Newsletter of St. John’s Greek Orthodox Church
1000 Spruce, Pueblo, CO 81004 PO Box 3011, Pueblo, CO 81005
May God keep everyone well in order to continue to keep St. John the Baptist Church
alive and vibrant for future generations to embrace and enjoy.
alive and vibrant for future generations to embrace and enjoy.
Mid-July 2021 Thru August Service Schedule
7/17 – Great Vespers Zoom Service – 6:00 p.m.
7/18 –Sunday of the Holy Fathers
Orthros at 8:20 a.m. Divine Liturgy 9:30 a.m.
• Titus 3:8-15
• Matthew 5:14-19
7/24 – Great Vespers Zoom Service – 6:00 p.m.
7/25 – 5th Sunday of Matthew (Note this is Prison Ministry Awareness Sunday - a 2nd tray will be passed - thank you!)
Orthros at 8:20 a.m. Divine Liturgy 9:30 a.m.
• Galatians 4:22-27
• Matthew 8:28-34; 9:1
7/31 – Great Vespers Zoom Service – 6:00 p.m.
8/1 – 6th Sunday of Matthew (Dormition Fast Begins)
Procession of the Cross
Orthros at 8:20 a.m. Divine Liturgy 9:30 a.m.
• Romans 12:6-14
• Matthew 9:1-8
Dormition Fast - August 1-14
A schedule of the Paraclesis Services in the Church and on Zoom will be emailed the last week of July.
Feast of the Dormition on August 15th
8/6 – (Friday) Holy Transfiguration
Orthros at 8:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy 9:30 a.m.
• 2 Peter 1:10-19
• Matthew 17:1-9
8/7 – Great Vespers Zoom Service – 6:00 p.m.
8/8 – 7th Sunday of Matthew
Orthros at 8:20 a.m. Divine Liturgy 9:30 a.m.
• Romans 15:1-7
• Matthew 9:27-35
8/14 – Great Vespers Zoom Service – 6:00 p.m.
8/15 – Dormition of the Theotokos
Orthros at 8:20 a.m. Divine Liturgy 9:30 a.m.
• Philippians 2:5-11
• Luke 10:38-42; 11:27-28
8/21 – No Great Vespers Zoom Service Tonight
8/22 – 9th Sunday of Matthew
Orthros at 8:20 a.m. Divine Liturgy 9:30 a.m.
• 1 Corinthians 3:9-17
• Matthew 14:22-34
8/28 – Great Vespers Zoom Service – 6:00 p.m.
8/29 – Beheading of St. John the Baptist
Orthros at 8:20 a.m. Divine Liturgy 9:30 a.m.
• Acts 13:25-33
• Mark 6:14-30
Prosforo:
July 18 Doc
July 25 Kathy & Paul
August 1 Penny
August 6 Pres Ashley
August 8 Sig
August 15 Brian
August 22 Lynnette
August 29 Fran
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Do you know the date of your name day?
If not, find out! Honor it and celebrate it!
You now have a role model and protector for life!
As we are now leaving many of the covid restrictions behind us, we thought we would
put the song books with the service cards back in the pews. So we tried to do that. We found out that’s not going to work right now. Reason? We don’t have enough books! Parishioners have taken books home for a variety of reasons. Some wanted to always have a “safe” book handled only by them. Some went to homes to use during the zoom services. I’m sure we don’t know all the reasons people took books. Well.....here’s the plan of action. BRING THE CHURCH’S BOOKS BACK TO THE CHURCH! When you come to church, the books will be here waiting for you. If you are not at church, someone else at church can use it.
Our church year begins on September 1, the day Christ began His public ministry in the world by preaching in the synagogue. In addition, it traditionally marks the beginning of another year for Sunday School. This year our Sunday School needs more volunteer help! In the past, Katrina Orton has been the teacher and we all are very appreciative of her work. However, the ages of our students has spread even wider than it has beenin the past. It is too much to expect one class to be right for all ages every Sunday. Please visit with Katrina if you are willing to pitch in for our kids. Someone might want to be a teacher for the year or perhaps have teachers for one or two months and rotate. Think and pray about this….and help us find a solution!
