Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon
Seventh Sunday of Matthew
The martyred blind man healed by Panteleimon
Who was The Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon?
The Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon
The Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon was born in the city of Nicomedia into the family of the illustrious pagan Eustorgius, and he was named Pantoleon. His mother St Euboula (March 30) was a Christian. She wanted to raise her son in the Christian Faith, but she died when the future martyr was just a young child. His father sent Pantoleon to a pagan school, after which the young man studied medicine at Nicomedia under the renowned physician Euphrosynus. Pantoleon came to the attention of the emperor Maximian (284-305), who wished to appoint him as royal physician when he finished his schooling.
The hieromartyrs Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates, survivors of the massacre of 20,000 Christians in 303 (December 28), were living secretly in Nicomedia at that time. St Hermolaus saw Pantoleon time and again when he came to the house where they were hiding. Once, the priest invited the youth to the house and spoke about the Christian Faith. After this Pantoleon visited St Hermolaus every day.
One day the saint found a dead child on the street. He had been bitten by a great snake, which was still beside the child’s body. Pantoleon began to pray to the Lord Jesus Christ to revive the dead child and to destroy the venomous reptile. He firmly resolved that if his prayer were fulfilled, he would become a follower of Christ and receive Baptism. The child rose up alive, and the snake died before Pantoleon’s eyes.
After this miracle, Pantoleon was baptized by St Hermolaus with the name Panteleimon (meaning “all-merciful”). Speaking with Eustorgius, St Panteleimon prepared him to accept Christianity. When the father saw how his son healed a blind man by invoking Jesus Christ, he then believed in Christ and was baptized by St Hermolaus together with the man whose sight was restored.
[. . .]
Read the complete biography including the account of St. Panteleimon’s martyrdom on the Orthodox Christian website.
St. Panteleimon Blesses St. Peter’s
On Sunday, November 27, 2016 the icon of St. Panteleimon behind the altar began exuding oil. It lasted for one day although some oil is still fresh in the left side of the cross near St. Panteleimon’s ear. The oil began exuding during the Divine Liturgy although no one noticed it until the Liturgy was complete. A parishioner with an ear problem was scheduled for prayers immediately following the Liturgy so when the oil on the icon was discovered, it was used in the annointing.
The icon of St. Panteleimon that gave oil
Services and Events This Week
- SUN Jul 20 — SUNDAY LITURGY Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Mon Jul 20 – Fri Jul 25 — Fr. Hans Out of Town 10
- Wed Jul 23 — CANCELLED
EARLY MORNING LITURGY 6:00am LIVE STREAM - Fri Jul 25 — Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm
- Sat Jul 26 — Great Vespers 5:30pm LIVE STREAM
Please note: Wednesday early morning liturgy cancelled. St. Paisios Brotherhood and Saturday Vespers will be held as scheduled.
Fr. Hans Out of Town Monday Through Friday
Fr. Hans will be attending the Antiochian Archdiocese Convention Monday – Thursday. He returns Friday afternoon.
Remember to Keep Up With Your Pledge
The bills are the same in the summer as they are in the winter so please do not fall behind on you pledge.
Support always dips in support but our obligations remain the same. Your consistent support is necessary keep our parish on firm and responsible financial footing.
When You Give to the Good Samaritan Mercy Fund, You Fulfill the Law of Christ
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (Galations 6:2)
St. Paul teaches us that God’s law, to love God and neighbor, is fulfilled when we bear one another’s burdens. The Good Samaritan Mercy fund helps us do that by helping parishioners who because of catastrophic circumstances face problems that we can help them with. This year is proving greater than past years so any donation you can make to our fund enables us to carry those burdens of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
All support is local, within our parish. Donations are approved by Fr. Hans and Ron Franklin our Parish Council President. Donations remain confidential.
St. John Chrysostom says those who can give receive their abundance from God in order to give. When we give from our abundance a double blessing occurs — one to the recipient in need, and another to him who gives.
Pledge and Income Report — June 2025
The contributions received in June were $25,384.
The amount of money needed to cover expenses: $33,785.
For this month we are behind by $8,400.
Year-to-date, we are behind by $10,878.
If you have not already done so, please complete a 2025 pledge form. Your pledge will play a vital role in helping us meet our 2025 budget goals and will support ourpreparations for refinancing our mortgage in March 2026.
