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
Welcome all visitors, please come again.
Fast Day (Wine and Oil Allowed)
Refrain from meat, fish, dairy, and eggs.
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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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We pray for those who celebrate their birthday. Happy Birthday! March - 31 Fotuia Fegaras, 31 Emeline Mandeville. April - 3 Khateena Kachlishvili.
Scripture Reading: Matins: Gospel Reading: John 20:1-10 Divine Liturgy: Epistle: Hebrews 6:13-20. Gospel: Mark 9:17-31.
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
As noted during the General Assembly, we have set up a persistent email for the Church Treasurer. It is st.cath.treas@gmail.com In particular, if you would like a letter for your 2024 taxes, please send an email to st.cath.treas@gmail.com and include your updated contact information, so that we can update our records. Thank you.
What to see in Sunday Bulletin? Please send your requests, announcements and news weekly by Thursday to Fr. Zenoviy: stcatherinegoc@gmail.com
We pray for the newly departed Diamando Seferlis, John's Severlis mother and Pota's Vlahos sister.
Today, there will be a 40th - day Memorial Service in the memory of Bill Giallourakis. His daughter, Stamie Despo, will host the coffee hour.
Our condolences, prayers and support are with Steven Hoskins and his family. His mother Barbara, fell asleep in the Lord last Monday.
Our 2025 PHILOPTOCHOS MEMBERSHIP DRIVE IS UNDERWAY thru April 30th, 2025. Suggested Stewardship dues is $25, however, we accept whatever amount you wish to give as a member. Everyone over the age of 18 is welcome to join our wonderful Philanthropic group and mission, including men, as Associate members!
St. Catherine's Philoptochos is planning our annual Easter Pasca Fundraiser bake sale for Friday, April 11th from 4-6 pm, and Saturday April 12th, from noon-2 pm. Please tell your friends and family! All proceeds go to help 21 local charities as well as our church, national and international charities as well as disaster relief.
*Please donate WALNUTS and UNSALTED BUTTER to help our bakers bake all the pastries needed to fill or Pre-orders, and fill our tables with additional delicious items, including Spanakopita, Galatoboureko, Karathopeta, Koudomaides, Koulordakia and other pastries.
GROUP BAKLAVA BAKING WILL BE APRIL 6th, following coffee hour. We need all volunteers on board to make, bake and syrup 23 8x8 Baklavas and large pans of Baklava.
GROUP BAKING SPANAKOPITA WILL BE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9TH AT 2PM. All volunteers let Sophia King know if you are available to help Sophia.georgiou47@gmail.com or 607-3396107
ALL BAKED GOODS ARE DUE SUNDAY, APRIL 6TH- Tuesday, April 8th, boxed if possible. GALATOBOUREKO and KARITHOPITA ARE DUE THURSDAY to cut and cup in the morning. ALL PRE- ORDER PACKING VOLUNTEERS: THURSDAY APRIL, 10th FROM 2:30-6 OR AFTER. Please Sophia know you are coming to help. In His Service, Sophia
- 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, March 31 - Great Lent begins. 3:00 PM. Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner" Day of Fasting.
- Tuesday, April 1 - 3:00 PM. Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner" Day of Fasting.
- Wednesday, April 2 - 3:00 PM. Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner" Day of Fasting. 6:00 PM. Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts Every Wednesday we remember when Judas betrayed Christ.
- Thursday, April 3 - 3:00 PM. Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner" Day of Fasting.
- Friday, April 4 - 3:00 PM. Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." Every Friday we commemorate Christ's Crucifixion. 6:00 PM. Salutations to the Theotokos. Day of Fasting.
- Saturday, April 5 - 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/Confession. Reading the life of the Saints. Catechism classes following the Vespers.
- Sunday, April 6 - 8:45AM Orthros/Confession 10:00 AM Divine Liturgy Day of Fasting. Every Sunday we commemorate Christ's resurrection
- Wisdom of the Saints:
- "Beguiling and deceptive is the life of the world, fruitless its labor, perilous its delight, poor its riches, delusive its honors, inconstant, insignificant; and woe to those who hope in its seeming goods: because of this many die without repentance."
"First comes faith and then love. One must believe in order to love. One cannot love something he does not believe in. So to love God we must believe in God."
/Saint Paisios of Mount Athos/
Holy Week services.
Lazarus Saturday: 8:45am Orthros. 10:00 am Divine Liturgy. Vespers - 6:00 pm
Palm Sunday: 8:45 am Orthros. 10:00am Divine Liturgy.
6:00 pm Bridegroom Service.
Holy Monday: 6:00 pm Bridegroom Service.
Holy Tuesday: 6:00 pm Bridegroom Service.
Holy Wednesday: 6:00 pm Holy Unction.
Holy Thursday:
10:00 am Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil. Commemorating the Last Supper.
6:00 pm The Passion Service.
Holy Friday:
11:00 am The Imperial Hours - Decorating the Kouvouklion to follow.
3:00 pm Apokathelosis Service.
7:00 pm The Lamentations Service.
Holy Saturday:
10:00 am Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil
11:15 pm Orthros of the Resurrection.
Holy Pascha Sunday:
Midnight The Resurrection Service and Divine Liturgy. 11:30 am The Agape Vespers Service.
