from glory to gloryarchbishop luke of simferopol and crimea officially canonized by the ecumenical...

20
From Glory to Glory The monthly newsletter of the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church Fr. Joseph Strzelecki Fr. Anastasios Theodoropoulos July 2019 Dates to Remember July 1 Unmercenaries Kosmas & Damianos July 11 Great Martyr Euphemia July 12 St. Paisios of Mt. Athos July 14 Fathers of the 4th Council July 17 Great Martyr Marina July 20 Prophet Elias July 25 Repose of St. Anna July 26 Righteous Paraskeve July 27 Great Martyr Panteleimon 1755 Des Peres Road Town & Country, MO 63131-1405 Phone: 314-966-2255 Kitchen: 314-966-6720 Web Site: www.assumptiongoc.org Fr. Anastasios Theodoropoulos Email: [email protected] Office Manager: Diane Sieckmann Email: [email protected] Office Secretary: Janice Hazeltine [email protected] Two New Saints from Finland Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate According to the official communiqué of the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Throne on November 29, 2018: “The Holy and Sacred Synod, in unanimously accepting the proposal of the Autonomous Church of Finland under the Ecumenical Patriarchate, recorded in the Hagiologion of the Orthodox Church the Venerable John of Valaam (1873-1958), and the Holy Martyr and Confessor John of Ilomantsi (1884-1918), both of whom lived and worked there.” Venerable John of Valaam (1873-1958) John was born on February 14, 1873 in the Tver province of Russia into a peasant family. He graduated from the parish school of the village of Il’inskoe. In 1889, he entered Valaam Monastery. After spending four years in the Skete of Saint Herman of Valaam, he was conscripted into the army for another four years. Released from military service, he temporarily returned home before returning, in 1901, to Valaam. John was given obedience for two years at the metochion of the Valaam Monastery in St. Petersburg. Later, he wrote that the city had a bad influence on him and that he, weak in spirit, could not accommodate the urban bustle. In 1906, John became a novice at Valaam Monastery and, on May 22, 1910, he was tonsured a monk with the name of Hyacinth. After repeated petitions, Hyacinth returned to the monastery and lived initially in Prophet Elias Skete, then later in the Skete of Saint John the Baptist. On October 19, 1921, he was appointed abbot of Saint Tryphon of Pechenga Monastery. Then on November 13, he was ordained a hierodeacon and on November 15 a hieromonk. At that time, the monastery was within the territory of the newly independent Finland. In 1932, Hyacinth returned to Valaam and, in 1933, he was tonsured in Great Schema with the name John and began to live in seclusion in the Skete of Saint John the Baptist. In 1938, he was elected the spiritual father of the monastery. In 1940, Fr. John was evacuated with the other brethren to Finland during the Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland. The elder reposed on June 5, 1958, in the New Valaam Monastery in Finland. Holy Martyr and Confessor John of Ilomantsi (1884-1918) Johannes Karhapää was born to a farmer’s family in Sonkajanranta village, Ilomantsi, North Karelia. He was a member of the local youth section of the Brotherhood of Saints Sergius and Herman adopting a deep Eastern Orthodox faith in his early childhood. In 1906, Karhapää requested by then-archbishop of Vyborg and all Finland Sergius (Stragorodsky) to open a religious school in his home village, as the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland had launched a campaign for Lutherizing the traditionally Orthodox Karelia. The 1908 the completed school

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Page 1: From Glory to GloryArchbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Although Archbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea, popularly known

From Glory to Glory The monthly newsletter of the

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church Fr Joseph Strzelecki

Fr Anastasios Theodoropoulos

July 2019

Dates to Remember

July 1

Unmercenaries Kosmas amp Damianos

July 11

Great Martyr Euphemia

July 12

St Paisios of Mt Athos

July 14

Fathers of the 4th Council

July 17

Great Martyr Marina

July 20

Prophet Elias

July 25

Repose of St Anna

July 26

Righteous Paraskeve

July 27

Great Martyr Panteleimon

1755 Des Peres Road

Town amp Country MO 63131-1405 Phone 314-966-2255

Kitchen 314-966-6720 Web Site wwwassumptiongocorg

Fr Anastasios Theodoropoulos

Email Anastasiosassumptiongocorg

Office Manager Diane Sieckmann

Email dianeassumptiongocorg

Office Secretary Janice Hazeltine

janiceassumptiongocorg

Two New Saints from Finland

Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate According to the official communiqueacute of the Holy and Sacred Synod of the

Ecumenical Throne on November 29 2018 ldquoThe Holy and Sacred Synod in

unanimously accepting the proposal of the Autonomous Church of Finland under

the Ecumenical Patriarchate recorded in the Hagiologion of the Orthodox

Church the Venerable John of Valaam (1873-1958) and the Holy Martyr and

Confessor John of Ilomantsi (1884-1918) both of whom lived and worked

thererdquo

Venerable John of Valaam (1873-1958) John was

born on February 14 1873 in the Tver province of

Russia into a peasant family He graduated from the

parish school of the village of Ilrsquoinskoe In 1889 he

entered Valaam Monastery After spending four

years in the Skete of Saint Herman of Valaam he

was conscripted into the army for another four years

Released from military service he temporarily

returned home before returning in 1901 to Valaam

John was given obedience for two years at the

metochion of the Valaam Monastery in St

Petersburg Later he wrote that the city had a bad

influence on him and that he weak in spirit could

not accommodate the urban bustle In 1906 John

became a novice at Valaam Monastery and on May 22 1910 he was tonsured a

monk with the name of Hyacinth After repeated petitions Hyacinth returned to

the monastery and lived initially in Prophet Elias Skete then later in the Skete of

Saint John the Baptist On October 19 1921 he was appointed abbot of Saint

Tryphon of Pechenga Monastery Then on November 13 he was ordained a

hierodeacon and on November 15 a hieromonk At that time the monastery was

within the territory of the newly independent Finland In 1932 Hyacinth

returned to Valaam and in 1933 he was tonsured in Great Schema with the

name John and began to live in seclusion in the Skete of Saint John the Baptist

In 1938 he was elected the spiritual father of the monastery In 1940 Fr John

was evacuated with the other brethren to Finland during the Winter War between

the Soviet Union and Finland The elder reposed on June 5 1958 in the New

Valaam Monastery in Finland

Holy Martyr and Confessor John of Ilomantsi (1884-1918) Johannes

Karhapaumlauml was born to a farmerrsquos family in Sonkajanranta village Ilomantsi

North Karelia He was a member of the local youth section of the Brotherhood

of Saints Sergius and Herman adopting a deep Eastern Orthodox faith in his

early childhood In 1906 Karhapaumlauml requested by then-archbishop of Vyborg and

all Finland Sergius (Stragorodsky) to open a religious school in his home village

as the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland had launched a campaign for

Lutherizing the traditionally Orthodox Karelia The 1908 the completed school

2

2019Parish Council

Fr Joseph Strzelecki

Fr Anastasios Theodoropoulos

Scott Thompson President

Greg Simos Vice President

Elefteria Marcou Secretary

Gus Harris Treasurer

Peter Regopoulos Assistant Treasuer

Daniel Gantner Carol Marshall Pam Martin

Samia Rabie Vasilios Simos Greg Simos

Sotirios Sotiriou Tom Stamos Chris Tsoubanos

Nick Tsoubanos Tonis Zafiropoulos

Acolytes John Nicholas

Adult Orthodox Christians (18 years +)

Diane Sieckmann

Bible Study Fr Daniel Morton

Bookstore Christos Tsiaklides Diakonissa Kristen Vogt

Chanters Steve Bellos

Choir Stephanie Saunders

Church Tours

Janice Hazeltine

Friday Luncheon Art Liyeos

Greek Festival Greg Simos Art Liyeos

Greek School

Savas Kyramarios

Greek Dancers

Kyklos amp Armonia Stella Afentoullis

Ta Paidakia Neo Kyma Aliki Malek

GOYA (9th -12th Grade)

Yvonne Alexopoulos Dr Jenny Kardaris

Greeters Mary Pitliangas

JOY (4 years - 4th Grade)

Jr GOYA (5th - 8th Grades)

Alki Lappas Case Dr Debbie Cosmopoulos

Kafenio

Art Liyeos

Little Angels (infant - 5 years)

Fr Anastasios Theodoropoulos

Orthodox Faith amp Life

Dr Farid Sadaka Anna Sadaka

Philoptochos Flora Dimitriou President

Planned Giving Committee

Amy Johnson

Prison Ministry Bill Goranitis

Stewardship Michael Afentoullis

Sunday School Diane Sieckmann

Vacation Church Camp (VCC)

Anna Sadaka

Womenrsquos Bookstudy Presvytera Laura Morton

Young Adult Ministry (18-30 yrs)

Fr Anastasios amp Presvytera Elizabeth

was built by Karhapaumlauml and the Karelian

Brotherhood an organization established in

Olonets to oppose the Lutherization Karhapaumlauml now

started working as a domestic missionary across

Karelia with the monks of Valaam Monastery Since

1914 he was a traveling religion teacher in Kuopio

Province Karhapaumlauml was also active in the

completion of the Church of Anna the Prophetess

inaugurated in Tuupovaara in 1915 The church was

built by the Karelian Brotherhood and financed by a

wealthy Saint Petersburg businessman Due to his

activities the Finnish nationalists accused Karhapaumlauml

for supporting the Russification of Finland and promoting the the PrimeRussian

faithPrime (FinnishPrimeRyssaumln uskoPrime the word ryssauml is a racist slur for Russian)

calling him a collaborator of the Russian secret police Okhrana The nationalist

press accused Karhapaumlauml of Primeanti-FinnishPrime politics He was called the Primedark

force of North KareliaPrime as the nationalists claimed the Karelians were not

aware of their true religion and ethnicity Instead of defending himself against

the accusations Karhapaumlauml focused on his religious work According to the

Church historian Kauko Pirinen Karhapaumlaumlrsquos work was only influenced by his

deep faith but not any kind of politics After the 1917 Russian Revolution the

Karelian Brotherhood owned schools and churches were closed and the

harassment on Karhapaumlauml became even more intense The Finnish right-wing

nationalists called him a Bolshevik although he had supported the Tsarist

regime Karhapaumlauml was finally expelled of his teacherrsquos vacancy just before

Finland gained its independence in December 1917 As the Finnish Civil War

broke out in January 1918 Karhapaumlauml was soon called to join the White Army

but was arrested at the conscription meeting and transferred to Joensuu where

he was placed in a prison camp set up for the Reds After a while Karhapaumlauml

was executed by a firing squad and buried in a mass grave The exact date of

Karhapaumlaumlrsquos death is not known According to his wife Karhapaumlauml was executed

in 8 March but the War Victims of Finland 1914ndash1922 database says he was

shot in 7 March Karhapaumlaumlrsquos body was finally handed over to his wife in

December 1918 and buried in Ilomantsi where a large crowd of local Ortho-

dox and Lutherans attended the funeral Karhapaumlaumlrsquos gravestone was stolen

twice and thrown in the nearby lake until it was cast in concrete

You cannot be too gentle too kind Shun even to appear harsh in your treatment of each other Joy radiant joy streams from the face of him who gives and kindles joy in the heart of him who receives All condemnation is from the devil Never condemn each other We condemn others only because we shun knowing ourselves When we gaze at our own failings we see such a swamp that nothing in another can equal it That is why we turn away and make

much of the faults of others Instead of condemning others strive to reach inner peace Keep silent refrain from judgment This will raise you above the deadly arrows of slander insult and outrage and will shield your glowing hearts against all evil - St Seraphim of Sarov

3

New Archbishop of Thyateira

and Great Britain

On Wednesday June 12 the Holy

Synod of the Ecumenical

Patriarchate filled the vacancy of

the Archbishop of the Holy

Archdiocese of Thyateira and

Great Britain Metropolitan Nikitas (Lioulias) of

Dardanelles Director of the Patriarch Athenagoras

Orthodox Institute (PAOI) in Berkeley California was

voted unanimously after three candidates were proposed

by the vote of the members of the Holy Synod held in the

Patriarchal Church

At the same time the Holy Synod decided to express its

delight to the former Archbishop of Thyateira and Great

Britain Gregory for his many years of ministry and

offering to the faithful people of this important

ecclesiastical Province of the Mother Church

Metropolitan Nikitas (Lulias) of Dardanelles Exarch of All

Hellespont was born in Tampa Florida United States in

1955

He studied at the University of Florida from which he

received his degree in Religion (1976) He then attended

the Theological School of the Holy Cross of Boston where

he graduated in 1980 and then completed postgraduate

studies at the Theological School of the Aristotle University

of Thessaloniki (1982)

He was ordained a Deacon in 1985 by Archbishop Jacob of

America and in the same year he became a Presbyter

He served in Saints Constantine and Helen (Merriville IN)

Church and in 1987 in the Holy Diocese of Chicago as

Secretary [Chancellor]

In 1988 he received the Archimandritersquos officium and

became a Protosyncellus at the same Bishopric

In St Petersburg Russia he completed his studies in

History and Russian language

He taught selected courses on Orthodoxy at the Loyola

University of Chicago

On December 2 1996 he was unanimously elected as

Metropolitan of Hong Kong and ordained on the 14 of the

same month at the Patriarchal Church of St George

His enthronement took place at St Luca Cathedral in Hong

Kong on January 12 1997 and became the first regular

priest of the newly-established Hong Kong Metropolis and

then he was appointed at the Dardanelles Metropolis in

2007

It is finally worth mentioning that Metropolitan Nikitas is

the Director of the Berkeley USA Patriarchal Orthodox

Institute ldquoPatriarch Athenagorasrdquo in Berkeley USA

Celebration

Happy Birthday

To Fr Joseph who celebrates his birthday on

July 2

and

Happy Anniversary

to

Fr Joseph and Presvytera Ranae

who celebrate their

wedding anniversary

July 12

Ask the Elders -On

Serving God and

Neighbor But it is so hard to find that peace

in my crazy busy life

Our plans and interests often

interfere with our lives We make

all these plans believing that we

will never succeed in anything

unless we arrange everything meticulously We truly must

try to do everything as our conscience tells us but we must

not do anything in haste It is when we are in a hurry that

the enemy traps us In haste we cannot be aware of

whether we have ignored him because we have no time to

think of him we are too busy with plans inside our head

In this manner it is easy to sin against our neighbor And

when we sin against our neighbor we are actually sinning

against God for God is everywhere He dwells in the soul

of each and every one of us Our relationship toward our

fellow men defines our relationship toward God

It seems that we do not understand one thing it is not good

when we return the love of those who love us yet hate

those who hate us We are not on the right path if we do

this We are the sons of the light and love the sons of God

His children As such ewe must have His qualities and His

attributes of love peace and kindness toward all

4

Archbishop Luke

of Simferopol and

Crimea Officially

Canonized by the

Ecumenical

Patriarchate

Although Archbishop

Luke of Simferopol and

Crimea popularly known

as Saint Luke the

Surgeon was canonized

by the Russian Orthodox

Church on Mary 25 1996

following the exhumation

of the his sacred relics he

was not officially listed among the Saints by the

Ecumenical Patriarchate despite his popular veneration

among the Greeks in Greece with churches and shrines

dedicated to him there This is a common custom as each

independent Church has its own list of saints and calendar

for commemoration Since canonizations only take place

after a request has been made by a Bishop Archbishop

Luke of Simferpol and Crimea was officially canonized on

June 13 2019 after a request was made by the newly

enthroned Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kiev and All

Ukraine Therefore he is now officially listed among the

Saints by decision of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical

Patriarchate

The Life of St Luke Bishop of Simferopol

and Crimea the Blessed Surgeon

Saint Luke Bishop of Simferopol and Crimea the Blessed

Surgeon was born Valentin Felixovich Voino-Yasenetsky

(Валентин Феликсович Войно-Ясенецкий polish

spelling Wojno-Jasieniecki April 14 1877 and died June

11 1961

Doctor of Medicine Professor and State Prize winner

since 1944 he was the Archbishop of Tambov and

Michurinsk and later of Simferopol and the Crimea While

he was serving the church as an Archbishop he was also

practicing as a surgeon and taught and published many

books and articles on regional anesthesia and surgery He

is now known to be a world-famous pioneering surgeon

In November of 1995 he was announced as a Saint by the

Ukrainian Orthodox Church and was officially glorified

by the Patriarchate of Russia May 25 1996 He is

commemorated by the church June 11 the anniversary of

his falling asleep in the Lord

Life

Born with the name Valentine Felixovitch

Voino-Yassentsky on April 27 1877 in Kerch (east

Crimea) his family members were civil servants to

Lithuanian and Polish Kings The family was

impoverished over time but Saint Luke remembers that he

received his religious inheritance from his pious father His

first true understanding of the Christian faith came from the

New Testament given to him at his high school graduation

by his principal

Education

He had an outstanding secular training Having exceptional

drawing abilities he graduated the Kiev Academy of Fine

Arts[note 1] He decided however against pursuing art in favor

of a career where he could help people who suffer and

chose to be a physician

In 1903 at the age of 26 he graduated from Great Prince St

Vladimir Medical School at the University of Kiev and for

a long time worked as a local district physician An

extraordinary medical student he excelled at anatomy His

superior knowledge of anatomy served him throughout his

surgical career

Out of compassion to the blindness that beggars were

experiencing due to trachoma Saint Luke studied

ophthalmology at the Kiev ophthalmologic clinic In a very

short time he acquired a significant amount of

ophthalmologic training His knowledge of this subspecialty

helped him treat not only his trachoma patients but many

other serious eye conditions as well

Marriage

Another important event in Valentinersquos life was the

marriage to his wife Anna a nurse They had four children

The family was transferred frequently to various regional

health care facilities and from the very beginning Valentine

never requested funds from his patients nor would he turn

anyone away because of his ethnic background or personal

beliefs When his wife died God in setting the path for

Valentinersquos Sainthood provided the family with Sofia

Sergeevna who would be the joyful surrogate mother of his

children during the harsh times ahead Valentine never

remarried

Career

During his early career he published many scientific

treatises and eventually became the head surgeon and pro-

fessor of surgery at the hospital in Tashkent in March 1917

In October Lenin took over the government and civil war

erupted in Tashkent in January 1919 Leninrsquos government

disfavored any religious witness Valentine was under

constant threat especially when treating party members but

he refused to operate under any circumstances without the

Icon of the Mother of God His results were outstanding

ldquoI ought to tell you that what God did to me as amazing and

incomprehensibleMy pursuing surgery completely satis-

fied the goal I always had to serve the poor and the suffer-

ing to dispose all my strength for the comfort of their pains

and to help them in their needsrdquo

These are some of the introductory comments from the

memoirs of Saint Luke that were kept by his secretary EP

Leikfeld His words are not vainglorious but a commentary

on how Gods plan was fulfilled through the life and

5

PARTY

February

3 2019

AT 400 PM

example of Saint Luke Living in the Ukraine during the

oppressive period of communism St Luke stood out

among his fellow physicians both as a surgeon and as a

Christian Even the communists coveted his talents for

healing the body

Ordination and Persecution

Despite the dangers from the Lenin regime he fearlessly

attended theological discussions arranged by Archpriest

Mikhail Andeev During this period when clergymen and

pious people would prove their faith in blood providence

led the Archpriest to invite Valentine to the priesthood

Thus in 1921 at the age of 44 Valentine was ordained a

priest For two years this exceptional individual was active

not only in his pastoral work but in public and scientific

activity

Eventually Fr Valentine was arrested and put on trial

falsely accused of giving inappropriate surgical care to

injured Red Army soldiers At his trial in his characteristic

fearless way he denounced the prosecutors claims by

explaining

ldquoI cut people to save them You Mr Public

Prosecutor why do you cut their heads offrdquo

Certainly the charges were never proven but since the Party

had to be infallible Fr Valentine was convicted to sixteen

years imprisonment

Doctor Scientist Bishop Imprisonments

Noting Fr Valentinersquos spiritual gifts prior to his departure

from Tashkent (arrest and exile to Siberia) in 1923 Bishop

of Ufa Andrew (Ukhtomsky) administered monastic

tonsure and facilitated his consecration as Bishop[note 2]

Almost immediately Saint Luke was sent to the first of his

three imprisonments

Due to his talent as a surgeon there would always be

placement at a remote medical facility where the attending

colleagues would be astounded that a professor with such

impeccable academic credentials would be subservient to

the whims of the local civil authorities Despite the

criticisms of lesser surgeons Saint Luke would practice his

medical skills With the grace of God he amazed his

colleagues with excellent medical outcomes in

ophthalmologic and surgical cases that others deemed

incurable

In 1926 Bishop Luke returned to Tashkent but in 1930

was again arrested and sentenced to three years of exile

Upon his release he once again returned to Tashkent and

spent his time in medical practice As a physician and

professor he trained many students and colleagues in the art

of surgery and as a scientist he found the time to publish

many articles A fruit of this work was the appearance in

1934 of his book Notes on Purulent Surgery[note 3] which

laid the foundation for an entire medical specialty For that

work Bishop Luke was awarded the degree of Doctor of

Medical Science in 1936 and his work continues to be used

in medicine to this day This monograph and the

subsequent revisions was the ldquogold standardrdquo reference for

his colleagues at the time

As a capable hierarch he strengthened the parishes and

supported priests and church councils As Saint Lukersquos

surgical and pastoral popularity would increase the

communist authorities would transfer him When blatant

injustices would be committed against Christians and

fellow political prisoners he would initiate hunger strikes

In 1937 Vladyka was arrested and spent more than two

difficult years undergoing tortuous interrogation and

humiliation[note 4] Nonetheless resting his hope in the Lord

he courageously endured those trials not only refusing to

agree to false accusations against him but engaging in

active protests ndash refusing to eat and sending complaints to

the highest authorities against the prosecutorsrsquo illegal

actions He would say to his fellow prisoners

ldquoThey demand that I remove my ryassa I will never do so

It my ryassa will be with me to my very deathhellip I help

people as a physician and I help them as a servant of the

Churchhelliprdquo

The people who met him during his ordeals bore witness to

his true character As a physician he was Unmercenary and

never asked for money treating all his patients with

immense love He shared his patientsrsquo pain and anguish for

he saw each person as an image of God unique and

unrepeatable

In 1940 Bishop Luke was sentenced to five years of exile

in the Krasnoyarsk area At the beginning of the Great

Patriotic War (World War II) Bishop Luke offered the

authorities his services as a doctor and in 1941 was

appointed consultant to the hospitals of Krasnoyarsk

In 1942 Vladyka was elevated to the rank of Archbishop

and appointed to the Krasnoyarsk kathedra which at the

time did not have a single church Through Archbishop

Lukersquos efforts in 1943 a church was opened in a suburb of

Krasnoyarsk He wrote to Patriarch Sergius

ldquoAll of Eastern Siberia from Krasnoyarsk to the Pacific

Ocean gave no sign of church lifehellipIf churches in various

parts of the Krasnoyarsk area are not opened in the near

future there is a risk that the people will lapse into reli-

gious savageryrdquo

In 1944 the archbishop was appointed to the kathedra in

Tambov In 1946 for outstanding scientific work in the area

of medicine he was awarded the ldquoStalin Awardrdquo for all his

scientific publications He donated almost all of the money

to help children who had suffered as the result of the War

Also in 1946 Vladyka was appointed to the kathedra of

Crimea where at first he combined archpastoral service

with medical assistance to the people but later dedicated

himself to Church service zealously working to build up

Christrsquos vineyard something that under the conditions of

life under Communist authorities then demanded great

courage and faith

As a Bishop he preached incessantly not only about the

need to live Orthodoxy but against the perils of the ldquoLiving

Churchrdquo httpsorthodoxwikiorgLuke_(Voino-Yasenetsky)_of_Simferopol_and_Crimea

6

2019

Father

of the

Year

Byron Magafas

Fatherrsquos Day

On June 16 we announced our Father and Man of Year Congratulations to

Byron Magafas Father of the Year and

Dr Demetrios Lappas Man of the Year

May God grant them many years After the presentations we were able to

personally congratulate the recipients at a very nice reception prepared by Pete

Regopoulos and Chris Tsoubanos

2019

Man

of the

Year

Dr Demetrios

Lappas

7

Spiritual Aspects of Fatherhood

By Al Rossi PhD

A conference participant once asked the speaker ldquoWhat is

the best way for a father to love his childrenrdquo The speaker

replied ldquoThe best way for a father to love his children is to

love their motherrdquo I reflect often upon that superbly

accurate statement And I think the reverse is equally true

the best way a mother can love her children is to love their

father

More than anything else in the world children need a

loving family and parents who support each other even if

the parents are apart through separation or divorce Christ

challenges us to love one another and that challenge

becomes even more compelling within our own families

Even in the best of families there is brokenness And that is

why the manrsquos call to fatherhood is so important We

fathers are called to show our families strong manly love

and forgiveness virtues modeled powerfully in the father of

the prodigal son (Lk 1132)

This father is stable loving and generous In his fairness

he avoids violating the freedom of either of his sons When

the prodigal demands his inheritance and decides to leave

the father does not attempt to withhold the money He does

not pressure the son to stay by trying to make him feel

guilty And the father is wise enough not to send care

packages to relieve the sonrsquos distress The father allows

both of his adult sons to make their own mistakes and to

learn from their failures an appropriate form of discipline

for older adolescents and young adults

The prodigalrsquos father demonstrates manly leadership by

taking loving initiatives and he takes many such initiatives

He maintains a thriving business to provide the generous

inheritance He creates and supports a loving family for the

prodigal to run from and for the older son to remain with

And there is his last generous joyful initiative as he runs

out to embrace the returning son kiss him and put on him

the best robe ring and shoes He celebrates the return of

his son with a feast And in a scene all of us fathers can

recognize he opens up the conversation with the sulking

older son

The father takes the initiative in bringing about forgiveness

and reconciliation in the whole family He is a model for us

in responding to our call to follow the Spirit of Jesus in

taking many initiatives in our families especially that of

boundless forgiveness for our children

When a father takes responsibility for his own spiritual

life for the way he prays goes to church and practices

virtue in the family he gives good example Then his

leadership in the family is authentic based on his own

solid relationship with God and he is less likely to be

concerned about any resistance his children may give him

He can lead family prayer When I suggest that we stand in

the living room and pray before a trip or that we pray in a

restaurant I often feel an initial resistance in my children

But quiet cooperation and peacefulness soon follow

Sometimes the children will even tell me that they prayed

in a restaurant when I wasnrsquot there

At times the fatherrsquos role of leading the family to great

forgiveness and prayerfulness is an unpopular one But as

a man grows in his own spiritual life he becomes more

sturdy and willing to accept responsibility Although all

this is impossible for us fathers to do alone God can do all

things God can even bestow the awesome spiritual power

of fatherhood upon us

httpsocaorgthe-hubthe-church-on-current-issuesspiritual-aspects-

of-fatherhood

Our Churchrsquos feast day celebration

Panagiarsquos Panegyri

Sunday August 18 2019

Immediately following

Divine Liturgy

More information to follow

8

Philoptochos Corner The Assumption Ladies Philoptochos

Society

Happy July Half of our summer vacation is almost over

Hope you are making the best of it Your new Philoptochos

Board has been busy planning out the rest of their 2019

calendar We know that many of you are traveling to

Greece or other exciting places Please be smart be safe

Check in with us during coffee hour wersquoll be waiting for

you when you get back

Our Chapter

We had our 2019-2021 Executive Board Elections on June

2nd and here are the results

President ndash Flora Dimitriou

1st Vice President ndash Helena Brown

2nd Vice President ndash Keve Gialouris

Recording Secretary ndash Rose Harpole

Corresponding Secretary ndash Patricia Aaron

Treasurer ndash Angie Koulouriotis

Assistant Treasurer ndash Diane Sieckmann

Adviser ndash Soula Marcou

Board Members Yvonne Alexopoulos Dessie Bellos

Popi Deros Amalia Karakasis amp Bessie Theodorou

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Board Member Diane Sieckmann

and friends for serving coffee hour for the month of July

Thank you to everyone who made a jewelry donation to us

for our May Festival Sale All proceeds will benefit the

National Childrenrsquos Medical Fund Luncheon chapter

expenses and sponsorship programs

Childrenrsquos Medical Fund

We have RAFFLE TICKETS FOR SALE Check out the

amazing prizes you could win 1 ticket for $10 or 3 tickets

for $25 find a Philoptochos member during coffee hour to

purchase your chance to win

Please support our youth ndash National Philoptochos

Childrenrsquos Medical Fund ldquoKids Helping Kidsrdquo at our

Panagia Panegyri Sunday August 18th Our youth will be

behind the bar selling punch iced tea amp lemonade All

proceeds will benefit the CMF SponsorshipGrant Program

We need your support in order to help our Chicago Diocese

host this most worthy event

A Look Ahead

Weekend of August 16th 17th amp 18th Bring a friend and

work a shift Sign up for The Festival of the Little Hills St

Charles See Helena Brown for more information

Dont see Downton Abbeyrdquo without us We are making

plans to rent a movie theatre at the Marcus Des Peres Cine

for a private screening of the movie Ticket sales will start

in August The ticket price is $1500 per person More in-

formation to follow regarding date and time

Sunday September 8th ndash Annual Gyro Luncheon

Sunday November 3rd - Philoptochos Name Day

Artoclassia

Saturday November 16th ndash National Childrenrsquos Medical

Fund Luncheon hosted by the Metropolis of Chicago

Sunday December 1st - Philoptochos Christmas Party

Evelynrsquos House ndash BJC Hospice

We are stocking the snack pantry at the hospice house If

you would like to make a donation please see Flora

Dimitriou for a list of items needed Also Evelynrsquos House

continues to need of more crocheted lap blankets or pillow

cases If you have any interest in making the blankets or

pillow cases please let us know There is a size requirement

for these items If you would like any more information on

this project please see Flora Dimitriou or Diane Sieckmann

2019 Meeting Dates

No Meeting in July August 4 September 15 October 6

November 10 No Meeting in December

We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions

Flora Dimitriou

Philoptochos President

fedimitriougmailcom

636-795-4602

9

Fanari 2019 Our Fanari campers left on June 16 for a week of learning and

fellowship on the grounds of the St Iakovos Retreat Center in

Kansasville Wisconsin Fanari is wonderful experience Ask

any of our campers who went

Congratulations to our area AHEPA 53 2019

Scholarship Recipients

The awards were given out this past Sunday June 2 at

the AHEPA 53 Apartments The St Louis AHEPA

Chapter has been awarding scholarships since 1950 to hone

the recipients for their outstanding academic achievements

This year AHEPA 53 awarded 15 scholarships Receipents

from the Assumption were

Demetri Case

Athena Stamos

George Sakelis

The ceremony was emceed by Chapter President Mi-

chael Kontominas and the scholarship awards were

presented by Basil Pappas

AHEPArsquos goal is to see these young students

succeed to the highest degree possible and not to forget their

Hellenic heritage

Applications for both Chapter and District level schol-

arships can generally be picked up in February from the

Church offices or online

10

Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) Corner The Orthodox Mission Team of St Louis

The Orthodox Mission Team of St Louis works to nurture an awareness within our local churches of the

need to evangelize catechize and support missionary efforts and programs globally

As always if you have any questions would like to be part of the Mission Team St Louis or if you would like to help our

missionaries please feel free to contact Rosie Hartley 618-447-9688

Thank you for your continued support

Celebrating 10 Years Since the Dedication of OCMCs Headquarters by Niko Birbilis

This May OCMC was thrilled to celebrate our 10-year-anniversary since the dedication of our current

missionary training and administration building May 21 2009 marked a great day not only for us at OCMC

but for Orthodoxy around the world The roots of OCMC go all the way back to Athens Greece in the 1950s

and to the influence of two young theologians Fr Deacon Anastasios Yannoulatos and Fr Deacon Demetrios

Trakatellis Deacon Anastasios would eventually go on to become His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of

Albania and Deacon Demetrios would soon go on to become His Eminence Archbishop Geron Demetrios of

America

Inspired by the missionary fervor and vision of these brilliant young men the Mission Center would begin as a

committee of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (GOA) of America As it continued to grow and develop

however the GOAs mission center soon moved to its own location in St Augustine Florida and Fr Dimitrios

Couchell (now His Grace Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos) was appointed as its first Executive Director In 1987

the mission center sent the first short-term mission team to Kenya and these teams would continue into the

present day as some of the most fruitful ministries of the mission center

By 1994 the GOA graciously handed its mission center over to become the pan-Orthodox mission center

representing the combined missionary efforts of all Orthodox jurisdictions in the US At this point it was finally

labeled the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC)

Fr Martin Ritsi took over as Executive Director in 1998 and by the late 2000s OCMC was already involved in

thirty countries around the world OCMC continued growing and soon it was time to expand to a new location

It was at this point that due to many incredibly generous supporters OCMC was able to construct its current

home the Archbishop Anastasios and Archbishop Demetrios Training and Administration Building This new

OCMC headquarters building was dedicated on May 21 2009 Since then it has increasingly been the source of

countless ministries striving to carry out Christrsquos great commission and spread the Gospel to the ends of the

earth

In the past 10 years since the dedication OCMC has sent a total of 1181 team members on 159 mission teams to

18 different countries This past year alone OCMC

Has continued to support 375 indigenous clergy worldwide through the SAMP program

Has continued to support 23 long-term missionaries

Provided medical care to 1199 people

Reached 815 children

Catechized 1400 people

Sent 4 healthcare and counseling teams

Built a church in Indonesia

Carried out 7 projects for students and orphans

Wersquove had a wonderfully exciting and fruitful history and we thank you all for walking this journey with us

With your support we are enabling countless people around the world to know the Gospel of Christ and to expe-

rience His love Please continue to keep our work in your prayers to volunteer your time and talents on our mis-

sion trips and to donate to our ministries Now we look forward to all that the next 10 years will bring

11

Births - Congratulations to

George and Melinda Abuqubou on the birth of their son

Christopher who was born on August 26 2018

Baptisms - Many Years to

Isabella Mavra Xenos Zewki daughter of Shivan and

Tatiana Zewki Isabella was baptized on May 19 2019

and her Godparents are Antonios Xenos and

Anastasia Mezinis

Anna Sophia Theodoropulos daughter of Fr Anastasios

and Presvytera Elizabeth Theodoropoulos Anna was

baptized on June 1 2019 at Saints Peter and Paul in

Glenview IL and her Godmother is Julie Stefanski

Peirce James Farmakis son of Mike and Shannon

Farmakis Pierce was baptized on June 1 2019 and his

Godfather is Kostantinos (Dino) Deros

Eleni Polixeni Psara daughter of Spiro and Colleen Psara

Eleni was baptized on June 2 2019 and her

Godparents are are Panteli Pappas and Alona

Teliatnykova

Sophia Shea Hayden daughter of Bob and Natalie

Hayden Sophia was baptized on Saturday June 22 at

Saints Pete and Paul in Glenview IL and her Godgather is

Peter Sparacio

Funerals - Memory Eternal

Anastasia ldquoAnnierdquo Markovich reposed on June 5 2019

The funeral was June 10 at Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox

Church with interment Mt Hope

Dorothy Nancy Graeff reposed on June 6 2019 The

funeral was on June 11 with interment at St Mathews

Cemetery

Nick Niarchos of Palos Hills Ill brother of Eugenia

(Alex) Pavlopoulos reposed on June 6th The funeral was

June 10 at Saints Constantine amp Helen Greek Orthodox

Church Palos Hills Il Interment at Evergreen Cemetery of

Evergreen Park in Il

Lehman Bennett grandfather of Jenny Bennett passes

way on June 15 The funeral and burial were on June 19

in Dallas TX

Memorials - Memory Eternal

June 2

5-year Haralambos Pelekanos

5-year Fr Constantine Regopoulos

June 9

9-mon Van (Evangelos) Evangelopoulos

1-year Tom (Athanasios) Dubis

1 year Mike Labis

1-year Elaine Scott

2 year Danica Mandrapa

8 year Ljubica Terzic

10-year Kostando Liakata

13-year Fr Gerasimos Annas

24-year Andrea Liakata

July 28

1-year Despina Zeriss

2-year Chris Zeris

August 4

21-year Athanasios Stratos

October 13

Departed Members Brotherhood of Alexander the Great

Important Please inform either Fr Joseph or Fr Anastasios

immediately when you or any member of your family is

sick or hospitalized so that appropriate prayer and

visitation may be scheduled Hospitals do not notify

clergy of patients even if you list yourself as a Church

member

In Our Prayers Nora (Elaine) Bangert Seraphima Henderson

Thekla (Rebecca) Kagaris Dean Kases

Janie (Zafera) Kyramarios George Lambos

College Addresses In an effort to keep in touch with and minister to our

college students we ask anyone with a daughter or son in

college to contact the Church office with the address

phone amp email

12

Extra Virgin Olive Oil $20bottle

Missouri Flag $9600

Patriarchal Flag $28900

Holy Water bottleshelliphelliphelliphellip$30800

Icon of St Porphyrios

Icon of the Annunciation

Icon of Elder Amphilochios Makris

Icon of Elder Iakovos (Tsalikis) of Evia

Dimitri and Rebecca Kagaris

Please call the church office if you would like to donate

any of these items

Womenrsquos Summer Book Study

Our plans for our Summer Book Study session are

complete

The book we are reading is

Everyday Wonders

Stories of Gods Providence

By V Rev Michael J Oleksa

and we will meet for our summer pot luck lunch and

book discussion

Saturday August 17

1100 am to 200 pm

Hosted by Keve Gialouris

17828 Greyabbey Ct

Chesterfield MO

If you have any questions please contact

Presvytera Laura Morton at 314-303-1784

Hellenic Culture Camp 2019 July 15-19

Open to all children entering 2nd grade through 8th grade in Fall 2019

Monday ndash Thursday 845 am - 300 pm

St Nicholas Family Life Center (Please bring a lunch and drink Monday-

Wednesday Greek lunch will be provided on Thursday)

Friday

845 am ndash noon Vetta Sports Manchester

Hellenic Culture Camp is a

wonderful opportunity to expose our children and grandchildren to culturally

enriching activities and friendships within our community

Activities include

Greek Cooking History

Geography Greek Dancing

Greek Language Greek Arts and Jewelry Making

Sports

Cost $100 for one child $90 for second child $80 for third child (Financial Assistance

Available)

For questions please contact Barbara Corrigan at

btcstlyahoocom or 3149606258 visit

httpswwwsngocorgnewshellenic-culture-camp

13

But I say to you the Lord says love your enemies do

good to those who hate you pray for those who

persecute you Why did he command these things So

that he might free you from hatred sadness anger and

grudges and might grant you the greatest possession of

all perfect love which is impossible to possess except

by the one who loves all equally in imitation of God

St Maximus the Confessor

Περί εἰδώλων Αγ Ἰουστίνου Πόποβιτς

Τό ἀνθρώπινο γένος δοκιμάζει καθημερινῶς στόν

κόσμο μας τήν ἐμπειρία νά ὁδηγοῦνται οἱ ἄνθρωποι

στήν ἀπώλεια εἴτε λόγῳ τῆς ἄγνοιας εἴτε τῆς μή

ἀναγνωρίσεως τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ καί

Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Μέ ἄλλα λόγια ἐκπίπτουν

ἐξαιτίας εἴτε τῆς ἀθεΐας εἴτε τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας

Αὐτή ἡ ἄγνοια ἤ ἡ μή ἀναγνώριση τοῦ Κυρίου

Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιφέρει τήν ἄγνοια ἤ τήν μή

ἀναγνώριση τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ ἀγαθοῦ σέ αὐτόν

τόν κόσμο τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ Αὐτοί οἱ

ἄνθρωποι ζοῦν laquoἐν ἀσελγείαις ἐπιθυμίαις

οἰνοφλυγίαις κώμοις πότοις καί ἀθεμίτοις

εἰδωλολατρείαιςraquo Ναί laquoἀθεμίτοις εἰδωλολατρίαιςraquo

γιατί ἡ εἰδωλολατρεία εἶναι πάντοτε σέ πληθυντικό

ἀριθμό Ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ὁποῖος δέν ἀναγνωρίζει τόν

μόνο ἀληθινό Θεό θέλοντας καί μή ἀναγνωρίζει

ἕνα ἀναρίθμητο πλῆθος ἄλλων μικρότερων

θεοτήτων ψευδῶν θεῶν εἰδώλων Πρόκειται γιά τίς

ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη πού δέν ἔχουν οὔτε ἀριθμό

οὔτε τέλος Ὅταν ὁ ἄνθρωπος δελεάζεται ἀπό μία

τέτοια μικρή μικρή θεότητα τότε αὐτή τόν

παρασύρει στίς ὑπόλοιπες ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη καί

τότε εἶναι πού τόν κατακομματιάζουν καί τόν

κατασπαράζουν οἱ ἀναρίθμητοι ψευδεῖς καί

ἀδηφάγοι θεοί Καί ὁ ἄνθρωπος δέν εἶναι σέ θέση

νά ἀμυνθεῖ σέ αὐτήν τήν ἀγέλη τῶν τρομερῶν

θηρίων καί τῶν δελεαστικῶν πειρασμῶν Τό

μικρότερο πάθος ὁδηγεῖ σέ μεγαλύτερο καί ἔτσι

σταδιακά βυθίζεται σέ ὅλο καί μεγαλύτερα πάθη

ὥσπου ἐν τέλει δέν μπορεῖ νά ἀναδυθεῖ ἀπrsquoαὐτά

Καί κάθε πάθος ἐμπεριέχει ἀναρίθμητα εἴδωλα καί

κάθε ἐπιθυμία φέρει ὅλο καί περισσότερα εἴδωλα

πού δέν ἔχουν τελειωμό Τά εἴδωλα εἶναι σάν τή

δυνατή φωτιά μέσα της κατακαίγονται καί ἡ

συνείδηση καί ἡ ψυχή καί ἡ καρδιά καί τό θέλημα

τοῦ ἀνθρώπου Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος τῆς

ἀγάπης παρακαλεῖ τούς χριστιανούς laquoΤεκνία

φυλάξατε ἑαυτούς ἀπό τῶν εἰδώλωνraquo Ἀπό τά

εἴδωλα προέρχονται ὅλα τά κακά καί τά μικρά καί

τά μεγάλα Καί κάθε ἄνθρωπος εἶναι εἰδωλολάτρης

ἐφrsquoὅσον δέν πιστεύει στόν μόνον Ἀληθινό Θεό

στόν Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Διότι ὁπωσδήποτε σέ

κάτι πιστεύει εἴτε ὄν εἶναι αὐτό εἴτε πράγμα εἴτε σέ

ὁρατά εἴτε σέ ἀόρατα εἴδωλα ὅπως εἶναι ὁ ἥλιος ἡ

σελήνη οἱ ἀστέρες οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὁ πολιτισμός ἡ

τεχνολογία ἡ φυλή ἡ κοινωνική τάξη τά πάθη οἱ

ἡδονές καί [hellip] τό ὄνομά τους laquoΛεγεώνraquo Ἀπό τό

πρῶτο ὥς τό τελευταῖο ὅλα τά παραπάνω εἶναι

εἰδωλολατρία Δέν ὑπάρχει ἀμφιβολία ὅτι τό καθένα

ἀπrsquoαὐτά φονεύει ὅτι κάνει ἄνθρωπο τόν ἄνθρωπο

φονεύει δηλαδή ὅτι θεοειδές θεονοσταλγικό

ἀθάνατο θεῖο αἰώνιο Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος

νουθετεῖ καί ἐντέλλεται στούς χριστιανούς laquoΔιόπερ

ἀγαπητοί μου φεύγετε ἀπό τῆς εἰδωλολατρείαςraquo Οἱ

ἄνθρωποι διά τῶν ποικιλόμορφων εἰδωλολατρειῶν

ἔμμεσα ἤ ἄμεσα θυσιάζουν τούς ἑαυτούς τους στὀν

διάβολο προσφέρονται ὡς θυσία στόν διάβολο Σέ

τελευταία ἀνάλυση κάθε εἰδωλολατρία εἶναι

σατανολατρία καί κάθε εἰδωλο-διακονία εἶναι σατανο-

διακονία Μήπως δέν λατρεύει δέν διακονεῖ δέν

προσφέρει θυσία τήν ψυχή του στόν διάβολο ἐκεῖνος

πού ζεῖ στά πάθη καί στήν ἡδονή ὅποιος ὑπηρετεῖ

ὁποιονδήποτε καί ὁτιδήποτε ἐκτός ἀπό τόν μόνον

ἀληθινό Θεό καί Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Αὐτό εἶναι

τόσο ξεκάθαρο γιά κάποιον πού μπορεῖ μέ φρόνηση

νά κρίνει Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ θεόσοφος Ἀπόστολος λέγει

στούς πρώην εἰδωλολάτρες Κορινθίους laquoὡς

φρονίμοις λέγωhellipοὐ θέλω δέ ὑμᾶς κοινωνούς τῶν

δαιμονίων γίνεσθαι Οὐ δύνασθε ποτήριον Κυρίου

πίνειν καί ποτήριον δαιμονίων οὐ δύνασθε τραπέζης

Κυρίου μετέχειν καί τραπέζης δαιμονίωνraquo

Ἀναμφίβολα ὁλόκληρο τό Εὐαγγέλιο τοῦ Σωτῆρος

ἔγκειται στό ὅτι laquoτό σῶμα τῶ Κυρίῳ καί ὁ Κύριος τῶ

σώματιraquo Ἔτσι γνωρίζουμε τό αἰώνιο μυστήριο τοῦ

ἀνθρωπίνου ὄντος πώς ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός

εἶναι ὁ Σωτήρας ὁλοκλήρου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὄχι μόνο

τῆς ψυχῆς ἀλλά καί τοῦ σώματός του Γιrsquoαὐτό καί τό

σῶμα τοῦ χριστιανοῦ ὀφείλει νά εἶναι ναός ἅγιος στόν

ὁποῖο ζεῖ ἡ ἁγία ψυχή στόν κόσμο μας καί στόν ὁποῖο

πρόκειται νά ζήσει καί μετά τήν κοινή ἀνάσταση τῶν

νεκρῶν Τά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν διά τοῦ ἁγίου

Βαπτίσματος τῆς Θείας Μεταλήψεως καί τοῦ

εὐαγγελικοῦ τους βίου ἔγιναν ἀναπόσπαστα μέρη τοῦ

Θεανθρώπινου σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ Τά σώματα

αὐτά δέν ἀνήκουν πλέον στούς ἴδιους ἀλλά σέ

Ἐκεῖνον Ὅτι ἔγινε μέ τό ἅγιο σῶμα Ἐκείνου

πρόκειται νά συμβεῖ στά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν Για την αντιγραφή Δημήτρης Κάγκαρης

14

Prophet Elias (Elijah)

The Old Testament prophet Elijah the Tishbite lived during

the time when King Ahab ruled Israel Ahabs wife Jezebel

was a foreigner who did not worship the One True God of

Israel but the false god Baal She persecuted prophets and

deceitfully tried to force the people of Israel to turn away

from God and worship Baal Elijahs fiery personality often

brought him into conflict with Ahab and Jezebel because he

was absolutely determined that the people would stay

faithful to God God rewarded Elijahs devotion with the gift

of prophecy Once when Elijah knew a serious drought was

coming soon God instructed him to leave his home and go

east of the Jordan River promising that he would be fed by

a raven Just as God promised the raven

brought Elijah food and he was able to

drink from a stream When the stream ran

dry God told him to go to the city of

Zarephath In the city he met a widow

who was gathering sticks He asked her

for bread but she replied I have no

bread baked and there is only a small

amount of flour and oil left for my son

and me There was not enough she said to share with

another person Saint Elijah told her not to worry or be

afraid but to make the bread and give him a little loaf She

did so and a great miracle occurred The widow had enough

flour and oil to last a whole year Sometime later when her

son died Elijah prayed over his body and the boy came

back to life The widow was overjoyed and said to Elijah

Now I know that you speak Gods word After many years

of drought God sent Elijah to see King Ahab By this time

there was famine as well as drought in the land While

searching for food and water Ahabs advisor Obadiah met

Elijah on the road He told King Ahab that the prophet was

back and Ahab went out to meet him He said to Elijah Is

it you you troubler of Israel Saint Elijah told King Ahab

that he the king was the one who was troubling Israel

because he was not living his life according to Gods laws

and should not be following the false god Baal Then he said

to the king Tell the people of Israel and the four hundred

fifty prophets of Baal to meet me on Mount Carmel When

everyone had arrived Saint Elijah told the people If the

Lord is God follow him but if Baal is then follow him

He challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest He told

them to put their sacrifice on one altar and he would put his

on another altar Neither one would start a fire to burn their

sacrifice but would call on God and Baal to start the fire

The false prophets of Baal hopped around and yelled to their

god to come and light the sacrifice Saint Elijah laughed and

said that maybe Baal was napping and needed to be

awakened The false prophets yelled even louder and still

nothing happened Elijah calmly made a large trench around

the dirt and all the water Saint Elijah had shown them all

the true and only God When King Ahab told his wife

Jezebel what Elijah had done she angrily promised to kill

the prophet Fearing for his life Elijah fled to Beer-sheba in

the land of Judah There he sat down under a broom tree

so miserable and fearful that he asked God to take his life

Instead God sent an angel to encourage him and to prepare

him for a long journey Following the angels instructions

he walked for forty days and forty nights until he came to a

cave There God spoke to him in a gentle breeze telling

him to bless helpers who would spread the true faith One

of those Elijah blessed was Elisha who was plowing his

fathers field When Saint Elijah saw him he threw his

cloak over him and soon Elisha was accompanying Elijah

as his helper As Saint Elijahs earthly life neared its end

God sent him to Bethel Jericho and the Jordan When he

came to the Jordan Elijah rolled up his cloak and touched

the water The water immediately parted and Saints Elijah

and Elisha crossed over on dry land As they continued to

walk a fiery chariot driven by fiery horses came and took

Saint Elijah in a whirlwind up into the sky Elisha took up

the great prophets cloak Elijahs story doesnt end there

He was one of two Old Testament saints who appeared with

Jesus at His Transfiguration Saint Elijah was there to

represent the Old Testament prophets who foretold the

coming of the Son of God He is a wonderful example of

someone who loved God with all of his soul all of his heart

and all of his mind In some churches on the feast of Saint

Elijah the priest blesses cars bicycles roller skates scoot-

ers (chariots) and any other method of transportation with

wheels httpdceocaorgassetsfilesresourcesSaints-Animalspdf

Troparion (Tone 4)

An angel in the flesh and the cornerstone of the prophets

The second forerunner of the coming of Christ Glorious

Elijah sent grace from on high to Elisha To dispel diseases

and to cleanse lepers Therefore he pours forth healings on

those who honor him

Quote

I have been very zealous for the Lord Almightyhellip

- Elijah about himself 3 Kingdoms 1910

Date Born

Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years before the

Incarnation of Christ

Date Died

Elijahs death is described in 2 Kings 2 9-13 (4 Kingdoms

2 9-13 OSB) The date is not certain

Commemoration Date

July 20 and the Sunday of the Holy Fathers

15

Jr Olympics Wrap Up Thank you to Alki Lappas Case for coordinating our team at the 2019 Metropolis of Chicago Jr Olympics hosted by Saints

Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church

in Palos Hills IL over the Memorial Day

Weekend

The medal results for our team were

9 gold (10k individual and relay swimming)

9 silver (table tennis individual and

relay swimming) and

2 bronze (individual swimming) Congratula-

tions to all

16

17

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church 1755 Des Peres Rd Town amp Country MO 63131

(Just north of Des Peres 14 Cine)

July 2019 FRIDAY LUNCHEONS

Menu subject to change

1100 am - 200 pm Kitchen Phone 314-966-6720

Web Site httpwwwassumptiongocorgfriday-lunch Cash Checks and Credit Cards accepted

Master Card VISA Discover American Express

NO LUNCHEON

JULY 5th

Have a Safe and Healthy

4th of July Weekend

July 19

Shrimp Saganaki over Rice $9

Baked Fish with Stewed Green Beans $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Lobster BisquehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $4Lg $6

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 12

Lamb Shank over Rice $14

Baked Fish with Macedonia Peas $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Chicken Avgolemono SouphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3Lg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 26

Baked 12 Chicken over Rice 8

Baked Fish with Roasted Brussel Sprouts $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Split Pea SouphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3hellipLg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

19

Su

n

Mo

n

Tu

e W

ed

Th

u

Fri

S

at

1

Un

mercen

arie

s

Ko

sma

s amp

Da

mia

no

s

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

2

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

3

20

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m K

afen

io

4 I

nd

ep

en

den

ce D

ay

5

NO

FR

IDA

Y L

UN

CH

EO

N

Hap

py 4

th o

f Ju

ly W

eek

end

6

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

7

83

0 a

m O

rth

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94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

8

9

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

10

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

11 G

rea

t M

arty

r

Eu

ph

em

ia

80

0 a

m O

rth

ros

90

0 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

12

St

Pais

ios

of

Mt

Ath

os

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

13

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

14

Fa

thers

of

the 4

th

Co

un

cil

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

15

1

6

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

17

Gre

at

Marty

r

Ma

rin

a

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

18

19

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

20

Pro

ph

et

Eli

as

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

21

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

22

2

3

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

24

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

25

Rep

ose

of

St

An

na

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

26

Rig

hte

ou

s P

ara

skeve

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

27

Gre

at

Marty

r

Pa

nte

leim

on

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

28

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

29

3

0

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

31

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y T

imes

are

Ap

pro

xim

ate

Fa

st D

ays

are

Sh

ad

ed

Fea

st D

ays

are

Bo

xed

July

20

19

A

ssu

mp

tio

n G

reek

Ort

ho

do

x C

hurc

h

20

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church

1755 Des Peres Road

Town and Country MO 63131-1405

Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG US Postage

PAID St Louis MO

Permit No 4628

20

From the Orthodox Study Bible 1 John 4 12-16 20-21

No one has seen God at any time If we love one another God abides in us and His love has been perfected in us By

this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit And we have seen and testify

that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God God abides in

him and he in God And we have known and believed the love that God has for us God is love and he who abides in

love abides in God and God in him

If someone says ldquoI love Godrdquo and hates his brother he is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom has seen

how can he love God whom he has not seen And this commandment we have from Him that he who loves God

must love his brother also

Scripture taken from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc

For Consideration

The greatest teachers of the Church endeavored to teach great truths to men not only by words but also by visual examples Thus

Abba Isaiah in order to teach the monks that no-one would receive a reward from God who did not toil in this life for Him led his

disciples to a threshing floor where a labourer was gathering the threshed wheat lsquoGive me some of that wheatrsquo Isaiah said to the

labourer lsquoHave you been reaping as well Fatherrsquo lsquoI havenrsquotrsquo replied the elder lsquoThen yoursquove got a hope of some wheat if yoursquove

not gathered itrsquo To this the elder said lsquoTherersquos no wheat for him who has not gathered itrsquo lsquoNorsquo replied the labourer Hearing

this reply the elder went away in silence When his disciples asked him to explain his actions to them he said lsquoI did that

deliberately in order to show you that no-one will receive the reward from God who has not labored in asceticismrsquo

The Prologue from Ochrid Lives of the Saints and Homilies for Every Day in the Year vol 3 by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic Translated by Mother Maria Lazarica

Press Birmingham 1986 p99

Page 2: From Glory to GloryArchbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Although Archbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea, popularly known

