26TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

GREAT-MARTYR CATHERINE OF ALEXANDRIA (305)

GREAT-MARTYR MERCURIUS OF CAESAREA IN CAPPADOCIA (259)

HIEROMARTYR MERCURIUS OF SMOLENSK (1238)

NATIVITY (ST. PHILIP'S) FAST

9:30 AM – Confessions heard, Third and Sixth Hours

Divine Liturgy – 10:00 AM

Sunday, December 7th, Divine Liturgy offered:

For the Health of: Peter, Anna, Nicholas, Alaric, Natalia, Alexei, Elya, Andrew, Vadim (Yukhnavets/Seasholtz) by Seasholtz Family

For the Memory of Departed servants:  

 +Reader Samuel (Sokoluk, Jr) by Alexei, Lucia & Amelia

 +Gregory (Infant, Sokoluk) by Alexei, Lucia & Amelia

 +James (Star) by Dennis Starr

Schedule of Services:

Saturday, December 6, Vespers of Nativity Fast 5PM

Sunday, December 7, Divine Liturgy 10 AM, 26th Sunday After Pentecost

Saturday December 13, Vespers of Nativity Fast 5PM 

Sunday, December 14, Divine Liturgy 10 AM, 27th Sunday After Pentecost

Friday, December 19, Feastday St. Nicholas Divine Liturgy 10AM 

Save the Date! Upcoming Events: 

Sunday, January 11, Sunday after Nativity Yolka for children  

Friday, January 16, Novogodny Ball for adults 

Saturday, January 31, St. Tikhon Akathist and Lecture

Nativity (St. Philip's Fast) through January 6th

St. Innocent Orthodox Reading Society:  We will discuss Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment Part THREE when the Society meets next at 4pm on Saturday December 13 prior to Vespers that will be served at 5pm. Contact Fr. Gregory for more information.

Sunday School SIGN UP DEADLINE  DECEMBER 21 Matushka Anna (Dianne)  and Denise Rutherford are finalizing plans to have the Sunday School program up and running by mid to late January.  Sunday School Classes will be open to children, teenagers, and also to our adults who feel they have more to learn about our Church and Orthodoxy, as well as to catechumens. The adult and older youth class will be taught by Fr. Gregory. Once we have all of this information requested below, we will be able to set up classes and prepare a good curriculum for all ages. We need the information requested below to be able to arrange classes in specific groups, so that children will be able to learn age appropriate information to inform their Orthodox faith. Anyone interested in having their child attend (or in attending as an adult) please contact Matushka Anna NOT LATER THAN DECEMBER 21 with the following information: Full Name of student(s); Date(s)  of birth; School grade (or identified as an adult learner); Contact info: email address; phone number; home address. Please contact Matushka.  Also, please tell Matushka  if you have  interest in teaching or co-teaching a class. We will schedule a mandatory introductory meeting for all teachers with Matushka, Denise, and me prior to the beginning of classes. Do not hesitate to talk to Matushka if you have any questions. 

Troparion of the Sunday, Tone I When the stone had been sealed by the Jews; / while the soldiers were guarding Thy most pure Body; / Thou didst rise on the third day, O Savior, / granting life to the world. / The powers of heaven therefore cried to Thee, O Giver of Life: / Glory to Thy Resurrection, O Christ! / Glory to Thy Kingdom! / Glory to Thy dispensation, O Thou Who lovest mankind.

Kontakion of the Sunday, Tone I As God, Thou didst rise from the tomb in glory, / raising the world with Thyself. / Human nature praises Thee as God, for death has vanished! / Adam exults, O Master! / Eve rejoices, for she is freed from bondage, and cries to Thee: / Thou art the Giver of Resurrection to all, O Christ!

EPISTLE EPHESIANS 5:8-19  For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light." See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,

GOSPEL LUKE 13:10-17  Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day." The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound-think of it-for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath? And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.