All Saints Weekly Bulletin

^{Sunday, January 5th}

^Sunday Before the Theophany

9:00am Orthros 10:00am Divine Liturgy

Great Blessing of the Waters & Vasilopita Cutting at the end of the Divine Liturgy

Epistle Reading

St. Paul's Second Letter to Timothy 4:5-8

TIMOTHY, my son, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry. For I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

Gospel Reading

Mark 1:1-8

The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophets, 'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.' John was baptizing in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair, and had a leather girdle around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

Weekly Calendar

Sun. Jan. 5: Sunday Before the Theophany (Wine & Oil Allowed)

9:00am Orthros 10:00am Divine Liturgy

Great Blessing of the Waters & Vasilopita Cutting at the end of the Divine Liturgy

5:00pm Great Vespers of the Theophany

Mon. Jan. 6: The Theophany of our Lord (Fast Free)

9:00am Orthros 10:00am Divine Liturgy

Great Blessing of the Waters at the end of the Divine Liturgy

Tues. Jan. 7: St. John the Baptist (Fast Free)

9:00am Orthros 10:00am Divine Liturgy

Wed. Jan. 8: St. Dominica the Righteous (Strict Fast)

Thurs. Jan. 9: St. Eustratios the Wonderworker (Fast Free)

Fri. Jan. 10: St. Gregory of Nyssa (Strict Fast)

Sat. Jan. 11: St. Theodosios the Great (Fast Free)

Sun. Jan. 12: Sunday After the Theophany (Fast Free)

9:00am Orthros 10:00am Divine Liturgy

1:00pm/2:00pm All Saints Christmas Lunch @ Grecian Gardens (1pm Salad Bar, 2pm Lunch)

Parish Announcements

Vasilopita Cutting – Today, Sun. Jan. 5^th following Divine Liturgy

We will bless and cut the Vasilopita (special cake in honor of St. Basil) after the Divine Liturgy today, Sun. January 5^th.

Theophany Services

Great Vespers of Theophany: Sun. Jan. 5th - 5:00pm

Orthros, Divine Liturgy, & Great Blessing of the Waters of Theophany: Mon. Jan. 6th - 9:00am/10:00am

House Blessings

At this time of year, following the Great Blessing of the Waters on the Theophany of our Lord, it is tradition to have the priest come bless our homes with Holy Water. If you would like to schedule a house blessing, please contact Fr. Theofanis (219-310-9706/frtrauch@gmail.com) to set up a time and date.

River Blessing - Sun. Jan. 19^th @ 12:30pm (Yacht Club – Peoria Heights)

Our annual River blessing will take place on Sunday Jan. 19^th at 12:30pm at the Yacht Club (5102 N. Galena Rd., Peoria Heights). We will meet there after the Divine Liturgy, do the River Blessing, and enjoy some refreshments and fellowship afterwards. We look forward to seeing you there!

All Saints Christmas Lunch – Sun. Jan. 12^th @ Grecian Gardens (1pm Salad Bar, 2pm Lunch)

Please join us for our annual Christmas Lunch on this Sunday, January 12th, 2025, at Grecian Gardens in Chillicothe. This year, we'll celebrate both Christmas and the start of the new year with a lunch gathering instead of dinner. The festivities begin at 1 PM with a salad bar, followed by a 2 PM lunch featuring favorites like Prime Rib, Greek Chicken, and Orange Roughy Fish. Seniors receive a $10 discount, and there's a special kids' menu for those under 12. Each meal includes dessert and soft drinks. A cash bar will also be available. Kindly RSVP to Tatiana at 630-706-1775 or at the following link: 

Wisdom of the Fathers

Neither repentance avails without grace, nor grace without repentance; for repentance must first condemn sin, that grace may blot it out. So then John, who was a type of the law, came baptizing for repentance, while Christ came to offer grace.

St. Ambrose of Milan

Therefore it was said of John that he was more than a prophet, and that among all that were born of women there was none greater than he, because to the righteous who went before him it was only granted to foretell the coming of Christ, but to John it was given both to foretell him in his absence and to behold him in his presence, so that it should be found that to him was made manifest what the others had desired.

St. Augustine