Sunday, March 13, 2016 To all who are present with us this morning,

Welcome! Thank you for being here. Please join us for coffee and...

in the Fellowship Hall following Divine Liturgy.

You May Find the Text of the Divine Liturgy beginning on the bottom page 91 of the Service Book (gold embossed cross on the reddish brown cover) or in the green-spiral-bound book; sheet music can be found in the 8.5” x 11” large, spiral-bound booklet.

At the Kiss of Peace our practice is for each of us to greet the person to our right and left with the bowing of our head, hands held in a prayerful clasp or crossed on the chest, while offering each other the Christian greeting, “Christ is born!” and responding, “Glorify Him!”

Please remember that Holy Communion is reserved for those Chrismated Orthodox Christians who have appropriately prepared themselves through prayer, fasting and Confession to receive the Holy Mysteries of the Church. The bread (anti’doron, which means ‘in place’ of the gifts) which we share after Communion and at the end of the Liturgy is for all.

Being mindful we are in church, let us always remember to… ...be quiet and attentive. Let us sing, pray, stand, sit, kneel and respond where

responses are indicated. Let us not talk, look around, text message, play games, etc. Especially let us work at this in the Communion line and when in line to venerate the Cross and depart. If we cannot hear the post-Communion prayers being chanted during our church departure, we are way too noisy.

...refrain from eating, drinking or chewing gum. (most obviously and especially if you will be receiving Holy Communion).

...stay put. Except in rare cases, there are few of us who cannot stay in one location for two hours (actually less, for most of us).

St. Michael’s Orthodox Christian Church

1182 Ashland St., Greensburg, PA 15601 Diocese of Charleston, Oakland and the Mid-Atlantic

Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.

(See the back cover for detailed contact information.)

The Mission of Our Church The mission of St Michael’s Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church is to tend the flock of our Lord Jesus Christ and to spread the Good News of Christ to those outside the flock. This mission is to be accomplished by a) living a full liturgical and sacramental life, b) proclaiming the Orthodox Christian faith to all people, c) providing effective charitable and social programs, and d) establishing strong spiritual leadership and resources.

SYRIAN CHRISTIAN RELIEF As the Syrian crisis continues with little change, we continue to accept donations to do what we can to help ease the suffering there. Checks may be written to “St. Michael’s” with the note “Syrian Relief.” The following link to a CBS 60 Minutes program will offer some deeper understanding of what is transpiring:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504803_162-57418048- 10391709/the-last-Christian-village-in-the-holy-land/

Sunday, March 13, 2016 Greeting: Christ is in our midst! Response: He is and shall be!

Tone: 8 Eothinon: 8 Cheese Fare Sunday. Translation of the relics of Nikephoros, patriarch of Constantinople; Bishops Poplias and Marios

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THE EPISTLE READING St. Paul to the Romans (13:11-14:4)

B RETHREN, salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed; the night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor

of light; let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

As for the man who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not for disputes over opinions. One believes he may eat anything, while the weak man eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains pass judgment on him who eats; for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for God is able to make him stand. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

THE HOLY GOSPEL According to St. Matthew (6:14-21)

T HE LORD SAID, “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive

your trespasses. “And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for

they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” __________________________________________________________

TODAY is Mission Sunday!

As this beautiful season of the Great Lent begins, we are invited to pray for and support the Church’s mission to share the salvation of Christ with the world! Let us pray for Orthodox Missions and Orthodox Missionaries serving around the world, consider volunteering to serve as part of an Orthodox Mission Team, and support this eternal work of the Church with a gift to the Mission Center. For more information or to get involved, visit http://www.ocmc.org, e-mail missions@ocmc.org, or call 1-877-463-6784. _____________________

Thank you very much for your generous support of the Church School Sarris Candy Sale for the funding of this Summer’s Weekend Vacation Bible School! Your orders raised a net profit of more than $600 (the gross income was around $1,900). _____________________

SOUP’s ON! Please sign up to provide soup after

Presanctified Divine Liturgy on one of the Wednesdays of Great Lent.

Two people are needed each week to make soup —- eight (8) quarts each.

We also need one or two people to bring bread —- four (4) loaves total.

There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall with all the dates to fill.

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Yo! Attention! Heads up!

You have not heard this before!

Our father In Christ,

His Eminence Metropolitan

JOSEPH, will visit

St. Michael’s at 7:00 PM

on Friday, March 25. During the week of March 21, Metropolitan JOSEPH will be at Antiochian Village for Archdiocesan business.

At the completion of that week he will be with us for the praying of the Akathist Hymn to the Virgin Mary the Theotokos.

We have not been blessed with the presence or our Metropolitan Archbishop here in Greensburg in about twenty years. Let none of us miss this opportunity to pray with and meet Sayidna JOSEPH. ______________________________

ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN ARCHDIOCESE of North America

Pastoral Message for Forgiveness Sunday March 13, 2016

“If you forgive other people few things, few of your own will be forgiven. If you forgive many things, many of your own will be forgiven. If you forgive them with sincerity and with your whole heart, God will forgive yours in the same manner. If after forgiving you make your enemy into your friend, thus will God also be disposed towards you”.