St. Peter Orthodox Church
7470 Hickory Drive
Fort Myers FL 33967
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ST. PETER’S GREETERS
Please note: Volunteers to serve as greeters are needed for December. Please contact Joe Repya if you can serve.
JULY
TBA
Can you volunteer? Please call Joe Repya 612-270-4443.
SOCIAL HALL ALL STARS
SUNDAY COFFEE HOURS – SUMMER MONTHS 2025
Please note: A fruit bowl, veggie or hummus tray may be added to a week’s menu.
- July 2025 – Sunday Coffee Hours – Team #1 – Barb Dionysopoulos Group
- Sunday, July 6 – Coffee and donuts
- Sunday,July 13 – Coffee and coffee cakes
- Sunday, July 20 – Coffee and muffins
- Sunday, July 27 – Coffee and bagels
- August 2025 – Sunday Coffee Hours – Team #2 – Margie Zimmerman Group
- Sunday, August 3 – Coffee and donuts
- Sunday, August 10 – Coffee and coffee cakes
- Sunday, August 17 – Coffee and muffins
- Sunday, August 24 – Coffee and bagels
- Sunday, August 31 – Coffee and donuts
- September 2025 – Sunday Coffee Hours – Team #3
- Sunday, September 7 – Coffee and coffee cakes
- Sunday, September 14 – Coffee and muffins
- Sunday, September 21 – Coffee and bagels
- Sunday, September 28 – Coffee and donuts
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!
- SUN Jul 20 — SUNDAY LITURGY Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Mon Jul 20 – Fri Jul 25 — Fr. Hans Out of Town 10
- Wed Jul 23 — CANCELLED
EARLY MORNING LITURGY 6:00am LIVE STREAM - Fri Jul 25 — Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm
- Sat Jul 26 — CANCELLED
Great Vespers 5:30pm LIVE STREAM
Wisdom From The Elders
The heart that loves carnal delights is unfaithful to the Lord. “Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.” Righteous John, Wonderworker of Kronstadt
So the order of things has become inverted: instead of God within, the heart seeks for pleasures without and is content with them. Unseen Warfare
Especially make the resolution to keep faithful watch over the chief bad proclivity of your heart, the one that you most often detect in your self and that you find most pleasant. Then devise the most effective methods for avoiding whatever sins you committed and use these methods conscientiously. In particular, try to devise methods against your chief sin, the one to which you are disposed most of all. Metropolitan Gregory (Postnikov) of St. Petersburg
He who desires to see the Lord within himself endeavors to purify his heart by the unceasing remembrance of God. Venerable Isaac the Syrian, bishop of Nineveh
For if we refrain from sin merely out of fear of punishment, it is quite clear that, unless punishment had awaited us, we should have done things deserving punishment, since our propensity is for sinning. But if we abstain from evil actions not through threat of punishment, but because we hate such actions, then it is from love of the Master that we practice the virtues, fearful lest we should fall away from Him. St. Theodoros the Great Ascetic
Orthodoxy is life. If we dont live Orthodoxy, we simply are not Orthodox, no matter what formal beliefs we might hold. Fr. Seraphim Rose
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The People of Ukraine and People of Russia and all those who are suffering in the war
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Kh. Denise (Breitenbach)
Fr. Patrick (Breitenbach)
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Maria (Sovjani)
Maria (Sovjani)
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s
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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 St. Panteleimon
The righteous shall rejoice in the Lord.
O God, hear my prayer.
The Reading from the Second Epistle of St. Paul to St. Timothy. (2:1-10)
Timothy, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus; and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier on service gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to satisfy the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will grant you understanding in everything. Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David, as preached in my gospel, the gospel for which I am suffering and wearing fetters like a criminal. But the word of God is not fettered. Therefore, I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus with its eternal glory.
GOSPEL
For the Seventh Sunday of Matthew
The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew. (9:27-35)
At that time, as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud:“Have mercy on us, Son of David.” When He entered the house, the blind men came to Him; and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly charged them, “See that no one knows it.” But they went away and spread His fame through all that district. As they were going away, behold, a dumb demoniac was brought to Him. And when the demon had been cast out, the dumb man spoke; and the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.” And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity.
