Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church

800 Westridge Road, Greensboro, NC 27410

Rev. Father Sarantis Loulakis Emergency Mobile: 516-526-1475

Office Phone: 336-292-8013 Fax: 336-256-9908 www.dormition.nc.goarch.org

office@dormition.nc.goarch.org

Bulletin for Sunday, April 12, 2020

Palm Sunday

Our mission… is to become Disciples of Christ, through thought, word and deed, humbly submitting to the will of the Father, while seeking the Holy Spirit

to achieve Salvation. Our Vision… with the Grace of God, is to provide a loving community

where all belong to Christ, through worship, sanctification, education, witness, compassion and fellowship.

“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the

Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is

to come! Hosanna in the highest!” Mark 11:9

(Continued on next page)

Upcoming Services

Sunday April 12 Palm Sunday Orthros 9am Divine Liturgy 10am Bridegroom Service 5pm

Monday April 13 Holy Monday Bridegroom Service 5pm

Tuesday April 14 Holy Tuesday Bridegroom Service 5pm

Wednesday April 15 Holy Wednesday Unction Service 3pm

Thursday April 16 Holy Thursday Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil 9am The Passion (12 Gospels) 5pm

Friday April 17 Holy Friday Vespers and Apokathelosis Service 1 pm Epitaphios Service 5 pm

Saturday April 18 Holy Saturday Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil 9am

Sunday April 19 Easter Sunday Resurrection Service 9am Divine Liturgy followed by Agape Vespers 10am

*** Due to the Corona virus outbreak the service schedule is subject to change. Watch your email or listen for a phone message with any changes.

Welcome to our guests!

Thank you for joining with us in prayer and fellowship.

We would appreciate getting to meet you, but due to restrictions imposed because of the Covid-19 outbreak we are not having a fellowship hour. If you would like to speak with Father Sarantis or a parish council member please call the church office and leave your name and phone number and Father Sarantis will return your call.

Continue from front cover :

In this Sunday’s Gospel readings (Matins and Divine Liturgy) we face quite a contrast of experiences and emotions. We begin our celebration listening to the story of Jesus being welcomed into Jerusalem with great joy and exultation! “Hosanna!” they cried out. “Hosanna in the Highest!” Jesus was treated as He should have been treated, a victorious King. People were excited to see Him and there was so much excitement. But, at the end of the Gospel reading, we read that some people were indignant about the honorary praises to the King of Israel; this excitement quickly will turn to shock and horror as we enter more deeply into Holy Week’s readings; the Lord’s Holy Passion. As our church’s doors remain closed during these unprecedented days, don’t let it be a despair or an obstacle for anyone to celebrate the Passion of our Lord and Savior at home, but celebrate in your hearts through the great book, the BIBLE, via the streaming Holy Week services and acts of our great Orthodox tradition. (Make sure to make palm crosses and color eggs!) Let this week give us all divine hope. So often we can be tempted, toward dis-couragement and, even worse, we can be tempted toward despair. But all is not lost for us either, both spiritually and naturally. Nothing can ultimately steal away our joy for the Holy Resurrection on Easter Sunday, unless we let it. No hardship, no burden and no cross can conquer us if we remain steadfast in Christ Jesus. Let us all reflect, today, upon the contrast of emotions from Palm Sunday through Good Friday. Ponder the fear, confusion and despair that many would have had as they saw Jesus crucified. Reflect, also, upon this being a divine act

by which the Father permitted this grave suffering to use it for the greatest good ever known. The Lord out of His abundant love for all of us gave His life freely.

Let us all look forward to His Holy Resurrection. Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed Holy Week! Kali Anastasis!

Hymns of the Day

The Hymn after the Doxology: – Tone 4: ( ) In our baptism we were buried with You, O Christ our God, and by Your Resur-rection you have granted us eternal life. Therefore we sing Your praises, O Lord; Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

3rd Antiphon: The Hymn of the Feast – Tone 1: ( …) Before Your Passion, You confirmed the resurrection of all by raising Lazarus from the dead, O Christ our God. Therefore like the children of old, we also carry symbols of victory, and to You, the Victor over death, do we cry out: Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

Eisodikon (Hymn of the Entrance):

) Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. God is the Lord and has re-vealed Himself to us. Save us, O Son of God, who sat on a donkey’s colt. We sing to you: Alleluia.

Festal Apolytikion – Tone 1: ( …) Before Your Passion, You confirmed the resurrection of all by raising Lazarus from the dead, O Christ our God. Therefore like the children of old, we also carry symbols of victory, and to You, the Victor over death, do we cry out: Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

The Hymn of the Feast – Tone 4: ( ) In our baptism we were buried with You, O Christ our God, and by Your Resur-rection you have granted us eternal life. Therefore we sing Your praises, O Lord; Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

Kontakion of the Feast – Tone 6: ( ) In heaven upon Your throne, while on earth riding the colt of a donkey, O Christ our God; You accepted the angels’ praise with the songs of the children, who cried out to You: Blessed is He who comes for the restoration of Adam.

