Fourth Sunday of Great Lent
Commemoration of John Climacus, Author of “The Ladder”
New Hieromartyr Zachariah, metropolitan of Corinth; Sophronios, bishop of Irkutsk
**Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great**
Thought for Today: “God is not unjust. He will not slam the door against the man who humbly knocks.” – St. John Climacus
Welcome Father Jeremy May God grant you many years! It is our joy having you here visiting our parish.
March is Women’s Month
Resurrectional Apolytikion – Tone 7
Thou didst shatter death by Thy Cross, Thou didst open paradise to the thief; Thou didst turn the sadness of the ointment-bearing women into joy. And didst bid Thine Apostles proclaim a warning, that Thou hast risen O Christ, granting to the world the Great Mercy.
Apolytikion of St. John Climacus – Tone 8
The barren wilderness thou didst make fertile with the streams of thy tears; and by thy deep sighing thou hast given fruit through thy struggles a hundredfold. Accordingly, thou hast become a star for the universe, sparkling with miracles. Therefore, O righteous Father John Climacus, intercede with Christ God to save our souls.
Kontakion for Sundays in Great Lent – 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.
EPISTLE and GOSPEL READINGS
The Epistle
The Lord will give strength to His people.
Bring to the Lord, O sons of God, bring to the Lord honor and glory.
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 to Himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiplying you.” And thus, Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise. Men indeed swear by what is 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 for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
The Gospel
The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark. (9:17-31)
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.”
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.
Changes in the Nave: As mentioned on Sunday, we are trying different things to more comfortably accommodate the growing number of faithful in our parish. This week we removed some chairs and stored them. We rearranged seating to afford everyone a better view of the iconostasis and improve the path for the Great Entrance. Standing is welcome up front or in the back on the new rugs which are specifically provided for comfortable sitting during the homily or for those who need a break. I know we will look out for one another as always and make sure that those who truly need a chair will have one. This will be a small transition period for all of us and I thank you in advance for your cheerful patience and feedback. – Fr. Peter Jon
Saturday Baptisms: Our first wave of spring baptisms and chrismations will happen this Saturday (April 5) at 10am. All are welcome to attend!
All Hands On Deck!! We will have a parish-wide workday on Saturday, April 5th beginning at 11:00am (following baptisms at 10:00am). There will be indoor and outdoor jobs (weather permitting) including window washing, polishing of altar ware, deep cleaning of kitchen and nave (if needed) and shrine clean-up, trash pick up along the road, cemetery tidying and more. Lunch will be provided. Come as soon as you can and stay as long as you can. Everyone is welcome to join in!
In an effort to make the First Hour + Akathist services more accessible, we are moving to a fixed schedule. First Hours will be read with an Akathist at 6:00 AM on the first Thursday of every Month. Participation is encouraged in the reading of the Psalms during the Hours service. For more information, reach out to Matthew-Valentine Robertson.
A Pilgrimage to Holy Dormition Monastery – Friday, May 23 – Monday May 25, 2025. All Saints will be offering a pilgrimage to this women’s monastery located in south central Michigan. Rhonda & Howard Webb will be leading the group. Catechumens and Inquirers are welcome. Services are primarily in English with some Romanian. Please email Rhonda Webb at webbrk1@gmail.com to sign up – space is limited. Priority will be given to those who have not visited a monastery before. See flyer on the bulletin board for more details.
This Week
Today, Sunday: Lenten Vespers, 5:00 pm at Ss. Constantine and Helen; homilist Father
Gregory Hohnholt.
Monday, March 31: 3rd Hour Prayers at 9:00 am.
Tuesday, April 1: Presanctified Liturgy at 9:00 am.
Wednesday, April 2: Confessions at 5 pm; Presanctified Liturgy at 6:00 pm; teaching and Soup Supper.
Thursday, April 3: 1st Hour Prayers with Akathist to St. Tikhon of Moscow at 6:00 am; Small Compline with the Life of St. Mary of Egypt; the Full Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete at 6:00pm.
