The Holy, Glorious Apostles Peter and Paul
Together, they are the patrons and protectors of the Patriarchate of Antioch. Peter was the son of Jonah and the brother of Andrew, the First-called. He was of the Tribe of Simeon from the town of Bethsaida. He was a fisherman and, at first, was called Simon but the Lord was pleased to call him Cephas or Peter: “And when Jesus beheld him, He said, ‘Thou art Simon the son of Jonah; thou shalt be called Cephas,’ which is by interpretation, a rock” (John 1:42). He was the first of the disciples to clearly express faith in the Lord Jesus saying: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). His love for the Lord was great and his faith in the Lord gradually strengthened. When the Lord was brought to trial, Peter denied Him three times but after only one glance into the face of the Lord, Peter’s soul was filled with shame and repentance.
After the descent of the Holy Spirit, Peter became a fearless and powerful preacher of the Gospel. Peter worked many powerful miracles; he healed the sick, resurrected the dead; the sick were healed even from his shadow. By order of the evil Emperor Nero, Peter was condemned to death in 64 A.D. Installing Linus as Bishop of Rome, counseling and comforting the flock of Christ, Peter proceeded joyfully to his death. Seeing the cross before him, he begged his executioners to crucify him upside down for he considered himself unworthy to die as did his Lord. Thus the great servant of the Great Lord reposed and received the wreath of eternal glory.
Paul was born in Tarsus of the tribe of Benjamin. At first, he was called Saul, studied under Gamaliel, was a Pharisee and a persecutor of Christianity. He was miraculously converted to the Christian Faith by the Lord Himself Who appeared to him on the road to Damascus. “Suddenly, a light from heaven flashed about him. And Saul fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” And he said, “Who art Thou, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus, Whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:3-5). Saul was blinded, but regained his sight when he was baptized by the Apostle Ananias. Then he was called Paul and numbered in the service of the great apostles.
With a fiery zeal, Paul preached the Gospel everywhere from the borders of Arabia to Spain, among the Jews and among the Gentiles. As horrible as his sufferings were, so much more was his superhuman patience. Throughout all the years of his preaching Paul, from day to day, hung as one on a weak thread between life and death. Since he fulfilled all days and nights with labor and suffering for Christ, since he organized the Church in many places and since he attained such a degree of perfection he was able to say: “It is now no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). Paul was beheaded in Rome during the reign of Emperor Nero at the same time as the Apostle Peter.
By the intercessions of Thy Saints, O Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.
St. Peter of Fort Myers and St. Paul of Naples Celebrate the Feast Day of Sts. Peter and Paul
At Great Vespers on June 28 at 5:00pm, with various clergy, faithful and visitors from the surrounding SW FL area, we will gather to properly honor these two “preachers of the universe”: Sts. Peter and Paul. San Carlos Park, Fort Myers. Last year we had a wonderful time hosting Fr. Paul and the parishioners of St. Paul’s. This year they will host St. Peter’s.
Services and Events This Week
- SUN Jun 22 — SUNDAY LITURGY – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Tue Jun 24 — DIVINE LITURGY Nativity of St. John Baptist 9:00am LIVE STREAM
- Wed Jun 25 — Early Morning Liturgy
- Fri Jun 27 — Funeral of Bess Hord Visitation 10:00am Funeral Service 11:00am
- Fri Jun 27 — Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm
- Sat Jun 28 — Great Vespers 5:00pm at St. Paul’s
Bess Hord — Memory Eternal
With sadness we announce the passing of Bess Hord, on Saturday June 21, 2025. Bess died peacefully at Hope Hospice where she spent her final days. Our condolences to her husband Jim, her sister Pauline, and her extended relatives.
Bess’ funeral will be held on Friday, June 27, 2025 at St. Peter Orthodox Church. Visitation begins at 10:00am, funeral service at 11:00am. Internment with Trisagion Prayers will be at Fort Myers Cemetery (Michigan Ave) following the service.
May her memory be eternal.
Nativity of St. John the Forerunner Divine Liturgy on Tuesday June 24, 2025 at 9:00am
The Fasting Period of St. Peter and Paul
The fast of the Holy Apostles starts on the second Monday after Pentecost. The duration of this fast varies, depending on the date of PASCHA (Easter). The rule is that the Fast starts on the second Monday after Pentecost and ends on June 29, on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. According to the new calendar, the Apostles’ Fast could last as short as 8 days and as long as 30 days (42 days according to the old calendar). This year the Apostles’ Fast is June 16-29.
Fasting Rules of the Fast of the Holy Apostles
The Fast of the Holy Apostles is not as strict as the Fasts of PASCHA and the Nativity of Christ; rather it is more lenient in its duration and rules.
The rules are:
- Red meat, poultry, and dairy products are not allowed during the entire fasting period.
- Fish, wine, and oil are allowed on all days except on Wednesdays and Fridays.
