Parish News and Events (continued) St. Basil Greek Orthodox Church Girls Ministry Event - The next Girls Ministry event will be Sunday, March 19 immediately following 733 S. Ashland Ave Chicago, IL 60607 ph: 312.243.3738 Divine Liturgy. During this gathering, we will decorate bags which Lakeview Pantry will use to pack food Orthros 8:15 a.m. Divine Liturgy 9:45 a.m. for their home bound clients. Lakeview Pantry is the organization many of our parishioners support with Rev. Fr. Panteleimon Dalianis, Proistamenos food donations. The Pantry clients enjoy receiving their food in the colorful decorated bags. We hope Web Site: www.stbasilchicago.org all the girls can join us for this event! Follow us on Facebook: St. Basil Greek Orthodox Church

Now Pay with iPad – Powered by PayPal - Exciting News! Forgot your cash$$? We now have an IPAD for your use with PayPal conveniently located at the Pangari (candle) stands. You may use your own Sunday, March 19, 2017 personal credit/debit card to purchase candles, contribute to passed baskets, on-going annual stewardship and other vital parish fundraisers, Golf Outing, Dinner Dances and more. Questions? Ask a Today’s Readings: parish council member and we will be happy to assist you! Epistle: St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:1-6

Gospel: Mark 8:34-38; 9:1 Third Saturday of Lent IOCC IOCC Home Build to Fayetteville, NC June 19-24, 2017

Registration is now open for the IOCC Home Build. Presvytera Konstantina will be leading a group to Calendar for the Week Ahead Fayetteville, NC. There's only a total of 20 spots for those who would like to go, so please make sure you - Sunday, March 19, 7:00pm - Veneration of the Holy Cross Vespers (at Holy Cross, Justice, IL) register soon. Go to: www.iocc.org/take-action/join-action-team/home-build-volunteers - Monday, March 20, 7:00pm - Great Compline Service Please email Pres. Konstantina for more information at [email protected] - Tuesday, March 21, 4 to 8pm – Yiayia's Kouzina baking at St. Basil

- Wednesday, March 22, 6:00pm – Pre-sanctified Liturgy Sunday school begins today immediately after Holy Communion - Friday, March 24, 6:30pm – 4th Salutations to the Virgin Mary Classes are for our youth grades K and up. - Friday, March 24, 7:00pm - Great Vespers for Annunciation (at Chicago parish) NEW Kids Corner in the Philoptochos Hall - Saturday, March 25, 8:30am - Orthros and Divine Liturgy for Annunciation of the (at Check out the new Kids Corner in the Philoptochos Hall after liturgy on Sunday. Crayons, markers, Annunciation Church, Chicago) stickers, coloring pages, and puzzles are available at a designated table. - Sunday, March 26, 8:15am - Orthros and Divine Liturgy

Please make confession appointments before Holy Week Fr. Panteleimon will only be hearing confessions until Holy Monday - so if you'd like to come to Parish News and Events confession, please schedule a time before Holy Monday. Welcome and Good Morning The Sacraments of the Orthodox Church, including the reception of Holy Communion, are reserved for those of Our young ladies who help as myrrh-bearers on Holy Friday (processing around the kouvouklion) the Orthodox Faith. If you are a visitor from another Denomination or Faith, we welcome you as an observer and We are having a mandatory practice for this on Sunday, April 2nd (right after Divine Liturgy). If you guest. Join us for coffee fellowship hour in the Philoptochos Hall following Divine Liturgy. cannot make this practice, you need to contact Fr. Panteleimon to arrange another time to go through the procession. Only our young ladies who have attended a practice will be allowed to process on Holy New or Visiting Our Parish Today? Friday. Thank you for visiting our parish today. We pray that your visit here will be uplifting. Welcome Cards can be found in the pockets of the pews. Please fill the cards out and return them to one of our Parish Council Our altar servers will be having a mandatory practice session leading up to Holy Week members after today’s Divine Liturgy. This will be on Friday, April 7 at 6:30 p.m. (dinner will be served). We are folding 600 palms two weeks from today (for Palm Sunday) Please plan to stick around for 15 minutes of coffee hour and help. The Sacrament of Holy Confession Great and Holy Lent is an excellent time for us to get our regular spiritual check-up in the sacrament of We need people to help us decorate on Holy Friday Holy Confession. Also, please note that Father will not be hearing confessions after Holy Wednesday - so We encourage everyone to join us for this - the work begins at 10 a.m. and runs until about 1 p.m. For please contact Father soon to make an appointment. our youth, father will be sending out letters for them to received excused absences from their schools.

