Third Sunday of Pascha May 16, 2021 ST. NICHOLAS ORTHODOX CHURCH “Let us therefore strive to preserve the holiness of our souls and to guard the purity of our bodies with all fervor”-St. Nicholas of Myra

American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese | Ecumenical Patriarchate

Fr. Nicholas Mihaly, Pastor

1123 East Avenue Erie, PA 16503 H: (814) 453-4902 C: (203) 241-1027 [email protected]

More Information

Parish Website: www.stnicholaserie.org

Diocesan Website: www.acrod.org

www.facebook.com/ Weekly Schedule StNicholasErie/ Sunday, May 16—9:30 AM; Divine Liturgy & Panachida for Welcome! Mike & Mary Molly & Patricia Bandy Offered by Pat Molly Sunday, May 16—11:00 AM; Parish Board Meeting If you are new to our parish, Wednesday, May 19—9:00 AM; Panachida for George & Mary welcome! St. Nicholas is a DeHaven Offered by Deborah Muckinhaupt welcoming Orthodox Christian parish. As a reminder, only Thursday, May 20—6:00 PM; Adult Class those Orthodox Christians who Saturday, May 22—4:00 PM; Vespers have prepared themselves are invited to receive Communion. Sunday, May 23—9:30 AM; Divine Liturgy & Panachida for For all of our visitors, Orthodox Anna Thear Offered by Tamara Kloss or non-Orthodox, please join Confessions wil be available on the first Sunday of the month or by us for coffee downstairs; meet appointment. Fr. Nick & the parishioners! If there is an emergency, please cal Fr. Nick immediately.

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Parish COVID-19 Guidelines As community cases of COVID-19 decline, the following guidelines are to be remembered

• If you are sick or have ANY symptoms of COVID-19, STAY HOME. We will not be taking your temperature at the door. But please, for the safety of your neighbor, if you are ill, stay home.

• Social distancing should be practiced. You will be able to seat yourselves in whatever pew you would like. Please respect the personal space of other parishioners. For reference, the pews are spaced three feet apart. There will be an usher to greet you at the door as usual who might ask you to move after you sit down. We ask that you follow the instructions of the usher in ensuring the social distancing guidelines.

Upcoming Events • Wash and sanitize your hands upon entering the church. • Masks are strongly suggested and encouraged • May 23—End of Church School Year Monthly Memorial Divine Liturgies • June 1, 8, 15, 22, & 29—Food Fr. Nick will be serving monthly memorial Divine Liturgies. If ’n Cruze you have loved ones who’s anniversary of repose is in June and • June 6—First Confession you would like Fr. Nick to remember them, please let him know. Sunday Following the Divine Liturgy, Fr. Nick will hear confessions, • June 13—Graduation Sunday please use the confession sign-up sheet in the back office. The June memorial liturgy will take place on Saturday, June 5.

Birthdays & Anniversaries

May

16 Paul Demyanovich

16 V. Rev. Proto. David & Pani Donna (Huzinec) Smoley—57th Anniversary

17 Mark Beskid

17 Beth Potter

19 Megan Potter

28 George Yurcan

If you would like Many Years to be sung for you or a loved one, please let Fr. Nick know prior to the beginning of Divine Liturgy 2 Third Sunday of Pascha May 16, 2021

Graduation Sunday Our parish will honor our graduates on Sunday, June 13. If you have someone in your family who is graduating from high school, college or graduate school, please let Fr. Nick know ASAP so that we can properly recognize them.

Food ’n Cruze Our parish’s Food ’n Cruze WILL RETURN THIS SUMMER! We are very excited to see our extremely popular and successful food truck festival & classic car cruise-in return to our Grove this summer every Tuesday in June from 4:00 PM-8:00 PM. We will need volunteers on those days with parking, raffle tickets, cleanup, etc. Please fill out one of the Food ’n Cruze volunteer responses and return to Pat Borkowski ASAP. Please do your best to come and support your parish on at least ONE of the five Tuesdays in June this year. We are also looking for donations for raffle baskets. If you would like to donate a basket or items for a basket, please bring them to the church. There are fliers in the back; please take a few to hang around town. Thank you!

From left to right: St. , , the Mother of God, St. , and St. bury the body of .