2

2019Parish Council

Fr Joseph Strzelecki

Fr Anastasios Theodoropoulos

Scott Thompson President

Greg Simos Vice President

Elefteria Marcou Secretary

Gus Harris Treasurer

Peter Regopoulos Assistant Treasuer

Daniel Gantner Carol Marshall Pam Martin

Samia Rabie Vasilios Simos Greg Simos

Sotirios Sotiriou Tom Stamos Chris Tsoubanos

Nick Tsoubanos Tonis Zafiropoulos

Acolytes John Nicholas

Adult Orthodox Christians (18 years +)

Diane Sieckmann

Bible Study Fr Daniel Morton

Bookstore Christos Tsiaklides Diakonissa Kristen Vogt

Chanters Steve Bellos

Choir Stephanie Saunders

Church Tours

Janice Hazeltine

Friday Luncheon Art Liyeos

Greek Festival Greg Simos Art Liyeos

Greek School

Savas Kyramarios

Greek Dancers

Kyklos amp Armonia Stella Afentoullis

Ta Paidakia Neo Kyma Aliki Malek

GOYA (9th -12th Grade)

Yvonne Alexopoulos Dr Jenny Kardaris

Greeters Mary Pitliangas

JOY (4 years - 4th Grade)

Jr GOYA (5th - 8th Grades)

Alki Lappas Case Dr Debbie Cosmopoulos

Kafenio

Art Liyeos

Little Angels (infant - 5 years)

Fr Anastasios Theodoropoulos

Orthodox Faith amp Life

Dr Farid Sadaka Anna Sadaka

Philoptochos Flora Dimitriou President

Planned Giving Committee

Amy Johnson

Prison Ministry Bill Goranitis

Stewardship Michael Afentoullis

Sunday School Diane Sieckmann

Vacation Church Camp (VCC)

Anna Sadaka

Womenrsquos Bookstudy Presvytera Laura Morton

Young Adult Ministry (18-30 yrs)

Fr Anastasios amp Presvytera Elizabeth

was built by Karhapaumlauml and the Karelian

Brotherhood an organization established in

Olonets to oppose the Lutherization Karhapaumlauml now

started working as a domestic missionary across

Karelia with the monks of Valaam Monastery Since

1914 he was a traveling religion teacher in Kuopio

Province Karhapaumlauml was also active in the

completion of the Church of Anna the Prophetess

inaugurated in Tuupovaara in 1915 The church was

built by the Karelian Brotherhood and financed by a

wealthy Saint Petersburg businessman Due to his

activities the Finnish nationalists accused Karhapaumlauml

for supporting the Russification of Finland and promoting the the PrimeRussian

faithPrime (FinnishPrimeRyssaumln uskoPrime the word ryssauml is a racist slur for Russian)

calling him a collaborator of the Russian secret police Okhrana The nationalist

press accused Karhapaumlauml of Primeanti-FinnishPrime politics He was called the Primedark

force of North KareliaPrime as the nationalists claimed the Karelians were not

aware of their true religion and ethnicity Instead of defending himself against

the accusations Karhapaumlauml focused on his religious work According to the

Church historian Kauko Pirinen Karhapaumlaumlrsquos work was only influenced by his

deep faith but not any kind of politics After the 1917 Russian Revolution the

Karelian Brotherhood owned schools and churches were closed and the

harassment on Karhapaumlauml became even more intense The Finnish right-wing

nationalists called him a Bolshevik although he had supported the Tsarist

regime Karhapaumlauml was finally expelled of his teacherrsquos vacancy just before

Finland gained its independence in December 1917 As the Finnish Civil War

broke out in January 1918 Karhapaumlauml was soon called to join the White Army

but was arrested at the conscription meeting and transferred to Joensuu where

he was placed in a prison camp set up for the Reds After a while Karhapaumlauml

was executed by a firing squad and buried in a mass grave The exact date of

Karhapaumlaumlrsquos death is not known According to his wife Karhapaumlauml was executed

in 8 March but the War Victims of Finland 1914ndash1922 database says he was

shot in 7 March Karhapaumlaumlrsquos body was finally handed over to his wife in

December 1918 and buried in Ilomantsi where a large crowd of local Ortho-

dox and Lutherans attended the funeral Karhapaumlaumlrsquos gravestone was stolen

twice and thrown in the nearby lake until it was cast in concrete

You cannot be too gentle too kind Shun even to appear harsh in your treatment of each other Joy radiant joy streams from the face of him who gives and kindles joy in the heart of him who receives All condemnation is from the devil Never condemn each other We condemn others only because we shun knowing ourselves When we gaze at our own failings we see such a swamp that nothing in another can equal it That is why we turn away and make

much of the faults of others Instead of condemning others strive to reach inner peace Keep silent refrain from judgment This will raise you above the deadly arrows of slander insult and outrage and will shield your glowing hearts against all evil - St Seraphim of Sarov

3

New Archbishop of Thyateira

and Great Britain

On Wednesday June 12 the Holy

Synod of the Ecumenical

Patriarchate filled the vacancy of

the Archbishop of the Holy

Archdiocese of Thyateira and

Great Britain Metropolitan Nikitas (Lioulias) of

Dardanelles Director of the Patriarch Athenagoras

Orthodox Institute (PAOI) in Berkeley California was

voted unanimously after three candidates were proposed

by the vote of the members of the Holy Synod held in the

Patriarchal Church

At the same time the Holy Synod decided to express its

delight to the former Archbishop of Thyateira and Great

Britain Gregory for his many years of ministry and

offering to the faithful people of this important

ecclesiastical Province of the Mother Church

Metropolitan Nikitas (Lulias) of Dardanelles Exarch of All

Hellespont was born in Tampa Florida United States in

1955

He studied at the University of Florida from which he

received his degree in Religion (1976) He then attended

the Theological School of the Holy Cross of Boston where

he graduated in 1980 and then completed postgraduate

studies at the Theological School of the Aristotle University

of Thessaloniki (1982)

He was ordained a Deacon in 1985 by Archbishop Jacob of

America and in the same year he became a Presbyter

He served in Saints Constantine and Helen (Merriville IN)

Church and in 1987 in the Holy Diocese of Chicago as

Secretary [Chancellor]

In 1988 he received the Archimandritersquos officium and

became a Protosyncellus at the same Bishopric

In St Petersburg Russia he completed his studies in

History and Russian language

He taught selected courses on Orthodoxy at the Loyola

University of Chicago

On December 2 1996 he was unanimously elected as

Metropolitan of Hong Kong and ordained on the 14 of the

same month at the Patriarchal Church of St George

His enthronement took place at St Luca Cathedral in Hong

Kong on January 12 1997 and became the first regular

priest of the newly-established Hong Kong Metropolis and

then he was appointed at the Dardanelles Metropolis in

2007

It is finally worth mentioning that Metropolitan Nikitas is

the Director of the Berkeley USA Patriarchal Orthodox

Institute ldquoPatriarch Athenagorasrdquo in Berkeley USA

Celebration

Happy Birthday

To Fr Joseph who celebrates his birthday on

July 2

and

Happy Anniversary

to

Fr Joseph and Presvytera Ranae

who celebrate their

wedding anniversary

July 12

Ask the Elders -On

Serving God and

Neighbor But it is so hard to find that peace

in my crazy busy life

Our plans and interests often

interfere with our lives We make

all these plans believing that we

will never succeed in anything

unless we arrange everything meticulously We truly must

try to do everything as our conscience tells us but we must

not do anything in haste It is when we are in a hurry that

the enemy traps us In haste we cannot be aware of

whether we have ignored him because we have no time to

think of him we are too busy with plans inside our head

In this manner it is easy to sin against our neighbor And

when we sin against our neighbor we are actually sinning

against God for God is everywhere He dwells in the soul

of each and every one of us Our relationship toward our

fellow men defines our relationship toward God

It seems that we do not understand one thing it is not good

when we return the love of those who love us yet hate

those who hate us We are not on the right path if we do

this We are the sons of the light and love the sons of God

His children As such ewe must have His qualities and His

attributes of love peace and kindness toward all

4

Archbishop Luke

of Simferopol and

Crimea Officially

Canonized by the

Ecumenical

Patriarchate

Although Archbishop

Luke of Simferopol and

Crimea popularly known

as Saint Luke the

Surgeon was canonized

by the Russian Orthodox

Church on Mary 25 1996

following the exhumation

of the his sacred relics he

was not officially listed among the Saints by the

Ecumenical Patriarchate despite his popular veneration

among the Greeks in Greece with churches and shrines

dedicated to him there This is a common custom as each

independent Church has its own list of saints and calendar

for commemoration Since canonizations only take place

after a request has been made by a Bishop Archbishop

Luke of Simferpol and Crimea was officially canonized on

June 13 2019 after a request was made by the newly

enthroned Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kiev and All

Ukraine Therefore he is now officially listed among the

Saints by decision of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical

Patriarchate

The Life of St Luke Bishop of Simferopol

and Crimea the Blessed Surgeon

Saint Luke Bishop of Simferopol and Crimea the Blessed

Surgeon was born Valentin Felixovich Voino-Yasenetsky

(Валентин Феликсович Войно-Ясенецкий polish

spelling Wojno-Jasieniecki April 14 1877 and died June

11 1961

Doctor of Medicine Professor and State Prize winner

since 1944 he was the Archbishop of Tambov and

Michurinsk and later of Simferopol and the Crimea While

he was serving the church as an Archbishop he was also

practicing as a surgeon and taught and published many

books and articles on regional anesthesia and surgery He

is now known to be a world-famous pioneering surgeon

In November of 1995 he was announced as a Saint by the

Ukrainian Orthodox Church and was officially glorified

by the Patriarchate of Russia May 25 1996 He is

commemorated by the church June 11 the anniversary of

his falling asleep in the Lord

Life

Born with the name Valentine Felixovitch

Voino-Yassentsky on April 27 1877 in Kerch (east

Crimea) his family members were civil servants to

Lithuanian and Polish Kings The family was

impoverished over time but Saint Luke remembers that he

received his religious inheritance from his pious father His

first true understanding of the Christian faith came from the

New Testament given to him at his high school graduation

by his principal

Education

He had an outstanding secular training Having exceptional

drawing abilities he graduated the Kiev Academy of Fine

Arts[note 1] He decided however against pursuing art in favor

of a career where he could help people who suffer and

chose to be a physician

In 1903 at the age of 26 he graduated from Great Prince St

Vladimir Medical School at the University of Kiev and for

a long time worked as a local district physician An

extraordinary medical student he excelled at anatomy His

superior knowledge of anatomy served him throughout his

surgical career

Out of compassion to the blindness that beggars were

experiencing due to trachoma Saint Luke studied

ophthalmology at the Kiev ophthalmologic clinic In a very

short time he acquired a significant amount of

ophthalmologic training His knowledge of this subspecialty

helped him treat not only his trachoma patients but many

other serious eye conditions as well

Marriage

Another important event in Valentinersquos life was the

marriage to his wife Anna a nurse They had four children

The family was transferred frequently to various regional

health care facilities and from the very beginning Valentine

never requested funds from his patients nor would he turn

anyone away because of his ethnic background or personal

beliefs When his wife died God in setting the path for

Valentinersquos Sainthood provided the family with Sofia

Sergeevna who would be the joyful surrogate mother of his

children during the harsh times ahead Valentine never

remarried

Career

During his early career he published many scientific

treatises and eventually became the head surgeon and pro-

fessor of surgery at the hospital in Tashkent in March 1917

In October Lenin took over the government and civil war

erupted in Tashkent in January 1919 Leninrsquos government

disfavored any religious witness Valentine was under

constant threat especially when treating party members but

he refused to operate under any circumstances without the

Icon of the Mother of God His results were outstanding

ldquoI ought to tell you that what God did to me as amazing and

incomprehensibleMy pursuing surgery completely satis-

fied the goal I always had to serve the poor and the suffer-

ing to dispose all my strength for the comfort of their pains

and to help them in their needsrdquo

These are some of the introductory comments from the

memoirs of Saint Luke that were kept by his secretary EP

Leikfeld His words are not vainglorious but a commentary

on how Gods plan was fulfilled through the life and

5

PARTY

February

3 2019

AT 400 PM

example of Saint Luke Living in the Ukraine during the

oppressive period of communism St Luke stood out

among his fellow physicians both as a surgeon and as a

Christian Even the communists coveted his talents for

healing the body

Ordination and Persecution

Despite the dangers from the Lenin regime he fearlessly

attended theological discussions arranged by Archpriest

Mikhail Andeev During this period when clergymen and

pious people would prove their faith in blood providence

led the Archpriest to invite Valentine to the priesthood

Thus in 1921 at the age of 44 Valentine was ordained a

priest For two years this exceptional individual was active

not only in his pastoral work but in public and scientific

activity

Eventually Fr Valentine was arrested and put on trial

falsely accused of giving inappropriate surgical care to

injured Red Army soldiers At his trial in his characteristic

fearless way he denounced the prosecutors claims by

explaining

ldquoI cut people to save them You Mr Public

Prosecutor why do you cut their heads offrdquo

Certainly the charges were never proven but since the Party

had to be infallible Fr Valentine was convicted to sixteen

years imprisonment

Doctor Scientist Bishop Imprisonments

Noting Fr Valentinersquos spiritual gifts prior to his departure

from Tashkent (arrest and exile to Siberia) in 1923 Bishop

of Ufa Andrew (Ukhtomsky) administered monastic

tonsure and facilitated his consecration as Bishop[note 2]

Almost immediately Saint Luke was sent to the first of his

three imprisonments

Due to his talent as a surgeon there would always be

placement at a remote medical facility where the attending

colleagues would be astounded that a professor with such

impeccable academic credentials would be subservient to

the whims of the local civil authorities Despite the

criticisms of lesser surgeons Saint Luke would practice his

medical skills With the grace of God he amazed his

colleagues with excellent medical outcomes in

ophthalmologic and surgical cases that others deemed

incurable

In 1926 Bishop Luke returned to Tashkent but in 1930

was again arrested and sentenced to three years of exile

Upon his release he once again returned to Tashkent and

spent his time in medical practice As a physician and

professor he trained many students and colleagues in the art

of surgery and as a scientist he found the time to publish

many articles A fruit of this work was the appearance in

1934 of his book Notes on Purulent Surgery[note 3] which

laid the foundation for an entire medical specialty For that

work Bishop Luke was awarded the degree of Doctor of

Medical Science in 1936 and his work continues to be used

in medicine to this day This monograph and the

subsequent revisions was the ldquogold standardrdquo reference for

his colleagues at the time

As a capable hierarch he strengthened the parishes and

supported priests and church councils As Saint Lukersquos

surgical and pastoral popularity would increase the

communist authorities would transfer him When blatant

injustices would be committed against Christians and

fellow political prisoners he would initiate hunger strikes

In 1937 Vladyka was arrested and spent more than two

difficult years undergoing tortuous interrogation and

humiliation[note 4] Nonetheless resting his hope in the Lord

he courageously endured those trials not only refusing to

agree to false accusations against him but engaging in

active protests ndash refusing to eat and sending complaints to

the highest authorities against the prosecutorsrsquo illegal

actions He would say to his fellow prisoners

ldquoThey demand that I remove my ryassa I will never do so

It my ryassa will be with me to my very deathhellip I help

people as a physician and I help them as a servant of the

Churchhelliprdquo

The people who met him during his ordeals bore witness to

his true character As a physician he was Unmercenary and

never asked for money treating all his patients with

immense love He shared his patientsrsquo pain and anguish for

he saw each person as an image of God unique and

unrepeatable

In 1940 Bishop Luke was sentenced to five years of exile

in the Krasnoyarsk area At the beginning of the Great

Patriotic War (World War II) Bishop Luke offered the

authorities his services as a doctor and in 1941 was

appointed consultant to the hospitals of Krasnoyarsk

In 1942 Vladyka was elevated to the rank of Archbishop

and appointed to the Krasnoyarsk kathedra which at the

time did not have a single church Through Archbishop

Lukersquos efforts in 1943 a church was opened in a suburb of

Krasnoyarsk He wrote to Patriarch Sergius

ldquoAll of Eastern Siberia from Krasnoyarsk to the Pacific

Ocean gave no sign of church lifehellipIf churches in various

parts of the Krasnoyarsk area are not opened in the near

future there is a risk that the people will lapse into reli-

gious savageryrdquo

In 1944 the archbishop was appointed to the kathedra in

Tambov In 1946 for outstanding scientific work in the area

of medicine he was awarded the ldquoStalin Awardrdquo for all his

scientific publications He donated almost all of the money

to help children who had suffered as the result of the War

Also in 1946 Vladyka was appointed to the kathedra of

Crimea where at first he combined archpastoral service

with medical assistance to the people but later dedicated

himself to Church service zealously working to build up

Christrsquos vineyard something that under the conditions of

life under Communist authorities then demanded great

courage and faith

As a Bishop he preached incessantly not only about the

need to live Orthodoxy but against the perils of the ldquoLiving

Churchrdquo httpsorthodoxwikiorgLuke_(Voino-Yasenetsky)_of_Simferopol_and_Crimea

6

2019

Father

of the

Year

Byron Magafas

Fatherrsquos Day

On June 16 we announced our Father and Man of Year Congratulations to

Byron Magafas Father of the Year and

Dr Demetrios Lappas Man of the Year

May God grant them many years After the presentations we were able to

personally congratulate the recipients at a very nice reception prepared by Pete

Regopoulos and Chris Tsoubanos

2019

Man

of the

Year

Dr Demetrios

Lappas

7

Spiritual Aspects of Fatherhood

By Al Rossi PhD

A conference participant once asked the speaker ldquoWhat is

the best way for a father to love his childrenrdquo The speaker

replied ldquoThe best way for a father to love his children is to

love their motherrdquo I reflect often upon that superbly

accurate statement And I think the reverse is equally true

the best way a mother can love her children is to love their

father

More than anything else in the world children need a

loving family and parents who support each other even if

the parents are apart through separation or divorce Christ

challenges us to love one another and that challenge

becomes even more compelling within our own families

Even in the best of families there is brokenness And that is

why the manrsquos call to fatherhood is so important We

fathers are called to show our families strong manly love

and forgiveness virtues modeled powerfully in the father of

the prodigal son (Lk 1132)

This father is stable loving and generous In his fairness

he avoids violating the freedom of either of his sons When

the prodigal demands his inheritance and decides to leave

the father does not attempt to withhold the money He does

not pressure the son to stay by trying to make him feel

guilty And the father is wise enough not to send care

packages to relieve the sonrsquos distress The father allows

both of his adult sons to make their own mistakes and to

learn from their failures an appropriate form of discipline

for older adolescents and young adults

The prodigalrsquos father demonstrates manly leadership by

taking loving initiatives and he takes many such initiatives

He maintains a thriving business to provide the generous

inheritance He creates and supports a loving family for the

prodigal to run from and for the older son to remain with

And there is his last generous joyful initiative as he runs

out to embrace the returning son kiss him and put on him

the best robe ring and shoes He celebrates the return of

his son with a feast And in a scene all of us fathers can

recognize he opens up the conversation with the sulking

older son

The father takes the initiative in bringing about forgiveness

and reconciliation in the whole family He is a model for us

in responding to our call to follow the Spirit of Jesus in

taking many initiatives in our families especially that of

boundless forgiveness for our children

When a father takes responsibility for his own spiritual

life for the way he prays goes to church and practices

virtue in the family he gives good example Then his

leadership in the family is authentic based on his own

solid relationship with God and he is less likely to be

concerned about any resistance his children may give him

He can lead family prayer When I suggest that we stand in

the living room and pray before a trip or that we pray in a

restaurant I often feel an initial resistance in my children

But quiet cooperation and peacefulness soon follow

Sometimes the children will even tell me that they prayed

in a restaurant when I wasnrsquot there

At times the fatherrsquos role of leading the family to great

forgiveness and prayerfulness is an unpopular one But as

a man grows in his own spiritual life he becomes more

sturdy and willing to accept responsibility Although all

this is impossible for us fathers to do alone God can do all

things God can even bestow the awesome spiritual power

of fatherhood upon us

httpsocaorgthe-hubthe-church-on-current-issuesspiritual-aspects-

of-fatherhood

Our Churchrsquos feast day celebration

Panagiarsquos Panegyri

Sunday August 18 2019

Immediately following

Divine Liturgy

More information to follow

8

Philoptochos Corner The Assumption Ladies Philoptochos

Society

Happy July Half of our summer vacation is almost over

Hope you are making the best of it Your new Philoptochos

Board has been busy planning out the rest of their 2019

calendar We know that many of you are traveling to

Greece or other exciting places Please be smart be safe

Check in with us during coffee hour wersquoll be waiting for

you when you get back

Our Chapter

We had our 2019-2021 Executive Board Elections on June

2nd and here are the results

President ndash Flora Dimitriou

1st Vice President ndash Helena Brown

2nd Vice President ndash Keve Gialouris

Recording Secretary ndash Rose Harpole

Corresponding Secretary ndash Patricia Aaron

Treasurer ndash Angie Koulouriotis

Assistant Treasurer ndash Diane Sieckmann

Adviser ndash Soula Marcou

Board Members Yvonne Alexopoulos Dessie Bellos

Popi Deros Amalia Karakasis amp Bessie Theodorou

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Board Member Diane Sieckmann

and friends for serving coffee hour for the month of July

Thank you to everyone who made a jewelry donation to us

for our May Festival Sale All proceeds will benefit the

National Childrenrsquos Medical Fund Luncheon chapter

expenses and sponsorship programs

Childrenrsquos Medical Fund

We have RAFFLE TICKETS FOR SALE Check out the

amazing prizes you could win 1 ticket for $10 or 3 tickets

for $25 find a Philoptochos member during coffee hour to

purchase your chance to win

Please support our youth ndash National Philoptochos

Childrenrsquos Medical Fund ldquoKids Helping Kidsrdquo at our

Panagia Panegyri Sunday August 18th Our youth will be

behind the bar selling punch iced tea amp lemonade All

proceeds will benefit the CMF SponsorshipGrant Program

We need your support in order to help our Chicago Diocese

host this most worthy event

A Look Ahead

Weekend of August 16th 17th amp 18th Bring a friend and

work a shift Sign up for The Festival of the Little Hills St

Charles See Helena Brown for more information

Dont see Downton Abbeyrdquo without us We are making

plans to rent a movie theatre at the Marcus Des Peres Cine

for a private screening of the movie Ticket sales will start

in August The ticket price is $1500 per person More in-

formation to follow regarding date and time

Sunday September 8th ndash Annual Gyro Luncheon

Sunday November 3rd - Philoptochos Name Day

Artoclassia

Saturday November 16th ndash National Childrenrsquos Medical

Fund Luncheon hosted by the Metropolis of Chicago

Sunday December 1st - Philoptochos Christmas Party

Evelynrsquos House ndash BJC Hospice

We are stocking the snack pantry at the hospice house If

you would like to make a donation please see Flora

Dimitriou for a list of items needed Also Evelynrsquos House

continues to need of more crocheted lap blankets or pillow

cases If you have any interest in making the blankets or

pillow cases please let us know There is a size requirement

for these items If you would like any more information on

this project please see Flora Dimitriou or Diane Sieckmann

2019 Meeting Dates

No Meeting in July August 4 September 15 October 6

November 10 No Meeting in December

We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions

Flora Dimitriou

Philoptochos President

fedimitriougmailcom

636-795-4602

9

Fanari 2019 Our Fanari campers left on June 16 for a week of learning and

fellowship on the grounds of the St Iakovos Retreat Center in

Kansasville Wisconsin Fanari is wonderful experience Ask

any of our campers who went

Congratulations to our area AHEPA 53 2019

Scholarship Recipients

The awards were given out this past Sunday June 2 at

the AHEPA 53 Apartments The St Louis AHEPA

Chapter has been awarding scholarships since 1950 to hone

the recipients for their outstanding academic achievements

This year AHEPA 53 awarded 15 scholarships Receipents

from the Assumption were

Demetri Case

Athena Stamos

George Sakelis

The ceremony was emceed by Chapter President Mi-

chael Kontominas and the scholarship awards were

presented by Basil Pappas

AHEPArsquos goal is to see these young students

succeed to the highest degree possible and not to forget their

Hellenic heritage

Applications for both Chapter and District level schol-

arships can generally be picked up in February from the

Church offices or online

10

Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) Corner The Orthodox Mission Team of St Louis

The Orthodox Mission Team of St Louis works to nurture an awareness within our local churches of the

need to evangelize catechize and support missionary efforts and programs globally

As always if you have any questions would like to be part of the Mission Team St Louis or if you would like to help our

missionaries please feel free to contact Rosie Hartley 618-447-9688

Thank you for your continued support

Celebrating 10 Years Since the Dedication of OCMCs Headquarters by Niko Birbilis

This May OCMC was thrilled to celebrate our 10-year-anniversary since the dedication of our current

missionary training and administration building May 21 2009 marked a great day not only for us at OCMC

but for Orthodoxy around the world The roots of OCMC go all the way back to Athens Greece in the 1950s

and to the influence of two young theologians Fr Deacon Anastasios Yannoulatos and Fr Deacon Demetrios

Trakatellis Deacon Anastasios would eventually go on to become His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of

Albania and Deacon Demetrios would soon go on to become His Eminence Archbishop Geron Demetrios of

America

Inspired by the missionary fervor and vision of these brilliant young men the Mission Center would begin as a

committee of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (GOA) of America As it continued to grow and develop

however the GOAs mission center soon moved to its own location in St Augustine Florida and Fr Dimitrios

Couchell (now His Grace Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos) was appointed as its first Executive Director In 1987

the mission center sent the first short-term mission team to Kenya and these teams would continue into the

present day as some of the most fruitful ministries of the mission center

By 1994 the GOA graciously handed its mission center over to become the pan-Orthodox mission center

representing the combined missionary efforts of all Orthodox jurisdictions in the US At this point it was finally

labeled the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC)

Fr Martin Ritsi took over as Executive Director in 1998 and by the late 2000s OCMC was already involved in

thirty countries around the world OCMC continued growing and soon it was time to expand to a new location

It was at this point that due to many incredibly generous supporters OCMC was able to construct its current

home the Archbishop Anastasios and Archbishop Demetrios Training and Administration Building This new

OCMC headquarters building was dedicated on May 21 2009 Since then it has increasingly been the source of

countless ministries striving to carry out Christrsquos great commission and spread the Gospel to the ends of the

earth

In the past 10 years since the dedication OCMC has sent a total of 1181 team members on 159 mission teams to

18 different countries This past year alone OCMC

Has continued to support 375 indigenous clergy worldwide through the SAMP program

Has continued to support 23 long-term missionaries

Provided medical care to 1199 people

Reached 815 children

Catechized 1400 people

Sent 4 healthcare and counseling teams

Built a church in Indonesia

Carried out 7 projects for students and orphans

Wersquove had a wonderfully exciting and fruitful history and we thank you all for walking this journey with us

With your support we are enabling countless people around the world to know the Gospel of Christ and to expe-

rience His love Please continue to keep our work in your prayers to volunteer your time and talents on our mis-

sion trips and to donate to our ministries Now we look forward to all that the next 10 years will bring

11

Births - Congratulations to

George and Melinda Abuqubou on the birth of their son

Christopher who was born on August 26 2018

Baptisms - Many Years to

Isabella Mavra Xenos Zewki daughter of Shivan and

Tatiana Zewki Isabella was baptized on May 19 2019

and her Godparents are Antonios Xenos and

Anastasia Mezinis

Anna Sophia Theodoropulos daughter of Fr Anastasios

and Presvytera Elizabeth Theodoropoulos Anna was

baptized on June 1 2019 at Saints Peter and Paul in

Glenview IL and her Godmother is Julie Stefanski

Peirce James Farmakis son of Mike and Shannon

Farmakis Pierce was baptized on June 1 2019 and his

Godfather is Kostantinos (Dino) Deros

Eleni Polixeni Psara daughter of Spiro and Colleen Psara

Eleni was baptized on June 2 2019 and her

Godparents are are Panteli Pappas and Alona

Teliatnykova

Sophia Shea Hayden daughter of Bob and Natalie

Hayden Sophia was baptized on Saturday June 22 at

Saints Pete and Paul in Glenview IL and her Godgather is

Peter Sparacio

Funerals - Memory Eternal

Anastasia ldquoAnnierdquo Markovich reposed on June 5 2019

The funeral was June 10 at Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox

Church with interment Mt Hope

Dorothy Nancy Graeff reposed on June 6 2019 The

funeral was on June 11 with interment at St Mathews

Cemetery

Nick Niarchos of Palos Hills Ill brother of Eugenia

(Alex) Pavlopoulos reposed on June 6th The funeral was

June 10 at Saints Constantine amp Helen Greek Orthodox

Church Palos Hills Il Interment at Evergreen Cemetery of

Evergreen Park in Il

Lehman Bennett grandfather of Jenny Bennett passes

way on June 15 The funeral and burial were on June 19

in Dallas TX

Memorials - Memory Eternal

June 2

5-year Haralambos Pelekanos

5-year Fr Constantine Regopoulos

June 9

9-mon Van (Evangelos) Evangelopoulos

1-year Tom (Athanasios) Dubis

1 year Mike Labis

1-year Elaine Scott

2 year Danica Mandrapa

8 year Ljubica Terzic

10-year Kostando Liakata

13-year Fr Gerasimos Annas

24-year Andrea Liakata

July 28

1-year Despina Zeriss

2-year Chris Zeris

August 4

21-year Athanasios Stratos

October 13

Departed Members Brotherhood of Alexander the Great

Important Please inform either Fr Joseph or Fr Anastasios

immediately when you or any member of your family is

sick or hospitalized so that appropriate prayer and

visitation may be scheduled Hospitals do not notify

clergy of patients even if you list yourself as a Church

member

In Our Prayers Nora (Elaine) Bangert Seraphima Henderson

Thekla (Rebecca) Kagaris Dean Kases

Janie (Zafera) Kyramarios George Lambos

College Addresses In an effort to keep in touch with and minister to our

college students we ask anyone with a daughter or son in

college to contact the Church office with the address

phone amp email

12

Extra Virgin Olive Oil $20bottle

Missouri Flag $9600

Patriarchal Flag $28900

Holy Water bottleshelliphelliphelliphellip$30800

Icon of St Porphyrios

Icon of the Annunciation

Icon of Elder Amphilochios Makris

Icon of Elder Iakovos (Tsalikis) of Evia

Dimitri and Rebecca Kagaris

Please call the church office if you would like to donate

any of these items

Womenrsquos Summer Book Study

Our plans for our Summer Book Study session are

complete

The book we are reading is

Everyday Wonders

Stories of Gods Providence

By V Rev Michael J Oleksa

and we will meet for our summer pot luck lunch and

book discussion

Saturday August 17

1100 am to 200 pm

Hosted by Keve Gialouris

17828 Greyabbey Ct

Chesterfield MO

If you have any questions please contact

Presvytera Laura Morton at 314-303-1784

Hellenic Culture Camp 2019 July 15-19

Open to all children entering 2nd grade through 8th grade in Fall 2019

Monday ndash Thursday 845 am - 300 pm

St Nicholas Family Life Center (Please bring a lunch and drink Monday-

Wednesday Greek lunch will be provided on Thursday)

Friday

845 am ndash noon Vetta Sports Manchester

Hellenic Culture Camp is a

wonderful opportunity to expose our children and grandchildren to culturally

enriching activities and friendships within our community

Activities include

Greek Cooking History

Geography Greek Dancing

Greek Language Greek Arts and Jewelry Making

Sports

Cost $100 for one child $90 for second child $80 for third child (Financial Assistance

Available)

For questions please contact Barbara Corrigan at

btcstlyahoocom or 3149606258 visit

httpswwwsngocorgnewshellenic-culture-camp

13

But I say to you the Lord says love your enemies do

good to those who hate you pray for those who

persecute you Why did he command these things So

that he might free you from hatred sadness anger and

grudges and might grant you the greatest possession of

all perfect love which is impossible to possess except

by the one who loves all equally in imitation of God

St Maximus the Confessor

Περί εἰδώλων Αγ Ἰουστίνου Πόποβιτς

Τό ἀνθρώπινο γένος δοκιμάζει καθημερινῶς στόν

κόσμο μας τήν ἐμπειρία νά ὁδηγοῦνται οἱ ἄνθρωποι

στήν ἀπώλεια εἴτε λόγῳ τῆς ἄγνοιας εἴτε τῆς μή

ἀναγνωρίσεως τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ καί

Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Μέ ἄλλα λόγια ἐκπίπτουν

ἐξαιτίας εἴτε τῆς ἀθεΐας εἴτε τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας

Αὐτή ἡ ἄγνοια ἤ ἡ μή ἀναγνώριση τοῦ Κυρίου

Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιφέρει τήν ἄγνοια ἤ τήν μή

ἀναγνώριση τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ ἀγαθοῦ σέ αὐτόν

τόν κόσμο τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ Αὐτοί οἱ

ἄνθρωποι ζοῦν laquoἐν ἀσελγείαις ἐπιθυμίαις

οἰνοφλυγίαις κώμοις πότοις καί ἀθεμίτοις

εἰδωλολατρείαιςraquo Ναί laquoἀθεμίτοις εἰδωλολατρίαιςraquo

γιατί ἡ εἰδωλολατρεία εἶναι πάντοτε σέ πληθυντικό

ἀριθμό Ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ὁποῖος δέν ἀναγνωρίζει τόν

μόνο ἀληθινό Θεό θέλοντας καί μή ἀναγνωρίζει

ἕνα ἀναρίθμητο πλῆθος ἄλλων μικρότερων

θεοτήτων ψευδῶν θεῶν εἰδώλων Πρόκειται γιά τίς

ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη πού δέν ἔχουν οὔτε ἀριθμό

οὔτε τέλος Ὅταν ὁ ἄνθρωπος δελεάζεται ἀπό μία

τέτοια μικρή μικρή θεότητα τότε αὐτή τόν

παρασύρει στίς ὑπόλοιπες ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη καί

τότε εἶναι πού τόν κατακομματιάζουν καί τόν

κατασπαράζουν οἱ ἀναρίθμητοι ψευδεῖς καί

ἀδηφάγοι θεοί Καί ὁ ἄνθρωπος δέν εἶναι σέ θέση

νά ἀμυνθεῖ σέ αὐτήν τήν ἀγέλη τῶν τρομερῶν

θηρίων καί τῶν δελεαστικῶν πειρασμῶν Τό

μικρότερο πάθος ὁδηγεῖ σέ μεγαλύτερο καί ἔτσι

σταδιακά βυθίζεται σέ ὅλο καί μεγαλύτερα πάθη

ὥσπου ἐν τέλει δέν μπορεῖ νά ἀναδυθεῖ ἀπrsquoαὐτά

Καί κάθε πάθος ἐμπεριέχει ἀναρίθμητα εἴδωλα καί

κάθε ἐπιθυμία φέρει ὅλο καί περισσότερα εἴδωλα

πού δέν ἔχουν τελειωμό Τά εἴδωλα εἶναι σάν τή

δυνατή φωτιά μέσα της κατακαίγονται καί ἡ

συνείδηση καί ἡ ψυχή καί ἡ καρδιά καί τό θέλημα

τοῦ ἀνθρώπου Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος τῆς

ἀγάπης παρακαλεῖ τούς χριστιανούς laquoΤεκνία

φυλάξατε ἑαυτούς ἀπό τῶν εἰδώλωνraquo Ἀπό τά

εἴδωλα προέρχονται ὅλα τά κακά καί τά μικρά καί

τά μεγάλα Καί κάθε ἄνθρωπος εἶναι εἰδωλολάτρης

ἐφrsquoὅσον δέν πιστεύει στόν μόνον Ἀληθινό Θεό

στόν Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Διότι ὁπωσδήποτε σέ

κάτι πιστεύει εἴτε ὄν εἶναι αὐτό εἴτε πράγμα εἴτε σέ

ὁρατά εἴτε σέ ἀόρατα εἴδωλα ὅπως εἶναι ὁ ἥλιος ἡ

σελήνη οἱ ἀστέρες οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὁ πολιτισμός ἡ

τεχνολογία ἡ φυλή ἡ κοινωνική τάξη τά πάθη οἱ

ἡδονές καί [hellip] τό ὄνομά τους laquoΛεγεώνraquo Ἀπό τό

πρῶτο ὥς τό τελευταῖο ὅλα τά παραπάνω εἶναι

εἰδωλολατρία Δέν ὑπάρχει ἀμφιβολία ὅτι τό καθένα

ἀπrsquoαὐτά φονεύει ὅτι κάνει ἄνθρωπο τόν ἄνθρωπο

φονεύει δηλαδή ὅτι θεοειδές θεονοσταλγικό

ἀθάνατο θεῖο αἰώνιο Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος

νουθετεῖ καί ἐντέλλεται στούς χριστιανούς laquoΔιόπερ

ἀγαπητοί μου φεύγετε ἀπό τῆς εἰδωλολατρείαςraquo Οἱ

ἄνθρωποι διά τῶν ποικιλόμορφων εἰδωλολατρειῶν

ἔμμεσα ἤ ἄμεσα θυσιάζουν τούς ἑαυτούς τους στὀν

διάβολο προσφέρονται ὡς θυσία στόν διάβολο Σέ

τελευταία ἀνάλυση κάθε εἰδωλολατρία εἶναι

σατανολατρία καί κάθε εἰδωλο-διακονία εἶναι σατανο-

διακονία Μήπως δέν λατρεύει δέν διακονεῖ δέν

προσφέρει θυσία τήν ψυχή του στόν διάβολο ἐκεῖνος

πού ζεῖ στά πάθη καί στήν ἡδονή ὅποιος ὑπηρετεῖ

ὁποιονδήποτε καί ὁτιδήποτε ἐκτός ἀπό τόν μόνον

ἀληθινό Θεό καί Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Αὐτό εἶναι

τόσο ξεκάθαρο γιά κάποιον πού μπορεῖ μέ φρόνηση

νά κρίνει Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ θεόσοφος Ἀπόστολος λέγει

στούς πρώην εἰδωλολάτρες Κορινθίους laquoὡς

φρονίμοις λέγωhellipοὐ θέλω δέ ὑμᾶς κοινωνούς τῶν

δαιμονίων γίνεσθαι Οὐ δύνασθε ποτήριον Κυρίου

πίνειν καί ποτήριον δαιμονίων οὐ δύνασθε τραπέζης

Κυρίου μετέχειν καί τραπέζης δαιμονίωνraquo

Ἀναμφίβολα ὁλόκληρο τό Εὐαγγέλιο τοῦ Σωτῆρος

ἔγκειται στό ὅτι laquoτό σῶμα τῶ Κυρίῳ καί ὁ Κύριος τῶ

σώματιraquo Ἔτσι γνωρίζουμε τό αἰώνιο μυστήριο τοῦ

ἀνθρωπίνου ὄντος πώς ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός

εἶναι ὁ Σωτήρας ὁλοκλήρου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὄχι μόνο

τῆς ψυχῆς ἀλλά καί τοῦ σώματός του Γιrsquoαὐτό καί τό

σῶμα τοῦ χριστιανοῦ ὀφείλει νά εἶναι ναός ἅγιος στόν

ὁποῖο ζεῖ ἡ ἁγία ψυχή στόν κόσμο μας καί στόν ὁποῖο

πρόκειται νά ζήσει καί μετά τήν κοινή ἀνάσταση τῶν

νεκρῶν Τά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν διά τοῦ ἁγίου

Βαπτίσματος τῆς Θείας Μεταλήψεως καί τοῦ

εὐαγγελικοῦ τους βίου ἔγιναν ἀναπόσπαστα μέρη τοῦ

Θεανθρώπινου σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ Τά σώματα

αὐτά δέν ἀνήκουν πλέον στούς ἴδιους ἀλλά σέ

Ἐκεῖνον Ὅτι ἔγινε μέ τό ἅγιο σῶμα Ἐκείνου

πρόκειται νά συμβεῖ στά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν Για την αντιγραφή Δημήτρης Κάγκαρης

14

Prophet Elias (Elijah)

The Old Testament prophet Elijah the Tishbite lived during

the time when King Ahab ruled Israel Ahabs wife Jezebel

was a foreigner who did not worship the One True God of

Israel but the false god Baal She persecuted prophets and

deceitfully tried to force the people of Israel to turn away

from God and worship Baal Elijahs fiery personality often

brought him into conflict with Ahab and Jezebel because he

was absolutely determined that the people would stay

faithful to God God rewarded Elijahs devotion with the gift

of prophecy Once when Elijah knew a serious drought was

coming soon God instructed him to leave his home and go

east of the Jordan River promising that he would be fed by

a raven Just as God promised the raven

brought Elijah food and he was able to

drink from a stream When the stream ran

dry God told him to go to the city of

Zarephath In the city he met a widow

who was gathering sticks He asked her

for bread but she replied I have no

bread baked and there is only a small

amount of flour and oil left for my son

and me There was not enough she said to share with

another person Saint Elijah told her not to worry or be

afraid but to make the bread and give him a little loaf She

did so and a great miracle occurred The widow had enough

flour and oil to last a whole year Sometime later when her

son died Elijah prayed over his body and the boy came

back to life The widow was overjoyed and said to Elijah

Now I know that you speak Gods word After many years

of drought God sent Elijah to see King Ahab By this time

there was famine as well as drought in the land While

searching for food and water Ahabs advisor Obadiah met

Elijah on the road He told King Ahab that the prophet was

back and Ahab went out to meet him He said to Elijah Is

it you you troubler of Israel Saint Elijah told King Ahab

that he the king was the one who was troubling Israel

because he was not living his life according to Gods laws

and should not be following the false god Baal Then he said

to the king Tell the people of Israel and the four hundred

fifty prophets of Baal to meet me on Mount Carmel When

everyone had arrived Saint Elijah told the people If the

Lord is God follow him but if Baal is then follow him

He challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest He told

them to put their sacrifice on one altar and he would put his

on another altar Neither one would start a fire to burn their

sacrifice but would call on God and Baal to start the fire

The false prophets of Baal hopped around and yelled to their

god to come and light the sacrifice Saint Elijah laughed and

said that maybe Baal was napping and needed to be

awakened The false prophets yelled even louder and still

nothing happened Elijah calmly made a large trench around

the dirt and all the water Saint Elijah had shown them all

the true and only God When King Ahab told his wife

Jezebel what Elijah had done she angrily promised to kill

the prophet Fearing for his life Elijah fled to Beer-sheba in

the land of Judah There he sat down under a broom tree

so miserable and fearful that he asked God to take his life

Instead God sent an angel to encourage him and to prepare

him for a long journey Following the angels instructions

he walked for forty days and forty nights until he came to a

cave There God spoke to him in a gentle breeze telling

him to bless helpers who would spread the true faith One

of those Elijah blessed was Elisha who was plowing his

fathers field When Saint Elijah saw him he threw his

cloak over him and soon Elisha was accompanying Elijah

as his helper As Saint Elijahs earthly life neared its end

God sent him to Bethel Jericho and the Jordan When he

came to the Jordan Elijah rolled up his cloak and touched

the water The water immediately parted and Saints Elijah

and Elisha crossed over on dry land As they continued to

walk a fiery chariot driven by fiery horses came and took

Saint Elijah in a whirlwind up into the sky Elisha took up

the great prophets cloak Elijahs story doesnt end there

He was one of two Old Testament saints who appeared with

Jesus at His Transfiguration Saint Elijah was there to

represent the Old Testament prophets who foretold the

coming of the Son of God He is a wonderful example of

someone who loved God with all of his soul all of his heart

and all of his mind In some churches on the feast of Saint

Elijah the priest blesses cars bicycles roller skates scoot-

ers (chariots) and any other method of transportation with

wheels httpdceocaorgassetsfilesresourcesSaints-Animalspdf

Troparion (Tone 4)

An angel in the flesh and the cornerstone of the prophets

The second forerunner of the coming of Christ Glorious

Elijah sent grace from on high to Elisha To dispel diseases

and to cleanse lepers Therefore he pours forth healings on

those who honor him

Quote

I have been very zealous for the Lord Almightyhellip

- Elijah about himself 3 Kingdoms 1910

Date Born

Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years before the

Incarnation of Christ

Date Died

Elijahs death is described in 2 Kings 2 9-13 (4 Kingdoms

2 9-13 OSB) The date is not certain

Commemoration Date

July 20 and the Sunday of the Holy Fathers

15

Jr Olympics Wrap Up Thank you to Alki Lappas Case for coordinating our team at the 2019 Metropolis of Chicago Jr Olympics hosted by Saints

Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church

in Palos Hills IL over the Memorial Day

Weekend

The medal results for our team were

9 gold (10k individual and relay swimming)

9 silver (table tennis individual and

relay swimming) and

2 bronze (individual swimming) Congratula-

tions to all

16

17

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church 1755 Des Peres Rd Town amp Country MO 63131

(Just north of Des Peres 14 Cine)

July 2019 FRIDAY LUNCHEONS

Menu subject to change

1100 am - 200 pm Kitchen Phone 314-966-6720

Web Site httpwwwassumptiongocorgfriday-lunch Cash Checks and Credit Cards accepted

Master Card VISA Discover American Express

NO LUNCHEON

JULY 5th

Have a Safe and Healthy

4th of July Weekend

July 19

Shrimp Saganaki over Rice $9

Baked Fish with Stewed Green Beans $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Lobster BisquehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $4Lg $6

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 12

Lamb Shank over Rice $14

Baked Fish with Macedonia Peas $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Chicken Avgolemono SouphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3Lg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 26

Baked 12 Chicken over Rice 8

Baked Fish with Roasted Brussel Sprouts $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Split Pea SouphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3hellipLg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

19

Su

n

Mo

n

Tu

e W

ed

Th

u

Fri

S

at

1

Un

mercen

arie

s

Ko

sma

s amp

Da

mia

no

s

90

0 a

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rth

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10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

2

63

0 p

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esp

ers

3

20

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m K

afen

io

4 I

nd

ep

en

den

ce D

ay

5

NO

FR

IDA

Y L

UN

CH

EO

N

Hap

py 4

th o

f Ju

ly W

eek

end

6

50

0 p

m G

reat

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per

s

7

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m O

rth

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94

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ivin

e L

itu

rgy

8

9

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

10

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

11 G

rea

t M

arty

r

Eu

ph

em

ia

80

0 a

m O

rth

ros

90

0 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

12

St

Pais

ios

of

Mt

Ath

os

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

13

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

14

Fa

thers

of

the 4

th

Co

un

cil

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

15

1

6

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

17

Gre

at

Marty

r

Ma

rin

a

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

18

19

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

20

Pro

ph

et

Eli

as

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

21

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

22

2

3

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

24

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

25

Rep

ose

of

St

An

na

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

26

Rig

hte

ou

s P

ara

skeve

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

27

Gre

at

Marty

r

Pa

nte

leim

on

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

28

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

29

3

0

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

31

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y T

imes

are

Ap

pro

xim

ate

Fa

st D

ays

are

Sh

ad

ed

Fea

st D

ays

are

Bo

xed

July

20

19

A

ssu

mp

tio

n G

reek

Ort

ho

do

x C

hurc

h

20

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church

1755 Des Peres Road

Town and Country MO 63131-1405

Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG US Postage

PAID St Louis MO

Permit No 4628

20

From the Orthodox Study Bible 1 John 4 12-16 20-21

No one has seen God at any time If we love one another God abides in us and His love has been perfected in us By

this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit And we have seen and testify

that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God God abides in

him and he in God And we have known and believed the love that God has for us God is love and he who abides in

love abides in God and God in him

If someone says ldquoI love Godrdquo and hates his brother he is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom has seen

how can he love God whom he has not seen And this commandment we have from Him that he who loves God

must love his brother also

Scripture taken from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc

For Consideration

The greatest teachers of the Church endeavored to teach great truths to men not only by words but also by visual examples Thus

Abba Isaiah in order to teach the monks that no-one would receive a reward from God who did not toil in this life for Him led his

disciples to a threshing floor where a labourer was gathering the threshed wheat lsquoGive me some of that wheatrsquo Isaiah said to the

labourer lsquoHave you been reaping as well Fatherrsquo lsquoI havenrsquotrsquo replied the elder lsquoThen yoursquove got a hope of some wheat if yoursquove

not gathered itrsquo To this the elder said lsquoTherersquos no wheat for him who has not gathered itrsquo lsquoNorsquo replied the labourer Hearing

this reply the elder went away in silence When his disciples asked him to explain his actions to them he said lsquoI did that

deliberately in order to show you that no-one will receive the reward from God who has not labored in asceticismrsquo

The Prologue from Ochrid Lives of the Saints and Homilies for Every Day in the Year vol 3 by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic Translated by Mother Maria Lazarica

Press Birmingham 1986 p99

Page 3: From Glory to GloryArchbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Although Archbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea, popularly known

3

New Archbishop of Thyateira

and Great Britain

On Wednesday June 12 the Holy

Synod of the Ecumenical

Patriarchate filled the vacancy of

the Archbishop of the Holy

Archdiocese of Thyateira and

Great Britain Metropolitan Nikitas (Lioulias) of

Dardanelles Director of the Patriarch Athenagoras

Orthodox Institute (PAOI) in Berkeley California was

voted unanimously after three candidates were proposed

by the vote of the members of the Holy Synod held in the

Patriarchal Church

At the same time the Holy Synod decided to express its

delight to the former Archbishop of Thyateira and Great

Britain Gregory for his many years of ministry and

offering to the faithful people of this important

ecclesiastical Province of the Mother Church

Metropolitan Nikitas (Lulias) of Dardanelles Exarch of All

Hellespont was born in Tampa Florida United States in

1955

He studied at the University of Florida from which he

received his degree in Religion (1976) He then attended

the Theological School of the Holy Cross of Boston where

he graduated in 1980 and then completed postgraduate

studies at the Theological School of the Aristotle University

of Thessaloniki (1982)

He was ordained a Deacon in 1985 by Archbishop Jacob of

America and in the same year he became a Presbyter

He served in Saints Constantine and Helen (Merriville IN)

Church and in 1987 in the Holy Diocese of Chicago as

Secretary [Chancellor]

In 1988 he received the Archimandritersquos officium and

became a Protosyncellus at the same Bishopric

In St Petersburg Russia he completed his studies in

History and Russian language

He taught selected courses on Orthodoxy at the Loyola

University of Chicago

On December 2 1996 he was unanimously elected as

Metropolitan of Hong Kong and ordained on the 14 of the

same month at the Patriarchal Church of St George

His enthronement took place at St Luca Cathedral in Hong

Kong on January 12 1997 and became the first regular

priest of the newly-established Hong Kong Metropolis and

then he was appointed at the Dardanelles Metropolis in

2007

It is finally worth mentioning that Metropolitan Nikitas is

the Director of the Berkeley USA Patriarchal Orthodox

Institute ldquoPatriarch Athenagorasrdquo in Berkeley USA

Celebration

Happy Birthday

To Fr Joseph who celebrates his birthday on

July 2

and

Happy Anniversary

to

Fr Joseph and Presvytera Ranae

who celebrate their

wedding anniversary

July 12

Ask the Elders -On

Serving God and

Neighbor But it is so hard to find that peace

in my crazy busy life

Our plans and interests often

interfere with our lives We make

all these plans believing that we

will never succeed in anything

unless we arrange everything meticulously We truly must

try to do everything as our conscience tells us but we must

not do anything in haste It is when we are in a hurry that

the enemy traps us In haste we cannot be aware of

whether we have ignored him because we have no time to

think of him we are too busy with plans inside our head

In this manner it is easy to sin against our neighbor And

when we sin against our neighbor we are actually sinning

against God for God is everywhere He dwells in the soul

of each and every one of us Our relationship toward our

fellow men defines our relationship toward God

It seems that we do not understand one thing it is not good

when we return the love of those who love us yet hate

those who hate us We are not on the right path if we do

this We are the sons of the light and love the sons of God

His children As such ewe must have His qualities and His

attributes of love peace and kindness toward all

4

Archbishop Luke

of Simferopol and

Crimea Officially

Canonized by the

Ecumenical

Patriarchate

Although Archbishop

Luke of Simferopol and

Crimea popularly known

as Saint Luke the

Surgeon was canonized

by the Russian Orthodox

Church on Mary 25 1996

following the exhumation

of the his sacred relics he

was not officially listed among the Saints by the

Ecumenical Patriarchate despite his popular veneration

among the Greeks in Greece with churches and shrines

dedicated to him there This is a common custom as each

independent Church has its own list of saints and calendar

for commemoration Since canonizations only take place

after a request has been made by a Bishop Archbishop

Luke of Simferpol and Crimea was officially canonized on

June 13 2019 after a request was made by the newly

enthroned Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kiev and All

Ukraine Therefore he is now officially listed among the

Saints by decision of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical

Patriarchate

The Life of St Luke Bishop of Simferopol

and Crimea the Blessed Surgeon

Saint Luke Bishop of Simferopol and Crimea the Blessed

Surgeon was born Valentin Felixovich Voino-Yasenetsky

(Валентин Феликсович Войно-Ясенецкий polish

spelling Wojno-Jasieniecki April 14 1877 and died June

11 1961

Doctor of Medicine Professor and State Prize winner

since 1944 he was the Archbishop of Tambov and

Michurinsk and later of Simferopol and the Crimea While

he was serving the church as an Archbishop he was also

practicing as a surgeon and taught and published many

books and articles on regional anesthesia and surgery He

is now known to be a world-famous pioneering surgeon

In November of 1995 he was announced as a Saint by the

Ukrainian Orthodox Church and was officially glorified

by the Patriarchate of Russia May 25 1996 He is

commemorated by the church June 11 the anniversary of

his falling asleep in the Lord

Life

Born with the name Valentine Felixovitch

Voino-Yassentsky on April 27 1877 in Kerch (east

Crimea) his family members were civil servants to

Lithuanian and Polish Kings The family was

impoverished over time but Saint Luke remembers that he

received his religious inheritance from his pious father His

first true understanding of the Christian faith came from the

New Testament given to him at his high school graduation

by his principal

Education

He had an outstanding secular training Having exceptional

drawing abilities he graduated the Kiev Academy of Fine

Arts[note 1] He decided however against pursuing art in favor

of a career where he could help people who suffer and

chose to be a physician

In 1903 at the age of 26 he graduated from Great Prince St

Vladimir Medical School at the University of Kiev and for

a long time worked as a local district physician An

extraordinary medical student he excelled at anatomy His

superior knowledge of anatomy served him throughout his

surgical career

Out of compassion to the blindness that beggars were

experiencing due to trachoma Saint Luke studied

ophthalmology at the Kiev ophthalmologic clinic In a very

short time he acquired a significant amount of

ophthalmologic training His knowledge of this subspecialty

helped him treat not only his trachoma patients but many

other serious eye conditions as well

Marriage

Another important event in Valentinersquos life was the

marriage to his wife Anna a nurse They had four children

The family was transferred frequently to various regional

health care facilities and from the very beginning Valentine

never requested funds from his patients nor would he turn

anyone away because of his ethnic background or personal

beliefs When his wife died God in setting the path for

Valentinersquos Sainthood provided the family with Sofia

Sergeevna who would be the joyful surrogate mother of his

children during the harsh times ahead Valentine never

remarried

Career

During his early career he published many scientific

treatises and eventually became the head surgeon and pro-

fessor of surgery at the hospital in Tashkent in March 1917

In October Lenin took over the government and civil war

erupted in Tashkent in January 1919 Leninrsquos government

disfavored any religious witness Valentine was under

constant threat especially when treating party members but

he refused to operate under any circumstances without the

Icon of the Mother of God His results were outstanding

ldquoI ought to tell you that what God did to me as amazing and

incomprehensibleMy pursuing surgery completely satis-

fied the goal I always had to serve the poor and the suffer-

ing to dispose all my strength for the comfort of their pains

and to help them in their needsrdquo

These are some of the introductory comments from the

memoirs of Saint Luke that were kept by his secretary EP

Leikfeld His words are not vainglorious but a commentary

on how Gods plan was fulfilled through the life and

5

PARTY

February

3 2019

AT 400 PM

example of Saint Luke Living in the Ukraine during the

oppressive period of communism St Luke stood out

among his fellow physicians both as a surgeon and as a

Christian Even the communists coveted his talents for

healing the body

Ordination and Persecution

Despite the dangers from the Lenin regime he fearlessly

attended theological discussions arranged by Archpriest

Mikhail Andeev During this period when clergymen and

pious people would prove their faith in blood providence

led the Archpriest to invite Valentine to the priesthood

Thus in 1921 at the age of 44 Valentine was ordained a

priest For two years this exceptional individual was active

not only in his pastoral work but in public and scientific

activity

Eventually Fr Valentine was arrested and put on trial

falsely accused of giving inappropriate surgical care to

injured Red Army soldiers At his trial in his characteristic

fearless way he denounced the prosecutors claims by

explaining

ldquoI cut people to save them You Mr Public

Prosecutor why do you cut their heads offrdquo

Certainly the charges were never proven but since the Party

had to be infallible Fr Valentine was convicted to sixteen

years imprisonment

Doctor Scientist Bishop Imprisonments

Noting Fr Valentinersquos spiritual gifts prior to his departure

from Tashkent (arrest and exile to Siberia) in 1923 Bishop

of Ufa Andrew (Ukhtomsky) administered monastic

tonsure and facilitated his consecration as Bishop[note 2]

