Weekday Services Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Saint Catherine Great Vespers
Hierarchical Great Vespers: 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Feast of Saint Catherine
Orthros: 8:30 a.m.
Hierarchical Divine Liturgy: 10:00 a.m.



In Memoriam 40 Days: Aphrodite Demeur, Left, Rows 1-3
40 Days: Bessie (Vasiliki) Thermos, Right, Rows 1-2
1 Year: Aphrodite Pappas, Right, Rows 4-5
1 Year: Catherine Poulos, Left, Row 4
9 Years: John Poulos

Fellowship Today is our Philoptochos Bake Sale, please feel free to purchase some of their sweets,coffee will be provided. Everyone is invited to Plato Hall for fellowship.

Bible Study There will not be Bible Study this week due to the Thanksgiving Holiday.

PROPORTIONATE GIVING God does not expect more than you can give. Nor does He expect less. Proportional giving is not something unique to the New Testament (I Corinthians 16:2). Even in the Levitical offerings there was provision for giving according to means. If God had richly blessed you, there was a fitting way to show your gratitude-the offering of a young bull. Those not so fortunate could still express their thanks by offering a sheep, a goat, or a bird. But whether the offering was as large as Solomon's (who sacrificed 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep at the dedication of the temple (l Kings 8:36), or as small as Mary's (who brought the offering of the poor, a pair of turtledoves, after the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:24), the important thing was not the size of the gift but the intent of the giver. The poor man's pigeon smelled as sweet to God as the rich man's bull.

Scripture for the Week: Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. --3 John 1:2

Question for the Week: How do I feel when I consider the concept of self-care? Do I struggle to find a clear cut division between God's best for me and my own wants and needs? Or, do I struggle with guilt if I attend to myself because it doesn't fit in with my perspective of who we are called to be?

Quote for the Week: Take care, beloved, that His blessings, numerous as they are, do not turn to our condemnation in case we do not - through a life unworthy of Him - do with perfect accord what is good and pleasing in His sight. For somewhere it is said: "The Spirit of the Lord is a lamp that searches the deep recesses of the soul." Let us understand how nigh He is, and that none of the thoughts we entertain or the plans we devise are hidden from Him. It is right, therefore, that we should not desert the place His will has assigned to us. --St. Clement of Rome


Thought for the Week: (Taking Care of Ourselves) As mothers, and wives, there is a tendency to be women who take care of others. This is a blessed thing! Our Lord taught us to `love our neighbors as ourselves.` But what about that `as ourselves` part?’ We want to care for and love others, but are we loving and taking care of ourselves? We are taught that our bodies are "...temples of the Holy Spirit..." (1 Cor. 6:19). In the wedding Epistle we hear, "No one ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it..." (Eph. 5:29). How do we know if we are rightly caring for ourselves? In a society which promotes self-worship, and over-pampering of the flesh, this is difficult to discern. We can apply what we hear every time we enter an airplane to this topic: to first put on our own oxygen masks, then to apply them to our children. In other words, when we have the basic necessities of life first, we can then offer those necessities to others. If, in caring for others, we neglect ourselves, we may eventually become a burden to those we are caring for, having the direct opposite effect of what we probably intended. Here is some food for thought to consider if we are properly taking care of ourselves. (This definitely applies to men as well).
Food: Am I feeding myself and my family the healthiest food I can practically afford? Do I eat excessive sugar and white flour which contain no nutritional value? Do I overly depend upon processed foods, fast foods, and quick-fix, prepared foods? Do I eat and serve my family plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables which are packed with vitamins and minerals? Do I eat a wholesome variety of foods?
Drink: Do I drink plenty of water each day? Is it my main source of hydration? Am I addicted to soda and other artificial drinks (sugar-free and otherwise) which cause all sorts of ills in the human body? Do I drink sugared coffee drinks every day?
Exercise: Am I at my ideal weight? Do I give my body the exercise it needs and craves on a regular basis? Am I disciplined in this year-round? (Walking counts!)
Sleep: Do I often sleep eight hours a night? Do I take a nap when I am tired? Do I sit down and rest my body when it needs it?
Schedule: Do I maintain a reasonable schedule that doesn`t put stress on me and my family members? Do I say `yes` too hastily? Do I look and think ahead before making commitments? Do I pace myself? Do I have enough `alone` time?
These are just a few of the basic areas of life where we all have room for improvement. A host of diseases (mental and bodily) can be avoided if we would only live healthier, disciplined lives. David the Psalmist said, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and my soul knows it very well." Let us always keep these wise words in mind that we may better take care of ourselves! -- Borrowed


Parish Fall General Assembly Meeting: Today following the Divine Liturgy our Fall General Assembly Meeting will take place in Plato Hall. All stewards in good standing with this Church are encouraged to attend and participate.

