Sunday, May 28, 2017 To all who are present with us this morning, Welcome, and thank you for being here.

Please join us for “coffee and…” in the Fellowship Hall following Divine Liturgy.

You May Find the Text of the Divine Liturgy beginning on the bottom of page 91 of the Service Book (gold embossed cross on the reddish brown cover) or in the green-spiral-bound book; sheet music can be found in the 8.5” x 11” large, spiral-bound booklet.

At the Kiss of Peace our practice is for each of us to greet the person to our right and left with the bowing of our head, hands held in a prayerful clasp or crossed on the chest, while offering each other the seasonal Christian greeting, “Christ is in our midst!” and responding, “He is and shall be!”

Please remember that Holy Communion is reserved for those Chrismated Orthodox Christians who have appropriately prepared themselves through prayer, fasting and Confession to receive the Holy Mysteries of the Church. The bread (anti’doron, which means ‘in place’ of the gifts) which we share after Communion and at the end of the Liturgy is for all.

Being mindful we are in church, let us always remember to… ...be quiet and attentive. Let us sing, pray, stand, sit, kneel and respond

where responses are indicated. Let us not talk, look around, text message, play games, etc. Especially let us work at this in the Communion line and when in line to venerate the Cross and depart. If we cannot hear the post-Communion prayers being chanted during our church departure, we are way too noisy.

...refrain from eating, drinking or chewing gum. (most obviously and especially if you will be receiving Holy Communion).

...stay put. Except in rare cases, there are few of us who cannot stay in one location for two hours (actually less, for most of us).

St. Michael’s Orthodox Christian Church

1182 Ashland St., Greensburg, PA 15601 Diocese of Charleston, Oakland and the Mid-Atlantic

Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.

(See the back cover for detailed contact information.)

The Mission of Our Church The mission of St Michael’s Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church is to tend the flock of our Lord Jesus Christ and to spread the Good News of Christ to those outside the flock. This mission is to be accomplished by a) living a full liturgical and sacramental life, b) proclaiming the Orthodox Christian faith to all people, c) providing effective charitable and social programs, and d) establishing strong spiritual leadership and resources. ___________________________________________________

SYRIAN CHRISTIAN RELIEF As the Syrian crisis continues, we continue to accept donations to do what we can to help ease the suffering there. Checks may be written to “St. Michael’s” with the note “Syrian Relief.” The following is a link to International Orthodox Christian Charities ((IOCC) “Response to the Crisis in Syria” page with more information on what you can do to help:

http://www.iocc.org/countries/countries_syria.aspx

Fathers of the First Council

Sunday, May 28, 2017 Greeting: Christ is risen! Response: Indeed, He is risen!

Tone: 6 Eothinon: 10 Sunday of the After-feast of the Ascension; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council; Hieromartyr Eutychios, bishop of Melitene; Martyr Heliconis of Thessalonica; Venerable Andrew of Constantinople, fool-for-Christ; Germanos, bishop of Paris; Ignatius the wonderworker, bishop of Rostov.

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THE READING FROM The Acts of the Saintly and Pure Apostles (20:16-18, 28-36)

I N THOSE DAYS, Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.

And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. And when they came to him, he said to them: “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore, be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities, and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by so toiling one must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” And when he had spoken thus, he knelt down and prayed with them all. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

THE HOLY GOSPEL According to St. John (17:1-13)

A T THAT TIME, Jesus lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Thy Son that the Son may glorify Thee, since Thou hast given Him power over all

flesh, to give eternal life to all whom Thou hast given Him. And this is eternal life, that they know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom Thou hast sent. I glorified Thee on earth, having accomplished the work which Thou gavest Me to do; and now, Father, glorify Thou Me in Thy own presence with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was made. I have manifested Thy Name to the men whom Thou gavest Me out of the world; Thine they were, and Thou gavest them to Me, and they have kept

Thy word. Now they know that everything that Thou hast given Me is from Thee; for I have given them the words which Thou gavest Me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from Thee; and they have believed tha t Thou didst send Me. I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom Thou hast given Me, for they are Thine; all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine, and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to Thee. Holy Father, keep them in Thy Name, which Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, even as We are one. While I was with them, I kept them in Thy Name, which Thou have given Me; I have guarded them, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to Thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.” ________________________________________________________________

Ina Abraham Memorial Camp Scholarship

Friends of Ina Abraham have indicated a desire to remember her with a memorial scholarship that would be given to a child to enjoy the blessings of Antiochian Village Camp. Such a remembrance and the logistical details that would be involved in establishing it are in the very early planning stage. If you would like be part of the work that will go into remembering Ina in such an appropriate way, talk to Connie Capar (724-838-8111). ____________________________________________________________

SEPTEMBER 10, 2017 is the date of our annualfood fund-raiser. (MARK THAT DOWN, PLEASE.) The menu is decide d and the food is being prepared and frozen. WE WILL HAVE AN ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING on Tuesday, May 30, at 6:30 PM.

