Welcome to Saint on this Sunday, November 15, 2020

Today we commemorate:

8th Sunday of Luke Begins Guria, Shamuna, and Habib, Martyrs and Confessors of Edessa Thomas, Archbishop of

St. Celebrated Nov. 16

EPISTLE READING

St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians 2:4-10

Prokeimenon. Mode Plagal 2. Psalm 27.9,1 O Lord save your people and bless your inheritance. Verse: To you, O Lord, I have cried, O my God. The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians 2:4-10 Brethren, God who is rich in mercy, out of the great love St. Peter & St. Paul with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ , that in the coming ages he might show

the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the of God: not because of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Πρὸς Ἐφεσίους 2:4-10

Προκείμενον. Ήχος πλ. β'. ΨΑΛΜΟΙ 27.9,1 Σῶσον, Κύριε τὸν λαὸν σου καὶ εὐλόγησον τὴν κληρονομίαν σου. Στίχ. Πρὸς σἐ, Κύριε, κεκράξομαι ὁ Θεός μου. Πρὸς Ἐφεσίους 2:4-10 τὸ ἀνάγνωσμα Ἀδελφοί, ὁ θεός, πλούσιος ὢν ἐν ἐλέει, διὰ τὴν πολλὴν ἀγάπην αὐτοῦ ἣν ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς, καὶ ὄντας ἡμᾶς νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασιν συνεζωοποίησεν τῷ Χριστῷ - χάριτί ἐστε σεσωσμένοι - καὶ συνήγειρεν, καὶ συνεκάθισεν ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· ἵνα ἐνδείξηται ἐν τοῖς αἰῶσιν τοῖς ἐπερχομένοις τὸν ὑπερβάλλοντα πλοῦτον τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ ἐν χρηστότητι ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· τῇ γὰρ χάριτί ἐστε σεσῳσμένοι διὰ τῆς πίστεως, καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ ὑμῶν· θεοῦ τὸ δῶρον· οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων, ἵνα μή τις καυχήσηται. Αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν ποίημα, κτισθέντες ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἐπὶ ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς, οἷς προητοίμασεν ὁ θεός, ἵνα ἐν αὐτοῖς περιπατήσωμεν.

GOSPEL READING

The Gospel According to Luke 10:25-37

At that time, a lawyer stood up to put Jesus to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read?" And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have answered right; do this, and you will live." But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man was going Our Lord and Savior down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among Jesus Christ robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.' Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

Ἐκ τοῦ Κατὰ Λουκᾶν 10:25-37 Εὐαγγελίου τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα

Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, νομικός τις ἀνέστη ἐκπειράζων αὐτὸν καὶ λέγων· διδάσκαλε, τί ποιήσας ζωὴν αἰώνιον κληρονομήσω; ὁ δὲ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτόν· ἐν τῷ νόμῳ τί γέγραπται; πῶς ἀναγινώσκεις; ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· ἀγαπήσεις Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ἰσχύος σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας σου, καὶ τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν· εἶπε δὲ αὐτῷ· ὀρθῶς ἀπεκρίθης· τοῦτο ποίει καὶ ζήσῃ. ὁ δὲ θέλων δικαιοῦν ἑαυτὸν εἶπε πρὸς τὸν ᾿Ιησοῦν· καὶ τίς ἐστί μου πλησίον; ὑπολαβὼν δὲ ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς εἶπεν· ἄνθρωπός τις κατέβαινεν ἀπὸ ῾Ιερουσαλὴμ εἰς ῾Ιεριχώ, καὶ λῃσταῖς περιέπεσεν· οἳ καὶ ἐκδύσαντες αὐτὸν καὶ πληγὰς ἐπιθέντες ἀπῆλθον ἀφέντες ἡμιθανῆ τυγχάνοντα. κατὰ συγκυρίαν δὲ ἱερεύς τις κατέβαινεν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ἐκείνῃ, καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ἀντιπαρῆλθεν. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Λευΐτης γενόμενος κατὰ τὸν τόπον, ἐλθὼν καὶ ἰδὼν ἀντιπαρῆλθε. Σαμαρείτης δέ τις ὁδεύων ἦλθε κατ᾿ αὐτόν, καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ἐσπλαγχνίσθη, καὶ προσελθὼν κατέδησε τὰ τραύματα αὐτοῦ ἐπιχέων ἔλαιον καὶ οἶνον, ἐπιβιβάσας δὲ αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸ ἴδιον κτῆνος ἤγαγεν αὐτὸν εἰς πανδοχεῖον καὶ ἐπεμελήθη αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν αὔριον ἐξελθών, ἐκβαλὼν δύο δηνάρια ἔδωκε τῷ πανδοχεῖ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· ἐπιμελήθητι αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὅ τι ἂν προσδαπανήσῃς, ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ ἐπανέρχεσθαί με ἀποδώσω σοι. τίς οὖν τούτων τῶν τριῶν πλησίον δοκεῖ σοι γεγονέναι τοῦ ἐμπεσόντος εἰς τοὺς λῃστάς; ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· ὁ ποιήσας τὸ ἔλεος μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ. εἶπεν οὖν αὐτῷ ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς· πορεύου καὶ σὺ ποίει ὁμοίως.

Welcome to St. Nicholas

† If this is your first time visiting St. Nicholas, thank you for coming and we look forward to meeting you. † Please fill out one of the visitor cards located in the pew pockets and place it in the offertory basket or hand them to one of our ushers. † May God bless your time with us as we worship God The Father, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. † If you are not familiar with Orthodox worship, please ask one of our ushers or one of the greeters in the fellowship hall after services. † If you are in need of spiritual assistance or would like to know how to become an Orthodox Christian, please ask to speak with Father Andrew.

Calendar

Sunday November 8 10:00 AM

Sunday November 15 Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM

Sunday November 22 Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM

Sunday November 29 Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM

This Sunday Father Andrew will have services outside. We will continue to observe social distancing and face mask are required.

Announcements

Church Bulletin Nicole Maverakis is now producing the weekly church bulletin. Please send any announcements to her at [email protected]. Articles should be submitted in text (*.txt) or Microsoft Word (*.docx) formats and pictures in JPEG (*.jpg *.jpeg *.jpe) format for inclusion in the bulletin. The deadline for submissions is on Friday 5:00 PM anything submitted after that time will not be included in the bulletin for the upcoming Sunday.

Bible Study There will be no Bible Study this week. Our next Bible Study will be Tuesday November 24 at 6:30 PM through Zoom Cloud Meetings. Download the app and contact Presb. Eleane Manneh at [email protected] or 714-337-8179 to be added to the invite list. We will be studying the Old Testament.

Sanctuary Lights The two Sanctuary Lights on the Holy Altar are replaced every Sunday and burn for one week. You may offer one or both of them for a loved one. Please contact Fr. Andrew if you would like to donate towards one or both. The cost is $10.00 each.

Ill Parishioners Reminder: If you know of any parishioners who are ill or hospitalized, please provide Father Andrew with the information as soon as possible.

Church Bookmobile St. Nicholas Bookmobile is adding many new items for sale. You may purchase items after Liturgy on Sunday or by talking to Elaine Manneh at cell 714-337-8179 or house at 951-691-8938.

Church Library A church library is now available. You may borrow books for a period of three weeks. Please write your name and telephone number on the library card. Consider sharing your reading in the bulletin. Children's books are available for borrowing in the Sunday School trailer.

St. Nicholas Cookbook Our St. Nicholas cookbook is now available for sale. Copies are in the church office. The cost is $12. each. Consider buying several to give out as . Thanks to all who contributed recipes to make this project a success.

