Assumption Greek Orthodox Church
15625 S. Bell Road – Homer Glen, Il 60491 Fr. Sotirios Dimitriou, Protobyrester
Sunday, March 6, 2022
Forgiveness Sunday (Cheesefare Sunday)
42 Martyrs of Amorion in Phrygia
Finding the Precious Cross by St. Helen
Hesychios the Wonderworker
Epistle Reading: St. Paul's Letter to the Romans 13:11-14; 14:1-4 Gospel Reading: Matthew 6:14-21
Service this Week: Monday, March 7th – Kathera Theftera(Clean Monday) Compline Service at 5:30pm Wednesday, March 9th, Pre-Sanctified Liturgy at 9:00am Friday, March 11th, 1st Salutations to the Virgin Mary at 6:30 pm Saturday, March 12th – 3rd Saturday of Souls Orthos 8:30am/ Divine Liturgy 9:30 am
Parish Council Duty: Harriette Condes Zervakis, Andrew Dimitriou, Marguerite Matthews & Dennis Mavragis
Ἀπολυτίκιον Ἀναστάσιμον Resurrectional Apolytikion
Τὸ φαιδρὸν τῆς ἀναστάσεως κήρυγμα, ἐκ τοῦ Ἀγγέλου μαθοῦσαι αἱ τοῦ Κυρίου Μαθήτριαι, καὶ τὴν προγονικὴν ἀπόφασιν ἀποῤῥίψασαι, τοῖς Ἀποστόλοις καυχώμεναι ἔλεγον· Ἐσκύλευται ὁ θάνατος, ἠγέρθη Χριστὸς ὁ Θεός, δωρούμενος τῷ κόσμῳ τὸ μέγα ἔλεος.
When the women Disciples of the Lord had learned from the Angel the joyful message of the Resurrection and rejected the ancestral decision, they cried aloud to the Apostles triumphantly: Death has been despoiled, Christ God has risen, granting His great mercy to the world.
Apolytikion of Synaxis of John the Forerunner in the Second Tone
Μνήμη δικαίου μέτ' ἐγκωμίων, σοὶ δὲ ἀρκέσει ἡ μαρτυρία τοῦ Κυρίου Πρόδρομε, ἀνεδείχθης γὰρ ὄντως
καὶ Προφητῶν σεβασμιώτερος, ὅτι καὶ ἐν ῥείθροις βαπτίσαι κατηξιώθης τὸν κηρυττόμενον. Ὅθεν τῆς
ἀληθείας ὑπεραθλήσας, χαίρων εὐηγγελίσω καὶ τοὶς ἐν ἅδῃ, Θεὸν φανερωθέντα ἐν σαρκί, τὸν αἴροντα
τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ παρέχοντα ἡμῖν τὸ μέγα ἔλεος.
The memory of the just is celebrated with hymns of praise, but the Lord's testimony is sufficient for thee,
O Forerunner; for thou hast proved to be truly even more venerable than the Prophets, since thou was
granted to baptize in the running waters Him Whom they proclaimed. Wherefore, having contested for the
truth, thou didst rejoice to announce the good tidings even to those in Hades: that God hath appeared in
the flesh, taking away the sin of the world and granting us great mercy.
Apolytikion of Dormition of the Theotokos in the First Tone
Εν τή Γεννήσει τήν παρθενίαν εφύλαξας, έν τή Κοιμήσει τόν κόσμον ού κατέλιπες Θεοτόκε, Μετέστης
πρός τήν ζωήν, μήτηρ υπάρχουσα τής ζωής, καί ταίς πρεσβείαις ταίς σαίς λυτρουμένη, εκ θανάτου τάς
ψυχάς ημών.
In birth, you preserved your virginity; in death, you did not abandon the world, O Theotokos. As mother
of life, you departed to the source of life, delivering our souls from death by your intercessions.
Κοντάκιον. Kontakion
Τῆς σοφίας ὁδηγέ, φρονήσεως χορηγέ, τῶν ἀφρόνων παιδευτά, καὶ πτωχῶν ὑπερασπιστά, στήριξον, συνέτισον τὴν καρδίαν μου Δέσποτα. Σὺ δίδου μοι λόγον, ὁ τοῦ Πατρός Λόγος· ἰδοὺ γὰρ τὰ χείλη μου, οὐ μὴ κωλύσω ἐν τῷ κράζειν σοι· Ἐλεῆμον, ἐλέησόν με τὸν παραπεσόντα.