Almost immediately Saint Luke was sent to the first of his

three imprisonments

Due to his talent as a surgeon there would always be

placement at a remote medical facility where the attending

colleagues would be astounded that a professor with such

impeccable academic credentials would be subservient to

the whims of the local civil authorities Despite the

criticisms of lesser surgeons Saint Luke would practice his

medical skills With the grace of God he amazed his

colleagues with excellent medical outcomes in

ophthalmologic and surgical cases that others deemed

incurable

In 1926 Bishop Luke returned to Tashkent but in 1930

was again arrested and sentenced to three years of exile

Upon his release he once again returned to Tashkent and

spent his time in medical practice As a physician and

professor he trained many students and colleagues in the art

of surgery and as a scientist he found the time to publish

many articles A fruit of this work was the appearance in

1934 of his book Notes on Purulent Surgery[note 3] which

laid the foundation for an entire medical specialty For that

work Bishop Luke was awarded the degree of Doctor of

Medical Science in 1936 and his work continues to be used

in medicine to this day This monograph and the

subsequent revisions was the ldquogold standardrdquo reference for

his colleagues at the time

As a capable hierarch he strengthened the parishes and

supported priests and church councils As Saint Lukersquos

surgical and pastoral popularity would increase the

communist authorities would transfer him When blatant

injustices would be committed against Christians and

fellow political prisoners he would initiate hunger strikes

In 1937 Vladyka was arrested and spent more than two

difficult years undergoing tortuous interrogation and

humiliation[note 4] Nonetheless resting his hope in the Lord

he courageously endured those trials not only refusing to

agree to false accusations against him but engaging in

active protests ndash refusing to eat and sending complaints to

the highest authorities against the prosecutorsrsquo illegal

actions He would say to his fellow prisoners

ldquoThey demand that I remove my ryassa I will never do so

It my ryassa will be with me to my very deathhellip I help

people as a physician and I help them as a servant of the

Churchhelliprdquo

The people who met him during his ordeals bore witness to

his true character As a physician he was Unmercenary and

never asked for money treating all his patients with

immense love He shared his patientsrsquo pain and anguish for

he saw each person as an image of God unique and

unrepeatable

In 1940 Bishop Luke was sentenced to five years of exile

in the Krasnoyarsk area At the beginning of the Great

Patriotic War (World War II) Bishop Luke offered the

authorities his services as a doctor and in 1941 was

appointed consultant to the hospitals of Krasnoyarsk

In 1942 Vladyka was elevated to the rank of Archbishop

and appointed to the Krasnoyarsk kathedra which at the

time did not have a single church Through Archbishop

Lukersquos efforts in 1943 a church was opened in a suburb of

Krasnoyarsk He wrote to Patriarch Sergius

ldquoAll of Eastern Siberia from Krasnoyarsk to the Pacific

Ocean gave no sign of church lifehellipIf churches in various

parts of the Krasnoyarsk area are not opened in the near

future there is a risk that the people will lapse into reli-

gious savageryrdquo

In 1944 the archbishop was appointed to the kathedra in

Tambov In 1946 for outstanding scientific work in the area

of medicine he was awarded the ldquoStalin Awardrdquo for all his

scientific publications He donated almost all of the money

to help children who had suffered as the result of the War

Also in 1946 Vladyka was appointed to the kathedra of

Crimea where at first he combined archpastoral service

with medical assistance to the people but later dedicated

himself to Church service zealously working to build up

Christrsquos vineyard something that under the conditions of

life under Communist authorities then demanded great

courage and faith

As a Bishop he preached incessantly not only about the

need to live Orthodoxy but against the perils of the ldquoLiving

Churchrdquo httpsorthodoxwikiorgLuke_(Voino-Yasenetsky)_of_Simferopol_and_Crimea

6

2019

Father

of the

Year

Byron Magafas

Fatherrsquos Day

On June 16 we announced our Father and Man of Year Congratulations to

Byron Magafas Father of the Year and

Dr Demetrios Lappas Man of the Year

May God grant them many years After the presentations we were able to

personally congratulate the recipients at a very nice reception prepared by Pete

Regopoulos and Chris Tsoubanos

2019

Man

of the

Year

Dr Demetrios

Lappas

7

Spiritual Aspects of Fatherhood

By Al Rossi PhD

A conference participant once asked the speaker ldquoWhat is

the best way for a father to love his childrenrdquo The speaker

replied ldquoThe best way for a father to love his children is to

love their motherrdquo I reflect often upon that superbly

accurate statement And I think the reverse is equally true

the best way a mother can love her children is to love their

father

More than anything else in the world children need a

loving family and parents who support each other even if

the parents are apart through separation or divorce Christ

challenges us to love one another and that challenge

becomes even more compelling within our own families

Even in the best of families there is brokenness And that is

why the manrsquos call to fatherhood is so important We

fathers are called to show our families strong manly love

and forgiveness virtues modeled powerfully in the father of

the prodigal son (Lk 1132)

This father is stable loving and generous In his fairness

he avoids violating the freedom of either of his sons When

the prodigal demands his inheritance and decides to leave

the father does not attempt to withhold the money He does

not pressure the son to stay by trying to make him feel

guilty And the father is wise enough not to send care

packages to relieve the sonrsquos distress The father allows

both of his adult sons to make their own mistakes and to

learn from their failures an appropriate form of discipline

for older adolescents and young adults

The prodigalrsquos father demonstrates manly leadership by

taking loving initiatives and he takes many such initiatives

He maintains a thriving business to provide the generous

inheritance He creates and supports a loving family for the

prodigal to run from and for the older son to remain with

And there is his last generous joyful initiative as he runs

out to embrace the returning son kiss him and put on him

the best robe ring and shoes He celebrates the return of

his son with a feast And in a scene all of us fathers can

recognize he opens up the conversation with the sulking

older son

The father takes the initiative in bringing about forgiveness

and reconciliation in the whole family He is a model for us

in responding to our call to follow the Spirit of Jesus in

taking many initiatives in our families especially that of

boundless forgiveness for our children

When a father takes responsibility for his own spiritual

life for the way he prays goes to church and practices

virtue in the family he gives good example Then his

leadership in the family is authentic based on his own

solid relationship with God and he is less likely to be

concerned about any resistance his children may give him

He can lead family prayer When I suggest that we stand in

the living room and pray before a trip or that we pray in a

restaurant I often feel an initial resistance in my children

But quiet cooperation and peacefulness soon follow

Sometimes the children will even tell me that they prayed

in a restaurant when I wasnrsquot there

At times the fatherrsquos role of leading the family to great

forgiveness and prayerfulness is an unpopular one But as

a man grows in his own spiritual life he becomes more

sturdy and willing to accept responsibility Although all

this is impossible for us fathers to do alone God can do all

things God can even bestow the awesome spiritual power

of fatherhood upon us

httpsocaorgthe-hubthe-church-on-current-issuesspiritual-aspects-

of-fatherhood

Our Churchrsquos feast day celebration

Panagiarsquos Panegyri

Sunday August 18 2019

Immediately following

Divine Liturgy

More information to follow

8

Philoptochos Corner The Assumption Ladies Philoptochos

Society

Happy July Half of our summer vacation is almost over

Hope you are making the best of it Your new Philoptochos

Board has been busy planning out the rest of their 2019

calendar We know that many of you are traveling to

Greece or other exciting places Please be smart be safe

Check in with us during coffee hour wersquoll be waiting for

you when you get back

Our Chapter

We had our 2019-2021 Executive Board Elections on June

2nd and here are the results

President ndash Flora Dimitriou

1st Vice President ndash Helena Brown

2nd Vice President ndash Keve Gialouris

Recording Secretary ndash Rose Harpole

Corresponding Secretary ndash Patricia Aaron

Treasurer ndash Angie Koulouriotis

Assistant Treasurer ndash Diane Sieckmann

Adviser ndash Soula Marcou

Board Members Yvonne Alexopoulos Dessie Bellos

Popi Deros Amalia Karakasis amp Bessie Theodorou

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Board Member Diane Sieckmann

and friends for serving coffee hour for the month of July

Thank you to everyone who made a jewelry donation to us

for our May Festival Sale All proceeds will benefit the

National Childrenrsquos Medical Fund Luncheon chapter

expenses and sponsorship programs

Childrenrsquos Medical Fund

We have RAFFLE TICKETS FOR SALE Check out the

amazing prizes you could win 1 ticket for $10 or 3 tickets

for $25 find a Philoptochos member during coffee hour to

purchase your chance to win

Please support our youth ndash National Philoptochos

Childrenrsquos Medical Fund ldquoKids Helping Kidsrdquo at our

Panagia Panegyri Sunday August 18th Our youth will be

behind the bar selling punch iced tea amp lemonade All

proceeds will benefit the CMF SponsorshipGrant Program

We need your support in order to help our Chicago Diocese

host this most worthy event

A Look Ahead

Weekend of August 16th 17th amp 18th Bring a friend and

work a shift Sign up for The Festival of the Little Hills St

Charles See Helena Brown for more information

Dont see Downton Abbeyrdquo without us We are making

plans to rent a movie theatre at the Marcus Des Peres Cine

for a private screening of the movie Ticket sales will start

in August The ticket price is $1500 per person More in-

formation to follow regarding date and time

Sunday September 8th ndash Annual Gyro Luncheon

Sunday November 3rd - Philoptochos Name Day

Artoclassia

Saturday November 16th ndash National Childrenrsquos Medical

Fund Luncheon hosted by the Metropolis of Chicago

Sunday December 1st - Philoptochos Christmas Party

Evelynrsquos House ndash BJC Hospice

We are stocking the snack pantry at the hospice house If

you would like to make a donation please see Flora

Dimitriou for a list of items needed Also Evelynrsquos House

continues to need of more crocheted lap blankets or pillow

cases If you have any interest in making the blankets or

pillow cases please let us know There is a size requirement

for these items If you would like any more information on

this project please see Flora Dimitriou or Diane Sieckmann

2019 Meeting Dates

No Meeting in July August 4 September 15 October 6

November 10 No Meeting in December

We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions

Flora Dimitriou

Philoptochos President

fedimitriougmailcom

636-795-4602

9

Fanari 2019 Our Fanari campers left on June 16 for a week of learning and

fellowship on the grounds of the St Iakovos Retreat Center in

Kansasville Wisconsin Fanari is wonderful experience Ask

any of our campers who went

Congratulations to our area AHEPA 53 2019

Scholarship Recipients

The awards were given out this past Sunday June 2 at

the AHEPA 53 Apartments The St Louis AHEPA

Chapter has been awarding scholarships since 1950 to hone

the recipients for their outstanding academic achievements

This year AHEPA 53 awarded 15 scholarships Receipents

from the Assumption were

Demetri Case

Athena Stamos

George Sakelis

The ceremony was emceed by Chapter President Mi-

chael Kontominas and the scholarship awards were

presented by Basil Pappas

AHEPArsquos goal is to see these young students

succeed to the highest degree possible and not to forget their

Hellenic heritage

Applications for both Chapter and District level schol-

arships can generally be picked up in February from the

Church offices or online

10

Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) Corner The Orthodox Mission Team of St Louis

The Orthodox Mission Team of St Louis works to nurture an awareness within our local churches of the

need to evangelize catechize and support missionary efforts and programs globally

As always if you have any questions would like to be part of the Mission Team St Louis or if you would like to help our

missionaries please feel free to contact Rosie Hartley 618-447-9688

Thank you for your continued support

Celebrating 10 Years Since the Dedication of OCMCs Headquarters by Niko Birbilis

This May OCMC was thrilled to celebrate our 10-year-anniversary since the dedication of our current

missionary training and administration building May 21 2009 marked a great day not only for us at OCMC

but for Orthodoxy around the world The roots of OCMC go all the way back to Athens Greece in the 1950s

and to the influence of two young theologians Fr Deacon Anastasios Yannoulatos and Fr Deacon Demetrios

Trakatellis Deacon Anastasios would eventually go on to become His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of

Albania and Deacon Demetrios would soon go on to become His Eminence Archbishop Geron Demetrios of

America

Inspired by the missionary fervor and vision of these brilliant young men the Mission Center would begin as a

committee of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (GOA) of America As it continued to grow and develop

however the GOAs mission center soon moved to its own location in St Augustine Florida and Fr Dimitrios

Couchell (now His Grace Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos) was appointed as its first Executive Director In 1987

the mission center sent the first short-term mission team to Kenya and these teams would continue into the

present day as some of the most fruitful ministries of the mission center

By 1994 the GOA graciously handed its mission center over to become the pan-Orthodox mission center

representing the combined missionary efforts of all Orthodox jurisdictions in the US At this point it was finally

labeled the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC)

Fr Martin Ritsi took over as Executive Director in 1998 and by the late 2000s OCMC was already involved in

thirty countries around the world OCMC continued growing and soon it was time to expand to a new location

It was at this point that due to many incredibly generous supporters OCMC was able to construct its current

home the Archbishop Anastasios and Archbishop Demetrios Training and Administration Building This new

OCMC headquarters building was dedicated on May 21 2009 Since then it has increasingly been the source of

countless ministries striving to carry out Christrsquos great commission and spread the Gospel to the ends of the

earth

In the past 10 years since the dedication OCMC has sent a total of 1181 team members on 159 mission teams to

18 different countries This past year alone OCMC

Has continued to support 375 indigenous clergy worldwide through the SAMP program

Has continued to support 23 long-term missionaries

Provided medical care to 1199 people

Reached 815 children

Catechized 1400 people

Sent 4 healthcare and counseling teams

Built a church in Indonesia

Carried out 7 projects for students and orphans

Wersquove had a wonderfully exciting and fruitful history and we thank you all for walking this journey with us

With your support we are enabling countless people around the world to know the Gospel of Christ and to expe-

rience His love Please continue to keep our work in your prayers to volunteer your time and talents on our mis-

sion trips and to donate to our ministries Now we look forward to all that the next 10 years will bring

11

Births - Congratulations to

George and Melinda Abuqubou on the birth of their son

Christopher who was born on August 26 2018

Baptisms - Many Years to

Isabella Mavra Xenos Zewki daughter of Shivan and

Tatiana Zewki Isabella was baptized on May 19 2019

and her Godparents are Antonios Xenos and

Anastasia Mezinis

Anna Sophia Theodoropulos daughter of Fr Anastasios

and Presvytera Elizabeth Theodoropoulos Anna was

baptized on June 1 2019 at Saints Peter and Paul in

Glenview IL and her Godmother is Julie Stefanski

Peirce James Farmakis son of Mike and Shannon

Farmakis Pierce was baptized on June 1 2019 and his

Godfather is Kostantinos (Dino) Deros

Eleni Polixeni Psara daughter of Spiro and Colleen Psara

Eleni was baptized on June 2 2019 and her

Godparents are are Panteli Pappas and Alona

Teliatnykova

Sophia Shea Hayden daughter of Bob and Natalie

Hayden Sophia was baptized on Saturday June 22 at

Saints Pete and Paul in Glenview IL and her Godgather is

Peter Sparacio

Funerals - Memory Eternal

Anastasia ldquoAnnierdquo Markovich reposed on June 5 2019

The funeral was June 10 at Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox

Church with interment Mt Hope

Dorothy Nancy Graeff reposed on June 6 2019 The

funeral was on June 11 with interment at St Mathews

Cemetery

Nick Niarchos of Palos Hills Ill brother of Eugenia

(Alex) Pavlopoulos reposed on June 6th The funeral was

June 10 at Saints Constantine amp Helen Greek Orthodox

Church Palos Hills Il Interment at Evergreen Cemetery of

Evergreen Park in Il

Lehman Bennett grandfather of Jenny Bennett passes

way on June 15 The funeral and burial were on June 19

in Dallas TX

Memorials - Memory Eternal

June 2

5-year Haralambos Pelekanos

5-year Fr Constantine Regopoulos

June 9

9-mon Van (Evangelos) Evangelopoulos

1-year Tom (Athanasios) Dubis

1 year Mike Labis

1-year Elaine Scott

2 year Danica Mandrapa

8 year Ljubica Terzic

10-year Kostando Liakata

13-year Fr Gerasimos Annas

24-year Andrea Liakata

July 28

1-year Despina Zeriss

2-year Chris Zeris

August 4

21-year Athanasios Stratos

October 13

Departed Members Brotherhood of Alexander the Great

Important Please inform either Fr Joseph or Fr Anastasios

immediately when you or any member of your family is

sick or hospitalized so that appropriate prayer and

visitation may be scheduled Hospitals do not notify

clergy of patients even if you list yourself as a Church

member

In Our Prayers Nora (Elaine) Bangert Seraphima Henderson

Thekla (Rebecca) Kagaris Dean Kases

Janie (Zafera) Kyramarios George Lambos

College Addresses In an effort to keep in touch with and minister to our

college students we ask anyone with a daughter or son in

college to contact the Church office with the address

phone amp email

12

Extra Virgin Olive Oil $20bottle

Missouri Flag $9600

Patriarchal Flag $28900

Holy Water bottleshelliphelliphelliphellip$30800

Icon of St Porphyrios

Icon of the Annunciation

Icon of Elder Amphilochios Makris

Icon of Elder Iakovos (Tsalikis) of Evia

Dimitri and Rebecca Kagaris

Please call the church office if you would like to donate

any of these items

Womenrsquos Summer Book Study

Our plans for our Summer Book Study session are

complete

The book we are reading is

Everyday Wonders

Stories of Gods Providence

By V Rev Michael J Oleksa

and we will meet for our summer pot luck lunch and

book discussion

Saturday August 17

1100 am to 200 pm

Hosted by Keve Gialouris

17828 Greyabbey Ct

Chesterfield MO

If you have any questions please contact

Presvytera Laura Morton at 314-303-1784

Hellenic Culture Camp 2019 July 15-19

Open to all children entering 2nd grade through 8th grade in Fall 2019

Monday ndash Thursday 845 am - 300 pm

St Nicholas Family Life Center (Please bring a lunch and drink Monday-

Wednesday Greek lunch will be provided on Thursday)

Friday

845 am ndash noon Vetta Sports Manchester

Hellenic Culture Camp is a

wonderful opportunity to expose our children and grandchildren to culturally

enriching activities and friendships within our community

Activities include

Greek Cooking History

Geography Greek Dancing

Greek Language Greek Arts and Jewelry Making

Sports

Cost $100 for one child $90 for second child $80 for third child (Financial Assistance

Available)

For questions please contact Barbara Corrigan at

btcstlyahoocom or 3149606258 visit

httpswwwsngocorgnewshellenic-culture-camp

13

But I say to you the Lord says love your enemies do

good to those who hate you pray for those who

persecute you Why did he command these things So

that he might free you from hatred sadness anger and

grudges and might grant you the greatest possession of

all perfect love which is impossible to possess except

by the one who loves all equally in imitation of God

St Maximus the Confessor

Περί εἰδώλων Αγ Ἰουστίνου Πόποβιτς

Τό ἀνθρώπινο γένος δοκιμάζει καθημερινῶς στόν

κόσμο μας τήν ἐμπειρία νά ὁδηγοῦνται οἱ ἄνθρωποι

στήν ἀπώλεια εἴτε λόγῳ τῆς ἄγνοιας εἴτε τῆς μή

ἀναγνωρίσεως τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ καί

Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Μέ ἄλλα λόγια ἐκπίπτουν

ἐξαιτίας εἴτε τῆς ἀθεΐας εἴτε τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας

Αὐτή ἡ ἄγνοια ἤ ἡ μή ἀναγνώριση τοῦ Κυρίου

Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιφέρει τήν ἄγνοια ἤ τήν μή

ἀναγνώριση τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ ἀγαθοῦ σέ αὐτόν

τόν κόσμο τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ Αὐτοί οἱ

ἄνθρωποι ζοῦν laquoἐν ἀσελγείαις ἐπιθυμίαις

οἰνοφλυγίαις κώμοις πότοις καί ἀθεμίτοις

εἰδωλολατρείαιςraquo Ναί laquoἀθεμίτοις εἰδωλολατρίαιςraquo

γιατί ἡ εἰδωλολατρεία εἶναι πάντοτε σέ πληθυντικό

ἀριθμό Ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ὁποῖος δέν ἀναγνωρίζει τόν

μόνο ἀληθινό Θεό θέλοντας καί μή ἀναγνωρίζει

ἕνα ἀναρίθμητο πλῆθος ἄλλων μικρότερων

θεοτήτων ψευδῶν θεῶν εἰδώλων Πρόκειται γιά τίς

ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη πού δέν ἔχουν οὔτε ἀριθμό

οὔτε τέλος Ὅταν ὁ ἄνθρωπος δελεάζεται ἀπό μία

τέτοια μικρή μικρή θεότητα τότε αὐτή τόν

παρασύρει στίς ὑπόλοιπες ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη καί

τότε εἶναι πού τόν κατακομματιάζουν καί τόν

κατασπαράζουν οἱ ἀναρίθμητοι ψευδεῖς καί

ἀδηφάγοι θεοί Καί ὁ ἄνθρωπος δέν εἶναι σέ θέση

νά ἀμυνθεῖ σέ αὐτήν τήν ἀγέλη τῶν τρομερῶν

θηρίων καί τῶν δελεαστικῶν πειρασμῶν Τό

μικρότερο πάθος ὁδηγεῖ σέ μεγαλύτερο καί ἔτσι

σταδιακά βυθίζεται σέ ὅλο καί μεγαλύτερα πάθη

ὥσπου ἐν τέλει δέν μπορεῖ νά ἀναδυθεῖ ἀπrsquoαὐτά

Καί κάθε πάθος ἐμπεριέχει ἀναρίθμητα εἴδωλα καί

κάθε ἐπιθυμία φέρει ὅλο καί περισσότερα εἴδωλα

πού δέν ἔχουν τελειωμό Τά εἴδωλα εἶναι σάν τή

δυνατή φωτιά μέσα της κατακαίγονται καί ἡ

συνείδηση καί ἡ ψυχή καί ἡ καρδιά καί τό θέλημα

τοῦ ἀνθρώπου Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος τῆς

ἀγάπης παρακαλεῖ τούς χριστιανούς laquoΤεκνία

φυλάξατε ἑαυτούς ἀπό τῶν εἰδώλωνraquo Ἀπό τά

εἴδωλα προέρχονται ὅλα τά κακά καί τά μικρά καί

τά μεγάλα Καί κάθε ἄνθρωπος εἶναι εἰδωλολάτρης

ἐφrsquoὅσον δέν πιστεύει στόν μόνον Ἀληθινό Θεό

στόν Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Διότι ὁπωσδήποτε σέ

κάτι πιστεύει εἴτε ὄν εἶναι αὐτό εἴτε πράγμα εἴτε σέ

ὁρατά εἴτε σέ ἀόρατα εἴδωλα ὅπως εἶναι ὁ ἥλιος ἡ

σελήνη οἱ ἀστέρες οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὁ πολιτισμός ἡ

τεχνολογία ἡ φυλή ἡ κοινωνική τάξη τά πάθη οἱ

ἡδονές καί [hellip] τό ὄνομά τους laquoΛεγεώνraquo Ἀπό τό

πρῶτο ὥς τό τελευταῖο ὅλα τά παραπάνω εἶναι

εἰδωλολατρία Δέν ὑπάρχει ἀμφιβολία ὅτι τό καθένα

ἀπrsquoαὐτά φονεύει ὅτι κάνει ἄνθρωπο τόν ἄνθρωπο

φονεύει δηλαδή ὅτι θεοειδές θεονοσταλγικό

ἀθάνατο θεῖο αἰώνιο Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος

νουθετεῖ καί ἐντέλλεται στούς χριστιανούς laquoΔιόπερ

ἀγαπητοί μου φεύγετε ἀπό τῆς εἰδωλολατρείαςraquo Οἱ

ἄνθρωποι διά τῶν ποικιλόμορφων εἰδωλολατρειῶν

ἔμμεσα ἤ ἄμεσα θυσιάζουν τούς ἑαυτούς τους στὀν

διάβολο προσφέρονται ὡς θυσία στόν διάβολο Σέ

τελευταία ἀνάλυση κάθε εἰδωλολατρία εἶναι

σατανολατρία καί κάθε εἰδωλο-διακονία εἶναι σατανο-

διακονία Μήπως δέν λατρεύει δέν διακονεῖ δέν

προσφέρει θυσία τήν ψυχή του στόν διάβολο ἐκεῖνος

πού ζεῖ στά πάθη καί στήν ἡδονή ὅποιος ὑπηρετεῖ

ὁποιονδήποτε καί ὁτιδήποτε ἐκτός ἀπό τόν μόνον

ἀληθινό Θεό καί Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Αὐτό εἶναι

τόσο ξεκάθαρο γιά κάποιον πού μπορεῖ μέ φρόνηση

νά κρίνει Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ θεόσοφος Ἀπόστολος λέγει

στούς πρώην εἰδωλολάτρες Κορινθίους laquoὡς

φρονίμοις λέγωhellipοὐ θέλω δέ ὑμᾶς κοινωνούς τῶν

δαιμονίων γίνεσθαι Οὐ δύνασθε ποτήριον Κυρίου

πίνειν καί ποτήριον δαιμονίων οὐ δύνασθε τραπέζης

Κυρίου μετέχειν καί τραπέζης δαιμονίωνraquo

Ἀναμφίβολα ὁλόκληρο τό Εὐαγγέλιο τοῦ Σωτῆρος

ἔγκειται στό ὅτι laquoτό σῶμα τῶ Κυρίῳ καί ὁ Κύριος τῶ

σώματιraquo Ἔτσι γνωρίζουμε τό αἰώνιο μυστήριο τοῦ

ἀνθρωπίνου ὄντος πώς ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός

εἶναι ὁ Σωτήρας ὁλοκλήρου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὄχι μόνο

τῆς ψυχῆς ἀλλά καί τοῦ σώματός του Γιrsquoαὐτό καί τό

σῶμα τοῦ χριστιανοῦ ὀφείλει νά εἶναι ναός ἅγιος στόν

ὁποῖο ζεῖ ἡ ἁγία ψυχή στόν κόσμο μας καί στόν ὁποῖο

πρόκειται νά ζήσει καί μετά τήν κοινή ἀνάσταση τῶν

νεκρῶν Τά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν διά τοῦ ἁγίου

Βαπτίσματος τῆς Θείας Μεταλήψεως καί τοῦ

εὐαγγελικοῦ τους βίου ἔγιναν ἀναπόσπαστα μέρη τοῦ

Θεανθρώπινου σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ Τά σώματα

αὐτά δέν ἀνήκουν πλέον στούς ἴδιους ἀλλά σέ

Ἐκεῖνον Ὅτι ἔγινε μέ τό ἅγιο σῶμα Ἐκείνου

πρόκειται νά συμβεῖ στά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν Για την αντιγραφή Δημήτρης Κάγκαρης

14

Prophet Elias (Elijah)

The Old Testament prophet Elijah the Tishbite lived during

the time when King Ahab ruled Israel Ahabs wife Jezebel

was a foreigner who did not worship the One True God of

Israel but the false god Baal She persecuted prophets and

deceitfully tried to force the people of Israel to turn away

from God and worship Baal Elijahs fiery personality often

brought him into conflict with Ahab and Jezebel because he

was absolutely determined that the people would stay

faithful to God God rewarded Elijahs devotion with the gift

of prophecy Once when Elijah knew a serious drought was

coming soon God instructed him to leave his home and go

east of the Jordan River promising that he would be fed by

a raven Just as God promised the raven

brought Elijah food and he was able to

drink from a stream When the stream ran

dry God told him to go to the city of

Zarephath In the city he met a widow

who was gathering sticks He asked her

for bread but she replied I have no

bread baked and there is only a small

amount of flour and oil left for my son

and me There was not enough she said to share with

another person Saint Elijah told her not to worry or be

afraid but to make the bread and give him a little loaf She

did so and a great miracle occurred The widow had enough

flour and oil to last a whole year Sometime later when her

son died Elijah prayed over his body and the boy came

back to life The widow was overjoyed and said to Elijah

Now I know that you speak Gods word After many years

of drought God sent Elijah to see King Ahab By this time

there was famine as well as drought in the land While

searching for food and water Ahabs advisor Obadiah met

Elijah on the road He told King Ahab that the prophet was

back and Ahab went out to meet him He said to Elijah Is

it you you troubler of Israel Saint Elijah told King Ahab

that he the king was the one who was troubling Israel

because he was not living his life according to Gods laws

and should not be following the false god Baal Then he said

to the king Tell the people of Israel and the four hundred

fifty prophets of Baal to meet me on Mount Carmel When

everyone had arrived Saint Elijah told the people If the

Lord is God follow him but if Baal is then follow him

He challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest He told

them to put their sacrifice on one altar and he would put his

on another altar Neither one would start a fire to burn their

sacrifice but would call on God and Baal to start the fire

The false prophets of Baal hopped around and yelled to their

god to come and light the sacrifice Saint Elijah laughed and

said that maybe Baal was napping and needed to be

awakened The false prophets yelled even louder and still

nothing happened Elijah calmly made a large trench around

the dirt and all the water Saint Elijah had shown them all

the true and only God When King Ahab told his wife

Jezebel what Elijah had done she angrily promised to kill

the prophet Fearing for his life Elijah fled to Beer-sheba in

the land of Judah There he sat down under a broom tree

so miserable and fearful that he asked God to take his life

Instead God sent an angel to encourage him and to prepare

him for a long journey Following the angels instructions

he walked for forty days and forty nights until he came to a

cave There God spoke to him in a gentle breeze telling

him to bless helpers who would spread the true faith One

of those Elijah blessed was Elisha who was plowing his

fathers field When Saint Elijah saw him he threw his

cloak over him and soon Elisha was accompanying Elijah

as his helper As Saint Elijahs earthly life neared its end

God sent him to Bethel Jericho and the Jordan When he

came to the Jordan Elijah rolled up his cloak and touched

the water The water immediately parted and Saints Elijah

and Elisha crossed over on dry land As they continued to

walk a fiery chariot driven by fiery horses came and took

Saint Elijah in a whirlwind up into the sky Elisha took up

the great prophets cloak Elijahs story doesnt end there

He was one of two Old Testament saints who appeared with

Jesus at His Transfiguration Saint Elijah was there to

represent the Old Testament prophets who foretold the

coming of the Son of God He is a wonderful example of

someone who loved God with all of his soul all of his heart

and all of his mind In some churches on the feast of Saint

Elijah the priest blesses cars bicycles roller skates scoot-

ers (chariots) and any other method of transportation with

wheels httpdceocaorgassetsfilesresourcesSaints-Animalspdf

Troparion (Tone 4)

An angel in the flesh and the cornerstone of the prophets

The second forerunner of the coming of Christ Glorious

Elijah sent grace from on high to Elisha To dispel diseases

and to cleanse lepers Therefore he pours forth healings on

those who honor him

Quote

I have been very zealous for the Lord Almightyhellip

- Elijah about himself 3 Kingdoms 1910

Date Born

Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years before the

Incarnation of Christ

Date Died

Elijahs death is described in 2 Kings 2 9-13 (4 Kingdoms

2 9-13 OSB) The date is not certain

Commemoration Date

July 20 and the Sunday of the Holy Fathers

15

Jr Olympics Wrap Up Thank you to Alki Lappas Case for coordinating our team at the 2019 Metropolis of Chicago Jr Olympics hosted by Saints

Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church

in Palos Hills IL over the Memorial Day

Weekend

The medal results for our team were

9 gold (10k individual and relay swimming)

9 silver (table tennis individual and

relay swimming) and

2 bronze (individual swimming) Congratula-

tions to all

16

17

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church 1755 Des Peres Rd Town amp Country MO 63131

(Just north of Des Peres 14 Cine)

July 2019 FRIDAY LUNCHEONS

Menu subject to change

1100 am - 200 pm Kitchen Phone 314-966-6720

Web Site httpwwwassumptiongocorgfriday-lunch Cash Checks and Credit Cards accepted

Master Card VISA Discover American Express

NO LUNCHEON

JULY 5th

Have a Safe and Healthy

4th of July Weekend

July 19

Shrimp Saganaki over Rice $9

Baked Fish with Stewed Green Beans $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Lobster BisquehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $4Lg $6

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 12

Lamb Shank over Rice $14

Baked Fish with Macedonia Peas $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Chicken Avgolemono SouphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3Lg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 26

Baked 12 Chicken over Rice 8

Baked Fish with Roasted Brussel Sprouts $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Split Pea SouphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3hellipLg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

19

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m V

esp

ers

10

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

11 G

rea

t M

arty

r

Eu

ph

em

ia

80

0 a

m O

rth

ros

90

0 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

12

St

Pais

ios

of

Mt

Ath

os

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

13

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

14

Fa

thers

of

the 4

th

Co

un

cil

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

15

1

6

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

17

Gre

at

Marty

r

Ma

rin

a

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

18

19

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

20

Pro

ph

et

Eli

as

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

21

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

22

2

3

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

24

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

25

Rep

ose

of

St

An

na

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

26

Rig

hte

ou

s P

ara

skeve

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

27

Gre

at

Marty

r

Pa

nte

leim

on

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

28

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

29

3

0

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

31

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y T

imes

are

Ap

pro

xim

ate

Fa

st D

ays

are

Sh

ad

ed

Fea

st D

ays

are

Bo

xed

July

20

19

A

ssu

mp

tio

n G

reek

Ort

ho

do

x C

hurc

h

20

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church

1755 Des Peres Road

Town and Country MO 63131-1405

Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG US Postage

PAID St Louis MO

Permit No 4628

20

From the Orthodox Study Bible 1 John 4 12-16 20-21

No one has seen God at any time If we love one another God abides in us and His love has been perfected in us By

this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit And we have seen and testify

that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God God abides in

him and he in God And we have known and believed the love that God has for us God is love and he who abides in

love abides in God and God in him

If someone says ldquoI love Godrdquo and hates his brother he is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom has seen

how can he love God whom he has not seen And this commandment we have from Him that he who loves God

must love his brother also

Scripture taken from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc

For Consideration

The greatest teachers of the Church endeavored to teach great truths to men not only by words but also by visual examples Thus

Abba Isaiah in order to teach the monks that no-one would receive a reward from God who did not toil in this life for Him led his

disciples to a threshing floor where a labourer was gathering the threshed wheat lsquoGive me some of that wheatrsquo Isaiah said to the

labourer lsquoHave you been reaping as well Fatherrsquo lsquoI havenrsquotrsquo replied the elder lsquoThen yoursquove got a hope of some wheat if yoursquove

not gathered itrsquo To this the elder said lsquoTherersquos no wheat for him who has not gathered itrsquo lsquoNorsquo replied the labourer Hearing

this reply the elder went away in silence When his disciples asked him to explain his actions to them he said lsquoI did that

deliberately in order to show you that no-one will receive the reward from God who has not labored in asceticismrsquo

The Prologue from Ochrid Lives of the Saints and Homilies for Every Day in the Year vol 3 by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic Translated by Mother Maria Lazarica

Press Birmingham 1986 p99

Page 4: From Glory to GloryArchbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Although Archbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea, popularly known

4

Archbishop Luke

of Simferopol and

Crimea Officially

Canonized by the

Ecumenical

Patriarchate

Although Archbishop

Luke of Simferopol and

Crimea popularly known

as Saint Luke the

Surgeon was canonized

by the Russian Orthodox

Church on Mary 25 1996

following the exhumation

of the his sacred relics he

was not officially listed among the Saints by the

Ecumenical Patriarchate despite his popular veneration

among the Greeks in Greece with churches and shrines

dedicated to him there This is a common custom as each

independent Church has its own list of saints and calendar

for commemoration Since canonizations only take place

after a request has been made by a Bishop Archbishop

Luke of Simferpol and Crimea was officially canonized on

June 13 2019 after a request was made by the newly

enthroned Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kiev and All

Ukraine Therefore he is now officially listed among the

Saints by decision of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical

Patriarchate

The Life of St Luke Bishop of Simferopol

and Crimea the Blessed Surgeon

Saint Luke Bishop of Simferopol and Crimea the Blessed

Surgeon was born Valentin Felixovich Voino-Yasenetsky

(Валентин Феликсович Войно-Ясенецкий polish

spelling Wojno-Jasieniecki April 14 1877 and died June

11 1961

Doctor of Medicine Professor and State Prize winner

since 1944 he was the Archbishop of Tambov and

Michurinsk and later of Simferopol and the Crimea While

he was serving the church as an Archbishop he was also

practicing as a surgeon and taught and published many

books and articles on regional anesthesia and surgery He

is now known to be a world-famous pioneering surgeon

In November of 1995 he was announced as a Saint by the

Ukrainian Orthodox Church and was officially glorified

by the Patriarchate of Russia May 25 1996 He is

commemorated by the church June 11 the anniversary of

his falling asleep in the Lord

Life

Born with the name Valentine Felixovitch

Voino-Yassentsky on April 27 1877 in Kerch (east

Crimea) his family members were civil servants to

Lithuanian and Polish Kings The family was

impoverished over time but Saint Luke remembers that he

received his religious inheritance from his pious father His

first true understanding of the Christian faith came from the

New Testament given to him at his high school graduation

by his principal

Education

He had an outstanding secular training Having exceptional

drawing abilities he graduated the Kiev Academy of Fine

Arts[note 1] He decided however against pursuing art in favor

of a career where he could help people who suffer and

chose to be a physician

In 1903 at the age of 26 he graduated from Great Prince St

Vladimir Medical School at the University of Kiev and for

a long time worked as a local district physician An

extraordinary medical student he excelled at anatomy His

superior knowledge of anatomy served him throughout his

surgical career

Out of compassion to the blindness that beggars were

experiencing due to trachoma Saint Luke studied

ophthalmology at the Kiev ophthalmologic clinic In a very

short time he acquired a significant amount of

ophthalmologic training His knowledge of this subspecialty

helped him treat not only his trachoma patients but many

other serious eye conditions as well

Marriage

Another important event in Valentinersquos life was the

marriage to his wife Anna a nurse They had four children

The family was transferred frequently to various regional

health care facilities and from the very beginning Valentine

never requested funds from his patients nor would he turn

anyone away because of his ethnic background or personal

beliefs When his wife died God in setting the path for

Valentinersquos Sainthood provided the family with Sofia

Sergeevna who would be the joyful surrogate mother of his

children during the harsh times ahead Valentine never

remarried

Career

During his early career he published many scientific

treatises and eventually became the head surgeon and pro-

fessor of surgery at the hospital in Tashkent in March 1917

In October Lenin took over the government and civil war

erupted in Tashkent in January 1919 Leninrsquos government

disfavored any religious witness Valentine was under

constant threat especially when treating party members but

he refused to operate under any circumstances without the

Icon of the Mother of God His results were outstanding

ldquoI ought to tell you that what God did to me as amazing and

incomprehensibleMy pursuing surgery completely satis-

fied the goal I always had to serve the poor and the suffer-

ing to dispose all my strength for the comfort of their pains

and to help them in their needsrdquo

These are some of the introductory comments from the

memoirs of Saint Luke that were kept by his secretary EP

Leikfeld His words are not vainglorious but a commentary

on how Gods plan was fulfilled through the life and

5

PARTY

February

3 2019

AT 400 PM

example of Saint Luke Living in the Ukraine during the

oppressive period of communism St Luke stood out

among his fellow physicians both as a surgeon and as a

Christian Even the communists coveted his talents for

healing the body

Ordination and Persecution

Despite the dangers from the Lenin regime he fearlessly

attended theological discussions arranged by Archpriest

Mikhail Andeev During this period when clergymen and

pious people would prove their faith in blood providence

led the Archpriest to invite Valentine to the priesthood

Thus in 1921 at the age of 44 Valentine was ordained a

priest For two years this exceptional individual was active

not only in his pastoral work but in public and scientific

activity

Eventually Fr Valentine was arrested and put on trial

falsely accused of giving inappropriate surgical care to

injured Red Army soldiers At his trial in his characteristic

fearless way he denounced the prosecutors claims by

explaining

ldquoI cut people to save them You Mr Public

Prosecutor why do you cut their heads offrdquo

Certainly the charges were never proven but since the Party

had to be infallible Fr Valentine was convicted to sixteen

years imprisonment

Doctor Scientist Bishop Imprisonments

Noting Fr Valentinersquos spiritual gifts prior to his departure

from Tashkent (arrest and exile to Siberia) in 1923 Bishop

of Ufa Andrew (Ukhtomsky) administered monastic

tonsure and facilitated his consecration as Bishop[note 2]

Almost immediately Saint Luke was sent to the first of his

three imprisonments

Due to his talent as a surgeon there would always be

placement at a remote medical facility where the attending

colleagues would be astounded that a professor with such

impeccable academic credentials would be subservient to

the whims of the local civil authorities Despite the

criticisms of lesser surgeons Saint Luke would practice his

medical skills With the grace of God he amazed his

colleagues with excellent medical outcomes in

ophthalmologic and surgical cases that others deemed

incurable

In 1926 Bishop Luke returned to Tashkent but in 1930

was again arrested and sentenced to three years of exile

Upon his release he once again returned to Tashkent and

spent his time in medical practice As a physician and

professor he trained many students and colleagues in the art

of surgery and as a scientist he found the time to publish

many articles A fruit of this work was the appearance in

1934 of his book Notes on Purulent Surgery[note 3] which

laid the foundation for an entire medical specialty For that

work Bishop Luke was awarded the degree of Doctor of

Medical Science in 1936 and his work continues to be used

in medicine to this day This monograph and the

subsequent revisions was the ldquogold standardrdquo reference for

his colleagues at the time

As a capable hierarch he strengthened the parishes and

supported priests and church councils As Saint Lukersquos

surgical and pastoral popularity would increase the

communist authorities would transfer him When blatant

injustices would be committed against Christians and

fellow political prisoners he would initiate hunger strikes

In 1937 Vladyka was arrested and spent more than two

difficult years undergoing tortuous interrogation and

humiliation[note 4] Nonetheless resting his hope in the Lord

he courageously endured those trials not only refusing to

agree to false accusations against him but engaging in

active protests ndash refusing to eat and sending complaints to

the highest authorities against the prosecutorsrsquo illegal

actions He would say to his fellow prisoners

ldquoThey demand that I remove my ryassa I will never do so

It my ryassa will be with me to my very deathhellip I help

people as a physician and I help them as a servant of the

Churchhelliprdquo

The people who met him during his ordeals bore witness to

his true character As a physician he was Unmercenary and

never asked for money treating all his patients with

immense love He shared his patientsrsquo pain and anguish for

he saw each person as an image of God unique and

unrepeatable

In 1940 Bishop Luke was sentenced to five years of exile

in the Krasnoyarsk area At the beginning of the Great

Patriotic War (World War II) Bishop Luke offered the

authorities his services as a doctor and in 1941 was

appointed consultant to the hospitals of Krasnoyarsk

In 1942 Vladyka was elevated to the rank of Archbishop

and appointed to the Krasnoyarsk kathedra which at the

time did not have a single church Through Archbishop

Lukersquos efforts in 1943 a church was opened in a suburb of

Krasnoyarsk He wrote to Patriarch Sergius

ldquoAll of Eastern Siberia from Krasnoyarsk to the Pacific

Ocean gave no sign of church lifehellipIf churches in various

parts of the Krasnoyarsk area are not opened in the near

future there is a risk that the people will lapse into reli-

gious savageryrdquo

In 1944 the archbishop was appointed to the kathedra in

Tambov In 1946 for outstanding scientific work in the area

of medicine he was awarded the ldquoStalin Awardrdquo for all his

scientific publications He donated almost all of the money

to help children who had suffered as the result of the War

Also in 1946 Vladyka was appointed to the kathedra of

Crimea where at first he combined archpastoral service

with medical assistance to the people but later dedicated

himself to Church service zealously working to build up

Christrsquos vineyard something that under the conditions of

life under Communist authorities then demanded great

courage and faith

As a Bishop he preached incessantly not only about the

need to live Orthodoxy but against the perils of the ldquoLiving

Churchrdquo httpsorthodoxwikiorgLuke_(Voino-Yasenetsky)_of_Simferopol_and_Crimea

6

2019

Father

of the

Year

Byron Magafas

Fatherrsquos Day

On June 16 we announced our Father and Man of Year Congratulations to

Byron Magafas Father of the Year and

Dr Demetrios Lappas Man of the Year

May God grant them many years After the presentations we were able to

personally congratulate the recipients at a very nice reception prepared by Pete

Regopoulos and Chris Tsoubanos

2019

Man

of the

Year

Dr Demetrios

Lappas

7

Spiritual Aspects of Fatherhood

By Al Rossi PhD

A conference participant once asked the speaker ldquoWhat is

the best way for a father to love his childrenrdquo The speaker

replied ldquoThe best way for a father to love his children is to

love their motherrdquo I reflect often upon that superbly

accurate statement And I think the reverse is equally true

the best way a mother can love her children is to love their

father

More than anything else in the world children need a

loving family and parents who support each other even if

the parents are apart through separation or divorce Christ

challenges us to love one another and that challenge

becomes even more compelling within our own families

Even in the best of families there is brokenness And that is

why the manrsquos call to fatherhood is so important We

fathers are called to show our families strong manly love

and forgiveness virtues modeled powerfully in the father of

the prodigal son (Lk 1132)

This father is stable loving and generous In his fairness

he avoids violating the freedom of either of his sons When

the prodigal demands his inheritance and decides to leave

the father does not attempt to withhold the money He does

not pressure the son to stay by trying to make him feel

guilty And the father is wise enough not to send care

packages to relieve the sonrsquos distress The father allows

both of his adult sons to make their own mistakes and to

learn from their failures an appropriate form of discipline

for older adolescents and young adults

The prodigalrsquos father demonstrates manly leadership by

taking loving initiatives and he takes many such initiatives

He maintains a thriving business to provide the generous

inheritance He creates and supports a loving family for the

prodigal to run from and for the older son to remain with

And there is his last generous joyful initiative as he runs

out to embrace the returning son kiss him and put on him

the best robe ring and shoes He celebrates the return of

his son with a feast And in a scene all of us fathers can

recognize he opens up the conversation with the sulking

older son

The father takes the initiative in bringing about forgiveness

and reconciliation in the whole family He is a model for us

in responding to our call to follow the Spirit of Jesus in

taking many initiatives in our families especially that of

boundless forgiveness for our children

When a father takes responsibility for his own spiritual

life for the way he prays goes to church and practices

virtue in the family he gives good example Then his

leadership in the family is authentic based on his own

solid relationship with God and he is less likely to be

concerned about any resistance his children may give him

He can lead family prayer When I suggest that we stand in

the living room and pray before a trip or that we pray in a

restaurant I often feel an initial resistance in my children

But quiet cooperation and peacefulness soon follow

Sometimes the children will even tell me that they prayed

in a restaurant when I wasnrsquot there

At times the fatherrsquos role of leading the family to great

forgiveness and prayerfulness is an unpopular one But as

a man grows in his own spiritual life he becomes more

sturdy and willing to accept responsibility Although all

this is impossible for us fathers to do alone God can do all

things God can even bestow the awesome spiritual power

of fatherhood upon us

httpsocaorgthe-hubthe-church-on-current-issuesspiritual-aspects-

of-fatherhood

Our Churchrsquos feast day celebration

Panagiarsquos Panegyri

Sunday August 18 2019

Immediately following

Divine Liturgy

More information to follow

8

Philoptochos Corner The Assumption Ladies Philoptochos

Society

Happy July Half of our summer vacation is almost over

Hope you are making the best of it Your new Philoptochos

Board has been busy planning out the rest of their 2019

calendar We know that many of you are traveling to

Greece or other exciting places Please be smart be safe

Check in with us during coffee hour wersquoll be waiting for

you when you get back

Our Chapter

We had our 2019-2021 Executive Board Elections on June

2nd and here are the results

President ndash Flora Dimitriou

1st Vice President ndash Helena Brown

2nd Vice President ndash Keve Gialouris

Recording Secretary ndash Rose Harpole

Corresponding Secretary ndash Patricia Aaron

Treasurer ndash Angie Koulouriotis

Assistant Treasurer ndash Diane Sieckmann

Adviser ndash Soula Marcou

Board Members Yvonne Alexopoulos Dessie Bellos

Popi Deros Amalia Karakasis amp Bessie Theodorou

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Board Member Diane Sieckmann

and friends for serving coffee hour for the month of July

Thank you to everyone who made a jewelry donation to us

for our May Festival Sale All proceeds will benefit the

National Childrenrsquos Medical Fund Luncheon chapter

expenses and sponsorship programs

Childrenrsquos Medical Fund

We have RAFFLE TICKETS FOR SALE Check out the

amazing prizes you could win 1 ticket for $10 or 3 tickets

for $25 find a Philoptochos member during coffee hour to

purchase your chance to win

Please support our youth ndash National Philoptochos

Childrenrsquos Medical Fund ldquoKids Helping Kidsrdquo at our

Panagia Panegyri Sunday August 18th Our youth will be

behind the bar selling punch iced tea amp lemonade All

proceeds will benefit the CMF SponsorshipGrant Program

We need your support in order to help our Chicago Diocese

host this most worthy event

A Look Ahead

Weekend of August 16th 17th amp 18th Bring a friend and

work a shift Sign up for The Festival of the Little Hills St

Charles See Helena Brown for more information

Dont see Downton Abbeyrdquo without us We are making

plans to rent a movie theatre at the Marcus Des Peres Cine

for a private screening of the movie Ticket sales will start

in August The ticket price is $1500 per person More in-

formation to follow regarding date and time

Sunday September 8th ndash Annual Gyro Luncheon

Sunday November 3rd - Philoptochos Name Day

Artoclassia

Saturday November 16th ndash National Childrenrsquos Medical

Fund Luncheon hosted by the Metropolis of Chicago

Sunday December 1st - Philoptochos Christmas Party

Evelynrsquos House ndash BJC Hospice

We are stocking the snack pantry at the hospice house If

you would like to make a donation please see Flora

Dimitriou for a list of items needed Also Evelynrsquos House

continues to need of more crocheted lap blankets or pillow

cases If you have any interest in making the blankets or

pillow cases please let us know There is a size requirement

for these items If you would like any more information on

this project please see Flora Dimitriou or Diane Sieckmann

2019 Meeting Dates

No Meeting in July August 4 September 15 October 6

November 10 No Meeting in December

We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions

Flora Dimitriou

Philoptochos President

fedimitriougmailcom

636-795-4602

9

Fanari 2019 Our Fanari campers left on June 16 for a week of learning and

fellowship on the grounds of the St Iakovos Retreat Center in

Kansasville Wisconsin Fanari is wonderful experience Ask

any of our campers who went

Congratulations to our area AHEPA 53 2019

Scholarship Recipients

The awards were given out this past Sunday June 2 at

the AHEPA 53 Apartments The St Louis AHEPA

Chapter has been awarding scholarships since 1950 to hone

the recipients for their outstanding academic achievements

This year AHEPA 53 awarded 15 scholarships Receipents

from the Assumption were

Demetri Case

Athena Stamos

George Sakelis

The ceremony was emceed by Chapter President Mi-

chael Kontominas and the scholarship awards were

presented by Basil Pappas

AHEPArsquos goal is to see these young students

succeed to the highest degree possible and not to forget their

Hellenic heritage

Applications for both Chapter and District level schol-

arships can generally be picked up in February from the

Church offices or online

10

Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) Corner The Orthodox Mission Team of St Louis

The Orthodox Mission Team of St Louis works to nurture an awareness within our local churches of the

need to evangelize catechize and support missionary efforts and programs globally

As always if you have any questions would like to be part of the Mission Team St Louis or if you would like to help our

missionaries please feel free to contact Rosie Hartley 618-447-9688

Thank you for your continued support

Celebrating 10 Years Since the Dedication of OCMCs Headquarters by Niko Birbilis

This May OCMC was thrilled to celebrate our 10-year-anniversary since the dedication of our current

missionary training and administration building May 21 2009 marked a great day not only for us at OCMC

but for Orthodoxy around the world The roots of OCMC go all the way back to Athens Greece in the 1950s

and to the influence of two young theologians Fr Deacon Anastasios Yannoulatos and Fr Deacon Demetrios

Trakatellis Deacon Anastasios would eventually go on to become His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of

Albania and Deacon Demetrios would soon go on to become His Eminence Archbishop Geron Demetrios of

America

Inspired by the missionary fervor and vision of these brilliant young men the Mission Center would begin as a

committee of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (GOA) of America As it continued to grow and develop

however the GOAs mission center soon moved to its own location in St Augustine Florida and Fr Dimitrios

Couchell (now His Grace Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos) was appointed as its first Executive Director In 1987

the mission center sent the first short-term mission team to Kenya and these teams would continue into the

present day as some of the most fruitful ministries of the mission center

By 1994 the GOA graciously handed its mission center over to become the pan-Orthodox mission center

representing the combined missionary efforts of all Orthodox jurisdictions in the US At this point it was finally

labeled the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC)

Fr Martin Ritsi took over as Executive Director in 1998 and by the late 2000s OCMC was already involved in

thirty countries around the world OCMC continued growing and soon it was time to expand to a new location

It was at this point that due to many incredibly generous supporters OCMC was able to construct its current

home the Archbishop Anastasios and Archbishop Demetrios Training and Administration Building This new

OCMC headquarters building was dedicated on May 21 2009 Since then it has increasingly been the source of

countless ministries striving to carry out Christrsquos great commission and spread the Gospel to the ends of the

earth

In the past 10 years since the dedication OCMC has sent a total of 1181 team members on 159 mission teams to

18 different countries This past year alone OCMC

Has continued to support 375 indigenous clergy worldwide through the SAMP program