40 Day Churching Today’s Coffee Hour Maria Nicole daughter of Kelly and James Stathopoulos Is hosted by Stella and Irene Antonoglu. We thank them for their goodies. Epistle St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:1-6 BRETHREN, since we have a high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of THE HOLY CHRYSANTHUS AND DARIA AND THE OTHERS WITH THEM

God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize Chrysanthus was the only son of Polemius, a distinguished patrician, who settled in from with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without . As the son of wealthy parents, Chrysanthus studied all the secular subjects, having the most sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy learned men for instructors. But secular wisdom confused him and left him in uncertainty as to what is and find grace to help in time of need. For every high priest chosen from among men is truth. As a result of this, he grieved. But God, who plans all and everything, alleviated his grief. A written appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can copy of the Gospels and the came into the hands of the young Chrysanthus. Having deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of read them, Chrysanthus was enlightened with the truth, and he desired a teacher and found one in the this he is bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. And one person of a certain priest, Carpophorus, who taught and baptized him. This did not please his father, does not take the honor upon himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ who attempted everything in order to dissuade him from believing in Christ. Not succeeding, the wicked did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, "Thou father at first tried to corrupt him by placing him alone with an immoral woman. In this, Chrysanthus was victorious over himself and persevered in chastity. His father then coerced him into marring Daria, art my Son, today I have begotten thee"; as he says also in another place, "Thou art a priest for a pagan girl. Chrysanthus counseled Daria to embrace the Faith in Christ and to live together as brother ever, after the order of Melchizedek." and sister, although pretending to be married. When his father died, Chrysanthus began to confess

Christ openly and to live as a Christian, both he and his entire household. During the reign of Emperor Numerian, he and Daria were cruelly tortured for their faith. Even the torturer Claudius, witnessing the Gospel Reading Mark 8:34-38; 9:1 Third Saturday of Lent forbearance of these honorable martyrs and the miracles which were manifested during their agony,

The Lord said: "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross embraced the Faith of Christ along with his entire household. For this, Claudius was drowned. Both of and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake his sons were beheaded. His wife, after having recited her prayers, died on the gallows. Daria was so and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit steadfast in her agony that the pagans cried out, "Daria is a goddess!" Finally, it was decreed that Chrysanthus and Daria be buried in a deep pit and covered with stones. Later, a church was erected on his life? For what can a man give in return for his life? For whoever is ashamed of me and my this site. There was a cave near this pit where some Christians assembled for prayer and Communion in words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed, memory of the Chrysanthus and Daria. Hearing of this, the pagans attacked and sealed off this when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." And he said to them, "Truly, I say cave. By such a death, the pagans drove these Christians from this world to a better world where Christ to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of reigns eternally. These glorious martyrs, Chrysanthus and Daria and the others with them, among whom God come with power." were Diodorus the priest and Marianus the deacon, suffered for Christ in Rome in the year 284 A.D.,

REFLECTION "That mercy [of God] that resurrects us and against which we sin later on is even greater then that mercy that He bestowed upon us before He gave us being; when we did not exist. Glory O Lord to Your immeasurable mercy!" Thus speaks St. the Syrian. He wants to say that greater is the mercy that God showed toward us when, through Christ, He saved us from the corruption of sin and death than when He created us out of nothing. Truly, it is so. Even our earthly parents show greater mercy to the perverted and fallen son when they embrace him again, forgive him all, make him civilized, cleanse him, heal him and again make him their heir then, when they gave him birth. When the young Pancharius, surrounded by royal honors, denied Christ, his mother wrote him a letter full of pain and sorrow. "Do not be afraid of men," wrote his mother, "but it is essential to fear God's judgment. You should have confessed your faith in Christ before emperors and lords and not to have denied Him. Remember His words: `But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before My heavenly Father' " (St. Matthew 10:33). Being ashamed of himself, the son accepts the advice of his mother, confessed his faith in Christ before the emperor, and died a 's death for Christ in order to live with Him eternally. And so the blessed mother of Pancharius brought about a new birth for her son, a spiritual birth more important than the first, physical birth.