573 N. Highland Street, Memphis, TN 38122

Office: (901) 327-8177 FAX: (901) 327-4440

Our Father and Chief Shepherd:

His Eminence,

Metropolitan NICHOLAS of Detroit

Rev. Fr. Simon Thomas, Parish Priest

Rev. Fr. Nicholas Vieron, Pastor Emeritus

CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY, HE IS RISEN! We are blessed that you have chosen to participate in our worship service and pray that you

will be both enlightened and inspired. We encourage you to ask questions and please contact

our ministry leaders if you would like to volunteer your time and talents. Thank You!

Sunday Divine Services begin at 9:00am

Nursery available at 10:00am

Guidelines for Holy Communion

The Orthodox Church understands the Eucharist—the Lord’s

Supper—to be primarily the paramount expression of

Christian unity. The unfortunate reality of our modern day is

that the various segments of Christendom are not unified

with the historic Orthodox faith. While we fervently pray

for this unity, as noted in every service of the Orthodox

Church, we must offer a reminder that only baptized and

chrismated Orthodox Christians may receive Holy

Communion. All guests are invited to receive the blessed

bread at the conclusion of our divine services.

Sunday, May 12, 2019

Sunday of the St. Thomas

Epistle Reader: Angela Tobias

Homilist: Mr. William A. Kallas

Visitation Committee May 1-15

Stephanie Poplos

Hymns of the Day

FIRST ANTIPHON

Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, Savior, save us!

Verse 1: Shout to God, all the earth. (Psalm 65:1)

Verse 2: Sing now to His name; give glory to His praise. (Psalm 65:2)

Verse 3: Say to God, “How fearful are Your works. (Psalm 65:3)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; both now and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

SECOND ANTIPHON

Save us, O Son of God, Who arose from the dead. We sing to You: Alleluia.

Verse 1: May God be gracious to us, and bless us. (Psalm 66:1)

Verse 2: May He cause His face to shine upon us, and have mercy on us. (Psalm 66:1)

Verse 3: That we may know His way on earth, Your salvation among all the Gentiles. (Psalm 66:@)

Verse 4: Let the peoples give thanks to You, O God; let all the people praise You.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; both now and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

THIRD ANTIPHON

Verse: Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered, and let those who hate Him flee from before His face. (Psalm 67:1)

PLAGAL FIRST MODE

Χριστὸς ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν, θανάτῳ θάνατον πατήσας, καὶ τοῖς ἐν τοῖς μνήμασι, ζωὴν

χαρισάμενος.

Christ is risen from the dead, by death trampling down upon death, and to those in the

tombs He has granted life.

ENTRANCE HYMN: SECOND MODE

Ἐν ἐκκλησίαις εὐλογεῖτε τὸν Θεόν, Κύριον ἐκ πηγῶν Ἰσραήλ. Σῶσον ἡμᾶς Υἱὲ Θεοῦ, ὁ

ἀναστὰς ἐκ νεκρῶν, ψάλλοντάς σοι, Ἀλληλούϊα.

Bless God in the churches, the Lord from the fountains of Israel. Save us, O Son of God, risen

from the dead, We sing to You. Alleluia.

RESURRECTION APOLYTIKION: SECOND MODE

GREEK TEXT: Ὅτε κατῆλθες πρὸς τὸν θάνατον, ἡ Ζωὴ ἡ ἀθάνατος, τότε τὸν ᾍδην ἐνέκρωσας

τῇ ἀστραπῇ τῆς Θεότητος, ὅτε δὲ καὶ τοὺς τεθνεῶτας ἐκ τῶν καταχθονίων ἀνέστησας, πᾶσαι αἱ

Δυνάμεις τῶν ἐπουρανίων ἐκραύγαζον· Ζωοδότα Χριστὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν δόξα σοι.

GREEK PHONETICS: Ote katelthes pros ton thanaton, e Zoe e athanatos, tote ton Edin enekrosas

ti astrati tis Theotitos, ote de kai tous tethneotas ek ton katachthonion anestisas, pasay eh Denameis

ton epouranion ekravgazon. Zodota Christe o Theos emon doxa si.

ENGLISH TEXT: When You descended into death below, although You are eternal life, You ren-

dered Hades a mortal blow by Your divinity’s blinding light! You have made those who had been

dead to be raised up from Hades’ infernal depths. All the powers of heaven then began to cry out

aloud to You, singing, “Glory to You, our God, the Life giving Christ!”

Hymns of the Day

APOLYTIKION FOR THE ANNUNCIATION: FOURTH MODE

GREEK TEXT: Σήμερον τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν τὸ κεφάλαιον, καὶ τοῦ ἀπ' αἰῶνος μυστηρίου ἡ

φανέρωσις· ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, Υἱὸς τῆς Παρθένου γίνεται, καὶ Γαβριὴλ τὴν χάριν εὐαγγελίζεται.

