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, August 10, 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 

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Scripture Reading: Matins: Gospel Reading: John 20-19:31. Divine Liturgy Epistle: 1 Corinthians 3:9-17. Gospel: Matthew 14:22-34.

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. 

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 remember them during the Liturgy. The list of the names located near the Sundays Bulletins. Thank you. 

We pray for those who celebrate their birthday. Хρόνια πολλά & ευλογημενα! God grant you many years! August 9 Andrea Stephanou, 12 Costandinos N. Lambrou. 

Friday, August 15 - Feast of the Dormition. Our Philoptochos will host a Coffee Hour. Everyone is invited.

Philoptochos will be hosting the annual Student Luncheon on September 7^th. We welcome the OCF students with a luncheon and gift bags. Please contact Angela Teeter for donations for the gift bags and Paulette Manos for helping with the meal. 

Sunday, September 14 - The Philoptochos will hold a second collection at church to support the IOCC and aid the people in the Holy Land. 

Sunday, September 28 - Philoptochos will hold a second collection to support the children in Ukraine who have been wounded, as well as those who have lost their families due to the Russian war of occupation. 

To honor the Dormition (Koimisis) of the Mother of God, we warmly invite you to join us for the Paraklesis (Supplication) Service. Bring the names of your loved ones to be lifted in prayers. Please inform if you wish to offer artoklasia - the blessing of bread, wine, and oil - for your family's health and well - being in celebration of the Dormition Feast. 

Today, August 10^th - Trisagion in memory of Stergeos G. Arvantides - 40 days, August 9. Heidi Kollias - 40 days, August 14. Peter B. Nickles - Death Anniversary, August 12. Christos Nikolakis - Death Anniversary, August 12. Alexandra Lambrou - Death Anniversary August 12.Memory to them Eternal!

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, August 11 - 3:00 PM. Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner" Day of Fasting. 6:00 PM - Paraklesis.  

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

Wednesday, August 13 - 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, August 14 - 3:00 PM. Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner" Day of Fasting.  6:00 PM - Great Vespers. Feast of the Dormition. 

Friday, August 15 - 10:00 AM - Divine Liturgy. Feast of the Dormition. Coffee Hour. Everyone is invited. 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, August 16 - 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, August 17 - 8:45 AM Orthros/Confession. 10:00 AMDivine Liturgy. Every Sunday we commemorate Christ's resurrection. 

August 15^th the "Falling-Asleep" or "Repose" ("Dormition" "Koimesis") of our Most Holy Lady Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary. After the Ascension of the Lord, the Mother of God remained in the care of the Apostle John the Theologian, and during his journeyings she lived at the home of his parents, near Mount Eleon (the Mount of Olives). She was a source of consolation and edification for both the Apostles and for all the believers. Conversing with them, she told them about miraculous happenings: the Annunciation, the Conception without seed and without defilement of Christ born of her, about His early childhood, and about all His earthly life. And just like the Apostles, she helped plant and strengthen the Christian Church by her presence, her discourse and her prayers. The reverence of the Apostles for the Most Holy Virgin was extraordinary. Many of the newly-enlightened in the faith even came from faraway lands to Jerusalem, to see and to hear the All-Pure Mother of God.
During the time of the persecution, initiated by king Herod against the young Church of Christ (Acts 12: 1-3), the Most Holy Virgin together with the Apostle John the Theologian withdrew in the year 43 to Ephesus. The preaching of the Gospel there had fallen by lot to the Apostle John the Theologian. The Mother of God was likewise on Cyprus with Saint Lazarus the Four-Days-Entombed, where he was bishop. She was also on Holy Mount Athos, about which, as says Saint Stephen of the "Holy Mount", the Mother of God prophetically spoke: "This place shalt be allotted me, given unto me by my Son and my God. I will be the Patroness for this place and Intercessor to God for it". The respect of ancient Christians for the Mother of God was so great, that they preserved what they could about Her life, what they could take note of concerning Her sayings and deeds, and they even passed down to us the regards of Her outward appearance. According to tradition, based on the words of the Priest Martyrs Dionysios the Areopagite (+ 96, Ignatios the God-Bearer (+107), Sainted Ambrose of Mediolanum-Milan had occasion to write in their works concerning the Mother of God: "She was the Virgin not only of body, but also of soul, humble of heart, circumspect in word, wise in mind, not overly given to speaking, a lover of reading and of work, and prudent in speech. Her rule of life was - offend no one, intend well for everyone, respect the aged, be not envious of others, avoid bragging, be healthy of mind, and love virtue. When did she ever in the least hurl an insult in the face of her parents, when was she at discord with her kin? When did She ever puff up haughtily before a modest person, or laugh at the weak, or shun the destitute? With her there was nothing of glaring eyes, nothing of unseemly words, nor of improper conduct. She was modest of body-movement, her step was quiet, and her voice straightforward; such that her bodily visage was an expression of soul, and personification of purity. All her days she was concerned with fasting: She slept only when necessary. She was out of her house only for church, and then only in the company of kin. Otherwise, she but little appeared outside her house in the company of others, and she was her own best overseer; others could protect her only in body, but she herself guarded her character. Regarding the clothing which she wore, She was satisfied to have natural colours, which even now is evidenced by her holy head-covering. Suffice it to say, an especial grace attended all her actions".