Has continued to support 23 long-term missionaries

Provided medical care to 1199 people

Reached 815 children

Catechized 1400 people

Sent 4 healthcare and counseling teams

Built a church in Indonesia

Carried out 7 projects for students and orphans

Wersquove had a wonderfully exciting and fruitful history and we thank you all for walking this journey with us

With your support we are enabling countless people around the world to know the Gospel of Christ and to expe-

rience His love Please continue to keep our work in your prayers to volunteer your time and talents on our mis-

sion trips and to donate to our ministries Now we look forward to all that the next 10 years will bring

11

Births - Congratulations to

George and Melinda Abuqubou on the birth of their son

Christopher who was born on August 26 2018

Baptisms - Many Years to

Isabella Mavra Xenos Zewki daughter of Shivan and

Tatiana Zewki Isabella was baptized on May 19 2019

and her Godparents are Antonios Xenos and

Anastasia Mezinis

Anna Sophia Theodoropulos daughter of Fr Anastasios

and Presvytera Elizabeth Theodoropoulos Anna was

baptized on June 1 2019 at Saints Peter and Paul in

Glenview IL and her Godmother is Julie Stefanski

Peirce James Farmakis son of Mike and Shannon

Farmakis Pierce was baptized on June 1 2019 and his

Godfather is Kostantinos (Dino) Deros

Eleni Polixeni Psara daughter of Spiro and Colleen Psara

Eleni was baptized on June 2 2019 and her

Godparents are are Panteli Pappas and Alona

Teliatnykova

Sophia Shea Hayden daughter of Bob and Natalie

Hayden Sophia was baptized on Saturday June 22 at

Saints Pete and Paul in Glenview IL and her Godgather is

Peter Sparacio

Funerals - Memory Eternal

Anastasia ldquoAnnierdquo Markovich reposed on June 5 2019

The funeral was June 10 at Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox

Church with interment Mt Hope

Dorothy Nancy Graeff reposed on June 6 2019 The

funeral was on June 11 with interment at St Mathews

Cemetery

Nick Niarchos of Palos Hills Ill brother of Eugenia

(Alex) Pavlopoulos reposed on June 6th The funeral was

June 10 at Saints Constantine amp Helen Greek Orthodox

Church Palos Hills Il Interment at Evergreen Cemetery of

Evergreen Park in Il

Lehman Bennett grandfather of Jenny Bennett passes

way on June 15 The funeral and burial were on June 19

in Dallas TX

Memorials - Memory Eternal

June 2

5-year Haralambos Pelekanos

5-year Fr Constantine Regopoulos

June 9

9-mon Van (Evangelos) Evangelopoulos

1-year Tom (Athanasios) Dubis

1 year Mike Labis

1-year Elaine Scott

2 year Danica Mandrapa

8 year Ljubica Terzic

10-year Kostando Liakata

13-year Fr Gerasimos Annas

24-year Andrea Liakata

July 28

1-year Despina Zeriss

2-year Chris Zeris

August 4

21-year Athanasios Stratos

October 13

Departed Members Brotherhood of Alexander the Great

Important Please inform either Fr Joseph or Fr Anastasios

immediately when you or any member of your family is

sick or hospitalized so that appropriate prayer and

visitation may be scheduled Hospitals do not notify

clergy of patients even if you list yourself as a Church

member

In Our Prayers Nora (Elaine) Bangert Seraphima Henderson

Thekla (Rebecca) Kagaris Dean Kases

Janie (Zafera) Kyramarios George Lambos

College Addresses In an effort to keep in touch with and minister to our

college students we ask anyone with a daughter or son in

college to contact the Church office with the address

phone amp email

12

Extra Virgin Olive Oil $20bottle

Missouri Flag $9600

Patriarchal Flag $28900

Holy Water bottleshelliphelliphelliphellip$30800

Icon of St Porphyrios

Icon of the Annunciation

Icon of Elder Amphilochios Makris

Icon of Elder Iakovos (Tsalikis) of Evia

Dimitri and Rebecca Kagaris

Please call the church office if you would like to donate

any of these items

Womenrsquos Summer Book Study

Our plans for our Summer Book Study session are

complete

The book we are reading is

Everyday Wonders

Stories of Gods Providence

By V Rev Michael J Oleksa

and we will meet for our summer pot luck lunch and

book discussion

Saturday August 17

1100 am to 200 pm

Hosted by Keve Gialouris

17828 Greyabbey Ct

Chesterfield MO

If you have any questions please contact

Presvytera Laura Morton at 314-303-1784

Hellenic Culture Camp 2019 July 15-19

Open to all children entering 2nd grade through 8th grade in Fall 2019

Monday ndash Thursday 845 am - 300 pm

St Nicholas Family Life Center (Please bring a lunch and drink Monday-

Wednesday Greek lunch will be provided on Thursday)

Friday

845 am ndash noon Vetta Sports Manchester

Hellenic Culture Camp is a

wonderful opportunity to expose our children and grandchildren to culturally

enriching activities and friendships within our community

Activities include

Greek Cooking History

Geography Greek Dancing

Greek Language Greek Arts and Jewelry Making

Sports

Cost $100 for one child $90 for second child $80 for third child (Financial Assistance

Available)

For questions please contact Barbara Corrigan at

btcstlyahoocom or 3149606258 visit

httpswwwsngocorgnewshellenic-culture-camp

13

But I say to you the Lord says love your enemies do

good to those who hate you pray for those who

persecute you Why did he command these things So

that he might free you from hatred sadness anger and

grudges and might grant you the greatest possession of

all perfect love which is impossible to possess except

by the one who loves all equally in imitation of God

St Maximus the Confessor

Περί εἰδώλων Αγ Ἰουστίνου Πόποβιτς

Τό ἀνθρώπινο γένος δοκιμάζει καθημερινῶς στόν

κόσμο μας τήν ἐμπειρία νά ὁδηγοῦνται οἱ ἄνθρωποι

στήν ἀπώλεια εἴτε λόγῳ τῆς ἄγνοιας εἴτε τῆς μή

ἀναγνωρίσεως τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ καί

Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Μέ ἄλλα λόγια ἐκπίπτουν

ἐξαιτίας εἴτε τῆς ἀθεΐας εἴτε τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας

Αὐτή ἡ ἄγνοια ἤ ἡ μή ἀναγνώριση τοῦ Κυρίου

Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιφέρει τήν ἄγνοια ἤ τήν μή

ἀναγνώριση τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ ἀγαθοῦ σέ αὐτόν

τόν κόσμο τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ Αὐτοί οἱ

ἄνθρωποι ζοῦν laquoἐν ἀσελγείαις ἐπιθυμίαις

οἰνοφλυγίαις κώμοις πότοις καί ἀθεμίτοις

εἰδωλολατρείαιςraquo Ναί laquoἀθεμίτοις εἰδωλολατρίαιςraquo

γιατί ἡ εἰδωλολατρεία εἶναι πάντοτε σέ πληθυντικό

ἀριθμό Ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ὁποῖος δέν ἀναγνωρίζει τόν

μόνο ἀληθινό Θεό θέλοντας καί μή ἀναγνωρίζει

ἕνα ἀναρίθμητο πλῆθος ἄλλων μικρότερων

θεοτήτων ψευδῶν θεῶν εἰδώλων Πρόκειται γιά τίς

ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη πού δέν ἔχουν οὔτε ἀριθμό

οὔτε τέλος Ὅταν ὁ ἄνθρωπος δελεάζεται ἀπό μία

τέτοια μικρή μικρή θεότητα τότε αὐτή τόν

παρασύρει στίς ὑπόλοιπες ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη καί

τότε εἶναι πού τόν κατακομματιάζουν καί τόν

κατασπαράζουν οἱ ἀναρίθμητοι ψευδεῖς καί

ἀδηφάγοι θεοί Καί ὁ ἄνθρωπος δέν εἶναι σέ θέση

νά ἀμυνθεῖ σέ αὐτήν τήν ἀγέλη τῶν τρομερῶν

θηρίων καί τῶν δελεαστικῶν πειρασμῶν Τό

μικρότερο πάθος ὁδηγεῖ σέ μεγαλύτερο καί ἔτσι

σταδιακά βυθίζεται σέ ὅλο καί μεγαλύτερα πάθη

ὥσπου ἐν τέλει δέν μπορεῖ νά ἀναδυθεῖ ἀπrsquoαὐτά

Καί κάθε πάθος ἐμπεριέχει ἀναρίθμητα εἴδωλα καί

κάθε ἐπιθυμία φέρει ὅλο καί περισσότερα εἴδωλα

πού δέν ἔχουν τελειωμό Τά εἴδωλα εἶναι σάν τή

δυνατή φωτιά μέσα της κατακαίγονται καί ἡ

συνείδηση καί ἡ ψυχή καί ἡ καρδιά καί τό θέλημα

τοῦ ἀνθρώπου Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος τῆς

ἀγάπης παρακαλεῖ τούς χριστιανούς laquoΤεκνία

φυλάξατε ἑαυτούς ἀπό τῶν εἰδώλωνraquo Ἀπό τά

εἴδωλα προέρχονται ὅλα τά κακά καί τά μικρά καί

τά μεγάλα Καί κάθε ἄνθρωπος εἶναι εἰδωλολάτρης

ἐφrsquoὅσον δέν πιστεύει στόν μόνον Ἀληθινό Θεό

στόν Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Διότι ὁπωσδήποτε σέ

κάτι πιστεύει εἴτε ὄν εἶναι αὐτό εἴτε πράγμα εἴτε σέ

ὁρατά εἴτε σέ ἀόρατα εἴδωλα ὅπως εἶναι ὁ ἥλιος ἡ

σελήνη οἱ ἀστέρες οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὁ πολιτισμός ἡ

τεχνολογία ἡ φυλή ἡ κοινωνική τάξη τά πάθη οἱ

ἡδονές καί [hellip] τό ὄνομά τους laquoΛεγεώνraquo Ἀπό τό

πρῶτο ὥς τό τελευταῖο ὅλα τά παραπάνω εἶναι

εἰδωλολατρία Δέν ὑπάρχει ἀμφιβολία ὅτι τό καθένα

ἀπrsquoαὐτά φονεύει ὅτι κάνει ἄνθρωπο τόν ἄνθρωπο

φονεύει δηλαδή ὅτι θεοειδές θεονοσταλγικό

ἀθάνατο θεῖο αἰώνιο Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος

νουθετεῖ καί ἐντέλλεται στούς χριστιανούς laquoΔιόπερ

ἀγαπητοί μου φεύγετε ἀπό τῆς εἰδωλολατρείαςraquo Οἱ

ἄνθρωποι διά τῶν ποικιλόμορφων εἰδωλολατρειῶν

ἔμμεσα ἤ ἄμεσα θυσιάζουν τούς ἑαυτούς τους στὀν

διάβολο προσφέρονται ὡς θυσία στόν διάβολο Σέ

τελευταία ἀνάλυση κάθε εἰδωλολατρία εἶναι

σατανολατρία καί κάθε εἰδωλο-διακονία εἶναι σατανο-

διακονία Μήπως δέν λατρεύει δέν διακονεῖ δέν

προσφέρει θυσία τήν ψυχή του στόν διάβολο ἐκεῖνος

πού ζεῖ στά πάθη καί στήν ἡδονή ὅποιος ὑπηρετεῖ

ὁποιονδήποτε καί ὁτιδήποτε ἐκτός ἀπό τόν μόνον

ἀληθινό Θεό καί Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Αὐτό εἶναι

τόσο ξεκάθαρο γιά κάποιον πού μπορεῖ μέ φρόνηση

νά κρίνει Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ θεόσοφος Ἀπόστολος λέγει

στούς πρώην εἰδωλολάτρες Κορινθίους laquoὡς

φρονίμοις λέγωhellipοὐ θέλω δέ ὑμᾶς κοινωνούς τῶν

δαιμονίων γίνεσθαι Οὐ δύνασθε ποτήριον Κυρίου

πίνειν καί ποτήριον δαιμονίων οὐ δύνασθε τραπέζης

Κυρίου μετέχειν καί τραπέζης δαιμονίωνraquo

Ἀναμφίβολα ὁλόκληρο τό Εὐαγγέλιο τοῦ Σωτῆρος

ἔγκειται στό ὅτι laquoτό σῶμα τῶ Κυρίῳ καί ὁ Κύριος τῶ

σώματιraquo Ἔτσι γνωρίζουμε τό αἰώνιο μυστήριο τοῦ

ἀνθρωπίνου ὄντος πώς ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός

εἶναι ὁ Σωτήρας ὁλοκλήρου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὄχι μόνο

τῆς ψυχῆς ἀλλά καί τοῦ σώματός του Γιrsquoαὐτό καί τό

σῶμα τοῦ χριστιανοῦ ὀφείλει νά εἶναι ναός ἅγιος στόν

ὁποῖο ζεῖ ἡ ἁγία ψυχή στόν κόσμο μας καί στόν ὁποῖο

πρόκειται νά ζήσει καί μετά τήν κοινή ἀνάσταση τῶν

νεκρῶν Τά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν διά τοῦ ἁγίου

Βαπτίσματος τῆς Θείας Μεταλήψεως καί τοῦ

εὐαγγελικοῦ τους βίου ἔγιναν ἀναπόσπαστα μέρη τοῦ

Θεανθρώπινου σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ Τά σώματα

αὐτά δέν ἀνήκουν πλέον στούς ἴδιους ἀλλά σέ

Ἐκεῖνον Ὅτι ἔγινε μέ τό ἅγιο σῶμα Ἐκείνου

πρόκειται νά συμβεῖ στά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν Για την αντιγραφή Δημήτρης Κάγκαρης

14

Prophet Elias (Elijah)

The Old Testament prophet Elijah the Tishbite lived during

the time when King Ahab ruled Israel Ahabs wife Jezebel

was a foreigner who did not worship the One True God of

Israel but the false god Baal She persecuted prophets and

deceitfully tried to force the people of Israel to turn away

from God and worship Baal Elijahs fiery personality often

brought him into conflict with Ahab and Jezebel because he

was absolutely determined that the people would stay

faithful to God God rewarded Elijahs devotion with the gift

of prophecy Once when Elijah knew a serious drought was

coming soon God instructed him to leave his home and go

east of the Jordan River promising that he would be fed by

a raven Just as God promised the raven

brought Elijah food and he was able to

drink from a stream When the stream ran

dry God told him to go to the city of

Zarephath In the city he met a widow

who was gathering sticks He asked her

for bread but she replied I have no

bread baked and there is only a small

amount of flour and oil left for my son

and me There was not enough she said to share with

another person Saint Elijah told her not to worry or be

afraid but to make the bread and give him a little loaf She

did so and a great miracle occurred The widow had enough

flour and oil to last a whole year Sometime later when her

son died Elijah prayed over his body and the boy came

back to life The widow was overjoyed and said to Elijah

Now I know that you speak Gods word After many years

of drought God sent Elijah to see King Ahab By this time

there was famine as well as drought in the land While

searching for food and water Ahabs advisor Obadiah met

Elijah on the road He told King Ahab that the prophet was

back and Ahab went out to meet him He said to Elijah Is

it you you troubler of Israel Saint Elijah told King Ahab

that he the king was the one who was troubling Israel

because he was not living his life according to Gods laws

and should not be following the false god Baal Then he said

to the king Tell the people of Israel and the four hundred

fifty prophets of Baal to meet me on Mount Carmel When

everyone had arrived Saint Elijah told the people If the

Lord is God follow him but if Baal is then follow him

He challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest He told

them to put their sacrifice on one altar and he would put his

on another altar Neither one would start a fire to burn their

sacrifice but would call on God and Baal to start the fire

The false prophets of Baal hopped around and yelled to their

god to come and light the sacrifice Saint Elijah laughed and

said that maybe Baal was napping and needed to be

awakened The false prophets yelled even louder and still

nothing happened Elijah calmly made a large trench around

the dirt and all the water Saint Elijah had shown them all

the true and only God When King Ahab told his wife

Jezebel what Elijah had done she angrily promised to kill

the prophet Fearing for his life Elijah fled to Beer-sheba in

the land of Judah There he sat down under a broom tree

so miserable and fearful that he asked God to take his life

Instead God sent an angel to encourage him and to prepare

him for a long journey Following the angels instructions

he walked for forty days and forty nights until he came to a

cave There God spoke to him in a gentle breeze telling

him to bless helpers who would spread the true faith One

of those Elijah blessed was Elisha who was plowing his

fathers field When Saint Elijah saw him he threw his

cloak over him and soon Elisha was accompanying Elijah

as his helper As Saint Elijahs earthly life neared its end

God sent him to Bethel Jericho and the Jordan When he

came to the Jordan Elijah rolled up his cloak and touched

the water The water immediately parted and Saints Elijah

and Elisha crossed over on dry land As they continued to

walk a fiery chariot driven by fiery horses came and took

Saint Elijah in a whirlwind up into the sky Elisha took up

the great prophets cloak Elijahs story doesnt end there

He was one of two Old Testament saints who appeared with

Jesus at His Transfiguration Saint Elijah was there to

represent the Old Testament prophets who foretold the

coming of the Son of God He is a wonderful example of

someone who loved God with all of his soul all of his heart

and all of his mind In some churches on the feast of Saint

Elijah the priest blesses cars bicycles roller skates scoot-

ers (chariots) and any other method of transportation with

wheels httpdceocaorgassetsfilesresourcesSaints-Animalspdf

Troparion (Tone 4)

An angel in the flesh and the cornerstone of the prophets

The second forerunner of the coming of Christ Glorious

Elijah sent grace from on high to Elisha To dispel diseases

and to cleanse lepers Therefore he pours forth healings on

those who honor him

Quote

I have been very zealous for the Lord Almightyhellip

- Elijah about himself 3 Kingdoms 1910

Date Born

Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years before the

Incarnation of Christ

Date Died

Elijahs death is described in 2 Kings 2 9-13 (4 Kingdoms

2 9-13 OSB) The date is not certain

Commemoration Date

July 20 and the Sunday of the Holy Fathers

15

Jr Olympics Wrap Up Thank you to Alki Lappas Case for coordinating our team at the 2019 Metropolis of Chicago Jr Olympics hosted by Saints

Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church

in Palos Hills IL over the Memorial Day

Weekend

The medal results for our team were

9 gold (10k individual and relay swimming)

9 silver (table tennis individual and

relay swimming) and

2 bronze (individual swimming) Congratula-

tions to all

16

17

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church 1755 Des Peres Rd Town amp Country MO 63131

(Just north of Des Peres 14 Cine)

July 2019 FRIDAY LUNCHEONS

Menu subject to change

1100 am - 200 pm Kitchen Phone 314-966-6720

Web Site httpwwwassumptiongocorgfriday-lunch Cash Checks and Credit Cards accepted

Master Card VISA Discover American Express

NO LUNCHEON

JULY 5th

Have a Safe and Healthy

4th of July Weekend

July 19

Shrimp Saganaki over Rice $9

Baked Fish with Stewed Green Beans $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Lobster BisquehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $4Lg $6

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 12

Lamb Shank over Rice $14

Baked Fish with Macedonia Peas $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Chicken Avgolemono SouphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3Lg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 26

Baked 12 Chicken over Rice 8

Baked Fish with Roasted Brussel Sprouts $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Split Pea SouphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3hellipLg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

19

Su

n

Mo

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e W

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the 4

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20

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church

1755 Des Peres Road

Town and Country MO 63131-1405

Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG US Postage

PAID St Louis MO

Permit No 4628

20

From the Orthodox Study Bible 1 John 4 12-16 20-21

No one has seen God at any time If we love one another God abides in us and His love has been perfected in us By

this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit And we have seen and testify

that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God God abides in

him and he in God And we have known and believed the love that God has for us God is love and he who abides in

love abides in God and God in him

If someone says ldquoI love Godrdquo and hates his brother he is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom has seen

how can he love God whom he has not seen And this commandment we have from Him that he who loves God

must love his brother also

Scripture taken from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc

For Consideration

The greatest teachers of the Church endeavored to teach great truths to men not only by words but also by visual examples Thus

Abba Isaiah in order to teach the monks that no-one would receive a reward from God who did not toil in this life for Him led his

disciples to a threshing floor where a labourer was gathering the threshed wheat lsquoGive me some of that wheatrsquo Isaiah said to the

labourer lsquoHave you been reaping as well Fatherrsquo lsquoI havenrsquotrsquo replied the elder lsquoThen yoursquove got a hope of some wheat if yoursquove

not gathered itrsquo To this the elder said lsquoTherersquos no wheat for him who has not gathered itrsquo lsquoNorsquo replied the labourer Hearing

this reply the elder went away in silence When his disciples asked him to explain his actions to them he said lsquoI did that

deliberately in order to show you that no-one will receive the reward from God who has not labored in asceticismrsquo

The Prologue from Ochrid Lives of the Saints and Homilies for Every Day in the Year vol 3 by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic Translated by Mother Maria Lazarica

Press Birmingham 1986 p99

Page 5: From Glory to GloryArchbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Although Archbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea, popularly known

5

PARTY

February

3 2019

AT 400 PM

example of Saint Luke Living in the Ukraine during the

oppressive period of communism St Luke stood out

among his fellow physicians both as a surgeon and as a

Christian Even the communists coveted his talents for

healing the body

Ordination and Persecution

Despite the dangers from the Lenin regime he fearlessly

attended theological discussions arranged by Archpriest

Mikhail Andeev During this period when clergymen and

pious people would prove their faith in blood providence

led the Archpriest to invite Valentine to the priesthood

Thus in 1921 at the age of 44 Valentine was ordained a

priest For two years this exceptional individual was active

not only in his pastoral work but in public and scientific

activity

Eventually Fr Valentine was arrested and put on trial

falsely accused of giving inappropriate surgical care to

injured Red Army soldiers At his trial in his characteristic

fearless way he denounced the prosecutors claims by

explaining

ldquoI cut people to save them You Mr Public

Prosecutor why do you cut their heads offrdquo

Certainly the charges were never proven but since the Party

had to be infallible Fr Valentine was convicted to sixteen

years imprisonment

Doctor Scientist Bishop Imprisonments

Noting Fr Valentinersquos spiritual gifts prior to his departure

from Tashkent (arrest and exile to Siberia) in 1923 Bishop

of Ufa Andrew (Ukhtomsky) administered monastic

tonsure and facilitated his consecration as Bishop[note 2]

Almost immediately Saint Luke was sent to the first of his

three imprisonments

Due to his talent as a surgeon there would always be

placement at a remote medical facility where the attending

colleagues would be astounded that a professor with such

impeccable academic credentials would be subservient to

the whims of the local civil authorities Despite the

criticisms of lesser surgeons Saint Luke would practice his

medical skills With the grace of God he amazed his

colleagues with excellent medical outcomes in

ophthalmologic and surgical cases that others deemed

incurable

In 1926 Bishop Luke returned to Tashkent but in 1930

was again arrested and sentenced to three years of exile

Upon his release he once again returned to Tashkent and

spent his time in medical practice As a physician and

professor he trained many students and colleagues in the art

of surgery and as a scientist he found the time to publish

many articles A fruit of this work was the appearance in

1934 of his book Notes on Purulent Surgery[note 3] which

laid the foundation for an entire medical specialty For that

work Bishop Luke was awarded the degree of Doctor of

Medical Science in 1936 and his work continues to be used

in medicine to this day This monograph and the

subsequent revisions was the ldquogold standardrdquo reference for

his colleagues at the time

As a capable hierarch he strengthened the parishes and

supported priests and church councils As Saint Lukersquos

surgical and pastoral popularity would increase the

communist authorities would transfer him When blatant

injustices would be committed against Christians and

fellow political prisoners he would initiate hunger strikes

In 1937 Vladyka was arrested and spent more than two

difficult years undergoing tortuous interrogation and

humiliation[note 4] Nonetheless resting his hope in the Lord

he courageously endured those trials not only refusing to

agree to false accusations against him but engaging in

active protests ndash refusing to eat and sending complaints to

the highest authorities against the prosecutorsrsquo illegal

actions He would say to his fellow prisoners

ldquoThey demand that I remove my ryassa I will never do so

It my ryassa will be with me to my very deathhellip I help

people as a physician and I help them as a servant of the

Churchhelliprdquo

The people who met him during his ordeals bore witness to

his true character As a physician he was Unmercenary and

never asked for money treating all his patients with

immense love He shared his patientsrsquo pain and anguish for

he saw each person as an image of God unique and

unrepeatable

In 1940 Bishop Luke was sentenced to five years of exile

in the Krasnoyarsk area At the beginning of the Great

Patriotic War (World War II) Bishop Luke offered the

authorities his services as a doctor and in 1941 was

appointed consultant to the hospitals of Krasnoyarsk

In 1942 Vladyka was elevated to the rank of Archbishop

and appointed to the Krasnoyarsk kathedra which at the

time did not have a single church Through Archbishop

Lukersquos efforts in 1943 a church was opened in a suburb of

Krasnoyarsk He wrote to Patriarch Sergius

ldquoAll of Eastern Siberia from Krasnoyarsk to the Pacific

Ocean gave no sign of church lifehellipIf churches in various

parts of the Krasnoyarsk area are not opened in the near

future there is a risk that the people will lapse into reli-

gious savageryrdquo

In 1944 the archbishop was appointed to the kathedra in

Tambov In 1946 for outstanding scientific work in the area

of medicine he was awarded the ldquoStalin Awardrdquo for all his

scientific publications He donated almost all of the money

to help children who had suffered as the result of the War

Also in 1946 Vladyka was appointed to the kathedra of

Crimea where at first he combined archpastoral service

with medical assistance to the people but later dedicated

himself to Church service zealously working to build up

Christrsquos vineyard something that under the conditions of

life under Communist authorities then demanded great

courage and faith

As a Bishop he preached incessantly not only about the

need to live Orthodoxy but against the perils of the ldquoLiving

Churchrdquo httpsorthodoxwikiorgLuke_(Voino-Yasenetsky)_of_Simferopol_and_Crimea

6

2019

Father

of the

Year

Byron Magafas

Fatherrsquos Day

On June 16 we announced our Father and Man of Year Congratulations to

Byron Magafas Father of the Year and

Dr Demetrios Lappas Man of the Year

May God grant them many years After the presentations we were able to

personally congratulate the recipients at a very nice reception prepared by Pete

Regopoulos and Chris Tsoubanos

2019

Man

of the

Year

Dr Demetrios

Lappas

7

Spiritual Aspects of Fatherhood

By Al Rossi PhD

A conference participant once asked the speaker ldquoWhat is

the best way for a father to love his childrenrdquo The speaker

replied ldquoThe best way for a father to love his children is to

love their motherrdquo I reflect often upon that superbly

accurate statement And I think the reverse is equally true

the best way a mother can love her children is to love their

father

More than anything else in the world children need a

loving family and parents who support each other even if

the parents are apart through separation or divorce Christ

challenges us to love one another and that challenge

becomes even more compelling within our own families

Even in the best of families there is brokenness And that is

why the manrsquos call to fatherhood is so important We

fathers are called to show our families strong manly love

and forgiveness virtues modeled powerfully in the father of

the prodigal son (Lk 1132)

This father is stable loving and generous In his fairness

he avoids violating the freedom of either of his sons When

the prodigal demands his inheritance and decides to leave

the father does not attempt to withhold the money He does

not pressure the son to stay by trying to make him feel

guilty And the father is wise enough not to send care

packages to relieve the sonrsquos distress The father allows

both of his adult sons to make their own mistakes and to

learn from their failures an appropriate form of discipline

for older adolescents and young adults

The prodigalrsquos father demonstrates manly leadership by

taking loving initiatives and he takes many such initiatives

He maintains a thriving business to provide the generous

inheritance He creates and supports a loving family for the

prodigal to run from and for the older son to remain with

And there is his last generous joyful initiative as he runs

out to embrace the returning son kiss him and put on him

the best robe ring and shoes He celebrates the return of

his son with a feast And in a scene all of us fathers can

recognize he opens up the conversation with the sulking

older son

The father takes the initiative in bringing about forgiveness

and reconciliation in the whole family He is a model for us

in responding to our call to follow the Spirit of Jesus in

taking many initiatives in our families especially that of

boundless forgiveness for our children

When a father takes responsibility for his own spiritual

life for the way he prays goes to church and practices

virtue in the family he gives good example Then his

leadership in the family is authentic based on his own

solid relationship with God and he is less likely to be

concerned about any resistance his children may give him

He can lead family prayer When I suggest that we stand in

the living room and pray before a trip or that we pray in a

restaurant I often feel an initial resistance in my children

But quiet cooperation and peacefulness soon follow

Sometimes the children will even tell me that they prayed

in a restaurant when I wasnrsquot there

At times the fatherrsquos role of leading the family to great

forgiveness and prayerfulness is an unpopular one But as

a man grows in his own spiritual life he becomes more

sturdy and willing to accept responsibility Although all

this is impossible for us fathers to do alone God can do all

things God can even bestow the awesome spiritual power

of fatherhood upon us

httpsocaorgthe-hubthe-church-on-current-issuesspiritual-aspects-

of-fatherhood

Our Churchrsquos feast day celebration

Panagiarsquos Panegyri

Sunday August 18 2019

Immediately following

Divine Liturgy

More information to follow

8

Philoptochos Corner The Assumption Ladies Philoptochos

Society

Happy July Half of our summer vacation is almost over

Hope you are making the best of it Your new Philoptochos

Board has been busy planning out the rest of their 2019

calendar We know that many of you are traveling to

Greece or other exciting places Please be smart be safe

Check in with us during coffee hour wersquoll be waiting for

you when you get back

Our Chapter

We had our 2019-2021 Executive Board Elections on June

2nd and here are the results

President ndash Flora Dimitriou

1st Vice President ndash Helena Brown

2nd Vice President ndash Keve Gialouris

Recording Secretary ndash Rose Harpole

Corresponding Secretary ndash Patricia Aaron

Treasurer ndash Angie Koulouriotis

Assistant Treasurer ndash Diane Sieckmann

Adviser ndash Soula Marcou

Board Members Yvonne Alexopoulos Dessie Bellos

Popi Deros Amalia Karakasis amp Bessie Theodorou

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Board Member Diane Sieckmann

and friends for serving coffee hour for the month of July

Thank you to everyone who made a jewelry donation to us

for our May Festival Sale All proceeds will benefit the

National Childrenrsquos Medical Fund Luncheon chapter

expenses and sponsorship programs

Childrenrsquos Medical Fund

We have RAFFLE TICKETS FOR SALE Check out the

amazing prizes you could win 1 ticket for $10 or 3 tickets

for $25 find a Philoptochos member during coffee hour to

purchase your chance to win

Please support our youth ndash National Philoptochos

Childrenrsquos Medical Fund ldquoKids Helping Kidsrdquo at our

Panagia Panegyri Sunday August 18th Our youth will be

behind the bar selling punch iced tea amp lemonade All

proceeds will benefit the CMF SponsorshipGrant Program

We need your support in order to help our Chicago Diocese

host this most worthy event

A Look Ahead

Weekend of August 16th 17th amp 18th Bring a friend and

work a shift Sign up for The Festival of the Little Hills St

Charles See Helena Brown for more information

Dont see Downton Abbeyrdquo without us We are making

plans to rent a movie theatre at the Marcus Des Peres Cine

for a private screening of the movie Ticket sales will start

in August The ticket price is $1500 per person More in-

formation to follow regarding date and time

Sunday September 8th ndash Annual Gyro Luncheon

Sunday November 3rd - Philoptochos Name Day

Artoclassia

Saturday November 16th ndash National Childrenrsquos Medical

Fund Luncheon hosted by the Metropolis of Chicago

Sunday December 1st - Philoptochos Christmas Party

Evelynrsquos House ndash BJC Hospice

We are stocking the snack pantry at the hospice house If

you would like to make a donation please see Flora

Dimitriou for a list of items needed Also Evelynrsquos House

continues to need of more crocheted lap blankets or pillow

cases If you have any interest in making the blankets or

pillow cases please let us know There is a size requirement

for these items If you would like any more information on

this project please see Flora Dimitriou or Diane Sieckmann

2019 Meeting Dates

No Meeting in July August 4 September 15 October 6

November 10 No Meeting in December

We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions

Flora Dimitriou

Philoptochos President

fedimitriougmailcom

636-795-4602

9

Fanari 2019 Our Fanari campers left on June 16 for a week of learning and

fellowship on the grounds of the St Iakovos Retreat Center in

Kansasville Wisconsin Fanari is wonderful experience Ask

any of our campers who went

Congratulations to our area AHEPA 53 2019

Scholarship Recipients

The awards were given out this past Sunday June 2 at

the AHEPA 53 Apartments The St Louis AHEPA

Chapter has been awarding scholarships since 1950 to hone

the recipients for their outstanding academic achievements

This year AHEPA 53 awarded 15 scholarships Receipents

from the Assumption were

Demetri Case

Athena Stamos

George Sakelis

The ceremony was emceed by Chapter President Mi-

chael Kontominas and the scholarship awards were

presented by Basil Pappas

AHEPArsquos goal is to see these young students

succeed to the highest degree possible and not to forget their

Hellenic heritage

Applications for both Chapter and District level schol-

arships can generally be picked up in February from the

Church offices or online

10

Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) Corner The Orthodox Mission Team of St Louis

The Orthodox Mission Team of St Louis works to nurture an awareness within our local churches of the

need to evangelize catechize and support missionary efforts and programs globally

As always if you have any questions would like to be part of the Mission Team St Louis or if you would like to help our

missionaries please feel free to contact Rosie Hartley 618-447-9688

Thank you for your continued support

Celebrating 10 Years Since the Dedication of OCMCs Headquarters by Niko Birbilis

This May OCMC was thrilled to celebrate our 10-year-anniversary since the dedication of our current

missionary training and administration building May 21 2009 marked a great day not only for us at OCMC

but for Orthodoxy around the world The roots of OCMC go all the way back to Athens Greece in the 1950s

and to the influence of two young theologians Fr Deacon Anastasios Yannoulatos and Fr Deacon Demetrios

Trakatellis Deacon Anastasios would eventually go on to become His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of

Albania and Deacon Demetrios would soon go on to become His Eminence Archbishop Geron Demetrios of

America

Inspired by the missionary fervor and vision of these brilliant young men the Mission Center would begin as a

committee of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (GOA) of America As it continued to grow and develop

however the GOAs mission center soon moved to its own location in St Augustine Florida and Fr Dimitrios

Couchell (now His Grace Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos) was appointed as its first Executive Director In 1987

the mission center sent the first short-term mission team to Kenya and these teams would continue into the

present day as some of the most fruitful ministries of the mission center

By 1994 the GOA graciously handed its mission center over to become the pan-Orthodox mission center

representing the combined missionary efforts of all Orthodox jurisdictions in the US At this point it was finally

labeled the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC)

Fr Martin Ritsi took over as Executive Director in 1998 and by the late 2000s OCMC was already involved in

thirty countries around the world OCMC continued growing and soon it was time to expand to a new location

It was at this point that due to many incredibly generous supporters OCMC was able to construct its current

home the Archbishop Anastasios and Archbishop Demetrios Training and Administration Building This new

OCMC headquarters building was dedicated on May 21 2009 Since then it has increasingly been the source of

countless ministries striving to carry out Christrsquos great commission and spread the Gospel to the ends of the

earth

In the past 10 years since the dedication OCMC has sent a total of 1181 team members on 159 mission teams to

18 different countries This past year alone OCMC

Has continued to support 375 indigenous clergy worldwide through the SAMP program

Has continued to support 23 long-term missionaries

Provided medical care to 1199 people

Reached 815 children

Catechized 1400 people

Sent 4 healthcare and counseling teams

Built a church in Indonesia

Carried out 7 projects for students and orphans

Wersquove had a wonderfully exciting and fruitful history and we thank you all for walking this journey with us

With your support we are enabling countless people around the world to know the Gospel of Christ and to expe-

rience His love Please continue to keep our work in your prayers to volunteer your time and talents on our mis-

sion trips and to donate to our ministries Now we look forward to all that the next 10 years will bring

11

Births - Congratulations to

George and Melinda Abuqubou on the birth of their son

Christopher who was born on August 26 2018

Baptisms - Many Years to

Isabella Mavra Xenos Zewki daughter of Shivan and

Tatiana Zewki Isabella was baptized on May 19 2019

and her Godparents are Antonios Xenos and

Anastasia Mezinis

Anna Sophia Theodoropulos daughter of Fr Anastasios

and Presvytera Elizabeth Theodoropoulos Anna was

baptized on June 1 2019 at Saints Peter and Paul in

Glenview IL and her Godmother is Julie Stefanski

Peirce James Farmakis son of Mike and Shannon

Farmakis Pierce was baptized on June 1 2019 and his

Godfather is Kostantinos (Dino) Deros

Eleni Polixeni Psara daughter of Spiro and Colleen Psara

Eleni was baptized on June 2 2019 and her

Godparents are are Panteli Pappas and Alona

Teliatnykova

Sophia Shea Hayden daughter of Bob and Natalie

Hayden Sophia was baptized on Saturday June 22 at

Saints Pete and Paul in Glenview IL and her Godgather is

Peter Sparacio

Funerals - Memory Eternal

Anastasia ldquoAnnierdquo Markovich reposed on June 5 2019

The funeral was June 10 at Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox

Church with interment Mt Hope

Dorothy Nancy Graeff reposed on June 6 2019 The

funeral was on June 11 with interment at St Mathews

Cemetery

Nick Niarchos of Palos Hills Ill brother of Eugenia

(Alex) Pavlopoulos reposed on June 6th The funeral was

June 10 at Saints Constantine amp Helen Greek Orthodox

Church Palos Hills Il Interment at Evergreen Cemetery of

Evergreen Park in Il

Lehman Bennett grandfather of Jenny Bennett passes

way on June 15 The funeral and burial were on June 19

in Dallas TX

Memorials - Memory Eternal

June 2

5-year Haralambos Pelekanos

5-year Fr Constantine Regopoulos

June 9

9-mon Van (Evangelos) Evangelopoulos

1-year Tom (Athanasios) Dubis

1 year Mike Labis

1-year Elaine Scott

2 year Danica Mandrapa

8 year Ljubica Terzic

10-year Kostando Liakata

13-year Fr Gerasimos Annas

24-year Andrea Liakata

July 28

1-year Despina Zeriss

2-year Chris Zeris

August 4

21-year Athanasios Stratos

October 13

Departed Members Brotherhood of Alexander the Great

Important Please inform either Fr Joseph or Fr Anastasios

immediately when you or any member of your family is

sick or hospitalized so that appropriate prayer and

visitation may be scheduled Hospitals do not notify

clergy of patients even if you list yourself as a Church

member

In Our Prayers Nora (Elaine) Bangert Seraphima Henderson

Thekla (Rebecca) Kagaris Dean Kases

Janie (Zafera) Kyramarios George Lambos

College Addresses In an effort to keep in touch with and minister to our

college students we ask anyone with a daughter or son in

college to contact the Church office with the address

phone amp email

12

Extra Virgin Olive Oil $20bottle

Missouri Flag $9600

Patriarchal Flag $28900

Holy Water bottleshelliphelliphelliphellip$30800

Icon of St Porphyrios

Icon of the Annunciation

Icon of Elder Amphilochios Makris

Icon of Elder Iakovos (Tsalikis) of Evia

Dimitri and Rebecca Kagaris

Please call the church office if you would like to donate

any of these items

Womenrsquos Summer Book Study

Our plans for our Summer Book Study session are

complete

The book we are reading is

Everyday Wonders

Stories of Gods Providence

By V Rev Michael J Oleksa

and we will meet for our summer pot luck lunch and

book discussion

Saturday August 17

1100 am to 200 pm

Hosted by Keve Gialouris

17828 Greyabbey Ct

Chesterfield MO

If you have any questions please contact

Presvytera Laura Morton at 314-303-1784

Hellenic Culture Camp 2019 July 15-19

Open to all children entering 2nd grade through 8th grade in Fall 2019

Monday ndash Thursday 845 am - 300 pm

St Nicholas Family Life Center (Please bring a lunch and drink Monday-

Wednesday Greek lunch will be provided on Thursday)

Friday

845 am ndash noon Vetta Sports Manchester

Hellenic Culture Camp is a

wonderful opportunity to expose our children and grandchildren to culturally

enriching activities and friendships within our community

Activities include

Greek Cooking History

Geography Greek Dancing

Greek Language Greek Arts and Jewelry Making

Sports

Cost $100 for one child $90 for second child $80 for third child (Financial Assistance

Available)

For questions please contact Barbara Corrigan at

btcstlyahoocom or 3149606258 visit

httpswwwsngocorgnewshellenic-culture-camp

13

But I say to you the Lord says love your enemies do

good to those who hate you pray for those who

persecute you Why did he command these things So

that he might free you from hatred sadness anger and

grudges and might grant you the greatest possession of

all perfect love which is impossible to possess except

by the one who loves all equally in imitation of God

St Maximus the Confessor

Περί εἰδώλων Αγ Ἰουστίνου Πόποβιτς

Τό ἀνθρώπινο γένος δοκιμάζει καθημερινῶς στόν

κόσμο μας τήν ἐμπειρία νά ὁδηγοῦνται οἱ ἄνθρωποι

στήν ἀπώλεια εἴτε λόγῳ τῆς ἄγνοιας εἴτε τῆς μή

ἀναγνωρίσεως τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ καί

Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Μέ ἄλλα λόγια ἐκπίπτουν

ἐξαιτίας εἴτε τῆς ἀθεΐας εἴτε τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας

Αὐτή ἡ ἄγνοια ἤ ἡ μή ἀναγνώριση τοῦ Κυρίου

Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιφέρει τήν ἄγνοια ἤ τήν μή

ἀναγνώριση τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ ἀγαθοῦ σέ αὐτόν

τόν κόσμο τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ Αὐτοί οἱ

ἄνθρωποι ζοῦν laquoἐν ἀσελγείαις ἐπιθυμίαις

οἰνοφλυγίαις κώμοις πότοις καί ἀθεμίτοις

εἰδωλολατρείαιςraquo Ναί laquoἀθεμίτοις εἰδωλολατρίαιςraquo

γιατί ἡ εἰδωλολατρεία εἶναι πάντοτε σέ πληθυντικό

ἀριθμό Ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ὁποῖος δέν ἀναγνωρίζει τόν

μόνο ἀληθινό Θεό θέλοντας καί μή ἀναγνωρίζει

ἕνα ἀναρίθμητο πλῆθος ἄλλων μικρότερων

θεοτήτων ψευδῶν θεῶν εἰδώλων Πρόκειται γιά τίς

ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη πού δέν ἔχουν οὔτε ἀριθμό

οὔτε τέλος Ὅταν ὁ ἄνθρωπος δελεάζεται ἀπό μία

τέτοια μικρή μικρή θεότητα τότε αὐτή τόν

παρασύρει στίς ὑπόλοιπες ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη καί

τότε εἶναι πού τόν κατακομματιάζουν καί τόν

κατασπαράζουν οἱ ἀναρίθμητοι ψευδεῖς καί

ἀδηφάγοι θεοί Καί ὁ ἄνθρωπος δέν εἶναι σέ θέση

νά ἀμυνθεῖ σέ αὐτήν τήν ἀγέλη τῶν τρομερῶν

θηρίων καί τῶν δελεαστικῶν πειρασμῶν Τό

μικρότερο πάθος ὁδηγεῖ σέ μεγαλύτερο καί ἔτσι

σταδιακά βυθίζεται σέ ὅλο καί μεγαλύτερα πάθη

ὥσπου ἐν τέλει δέν μπορεῖ νά ἀναδυθεῖ ἀπrsquoαὐτά

Καί κάθε πάθος ἐμπεριέχει ἀναρίθμητα εἴδωλα καί

κάθε ἐπιθυμία φέρει ὅλο καί περισσότερα εἴδωλα

πού δέν ἔχουν τελειωμό Τά εἴδωλα εἶναι σάν τή

δυνατή φωτιά μέσα της κατακαίγονται καί ἡ

συνείδηση καί ἡ ψυχή καί ἡ καρδιά καί τό θέλημα

τοῦ ἀνθρώπου Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος τῆς

ἀγάπης παρακαλεῖ τούς χριστιανούς laquoΤεκνία

φυλάξατε ἑαυτούς ἀπό τῶν εἰδώλωνraquo Ἀπό τά

εἴδωλα προέρχονται ὅλα τά κακά καί τά μικρά καί

τά μεγάλα Καί κάθε ἄνθρωπος εἶναι εἰδωλολάτρης

ἐφrsquoὅσον δέν πιστεύει στόν μόνον Ἀληθινό Θεό

στόν Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Διότι ὁπωσδήποτε σέ

κάτι πιστεύει εἴτε ὄν εἶναι αὐτό εἴτε πράγμα εἴτε σέ

ὁρατά εἴτε σέ ἀόρατα εἴδωλα ὅπως εἶναι ὁ ἥλιος ἡ

σελήνη οἱ ἀστέρες οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὁ πολιτισμός ἡ

τεχνολογία ἡ φυλή ἡ κοινωνική τάξη τά πάθη οἱ

ἡδονές καί [hellip] τό ὄνομά τους laquoΛεγεώνraquo Ἀπό τό

πρῶτο ὥς τό τελευταῖο ὅλα τά παραπάνω εἶναι

εἰδωλολατρία Δέν ὑπάρχει ἀμφιβολία ὅτι τό καθένα

ἀπrsquoαὐτά φονεύει ὅτι κάνει ἄνθρωπο τόν ἄνθρωπο

φονεύει δηλαδή ὅτι θεοειδές θεονοσταλγικό

ἀθάνατο θεῖο αἰώνιο Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος

νουθετεῖ καί ἐντέλλεται στούς χριστιανούς laquoΔιόπερ

ἀγαπητοί μου φεύγετε ἀπό τῆς εἰδωλολατρείαςraquo Οἱ

ἄνθρωποι διά τῶν ποικιλόμορφων εἰδωλολατρειῶν

ἔμμεσα ἤ ἄμεσα θυσιάζουν τούς ἑαυτούς τους στὀν

διάβολο προσφέρονται ὡς θυσία στόν διάβολο Σέ

τελευταία ἀνάλυση κάθε εἰδωλολατρία εἶναι

σατανολατρία καί κάθε εἰδωλο-διακονία εἶναι σατανο-

διακονία Μήπως δέν λατρεύει δέν διακονεῖ δέν

προσφέρει θυσία τήν ψυχή του στόν διάβολο ἐκεῖνος

πού ζεῖ στά πάθη καί στήν ἡδονή ὅποιος ὑπηρετεῖ

ὁποιονδήποτε καί ὁτιδήποτε ἐκτός ἀπό τόν μόνον

ἀληθινό Θεό καί Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Αὐτό εἶναι

τόσο ξεκάθαρο γιά κάποιον πού μπορεῖ μέ φρόνηση

νά κρίνει Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ θεόσοφος Ἀπόστολος λέγει

στούς πρώην εἰδωλολάτρες Κορινθίους laquoὡς

φρονίμοις λέγωhellipοὐ θέλω δέ ὑμᾶς κοινωνούς τῶν

δαιμονίων γίνεσθαι Οὐ δύνασθε ποτήριον Κυρίου

πίνειν καί ποτήριον δαιμονίων οὐ δύνασθε τραπέζης

Κυρίου μετέχειν καί τραπέζης δαιμονίωνraquo

Ἀναμφίβολα ὁλόκληρο τό Εὐαγγέλιο τοῦ Σωτῆρος

ἔγκειται στό ὅτι laquoτό σῶμα τῶ Κυρίῳ καί ὁ Κύριος τῶ

σώματιraquo Ἔτσι γνωρίζουμε τό αἰώνιο μυστήριο τοῦ

ἀνθρωπίνου ὄντος πώς ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός

εἶναι ὁ Σωτήρας ὁλοκλήρου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὄχι μόνο

τῆς ψυχῆς ἀλλά καί τοῦ σώματός του Γιrsquoαὐτό καί τό

σῶμα τοῦ χριστιανοῦ ὀφείλει νά εἶναι ναός ἅγιος στόν

ὁποῖο ζεῖ ἡ ἁγία ψυχή στόν κόσμο μας καί στόν ὁποῖο

πρόκειται νά ζήσει καί μετά τήν κοινή ἀνάσταση τῶν

νεκρῶν Τά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν διά τοῦ ἁγίου

Βαπτίσματος τῆς Θείας Μεταλήψεως καί τοῦ

εὐαγγελικοῦ τους βίου ἔγιναν ἀναπόσπαστα μέρη τοῦ

Θεανθρώπινου σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ Τά σώματα

αὐτά δέν ἀνήκουν πλέον στούς ἴδιους ἀλλά σέ

Ἐκεῖνον Ὅτι ἔγινε μέ τό ἅγιο σῶμα Ἐκείνου

πρόκειται νά συμβεῖ στά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν Για την αντιγραφή Δημήτρης Κάγκαρης

14

Prophet Elias (Elijah)

The Old Testament prophet Elijah the Tishbite lived during

the time when King Ahab ruled Israel Ahabs wife Jezebel

was a foreigner who did not worship the One True God of

Israel but the false god Baal She persecuted prophets and

deceitfully tried to force the people of Israel to turn away

from God and worship Baal Elijahs fiery personality often

brought him into conflict with Ahab and Jezebel because he

was absolutely determined that the people would stay

faithful to God God rewarded Elijahs devotion with the gift

of prophecy Once when Elijah knew a serious drought was

coming soon God instructed him to leave his home and go

east of the Jordan River promising that he would be fed by

a raven Just as God promised the raven

brought Elijah food and he was able to

drink from a stream When the stream ran

dry God told him to go to the city of

Zarephath In the city he met a widow

who was gathering sticks He asked her

for bread but she replied I have no

bread baked and there is only a small

amount of flour and oil left for my son

and me There was not enough she said to share with

another person Saint Elijah told her not to worry or be

afraid but to make the bread and give him a little loaf She

did so and a great miracle occurred The widow had enough

flour and oil to last a whole year Sometime later when her

son died Elijah prayed over his body and the boy came

back to life The widow was overjoyed and said to Elijah

Now I know that you speak Gods word After many years

of drought God sent Elijah to see King Ahab By this time

there was famine as well as drought in the land While

searching for food and water Ahabs advisor Obadiah met

Elijah on the road He told King Ahab that the prophet was

back and Ahab went out to meet him He said to Elijah Is

it you you troubler of Israel Saint Elijah told King Ahab

that he the king was the one who was troubling Israel

because he was not living his life according to Gods laws

and should not be following the false god Baal Then he said

to the king Tell the people of Israel and the four hundred

fifty prophets of Baal to meet me on Mount Carmel When

everyone had arrived Saint Elijah told the people If the

Lord is God follow him but if Baal is then follow him

He challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest He told

them to put their sacrifice on one altar and he would put his

on another altar Neither one would start a fire to burn their

sacrifice but would call on God and Baal to start the fire

The false prophets of Baal hopped around and yelled to their

god to come and light the sacrifice Saint Elijah laughed and

said that maybe Baal was napping and needed to be

awakened The false prophets yelled even louder and still

nothing happened Elijah calmly made a large trench around

the dirt and all the water Saint Elijah had shown them all

the true and only God When King Ahab told his wife

Jezebel what Elijah had done she angrily promised to kill

the prophet Fearing for his life Elijah fled to Beer-sheba in

the land of Judah There he sat down under a broom tree

so miserable and fearful that he asked God to take his life

Instead God sent an angel to encourage him and to prepare

him for a long journey Following the angels instructions

he walked for forty days and forty nights until he came to a

cave There God spoke to him in a gentle breeze telling

him to bless helpers who would spread the true faith One

of those Elijah blessed was Elisha who was plowing his

fathers field When Saint Elijah saw him he threw his

cloak over him and soon Elisha was accompanying Elijah

as his helper As Saint Elijahs earthly life neared its end

God sent him to Bethel Jericho and the Jordan When he

came to the Jordan Elijah rolled up his cloak and touched

the water The water immediately parted and Saints Elijah

and Elisha crossed over on dry land As they continued to

walk a fiery chariot driven by fiery horses came and took

Saint Elijah in a whirlwind up into the sky Elisha took up

the great prophets cloak Elijahs story doesnt end there

He was one of two Old Testament saints who appeared with

Jesus at His Transfiguration Saint Elijah was there to

represent the Old Testament prophets who foretold the

coming of the Son of God He is a wonderful example of

someone who loved God with all of his soul all of his heart

and all of his mind In some churches on the feast of Saint

Elijah the priest blesses cars bicycles roller skates scoot-

ers (chariots) and any other method of transportation with

wheels httpdceocaorgassetsfilesresourcesSaints-Animalspdf

Troparion (Tone 4)

An angel in the flesh and the cornerstone of the prophets

The second forerunner of the coming of Christ Glorious

Elijah sent grace from on high to Elisha To dispel diseases

and to cleanse lepers Therefore he pours forth healings on

those who honor him

Quote

I have been very zealous for the Lord Almightyhellip

- Elijah about himself 3 Kingdoms 1910

Date Born

Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years before the

Incarnation of Christ

Date Died

Elijahs death is described in 2 Kings 2 9-13 (4 Kingdoms

2 9-13 OSB) The date is not certain

Commemoration Date

July 20 and the Sunday of the Holy Fathers

15

Jr Olympics Wrap Up Thank you to Alki Lappas Case for coordinating our team at the 2019 Metropolis of Chicago Jr Olympics hosted by Saints

Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church

in Palos Hills IL over the Memorial Day

Weekend

The medal results for our team were

9 gold (10k individual and relay swimming)

9 silver (table tennis individual and

relay swimming) and

2 bronze (individual swimming) Congratula-

tions to all

16

17

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church 1755 Des Peres Rd Town amp Country MO 63131

(Just north of Des Peres 14 Cine)

July 2019 FRIDAY LUNCHEONS

Menu subject to change

1100 am - 200 pm Kitchen Phone 314-966-6720

Web Site httpwwwassumptiongocorgfriday-lunch Cash Checks and Credit Cards accepted

Master Card VISA Discover American Express

NO LUNCHEON

JULY 5th

Have a Safe and Healthy

4th of July Weekend

July 19

Shrimp Saganaki over Rice $9

Baked Fish with Stewed Green Beans $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Lobster BisquehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $4Lg $6

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 12

Lamb Shank over Rice $14

Baked Fish with Macedonia Peas $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Chicken Avgolemono SouphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3Lg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 26

Baked 12 Chicken over Rice 8

Baked Fish with Roasted Brussel Sprouts $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Split Pea SouphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3hellipLg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

19

Su

n

Mo

n

Tu

e W

ed

Th

u

Fri

S

at

1

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mercen

arie

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ine

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urg

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ers

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ay

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py 4

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ia

80

0 a

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e L

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12

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Pais

ios

of

Mt

Ath

os

90

0 a

m O

rth

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10

00

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ine

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urg

y

11

00

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Fri

day

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nch

eon

13

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

14

Fa

thers

of

the 4

th

Co

un

cil

83

0 a

m O

rth

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94

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e L

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1

6

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ers

17

Gre

at

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r

Ma

rin

a

90

0 a

m O

rth

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10

00

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ine

Lit

urg

y

20

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m K

afen

io

18

19

11

00

am

Fri

day

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nch

eon

20

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ph

et

Eli

as

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

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Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