Epistle Reading: Phil. 4:4-9

BRETHREN, rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatev-er is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excel-lence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.

Gospel Reading: John 12:1-18 Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at table with him. Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anoint-ed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fra-grance of the ointment. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" This he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box he used to take what was put into it. Jesus said, "Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not al-ways have me." When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came, not only on account of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus also to death, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. The next day a great crowd who had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" And Jesus found a young don-key and sat upon it; as it is written, "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!" His disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that this had been written of him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead bore witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.

Hymn to the Theotokos – Tone 8: ( …) The Lord is God, and has appeared to us. Prepare the feast and come with rejoicing. Let us magnify Christ; bearing palms and branches, let us sing praise to Him: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, our Savior, our Savior.

Post-Communion Hymn—Tone 1: ( …) Before Your Passion, You confirmed the resurrection of all by raising Lazarus from the dead, O Christ our God. Therefore like the children of old, we also carry symbols of vic-tory, and to You, the Victor over death, do we cry out: Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

IN TIMES OF ILLNESS

"Come, O blessed of my father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was sick and you visited me." \ (Matt. 25:31-46).

When a member of our Parish is ill and has been hospitalized or may be recuperat-ing at home, the immediate family should contact Father Sarantis at (516) 526-1475 or call the church office. It is beneficial to both the body and the soul when our priest prays for us when we are healthy or ill.

COVID-19 Information Dear Parishioners As our country continues to deal with the corona virus outbreak things change on a daily basis. The parish council has recently received a number of encyclicals and instructions from His All Holiness, Patriarch Bartholomew, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, and His Emi-nence Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta, directing the priests and parish councils of the archdiocese to implement certain procedures in an effort to protect us from the COVID-19 (coronavirus) virus. Your parish council is working hard to implement these instructions to protect everyone’s health. All social events are canceled until further notice. The church office is closed, all work must be by phone or email. Please mail your offering checks to the church. Services are being held by Father Sarantis with the assistance of two chanters and one parish council member. The schedule is on the front of this bulletin. We are steaming all services live on YouTube and Facebook.

Memory Eternal

It is with hope in our Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and profound sadness that we are informing you that Nina Gilliam, wife of Clarke Gilliam, daughter of Ted Triantis and sister of Eleni Harrison, fell asleep in the Lord on Saturday, April 4th . Arrangements are pending. More information will be provided as it becomes available Please keep the Clarke, Ted, Eleni, Nina’s children and the entire family in your thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time. May her memory be eternal.

Sunday School Schedule

Sunday School Classes will not meet until further notice

APRIL

12 – PALM SUNDAY - Classes will not meet today. 19 – EASTER SUNDAY – No classes 26 – St. Thomas Sunday - Classes will not meet today.

Ladies Philoptochos

The deadline for the Philoptochos and Pete Harris Scholarship Applications has been extended until 12 Noon, Sunday, June 7th. Please contact Gwen Varsamis, Chapter Corresponding Secretary, 336-601-6717or by email gwen.varsamis@gmail.com if you need additional information, or to request an application electronically.

Graduation Sunday has been postponed until a later date and will be resched-uled after the COVID 19 restrictions have been lifted. At that time, High School and College Graduates, and all former Philoptochos Scholarship recip-ients, will be honored in addition to the 2020 Philoptochos and Pete Harris Scholarship recipients. We are asking this year’s graduates and former recipients, (or family or friends of graduates or former recipients), to please send their email addresses to Catherine Stuman, (ccstuman@yahoo.com) by May 1 so they may be contacted about this special day.

Christian Stewardship

Christian Stewardship is about becoming good caretakers of all that God has given us. God has given each of us special and unique gifts. And through Holy Scripture He teaches us all that we have is a loan. He lends everything to us, and re-minds us that one day He will ask us to give a detailed accounting of what we have done with the gifts He has given us. Archbishop Anastasios of Albania has noted that “we find ourselves by offering ourselves.” Have we learned the bless-edness of generously giving to others of all we have?

Holy Week Schedule All services are streamed live on YouTube and Facebook

Saturday of Lazarus, April 11

9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m.

Orthros

Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

Palm Sunday, April 12

9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m.

5:00 p.m.

Orthros

Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

1st Nymphios Service

Holy Monday, April 13

5:00 p.m. 2nd Nymphios Service

Holy Tuesday, April 14

5:00 p.m. 3rd Nymphios Service

Holy Wednesday, April 15

3:00 p.m. Unction Service

Holy Thursday, April 16

9:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m.

Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great The Holy Passion (12 Gospels)

Great & Holy Friday,

April 17

1:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m.

Vespers & Apokathelosis

Epitaphios Service

Great & Holy Saturday, April 18

9:00 a.m. Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great

Easter Sunday, April 19

9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m.

Resurrection Service

Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom Followed by the Agape Vespers