Διὸ καὶ ἡμεῖς σὺν αὐτῷ τῇ Θεοτόκῳ βοήσωμεν· Χαῖρε Κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ.

GREEK PHONETICS: Simeon tis sotirias imon to kefaleon ke tu ap eonos mistiriu e fanerosis, o Ios

to Theou, Ios tis Parthenu ginete ke Gavriil tin harin evangelizete. Thio ke e mis sin afto ti Theotoko

voisomen, Haire ke haritomeni o Kirios meta Su.

ENGLISH TEXT: Today is the beginning of our salvation and the revelation of the mystery before

the Ages. The Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin, and Gabriel proclaims the great grace.

Therefore, with him let us cry out unto the Theotokos, “Rejoice, O highly favored one; the Lord is

with you.”

KONTAKION: PLAGAL FOURTH MODE

Εἰ καὶ ἐν τάφῳ κατῆλθες Ἀθάνατε, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ᾅδου καθεῖλες τὴν δύναμιν· καὶ ἀνέστης ὡς

νικητής, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, γυναιξὶ Μυροφόροις φθεγξάμενος, Χαίρετε, καὶ τοῖς σοῖς Ἀποστόλοις

εἰρήνην δωρούμενος, ὁ τοῖς πεσοῦσι παρέχων ἀνάστασιν.

Though You went down into the tomb, O Immortal One, yet You brought down the dominion of

Hades; and You rose as the victor, O Christ our God; and You called out "Rejoice" to the Myrrh-

bearing women, and gave peace to Your Apostles, O Lord who to the fallen grant resurrection.

Readings of the Day

EPISTLE READING

Acts of the Apostles (6:1-7)

Prokeimenon. Second Mode. Psalm 117.

The Lord is my strength and my song, and He became my salvation.

Verse: The Lord chastened and corrected me, but He did not give me up to death.

In those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists murmured

against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. And the

twelve summoned the body of the disciples and said, "it is not right that we should give up

preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you

seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this

duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word." And what

they said pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the

Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochoros, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and

Nicolaos, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid

their hands upon them. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples

multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

GOSPEL READING

The Gospel According to Saint Mark (15:43-47; 16:1-8)

At that time, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself

looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate, and asked for the body of

Jesus. And Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he

asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he

was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. And he bought a linen shroud, and taking him

down, wrapped him in the linen shroud, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of

the rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the

mother of Joses saw where he was laid. And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene,

and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint

him. And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had

risen. And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the

door of the tomb?" And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back; for it was very

large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a

white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus

of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid

him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will

see him, as he told you." And they went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and

astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

During the Week

Sunday, May 12th (Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus, Germanos, Patriarch of Constantinople)

Fast Free Day: No fasting restrictions

Monday, May 13th (Martyr Glyceria, Sergios the Confessor, Alexandrios the Martyr)

Fast Free Day: No fasting restrictions

Tuesday, May 14th (Isidore the Martyr of Chios, Hieromartyr Therapontus)

Fast Free Day: No fasting restrictions

Library Open 10:00am—2:00pm

Wednesday, May 15th (Pachomius the Great, Achillius the Wonderworker)

Fast Day: Refrain from meat, dairy, eggs, & fish (oil & wine are permitted)

Thursday, May 16th (Theodore the Sanctified, Martyr Peter of Blachernae)

Fast Free Day: No fasting restrictions

Friday, May 17th (Apostles Andronicus and Junia, Athanasios—Archbishop of Christianopolis)

Fast Day: Refrain from meat, dairy, eggs, & fish (oil & wine are permitted)

Saturday, May 18th (Martyrs: Peter, Dionysios, Andrew, Paul, Christina, Heraclius, Paulinus)

Fast Free Day: No fasting restrictions

Metropolis Oratorical Festival—We pray and wish Katherine Hoover, Sophia

Douglas, Nick Douglas, and Isabella Donnelly good strength as they offer their

presentations on this day.

Sunday, May 19th (Patrick the Hieromartyr and Bishop of Prusa and His Fellow Martyrs)

Fast Free Day: No fasting restrictions

12:00pm—Coffee Fellowship in Honor of our Graduates

12:00pm—Final Y2AM Session

3:00pm—More than a Meal at Grace-St. Luke’s

2018 Parish Registry Statistics

Baptisms: 17 Chrismations: 10

Marriages: 5 Deaths: 9

2019 Parish Registry Statistics

Baptisms: 3 Chrismations: 1

Marriages: 0 Deaths: 1

Youth Ministry Updates

St. Nicholas Summer Camp: Tentative Dates are from Sunday, July 21st through

July, 27th to be held at Camp Loucon in Leitchfield, Kentucky! Registration is

OPEN! Round-trip charter bus will be offered. There is an “Early Bird” Discount if

paid in full by May 15th!

