St. Peter Newsletter March 10, 2020

Second Sunday of Great Lent
St. Gregory Palamas

Martyr Agapios of Palestine and those with him; Apostle Aristoboulos of the Seventy, first bishop of Britain; New-martyrs Manuel of Crete and Parthenios

From “A Man Fully Alive” by Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick.

On the Second Sunday of Great Lent we celebrate St. Gregory Palamas, the archbishop of Thessalonica in Greece for a number of years in the 14th century, right around the same time that Geoffrey Chaucer was born, the man who wrote The Canterbury Tales.

But before he became an archbishop, Gregory was a monk on the holy mountain of Athos. During his time there and also when he later became an archbishop, Gregory was involved in a controversy that cut straight to the heart of this longing for life that all of us who are sons and daughters of Adam share.

At that time, there was a certain heretic named Barlaam, who was from the southern part of Italy, which was Greek-speaking at the time. Barlaam made the claim that the highest possible knowledge of God that anyone could have was through the mind, that the philosophers knew God better than the prophets and even the apostles.

Gregory answered that the human mind, while a great gift from God, was not actually capable of the kind of intimate knowledge and communion that Adam had received from God, that there was something much deeper, that the Christian could actually know God and see Him with the heart, as a light shining in. And indeed, sometimes this heart knowledge of God was so powerful and so pervasive that some people were actually seeing the light of God with their physical eyes.

Isn’t that why we’re here? Don’t we want to see God? Aren’t we here not just to learn about God with our minds, but truly to know Him with our hearts?

Read Fr. Damick’s complete essay.

Read a brief history of St. Gregory Palamas.

Women of St. Peter’s: Women’s Retreat On Saturday, March 14, 2020

PLEASE NOTE THE NEW DATE

The Women of St. Peter hosts the annual Lenten Retreat at St. Peter’s on Saturday, March 7. Fr. Alexis Kouri of St. Philip’s Orthodox Church in Davie, Florida, is the guest speaker.

If you can help with the event, please contact Mary Copeland or Nancy Forderhase to volunteer.

Please plan to attend this one day retreat. We want to support this effort with a strong showing from the Women of St. Peter’s. A $10 contributionwill pay for the food expenses.

Please sign up on Sundays or RSVP to Mary Copeland at 239-298-1730 or Nancy Forderhase at 859-749-9509.

Schedule for Lenten Suppers Following Presanctified Liturgies on Wednesday

• March 4 Julia Grekos
• March 11 Anne Breitenbach and Corgette Troutman
• March 18 Jean Debs and Barbara Zeena
• March 25 No Evening Liturgy
• April 1 Eleni Tzouganatis
• April 8 Cheryl Morse and Nancy Forderhase

Please call Georgette Troutman at 239-415 7847 if you have any questions.

Thank you ladies!

Annunciation Liturgy on Monday, March 25 at 6:30pm

The Feast of the Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary is celebrated on March 25 each year. The Feast commemorates the announcement by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God, would become incarnate and enter into this world through her womb.

Fr. Thomas Hopko on The Annunciation

On March 25, exactly 9 months before Nativity, the Church celebrates the Annunciation to the Theotokos that she will be the Mother of God. God’s declaration through the angel Gabriel, however, had a contingency attached.

Listen to find out what it was.

Listen here:

Only A Few Copies of the Lenten Cookbook Remain

Tabita Valentine has compiled a cookbook of Lenten recipes available to our parishioners and for sale in our bookstore.

The recipes are good. Many of you have sampled her work during Social Hall and special events and will agree that what she makes tastes great and topped with a good dose of healthy!

Suggested donation is $15 with all proceeds going to the building fund.

Order yours before they run out.

Greek School Schedule

• Child Beginners meet on Tuesday evenings from January 28 to March 24 at 5:30pm
• Adult Beginners meet on Wednesday evenings from January 29 to March 25 at 5:30pm.
• Adult Intermediate/Conversational meet on Wednesday evenings from January 29 to March 25 at 4:30pm.

SESSION ONE of Beginner Greek (Child/Adult) is almost done!

If you are interested in continuing your Greek Lessons, our Greek Teacher is available for another 8 week session Starting March 31st/April 1st and run through May 26th/27th. NO CLASSES DURING HOLY WEEK. Please call/text Joan Simon at 201-826-8991 regarding your interest in starting or continuing your studies.

