Christ is Risen!
The Fifth Sunday After Pascha
The Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
After-feast of Mid-Pentecost
Martyrs Peter, Dionysios, Andrew, Paul, Christina, Heraklios, Paulinos and Benedimos; Stephen the New, patriarch of Constantinople
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
Photini of Samaria
The holy and glorious Great-martyr Photine of Samaria (also Photini or Svetlana), Equal-to-the-Apostles, encountered Christ at the well of Jacob. Tradition relates that the Apostles baptized her with the name “Photine” meaning “enlightened one.” Her feast days are celebrated on February 26 with those who suffered with her (Greek tradition), March 20 (Slavic tradition), and the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman.
Life
The Gospel of John (4:5-42) relates the encounter of Photine, the Samaritan woman, with Christ at Jacob’s well. She repented after a very gentle and wise conversation with Christ and went and told her townspeople that she had met the Christ. For this, she is sometimes claimed as the first to proclaim the Gospel of Christ.
She converted her five sisters (Ss. Anatole, Photo, Photis, Paraskeve, and Kyriake) and her two sons (St. Photinos, formerly known as Victor, and St. Joses). They all became tireless evangelists for Christ.
After the Apostles Paul and Peter were martyred, St. Photine and her family left their homeland of Sychar, in Samaria, to travel to Carthage to proclaim the Gospel of Christ there.
In 66 AD, under the persecutions of Emperor Nero, they all achieved the crown of martyrdom, along with the Duke St. Sebastianos, the close friend of St. Photinos.
Read more on the OrthodoxWiki website.
Services and Events This Week
- SUN May 11 — SUNDAY LITURGY – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Wed May 14 — CANCELLED
Early Morning Liturgy - Wed May 14 — Presentation: The Legacy of Fr. Daniel Syosev 7:00pm
- Fri May 16 — Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm
- Sat May 17 — Great Vespers 5:30pm
Wednesday Morning Liturgy Cancelled
All our chanters are tied up! We will let you know as soon as they are untied.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION: The Legacy of Fr. Daniel Syosev at 7pm Wednesday May 14.
For the past month Danil Kostromin has been visiting St. Peter and St. Paul parishes. Danil is from Russia and works with missions inside Russia. He is particularly interested in establishing men’s ministries in the Russian Orthodox Church and has been attending all local Brotherhood meetings.
On Wednesday May 12 (tomorrow), Danil will offer a presentation on The Legaacy of Fr. Daniel Sysoev. Fr. Daniel was a Russian Orthodox priest, rector of the Moscow Church of the Holy Apostle Thomas on Kantemirovskaya, and a prominent missionary. He was known for his active missionary work, including among Russia’s Muslims, neo-Pagans, and Protestants.
Sysoev was killed in his church in Moscow by a masked gunman on 19 November 2009. Some Orthodox Christians revere Daniil Sysoyev as a martyr and expect his canonization in the future.
This promises to be a very interesting talk and we will get a glimpse into the resurgence of Orthodoxy in Russia after the collapse of the Communism.
You can read more about Fr. Daniel Syosev here.
Saint Peter’s Hurricane Response Planning
Beginning on Sunday, May 4th, and running the Sundays of May 11, and May 18, in the church social hall our security team will be asking everyone to participate in planning for the 2025 Hurricane season.
The safety of our parishioners is our upmost concern. The best way to deal with adverse weather is to have a solid plan ahead of the emergency. Your security team at Saint Peters needs everyone to help and participate in the following efforts:
- We must identify all parishioners who reside in Evacuation Zones A and B.
- We must identify Safe Houses of parishioners in Evacuation Zones C and D and E, who are willing to take in those from Evacuation Zones A and B during the emergency timeframe.
- We need to team those who will evacuate, to those who will provide shelter prior to a storm’s arrival.
- A transportation plan will be developed to get parishioners to the plans shelter.
- If required, emergency food and water will be distributed by the security team.
- We will establish a telephonic notification chart to allow the security team to periodically check on the parishioners status at the Safe Houses.
A finalized plan will be distributed prior to the beginning of the 2025 Hurricane Season beginning June 1, 2025. Joe Repya will coordinate and requests volunteers willing to assist in the planning and execution of our hurricane plan.
We Need Donations for the Good Samaritan Fund
These are very difficult times for some of our parishioners. We need to replenish the Good Samaritan Fund to be able to help them. Can you donate? Please write a check and note “Good Samaritan Fund” in the memo box. If you would like to donate cash please put it in envelope marked “Good Samaritan Fund.”
When you bless a neighbor in need, you bless God.
Pledge and Income Report — April 2025
Contributions received in April were $33,967
The amount of money needed to cover expenses: $33,785.
For this month we are ahead by $182.
Year-to-date, we are ahead by $7,210.
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
Sign up the the Monthly DOMSE Newsletter on the DOMSE (Diocese of Miami and the Southeast) Website!
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Diocese of Miami Parish Life Conference June 11-14-2025
Go to the Parish Life Conference website for more information.
ST. PETER’S GREETERS
Please note: Volunteers to serve as greeters are needed for December. Please contact Joe Repya if you can serve.
