St. Peter News January 14, 2025

Twenty-ninth Sunday after Pentecost
Twelfth Sunday of Luke

Venerable Makarios the Great of Egypt, the Anchorite

Venerable Makarios of Alexandria
Arsenios, Bishop of Kerkyra
Venerable Mark Eugenikos,
Metropolitan of Ephesus, pillar of Orthodoxy
Martyr Antony of Damascus

Who was Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt?

Saint Macarius the Great of Egypt was born in the early fourth century in the village of Ptinapor in Egypt. At the wish of his parents he entered into marriage, but was soon widowed. After he buried his wife, Macarius told himself, “Take heed, Macarius, and have care for your soul. It is fitting that you forsake worldly life.”

The Lord rewarded the saint with a long life, but from that time the memory of death was constantly with him, impelling him to ascetic deeds of prayer and penitence. He began to visit the church of God more frequently and to be more deeply absorbed in Holy Scripture, but he did not leave his aged parents, thus fulfilling the commandment to honor one’s parents.

Until his parents died, Saint Macarius used his remaining substance to help them and he began to pray fervently that the Lord might show him a guide on the way to salvation. The Lord sent him an experienced Elder, who lived in the desert not far from the village. The Elder accepted the youth with love, guided him in the spiritual science of watchfulness, fasting and prayer, and taught him the handicraft of weaving baskets. After building a separate cell not far from his own, the Elder settled his disciple in it.

[…]

Read the entire history on the Orthodox Church of America website.

Services and Events This Week

• SUN Jan 12 — SUNDAY DIVINE LITURGY Orthros 8:30am / Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• SUN Jan 12 — Cutting of the Vasilopita Following Divine Liturgy
• Wed Jan 15 — Early Divine Liturgy 6:00am LIVE STREAM
• Thu Jan 16 – Fri Jan 17 — Fr. Hans meets with Clergy and Met Sava in Melbourne FL.
• Fri Jan 17 — Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm
• Sat Jan 18 — St. Anthony and St. Athanasius Divine Liturgy 9:00am LIVE STREAM
• Sat Jan 18 — GREAT VESPERS 5:30pm LIVE STREAM

Important Dates in January

• SUN Jan 19 — Parish Assembly Meeting Following Divine Liturgy

St. Anthony and St. Athanasios Divine Liturgy on Saturday, Jan 18, 2025 at 9:00am

Fr. Hans will be traveling to Melbourne Florida on Thursday to attend a meeting with area clergy and Metropolitan Sava and Bishop Nicholas. For that reason the liturgy commemorating St. Anthony of the Desert (normally held on Friday) will be moved to Saturday, January 18, 2025 alongside St. Anthanasios of Athos also commemorated on that day. The Men of St. Paisios Brotherhood will be held as scheduled on Friday evening.

Memories – Celebrating Sunday of Vasilopita

St. Peter Parish Assembly Meeting on Sunday, January 19, 2025

St. Peter’s will hold their yearly General Assembly on Sunday, January 19, 2025 after Divine Liturgy following a very brief Social Hall. The General Assembly will review past year events, goals and forecasts for 2025.

Agenda:

• Opening Prayer — Fr. Hans
• Presenting of the Financials — Pres. Ron Franklin
• Approval of the 2025 Budget — Pres. Ron Franklin
• Questions
• State of the Parish — Fr. Hans
• Closing Prayer — Fr. Hans

Save the Date! St Peter’s Annual Valentine’s Day Dinner Dance, February 15, 2025!

Join Us on SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15 from 5pm-9pm for the Saint Peter Annual Valentine Day Dinner Dance in our church Fellowship Hall

Enjoy a delicious Dinner and fun Dancing with your fellow parishioners. BYOB if you like.

Sign up early—SEATING IS LIMITED! The signup sheet is located by the door of our Fellowship Hall.

Ladies, if you would like to offer a SWEET TREAT, please see Tina Kucera, Rose Ghanem, Cheryl Morse, Elaine Seremetis, Sophia Brubaker and Photini Peterson for details.

Our parish is blessed with such CULTURALLY DIVERSITY. So we invite you to share music from your culture for all to enjoy. Simply contact Tina in advance.

No Tickets Will Be Sold; Your Donation from the Heart is Appreciated!

RSVP No Later than February 9, please. Questions? Call Tina at 239.980.1520

House and Business Blessings

Fr. Hans will be available for house and business blessings. January is a very busy month however so some blessing may be scheduled into February. Please text him to schedule.

Catechumen Classes Resume in January

Reminder: These classes are required for all catechumens. If you cannot make please make sure to let Subdeacon Joseph know.

The class is taught by Subdeacon Joseph and we will use the book “Small Steps into the Kingdom”). The books are available for purchase in the bookstore.

Pledge and Income Report — December 2024

Contributions received in December were $40,437
Amount of money needed to cover expenses: $31,105.
For the month we are ahead by $9,332.

Year to date we are behind by $11,268.