Please bring your desire to serve to this meeting!

There are a good number of the components of our day are already in place. This meeting will confirm those activities and consider what planning elements need the most attention.

ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN ARCHDIOCESE of North America

May 25, 2017 Holy Ascension

Beloved brother Hierarchs, Reverend Clergy, God-fearing Monastics, and all my Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ our True God:

I greet you on this most joyous feast, the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ! As human life has been restored by the Resurrection, our true homeland on high has been established by the Lord Christ’s Ascension. As Saint Gregory Palamas writes, “Neither an angel nor a man, but the Incarnate Lord Himself came and saved us, being made like us for our sake while remaining unchanged as God. In the same way as He came down, without changing place but condescending to us, so He returns once more, without moving as God, but enthroning on high our human nature which He had as-sumed. It was truly right that the first begotten human nature from the dead (Rev. 1:5) should be presented there to God, as firstfruits from the first crop offered for the whole race of men.”

There is only pure joy in this feast of the Lord for where He goes we hope to follow. In the words of Saint John Chrysostom, “This is the Lord of glory Who is ascended into the heavens with a shout, and is seated on the right hand of the Father. Under His authority are angels, and dominions and powers, and it is He Who receives our pained prayers, and makes us victors over the pirates of this world. Under His dominion is every rank of the unclean spirits, as He says to us: ‘Behold, I have given you authority to trample upon snakes and scorpions.’”

Because of Him, we too are conquerors (Romans 8:37), no longer sojourning in a strange land but awaiting the great hope promised us in our heavenly homeland.

Yours in Christ,

Rt. Rev. Bishop THOMAS (Joseph) Auxiliary Bishop, Diocese of Oakland, Charleston, and the Mid-Atlantic

T h e F i r s t E c u m e n i c a l C o u n c i l a n d t h e C r e e d The council was summoned in the year 325 by the Emperor St. Constantine the Great, who desired unity in the Roman Empire and thus called the Church's bishops together to settle the raging of the heresy of Arianism, the doctrine that Jesus Christ was a created being and therefore not truly the one God. The synod had originally been intended to be held at Ancyra, but its location was moved by Constantine to Nicea (much closer to the imperial headquarters in Nicomedia) so that he might be able to participate more easily. The First Council of Nicea assembled according to tradition on May 20 of 325. Earlier in the year, there had already been a council at Antioch, presided over by St. Hosius of Cordoba, which condemned Arianism and its followers, even explicitly naming Eusebius of Caesarea (who is believed to have waffled somewhat on the question). When Constantine convened the council at Nicea, he did so primarily out of a desire to have a unified Empire rather than in an attempt to affect Church doctrine. After the initial speeches by the emperor, Hosius is generally believed to have presided at the council, summoned on the scene by the emperor himself, who had retained him as theological advisor. Fr. Alexander Schmemann writes in his Historical Road of Eastern Orthodoxy that Constantine intended the synod to be "the symbol and crown" of his victory over Licinius and the reunification of the Empire (p. 76). In his opening address, St. Constantine describes disputes within the Church as "more dangerous than war and other conflicts; they bring me more grief than anything else" (ibid., p. 77). Eusebius of Nicomedia first submits an Arian creed for the delegates to consider, and it is rejected immediately. Eusebius of Caesarea then submits a baptismal creed native to Palestine for consideration. It is this latter creed that many historians regard as being the essential framework for the Nicene Creed, though many also regard the creed issued at the earlier Antiochian council to be the basis for Nicea's creed. The Palestinian creed had included the Biblical phrase "firstborn of all creation" in its description of Christ, but that phrase does not appear in the Nicene Creed, probably because, taken out of its context in the Apostle Paul's letter to the Colossians, it could be interpreted in an Arian manner. This phrase gets replaced with the famous homoousios, a philosophical term meaning that the Son of God is of one essence with the Father. It is particularly interesting that this term was used, despite it previously having been employed by the heretical Sabellians (notably Paul of Samosata) in the 3rd century during their conflict with St. Dionysius the Great. As with much terminology from philosophy, however, the Church Fathers co-opted homoousios and gave it a new, Orthodox meaning. It was originally introduced at Nicea by Hosius (or possibly even Constantine), then supported by "a small group of bold and far-sighted theologians who understood the inadequacy of merely condemning Arius and the need to crystallize Church tradition in a clear concept" (Schmemann, p. 78).