3 Third Sunday of Pascha May 16, 2021 Parish Prayer List “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.” James 5:16

For the Health of…Fr. Lawrence Barriger, Fr. Kenneth Bachofsky, Fr. James Gleason, Fr. John Gido, Fr. Kleban, Fr. George Livanos, Fr. Michael Macura, Fr. Michael Rustick, Fr. Peter Staviski, Fr. Jonathan Tobias, Fr. Michael Polanichka, Pani Eleanor Polanichka, Fr. David Smoley, Pani Donna Smoley, Pani Kathy Dutko, Fr. Matthew Dutko, Pani Kathryn Dutko, Infant Isaiah Dutko, Pani Dorothy Hutnyan, Pani Marie Brancho, Pani Eleanor Herbert, Pani Connie Miloro, Pani Eleanor Pribish, Pani Dolores Zuder, George Arghyrou, Ashley Barber, James Battaglini, Gregory Beskid, Douglas Borkowski, Christian Brown, Emma Burkell, John Candia, Robert Carlisle, Sandy Carlisle, Neil Chaudhary, Gail Collister, Thomas Decerbo, James DeHaven, Mark DeHaven, Mary Ellen Demyanovich, Maribeth Derer, Peter Dimitriadis, Helen Douglas, Curtis Elrod, Ron Esper, Chad Feli, Irene Fendya, Ann Fuller, Samantha Glasgow, Michael Guise, Elyssa Hulse, Joseph Hulse, Victoria Hulse, Alan Irwin, Audrey Irwin, Richard Koerner, Jean Kramer, Olivia Kuzmin, Kathleen Logsdon, Evelyn McCambridge, Mike McCambridge, Sadie Mihaly, Mark Mizak, Nicole Naccash, Nina Paliouras, Donna Rowald, Barbara Scheibeck, Michael Scheibeck, Richard Schrader, Athena Silvestri, Elizabeth Skalko, Isabella Smith, Connie Sommers, Eric Spiegelberg, Anastasia Thompson, David VanZanten, Vicktor Volpe, George Vukmer, Leona Vukmer, Cheryl Walker, David Walker, Jake & Lauren, Steven, Inna, Katlyn Wyant, George Yurcan, Fred Zetts, Kathy Zetts, Julie Zulovich, Alex, Phillip, Cailyn, Rick, Christine, Michael & Family, Kate, Michael, Ava, Tatiana, Chuck, Gary, Tommie…through the prayers of St. Nectarios the Wonderworker, St. Nikeforos the Leper & St. Panteleimon the Great-Martyr and Healer

For the Repose of…Metropolitan Maximos, Fr. John Baranik, Fr. Michael Psenechnuk, Deacon Janke Valukeviec, Sister Nymphodora, Al Bock, Mary Buchanan, Robert Collister, Evelyn Dobrzynski, August Futryk, Tom Izzi, Miko Jovanovich, Ruby Keller, Aggie Kiehart, David Lee, Eric Lewis, Maxym Lysack, Sr., Mary Ann Maydak, Orestes Mihaly, Brian Menlen, Theodore Molly, George Nedelkov, John Novak, Margaret O’Malley, Timothy Petersen, Natalia Petrashevskaya, Olga Radick, Stavros Rallis, Rosario Sciuto, Edith Serke, Alyn Shedden, Joseph Skalko, Anna Thear, Vasilios Tseremes, Ron van Lente, Mary Wells, Laura Zulovich…May their memories be eternal!

If you have someone you would like to be added to the prayer list, please see Fr. Nick

4 Third Sunday of Pascha Myrrh is Fitting for the Dead May 16, 2021

By Fr. Christopher Foley with him from followed, and saw the tomb, and how his body was laid; then they returned, and The came to the myrrhbearing women at the prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath tomb and said: Myrrh is fitting for the dead, but they rested according to the commandment. But on Christ has shown himself a stranger to corruption! the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to So proclaim: The Lord is risen, granting the world the tomb, taking the spices which they had great mercy. prepared. (:50-56).

