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The Bells 08:02:20 Saint Mary’s Orthodox Church August 2nd, 2020 The Bells of St. Mary’s [email protected] | Father Nathaniel Choma | 1(330) 402-0352 The Herald Scripture Readings s time passes, it cannot A be avoided that we all Epistle: James 5: 10 - 20 become comfortable. However, it is a fact that Gospel: Luke 4: 22 - 30 the Coronavirus still rages Music on. In light of this, we all cannot be casual about 8th Sunday after Pentecost wearing masks while in Church or distancing Feast of the Prophet Elias ourselves properly. While Special Tone - Pages 186 - 187 no one can be forced, nor does the Church take the position of excluding anyone for this, we all must recognize one thing: each Upcoming Services: of us, each of you, are responsible for each other. We ask for the wearing of masks and for social distancing for the sake of all 8/2: Divine Liturgy 10 AM; around us. It has come to Father’s attention that a number of Panachida for Joseph Maerkle individuals in our parish family are not in attendance out of & Maryanne Hickey; Blessing proper concern for the virus and the absence of masks in Church. of vehicles to follow. Therefore, if you refuse to wear one, you will not be punished or 8/5: Moleben to St. Nectarios asked to leave, but know that your actions are directly affecting 6 PM; Spiritual Education to the salvation of other members of our parish. We are one body in follow. Christ Jesus as St. Paul teaches us, and we must protect that body from this virus as we would from any other danger. 8/6: Book Club 7 PM 8/8: Great Vespers 4 PM Blessing of Vehicles 8/9: Divine Liturgy 10 AM; lease be aware that today after the Divine Liturgy and Sacred Sites Event 1 PM P panachida, that Father Nathaniel will bless vehicles! This is 8/12: Spiritual Education 7 PM done annually on the Feast of St. Elias, and is still worthwhile to have done, that God may watch over and guard us as we travel. If 8/13: Book Club 7 PM you would like your car blessed but are not able to be in attendance at Liturgy, contact Father by phone call, text, or email 8/14: Dormition Fast Begins to arrange a blessing of your car at your convenience! Through the prayers of St. Elias, O Lord, bless us and protect us! 1 Saint Mary’s Orthodox Church August 2nd, 2020 Sacred Sites Virtual Tour he Sacred Sites open house that happens annually is moving T to a virtual format this year due to the pandemic. On August 9th, from 1 PM until 2 PM, you can join the tour by visiting www.pastny.org and experience the beauty of the many churches of our area. In addition, show support for our parish as we will be featured this year among the number of other churches. Our thanks to the Preservation Association of the Souther Tier for hosting this event even in light of the pandemic. Happy Birthday! Best wishes are extended to Zoe for Life! Akathist Diane Donlon, Dorothy Harding, embers of Zoe for Life! (R) Southern Tier and Chemung Valley 4 Laurie Schmidt, and Curtis Klees Life urge you to join them in praying the Akathist to the Mother for their birthdays this week! May M of God, Nurturer of Children, on Tuesday, August 11th, at 7 p.m., God grant you many more! Eastern time. This meaningful prayer service for the intersession of the Mnohija L’ita! Mother of God for the physical and spiritual preservation of children Hearts of Love will be served at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Elmira Heights, NY, and will be streamed live via their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ The Hearts are offered this week htocelmiraheights). Please share this post with friends so that voices by Jackie Buchta in loving throughout the country will be joined in unity and strength as we offer memory of her mother Sophie this essential prayer. A copy of the Akathist will be posted on Holy Reigelman and Carol Gianakos. Trinity’s website (https://www.holytrinityorthodoxchurch.org) by July 30th. Contact Matushka Marge Kappanadze (607.259.2646) with May their memories be eternal! questions. Aιώνια η μνήμη! Cat Watch 2020 Eternal Memory! For all of those interested in the t is with great sadness that we report recent additions to the aftermath of the minor crisis last IChurch Triumphant - those who have passed on to eternal life. week, Father and Pani’s cats are Our condolences to the families of all who have passed away. May doing well and recovering, the Lord god remember in His Heavenly Kingdom, His newly- though not yet entirely out-of- departed servants Robert Kushner, Joseph Maerkle, Maryanne the-woods. As pet parents (and Hickey, and George Nedelkov. Please keep these newly departed real parents) likely know, it is and their families in your prayers. Vičnaja Pamjat! never a happy time when something dangerous is ingested. We thank everyone for their Another Reminder prayers, well-wishes, and As was mentioned last week, Father and Pani will be out of town concern. May God bless you all! from the afternoon of Friday, August 14th until the evening of Saturday, August 15th. A newborn of the family is being baptized on Saturday, and thus all services here in our Church are cancelled for the day. Thank you for understanding! 2 Saint Mary’s Orthodox Church August 2nd, 2020 Saints of the Day Holy Glorious Prophet Elias (Elijah) (9th c. BC) Read his marvellous story in the Holy Scriptures, 1 and 2 Kings. At his birth, his father Sabah saw angels of God surrounding the Prophet, clothing him in fire and feeding him flames. At the end of his years on earth, he was carried bodily to heaven by a flaming chariot; with Enoch (Gen. 5:24) he is one of the two ever to be taken bodily to heaven without first dying and being raised. He and Moses appeared standing with Christ at the Transfiguration on Mt Tabor. His name means 'The Lord is God'. Martyrs Maria (Skobtsova), Dimitri (Klepenin) and those with them, who perished in the Nazi concentration camps (1944-1945) Mother Maria was born in Latvia in 1891. Like many of the pre-Revolutionary Russian intelligenstia, she was an atheist and a political radical in her youth, but gradually came to accept the truths of the Faith. After the Revolution, she became part of the large Russian emigre population of Paris. There she was tonsured as a nun by Metropolitan Evlogy, and devoted herself to a life of service to the poor. With a small community of fellow-believers, she established 'houses of hospitality' for the poor, the homeless, and the alcoholic, and visited Russian emigres in mental hospitals. In 1939 Metropolitan Evlogy sent the young priest Fr Dimitry to serve Mother Maria's community; he proved to be a partner, committed even unto death, in the community's work among the poor. When the Nazis took Paris in 1940, Mother Maria, Fr Dimitry, and others of the community chose to remain in the city to care for those who had come to count on them. As Nazi persecution of Jews in France increased, the Orthodox community's work naturally expanded to include protection and care of these most helpless ones. Father Dimitri was asked to provide forged certificates of baptism to preserve the lives of Jews, and always complied. Eventually, this work led to the arrest of Mother Maria, Fr Dimitri, and their associates. A fragment survives of the Gestapo's interrogation of Fr Dimitri: Hoffman: If we release you, will you give your word never again to aid Jews? Klepinin: I can say no such thing. I am a Christian and must act as I must. (Hoffman struck Klepinin across the face.) Hoffman: Jew lover! How dare you talk of helping those swine as being a Christian duty! (Klepinin, recovering his balance, held up the cross from his cassock.) Klepinin: Do you know this Jew? (For this, Father Dimitri was knocked to the floor.) "Your priest did himself in," Hoffman said afterward to Sophia Pilenko. "He insists that if he were to be freed, he would act exactly as before." Mother Maria, Fr Dimitri, and several of their colleages, were sent to the Nazi concentration camps (Mother Maria to Ravensbruck, Fr Dimitri to Buchenwald) where, after great sufferings, they perished. It is believed that Mother Maria's last act was to take the place of a Jew being sent to death, voluntarily dying in his place. Mother Maria and her companions were glorified by the Patriarchate of Constantinople in 2004. 3.
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