HOLY TRINITY ORTHODOX CHURCH - HOLY PASCHA Sunday, May 2, 2021 CHRIST IS RISEN! INDEED HE IS RISEN! - Holy Trinity Orthodox ...

HOLY TRINITY ORTHODOX CHURCH
Elmira Heights, NY – 607-732-3980 – www.holytrinityorthodoxchurch.org

                 Sunday, May 2, 2021
                  ~ HOLY PASCHA ~
   The Resurrection of Our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ
             CHRIST IS RISEN! INDEED HE IS RISEN!

SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES
        Most Services May Be Joined by Live Stream at Web Address www.facebook.com/htocelmiraheights
                or go to www.YouTube.com and search for “Holy Trinity Church Elmira Heights NY”

Holy Saturday – Pascha Sunday, May 1-2, The Services of PASCHA
11:30 PM Nocturns, Matins, and the Divine Liturgy of PASCHA
Pascha Sunday, May 2
1:00 PM      The Vespers of PASCHA
Bright Monday, May 3
 9:50 AM The Hours of PASCHA
10:00 AM Paschal Divine Liturgy, With Cross-Procession Outside and Fellowship Afterward
Bright Saturday, May 8
5:00 PM      Great Vespers – Welcoming His Eminence, Archbishop MICHAEL
St. Thomas Sunday, May 9
8:30 AM      3rd and 6th Hours (Read Before the Arrival of the Archbishop to the Church)
9:00 AM      Greeting and Vesting of Archbishop Michael,
             Followed by Tonsuring to the Rank of Reader of Samuel Payzant and Alexander and Dmitri Charlanow,
             Hierarchical Divine Liturgy and Pot Luck Fellowship with Archbishop Michael, Downstairs
Saturday, May 15
5:00 PM      Great Vespers- Confession Available Afterward
Sunday, May 16 – The Myrrhbearing Women, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus
8:40 AM      3rd and 6th Hours
9:00 AM      Divine Liturgy followed by Fellowship Hour Downstairs;
1:00 PM      Blessing of Graves at Holy Trinity Parish Cemetery.
              If you would like the graves of loved ones blessed in other cemeteries, please contact Fr. David.

                                              With Thanks…
             Thank you to all who have labored so diligently to prepare for this radiant Feast of Feasts:
           those who have brought and placed and watered the flowers inside and outside the church …
                          prepared and led and sung the music and served the services …
          prepared and cleaned the Altar, managed the live-streaming of the services and our Websites …
                pressed and changed the coverings, arranged the Cross and the Tomb of our Lord …
           those who offered and still offer donations toward the preparation of the church for Pascha…
    those who are providing and sponsoring food, drinks, decorations, set-up and clean-up for our Agape meal …
              those who have faithfully participated in the services and prayed daily in your homes…
          And everyone who has contributed in so many ways to the beauty of this church and this Feast.
             May God Bless You Richly and Grant You Many Years! CHRIST IS RISEN!
                      ARCHBISHOP MICHAEL VISITING, SATURDAY-SUNDAY, MAY 8-9
            Celebrating Mother’s Day; Archbishop Michael’s 11th Anniversary of Episcopacy; and
          the Tonsuring of Samuel Payzant, Alexander and Dmitri Charlanow to the Rank of Reader
        Saturday, May 8:      Great Vespers, 5:00 PM
        Sunday, May 9:        Greeting of Archbishop Michael, 9:00 AM
           Tonsuring of the New Readers: Following the Vesting of Archbishop Michael
           Followed by the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy and Fellowship with the Archbishop
                                   LOOKING AHEAD: UPCOMING EVENTS
-   Sunday, May 16, 1 PM: Grave Blessings at the Parish Cemetery
-   Saturday, May 22: Ministry Hall Cleanup Day. We want to prepare the Hall for some “take-out”
    food sale fund-raising events!
-   Teen Group Bike Ride – Date to be set after Pascha.
-   Volunteer Day at Southern Tier Food Bank – Date to be set after Pascha.