Hall Set Up and Clean Up Committee Our board is looking to form a facilities committee. We really need help with setting up tables, taking down tables and general clean-up after events. Please contact Pres.Elaine (951-691-8938) if you would like to chair this committee or would like to help on this committee.

Food Assistance If any family is in need for food, please contact Fr. Andrew. Several parishioners have offered to help.

Face Masks The state of California requires face masks in all public buildings. https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/COVID-19/Guidance-for- Face-Coverings_06-18-2020.pdf Fr. Andrew

Online Giving Here is the Online Giving that has been customized for our church: https://stnicholastemecula.weshareonline.org/ws/opportunities

Church Usage Policies In order to facilitate and coordinate usage of the church hall, kitchen, and schedule memorials we are asking all parishioners to fill out special forms for all events and submit them to Pres.Elaine Manneh. The forms can be found in the hall in black bins. Please make payments to St.Nicholas and submit as soon as you know the information. She will in turn work with Dr.Egger to put events on the master calendar and let Fr.Andrew know of the memorials. If you wish for Koliva, Paximathia,please let her know by submitting the forms and payments. The board is trying to organize usage of the facilities. Her home phone is 951-691-8938.

Church Gatherings There will be NO MEETINGS OR CLASSES at church until further notice.

Youngsters of St. Nicholas...please register for classes on Zoom

We would be delighted to enroll your children, youth, and young adults (up to 21) in our church school program via Zoom. Until we get clearance for in person meetings, we would like to offer a new program which was purchased by our Archdiocese. Please email Pres. Elaine Manneh at [email protected] so the classes can be organized. Please give me a contact email and phone number to reach you in case of any questions. Thanks so much. In Christ, Elaine Manneh

AmazonSmile Registration

To register your Amazon account for our church to receive 0.5% donation on every eligible AmazonSmile purchase at no extra cost to you please put in our unique charity link https://smile.amazon.com/ch/33-0469685 and sign-in to your Amazon account. Thank you for your support!

Archiepiscopal Encyclical: Inaugural National Philoptochos Sunday

DATE: NOVEMBER 13, 2020 CATEGORY: ARCHDIOCESE AUTHOR: HIS EMINENCE ARCHBISHOP ELPIDOPHOROS

Prot. No. 210/2020 November 15, 2020 Δανείζει Θεῷ ὁ ἐλεῶν πτωχόν, κατὰ δὲ τὸ δόμα αὐτοῦ ἀνταποδώσει αὐτῷ. (Παροιμιῶν 19:17) You lend to God when you show mercy to the poor; He will repay you according to His reward. (Proverbs 19:17) To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the Reverend Priests and Deacons, the Monks and , the Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils of the Greek Orthodox Communities, the Distinguished Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Day, Afternoon, and Church Schools, the Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the Youth, the Hellenic Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox Family in America, Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ, On this Sunday of the Good Samaritan, we are inaugurating National Philoptochos Sunday, in recognition of their decades of good works on behalf of the Church and the entire human family. The Greek Orthodox Church in America is truly unthinkable without the Philoptochos. Every Parish is supported, nourished, and enriched by its Ladies Philoptochos Society. They are, for all of us, a sisterhood of Martha and Mary, dedicated servants of the Church and the wider community, and living of reflection on the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. They are called “Friends of the Poor” for a reason. The charitable and eleemosynary deeds of the Philoptochos sustain all manner of life in our communities, both near and far. They provide us all an opportunity to do well in our lives by doing good. We should generously support their philanthropy in every way possible. In setting aside this particular Sunday, that of the “Good Samaritan,” we are recognizing the compassion and generosity that Philoptochos provides every day in the life of the Church. We thank them for their labors of love for all people, and for the example they set in our Parishes from coast to coast. May they all hear the words of

the Lord as were voiced by the Samaritan we call “Good”: “Ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ ἐπανέρχεσθαί Με ἀποδώσω σοι. When I come again, I will repay you.” (Luke 10:35). With paternal love in our Lord Jesus Christ, † ELPIDOPHOROS Archbishop of America