21

83

0 a

m O

rth

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94

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m D

ivin

e L

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rgy

22

2

3

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

24

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

25

Rep

ose

of

St

An

na

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

26

Rig

hte

ou

s P

ara

skeve

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

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ine

Lit

urg

y

11

00

am

Fri

day

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nch

eon

27

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at

Marty

r

Pa

nte

leim

on

90

0 a

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rth

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10

00

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ine

Lit

urg

y

50

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m G

reat

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per

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28

83

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94

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m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

29

3

0

63

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ers

31

20

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m K

afen

io

Div

ine

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y T

imes

are

Ap

pro

xim

ate

Fa

st D

ays

are

Sh

ad

ed

Fea

st D

ays

are

Bo

xed

July

20

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mp

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n G

reek

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20

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church

1755 Des Peres Road

Town and Country MO 63131-1405

Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG US Postage

PAID St Louis MO

Permit No 4628

20

From the Orthodox Study Bible 1 John 4 12-16 20-21

No one has seen God at any time If we love one another God abides in us and His love has been perfected in us By

this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit And we have seen and testify

that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God God abides in

him and he in God And we have known and believed the love that God has for us God is love and he who abides in

love abides in God and God in him

If someone says ldquoI love Godrdquo and hates his brother he is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom has seen

how can he love God whom he has not seen And this commandment we have from Him that he who loves God

must love his brother also

Scripture taken from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc

For Consideration

The greatest teachers of the Church endeavored to teach great truths to men not only by words but also by visual examples Thus

Abba Isaiah in order to teach the monks that no-one would receive a reward from God who did not toil in this life for Him led his

disciples to a threshing floor where a labourer was gathering the threshed wheat lsquoGive me some of that wheatrsquo Isaiah said to the

labourer lsquoHave you been reaping as well Fatherrsquo lsquoI havenrsquotrsquo replied the elder lsquoThen yoursquove got a hope of some wheat if yoursquove

not gathered itrsquo To this the elder said lsquoTherersquos no wheat for him who has not gathered itrsquo lsquoNorsquo replied the labourer Hearing

this reply the elder went away in silence When his disciples asked him to explain his actions to them he said lsquoI did that

deliberately in order to show you that no-one will receive the reward from God who has not labored in asceticismrsquo

The Prologue from Ochrid Lives of the Saints and Homilies for Every Day in the Year vol 3 by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic Translated by Mother Maria Lazarica

Press Birmingham 1986 p99

Page 6: From Glory to GloryArchbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Although Archbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea, popularly known

6

2019

Father

of the

Year

Byron Magafas

Fatherrsquos Day

On June 16 we announced our Father and Man of Year Congratulations to

Byron Magafas Father of the Year and

Dr Demetrios Lappas Man of the Year

May God grant them many years After the presentations we were able to

personally congratulate the recipients at a very nice reception prepared by Pete

Regopoulos and Chris Tsoubanos

2019

Man

of the

Year

Dr Demetrios

Lappas

7

Spiritual Aspects of Fatherhood

By Al Rossi PhD

A conference participant once asked the speaker ldquoWhat is

the best way for a father to love his childrenrdquo The speaker

replied ldquoThe best way for a father to love his children is to

love their motherrdquo I reflect often upon that superbly

accurate statement And I think the reverse is equally true

the best way a mother can love her children is to love their

father

More than anything else in the world children need a

loving family and parents who support each other even if

the parents are apart through separation or divorce Christ

challenges us to love one another and that challenge

becomes even more compelling within our own families

Even in the best of families there is brokenness And that is

why the manrsquos call to fatherhood is so important We

fathers are called to show our families strong manly love

and forgiveness virtues modeled powerfully in the father of

the prodigal son (Lk 1132)

This father is stable loving and generous In his fairness

he avoids violating the freedom of either of his sons When

the prodigal demands his inheritance and decides to leave

the father does not attempt to withhold the money He does

not pressure the son to stay by trying to make him feel

guilty And the father is wise enough not to send care

packages to relieve the sonrsquos distress The father allows

both of his adult sons to make their own mistakes and to

learn from their failures an appropriate form of discipline

for older adolescents and young adults

The prodigalrsquos father demonstrates manly leadership by

taking loving initiatives and he takes many such initiatives

He maintains a thriving business to provide the generous

inheritance He creates and supports a loving family for the

prodigal to run from and for the older son to remain with

And there is his last generous joyful initiative as he runs

out to embrace the returning son kiss him and put on him

the best robe ring and shoes He celebrates the return of

his son with a feast And in a scene all of us fathers can

recognize he opens up the conversation with the sulking

older son

The father takes the initiative in bringing about forgiveness

and reconciliation in the whole family He is a model for us

in responding to our call to follow the Spirit of Jesus in

taking many initiatives in our families especially that of

boundless forgiveness for our children

When a father takes responsibility for his own spiritual

life for the way he prays goes to church and practices

virtue in the family he gives good example Then his

leadership in the family is authentic based on his own

solid relationship with God and he is less likely to be

concerned about any resistance his children may give him

He can lead family prayer When I suggest that we stand in

the living room and pray before a trip or that we pray in a

restaurant I often feel an initial resistance in my children

But quiet cooperation and peacefulness soon follow

Sometimes the children will even tell me that they prayed

in a restaurant when I wasnrsquot there

At times the fatherrsquos role of leading the family to great

forgiveness and prayerfulness is an unpopular one But as

a man grows in his own spiritual life he becomes more

sturdy and willing to accept responsibility Although all

this is impossible for us fathers to do alone God can do all

things God can even bestow the awesome spiritual power

of fatherhood upon us

httpsocaorgthe-hubthe-church-on-current-issuesspiritual-aspects-

of-fatherhood

Our Churchrsquos feast day celebration

Panagiarsquos Panegyri

Sunday August 18 2019

Immediately following

Divine Liturgy

More information to follow

8

Philoptochos Corner The Assumption Ladies Philoptochos

Society

Happy July Half of our summer vacation is almost over

Hope you are making the best of it Your new Philoptochos

Board has been busy planning out the rest of their 2019

calendar We know that many of you are traveling to

Greece or other exciting places Please be smart be safe

Check in with us during coffee hour wersquoll be waiting for

you when you get back

Our Chapter

We had our 2019-2021 Executive Board Elections on June

2nd and here are the results

President ndash Flora Dimitriou

1st Vice President ndash Helena Brown

2nd Vice President ndash Keve Gialouris

Recording Secretary ndash Rose Harpole

Corresponding Secretary ndash Patricia Aaron

Treasurer ndash Angie Koulouriotis

Assistant Treasurer ndash Diane Sieckmann

Adviser ndash Soula Marcou

Board Members Yvonne Alexopoulos Dessie Bellos

Popi Deros Amalia Karakasis amp Bessie Theodorou

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Board Member Diane Sieckmann

and friends for serving coffee hour for the month of July

Thank you to everyone who made a jewelry donation to us

for our May Festival Sale All proceeds will benefit the

National Childrenrsquos Medical Fund Luncheon chapter

expenses and sponsorship programs

Childrenrsquos Medical Fund

We have RAFFLE TICKETS FOR SALE Check out the

amazing prizes you could win 1 ticket for $10 or 3 tickets

for $25 find a Philoptochos member during coffee hour to

purchase your chance to win

Please support our youth ndash National Philoptochos

Childrenrsquos Medical Fund ldquoKids Helping Kidsrdquo at our

Panagia Panegyri Sunday August 18th Our youth will be

behind the bar selling punch iced tea amp lemonade All

proceeds will benefit the CMF SponsorshipGrant Program

We need your support in order to help our Chicago Diocese

host this most worthy event

A Look Ahead

Weekend of August 16th 17th amp 18th Bring a friend and

work a shift Sign up for The Festival of the Little Hills St

Charles See Helena Brown for more information

Dont see Downton Abbeyrdquo without us We are making

plans to rent a movie theatre at the Marcus Des Peres Cine

for a private screening of the movie Ticket sales will start

in August The ticket price is $1500 per person More in-

formation to follow regarding date and time

Sunday September 8th ndash Annual Gyro Luncheon

Sunday November 3rd - Philoptochos Name Day

Artoclassia

Saturday November 16th ndash National Childrenrsquos Medical

Fund Luncheon hosted by the Metropolis of Chicago

Sunday December 1st - Philoptochos Christmas Party

Evelynrsquos House ndash BJC Hospice

We are stocking the snack pantry at the hospice house If

you would like to make a donation please see Flora

Dimitriou for a list of items needed Also Evelynrsquos House

continues to need of more crocheted lap blankets or pillow

cases If you have any interest in making the blankets or

pillow cases please let us know There is a size requirement

for these items If you would like any more information on

this project please see Flora Dimitriou or Diane Sieckmann

2019 Meeting Dates

No Meeting in July August 4 September 15 October 6

November 10 No Meeting in December

We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions

Flora Dimitriou

Philoptochos President

fedimitriougmailcom

636-795-4602

9

Fanari 2019 Our Fanari campers left on June 16 for a week of learning and

fellowship on the grounds of the St Iakovos Retreat Center in

Kansasville Wisconsin Fanari is wonderful experience Ask

any of our campers who went

Congratulations to our area AHEPA 53 2019

Scholarship Recipients

The awards were given out this past Sunday June 2 at

the AHEPA 53 Apartments The St Louis AHEPA

Chapter has been awarding scholarships since 1950 to hone

the recipients for their outstanding academic achievements

This year AHEPA 53 awarded 15 scholarships Receipents

from the Assumption were

Demetri Case

Athena Stamos

George Sakelis

The ceremony was emceed by Chapter President Mi-

chael Kontominas and the scholarship awards were

presented by Basil Pappas

AHEPArsquos goal is to see these young students

succeed to the highest degree possible and not to forget their

Hellenic heritage

Applications for both Chapter and District level schol-

arships can generally be picked up in February from the

Church offices or online

10

Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) Corner The Orthodox Mission Team of St Louis

The Orthodox Mission Team of St Louis works to nurture an awareness within our local churches of the

need to evangelize catechize and support missionary efforts and programs globally

As always if you have any questions would like to be part of the Mission Team St Louis or if you would like to help our

missionaries please feel free to contact Rosie Hartley 618-447-9688

Thank you for your continued support

Celebrating 10 Years Since the Dedication of OCMCs Headquarters by Niko Birbilis

This May OCMC was thrilled to celebrate our 10-year-anniversary since the dedication of our current

missionary training and administration building May 21 2009 marked a great day not only for us at OCMC

but for Orthodoxy around the world The roots of OCMC go all the way back to Athens Greece in the 1950s

and to the influence of two young theologians Fr Deacon Anastasios Yannoulatos and Fr Deacon Demetrios

Trakatellis Deacon Anastasios would eventually go on to become His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of

Albania and Deacon Demetrios would soon go on to become His Eminence Archbishop Geron Demetrios of

America

Inspired by the missionary fervor and vision of these brilliant young men the Mission Center would begin as a

committee of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (GOA) of America As it continued to grow and develop

however the GOAs mission center soon moved to its own location in St Augustine Florida and Fr Dimitrios

Couchell (now His Grace Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos) was appointed as its first Executive Director In 1987

the mission center sent the first short-term mission team to Kenya and these teams would continue into the

present day as some of the most fruitful ministries of the mission center

By 1994 the GOA graciously handed its mission center over to become the pan-Orthodox mission center

representing the combined missionary efforts of all Orthodox jurisdictions in the US At this point it was finally

labeled the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC)

Fr Martin Ritsi took over as Executive Director in 1998 and by the late 2000s OCMC was already involved in

thirty countries around the world OCMC continued growing and soon it was time to expand to a new location

It was at this point that due to many incredibly generous supporters OCMC was able to construct its current

home the Archbishop Anastasios and Archbishop Demetrios Training and Administration Building This new

OCMC headquarters building was dedicated on May 21 2009 Since then it has increasingly been the source of

countless ministries striving to carry out Christrsquos great commission and spread the Gospel to the ends of the

earth

In the past 10 years since the dedication OCMC has sent a total of 1181 team members on 159 mission teams to

18 different countries This past year alone OCMC

Has continued to support 375 indigenous clergy worldwide through the SAMP program

Has continued to support 23 long-term missionaries

Provided medical care to 1199 people

Reached 815 children

Catechized 1400 people

Sent 4 healthcare and counseling teams

Built a church in Indonesia

Carried out 7 projects for students and orphans

Wersquove had a wonderfully exciting and fruitful history and we thank you all for walking this journey with us

With your support we are enabling countless people around the world to know the Gospel of Christ and to expe-

rience His love Please continue to keep our work in your prayers to volunteer your time and talents on our mis-

sion trips and to donate to our ministries Now we look forward to all that the next 10 years will bring

11

Births - Congratulations to

George and Melinda Abuqubou on the birth of their son

Christopher who was born on August 26 2018

Baptisms - Many Years to

Isabella Mavra Xenos Zewki daughter of Shivan and

Tatiana Zewki Isabella was baptized on May 19 2019

and her Godparents are Antonios Xenos and

Anastasia Mezinis

Anna Sophia Theodoropulos daughter of Fr Anastasios

and Presvytera Elizabeth Theodoropoulos Anna was

baptized on June 1 2019 at Saints Peter and Paul in

Glenview IL and her Godmother is Julie Stefanski

Peirce James Farmakis son of Mike and Shannon

Farmakis Pierce was baptized on June 1 2019 and his

Godfather is Kostantinos (Dino) Deros

Eleni Polixeni Psara daughter of Spiro and Colleen Psara

Eleni was baptized on June 2 2019 and her

Godparents are are Panteli Pappas and Alona

Teliatnykova

Sophia Shea Hayden daughter of Bob and Natalie

Hayden Sophia was baptized on Saturday June 22 at

Saints Pete and Paul in Glenview IL and her Godgather is

Peter Sparacio

Funerals - Memory Eternal

Anastasia ldquoAnnierdquo Markovich reposed on June 5 2019

The funeral was June 10 at Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox

Church with interment Mt Hope

Dorothy Nancy Graeff reposed on June 6 2019 The

funeral was on June 11 with interment at St Mathews

Cemetery

Nick Niarchos of Palos Hills Ill brother of Eugenia

(Alex) Pavlopoulos reposed on June 6th The funeral was

June 10 at Saints Constantine amp Helen Greek Orthodox

Church Palos Hills Il Interment at Evergreen Cemetery of

Evergreen Park in Il

Lehman Bennett grandfather of Jenny Bennett passes

way on June 15 The funeral and burial were on June 19

in Dallas TX

Memorials - Memory Eternal

June 2

5-year Haralambos Pelekanos

5-year Fr Constantine Regopoulos

June 9

9-mon Van (Evangelos) Evangelopoulos

1-year Tom (Athanasios) Dubis

1 year Mike Labis

1-year Elaine Scott

2 year Danica Mandrapa

8 year Ljubica Terzic

10-year Kostando Liakata

13-year Fr Gerasimos Annas

24-year Andrea Liakata

July 28

1-year Despina Zeriss

2-year Chris Zeris

August 4

21-year Athanasios Stratos

October 13

Departed Members Brotherhood of Alexander the Great

Important Please inform either Fr Joseph or Fr Anastasios

immediately when you or any member of your family is

sick or hospitalized so that appropriate prayer and

visitation may be scheduled Hospitals do not notify

clergy of patients even if you list yourself as a Church

member

In Our Prayers Nora (Elaine) Bangert Seraphima Henderson

Thekla (Rebecca) Kagaris Dean Kases

Janie (Zafera) Kyramarios George Lambos

College Addresses In an effort to keep in touch with and minister to our

college students we ask anyone with a daughter or son in

college to contact the Church office with the address

phone amp email

12

Extra Virgin Olive Oil $20bottle

Missouri Flag $9600

Patriarchal Flag $28900

Holy Water bottleshelliphelliphelliphellip$30800

Icon of St Porphyrios

Icon of the Annunciation

Icon of Elder Amphilochios Makris

Icon of Elder Iakovos (Tsalikis) of Evia

Dimitri and Rebecca Kagaris

Please call the church office if you would like to donate

any of these items

Womenrsquos Summer Book Study

Our plans for our Summer Book Study session are

complete

The book we are reading is

Everyday Wonders

Stories of Gods Providence

By V Rev Michael J Oleksa

and we will meet for our summer pot luck lunch and

book discussion

Saturday August 17

1100 am to 200 pm

Hosted by Keve Gialouris

17828 Greyabbey Ct

Chesterfield MO

If you have any questions please contact

Presvytera Laura Morton at 314-303-1784

Hellenic Culture Camp 2019 July 15-19

Open to all children entering 2nd grade through 8th grade in Fall 2019

Monday ndash Thursday 845 am - 300 pm

St Nicholas Family Life Center (Please bring a lunch and drink Monday-

Wednesday Greek lunch will be provided on Thursday)

Friday

845 am ndash noon Vetta Sports Manchester

Hellenic Culture Camp is a

wonderful opportunity to expose our children and grandchildren to culturally

enriching activities and friendships within our community

Activities include

Greek Cooking History

Geography Greek Dancing

Greek Language Greek Arts and Jewelry Making

Sports

Cost $100 for one child $90 for second child $80 for third child (Financial Assistance

Available)

For questions please contact Barbara Corrigan at

btcstlyahoocom or 3149606258 visit

httpswwwsngocorgnewshellenic-culture-camp

13

But I say to you the Lord says love your enemies do

good to those who hate you pray for those who

persecute you Why did he command these things So

that he might free you from hatred sadness anger and

grudges and might grant you the greatest possession of

all perfect love which is impossible to possess except

by the one who loves all equally in imitation of God

St Maximus the Confessor

Περί εἰδώλων Αγ Ἰουστίνου Πόποβιτς

Τό ἀνθρώπινο γένος δοκιμάζει καθημερινῶς στόν

κόσμο μας τήν ἐμπειρία νά ὁδηγοῦνται οἱ ἄνθρωποι

στήν ἀπώλεια εἴτε λόγῳ τῆς ἄγνοιας εἴτε τῆς μή

ἀναγνωρίσεως τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ καί

Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Μέ ἄλλα λόγια ἐκπίπτουν

ἐξαιτίας εἴτε τῆς ἀθεΐας εἴτε τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας

Αὐτή ἡ ἄγνοια ἤ ἡ μή ἀναγνώριση τοῦ Κυρίου

Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιφέρει τήν ἄγνοια ἤ τήν μή

ἀναγνώριση τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ ἀγαθοῦ σέ αὐτόν

τόν κόσμο τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ Αὐτοί οἱ

ἄνθρωποι ζοῦν laquoἐν ἀσελγείαις ἐπιθυμίαις

οἰνοφλυγίαις κώμοις πότοις καί ἀθεμίτοις

εἰδωλολατρείαιςraquo Ναί laquoἀθεμίτοις εἰδωλολατρίαιςraquo

γιατί ἡ εἰδωλολατρεία εἶναι πάντοτε σέ πληθυντικό

ἀριθμό Ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ὁποῖος δέν ἀναγνωρίζει τόν

μόνο ἀληθινό Θεό θέλοντας καί μή ἀναγνωρίζει

ἕνα ἀναρίθμητο πλῆθος ἄλλων μικρότερων

θεοτήτων ψευδῶν θεῶν εἰδώλων Πρόκειται γιά τίς

ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη πού δέν ἔχουν οὔτε ἀριθμό

οὔτε τέλος Ὅταν ὁ ἄνθρωπος δελεάζεται ἀπό μία

τέτοια μικρή μικρή θεότητα τότε αὐτή τόν

παρασύρει στίς ὑπόλοιπες ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη καί

τότε εἶναι πού τόν κατακομματιάζουν καί τόν

κατασπαράζουν οἱ ἀναρίθμητοι ψευδεῖς καί

ἀδηφάγοι θεοί Καί ὁ ἄνθρωπος δέν εἶναι σέ θέση

νά ἀμυνθεῖ σέ αὐτήν τήν ἀγέλη τῶν τρομερῶν

θηρίων καί τῶν δελεαστικῶν πειρασμῶν Τό

μικρότερο πάθος ὁδηγεῖ σέ μεγαλύτερο καί ἔτσι

σταδιακά βυθίζεται σέ ὅλο καί μεγαλύτερα πάθη

ὥσπου ἐν τέλει δέν μπορεῖ νά ἀναδυθεῖ ἀπrsquoαὐτά

Καί κάθε πάθος ἐμπεριέχει ἀναρίθμητα εἴδωλα καί

κάθε ἐπιθυμία φέρει ὅλο καί περισσότερα εἴδωλα

πού δέν ἔχουν τελειωμό Τά εἴδωλα εἶναι σάν τή

δυνατή φωτιά μέσα της κατακαίγονται καί ἡ

συνείδηση καί ἡ ψυχή καί ἡ καρδιά καί τό θέλημα

τοῦ ἀνθρώπου Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος τῆς

ἀγάπης παρακαλεῖ τούς χριστιανούς laquoΤεκνία

φυλάξατε ἑαυτούς ἀπό τῶν εἰδώλωνraquo Ἀπό τά

εἴδωλα προέρχονται ὅλα τά κακά καί τά μικρά καί

τά μεγάλα Καί κάθε ἄνθρωπος εἶναι εἰδωλολάτρης

ἐφrsquoὅσον δέν πιστεύει στόν μόνον Ἀληθινό Θεό

στόν Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Διότι ὁπωσδήποτε σέ

κάτι πιστεύει εἴτε ὄν εἶναι αὐτό εἴτε πράγμα εἴτε σέ

ὁρατά εἴτε σέ ἀόρατα εἴδωλα ὅπως εἶναι ὁ ἥλιος ἡ

σελήνη οἱ ἀστέρες οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὁ πολιτισμός ἡ

τεχνολογία ἡ φυλή ἡ κοινωνική τάξη τά πάθη οἱ

ἡδονές καί [hellip] τό ὄνομά τους laquoΛεγεώνraquo Ἀπό τό

πρῶτο ὥς τό τελευταῖο ὅλα τά παραπάνω εἶναι

εἰδωλολατρία Δέν ὑπάρχει ἀμφιβολία ὅτι τό καθένα

ἀπrsquoαὐτά φονεύει ὅτι κάνει ἄνθρωπο τόν ἄνθρωπο

φονεύει δηλαδή ὅτι θεοειδές θεονοσταλγικό

ἀθάνατο θεῖο αἰώνιο Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος

νουθετεῖ καί ἐντέλλεται στούς χριστιανούς laquoΔιόπερ

ἀγαπητοί μου φεύγετε ἀπό τῆς εἰδωλολατρείαςraquo Οἱ

ἄνθρωποι διά τῶν ποικιλόμορφων εἰδωλολατρειῶν

ἔμμεσα ἤ ἄμεσα θυσιάζουν τούς ἑαυτούς τους στὀν

διάβολο προσφέρονται ὡς θυσία στόν διάβολο Σέ

τελευταία ἀνάλυση κάθε εἰδωλολατρία εἶναι

σατανολατρία καί κάθε εἰδωλο-διακονία εἶναι σατανο-

διακονία Μήπως δέν λατρεύει δέν διακονεῖ δέν

προσφέρει θυσία τήν ψυχή του στόν διάβολο ἐκεῖνος

πού ζεῖ στά πάθη καί στήν ἡδονή ὅποιος ὑπηρετεῖ

ὁποιονδήποτε καί ὁτιδήποτε ἐκτός ἀπό τόν μόνον

ἀληθινό Θεό καί Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Αὐτό εἶναι

τόσο ξεκάθαρο γιά κάποιον πού μπορεῖ μέ φρόνηση

νά κρίνει Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ θεόσοφος Ἀπόστολος λέγει

στούς πρώην εἰδωλολάτρες Κορινθίους laquoὡς

φρονίμοις λέγωhellipοὐ θέλω δέ ὑμᾶς κοινωνούς τῶν

δαιμονίων γίνεσθαι Οὐ δύνασθε ποτήριον Κυρίου

πίνειν καί ποτήριον δαιμονίων οὐ δύνασθε τραπέζης

Κυρίου μετέχειν καί τραπέζης δαιμονίωνraquo

Ἀναμφίβολα ὁλόκληρο τό Εὐαγγέλιο τοῦ Σωτῆρος

ἔγκειται στό ὅτι laquoτό σῶμα τῶ Κυρίῳ καί ὁ Κύριος τῶ

σώματιraquo Ἔτσι γνωρίζουμε τό αἰώνιο μυστήριο τοῦ

ἀνθρωπίνου ὄντος πώς ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός

εἶναι ὁ Σωτήρας ὁλοκλήρου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὄχι μόνο

τῆς ψυχῆς ἀλλά καί τοῦ σώματός του Γιrsquoαὐτό καί τό

σῶμα τοῦ χριστιανοῦ ὀφείλει νά εἶναι ναός ἅγιος στόν

ὁποῖο ζεῖ ἡ ἁγία ψυχή στόν κόσμο μας καί στόν ὁποῖο

πρόκειται νά ζήσει καί μετά τήν κοινή ἀνάσταση τῶν

νεκρῶν Τά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν διά τοῦ ἁγίου

Βαπτίσματος τῆς Θείας Μεταλήψεως καί τοῦ

εὐαγγελικοῦ τους βίου ἔγιναν ἀναπόσπαστα μέρη τοῦ

Θεανθρώπινου σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ Τά σώματα

αὐτά δέν ἀνήκουν πλέον στούς ἴδιους ἀλλά σέ

Ἐκεῖνον Ὅτι ἔγινε μέ τό ἅγιο σῶμα Ἐκείνου

πρόκειται νά συμβεῖ στά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν Για την αντιγραφή Δημήτρης Κάγκαρης

14

Prophet Elias (Elijah)

The Old Testament prophet Elijah the Tishbite lived during

the time when King Ahab ruled Israel Ahabs wife Jezebel

was a foreigner who did not worship the One True God of

Israel but the false god Baal She persecuted prophets and

deceitfully tried to force the people of Israel to turn away

from God and worship Baal Elijahs fiery personality often

brought him into conflict with Ahab and Jezebel because he

was absolutely determined that the people would stay

faithful to God God rewarded Elijahs devotion with the gift

of prophecy Once when Elijah knew a serious drought was

coming soon God instructed him to leave his home and go

east of the Jordan River promising that he would be fed by

a raven Just as God promised the raven

brought Elijah food and he was able to

drink from a stream When the stream ran

dry God told him to go to the city of

Zarephath In the city he met a widow

who was gathering sticks He asked her

for bread but she replied I have no

bread baked and there is only a small

amount of flour and oil left for my son

and me There was not enough she said to share with

another person Saint Elijah told her not to worry or be

afraid but to make the bread and give him a little loaf She

did so and a great miracle occurred The widow had enough

flour and oil to last a whole year Sometime later when her

son died Elijah prayed over his body and the boy came

back to life The widow was overjoyed and said to Elijah

Now I know that you speak Gods word After many years

of drought God sent Elijah to see King Ahab By this time

there was famine as well as drought in the land While

searching for food and water Ahabs advisor Obadiah met

Elijah on the road He told King Ahab that the prophet was

back and Ahab went out to meet him He said to Elijah Is

it you you troubler of Israel Saint Elijah told King Ahab

that he the king was the one who was troubling Israel

because he was not living his life according to Gods laws

and should not be following the false god Baal Then he said

to the king Tell the people of Israel and the four hundred

fifty prophets of Baal to meet me on Mount Carmel When

everyone had arrived Saint Elijah told the people If the

Lord is God follow him but if Baal is then follow him

He challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest He told

them to put their sacrifice on one altar and he would put his

on another altar Neither one would start a fire to burn their

sacrifice but would call on God and Baal to start the fire

The false prophets of Baal hopped around and yelled to their

god to come and light the sacrifice Saint Elijah laughed and

said that maybe Baal was napping and needed to be

awakened The false prophets yelled even louder and still

nothing happened Elijah calmly made a large trench around

the dirt and all the water Saint Elijah had shown them all

the true and only God When King Ahab told his wife

Jezebel what Elijah had done she angrily promised to kill

the prophet Fearing for his life Elijah fled to Beer-sheba in

the land of Judah There he sat down under a broom tree

so miserable and fearful that he asked God to take his life

Instead God sent an angel to encourage him and to prepare

him for a long journey Following the angels instructions

he walked for forty days and forty nights until he came to a

cave There God spoke to him in a gentle breeze telling

him to bless helpers who would spread the true faith One

of those Elijah blessed was Elisha who was plowing his

fathers field When Saint Elijah saw him he threw his

cloak over him and soon Elisha was accompanying Elijah

as his helper As Saint Elijahs earthly life neared its end

God sent him to Bethel Jericho and the Jordan When he

came to the Jordan Elijah rolled up his cloak and touched

the water The water immediately parted and Saints Elijah

and Elisha crossed over on dry land As they continued to

walk a fiery chariot driven by fiery horses came and took

Saint Elijah in a whirlwind up into the sky Elisha took up

the great prophets cloak Elijahs story doesnt end there

He was one of two Old Testament saints who appeared with

Jesus at His Transfiguration Saint Elijah was there to

represent the Old Testament prophets who foretold the

coming of the Son of God He is a wonderful example of

someone who loved God with all of his soul all of his heart

and all of his mind In some churches on the feast of Saint

Elijah the priest blesses cars bicycles roller skates scoot-

ers (chariots) and any other method of transportation with

wheels httpdceocaorgassetsfilesresourcesSaints-Animalspdf

Troparion (Tone 4)

An angel in the flesh and the cornerstone of the prophets

The second forerunner of the coming of Christ Glorious

Elijah sent grace from on high to Elisha To dispel diseases

and to cleanse lepers Therefore he pours forth healings on

those who honor him

Quote

I have been very zealous for the Lord Almightyhellip

- Elijah about himself 3 Kingdoms 1910

Date Born

Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years before the

Incarnation of Christ

Date Died

Elijahs death is described in 2 Kings 2 9-13 (4 Kingdoms

2 9-13 OSB) The date is not certain

Commemoration Date

July 20 and the Sunday of the Holy Fathers

15

Jr Olympics Wrap Up Thank you to Alki Lappas Case for coordinating our team at the 2019 Metropolis of Chicago Jr Olympics hosted by Saints

Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church

in Palos Hills IL over the Memorial Day

Weekend

The medal results for our team were

9 gold (10k individual and relay swimming)

9 silver (table tennis individual and

relay swimming) and

2 bronze (individual swimming) Congratula-

tions to all

16

17

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church 1755 Des Peres Rd Town amp Country MO 63131

(Just north of Des Peres 14 Cine)

July 2019 FRIDAY LUNCHEONS

Menu subject to change

1100 am - 200 pm Kitchen Phone 314-966-6720

Web Site httpwwwassumptiongocorgfriday-lunch Cash Checks and Credit Cards accepted

Master Card VISA Discover American Express

NO LUNCHEON

JULY 5th

Have a Safe and Healthy

4th of July Weekend

July 19

Shrimp Saganaki over Rice $9

Baked Fish with Stewed Green Beans $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Lobster BisquehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $4Lg $6

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 12

Lamb Shank over Rice $14

Baked Fish with Macedonia Peas $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Chicken Avgolemono SouphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3Lg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 26

Baked 12 Chicken over Rice 8

Baked Fish with Roasted Brussel Sprouts $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Split Pea SouphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3hellipLg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

19

Su

n

Mo

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20

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church

1755 Des Peres Road

Town and Country MO 63131-1405

Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG US Postage

PAID St Louis MO

Permit No 4628

20

From the Orthodox Study Bible 1 John 4 12-16 20-21

No one has seen God at any time If we love one another God abides in us and His love has been perfected in us By

this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit And we have seen and testify

that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God God abides in

him and he in God And we have known and believed the love that God has for us God is love and he who abides in

love abides in God and God in him

If someone says ldquoI love Godrdquo and hates his brother he is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom has seen

how can he love God whom he has not seen And this commandment we have from Him that he who loves God

must love his brother also

Scripture taken from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc

For Consideration

The greatest teachers of the Church endeavored to teach great truths to men not only by words but also by visual examples Thus

Abba Isaiah in order to teach the monks that no-one would receive a reward from God who did not toil in this life for Him led his

disciples to a threshing floor where a labourer was gathering the threshed wheat lsquoGive me some of that wheatrsquo Isaiah said to the

labourer lsquoHave you been reaping as well Fatherrsquo lsquoI havenrsquotrsquo replied the elder lsquoThen yoursquove got a hope of some wheat if yoursquove

not gathered itrsquo To this the elder said lsquoTherersquos no wheat for him who has not gathered itrsquo lsquoNorsquo replied the labourer Hearing

this reply the elder went away in silence When his disciples asked him to explain his actions to them he said lsquoI did that

deliberately in order to show you that no-one will receive the reward from God who has not labored in asceticismrsquo

The Prologue from Ochrid Lives of the Saints and Homilies for Every Day in the Year vol 3 by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic Translated by Mother Maria Lazarica

Press Birmingham 1986 p99

Page 7: From Glory to GloryArchbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Although Archbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea, popularly known

7

Spiritual Aspects of Fatherhood

By Al Rossi PhD

A conference participant once asked the speaker ldquoWhat is

the best way for a father to love his childrenrdquo The speaker

replied ldquoThe best way for a father to love his children is to

love their motherrdquo I reflect often upon that superbly

accurate statement And I think the reverse is equally true

the best way a mother can love her children is to love their

father

More than anything else in the world children need a

loving family and parents who support each other even if

the parents are apart through separation or divorce Christ

challenges us to love one another and that challenge

becomes even more compelling within our own families

Even in the best of families there is brokenness And that is

why the manrsquos call to fatherhood is so important We

fathers are called to show our families strong manly love

and forgiveness virtues modeled powerfully in the father of

the prodigal son (Lk 1132)

This father is stable loving and generous In his fairness

he avoids violating the freedom of either of his sons When

the prodigal demands his inheritance and decides to leave

the father does not attempt to withhold the money He does

not pressure the son to stay by trying to make him feel

guilty And the father is wise enough not to send care

packages to relieve the sonrsquos distress The father allows

both of his adult sons to make their own mistakes and to

learn from their failures an appropriate form of discipline

for older adolescents and young adults

The prodigalrsquos father demonstrates manly leadership by

taking loving initiatives and he takes many such initiatives

He maintains a thriving business to provide the generous

inheritance He creates and supports a loving family for the

prodigal to run from and for the older son to remain with

And there is his last generous joyful initiative as he runs

out to embrace the returning son kiss him and put on him

the best robe ring and shoes He celebrates the return of

his son with a feast And in a scene all of us fathers can

recognize he opens up the conversation with the sulking

older son

The father takes the initiative in bringing about forgiveness

and reconciliation in the whole family He is a model for us

in responding to our call to follow the Spirit of Jesus in

taking many initiatives in our families especially that of

boundless forgiveness for our children

When a father takes responsibility for his own spiritual

life for the way he prays goes to church and practices

virtue in the family he gives good example Then his

leadership in the family is authentic based on his own

solid relationship with God and he is less likely to be

concerned about any resistance his children may give him

He can lead family prayer When I suggest that we stand in

the living room and pray before a trip or that we pray in a

restaurant I often feel an initial resistance in my children

But quiet cooperation and peacefulness soon follow

Sometimes the children will even tell me that they prayed

in a restaurant when I wasnrsquot there

At times the fatherrsquos role of leading the family to great

forgiveness and prayerfulness is an unpopular one But as

a man grows in his own spiritual life he becomes more

sturdy and willing to accept responsibility Although all

this is impossible for us fathers to do alone God can do all

things God can even bestow the awesome spiritual power

of fatherhood upon us

httpsocaorgthe-hubthe-church-on-current-issuesspiritual-aspects-

of-fatherhood

Our Churchrsquos feast day celebration

Panagiarsquos Panegyri

Sunday August 18 2019

Immediately following

Divine Liturgy

More information to follow

8

Philoptochos Corner The Assumption Ladies Philoptochos

Society

Happy July Half of our summer vacation is almost over

Hope you are making the best of it Your new Philoptochos

Board has been busy planning out the rest of their 2019

calendar We know that many of you are traveling to

Greece or other exciting places Please be smart be safe

Check in with us during coffee hour wersquoll be waiting for

you when you get back

Our Chapter

We had our 2019-2021 Executive Board Elections on June

2nd and here are the results

President ndash Flora Dimitriou

1st Vice President ndash Helena Brown

2nd Vice President ndash Keve Gialouris

Recording Secretary ndash Rose Harpole

Corresponding Secretary ndash Patricia Aaron

Treasurer ndash Angie Koulouriotis

Assistant Treasurer ndash Diane Sieckmann

Adviser ndash Soula Marcou

Board Members Yvonne Alexopoulos Dessie Bellos

Popi Deros Amalia Karakasis amp Bessie Theodorou

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Board Member Diane Sieckmann

and friends for serving coffee hour for the month of July

Thank you to everyone who made a jewelry donation to us

for our May Festival Sale All proceeds will benefit the

National Childrenrsquos Medical Fund Luncheon chapter

expenses and sponsorship programs

Childrenrsquos Medical Fund

We have RAFFLE TICKETS FOR SALE Check out the

amazing prizes you could win 1 ticket for $10 or 3 tickets

for $25 find a Philoptochos member during coffee hour to

purchase your chance to win

Please support our youth ndash National Philoptochos

Childrenrsquos Medical Fund ldquoKids Helping Kidsrdquo at our

Panagia Panegyri Sunday August 18th Our youth will be

behind the bar selling punch iced tea amp lemonade All

proceeds will benefit the CMF SponsorshipGrant Program

We need your support in order to help our Chicago Diocese

host this most worthy event

A Look Ahead

Weekend of August 16th 17th amp 18th Bring a friend and

work a shift Sign up for The Festival of the Little Hills St

Charles See Helena Brown for more information

Dont see Downton Abbeyrdquo without us We are making

plans to rent a movie theatre at the Marcus Des Peres Cine

for a private screening of the movie Ticket sales will start

in August The ticket price is $1500 per person More in-

formation to follow regarding date and time

Sunday September 8th ndash Annual Gyro Luncheon

Sunday November 3rd - Philoptochos Name Day

Artoclassia

Saturday November 16th ndash National Childrenrsquos Medical

Fund Luncheon hosted by the Metropolis of Chicago

Sunday December 1st - Philoptochos Christmas Party

Evelynrsquos House ndash BJC Hospice

We are stocking the snack pantry at the hospice house If

you would like to make a donation please see Flora

Dimitriou for a list of items needed Also Evelynrsquos House

continues to need of more crocheted lap blankets or pillow

cases If you have any interest in making the blankets or

pillow cases please let us know There is a size requirement

for these items If you would like any more information on

this project please see Flora Dimitriou or Diane Sieckmann

2019 Meeting Dates

No Meeting in July August 4 September 15 October 6

November 10 No Meeting in December

We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions

Flora Dimitriou

Philoptochos President

fedimitriougmailcom

636-795-4602

9

Fanari 2019 Our Fanari campers left on June 16 for a week of learning and

fellowship on the grounds of the St Iakovos Retreat Center in

Kansasville Wisconsin Fanari is wonderful experience Ask

any of our campers who went

Congratulations to our area AHEPA 53 2019

Scholarship Recipients

The awards were given out this past Sunday June 2 at

the AHEPA 53 Apartments The St Louis AHEPA

Chapter has been awarding scholarships since 1950 to hone

the recipients for their outstanding academic achievements

This year AHEPA 53 awarded 15 scholarships Receipents

from the Assumption were

Demetri Case

Athena Stamos

George Sakelis

The ceremony was emceed by Chapter President Mi-

chael Kontominas and the scholarship awards were

presented by Basil Pappas

AHEPArsquos goal is to see these young students

succeed to the highest degree possible and not to forget their

Hellenic heritage

Applications for both Chapter and District level schol-

arships can generally be picked up in February from the

Church offices or online

10

Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) Corner The Orthodox Mission Team of St Louis

The Orthodox Mission Team of St Louis works to nurture an awareness within our local churches of the

need to evangelize catechize and support missionary efforts and programs globally

As always if you have any questions would like to be part of the Mission Team St Louis or if you would like to help our

missionaries please feel free to contact Rosie Hartley 618-447-9688

Thank you for your continued support

Celebrating 10 Years Since the Dedication of OCMCs Headquarters by Niko Birbilis

This May OCMC was thrilled to celebrate our 10-year-anniversary since the dedication of our current

missionary training and administration building May 21 2009 marked a great day not only for us at OCMC

but for Orthodoxy around the world The roots of OCMC go all the way back to Athens Greece in the 1950s

and to the influence of two young theologians Fr Deacon Anastasios Yannoulatos and Fr Deacon Demetrios

Trakatellis Deacon Anastasios would eventually go on to become His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of

Albania and Deacon Demetrios would soon go on to become His Eminence Archbishop Geron Demetrios of

America

Inspired by the missionary fervor and vision of these brilliant young men the Mission Center would begin as a

committee of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (GOA) of America As it continued to grow and develop

however the GOAs mission center soon moved to its own location in St Augustine Florida and Fr Dimitrios

Couchell (now His Grace Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos) was appointed as its first Executive Director In 1987

the mission center sent the first short-term mission team to Kenya and these teams would continue into the

present day as some of the most fruitful ministries of the mission center

By 1994 the GOA graciously handed its mission center over to become the pan-Orthodox mission center

representing the combined missionary efforts of all Orthodox jurisdictions in the US At this point it was finally

labeled the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC)

Fr Martin Ritsi took over as Executive Director in 1998 and by the late 2000s OCMC was already involved in

thirty countries around the world OCMC continued growing and soon it was time to expand to a new location

It was at this point that due to many incredibly generous supporters OCMC was able to construct its current

home the Archbishop Anastasios and Archbishop Demetrios Training and Administration Building This new

OCMC headquarters building was dedicated on May 21 2009 Since then it has increasingly been the source of

countless ministries striving to carry out Christrsquos great commission and spread the Gospel to the ends of the

earth

In the past 10 years since the dedication OCMC has sent a total of 1181 team members on 159 mission teams to

18 different countries This past year alone OCMC

Has continued to support 375 indigenous clergy worldwide through the SAMP program

Has continued to support 23 long-term missionaries

Provided medical care to 1199 people

Reached 815 children

Catechized 1400 people

Sent 4 healthcare and counseling teams

Built a church in Indonesia

Carried out 7 projects for students and orphans

Wersquove had a wonderfully exciting and fruitful history and we thank you all for walking this journey with us

With your support we are enabling countless people around the world to know the Gospel of Christ and to expe-

rience His love Please continue to keep our work in your prayers to volunteer your time and talents on our mis-

sion trips and to donate to our ministries Now we look forward to all that the next 10 years will bring

11

Births - Congratulations to

George and Melinda Abuqubou on the birth of their son

Christopher who was born on August 26 2018

Baptisms - Many Years to

Isabella Mavra Xenos Zewki daughter of Shivan and

Tatiana Zewki Isabella was baptized on May 19 2019

and her Godparents are Antonios Xenos and

Anastasia Mezinis

Anna Sophia Theodoropulos daughter of Fr Anastasios

and Presvytera Elizabeth Theodoropoulos Anna was

baptized on June 1 2019 at Saints Peter and Paul in

Glenview IL and her Godmother is Julie Stefanski

Peirce James Farmakis son of Mike and Shannon

Farmakis Pierce was baptized on June 1 2019 and his

Godfather is Kostantinos (Dino) Deros

Eleni Polixeni Psara daughter of Spiro and Colleen Psara

Eleni was baptized on June 2 2019 and her

Godparents are are Panteli Pappas and Alona

Teliatnykova

Sophia Shea Hayden daughter of Bob and Natalie

Hayden Sophia was baptized on Saturday June 22 at

Saints Pete and Paul in Glenview IL and her Godgather is

Peter Sparacio

Funerals - Memory Eternal

Anastasia ldquoAnnierdquo Markovich reposed on June 5 2019

The funeral was June 10 at Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox

Church with interment Mt Hope

Dorothy Nancy Graeff reposed on June 6 2019 The

funeral was on June 11 with interment at St Mathews

Cemetery

Nick Niarchos of Palos Hills Ill brother of Eugenia

(Alex) Pavlopoulos reposed on June 6th The funeral was

June 10 at Saints Constantine amp Helen Greek Orthodox

Church Palos Hills Il Interment at Evergreen Cemetery of

Evergreen Park in Il

Lehman Bennett grandfather of Jenny Bennett passes

way on June 15 The funeral and burial were on June 19

in Dallas TX

Memorials - Memory Eternal

June 2

5-year Haralambos Pelekanos

5-year Fr Constantine Regopoulos

June 9

9-mon Van (Evangelos) Evangelopoulos

1-year Tom (Athanasios) Dubis

1 year Mike Labis

1-year Elaine Scott

2 year Danica Mandrapa

8 year Ljubica Terzic

10-year Kostando Liakata

13-year Fr Gerasimos Annas

24-year Andrea Liakata

July 28

1-year Despina Zeriss

2-year Chris Zeris

August 4

21-year Athanasios Stratos

October 13

Departed Members Brotherhood of Alexander the Great

Important Please inform either Fr Joseph or Fr Anastasios

immediately when you or any member of your family is

sick or hospitalized so that appropriate prayer and

visitation may be scheduled Hospitals do not notify

clergy of patients even if you list yourself as a Church

member

In Our Prayers Nora (Elaine) Bangert Seraphima Henderson

Thekla (Rebecca) Kagaris Dean Kases

Janie (Zafera) Kyramarios George Lambos

College Addresses In an effort to keep in touch with and minister to our

college students we ask anyone with a daughter or son in

college to contact the Church office with the address

phone amp email

12

Extra Virgin Olive Oil $20bottle

Missouri Flag $9600

Patriarchal Flag $28900

Holy Water bottleshelliphelliphelliphellip$30800

Icon of St Porphyrios

Icon of the Annunciation

Icon of Elder Amphilochios Makris

Icon of Elder Iakovos (Tsalikis) of Evia

Dimitri and Rebecca Kagaris

Please call the church office if you would like to donate

any of these items

Womenrsquos Summer Book Study

Our plans for our Summer Book Study session are

complete

The book we are reading is

Everyday Wonders

Stories of Gods Providence

By V Rev Michael J Oleksa

and we will meet for our summer pot luck lunch and

book discussion

Saturday August 17

1100 am to 200 pm

Hosted by Keve Gialouris

17828 Greyabbey Ct

Chesterfield MO

If you have any questions please contact

Presvytera Laura Morton at 314-303-1784

Hellenic Culture Camp 2019 July 15-19

Open to all children entering 2nd grade through 8th grade in Fall 2019

Monday ndash Thursday 845 am - 300 pm

St Nicholas Family Life Center (Please bring a lunch and drink Monday-

Wednesday Greek lunch will be provided on Thursday)

Friday

845 am ndash noon Vetta Sports Manchester

Hellenic Culture Camp is a

wonderful opportunity to expose our children and grandchildren to culturally

enriching activities and friendships within our community

Activities include

Greek Cooking History

Geography Greek Dancing

Greek Language Greek Arts and Jewelry Making

Sports

Cost $100 for one child $90 for second child $80 for third child (Financial Assistance

Available)

For questions please contact Barbara Corrigan at

btcstlyahoocom or 3149606258 visit

httpswwwsngocorgnewshellenic-culture-camp

13

But I say to you the Lord says love your enemies do

good to those who hate you pray for those who

persecute you Why did he command these things So

that he might free you from hatred sadness anger and

grudges and might grant you the greatest possession of

all perfect love which is impossible to possess except

by the one who loves all equally in imitation of God

St Maximus the Confessor

Περί εἰδώλων Αγ Ἰουστίνου Πόποβιτς

Τό ἀνθρώπινο γένος δοκιμάζει καθημερινῶς στόν

κόσμο μας τήν ἐμπειρία νά ὁδηγοῦνται οἱ ἄνθρωποι

στήν ἀπώλεια εἴτε λόγῳ τῆς ἄγνοιας εἴτε τῆς μή

ἀναγνωρίσεως τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ καί

Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Μέ ἄλλα λόγια ἐκπίπτουν

ἐξαιτίας εἴτε τῆς ἀθεΐας εἴτε τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας

Αὐτή ἡ ἄγνοια ἤ ἡ μή ἀναγνώριση τοῦ Κυρίου

Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιφέρει τήν ἄγνοια ἤ τήν μή

ἀναγνώριση τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ ἀγαθοῦ σέ αὐτόν

τόν κόσμο τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ Αὐτοί οἱ

ἄνθρωποι ζοῦν laquoἐν ἀσελγείαις ἐπιθυμίαις

οἰνοφλυγίαις κώμοις πότοις καί ἀθεμίτοις

εἰδωλολατρείαιςraquo Ναί laquoἀθεμίτοις εἰδωλολατρίαιςraquo

γιατί ἡ εἰδωλολατρεία εἶναι πάντοτε σέ πληθυντικό

ἀριθμό Ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ὁποῖος δέν ἀναγνωρίζει τόν

μόνο ἀληθινό Θεό θέλοντας καί μή ἀναγνωρίζει

ἕνα ἀναρίθμητο πλῆθος ἄλλων μικρότερων

θεοτήτων ψευδῶν θεῶν εἰδώλων Πρόκειται γιά τίς

ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη πού δέν ἔχουν οὔτε ἀριθμό

οὔτε τέλος Ὅταν ὁ ἄνθρωπος δελεάζεται ἀπό μία

τέτοια μικρή μικρή θεότητα τότε αὐτή τόν

παρασύρει στίς ὑπόλοιπες ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη καί

τότε εἶναι πού τόν κατακομματιάζουν καί τόν

κατασπαράζουν οἱ ἀναρίθμητοι ψευδεῖς καί

ἀδηφάγοι θεοί Καί ὁ ἄνθρωπος δέν εἶναι σέ θέση

νά ἀμυνθεῖ σέ αὐτήν τήν ἀγέλη τῶν τρομερῶν

θηρίων καί τῶν δελεαστικῶν πειρασμῶν Τό

μικρότερο πάθος ὁδηγεῖ σέ μεγαλύτερο καί ἔτσι

σταδιακά βυθίζεται σέ ὅλο καί μεγαλύτερα πάθη

ὥσπου ἐν τέλει δέν μπορεῖ νά ἀναδυθεῖ ἀπrsquoαὐτά

Καί κάθε πάθος ἐμπεριέχει ἀναρίθμητα εἴδωλα καί

κάθε ἐπιθυμία φέρει ὅλο καί περισσότερα εἴδωλα

πού δέν ἔχουν τελειωμό Τά εἴδωλα εἶναι σάν τή

δυνατή φωτιά μέσα της κατακαίγονται καί ἡ

συνείδηση καί ἡ ψυχή καί ἡ καρδιά καί τό θέλημα

τοῦ ἀνθρώπου Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος τῆς

ἀγάπης παρακαλεῖ τούς χριστιανούς laquoΤεκνία

φυλάξατε ἑαυτούς ἀπό τῶν εἰδώλωνraquo Ἀπό τά

εἴδωλα προέρχονται ὅλα τά κακά καί τά μικρά καί

τά μεγάλα Καί κάθε ἄνθρωπος εἶναι εἰδωλολάτρης

ἐφrsquoὅσον δέν πιστεύει στόν μόνον Ἀληθινό Θεό

στόν Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Διότι ὁπωσδήποτε σέ

κάτι πιστεύει εἴτε ὄν εἶναι αὐτό εἴτε πράγμα εἴτε σέ

ὁρατά εἴτε σέ ἀόρατα εἴδωλα ὅπως εἶναι ὁ ἥλιος ἡ

σελήνη οἱ ἀστέρες οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὁ πολιτισμός ἡ

τεχνολογία ἡ φυλή ἡ κοινωνική τάξη τά πάθη οἱ

ἡδονές καί [hellip] τό ὄνομά τους laquoΛεγεώνraquo Ἀπό τό

πρῶτο ὥς τό τελευταῖο ὅλα τά παραπάνω εἶναι

εἰδωλολατρία Δέν ὑπάρχει ἀμφιβολία ὅτι τό καθένα

ἀπrsquoαὐτά φονεύει ὅτι κάνει ἄνθρωπο τόν ἄνθρωπο

φονεύει δηλαδή ὅτι θεοειδές θεονοσταλγικό

ἀθάνατο θεῖο αἰώνιο Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος

νουθετεῖ καί ἐντέλλεται στούς χριστιανούς laquoΔιόπερ

ἀγαπητοί μου φεύγετε ἀπό τῆς εἰδωλολατρείαςraquo Οἱ

ἄνθρωποι διά τῶν ποικιλόμορφων εἰδωλολατρειῶν

ἔμμεσα ἤ ἄμεσα θυσιάζουν τούς ἑαυτούς τους στὀν

διάβολο προσφέρονται ὡς θυσία στόν διάβολο Σέ

τελευταία ἀνάλυση κάθε εἰδωλολατρία εἶναι

σατανολατρία καί κάθε εἰδωλο-διακονία εἶναι σατανο-

διακονία Μήπως δέν λατρεύει δέν διακονεῖ δέν

προσφέρει θυσία τήν ψυχή του στόν διάβολο ἐκεῖνος

πού ζεῖ στά πάθη καί στήν ἡδονή ὅποιος ὑπηρετεῖ

ὁποιονδήποτε καί ὁτιδήποτε ἐκτός ἀπό τόν μόνον

ἀληθινό Θεό καί Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Αὐτό εἶναι

τόσο ξεκάθαρο γιά κάποιον πού μπορεῖ μέ φρόνηση

νά κρίνει Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ θεόσοφος Ἀπόστολος λέγει

στούς πρώην εἰδωλολάτρες Κορινθίους laquoὡς

φρονίμοις λέγωhellipοὐ θέλω δέ ὑμᾶς κοινωνούς τῶν

δαιμονίων γίνεσθαι Οὐ δύνασθε ποτήριον Κυρίου

πίνειν καί ποτήριον δαιμονίων οὐ δύνασθε τραπέζης

Κυρίου μετέχειν καί τραπέζης δαιμονίωνraquo

Ἀναμφίβολα ὁλόκληρο τό Εὐαγγέλιο τοῦ Σωτῆρος

ἔγκειται στό ὅτι laquoτό σῶμα τῶ Κυρίῳ καί ὁ Κύριος τῶ

σώματιraquo Ἔτσι γνωρίζουμε τό αἰώνιο μυστήριο τοῦ

ἀνθρωπίνου ὄντος πώς ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός

εἶναι ὁ Σωτήρας ὁλοκλήρου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὄχι μόνο

τῆς ψυχῆς ἀλλά καί τοῦ σώματός του Γιrsquoαὐτό καί τό

σῶμα τοῦ χριστιανοῦ ὀφείλει νά εἶναι ναός ἅγιος στόν

ὁποῖο ζεῖ ἡ ἁγία ψυχή στόν κόσμο μας καί στόν ὁποῖο

πρόκειται νά ζήσει καί μετά τήν κοινή ἀνάσταση τῶν

νεκρῶν Τά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν διά τοῦ ἁγίου

Βαπτίσματος τῆς Θείας Μεταλήψεως καί τοῦ

εὐαγγελικοῦ τους βίου ἔγιναν ἀναπόσπαστα μέρη τοῦ

Θεανθρώπινου σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ Τά σώματα

αὐτά δέν ἀνήκουν πλέον στούς ἴδιους ἀλλά σέ

Ἐκεῖνον Ὅτι ἔγινε μέ τό ἅγιο σῶμα Ἐκείνου

πρόκειται νά συμβεῖ στά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν Για την αντιγραφή Δημήτρης Κάγκαρης

14

Prophet Elias (Elijah)