MAY
- May 4 — Ioana Dumitru – Joe and Deb Repya
- May 11 — Ray Locklear – Need a Volunteer
- May 18 — Joe and Deb Repya
- May 25 — Ioana Dumitru – Need a Volunteer
JUNE
- June 1 Barb Zeena – Vicki Matie
- June 8 — Need volunteers
- June 15 — Need volunteers
- 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 – 2025
Please note: A fruit bowl, veggie or hummus tray may be added to a week’s menu.
- May 2025 – Sunday Coffee Hours – Team #2 – Margie Zimmerman Group
- Sunday, May 4 – Coffee and bagels
- Sunday, May 11 – Coffee and muffins
- Sunday, May 18 – Coffee and coffee cakes
- Sunday, May 25 – 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!
MAY
- SUN May 11 — SUNDAY LITURGY – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Wed May 14 — CANCELLED
Early Morning Liturgy - Wed May 14 — Presentation: The Legacy of Fr. Daniel Syosev 7:00pm
- Fri May 16 — Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm
- Sat May 17 — Great Vespers 5:30pm LIVE STREAM
- SUN May 18 — SUNDAY LITURGY – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Wed May 21 — Early Morning Liturgy
- Fri May 23 — Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm
- Sat May 24 — Great Vespers 5:30pm LIVE STREAM
- SUN May 25 — SUNDAY LITURGY – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Wed May 28 — Early Morning Liturgy
- Thu May 29 — ASCENSION Divine Liturgy 9:00am
- Fri May 30 — Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm
- Sat May 31 — Great Vespers 5:30pm LIVE STREAM
JUNE
- SUN Jun 01 — SUNDAY LITURGY – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Tue – Fri Jun 3-6 — Fr. Hans Out of Town
- Wed Jun 04 — CANCELLED
Early Morning Liturgy - Fri Jun 06 — Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm
- Sat Jun 07 — Parish Council Meeting 10:00am
- Sat Jun 07 — Great Vespers 5:30pm LIVE STREAM
- SUN Jun 08 — SUNDAY LITURGY – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Wed – Sat Jun 10-14 — Fr. Hans Out of Town – Parish Life Conference
- Wed Jun 11 — CANCELLED
Early Morning Liturgy - Fri Jun 13 — Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm
- Sat Jun 14 — CANCELLED
Great Vespers 5:30pm
- SUN Jun 15 — SUNDAY LITURGY – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Wed Jun 18 — Early Morning Liturgy
- Fri Jun 20 — Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm
- Sat Jun 21 — Great Vespers 5:30pm LIVE STREAM
- 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 — Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm
- Sat Jun 28 — Great Vespers 5:30pm LIVE STREAM
Live through lowliness of mind instead of going to your death through pretentious pride. Dorotheos of Gaza
Prayer, with all it contains of self-renunciation, has become your real life, which you keep up as though only for the sake of prayer. Tito Colliander
So we no longer pursue plainness and simplicity of life. We no longer value stillness, which helps to free us from past defilement, but prefer a whole host of things which distract us uselessly from our true goal. Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai
Parents scold their children for every little thing. It is as if they do not know how to talk to them kindly and quietly. When a parent needs to discipline a child, the child must feel that behind the strictness there is love. It is a great mistake to punish children as soon as they do something wrong, for nothing is achieved that way. Elder Thaddeus(Strabulovich) of Vitovnica
I believe, with the centurion, that if I pray as I ought, and for what I ought, to any Saint: Grant me this, he will grant it to me; Come to my help, he will come ; Do this, and he will do it. This is the simple, firm faith that we must have ! Righteous John, Wonderworker of Kronstadt
After the resurrection our bodies will be spiritual, and not earthly ones, everything earthly will remain upon earth. Remembering what our future abode will be, Christians, let us, then, gradually detach ourselves from everything earthly. Righteous John, Wonderworker of Kronstadt
Current Prayer List
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)
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
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
How great are Thy works, O Lord! In wisdom hast Thou made them all.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
The Reading from the Acts of the Apostles. (11:19-30)
In those days, the Disciples, who were scattered because of the persecution that aroseover Stephen, traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the Word to none except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, upon coming to Antioch, spoke to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number that believed turned to the Lord.
News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad; and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose; for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a large company was added to the Lord. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church, and taught a large company of people; and in Antioch the Disciples were for the first time called Christians.
Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world; and this took place in the days of Claudius. And the Disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brethren who lived in Judea; and they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.
GOSPEL
The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. John. (4:5-42)
At that time, Jesus came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and so Jesus, wearied as He was with his journey, sat down beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His Disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that Thou, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and Who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
The woman said to Him, “Sir, Thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where do you get that living water? Art Thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst forever; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The woman said to Him, “Sir,give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered Him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband; this you said truly.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that Thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain; and Thou sayest that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”
Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming [He Who is called Christ]; when He comes, He will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I Who speak to you am He.”
Just then His Disciples came. They marveled that He was talking with a woman, but none said, “What dost Thou wish?” or, “Why art Thou talking with her?” So the woman left her water jar, and went away into the city, and said to the people, “Come, see a man Who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” They went out of the city and were coming to Him.
Meanwhile the Disciples besought Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” So the Disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him food?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him Who sent Me,and to accomplish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see how the fields are already white for harvest. He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”
Many Samaritans from that city believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony, “He said to me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His words. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves,and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”