Saturday Morning Pitch-in Meal follows the Festal Annunciation Liturgy
Galina McLaws 2 Year Memorial will be prayed at the beginning of Great Vespers Saturday
Fourth Sunday of Great Lent
The synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel
Stephen the Confessor, Abbot of Triglia
**Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great**
March is Women’s Month
The women of the parish will be reading the Epistle during Divine Liturgy, assisting with ushering and holding the Prosphora bowl during Holy Eucharist.
Thought for Today: “Let your demeanor, your dress, your walking, your sitting down, the nature of your food, the quality of your being, your house and what it contains, aim at simplicity. And let your speech, your singing, your manner with your neighbor, let these things also be in accord with humility rather than with vanity. In your words let there be no empty pretense, in your singing no excess sweetness, in conversation be not ponderous or overbearing. In everything refrain from seeking to appear important. Be a help to your friends, kind to ones with whom you live, gentle to your servant, patient with those who are troublesome, loving toward the lowly, comforting those in trouble, visiting those in affliction, never despising anyone, gracious in friendship, cheerful in answering others, courteous, approachable to everyone, never speaking your own praises, not getting other to speak of them, never taking part in unbecoming conversations, and concealing where you may whatever gifts you possess. + St. Basil the Great +
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.
EPISTLE and GOSPEL READINGS
The Epistle
The Lord will give strength to His people. The Lord will bless His people with peace.
The Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Hebrews. (6:13-20)
Brethren, when God made a promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater by whom to swear, He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise. Men indeed swear by one greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of His purpose, He interposed with an oath. So that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God should prove false, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
The Gospel
The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark. (9:16-30)
At that time, a man came to Jesus, kneeling down and saying unto him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked Thy Disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” And Jesus answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to Me.” And they brought the boy to Him; and when the spirit saw Jesus, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has he had this?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if Thou canst do anything, have pity on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again.” And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse; so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when Jesus had entered the house, His Disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And Jesus said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting.” They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And Jesus would not have anyone know it; for He was teaching His Disciples, saying to them, “The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and after He is killed, He will rise on the third day.”
VARIABLE for CHOIR and PARISH
Resurrectional Apolytikion – Tone 8
From the heights Thou didst descend, O compassionate One, and Thou didst submit to the three-day burial, that Thou might deliver us from passion; Thou art our life and our Resurrection, O Lord, glory to Thee.
Apolytikion of the Archangel Gabriel – Tone 4
Supreme Commander of the Hosts of the Heavens, * we, the unworthy, importune and beseech thee * that by thy supplications thou encircle us * in the shelter of the wings * of thine immaterial glory; * guarding us who now fall down * and cry to thee with fervor: * Deliver us from dangers of all kinds, * as the great marshal of the heavenly hosts on high.
Kontakion for Sundays in Great Lent (and Akathist Saturday) – Tone 8
To thee, the Champion Leader, do I offer thanks of victory, O Theotokos, thou who hast delivered me from terror; but as thou that hast that power invincible, O Theotokos, thou alone can set me free: from all forms of danger free me and deliver me, that I may cry unto thee: Hail, O Bride without Bridegroom.
Metropolitan Saba: AXIOS! He is worthy! His Beatitude Patriarch John X and the Holy Synod of Antioch have elected Metropolitan Saba as the new Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America. We will begin commemorating His Eminence when he is officially enthroned as Metropolitan in the near future.
Confessions: Fr. Peter Jon will hear confessions by appointment between now and Lazarus Saturday. Please email or call him to schedule a time. He would prefer to hear all confessions prior to Holy Week.
THIS WEEK
Today Sunday: Pascha Choir will practice after Divine Liturgy; Lenten Vespers 5:00 pm at Sts Constantine and Helen, speaker Father Phillip Lashbrook.
Wednesday, March 29: Full Cannon of St. Andrew, and The life of St. Mary of Egypt, at 6:00pm.
Thursday, March 30: Presanctified Liturgy, at 6:00 pm; followed by Orthodoxy 101.
Friday, March 31: Full Akathist Hymns, at 6:00 pm.