The Old Testament prophet Elijah the Tishbite lived during

the time when King Ahab ruled Israel Ahabs wife Jezebel

was a foreigner who did not worship the One True God of

Israel but the false god Baal She persecuted prophets and

deceitfully tried to force the people of Israel to turn away

from God and worship Baal Elijahs fiery personality often

brought him into conflict with Ahab and Jezebel because he

was absolutely determined that the people would stay

faithful to God God rewarded Elijahs devotion with the gift

of prophecy Once when Elijah knew a serious drought was

coming soon God instructed him to leave his home and go

east of the Jordan River promising that he would be fed by

a raven Just as God promised the raven

brought Elijah food and he was able to

drink from a stream When the stream ran

dry God told him to go to the city of

Zarephath In the city he met a widow

who was gathering sticks He asked her

for bread but she replied I have no

bread baked and there is only a small

amount of flour and oil left for my son

and me There was not enough she said to share with

another person Saint Elijah told her not to worry or be

afraid but to make the bread and give him a little loaf She

did so and a great miracle occurred The widow had enough

flour and oil to last a whole year Sometime later when her

son died Elijah prayed over his body and the boy came

back to life The widow was overjoyed and said to Elijah

Now I know that you speak Gods word After many years

of drought God sent Elijah to see King Ahab By this time

there was famine as well as drought in the land While

searching for food and water Ahabs advisor Obadiah met

Elijah on the road He told King Ahab that the prophet was

back and Ahab went out to meet him He said to Elijah Is

it you you troubler of Israel Saint Elijah told King Ahab

that he the king was the one who was troubling Israel

because he was not living his life according to Gods laws

and should not be following the false god Baal Then he said

to the king Tell the people of Israel and the four hundred

fifty prophets of Baal to meet me on Mount Carmel When

everyone had arrived Saint Elijah told the people If the

Lord is God follow him but if Baal is then follow him

He challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest He told

them to put their sacrifice on one altar and he would put his

on another altar Neither one would start a fire to burn their

sacrifice but would call on God and Baal to start the fire

The false prophets of Baal hopped around and yelled to their

god to come and light the sacrifice Saint Elijah laughed and

said that maybe Baal was napping and needed to be

awakened The false prophets yelled even louder and still

nothing happened Elijah calmly made a large trench around

the dirt and all the water Saint Elijah had shown them all

the true and only God When King Ahab told his wife

Jezebel what Elijah had done she angrily promised to kill

the prophet Fearing for his life Elijah fled to Beer-sheba in

the land of Judah There he sat down under a broom tree

so miserable and fearful that he asked God to take his life

Instead God sent an angel to encourage him and to prepare

him for a long journey Following the angels instructions

he walked for forty days and forty nights until he came to a

cave There God spoke to him in a gentle breeze telling

him to bless helpers who would spread the true faith One

of those Elijah blessed was Elisha who was plowing his

fathers field When Saint Elijah saw him he threw his

cloak over him and soon Elisha was accompanying Elijah

as his helper As Saint Elijahs earthly life neared its end

God sent him to Bethel Jericho and the Jordan When he

came to the Jordan Elijah rolled up his cloak and touched

the water The water immediately parted and Saints Elijah

and Elisha crossed over on dry land As they continued to

walk a fiery chariot driven by fiery horses came and took

Saint Elijah in a whirlwind up into the sky Elisha took up

the great prophets cloak Elijahs story doesnt end there

He was one of two Old Testament saints who appeared with

Jesus at His Transfiguration Saint Elijah was there to

represent the Old Testament prophets who foretold the

coming of the Son of God He is a wonderful example of

someone who loved God with all of his soul all of his heart

and all of his mind In some churches on the feast of Saint

Elijah the priest blesses cars bicycles roller skates scoot-

ers (chariots) and any other method of transportation with

wheels httpdceocaorgassetsfilesresourcesSaints-Animalspdf

Troparion (Tone 4)

An angel in the flesh and the cornerstone of the prophets

The second forerunner of the coming of Christ Glorious

Elijah sent grace from on high to Elisha To dispel diseases

and to cleanse lepers Therefore he pours forth healings on

those who honor him

Quote

I have been very zealous for the Lord Almightyhellip

- Elijah about himself 3 Kingdoms 1910

Date Born

Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years before the

Incarnation of Christ

Date Died

Elijahs death is described in 2 Kings 2 9-13 (4 Kingdoms

2 9-13 OSB) The date is not certain

Commemoration Date

July 20 and the Sunday of the Holy Fathers

15

Jr Olympics Wrap Up Thank you to Alki Lappas Case for coordinating our team at the 2019 Metropolis of Chicago Jr Olympics hosted by Saints

Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church

in Palos Hills IL over the Memorial Day

Weekend

The medal results for our team were

9 gold (10k individual and relay swimming)

9 silver (table tennis individual and

relay swimming) and

2 bronze (individual swimming) Congratula-

tions to all

16

17

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church 1755 Des Peres Rd Town amp Country MO 63131

(Just north of Des Peres 14 Cine)

July 2019 FRIDAY LUNCHEONS

Menu subject to change

1100 am - 200 pm Kitchen Phone 314-966-6720

Web Site httpwwwassumptiongocorgfriday-lunch Cash Checks and Credit Cards accepted

Master Card VISA Discover American Express

NO LUNCHEON

JULY 5th

Have a Safe and Healthy

4th of July Weekend

July 19

Shrimp Saganaki over Rice $9

Baked Fish with Stewed Green Beans $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Lobster BisquehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $4Lg $6

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 12

Lamb Shank over Rice $14

Baked Fish with Macedonia Peas $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Chicken Avgolemono SouphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3Lg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 26

Baked 12 Chicken over Rice 8

Baked Fish with Roasted Brussel Sprouts $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Split Pea SouphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3hellipLg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

19

Su

n

Mo

n

Tu

e W

ed

Th

u

Fri

S

at

1

Un

mercen

arie

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ers

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afen

io

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en

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ce D

ay

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UN

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EO

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py 4

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ly W

eek

end

6

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reat

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ivin

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io

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t M

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Eu

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ia

80

0 a

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90

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m D

ivin

e L

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12

St

Pais

ios

of

Mt

Ath

os

90

0 a

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rth

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10

00

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Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

13

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

14

Fa

thers

of

the 4

th

Co

un

cil

83

0 a

m O

rth

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94

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m D

ivin

e L

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15

1

6

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ers

17

Gre

at

Marty

r

Ma

rin

a

90

0 a

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rth

ros

10

00

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ine

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urg

y

20

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afen

io

18

19

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

20

Pro

ph

et

Eli

as

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

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Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

50

0 p

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reat

Ves

per

s

21

83

0 a

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rth

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94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

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22

2

3

63

0 p

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esp

ers

24

20

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afen

io

25

Rep

ose

of

St

An

na

90

0 a

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rth

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10

00

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ine

Lit

urg

y

26

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hte

ou

s P

ara

skeve

90

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m O

rth

ros

10

00

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Div

ine

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urg

y

11

00

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Fri

day

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nch

eon

27

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at

Marty

r

Pa

nte

leim

on

90

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10

00

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ine

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urg

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50

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reat

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per

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28

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94

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ivin

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29

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ers

31

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are

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Fa

st D

ays

are

Sh

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ed

Fea

st D

ays

are

Bo

xed

July

20

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n G

reek

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20

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church

1755 Des Peres Road

Town and Country MO 63131-1405

Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG US Postage

PAID St Louis MO

Permit No 4628

20

From the Orthodox Study Bible 1 John 4 12-16 20-21

No one has seen God at any time If we love one another God abides in us and His love has been perfected in us By

this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit And we have seen and testify

that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God God abides in

him and he in God And we have known and believed the love that God has for us God is love and he who abides in

love abides in God and God in him

If someone says ldquoI love Godrdquo and hates his brother he is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom has seen

how can he love God whom he has not seen And this commandment we have from Him that he who loves God

must love his brother also

Scripture taken from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc

For Consideration

The greatest teachers of the Church endeavored to teach great truths to men not only by words but also by visual examples Thus

Abba Isaiah in order to teach the monks that no-one would receive a reward from God who did not toil in this life for Him led his

disciples to a threshing floor where a labourer was gathering the threshed wheat lsquoGive me some of that wheatrsquo Isaiah said to the

labourer lsquoHave you been reaping as well Fatherrsquo lsquoI havenrsquotrsquo replied the elder lsquoThen yoursquove got a hope of some wheat if yoursquove

not gathered itrsquo To this the elder said lsquoTherersquos no wheat for him who has not gathered itrsquo lsquoNorsquo replied the labourer Hearing

this reply the elder went away in silence When his disciples asked him to explain his actions to them he said lsquoI did that

deliberately in order to show you that no-one will receive the reward from God who has not labored in asceticismrsquo

The Prologue from Ochrid Lives of the Saints and Homilies for Every Day in the Year vol 3 by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic Translated by Mother Maria Lazarica

Press Birmingham 1986 p99

Page 8: From Glory to GloryArchbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Although Archbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea, popularly known

8

Philoptochos Corner The Assumption Ladies Philoptochos

Society

Happy July Half of our summer vacation is almost over

Hope you are making the best of it Your new Philoptochos

Board has been busy planning out the rest of their 2019

calendar We know that many of you are traveling to

Greece or other exciting places Please be smart be safe

Check in with us during coffee hour wersquoll be waiting for

you when you get back

Our Chapter

We had our 2019-2021 Executive Board Elections on June

2nd and here are the results

President ndash Flora Dimitriou

1st Vice President ndash Helena Brown

2nd Vice President ndash Keve Gialouris

Recording Secretary ndash Rose Harpole

Corresponding Secretary ndash Patricia Aaron

Treasurer ndash Angie Koulouriotis

Assistant Treasurer ndash Diane Sieckmann

Adviser ndash Soula Marcou

Board Members Yvonne Alexopoulos Dessie Bellos

Popi Deros Amalia Karakasis amp Bessie Theodorou

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Board Member Diane Sieckmann

and friends for serving coffee hour for the month of July

Thank you to everyone who made a jewelry donation to us

for our May Festival Sale All proceeds will benefit the

National Childrenrsquos Medical Fund Luncheon chapter

expenses and sponsorship programs

Childrenrsquos Medical Fund

We have RAFFLE TICKETS FOR SALE Check out the

amazing prizes you could win 1 ticket for $10 or 3 tickets

for $25 find a Philoptochos member during coffee hour to

purchase your chance to win

Please support our youth ndash National Philoptochos

Childrenrsquos Medical Fund ldquoKids Helping Kidsrdquo at our

Panagia Panegyri Sunday August 18th Our youth will be

behind the bar selling punch iced tea amp lemonade All

proceeds will benefit the CMF SponsorshipGrant Program

We need your support in order to help our Chicago Diocese

host this most worthy event

A Look Ahead

Weekend of August 16th 17th amp 18th Bring a friend and

work a shift Sign up for The Festival of the Little Hills St

Charles See Helena Brown for more information

Dont see Downton Abbeyrdquo without us We are making

plans to rent a movie theatre at the Marcus Des Peres Cine

for a private screening of the movie Ticket sales will start

in August The ticket price is $1500 per person More in-

formation to follow regarding date and time

Sunday September 8th ndash Annual Gyro Luncheon

Sunday November 3rd - Philoptochos Name Day

Artoclassia

Saturday November 16th ndash National Childrenrsquos Medical

Fund Luncheon hosted by the Metropolis of Chicago

Sunday December 1st - Philoptochos Christmas Party

Evelynrsquos House ndash BJC Hospice

We are stocking the snack pantry at the hospice house If

you would like to make a donation please see Flora

Dimitriou for a list of items needed Also Evelynrsquos House

continues to need of more crocheted lap blankets or pillow

cases If you have any interest in making the blankets or

pillow cases please let us know There is a size requirement

for these items If you would like any more information on

this project please see Flora Dimitriou or Diane Sieckmann

2019 Meeting Dates

No Meeting in July August 4 September 15 October 6

November 10 No Meeting in December

We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions

Flora Dimitriou

Philoptochos President

fedimitriougmailcom

636-795-4602

9

Fanari 2019 Our Fanari campers left on June 16 for a week of learning and

fellowship on the grounds of the St Iakovos Retreat Center in

Kansasville Wisconsin Fanari is wonderful experience Ask

any of our campers who went

Congratulations to our area AHEPA 53 2019

Scholarship Recipients

The awards were given out this past Sunday June 2 at

the AHEPA 53 Apartments The St Louis AHEPA

Chapter has been awarding scholarships since 1950 to hone

the recipients for their outstanding academic achievements

This year AHEPA 53 awarded 15 scholarships Receipents

from the Assumption were

Demetri Case

Athena Stamos

George Sakelis

The ceremony was emceed by Chapter President Mi-

chael Kontominas and the scholarship awards were

presented by Basil Pappas

AHEPArsquos goal is to see these young students

succeed to the highest degree possible and not to forget their

Hellenic heritage

Applications for both Chapter and District level schol-

arships can generally be picked up in February from the

Church offices or online

10

Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) Corner The Orthodox Mission Team of St Louis

The Orthodox Mission Team of St Louis works to nurture an awareness within our local churches of the

need to evangelize catechize and support missionary efforts and programs globally

As always if you have any questions would like to be part of the Mission Team St Louis or if you would like to help our

missionaries please feel free to contact Rosie Hartley 618-447-9688

Thank you for your continued support

Celebrating 10 Years Since the Dedication of OCMCs Headquarters by Niko Birbilis

This May OCMC was thrilled to celebrate our 10-year-anniversary since the dedication of our current

missionary training and administration building May 21 2009 marked a great day not only for us at OCMC

but for Orthodoxy around the world The roots of OCMC go all the way back to Athens Greece in the 1950s

and to the influence of two young theologians Fr Deacon Anastasios Yannoulatos and Fr Deacon Demetrios

Trakatellis Deacon Anastasios would eventually go on to become His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of

Albania and Deacon Demetrios would soon go on to become His Eminence Archbishop Geron Demetrios of

America

Inspired by the missionary fervor and vision of these brilliant young men the Mission Center would begin as a

committee of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (GOA) of America As it continued to grow and develop

however the GOAs mission center soon moved to its own location in St Augustine Florida and Fr Dimitrios

Couchell (now His Grace Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos) was appointed as its first Executive Director In 1987

the mission center sent the first short-term mission team to Kenya and these teams would continue into the

present day as some of the most fruitful ministries of the mission center

By 1994 the GOA graciously handed its mission center over to become the pan-Orthodox mission center

representing the combined missionary efforts of all Orthodox jurisdictions in the US At this point it was finally

labeled the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC)

Fr Martin Ritsi took over as Executive Director in 1998 and by the late 2000s OCMC was already involved in

thirty countries around the world OCMC continued growing and soon it was time to expand to a new location

It was at this point that due to many incredibly generous supporters OCMC was able to construct its current

home the Archbishop Anastasios and Archbishop Demetrios Training and Administration Building This new

OCMC headquarters building was dedicated on May 21 2009 Since then it has increasingly been the source of

countless ministries striving to carry out Christrsquos great commission and spread the Gospel to the ends of the

earth

In the past 10 years since the dedication OCMC has sent a total of 1181 team members on 159 mission teams to

18 different countries This past year alone OCMC

Has continued to support 375 indigenous clergy worldwide through the SAMP program

Has continued to support 23 long-term missionaries

Provided medical care to 1199 people

Reached 815 children

Catechized 1400 people

Sent 4 healthcare and counseling teams

Built a church in Indonesia

Carried out 7 projects for students and orphans

Wersquove had a wonderfully exciting and fruitful history and we thank you all for walking this journey with us

With your support we are enabling countless people around the world to know the Gospel of Christ and to expe-

rience His love Please continue to keep our work in your prayers to volunteer your time and talents on our mis-

sion trips and to donate to our ministries Now we look forward to all that the next 10 years will bring

11

Births - Congratulations to

George and Melinda Abuqubou on the birth of their son

Christopher who was born on August 26 2018

Baptisms - Many Years to

Isabella Mavra Xenos Zewki daughter of Shivan and

Tatiana Zewki Isabella was baptized on May 19 2019

and her Godparents are Antonios Xenos and

Anastasia Mezinis

Anna Sophia Theodoropulos daughter of Fr Anastasios

and Presvytera Elizabeth Theodoropoulos Anna was

baptized on June 1 2019 at Saints Peter and Paul in

Glenview IL and her Godmother is Julie Stefanski

Peirce James Farmakis son of Mike and Shannon

Farmakis Pierce was baptized on June 1 2019 and his

Godfather is Kostantinos (Dino) Deros

Eleni Polixeni Psara daughter of Spiro and Colleen Psara

Eleni was baptized on June 2 2019 and her

Godparents are are Panteli Pappas and Alona

Teliatnykova

Sophia Shea Hayden daughter of Bob and Natalie

Hayden Sophia was baptized on Saturday June 22 at

Saints Pete and Paul in Glenview IL and her Godgather is

Peter Sparacio

Funerals - Memory Eternal

Anastasia ldquoAnnierdquo Markovich reposed on June 5 2019

The funeral was June 10 at Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox

Church with interment Mt Hope

Dorothy Nancy Graeff reposed on June 6 2019 The

funeral was on June 11 with interment at St Mathews

Cemetery

Nick Niarchos of Palos Hills Ill brother of Eugenia

(Alex) Pavlopoulos reposed on June 6th The funeral was

June 10 at Saints Constantine amp Helen Greek Orthodox

Church Palos Hills Il Interment at Evergreen Cemetery of

Evergreen Park in Il

Lehman Bennett grandfather of Jenny Bennett passes

way on June 15 The funeral and burial were on June 19

in Dallas TX

Memorials - Memory Eternal

June 2

5-year Haralambos Pelekanos

5-year Fr Constantine Regopoulos

June 9

9-mon Van (Evangelos) Evangelopoulos

1-year Tom (Athanasios) Dubis

1 year Mike Labis

1-year Elaine Scott

2 year Danica Mandrapa

8 year Ljubica Terzic

10-year Kostando Liakata

13-year Fr Gerasimos Annas

24-year Andrea Liakata

July 28

1-year Despina Zeriss

2-year Chris Zeris

August 4

21-year Athanasios Stratos

October 13

Departed Members Brotherhood of Alexander the Great

Important Please inform either Fr Joseph or Fr Anastasios

immediately when you or any member of your family is

sick or hospitalized so that appropriate prayer and

visitation may be scheduled Hospitals do not notify

clergy of patients even if you list yourself as a Church

member

In Our Prayers Nora (Elaine) Bangert Seraphima Henderson

Thekla (Rebecca) Kagaris Dean Kases

Janie (Zafera) Kyramarios George Lambos

College Addresses In an effort to keep in touch with and minister to our

college students we ask anyone with a daughter or son in

college to contact the Church office with the address

phone amp email

12

Extra Virgin Olive Oil $20bottle

Missouri Flag $9600

Patriarchal Flag $28900

Holy Water bottleshelliphelliphelliphellip$30800

Icon of St Porphyrios

Icon of the Annunciation

Icon of Elder Amphilochios Makris

Icon of Elder Iakovos (Tsalikis) of Evia

Dimitri and Rebecca Kagaris

Please call the church office if you would like to donate

any of these items

Womenrsquos Summer Book Study

Our plans for our Summer Book Study session are

complete

The book we are reading is

Everyday Wonders

Stories of Gods Providence

By V Rev Michael J Oleksa

and we will meet for our summer pot luck lunch and

book discussion

Saturday August 17

1100 am to 200 pm

Hosted by Keve Gialouris

17828 Greyabbey Ct

Chesterfield MO

If you have any questions please contact

Presvytera Laura Morton at 314-303-1784

Hellenic Culture Camp 2019 July 15-19

Open to all children entering 2nd grade through 8th grade in Fall 2019

Monday ndash Thursday 845 am - 300 pm

St Nicholas Family Life Center (Please bring a lunch and drink Monday-

Wednesday Greek lunch will be provided on Thursday)

Friday

845 am ndash noon Vetta Sports Manchester

Hellenic Culture Camp is a

wonderful opportunity to expose our children and grandchildren to culturally

enriching activities and friendships within our community

Activities include

Greek Cooking History

Geography Greek Dancing

Greek Language Greek Arts and Jewelry Making

Sports

Cost $100 for one child $90 for second child $80 for third child (Financial Assistance

Available)

For questions please contact Barbara Corrigan at

btcstlyahoocom or 3149606258 visit

httpswwwsngocorgnewshellenic-culture-camp

13

But I say to you the Lord says love your enemies do

good to those who hate you pray for those who

persecute you Why did he command these things So

that he might free you from hatred sadness anger and

grudges and might grant you the greatest possession of

all perfect love which is impossible to possess except

by the one who loves all equally in imitation of God

St Maximus the Confessor

Περί εἰδώλων Αγ Ἰουστίνου Πόποβιτς

Τό ἀνθρώπινο γένος δοκιμάζει καθημερινῶς στόν

κόσμο μας τήν ἐμπειρία νά ὁδηγοῦνται οἱ ἄνθρωποι

στήν ἀπώλεια εἴτε λόγῳ τῆς ἄγνοιας εἴτε τῆς μή

ἀναγνωρίσεως τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ καί

Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Μέ ἄλλα λόγια ἐκπίπτουν

ἐξαιτίας εἴτε τῆς ἀθεΐας εἴτε τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας

Αὐτή ἡ ἄγνοια ἤ ἡ μή ἀναγνώριση τοῦ Κυρίου

Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιφέρει τήν ἄγνοια ἤ τήν μή

ἀναγνώριση τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ ἀγαθοῦ σέ αὐτόν

τόν κόσμο τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ Αὐτοί οἱ

ἄνθρωποι ζοῦν laquoἐν ἀσελγείαις ἐπιθυμίαις

οἰνοφλυγίαις κώμοις πότοις καί ἀθεμίτοις

εἰδωλολατρείαιςraquo Ναί laquoἀθεμίτοις εἰδωλολατρίαιςraquo

γιατί ἡ εἰδωλολατρεία εἶναι πάντοτε σέ πληθυντικό

ἀριθμό Ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ὁποῖος δέν ἀναγνωρίζει τόν

μόνο ἀληθινό Θεό θέλοντας καί μή ἀναγνωρίζει

ἕνα ἀναρίθμητο πλῆθος ἄλλων μικρότερων

θεοτήτων ψευδῶν θεῶν εἰδώλων Πρόκειται γιά τίς

ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη πού δέν ἔχουν οὔτε ἀριθμό

οὔτε τέλος Ὅταν ὁ ἄνθρωπος δελεάζεται ἀπό μία

τέτοια μικρή μικρή θεότητα τότε αὐτή τόν

παρασύρει στίς ὑπόλοιπες ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη καί

τότε εἶναι πού τόν κατακομματιάζουν καί τόν

κατασπαράζουν οἱ ἀναρίθμητοι ψευδεῖς καί

ἀδηφάγοι θεοί Καί ὁ ἄνθρωπος δέν εἶναι σέ θέση

νά ἀμυνθεῖ σέ αὐτήν τήν ἀγέλη τῶν τρομερῶν

θηρίων καί τῶν δελεαστικῶν πειρασμῶν Τό

μικρότερο πάθος ὁδηγεῖ σέ μεγαλύτερο καί ἔτσι

σταδιακά βυθίζεται σέ ὅλο καί μεγαλύτερα πάθη

ὥσπου ἐν τέλει δέν μπορεῖ νά ἀναδυθεῖ ἀπrsquoαὐτά

Καί κάθε πάθος ἐμπεριέχει ἀναρίθμητα εἴδωλα καί

κάθε ἐπιθυμία φέρει ὅλο καί περισσότερα εἴδωλα

πού δέν ἔχουν τελειωμό Τά εἴδωλα εἶναι σάν τή

δυνατή φωτιά μέσα της κατακαίγονται καί ἡ

συνείδηση καί ἡ ψυχή καί ἡ καρδιά καί τό θέλημα

τοῦ ἀνθρώπου Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος τῆς

ἀγάπης παρακαλεῖ τούς χριστιανούς laquoΤεκνία

φυλάξατε ἑαυτούς ἀπό τῶν εἰδώλωνraquo Ἀπό τά

εἴδωλα προέρχονται ὅλα τά κακά καί τά μικρά καί

τά μεγάλα Καί κάθε ἄνθρωπος εἶναι εἰδωλολάτρης

ἐφrsquoὅσον δέν πιστεύει στόν μόνον Ἀληθινό Θεό

στόν Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Διότι ὁπωσδήποτε σέ

κάτι πιστεύει εἴτε ὄν εἶναι αὐτό εἴτε πράγμα εἴτε σέ

ὁρατά εἴτε σέ ἀόρατα εἴδωλα ὅπως εἶναι ὁ ἥλιος ἡ

σελήνη οἱ ἀστέρες οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὁ πολιτισμός ἡ

τεχνολογία ἡ φυλή ἡ κοινωνική τάξη τά πάθη οἱ

ἡδονές καί [hellip] τό ὄνομά τους laquoΛεγεώνraquo Ἀπό τό

πρῶτο ὥς τό τελευταῖο ὅλα τά παραπάνω εἶναι

εἰδωλολατρία Δέν ὑπάρχει ἀμφιβολία ὅτι τό καθένα

ἀπrsquoαὐτά φονεύει ὅτι κάνει ἄνθρωπο τόν ἄνθρωπο

φονεύει δηλαδή ὅτι θεοειδές θεονοσταλγικό

ἀθάνατο θεῖο αἰώνιο Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος

νουθετεῖ καί ἐντέλλεται στούς χριστιανούς laquoΔιόπερ

ἀγαπητοί μου φεύγετε ἀπό τῆς εἰδωλολατρείαςraquo Οἱ

ἄνθρωποι διά τῶν ποικιλόμορφων εἰδωλολατρειῶν

ἔμμεσα ἤ ἄμεσα θυσιάζουν τούς ἑαυτούς τους στὀν

διάβολο προσφέρονται ὡς θυσία στόν διάβολο Σέ

τελευταία ἀνάλυση κάθε εἰδωλολατρία εἶναι

σατανολατρία καί κάθε εἰδωλο-διακονία εἶναι σατανο-

διακονία Μήπως δέν λατρεύει δέν διακονεῖ δέν

προσφέρει θυσία τήν ψυχή του στόν διάβολο ἐκεῖνος

πού ζεῖ στά πάθη καί στήν ἡδονή ὅποιος ὑπηρετεῖ

ὁποιονδήποτε καί ὁτιδήποτε ἐκτός ἀπό τόν μόνον

ἀληθινό Θεό καί Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Αὐτό εἶναι

τόσο ξεκάθαρο γιά κάποιον πού μπορεῖ μέ φρόνηση

νά κρίνει Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ θεόσοφος Ἀπόστολος λέγει

στούς πρώην εἰδωλολάτρες Κορινθίους laquoὡς

φρονίμοις λέγωhellipοὐ θέλω δέ ὑμᾶς κοινωνούς τῶν

δαιμονίων γίνεσθαι Οὐ δύνασθε ποτήριον Κυρίου

πίνειν καί ποτήριον δαιμονίων οὐ δύνασθε τραπέζης

Κυρίου μετέχειν καί τραπέζης δαιμονίωνraquo

Ἀναμφίβολα ὁλόκληρο τό Εὐαγγέλιο τοῦ Σωτῆρος

ἔγκειται στό ὅτι laquoτό σῶμα τῶ Κυρίῳ καί ὁ Κύριος τῶ

σώματιraquo Ἔτσι γνωρίζουμε τό αἰώνιο μυστήριο τοῦ

ἀνθρωπίνου ὄντος πώς ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός

εἶναι ὁ Σωτήρας ὁλοκλήρου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὄχι μόνο

τῆς ψυχῆς ἀλλά καί τοῦ σώματός του Γιrsquoαὐτό καί τό

σῶμα τοῦ χριστιανοῦ ὀφείλει νά εἶναι ναός ἅγιος στόν

ὁποῖο ζεῖ ἡ ἁγία ψυχή στόν κόσμο μας καί στόν ὁποῖο

πρόκειται νά ζήσει καί μετά τήν κοινή ἀνάσταση τῶν

νεκρῶν Τά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν διά τοῦ ἁγίου

Βαπτίσματος τῆς Θείας Μεταλήψεως καί τοῦ

εὐαγγελικοῦ τους βίου ἔγιναν ἀναπόσπαστα μέρη τοῦ

Θεανθρώπινου σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ Τά σώματα

αὐτά δέν ἀνήκουν πλέον στούς ἴδιους ἀλλά σέ

Ἐκεῖνον Ὅτι ἔγινε μέ τό ἅγιο σῶμα Ἐκείνου

πρόκειται νά συμβεῖ στά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν Για την αντιγραφή Δημήτρης Κάγκαρης

14

Prophet Elias (Elijah)

The Old Testament prophet Elijah the Tishbite lived during

the time when King Ahab ruled Israel Ahabs wife Jezebel

was a foreigner who did not worship the One True God of

Israel but the false god Baal She persecuted prophets and

deceitfully tried to force the people of Israel to turn away

from God and worship Baal Elijahs fiery personality often

brought him into conflict with Ahab and Jezebel because he

was absolutely determined that the people would stay

faithful to God God rewarded Elijahs devotion with the gift

of prophecy Once when Elijah knew a serious drought was

coming soon God instructed him to leave his home and go

east of the Jordan River promising that he would be fed by

a raven Just as God promised the raven

brought Elijah food and he was able to

drink from a stream When the stream ran

dry God told him to go to the city of

Zarephath In the city he met a widow

who was gathering sticks He asked her

for bread but she replied I have no

bread baked and there is only a small

amount of flour and oil left for my son

and me There was not enough she said to share with

another person Saint Elijah told her not to worry or be

afraid but to make the bread and give him a little loaf She

did so and a great miracle occurred The widow had enough

flour and oil to last a whole year Sometime later when her

son died Elijah prayed over his body and the boy came

back to life The widow was overjoyed and said to Elijah

Now I know that you speak Gods word After many years

of drought God sent Elijah to see King Ahab By this time

there was famine as well as drought in the land While

searching for food and water Ahabs advisor Obadiah met

Elijah on the road He told King Ahab that the prophet was

back and Ahab went out to meet him He said to Elijah Is

it you you troubler of Israel Saint Elijah told King Ahab

that he the king was the one who was troubling Israel

because he was not living his life according to Gods laws

and should not be following the false god Baal Then he said

to the king Tell the people of Israel and the four hundred

fifty prophets of Baal to meet me on Mount Carmel When

everyone had arrived Saint Elijah told the people If the

Lord is God follow him but if Baal is then follow him

He challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest He told

them to put their sacrifice on one altar and he would put his

on another altar Neither one would start a fire to burn their

sacrifice but would call on God and Baal to start the fire

The false prophets of Baal hopped around and yelled to their

god to come and light the sacrifice Saint Elijah laughed and

said that maybe Baal was napping and needed to be

awakened The false prophets yelled even louder and still

nothing happened Elijah calmly made a large trench around

the dirt and all the water Saint Elijah had shown them all

the true and only God When King Ahab told his wife

Jezebel what Elijah had done she angrily promised to kill

the prophet Fearing for his life Elijah fled to Beer-sheba in

the land of Judah There he sat down under a broom tree

so miserable and fearful that he asked God to take his life

Instead God sent an angel to encourage him and to prepare

him for a long journey Following the angels instructions

he walked for forty days and forty nights until he came to a

cave There God spoke to him in a gentle breeze telling

him to bless helpers who would spread the true faith One

of those Elijah blessed was Elisha who was plowing his

fathers field When Saint Elijah saw him he threw his

cloak over him and soon Elisha was accompanying Elijah

as his helper As Saint Elijahs earthly life neared its end

God sent him to Bethel Jericho and the Jordan When he

came to the Jordan Elijah rolled up his cloak and touched

the water The water immediately parted and Saints Elijah

and Elisha crossed over on dry land As they continued to

walk a fiery chariot driven by fiery horses came and took

Saint Elijah in a whirlwind up into the sky Elisha took up

the great prophets cloak Elijahs story doesnt end there

He was one of two Old Testament saints who appeared with

Jesus at His Transfiguration Saint Elijah was there to

represent the Old Testament prophets who foretold the

coming of the Son of God He is a wonderful example of

someone who loved God with all of his soul all of his heart

and all of his mind In some churches on the feast of Saint

Elijah the priest blesses cars bicycles roller skates scoot-

ers (chariots) and any other method of transportation with

wheels httpdceocaorgassetsfilesresourcesSaints-Animalspdf

Troparion (Tone 4)

An angel in the flesh and the cornerstone of the prophets

The second forerunner of the coming of Christ Glorious

Elijah sent grace from on high to Elisha To dispel diseases

and to cleanse lepers Therefore he pours forth healings on

those who honor him

Quote

I have been very zealous for the Lord Almightyhellip

- Elijah about himself 3 Kingdoms 1910

Date Born

Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years before the

Incarnation of Christ

Date Died

Elijahs death is described in 2 Kings 2 9-13 (4 Kingdoms

2 9-13 OSB) The date is not certain

Commemoration Date

July 20 and the Sunday of the Holy Fathers

15

Jr Olympics Wrap Up Thank you to Alki Lappas Case for coordinating our team at the 2019 Metropolis of Chicago Jr Olympics hosted by Saints

Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church

in Palos Hills IL over the Memorial Day

Weekend

The medal results for our team were

9 gold (10k individual and relay swimming)

9 silver (table tennis individual and

relay swimming) and

2 bronze (individual swimming) Congratula-

tions to all

16

17

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church 1755 Des Peres Rd Town amp Country MO 63131

(Just north of Des Peres 14 Cine)

July 2019 FRIDAY LUNCHEONS

Menu subject to change

1100 am - 200 pm Kitchen Phone 314-966-6720

Web Site httpwwwassumptiongocorgfriday-lunch Cash Checks and Credit Cards accepted

Master Card VISA Discover American Express

NO LUNCHEON

JULY 5th

Have a Safe and Healthy

4th of July Weekend

July 19

Shrimp Saganaki over Rice $9

Baked Fish with Stewed Green Beans $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Lobster BisquehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $4Lg $6

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 12

Lamb Shank over Rice $14

Baked Fish with Macedonia Peas $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Chicken Avgolemono SouphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3Lg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 26

Baked 12 Chicken over Rice 8

Baked Fish with Roasted Brussel Sprouts $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Split Pea SouphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3hellipLg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

19

Su

n

Mo

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e W

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at

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of

Mt

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14

Fa

thers

of

the 4

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Co

un

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83

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17

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18

19

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as

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21

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24

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25

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ose

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An

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00

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26

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27

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28

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July

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20

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church

1755 Des Peres Road

Town and Country MO 63131-1405

Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG US Postage

PAID St Louis MO

Permit No 4628

20

From the Orthodox Study Bible 1 John 4 12-16 20-21

No one has seen God at any time If we love one another God abides in us and His love has been perfected in us By

this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit And we have seen and testify

that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God God abides in

him and he in God And we have known and believed the love that God has for us God is love and he who abides in

love abides in God and God in him

If someone says ldquoI love Godrdquo and hates his brother he is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom has seen

how can he love God whom he has not seen And this commandment we have from Him that he who loves God

must love his brother also

Scripture taken from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc

For Consideration

The greatest teachers of the Church endeavored to teach great truths to men not only by words but also by visual examples Thus

Abba Isaiah in order to teach the monks that no-one would receive a reward from God who did not toil in this life for Him led his

disciples to a threshing floor where a labourer was gathering the threshed wheat lsquoGive me some of that wheatrsquo Isaiah said to the

labourer lsquoHave you been reaping as well Fatherrsquo lsquoI havenrsquotrsquo replied the elder lsquoThen yoursquove got a hope of some wheat if yoursquove

not gathered itrsquo To this the elder said lsquoTherersquos no wheat for him who has not gathered itrsquo lsquoNorsquo replied the labourer Hearing

this reply the elder went away in silence When his disciples asked him to explain his actions to them he said lsquoI did that

deliberately in order to show you that no-one will receive the reward from God who has not labored in asceticismrsquo

The Prologue from Ochrid Lives of the Saints and Homilies for Every Day in the Year vol 3 by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic Translated by Mother Maria Lazarica

Press Birmingham 1986 p99

Page 9: From Glory to GloryArchbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Although Archbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea, popularly known

9

Fanari 2019 Our Fanari campers left on June 16 for a week of learning and

fellowship on the grounds of the St Iakovos Retreat Center in

Kansasville Wisconsin Fanari is wonderful experience Ask

any of our campers who went

Congratulations to our area AHEPA 53 2019

Scholarship Recipients

The awards were given out this past Sunday June 2 at

the AHEPA 53 Apartments The St Louis AHEPA

Chapter has been awarding scholarships since 1950 to hone

the recipients for their outstanding academic achievements

This year AHEPA 53 awarded 15 scholarships Receipents

from the Assumption were

Demetri Case

Athena Stamos

George Sakelis

The ceremony was emceed by Chapter President Mi-

chael Kontominas and the scholarship awards were

presented by Basil Pappas

AHEPArsquos goal is to see these young students

succeed to the highest degree possible and not to forget their

Hellenic heritage

Applications for both Chapter and District level schol-

arships can generally be picked up in February from the

Church offices or online

10

Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) Corner The Orthodox Mission Team of St Louis

The Orthodox Mission Team of St Louis works to nurture an awareness within our local churches of the

need to evangelize catechize and support missionary efforts and programs globally

As always if you have any questions would like to be part of the Mission Team St Louis or if you would like to help our

missionaries please feel free to contact Rosie Hartley 618-447-9688

Thank you for your continued support

Celebrating 10 Years Since the Dedication of OCMCs Headquarters by Niko Birbilis

This May OCMC was thrilled to celebrate our 10-year-anniversary since the dedication of our current

missionary training and administration building May 21 2009 marked a great day not only for us at OCMC

but for Orthodoxy around the world The roots of OCMC go all the way back to Athens Greece in the 1950s

and to the influence of two young theologians Fr Deacon Anastasios Yannoulatos and Fr Deacon Demetrios

Trakatellis Deacon Anastasios would eventually go on to become His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of

Albania and Deacon Demetrios would soon go on to become His Eminence Archbishop Geron Demetrios of

America

Inspired by the missionary fervor and vision of these brilliant young men the Mission Center would begin as a

committee of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (GOA) of America As it continued to grow and develop

however the GOAs mission center soon moved to its own location in St Augustine Florida and Fr Dimitrios

Couchell (now His Grace Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos) was appointed as its first Executive Director In 1987

the mission center sent the first short-term mission team to Kenya and these teams would continue into the

present day as some of the most fruitful ministries of the mission center

By 1994 the GOA graciously handed its mission center over to become the pan-Orthodox mission center

representing the combined missionary efforts of all Orthodox jurisdictions in the US At this point it was finally

labeled the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC)

Fr Martin Ritsi took over as Executive Director in 1998 and by the late 2000s OCMC was already involved in

thirty countries around the world OCMC continued growing and soon it was time to expand to a new location

It was at this point that due to many incredibly generous supporters OCMC was able to construct its current

home the Archbishop Anastasios and Archbishop Demetrios Training and Administration Building This new

OCMC headquarters building was dedicated on May 21 2009 Since then it has increasingly been the source of

countless ministries striving to carry out Christrsquos great commission and spread the Gospel to the ends of the

earth

In the past 10 years since the dedication OCMC has sent a total of 1181 team members on 159 mission teams to

18 different countries This past year alone OCMC

Has continued to support 375 indigenous clergy worldwide through the SAMP program

Has continued to support 23 long-term missionaries

Provided medical care to 1199 people

Reached 815 children

Catechized 1400 people

Sent 4 healthcare and counseling teams

Built a church in Indonesia

Carried out 7 projects for students and orphans

Wersquove had a wonderfully exciting and fruitful history and we thank you all for walking this journey with us

With your support we are enabling countless people around the world to know the Gospel of Christ and to expe-

rience His love Please continue to keep our work in your prayers to volunteer your time and talents on our mis-

sion trips and to donate to our ministries Now we look forward to all that the next 10 years will bring

11

Births - Congratulations to

George and Melinda Abuqubou on the birth of their son

Christopher who was born on August 26 2018

Baptisms - Many Years to

Isabella Mavra Xenos Zewki daughter of Shivan and

Tatiana Zewki Isabella was baptized on May 19 2019

and her Godparents are Antonios Xenos and

Anastasia Mezinis

Anna Sophia Theodoropulos daughter of Fr Anastasios

and Presvytera Elizabeth Theodoropoulos Anna was

baptized on June 1 2019 at Saints Peter and Paul in

Glenview IL and her Godmother is Julie Stefanski

Peirce James Farmakis son of Mike and Shannon

Farmakis Pierce was baptized on June 1 2019 and his

Godfather is Kostantinos (Dino) Deros

Eleni Polixeni Psara daughter of Spiro and Colleen Psara

Eleni was baptized on June 2 2019 and her

Godparents are are Panteli Pappas and Alona

Teliatnykova

Sophia Shea Hayden daughter of Bob and Natalie

Hayden Sophia was baptized on Saturday June 22 at

Saints Pete and Paul in Glenview IL and her Godgather is

Peter Sparacio

Funerals - Memory Eternal

Anastasia ldquoAnnierdquo Markovich reposed on June 5 2019

The funeral was June 10 at Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox

Church with interment Mt Hope

Dorothy Nancy Graeff reposed on June 6 2019 The

funeral was on June 11 with interment at St Mathews

Cemetery

Nick Niarchos of Palos Hills Ill brother of Eugenia

(Alex) Pavlopoulos reposed on June 6th The funeral was

June 10 at Saints Constantine amp Helen Greek Orthodox

Church Palos Hills Il Interment at Evergreen Cemetery of

Evergreen Park in Il

Lehman Bennett grandfather of Jenny Bennett passes

way on June 15 The funeral and burial were on June 19

in Dallas TX

Memorials - Memory Eternal

June 2

5-year Haralambos Pelekanos

5-year Fr Constantine Regopoulos

June 9

9-mon Van (Evangelos) Evangelopoulos

1-year Tom (Athanasios) Dubis

1 year Mike Labis

1-year Elaine Scott

2 year Danica Mandrapa

8 year Ljubica Terzic

10-year Kostando Liakata

13-year Fr Gerasimos Annas

24-year Andrea Liakata

July 28

1-year Despina Zeriss

2-year Chris Zeris

August 4

21-year Athanasios Stratos

October 13

Departed Members Brotherhood of Alexander the Great

Important Please inform either Fr Joseph or Fr Anastasios

immediately when you or any member of your family is

sick or hospitalized so that appropriate prayer and

visitation may be scheduled Hospitals do not notify

clergy of patients even if you list yourself as a Church

member

In Our Prayers Nora (Elaine) Bangert Seraphima Henderson

Thekla (Rebecca) Kagaris Dean Kases

Janie (Zafera) Kyramarios George Lambos

College Addresses In an effort to keep in touch with and minister to our

college students we ask anyone with a daughter or son in

college to contact the Church office with the address

phone amp email

12

Extra Virgin Olive Oil $20bottle

Missouri Flag $9600

Patriarchal Flag $28900

Holy Water bottleshelliphelliphelliphellip$30800

Icon of St Porphyrios

Icon of the Annunciation

Icon of Elder Amphilochios Makris

Icon of Elder Iakovos (Tsalikis) of Evia

Dimitri and Rebecca Kagaris

Please call the church office if you would like to donate

any of these items

Womenrsquos Summer Book Study

Our plans for our Summer Book Study session are

complete

The book we are reading is

Everyday Wonders

Stories of Gods Providence

By V Rev Michael J Oleksa

and we will meet for our summer pot luck lunch and

book discussion

Saturday August 17

1100 am to 200 pm

Hosted by Keve Gialouris

17828 Greyabbey Ct

Chesterfield MO

If you have any questions please contact

Presvytera Laura Morton at 314-303-1784

Hellenic Culture Camp 2019 July 15-19

Open to all children entering 2nd grade through 8th grade in Fall 2019

Monday ndash Thursday 845 am - 300 pm

St Nicholas Family Life Center (Please bring a lunch and drink Monday-

Wednesday Greek lunch will be provided on Thursday)

Friday

845 am ndash noon Vetta Sports Manchester

Hellenic Culture Camp is a

wonderful opportunity to expose our children and grandchildren to culturally

enriching activities and friendships within our community

Activities include

Greek Cooking History

Geography Greek Dancing

Greek Language Greek Arts and Jewelry Making

Sports

Cost $100 for one child $90 for second child $80 for third child (Financial Assistance

Available)

For questions please contact Barbara Corrigan at

btcstlyahoocom or 3149606258 visit

httpswwwsngocorgnewshellenic-culture-camp

13

But I say to you the Lord says love your enemies do

good to those who hate you pray for those who

persecute you Why did he command these things So

that he might free you from hatred sadness anger and

grudges and might grant you the greatest possession of

all perfect love which is impossible to possess except

by the one who loves all equally in imitation of God

St Maximus the Confessor

Περί εἰδώλων Αγ Ἰουστίνου Πόποβιτς

Τό ἀνθρώπινο γένος δοκιμάζει καθημερινῶς στόν

κόσμο μας τήν ἐμπειρία νά ὁδηγοῦνται οἱ ἄνθρωποι

στήν ἀπώλεια εἴτε λόγῳ τῆς ἄγνοιας εἴτε τῆς μή

ἀναγνωρίσεως τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ καί

Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Μέ ἄλλα λόγια ἐκπίπτουν

ἐξαιτίας εἴτε τῆς ἀθεΐας εἴτε τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας

Αὐτή ἡ ἄγνοια ἤ ἡ μή ἀναγνώριση τοῦ Κυρίου

Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιφέρει τήν ἄγνοια ἤ τήν μή

ἀναγνώριση τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ ἀγαθοῦ σέ αὐτόν

τόν κόσμο τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ Αὐτοί οἱ

ἄνθρωποι ζοῦν laquoἐν ἀσελγείαις ἐπιθυμίαις

οἰνοφλυγίαις κώμοις πότοις καί ἀθεμίτοις

εἰδωλολατρείαιςraquo Ναί laquoἀθεμίτοις εἰδωλολατρίαιςraquo

γιατί ἡ εἰδωλολατρεία εἶναι πάντοτε σέ πληθυντικό

ἀριθμό Ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ὁποῖος δέν ἀναγνωρίζει τόν

μόνο ἀληθινό Θεό θέλοντας καί μή ἀναγνωρίζει

ἕνα ἀναρίθμητο πλῆθος ἄλλων μικρότερων

θεοτήτων ψευδῶν θεῶν εἰδώλων Πρόκειται γιά τίς

ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη πού δέν ἔχουν οὔτε ἀριθμό

οὔτε τέλος Ὅταν ὁ ἄνθρωπος δελεάζεται ἀπό μία

τέτοια μικρή μικρή θεότητα τότε αὐτή τόν

παρασύρει στίς ὑπόλοιπες ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη καί

τότε εἶναι πού τόν κατακομματιάζουν καί τόν

κατασπαράζουν οἱ ἀναρίθμητοι ψευδεῖς καί

ἀδηφάγοι θεοί Καί ὁ ἄνθρωπος δέν εἶναι σέ θέση

νά ἀμυνθεῖ σέ αὐτήν τήν ἀγέλη τῶν τρομερῶν

θηρίων καί τῶν δελεαστικῶν πειρασμῶν Τό

μικρότερο πάθος ὁδηγεῖ σέ μεγαλύτερο καί ἔτσι

σταδιακά βυθίζεται σέ ὅλο καί μεγαλύτερα πάθη

ὥσπου ἐν τέλει δέν μπορεῖ νά ἀναδυθεῖ ἀπrsquoαὐτά

Καί κάθε πάθος ἐμπεριέχει ἀναρίθμητα εἴδωλα καί

κάθε ἐπιθυμία φέρει ὅλο καί περισσότερα εἴδωλα

πού δέν ἔχουν τελειωμό Τά εἴδωλα εἶναι σάν τή

δυνατή φωτιά μέσα της κατακαίγονται καί ἡ

συνείδηση καί ἡ ψυχή καί ἡ καρδιά καί τό θέλημα

τοῦ ἀνθρώπου Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος τῆς

ἀγάπης παρακαλεῖ τούς χριστιανούς laquoΤεκνία

φυλάξατε ἑαυτούς ἀπό τῶν εἰδώλωνraquo Ἀπό τά

εἴδωλα προέρχονται ὅλα τά κακά καί τά μικρά καί

τά μεγάλα Καί κάθε ἄνθρωπος εἶναι εἰδωλολάτρης

ἐφrsquoὅσον δέν πιστεύει στόν μόνον Ἀληθινό Θεό

στόν Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Διότι ὁπωσδήποτε σέ

κάτι πιστεύει εἴτε ὄν εἶναι αὐτό εἴτε πράγμα εἴτε σέ

ὁρατά εἴτε σέ ἀόρατα εἴδωλα ὅπως εἶναι ὁ ἥλιος ἡ

σελήνη οἱ ἀστέρες οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὁ πολιτισμός ἡ

τεχνολογία ἡ φυλή ἡ κοινωνική τάξη τά πάθη οἱ

ἡδονές καί [hellip] τό ὄνομά τους laquoΛεγεώνraquo Ἀπό τό

πρῶτο ὥς τό τελευταῖο ὅλα τά παραπάνω εἶναι

εἰδωλολατρία Δέν ὑπάρχει ἀμφιβολία ὅτι τό καθένα

ἀπrsquoαὐτά φονεύει ὅτι κάνει ἄνθρωπο τόν ἄνθρωπο

φονεύει δηλαδή ὅτι θεοειδές θεονοσταλγικό

ἀθάνατο θεῖο αἰώνιο Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος

νουθετεῖ καί ἐντέλλεται στούς χριστιανούς laquoΔιόπερ

ἀγαπητοί μου φεύγετε ἀπό τῆς εἰδωλολατρείαςraquo Οἱ

ἄνθρωποι διά τῶν ποικιλόμορφων εἰδωλολατρειῶν

ἔμμεσα ἤ ἄμεσα θυσιάζουν τούς ἑαυτούς τους στὀν

διάβολο προσφέρονται ὡς θυσία στόν διάβολο Σέ

τελευταία ἀνάλυση κάθε εἰδωλολατρία εἶναι

σατανολατρία καί κάθε εἰδωλο-διακονία εἶναι σατανο-

διακονία Μήπως δέν λατρεύει δέν διακονεῖ δέν

προσφέρει θυσία τήν ψυχή του στόν διάβολο ἐκεῖνος

πού ζεῖ στά πάθη καί στήν ἡδονή ὅποιος ὑπηρετεῖ

ὁποιονδήποτε καί ὁτιδήποτε ἐκτός ἀπό τόν μόνον

ἀληθινό Θεό καί Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Αὐτό εἶναι

τόσο ξεκάθαρο γιά κάποιον πού μπορεῖ μέ φρόνηση

νά κρίνει Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ θεόσοφος Ἀπόστολος λέγει

στούς πρώην εἰδωλολάτρες Κορινθίους laquoὡς

φρονίμοις λέγωhellipοὐ θέλω δέ ὑμᾶς κοινωνούς τῶν

δαιμονίων γίνεσθαι Οὐ δύνασθε ποτήριον Κυρίου

πίνειν καί ποτήριον δαιμονίων οὐ δύνασθε τραπέζης

Κυρίου μετέχειν καί τραπέζης δαιμονίωνraquo

Ἀναμφίβολα ὁλόκληρο τό Εὐαγγέλιο τοῦ Σωτῆρος

ἔγκειται στό ὅτι laquoτό σῶμα τῶ Κυρίῳ καί ὁ Κύριος τῶ

σώματιraquo Ἔτσι γνωρίζουμε τό αἰώνιο μυστήριο τοῦ

ἀνθρωπίνου ὄντος πώς ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός

εἶναι ὁ Σωτήρας ὁλοκλήρου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὄχι μόνο

τῆς ψυχῆς ἀλλά καί τοῦ σώματός του Γιrsquoαὐτό καί τό

σῶμα τοῦ χριστιανοῦ ὀφείλει νά εἶναι ναός ἅγιος στόν

ὁποῖο ζεῖ ἡ ἁγία ψυχή στόν κόσμο μας καί στόν ὁποῖο

πρόκειται νά ζήσει καί μετά τήν κοινή ἀνάσταση τῶν

νεκρῶν Τά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν διά τοῦ ἁγίου

Βαπτίσματος τῆς Θείας Μεταλήψεως καί τοῦ

εὐαγγελικοῦ τους βίου ἔγιναν ἀναπόσπαστα μέρη τοῦ

Θεανθρώπινου σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ Τά σώματα

αὐτά δέν ἀνήκουν πλέον στούς ἴδιους ἀλλά σέ

Ἐκεῖνον Ὅτι ἔγινε μέ τό ἅγιο σῶμα Ἐκείνου

πρόκειται νά συμβεῖ στά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν Για την αντιγραφή Δημήτρης Κάγκαρης

14

Prophet Elias (Elijah)

The Old Testament prophet Elijah the Tishbite lived during

the time when King Ahab ruled Israel Ahabs wife Jezebel

was a foreigner who did not worship the One True God of

Israel but the false god Baal She persecuted prophets and

deceitfully tried to force the people of Israel to turn away

from God and worship Baal Elijahs fiery personality often

brought him into conflict with Ahab and Jezebel because he

was absolutely determined that the people would stay

faithful to God God rewarded Elijahs devotion with the gift

of prophecy Once when Elijah knew a serious drought was

coming soon God instructed him to leave his home and go

east of the Jordan River promising that he would be fed by

a raven Just as God promised the raven

brought Elijah food and he was able to

drink from a stream When the stream ran

dry God told him to go to the city of

Zarephath In the city he met a widow

who was gathering sticks He asked her

for bread but she replied I have no

bread baked and there is only a small

amount of flour and oil left for my son

and me There was not enough she said to share with

another person Saint Elijah told her not to worry or be

afraid but to make the bread and give him a little loaf She

did so and a great miracle occurred The widow had enough

flour and oil to last a whole year Sometime later when her

son died Elijah prayed over his body and the boy came

back to life The widow was overjoyed and said to Elijah

Now I know that you speak Gods word After many years

of drought God sent Elijah to see King Ahab By this time

there was famine as well as drought in the land While

searching for food and water Ahabs advisor Obadiah met

Elijah on the road He told King Ahab that the prophet was

back and Ahab went out to meet him He said to Elijah Is

it you you troubler of Israel Saint Elijah told King Ahab

that he the king was the one who was troubling Israel

because he was not living his life according to Gods laws

and should not be following the false god Baal Then he said

to the king Tell the people of Israel and the four hundred

fifty prophets of Baal to meet me on Mount Carmel When

everyone had arrived Saint Elijah told the people If the

Lord is God follow him but if Baal is then follow him

He challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest He told

them to put their sacrifice on one altar and he would put his

on another altar Neither one would start a fire to burn their

sacrifice but would call on God and Baal to start the fire

The false prophets of Baal hopped around and yelled to their

god to come and light the sacrifice Saint Elijah laughed and

said that maybe Baal was napping and needed to be

awakened The false prophets yelled even louder and still

nothing happened Elijah calmly made a large trench around

the dirt and all the water Saint Elijah had shown them all

the true and only God When King Ahab told his wife

Jezebel what Elijah had done she angrily promised to kill

the prophet Fearing for his life Elijah fled to Beer-sheba in

the land of Judah There he sat down under a broom tree

so miserable and fearful that he asked God to take his life

Instead God sent an angel to encourage him and to prepare

him for a long journey Following the angels instructions

he walked for forty days and forty nights until he came to a

cave There God spoke to him in a gentle breeze telling

him to bless helpers who would spread the true faith One

of those Elijah blessed was Elisha who was plowing his

fathers field When Saint Elijah saw him he threw his

cloak over him and soon Elisha was accompanying Elijah

as his helper As Saint Elijahs earthly life neared its end

God sent him to Bethel Jericho and the Jordan When he

came to the Jordan Elijah rolled up his cloak and touched

the water The water immediately parted and Saints Elijah

and Elisha crossed over on dry land As they continued to

walk a fiery chariot driven by fiery horses came and took

Saint Elijah in a whirlwind up into the sky Elisha took up

the great prophets cloak Elijahs story doesnt end there

He was one of two Old Testament saints who appeared with

Jesus at His Transfiguration Saint Elijah was there to

represent the Old Testament prophets who foretold the

coming of the Son of God He is a wonderful example of

someone who loved God with all of his soul all of his heart

and all of his mind In some churches on the feast of Saint

Elijah the priest blesses cars bicycles roller skates scoot-

ers (chariots) and any other method of transportation with

wheels httpdceocaorgassetsfilesresourcesSaints-Animalspdf

Troparion (Tone 4)

