Christ is Risen!
The Fifth Sunday After Pascha
The Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
After-feast of Mid-Pentecost
Isaac, founder of the Dalmaton monastery in Constantinople; Martyrs Natalios and Barlaam of Caesarea in Cappadocia; Martyrs Eusebios and Christina
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 This Week
- Sun May 16 — SUNDAY OF THE MYRRH BEARING WOMEN Divine Liturgy – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Tue May 18 — Paraklesis to the Theotokos 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Fri May 21 — Sts. Constantine and Helen Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
Services Next Week
- Sun May 30 — SUNDAY OF THE SAMARITAN WOMAN Divine Liturgy – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Tue Jun 1 — Paraklesis to the Theotokos 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Thu Jun 3 — Paraklesis to the Theotokos 9:30am LIVE STREAM
Women’s Book Study Begins This Wednesday, May 25, 2021 in the Social Hall at 6:00pm
The Women’s Book Study will have its first meeting at 6:00pm this Wednesday in the Social Hall. The book we will study is Fr. Arseny: Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father. Fr. Arseny was a prisoner in a Soviet Gulag and ministered to many prisoners. His story is gripping, compelling, and shows how God worked even in the Gulag through a faithful priest.
A brief introduction to the book (the foreward and an introduction to the book) will be offered along with schedule and goal of the study. The primary focus will be books that teach and inspire us in our Orthodox faith.
From Amazon:
It is one of the great mysteries of life that in atmospheres of the harshest cruelty, a certain few not only survive but emerge as beacons of light and life. Father Arseny, former scholar of church art, became Prisoner No. 18736 in the brutal ‘special sector’ of the Soviet prison camp system. In the darkness of systematic degradation of body and soul, he shone with the light of Christ’s peace and compassion. His sights set on God and his life grounded in the Church, Father Arseny lived by injunction to ‘bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ’ (Galatians 6:2).
This narrative, compiled from accounts of Father Arseny’s spiritual children and others whom he brought to God, gives stirring glimpses of his life in prison camp and after his release. It also tells the stories of people whose lives, often during times of almost unimaginable crisis, were touched and transfigured through their connection with Father Arseny. Emerging from the context of the particular tragedies of Soviet Russia, this book carries a universal impact certain to be felt by readers in the West today.
DOMSE Virtual Parish Life Conference – June 13-20, 2021
Since COVID the Annual Parish Life Conference (where parishes from the Diocese get together) have gone virtual. DOMSE stands for Diocese of Miami and the Southeast (our diocese). More information including the schedule and sign up are available on the DOMSE website.
Topics covered include:
- Teen SOYO Guest Speaker – Erin Ghata “Dead Men Live!”
- YAF Guest Speaker – Fr. Joseph Abouid “Prayer of the Hart – A Discussion on The Way of the Pilgrim”
- Antiochian Women Guest Speaker – Fr. David Winn “St. John the Theologian: Love and the World”
- Christian Education Workshop – Hosted by Anna-Sarah Farha “Recruiting, Training, and Supporting Church School Staff”
- AMEN (Antiochian Men) Guest Speaker – Fr. Kosta Petrogeorge “Sexual Sobriety according to the Orthodox Church”
- Using Technology for Ministry in the Orthodox Church – Hosted by AMEN for All DOMSE
- Ask Sayedna (Ask Bishop Nicholas any question you want to ask)
Make sure to sign up for the DOMSE Newsletter when you visit the DOMSE website.
Could You Use a Kitchen Table?
The table has six chairs included. It has one leaf and can break down into a table with four chairs.
No charge. All you need to do is move it. If you are interested contact Gregory Morakeas at 615-414-4447 located in Estero.
Two Things to Remember About Our Church at Hickory Drive
- The Presbyterian Church will be using the Social Hall for their worship until they find a place to relocate. Do not enter the Social Hall before 10am on Sundays.
- US 41 is a busy highway and the intersection at Hickory Drive does not have a stop light. We recommend turning on Sanibel Boulevard and following Coconut Road instead.
Coming Soon: Antiochian Men!
The new parish means new responsibilities and the men can step up. A lot of men already have with the move contributing hours of work and sweat to bring the building into shape. We could also do other things too, say breakfast one Saturday a month. It would be a great time for fellowship.
Stay tuned! The Church needs you men.
Cafe of Life Ministry
The Cafe of Life depends on donations like St. Peter’s to feed the hungry and homeless in our community. So please keep so donations coming in.
Please remember these important words from St. Paul: “Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).
We will be meeting on Thursday, June 10th in the social hall at 1:00 pm to make those sandwiches.
Thank you
Christos Anesti and IC XC NI KA!
Pledge & Income Report – April 2021
Donations received in April: $28,321.
Amount of money needed to cover expenses: $22,760.21.
We are ahead by $5,561.
These numbers reflect the operating costs of the the Hickory Drive property.
Please note:Please continue your generous support. If you cannot make it to church please mail in your donation to:
St. Peter Orthodox Church
7470 Hickory Drive
Fort Myers, FL 33967
You can also donate online:
Bishop NICHOLAS Offers a Weekly Live Stream
These are short thirty minute presentations where His Grace Bp. Nicholas speaks on one theme in Sunday readings for fifteen minutes followed by questions from the listeners. It’s worth tuning in. Get instructions on the St. Peter website on how to use the Band App on your phone or computer to participate.
