Weekly Liturgy Thursday, May 21,2009
Saints Constantine & Helen
Orthros 8:30am
Divine Liturgy 9:30am

In Memoriam 6 Months: Katherine Poulos, Right, Row 1

Sacraments Gentjan Tole will be baptized on Saturday, May 23, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. and given the name John by his Godparent Eleni Tole.

Eralda Tole will be baptized on Saturday, May 23, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. and given the name Maria by her Godparent Vasiliki Giannos.

John and Maria Tole will be joined in Holy Matrimony, Saturday, May 23, 2009, at 3:00 p.m. Their sponsor will be Eleni Tole.

Fellowship Today`s fellowship is hosted by the "Panagia" Sunday School. Everyone is invited to Plato Hall to enjoy fellowship.

PLEASE NOTE:
The Coffee Fellowship Hour that is hosted each Sunday in Plato Hall is to take place ONLY after the Divine Liturgy has concluded upstairs in the main Church. Any and all adults who attend the Sunday School Divine Liturgy are asked not to congregate in Plato Hall as the servers have been directed to not serve coffee/refreshments until AFTER the second Divine Liturgy has concluded. We ask for your cooperation and understanding since as a Parish family, we worship and break bread together.


Adult Religious Education Class Father Timothy concludes his classes for the season for all interested adults with his final class on Tuesday, May 19th. This year`s discussion is "The Orthodox Church`s view and position on comtemporary moral and social issues." To be discussed on this evening will be the Church's position on, Capital Punishment, Death and Dying, Right to Die, Euthanasia, Organ Donation and Cremation. Please join us.

Sunday Church School Awards Sunday: This Sunday, will be the final day of classes for the Sunday School year 2008-09. Following Divine Liturgy, awards will be distributed in Plato Hall. We cordially invite you to attend this short program during the Coffee Fellowship Hour.

Quote of the Week “Having received this preaching and this faith, as I have said, the Church, although scattered in the whole world, carefully preserves it, as if living in one house. She believes these things [everywhere] alike, as if she had but one heart and one soul, and preaches them harmoniously, teaches them, and hands them down, as if she had but one mouth.” --Saint Irenaeus of Lyons


Question for the Week Do I guard the words that come out of my mouth as carefully as I guard the words I allow into my ears and vice versa?

Scripture for the Week “In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything."--1 Timothy 3:11

Thought for the Week: The journey through Great Lent is a long one, full of positive struggles, opportunities, grace, and self-reflection. Then comes Holy Week, an expectant, joyful, grace-filled week that is the highlight of all of our year…..finally finding its fulfillment in Pascha, the Feast of Feasts, the crown and pinnacle of our Liturgical Year in Jesus Christ. Following Pascha, the Church, in Her wisdom, continues the Feast for forty days (the period we are now in) as we sing the troparia at every Liturgical Service and gathering.....continuing to squeeze every bit of grace that we can out of the blessed and life-giving resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Then lies the danger......just like the faithful who gathered to welcome the Lord into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Some quickly forget the palm branches of love that we laid at the feet of our Lord? Do we forget the canon of St. Andrew, the Twelve Gospels on Holy Thursday, the Holy Cross at Golgatha, the sweet sadness of the Lamentations on Holy Friday evening? Great Lent and Holy Week are so grace-filled precisely because of the struggle, the heightened askesis, the abundant Worship Services. The purpose and hope for us is that we NOT again return to the level of commitment to our Lord that we had when we began Great Lent. We should want to continue up that ladder of Divine Ascent that St Saint John speaks of, to progress, one rung at a time, towards the eternal kingdom and into the arms of our everlasting Father, through His grace and magnanimity towards us. If we are to progress in the spiritual life, we must daily renew our faith, our love, our commitment, and our vigilance amidst a sleeping and satiated society. We must remember our First Love, as often as we can, and remember that in caring for our husband/wife and children and loved ones, we are also caring for the very Lord Himself. As followers of Jesus Christ and believers in Orthodoxy, we have a unique calling: we are called to bring all we come into contact with closer to Christ and His Church. It is no small task. It takes every bit of our fiber to live, daily, the resurrection in our thoughts, in our actions and in our logia. May we all be women/men of the resurrected Christ, and may we be granted a lifetime of Paschas, until the day when we see, face to face, the God whom we have worshipped our whole life long. Christ is Risen!
--Fr. Timothy


Constantinople Lecture Thursday, May 28th: The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago, together with the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and the Hellenic Society of Constantinople, will host a lecture commemorating the Fall of Constantinople on Thursday, May 28th, at 7:00 p.m., at the Saint Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago. The topic will be: Pilgrimage to Constantinople.