An angel in the flesh and the cornerstone of the prophets

The second forerunner of the coming of Christ Glorious

Elijah sent grace from on high to Elisha To dispel diseases

and to cleanse lepers Therefore he pours forth healings on

those who honor him

Quote

I have been very zealous for the Lord Almightyhellip

- Elijah about himself 3 Kingdoms 1910

Date Born

Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years before the

Incarnation of Christ

Date Died

Elijahs death is described in 2 Kings 2 9-13 (4 Kingdoms

2 9-13 OSB) The date is not certain

Commemoration Date

July 20 and the Sunday of the Holy Fathers

15

Jr Olympics Wrap Up Thank you to Alki Lappas Case for coordinating our team at the 2019 Metropolis of Chicago Jr Olympics hosted by Saints

Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church

in Palos Hills IL over the Memorial Day

Weekend

The medal results for our team were

9 gold (10k individual and relay swimming)

9 silver (table tennis individual and

relay swimming) and

2 bronze (individual swimming) Congratula-

tions to all

16

17

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church 1755 Des Peres Rd Town amp Country MO 63131

(Just north of Des Peres 14 Cine)

July 2019 FRIDAY LUNCHEONS

Menu subject to change

1100 am - 200 pm Kitchen Phone 314-966-6720

Web Site httpwwwassumptiongocorgfriday-lunch Cash Checks and Credit Cards accepted

Master Card VISA Discover American Express

NO LUNCHEON

JULY 5th

Have a Safe and Healthy

4th of July Weekend

July 19

Shrimp Saganaki over Rice $9

Baked Fish with Stewed Green Beans $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Lobster BisquehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $4Lg $6

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 12

Lamb Shank over Rice $14

Baked Fish with Macedonia Peas $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Chicken Avgolemono SouphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3Lg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 26

Baked 12 Chicken over Rice 8

Baked Fish with Roasted Brussel Sprouts $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Split Pea SouphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3hellipLg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

19

Su

n

Mo

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e W

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the 4

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20

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church

1755 Des Peres Road

Town and Country MO 63131-1405

Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG US Postage

PAID St Louis MO

Permit No 4628

20

From the Orthodox Study Bible 1 John 4 12-16 20-21

No one has seen God at any time If we love one another God abides in us and His love has been perfected in us By

this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit And we have seen and testify

that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God God abides in

him and he in God And we have known and believed the love that God has for us God is love and he who abides in

love abides in God and God in him

If someone says ldquoI love Godrdquo and hates his brother he is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom has seen

how can he love God whom he has not seen And this commandment we have from Him that he who loves God

must love his brother also

Scripture taken from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc

For Consideration

The greatest teachers of the Church endeavored to teach great truths to men not only by words but also by visual examples Thus

Abba Isaiah in order to teach the monks that no-one would receive a reward from God who did not toil in this life for Him led his

disciples to a threshing floor where a labourer was gathering the threshed wheat lsquoGive me some of that wheatrsquo Isaiah said to the

labourer lsquoHave you been reaping as well Fatherrsquo lsquoI havenrsquotrsquo replied the elder lsquoThen yoursquove got a hope of some wheat if yoursquove

not gathered itrsquo To this the elder said lsquoTherersquos no wheat for him who has not gathered itrsquo lsquoNorsquo replied the labourer Hearing

this reply the elder went away in silence When his disciples asked him to explain his actions to them he said lsquoI did that

deliberately in order to show you that no-one will receive the reward from God who has not labored in asceticismrsquo

The Prologue from Ochrid Lives of the Saints and Homilies for Every Day in the Year vol 3 by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic Translated by Mother Maria Lazarica

Press Birmingham 1986 p99

Page 10: From Glory to GloryArchbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Although Archbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea, popularly known

10

Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) Corner The Orthodox Mission Team of St Louis

The Orthodox Mission Team of St Louis works to nurture an awareness within our local churches of the

need to evangelize catechize and support missionary efforts and programs globally

As always if you have any questions would like to be part of the Mission Team St Louis or if you would like to help our

missionaries please feel free to contact Rosie Hartley 618-447-9688

Thank you for your continued support

Celebrating 10 Years Since the Dedication of OCMCs Headquarters by Niko Birbilis

This May OCMC was thrilled to celebrate our 10-year-anniversary since the dedication of our current

missionary training and administration building May 21 2009 marked a great day not only for us at OCMC

but for Orthodoxy around the world The roots of OCMC go all the way back to Athens Greece in the 1950s

and to the influence of two young theologians Fr Deacon Anastasios Yannoulatos and Fr Deacon Demetrios

Trakatellis Deacon Anastasios would eventually go on to become His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of

Albania and Deacon Demetrios would soon go on to become His Eminence Archbishop Geron Demetrios of

America

Inspired by the missionary fervor and vision of these brilliant young men the Mission Center would begin as a

committee of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (GOA) of America As it continued to grow and develop

however the GOAs mission center soon moved to its own location in St Augustine Florida and Fr Dimitrios

Couchell (now His Grace Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos) was appointed as its first Executive Director In 1987

the mission center sent the first short-term mission team to Kenya and these teams would continue into the

present day as some of the most fruitful ministries of the mission center

By 1994 the GOA graciously handed its mission center over to become the pan-Orthodox mission center

representing the combined missionary efforts of all Orthodox jurisdictions in the US At this point it was finally

labeled the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC)

Fr Martin Ritsi took over as Executive Director in 1998 and by the late 2000s OCMC was already involved in

thirty countries around the world OCMC continued growing and soon it was time to expand to a new location

It was at this point that due to many incredibly generous supporters OCMC was able to construct its current

home the Archbishop Anastasios and Archbishop Demetrios Training and Administration Building This new

OCMC headquarters building was dedicated on May 21 2009 Since then it has increasingly been the source of

countless ministries striving to carry out Christrsquos great commission and spread the Gospel to the ends of the

earth

In the past 10 years since the dedication OCMC has sent a total of 1181 team members on 159 mission teams to

18 different countries This past year alone OCMC

Has continued to support 375 indigenous clergy worldwide through the SAMP program

Has continued to support 23 long-term missionaries

Provided medical care to 1199 people

Reached 815 children

Catechized 1400 people

Sent 4 healthcare and counseling teams

Built a church in Indonesia

Carried out 7 projects for students and orphans

Wersquove had a wonderfully exciting and fruitful history and we thank you all for walking this journey with us

With your support we are enabling countless people around the world to know the Gospel of Christ and to expe-

rience His love Please continue to keep our work in your prayers to volunteer your time and talents on our mis-

sion trips and to donate to our ministries Now we look forward to all that the next 10 years will bring

11

Births - Congratulations to

George and Melinda Abuqubou on the birth of their son

Christopher who was born on August 26 2018

Baptisms - Many Years to

Isabella Mavra Xenos Zewki daughter of Shivan and

Tatiana Zewki Isabella was baptized on May 19 2019

and her Godparents are Antonios Xenos and

Anastasia Mezinis

Anna Sophia Theodoropulos daughter of Fr Anastasios

and Presvytera Elizabeth Theodoropoulos Anna was

baptized on June 1 2019 at Saints Peter and Paul in

Glenview IL and her Godmother is Julie Stefanski

Peirce James Farmakis son of Mike and Shannon

Farmakis Pierce was baptized on June 1 2019 and his

Godfather is Kostantinos (Dino) Deros

Eleni Polixeni Psara daughter of Spiro and Colleen Psara

Eleni was baptized on June 2 2019 and her

Godparents are are Panteli Pappas and Alona

Teliatnykova

Sophia Shea Hayden daughter of Bob and Natalie

Hayden Sophia was baptized on Saturday June 22 at

Saints Pete and Paul in Glenview IL and her Godgather is

Peter Sparacio

Funerals - Memory Eternal

Anastasia ldquoAnnierdquo Markovich reposed on June 5 2019

The funeral was June 10 at Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox

Church with interment Mt Hope

Dorothy Nancy Graeff reposed on June 6 2019 The

funeral was on June 11 with interment at St Mathews

Cemetery

Nick Niarchos of Palos Hills Ill brother of Eugenia

(Alex) Pavlopoulos reposed on June 6th The funeral was

June 10 at Saints Constantine amp Helen Greek Orthodox

Church Palos Hills Il Interment at Evergreen Cemetery of

Evergreen Park in Il

Lehman Bennett grandfather of Jenny Bennett passes

way on June 15 The funeral and burial were on June 19

in Dallas TX

Memorials - Memory Eternal

June 2

5-year Haralambos Pelekanos

5-year Fr Constantine Regopoulos

June 9

9-mon Van (Evangelos) Evangelopoulos

1-year Tom (Athanasios) Dubis

1 year Mike Labis

1-year Elaine Scott

2 year Danica Mandrapa

8 year Ljubica Terzic

10-year Kostando Liakata

13-year Fr Gerasimos Annas

24-year Andrea Liakata

July 28

1-year Despina Zeriss

2-year Chris Zeris

August 4

21-year Athanasios Stratos

October 13

Departed Members Brotherhood of Alexander the Great

Important Please inform either Fr Joseph or Fr Anastasios

immediately when you or any member of your family is

sick or hospitalized so that appropriate prayer and

visitation may be scheduled Hospitals do not notify

clergy of patients even if you list yourself as a Church

member

In Our Prayers Nora (Elaine) Bangert Seraphima Henderson

Thekla (Rebecca) Kagaris Dean Kases

Janie (Zafera) Kyramarios George Lambos

College Addresses In an effort to keep in touch with and minister to our

college students we ask anyone with a daughter or son in

college to contact the Church office with the address

phone amp email

12

Extra Virgin Olive Oil $20bottle

Missouri Flag $9600

Patriarchal Flag $28900

Holy Water bottleshelliphelliphelliphellip$30800

Icon of St Porphyrios

Icon of the Annunciation

Icon of Elder Amphilochios Makris

Icon of Elder Iakovos (Tsalikis) of Evia

Dimitri and Rebecca Kagaris

Please call the church office if you would like to donate

any of these items

Womenrsquos Summer Book Study

Our plans for our Summer Book Study session are

complete

The book we are reading is

Everyday Wonders

Stories of Gods Providence

By V Rev Michael J Oleksa

and we will meet for our summer pot luck lunch and

book discussion

Saturday August 17

1100 am to 200 pm

Hosted by Keve Gialouris

17828 Greyabbey Ct

Chesterfield MO

If you have any questions please contact

Presvytera Laura Morton at 314-303-1784

Hellenic Culture Camp 2019 July 15-19

Open to all children entering 2nd grade through 8th grade in Fall 2019

Monday ndash Thursday 845 am - 300 pm

St Nicholas Family Life Center (Please bring a lunch and drink Monday-

Wednesday Greek lunch will be provided on Thursday)

Friday

845 am ndash noon Vetta Sports Manchester

Hellenic Culture Camp is a

wonderful opportunity to expose our children and grandchildren to culturally

enriching activities and friendships within our community

Activities include

Greek Cooking History

Geography Greek Dancing

Greek Language Greek Arts and Jewelry Making

Sports

Cost $100 for one child $90 for second child $80 for third child (Financial Assistance

Available)

For questions please contact Barbara Corrigan at

btcstlyahoocom or 3149606258 visit

httpswwwsngocorgnewshellenic-culture-camp

13

But I say to you the Lord says love your enemies do

good to those who hate you pray for those who

persecute you Why did he command these things So

that he might free you from hatred sadness anger and

grudges and might grant you the greatest possession of

all perfect love which is impossible to possess except

by the one who loves all equally in imitation of God

St Maximus the Confessor

Περί εἰδώλων Αγ Ἰουστίνου Πόποβιτς

Τό ἀνθρώπινο γένος δοκιμάζει καθημερινῶς στόν

κόσμο μας τήν ἐμπειρία νά ὁδηγοῦνται οἱ ἄνθρωποι

στήν ἀπώλεια εἴτε λόγῳ τῆς ἄγνοιας εἴτε τῆς μή

ἀναγνωρίσεως τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ καί

Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Μέ ἄλλα λόγια ἐκπίπτουν

ἐξαιτίας εἴτε τῆς ἀθεΐας εἴτε τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας

Αὐτή ἡ ἄγνοια ἤ ἡ μή ἀναγνώριση τοῦ Κυρίου

Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιφέρει τήν ἄγνοια ἤ τήν μή

ἀναγνώριση τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ ἀγαθοῦ σέ αὐτόν

τόν κόσμο τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ Αὐτοί οἱ

ἄνθρωποι ζοῦν laquoἐν ἀσελγείαις ἐπιθυμίαις

οἰνοφλυγίαις κώμοις πότοις καί ἀθεμίτοις

εἰδωλολατρείαιςraquo Ναί laquoἀθεμίτοις εἰδωλολατρίαιςraquo

γιατί ἡ εἰδωλολατρεία εἶναι πάντοτε σέ πληθυντικό

ἀριθμό Ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ὁποῖος δέν ἀναγνωρίζει τόν

μόνο ἀληθινό Θεό θέλοντας καί μή ἀναγνωρίζει

ἕνα ἀναρίθμητο πλῆθος ἄλλων μικρότερων

θεοτήτων ψευδῶν θεῶν εἰδώλων Πρόκειται γιά τίς

ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη πού δέν ἔχουν οὔτε ἀριθμό

οὔτε τέλος Ὅταν ὁ ἄνθρωπος δελεάζεται ἀπό μία

τέτοια μικρή μικρή θεότητα τότε αὐτή τόν

παρασύρει στίς ὑπόλοιπες ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη καί

τότε εἶναι πού τόν κατακομματιάζουν καί τόν

κατασπαράζουν οἱ ἀναρίθμητοι ψευδεῖς καί

ἀδηφάγοι θεοί Καί ὁ ἄνθρωπος δέν εἶναι σέ θέση

νά ἀμυνθεῖ σέ αὐτήν τήν ἀγέλη τῶν τρομερῶν

θηρίων καί τῶν δελεαστικῶν πειρασμῶν Τό

μικρότερο πάθος ὁδηγεῖ σέ μεγαλύτερο καί ἔτσι

σταδιακά βυθίζεται σέ ὅλο καί μεγαλύτερα πάθη

ὥσπου ἐν τέλει δέν μπορεῖ νά ἀναδυθεῖ ἀπrsquoαὐτά

Καί κάθε πάθος ἐμπεριέχει ἀναρίθμητα εἴδωλα καί

κάθε ἐπιθυμία φέρει ὅλο καί περισσότερα εἴδωλα

πού δέν ἔχουν τελειωμό Τά εἴδωλα εἶναι σάν τή

δυνατή φωτιά μέσα της κατακαίγονται καί ἡ

συνείδηση καί ἡ ψυχή καί ἡ καρδιά καί τό θέλημα

τοῦ ἀνθρώπου Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος τῆς

ἀγάπης παρακαλεῖ τούς χριστιανούς laquoΤεκνία

φυλάξατε ἑαυτούς ἀπό τῶν εἰδώλωνraquo Ἀπό τά

εἴδωλα προέρχονται ὅλα τά κακά καί τά μικρά καί

τά μεγάλα Καί κάθε ἄνθρωπος εἶναι εἰδωλολάτρης

ἐφrsquoὅσον δέν πιστεύει στόν μόνον Ἀληθινό Θεό

στόν Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Διότι ὁπωσδήποτε σέ

κάτι πιστεύει εἴτε ὄν εἶναι αὐτό εἴτε πράγμα εἴτε σέ

ὁρατά εἴτε σέ ἀόρατα εἴδωλα ὅπως εἶναι ὁ ἥλιος ἡ

σελήνη οἱ ἀστέρες οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὁ πολιτισμός ἡ

τεχνολογία ἡ φυλή ἡ κοινωνική τάξη τά πάθη οἱ

ἡδονές καί [hellip] τό ὄνομά τους laquoΛεγεώνraquo Ἀπό τό

πρῶτο ὥς τό τελευταῖο ὅλα τά παραπάνω εἶναι

εἰδωλολατρία Δέν ὑπάρχει ἀμφιβολία ὅτι τό καθένα

ἀπrsquoαὐτά φονεύει ὅτι κάνει ἄνθρωπο τόν ἄνθρωπο

φονεύει δηλαδή ὅτι θεοειδές θεονοσταλγικό

ἀθάνατο θεῖο αἰώνιο Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος

νουθετεῖ καί ἐντέλλεται στούς χριστιανούς laquoΔιόπερ

ἀγαπητοί μου φεύγετε ἀπό τῆς εἰδωλολατρείαςraquo Οἱ

ἄνθρωποι διά τῶν ποικιλόμορφων εἰδωλολατρειῶν

ἔμμεσα ἤ ἄμεσα θυσιάζουν τούς ἑαυτούς τους στὀν

διάβολο προσφέρονται ὡς θυσία στόν διάβολο Σέ

τελευταία ἀνάλυση κάθε εἰδωλολατρία εἶναι

σατανολατρία καί κάθε εἰδωλο-διακονία εἶναι σατανο-

διακονία Μήπως δέν λατρεύει δέν διακονεῖ δέν

προσφέρει θυσία τήν ψυχή του στόν διάβολο ἐκεῖνος

πού ζεῖ στά πάθη καί στήν ἡδονή ὅποιος ὑπηρετεῖ

ὁποιονδήποτε καί ὁτιδήποτε ἐκτός ἀπό τόν μόνον

ἀληθινό Θεό καί Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Αὐτό εἶναι

τόσο ξεκάθαρο γιά κάποιον πού μπορεῖ μέ φρόνηση

νά κρίνει Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ θεόσοφος Ἀπόστολος λέγει

στούς πρώην εἰδωλολάτρες Κορινθίους laquoὡς

φρονίμοις λέγωhellipοὐ θέλω δέ ὑμᾶς κοινωνούς τῶν

δαιμονίων γίνεσθαι Οὐ δύνασθε ποτήριον Κυρίου

πίνειν καί ποτήριον δαιμονίων οὐ δύνασθε τραπέζης

Κυρίου μετέχειν καί τραπέζης δαιμονίωνraquo

Ἀναμφίβολα ὁλόκληρο τό Εὐαγγέλιο τοῦ Σωτῆρος

ἔγκειται στό ὅτι laquoτό σῶμα τῶ Κυρίῳ καί ὁ Κύριος τῶ

σώματιraquo Ἔτσι γνωρίζουμε τό αἰώνιο μυστήριο τοῦ

ἀνθρωπίνου ὄντος πώς ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός

εἶναι ὁ Σωτήρας ὁλοκλήρου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὄχι μόνο

τῆς ψυχῆς ἀλλά καί τοῦ σώματός του Γιrsquoαὐτό καί τό

σῶμα τοῦ χριστιανοῦ ὀφείλει νά εἶναι ναός ἅγιος στόν

ὁποῖο ζεῖ ἡ ἁγία ψυχή στόν κόσμο μας καί στόν ὁποῖο

πρόκειται νά ζήσει καί μετά τήν κοινή ἀνάσταση τῶν

νεκρῶν Τά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν διά τοῦ ἁγίου

Βαπτίσματος τῆς Θείας Μεταλήψεως καί τοῦ

εὐαγγελικοῦ τους βίου ἔγιναν ἀναπόσπαστα μέρη τοῦ

Θεανθρώπινου σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ Τά σώματα

αὐτά δέν ἀνήκουν πλέον στούς ἴδιους ἀλλά σέ

Ἐκεῖνον Ὅτι ἔγινε μέ τό ἅγιο σῶμα Ἐκείνου

πρόκειται νά συμβεῖ στά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν Για την αντιγραφή Δημήτρης Κάγκαρης

14

Prophet Elias (Elijah)

The Old Testament prophet Elijah the Tishbite lived during

the time when King Ahab ruled Israel Ahabs wife Jezebel

was a foreigner who did not worship the One True God of

Israel but the false god Baal She persecuted prophets and

deceitfully tried to force the people of Israel to turn away

from God and worship Baal Elijahs fiery personality often

brought him into conflict with Ahab and Jezebel because he

was absolutely determined that the people would stay

faithful to God God rewarded Elijahs devotion with the gift

of prophecy Once when Elijah knew a serious drought was

coming soon God instructed him to leave his home and go

east of the Jordan River promising that he would be fed by

a raven Just as God promised the raven

brought Elijah food and he was able to

drink from a stream When the stream ran

dry God told him to go to the city of

Zarephath In the city he met a widow

who was gathering sticks He asked her

for bread but she replied I have no

bread baked and there is only a small

amount of flour and oil left for my son

and me There was not enough she said to share with

another person Saint Elijah told her not to worry or be

afraid but to make the bread and give him a little loaf She

did so and a great miracle occurred The widow had enough

flour and oil to last a whole year Sometime later when her

son died Elijah prayed over his body and the boy came

back to life The widow was overjoyed and said to Elijah

Now I know that you speak Gods word After many years

of drought God sent Elijah to see King Ahab By this time

there was famine as well as drought in the land While

searching for food and water Ahabs advisor Obadiah met

Elijah on the road He told King Ahab that the prophet was

back and Ahab went out to meet him He said to Elijah Is

it you you troubler of Israel Saint Elijah told King Ahab

that he the king was the one who was troubling Israel

because he was not living his life according to Gods laws

and should not be following the false god Baal Then he said

to the king Tell the people of Israel and the four hundred

fifty prophets of Baal to meet me on Mount Carmel When

everyone had arrived Saint Elijah told the people If the

Lord is God follow him but if Baal is then follow him

He challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest He told

them to put their sacrifice on one altar and he would put his

on another altar Neither one would start a fire to burn their

sacrifice but would call on God and Baal to start the fire

The false prophets of Baal hopped around and yelled to their

god to come and light the sacrifice Saint Elijah laughed and

said that maybe Baal was napping and needed to be

awakened The false prophets yelled even louder and still

nothing happened Elijah calmly made a large trench around

the dirt and all the water Saint Elijah had shown them all

the true and only God When King Ahab told his wife

Jezebel what Elijah had done she angrily promised to kill

the prophet Fearing for his life Elijah fled to Beer-sheba in

the land of Judah There he sat down under a broom tree

so miserable and fearful that he asked God to take his life

Instead God sent an angel to encourage him and to prepare

him for a long journey Following the angels instructions

he walked for forty days and forty nights until he came to a

cave There God spoke to him in a gentle breeze telling

him to bless helpers who would spread the true faith One

of those Elijah blessed was Elisha who was plowing his

fathers field When Saint Elijah saw him he threw his

cloak over him and soon Elisha was accompanying Elijah

as his helper As Saint Elijahs earthly life neared its end

God sent him to Bethel Jericho and the Jordan When he

came to the Jordan Elijah rolled up his cloak and touched

the water The water immediately parted and Saints Elijah

and Elisha crossed over on dry land As they continued to

walk a fiery chariot driven by fiery horses came and took

Saint Elijah in a whirlwind up into the sky Elisha took up

the great prophets cloak Elijahs story doesnt end there

He was one of two Old Testament saints who appeared with

Jesus at His Transfiguration Saint Elijah was there to

represent the Old Testament prophets who foretold the

coming of the Son of God He is a wonderful example of

someone who loved God with all of his soul all of his heart

and all of his mind In some churches on the feast of Saint

Elijah the priest blesses cars bicycles roller skates scoot-

ers (chariots) and any other method of transportation with

wheels httpdceocaorgassetsfilesresourcesSaints-Animalspdf

Troparion (Tone 4)

An angel in the flesh and the cornerstone of the prophets

The second forerunner of the coming of Christ Glorious

Elijah sent grace from on high to Elisha To dispel diseases

and to cleanse lepers Therefore he pours forth healings on

those who honor him

Quote

I have been very zealous for the Lord Almightyhellip

- Elijah about himself 3 Kingdoms 1910

Date Born

Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years before the

Incarnation of Christ

Date Died

Elijahs death is described in 2 Kings 2 9-13 (4 Kingdoms

2 9-13 OSB) The date is not certain

Commemoration Date

July 20 and the Sunday of the Holy Fathers

15

Jr Olympics Wrap Up Thank you to Alki Lappas Case for coordinating our team at the 2019 Metropolis of Chicago Jr Olympics hosted by Saints

Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church

in Palos Hills IL over the Memorial Day

Weekend

The medal results for our team were

9 gold (10k individual and relay swimming)

9 silver (table tennis individual and

relay swimming) and

2 bronze (individual swimming) Congratula-

tions to all

16

17

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church 1755 Des Peres Rd Town amp Country MO 63131

(Just north of Des Peres 14 Cine)

July 2019 FRIDAY LUNCHEONS

Menu subject to change

1100 am - 200 pm Kitchen Phone 314-966-6720

Web Site httpwwwassumptiongocorgfriday-lunch Cash Checks and Credit Cards accepted

Master Card VISA Discover American Express

NO LUNCHEON

JULY 5th

Have a Safe and Healthy

4th of July Weekend

July 19

Shrimp Saganaki over Rice $9

Baked Fish with Stewed Green Beans $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Lobster BisquehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $4Lg $6

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 12

Lamb Shank over Rice $14

Baked Fish with Macedonia Peas $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Chicken Avgolemono SouphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3Lg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 26

Baked 12 Chicken over Rice 8

Baked Fish with Roasted Brussel Sprouts $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Split Pea SouphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3hellipLg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

19

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14

Fa

thers

of

the 4

th

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un

cil

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at

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r

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rin

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ose

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St

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00

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ine

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26

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hte

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00

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imes

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st D

ays

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st D

ays

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July

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20

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church

1755 Des Peres Road

Town and Country MO 63131-1405

Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG US Postage

PAID St Louis MO

Permit No 4628

20

From the Orthodox Study Bible 1 John 4 12-16 20-21

No one has seen God at any time If we love one another God abides in us and His love has been perfected in us By

this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit And we have seen and testify

that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God God abides in

him and he in God And we have known and believed the love that God has for us God is love and he who abides in

love abides in God and God in him

If someone says ldquoI love Godrdquo and hates his brother he is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom has seen

how can he love God whom he has not seen And this commandment we have from Him that he who loves God

must love his brother also

Scripture taken from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc

For Consideration

The greatest teachers of the Church endeavored to teach great truths to men not only by words but also by visual examples Thus

Abba Isaiah in order to teach the monks that no-one would receive a reward from God who did not toil in this life for Him led his

disciples to a threshing floor where a labourer was gathering the threshed wheat lsquoGive me some of that wheatrsquo Isaiah said to the

labourer lsquoHave you been reaping as well Fatherrsquo lsquoI havenrsquotrsquo replied the elder lsquoThen yoursquove got a hope of some wheat if yoursquove

not gathered itrsquo To this the elder said lsquoTherersquos no wheat for him who has not gathered itrsquo lsquoNorsquo replied the labourer Hearing

this reply the elder went away in silence When his disciples asked him to explain his actions to them he said lsquoI did that

deliberately in order to show you that no-one will receive the reward from God who has not labored in asceticismrsquo

The Prologue from Ochrid Lives of the Saints and Homilies for Every Day in the Year vol 3 by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic Translated by Mother Maria Lazarica

Press Birmingham 1986 p99

Page 11: From Glory to GloryArchbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Although Archbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea, popularly known

11

Births - Congratulations to

George and Melinda Abuqubou on the birth of their son

Christopher who was born on August 26 2018

Baptisms - Many Years to

Isabella Mavra Xenos Zewki daughter of Shivan and

Tatiana Zewki Isabella was baptized on May 19 2019

and her Godparents are Antonios Xenos and

Anastasia Mezinis

Anna Sophia Theodoropulos daughter of Fr Anastasios

and Presvytera Elizabeth Theodoropoulos Anna was

baptized on June 1 2019 at Saints Peter and Paul in

Glenview IL and her Godmother is Julie Stefanski

Peirce James Farmakis son of Mike and Shannon

Farmakis Pierce was baptized on June 1 2019 and his

Godfather is Kostantinos (Dino) Deros

Eleni Polixeni Psara daughter of Spiro and Colleen Psara

Eleni was baptized on June 2 2019 and her

Godparents are are Panteli Pappas and Alona

Teliatnykova

Sophia Shea Hayden daughter of Bob and Natalie

Hayden Sophia was baptized on Saturday June 22 at

Saints Pete and Paul in Glenview IL and her Godgather is

Peter Sparacio

Funerals - Memory Eternal

Anastasia ldquoAnnierdquo Markovich reposed on June 5 2019

The funeral was June 10 at Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox

Church with interment Mt Hope

Dorothy Nancy Graeff reposed on June 6 2019 The

funeral was on June 11 with interment at St Mathews

Cemetery

Nick Niarchos of Palos Hills Ill brother of Eugenia

(Alex) Pavlopoulos reposed on June 6th The funeral was

June 10 at Saints Constantine amp Helen Greek Orthodox

Church Palos Hills Il Interment at Evergreen Cemetery of

Evergreen Park in Il

Lehman Bennett grandfather of Jenny Bennett passes

way on June 15 The funeral and burial were on June 19

in Dallas TX

Memorials - Memory Eternal

June 2

5-year Haralambos Pelekanos

5-year Fr Constantine Regopoulos

June 9

9-mon Van (Evangelos) Evangelopoulos

1-year Tom (Athanasios) Dubis

1 year Mike Labis

1-year Elaine Scott

2 year Danica Mandrapa

8 year Ljubica Terzic

10-year Kostando Liakata

13-year Fr Gerasimos Annas

24-year Andrea Liakata

July 28

1-year Despina Zeriss

2-year Chris Zeris

August 4

21-year Athanasios Stratos

October 13

Departed Members Brotherhood of Alexander the Great

Important Please inform either Fr Joseph or Fr Anastasios

immediately when you or any member of your family is

sick or hospitalized so that appropriate prayer and

visitation may be scheduled Hospitals do not notify

clergy of patients even if you list yourself as a Church

member

In Our Prayers Nora (Elaine) Bangert Seraphima Henderson

Thekla (Rebecca) Kagaris Dean Kases

Janie (Zafera) Kyramarios George Lambos

College Addresses In an effort to keep in touch with and minister to our

college students we ask anyone with a daughter or son in

college to contact the Church office with the address

phone amp email

12

Extra Virgin Olive Oil $20bottle

Missouri Flag $9600

Patriarchal Flag $28900

Holy Water bottleshelliphelliphelliphellip$30800

Icon of St Porphyrios

Icon of the Annunciation

Icon of Elder Amphilochios Makris

Icon of Elder Iakovos (Tsalikis) of Evia

Dimitri and Rebecca Kagaris

Please call the church office if you would like to donate

any of these items

Womenrsquos Summer Book Study

Our plans for our Summer Book Study session are

complete

The book we are reading is

Everyday Wonders

Stories of Gods Providence

By V Rev Michael J Oleksa

and we will meet for our summer pot luck lunch and

book discussion

Saturday August 17

1100 am to 200 pm

Hosted by Keve Gialouris

17828 Greyabbey Ct

Chesterfield MO

If you have any questions please contact

Presvytera Laura Morton at 314-303-1784

Hellenic Culture Camp 2019 July 15-19

Open to all children entering 2nd grade through 8th grade in Fall 2019

Monday ndash Thursday 845 am - 300 pm

St Nicholas Family Life Center (Please bring a lunch and drink Monday-

Wednesday Greek lunch will be provided on Thursday)

Friday

845 am ndash noon Vetta Sports Manchester

Hellenic Culture Camp is a

wonderful opportunity to expose our children and grandchildren to culturally

enriching activities and friendships within our community

Activities include

Greek Cooking History

Geography Greek Dancing

Greek Language Greek Arts and Jewelry Making

Sports

Cost $100 for one child $90 for second child $80 for third child (Financial Assistance

Available)

For questions please contact Barbara Corrigan at

btcstlyahoocom or 3149606258 visit

httpswwwsngocorgnewshellenic-culture-camp

13

But I say to you the Lord says love your enemies do

good to those who hate you pray for those who

persecute you Why did he command these things So

that he might free you from hatred sadness anger and

grudges and might grant you the greatest possession of

all perfect love which is impossible to possess except

by the one who loves all equally in imitation of God

St Maximus the Confessor

Περί εἰδώλων Αγ Ἰουστίνου Πόποβιτς

Τό ἀνθρώπινο γένος δοκιμάζει καθημερινῶς στόν

κόσμο μας τήν ἐμπειρία νά ὁδηγοῦνται οἱ ἄνθρωποι

στήν ἀπώλεια εἴτε λόγῳ τῆς ἄγνοιας εἴτε τῆς μή

ἀναγνωρίσεως τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ καί

Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Μέ ἄλλα λόγια ἐκπίπτουν

ἐξαιτίας εἴτε τῆς ἀθεΐας εἴτε τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας

Αὐτή ἡ ἄγνοια ἤ ἡ μή ἀναγνώριση τοῦ Κυρίου

Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιφέρει τήν ἄγνοια ἤ τήν μή

ἀναγνώριση τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ ἀγαθοῦ σέ αὐτόν

τόν κόσμο τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ Αὐτοί οἱ

ἄνθρωποι ζοῦν laquoἐν ἀσελγείαις ἐπιθυμίαις

οἰνοφλυγίαις κώμοις πότοις καί ἀθεμίτοις

εἰδωλολατρείαιςraquo Ναί laquoἀθεμίτοις εἰδωλολατρίαιςraquo

γιατί ἡ εἰδωλολατρεία εἶναι πάντοτε σέ πληθυντικό

ἀριθμό Ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ὁποῖος δέν ἀναγνωρίζει τόν

μόνο ἀληθινό Θεό θέλοντας καί μή ἀναγνωρίζει

ἕνα ἀναρίθμητο πλῆθος ἄλλων μικρότερων

θεοτήτων ψευδῶν θεῶν εἰδώλων Πρόκειται γιά τίς

ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη πού δέν ἔχουν οὔτε ἀριθμό

οὔτε τέλος Ὅταν ὁ ἄνθρωπος δελεάζεται ἀπό μία

τέτοια μικρή μικρή θεότητα τότε αὐτή τόν

παρασύρει στίς ὑπόλοιπες ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη καί

τότε εἶναι πού τόν κατακομματιάζουν καί τόν

κατασπαράζουν οἱ ἀναρίθμητοι ψευδεῖς καί

ἀδηφάγοι θεοί Καί ὁ ἄνθρωπος δέν εἶναι σέ θέση

νά ἀμυνθεῖ σέ αὐτήν τήν ἀγέλη τῶν τρομερῶν

θηρίων καί τῶν δελεαστικῶν πειρασμῶν Τό

μικρότερο πάθος ὁδηγεῖ σέ μεγαλύτερο καί ἔτσι

σταδιακά βυθίζεται σέ ὅλο καί μεγαλύτερα πάθη

ὥσπου ἐν τέλει δέν μπορεῖ νά ἀναδυθεῖ ἀπrsquoαὐτά

Καί κάθε πάθος ἐμπεριέχει ἀναρίθμητα εἴδωλα καί

κάθε ἐπιθυμία φέρει ὅλο καί περισσότερα εἴδωλα

πού δέν ἔχουν τελειωμό Τά εἴδωλα εἶναι σάν τή

δυνατή φωτιά μέσα της κατακαίγονται καί ἡ

συνείδηση καί ἡ ψυχή καί ἡ καρδιά καί τό θέλημα

τοῦ ἀνθρώπου Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος τῆς

ἀγάπης παρακαλεῖ τούς χριστιανούς laquoΤεκνία

φυλάξατε ἑαυτούς ἀπό τῶν εἰδώλωνraquo Ἀπό τά

εἴδωλα προέρχονται ὅλα τά κακά καί τά μικρά καί

τά μεγάλα Καί κάθε ἄνθρωπος εἶναι εἰδωλολάτρης

ἐφrsquoὅσον δέν πιστεύει στόν μόνον Ἀληθινό Θεό

στόν Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Διότι ὁπωσδήποτε σέ

κάτι πιστεύει εἴτε ὄν εἶναι αὐτό εἴτε πράγμα εἴτε σέ

ὁρατά εἴτε σέ ἀόρατα εἴδωλα ὅπως εἶναι ὁ ἥλιος ἡ

σελήνη οἱ ἀστέρες οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὁ πολιτισμός ἡ

τεχνολογία ἡ φυλή ἡ κοινωνική τάξη τά πάθη οἱ

ἡδονές καί [hellip] τό ὄνομά τους laquoΛεγεώνraquo Ἀπό τό

πρῶτο ὥς τό τελευταῖο ὅλα τά παραπάνω εἶναι

εἰδωλολατρία Δέν ὑπάρχει ἀμφιβολία ὅτι τό καθένα

ἀπrsquoαὐτά φονεύει ὅτι κάνει ἄνθρωπο τόν ἄνθρωπο

φονεύει δηλαδή ὅτι θεοειδές θεονοσταλγικό

ἀθάνατο θεῖο αἰώνιο Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος

νουθετεῖ καί ἐντέλλεται στούς χριστιανούς laquoΔιόπερ

ἀγαπητοί μου φεύγετε ἀπό τῆς εἰδωλολατρείαςraquo Οἱ

ἄνθρωποι διά τῶν ποικιλόμορφων εἰδωλολατρειῶν

ἔμμεσα ἤ ἄμεσα θυσιάζουν τούς ἑαυτούς τους στὀν

διάβολο προσφέρονται ὡς θυσία στόν διάβολο Σέ

τελευταία ἀνάλυση κάθε εἰδωλολατρία εἶναι

σατανολατρία καί κάθε εἰδωλο-διακονία εἶναι σατανο-

διακονία Μήπως δέν λατρεύει δέν διακονεῖ δέν

προσφέρει θυσία τήν ψυχή του στόν διάβολο ἐκεῖνος

πού ζεῖ στά πάθη καί στήν ἡδονή ὅποιος ὑπηρετεῖ

ὁποιονδήποτε καί ὁτιδήποτε ἐκτός ἀπό τόν μόνον

ἀληθινό Θεό καί Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Αὐτό εἶναι

τόσο ξεκάθαρο γιά κάποιον πού μπορεῖ μέ φρόνηση

νά κρίνει Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ θεόσοφος Ἀπόστολος λέγει

στούς πρώην εἰδωλολάτρες Κορινθίους laquoὡς

φρονίμοις λέγωhellipοὐ θέλω δέ ὑμᾶς κοινωνούς τῶν

δαιμονίων γίνεσθαι Οὐ δύνασθε ποτήριον Κυρίου

πίνειν καί ποτήριον δαιμονίων οὐ δύνασθε τραπέζης

Κυρίου μετέχειν καί τραπέζης δαιμονίωνraquo

Ἀναμφίβολα ὁλόκληρο τό Εὐαγγέλιο τοῦ Σωτῆρος

ἔγκειται στό ὅτι laquoτό σῶμα τῶ Κυρίῳ καί ὁ Κύριος τῶ

σώματιraquo Ἔτσι γνωρίζουμε τό αἰώνιο μυστήριο τοῦ

ἀνθρωπίνου ὄντος πώς ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός

εἶναι ὁ Σωτήρας ὁλοκλήρου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὄχι μόνο

τῆς ψυχῆς ἀλλά καί τοῦ σώματός του Γιrsquoαὐτό καί τό

σῶμα τοῦ χριστιανοῦ ὀφείλει νά εἶναι ναός ἅγιος στόν

ὁποῖο ζεῖ ἡ ἁγία ψυχή στόν κόσμο μας καί στόν ὁποῖο

πρόκειται νά ζήσει καί μετά τήν κοινή ἀνάσταση τῶν

νεκρῶν Τά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν διά τοῦ ἁγίου

Βαπτίσματος τῆς Θείας Μεταλήψεως καί τοῦ

εὐαγγελικοῦ τους βίου ἔγιναν ἀναπόσπαστα μέρη τοῦ

Θεανθρώπινου σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ Τά σώματα

αὐτά δέν ἀνήκουν πλέον στούς ἴδιους ἀλλά σέ

Ἐκεῖνον Ὅτι ἔγινε μέ τό ἅγιο σῶμα Ἐκείνου

πρόκειται νά συμβεῖ στά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν Για την αντιγραφή Δημήτρης Κάγκαρης

14

Prophet Elias (Elijah)

The Old Testament prophet Elijah the Tishbite lived during

the time when King Ahab ruled Israel Ahabs wife Jezebel

was a foreigner who did not worship the One True God of

Israel but the false god Baal She persecuted prophets and

deceitfully tried to force the people of Israel to turn away

from God and worship Baal Elijahs fiery personality often

brought him into conflict with Ahab and Jezebel because he

was absolutely determined that the people would stay

faithful to God God rewarded Elijahs devotion with the gift

of prophecy Once when Elijah knew a serious drought was

coming soon God instructed him to leave his home and go

east of the Jordan River promising that he would be fed by

a raven Just as God promised the raven

brought Elijah food and he was able to

drink from a stream When the stream ran

dry God told him to go to the city of

Zarephath In the city he met a widow

who was gathering sticks He asked her

for bread but she replied I have no

bread baked and there is only a small

amount of flour and oil left for my son

and me There was not enough she said to share with

another person Saint Elijah told her not to worry or be

afraid but to make the bread and give him a little loaf She

did so and a great miracle occurred The widow had enough

flour and oil to last a whole year Sometime later when her

son died Elijah prayed over his body and the boy came

back to life The widow was overjoyed and said to Elijah

Now I know that you speak Gods word After many years

of drought God sent Elijah to see King Ahab By this time

there was famine as well as drought in the land While

searching for food and water Ahabs advisor Obadiah met

Elijah on the road He told King Ahab that the prophet was

back and Ahab went out to meet him He said to Elijah Is

it you you troubler of Israel Saint Elijah told King Ahab

that he the king was the one who was troubling Israel

because he was not living his life according to Gods laws

and should not be following the false god Baal Then he said

to the king Tell the people of Israel and the four hundred

fifty prophets of Baal to meet me on Mount Carmel When

everyone had arrived Saint Elijah told the people If the

Lord is God follow him but if Baal is then follow him

He challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest He told

them to put their sacrifice on one altar and he would put his

on another altar Neither one would start a fire to burn their

sacrifice but would call on God and Baal to start the fire

The false prophets of Baal hopped around and yelled to their

god to come and light the sacrifice Saint Elijah laughed and

said that maybe Baal was napping and needed to be

awakened The false prophets yelled even louder and still

nothing happened Elijah calmly made a large trench around

the dirt and all the water Saint Elijah had shown them all

the true and only God When King Ahab told his wife

Jezebel what Elijah had done she angrily promised to kill

the prophet Fearing for his life Elijah fled to Beer-sheba in

the land of Judah There he sat down under a broom tree

so miserable and fearful that he asked God to take his life

Instead God sent an angel to encourage him and to prepare

him for a long journey Following the angels instructions

he walked for forty days and forty nights until he came to a

cave There God spoke to him in a gentle breeze telling

him to bless helpers who would spread the true faith One

of those Elijah blessed was Elisha who was plowing his

fathers field When Saint Elijah saw him he threw his

cloak over him and soon Elisha was accompanying Elijah

as his helper As Saint Elijahs earthly life neared its end

God sent him to Bethel Jericho and the Jordan When he

came to the Jordan Elijah rolled up his cloak and touched

the water The water immediately parted and Saints Elijah

and Elisha crossed over on dry land As they continued to

walk a fiery chariot driven by fiery horses came and took

Saint Elijah in a whirlwind up into the sky Elisha took up

the great prophets cloak Elijahs story doesnt end there

He was one of two Old Testament saints who appeared with

Jesus at His Transfiguration Saint Elijah was there to

represent the Old Testament prophets who foretold the

coming of the Son of God He is a wonderful example of

someone who loved God with all of his soul all of his heart

and all of his mind In some churches on the feast of Saint

Elijah the priest blesses cars bicycles roller skates scoot-

ers (chariots) and any other method of transportation with

wheels httpdceocaorgassetsfilesresourcesSaints-Animalspdf

Troparion (Tone 4)

An angel in the flesh and the cornerstone of the prophets

The second forerunner of the coming of Christ Glorious

Elijah sent grace from on high to Elisha To dispel diseases

and to cleanse lepers Therefore he pours forth healings on

those who honor him

Quote

I have been very zealous for the Lord Almightyhellip

- Elijah about himself 3 Kingdoms 1910

Date Born

Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years before the

Incarnation of Christ

Date Died

Elijahs death is described in 2 Kings 2 9-13 (4 Kingdoms

2 9-13 OSB) The date is not certain

Commemoration Date

July 20 and the Sunday of the Holy Fathers

15

Jr Olympics Wrap Up Thank you to Alki Lappas Case for coordinating our team at the 2019 Metropolis of Chicago Jr Olympics hosted by Saints

Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church

in Palos Hills IL over the Memorial Day

Weekend

The medal results for our team were

9 gold (10k individual and relay swimming)

9 silver (table tennis individual and

relay swimming) and

2 bronze (individual swimming) Congratula-

tions to all

16

17

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church 1755 Des Peres Rd Town amp Country MO 63131

(Just north of Des Peres 14 Cine)

July 2019 FRIDAY LUNCHEONS

Menu subject to change

1100 am - 200 pm Kitchen Phone 314-966-6720

Web Site httpwwwassumptiongocorgfriday-lunch Cash Checks and Credit Cards accepted

Master Card VISA Discover American Express

NO LUNCHEON

JULY 5th

Have a Safe and Healthy

4th of July Weekend

July 19

Shrimp Saganaki over Rice $9

Baked Fish with Stewed Green Beans $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Lobster BisquehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $4Lg $6

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 12

Lamb Shank over Rice $14

Baked Fish with Macedonia Peas $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Chicken Avgolemono SouphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3Lg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 26

Baked 12 Chicken over Rice 8

Baked Fish with Roasted Brussel Sprouts $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Split Pea SouphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3hellipLg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

19

Su

n

Mo

n

Tu

e W

ed

Th

u

Fri

S

at

1

Un

mercen

arie

s

Ko

sma

s amp

Da

mia

no

s

90

0 a

m O

rth

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10

00

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63

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esp

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3

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afen

io

4 I

nd

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ce D

ay

5

NO

FR

IDA

Y L

UN

CH

EO

N

Hap

py 4

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f Ju

ly W

eek

end

6

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7

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r

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ia

80

0 a

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e L

itu

rgy

12

St

Pais

ios

of

Mt

Ath

os

90

0 a

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ros

10

00

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ine

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urg

y

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

13

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

14

Fa

thers

of

the 4

th

Co

un

cil

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

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m D

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e L

itu

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15

1

6

63

0 p

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ers

17

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at

Marty

r

Ma

rin

a

90

0 a

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rth

ros

10

00

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ine

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urg

y

20

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io

18

19

11

00

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20

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ph

et

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as

90

0 a

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00

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ine

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21

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94

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22

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3

63

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ers

24

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25

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ose

of

St

An

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90

0 a

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00

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ine

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26

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28

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are

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ays

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July

20

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20

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church

1755 Des Peres Road

Town and Country MO 63131-1405

Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG US Postage

PAID St Louis MO

Permit No 4628

20

From the Orthodox Study Bible 1 John 4 12-16 20-21

No one has seen God at any time If we love one another God abides in us and His love has been perfected in us By

this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit And we have seen and testify

that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God God abides in

him and he in God And we have known and believed the love that God has for us God is love and he who abides in

love abides in God and God in him

If someone says ldquoI love Godrdquo and hates his brother he is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom has seen

how can he love God whom he has not seen And this commandment we have from Him that he who loves God

must love his brother also

Scripture taken from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc

For Consideration

The greatest teachers of the Church endeavored to teach great truths to men not only by words but also by visual examples Thus

Abba Isaiah in order to teach the monks that no-one would receive a reward from God who did not toil in this life for Him led his

disciples to a threshing floor where a labourer was gathering the threshed wheat lsquoGive me some of that wheatrsquo Isaiah said to the

labourer lsquoHave you been reaping as well Fatherrsquo lsquoI havenrsquotrsquo replied the elder lsquoThen yoursquove got a hope of some wheat if yoursquove

not gathered itrsquo To this the elder said lsquoTherersquos no wheat for him who has not gathered itrsquo lsquoNorsquo replied the labourer Hearing

this reply the elder went away in silence When his disciples asked him to explain his actions to them he said lsquoI did that

deliberately in order to show you that no-one will receive the reward from God who has not labored in asceticismrsquo

The Prologue from Ochrid Lives of the Saints and Homilies for Every Day in the Year vol 3 by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic Translated by Mother Maria Lazarica

Press Birmingham 1986 p99

Page 12: From Glory to GloryArchbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Although Archbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea, popularly known

12

Extra Virgin Olive Oil $20bottle

Missouri Flag $9600

Patriarchal Flag $28900

Holy Water bottleshelliphelliphelliphellip$30800

Icon of St Porphyrios

Icon of the Annunciation

Icon of Elder Amphilochios Makris

Icon of Elder Iakovos (Tsalikis) of Evia

Dimitri and Rebecca Kagaris

Please call the church office if you would like to donate

any of these items

Womenrsquos Summer Book Study

Our plans for our Summer Book Study session are

complete

The book we are reading is

Everyday Wonders

Stories of Gods Providence

By V Rev Michael J Oleksa

and we will meet for our summer pot luck lunch and

book discussion

Saturday August 17

1100 am to 200 pm

Hosted by Keve Gialouris

17828 Greyabbey Ct

Chesterfield MO

If you have any questions please contact

Presvytera Laura Morton at 314-303-1784

Hellenic Culture Camp 2019 July 15-19

Open to all children entering 2nd grade through 8th grade in Fall 2019

Monday ndash Thursday 845 am - 300 pm

St Nicholas Family Life Center (Please bring a lunch and drink Monday-

Wednesday Greek lunch will be provided on Thursday)

Friday

845 am ndash noon Vetta Sports Manchester

Hellenic Culture Camp is a

wonderful opportunity to expose our children and grandchildren to culturally

enriching activities and friendships within our community

Activities include

Greek Cooking History

Geography Greek Dancing

Greek Language Greek Arts and Jewelry Making

Sports

Cost $100 for one child $90 for second child $80 for third child (Financial Assistance

Available)

For questions please contact Barbara Corrigan at

btcstlyahoocom or 3149606258 visit

httpswwwsngocorgnewshellenic-culture-camp

13

But I say to you the Lord says love your enemies do

good to those who hate you pray for those who

persecute you Why did he command these things So

that he might free you from hatred sadness anger and

grudges and might grant you the greatest possession of

all perfect love which is impossible to possess except

by the one who loves all equally in imitation of God

St Maximus the Confessor

Περί εἰδώλων Αγ Ἰουστίνου Πόποβιτς

Τό ἀνθρώπινο γένος δοκιμάζει καθημερινῶς στόν

κόσμο μας τήν ἐμπειρία νά ὁδηγοῦνται οἱ ἄνθρωποι

στήν ἀπώλεια εἴτε λόγῳ τῆς ἄγνοιας εἴτε τῆς μή

ἀναγνωρίσεως τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ καί

Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Μέ ἄλλα λόγια ἐκπίπτουν

ἐξαιτίας εἴτε τῆς ἀθεΐας εἴτε τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας

Αὐτή ἡ ἄγνοια ἤ ἡ μή ἀναγνώριση τοῦ Κυρίου

Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιφέρει τήν ἄγνοια ἤ τήν μή

ἀναγνώριση τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ ἀγαθοῦ σέ αὐτόν

τόν κόσμο τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ Αὐτοί οἱ

ἄνθρωποι ζοῦν laquoἐν ἀσελγείαις ἐπιθυμίαις

οἰνοφλυγίαις κώμοις πότοις καί ἀθεμίτοις

εἰδωλολατρείαιςraquo Ναί laquoἀθεμίτοις εἰδωλολατρίαιςraquo

γιατί ἡ εἰδωλολατρεία εἶναι πάντοτε σέ πληθυντικό

ἀριθμό Ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ὁποῖος δέν ἀναγνωρίζει τόν

μόνο ἀληθινό Θεό θέλοντας καί μή ἀναγνωρίζει

ἕνα ἀναρίθμητο πλῆθος ἄλλων μικρότερων

θεοτήτων ψευδῶν θεῶν εἰδώλων Πρόκειται γιά τίς

ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη πού δέν ἔχουν οὔτε ἀριθμό

οὔτε τέλος Ὅταν ὁ ἄνθρωπος δελεάζεται ἀπό μία

τέτοια μικρή μικρή θεότητα τότε αὐτή τόν

παρασύρει στίς ὑπόλοιπες ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη καί

τότε εἶναι πού τόν κατακομματιάζουν καί τόν

κατασπαράζουν οἱ ἀναρίθμητοι ψευδεῖς καί

ἀδηφάγοι θεοί Καί ὁ ἄνθρωπος δέν εἶναι σέ θέση

νά ἀμυνθεῖ σέ αὐτήν τήν ἀγέλη τῶν τρομερῶν

θηρίων καί τῶν δελεαστικῶν πειρασμῶν Τό

μικρότερο πάθος ὁδηγεῖ σέ μεγαλύτερο καί ἔτσι

σταδιακά βυθίζεται σέ ὅλο καί μεγαλύτερα πάθη

ὥσπου ἐν τέλει δέν μπορεῖ νά ἀναδυθεῖ ἀπrsquoαὐτά

Καί κάθε πάθος ἐμπεριέχει ἀναρίθμητα εἴδωλα καί

κάθε ἐπιθυμία φέρει ὅλο καί περισσότερα εἴδωλα

πού δέν ἔχουν τελειωμό Τά εἴδωλα εἶναι σάν τή

δυνατή φωτιά μέσα της κατακαίγονται καί ἡ

συνείδηση καί ἡ ψυχή καί ἡ καρδιά καί τό θέλημα

τοῦ ἀνθρώπου Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος τῆς

ἀγάπης παρακαλεῖ τούς χριστιανούς laquoΤεκνία

φυλάξατε ἑαυτούς ἀπό τῶν εἰδώλωνraquo Ἀπό τά

εἴδωλα προέρχονται ὅλα τά κακά καί τά μικρά καί

τά μεγάλα Καί κάθε ἄνθρωπος εἶναι εἰδωλολάτρης

ἐφrsquoὅσον δέν πιστεύει στόν μόνον Ἀληθινό Θεό

στόν Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Διότι ὁπωσδήποτε σέ

κάτι πιστεύει εἴτε ὄν εἶναι αὐτό εἴτε πράγμα εἴτε σέ

ὁρατά εἴτε σέ ἀόρατα εἴδωλα ὅπως εἶναι ὁ ἥλιος ἡ

σελήνη οἱ ἀστέρες οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὁ πολιτισμός ἡ

