St. George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church

سينيكيدرألا ةيألاطلألن سيدقرواسنكيدقلا ةسينك915-584-9100 www.stgeorge-elpaso.org

“And the Disciples were first called Christians in Antioch”. Acts 11:26 The

APRIL 19, 2015

New Sunday or Anti-Pascha

Sunday of Thomas the Apostle, Called “The Twin”

Sunday Service: Orthros (Matins) 9:20 AM, Followed by the Divine Liturgy Confessions by Appointment Only.

On this day, we commemorate: Hieromartyr Paphnoutios of Jerusalem; Tryphon, Patriarch of Constantinople; Venerable Mar-tyr Agathangelos of Esphigmenou Monastery on Athos; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou Monastery on Athos; Venerable John of Old Lavra in Palestine.

Epistle: Lauren Ferris.

Ushers: Upon Availability.

Altar Boys: All are encouraged and welcome to serve.

THE EISODIKON (ENTRANCE HYMN) OF PASCHA In the gathering places bless God the Lord, from the springs of Israel. Save us, O Son of God, Who art risen from the dead, who sing to Thee: Alleluia.

APOLYTIKION FOR THOMAS SUNDAY (TONE SEVEN) While the tomb was sealed, Thou didst shine forth from it, O Life. While the doors were closed, Thou didst come in to Thy Disciples, O Christ God, Resurrection of all, renewing in us through them an upright spirit, according to the great-ness of Thy mercy.

KONTAKION OF PASCHA (TONE EIGHT) O Immortal One, when Thou didst descend into the tomb, Thou didst destroy the power of Hades; and Thou didst rise victorious, O Christ God. Thou hast said to the ointment‑bearing women: Rejoice! And Thou gavest peace to Thy Dis-ciples, O Bestower of Resurrection to those Who had fallen.

Holy Bread will be offered by:

Skee Rizk: In memory of Peter Rizk and Tom and Regina Jacobs as well as for the health of the Rizk, Samore, Ferris, Nasser, and Al-Hanna families.

درمينحيقام!ييييييييييييييييييييييييييييييييييييحألايقام! AL-MASEEH QAM! Haqqan Qam!

CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!

CHRISTOS ANESTI! ALITHOS ANESTI!

THE EPISTLE

Great is the Lord, and great is His power. Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good. The Reading from the Acts of the Saintly and Pure Apostles. (5:12-20)

In those days, many signs and wonders were done among the people by the hands of the Apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high honor. And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and pallets, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed. But the high priest rose up and all who were with him, that is, the party of the Sadducees, and filled with jealousy they arrested the Apos-tles and put them in the common prison. But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out and said, “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.”

THE GOSPEL

The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. John. (20:19-31) On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the Disciples were, for

fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the Disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Je-sus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other Disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in His side, I will not believe.” Eight days later, His Disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, “Peace be with you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see My hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing.” Thomas answered Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the Disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His Name.

DONATIONS

Adib & Helen Dayoub: For 3 years Memory of Yamna Dayoub. Salah & Nada Al-Hanna: In Memory of Angelique & Angela Al-Hanna.

In Memory of George Isa Adib & Helen Dayoub

Palm Sunday – Mother Church Gift Fr. & Kh. Al-Dehneh Constantine & Jeanne Papas

Good Friday Flowers Donations Yani & Susana Payides Jamell Bettor Constantine & Jeanne Papas Alex & Michele Tsoukalas Jamie Isaac Lon Silagi Michael Davis

Easter Flowers Donations Milad & Laurice Farah Salma Isaac Nahed & Marie Khouri

MANY THANKS

To all who donated towards Palms and Easter Flowers. May the Resurrected God grant you and your families many years of health.

CONDOLENCES

Our Sympathy goes to Gilbert Malooly Sr., children, Chris (Elva), Gilbert (Rose), Greg (Sylvia) and Cheryl (Paul) & their families and to all the Malooly and Abraham families on the departing to the Lord of their beloved wife, mother and grandmother Geraldine "Haifa" Abraham Malooly on Thursday, April 09, 2015.

Trisagion service will be held on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 at 6:00 PM at Martin Funeral West on Resler. Funeral Service will be held on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at 10:00 AM at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church.

May her Memory be Eternal and may our Resurrected great God and Savior Jesus Christ grant her family many healthy and faithful years in the Lord.