St. Peter Orthodox Church
7470 Hickory Drive
Fort Myers FL 33967

Supporting Our Sister Parish St. Paul’s Naples

Sign up the the Monthly DOMSE Newsletter on the DOMSE (Diocese of Miami and the Southeast) Website!

Visit the DOMSE Website (scroll to the bottom, fill in the form on the left side) to sign up for “The Light” Newsletter and DOMSE emails.

ST. PETER’S GREETERS

Please note: Volunteers to serve as greeters are needed for December. Please contact Joe Repya if you can serve.

JANUARY

• Sun January 05 – Will Schultz – George Tsikitas
• Sun January 12 – Paula Kamberos – Candice Rosen
• Sun January 19 – Pavlo Bilych – Will Schultz
• Sun January 26 – Tina Kucera – Doug Kucera

Can you volunteer? Please call Joe Repya 612-270-4443.

SOCIAL HALL ALL STARS

SUNDAY COFFEE HOURS – Winter Months 2024 – 2025

Please note: A fruit bowl, veggie or hummus tray may be added to a week’s menu.

• January 2025 – Sunday Coffee Hours – Team #1 – Barb Dionysopoulos Group
• Sunday, January 5 – Coffee and muffins
• Sunday, January 12 – Coffee and donuts
• Sunday, January 19 – Coffee and coffee cakes
• Sunday, January 26 – Coffee and bagels

• February 2025 – Sunday Coffee Hours – Team #2 – Margie Zimmerman Group
• Sunday, February 2 – Coffee and muffins
• Sunday, February 9 – Coffee and donuts
• Sunday, February 16 – Coffee and coffee cakes
• Sunday, February 23 – Coffee and bagels

For Special Events/Koliva please contact BARBARA SASEN and give her a completed Special Events Form which is found in the lobby of the church.

The Social Hall All Stars are the men and women that make St. Peter’s Social Hall happen. Thank you All Stars!

JANUARY

• SUN Jan 12 — SUNDAY DIVINE LITURGY Orthros 8:30am / Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• SUN Jan 12 — Cutting of the Vasilopita Following Divine Liturgy
• Wed Jan 15 — Early Divine Liturgy 6:00am LIVE STREAM
• Thu Jan 16 – Fri Jan 17 — Fr. Hans meets with Clergy and Met Sava in Melbourne FL.
• Fri Jan 17 — Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm
• Sat Jan 18 — St. Anthony and St. Athanasius Divine Liturgy 9:00am LIVE STREAM
• Sat Jan 18 — GREAT VESPERS 5:30pm LIVE STREAM

• SUN Jan 19 — SUNDAY DIVINE LITURGY Orthros 8:30am / Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• SUN Jan 19 — Parish Assembly Meeting Following Divine Liturgy
• Wed Jan 22 — Early Divine Liturgy 6:00am LIVE STREAM
• Fri Jan 24 — Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm
• Sat Jan 25 — GREAT VESPERS 5:30pm LIVE STREAM

• SUN Jan 26 — SUNDAY DIVINE LITURGY Orthros 8:30am / Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Tue Jan 28 — Sat Feb 01 — Fr. Hans at DOMSE Clergy Mtg/ Retreat
• Wed Jan 29 — CANCELLED Early Divine Liturgy 6:00am LIVE STREAM
• Fri Jan 31 — CANCELLED Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm
• Sat Feb 01 — CANCELLED GREAT VESPERS 5:30pm LIVE STREAM

Wisdom From The Elders

Christian humility is not in any way a form of weakness, but just the opposite: it is strength in a person, although not human strength, but rather God’s strength. Archbishop Averky (Taushev)

Obedience is true love. Obedience is the source of life and blessedness, while disobedience is the source of death and unhappiness. Archbishop Seraphim (Sobolev) of Bogucharsk

It is advisable to avoid such kinds as add to the body’s weight and appetite: strong spices, meat, spirituous drinks and such foods as are solely for the palate’s enjoyment. For the rest, one may eat what is cheap and most easily available, they say. But by “moderate” they mean one meal a day, and that one light enough not to fill the stomach to satiety. Tito Colliander

The Holy Fathers say that, unless we humble ourselves, the Lord will not stop humbling us. He will use someone in order to humble us. Someone will provoke our anger and do it until we learn to remain calm and peaceful when provoked. Elder Thaddeus(Strabulovich) of Vitovnica

Someone who bears a grudge while he prays is like a person who sows in the sea and expects to reap a harvest. Venerable Isaac the Syrian, bishop of Nineveh

