St. Peter News April 25, 2023

Christ is Risen! Truly He has Risen!

Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women

Pious Joseph of Arimathaea, Righteous Nicodemus

The Myrrh Bearing Women

The third Sunday of Holy Pascha is observed by the Orthodox Church as the Sunday of the Holy Myrrhbearers. The day commemorates when the women disciples of our Lord came to the tomb to anoint his body with myrrh-oils but found the tomb empty. As the woman wondered what this meant, angels appeared proclaiming that Christ had risen from the dead.

Of those whose names are known are the following: first of all, the most holy Virgin Mary, who in Matthew 27:56 and Mark 15:40 is called “the mother of James and Joses” (these are the sons of Joseph by a previous marriage, and she was therefore their step-mother); Mary Magdalene (celebrated July 22); Mary, the wife of Clopas; Joanna, wife of Chouza, a steward of Herod Antipas; Salome, the mother of the sons of Zebedee; Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus; and Susanna. As for the names of the rest of them, the evangelists have kept silence.

Together with them we celebrate also the secret disciples of the Savior, Joseph and Nicodemus. Of these, Nicodemus was probably a Jerusalemite, a prominent leader among the Jews and of the order of the Pharisees, learned in the Law and instructed in the Holy Scriptures. He had believed in Christ when, at the beginning of our Savior’s preaching of salvation, he came to Him by night. Furthermore, he brought some one hundred pounds of myrrh-oils and an aromatic mixture of aloes and spices out of reverence for the divine Teacher (John 19:39).

Joseph, who was from the city of Arimathea, was a wealthy and noble man, and one of the counselors who were in Jerusalem. He went bodly unto Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus, and together with Nicodemus he gave Him burial. Since time did not permit the preparation of another tomb, he placed the Lord’s body in his own tomb which was hewn out of rock, as the Evangelist says (Matthew 27:60).

Read the entire story on the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese website.

Services and Events This Week

• Sun Apr 23 — SUNDAY OF THOMAS THE APOSTLE Orthros 8:30am Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Tue Apr 25 — The Apostle Mark Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Thu Apr 27 — St. Nicholas School Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Fri Apr 28 — Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm Social Hall

Lee County Sheriff Active Shooter Training, Thursday, May 4, from 1:00pm – 3:00pm

A reminder that the Lee County Sheriff Active Shooter Training team will conduct a review of actions that Saint Peter’s congregation deploy should an Active Shooter attempt to disrupt services or gatherings. This includes medical, communication, and use of restraint/force.

Training will be conducted on Thursday, May 4, from 1 PM to 3PM. The training is open to all but we encourage that members of the Security Advisory Team and the Church Board attend. Refreshments will be supplied by Joe and Deb Repya.

Let’s Pray the Paraklesis to the Theotokos Daily

Our goal at St. Peter’s is to have one person or family pray the Parakelsis to the Theotokos for at least one day of every month. For each day of the month, individuals or even an entire family can sign up to pray the Paraklesis in their homes on the day/s which they select.

Get more information on how to participate from the St. Peter’s website.

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

APRIL 2023

• Apr 02 Joe and Deb Repya, George Tsikitas   
• Apr 09  Dan Delorenzo, George Tsikitas
• Apr 16  Joe Repya, Dan Delorenzo
• Apr 23  Dan Delorenzo, George Tsikitas
• Apr 30  Tom and Marlene Haley, George Tsikitas

MAY 2023

• May 07 Will Schwarz Need Additional Volunteer
• May 14 Joe and Deb Repya, George Tsikitas
• May 21 Candace Rosen, George Tsikitas
• May 28 Candace Rosen, Need Additional Volunteer

JUNE 2023

• Jun 04 Joe and Deb Repya Need Additional Volunteer
• Jun 11 Need Additional Volunteers
• Jun 18 Need Additional Volunteers
• Jun 25 Need Additional Volunteers

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

SOCIAL HALL ALL STARS

APRIL

• BARBARA DIONYSOPOULOS
• Al Joseph
• Bonnie Joseph
• Marianthi Kazakos
• Sandy Krotov
• Niki Locklear
• Ray Locklear
• Eleni Moran
• Koula Ormanidou

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

APRIL

• Sun Apr 23 — SUNDAY OF THOMAS THE APOSTLE Orthros 8:30am Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Tue Apr 25 — The Apostle Mark Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Thu Apr 27 — St. Nicholas School Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Fri Apr 28 — Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm Social Hall

APRIL / MAY

• Sun Apr 30 — SUNDAY OF THE MYRRH BEARING WOMEN Orthros 8:30am Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Tue May 02 — Paraklesis to the Theotokos 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Thu May 04 — St. Nicholas School Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Thu May 04 — Active Shooter Training 1:00pm
• Fri May 05 — Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm Social Hall

• Sun May 07 — SUNDAY OF THE PARALYTIC Orthros 8:30am Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Mon May 08 — St. John the Apostle Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Wed May 10 — Mid-Pentecost Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Thu May 11 — St. Nicholas School Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Fri May 12 – Sat May 13 — Fr. Hans Out of Town — Met Sava Enthronement in New York
• Fri May 12 — CANCELLED Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm Social Hall