Early Registration is $375, and Normal Registration is $425.

Visit www.stnicholascamp.org for more information!

Any young adult or college student interested in being a STAFF MEMBER,

contact Father Simon or our Pastoral Assistant!

JUNIOR GOYA—Any adult interested in being the advisor for our new Junior

GOYA group (Grades 6th—8th), please contact Father Simon or our Pastoral

Assistant for further details!

Thank You to all our volunteers who helped support the recent GOYA Lock-In and Bonfire.

Next Week (May 19th) - Final Y2AM session

Saturday, June 1st at 3:00pm—End of the Year Pool Party (Douglas House)

Philoptochos Corner More than a Meal

Sunday, May 19th

Grace-St. Luke’s

3:00pm!

Visitation Committee

May 16-31: D. Bitinis, Tricia Grantham, & Georgia Karris

The following members of our parish have requested a

visitation:

Alec Collis, Niki Gikas, Maria Hetos, Stella Nichols, Georgia

Smith, Jimmy Smith, Kosta Taras

There is a need for volunteers for JUNE 1 through 15.

Please contact Kristine Wagner to volunteer!

Announcements

THANK YOU to everyone who volunteered and supported our annual Greekfest!

Graduation Sunday

Next Sunday, May 19th, we will be honoring our 2019 High School, College, and

Professional graduates with a special program following Divine Liturgy. Please

contact Mr. William Kallas if you would like to submit any information to be listed in

the program.

Prosphora Baking

Our parish is still looking for a group of volunteers willing to provide the Church

with Prosphora to be used for Sunday and weekday Divine Liturgies and/or Kolyva

for Memorial Services. We are grateful to Enosis Touliatos for her service, but she

will be needing further assistance in this ministry. Please inquire with Father Simon if

you are able to offer your service to help our parish. Thank you!

Stewardship Made Easy

If you’re not aware, we have several Stewards utilizing ACH payment process to

fulfill their Stewardship commitment on a monthly basis. Once set up, your monthly

Stewardship contribution is automatically withdrawn on the 16th of every month. No

more check writing, no hassle, no more forgetting to drop off your check weekly or

monthly, set it and forget it!

Setting up your monthly ACH payment process is as simple as 1-2-3.

1. Provide the Church office (Erin) a VOIDED CHECK

2. The amount to be deducted monthly

3. That you want your automatic deduction to be applied to your Stewardship

commitment

Feel free to include above in a sealed envelope marked ACH and drop it in the

Narthex candle tray during Sunday service or bring it by the office during the week.

It’s that simple! Please consider ACH and simplify fulfilling your monthly commit-

ment and thanks again for your continued support.

Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women

About the beginning of His thirty-

second year, when the Lord Jesus was

going throughout Galilee, preaching

and working miracles, many women

who had received of His beneficence left

their own homeland and from then on

followed after Him. They ministered

unto Him out of their own possessions,

even until His crucifixion and

entombment; and afterwards, neither

losing faith in Him after His death, nor

fearing the wrath of the Jewish rulers,

they came to His sepulcher, bearing the

myrrh-oils they had prepared to anoint

His body. It is because of the myrrh-oils

that these God-loving women brought

to the tomb of Jesus that they are called

Myrrh-bearers.

Of those whose names are known are

the following: first of all, the most holy Virgin Mary, who in Matthew 27:56 and Mark 15:40

is called "the mother of James and Joses" (these are the sons of Joseph by a previous

marriage, and she was therefore their step-mother); Mary Magdalene (celebrated July 22);

Mary, the wife of Clopas; Joanna, wife of Chouza, a steward of Herod Antipas; Salome, the

mother of the sons of Zebedee; Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus; and Susanna. As for

the names of the rest of them, the evangelists have kept silence (Matthew 217:55-56; 28:1-10.

Mark 15:40-41).

(Luke 8:1-3; 23:55-24:11, 22-24. John 19:25; 20:11-18. Acts 1:14.) Together with them we

celebrate also the secret disciples of the Savior, Joseph and Nicodemus. Of these, Nicodemus

was probably a Jerusalemite, a prominent leader among the Jews and of the order of the

Pharisees, learned in the Law and instructed in the Holy Scriptures. He had believed in

Christ when, at the beginning of our Savior's preaching of salvation, he came to Him by

night. Furthermore, he brought some one hundred pounds of myrrh-oils and an aromatic

mixture of aloes and spices out of reverence for the divine Teacher (John 19:39). Joseph, who

was from the city of Arimathea, was a wealthy and noble man, and one of the counselors

who were in Jerusalem. He went boldly unto Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus, and

together with Nicodemus he gave Him burial. Since time did not permit the preparation of

another tomb, he placed the Lord's body in his own tomb which was hewn out of rock, as

the Evangelist says (Matthew 27:60).