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Friday, January 1 - Blessed New Year! WELCOME TO CATHERINE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH  St. Basil the Great and Circumcision of our Lord Orthros 9am “There are no strangers here; only friends you have not met!”  Divine 10am 5555 S. Yosemite Street, Greenwood Village, CO 80111 Sunday, January 3 Phone 303-773-3411 ● Fax 303-773-6641 ● www.stcatherinechurch.org  Sunday before Theophany Orthros 7am  1st 8:15am - 9:30am Clergy: Father Theodore Dorrance, Protopresbyter ● Father Thomas Bartz, Presbyter Father Paul Fedec, Retired Archpriest ● John Kavas  2nd Divine Liturgy 10:20-11:50am Staff: Michelle Smith, Office Administrator ● Alina Buzdugan, Ministry Coordinator/Communications/Chanting Mindi Armatas, Executive Assistant to Father Theodore ● Vivian Hallberg, Accountant 2020 STEWARDSHIP UPDATE James Tavlarides, Youth Director ● Woodruff, Facility Manager ● Kelly Hardick, Office Support

As of December 23, 2020, we have 367 stewards pledging $883,736 out of the $1,015,000 budget Parish Council: Stu Weinroth (President), Christine Skogen (1st VP of Fellowship), John Xikes (2nd VP of Stewardship), Dr. Jeff Holen (2nd VP of Stewardship Assistant), Brian Farr (Treasurer), Lynnette Horner (Secretary), Evan Bennett, Spiros approved for 2020, and we have received $968,161. We thank you for your love offering and faithfulness to Deligiannis, Billy Halax, Chris Keller, Eldon Keller, Faith Morse, Kent Prose, Andy Stathopulos, George Strompolos our Lord and His Parish of Saint Catherine!

2021 ADULT RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES SAINT STEPHEN, ARCHDEACON & FIRST , ST. THEODORE THE CONFESSOR, (ALL VIRTUAL FOR THE TIME BEING WITH ZOOM LINKS TO BE SENT AFTER THE NEW YEAR) ST. THEODORE, OF CONSTANTINOPLE SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2020 1. OPEN TO ALL. Parish Study with Father Theodore, Tuesdays from 10am to 11am. Please join us on Flocknote at stcatherinechurch.flocknote.com/WeekdayBiblestud. Will resume Tuesday, January 12. A MESSAGE FROM FATHER THEODORE 2. MEN’S SPIRITUAL DISCUSSION with Father Theodore, Tuesdays from 7am to 8am. All men of Saint Catherine (18 years and older), are invited for Tuesday morning spiritual fellowship, as well as other ac- Holy Tradition teaches us that St. Stephen was related to the Paul. He was also one of tivities (post Covid) such as fly fishing, golf, ballgames, Men’s retreats, philanthropic activities, and Chris- the first seven to be ordained by the holy as recorded in . St. Luke describes St. tian fellowship. Please join us on Flocknote at stcatherinechurch.flocknote.com/MensFellowship or con- Stephen as a man of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit, and wise. He is called the “Archdeacon” be- tact Greg Krochta at 720-648-6700 or [email protected] to get added to our Men’s Fellowship email list cause he was the chief among the other six deacons. The Church also refers to St. Stephen as the and get involved with your St. Catherine brothers. Will Resume Tuesday, January 12. “Protomartyr” because he is the first Christian to die a martyr’s death for his faith. Being full of the Holy 3. WOMEN’S BOOK STUDY. Our Philoptochos Board is sponsoring a virtual book club for all the women in Spirit, St. Stephen worked miracles, served the poor and sick, and shared his faith and the with our parish. We will be discussing the book “Seven Holy Women - Conversations with and the people around him. By God’s grace, he was able to bring many to faith in . This greatly Friends.” The book club will meet on Monday evenings at 7:30pm, starting on Monday, January 11 and disturbed the Jewish leaders, who stirred up the people against him. St Stephen courageously defended continuing for seven weeks. Each chapter is self-contained, so you don’t have to make every study. You the Christian faith, but the riotous crowd accused him of against God and and publicly may join us on Flocknote at stcatherinechurch.flocknote.com/PhiloptochosGrou or you can email Helen stoned him. As he was being stoned, his face was radiant with the grace of God. He even saw a vision of Kretzmann at [email protected]. The book is available from Ancient Faith Publishing and Kindle. Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Before he died, he forgave his persecutors and gave his soul

into the hands of God. He died exactly one year after the descent of the Holy Spirit at . FLEECE NAVIDAD