The second Sunday of Pascha we commemorate There are eight women who are identified as the the Holy myrrh-bearing women who came to the myrrh-bearers at the tomb. St. Mary Magdalene, St. tomb to anoint Christ's holy body. Since Christ was Mary (Theotokos), St. Joanna, St. , St. Mary killed on a Friday his arrangements needed to be (wife of ), St. , St. , made very quickly for, according to Jewish custom and St. of Bethany. Both Holy Scripture and at the time, no work could be Tradition tell us more about done on the Sabbath these women. (Saturday). St. Joseph of Aramathea and St. While much is known about Nicodemus asked Pilate if the Theotokos, we usually they could take his body don't know much about the down and prepare it for others. St. Mary Magdalene is burial and place it in a tomb. identified as the woman from This is what we sing on Holy whom Christ had cast out Friday and Saturday, "The seven demons (Luke 8:2). She noble Joseph, when he had is not Lazarus' sister nor the taken down Thy most pure prostitute who anointed body from the tree, wrapped Jesus' feet in the . it in fine linen, anointed it with These three often become spices and laid it in a new combined in the Western tomb." Since this had to be tradition (made popular done quickly so as not to recently by The Da Vinci labor on the Sabbath, the Code, Last Temptation of myrrh-bearing women made Christ, etc.). She is distinct arrangements to finish from these other two and is preparing his body early on Sunday morning. called "Equal-to-the- Apostles" in our Orthodox According to the of St. Luke, Tradition as she was the first to be an eye witness to Christ's resurrection according St. John's Gospel Now there was a man named Joseph from the (John 20:11-18). After seeing the Lord she ran back Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the to the disciples and proclaimed to them the good council, a good and righteous man, who had not news of Christ's resurrection. Tradition says that she consented to their purpose and deed, and he was went on to Rome and proclaimed Christ's looking for the kingdom of God. This man went to resurrection to the emperor Caesar. He Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took made fun of her and sarcasticly said to her that the it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud, and laid possibility of a man rising from the dead is about him in a rock-hewn tomb, where no one had ever as possible as the egg in her hand turning red (she yet been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the was holding an egg). At that moment the egg sabbath was beginning. The women who had come

5 Third Sunday of Pascha May 16, 2021 turned bright red. This is why you see her holding a my God liveth, unless I thrust in my finger, and red egg in her hand in some of her as well as search the parts, I will not believe that a virgin has why we dye eggs red for Pascha. She went on to brought forth. And the midwife went in, and said to Ephesus where she accompanied the Apostle, St. Mary: Show thyself; for no small controversy has John in his work there. She died there in peace. arisen about thee. And Salome put in her finger, Her relics were moved to Constantinople by the and cried out, and said: Woe is me for mine iniquity Emperor Leo the Wise. and mine unbelief, because I have tempted the living God; and, behold, my hand is dropping off as St. Joanna, according the Holy Scripture, was the if burned with fire. And she bent her knees before wife of Chuza, King Herod's main steward and the Lord, saying: O God of my fathers, remember administrator (Luke 8:3). She is listed as one of that I am the seed of Abraham, and Isaac, and those women who went to Jacob; do not make a show the tomb (Luke 22:55 - of me to the sons of Israel, 24:11), but she is also but restore me to the poor; known for giving St. John for Thou knowest, O Lord, the Baptist a proper burial. that in Thy name I have When she found out that performed my services, and after St. John was beheaded that I have received my that his head had been reward at Thy hand. And, disposed off in an improper behold, an angel of the Lord place. She went and found stood by her, saying to her: his head and buried it Salome, Salome, the Lord honorably on the Mount of hath heard thee. Put thy Olives. She died in peace. hand to the infant, and carry it, and thou wilt have safety St. Salome, according to the and joy. And Salome went Gospels, was not only one and carried it, saying: I will of the myrrh-bearers but worship Him, because a also was present with Christ great King has been born to Israel. And, behold, at His crucifixion (:40) and called the Salome was immediately cured, and she went forth mother of 's children (Matthew 27:56) out of the cave justified. And behold a voice saying: which makes her the mother of the disciples James Salome, Salome, tell not the strange things thou and John. She is the one who asked Christ about hast seen, until the child has come into Jerusalem. letting her sons sit with Him in Paradise (:20). Holy Tradition says that she was the We find this account depicted in icons of the daughter of St. Joseph the Betrothed from his first Nativity of Christ where we see two midwives marriage thus making the Theotokos her step- tending to the infant Christ. mother. A well known apochryphal account of her from the Protoevangelion of James says that she St. Mary, the wife of Cleopas, was also present with was one of the midwives present at Christ's birth. Christ at His crucifixion (John 19:25). She is The text reads, considered a sister of Mary, the Theotokos, though in some texts she appears to be St. Joseph's sister. And the midwife (there were two) went forth out of Either way, she is considered a part of Christ's the cave, and Salome met her. And she said to her: extended family. She is married to Cleopas, one of Salome, Salome, I have a strange sight to relate to the seventy Apostles and the one to whom the thee: a virgin has brought forth -- a thing which her resurrected Christ revealed Himself on the road to nature admits not of. Then said Salome: As the Lord Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). She is also called the

