+ A Parish of +

The Orthodox Church in America www.oca.org

Most Rev. Archbishop Benjamin, Diocese of San Francisco and the West

www.dowoca.org

Very Rev. Fr. Archpriest John Armstrong frjohnarm@hotmail.com

Rev. Fr. Deacon John Manutes john.manutes@gmail.com

+ Worship Services +

Saturdays, 6:00 pm Great Vespers & Confession

(3rd & 6th Hour Prayers, 9:10 am)

Sundays, 9:30 am Divine Liturgy

Feast Days (See Monthly Calendar)

+ Parish Prayer List +

Please pray for and ask the Lord to have mercy on:

Hieroschemamonk Ambrose (Young) Fr. Lawrence & Matushka Sophia Mother Theodelphia Peter Anderson Benjamin, Justus, Debra, Kalena, AJ & Anthony Bertie Ericson; Linda & Kelly Armstrong Kathryn Birmingham Jeanie (Mary) Cooper Agnes Craig Kafa Dalal Michael & Dagmar Drakulich Adam Goodman Lauren Hansen Ronald Maue & Rhonda Grace George; Sarah; Nikolai and “Z” Joshua & Shannon Mead Joyce Mikita Shaun & Cheryl Matthew & Oleg Barbara Murray John & Michael Palmer Clergy and Parishioners of our Mission parishes:

St. Anthony, St. Elijah, St. Sophia, and St. Tikhon Jonathan Paul Barbara Payne Natalia Perrin Jack & Glenda Pyle Martha Rapso Irina Reynolds John Russell John Salmon Sona Sarkissian, Mardig, and Seta Esther Schafer Kathleen Smith Christopher Sprecher Mary Streech Dana Such Muriel Weisman Natalia Zolotoochin

Missionaries and Ministries: Michael, Lisa and Liam Colburn; Fr. David Rucker & family; James Hargrave & family; OCPM (“25:36”); “Dipes & Wipes”

Catechumens: Troy Nunley (Vladimir)

Newly Departed: Seraphim (Blake) Wilkinson (3/26); Valentina (3/11)

Memorial: Stamatios Pazalos (4/18), Mary Hunchar (4/27)

Saint Herman

Orthodox Church

991 West Prentice Avenue Littleton Colorado 80120 303-798-7306 www.sthermanoca.org

+ Pastoral Ministries +

Please contact Fr. John anytime for the following: Confession; Hospital Visits / Holy Unction; Memorial Services; Slavas; Moliebens; or, just to talk... You can call me at: 720-971-5931, or email me at: frjohnarm@hotmail.com

Saint Herman Orthodox Church

April 23, 2017

2nd Sunday of Pascha, Tone 1 (Anti-Pascha) “St. Thomas Sunday” (the 8th Day)

Today’s Scriptures: Acts 5:12-20; St. John 20-19-31

Handmaidens Schedule for April/May

Today, April 23, Nika & Sophia Bergbauer April 30, Sophie & Abigail Reynolds May 7, Tori & Katherine Pyle May 14, Tori Pyle & Cassia Brown May 21, Elizabeth & Juliana Gaines May 28, Nike & Sophia Bergbauer

Greeters Schedule for April/May

Today, April 23, Kevin Donahue April 30, Christine Baker May 7, Dorothy Zang May 14, Julia Urdenis May 21, Christine Salmon May 28, Olga Thomas

+ This Week +

Tuesday, April 25: Blessing of Graves by appt.: Fairmont Cemetery (11 am) Wednesday, Apr. 26, 10 am & 6:30 pm: Book Study: Theology of the Body. Intro Friday, April 28, 6:30 pm, Introduction to Eastern Orthodoxy resumes... Saturday, April 29, 6:00 pm, Great Vespers followed by Confession

+ Today + April 23, 2017

Christ is risen!

Welcome to St. Herman Orthodox Church! We’re glad you came to worship with us!

Patron Saints: St. Thomas (today), St. George (4/23)

Newly Illumined: Blake (Anna) Leising (4/22)

Birthdays: Andrea Gaines (4/23), Kafa Dalal,

Rich Safonovs, and Olga Thomas (4/27)

“Preserve them, O Lord, for many years!”

Join us for Coffee Hour following the veneration of the Cross!

