CHURCH NEW YEAR (Sept 1) - UPDATED 8/28 - The Orthodox Church's liturgical year begins on September 1, and as is our parish tradition, we will chant the deeply moving and compunctionate Akathist of Thanksgiving - 'Glory To God For All Things' on Wednesday, September 3, at 7:00pm. To learn more about this Akathist and to order a beautiful recording of it, go here.

NATIVITY of the THEOTOKOS (Sept 8) - Our commitment to the life of the Church is “tested” very early in the Church new year with our celebration of the first of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Church.  September 8 is the date of the Nativity of the Theotokos – a Monday this year.  This means that the festal Great Vespers will be served on Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m.  This service, together with the special festal hymnography, features the blessing of the loaves and an anointing with oil in honor of the feast. Divine Liturgy will be celebrated on Monday at 9:30a.m. The importance of this feast, the first in the Church calendar year (which begins September 1) is that it was the first step in preparing mankind for its promised salvation. Explore our extensive resource page for the feast!

NATIVITY of the THEOTOKOS (Sept 8) - Our commitment to the life of the Church is “tested” very early in the Church new year with our celebration of the first of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Church.  September 8 is the date of the Nativity of the Theotokos – a Monday this year.  This means that the festal Great Vespers will be served on Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m.  This service, together with the special festal hymnography, features the blessing of the loaves and an anointing with oil in honor of the feast. Divine Liturgy will be celebrated on Monday at 9:30am. The importance of this feast, the first in the Church calendar year (which begins September 1) is that it was the first step in preparing mankind for its promised salvation. Explore our extensive resource page for the feast!

Church School begins Sunday, Sept. 21 - In the afternoon at 4 o'clock there will be a gathering of parents of church school children and young adults, during which we will chant the Akathist to the Mother of God, 'Nurturer of Children'.

Contact Fr. Steven for more info.

CHURCH NEW YEAR - Announcements on upcoming feasts and services, the Diaconal class, Inquirers' class, Church school and much more.

SPECIAL EVENT OCT 2 AT XAVIER UNIV - 'From Jails to Jobs: Community Re-Entry and the Criminal Justice System', with Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ  (author of "Tattoos on the Heart, The Power of Boundless Compassion"). Thur, October 2, 7:30 pm - Bellarmine Chapel - Xavier University. More info here.

Dear Parish Faithful,
 
I believe we have a new canonically-elected bishop!

-- Fr. Steven

SYOSSET, NY [MW Diocese Communications] — On Tuesday, October 21, 2014 — the opening day of the fall session of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America — Igumen Paul [Gassios] was canonically elected to the vacant Episcopal See of Chicago and the Midwest.

Igumen Paul was born to Nicholas and Georgia Gassios, natives of Castanea, Greece, in Detroit, MI on April 6,1953. He, his parents, and his sister Agatha lived in Detroit until their move to the suburbs in 1973.

As an infant, he was baptized with the name Apostolos, in honor of the holy Apostle Paul, at Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, Detroit, MI—his home parish for the first 28 years of his life.

He graduated from Detroit’s Cooley High School, where he was a member of the National Honor Society, in 1971, after which he enrolled in Wayne State University as a history and psychology major. After his graduation in 1976, he worked with emotionally and physically abused children. He furthered his education at Wayne State, from which he received a Master of Social Work degree in 1980, and continued to work in his chosen field.

In the mid-1980s, he became a member of Holy Transfiguration Church, Livonia, MI. He began theological studies in September 1991 at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, NY, from which he received his Master of Divinity degree summa cum laude and served as valedictorian in 1994. He was ordained to the priesthood by His Eminence, the late Archbishop Job of Chicago and the Midwest, on June 25, 1994.

After ordination, he was assigned Priest-in-Charge of Saint Thomas the Apostle Church, Kokomo, IN, which he served until June 2005, after which he resided at Saint Gregory Palamas Monastery, Hayesville, OH until May 2006. He briefly served as Rector of Archangel Michael Church, St. Louis, MO and the Nativity of the Holy Virgin Church, Desloge, MO before his transfer to the OCA’s Bulgarian Diocese and assignment as Dean of Saint George Cathedral, Rossford, OH in 2007. In August 2014, he was named Administrator of the Diocese of the Midwest and relocated to Chicago.

On October 20, 2014, he was tonsured to monastic rank with the name Paul, in honor of Saint Paul the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople.

Information on Igumen Paul’s consecration and installation will be posted as it becomes available.

A photo gallery of the election can be viewed here.

See the companion news story from the OCA website here.

"From Jails to Jobs: Community Re-Entry and the Criminal Justice System"

presented by

Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ 

author of  'Tattoos on the Heart, The Power of Boundless Compassion'
 
Thursday, October 2, 2014
7:30 pm
Bellarmine Chapel
Xavier University
 
What is being done to ensure that at risk youth do not end up in the prison system. Who is helping people reintegrate back into society upon release? How can we deal with this crisis in our own community and beyond? Join us at Xavier for a presentation and conversation with Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ and other local leaders on these critical issues.

Contact Fr. Steven if you are interested in attending and we will do our best to sit as a group. See Presvytera Deborah with any further questions.

In Christ,
 
Presv. Deborah
Kostoff@xavier.edu

Dear Parish Faithful,
 
The Church New Year will begin on Monday, September 1 (also Labor Day). Here are a few upcoming services, events and classes to keep in mind:
 
 
Wednesday 9/3 - Akathist Hymn "Glory to God for All Things" at 7:00 p.m.
 
