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SAINT SPYRIDON
Hellenic Orthodox Church
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Reflection on the 14th Sunday of Matthew
By St. John of Kronstadt
My brothers and sisters, our Heavenly Father invites us to the mystical wedding feast of His Son, Jesus Christ. To this wedding—or into the Kingdom of Heaven—the Jews were first invited, through the prophets and apostles, but their violent rejection led to their destruction, causing God to call the Gentiles in their place. Yet, do not grow comfortable, for simply being in the Church is not enough; if you fail to preserve your baptismal purity through repentance, you will be cast out at the Final Judgment. Look closer, and you will see that this wedding feast is happening right now in the Divine Liturgy, where Christ offers His very Body and Blood to unite with your soul. Why, then, do so many of you neglect this heavenly supper out of laziness and worldly excuses? Even worse, many who do enter this holy place—including us, the celebrants of the heavenly and bloodless Sacrifice—arrive without the proper wedding garment, carrying the filthy rags of worldly passions instead of pure hearts. Therefore, let us all hasten to repentance, whitening our souls with tears of confession and deeds of charity before it is too late.
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EPISTLE READING
St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians 1:21-24; 2:1-4
Brethren, it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has commissioned us; he has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
But I call God to witness against me - it was to spare you that I refrained from coming to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith; we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith. For I made up my mind not to make you another painful visit. For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. For I wrote you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.
GOSPEL READING
Matthew 22:2-14
The Lord said this parable, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast; but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have made ready my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves are killed, and everything is ready; come to the marriage feast.' But they made light of it and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find.' And those servants went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment; and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen."
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WORSHIP SERVICE SCHEDULE
Sunday, September 6th
Orthros & Divine Liturgy - 8:00 a.m.— 11:15 a.m.
Memorials: †3 yr Theophano (Fay) Pavlopoulos,
†3 yr Anagyros Karounos
Monday, September 7th—Labor Day
OFFICE CLOSED
Tuesday, September 8th
Nativity of the Theotokos
Orthros & Divine Liturgy - 8:00 a.m.— 10:30 a.m.
Saturday, September 12th
Divine Liturgy at Indiana State Prison
5:00 a.m.—10:00 a.m.
Sunday, September 13th
Orthros & Divine Liturgy - 8:00 a.m.— 11:15 a.m.
COMMUNITY SCHEDULE
Tuesday, September 8th
1st Day of Archangels Pre-school &
Blessing of the Waters—9:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m.
Philoptochos General Meeting—6:00 p.m.—7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, September 9th
Archangels Preschool (Early Dismissal)
9:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 10th
Archangels Preschool (Early Dismissal)
9:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m.
Food Distribution—1:00 p.m.—2:00 p.m.
Friday, September 11th
Archangels Preschool (Early Dismissal)
9:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m.
1st Day Plutarchos Greek School, Agiasmos &
Meet & Greet—4:30 p.m.—6:30 p.m.
Family Night—5:00 p.m.—6:30 p.m.
Wonderworkers Dance Practice— 6:30 p.m.—7:15 p.m.
Floga Dance Practice—7:30 p.m.—8:30 p.m.
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Consider the Following Info...
Drawing on Nehemiah’s call to “Rise up and build” (Neh. 2:18), we are reminded that stewardship is not simply about money or meeting a budget, but a grateful, spiritual response to God’s gifts. Just as Nehemiah saw the broken walls of Jerusalem and, moved by compassion, prayer, and faith, inspired the people to rebuild together, we too are called to rebuild both the physical life of our parish and the spiritual walls of our own souls. Stewardship invites us to pray, to worship faithfully, to give generously of our time, talents, and treasures, and to act intentionally in love and service. When we rise up together with dedication and trust in God, He blesses our efforts and builds up the Body of Christ in our parish, our community, and the world.
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We wish to thank the 278 Stewards who have made a stewardship commitment for 2026.
Stewardship materials for 2026 are available at the church office and on our website.
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As a steward of Saint Spyridon Parish, and with gratitude to God, let's together strive to improve in each area of stewardship:
· Time: I will increase my time in prayer, worship, and service by about 10%.
· Talent: I will offer one new gift or ministry to strengthen our Saint Spyridon family.
· Treasure: I will increase my financial giving by 1–2% of my income this year.
“Let all that you do be done in love.” — 1 Corinthians 16:14
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We are excited to share the 2025 Annual Impact Report for the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago! This year's report stands as a powerful testament to what is possible when our six states, fifty-eight parishes, and two monastic communities walk together in faith, generosity, and purpose. From record-breaking sacramental growth to our fifth consecutive year of clean financial audits, the report showcases a vibrant spiritual family guided by a clear vision.
Inside the report, you will find inspiring stories from across our parishes. Read about how our youth and Philoptochos chapters mobilized to serve over 800,000 meals to neighbors in need. See how our new regional vicariate system is strengthening parish leadership. And learn how a transformational $2.9 million legacy gift is securing our mission for generations to come.
The report was designed to allow you to dive deep into our milestones or skim the highlights, so we invite you to explore the incredible impact your stewardship and support has made!
| | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER VOICE NEWSLETTER | | |
Saint Spyridon Hellenic Orthodox Church
12307 S. Ridgeland Avenue, Palos Heights, IL 60463
708.385.2311
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