O guide to wisdom, provider of prudence, disciplinarian of fools, and defender of the poor, fortify and discipline my heart, O Master; You, give me a word, O Word of the Father. For behold, I will not hinder my lips from crying to You: O merciful Lord, have mercy on me who have fallen.
Epistle Reading: St. Paul's Letter to the Romans 13:11-14; 14:1-4 Brethren, salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed; the night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
As for the man who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not for disputes over opinions. One believes he may eat anything, while the weak man eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains pass judgment on him who eats; for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for God is able to make him stand.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 6:14-21 The Lord said, "If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
"And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Cheese Fare Sunday
Biblical Story
The Sunday of Forgiveness, the last of the preparatory Sundays before Great Lent, has two themes: it commemorates Adam’s expulsion from Paradise, and it accentuates our need for forgiveness. There are obvious reasons why these two things should be brought to our attention as we stand on the threshold of Great Lent. One of the primary images in the Triodion is that of the return to Paradise. Lent is a time when we weep with Adam and Eve before the closed gate of Eden, repenting with them for the sins that have deprived us of our free communion with God. But Lent is also a time when we are preparing to celebrate the saving event of Christ’s death and rising, which has reopened Paradise to us once more (Luke 23:43). So sorrow for our exile in sin is tempered by hope of our re-entry into Paradise.
The second theme, that of forgiveness, is emphasized in the Gospel reading for this Sunday (Matthew 6:14-21) and in the special ceremony of mutual forgiveness at the end of the Vespers on Sunday evening. Before we enter the Lenten fast, we are reminded that there can be no true fast, no genuine repentance, no reconciliation with God, unless we are at the same time reconciled with one another. A fast without mutual love is the fast of demons. We do not travel the road of Lent as isolated individuals but as members of a family. Our asceticism and fasting should not separate us from others, but should link us to them with ever-stronger bonds.
The Sunday of Forgiveness also directs us to see that Great Lent is a journey of liberation from our enslavement to sin. The Gospel lesson sets the conditions for this liberation. The first one is fasting—the refusal to accept the desires and urges of our fallen nature as normal, the effort to free ourselves from the dictatorship of the flesh and matter over the spirit. To be effective, however, our fast must not be hypocritical, a “showing off.” We must “appear not unto men to fast but to our Father who is in secret” (vv. 16-18).
The second condition is forgiveness—“If you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you” (vv. 14-15). The triumph of sin, the main sign of its rule over the world, is division, opposition, separation, hatred. Therefore, the first break through this fortress of sin is forgiveness—the return to unity, solidarity, love. To forgive is to put between me and my “enemy” the radiant forgiveness of God Himself. To forgive is to reject the hopeless “dead-ends” of human relations and to refer them to Christ. Forgiveness is truly a “breakthrough” of the Kingdom into this sinful and fallen world.
A BRIEF MEDITATION ON LENT
All of us lead lives so filled with the demands of work and family that little time is left to us to cultivate the garden of our soul. In our preoccupation with the ceaseless business of life, our spirit, if not completely forgotten, is often sadly neglected. When we do find the time to look at ourselves honestly, we soon discover that the spirit of the world has gradually and imperceptibly eaten away at our good intentions; we have become shopworn by the cares and self-centered spirit of the world.
Fortunately for us, the church recognized from its earliest days that we would need regular periods of reflection and renewed effort if we were to free ourselves from the relentless grip of worldly cares, to once again imitate the example of Christ and reflect it in our lives. It did so by developing the season of Lent, a season which invites us to renew our concentration on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving which lie at the very heart of Christian living.
Through the discipline of quiet prayer, we acknowledge and affirm the sovereignty of almighty God in our lives. In doing so, we surrender the notion of living according to the principle of power; we accept that we are not the measure of all things. In the practice of fasting, we seek to overcome the power that material things have gained over us; we strive to be servants of the sacred and not merely masters of the material and profane. Finally, we are called to almsgiving, through which we share the fruits of our labor
with those in need, and thus surrender our natural tendency to be self-seeking. Prayer which unites us to God, fasting which curbs our ceaseless desires, almsgiving which allows us to actively love our neighbor as ourselves --- these are the transforming gifts of Lent.
