SS. Kosmas & Damianos Orthodox Church (Goa) : Rev. Fr. Mark Muñoz, Proistamenos

SS.
kosmas & damianos Orthodox Church (goa)

703 W. Center Street, Rochester, MN (507) 282-1529 http://www.rochesterorthodoxchurch.org
[email protected] Rev. Fr. Mark Muoz, Proistamenos
/APOLYTIKIA FOR TODAY
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Having learned the joyful proclamation of the Resurrection from the

Angel, and having cast off the ancestral condemnation, the women
disciples of the Lord spake to the Apostles exultantly: Death is
despoiled and Christ God is risen, granting great mercy to the world.
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O Christ our God, begging forgiveness of our sins, we venerate Your Pure Icon, O Good One. Of your own
will you condescended to ascend upon the Cross in the flesh and deliver those You created from the
bondage of the enemy. Wherefore, thankfully, we cry out, "When You came to save the world, Your filled
all things with joy, O Our Savior.
/KONTAKION FOR TODAY
Ti ypermacho stratigo ta nikitiria, os lytrotheisa ton deinon efharistia, anagrafo si e polis sou Theotoke,
allos ehousa to kratos aprosmahiton, ek pantinon me kyndinon eletheroson, ina krazo si, Here nymfi
anymfefte.
O Champion Leader, we your faithful inscribe to you the prize of victory as gratitude for being rescued
from calamity, O Theotokos. But since you have invincible power, free us from all kinds of perils so that
we may cry out to you: Rejoice, O Bride unwedded.
Sunday of orthodoxy
Conon the Gardener, Mark the Ascetic, Righteous Mark of Athens
March 5th, 2017
+Fast: Wine/Oil Allowed+
Todays scripture reading
Epistle reading
St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 11:24-26, 32-40
Prokeimenon. Mode 4.
Daniel 3.26,27
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers.
Verse: For you are just in all you have done.
Brethren, by faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David
and Samuel and the prophets -- who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received
promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won
strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign enemies to flight. Women received their
dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better
life. Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they
were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats,
destitute, afflicted, ill-treated -- of whom the world was not worthy -- wandering over deserts and
mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not
receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they
should not be made perfect.
Gospel pericope
John 1:43-51
At that time, Jesus decided to go to Galilee. And he found Philip and said to him, "Follow me."
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael, and he
said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus
of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of
Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of
him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" Nathanael said to him, "How do you
know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I
saw you." Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the son of God! You are the King of Israel!"
Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You
shall see greater things than these." And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see
heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."
Announcements
Liturgical/Program Schedule:
Mon. March 6th: NO SERVICES, Fr. Mark away
Wed. March 8th : Pre-sanctified Liturgy and Lenten Potluck after service, 6pm
Thurs. March 9th: JOY Faith Night, 5:30pm
Fri. March 10th: 2nd SALUTATIONS to the Holy Theotokos, 6pm
Sun. March 12th: Outreach Committee meeting after Divine Liturgy
Todays Memorial Service: Mr. Ioan Bucevschi- 3yrs
Sunday of Orthodoxy: There will be no catechetical classes to allow the children to participate in the
procession with the holy icons.
GOYA Lock-in: a reminder to all our GOYANs that our annual overnight Lock-in will be Friday,
March 17th beginning with the Salutations Service at 6pm.
Coffee Fellowship Openings: We still need volunteers to host Coffee Hour on March 12th and April
2nd. Please consider helping us with this important social time following the Divine Liturgy. The
signup sheet is posted in the hallway leading to the Hall. Keep in mind we are currently in a fasting
period.
HOW TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNIONOnly Orthodox Christians (i.e. the

Orthodox Church does not observe open communion) in good standing are encouraged to
receive Holy Communion frequently, provided they have prepared themselves spiritually, mentally and
physically. They must be on time for the Divine Liturgy, and be in a Christ-like, humble state of mind.
They should be in a confession relationship with their priest or spiritual father, have observed the fasts
of the Church, and they should have self-examined their conscience. On the day of receiving Holy
Communion, it is not proper to eat or drink anything before coming to church. When you approach to
receive Holy Communion, state your Christian (baptismal) name clearly, and hold the red communion
cloth to your chin. After receiving, wipe your lips on the cloth, step back carefully, hand the cloth to
the next person and make the sign of the Cross as you step away. Please do not be in a rush
while communing! Please take special care not to bump the Holy Chalice.
LENTEN POTLUCK
Every Wednesday eve of great lent
the liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
is celebrated. Afterwards we gather
in the library for a simple Lenten
meal. Please plan on attending these compunctionate services
and bring a fasting meal to share!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Pascha flowers: A table will be set up in the