The Apostles’ Fast has emerged since the very early days of Christianity. It is honored and preserved in the Church as a part of our Holy Tradition. Like all Fasts in the Orthodox Church, the Holy Apostles’ Fast aims to help us put on the “armor of light” against the attacks of the enemy that may befall during our spiritual journey to become united with God through His grace.
As always, it is encouraged to discuss with your spiritual father what manner of fasting will be best for you during this time.
Learn more about the St. Peter and Paul on the Antiochian Archdiocese website.
Falling Behind on Your Pledge? We Need You!
The bills are the same in the summer as they are in the winter so please do not fall behind on you pledge.
Things always get tight during the summer months. Although we have a reserve (an emergency fund for unseen events like a rise in rates for wind insurance that is required by our mortgage banker which happened this year), it has to get paid back. St. Peter’s has always run in the black thanks to our faithful parishioners, has always met all of its obligations, and has keep up with the increasing expenses that occur with a growing parish.
This success relies on you — the good parishioners of St. Peter’s. Please catch up on your pledge and if you have more to give, that would be welcome too!
Pledge and Income Report — May 2025
Contributions received in May were $24,097.
The amount of money needed to cover expenses: $33,785.
For this month we are behind by $9,688
Year-to-date, we are behind by $2,477.
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.
JUNE
- June 1 — Barb Zeena – Vicki Matie
- June 8 — Pavlo – Yaryna Bilych
- June 15 — Joe – Deb Repya
- June 22 — Need volunteers
- June 29 — Need volunteers
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.
- June 2025 – Sunday Coffee Hours – Team #3
- Sunday, June 1 – Coffee and bagels
- Sunday, June 8 – Coffee and donuts
- Sunday, June 15 – Coffee and coffee cakes
- Sunday, June 22 – Coffee and muffins
- Sunday, June 29 – Coffee and bagels
- 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!
JUNE
- SUN Jun 22 — SUNDAY LITURGY – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Tue Jun 24 — DIVINE LITURGY Nativity of St. John Baptist 9:00am LIVE STREAM
- Wed Jun 25 — Early Morning Liturgy
- Fri Jun 27 — Funeral of Bess Hord Visitation 10:00am Funeral Service 11:00am
- Fri Jun 27 — Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm
- Sat Jun 28 — Great Vespers 5:00pm at St. Paul’s
Wisdom From The Elders
Prayer is the fruit of joy and thankfulness. Evagrios the Solitary
One who is repenting must for a long time force himself and train himself so as to do good, so as to perform it easily; and even after attaining this, he must constantly keep himself in a state of tension and fear. On the other hand, one who has not fallen lives in simplicity of heart, in a kind of assurance of salvation which blesses him and is not deceived. St. Theophan the Recluse, bishop of Tambov
We cannot pray truly when we are dominated by the passions, for true prayer is the heart’s rest in God, while the passions are the heart’s captivity to its impulses and fallen desires. You cannot serve both God and mammon. Bishop Irenei Steenberg
Our thoughts can be very penetrating, and they have great power. This is especially true of the thoughts of parents. A parent must bear much and forgive all. We can help others only if we have good and kind thoughts. If we have thoughts about correcting the faults of others, that is like hitting them. No matter how close a person is to us, he will slip away from us because we have dealt him a blow with our thoughts. And we believe that thoughts are nothing! Elder Thaddeus(Strabulovich) of Vitovnica
The evil spirit tries to scatter prayer as if it were a sandheap, tries to turn the words into dry sand, without coherency or moisture—that is to say, without fervour of heart. Thus prayer may become either a house built on sand or a house built on a rock. Righteous John, Wonderworker of Kronstadt
Current Prayer List
Bp. Nicholas
Mary Teresa (Dusckas)
Tara (Breitenbach)
Adam (Krotov)
Ariyon (Sovjani)
Diana (Veraj)
Arjan (Veraj)
Thoma (Sovjani)
Lucia
Ioannes
Freida (Hansen)
Stratton (Leopold)
Mary (Copeland)
Robert (Tewis)
Gene (Forderhase)
Ruth (Mudd)
Barbara (Duskas)
Maria (Duskas)
Rachel (Voss)
Ken John (Eaton)
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
Kh. Denise (Breitenbach)
Fr. Patrick (Breitenbach)
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)
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
Vassilike (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
Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth.
The heavens show forth the glory of God.
The Reading from the Second Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians. (11:21-12:9)
Brethren, whatever anyone dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman — with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death.
Five times I have received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I have been beaten with rods; once I was stoned. Three times I have been shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brethren; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches.
Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He Who is blessed forever, knows that I do not lie. At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas guarded the city of Damascus in order to seize me, but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped his hands. I must boast; there is nothing to be gained by it, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up Paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. Though if I wish to boast, I shall not be a fool, for I shall be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. And to keep me from being too elated by the abundance of revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I besought the Lord about this, that it should leave me; but He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
GOSPEL
The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew. (16:13-19)
At that time, when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His Disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in Heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.”