فليكن ذكرها مؤبدآ

MANY THANKS

To all St. George Parish Council members who sponsored the Annual PASCHAL breakfast. May the Resurrected Christ grant you and your families years of health and peace.

DONATIONS (Cont.)

Easter Flowers Donations Bryan & Annette Haddad Jamell Bettor Yani & Susana Payides Yousuf, Hend, Johnny, Joseph & Sami Odeh Tony Dayoub Blanca Anaipakos Allen & Patricia Borschow Georgette Abraham David & Dalal Young Constantine & Jeanne Papas Jamie Isaac Michael Davis

Easter Breakfast Donations Bryan & Annette Haddad Allen & Patricia Borschow Tony Dayoub Jamie Isaac Lon Silagi

Food For The Hungry

Bryan & Annette Haddad David & Dalal Young Adib & Helen Dayoub Yani & Susana Payides

St. George Teens Annual Talent Show presents

Proud to be American Date: April 19, 2015 @ 1:00 PM. Location: Church Hall. Menu: Brisket, Potato Salad, Corn, Bread, and Apple Pie.

Price: $12.00 per person.

THANK YOU To all Altar Boys who worked very hard during the Great Fast and the Holy Week services. May God bless them and their families for many years.

Bright Week Is the week immediately following PASCHA. During this week, we do not fast, even on Wednesday or Friday, as we celebrate the presence of the Risen Lord among us.

The Paschal Greeting

During the forty days of Pascha, Orthodox Christians greet one an-other with the words, “Christ is risen!” They likewise respond with the words, “Indeed He is risen!” And to show that the Good News of the Resurrec-tion is for all of mankind, we often exclaim the Paschal Greeting in many different languages.

THANK YOU

To Dr. Raed & Sylvana Aldouri for donating the eggs for PASCHA. May God bless them and their fami-lies for years to come with health and faith.

For Pastoral Emergencies, or to notify Fr. George of ill or hospitalized parishioner, please call:

The Rev. Fr. George Al-Dehneh: @ Church: 584-9100 OR Cell: 345-9800

FIRST SESSION OF BAKING FOR MAY DINNER

Jeanette Zacour will start the sweets @ 3:30 PM on Thursday, April 23, 2015. She needs all the help to pack the sweets.

HOLY FRIDAY TEEN SOYO ALL NIGHT VIGIL

Many thanks to Zayna Shaheen & JR Padilla for staying with our teens during Holy Friday All Night Vigil. Thank you to all our teens who showed the highest level of respect and love to each other during this Holy Season. May God bless you and your families to serve your Holy Church.

The Bake Table For the Festival

To All St. George Parishioners, please start baking & preparing your sweets for the bake table. Containers are available as always for your convenience. Thank you and God bless you.

With your generosity, the bake table will becoming very rich.

DOME LIGHTING

St. George Parish Council will light the dome on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 in loving Memory of our beloved sister in the Resurrected and living Christ Geraldine "Haifa" Abraham Malooly. May her Memory be Eternal.

Dear St. George Parishioners, please remember to use your ALBERT-SONS Community card. Its an easy fundraising.

Chanters/Choirs Christ is Risen! I extend a warm thank you to each one of you for your dedicated service during the Lent and Pascha season. May our Lord bless you with many years of good health. Practice will resume on Mondays, with Chanters at 6:00 PM and Choir at 7:00 PM.

Sub-Deacon Michael

REFLECTIONS OF TEENS ALL VIGIL NIGHT

Sam Salloum: This is my seventh time attending this Holy vigil, and even after all these years I am overwhelmed with emotions. I can honesty say that the vigil is my favorite thing to do as a member in SOYO. I look forward to it every year and i am disappointed with the outcome. Very few people are able to attend this Holy celebration of mourning, and I am very fortunate that I have opportunity every year.

Joseph Odeh: This is my first time coming to the Holy vigil. When we first started reading the Bible, I started to learn about thing I didn’t know, when it was me & James turn to read, it was cool to read right from the Bible. Then after 3 groups went to read. The teens started to ask us questions about what we read. Then we started to finish the Bible it was hard to stay up and not go to sleep. The vigil was very calm. It was fun to learn new things in the Bible. For going for the first time it was very fun.

