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Celebrating 100 Years 1925-2025
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Epistle Reading of the Day
The reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to Timothy 2:1-7
Timothy, my son, first of all, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony to which was borne at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
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Απόστολος της Ημέρας
Πρὸς Τιμόθεον α' 2:1-7 τὸ ἀνάγνωσμα
Τέκνον Τιμόθεε, παρακαλῶ οὖν πρῶτον πάντων ποιεῖσθαι δεήσεις, προσευχάς, ἐντεύξεις, εὐχαριστίας, ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων, ὑπὲρ βασιλέων καὶ πάντων τῶν ἐν ὑπεροχῇ ὄντων, ἵνα ἤρεμον καὶ ἡσύχιον βίον διάγωμεν ἐν πάσῃ εὐσεβείᾳ καὶ σεμνότητι. Τοῦτο γὰρ καλὸν καὶ ἀπόδεκτον ἐνώπιον τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Θεοῦ, ὃς πάντας ἀνθρώπους θέλει σωθῆναι καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν. Εἷς γὰρ Θεός, εἷς καὶ μεσίτης Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων, ἄνθρωπος Χριστὸς ᾿Ιησοῦς, ὁ δοὺς ἑαυτὸν ἀντίλυτρον ὑπὲρ πάντων, τὸ μαρτύριον καιροῖς ἰδίοις, εἰς ὃ ἐτέθην ἐγὼ κήρυξ καὶ ἀπόστολος,- ἀλήθειαν λέγω ἐν Χριστῷ, οὐ ψεύδομαι,- διδάσκαλος ἐθνῶν ἐν πίστει καὶ ἀληθεία.
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Gospel Reading for the Day
The Gospel According to Luke 4:16-22
At that time, Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went to the synagogue, as his custom was, on the sabbath day. And he stood up to read; and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." And all spoke well of him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.
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Ευαγγέλιον της Ήμέρας
Ἐκ τοῦ Κατὰ Λουκᾶν 4:16-22 Εὐαγγελίου τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα
Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Ναζαρά, οὗ ἦν τεθραμμένος, καὶ εἰσῆλθε κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῶν σαββάτων εἰς τὴν συναγωγήν, καὶ ἀνέστη ἀναγνῶναι. καὶ ἐπεδόθη αὐτῷ βιβλίον ῾Ησαΐου τοῦ προφήτου, καὶ ἀναπτύξας τὸ βιβλίον εὗρε τὸν τόπον οὗ ἦν γεγραμμένον· Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐπ᾿ ἐμέ, οὗ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέ με, εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοῖς ἀπέσταλκέ με, ἰάσασθαι τοὺς συντετριμμένους τὴν καρδίαν, κηρῦξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν, ἀποστεῖλαι τεθραυσμένους ἐν ἀφέσει, κηρῦξαι ἐνιαυτὸν Κυρίου δεκτόν. καὶ πτύξας τὸ βιβλίον ἀποδοὺς τῷ ὑπηρέτῃ ἐκάθισε· καὶ πάντων ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἦσαν ἀτενίζοντες αὐτῷ. ἤρξατο δὲ λέγειν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὅτι σήμερον πεπλήρωται ἡ γραφὴ αὕτη ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶν ὑμῶν. καὶ πάντες ἐμαρτύρουν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐθαύμαζον ἐπὶ τοῖς λόγοις τῆς χάριτος τοῖς ἐκπορευομένοις ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ.
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READINGS OF OUR ORTHODOX SAINTS | |
Saint Anthimos, Bishop of Nicomedea - September 3
After the death of the 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, their Bishop Anthimos fled to a certain village to care for his remaining flock. The Emperor Maximian sent men in search of him. When they found him, he promised to show Anthimos to them, but first took them in as guests, fed them, and only then made himself known to them. Amazed at his kindness, the soldiers promised him to tell Maximian that they had not found him. But Anthimos went willingly with them, and converting them by his admonitions, baptized them on the way. He boldly confessed his Faith before Maximian, and after frightful tortures was beheaded in the year 303 or 304.
