Weekly Bulletin St. Nicholas Orthodox Church A Community of the Orthodox Church in America Witnessing to the Apostolic Faith in Lake County for over 42 Years Father Andrew Clements, Pastor Volume 31 2017 Number 18 Sunday May 7 4th Sunday of Pascha / Tone 3 / The Paralytic / St Alexis Toth 9:00 am Church School 10:00 pm Divine Liturgy Gyros Dinner Saturday May 13 Martyr Laodicicus 4:00 pm Sapp / Radziej Memorial Reception 5:30 pm Great Vespers Sunday May 14 5th Sunday of Pascha / Tone 4 / The Samaritan Woman Readings: Acts 11:19-26, 29-30 John 4:5-42 9:00 am Church School 10:00 pm Divine Liturgy Gyros Dinner ATTENDANCE / STEWARDSHIP / Apr 30 CELEBRATE MAXIM’S GRADUATION! Attendance: (Adults 129, Children 34) 163 Sunday, May 28, 2017 from 3-7 pm. North Perry Operating $4,118.00 Village Hall • 4449 Lockwood Rd • N Perry. RSVP OCA Assessments 152.00 to Cindy by 5/19 (440) 669-7672 Uganda Children 69.00 PRAYER CORNER + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Icons 159.00 Eleanor Alexander (Tom’s mom), Perry (Capitan), Charities 55.00 Bess (Chongris grndma), Subdeacon Leonard, Jim, Alms (401.00 from last week) 426.00 (Denise F’s bro), Helen Cicmanski (Andy D’s mom), Lenten Project 45.00 Linda Stiscak (Furman sis-n-law), Jim (Ruth’s dad), Radziej Memorial 290.00 Michael (Chongris nphw), Ted Geletka, (Fr’s frnd), Vera Campbell Memorial 455.00 Daniel Conger (Jim R’s frnd), Russ Bechkoviak, suf- IOCC 25.00 fering Christians in Ukraine and the Middle East. SPECIAL WELCOME Birthdays: Brian Furman, David Schroeder (5/6), We welcome Anastasia Schelkanov who was baptized Daniel Rausch (5/10), George LeMaster, Rosemary into Christ this morning. May God plant her firmly in Bagley (5/12), Peter Renda (5/13). His vineyard and keep her for many years! Newborns: Anabelle (Tom & Laura), Anastasia ADULT CLASS (Bobby & Juliana), Julian (Vlad & Lucia), Maya (CJ The Class will meet this week on Tuesday, May 9 at & Iya). 7:00 pm. Expecting: Tom & Stephanie, John & Lauren, David 2016 AUDIT & Maria, Zach & Venessa, Tim & Ashley. The audit is complete and everything is in order. Memory Eternal: Vera Campbell (Deb’s mom 4/10), Thanks to Tom Alexander and Dan Rausch for their Nadia Tereshko (4/7), Mark Farrell (4/3, Jan U’s work. nphw), Betty Sapp (3/30), Tamara Radziej (3/26). SAPP / RADZIEJ MEMORIAL Our Seminarian: Brian Crivella & Family. Saturday, May 13 at 4:00 pm followed by a reception in the hall. Newly Illumined: Michael, Hannah, Helen & Anastasia. Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen! 9650 Johnnycake Ridge Road • Mentor, Ohio 44060 • 440-946-9571 • [email protected] • saintnicholas-oca.org St Alexis Toth Our holy Father Alexis, the defender of the Ortho- dress of the Russian bishop. Bishop Vladimir came dox Faith and zealous worker in the Lord’s vineyard, to Minneapolis and on March 25, 1891 and received was born in Austro-Hungary on March 18, 1854 Father Toth and 361 parishioners into the Orthodox into a poor Carpatho-Russian family. Like many Church of their ancestors. others in the Austro-Hungarian empire, the Toths Bishops Vladimir, Nicholas, Saint Tikhon, and were Eastern Rite Catholics. Alexis’ father and Platon recognized the special gifts of Father Toth, brother were priests and his uncle was a bishop in so they often sent him forth to preach and teach the Uniate church. He received an excellent educa- wherever there were people of Slavic background. tion and knew several languages (Carpatho-Russian, Even though he was aware of his shortcomings and Hungarian, Russian, German, Latin, and a reading inadequacies, yet he was obedient to the instruc- knowledge of Greek). He married Rosalie Mihalich, tions of the bishops. He did not hesitate or make a priest’s daughter, and was ordained on April 18, excuses, but went immediately to fulfill his mission. 1878 to serve as second priest in a Uniate parish. Saint Alexis visited many Uniate parishes, explaining His wife died soon afterwards, followed by their only the differences between Orthodoxy, Protestantism, child—losses which the saint endured with the pa- Roman Catholicism and Uniatism, stressing that tience of Job. the true way to salvation is in Orthodoxy. He was In May, 1879, Father Alexis was appointed sec- instrumental in the formation or return of seventeen retary to the Bishop of Presov and also Administra- parishes, planting a vineyard of Christ in America, tor of the Diocesan Administration. He was also and increasing its fruitful yield many times over. By entrusted with the directorship of an orphanage. In 1909, the time of his blessed repose, many thou- October, 1889 he was appointed to serve as pastor of sands of Carpatho-Russian and Galician Uniates had a Uniate parish in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Like an- returned to Orthodoxy. This was a major event in other Abraham, he left his country and his relatives the history of the North American Mission, which to fulfill the will of God (Gen 12:1). would continue to shape the future of Orthodoxy Upon his arrival in America, Father Alexis pre- in this country for many generations to come. Any sented himself to the local Roman Catholic diocesan future growth or success may truly be regarded as the authority, Archbishop John Ireland, since there was result of Father Toth’s apostolic labors. At the end of no Uniate bishop in America at that time. Arch- 1908, Saint Alexis’ health began to decline due to bishop Ireland belonged to the party of American a complication of illneses. He went to the seashore Catholics who favored the “Americanization” of in southern New Jersey in an attempt to regain his all Roman Catholics. His vision for the future was health, but soon returned to Wilkes-Barre, where he founded on a common faith, customs, and the use was confined to bed for two months. The righteous of the English language for everything except liturgi- one reposed on Friday, May 7, 1909 (April 24 on the cal celebrations. Ethnic parishes and non-Latin rite Old Calendar), the feast of Saints Sava and Alexius clergy did not fit into this vision. Thus, when Father the Hermit of the Kiev Caves. Saint Alexis was a Toth came to present his credentials, Archbishop true man of God who guided many Carpatho-Rus- Ireland greeted him with open hostility. He refused sian and Galician immigrants through the dark con- to recognize him as a legitimate Catholic priest or fusion of religious challenges in the New World and to grant permission for him to serve in his diocese. back to the unity of the Orthodox Church through Archbishop Ireland sent a letter to his parishes or- his grace-filled words and by his holy example. In dering their members not to attend Father Toth’s his last will and testament Saint Alexis commended parish nor to accept any priestly ministrations from his soul to God’s mercy, asking forgiveness from ev- him. Expecting imminent deportation, Father Toth eryone and forgiving everybody. His holy relics now explained the situation to his parishioners and sug- rest at Saint Tikhon Monastery in South Canaan, gested it might be best for him to leave and return Pennsylvania where the faithful may come to vener- to Europe.|“No,” they said. “Let’s go to the Russian ate them and to entreat Saint Alexis’ intercessions on bishop. It was decided to write to the Russian consul their behalf. in San Francisco in order to ask for the name and ad-.