Johnny Odeh: This is my third time attending the Holy vigil, and every year I am amazed at the story the Gospels tell us. I had a great time reading the Holy Gospel of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. It is a great feeling & a great experi-ence to take part in the Holy vigil. Also reading the Gospels allowed us to take the steps of Jesus life. It is a great and very Holy experience. This is a calm event, and I hope that I will be able to go next year. I am blessed to be able to take part in this Holy vigil. Every year that I attend the Holy vigil, I learn about what Jesus Christ went through.

Teresa Salloum: Reading the Gospel made me realize how cruel people were to Jesus. The Gospel is full of life les-son and teaches us that we should always love God. In any way you sin, you must find a way to prevent the sins from happening. The thought of reading the Gospel had never occurred to me before, but after reading it I realizes that the Gospel is very educating about our Lord & is a great book to live by. I have a new appreciation for Jesus and all the sacrifices He has made for us. Every time I read out loud from the Gospel I felt good about accompanying Jesus in His tomb and reading to Him. I am very glad I took part in reading from the Gospel & look forward to doing it again.

Rose Barakat: As we gathered to participate in the Holy vigil. We read the Gospel throughout the night to each other & to Jesus. Every year this event takes place to remember the night when Jesus passed away; however, we believe that He is still alive in spirit, therefore we read to Him, our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ, through the night. While reading the Gospel, there was a smile stating how following Jesus is similar to making a good, strong house on a strong foun-dation. When powerful winds & rain come, the house is still standing strong because it was made with a good founda-tion. This comparison is showing how if you follow the Lord, no matter which obstacles come your way, you have the Lord & He can help you through anything. I learned a lot at this event and definitely will want to come again. Jesus scarified His life for us & everyday we should strive to improve ourselves so that we may show the Lord that his sacri-fice was worth it & we deeply appreciated it.

William Shaghoury: The vigil is sometime you only get to experience once a year. You stay up most of the night reading the Gospel with Jesus in His tomb, it’s almost like we’re keeping Him company. This event teaches you Je-sus’s hardships. What He did for us. He did for the forgiveness of our sins. Jesus did not hate those who caused his pain. Jesus set the example of how we should live today, follow in His steps and you’ll be on the path to a better life.

Remember our Abducted

Syrian Orthodox Innocent Hierarchs in your prayers

Sponsor Request Form

I would like to contribute to St. George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church's Annual May Dinner and Festival as a sponsor for the event. Sponsor's Name: ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Purchaser's Name: (if different from sponsor's) Name: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Phone Number: _________________________________________________________________________________________________

Entertainment Sponsor ______ $ 2,000 Advertisement Sponsor ______ $ 1,000 Meat Booth Sponsor ______ $ 1,000 Bake Table Sponsor ______ $ 1,000 Mediterranean Booth Sponsor ______ $ 1,000 Gyro Booth Sponsor ______ $ 500 Falafel Booth Sponsor ______ $ 500 Tabouleh / Hummous Booth Sponsor ______ $ 500 Beverages Sponsor ______ $ 500 A'Taif Booth Sponsor ______ $ 500 Baklawa Sundae Booth Sponsor ______ $ 500 Festival General Sponsor ______ $ 300

Total Amount Contributed $ _________ with Check # _________ enclosed.

Please Make Checks Payable to St. George Church earmarked "May Dinner and Festival Sponsor".

St. George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church Annual May Dinner and Festival

"Feast of the Middle East" May 30 and 31, 2015

FESTIVAL IS ONLY 6 WEEKS AWAY!!!

MAY FESTIVAL COMMITTEE: PLEASE, WE NEED HELP IN ALL AREAS INCLUDING SELLING TICKETS, BAKING ON THURSDAYS, AND SIGNING UP TO WORK ON MAY 30 AND MAY 31; PLEASE SEE PATRI-CIA BORSCHOW TO SIGN UP TO WORK PREFERABLY IN 3- HOUR INTERVALS --or call her 203-5101.

THE NEXT FESTIVAL MEETING: TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2015 7 PM --MINI HALL. Please bring list of supplies needed for your booth. THANK YOU MAY FESTIVAL COMMITTEE

Sunday School Classes will resume as usual on Sunday, April 19, 2015.

April 22nd, 2015

Second Anniversary of the kidnapping of Metropolitan Paul and Archbishop Youhanna

Sponsors for May Festival

Entertainment Sponsor: Drs. Hassan & Maha Salloum.