CHILD Beginner Greek meets on Tuesday evenings at 5:30 pm.
ADULT Beginner Greek meets on Wednesday evenings at 5:30 pm.

IF YOU MISSED SESSION ONE, but you would like to participate in SESSION TWO, you will need to know the Greek alphabet, how to pronounce letter combinations and how to read simple sentences in order to move forward.

Same with SESSION ONE of Adult Intermediate/Conversational Greek.

SESSION TWO will begin on Wednesday, April 1st and run through May 27th. NO CLASSES DUING HOLY WEEK. Classes will BEGIN at 4:15 pm.

Individuals should have a basic understanding of the Greek language, be able to read and write Greek, translate from English-Greek/Greek-English. We will be working on being better able to understand Greek conversations and respond appropriately. It’s not too late to start. JOIN US!

Please cal/text Joan Simon at 201-826-8991 regarding your interest.

COST FOR SESSION TWO will depend upon the number of people who commit and sign up for the classes outlined above. THANK YOU.

Our Stewardship to St. Peter’s

The letter for Stewardship Support of St. Peter’s in 2020 has been sent.

We are responsible to increase what God has given us. In the Parable of the Talents, the master gave his servants talents that they are expected to nurture and grow. This is a responsibility we cannot avoid.

The Church is both a place where the increase begins on the inside of us, and to which we much give some our increase. This too is a responsibility we must take on.

A contribution form will be included in the letter you receive. Our goal this year is $217,000.

Pledge & Income Report – January 2020

Giving in January was $26,846.00. Our monthly goal to make our 2020 budget is $18,167.00. This leaves a surplus of $8,679.00. While this is good, we have to remember that we always have a good January because some people fulfill their yearly stewardship early.

We have received $140,000.00 in pledges towards our budget goal of $217,000. It’s not too late to sign a pledge card. Pledge cards are available in the Narthex or on St. Peter’s website.

Thank you to all of you who support Saint Peter’s.

Calendar At A Glance

March

Lenten Service Schedule for March below.

• Tue March 10 — Child Beginners Greek School 5:30pm
• Wed March 11 — Adult Intermediate/conversational Greek School 4:30pm
• Wed March 11 — Adult Beginners/conversational Greek School 5:30pm
• Thu March 12 — Lenten Community Luncheon 12:00pm
• Sat March 14 — Sts. Peter/Paul Women’s Retreat

• Tue March 17 — Child Beginners Greek School 5:30pm
• Wed March 18 — Adult Intermediate/conversational Greek School 4:30pm
• Wed March 18 — Adult Beginners/conversational Greek School 5:30pm

• Tue March 24 — Child Beginners Greek School 5:30pm
• Wed March 25 — Adult Intermediate/conversational Greek School 4:30pm
• Wed March 25 — Adult Beginners/conversational Greek School 5:30pm

March Lenten Service Schedule

Sunday March 8 Sunday of Orthodoxy

• Sun Mar 8 — Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers at St. Paul’s 5:00pm
• Mon Mar 9 — Great Compline 6:30pm
• Wed Mar 11 — Presanctified Liturgy 6:30pm
• Fri Mar 13 — Second Stanza Salutations 6:30pm
• Sat Mar 14 — St. Peter/St. Paul Women’s Retreat 9:00am

Sunday March 15 Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas

• Mon Mar 16 — Great Compline 6:30pm
• Wed Mar 18 — Presanctified Liturgy 6:30pm
• Fri Mar 20 — Third Stanza Salutations 6:30pm

Sunday March 22 Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross

• Mon Mar 23 — Great Compline 6:30pm
• Tue Mar 24 — Annunciation Vespers 6:30pm
• Wed Mar 25 — Annunciation Liturgy 9:30am
• Fri Mar 27 — Fourth Stanza Salutations 6:30pm

Sunday March 29 Sunday of St. John of the Ladder

• Mon Mar 30 — Great Compline 6:30pm
• Wed Apr 1 — Presanctified Liturgy 6:30pm
• Fri Apr 3 — Complete Salutations/Akathist Hymn 6:30pm

Sunday April 5 Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt

• Mon Apr 6 — Great Compline 6:30pm
• Wed Apr 8 — Presanctified Liturgy 6:30pm
• Fri Apr 10 — Small Compline with Canon of St. Lazarus 6:30pm
• Sat Apr 11 — Lazarus Saturday Liturgy 9:30am / Baptisms / Make crosses / Pancake breakfast / Children confessions – Full Schedule TBA

See the entire Lenten Schedule on the St. Peter website.