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THE LITURGY OF PASCHA
EPISTLE Acts 1:1-8 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the
apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many
infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom
of God. And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but
to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized
with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. Therefore, when they
had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And
He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
GOSPEL John 1:1-17 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made
that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and
the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man
came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light,
but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming
into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know
Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave
the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor
of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore
witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred
before me, for He was before me.’” And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the
law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

                 SPRING FELLOWSHIP HOUR SCHEDULE
MAY
 2 PASCHA AGAPE
 9 St. Thomas Sunday / Mother’s Day –
   Archbishop Michael’s Visit – Parish Potluck
16 Angelo, McKane, Loveland Families
23 Charlanow Families
30 Cowan Family

                                          READERS’ SCHEDULE
                        Great and Holy Pascha, May 1-2: Nocturns – Rdr. William;
                                 Liturgy of Pascha Epistle: Rdr. William
                         Bright Monday, May 3rd: Paschal Liturgy – Rdr. Gabriel
                DONATIONS TO THE LEGACY FUND ALWAYS WELCOME AND APPRECIATED
        The parish has a “Legacy Fund” whose purpose is to save for special projects that become
         necessary from time to time. If you are inclined to contribute, contact Fr. David, or email
      Parish Council Treasurer Kevin Gomez at treasurer@holytrinityorthodoxchurch.org. Thank you!

Prayer List
Memory Eternal: Archpriest Nilus Lerro; Helen; Samjay; Dimitri, Mary; Mary; Basil Colman, Jeffrey, Tasmia; Karen;
Irene; Olga; Child Jackson, Archpriest Antonio Perdomo, Mitred Archpriest Basil Summer, Leonard. All those taken
from us by the Coronavirus, by sickness, violence, and injury.
For Health: Archpriest Jason, Archpriest Nicholas, Archpriest Daniel & Mat. Myra, Archpriest Herman & Mat. Cynthia,
Archpriest Ken James; Archpriest Gregory; Archpriest Michael; Rdr. Thomas & Mildred, Rdr. William, Mat. Anastasia;
Peter; Ilsa, Jaime; Michelle, Joan; Nancy; Robert Karney; Eileen, Samantha; Joan; Nicholas; Scott, Steven; Juliana,
Antonina; Ryan; Matushka Margaret & Fr. Joel Brady and their newborn son Ambrose; expecting mothers Kelly &
Matushka Lillian; Jane Ann, Susan, James, James, Child Hannah, Joshua, Chloe, Helen, Nadezhda, Kathleen, Erica,
Sherri, Ruth, Harriett, Katherine, Kristin, Sierra, Maria, Michael, Kate, Lorraine, Barry, Abigail. Diocesan Prayer
Requests: Archbishop BENJAMIN (Diocese of the West); Protopresbyter Leonid Kishkovsky, Fr. Michael Dudas, Fr.
Joseph Chupeck; Fr. Jason Vansuch; Deacon John; Matushka Katherine White, Sub-deacon Peter; Monk James;
Mother Michaela; Dr. Fretlich; Cindy; Laura; Frank, Jimmy, Anna, Jennifer; Joy, Ray; Irina, Carol, George, Christina;
Steven & Jennifer and their unborn child; Luis & Jodie and their newborn daughter Abigail; Paulos & Alexandra;
Dimitri; Nancy; Nashwa; Thomas; Zoran; Boris, Valentina; Maria, Ann, Stephanie; Alex, Lindsey, Julian; Peggy, Susan,
James; Robert, Vasyl. Drs. Mary Carol & Steven, Dn. Michael, Adam; Dennis; Officers Luke, Boris & Charles, and all of
the healthcare and public safety personnel in our parish and our communities; all those afflicted with the
Coronavirus and those caring for them, those afflicted by sickness, violence, and injury. Birthdays: Joshua Haluszczak
(Pascha, 5/2); Alexei Cheplick (5/6). Anniversary: Reader Thomas & Mildred Cheplick (66 years, 4/30).
Parish Children:
Lucia            Hannah          Jeremiah         Andrew           Myra           Ezekiel         Anysia
Lydia            Natalie         Emilia           Patrick          Sophia         Dmitri          Jonah
Gabriel          Angelina        John             Thomas           Nikolai        Melania         Alexei
Larissa          Julianna        Nadia            Gabriel          Justus
College Students:
Anna McKane – Duke University             Katherine McKane – Sarah Lawrence College
          Please give prayer requests to Fr. David, Dn. Michael, Subdcn. Walter, or Reader William. Typically,
   prayers for Newly Departed and Health remain on this list for 40 days, unless requested otherwise. Thank you.
                           PRAYER CONCERNING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
O God Almighty, Lord of heaven and earth, and of all creation visible and invisible: In thine ineffable goodness, look
down upon us, thy people gathered in thy Holy Name. Be our helper and defender in this day of affliction. Thou
knowest our weakness. Thou hearest our cry in repentance and contrition of heart. O Lord who lovest mankind,
deliver us from the impending threat of the Corona Virus. Send thine angel to watch over us and protect us. Grant
health and recovery to those suffering from this virus. Guide the hands of physicians and preserve those who are
healthy. Enable us to continue to serve our suffering brothers and sisters in peace; that together we may glorify thy
most honorable and majestic name, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages
of ages. Amen.
                                      PRAYER IN A TIME OF CIVIL UNREST
Our Father, great and glorious God Who art in Heaven, yet Who dost look upon the earth with compassion, meting
out Thy justice and Thy mercy upon nations: look down upon our earthly and temporal homeland, the United States
of America, which is now divided by strife, and send Thy Spirit, the Spirit of peace, upon us like a heavenly Breeze, to
restore peace to our cities, our countrysides, and our hearts. May He, the Spirit of truth Who leads the saints into all
truth, teach us the truth, that we may abide in it, repenting of our error and ignorance. May He, the Spirit of
righteousness, lead us in the way of righteousness, that we might cast aside and forever reject all hatred and bigotry.
May He, the Spirit of Justice, strengthen us to restore justice to our land, that we may root out all corruption. O
Father Almighty, adorn our rulers with a spirit of wisdom; adorn our civil authorities and the police and all who
enforce the law with a spirit of mercy and restraint; and adorn all who dwell in our land with a spirit of love for one
another, regardless of race or class. O Father without beginning, Who at the breathing of Thy Spirit didst cause dry
land to appear out of the churning waters of chaos when the world was founded: deliver our earthly homeland from
disorder, and grant us all to stand firmly on the ground of Thy justice and Thy mercy, through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to Whom is due all worship, together with thee, the God and Father, and the All-holy Spirit, the Comforter, now and
ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