Ordination of -elect Spyridon of Amastris DATE: NOVEMBER 13, 2020 CATEGORY: PRESS RELEASES AUTHOR: KRISTEN BRUSKAS Kristen Bruskas On Saturday, November 14, 2020, His Grace Bishop-elect Spyridon (Kezios) of Amastris will be ordained to the Episcopacy at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Belmont, CA. The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco welcomes His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America who will preside over the Ordination, along with His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain and His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco. “It is a joy and honor to once again be joined by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America as he visits the west coast for this historic episcopal ordination of Bishop-elect Spyridon of Amastris. The clergy and faithful look forward to joining in prayer, whether in person or virtually, to witness this beautiful service and the continuation of Apostolic Succession which began with the founding of the Orthodox Christian Church by the Apostle Andrew in Constantinople nearly 2,000 years ago,” stated His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco. “I have known Bishop-elect Spyridon for many years and he is a man of great faith who has led a distinguished ministry. I know he will continue to serve the Church with the gifts and knowledge he has been granted from the Lord, and we pray that he will be blessed with many more years to serve the Archdiocese as an Auxiliary Bishop.” Due to COVID restrictions, attendance at the Divine services is limited to those who have reserved advance seating. All faithful are invited to watch the live stream online, with Orthros beginning at 8:30 a.m. PST, followed by the Archieratical Divine Liturgy at 9:30 a.m. PST. There are three components to the episcopal ordination that occur at various points in the Divine Liturgy. The first begins at the conclusion of the Great Doxology, just prior to the beginning of the Divine Liturgy, with a ceremonial “questioning” of the faith of the candidate to be ordained. The second part of the ordination follows the chanting of the Trisagion Hymn (Holy God, Άγιος ο Θεός), which is the formal laying on of hands by all the ordaining hierarchs on the candidate, Significantly, this occurs with the opened and placed over the head of the kneeling candidate. Then he is vested in his episcopal robes, At the , near the end of the Liturgy, the newly ordained Bishop Spyridon will receive his Episcopal miter and pastoral staff. His Grace Bishop Spyridon will celebrate his first Divine Liturgy on Sunday, November 15 at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Belmont, CA, with Orthros beginning at 8:45 a.m. following by the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m. AXIOS!