Narthex for collections of monetary donations
towards the Pascha flowers on Sundays from
March 5th until April 9th- Donations can also be
made at any time to the Church during Lent,
please mark Pascha flowers with your check or
donation. Thank you!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2017 St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival
This year our Parish Oratorical Festival will take place during
coffee hour TODAY. All children are asked to participate in this
event; registration forms are available. The categories include
speech, essay, poem, and iconography. Although all categories
are welcome this year we are emphasizing speeches. Parents
and/or Catechetical Teachers can assist children with their
projects. There are several different themes for each division.
Divisions include Elementary (preschool-6th grade), Junior (7th-9th grades), and Senior
(10th-12th grades).
Panagias Icon
One of the most beloved Lenten services is the
Salutations to the Holy Theotokos which are chanted
every Friday night during the Fast. It is customary to
honor her by decorating her icon with flowers which is
then placed on the solea. Five services will be chanted
with a decorated icon at each service. The cost for each
icon is $100, any individuals/families who would like to
donate to help defray the cost please see Fr. Mark.
Thank you in advance!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Pearls from the desert
The Church, through the temple and

Divine service, acts upon the entire
man, educates him wholly; acts upon
his sight, hearing, smelling, feeling,
taste, imagination, mind, and will, by
the splendour of the icons and of the
whole temple, by the ringing of bells,
by the singing of the choir, by the
fragrance of the incense, the kissing of
the Gospel, of the cross and the holy icons, by the prosphoras, the singing, and
sweet sound of the readings of the Scriptures. -St. John of Kronstadt
Sunday of Orthodoxy
The Seventh Ecumenical Council dealt
predominantly with the controversy regarding
icons and their place in Orthodox worship. It
was convened in Nicaea in 787 by Empress
Irene at the request of Tarasios, Patriarch of
Constantinople. The Council was attended by
367 bishops. Almost a century before this, the
iconoclastic controversy had once more shaken
the foundations of both Church and State in the
Byzantine empire. Excessive religious respect
and the ascribed miracles to icons by some
members of society, approached the point of worship (due only to God) and idolatry. This instigated
excesses at the other extreme by which icons were completely taken out of the liturgical life of the Church
by the Iconoclasts. The Iconophiles, on the other-hand, believed that icons served to preserve the doctrinal
teachings of the Church; they considered icons to be man's dynamic way of expressing the divine through
art and beauty.
The Council decided on a doctrine by which icons should be venerated but not worshipped. In answering
the Empress' invitation to the Council, Pope Hadrian replied with a letter in which he also held the
position of extending veneration to icons but not worship, the last befitting only God. The decree of the
Council for restoring icons to churches added an important clause which still stands at the foundation of
the rationale for using and venerating icons in the Orthodox Church to this very day: "We define that the
holy icons, whether in color, mosaic, or some other material, should be exhibited in the holy churches
of God, on the sacred vessels and liturgical vestments, on the walls, furnishings, and in houses and
along the roads, namely the icons of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, that of our Lady the
Theotokos, those of the venerable angels and those of all saintly people. Whenever these
representations are contemplated, they will cause those who look at them to commemorate and love
their prototype. We define also that they should be kissed and that they are an object of veneration and
honor (timitiki proskynisis), but not of real worship (latreia), which is reserved for Him Who is the
subject of our faith and is proper for the divine nature. The veneration accorded to an icon is in effect
transmitted to the prototype; he who venerates the icon, venerated in it the reality for which it stands".
An Endemousa (Regional) Synod was called in Constantinople in 843 under Empress Theodora. The
veneration of icons was solemnly proclaimed at the Hagia Sophia Cathedral. The Empress, her son
Michael III, Patriarch Methodios, and monks and clergy came in procession and restored the icons in their
rightful place. The day was called "Triumph of Orthodoxy." Since that time, this event is
commemorated yearly with a special service on the first Sunday of Lent, the "Sunday of Orthodoxy".
Todays liturgical commemorations
1. THE HOLY MARTYR CONON OF ISAURIA
He was brought up in the Faith of Christ and baptized in the name of the All-Holy and Life-giving Trinity by the