6 Third Sunday of Pascha May 16, 2021 mother of the James (the Less) and Lazarus, after the stoning of St. Stephen the Proto- (Mark 15:40) though many Orthodox martyr. They fled to Cyprus where they assisted commentators think this reference is a veiled Lazarus who was the first bishop of Kition. reference to the Theotokos herself. As we can see, the lives of the myrrh-bearing St. Susanna, is identified as one of "certain women women were lives of devotion and ministry. They who had been healed of evil spirits and were the most ardent followers of Christ. After infirmities" (along with Mary Magdalene and everyone else had abandoned and denied Christ, Joanna) in Luke 8:1-3 who ministered and served they remained faithful. They were willing to risk Christ out of their wealth. According to Tradition, imprisonment and public scrutiny for going to the she is also one of the myrrh-bearers at the tomb tomb to anoint the body of the Lord. As a reward, with the others. they were the first to witness the resurrection. St. Matthew's Gospel says, Sts. Mary and Martha were the sisters of St. Lazarus whom Christ raised up from the tomb before His "But the angel answered and said to the women, entry into Jerusalem. They were followers and 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus close friends of Christ. St. Martha is depicted in who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as Gospels as the one who stays busy "with much He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. serving" (Luke 10:40) and to whom Christ rebukes And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen after she asks Him to tell her sister to help. St. Mary, from the dead, and indeed He is going before you on the other hand, was one sitting at His feet and into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have listening to His word. Christ tells Martha that "Mary told you.' So they went out quickly from the tomb has chosen that good part which will not be taken with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His away from her." After the raising of Lazarus, Christ disciples word. And as they went to tell His comes to the house of Mary and Martha and Mary disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, 'Rejoice!' takes some expensive ointment and anoints His So they came and held Him by the feet and feet with her hair. Here we see her already serving worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, 'Do not as a myrrh-bearer as we see from the text of the be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, Gospel of St. John, and there they will see Me'" (Matthew 28:5-10).

Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment Through the prayers of the Holy Myrrh-bearing made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of women, may we follow their example and behold. Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house as they did, the risen Lord! was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But , one of his disciples (he who was Come from that scene, O women bearers of glad about to betray him), said, 'Why was this ointment tidings, and say to Zion: "Receive from us the glad not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the tidings of joy, of Christ's Resurrection! Exult and be poor?' He said this, not because he cared about the glad, and rejoice, O Jerusalem, seeing Christ the poor, but because he was a thief, and having King, Who comes forth from the tomb like a charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to bridegroom in procession!" what was put into it. Jesus said, 'Leave her alone, so The myrrh-bearing women, at the break of dawn, that she may keep it for the day of my drew near to the tomb of the Life-giver. There they burial''" (John 12:3-7). found an Angel sitting upon the stone. He greeted She was anointing Him in anticipation of His them with these words: "Why do you seek the coming burial. Holy Tradition says that they were Living among the dead? Why do you mourn the kicked out of Jerusalem along with their brother, Incorrupt amid corruption? Go, proclaim the glad tidings to His disciples!”—from the Paschal Matins

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Register Here: The Vine and the Branches 5/23/21

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May 10, 2021

Protocol No. 13/2021

Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

Dear Diocesan Clergy, Parents, and Young Women,

The Yong Women Encone old like o end a gif o an ong omen in he Diocee, aged 12 18, who is ineeed! The Yong Women Encone (YWE) i an annal mini een of our Diocese specifically designed for young women to provide them an opportunity to spend time in fellowship with one another, have fun, and pray together. They deepen their understanding of their faith and o lien o God call o each of hem o he can e hei niqe gif and abiliie.

Even though the YWE cannot occur in person this year, the YWE Planning Committee (Pani Eleni Stagon, Pani Amy George, and Pani Nicole Choma) would like to let young women of our Diocese know that they are being prayed for and that we are looking forward to hosting the event for them again in person. Until then, we would like to mail a care package that we pray offers some spiritual benefit and enjoyment. There is no cost for the gift.

Fahe, pleae ppo he Yong Women Encone b passing this information along to families in your parish who might be interested.

Parents if you would like your daughter to receive the gift, please go to www.tinyurl.com/YWEgift to sign her up.

If anyone has any questions about this offer or would like to learn more about the Diocesan YWE, you can visit www.acrod.org/ministries/youth/ywe/ or contact the YWE Director, Pani Eleni Stagon at [email protected].