Annual Christmas Food Drive: Our Parish continues collecting non-perishable and dry food items that will be part of food baskets for those individuals/families in special need this Christmas Season. Between now and December 13th we ask that you please bring your items and leave them in the Narthex of the main Church or St. Catherine's Chapel. Through a very generous donation we received, added to your donations will be meat, poultry, and dairy products. We ask that you please be part of this effort and contribute what you can. The High School Sunday School Students will assist in seperating the food donations and make the deliveries to the needy families/individuals.

Autumn Bake Sale Today the Ladies Philoptochos Society will once again have their Autumn Bake Sale in Plato Hall following the Divine Liturgy. We ask that you bring your baked goods to the hall on your way to church. Homemade goodies are always a welcomed addition to our Thanksgiving table so prepare to do some baking and shopping. Proceeds from the sale will benefit St. Catherine’s restoration. Let us all do our part to help make this sale a huge success!


Christmas Party The Philoptochos Society invites everyone to join them for a Holiday party at Greek Islands in Lombard on Saturday, Dec. 5th at Noon. Every year this day is such an enjoyable start to our holiday celebrations. Men are invited and encouraged to join us for a delicious meal and we will ALL have a chance to participate in the singing of Christmas Carols. Look for fliers in the narthex. If you have any questions call: Vi Skuteris at 630-782-2101. As in the past, we ask that you bring a bag of wrapped candy which will be used for our Feed-the-Hungry goody bags the following week.

Annual Decorate The Hall And Christmas Tree Party December 6th: Following Worship Services and the Christmas Pageant Rehearsal on Sunday, December 6th, children and adults will gather in Plato Hall for the “Annual Decorate the Hall and Christmas Tree”. Lunch will be served, followed by the setup of the Hall and Christmas Tree. All children, parents, and adults are invited to attend.

DCFS Christmas Gifts Since 1998 the Orthodox Churches in the Chicago area (the largest participants in this program) have provided 16,000 gifts to foster children in the Department of Children and Family Services. Assumption Church has participated in this program every year. The wrapped gifts are due in Church on Sunday, November 22.


New Curtain on Holy Doors And Saint Catherine Renovation: Through a generous donation recently, you will now notice a new Curtain Drapery that beautifully adorns the Holy Doors of our Panagia Church. Mr. and Mrs. James Leakakos have made this donation in loving memory of their daughter, Barbara, who fell asleep in the Lord last year. We thank Joan and James for their donation…may the memory of Barbara be forever eternal!
Similarly, preparations are being made for a Curtain to also be placed at the Holy Doors in Saint Catherine’s Chapel as well. This donation is being made by Mr. and Mrs. James Kanel. The Curtain is scheduled to be installed within the next week or so. We thank Christine and James for their loving gift as well.
Changes and renovations are slowly being done to Saint Catherine’s Chapel as we had announced several months ago. Some pews have already been removed in front to allow more space near the Altar, and bids are still being secured for new electrical, painting, walls/ceiling, and renovation of the Holy Altar and Icon Screen. We are also grateful to the Ladies Philoptochos Society who has announced a gift of $10,000 to be used for new carpeting. Several other generous donations have also been received, earmarking them for specific items on the “Saint Catherine’s Renovation Wish List”. In addition, a major donation was also received from the family of Mrs. Pauline Kavis, who fell asleep in the Lord a short while ago. That gift has been earmarked for the addition of a Wheelchair Lift from the main Church down to Saint Catherine’s Chapel. A complete list is itemized below.

Christmas Appeal and Christmas Card Signup: The Annual Appeal for Christmas asking for your prayerful gift to our Panagia Parish and our Lord’s Ministries will be sent out within the next week. We ask that you please consider your Church with your gift of love. In addition, the annual call to sign up and be a part of our Parish Christmas Card has gone out in a mailing this past week. Additionally, a form can be found in this Week’s Bulletin as well. If you would like to have your name added to the Christmas Card, please complete the form or call the Church Office as soon as possible. Deadline for inclusion is December 7th.

WEEKLY TRAY DONATIONS: Please be advised that the Parish Council has decided that effective January 2010, only one tray will be passed at the conclusion of the weekly Divine Liturgy. As you can appreciate and understand, the collection from the second tray does bring in a significant amount of revenue. Therefore it is hoped and anticipated that you will continue your support and generosity to our blessed Parish of Panagia with your gift in the one tray that will be passed each Sunday.

Website News www.AssumptionChicago.org There have been many exciting changes to our web site, check out the photo album with its many new pictures which now include Junior Olympics, Mini-Golf, Harvest Day and many more events. 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.

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.

Ushers George Arvanites, Diane Berbas, Jack Woods, John Vassiliades and Tom Collis.