WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sunday, April 10th

4th Sunday of Lent—St. John of the Ladder Orthros & Liturgy—8:00 a.m.

Memorial: +1 yr for Ourania Smirniotis Solemn Vespers at St. John in Des Plaines—7:00 p.m.

Monday, April 11th Great Compline—5:00 p.m. * Confession—10:00 a.m.

Wednesday, April 13th Presanctified Liturgy—6:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 14th Great Canon of St. Andrew—8:00 a.m.

Friday, April 15th Presanctified Liturgy - 8:00 a.m.

Holy Confession—11:00 a.m. Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos—7:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 16th Holy Confession—10:00 a.m. & 3:00 p.m.

Great Vespers—5:00 p.m. Sunday, April 17th

5th Sunday of Lent, St. Mary of Egypt Orthros & Divine Liturgy—8:00 a.m.

Hierarchical Solemn Vespers at St. Spyridon—7:00 p.m.

Saint Spyridon Hellenic Orthodox Church

12307 S. Ridgeland Avenue, Palos Heights, IL. 60463 Phone 708-385-2311 * Fax 708-385-0166

Website: www.Saint-Spyridon.org * E-mail: office@Saint-Spyridon.org

Office Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Rev. Tilemahos Alikakos, Protopresbyter ~ Mr. James Korbakes, Parish Council President

COMING EVENTS Sunday, April 10th

Sunday School * Sr. Choir Monday, April 11th

Archangels—9 a.m. *Greek School—4:30 p.m. Greek School Pictures Tuesday, April 12th

Archangels—9 a.m. * Soccer Practice—5:30 p.m. Bible Study—7 pm

Wednesday, April 13th Archangels—9:00 a.m. * Bible Study—10 a.m.

Cherubs—10:30 a.m. * Basketball Practice—5:00 p.m. Lenten Meal hosted by Choir & Psaltes

Thursday, April 14th Archangels—9:00 a.m. * Volleyball—7:00 p.m.

Friday, April 15th Archangels—9:00 a.m. * Greek School—4:30 p.m.

Greek School Pictures Saturday, April 16th

Handmaidens, HOPE—10:30 a.m. An Evening with Eikona– 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 17th Sunday School * Monastery Bake Sale

Greek Parade –2:30 pm

STEWARDSHIP 2016 Orthodox Christian Stewardship is a way of life, which acknowledges accountability, rever-ence, and responsibility before God. A primary goal of Stewardship is to promote spiritual growth and strengthen faith. Becoming a Steward begins when we believe in God, to whom we give our love, loyalty and trust and act on those beliefs. As Stewards, we affirm that every aspect of our lives comes as a gift from Him. Stewardship calls on the faithful to cheerfully of-fer back to God a portion of the gifts with which they have been blessed.

An Orthodox Christian Steward is an active participant in the life of the Church. The parish encourages all who accept the Orthodox Faith to become practicing Stewards. Each year the Steward is expected to carefully review his or her personal circumstances and make a commit-ment of time, talent, and treasure to support the Parish and her Ministries, which in turn sup-port the National Ministries of our Archdiocese, Metropolises, and institutions.

We thank the 184 stewards who renewed their pledge for 2016. Stewardship cards are avail-able for everyone who wishes to pledge their 2016 stewardship. The stewardship materials is also available on www.Saint-Spyridon.org. Please consider making your 2016 Stewardship pledge today or give a stewardship card to a friend or family member.