Wisdom From The Elders

A life lived in humility and with an irreproachable conscience brings peace, tranquility, and true happiness. But wealth, honor, glory and exalted position often serve as the cause of a multitude of sins, and such happiness is not one on which to rely. St. Makary of Optina

Cheerfulness is not a sin. It drives away weariness; and it is from weariness that despondency comes, and there is nothing worse than that. It brings with it everything negative. St. Seraphim of Sarov

The vices are linked one to another: hatred to anger, anger to pride, pride to self-esteem, self-esteem to unbelief, unbelief to hard heartedness, hardheartedness to negligence, negligence to sluggishness, sluggishness to apathy, apathy to listlessness, listlessness to lack of endurance, lack of endurance to self-indulgence, and so on with all the other vices. St. Makarios of Egypt

Love has perfect eyesight: it sees the truth in a person, and it distinguishes the sin from the sinner. Priest Daniel Sysoev

Very desireable is the prayer of the heart. Very desireable is the silence of the heart. St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov)

One must remember the words of the Lord Himself in the Gospel: I will have mercy and not sacrifice (Matt. 9:13), i.e., in order to please the Lord one must most of all take care not to condemn others, and in general have an indulgent disposition towards his neighbor. St. Ambrose of Optina

Remember in Your Prayers

Iakavos (Diveris)
Heriklia (Diveris)
Macy James
Joan (Breitenbach)
Mary (Rauch)
Diomidis (Kanellos)

Anastasia (Ann Constan)
Ben (Ben)
Thomas (Ben)
Irene (C. Diveris)
Vasiliki (C.Diveris)
Efrosini (C. diveris)
Charles (Oberg)
Christine (Kouzes)
Nina (Kovalev)
Hugh (Jacquie)
Violet (Jacquie Mom)
Tammie (Jacquie friend)
Phillip
Baby Luke
George
Savannah (Jonson)
Bud
Silvana
Nicole
Evan
Megan
Bill R.
Pat R.
Aglaia
George
Priest Kyprianos
Athanasia
Alexandra
Constantina
Maryanne (E)
Ron (E)
Tim
Robert (J)
Mary (J)
Patricia
Gregory
Andreas
Sofia Tešanovic
Paul
Dennis H. and Family
Victor Evan
Ann
James
Vasiliki
Efstratia
Alexandra
Nikos
Georgia
Ioannis
Costandino
Jeffrey
Vaso
Dave
Dimitri – Presbyter
Vassiliki
Octavio
Tom
Carl
Rena
Nikolay (5 year old boy in Bulgaria whose parents asked us to pray)
David
Rosie
Kathryn
Jeremy
Constantine
Robert
Jane
Theodora
David
Gina
Micheal
Haralambos
Lillian
Presbytera Rosy
Valentina
Eva W.
Barbara
Angela
Carol Ann
Matthew
Chrysostom
Tim
Pat
Christina
Maria Louise
Maximos
Marian
Photini
Nicholas
Sarah
Constantine Houpis
Anna Marie Smith Baker
Katerina
Mary Kassis
Baby Maximus
Christine
Maria
Annette Star
Claire Livaditis
Eva Chandilles
Baby Dani
Scott Nedoff
James Hord

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

O Lord, Thou wilt preserve us and keep us from this generation.
Save me, O Lord, for the godly man hath disappeared.

The Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Hebrews. (1:10-2:3)

“In the beginning, Thou, O Lord, didst found the earth, and the heavens are the work of Thy hands; they will perish, but Thou remainest; they will all grow old like a garment, like a mantle Thou wilt roll them up, and they will be changed. But Thou art the same, and Thy years will never end.” But to what angel has He ever said, “Sit at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies a stool for thy feet”? Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation? Therefore, we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For if the message, declared by angels, was valid and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard Him.

Gospel

The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark. (2:1-12)

At that time, when Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that Hewas at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and He was preaching the Word to them. And they came, bringing to Jesus a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near Jesus because of the crowd,they removed the roof above Him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now, some of the scribes were sitting there, reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

And immediately Jesus, perceiving in His spirit that they thus reasoned within themselves, said to them,“Why do you reason thus in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your pallet and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” – He said to the paralytic – “I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home.” And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all. So that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”