Besides the basic format of the Creed (see Nicene Creed), four explicitly anti-Arian anathemas were attached, as well. All the bishops at the council signed the Creed except for two, Theonas of Marmarica and Secundus of Ptolemais, who were subsequently deposed by the Church and then exiled by the emperor, along with Arius, who also refused to accept the decrees of the council. Schmemann remarks regarding the exiles that Constantine was "thus again confusing the judgment of the Church with that of Caesar" (p. 79), recalling perhaps the previous unfortunate use of his civil power that St. Constantine had exercised when he persecuted the Donatists. — orthodoxwiki.org __________________________________________________________________

Antiochian Women’s Annual Flea Market - Ethnic Food / Bake Sale -

- Gyro Sale - Friday, June 9 and Saturday, June 10

9 am to 2 pm (each day) Table rental $10

Save and sort your “stuff” and your treasures as you do your Spring cleaning!

(Sorry, no clothing will be accepted.) Come and help or just enjoy the day with us.

DONATIONS OF BAKED GOOD WILL ALSO BE MOST APPRECIATED. PLEASE BRING THEM TO THE FELLOWSHIP HALL ON THURSDAY, JUNE 8TH.

Any questions, please see Valerie Flizanes. Gyros, baked goods, ethnic foods will be sold both days,

as long as supplies last!

This is a fundraiser for the General Fund of St. Michael’s.

Saturday, June 10 Blessing of the Animals

9:00 AM at the bells in the Church Parking Lot (Yes, this is the same date as day 2 of the Annual Flea Market.)

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Sunday, July 16 St. Michael’s Parish Picnic

Twin Lakes Park, Pavilion #3 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy at the Lake

(across the road from where we bless the waters) followed by the picnic

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REMEMBER, the Second Week on this schedule May Change... ALWAYS USE THE MOST CURRENT BULLETIN!

Debbie, our secretary, will be in the office this week Monday & Wednesday 9-3;

Thurs 9-12.

May 28 thru June 3 Sunday, May 28 - Fathers of 1st Council - 8:45 AM - MATINS - 10:00 AM - DIVINE LITURGY - Antiochian Women’s meeting - 12:30 PM - Abortion Prayers Monday, May 29 - 9:00 AM - DIVINE LITURGY Theodosia, Virgin Martyr of Constantinople Tuesday, May 30 - 9:00AM - making spanakopita - 6:30 PM - Food Event Meeting Wednesday, May 31 - 6:00 PM - VESP. DIV. LIT’RGY Justin the Philosopher Thursday, June 1 - 7:00 PM - Choir Rehearsal Friday, June 2 - 9:00AM - making pastitsio Saturday, June 3 - 9:00 AM - DIVINE LITURGY of the Souls - 10:30 AM - Landscape “inventory” Meeting (AMen) - 6:00 PM - GREAT VESPERS of Holy Pentecost - Reaching Out book reading and discussion follow ______________________________ A Great Feast of our salvation will be celebrated at the end of this week — Great and Holy Pentecost (the Birthday of the Church), on Sunday, June 4. Come, welcome this holy celebration at Saturday night Great Vespers (June 3, 6:00 PM). ______________________________

June 4 thru June 10 Sunday, June 4 - - 8:45 AM - MATINS - 10:00 AM - DIVINE LITURGY Monday, June 5 - 9:00 AM - DIVINE LITURGY Holy Spirit Day; Boniface, Apostle to Germany Tuesday, June 6 - 12:00 noon - Food on the Hill Friday, June 9 - 9 AM to 2 PM - Flea Market Day 1 Saturday, June 10 - 9:00 AM - DIVINE LITURGY and Bless the Animals - 9 AM to 2 PM - Flea Market Day 2 - 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM - Irwin Ethnic Food Festival - 6:00 PM - GREAT VESPERS - Reaching Out book reading and discussion follow ______________________________

SERVER REMINDERS Next Sunday, June 4th

Ushers - Wayne Macuga Sara Armanious Greeters - Sara Armanious Joyce Eger Lock Up - Don Yoder Holy Bread - Valerie Flizanes Fellowship - Veronica Fennell Julia Ritter Connie Volchko

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Father’s Day Breakfast Sunday, June 18

following Divine Liturgy _______________________