Chronicle of St. George Serbian Orthodox Church
Diocesan Bishop - His Grace Bishop Dr. MITROPHAN
Parish Priest - Fr. Rodney Torbic
296 Old Route 21
Carmichaels, Pennsylvania 15320
April 5 / April 18, 2010
Sunday of the Myrrhbearers
No. 587
Remember to listen to the parish radio broadcast each Sunday afternoon at 12:15
on WMBS, 590 AM, Uniontown.
Hristos Voskrese! Vaistinu Voskrese!
Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!
Recent Services
- April 9
- Resurrection Ninth Hour and Vespers were read.
- A pomen was held at a funeral home in Masontown for +Sophia Savage Kilo
- April 10
- Resurrection Midnight Office, Resurrection Matins and Resurrection First Hour
were read at St. George Church.
- Seven people came to Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church in Fairmont,
West Virginia for the Divine Liturgy.
- The funeral service was held at the St. George Church for +Sophia Savage Kilo
with burial in the St. George Church Cemetery.
- Vespers were read in the St. George Church.
- April 11
- Midnight Office, Matins and First Hour were read.
- Third and Sixth Hours were read followed by the Divine Liturgy and Parastos.
- April 12
- Matins and First Hour were read.
- Ninth Hour and Vespers were read.
- April 13
- Matins and First Hour were read.
- One person came for the Akathist to the Tomb and Resurrection.
- April 14
- Matins and First Hour were read. Ninth Hour and Vespers were read.
- April 15
- Matins and First Hour were read.
- One person came for the Akathist to Jesus Christ, Akathist to the Mother of God
and Akathist to Icon of the Mother of God, Three Hands.
- April 16
- Matins and First Hour were read.
- April 17
- Matins and First Hour were read.
Services This Coming Week - Always Call to Confirm Weekday Schedule
- Today
- Matins, First Hour. Third and Sixth Hours followed by Divine Liturgy.
- Mornings
- 5:30 AM Matins and First Hour.
- 6:30 PM Akathist to the Resurrection followed by Adult Class at 7:00 PM.
- No daily services on until April 30th.
Remember Monastery Marcha with Prayers and Contributions
Important Dates
April 25 - Fourth Sunday of Pascha, Sunday of the Paralytic
May 2 - Fifth Sunday of Pascha, Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
May 6 - St. George Day
May 8 - Parish Slava Celebration, Slava Dinner.
May 9 - Sixth Sunday of Pascha, Sunday of the Blind Man
If you are too busy to pray...you are too busy!
Remember the Suffering Serbian People in Kosovo and Metohijia
and All Suffering People Everywhere
Parish Life
- · The approved Executive Board Officers took the oath of office last Sunday:
Stan Brozik - President; Harry Richard Porter - Vice-President;
Sonia Janson - Treasurer; Millicent Mitzie Hunchuck - Secretary;
Andrea Janson - Financial Secretary; Audit Board Members include
Chairman Aaron Carson and members Anna Mae Knezovich and Gail Menhart.
- · Nikola Sudar, President of St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in Midland
and Paul Butsco Adams also from St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in Midland
visited the parish last week. Mr. Adams made the new icon stands in our
St. George Church.
- · St. Sava Camp applications are currently available on the Diocesan website.
- · Volunteers are always needed at Shadeland. Consider helping this summer.
- · The monastery church at Shadeland will be consecrated on August 8.
Plan to attend.
- · Mike "Mac" Rogish is approaching another birthday on April 29.
- · One person came to Adult Class last Tuesday. Class is on Monday this week.
- · Remember the sick, the suffering, the imprisoned, those in rehab centers,
the homebound, the mentally ill, their caretakers and the institution staffs.
- · Remember the men and women serving in the military and their families.
- · Remember the workers in mines, law-enforcement, corrections, probation
and parole and firefighters, all working in dangerous occupations.
- · This is National Crime Victims Week. Pray for the healing of individuals
suffering from criminal acts.
A Thought from Archimandrite Thomas Kazich
Many songs and prayers of the Church are taken from parts of the Bible.
The services themselves are formed after the pattern of worship given in the Bible.
To understand the services of the Church, we must know the Bible, and in order to
understand the Bible, we must participate in the church services. The truth about God,
God's Law, God's plan, and God's love are revealed to us in the Bible.
(Little Falcons
Vol. 17. Diocese of New Gracanica, Midwest America No. 3, 2010, p. 16)
To Consider
· The first women to visit Christ's Tomb.
· The joy of the Resurrection of Christ.
· The endurance of the message: "Christ is Risen!
Recent Activities of Parish Priest
April 9 - Went to Morgantown, West Virginia for printing purposes.
April 10 - Went to Fairmont, W.Va. for Divine Liturgy.