FROM ARCHBISHOP MICHAEL’S ARCHPASTORAL LETTER FOR HOLY PASCHA, 2021:
                             Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!
                             Christ is risen, and life reigns!
                             Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave!

                             Dearly Beloved Members of Our Diocesan Family:

These powerful words from the Catechetical Sermon of St. John Chrysostom, proclaimed during
the Matins of Pascha, set the tone for our celebration of the Feast of Feasts this year. As we do
every Pascha, we praise our Resurrected Savior for His glorious victory over sin and death and the
devil. We proclaim with unbridled joy: “Christ is Risen! – Indeed He is Risen!” over and over again
in as many languages as we can muster … and with triumphant voices, we sing the hymn: “Christ is
risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs, bestowing
life!” over and over again, in as many tongues as possible.

But this Pascha our celebration takes on new meaning. It was only last year that we found
ourselves marking the Day of Resurrection much like the Apostles themselves did on the first Holy
Pascha: “When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week … the doors of the house where
the disciples were gathered were locked for fear …” (John 20:19). We too found ourselves at home,
behind closed doors, for protection from the coronavirus. We were able to grasp first-hand the
confusion and sadness of the disciples, before that sadness was turned into joy with the Risen
Christ’s appearances to them!

Beloved of the Lord: This unseen enemy sought to destroy two of the most essential aspects of
our Orthodox Christian lifestyle – communion and community. By keeping us away from the
Church, it cut us off from communion with Christ! His precious words pierce our hearts: “Unless
you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you have no life in you. He who eats My
Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:53-
54). And by keeping the members of our parish family from each other, the pandemic introduced a
separation in one of the essential marks of Christ’s Church since its very beginning: koinonia …
community: “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common” (Acts 2:44).

With the victory of our Savior over every form of darkness that comes from the devil, it is
necessary for us to reclaim communion with Christ and community with each other … slowly,
perhaps, but definitely to be sure. It is my fervent prayer that our faithful will return to their
churches, not just for Holy Week and Pascha, but each and every week according to the parish’s
schedule. Only in this way can our fear and isolation be transformed into love and fellowship. We
have the assurance of the Lord not to be afraid: “I am with you always, even to the very end of the
world” (Matthew 28:20).

     And there is no better time to begin than now – with the Feast of Feasts, Holy Pascha!

               Read Archbishop Michael’s entire Archpastoral Letter for Holy Pascha
                          on the Diocesan Website: www.nynjoca.org

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