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Saint Symeon the Stylite - September 1
Our righteous Father Symeon was born about the year 390 in a certain village named Sis, in the mountain region of Cilicia and Syria. Having first been a shepherd, he entered the monastic discipline at a young age. After trying various kinds of ascetical practices, both in the monastery and then in the wilderness, he began standing on pillars of progressively greater height, and heroically persevered in this for more than forty years; the greater part of this time he spent standing upright, even when one of his feet became gangrenous, and other parts of his body gave way under the strain. He did not adopt this strange way of life out of vainglory, a charge that some of his contemporaries made against him at the first: because he was already famous for his asceticism and holiness before ascending his first pillar (in Greek, style, whence he is called "Stylite"), many pious people came to him wishing to touch his garments, either for healing or for a blessing; to escape the continual vexation they caused, he made a pillar about ten feet high, and then higher and higher, until the fourth and last was about fifty feet high. The Church historian Theodoret of Cyrrhus, an eyewitness of his exploits who wrote of him while Symeon was yet alive, called him "the great wonder of the world." God gave him the grace to persevere in such an astonishing form of asceticism that multitudes came to see him from Persia, Armenia, South Arabia, Georgia, Thrace, Spain, Italy, Gaul, and the British Isles. Theodoret says that he became so famous in Rome that the Nomadic Arabs by the thousands believed in Christ and were baptized because of him; the King of Persia sent envoys to inquire into his way of life, and the Queen asked to be sent oil that he had blessed. He also was a great defender of sound doctrine, and confirmed the Orthodoxy of the Holy Council of Chalcedon for many who had been beguiled by the teachings of the Monophysites, including the Empress Eudocia, widow of Theodosius the Younger. After a life of unheard-of achievements and struggles, he reposed in peace at the age of sixty-nine, in the year 459.
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ΜΙΚΡΟΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ
Ο ΘΕΟΠΤΗΣ ΜΩΥΣΗΣ - 4 Σεπτεμβρίου
Τιμάμε τη μνήμη του μεγάλου προφήτου Μωυσέως, το έργο του οποίου είναι μοναδικό μεταξύ των ανθρώπων. Βέβαια το έργο του δεν είναι ανθρώπινο. Οι δέκα εντολές είναι Θεοπαράδοτος νόμος. Μα όσο και αν ο Θεός χρησιμοποιεί τους ανθρώπους για να φανερώσειτη βουλή του, ποτέ οι άνθρωποι δεν είναι άβουλα και ετεροκίνητα πρόσωπα αλλά πρόσωπα που όσο περισσότερο τα εμπιστεύεται και χρησιμοποιεί ο Θεός, τόσο βαθύτερη συνείδηση έχουν της ιερής αποστολής τους. Ο θεόπτης Μωυσής ανέβη στο όρος Σινά, διάβηκε τα σκαλοπάτια της ουράνιας κλίμακας, έφτασε στο Θεό με τον καθαρό και άγιο λογισμό του, κι αφού δέχθηκε το θείο φωτισμό, μας έδωσε τις θεοχάρακτες πλάκες με τις οποίες μπορούμε κι εμείς να ανεβούμε την πνευματική σκάλα που φέρνει στον Θεό.
Ο ΠΡΟΦΗΤΗΣ ΖΑΧΑΡΙΑΣ - 5 Σεπτεμβρίου
Στον πατέρα του Προδρόμου και Βαπτιστού Ιωάννου, τον προφήτη Ζαχαρία, είναι αφιερωμένη αυτή η εορτή. Από τον ύμνο που έψαλλε ο προφήτης, όταν οκτώ ημέρες μετά τη γέννηση του Προδρόμου ξαναβρήκε την μηλιά του, αναφέρονται τα εξής λόγια «Ηλθε στον κόσμο το φώς του Θεού στο πρόσωπο του Σωτήρα, για να φωτίσει εκείνους που κάθονταν στο σκοτάδι του θανάτου και να τους κατευθύνει στο δρόμο της ειρήνης.
ΟΣΙΑ ΚΑΣΣΙΑΝΗ - Της Υμνογράφου - 7 Σεπτεμβρίου 2014
Υπήρξε ποιήτρια του Βυζαντίου και υμνογράφος της Εκκλησίας. Κατά τας παραδόσεις έχασε το βασιλικό θρόνο, επειδή απάντησε στον αυτοκράτορα Θεόφιλο, πως το ανθρώπινο γένος οφείλει τη σωτηρία του στο γυναικείο φύλο, εννοώντας τη Θεοτόκο Μαρία,όταν ο αυτοκράτορας αστειευόμενος είπε ότι, όλα τα κακά πηγάζουν από το γυναικείο φύλο, εννοώντας την Εύα. Στα λειτουργικά κείμενα σώζονται πολλά Ιδιόμελα που φέρουν το όνομά της και διακρίνονται για την ποιητικότητα καθώς και την πρωτοτυπία τους. Το Ιδιόμελλο όμως που την έκανε περισσότερο γνωστή ως υμνογράφο, είναι αυτό που ψάλλεται το βράδυ της Μεγάλης Τρίτης που αναφέρεται στην ειλικρινή μετάνοια «της αλειψάσης τον Κύριον μύρω πόρνης γυναικός». Το 1889 το Πατριαρχείο της Αλεξανδρείας την ανεγνώρισε ως οσία και καθόρισε ως ημέρα μνήμης της την 7η Σεπτεμβρίου.