April 11 - Attended memorial dinner held by parish family.
April-16 - Attended Internal Revenue Service seminar focusing on rules for churches
and non-profit agencies. Held at West Virginia University Morgantown, W.Va.
April 16 - Attended Shadeland Camp meeting at Diocesan Center in Mars, Pa.
From Psalm 53/54:1
Save me, O God, by Your name. And vindicate me by Your strength.
Sunday of the Myrrh-bearers
Mark 15:43-47. 16:1-8
Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom
of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if
He had been dead for some time. So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the
body to Joseph. Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen.
And he laid Him in tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against
the door of the tomb. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He
was laid. Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James,
and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. Very early in the morning,
on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they said
among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away----for it was very
large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting
on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed,
you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here.
See the place where they laid Him.. But go, tell His disciples---and Peter that He is
going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you." So they went
out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said
nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ continues to be celebrated with great joy
in God's Holy Church. The myrrh-bearing women came to the Empty Tomb and their lives were
changed forever. The world was changed forever.
Every life giving careful thought to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ will change.
The Resurrection of Christ establishes a hope that cannot be conquered.
The Resurrection of Christ establishes a light to illumine any darkness in life.
Darkness in life can appear suddenly and unexpectedly. An unexpected diagnosis...an
unexpected accident...a sudden job loss...a financial downturn in the economy...a fire...an
earthquake...a mine or industrial disaster...
We cannot control all that happens to us. The best we can do is stay close to God
and pray to God. Being close to God gives us the strength, the hope and the light to go
forward in faith.
Being close to God enables the healing process to begin and continue. Being close to
God puts life in perspective. The myrrh-bearing women loved the Lord Jesus Christ.
They went to His Tomb in demonstration of that love.
The message of the Resurrection cannot be silenced. Centuries have passed. The message
that "Christ is Risen!" has withstood generations of critics. Believers know in their hearts,
minds and souls that "Christ is Risen!"
The experiences with Christ taking place in the hearts, minds and souls of believers
is proof certain of the Resurrection. Christ makes a difference in the lives of individuals
turning to Him in faith. The grave could not hold, silence or limit Christ.
Death cannot silence the just. The martyrs through the centuries live on in Christ.
The martyrs witness to believers of every century. The martyrs inspire believers of every
century.
St. Bishop NIKOLAI in his book Prayers by the Lake said everyone seeks the grave of a
just man..."the just man lives even after death, but that unjust man perishes like a ripple
in the water of the sea!" 1
The documented appearances of Christ after His death on the Cross are definitive proof
of the Resurrection. The Holy Gospel is proclaimed that believers may learn of the
Resurrection and manage their lives accordingly.
The Resurrected Christ stood in the midst of the disciples and others and said:
"Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit
does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."
(Lk. 24:33-39)
The limits of death are put into perspective by the Resurrected Christ. Jesus Christ
trampled down death with death. The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed speaks about the
resurrection of the dead.
At each funeral service, the Holy Apostle Paul's Epistle to the Thessalonians is read.
The Holy Apostle Paul said: "The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ
will rise first."
(I Thess. 4:16)
This is a time for careful thought about the Resurrection of Christ. It is a time
for careful thought about the meaning of life and death and eternal life. This is a time
for great joy in the Resurrected Christ and great hope for the future.
The Lord Jesus Christ said: "With God all things are possible."
(Mt. 19:26).
With each unfolding day of life, believers have the opportunity to experience Christ
in new and unsurpassed ways.
Believers have the opportunity to draw near to the Resurrected Christ and be united
with Him. Unity with Christ comes through prayer. Unity with Christ comes through reading
the Holy Gospel. Unity with Christ comes in Holy Communion.
Unity with Christ comes through attending the Divine services of the Church and sharing
the love of Christ with family, friends and neighbors. The joy of the Resurrection is to be
shared in the way we live.
The experience of the myrrh-bearing women at the Empty Tomb has been communicated
through the centuries. The Resurrection of Christ has shaped the Church and is foremost
celebration of the Church.
Pascha is the Feast of Feasts. Many weeks are devoted to preparing for Pascha.
Many weeks are allotted for the celebration of Pascha. The believer is expected to
live his or her life in accord with the truths of Pascha.
1 St. Bishop NIKOLAI (Velimirovich) Prayers by the Lake
Translated by Rt. Rev. Archimandrite Todor Mika and Very Rev. Dr. Stevan Scott. \
Grayslake, Illinois, p. 168
St. George Serbian Orthodox Church, Carmichaels, Pennsylvania.
April 5 / April 18, 2010
Sunday of the Myrrhbearers.
Holy Martyrs Agathopodus and Theodoulous.
Fr. Rodney Torbic
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