Archangel Michael, the Commander of the Angelic Hosts of God. Until his death, the archangel of God invisibly
watched over him. Conon was illumined and empowered by the Grace of the Holy Spirit so that his heart was not
driven by anything worldly but only by the spiritual and heavenly. When his parents forced him into marriage, the
first evening he took a candle and placed it under a utensil and asked his bride, "Which is better, light or darkness?"
She replied, "Light." He then began to talk to her about the Faith of Christ and the spiritual life as being far more
superior and more appealing than the physical. In this he succeeded. Afterwards Conon converted his wife and her
parents to the Faith of Christ. Conon and his wife lived as brother and sister. Shortly thereafter, his wife and parents
died, and he withdrew completely from this worldly life and devoted himself completely to prayer, fasting and pious
thoughts. He performed great miracles through which he converted many to Christianity. Among other examples,
Conon compelled evil spirits to serve him. During the time of a persecution, he was captured, tortured and pierced
throughout with knives. The sick anointed themselves with his blood and they were healed. After that, he lived for
two additional years in his town of Isauria and presented himself before the Lord. This glorious saint lived and was
martyred in the second century.
2. THE HOLY MARTYR CONON THE GARDENER
Conon was born in Nazareth. He was kind and innocent and in all things found favor with God. During the reign of
Decius, Conon was persecuted, suffered and martyred for Christ. Throughout, he remained strong in the Faith. He
sharply rebuked and criticized the pagan judges because of their stupidity. With nails driven into his feet and tied to
the prince's chariot, this virtuous and innocent saint was dragged until he was completely exhausted and fell. It was
then that he prayed for the last time and gave up his soul to God in the year 251 A.D.
3. VENERABLE MARK THE ASCETIC
Mark was an ascetic and miracle-worker. In his fortieth year he was tonsured a monk by his teacher St. John
Chrysostom. Mark then spent sixty more years in the wilderness of Nitria in fasting, prayer and writing many
spiritual works concerning the salvation of souls. He knew the entire Holy Scriptures by heart. He was very merciful
and kind. He wept much for the misfortunes which had befallen all of God's creation. On one occasion, while
crying, he prayed to God for a blind puppy of a hyena and the puppy received its sight. In thanksgiving the mother
of the hyena brought him a sheepskin. The saint forbade the hyena in the future to kill any more sheep of poor
people. He received Communion at the hands of the angels. His homilies concerning the spiritual law, on
repentance, and on sobriety, etc., are ranked among the first-class literature of the Church. These works were praised
by the great Patriarch Photius himself.
SYNODIKON OF ORTHODOXY
As the Prophets saw, as the Apostles taught, as the Church has received, as the
Teachers express in dogma, as the inhabited world understands together with them, as
grace illumines, as the truth makes clear, as error has been banished, as wisdom makes
bold to declare, as Christ has assured, so we think, so we speak, so we preach,
honouring Christ our true God, and his Saints, in words, in writings, in thoughts, in
sacrifices, in churches, in icons, worshipping and revering the One as God and Lord,
and honouring them because of their common Lord as those who are close to him and
serve him, and making to them relative veneration. This is the Faith of the Apostles;
this is the Faith of the Fathers; this is the Faith of the Orthodox; this Faith makes fast the
inhabited world. These preachers of true Faith, we praise as brothers and as those we
long to have as our fathers, to the glory and honour of the true Faith for which they
struggled. The Holy Trinity has glorified them. By their contests and struggles and
teachings for the sake of true religion to the point of death, we entreat God that we may
be guided and strengthened and beg that we may be shown to be imitators of their
inspired way of life until the end, by the mercies and grace of the great and first high-
priest Christ, our true God; at the intercessions of our most-glorious Lady, the
Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, of the God-like Angels and all the Saints. Amen.
.
(3).
Prokeimenon: Who is so great a God, as our God! You are the God who alone works
wonders! (3)

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SS.

kosmas & damianos Orthodox Church (goa)

Having learned the joyful proclamation of the Resurrection from the

Todays Memorial Service: Mr. Ioan Bucevschi- 3yrs

HOW TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNIONOnly Orthodox Christians (i.e. the

Pascha flowers: A table will be set up in the

Pearls from the desert

The Church, through the temple and

2. THE HOLY MARTYR CONON THE GARDENER

3. VENERABLE MARK THE ASCETIC

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