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MEMORIALS
1 year for the late Athanasia Assimakopoulos
1 year for the late Basille Efantis
May their memory be eternal!
COFFEE HOUR
Please join us for coffee hour following the Divine Liturgy in Plato Hall.
Please note: The Church Office will be closed on Labor Day, September 2nd.
SUNDAY SCHOOL CORNER
Sunday School this year begins on September 8 -- mark your calendars! A birthday celebration for our Holy Panagia will take place following the Divine Liturgy in Plato Hall. First day of classes will be on September 15.
You may register your children online at:
www.assumptionchicago.org or forms are available on Pangari in the Narthex. You may give the completed form to the usher.
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PRAYER OF A STUDENT
Christ my Lord, the Giver of light and wisdom, who opened the eyes of the blind man and transformed the fishermen into wise heralds and teachers of the gospel through the coming of the Holy Spirit, shine also in my mind the light of the grace of the Holy Spirit. Grant me discernment, understanding and wisdom in learning. Enable me to complete my assignments and to abound in every good work, for to You I give honor and glory. Amen.
PHILOPTOCHOS
Friday, September 6th - We are visiting the Greek American Rehabilitation and Care Center to interact with the residents, have refreshments, conversation and games. Please join us! Meet there at 1:30 p.m. Contact Francine Kott for more info, phone 630-336-9442 or email frckott@aol.com.
Saturday, September 28th - Metropolis Philoptochos Luncheon at The Concorde. Reservations and checks payable to Assumption Philoptochos due to Jeanne Jurasek, our treasurer, by Sunday, Sep. 14th. One reservation will be sent in for the Assumption group to sit together. Raffle tickets to be paid directly to the Metropolis Philoptochos. Any questions, contact Jeanne at 630-399-6244 or talk with her Sundays after church.
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SPONSORS NEEDED FOR COFFEE HOUR
Please contact the Church office at: 773.626.3114 or email at:
office@assumptionchicago.org if you would like to sponsor a coffee hour in memory of a loved one, a special occasion or just because.
Available dates for the months of September and October:
September 15, 22, 29 and October 6, 13
For later available dates, please contact the church office. Thank you to our beloved parishioners and friends of Assumption Panagia for your continued love and support!
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THE ARCHIVE COMMITTEE
Dear Parishioners,
As we walk toward our centennial year of 2025, we are collecting photos, artifacts, and stories that contribute to the history of our beloved Panagia, and we ask for your input and help.
We need parishioners who can identify people in our photos, beginning from the wooden church and Sunday school.
In addition, the committee is asking for artifacts and memorabilia from your family history to be copied and recorded. Volunteers are needed to help with sorting and other archival tasks.
Please get in touch with us at archives@assumptionchicago.org
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2024 STEWARDSHIP
Thank you to all who have submitted their 2024 Stewardship Pledge Cards. If you have not yet submitted your stewardship card, members of the Parish Council will be handing out stewardship packets today.
Please fill out the pledge card (it is important that you enter a pledge amount) and the information card completely and return it in the enclosed envelope. Thank you for supporting our beautiful parish of Panagia!
ASSUMPTION PANAGIA BOOKSTORE
Please visit our Religious Bookstore! Not only do we have beautiful Icons for your home and to give as gifts, we also have books for all ages, baby’s bibs for baptisms and much more! Our bookstore is open following the Divine Liturgy on Sundays in Plato Hall.
ARTOKLASIA – THE BLESSING OF BREAD
The Blessing of Five Loaves of Bread is a brief service of thanksgiving through which we express our gratitude for all the blessings of life. Oil, wine, wheat, and the loaves of bread which are used in the service, are viewed as the most basic elements necessary for life. The Blessing reminds us of the miracle of the multiplication of the bread and fish by which Christ fed the multitude. This Blessing is usually offered during Vespers or after the Divine Liturgy on Feast days and other special occasions. After the Service, the bread is cut and distributed to the congregation. If you would like to offer an Artoklasia, please contact the church office at: 773.626.3114 or email: office@assumptionchicago.org to reserve a date.
