+
Sunday, September 10th 2006 +
Sunday
before the Elevation of the Holy Cross
& the Sunday after the Nativity of the
Holy Theotokos
Tone:
4 + Eothinion: 2
*******************************************************************************************************
+ In the
Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +
“O Lord, Creator of all things, who by Your
authority have established times and seasons, bless the beginning of our Church
year with Your goodness; preserve Your people in peace, and through the
intercessions of the Theotokos, save us. Amen.”
+ The
Epistle +
Verse: “Thou O Lord, shall
keep us and preserve us from this generation,
Save
me, O Lord, for the godly man has failed”.
The Reading is from
the Letter of St. Paul the Apostle to the Galatians.
(Chapter
6:11-17)
Brethren, see with what large letters I have
written to you with my own hand! As many as desire to make a good showing in
the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not
suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For not even those who are
circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may
boast in your flesh. But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the
world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails
anything, but a new creation. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace
and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. From now on let no one
trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Brethren, the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
+ The
Holy Gospel +
(Chapter 3:13-17)
The Lord said: No one has ascended to heaven
but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man
be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal
life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God
did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through
Him might be saved.
Meditation:
“Happy New Year! – A Year of the Lord”
Do you know why the first day of September
marks the beginning of the Church year? We are accustomed to think of January 1st
as the beginning of the year. But the tradition of computing the start of a new
year with the fall season was common to the lands of the Bible and to all the
lands around the Mediterranean. The summer harvest was at an end, the crops
were stored, and people prepared for a new agricultural cycle. It was an appropriate
time to begin a new year. When you think about it, this tradition still makes a
lot of sense, at least for those who live in the northern hemisphere. The
summer ends, vacations are normally over. Schools open and we all get into the
swing of another full year….What will this year bring? What opportunities and
choices lie ahead? With what spirit, attitude, values and way of life will you
meet the events and experiences of fall, winter and the other seasons to come?
Meditation:
Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross
The Emperor Constantine saw in the sky a Cross
made of stars with the words “with this conquer.” Although he was a heathen he
was aware of the Cross and its power through his mother, St. Helen, who was a
Christian. She wanted to find the Cross on which our Savior was crucified. She
went to Jerusalem. On Golgotha, under a pagan temple she had destroyed, were
three crosses. Patriarch Makarios, who was helping St. Helen, stopped a funeral
procession and brought the Crosses to the body of the deceased. He touched the
body with the Crosses. When the Crucifixion Cross touched the body, the
deceased man came to life. The Patriarch elevated the Cross so everyone could
see it. Giving the name to this Holy Day. St. Helen erected a Church on this
spot and the Cross of our Lord was placed there.
* Announcements
& Activities *
“It is good to be Zealous in a Good Thing
Always…” (Galatians 4:18)
v
Feast of the Elevation
of the Holy Cross
Vesperal Divine Liturgy on Wednesday, September 13th
at 6:00 p.m.
Ø
Every Saturday at 6:00 p.m. - Great Vespers
ü
Message from St. Elias
Church School
Church
School Registration will be today from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. in the Church School
Building. This year we will be starting at a new time: 9:30 a.m. The Divine
Liturgy will begin at 10:00 a.m. and this will enable us all to leave Church a
little earlier and enjoy extra time with our families! This is a benefit for us
all! (Priests, Teachers, and Families). Please try to register early so that we
may begin our classes with a full enrollment. Late registering means that your
child misses important lessons. We
begin our classes on Sunday, September 17th at 9:30 a.m. We
look forward to an exciting year of learning about our Holy Orthodox Faith
combined with wonderful activities. Make it a top priority to register your
children for Church School!
Yours
in Christ,
Joann Nicholson, Superintendent.
ü
Fellowship of St. John
the Divine
*** September is Fellowship Month! ***
All
members of the Fellowship of St. John the Divine are asked to attend the Great
Vespers Service every Saturday at 6:00 p.m. Following the Service, a Bible
Study/Religious Discussion will take place in the Conference Room, and once in
a while there will be an outing for dinner, etc. Please give us your email
address if you are not receiving our weekly online newsletter. Because
September is Fellowship Month, we encourage all members of the Fellowship to be
especially more active this month, please contact Miss Ramia Ibrahim (ramiai@hotmail.com)
if you would like to read the Sunday Epistle (English or Arabic), Serve
at Coffee Hour, or Collect the Donation Trays.
*
The Epistle Readers today are:
Albert El-Hajj (Arabic) & Abraham Wehbi (English).
*
The Tray Collectors today are:
Michel Ibrahim, Ramia Ibrahim, Katya Zeidan, and Abraham Wehbi.
All
Fellowship members are welcome to attend a weekend conference at Holy Cross
Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline, Massachusetts from September 15th – 17th. The topic will be “Christian Witness” with Fr. Ted
Pulcini as the keynote speaker. For more information about the conference,
visit www.antiochian.org/YAR; for information concerning travel plans and
accommodations, please contact Abraham Wehbi at: abrahamwehbi@hotmail.com.
ü Antiochian Women
There will be a meeting for the
ladies of the Antiochian Women on Monday,
September 18th at 7:30 p.m. in the Cathedral Hall downstairs.
ü
Teen SOYO
All
members of the Teen SOYO are asked to attend the weekly Teen Night Meetings
(Tuesdays 7-9 p.m.) no matter what the topic or activities are! We have a mix
of activities: Sports, Games, Discussions, Bible Studies, etc. Please come on
time, we begin every Teen Night Meeting with the Little Compline Service at
7:00 p.m. sharp.
ü
Parish Council Symposium
There
will be a Parish Council Symposium from November 2nd – 4th
at the Antiochian Village. For more information please
contact Ron Nicola, Deptartment of Stewardship Chairperson. (Email: rnlm@aol.com – Phone: (925) 934-2004)
ü Campaign Life Coalition Ottawa
(www.lifesite.net)
In defense of the innocent infants who are being killed by
abortion while still in the womb, there will be another annual Life Chain on
Sunday, October 1st. As always, people will be asked to gather at
major intersections in the Ottawa area and silently and prayerfully hold a sign
promoting a respect for life. For more information, please visit the above
website, or contact them at (613) 729-0379.
ü OCF – Orthodox Christian
Fellowship
Next Sunday, September 17th is College Student Sunday.
We will be collecting a second tray in support of our college students and the
OCF ministry programs. Please find an informative booklet called “TIME” at the
Candle Stand today to learn more about OCF and College Student Sunday.
ü Multicultural Advisory Committee -
“Get Involved in Your Community”
The Multicultural Advisory Committee would like you to call them
if you are interested in joining to make our community a beautiful and better
place to live in. There will be an open meeting on Wednesday, September 13th
at 6:30 p.m. at the Hunt Club/Riverside Community Services Centre – 3310
McCarthy Road. Please contact Hamid Mousa the Community Developer at (613)
247-1600 ext 224.
+ May her Memory be Eternal +
+ St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral +
(2975 Riverside Drive – Ottawa)
Cathedral Office: 700 Ridgewood Ave
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1V 6N1
Telephone: (613) 738-2222, Fax: (613) 737-4392
Email: info@steliascathedral.com, Website:
www.steliascathedral.com
The Rt. Rev. Bishop ALEXANDER
Bishop of Ottawa, East
Canada and Upstate New York
The Very Rev. Father Ghattas Hajal – Dean
Rev. Father Mark Arsenios Wyatt – Assistant Priest
The Very
Rev. Father Daniel Matheson – Emeritus