STEWARDS OF HIS BOUNTY Share what you have, lest you lose what you have. Spend what you possess on the needs of others in order to keep what you possess. Do not cling to what you own, lest it be taken away from you. Do not hoard your treasures, lest they rot and become worthless. Entrust all your wealth to God, because then it is protected against all who want to steal or destroy it. Do you understand what these injunctions mean? Or do they sound like nonsense to you? To the person without faith, they mean nothing. But to the person with faith, they make perfect sense. Faith tells us that God alone can supply the material things on which we depend. He gives some people more than they need, not that they can enjoy great luxury, but to make them stewards of his bounty. If they are bad stewards, keeping this bounty to themselves they will become poor in spirit, and their hearts will fill with misery. If they are good stewards, they will become rich in spirit, their hearts filling with joy. Saint John Chrysostom

AHEPA Sunday Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Χριστός Ἀνέστη! Christ is Risen!

It is with these joyful words of the Resurrection of Christ which we proclaim during this Paschal season, that I write to you about the significance of the work of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA). Since its establishment in 1922, the AHEPA has promoted the ideals of civic responsibility, education, and philanthropy. This fraternity of service, with its national headquarters in Washington, DC, has also proven to be an effective voice of advocacy for issues of concern on behalf of our Omogenia both here in the United States and abroad.
By placing the precepts of civic duty, education, and community service as its steering principles, the AHEPA reflects the universal and ageless values of our Orthodox Christian faith and of our Hellenic cultural traditions. Accordingly, its many members, from those who belong to its local chapters throughout the United States to the staff of its national headquarters, are to be recognized for their work and commitment to strengthening important values of our society.
Therefore, in recognition of the good work of the AHEPA in promoting Orthodoxy and Hellenism, and in serving the diverse needs of our Omogenia, I am pleased to designate this Sunday, May 17, 2009, as AHEPA Sunday. On this day, may we offer our prayers for the increasing progress of the AHEPA as it continues to advance the ideals that are urgently needed in today’s society.
With Paternal Love in the Risen Christ,

† DEMETRIOS
Archbishop of America




General Assembly Meeting : All stewards/members of our Panagia Parish are reminded that the Annual Spring General Assembly Meeting will take place THIS SUNDAY, in Plato Hall. All Stewards who have submitted a pledge for 2009 and partially made payment as of Friday, May 15th, are eligible to vote and participate.

Community Family Picnic The Community Family Picnic and Divine Liturgy in the Park, will take place, Sunday, May 31, 2009 starting at 9:00 am at Ty Warner Park in Westmont, Il. More information will follow.

Metropolis of Chicago Annual Junior Olympics May 22nd – 24th: Once again our children and young people will participate in the Annual Metropolis of Chicago Junior Olympics next weekend, May 22nd – 24th, at Stagg High School and Sts. Constantine & Helen Church in Palos Hills, Illinois. We wish our athletes and participants well.

Please Note The Sacraments of the Orthodox Church, including the reception of Holy Communion, are reserved for those of the Orthodox Faith only, and who are also in Good Standing Ecclesiastically with the Church. If you are a visitor from another Denomination/Faith, we welcome you as an observer and guest.

Website News www.AssumptionChicago.org There have been many exciting changes to our web site, including the on line calendar which now include Baptisms, Weddings, Worship Service Schedule, upcoming events and pictures. Keep an eye on our site for more changes to come. If you would like to be added to the list, please contact the church office and give them your address.

Ushers James Tsiolis, Dean Maggos, Rose Marie Stewart and JoAnn Stavropoulos.