A WORD ABOUT CREMATION
Orthodox Christians should reject cremation, in accordance with the Church’s teachings about the sanctity of the human body and its role in our salvation. Orthodox Christians believe that in the General Resurrection, our bodies and souls will be restored to each other. Cremation is the deliberate desecration and destruction of what God has made and is viewed as the denial of the Resurrection. Cremation treats the body violently, without the respect due to it as the temple of the Holy Spirit. Those who voluntarily request cremation upon death will not receive an Orthodox funeral, either in the church, or the funeral home or any other place. Memorial services with kolyva are not allowed since the connection of the “kernel of wheat” as a sign of the Resurrection has been intentionally destroyed. It is an honor for Orthodox Christians to have a church funeral - our salvation and the state of our souls and bodies should always be at the forefront in our lives and for the lives of our loved ones.
WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
Did you know that the Orthodox Church has a prayer service for Wedding Anniversaries? While planning with your spouse what you will do on your day of remembrance, don’t forget to contact the Church Office to set-up an appointment for the prayer service with Father Apostolos. While it is suggested that the prayer be read on your Wedding Anniversary, it may also be read on Sundays after Church services.
PARISH COUNCIL
We are seeking enthusiastic young individuals who are eager to serve the Lord and support the Priest in Christ’s ministry by joining the Parish Council. There are currently vacancies on the Parish Board, and if you are interested, please reach out to Father Apostolos or Tom Demos, Parish Council President, for more information. Serving in a leadership capacity within the church is both a joy and a privilege, and we assure you that you will be warmly welcomed as we journey together into the future. Remember, the greatest leadership comes from serving others! It may seem paradoxical, but it's a lifelong aspiration as we continue our ministry.
COMMUNITY PRAYER LIST
Prayers for: Anna, Charlie, John, Nicoletta, Sarah, Nathan, Konstantine
Lord our God, Who by word alone did heal all diseases, Who cured the mother in law of Peter, You Who chastise with pity and heal according to Your goodness; grant aid to these Your servants (Names) and heal them of every sickness of which they are grieved; lift them up from their pain, and send down upon them Your great mercy. For to you we send up Glory: to Father, and to Son, and to Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Prayers for the living will be retained on the list for 40 days. Contact the church office to add names at office@assumptionchicago.org or call: 773.626.3114.
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**Flyers located in the Narthex.
September 14, 2024 - Prosphora Baking Lesson and Lenten Meal directly after Divine Liturgy
September 15, 2024 - St. Euphrosynos Meal Delivery - Meal Preparation and Delivery
September 21, 2024 - Austin Community Meal in Plato Hall
October 13-14, 2024 - Pilgrimage to Holy Dormition Romanian Monastery in Michigan
October 19, 2024 - Austin Community Meal in Plato Hall
October 20, 2024 - St. Euphrosynos Meal Delivery - Meal Preparation and Delivery
November 10, 2024 - St. Euphrosynos Meal Delivery - Meal Preparation and Delivery
November 16, 2024 - Austin Community Meal in Plato Hall.
**Please see the 100th Year Celebration Events Section Below
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ASSUMPTION PANAGIA 100TH YEAR CELEBRATION 1925 - 2025
“More radiant than the rays of sun, and higher than the heavens…”
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100 Year Celebration Upcoming Events:
- 2024
- Plato School Reunion on October 19th
- YAL Hosted Trivia Night Fundraiser on November 9th
- 2025
- Vasilopita Cutting Celebration in January
- Philoptochos Tea Party and Apokreatiko Glendi Event in February
- Pan-Orthodox Vesper Service - Sunday of Orthodoxy in March
- Great Lent/Holy Easter Celebration in March/April
- Metropolis Oratorical Festival in April
- Centennial Golf Outing in May
- Special Panagia Feast Day Celebration in August
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Culminating with our Centennial Celebration on October 12th
We are also excited to announce the launch of our Assumption Centennial Fund. This centennial fundraising program provides the ability to support up to three different initiatives:
- Our Church: We aim to beautify our church to raise $750,000 for renovations, including dome window repairs, security cameras, chandelier automation, Plato hall renovations, and much more.
- Our Community: We are dedicating $150,000 to support our community-based initiatives, including our video streaming and all our planned centennial activities.
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Our World: We have pledged $100,000 over the next ten years to support the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation.
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Please visit our 100th Year Celebration website for more information www.assumption100.com
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