Our Parish is donating 25 sweat suits for the elderly at Uptown Care Center. Each sweat suit costs One of those giving assent to Stephen’s martyrdom was Saul, who later became St. Paul. Alt- $25 dollars. It will only take 25 people donating $25 a piece to cover the costs. If you are feeling generous this hough Saul was related to St. Stephen, Saul’s zeal for the Jewish religion was even greater than family season, please make checks payable to St. Catherine's with Fleece Navidad in the memo. Thank ties. St. Paul, after his conversion to , would deeply repent of this sin and grieve over his per- you! secution of the Church. St. Stephen provides a great example of the powerful grace that comes to Chris- tians who believe in the resurrection, refuse to deny Christ, and love God more than anything else in the QR CODE FOR QR CODE FOR QR CODE FOR world. He also is the prototype of all deacons in the Church. May God continue to bless the holy deacon- MATINS PART 1 MATINS PART 2 DIVINE LITURGY ate and those who serve His holy Church as deacons! 12/27/2020 12/27/2020 12/27/2020 HYMNS AND READINGS FOR SUNDAY, DECEMBER, 27, 2020 And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an . And the high priest said, "Is this so?" And Stephen said: "Brethren and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our Apolytikion of the Nativity - 4th Tone father , when he was in , before he lived in Haran, and said to him, 'Depart from your Your nativity, O Christ our God, has caused the light of knowledge to rise upon the world. For therein the wor- land and from your kindred and go into the land which I will show you.' Then he departed from the land of the shippers of the stars were by a star instructed to worship You, the Sun of Righteousness, and to know You as Chaldeans, and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which Orient from on high. Glory to You, O Lord. you are now living; yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot's length, but promised to give it to him in possession and to his posterity after him, though he had no child. "But it was who built a house Resurrectional Apolytikion – 4th Tone for him. Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made with hands; as the prophet says, 'Heaven is my When the tidings of the resurrection from the glorious angel was proclaimed unto the women disciples and throne, and earth my footstool. What house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my our ancestral sentence also had been abolished to the Apostles with the boasting did they proclaim that death rest? Did not my hand make all these things?'"You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you is vanquished ever more and Christ Our God has risen from the dead always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did not your fathers perse- and granted to the world His great mercy. cute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by and did not keep it." Now Apolytikion of the Forefathers - 2nd Tone when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth against him. But he, full of the Annunciate the miracles to the ancestor of God, O . You saw the pregnant. You glorified Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he with the shepherds. You worshipped with the Magi. And you were warned by an Angel. Entreat Christ God to said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God." But they save our souls. cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together upon him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. Apolytikion for Saint Stephen the First Martyr - 4th Tone And as they were Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." And he knelt down and cried O Stephen, a crown of royalty was laid on your head * for contests you courageously endured for Christ our with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep. God, * as first among Martyr saints. * You stood in accusation of the raging Judeans; * and you saw your Sav- Gospel Reading: The Reading is from Matthew 2:13-23. When the wise men departed, behold, an ior at the right hand of the Father. * We pray that you will ever entreat Him to save our souls. angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." And he rose Hymn of St. Catherine - 5th Tone and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Her- We sing praises in memory of the bride of Christ, Catherine the Holy Protectress of Holy Mount Sinai, of her od. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt have I called my son." Then who is our helper and our comforter, silencing the impious ones with her brilliance. All by the power of the Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed Spirit! And she pleads for us all great mercy, since she has been crowned a martyr of the Lord. all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremi- Kontakion of the Nativity – 3rd Tone ah: "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused On this day the Virgin gives * birth to the Super-essential. * To the Unapproachable, * earth is providing the to be consoled, because they were no more." But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in grotto. * Angels sing and with the shepherds offer up glory. * Following a star the Magi are still proceeding. * a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of , for He was born for our salvation, a newborn Child, the pre-eternal God. those who sought the child's life are dead." And he rose and took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaos reigned over in place of his father Herod, he was Reading: The reading is from 6:8-15; 7:1-5, 47-60. In those days, afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and dwelt Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Naza- belonged to the of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, rene." and of those from Cilicia and Asia, arose and disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom UPCOMING WEEK AT-A-GLANCE and the Spirit with which he spoke. Then they secretly instigated men, who said, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God." And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, Sunday, December 27 and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, and set up false witnesses who  Sunday after Nativity Saint Stephen the First Martyr Orthros 7am said, "This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law; for we have heard him say  1st Divine Liturgy 8:15am - 9:30am that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, and will change the customs which Moses delivered to us."  2nd Divine Liturgy 10:20-11:50am