Keep up the good work! Checks made out to our church need to have St. John in the “To” line to keep our bank happy. So far everyone has been good about following this directive. It’s good to have a happy bank!
We haven’t talked about Greek Night yet! October 9 is the date, Pueblo Depot is the place, and the Greek dancers will be there to entertain you. After a year of nothing, it will be even more special to watch the lively dancers, savor an authentic Greek meal, and perhaps drink an ouzo toast! Be careful with the ouzo...lol. Mark the date and we’ll see you there!
Coffee hour after church seems to be going well. It’s good to sit with each other and have a “little something” to go with a cup of coffee. Personally I go for the cake doughnuts …but then the cake is good too…or maybe it’s the cookies….and the fruit was good…or actually all the little treats are just right! Thanks to all. The sign-up sheet is in the church.
Saint Anthousa
Pious Christian Woman
Devoted Mother of the Holy Hierarch St. Chrysostom
The righteous servant of God, Anthousa, of pure Greek descent, entered earthly life in approximately 324 A.D. As a young woman she married a high-ranking officer in the Syrian Corps names Secundus (also a Christian, and a good provider), whom she cherished deeply even after he departed this life. By him she delivered a daughter and a son. The latter was born when she was just 20 and given the Christian name John.
The depth and influence of her faith in the Triune God and her maternal care shone most brightly after her husband reposed, very soon after St. John’s birth. In the face of acute grief she girded her loins in the strength which comes from above and dedicated herself to providing her children with a Godly upbringing and proper education, and to ordering her household and managing her and her children’s property. She “did not flinch from the iron furnace of widowhood,” firmly refusing to introduce another man into her beloved husband’s household through remarriage.
Therein did she provide a living example of the integrity of her trust in God through honoring the predominating belief of the Fathers. Her God-given talents of accurate perception, strong personal fortitude, purity and responsiveness of soul, remarkable piety, high-quality education, a keen and sensible mind were directed toward laying a Christian foundation in her children’s lives and raising them in a manner befitting their station in life. Particularly for St. John was such her aim, as she spared no expense to rear him as a gentleman in preparation for an honorable position. She kept his father’s inheritance intact, providing necessities from her own funds and marriage dowry. In all this she found sure and ongoing consolation in the countenance of her son, in whom she “(treasured) a living and exact image of (her) dead husband.”
So profound was her praiseworthy example and the sweetness of relationship between them that her earnest, tearful entreaties that he delay his entrance into monastic life until after she departed this life were heeded. The bond between them and her care for his reputation sufficed him to accede to her wishes and live with her, in monastic fashion, until he committed her to the ground. Thus did the Most High show His esteem for His handmaiden by granting her the joy of her husband’s remembance in the visage of her son.
Saint Anthousa entered eternal life in 373 or 374 A.D.
Behold the power of pious example and Godly admonitions and Biblical instruction in childhood! Thereby did this humble, holy and fervent soul gain her own salvation, estalish her offspring on the noble pathway to eternal life, and secure for Christ and His Church a great theologian and expositor of the Faith!
O Holy Saint Anthousa, whose consistency of life and devotion to the Master elicited from even a pagan notable acclamation of “Bless me! What wonderful women there are among the Christians,” pray to God for us who are members of and live in families, for truly thou hast shown thyself, by thy life and example, to be a compassionate intercessor for parents raising their children alone and for their children and for those who have been bereft of their loved ones.
***********************************************************************
A man dies and goes to heaven. St. Peter meets him at the Pearly Gates and says, 'Here's how it works. You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things you've done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in.'
'Okay,' the man says, 'I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart.'
'That's wonderful,' says St. Peter, 'that's worth two points!'
'Two points?!' he says.
'Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service.'
'Terrific!' says St. Peter.. 'That's certainly worth a point.'
'One point!?'
'I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans.'
'Fantastic, that's good for two more points,' he says.
'Two points!?!!’