ANNOUNCEMENTS WELCOME— If you are visiting with us today, we wel-come you and hope that you will join us regularly for prayer and fellowship. Please stay for the fellowship hour in the community hall hosted by our PTA. Great Lent & Pascha Flowers—The Great Lent and Easter Season is here and once again we are asking for your contributions and donations towards the adornment of our St. Spyridon Church. Please call the Church office if you are interested in donating toward the flowers. Your generous assistance will be appreciated. Pascha Candles— The P.T.A. is once again selling Pascha candles for $20 each, every Sunday & during Greek School up until Pascha. The candles are available at the P.T.A. booth and in the office. Greek Independence Day Parade - This year’s Greek In-dependence Day Parade in Greektown will be taking place on Sunday, April 17th, at 2:30 p.m. Athletics— In preparation for the Junior Olympics, regis-tration is now open with forms available in the office and the community center. Practices for our basketball, vol-leyball, and soccer teams are underway. Basketball, coed, 7-13 years old, Wednesdays– 5p.m. Soccer, coed, 7-18 years old, Tuesdays—5:30 p.m. Volleyball, boys & girls, 13-18 years old, Thursdays—7pm Please consult the parish calendar for details. Philoptochos Scholarship: The St. Spyridon Ladies Philoptochos Society invites all interested high school seniors and current college students to apply for the St. Spyridon Philoptochos Scholarship. The winning appli-cant will receive a $1000 scholarship from Philoptochos. Applications and information are available on St. Spyri-don’s website: http://www.saint-spyridon.org. The dead-line for the completed application and supporting docu-ments is June 15, 2016. The recipient will be notified by September 1, 2016. We encourage all interested students to apply for this worthwhile scholarship! Saturday of Lazarus Breakfast—On Saturday of Lazarus, April 23rd, all the Greek School, Sunday School, and Archangels students are invited to the P.T.A. Pancake Breakfast & Retreat following the Divine Liturgy. Free will donations will be used to sponsor the Resurrection of Lazarus icon that will be placed in the church as part of our iconography project. After the breakfast, the children K-6th will go into church to learn talk about Holy Week and do a craft as part of our Saturday of Lazarus Retreat.

The older kids and adults will make palm crosses and deco-rate the church for Palm Sunday. Pre-Sanctified Liturgy & Dinner—Every Wednesday during Great Lent, our church calls us to celebrate the Pre-Sanctified Liturgy, which is an evening service accompanied by Holy Communion. At the conclusion of the liturgy, every parish organization hosts a pot-luck dinner for all who attend. Free will donations will be accepted to be benefit our Orthodox Missions.

The schedule of our Wednesday evening hosts is as follows: Wednesday, April 13th—Choir & Psaltes

Wednesday, April 20th—Altar Boys On Friday, April 23rd, the Philoptochos will host the final Pre-Sanctified Liturgy & Dinner with His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos presiding. St. Spyridon to host Metropolis Solemn Vespers—Every Sunday, during Great Lent, faithful from throughout the Chi-cago area gather in various churches to observe the Solemn Vespers service. On Sunday, April 17th, at 7:00 p.m. Saint Spyridon will be hosting this service with area priests and faithful being led by His Eminence. Fr. Demetrios Kounavis will be the homilist. A small reception will follow, hosted by our Philoptochos. Palm Sunday Luncheon & Bake Sale—On Palm Sunday, April 24th, our Philoptochos is inviting all the faithful to the Annual Palm Sunday Luncheon. Donation for adults is $20 and $7 for children. Please make your reservation by calling the church office. During the luncheon the Philoptochos will also be holding a make sale with tsourekia and other sweets for your Pascha celebration.

100TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

During the Coffee Social, the 100th Anniversary Com-memorative Album Commit-tee will be available during the Coffee Social to introduce parishioners to our plans for

the Commemorative Book. The committee will show pa-rishioners how to be a part of this very special keepsake book with family stories. Look for The Commemorative Al-bum Committee to be available at the Coffee Social every Sunday to assist parishioners and answer questions. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to be a part of the St. Spyridon 100th celebration!

Bell Tower Construction Construction has began in replacing the bell tower roofs. The bell tower domes will be removed and the four roofs will be demolished and rebuilt. After the roofs are reconstructed we will be able to place the bell in the tower. The cost of the project is in excess of $40,000. There is a donation box there for anyone wishing to do-nate toward the bell tower restoration, or you may contact Fr. Tilemahos at the church office.

St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 6:13-20 BRETHREN, when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore to himself, saying, "Surely I will bless you and multiply you." And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise. Men indeed swear by a greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he interposed with an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God should prove false, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encour-agement to seize the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Mel-chizedek.