Current Prayer List

Ariyon (Sovjani)
Diana (Veraj)
Arjan (Veraj)
Thoma (Sovjani)
Lucia
Ioannes
Freida (Hansen)
Stratton (Leopold)
Mary (Copeland)
Robert (Tewis)
Gene (Forderhase)
Ruth (Mudd)
Barbara (Duskas)
Doug S (Duskas)
Marc C. (Duskas)
Rachel (Voss)
Ken John (Eaton)
Diane (Najar)
William (Semeretis)
David (Orfanos)
Maria (Orfanos)
William (Long)
George (Chionis 11-1)
Haley
Lydia
Mark (Chionis 11-1)
Katheryn (Chionis 11-1)
Jacob (Chionis 11-1)
Ken (Chionis 11-1)
Maxim (Koco)
George (Tsikistas 8/1)
George (Mourgis 8/1)
Barbara (Sason 8/1)
Anthony (Breitenbach 6/1)
Arielle (Ghanem 6/1)
Nicholas (Ghanem 6/1)
Christos
Father Demetris
Jamie
Pamela
David
Jessica
Christina (Hildreth)
Dionysios Chapekis)
Nancy (Forderhase)
Kayla (Palantine)
George (3/23 Chapekis)
Penelope (3/23 Chapekis)
Theodora (3/23)
Victor (3/23)
Les (3/23
Lynn (Hurely 1/23)
Irene and newborn baby (Tsikitas 1/23)
Linda (Pappas 1/23)
Ekaterina (Chapekis 1/23)
Lee (Hurley 1/23)
Emmanuel (Kalousdis 1/23)
Katherine (Dusckas 1/23)
Vassiliki (Diveris 1/23)
Zena Touma (Contorelli 1/23
Lamia Touma (Contorelli 1/23
Matthew (Contorelli 1/23
Emmanuel (Kaloudis 1/23)
Nicholas
Marlene (Tewis 12/22)
Tina (Johnson 12/22)
Nicholas (De Lorenzo 12/22)
Archpriest Dionysius (Valentine 9/12)
John Presbyter (Jacobse)
Elain Presbytera (Jacobse)
Constantine(Jacobse)
Chrysoula(Jacobse)
Angel (Ghanem 10/22)
Edgar (Chapekis 9/22)
Evthriki (Jacobse 9/22)
Christos (Johnson 8/22)
Jon Paul (Andrew 8/22)
William (Brubaker 8/22)
Peter (Tewis 8/22)
The People of Ukraine and People of Russia and all those who are suffering in the war

Permanent Prayer List

Bonnie Joseph
Michael (Sovjani)
Maria (Sovjani)
Maria (Sovjani)
Maria (Sovjani)
Katerina (Sovjani)
Frederick (Sovjani)
Arsen (Sovjani)
Irene (Diveris)
Katheryn (Tolkkinen)
Markisia (Long)
Angela (Long)
Marina (Long)
Eleni (Long)
Raphaella (Long)
Joanne (Haley)
Corwin (Dusckas)
Corgette (Troutman)
Irina (Irina)
Lidia (Irina)
Sarina (Ghanem)
Debbie (Breitenbach)
Kathy (Breitenbach)
Hope (Isadore)
s
John (Long)
Pantelis (Tsikita)
Marisa (Tsikita)
Barbara (Dionysopoulos)
Patricia (Evanoff)
Gabriel (Mankus)
Baby Dani (Repya)
Despina (Diversis)
Fredericos (Diveris)
Herman (Kerr)
Innocent (Kerr)
Nicholas (Kerr)
Paola (Jacobse)
Gregory (Yankopolos)
Pauline (Poulos)
Sergio (Kazakos)
Fran (Hansen)
Nina (Krotov)
Franklin (Pyrrson)
Demetrios (Kuchera)
Theodosios (Palis)
Theodora (Webb)
Robert (Smith)
Presbytera Rosy (in Pakistan)
James (Hord)
Vassiliki (Kontinos)
Vassiliki (Morekeas)
Vassilike (Hord)

Founders, Members, Benefactors and Friends Departed this Life

John (Hansen)
Anatoly (Kurdsjuk)
Thareni (Brooks)
Milan Evanoff
Jean (Sam)
Eleni (Pearson)
Richard (Pearson)
Fr. Stephanos (Shagoury)
Panagiota (Bea Chionis)
Anthony (Mourgis)
Anthony (Mankus)
Constantine (Houpis)
Constantine (Joseph)
Mary (Jarvis)
Panagiota Margarita (Palis)
Maria (Ninos)
Soterios (Ninos)
George (Ninos)
John (Katsigianopoulos)
George (Chionis)
Mary (Spiropoulos)
Gregory (Pappas)
Angela (Coran K
Eugene (Rust)
Robert (Jarvis)
George (Corey)
Patricia (Cotsones)
Seraphim (Zolio)
Apostolos
Raymond

40 Days

Lori (Pateras Jan3)

How should we pray for the sick? Remember them daily. Say their names (first names are sufficient) and ask God to bestow mercy and grace on them.

Add or remove names and print this list for easy reference during your prayer time on the St. Peter website.

Sunday Readings

EPISTLE

For the Twenty-Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

How magnified are Thy works, O Lord; in wisdom hast Thou made them all.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.

The Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians. (3:4-11)

Brethren, when Christ, Who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these, the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience. In these you once walked, when you lived in them. But now put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator. Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all, and in all.

GOSPEL

For the Twelfth Sunday of Luke—“Ten Lepers”

The reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke. (17:12-19)

At that time, as Jesus entered a village, He was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance
and lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When He saw them He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus said, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”