Today, the Church glorifies the righteous John of the Ladder +649. St John was one of the greatest ascetics, which the Church, in speaking of them, calls "earthly angels and Heavenly men." He was surnamed "of the Ladder" (Climacus) because he wrote an immortal work, the "Ladder of Divine Ascent." In this work, we see how, by means of thirty steps, the Christian gradually ascends from below to the heights of supreme spiritual perfection. We see how one virtue leads to another, as a man rises higher and higher and finally attains to that height where there abides the crown of the virtues, which is called "Christian love." Saint John wrote his immortal work especially for the monastics, but in the past his "Ladder" was always favorite reading during the Great Lent for anyone zealous to live piously. Therein the Saint clearly demonstrates how a man passes from one step to the next. Remember, Christian soul, that this ascent on high is indispensable for anyone who wishes to save his soul unto eternity. When we throw a stone up, it ascends until the moment when the propelling force ceases to be effectual. So long as this force acts, the stone travels higher and higher in its ascent, overcoming the force of the earth's gravity. But when this force is spent and ceases to act, then, as you know, the stone does not remain suspended in the air. Immediately, it begins to fall, and the further it falls the greater the speed of its fall. This, solely according to the physical laws of terrestrial gravity. So it is also in the spiritual life. As a Christian gradually ascends, the force of spiritual and ascetical labours lifts him on high. Our Lord Jesus Christ said: "Strive to enter in through the narrow gate." That is, the Christian ought to be an ascetic. Not only the monastic, but every Christian. He must take pains for his soul and his life. He must direct his life on the Christian path, and purge his soul of all filth and impurity. Now, if the Christian, who is ascending upon this ladder of spiritual perfection by his struggles and ascetic labours, ceases from this work and ascetic toil, his soul will not remain in its former condition; but, like the stone, it will fall to the earth. More and more quickly will it drop until, finally, if the man does not come to his senses, it will cast him down into the very abyss of Hell.
Κατά την περίοδο της Αγίας και Μεγάλης Τεσσαρακοστής ιδιαίτερα έντονος είναι ο αγώνας του Ορθοδόξου χριστιανού κατά του πονηρού, με την νηστεία και την προσευχή. Στο Μεγάλο Απόδειπνο προσευχόμαστε: "Κύριε...λύτρωσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπό πάσης ταραχῆς καί δειλίας τῆς ἐκ του διαβόλου
The Sacrament of Confession: Confession is a Sacrament, or Mystery of the Church a way in which we can experience God in His fullness here on earth. When we sin, we damage our relationship with God and with the members of His Body, the Church. Sin ultimately alienates us from God, from our fellow human beings, and from our own true selves. During Confession, we acknowledge our sins out loud to God in the presence of the priest. The early Christian community had a specific practice in this regard: people would stand and confess their sins to God in the presence of the whole congregation. Indeed, Jesus encouraged His followers to walk in the light together, to confront problems corporately, to "tell it to the Church"(Mt. 18:17) Thus, James writes, "Confess your trespasses to one another" (5:16) But as time went on and the Church grew in numbers, strangers came to visit and public confession became more difficult. Out of mercy, priests began to witness confessions of sin privately on behalf of the Church. Why confess to a priest? The Scriptures clearly illustrate the authority Christ gave His disciples and their successors via the laying on of hands (2 Timothy 1:6) to forgive sins (John 20:23 also Mt. 16:19) From the beginning, Christians understood that the grace of ordination endowed the shepherd of the flock with the discernment and compassion to offer guidance and remit confessed sins on behalf of Christ. One clarification: we do not confess to the priest himself; we confess to God in the presence of the priest. You might ask, "But can't I just confess to God privately? Why do I need a priest?" You most certainly can confess to God in personal prayer; however, there is no clear biblical basis for this practice. Even general confession occurs within the context of the Body of the Church. In His mercy, God provides the sacrament of confession to give us deliverance from sin and from denial. It is easy for us to pray in isolation yet never come clean about our sins or attempt to change. It is far more effective to confess aloud to God before a priest and benefit from his guidance and help. Through the Grace of God, the priest became a spiritual doctor when he was ordained. He is well-versed in the sicknesses of the soul that sin can cause. We look to him to guide us, to diagnose our sickness and help us to live a more godly life. He draws on the knowledge of the Orthodox Church and the Holy Fathers to provide you with a "treatment" for your sins, so you can walk away from Confession free from your guilt, absolved of the evils you have done. And then, you can strive to "go and sin no more"(John 8:11) Why do we need to repent at all? Confession reconciles us with the Body of Christ. When we sin, we distance ourselves from others emotionally, spiritually, and sometimes physically. After we confess to God, He wipes those sins away and allows us to draw closer to Christ and his Church. Confession is cathartic. Sometimes, when we need to get something off our chests, we go to a trusted friend, a parent, or a sibling. And after we say everything out loud to that person, suddenly we feel better about whatever it was that troubled us. Orthodox Confession works in the same way. After admitting our sins to God in the presence of the priest, we experience that relief that comes from "getting it off our chest." Confession provides us with a diagnosis. How can we know we are sick, unless we go to a doctor regularly to ensure that we aren't? Frequent confession allows us to cleanse our souls of the evils we commit. The longer we stay away from the doctor, the higher our chances of becoming ill. How often should I go to confession? Unfortunately, there is no cut and dry answer to this question. The frequency of Confession is often left to the discretion of the individual and his/her spiritual father. As Orthodox Christians, we must always examine ourselves. We should partake in the Life of the Church as frequently as possible, as it is our way of communing with God in this fallen world. When Orthodox faithful confess our sins, we receive forgiveness from God Himself through the Mystery of Confession. We receive His mercy and His love, and we receive yet another chance to become the person God wants us to be.
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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.
5th Thursday of Lent: The Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete Visit the Online Chapel for more daily readings, hymns, a monthly calendar of saints and feasts, and more.Online Chapel
Saints and Feasts Commemorated