'Exasperated, the man cries. 'At this rate the only way I'll get into heaven is by the grace of God.'
'Bingo! 100 points! Come on in!'
We often try to fix problems with WD-40 and duct tape.
God did it with a nail.
AMEN...
7/17 – Great Vespers Zoom Service – 6:00 p.m.
7/18 –Sunday of the Holy Fathers
Orthros at 8:20 a.m. Divine Liturgy 9:30 a.m.
• Titus 3:8-15
• Matthew 5:14-19
7/24 – Great Vespers Zoom Service – 6:00 p.m.
7/25 – 5th Sunday of Matthew (Note this is Prison Ministry Awareness Sunday - a 2nd tray will be passed - thank you!)
Orthros at 8:20 a.m. Divine Liturgy 9:30 a.m.
• Galatians 4:22-27
• Matthew 8:28-34; 9:1
7/31 – Great Vespers Zoom Service – 6:00 p.m.
8/1 – 6th Sunday of Matthew (Dormition Fast Begins)
Procession of the Cross
Orthros at 8:20 a.m. Divine Liturgy 9:30 a.m.
• Romans 12:6-14
• Matthew 9:1-8
Dormition Fast - August 1-14
A schedule of the Paraclesis Services in the Church and on Zoom will be emailed the last week of July.
Feast of the Dormition on August 15th
8/6 – (Friday) Holy Transfiguration
Orthros at 8:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy 9:30 a.m.
• 2 Peter 1:10-19
• Matthew 17:1-9
8/7 – Great Vespers Zoom Service – 6:00 p.m.
8/8 – 7th Sunday of Matthew
Orthros at 8:20 a.m. Divine Liturgy 9:30 a.m.
• Romans 15:1-7
• Matthew 9:27-35
8/14 – Great Vespers Zoom Service – 6:00 p.m.
8/15 – Dormition of the Theotokos
Orthros at 8:20 a.m. Divine Liturgy 9:30 a.m.
• Philippians 2:5-11
• Luke 10:38-42; 11:27-28
8/21 – No Great Vespers Zoom Service Tonight
8/22 – 9th Sunday of Matthew
Orthros at 8:20 a.m. Divine Liturgy 9:30 a.m.
• 1 Corinthians 3:9-17
• Matthew 14:22-34
8/28 – Great Vespers Zoom Service – 6:00 p.m.
8/29 – Beheading of St. John the Baptist
Orthros at 8:20 a.m. Divine Liturgy 9:30 a.m.
• Acts 13:25-33
• Mark 6:14-30
Prosforo:
July 18 Doc
July 25 Kathy & Paul
August 1 Penny
August 6 Pres Ashley
August 8 Sig
August 15 Brian
August 22 Lynnette
August 29 Fran
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Do you know the date of your name day?
If not, find out! Honor it and celebrate it!
You now have a role model and protector for life!
As we are now leaving many of the covid restrictions behind us, we thought we would
put the song books with the service cards back in the pews. So we tried to do that. We found out that’s not going to work right now. Reason? We don’t have enough books! Parishioners have taken books home for a variety of reasons. Some wanted to always have a “safe” book handled only by them. Some went to homes to use during the zoom services. I’m sure we don’t know all the reasons people took books. Well.....here’s the plan of action. BRING THE CHURCH’S BOOKS BACK TO THE CHURCH! When you come to church, the books will be here waiting for you. If you are not at church, someone else at church can use it.
Our church year begins on September 1, the day Christ began His public ministry in the world by preaching in the synagogue. In addition, it traditionally marks the beginning of another year for Sunday School. This year our Sunday School needs more volunteer help! In the past, Katrina Orton has been the teacher and we all are very appreciative of her work. However, the ages of our students has spread even wider than it has beenin the past. It is too much to expect one class to be right for all ages every Sunday. Please visit with Katrina if you are willing to pitch in for our kids. Someone might want to be a teacher for the year or perhaps have teachers for one or two months and rotate. Think and pray about this….and help us find a solution!
Keep up the good work! Checks made out to our church need to have St. John in the “To” line to keep our bank happy. So far everyone has been good about following this directive. It’s good to have a happy bank!