Blessing of Graves: Chapel Hill, Riverside Cemetery,

and Ft. Logan

+ Looking Ahead +

Sunday, April 30 at Holy Theophany OC, Ordination of Deacon Panayiotis to the Holy Priesthood Tue., May 2—Thu., May 4: ‘mandatory’ DOW Clergy Retreat in Alhambra, CA Wednesday May 3: No Book Study Friday, May 5, 6:30 pm, Introduction to Eastern Orthodoxy Tuesday, May 16, 7:00 pm, Parish Council Wed/Thu, May 24/25: Great Feast of Ascension of Christ (40th Day of Pascha) Saturday, June 3:

• 9:30 am Memorial Liturgy • 6:00 pm, Vigil for Pentecost

Sunday, June 4, 9:30 am, Festal Divine Liturgy for Pentecost & Kneeling Vespers Fast-free Friday after Pentecost, June 9

+ Synaxarion +

St. Thomas Sunday (aka “Antipascha”) Though the doors were shut at the dwelling where the disciples were gathered for fear of the Jews on the evening of the Sunday after Passover (i.e. Pascha), our Savior wondrously entered and stood in the midst, and greeted them with His customary words, “Peace be unto you.” Then He showed them His hands and feet and side; furthermore, in their presence, He took some fish and a honeycomb and ate before them, and thus assured them of His bodily Resurrection. But Thomas, who was not then present with the others, did not believe their testimony concerning Christ’s Resurrection, but said in a decisive manner, “Unless I see the imprint of the nails in His hands, and put my finger into the imprint of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe.” Therefore, after eight days [i.e. today] when the disciples were again gathered together and Thomas was with them, the Lord Jesus came while the doors were shut, as He did formerly. Standing in their midst, He said, “Peace be unto you”; then He said to Thomas, “Bring here your finger, and behold My hands; and bring here your hand and thrust it into My side and be not unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas, beholding and examining carefully the hands and side of the Master, cried out with faith, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Thus, he clearly proclaimed the two natures — human and divine — of the God-man Christ (St. Luke 24:36-49; St. John 20:19-20). This day is also called Antipascha (meaning “in the place of” Pascha, not “against” Pascha) because with this day, the first Sunday after Pascha, the Church consecrates every Sunday of the year to the commemoration of the Resurrection of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ. Every Sunday is Kyriaki, the Lord’s Day; it is Anti-pascha, in the place of Pascha; every Sunday is the Day of Resurrection, the 8th Day of God’s Kingdom. “Christ is risen! Indeed He is risen!”

The Holy and Great Martyr George. This renowned and glorious martyr was born in Cappadocia, the son of rich and God-fearing parents. His father suffered for Christ, after which his mother moved to Palestine. When George grew up, he went into the army, in which he rose, by the age of twenty, to the rank of tribune, and as such was in service under the Emperor Diocletian. When this Emperor began a terrible persecution of Christians, George came before him and boldly confessed that he was a Christian. The Emperor threw him into prison, and commanded that his feet be put in the stocks and a heavy weight placed on his chest. After that, he commanded that he be bound on a wheel, under which was a board with great nails protruding, and thus be turned. He then had him buried in a pit with only his head above the ground, and left there for three days and nights. Then, through some magician, he gave him deadly poison, but in the face of all these tortures, George prayed unceasingly to God, and God healed him instantly and saved him from death, to the great amazement of the people. When he also raised a dead man to life by his prayers, many embraced the Christian Faith. Among these was the Emperor's wife, Alexandra, and the chief pagan priest, Athanasius, the governor Glycerius and Valerius, Donatus and Therinus. Finally, the Emperor commanded that George and the Empress Alexandra be beheaded. Blessed Alexandra died on the scaffold before being killed, and St. George was beheaded. This happened in the year 303. The miracles that have been performed at his grave are without number. Also are his appearances in dreams to those who, thinking on him, have sought his help, from that time up to the present day. Consumed by love for Christ, it was not difficult for holy George to leave all for this love — his status, wealth and imperial favor, his friends and the whole world. For this love, the Lord rewarded him with a wreath of unfading glory in heaven and on earth, and with eternal life in His Kingdom. The Lord further endowed him with the power to help in need and distress all who honor him and call on his name.