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, May 11, 2025

 

Welcome all visitors, please come again.

 

Fast Free

No fasting restrictions.

 

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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: Luke 24:12-35. Divine Liturgy: Epistle: Acts 9:32-42. Gospel: John 5:1-15.  

Χριστός Ανέστη! Christ is Risen! 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

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

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

Wednesday, May 14 - 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, May 15 - 3:00 PM. Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner" 

Friday, May 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, May 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, May 18 - 8:45 AM Orthros/Confession.10:00 AM Divine Liturgy Every Sunday we commemorate Christ's resurrection.

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

The church need your help. Please donate olive oil for the lampadas. Thank you 

Thank you Theresa Wells, Angela and Zachary Teeter for cleaning the church. If you would like to help clean the church, please come on Thursdays at 5:30 PM. Thank you. 

CHRISTOS ANESTI! Our Philoptochos Chapter Board Elections will take place on Sunday, May 25th, after coffee hour, in our parish hall. All Orthodox women should have received an email providing details of the Elections. If you have any questions, please contact Chris Stratakos at (607) 765-7340 or (607)2729323 Ann Bantuvanis (607)2722140 or Helen Talty.
 

Philoptochos membership dues for new and returning members is underway. Dues start at $25 to join our 2025 Philoptochos Chapter, and encourage every one to Give what they can, and share in the wonderful spirit and mission of Philoptochos. 

Your continued support and engagement are what make Philoptochos thrive!We look forward to another year of compassionate service, and commitment together. Any questions, please contact Sophia Georgiou King at 607-3396107  

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 

Miraculous is the missionary work of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, who are commemorated together on May 11th. Their mission was spread over a vast area of central Europe, which consists of what is now the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Ukraine, even extended to parts of Austria and Hungary. Whole nations abandoned paganism and superstition, in favor of Christian civilization. They worked as equals, determined to plant the Christian faith as Apostles to the Slavic peoples. The saints were brothers, born in Thessaloniki to an aristocratic family. Cyril was born in 827 AD, with his older brother Methodius born in 815 AD. They attended the most renowned schools in Constantinople, where they excelled. Constantine. St. Cyril's name before becoming a monk earned the name of "philosopher" for his intellect. He spoke eight languages, including Slavic, which is why St. Photios appointed him Director of the Center for Slavic Studies, which he had founded in Constantinople. His brother Methodius had been appointed Governor of Slavonia a province in the Balkans with a Slavic population, so he too was able to learn their language. Yearning for the solitary life, he resigned his position and became a monk in a Monastery of Olympus, in Bithynia. Through unceasing prayer, study, and asceticism, St. Methodius would be equipped for the great work that God would call him to later. It was the Ecumenical Patriarch St. Photios who fully appreciated St. Cyril's qualifications, assigning him to various ecclesiastical missions, which he successfully completed. In one of these, he was sent to Chersonas in Crimea, where he baptized the first 200 Slavs, among them members of the upper class. This created the conditions for the continued growth of the Church there, which after a century spread throughout Kyiv-Rus. While in Chersonas, St. Cyril realized that the greatest obstacle to his missionary work was the lack of writing, due to the Slavs having no alphabet. This is why, when the Patriarch commissioned him to go to Moravia with his brother St. Methodius to preach the Gospel, he created the Slavonic alphabet. It was this alphabet which he then used to translate and record the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles, the basic Holy Services and the Divine Liturgy. Upon arriving in Moravia with his brother and associates in 863, they were happy to offer the Holy Gospel translated into Slavonic as a gift to the Ruler of Moravia. He gladly received this gift, as his request to Emperor Michael III was now fulfilled. The two missionary brothers, who have been described as Isapostles (Equals to the Apostles), then began work on the establishment of a school in which they taught the Slavic alphabet and grammar, using the Bible as the basic text. They trained their Slavic associates, ordaining the most suitable to the priesthood, and expanded the Church throughout the territory. Naturally, this was not without difficulty due to a variety of factors, particularly from the successor to the Moldavan ruler Rotislav. Sts. Cyril and Methodius went to Rome in 869, where they were welcomed by the Pope. It was during this visit that St. Cyril reposed, and was buried there. St. Methodius, now Archbishop of Sirmium, continued his work and ordained a multitude of Slovenians, Croats, and Serbs to spread the Gospel in other countries where the Slavic peoples were established. Enduring persecution and imprisonment for two years, he died in 885. It is impossible to describe all of the great pioneering work accomplished by these holy brothers. What can be said is that the apostolic and cultural work of Sts. Cyril and Methodius was of immeasurable benefit for the people they ministered to. 

ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ ΤΟΥ ΠΑΡΑΛΥΤΟΥ  Όπως είναι γνωστό, κατά τη περίοδο του Πεντηκοσταρίου, η Εκκλησία διαβάζει από το Κατά Ιωάννην Ευαγγέλιο. Η Τετάρτη Κυριακή από το Πάσχα λέγεται η Κυριακή της Θεραπείας του Παραλύτου της Βηθεσδά.

O Ευαγγελιστής Ιωάννης δεν αναφέρει καθόλου στο Ευαγγέλιο του τη λέξη "παραλυτικός". Όμως, όλοι οι αρχαίοι και σύγχρονοι ερμηνευτές συμφωνούν ότι ο ασθενής, που θεράπευσε ο Χριστός, ήταν όντως παραλυτικός διότι φαίνεται από την όλη διήγηση. Επίσης, η λέξη στο Ευαγγέλιο αναφέρει "ξηρός" που ερμηνεύεται με τη λέξη "παραλυτικός" στα νέα Ελληνικά. Επειδή η δεξαμενή ονομάζεται "Προβατική Κολυμπήθρα", θα νόμιζε κανείς ότι ήταν μια δεξαμενή που έπλεναν τα ζώα πριν τα θυσιάσει το Εβραϊκό Ιερατείο στο Βωμό του Ναού των Ιεροσολύμων. Η λέξη "προβατική" όμως είναι δοτική πτώση και "κολυμπήθρα" είναι ονομαστική πτώση. Επομένως ερμηνεύεται: "Στα Ιεροσόλυμα, στη προβατική (εννοείται "πύλη"), υπήρχε μια κολυμπήθρα, η επιλεγόμενη Εβραϊστί Βηθεσδά." Η λέξη Βηθεσδά ερμηνεύεται ως "Οίκος Ελέους" επειδή δίπλα ήταν νοσοκομείο με πέντε πτέρυγες. Σε κάθε πτέρυγα τοποθετούσαν ασθενείς με όμοιες παθήσεις για να αποφύγουν τυχόν αναμετάδοση νόσου. Κατά καιρούς, κατέβαινε στη κολυμβήθρα Άγγελος Κυρίου και τάραζε το νερό της δεξαμενής. Όποιος έμπαινε πρώτος στη δεξαμενή, γινόταν υγιής, άσχετα από όποια αρρώστια έπασχε. Ο Ιησούς πλησίασε τον παραλυτικό και τον ρώτησε αν θέλει να θεραπευτεί; Ο άνθρωπος ήταν παραλυτικός για τριάντα οχτώ ολόκληρα χρόνια. Σκεφθείτε ότι υπέφερε μόνος του, όλο αυτό το διάστημα, προσπαθώντας να μπει πρώτος στη δεξαμενή, αλλά, χωρίς επιτυχία. Άσχετα που δεν είχε κανένα να τον βοηθήσει, όμως επέμενε ο ίδιος. Περίμενε τη κίνηση του ύδατος με υπομονή, διότι ήλπιζε πολύ. Η επιμονή του και η ελπίδα του δείχνουν κατά πόσο ήθελε να γίνει υγιής. Κάτω από τέτοιες συνθήκες, η ερώτηση του Ιησού ήταν μια ερώτηση που ένας άλλος στη θέση του, θα εξοργιζόταν, μέχρι που θα αποκαλούσε τον Ιησού θεομπαίχτη. Όμως ο παραλυτικός απάντησε ταπεινά: "Κύριε, άνθρωπο δικό μου δεν έχω...". Δεν απάντησε με το "Ναι, Θέλω". Αφού, έτσι και αλλοιώς, ήταν ευνόητο! Είπε το παράπονο του χωρίς να εκφράσει καμία πικρόχολη παρατήρηση εναντίων τόσων και τόσων που τον παραγκώνιζαν για να ριφθούν οι ίδιοι πρώτοι στη δεξαμενή. 

Ίσως αυτός ήταν και ο λόγος που ο Χριστός τον θεράπευσε. Όταν ο Χριστός του είπε, "Σήκω πάνω και πάρε το κρεββάτι στους ώμους σου και προχώρησε", αμέσως υπάκουσε και σήκωσε το κρεββάτι του. Από πρώτης όψεως, μπορούσε να θεωρηθεί σαν μια παράλογη προτροπή. Ήταν όμως καθαρά ζήτημα πίστης! Ο πρώην παραλυτικός σήκωσε το κρεββάτι και έφυγε. Οι Εβραίοι Άρχοντες, όταν είδαν ότι ο θεραπευμένος τελούσε «εργασία» το Σάββατο, Ημέρα Κυρίου (Γιόμ Γιαχβέ), τον επέπληξαν. άνθρωπος απάντησε με απολογητικό χαρακτήρα και τους είπε «Αυτός που είχε τη δύναμη και με έκανε υγιή, μου έδωσε εντολή να κάνω αυτό που 

 

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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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