We haven’t talked about Greek Night yet! October 9 is the date, Pueblo Depot is the place, and the Greek dancers will be there to entertain you. After a year of nothing, it will be even more special to watch the lively dancers, savor an authentic Greek meal, and perhaps drink an ouzo toast! Be careful with the ouzo...lol. Mark the date and we’ll see you there!
Coffee hour after church seems to be going well. It’s good to sit with each other and have a “little something” to go with a cup of coffee. Personally I go for the cake doughnuts …but then the cake is good too…or maybe it’s the cookies….and the fruit was good…or actually all the little treats are just right! Thanks to all. The sign-up sheet is in the church.
Saint Anthousa
Pious Christian Woman
Devoted Mother of the Holy Hierarch St. Chrysostom
The righteous servant of God, Anthousa, of pure Greek descent, entered earthly life in approximately 324 A.D. As a young woman she married a high-ranking officer in the Syrian Corps names Secundus (also a Christian, and a good provider), whom she cherished deeply even after he departed this life. By him she delivered a daughter and a son. The latter was born when she was just 20 and given the Christian name John.
The depth and influence of her faith in the Triune God and her maternal care shone most brightly after her husband reposed, very soon after St. John’s birth. In the face of acute grief she girded her loins in the strength which comes from above and dedicated herself to providing her children with a Godly upbringing and proper education, and to ordering her household and managing her and her children’s property. She “did not flinch from the iron furnace of widowhood,” firmly refusing to introduce another man into her beloved husband’s household through remarriage.
Therein did she provide a living example of the integrity of her trust in God through honoring the predominating belief of the Fathers. Her God-given talents of accurate perception, strong personal fortitude, purity and responsiveness of soul, remarkable piety, high-quality education, a keen and sensible mind were directed toward laying a Christian foundation in her children’s lives and raising them in a manner befitting their station in life. Particularly for St. John was such her aim, as she spared no expense to rear him as a gentleman in preparation for an honorable position. She kept his father’s inheritance intact, providing necessities from her own funds and marriage dowry. In all this she found sure and ongoing consolation in the countenance of her son, in whom she “(treasured) a living and exact image of (her) dead husband.”
So profound was her praiseworthy example and the sweetness of relationship between them that her earnest, tearful entreaties that he delay his entrance into monastic life until after she departed this life were heeded. The bond between them and her care for his reputation sufficed him to accede to her wishes and live with her, in monastic fashion, until he committed her to the ground. Thus did the Most High show His esteem for His handmaiden by granting her the joy of her husband’s remembance in the visage of her son.
Saint Anthousa entered eternal life in 373 or 374 A.D.
Behold the power of pious example and Godly admonitions and Biblical instruction in childhood! Thereby did this humble, holy and fervent soul gain her own salvation, estalish her offspring on the noble pathway to eternal life, and secure for Christ and His Church a great theologian and expositor of the Faith!
O Holy Saint Anthousa, whose consistency of life and devotion to the Master elicited from even a pagan notable acclamation of “Bless me! What wonderful women there are among the Christians,” pray to God for us who are members of and live in families, for truly thou hast shown thyself, by thy life and example, to be a compassionate intercessor for parents raising their children alone and for their children and for those who have been bereft of their loved ones.
***********************************************************************
A man dies and goes to heaven. St. Peter meets him at the Pearly Gates and says, 'Here's how it works. You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things you've done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in.'
'Okay,' the man says, 'I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart.'
'That's wonderful,' says St. Peter, 'that's worth two points!'
'Two points?!' he says.
'Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service.'
'Terrific!' says St. Peter.. 'That's certainly worth a point.'
'One point!?'
'I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans.'
'Fantastic, that's good for two more points,' he says.
'Two points!?!!’
'Exasperated, the man cries. 'At this rate the only way I'll get into heaven is by the grace of God.'
'Bingo! 100 points! Come on in!'
We often try to fix problems with WD-40 and duct tape.
God did it with a nail.
AMEN...
