Saints Cyril & Methodius

Bulgarian Orthodox Mission

 

 

 

 

Dormition of the Theotokos

(Commemorated annually on August 15)

 

Sunday, August 15, 2010

2:00 PM

 

Held at:

St. Luke Orthodox Church

6801 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA 22101

 

 

His Beatitude, Metropolitan JONAH

The Very Reverend Archpriest Timothy Perry

The Rev. Deacon Chterion Zaprionov

 

 

Upcoming Service Schedule:

Services at St. Mark Church begin at 9:30 AM

Services at SS Cyril & Methodius Mission begin at 2:00 PM

 

August 15 – Dormition of the Theotokos, at SS Cyril & Methodius Mission

August 22 – Services at St. Mark Church, River Road, Bethesda.

August 29 – St. John the Baptist, at SS Cyril & Methodius Mission

September 5 – Services at St. Mark Church, River Road, Bethesda.

September 12 – Elevation of the Cross, at SS Cyril & Methodius Mission

September 19 – Service location TBA.

September 26 – St. John the Theologian, at SS Cyril & Methodius Mission

October 3 – Pokrov, Service location TBA.

October 10 – St. Tikhon of Moscow, at SS Cyril & Methodius Mission

October 17 – Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council, Service location TBA.

 

 

 

Saints Commemorated Today


12th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST — Tone 3. THE DORMITION (“FALLING-ASLEEP”) OF OUR MOST-HOLY LADY, THEOTOKOS AND EVER-VIRGIN MARY.

 

 

 

Parish Council Meeting

 

  The August Parish Council Meeting will take place on Sunday, August 22 following the Divine Liturgy.  For a copy of the draft agenda please see Fr. Timothy.  Agendas are distributed by email prior to the meeting.  If you would like to be a part of the distribution, please provide your email address to Fr. Timothy – your address will not be made publicly available.

  Everyone is invited to attend the meetings and listen or discuss the issues, however, only the elected Parish Council members may cast a vote.

 

 

†     May Their Memory Be Eternal     †

 

The newly departed servant of God, Timothy;

the Priests Peter, Ishmael, Michael, Leo, Homer, Thomas, Victor, and Milorad;

the Matushki Mary, Platonida, Sophronia, and Barbara;

the Readers Philemon, John, John, and Robert Michael; and

the Servants of God Maria, Megan, Bojanka, Magdalena, Alexander, Sophia, Shafik, Christo, Julia, Rada, Radka, Anna, Dale, Olivera, Marianthe, Panaigioti, & George.

 

 

 

Those Who Are In Need of Prayer

 

The Priests Photius, Anthony, Vadim, and Joseph;

the Presbyteras Artemis, Marie, Miriam, Juliana, & Anne;

the servants of God, Alexandra, Victor, Erin, Catherine, Kyriaki, John, Carmeta, Jane, Oliver, Charlie, and Patricia;

the servants of God, Jane, Peter, David, and Lynne;

Those who are traveling or are sick and suffering and those who have asked us to pray for them, unworthy though we may be.

 

 

 

The Twelve Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church


  Each year, the Orthodox Church celebrates twelve major holidays regardless of the jurisdiction, ethnicity, or size of the parish.  These twelve major feast days commemorate not only events in the life of our Lord or His Mother, the Most-holy Mary, Theotokos (birth-giver or mother, of God).  The twelve holidays each proclaim a lesson, teaching, or truth.

 

  Feasts determined by the date of Pascha / Velikden / Easter.  The date of these holidays is different each year:

1.        The Entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem (aka, Palm Sunday)

2.        The Ascension of our Lord (Holy Ascension)

3.        The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost)

 

  Feasts on the same date each year:

4.     The Nativity of the Theotokos                                                                  Sept. 8

5.     The Exaltation of the Lifegiving Cross (Elevation of the Cross)          Sept. 14

6.     The Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple                                    Nov. 21

7.     The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Christmas)                                Dec. 25

8.     The Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Epiphany)                          Jan. 6

9.     The Meeting of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple                            Feb. 2

10.   The Annunciation to the Most-holy Theotokos                                    Mar. 25

11.   The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ                                        Aug. 6

12.   The Dormition (Falling-asleep) of the Theotokos                                  Aug. 15

 

 

 

Annual Fasting Seasons

 

  Every year Orthodox Christians observe several seasons of fasting.  The most well known and observed is, of course, the season of Lent – prior to Pascha.  There are also four other seasons of fasting.

 

Dates for 2010 Fasting:

1.        Meatfast                                                                        Feb 8 through Feb 14

2.        Lent and Holy Week                                                   Feb 15 through Apr 3

3.        Apostles’ Fast (Peter & Paul)                                    May 31 through Jun 28

4.        Dormition Fast                                                              Aug 1 through 14

5.        Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast)                                          Nov 15 through Dec 24

 

 

 

Joint Meeting of the Bulgarian Orthodox Communities

 

  The Bishop, the Right Reverend Melchisedek and the Chancellor of the Bulgarian Diocese, the Very Reverend Don Freude and the Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Washington, the Very Reverend Gregory Safchuk met with Parish Council representatives and members of St. George,  Saints Cyril & Methodius, and St. John of Rila Churches on Tuesday July 27.  Fr. Timothy Perry and Deacon Chterion Zaprionov were also in attendance.

 

  The meeting provided an opportunity for the representatives of each diocese to meet both the clergy and the members of the three parishes, to hear from each community, and to understand their plans and to hear from the Bulgarian Orthodox community at large.

 

  As a result of the meeting, His Grace Bishop Mechisedek has written a letter with his guidance to the three communities.  His Grace has directed that the letter be distributed to all members of each community.  The letter delivered to us this week and which is too large to include in this bulletin, is posted on the SS Cyril & Methodius website and is available in printed form after the Divine Liturgy today. 

 

  The clergy wishes to have a subsequent meeting with the Bulgarian communities later this year to follow up on the issues raised in the discussion and to measure progress.

 

 

 

Days for the Commemoration of the Departed

 

The Saturday of Meatfare

The Second, Third and Fourth Saturdays of Lent

The Tuesday after St. Thomas Sunday

The Saturday before Pentecost

On the Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, those who gave their lives in battle are commemorated.

St. Demetrius Saturday (the Saturday before St. Demetrius Day)

On the 9th and 40th day of death, as well as on the yearly anniverary of death.

 

 

 

Special Terminology

 

 A “Prostration” is a full bow to the ground in which we “bless” ourselves with the Sign of the Cross and incline to the ground on bended knees, touching the ground with the forehead.

 A “Reverence” is made by making the Sign of the Cross and simply bowing from the waist, touching the ground with the fingers of the right hand.  “Prostrations” and “Reverences” are often referred to as poklony or “bows”.

 

 

 

Administration of the Sacraments

 

 The parish priest, responsible to the diocesan bishop and answerable to God, is the sole administrator of the sacraments in every parish.

  The preparation for receipt of any sacrament whether the receipt of the eucharist at the Divine Liturgy, marriage, baptism, or any other is preceded by a period of preparation and sober contemplation.

  Fr. Timothy is to be contacted well in advance of planning for any sacrament outside of the receipt of the eucharist.