Friday, April 4: Presanctified Liturgy at 9:00am; Full Akathist to the Theotokos with Compline at 6:00 pm.
Saturday, April 5: Baptisms and Chrismations at 10:00 am; All-parish workday begins at 11:00 am; Confessions at 4:00 pm; Great Vespers at 5:00 pm, Ask Abouna to follow. Jr. and Teen SOYO at 6:30 pm.
Sunday, April 6: Matins at 9:00 am, Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am; Lenten Vespers, 5:00 pm at Joy of All Who Sorrow; homilist Stravonikitas Damianakis.
Family News
Name Day Celebration: John Alexander, John Climacus (30th); Polina Mullis, Martyr Apolinara (4th); Alex Puccio, Maria of Gotchina (4th).
Birthday Celebration: Faith Farley (1st); Wendy Elizabeth Carter (2nd); Jennifer Rigsby (5th).
Prayer List: Kh. Parasheva; Hal (rehab); Scott (terminal heart condition) and his wife Jackie; Jim and Lisa; Taylor;Durlin family; Fr. Athanasius; Fr. Jerome; Fr. Basil; Fr. Matthew; Marvin; Nectaria;Shu-Mei,Charlie;Shirley; Jim;Jan; Don and Dee; those suffering the effect of Hurricanes; those suffering the war in Ukraine, and the Middle East; Peace talks; our nation and all nations’ leaders; those suffering the effect of wild fires in California; schools: children, youth and personnel across the nation; Mary Ann; Emma; Bob & Bonnie Thelen; Josiah; Jack; Christopher; Wadia; Jayci; Patricia; Kitsa; Apthrodite; Kim; Kristy; Vicki;Kenzie; Dusty; Cari; Betsy; Josh; Allison; Dn. Lawrence, Marcia; Missy; Andrew; Isaac; Leanne; Heather; Nancy; Sharon Catherine; Neumann Seraphim; Michael, Olga, Eileen, Soren, Kathy; Lexi, Ross, Vivian; Theo; Jeremy; Elias; Waded; Seraphima; Lilly’s family; Jennifer; Christy; John; Stanley; Macrina with child; Anna and child born to her; Allen; Linda; Allison and children; Kip; Hermione with child, Erica with child; Taylor with child; Penny with child; Dixxe and child born; Megan with child; Evan; Catherine with child; Victoria with child; Whitney and children; Domnica; Mary.
Memory Eternal: Mike; Donald; Houston; Debbie; Erika, Archpriest George; Archpriest Wayne, Archpriest Daniel, Judy (Randel’s Aunt).
Confession: Every Orthodox Christian, age 7 and up, should come for confession during the season of repentance — Great Lent. There are six weeks of Lent, followed by Holy Week. The sixth week of Lent is when those preparing for Baptism and Chrismation will make their lifetime confessions – this is the time I have reserved for them. During Holy Week there are 18 services, much Paschal preparation, and very little time for anything else. Therefore, I am asking everyone to come for confession during the first five weeks of Great Lent. I will be available to hear confessions for ONE HOUR prior to services on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and by appointment throughout the week. Please email or text me to reserve your spot. Thank you. – Fr Peter Jon
All Saints’ Sunday Meal:
Today, Sunday: 5th Sunday Host All Saints, potluck to welcome Archimandrite Jeremy.
Next week: 1st Sunday Host A- Coats, with Martha Barbarick as lead hostess.
Giving Opportunities:
Food Pantry: Thank you for the generous support.Our in-houseFood Pantry is available to parish members as well as families and individuals in the community of Bloomington. Donations of nonperishable items of pasta, marinara sauce, peanut butter, canned chicken and Tuna, canned vegetables, canned fruit and soups are always a great blessing.
Mission Donations: We send monthly support to two missionary units in Albania, the Hoppe family and Hannah Valentine. We welcome and encourage you to contribute to their ongoing support.
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.
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.