸ κεφάλι. Ἀκολούθως τὴν ἔριξαν πάνω σὲ φωτιά, ἀλλὰ δὲν ἔπαθε τίποτα. Κατόπιν τὴν ἔριξαν σὲ πεινασμένα ἄγρια θηρία, ἀλλὰ αὐτὰ δὲν τόλμησαν νὰ τὴν βλάψουν. Ὕστερα ἀπὸ ὅλα αὐτά, οἱ εἰδωλολάτρες, ἔκοψαν τὴν Τίμια κεφαλὴ καὶ κατ' αὐτὸν τὸν τρόπο ἡ Ἁγία εἰσῆλθε μὲ τὸ στέφανο τῆς δόξας στὴ χαρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου της.

Ἀπολυτίκιον Τατιανής Μάρτυρος.  Η αμνάς σου Ιησού, κράζει μεγάλη τή φωνή Σέ νυμφίε μου ποθώ, καί σέ ζητούσα αθλώ, καί συσταυρούμαι, καί συνθάπτομαι τώ βαπτισμώ σου, καί πάσχω διά σέ, ως βασιλεύσω συν σοί, καί θνήσκω υπέρ σού, ίνα καί ζήσω εν σοί αλλ' ως θυσίαν άμωμον, προσδέχου τήν μετά πόθου τυθείσάν σοι, Αυτής πρεσβείαις, ως ελεήμων σώσον τάς ψυχάς ημών.

 

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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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