******************** Biography of Bishop-elect Spyridon (Kezios) of Amastris

Fr. Spencer T. Kezios, a priest of the Greek Orthodox Faith, was born in Chicago, Illinois. His home parish was the Assumption Church where he served as an Altar Boy and where he was ordained a deacon. During his teen years he was a very active participant in youth ministry as a Jr. Goyan. The Central Council, comprised of representation of all the Chicago parishes, elected him as their president in 1951. It was during those years he came to know Chrisanthe Marinakos. Their friendship grew to love and they married in July of 1957. They have been blessed with four loving children: Mark, Evonne, Trevon, (Jennifer) and Nicholas, and grandchildren Roman and Mia. In 2012 after a prolonged illness Presbytera Chrisanthe passed into life eternal on Easter Sunday. After ordination Fr. Kezios served parishes in Keene, New Hampshire; Gary, Indiana and Pocatello, Idaho. In 1960, Fr. Kezios began serving the Parish of Saint Nicholas in Northridge, California where, after 45 years, he retired, accepting the honor of Pastor Emeritus. Under his spiritual guidance the Saint Nicholas Parish grew from a mission parish into a prominent center of Faith. In 1967, Saint Nicholas Church, which had been located in Granada Hills, outgrew its facilities and moved to Northridge to a newly erected church, an administration building and a twelve-classroom school. In his early years at Saint Nicholas, Fr. Kezios was one of the three original incorporators of Guadalupe Home for Boys. In 1970 he established the first Greek Orthodox senior citizens housing development in the Archdiocese, followed a few years later by a second senior citizens housing development. In 1977 he founded Saint Nicholas Parochial School which has distinguished itself by its high academic standards. In 1978, a new Community Center was erected providing an additional thirteen classrooms, meeting rooms, a separate gymnasium as well as a ballroom. Some of his extraordinary assignments have been the production of five educational films. The first of these, “A Boy Named Panayiotis,” was produced when Archbishop Iakovos asked Fr. Kezios to produce a film to bring the plight of the people of Cyprus to the American people after they suffered the Turkish invasion. In addition, he produced and directed a folkloric program of the music and dances of Cyprus which toured the United States. The net proceeds of this program benefited the refugees of Cyprus. Immediately following the fall of communism in Albania, Archbishop Iakovos once again called on Fr. Kezios to assist the efforts of the Church to have the Albanian government accept Anastasios as Archbishop of Albania. After meeting with Archbishop Iakovos and Mr. Samaras, the then Foreign Minister of , he was assigned to a delegation which was sent to Albania to assist in the furtherance of this request of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the appointment of Archbishop Anastasios. In 1994, experiencing the real lack of cantors versed in Greek and able to chant the Office of Orthros, he embarked upon translating the complete Orthros services from the original Greek into English, a monumental task. The Office of Orthros chanted prior to the Liturgy changes each and every week and each and every year. The complete Orthros service for every week of the year is now published semi-annually for use by both Priests and Cantors. It has now become a familiar resource and because of its size affectionately referred to as the “Kezios phonebook.” That same year he and his good friend, the late Fr. Leonidas Contos, formed Narthex Press, primarily dedicated to providing liturgical translations into contemporary English. Although Fr. Contos passed on in 1995, Fr. Kezios has continued the work of Narthex Press with the publication of forty two volumes, and an additional four liturgical music books and CDs. He recently published a beautifully illustrated book, The Bible for Young People.

Fr. Kezios has also chaired the Liturgical Committee of our Archdiocese in the past, and has served on various committees of our Church and Archdiocese; among the dearest, as a member of the Executive Committee of his Alma Mater, the Holy Cross School of Theology. He has also served as a Trustee for the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute of the University of California, Berkeley. Upon his retirement as Pastor of Saint Nicholas, the Vestry in the Chapel of the Holy Cross School of Theology was named in his honor. His activities and involvements go beyond the Church and extend into the Community as well. He has been active in various civic and community affairs. He presently serves as a Chaplain for the Los Angeles Police Department and was also a member of its Chaplain’s Advisory Board. In 2005 the Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, appointed Fr. Kezios as a member of the Planning Commission which plans for the future development of the City It adjudicates issues of planning and zoning which are brought before the Commission. In retirement he has continued translating liturgical services especially for the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Two of note are the Sacred Service of the sanctifying of the Holy Chrism for the Sacrament of Confirmation which takes place at the Ecumenical Patriarchate during all of Holy Week; and the complete edition of all the Sacred Services which were celebrated during the Holy and Great Council in Crete in 2016. On October 6, 2020, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America announced that His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew together with the Holy and Sacred Synod, accepted the proposal of the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America for the election of three Auxiliary , Spyridon (Kezios) as Bishop of Amastris, Timothy (Bakakos) as Bishop of Hexamilion, and John (Constantine) as Bishop of Phocaea.

Philoptochos Special Services are offered.

Memorials: Koliva Small Tray - $30.00 Large Tray - $60.00

Prosfora 3 Loaves - $20.00

Artoklasia 5 loaves - $40.00

Trisagion: For your special requests, please call Vaso Bouras at (951)401- 2440 or Phofy Bachakes at (951)698-7016.

Please call Vaso or Phofy to make arrangements for services or events.

Saint Nicholas Bookstore: Visit the St. Nicholas Bookstore in the Church Hall. There are a variety of gifts and books available.