The circumstances of the Falling-Asleep or Dormition of the Mother of God were known in the Orthodox Church from times apostolic. Already in the I Century, the Priest Martyr Dionysios the Areopagite wrote about Her "Falling-Asleep". In the II Century, the account about the bodily Assumption of the Most Holy Virgin Mary to Heaven is found in the works of Meliton, Bishop of Sardis. In the IV Century, Saint Epiphanios of Cyprus refers to the holy tradition about the "Falling-Asleep" of the Mother of God. In the V Century Sainted Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem, told the holy Byzantine empress Pulcheria: "Although in Holy Scripture there be no account about the circumstances of Her end, we know about them otherwise from the most ancient and credible tradition".

At the time of Her blessed "Falling-Asleep", the Most Holy Virgin Mary was again at Jerusalem. Her fame as the Mother of God had already spread throughout the land and had aroused against her many of the envious and the spiteful, who wanted to make attempts on her life; but God preserved her from enemies. Day and night she spent at prayer. The Most Holy Mother of God went often to the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord, and here she offered up incense and the bending of knees. More than once enemies of the Saviour sought to hinder her from visiting her holy place, and they besought of the high-priest a guard to watch over the Grave of the Lord. But the Holy Virgin Mary, unseen by anyone, continued to pray in front of them. In one suchlike visit to Golgotha, the Archangel Gabriel appeared before Her and announced her approaching transfer from this life into the Heavenly life of eternal beatitude. With these Heavenly tidings the Mother of God returned to Bethlehem with the three girls attending her (Sepphora, Evigea and Zoila). She thereupon summoned Righteous Joseph of Aramathea and other disciples of the Lord, and told them of her impending Repose. The Most Holy Virgin prayed also, that the Lord would have the Apostle John come to Her. And the Holy Spirit transported him from Ephesus, setting him alongside that very place, where lay the Mother of God. The Disciples, whose number then it was impossible to count, flocked together, says Saint John Damascene, like clouds and eagles, to hearken to the Mother of God. Seeing one another, the Disciples rejoiced, but in their confusion they asked each other, why had the Lord gathered them together in one place? Saint John the Theologian, greeting them with tears of joy, said that for the Mother of God had begun the time of repose unto the Lord. Going in to the Mother of God, they beheld her augustly lying upon the cot, and filled with spiritual happiness. The Disciples gave greeting to her, and then they told about their being miraculously transported from their places of preaching. The Most Holy Virgin Mary glorified God, in that He had hearkened to her prayer and fulfilled her heart's desire, and she began speaking about her immanent end. During the time of this conversation the Apostle Paul likewise appeared in miraculous manner together with his disciples: Dionysios the Areopagite, wondrous Hierotheos, and Timothy and others from amongst the Seventy Disciples. The Grace of the Holy Spirit had gathered them all together, so that they might be vouchsafed the blessing of the All-Pure Virgin Mary, and all the more fittingly to see to the burial of the Mother of the Lord. Miraculous was the life of the All-Pure Virgin, and wondrous was Her Repose, as Holy Church doth sing. Giving kiss to the all-pure body with reverence and in awe, the Disciples in turn were blessed by it and filled with grace and spiritual joy. Through the great glorification of the Most Holy Mother of God, the almighty power of God healed the sick, who with faith and love gave touch to the holy cot. Bewailing their separation on earth from the Mother of God, the Apostles set about the burying of Her all-pure body. The holy Apostles Peter, Paul, James and others of the 12 Apostles carried the funeral bier upon their shoulders, and upon it lay the body of the ever-Virgin Mary. Saint John the Theologian went at the head with the resplendent palm-branch from Paradise, and the other saints and a multitude of the faithful accompanied the funeral bier with candles and censers, singing sacred song. This solemn procession went from the Sion-quarter through all Jerusalem to the Garden of Gethsemane. When the procession reached the Garden of Gethsemane, then amidst the weeping and the wailing began the last kiss to the all-pure body. Only towards evening time were the Apostles able to place it in the tomb and seal the entrance to the cave with a large stone. For three days they did not depart the place of burial, during this time making unceasing prayer and psalmody.       Through the wise providence of God, the Apostle Thomas had been destined not to be present at the burial of the Mother of God. Arriving late on the third day at Gethsemane, he lay down at the sepulchral cave and with bitter tears bespeaking loudly his desire, that he might be vouchsafed a final blessing of the Mother of God and have final farewell with her. The Apostles out of heartfelt pity for him decided to open the grave and permit him the comfort of venerating the holy remains of the Ever-Virgin Mary. But having opened the grave, they found in it only the grave wrappings and were thus convinced of the bodily ascent or assumption of the Most Holy Virgin Mary to Heaven.

On the evening of the same day, when the Apostles had gathered at an house to strengthen themselves with food, they took a portion of the bread, set aside at the meal in memory of the Saviour ("the Portion of the Lord"), and they exclaimed also: "Most Holy Mother of God, help us". (This marks the beginning of the rite of offering up a "Panagia" ("All-Blessed") the custom of offering up at meals a portion of bread in honour of the Mother of God, which even at present is done at monasteries).
The sash of the Mother of God, and Her holy garb, preserved with reverence and distributed over the face of the earth in pieces - both in past and in present has worked miracles. Her numerous icons everywhere issue forth with outpourings of signs and healings, and her holy body - taken up to Heaven, witnesses to our own future mode of life therein. Her body was not left to the chance vicissitudes of the transitory world, but was all the more incomparably exalted by its glorious ascent to Heaven.

 

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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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