Woking in he Rien Lod Vinead ih mch agape,

+ Metropolitan Gregory of Nyssa

9 Third Sunday of Pascha May 16, 2021 The myrrh-bearing women

“Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them, for to such is the Kingdom of Heaven.” :14

A Ministry of the Sunday, May 16, 2021 Volume 9, Issue 20 Orthodox Christian Network Jesus’s most loyal friends Do you have a loyal friend? You know, somebody who will be your friend all the time, even when other people decide not to be? Maybe you’ve had a friend who was not loyal...somebody who ig- nored you when he or she felt like it. Today is the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women. These women were some of Jesus’s most loyal friends. When Jesus was arrested, they stayed loyal to Him. When Jesus was put on the Cross, these women stayed loyal to Him. Even after Jesus died, they stayed loyal to Him and brought sweet- smelling myrrh to the tomb. They thought His body would be there. The myrrh-bearing women stayed loyal to Christ during the hardest and most dangerous part of His life on earth. And God rewarded them. They were the very first people to know that Christ had risen! When they came to the tomb, the women found an angel there. “He has risen!” the angel told them. Christ had risen, and the women stayed loyal to Him still! God wants us to be loyal to Him too! That means that we stay close to Him even when things are hard. Even when we are embarrassed. Even when we are busy. Even when we are sad. God wants us to be loyal to Him even The Children’s Word is a weekly bulletin for Orthodox Christian young people. Copyright 2021 Alexandra Houck. if things are dangerous or scary. Let’s be like these brave women who al- Email is orthodoxchildrensword (at) gmail.com. Find it each week at myocn.net. ways stayed close to the Lord!

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WORD SEARCH TAMARA HOLY QUEEN OF GEORGIA Can you find these words in the jumble? How close are you to being 12 years old? Can you imagine being queen or Brave king at age 12? Today, we celebrate a saint who Faith ruled her country as child, along with her father. Georgia Then, when she was only 18, she became queen Loyal and ruled the country of Georgia all by herself. Myrrh Queen Saint Tamara lived 900 years ago, but the peo- Resurrection ple of Georgia still remember her as a perfect Spices heroine of their country. Tamara She was brave.—At that time, there were lots of attacks on her coun- Witnesses try, and Tamara always prayed to God to help her and to show her what to do.

She was prayerful.—During the day, everybody saw Tamara as a queen. But at night, Tamara would spend hours in prayer.

What’s in an ? She helped the poor.—Once, Saint Tamara was getting ready with all her fancy clothes, and she heard there was somebody begging outside the gates. Saint Mary Magdalene Well, she was too slow to help him, and he wasn’t there when she came out. was one of the myrrh- Tamara felt really awful about this, and she tried extra hard to help the bearing women. poor after this.

Do you see her bottle of She loved the Church.—Tamara knew she had a big responsibility! She kept myrrh? We remember the Orthodox faith going strong in her country, building churches, helping what she did for Jesus priests, and also protecting Georgia from other religions. The Georgian when we see her icon. people still remember her for it. We celebrate Saint Tamara today, on the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women.

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WORD SEARCH SAINT TAMARA HOLY QUEEN OF GEORGIA Can you find these words in the jumble? How close are you to being 12 years old? Can you imagine being queen or Brave king at age 12? Today, we celebrate a saint who Faith ruled her country as child, along with her father. Georgia Then, when she was only 18, she became queen Loyal and ruled the country of Georgia all by herself. Myrrh Queen Saint Tamara lived 900 years ago, but the peo- Resurrection ple of Georgia still remember her as a perfect Spices heroine of their country. Tamara She was brave.—At that time, there were lots of attacks on her coun- Witnesses try, and Tamara always prayed to God to help her and to show her what to do.

She was prayerful.—During the day, everybody saw Tamara as a queen. But at night, Tamara would spend hours in prayer.

What’s in an icon? She helped the poor.—Once, Saint Tamara was getting ready with all her fancy clothes, and she heard there was somebody begging outside the gates. Saint Mary Magdalene Well, she was too slow to help him, and he wasn’t there when she came out. was one of the myrrh- Tamara felt really awful about this, and she tried extra hard to help the bearing women. poor after this.

Do you see her bottle of She loved the Church.—Tamara knew she had a big responsibility! She kept myrrh? We remember the Orthodox faith going strong in her country, building churches, helping what she did for Jesus priests, and also protecting Georgia from other religions. The Georgian when we see her icon. people still remember her for it. We celebrate Saint Tamara today, on the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women.

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