This is that extraordinarily expressive hymn to God that offers thanksgiving to God for the multitude of gifts we receive on a daily basis in addition to the gift of salvation in Christ:  family, art, science, nature, etc.  As a reminder of the gifts of God, this is a perfect beginning for the new Church Year. Those familiar with this Akathist Hymn always anticipate its great beauty and depth.
 
 
Thursday 9/4    -  Class for Diaconal Candidates - The Seven Ecumenical Councils at 7:30 p.m.
 
Anyone in the parish is most welcome to join our three diaconal candidates for a careful study of the great Church Councils that have articulated the Church's doctrinal teaching through the centuries.  We will begin studying the background of the Nicene Creed; cover the major teaching about the Person of Christ - both God and Man; and then study the complex iconoclastic controversy, out of which our understanding of the meaning and place of icons in the Church was worked out.  We will place the Ecumenical Councils in their broad historical context, primarily the Church of Late Antiquity and Medieval Byzantium. This class will probably meet on an every-other-week basis.
 

Sunday 9/7, Monday 9/8 - NATIVITY of the MOTHER OF GOD

• Sunday, September 7, 6:00pm - Great Vespers w/Litya

• Monday, September 8 9:30am - Divine Liturgy

Our commitment to the life of the Church is “tested” very early in the Church new year with the celebration of the first of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Church. September 8 is the date of the Nativity of the Theotokos – a Monday this year. This means that the festal Great Vespers will be served on the eve, Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. This service, together with the special festal hymnography, features the blessing of the loaves and an anointing with oil in honor of the feast. For more on this special feast commemorating the birth of Her Who Gave Birth to Him Who Was Before the Ages, see our special Festal Resource Page.

 
Thursday 9/11  -  Morning Bible Study at 10:00 a.m.
 
This daytime Bible Study is meant for everyone who so desperately desired to attend the Summer Bible Study but could not because of  unavoidable schedule conflicts or commitments.  To fill that spiritual and intellectual void left in your lives ( a void that cannot be filled by Protestant-style neighborhood Bible Studies), we will again read and study the Pastoral Epistles of I & II TIM. and TIT.    This is not designed to be an all-female class either.  Male members of the parish are perfectly welcome.  We will try and meet on a weekly basis.
 
 
Thursday 9/11 - Catechetical Class for Catechumens and Inquirers at 7:30 p.m.
 
This class is meant for our catechumens and the various inquirers into the Orthodox Faith that we may have in our parish.  Any existing member of the parish who may want to "review" or deepen his/her knowledge of the Faith is also welcome.  The goal of this class is to prepare our catechumens for entrance into the Church by studying  basic Orthodox teachings and liturgical practices.  This class will also meet on an every-other-week basis.
 
The book chosen for this class is The Mystery of Faith by Bp. Ilarion Alfeyev.

 
Sunday 9/21 - Beginning of Church School Year & Later Gathering of Parents and Church School Age Children
 
We will begin our Church School as we have traditionally in the past:  the Sunday after the Feast Day of the Exaltation of the Cross.  Church School students and their teachers will leave for their respective classes following the reception of Holy Communion.  The effectiveness of the Church School is directly dependent on the commitment of parents to make sure their child(ren) attend classes with regularity.
 
Later that same day (4:00 - 6:00 p.m.),  Victor and Anya Gerasimchuk will host a gathering of all parents of church school age children and young adults at their home.  We will together pray the Akathist to the Mother of God - Nurturer of Children; followed by a discussion and some socializing.  Eight families are already signed up, so this promises to be an excellent start to this year's Church School program.  More organizational details to follow.
 
Once Church School is in session, we will begin our post-Liturgy discussions of about 15-20 minute duration.  It would be great to have some questions from the parish to answer, so please feel free to submit any questions concerning any aspect of Church life, theological, liturgical, historical, contemporary, pastoral, etc.  I will probably begin by going over some basic elements of the Liturgy.

September is Seminaries Month
 
Our Midwest Diocese is organizing a diocese-wide collection for the support of our Orthodox seminaries throughout North America. We have been directed to make a collection throughout the Sundays of September.  We will begin on Sunday, September 7.

This year, the St. Nicholas Day Program & Charity Dinner will be held on Sunday, December 14.

OUR NEW BISHOP! -  On Tuesday, October 21, 2014 - the opening day of the fall session of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America - Igumen Paul [Gassios] was canonically elected to the vacant Episcopal See of Chicago and the Midwest. Full story on our special page.

NATIVITY FAST BEGINS NOV 15th - explore our special page on the Nativity with special books, articles, gift ideas.

FALL ADULT CLASS — Our annual Fall Adult Education Class will be held Monday evenings, beginning November 3 — Full info and link to order book here. In addition, we have several classes this Fall for everyone in the parish: a Morning Bible Study (Thursday mornings), a Catechism/Inquirers Class for seekers and those wishing to "brush up" on the essentials of our faith, and a Diaconal Class, specifically for the men in our parish preparing for ordination to the diaconate, but open to all who wish to go deeper into the history, theology and praxis of the Church.  Contact Fr Steven for more info.

NEW MEMBER PHOTOS - Be sure to get acquainted at Coffee Hour on Sunday! More new member photos on our Photo Gallery page.

Fr. Steven's book, The Divine Liturgy: Meaning, Preparation and Practice,  published by Synaxis Press. Available in the Bookstore, or contact Fr Steven to order.