Father Peter Jon will be available to hear confession from 5-6pm today (Friday) and from 4-5pm on Saturday.
Please contact him directly if these times will not work with your schedule.

Sunday, April 1, 2018
Feast of Palm Sunday
Entrance of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem
**Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom**

If you are visiting today, we warmly welcome you and invite you
to stay for the fellowship hour that follows Divine Liturgy.

Nourishment of the Soul: “From the sacrament of the cross you receive both food and drink; let the wood, which availed at Mara in a figure for sweetening the taste, avail you in truth for soothing the softened breast, and you will not labor for the remedy for increasing health. Cure yourself of the source from which you had been wounded. Love those whom you hated before; esteem those whom you envied with unjust disparagements. Imitate the good, if you can follow them; if you cannot follow them, surely rejoice with them and congratulate your betters. Your debts will be forgiven you, when you yourself shall forgive. Your sacrifices will be accepted, when you shall come to God as a peacemaker.” – St. Cyprian of Carthage

Newly Chrismated Members: Welcome home, Tabitha Burchett, Jeremiah Junken, and Stephen Westich!

The Food for Hungry People Campaign continues until Holy Pascha.

There is a pitch-in today on Palm Sunday. While several Myrrh Bearers are providing salmon, a list of needed pitch-in items went out by email Thursday. Your donations will serve a large crowd.

Receiving the Eucharist: We invite you to receive the Holy Eucharist if you are an Orthodox Christian who has prepared yourself through fasting, prayer, and recent confession. If you are not Orthodox, or are Orthodox but have not prepared, we invite you to receive a piece of the blessed bread in the wooden bowls held by the altar servers at the front of the church.

Father Peter Jon can be reached by cell phone and email; however text messages may not be received on his flip phone due to texting limitations.

HOLY WEEK
Tonight, April 1: Bridegroom Matins at 5pm
Monday, April 2: Presanctified Liturgy at 9am; Bridegroom Matins at 6pm
Tuesday, April 3: Presanctified Liturgy at 9am; Bridegroom Matins at 6pm – Bp ANTHONY
Wednesday, April 4: Presanctified Liturgy at 9am –Bp ANTHONY; Holy Unction at 6pm
Thursday, April 5: Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil (Last Supper) at 9am followed by ‘Rite of Footwashing’; Twelve Passion Gospels at 6pm
Friday, April 6: Royal Hours and Typika at 9am; Decorating the Bier at 1pm; Great Vespers (Taking-down of Christ from the Cross) at 3:00; Matins of Lamentation at 6pm followed by the Midnight Vigil
Saturday, April 7: ‘Harrowing of Hades’ Liturgy of St. Basil at 9am; Holy Pascha Service begins at 10pm, followed by the annual ‘Break-the-Fast Celebration.’
Sunday, April 8: Holy Pascha – Noon, Agape Service with Reading of the Holy Gospel in many languages; Procession to the Empty Tomb Shrine; Egg Hunt; Holy Pascha Agape meal.

LOOKING AHEAD
…His Grace Bp. ANTHONY will be with us for Agape Vespers on Friday, April 13th at 6:00. There will be a celebratory meal following the service.
...Bright Week Pilgrimage Opportunity: The world famous wonderworking “Kursk Root” icon of the Theotokos will visit St. George Russian Orthodox Church (118 N. Lebanon Rd. Loveland, Ohio) during Bright Week. On Wednesday, April 11, vespers and vigil will be served at 6:30pm, and on Thursday, April 12, Divine Liturgy will be served at 9 am . The icon will be present for veneration during these times.
…April Fundraiser for Campers is being scheduled for April 15th.

FAMILY NOTES
Birthday Blessings: Brian O (2nd); Irene Vlachos-W (3rd); Jennifer R (5th)
Name Day Celebration: Molly A (St. Mary of Egypt -1st); Bilen M (St. Mary of Egypt – 1st); Zane N (St. Nicetas – 3rd); Polina M (St. Appolinaria – 4th)
Memory Eternal: Norman; Phillip (3/2)

Prayer List: Barbara; Paul; Caden, Dylan,& Maddie; Marvin (surgery scheduled) & Alice; Cathy; Kh. Kristina; Sitto; Elias; Waded; Neva; Bill; Lonnie; Fr. George; Iva Lee; Adrian T; Nancy & Shalayna; Rigsby family; those suffering in the drug crisis in the USA; Safety in our Schools

Today’s Epistle and Gospel Readings

Prokeimenon: “Blessed is He Who cometh in the Name of the Lord.”
Verse: “O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 117:26,1

Epistle: The Reading is from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. (4:4-9)

Brethren, rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, these do; and the God of peace will be with you.

Gospel: The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to St. John. (12:1-18)

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus who had died was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper; Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at table with Him. Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. But Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, one of His Disciples (he who was to betray Jesus), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” This he said, not because he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had the moneybox he used to take what was put into it. Jesus said, “Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of My burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have Me.” When the great crowd of the Jews learned that He was there, they came, not only on account of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus also to death, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. The next day a great crowd who had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, “Hosanna! Blessed is He Who cometh in the Name of the Lord, the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it; as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” His Disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that this had been written of Him and had been done to Him. The crowd that had been with Jesus when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead bore witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet Jesus was that they heard He had done this sign.

Divine Liturgy Variables

Second Antiphon’s Refrain: Save us, O Son of God, Who didst sit upon the foal of a donkey.

Apolytikion of Lazarus Saturday – Tone 1
O Christ God, when Thou didst raise Lazarus from the dead, before Thy Passion, Thou didst confirm the universal resurrection. Wherefore, we, like children, carry the insignia of triumph and victory, and cry to Thee, O Vanquisher of death: Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He Who cometh in the Name of the Lord.

Eisokikon (Entrance Hymn of Palm Sunday
Save us, O Son of God, Who didst sit upon the foal of a donkey; who sing to Thee. Alleluia.

Apolytikion of Palm Sunday- Tone 4
O Christ God, when we were buried with Thee in Baptism, we became deserving of Thy Resurrection to immortal life. Wherefore, we praise Thee, crying: Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord.

Kontakion of Palm Sunday – Tone 6
Upborne upon the heavenly throne, and seated upon the earthly foal, O Christ our God, receive the praises of angels and the hymns of men, exclaiming before Thee: Blessed is He that cometh to restore Adam.

Megalynarion for Palm Sunday – Tone 4
God the Lord hath appeared unto us; let us celebrate the Feast, and let us rejoice and magnify Christ. With palms and branches let us raise our voices unto Him with praise, saying: Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord, our Savior.

Koinonikon (Communion Hymn) for Palm Sunday – Tone 8
Blessed is He Who cometh in the Name of the Lord. Alleluia.

Procession around the exterior of the church follows “Blessed be the Name of the Lord”.