The Gospel according to Mark 9:17-31 At that time, a man came to Jesus kneeling and saying: "Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit; and wherever it seizes him it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able." And he answered them, "O faithless genera-tion, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me." And they brought the boy to him; and when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, "How long has he had this?" And he said, "From childhood. And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us." And Jesus said to him, "If you can! All things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never en-ter him again." And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse; so that most of them said, "He is dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by any-thing but prayer and fasting." They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he would not have any one know it; for he was teaching his disciples, say-ing to them, "The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise."

St. John Climacus The Ladder of Divine Ascent

Step 1. On renunciation of the world Step 2. On detachment Step 3. On exile or pilgrimage Step 4. On blessed and ever-memorable obedience Step 5. On painstaking and true re-pentance Step 6. On remembrance of death Step 7. On joy-making mourning Step 8. On freedom from anger and on meekness Step 9. On remembrance of wrongs Step 10. On slander or calumny Step 11. On talkativeness and silence Step 12. On lying Step 13. On despondency Step 14. On that clamorous mistress, the stomach Step 15. On incorruptible purity and chastity Step 16. On love or money, or avarice Step 17. On non-possessiveness Step 18. On insensibility Step 19. On sleep, prayer, and psalmody with the brotherhood Step 20. On bodily vigil and how to use it to obtain spiritual vigil. Step 21. On unmanly and puerile cowardice Step 22. On the many forms of vainglory Step 23. On mad pride and unclean blasphemous thoughts Step 24. On meekness, simplicity and guilelessness Step 25. On the destroyer of passions, most sublime humility Step 26. On discernment of thoughts, passions and virtues Step 27. On holy stillness of body and soul Step 28. On holy and blessed prayer Step 29. Concerning Heaven on earth, or Godlike dispassion and perfection Step 30. Concerning the linking together of the supreme trinity among the virtues * * * "The lessening of evil breeds abstinence from evil; and abstinence from evil is the beginning of repentance; and the beginning of re-pentance is the beginning of salvation; and the beginning of salva-tion is a good resolve; and a good resolve is the mother of labors. And the beginning of labors is the virtues; and the beginning of the virtues is a flowering, and the flowering of virtue is the begin-ning of activity. And the offspring of virtue is perseverance; and the fruit and offspring of persevering practice is habit, and the child of habit is character. And good character is the mother of fear; and fear gives birth to the keeping of commandments in which I include both Heavenly and earthly. And the keeping of the commandments is a sign of love; and the beginning of love is an abundance of humility; and an abundance of humility is the daughter of dispassion; and the acquisition of the latter is the full-ness of love, that is to say, the perfect indwelling of God in those who through dispassion are pure in heart, for they shall see God. And to Him the glory for all eternity. Amen" Excerpt from Step 27

HIS EMINENCE

METROPOLITAN IAKOVOS AT ST. SPYRIDON

FRIDAY, APRIL 22ND, 6:30 P.M. His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos will officiate at the

Divine Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts.

Following the service, the Philoptochos will be hosting the Lenten Meal. All faithful are invited to attend.

Church Etiquette ♦ In order to partake of Holy Communion, one must be a baptized/chrismated Orthodox Christian, and must have prop-

erly prepared according to the instructions of his/her Confessor. ♦ Please turn off cell-phones during Church services. ♦ Enter the church only when the priest is not facing the congregation. Allow ushers to guide you. ♦ Refrain from unnecessary conversations during divine services. ♦ If your child is distracting to others, do not be embarrassed. They are only children. If they continue to disturb, how-

ever, you are requested to take your child to our ‘cry room’. ♦ Faithful that are visiting for a memorial are to sit in the reserved front pews. The reserved pews may be filled on a first

come basis. ♦ Once the Divine Liturgy has already started, please refrain from coming up to place candles in the ‘kolyva’ tray.

Please join us on

Sunday, April 24th

Immediately following the Divine Liturgy the Philoptochos Invites you to a

Palm Sunday Luncheon

Adults $20.00 Children $7.00

Please make your reservations by April 19th