• Sun May 14 — SUNDAY OF THE SAMARITAN WOMAN Orthros 8:30am Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Tue May 16 — Mid-Pentecost Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Thu May 18 – Sat May 20 — Fr. Hans Out of Town – Attending Seminar at Antiochian Village
• Thu May 18 — CANCELLED St. Nicholas School Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Fri May 19 — CANCELLED Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm Social Hall

• Sun May 21 — SUNDAY OF THE BLIND MAN Orthros 8:30am Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Tue May 23 — Paraklesis to the Theotokos 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Thu May 25 — St. Nicholas School Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Fri May 26 — Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm Social Hall

MAY / JUNE

• Sun May 28 — FATHERS OF THE FIRST ECUMENICAL COUNCIL Orthros 8:30am Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Tue May 30 — Paraklesis to the Theotokos 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Thu Jun 01 — St. Nicholas School Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
• Fri Jun 02 — Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm Social Hall

It only remains for us weak creatures to have recourse to the name of Jesus, for the passions are like demons and depart at the invocation of this name. Venerables Barsanuphius the Great and John the Prophet, monks of Palestine

Gluttony engenders love of pleasure and many other passions as well. It is the root from which the rest of the passions spring up in vigorous growth, little by little developing as suckers alongside the mother tree, and putting out branches of evil that reach up to the sky.
Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai

Woe is me, O soul, for thou dost sin daily, yet day after day dost thou postpone repentance. Death will overtake thee suddenly, like a thief in the night, and thou wilt be led away in bonds to gehenna, shedding tears and denouncing thy folly in vain. Venerable Ephraim the Syrian

It is not enough to simply make your confession to the Spiritual Father; you must also truly repent of what you have done. Saint Paisios of Mount Athos

If we at first believe that what we are about to say will be to someone’s benefit, but then, after we use our discernment, we decide that our words will only hurt the other person, then it is better to remain silent. Everything should be done with discernment. When one uses one’s discernment, then one is also vigilant. Elder Thaddeus (Strabulovich) of Vitovnica

• Names will remain on the list for three months.
• If you would like to keep them on longer please mention it to Fr. Hans. We will keep the names on the list for as long as the person needs prayers.
• Names will include the person who requested the prayers and the month the name will be removed.
• The permanent list includes friends and members of St. Peter’s and others including shut-ins.

Were names dropped that should have remained? Please mention it to Fr. Hans. He will add them back.

Current Prayer List

Madison (Tewis 6/1)
Anthony (Breitenbach 6/1)
Arielle (Ghanem 6/1)
Nicholas (Ghanem 6/1)
Christos
Father Demetris
Jamie
Pamela
David
Jessica
Christina (Hildreth)
Georgia and Richard and their unborn child (Chapekis)
Dionysios Chapekis)
Nancy (Forderhase)
Kayla (Palantine)
George (3/23 Chapekis)
Penelope (3/23 Chapekis)
Theodora (3/23)
Victor (3/23)
Barbara (Dusckas 3/23)
James (Dusckas 3/23)
Les (3/23
Lynn (Hurely 1/23)
Irene and unborn 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)
Priest Anthony (Karbo 11/22)
Archpriest Dionysius (Valentine 9/12)
Anthony Presbyter (Kerr 10/22)
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

Katheryn (Tolkkinen)
Markisia (Long)
Angela (Long)
Marina (Long)
Eleni (Long)
Raphaella (Long)
Joanne (Haley)
Corwin (Dusckas)
Corgette (Troutman)
Irina (Irina)
Seraphim (Irina)
Lidia (Irina)
Sarina (Ghanem)
Debbie (Breitenbach)
Kathy (Breitenbach)
Hope (Isadore)
John (Long)
Pantelis (Tsikita)
Marisa (Tsikita)
Barbara (Dionysopoulos)
Patricia (Evanoff)
Gabriel (Mankus)
Baby Dani (Repya)
Despina (Diversis)
Fredericos (Diveris)
Makrina and her unborn baby (Kerr)
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)
John (Katsigianopoulos)
George (Chionis)
Mary (Spiropoulos)
Gregory (Pappas)
Angela (Coran K
Eugene (Rust)
Robert (Jarvis)
George (Corey)
Patricia (Cotsones)

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.

EPISTLE

The Reading from the Acts of the Apostles. (6:1-7)

The Lord is my strength and my song.
The Lord has chastened me severely.

In those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists murmured against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. And the Twelve summoned the body of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

And what they said pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaos, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands upon them. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

GOSPEL

The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark. (15:43-16:8)

At that time, Joseph of Arimathaea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the Kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. And Pilate wondered if He were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether Jesus was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that He was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. And he bought a linen shroud, and taking Him down, wrapped Him in the linen shroud, and laid Him in a tomb, which had been hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where He was laid.

And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Jesus. And very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb at the rising of the sun. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back – it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a long white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, Who was crucified. He is risen; He is not here; see the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see Him, as He told you.” And they went out quickly and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.