(St. John Chrysostom on Genuine Forgiveness) We greet you on this holy day of Forgiveness Sunday as we stand on the threshold of the Great Fast and ask one another for forgiveness of our sins. The beautiful quote above from St. John Chrysostom is a powerful reminder of the importance of forgiveness which helps us to understand why we recite in the Lord’s Prayer “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” There can be no forgiveness from God for our sins unless we willingly and sincerely forgive those who have sinned against us. This is why the Orthodox Church retains the tradition, as part of the Vesper Service for Forgiveness Sunday, to have each person in the church ask for forgiveness from every other person in the church. This is also why the clergy who celebrate the Divine Liturgy, immediately before they receive communion, whether it is the Patriarch, Metropolitan, bishop or priest, bows to the people and asks for forgiveness of his sins. It is possible to misunderstand the act of forgiveness as somehow being a weakness. Nothing could be further from the truth. A sincere and humble act of forgiving another person for an offense that they have committed against us is a very powerful action. The lack of forgiveness gives Satan many tools which he can use against us, including hatred, resentment, and desire for revenge. The act of forgiveness leaves Satan with nothing to hold against us. This is why our Lord Jesus Christ forgave those who had nailed Him to the Cross. His action shattered the devil and left him bewildered and confused. On this Holy Day of Forgiveness Sunday, I bow to all of you and ask you to forgive me for my sinfulness. I pray that your journey through the Great Fast will bring you spiritual joy. Your Father in Christ,

+Metropolitan Joseph Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America

“The disciples were frirst called Christians in Antioch” (Acts 11:26)

MARCH IS ANTIOCHIAN WOMEN’S MONTH

Reader Offering Takers Connie Volchko Michelle Gajewski

Joyce George Dolly Maruschock Nadine Macuga

Stephanie Zarras Bonnie Koury Beverly Green Mary Gazal Carolyn Hill

Mayada Elias Samar Khalil Ida Langer Christine Halabi Joyce Eger ________________________________________________________

CALEB’S CUPBOARD, the big chest you see as you come through the main entrance of our church, is a simple way to help our hungry neighbors. Just bring in a few cans of food or other unperishables when you come to church and you will making a difference for someone.

Please check that the goods you bring are “reasonably” close in time to the expiration date. (While we know the food lasts longer than that date, it is not always easy to tell how much longer.)

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THANK YOU… ...to Fr. John, Parish Council, St. Michael’s Choir, and Parishioners for EVERY-THING you did to help during the recent passing of our husband and father, Don Kushner. Whether you cooked, baked, sang, visited, sent a card, prayed or simply thought about us, please know it was appreciated more than you will ever know. The outpouring of love from our St. Michael’s family has been overwhelming and has been our strength through this time.

Betty Kushner and the entire Kushner-Fitzgibbons family

SYRIAN RELIEF PRAYERS and DINNER

Sunday, April 17, 2016 St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, Oakland

See Pete Papas for details and tickets

REMEMBER, the Second Week of this schedule may change: ALWAYS USE THE MOST CURRENT BULLETIN!

March 13 through March 19 Sunday, March 13

- 8:30 AM - MATINS - 9:30 AM - Choir Rehearsal - 10:00 AM - DIVINE LITURGY

- Don Kushner Memorial - Church School - Antiochian Women’s Mtg

- 6:00 PM - GREAT VESPERS of Forgiveness Sunday

Great Lent Begins - CONFESSIONS follow

Mon., March 14 - Great Lent Begins - 6:00 PM - GREAT CANON

St. Andrew of Crete - CONFESSIONS follow

Tuesday, March 15 - 6:00 PM - GREAT CANON

- CONFESSIONS follow Wednesday, March 16

- 5:30 PM - 9th HOUR - 6 PM - PRESANCTIFIED LIT’GY

- soup and bread fellowship - Choir Rehearsal follows

Thursday, March 17 - 6:00 PM - GREAT CANON

- CONFESSIONS follow Friday, March 18

- 6:00 PM - Lenten Covered Dish - 7:00 PM - AKATHIST HYMN

to the Theotokos - CONFESSIONS follow

Saturday, March 19 - 9:00 AM - DIVINE LITURGY

Theodore Saturday - CONFESSIONS follow

- 6:00 PM - GREAT VESPERS - CONFESSIONS follow

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Great & Holy Pascha (Easter) falls on May 1, 2016

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March 20 thru March 26 Sunday, March 20 - Orthodoxy Sunday

- 8:45 AM - MATINS - 9:30 AM - Choir Rehearsal - 10:00 AM - DIVINE LITURGY

- Procession with Holy Icons - “God grant you many years…” - Church School - Syrian Relief Information - Mari Alhaj at Fellowship Hour

- 4:00 PM - Sunday of Orthodoxy Service at St. Nicholas Cathedral, Oakland

Monday, March 21 - 6:00 PM - GREAT COMPLINE

- CONFESSIONS follow Tuesday, March 22

- 6:30 PM - Executive Board Mtg - 7:00 PM - Parish Council Meeting

Wednesday, March 23 - 5:30 PM - 9th HOUR - 6 PM - PRESANC. DIV. LIT’GY

- soup and bread fellowship - Choir Rehearsal follows

Thursday, March 24 - 5:00 PM - FESTAL MATINS - 6:00 PM - FESTAL DIV. LIT.

Great Feast of Annunciation - CONFESSIONS follow

Friday, March 25 - 6:00 PM - Lenten Covered Dish - 7:00 PM - AKATHIST HYMN

to the Theotokos Metropolitan JOSEPH presiding

Saturday, March 26 - 6:00 PM - GREAT VESPERS

- CONFESSIONS follow ________________________________

RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Saturday, April 2 St. Michael’s Orthodox Church

1182 Ashland St., Greensburg, PA Sign up at our main entrance.