Calendar At A Glance
Calendar also available on the St. Peter website.
MAY
- Sun May 23 — SUNDAY OF THE PARALYTIC Divine Liturgy – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Tue May 25 — Finding of the Head of St. John the Baptist Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Wed May 26 — Midfeast of Pentecost Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
MAY – JUNE
- Sun May 30 — SUNDAY OF THE SAMARITAN WOMAN Divine Liturgy – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Tue Jun 1 — Paraklesis to the Theotokos 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Thu Jun 3 — Paraklesis to the Theotokos 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Sun Jun 6 — SUNDAY OF THE BLIND MAN Divine Liturgy – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Wed Jun 9 — Apodesis (Leave Taking) of Great and Holy Pascha Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Thu Jun 10 — Ascension of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Thu Jun 10 — Cafe of Life Sandwich Making 1:00pm
- Fri-Sat Jun 11-12 — Fr. Hans Out of Town
- Sun Jun 13 — FATHERS OF THE FIRST ECUMENICAL COUNCIL Divine Liturgy – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Sun-Sat Jun 13-19 — DIOCESE OF MIAMI VIRTUAL PARISH LIFE CONFERENCE LIVE STREAM
- Wed Jun 16 — Women’s Book Study
- Sat Jun 19 — Saturday of the Souls (for Pentecost) Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Sun Jun 20 — GREAT AND HOLY PENTECOST Divine Liturgy – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Tue Jun 22 — Paraklesis to the Theotokos 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Wed Jun 23 — Women’s Book Study
- Thu Jun 24 — Nativity St. John the Baptist Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Fri Jun 25 — Parish Council Meeting 3:30pm
JUNE – JULY
- Sun Jun 27 — SUNDAY OF ALL SAINTS Divine Liturgy – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Mon-Tue Jun 28-29 — Sts. Peter and Paul – TIME AND DETAILS TBA
- Wed Jun 30 — Women’s Book Study
- Fri Jul 02 — St. Maximos the Confessor Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
Wisdom From The Elders
It is not enough to simply make your confession to the Spiritual Father; you must also truly repent of what you have done. Elder Paisios of Mount Athos
Every day you should try to plant in your soul something spiritual which will eject something worldly and sinful. Gradually, the old self will be disclaimed, and you will be able to move freely in the spiritual realm. Replace the sinful images in your mind with holy ones. Replace songs with hymns, worldly magazines with spiritual books. Elder Paisios of Mount Athos
Look to the end of every involuntary suffering and you will find in it removal of sins. St. Mark the Ascetic
If you want the Lord to be merciful to you, always repent, be merciful to the suffering, and comfort them. “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7). Archbishop Seraphim (Sobolev) of Bogucharsk
Prayer is food for the soul. Do not starve the soul, it is better to let the body go hungry. Do not judge anyone, forgive everyone. Consider yourself worse than everyone in the world and you will be saved. As much as possible, be more quiet. St. Joseph of Optina
For God to help, one must have a desire to struggle. And when we say a desire to struggle, we mean that one must be willing to make some effort to overcome his particular weakness. If God sees even a little true will, He provides abundant help for man, He sends His Grace in great abundance. Elder Paisios of Mount Athos
Remember in Your Prayers
- Names will remain on the list for two 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.
Updated April 10 / Resets May 1
Current Prayer List
Demetrios (Karras 8/21)
Leah (Brubaker 7/21)
Elena (Brubaker 7/21)
George III (Ghanem 7/21)
Kristin (Ghanem 7/21)
Nora (Ghanem 7/21)
George IV (Ghanem 7/21)
Lena (Ghanem 7/21)
Baree (Dusckas 7/21)
Barbara (Dusckas 7/21)
Georgia (Jacobse 6/21)
Maryann (Breitenbach 6/21)
Jean (Wolffe 6/21)
Robin (Wolffe 6/21)
Debbie (Breitenbach 6/21)
Michael (Jacobse 4/21)
Kathy (Jacobse 4/21)
Raphaela (4/21)
Michael (Wolffe 4/21)
Fredericos (Diveris 4/21)
Vasiliki (Diveris 4/21)
Panagiota (Jacobse 4/21)
Michelene (Repya 4/21)
Colleen ((Repya 4/21)
Fr. Demetrios (Copeland 4/21)
Kondylia (Chapekis 4/21)
Brian (Colis 4/21)
Maria(Colis 4/21)
Permanent Prayer List
Maria and her unborn child Iakovos (Diveris)
Sophia (D. Constantine)
Herman (Kerr)
Innocent (Kerr)
Nicholas (Kerr)
Paola (Jacobse)
Gregory (Yankopolos)
Soterios (Ninos)
Pauline (Poulos)
Sergio (Kazakos)
Rae (Semeretis)
Fran (Hansen)
Nina (Krotov)
George the Priest (Chapekis)
Franklin (Pyrrson)
George (Chionis)
Stamatia (Jacobse)
Stamatia (Evelyn)
Demetrios (Kuchera)
Theodosios (Palis)
Theodora (Webb)
Helen (Rogers)
Robert (Smith)
Robert (Jarvis)
Presbytera Rosy (in Pakistan)
James (Hord)
Ann (Rellis)
Vassiliki (Kontinos)
Vassiliki (Morekeas)
Founders, Members, and Benefactors 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)
John (Katsigianopoulos)
George (Chionis)
Gregory (Pappas)
Angela (Coran K)
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.”