Saturday, April 1: Parish Workday; at 10:00 am. Great Vespers at 5:00pm; followed by Ask Abouna; jr. SOYO at 3:30pm; SOYO at 6:00 pm.
Sunday, April 2: Matins at 9:00 am, Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am, St. Mary of Egpyt.
LOOKING AHEAD
Pascha Choir Practice will be Sunday 4/2.
Lenten Vespers: April, 2 speaker Father Alexis Miller at Saint Thomas.
Earthquake Fundraiser: Gregory Gillquist will be biking 33 miles on Tuesday, April 4, to raise funds for victims of the earthquakes in the Middle East. Donaltions may be made through the church website (https://www.allsaintsbloomington.org/make-a-donation/) earmarked “Gregory’s Race for Antioch.” You can watch a short video about Gregory’s fundraiser at https://youtu.be/7wJJMJSqxkw.
Attention all 6-12 year olds! We have the great joy of welcoming Mrs. Becky Hrisomalos, a founding member of our parish, at junior SOYO on Lazarus Saturday (April 8 from 3:30-5pm). Mrs. Hrisomalos will be teaching the kids how to make traditional Mediterranean grape leaves. The rolled leaves will then be served on Holy Pascha. Parents welcome!
Bible Study: at the Webb’s homewill pick up with Romans 11 on April 22, God willing!
FAMILY NEWS
Names Day Celebrations: Gabriella Crandall; Randel Storm; Gabe Stant, Archangel Gabriel (26th).
Birthday Celebrations: Tristan Rigsby (26th); Darryl Jones; Nina Rogers (29th).
Memory Eternal: Priest Slobodon; Susan; Rhea; Nicko; Delore (Dee); Ronald; Jack.
Prayer List: Michael, Olga, Eileen, Soren, Kathy; Toni;Jan; Don and Dee; those suffering the war of Ukraine; Peace talks; our nation and all nations’ leaders; Earthquake victims and relief efforts in Syria and Turkey; schools: school children, youth and personnel across the nation; Mat. Raisa; Mary Ann; Emma (Mary Ann’s granddaughter); Bob & Bonnie Thelen; Wes (infant with brittle bone disorder); Megan (lymphoma); Mark (CHF) and (caregiver) Barbara; Wes’s grandfather;Josiah; Vicki;Vicki’s granddaughter; Arianna; Linda; Steve Crandall; Fr. Athanasius; Fr.Gabriel;Jack;Christopher; Nancy; Fr. Jerome Mother Nektaria; Catherine; Wadia; Jayci; Patricia, Marvin, Alice; Kitsa; Apthrodite and Angelos; Kim; Kristy, Dusty, Cari; Betsy, Josh; Allison; Andrew (Texas/military); Isaac (Germany/military); Leanne; Heather; Nancy; Sharon Catherine; Lexi, Ross and Vivian; Theo; Doug; Jeremy; Marcia & Deacon; Elias; Waded; Seraphima; Lilly’s family; Jennifer; Christy; Megan; John; Stanley; Anna with child (Coran’s friend); Rebecca with child; Megan with child; Paulina with child; Macrina with child; Emilia with child; Anne; Allen; Linda; Marilyn; Mary Barger; Norma; Allison and children.
Coffee Hour Host: Rhonda Webb with Parishioners S-Z.
Next week Host: Melissa Barbarick with Parishioners A-B.
Giving Opportunities:
Earthquake Relief: His Eminence Antonios, our Patriarch Vicar has requested the Antiochian Women to focus 2023 NAB fund raising project on relief effort in Turkey and Syria. Thank you for all the prayers and donations.
The Benevolence Fund: Donations may be made to this fund throughout the year, and are mainly used to support families in need of help with rent and utilities payments. Thank you for your ongoing generosity.
Our In-House Food Pantry needs canned vegetables, soups, meats, tuna, salmon, smoked oysters, sardines, chicken, spaghetti sauce, pasta. We have an abundance peanut butter.
Donations to the church are being made online at www.allsaintsbloomington.org and by U.S mail. Many thanks to all who continue supporting All Saints.