τεχνολογία ἡ φυλή ἡ κοινωνική τάξη τά πάθη οἱ

ἡδονές καί [hellip] τό ὄνομά τους laquoΛεγεώνraquo Ἀπό τό

πρῶτο ὥς τό τελευταῖο ὅλα τά παραπάνω εἶναι

εἰδωλολατρία Δέν ὑπάρχει ἀμφιβολία ὅτι τό καθένα

ἀπrsquoαὐτά φονεύει ὅτι κάνει ἄνθρωπο τόν ἄνθρωπο

φονεύει δηλαδή ὅτι θεοειδές θεονοσταλγικό

ἀθάνατο θεῖο αἰώνιο Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος

νουθετεῖ καί ἐντέλλεται στούς χριστιανούς laquoΔιόπερ

ἀγαπητοί μου φεύγετε ἀπό τῆς εἰδωλολατρείαςraquo Οἱ

ἄνθρωποι διά τῶν ποικιλόμορφων εἰδωλολατρειῶν

ἔμμεσα ἤ ἄμεσα θυσιάζουν τούς ἑαυτούς τους στὀν

διάβολο προσφέρονται ὡς θυσία στόν διάβολο Σέ

τελευταία ἀνάλυση κάθε εἰδωλολατρία εἶναι

σατανολατρία καί κάθε εἰδωλο-διακονία εἶναι σατανο-

διακονία Μήπως δέν λατρεύει δέν διακονεῖ δέν

προσφέρει θυσία τήν ψυχή του στόν διάβολο ἐκεῖνος

πού ζεῖ στά πάθη καί στήν ἡδονή ὅποιος ὑπηρετεῖ

ὁποιονδήποτε καί ὁτιδήποτε ἐκτός ἀπό τόν μόνον

ἀληθινό Θεό καί Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Αὐτό εἶναι

τόσο ξεκάθαρο γιά κάποιον πού μπορεῖ μέ φρόνηση

νά κρίνει Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ θεόσοφος Ἀπόστολος λέγει

στούς πρώην εἰδωλολάτρες Κορινθίους laquoὡς

φρονίμοις λέγωhellipοὐ θέλω δέ ὑμᾶς κοινωνούς τῶν

δαιμονίων γίνεσθαι Οὐ δύνασθε ποτήριον Κυρίου

πίνειν καί ποτήριον δαιμονίων οὐ δύνασθε τραπέζης

Κυρίου μετέχειν καί τραπέζης δαιμονίωνraquo

Ἀναμφίβολα ὁλόκληρο τό Εὐαγγέλιο τοῦ Σωτῆρος

ἔγκειται στό ὅτι laquoτό σῶμα τῶ Κυρίῳ καί ὁ Κύριος τῶ

σώματιraquo Ἔτσι γνωρίζουμε τό αἰώνιο μυστήριο τοῦ

ἀνθρωπίνου ὄντος πώς ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός

εἶναι ὁ Σωτήρας ὁλοκλήρου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὄχι μόνο

τῆς ψυχῆς ἀλλά καί τοῦ σώματός του Γιrsquoαὐτό καί τό

σῶμα τοῦ χριστιανοῦ ὀφείλει νά εἶναι ναός ἅγιος στόν

ὁποῖο ζεῖ ἡ ἁγία ψυχή στόν κόσμο μας καί στόν ὁποῖο

πρόκειται νά ζήσει καί μετά τήν κοινή ἀνάσταση τῶν

νεκρῶν Τά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν διά τοῦ ἁγίου

Βαπτίσματος τῆς Θείας Μεταλήψεως καί τοῦ

εὐαγγελικοῦ τους βίου ἔγιναν ἀναπόσπαστα μέρη τοῦ

Θεανθρώπινου σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ Τά σώματα

αὐτά δέν ἀνήκουν πλέον στούς ἴδιους ἀλλά σέ

Ἐκεῖνον Ὅτι ἔγινε μέ τό ἅγιο σῶμα Ἐκείνου

πρόκειται νά συμβεῖ στά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν Για την αντιγραφή Δημήτρης Κάγκαρης

14

Prophet Elias (Elijah)

The Old Testament prophet Elijah the Tishbite lived during

the time when King Ahab ruled Israel Ahabs wife Jezebel

was a foreigner who did not worship the One True God of

Israel but the false god Baal She persecuted prophets and

deceitfully tried to force the people of Israel to turn away

from God and worship Baal Elijahs fiery personality often

brought him into conflict with Ahab and Jezebel because he

was absolutely determined that the people would stay

faithful to God God rewarded Elijahs devotion with the gift

of prophecy Once when Elijah knew a serious drought was

coming soon God instructed him to leave his home and go

east of the Jordan River promising that he would be fed by

a raven Just as God promised the raven

brought Elijah food and he was able to

drink from a stream When the stream ran

dry God told him to go to the city of

Zarephath In the city he met a widow

who was gathering sticks He asked her

for bread but she replied I have no

bread baked and there is only a small

amount of flour and oil left for my son

and me There was not enough she said to share with

another person Saint Elijah told her not to worry or be

afraid but to make the bread and give him a little loaf She

did so and a great miracle occurred The widow had enough

flour and oil to last a whole year Sometime later when her

son died Elijah prayed over his body and the boy came

back to life The widow was overjoyed and said to Elijah

Now I know that you speak Gods word After many years

of drought God sent Elijah to see King Ahab By this time

there was famine as well as drought in the land While

searching for food and water Ahabs advisor Obadiah met

Elijah on the road He told King Ahab that the prophet was

back and Ahab went out to meet him He said to Elijah Is

it you you troubler of Israel Saint Elijah told King Ahab

that he the king was the one who was troubling Israel

because he was not living his life according to Gods laws

and should not be following the false god Baal Then he said

to the king Tell the people of Israel and the four hundred

fifty prophets of Baal to meet me on Mount Carmel When

everyone had arrived Saint Elijah told the people If the

Lord is God follow him but if Baal is then follow him

He challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest He told

them to put their sacrifice on one altar and he would put his

on another altar Neither one would start a fire to burn their

sacrifice but would call on God and Baal to start the fire

The false prophets of Baal hopped around and yelled to their

god to come and light the sacrifice Saint Elijah laughed and

said that maybe Baal was napping and needed to be

awakened The false prophets yelled even louder and still

nothing happened Elijah calmly made a large trench around

the dirt and all the water Saint Elijah had shown them all

the true and only God When King Ahab told his wife

Jezebel what Elijah had done she angrily promised to kill

the prophet Fearing for his life Elijah fled to Beer-sheba in

the land of Judah There he sat down under a broom tree

so miserable and fearful that he asked God to take his life

Instead God sent an angel to encourage him and to prepare

him for a long journey Following the angels instructions

he walked for forty days and forty nights until he came to a

cave There God spoke to him in a gentle breeze telling

him to bless helpers who would spread the true faith One

of those Elijah blessed was Elisha who was plowing his

fathers field When Saint Elijah saw him he threw his

cloak over him and soon Elisha was accompanying Elijah

as his helper As Saint Elijahs earthly life neared its end

God sent him to Bethel Jericho and the Jordan When he

came to the Jordan Elijah rolled up his cloak and touched

the water The water immediately parted and Saints Elijah

and Elisha crossed over on dry land As they continued to

walk a fiery chariot driven by fiery horses came and took

Saint Elijah in a whirlwind up into the sky Elisha took up

the great prophets cloak Elijahs story doesnt end there

He was one of two Old Testament saints who appeared with

Jesus at His Transfiguration Saint Elijah was there to

represent the Old Testament prophets who foretold the

coming of the Son of God He is a wonderful example of

someone who loved God with all of his soul all of his heart

and all of his mind In some churches on the feast of Saint

Elijah the priest blesses cars bicycles roller skates scoot-

ers (chariots) and any other method of transportation with

wheels httpdceocaorgassetsfilesresourcesSaints-Animalspdf

Troparion (Tone 4)

An angel in the flesh and the cornerstone of the prophets

The second forerunner of the coming of Christ Glorious

Elijah sent grace from on high to Elisha To dispel diseases

and to cleanse lepers Therefore he pours forth healings on

those who honor him

Quote

I have been very zealous for the Lord Almightyhellip

- Elijah about himself 3 Kingdoms 1910

Date Born

Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years before the

Incarnation of Christ

Date Died

Elijahs death is described in 2 Kings 2 9-13 (4 Kingdoms

2 9-13 OSB) The date is not certain

Commemoration Date

July 20 and the Sunday of the Holy Fathers

15

Jr Olympics Wrap Up Thank you to Alki Lappas Case for coordinating our team at the 2019 Metropolis of Chicago Jr Olympics hosted by Saints

Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church

in Palos Hills IL over the Memorial Day

Weekend

The medal results for our team were

9 gold (10k individual and relay swimming)

9 silver (table tennis individual and

relay swimming) and

2 bronze (individual swimming) Congratula-

tions to all

16

17

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church 1755 Des Peres Rd Town amp Country MO 63131

(Just north of Des Peres 14 Cine)

July 2019 FRIDAY LUNCHEONS

Menu subject to change

1100 am - 200 pm Kitchen Phone 314-966-6720

Web Site httpwwwassumptiongocorgfriday-lunch Cash Checks and Credit Cards accepted

Master Card VISA Discover American Express

NO LUNCHEON

JULY 5th

Have a Safe and Healthy

4th of July Weekend

July 19

Shrimp Saganaki over Rice $9

Baked Fish with Stewed Green Beans $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Lobster BisquehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $4Lg $6

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 12

Lamb Shank over Rice $14

Baked Fish with Macedonia Peas $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Chicken Avgolemono SouphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3Lg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 26

Baked 12 Chicken over Rice 8

Baked Fish with Roasted Brussel Sprouts $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Split Pea SouphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3hellipLg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

19

Su

n

Mo

n

Tu

e W

ed

Th

u

Fri

S

at

1

Un

mercen

arie

s

Ko

sma

s amp

Da

mia

no

s

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

2

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

3

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

4 I

nd

ep

en

den

ce D

ay

5

NO

FR

IDA

Y L

UN

CH

EO

N

Hap

py 4

th o

f Ju

ly W

eek

end

6

50

0 p

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Pais

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00

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11

00

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day

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13

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Fa

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un

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19

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ose

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26

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Bo

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July

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20

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church

1755 Des Peres Road

Town and Country MO 63131-1405

Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG US Postage

PAID St Louis MO

Permit No 4628

20

From the Orthodox Study Bible 1 John 4 12-16 20-21

No one has seen God at any time If we love one another God abides in us and His love has been perfected in us By

this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit And we have seen and testify

that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God God abides in

him and he in God And we have known and believed the love that God has for us God is love and he who abides in

love abides in God and God in him

If someone says ldquoI love Godrdquo and hates his brother he is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom has seen

how can he love God whom he has not seen And this commandment we have from Him that he who loves God

must love his brother also

Scripture taken from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc

For Consideration

The greatest teachers of the Church endeavored to teach great truths to men not only by words but also by visual examples Thus

Abba Isaiah in order to teach the monks that no-one would receive a reward from God who did not toil in this life for Him led his

disciples to a threshing floor where a labourer was gathering the threshed wheat lsquoGive me some of that wheatrsquo Isaiah said to the

labourer lsquoHave you been reaping as well Fatherrsquo lsquoI havenrsquotrsquo replied the elder lsquoThen yoursquove got a hope of some wheat if yoursquove

not gathered itrsquo To this the elder said lsquoTherersquos no wheat for him who has not gathered itrsquo lsquoNorsquo replied the labourer Hearing

this reply the elder went away in silence When his disciples asked him to explain his actions to them he said lsquoI did that

deliberately in order to show you that no-one will receive the reward from God who has not labored in asceticismrsquo

The Prologue from Ochrid Lives of the Saints and Homilies for Every Day in the Year vol 3 by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic Translated by Mother Maria Lazarica

Press Birmingham 1986 p99

Page 13: From Glory to GloryArchbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Although Archbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea, popularly known

13

But I say to you the Lord says love your enemies do

good to those who hate you pray for those who

persecute you Why did he command these things So

that he might free you from hatred sadness anger and

grudges and might grant you the greatest possession of

all perfect love which is impossible to possess except

by the one who loves all equally in imitation of God

St Maximus the Confessor

Περί εἰδώλων Αγ Ἰουστίνου Πόποβιτς

Τό ἀνθρώπινο γένος δοκιμάζει καθημερινῶς στόν

κόσμο μας τήν ἐμπειρία νά ὁδηγοῦνται οἱ ἄνθρωποι

στήν ἀπώλεια εἴτε λόγῳ τῆς ἄγνοιας εἴτε τῆς μή

ἀναγνωρίσεως τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ καί

Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Μέ ἄλλα λόγια ἐκπίπτουν

ἐξαιτίας εἴτε τῆς ἀθεΐας εἴτε τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας

Αὐτή ἡ ἄγνοια ἤ ἡ μή ἀναγνώριση τοῦ Κυρίου

Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιφέρει τήν ἄγνοια ἤ τήν μή

ἀναγνώριση τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ ἀγαθοῦ σέ αὐτόν

τόν κόσμο τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ Αὐτοί οἱ

ἄνθρωποι ζοῦν laquoἐν ἀσελγείαις ἐπιθυμίαις

οἰνοφλυγίαις κώμοις πότοις καί ἀθεμίτοις

εἰδωλολατρείαιςraquo Ναί laquoἀθεμίτοις εἰδωλολατρίαιςraquo

γιατί ἡ εἰδωλολατρεία εἶναι πάντοτε σέ πληθυντικό

ἀριθμό Ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ὁποῖος δέν ἀναγνωρίζει τόν

μόνο ἀληθινό Θεό θέλοντας καί μή ἀναγνωρίζει

ἕνα ἀναρίθμητο πλῆθος ἄλλων μικρότερων

θεοτήτων ψευδῶν θεῶν εἰδώλων Πρόκειται γιά τίς

ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη πού δέν ἔχουν οὔτε ἀριθμό

οὔτε τέλος Ὅταν ὁ ἄνθρωπος δελεάζεται ἀπό μία

τέτοια μικρή μικρή θεότητα τότε αὐτή τόν

παρασύρει στίς ὑπόλοιπες ἐπιθυμίες καί τά πάθη καί

τότε εἶναι πού τόν κατακομματιάζουν καί τόν

κατασπαράζουν οἱ ἀναρίθμητοι ψευδεῖς καί

ἀδηφάγοι θεοί Καί ὁ ἄνθρωπος δέν εἶναι σέ θέση

νά ἀμυνθεῖ σέ αὐτήν τήν ἀγέλη τῶν τρομερῶν

θηρίων καί τῶν δελεαστικῶν πειρασμῶν Τό

μικρότερο πάθος ὁδηγεῖ σέ μεγαλύτερο καί ἔτσι

σταδιακά βυθίζεται σέ ὅλο καί μεγαλύτερα πάθη

ὥσπου ἐν τέλει δέν μπορεῖ νά ἀναδυθεῖ ἀπrsquoαὐτά

Καί κάθε πάθος ἐμπεριέχει ἀναρίθμητα εἴδωλα καί

κάθε ἐπιθυμία φέρει ὅλο καί περισσότερα εἴδωλα

πού δέν ἔχουν τελειωμό Τά εἴδωλα εἶναι σάν τή

δυνατή φωτιά μέσα της κατακαίγονται καί ἡ

συνείδηση καί ἡ ψυχή καί ἡ καρδιά καί τό θέλημα

τοῦ ἀνθρώπου Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος τῆς

ἀγάπης παρακαλεῖ τούς χριστιανούς laquoΤεκνία

φυλάξατε ἑαυτούς ἀπό τῶν εἰδώλωνraquo Ἀπό τά

εἴδωλα προέρχονται ὅλα τά κακά καί τά μικρά καί

τά μεγάλα Καί κάθε ἄνθρωπος εἶναι εἰδωλολάτρης

ἐφrsquoὅσον δέν πιστεύει στόν μόνον Ἀληθινό Θεό

στόν Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Διότι ὁπωσδήποτε σέ

κάτι πιστεύει εἴτε ὄν εἶναι αὐτό εἴτε πράγμα εἴτε σέ

ὁρατά εἴτε σέ ἀόρατα εἴδωλα ὅπως εἶναι ὁ ἥλιος ἡ

σελήνη οἱ ἀστέρες οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὁ πολιτισμός ἡ

τεχνολογία ἡ φυλή ἡ κοινωνική τάξη τά πάθη οἱ

ἡδονές καί [hellip] τό ὄνομά τους laquoΛεγεώνraquo Ἀπό τό

πρῶτο ὥς τό τελευταῖο ὅλα τά παραπάνω εἶναι

εἰδωλολατρία Δέν ὑπάρχει ἀμφιβολία ὅτι τό καθένα

ἀπrsquoαὐτά φονεύει ὅτι κάνει ἄνθρωπο τόν ἄνθρωπο

φονεύει δηλαδή ὅτι θεοειδές θεονοσταλγικό

ἀθάνατο θεῖο αἰώνιο Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος

νουθετεῖ καί ἐντέλλεται στούς χριστιανούς laquoΔιόπερ

ἀγαπητοί μου φεύγετε ἀπό τῆς εἰδωλολατρείαςraquo Οἱ

ἄνθρωποι διά τῶν ποικιλόμορφων εἰδωλολατρειῶν

ἔμμεσα ἤ ἄμεσα θυσιάζουν τούς ἑαυτούς τους στὀν

διάβολο προσφέρονται ὡς θυσία στόν διάβολο Σέ

τελευταία ἀνάλυση κάθε εἰδωλολατρία εἶναι

σατανολατρία καί κάθε εἰδωλο-διακονία εἶναι σατανο-

διακονία Μήπως δέν λατρεύει δέν διακονεῖ δέν

προσφέρει θυσία τήν ψυχή του στόν διάβολο ἐκεῖνος

πού ζεῖ στά πάθη καί στήν ἡδονή ὅποιος ὑπηρετεῖ

ὁποιονδήποτε καί ὁτιδήποτε ἐκτός ἀπό τόν μόνον

ἀληθινό Θεό καί Κύριο Ἰησοῦ Χριστό Αὐτό εἶναι

τόσο ξεκάθαρο γιά κάποιον πού μπορεῖ μέ φρόνηση

νά κρίνει Γιrsquoαὐτό καί ὁ θεόσοφος Ἀπόστολος λέγει

στούς πρώην εἰδωλολάτρες Κορινθίους laquoὡς

φρονίμοις λέγωhellipοὐ θέλω δέ ὑμᾶς κοινωνούς τῶν

δαιμονίων γίνεσθαι Οὐ δύνασθε ποτήριον Κυρίου

πίνειν καί ποτήριον δαιμονίων οὐ δύνασθε τραπέζης

Κυρίου μετέχειν καί τραπέζης δαιμονίωνraquo

Ἀναμφίβολα ὁλόκληρο τό Εὐαγγέλιο τοῦ Σωτῆρος

ἔγκειται στό ὅτι laquoτό σῶμα τῶ Κυρίῳ καί ὁ Κύριος τῶ

σώματιraquo Ἔτσι γνωρίζουμε τό αἰώνιο μυστήριο τοῦ

ἀνθρωπίνου ὄντος πώς ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός

εἶναι ὁ Σωτήρας ὁλοκλήρου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὄχι μόνο

τῆς ψυχῆς ἀλλά καί τοῦ σώματός του Γιrsquoαὐτό καί τό

σῶμα τοῦ χριστιανοῦ ὀφείλει νά εἶναι ναός ἅγιος στόν

ὁποῖο ζεῖ ἡ ἁγία ψυχή στόν κόσμο μας καί στόν ὁποῖο

πρόκειται νά ζήσει καί μετά τήν κοινή ἀνάσταση τῶν

νεκρῶν Τά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν διά τοῦ ἁγίου

Βαπτίσματος τῆς Θείας Μεταλήψεως καί τοῦ

εὐαγγελικοῦ τους βίου ἔγιναν ἀναπόσπαστα μέρη τοῦ

Θεανθρώπινου σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ Τά σώματα

αὐτά δέν ἀνήκουν πλέον στούς ἴδιους ἀλλά σέ

Ἐκεῖνον Ὅτι ἔγινε μέ τό ἅγιο σῶμα Ἐκείνου

πρόκειται νά συμβεῖ στά σώματα τῶν χριστιανῶν Για την αντιγραφή Δημήτρης Κάγκαρης

14

Prophet Elias (Elijah)

The Old Testament prophet Elijah the Tishbite lived during

the time when King Ahab ruled Israel Ahabs wife Jezebel

was a foreigner who did not worship the One True God of

Israel but the false god Baal She persecuted prophets and

deceitfully tried to force the people of Israel to turn away

from God and worship Baal Elijahs fiery personality often

brought him into conflict with Ahab and Jezebel because he

was absolutely determined that the people would stay

faithful to God God rewarded Elijahs devotion with the gift

of prophecy Once when Elijah knew a serious drought was

coming soon God instructed him to leave his home and go

east of the Jordan River promising that he would be fed by

a raven Just as God promised the raven

brought Elijah food and he was able to

drink from a stream When the stream ran

dry God told him to go to the city of

Zarephath In the city he met a widow

who was gathering sticks He asked her

for bread but she replied I have no

bread baked and there is only a small

amount of flour and oil left for my son

and me There was not enough she said to share with

another person Saint Elijah told her not to worry or be

afraid but to make the bread and give him a little loaf She

did so and a great miracle occurred The widow had enough

flour and oil to last a whole year Sometime later when her

son died Elijah prayed over his body and the boy came

back to life The widow was overjoyed and said to Elijah

Now I know that you speak Gods word After many years

of drought God sent Elijah to see King Ahab By this time

there was famine as well as drought in the land While

searching for food and water Ahabs advisor Obadiah met

Elijah on the road He told King Ahab that the prophet was

back and Ahab went out to meet him He said to Elijah Is

it you you troubler of Israel Saint Elijah told King Ahab

that he the king was the one who was troubling Israel

because he was not living his life according to Gods laws

and should not be following the false god Baal Then he said

to the king Tell the people of Israel and the four hundred

fifty prophets of Baal to meet me on Mount Carmel When

everyone had arrived Saint Elijah told the people If the

Lord is God follow him but if Baal is then follow him

He challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest He told

them to put their sacrifice on one altar and he would put his

on another altar Neither one would start a fire to burn their

sacrifice but would call on God and Baal to start the fire

The false prophets of Baal hopped around and yelled to their

god to come and light the sacrifice Saint Elijah laughed and

said that maybe Baal was napping and needed to be

awakened The false prophets yelled even louder and still

nothing happened Elijah calmly made a large trench around

the dirt and all the water Saint Elijah had shown them all

the true and only God When King Ahab told his wife

Jezebel what Elijah had done she angrily promised to kill

the prophet Fearing for his life Elijah fled to Beer-sheba in

the land of Judah There he sat down under a broom tree

so miserable and fearful that he asked God to take his life

Instead God sent an angel to encourage him and to prepare

him for a long journey Following the angels instructions

he walked for forty days and forty nights until he came to a

cave There God spoke to him in a gentle breeze telling

him to bless helpers who would spread the true faith One

of those Elijah blessed was Elisha who was plowing his

fathers field When Saint Elijah saw him he threw his

cloak over him and soon Elisha was accompanying Elijah

as his helper As Saint Elijahs earthly life neared its end

God sent him to Bethel Jericho and the Jordan When he

came to the Jordan Elijah rolled up his cloak and touched

the water The water immediately parted and Saints Elijah

and Elisha crossed over on dry land As they continued to

walk a fiery chariot driven by fiery horses came and took

Saint Elijah in a whirlwind up into the sky Elisha took up

the great prophets cloak Elijahs story doesnt end there

He was one of two Old Testament saints who appeared with

Jesus at His Transfiguration Saint Elijah was there to

represent the Old Testament prophets who foretold the

coming of the Son of God He is a wonderful example of

someone who loved God with all of his soul all of his heart

and all of his mind In some churches on the feast of Saint

Elijah the priest blesses cars bicycles roller skates scoot-

ers (chariots) and any other method of transportation with

wheels httpdceocaorgassetsfilesresourcesSaints-Animalspdf

Troparion (Tone 4)

An angel in the flesh and the cornerstone of the prophets

The second forerunner of the coming of Christ Glorious

Elijah sent grace from on high to Elisha To dispel diseases

and to cleanse lepers Therefore he pours forth healings on

those who honor him

Quote

I have been very zealous for the Lord Almightyhellip

- Elijah about himself 3 Kingdoms 1910

Date Born

Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years before the

Incarnation of Christ

Date Died

Elijahs death is described in 2 Kings 2 9-13 (4 Kingdoms

2 9-13 OSB) The date is not certain

Commemoration Date

July 20 and the Sunday of the Holy Fathers

15

Jr Olympics Wrap Up Thank you to Alki Lappas Case for coordinating our team at the 2019 Metropolis of Chicago Jr Olympics hosted by Saints

Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church

in Palos Hills IL over the Memorial Day

Weekend

The medal results for our team were

9 gold (10k individual and relay swimming)

9 silver (table tennis individual and

relay swimming) and

2 bronze (individual swimming) Congratula-

tions to all

16

17

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church 1755 Des Peres Rd Town amp Country MO 63131

(Just north of Des Peres 14 Cine)

July 2019 FRIDAY LUNCHEONS

Menu subject to change

1100 am - 200 pm Kitchen Phone 314-966-6720

Web Site httpwwwassumptiongocorgfriday-lunch Cash Checks and Credit Cards accepted

Master Card VISA Discover American Express

NO LUNCHEON

JULY 5th

Have a Safe and Healthy

4th of July Weekend

July 19

Shrimp Saganaki over Rice $9

Baked Fish with Stewed Green Beans $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Lobster BisquehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $4Lg $6

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 12

Lamb Shank over Rice $14

Baked Fish with Macedonia Peas $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Chicken Avgolemono SouphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3Lg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 26

Baked 12 Chicken over Rice 8

Baked Fish with Roasted Brussel Sprouts $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Split Pea SouphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3hellipLg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

19

Su

n

Mo

n

Tu

e W

ed

Th

u

Fri

S

at

1

Un

mercen

arie

s

Ko

sma

s amp

Da

mia

no

s

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

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Div

ine

Lit

urg

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2

63

0 p

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esp

ers

3

20

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m K

afen

io

4 I

nd

ep

en

den

ce D

ay

5

NO

FR

IDA

Y L

UN

CH

EO

N

Hap

py 4

th o

f Ju

ly W

eek

end

6

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

7

83

0 a

m O

rth

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94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

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8

9

63

0 p

m V

esp

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10

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

11 G

rea

t M

arty

r

Eu

ph

em

ia

80

0 a

m O

rth

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90

0 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

12

St

Pais

ios

of

Mt

Ath

os

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

13

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

14

Fa

thers

of

the 4

th

Co

un

cil

83

0 a

m O

rth

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94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

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15

1

6

63

0 p

m V

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17

Gre

at

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Ma

rin

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90

0 a

m O

rth

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10

00

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Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

18

19

11

00

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Fri

day

Lu

nch

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20

Pro

ph

et

Eli

as

90

0 a

m O

rth

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10

00

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Div

ine

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urg

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50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

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21

83

0 a

m O

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94

5 a

m D

ivin

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itu

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2

3

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

24

20

0 p

m K

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25

Rep

ose

of

St

An

na

90

0 a

m O

rth

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10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

26

Rig

hte

ou

s P

ara

skeve

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

27

Gre

at

Marty

r

Pa

nte

leim

on

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

28

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

29

3

0

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

31

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y T

imes

are

Ap

pro

xim

ate

Fa

st D

ays

are

Sh

ad

ed

Fea

st D

ays

are

Bo

xed

July

20

19

A

ssu

mp

tio

n G

reek

Ort

ho

do

x C

hurc

h

20

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church

1755 Des Peres Road

Town and Country MO 63131-1405

Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG US Postage

PAID St Louis MO

Permit No 4628

20

From the Orthodox Study Bible 1 John 4 12-16 20-21

No one has seen God at any time If we love one another God abides in us and His love has been perfected in us By

this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit And we have seen and testify

that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God God abides in

him and he in God And we have known and believed the love that God has for us God is love and he who abides in

love abides in God and God in him

If someone says ldquoI love Godrdquo and hates his brother he is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom has seen

how can he love God whom he has not seen And this commandment we have from Him that he who loves God

must love his brother also

Scripture taken from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc

For Consideration

The greatest teachers of the Church endeavored to teach great truths to men not only by words but also by visual examples Thus

Abba Isaiah in order to teach the monks that no-one would receive a reward from God who did not toil in this life for Him led his

disciples to a threshing floor where a labourer was gathering the threshed wheat lsquoGive me some of that wheatrsquo Isaiah said to the

labourer lsquoHave you been reaping as well Fatherrsquo lsquoI havenrsquotrsquo replied the elder lsquoThen yoursquove got a hope of some wheat if yoursquove

not gathered itrsquo To this the elder said lsquoTherersquos no wheat for him who has not gathered itrsquo lsquoNorsquo replied the labourer Hearing

this reply the elder went away in silence When his disciples asked him to explain his actions to them he said lsquoI did that

deliberately in order to show you that no-one will receive the reward from God who has not labored in asceticismrsquo

The Prologue from Ochrid Lives of the Saints and Homilies for Every Day in the Year vol 3 by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic Translated by Mother Maria Lazarica

Press Birmingham 1986 p99

Page 14: From Glory to GloryArchbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Although Archbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea, popularly known

14

Prophet Elias (Elijah)

The Old Testament prophet Elijah the Tishbite lived during

the time when King Ahab ruled Israel Ahabs wife Jezebel

was a foreigner who did not worship the One True God of

Israel but the false god Baal She persecuted prophets and

deceitfully tried to force the people of Israel to turn away

from God and worship Baal Elijahs fiery personality often

brought him into conflict with Ahab and Jezebel because he

was absolutely determined that the people would stay

faithful to God God rewarded Elijahs devotion with the gift

of prophecy Once when Elijah knew a serious drought was

coming soon God instructed him to leave his home and go

east of the Jordan River promising that he would be fed by

a raven Just as God promised the raven

brought Elijah food and he was able to

drink from a stream When the stream ran

dry God told him to go to the city of

Zarephath In the city he met a widow

who was gathering sticks He asked her

for bread but she replied I have no

bread baked and there is only a small

amount of flour and oil left for my son

and me There was not enough she said to share with

another person Saint Elijah told her not to worry or be

afraid but to make the bread and give him a little loaf She

did so and a great miracle occurred The widow had enough

flour and oil to last a whole year Sometime later when her

son died Elijah prayed over his body and the boy came

back to life The widow was overjoyed and said to Elijah

Now I know that you speak Gods word After many years

of drought God sent Elijah to see King Ahab By this time

there was famine as well as drought in the land While

searching for food and water Ahabs advisor Obadiah met

Elijah on the road He told King Ahab that the prophet was

back and Ahab went out to meet him He said to Elijah Is

it you you troubler of Israel Saint Elijah told King Ahab

that he the king was the one who was troubling Israel

because he was not living his life according to Gods laws

and should not be following the false god Baal Then he said

to the king Tell the people of Israel and the four hundred

fifty prophets of Baal to meet me on Mount Carmel When

everyone had arrived Saint Elijah told the people If the

Lord is God follow him but if Baal is then follow him

He challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest He told

them to put their sacrifice on one altar and he would put his

on another altar Neither one would start a fire to burn their

sacrifice but would call on God and Baal to start the fire

The false prophets of Baal hopped around and yelled to their

god to come and light the sacrifice Saint Elijah laughed and

said that maybe Baal was napping and needed to be

awakened The false prophets yelled even louder and still

nothing happened Elijah calmly made a large trench around

the dirt and all the water Saint Elijah had shown them all

the true and only God When King Ahab told his wife

Jezebel what Elijah had done she angrily promised to kill

the prophet Fearing for his life Elijah fled to Beer-sheba in

the land of Judah There he sat down under a broom tree

so miserable and fearful that he asked God to take his life

Instead God sent an angel to encourage him and to prepare

him for a long journey Following the angels instructions

he walked for forty days and forty nights until he came to a

cave There God spoke to him in a gentle breeze telling

him to bless helpers who would spread the true faith One

of those Elijah blessed was Elisha who was plowing his

fathers field When Saint Elijah saw him he threw his

cloak over him and soon Elisha was accompanying Elijah

as his helper As Saint Elijahs earthly life neared its end

God sent him to Bethel Jericho and the Jordan When he

came to the Jordan Elijah rolled up his cloak and touched

the water The water immediately parted and Saints Elijah

and Elisha crossed over on dry land As they continued to

walk a fiery chariot driven by fiery horses came and took

Saint Elijah in a whirlwind up into the sky Elisha took up

the great prophets cloak Elijahs story doesnt end there

He was one of two Old Testament saints who appeared with

Jesus at His Transfiguration Saint Elijah was there to

represent the Old Testament prophets who foretold the

coming of the Son of God He is a wonderful example of

someone who loved God with all of his soul all of his heart

and all of his mind In some churches on the feast of Saint

Elijah the priest blesses cars bicycles roller skates scoot-

ers (chariots) and any other method of transportation with

wheels httpdceocaorgassetsfilesresourcesSaints-Animalspdf

Troparion (Tone 4)

An angel in the flesh and the cornerstone of the prophets

The second forerunner of the coming of Christ Glorious

Elijah sent grace from on high to Elisha To dispel diseases

and to cleanse lepers Therefore he pours forth healings on

those who honor him

Quote

I have been very zealous for the Lord Almightyhellip

- Elijah about himself 3 Kingdoms 1910

Date Born

Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years before the

Incarnation of Christ

Date Died

Elijahs death is described in 2 Kings 2 9-13 (4 Kingdoms

2 9-13 OSB) The date is not certain

Commemoration Date

July 20 and the Sunday of the Holy Fathers

15

Jr Olympics Wrap Up Thank you to Alki Lappas Case for coordinating our team at the 2019 Metropolis of Chicago Jr Olympics hosted by Saints

Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church

in Palos Hills IL over the Memorial Day

Weekend

The medal results for our team were

9 gold (10k individual and relay swimming)

9 silver (table tennis individual and

relay swimming) and

2 bronze (individual swimming) Congratula-

tions to all

16

17

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church 1755 Des Peres Rd Town amp Country MO 63131

(Just north of Des Peres 14 Cine)

July 2019 FRIDAY LUNCHEONS

Menu subject to change

1100 am - 200 pm Kitchen Phone 314-966-6720

Web Site httpwwwassumptiongocorgfriday-lunch Cash Checks and Credit Cards accepted

Master Card VISA Discover American Express

NO LUNCHEON

JULY 5th

Have a Safe and Healthy

4th of July Weekend

July 19

Shrimp Saganaki over Rice $9

Baked Fish with Stewed Green Beans $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Lobster BisquehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $4Lg $6

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 12

Lamb Shank over Rice $14

Baked Fish with Macedonia Peas $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Chicken Avgolemono SouphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3Lg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 26

Baked 12 Chicken over Rice 8

Baked Fish with Roasted Brussel Sprouts $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Split Pea SouphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3hellipLg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

19

Su

n

Mo

n

Tu

e W

ed

Th

u

Fri

S

at

1

Un

mercen

arie

s

Ko

sma

s amp

Da

mia

no

s

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

2

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

3

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

4 I

nd

ep

en

den

ce D

ay

5

NO

FR

IDA

Y L

UN

CH

EO

N

Hap

py 4

th o

f Ju

ly W

eek

end

6

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

7

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

8

9

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

10

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

11 G

rea

t M

arty

r

Eu

ph

em

ia

80

0 a

m O

rth

ros

90

0 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

12

St

Pais

ios

of

Mt

Ath

os

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

13

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

14

Fa

thers

of

the 4

th

Co

un

cil

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

15

1

6

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

17

Gre

at

Marty

r

Ma

rin

a

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

18

19

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

20

Pro

ph

et

Eli

as

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

21

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

22

2

3

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

24

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

25

Rep

ose

of

St

An

na

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

26

Rig

hte

ou

s P

ara

skeve

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

27

Gre

at

Marty

r

Pa

nte

leim

on

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

28

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

29

3

0

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

31

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y T

imes

are

Ap

pro

xim

ate

Fa

st D

ays

are

Sh

ad

ed

Fea

st D

ays

are

Bo

xed

July

20

19

A

ssu

mp

tio

n G

reek

Ort

ho

do

x C

hurc

h

20

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church

1755 Des Peres Road

Town and Country MO 63131-1405

Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG US Postage

PAID St Louis MO

Permit No 4628

20

From the Orthodox Study Bible 1 John 4 12-16 20-21

No one has seen God at any time If we love one another God abides in us and His love has been perfected in us By

this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit And we have seen and testify

that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God God abides in

him and he in God And we have known and believed the love that God has for us God is love and he who abides in

love abides in God and God in him

If someone says ldquoI love Godrdquo and hates his brother he is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom has seen

how can he love God whom he has not seen And this commandment we have from Him that he who loves God

must love his brother also

Scripture taken from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc

For Consideration

The greatest teachers of the Church endeavored to teach great truths to men not only by words but also by visual examples Thus

Abba Isaiah in order to teach the monks that no-one would receive a reward from God who did not toil in this life for Him led his

disciples to a threshing floor where a labourer was gathering the threshed wheat lsquoGive me some of that wheatrsquo Isaiah said to the

labourer lsquoHave you been reaping as well Fatherrsquo lsquoI havenrsquotrsquo replied the elder lsquoThen yoursquove got a hope of some wheat if yoursquove

not gathered itrsquo To this the elder said lsquoTherersquos no wheat for him who has not gathered itrsquo lsquoNorsquo replied the labourer Hearing

this reply the elder went away in silence When his disciples asked him to explain his actions to them he said lsquoI did that

deliberately in order to show you that no-one will receive the reward from God who has not labored in asceticismrsquo

The Prologue from Ochrid Lives of the Saints and Homilies for Every Day in the Year vol 3 by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic Translated by Mother Maria Lazarica

Press Birmingham 1986 p99

Page 15: From Glory to GloryArchbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Although Archbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea, popularly known

15

Jr Olympics Wrap Up Thank you to Alki Lappas Case for coordinating our team at the 2019 Metropolis of Chicago Jr Olympics hosted by Saints

Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church

in Palos Hills IL over the Memorial Day

Weekend

The medal results for our team were

9 gold (10k individual and relay swimming)

9 silver (table tennis individual and

relay swimming) and

2 bronze (individual swimming) Congratula-

tions to all

16

17

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church 1755 Des Peres Rd Town amp Country MO 63131

(Just north of Des Peres 14 Cine)

July 2019 FRIDAY LUNCHEONS

Menu subject to change

1100 am - 200 pm Kitchen Phone 314-966-6720

Web Site httpwwwassumptiongocorgfriday-lunch Cash Checks and Credit Cards accepted

Master Card VISA Discover American Express

NO LUNCHEON

JULY 5th

Have a Safe and Healthy

4th of July Weekend

July 19

Shrimp Saganaki over Rice $9

Baked Fish with Stewed Green Beans $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Lobster BisquehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $4Lg $6

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 12

Lamb Shank over Rice $14

Baked Fish with Macedonia Peas $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Chicken Avgolemono SouphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3Lg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 26

Baked 12 Chicken over Rice 8

Baked Fish with Roasted Brussel Sprouts $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Split Pea SouphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3hellipLg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

19

Su

n

Mo

n

Tu

e W

ed

Th

u

Fri

S

at

1

Un

mercen

arie

s

Ko

sma

s amp

Da

mia

no

s

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

2

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

3

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

4 I

nd

ep

en

den

ce D

ay

5

NO

FR

IDA

Y L

UN

CH

EO

N

Hap

py 4

th o

f Ju

ly W

eek

end

6

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

7

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

8

9

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

10

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

11 G

rea

t M

arty

r

Eu

ph

em

ia

80

0 a

m O

rth

ros

90

0 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

12

St

Pais

ios

of

Mt

Ath

os

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

13

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

14

Fa

thers

of

the 4

th

Co

un

cil

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

15

1

6

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

17

Gre

at

Marty

r

Ma

rin

a

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

18

19

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

20

Pro

ph

et

Eli

as

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

21

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

22

2

3

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

24

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

25

Rep

ose

of

St

An

na

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

26

Rig

hte

ou

s P

ara

skeve

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

27

Gre

at

Marty

r

Pa

nte

leim

on

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

28

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

29

3

0

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

31

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y T

imes

are

Ap

pro

xim

ate

Fa

st D

ays

are

Sh

ad

ed

Fea

st D

ays

are

Bo

xed

July

20

19

A

ssu

mp

tio

n G

reek

Ort

ho

do

x C

hurc

h

20

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church

1755 Des Peres Road

Town and Country MO 63131-1405

Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG US Postage

PAID St Louis MO

Permit No 4628

20

From the Orthodox Study Bible 1 John 4 12-16 20-21

No one has seen God at any time If we love one another God abides in us and His love has been perfected in us By

this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit And we have seen and testify

that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God God abides in

him and he in God And we have known and believed the love that God has for us God is love and he who abides in

love abides in God and God in him

If someone says ldquoI love Godrdquo and hates his brother he is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom has seen

how can he love God whom he has not seen And this commandment we have from Him that he who loves God

must love his brother also

Scripture taken from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc

For Consideration

The greatest teachers of the Church endeavored to teach great truths to men not only by words but also by visual examples Thus

Abba Isaiah in order to teach the monks that no-one would receive a reward from God who did not toil in this life for Him led his

disciples to a threshing floor where a labourer was gathering the threshed wheat lsquoGive me some of that wheatrsquo Isaiah said to the

labourer lsquoHave you been reaping as well Fatherrsquo lsquoI havenrsquotrsquo replied the elder lsquoThen yoursquove got a hope of some wheat if yoursquove

not gathered itrsquo To this the elder said lsquoTherersquos no wheat for him who has not gathered itrsquo lsquoNorsquo replied the labourer Hearing

this reply the elder went away in silence When his disciples asked him to explain his actions to them he said lsquoI did that

deliberately in order to show you that no-one will receive the reward from God who has not labored in asceticismrsquo

The Prologue from Ochrid Lives of the Saints and Homilies for Every Day in the Year vol 3 by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic Translated by Mother Maria Lazarica

Press Birmingham 1986 p99

Page 16: From Glory to GloryArchbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Although Archbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea, popularly known

16

17

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church 1755 Des Peres Rd Town amp Country MO 63131

(Just north of Des Peres 14 Cine)

July 2019 FRIDAY LUNCHEONS

Menu subject to change

1100 am - 200 pm Kitchen Phone 314-966-6720

Web Site httpwwwassumptiongocorgfriday-lunch Cash Checks and Credit Cards accepted

Master Card VISA Discover American Express

NO LUNCHEON

JULY 5th

Have a Safe and Healthy

4th of July Weekend

July 19

Shrimp Saganaki over Rice $9

Baked Fish with Stewed Green Beans $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Lobster BisquehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $4Lg $6

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 12

Lamb Shank over Rice $14

Baked Fish with Macedonia Peas $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Chicken Avgolemono SouphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3Lg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 26

Baked 12 Chicken over Rice 8

Baked Fish with Roasted Brussel Sprouts $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Split Pea SouphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3hellipLg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

19

Su

n

Mo

n

Tu

e W

ed

Th

u

Fri

S

at

1

Un

mercen

arie

s

Ko

sma

s amp

Da

mia

no

s

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

2

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

3

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

4 I

nd

ep

en

den

ce D

ay

5

NO

FR

IDA

Y L

UN

CH

EO

N

Hap

py 4

th o

f Ju

ly W

eek

end

6

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

7

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

8

9

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

10

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

11 G

rea

t M

arty

r

Eu

ph

em

ia

80

0 a

m O

rth

ros

90

0 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

12

St

Pais

ios

of

Mt

Ath

os

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

13

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

14

Fa

thers

of

the 4

th

Co

un

cil

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

15

1

6

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

17

Gre

at

Marty

r

Ma

rin

a

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

18

19

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

20

Pro

ph

et

Eli

as

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

21

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

22

2

3

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

24

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

25

Rep

ose

of

St

An

na

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

26

Rig

hte

ou

s P

ara

skeve

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

27

Gre

at

Marty

r

Pa

nte

leim

on

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

28

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

29

3

0

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

31

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y T

imes

are

Ap

pro

xim

ate

Fa

st D

ays

are

Sh

ad

ed

Fea

st D

ays

are

Bo

xed

July

20

19

A

ssu

mp

tio

n G

reek

Ort

ho

do

x C

hurc

h

20

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church

1755 Des Peres Road

Town and Country MO 63131-1405

Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG US Postage

PAID St Louis MO

Permit No 4628

20

From the Orthodox Study Bible 1 John 4 12-16 20-21

No one has seen God at any time If we love one another God abides in us and His love has been perfected in us By

this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit And we have seen and testify

that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God God abides in

him and he in God And we have known and believed the love that God has for us God is love and he who abides in

love abides in God and God in him

If someone says ldquoI love Godrdquo and hates his brother he is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom has seen

how can he love God whom he has not seen And this commandment we have from Him that he who loves God

must love his brother also

Scripture taken from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc

For Consideration

The greatest teachers of the Church endeavored to teach great truths to men not only by words but also by visual examples Thus

Abba Isaiah in order to teach the monks that no-one would receive a reward from God who did not toil in this life for Him led his

disciples to a threshing floor where a labourer was gathering the threshed wheat lsquoGive me some of that wheatrsquo Isaiah said to the

labourer lsquoHave you been reaping as well Fatherrsquo lsquoI havenrsquotrsquo replied the elder lsquoThen yoursquove got a hope of some wheat if yoursquove

not gathered itrsquo To this the elder said lsquoTherersquos no wheat for him who has not gathered itrsquo lsquoNorsquo replied the labourer Hearing

this reply the elder went away in silence When his disciples asked him to explain his actions to them he said lsquoI did that

deliberately in order to show you that no-one will receive the reward from God who has not labored in asceticismrsquo

The Prologue from Ochrid Lives of the Saints and Homilies for Every Day in the Year vol 3 by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic Translated by Mother Maria Lazarica

Press Birmingham 1986 p99

Page 17: From Glory to GloryArchbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Although Archbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea, popularly known

17

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church 1755 Des Peres Rd Town amp Country MO 63131

(Just north of Des Peres 14 Cine)

July 2019 FRIDAY LUNCHEONS

Menu subject to change

1100 am - 200 pm Kitchen Phone 314-966-6720

Web Site httpwwwassumptiongocorgfriday-lunch Cash Checks and Credit Cards accepted

Master Card VISA Discover American Express

NO LUNCHEON

JULY 5th

Have a Safe and Healthy

4th of July Weekend

July 19

Shrimp Saganaki over Rice $9

Baked Fish with Stewed Green Beans $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Lobster BisquehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $4Lg $6

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 12

Lamb Shank over Rice $14

Baked Fish with Macedonia Peas $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Chicken Avgolemono SouphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3Lg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

July 26

Baked 12 Chicken over Rice 8

Baked Fish with Roasted Brussel Sprouts $8

Pastitsio (ground beef macaroni casserole) $7

Gyro Sandwich $5

(seasoned beef and lamb served on pita bread with

tomatoes onions and tzatziki sauce)

Split Pea SouphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipSm $3hellipLg $5

2 Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip2 for $3

Spanakopita (spinach pita) $3

Tyropita (cheese pita) $3

Greek Salad with olive oil dressing $5

Dessert $3

(Baklava Galatobouriko Kataifi Walnut Cake

Cheesecake)

19

Su

n

Mo

n

Tu

e W

ed

Th

u

Fri

S

at

1

Un

mercen

arie

s

Ko

sma

s amp

Da

mia

no

s

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

2

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

3

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

4 I

nd

ep

en

den

ce D

ay

5

NO

FR

IDA

Y L

UN

CH

EO

N

Hap

py 4

th o

f Ju

ly W

eek

end

6

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

7

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

8

9

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

10

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

11 G

rea

t M

arty

r

Eu

ph

em

ia

80

0 a

m O

rth

ros

90

0 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

12

St

Pais

ios

of

Mt

Ath

os

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

13

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

14

Fa

thers

of

the 4

th

Co

un

cil

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

15

1

6

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

17

Gre

at

Marty

r

Ma

rin

a

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

18

19

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

20

Pro

ph

et

Eli

as

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

21

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

22

2

3

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

24

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

25

Rep

ose

of

St

An

na

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

26

Rig

hte

ou

s P

ara

skeve

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

27

Gre

at

Marty

r

Pa

nte

leim

on

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

28

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

29

3

0

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

31

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y T

imes

are

Ap

pro

xim

ate

Fa

st D

ays

are

Sh

ad

ed

Fea

st D

ays

are

Bo

xed

July

20

19

A

ssu

mp

tio

n G

reek

Ort

ho

do

x C

hurc

h

20

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church

1755 Des Peres Road

Town and Country MO 63131-1405

Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG US Postage

PAID St Louis MO

Permit No 4628

20

From the Orthodox Study Bible 1 John 4 12-16 20-21

No one has seen God at any time If we love one another God abides in us and His love has been perfected in us By

this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit And we have seen and testify

that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God God abides in

him and he in God And we have known and believed the love that God has for us God is love and he who abides in

love abides in God and God in him

If someone says ldquoI love Godrdquo and hates his brother he is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom has seen

how can he love God whom he has not seen And this commandment we have from Him that he who loves God

must love his brother also

Scripture taken from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc

For Consideration

The greatest teachers of the Church endeavored to teach great truths to men not only by words but also by visual examples Thus

Abba Isaiah in order to teach the monks that no-one would receive a reward from God who did not toil in this life for Him led his

disciples to a threshing floor where a labourer was gathering the threshed wheat lsquoGive me some of that wheatrsquo Isaiah said to the

labourer lsquoHave you been reaping as well Fatherrsquo lsquoI havenrsquotrsquo replied the elder lsquoThen yoursquove got a hope of some wheat if yoursquove

not gathered itrsquo To this the elder said lsquoTherersquos no wheat for him who has not gathered itrsquo lsquoNorsquo replied the labourer Hearing

this reply the elder went away in silence When his disciples asked him to explain his actions to them he said lsquoI did that

deliberately in order to show you that no-one will receive the reward from God who has not labored in asceticismrsquo

The Prologue from Ochrid Lives of the Saints and Homilies for Every Day in the Year vol 3 by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic Translated by Mother Maria Lazarica

Press Birmingham 1986 p99

Page 18: From Glory to GloryArchbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Although Archbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea, popularly known

19

Su

n

Mo

n

Tu

e W

ed

Th

u

Fri

S

at

1

Un

mercen

arie

s

Ko

sma

s amp

Da

mia

no

s

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

2

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

3

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

4 I

nd

ep

en

den

ce D

ay

5

NO

FR

IDA

Y L

UN

CH

EO

N

Hap

py 4

th o

f Ju

ly W

eek

end

6

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

7

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

8

9

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

10

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

11 G

rea

t M

arty

r

Eu

ph

em

ia

80

0 a

m O

rth

ros

90

0 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

12

St

Pais

ios

of

Mt

Ath

os

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

13

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

14

Fa

thers

of

the 4

th

Co

un

cil

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

15

1

6

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

17

Gre

at

Marty

r

Ma

rin

a

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

18

19

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

20

Pro

ph

et

Eli

as

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

21

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

22

2

3

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

24

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

25

Rep

ose

of

St

An

na

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

26

Rig

hte

ou

s P

ara

skeve

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

11

00

am

Fri

day

Lu

nch

eon

27

Gre

at

Marty

r

Pa

nte

leim

on

90

0 a

m O

rth

ros

10

00

am

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y

50

0 p

m G

reat

Ves

per

s

28

83

0 a

m O

rth

ros

94

5 a

m D

ivin

e L

itu

rgy

29

3

0

63

0 p

m V

esp

ers

31

20

0 p

m K

afen

io

Div

ine

Lit

urg

y T

imes

are

Ap

pro

xim

ate

Fa

st D

ays

are

Sh

ad

ed

Fea

st D

ays

are

Bo

xed

July

20

19

A

ssu

mp

tio

n G

reek

Ort

ho

do

x C

hurc

h

20

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church

1755 Des Peres Road

Town and Country MO 63131-1405

Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG US Postage

PAID St Louis MO

Permit No 4628

20

From the Orthodox Study Bible 1 John 4 12-16 20-21

No one has seen God at any time If we love one another God abides in us and His love has been perfected in us By

this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit And we have seen and testify

that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God God abides in

him and he in God And we have known and believed the love that God has for us God is love and he who abides in

love abides in God and God in him

If someone says ldquoI love Godrdquo and hates his brother he is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom has seen

how can he love God whom he has not seen And this commandment we have from Him that he who loves God

must love his brother also

Scripture taken from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc

For Consideration

The greatest teachers of the Church endeavored to teach great truths to men not only by words but also by visual examples Thus

Abba Isaiah in order to teach the monks that no-one would receive a reward from God who did not toil in this life for Him led his

disciples to a threshing floor where a labourer was gathering the threshed wheat lsquoGive me some of that wheatrsquo Isaiah said to the

labourer lsquoHave you been reaping as well Fatherrsquo lsquoI havenrsquotrsquo replied the elder lsquoThen yoursquove got a hope of some wheat if yoursquove

not gathered itrsquo To this the elder said lsquoTherersquos no wheat for him who has not gathered itrsquo lsquoNorsquo replied the labourer Hearing

this reply the elder went away in silence When his disciples asked him to explain his actions to them he said lsquoI did that

deliberately in order to show you that no-one will receive the reward from God who has not labored in asceticismrsquo

The Prologue from Ochrid Lives of the Saints and Homilies for Every Day in the Year vol 3 by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic Translated by Mother Maria Lazarica

Press Birmingham 1986 p99

Page 19: From Glory to GloryArchbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Although Archbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea, popularly known

20

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church

1755 Des Peres Road

Town and Country MO 63131-1405

Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG US Postage

PAID St Louis MO

Permit No 4628

20

From the Orthodox Study Bible 1 John 4 12-16 20-21

No one has seen God at any time If we love one another God abides in us and His love has been perfected in us By

this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit And we have seen and testify

that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God God abides in

him and he in God And we have known and believed the love that God has for us God is love and he who abides in

love abides in God and God in him

If someone says ldquoI love Godrdquo and hates his brother he is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom has seen

how can he love God whom he has not seen And this commandment we have from Him that he who loves God

must love his brother also

Scripture taken from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc

For Consideration

The greatest teachers of the Church endeavored to teach great truths to men not only by words but also by visual examples Thus

Abba Isaiah in order to teach the monks that no-one would receive a reward from God who did not toil in this life for Him led his

disciples to a threshing floor where a labourer was gathering the threshed wheat lsquoGive me some of that wheatrsquo Isaiah said to the

labourer lsquoHave you been reaping as well Fatherrsquo lsquoI havenrsquotrsquo replied the elder lsquoThen yoursquove got a hope of some wheat if yoursquove

not gathered itrsquo To this the elder said lsquoTherersquos no wheat for him who has not gathered itrsquo lsquoNorsquo replied the labourer Hearing

this reply the elder went away in silence When his disciples asked him to explain his actions to them he said lsquoI did that

deliberately in order to show you that no-one will receive the reward from God who has not labored in asceticismrsquo

The Prologue from Ochrid Lives of the Saints and Homilies for Every Day in the Year vol 3 by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic Translated by Mother Maria Lazarica

Press Birmingham 1986 p99