If they are to convey their wonderful grace, however, we must make them the tools by which we deepen and enrich our faith and relationship to Jesus Christ. That, truly, is what it means to be a Christian. The wisdom of the ages invites us once again to this marvelous opportunity to find God in our lives; let us take care that we not waste it
Smile When You See Them: Assumption Community Members
Katherine Kyriacopoulos
Excellent teachers are dedicated, caring, patient, and blessed with a sense of humor. Katherine Kyriacopoulos has all these qualities and more, which make her an asset to the Assumption Parish Council.
Katherine was recently re-elected to the Parish Council and is now serving as Recording Secretary. She is the daughter of George and Jackie Panagos, long time members and pillars of the Assumption Church.
As a member of the Panagos family, Katherine has been involved in our church throughout her life. During her teenage years, she taught Sunday School classes in Olympia Fields. As an adult, she joined Philoptochos and the Parish Council. Katherine has been a key organizer for events such as Mardi Gras luncheons and Dinner With Santa. When asked what she liked best about Assumption, Katherine said she loves participating and bringing everyone together, “the sense of community.”
Katherine holds a BA degree from the University of St. Francis in Elementary Education and an MA degree from Olivet University that makes her a reading specialist. Currently she is an elementary school educator teaching fourth grade students in New Lenox.
Katherine married Aristides Kyriacopoulos at the Assumption Church in Olympia Fields. They are the proud parents of beautiful Zoe, who has been a “mirofora” at Good Friday services.
During her leisure time, Katherine enjoys reading, exercising, and “traveling to warm places like Greece.”
Please greet Katherine when you see her!
Donations Needed for Great Lent & Holy Week... As Great Lent approaches, we need various items that are required during the Lenten period. The following items are needed:
Flowers for the Epitaphio - Donated
Flowers for the 5 Salutation Service Icon @ $80
3 Stefania for Holy Thursday evening - $135 each
4 dozen Rose Pedals
2 Bottles Rose Water
100 eggs
10 dozen Yellow Flowers (Jonquils) for the 3rd Sunday of Lent
Flowers for the Nymphio Icon - $130
Flowers for the Large Resurrection Icon $130
Flowers for the Small Resurrection Icon $110
Bay Leaves for Palm Sunday - $300
Palms for Palm Sunday - $175
Incense - $50
100 Chocolate Easter Bunnies for Sunday of Agape.
Easter Lilies
If you would like to donate one of the items listed above, please see Father Sam.
Community News
The Ladies Philoptochos,,, wants to say Thank You to everyone who came and supported their Mardi Gras Pick Up last Sunday. All those who ordered food, cooked, cleaned and helped in every compacity. They especially would like to Thank Mr. John Cacis for donating the meat for the event.
Membership Tea… Assumption Philoptochos is having their Membership Luncheon on Sunday, March 6th, 2022, immediately following the Divine Liturgy. It will be at the Kefi Restaurant in Palos Heights,
Koulouma Dinner… Assumption Church is having their Koulouma Dinner on Kathera Theftera(Clean Monday) March 7th immediately following the Divine Liturgy.
Pan-Orthodox Vespers… Triumph of Orthodoxy Pan-Orthodox Vespers will be held on Sunday, March 13th 6:30pm at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Cicero, IL. Speaker will be His Grace Bishop Maxim.
Lenten Services… The Southside Churches once again will be having the Lenten Services and Reflection services. The first service will be March 14th, at Holy Cross church in Justice with guest speaker Fr. Sotirios Dimitriou.
Fish-Skordalia Dinner… The Ladies Philoptochos is having a Fish Skordalia Dinner on Sunday, March 20th, immediately following the Divine Liturgy. The cost is $20.00 per person, make your reservations by March 13, 2022, by calling Mary Liontakis 708-481-6764 or Jackie Panagos 815-469-6242.
Easter Bake Sale… Orders will start to be taken for the Philoptochos Easter Bake Sale. Orders are due by Sunday, April 10th and pick up date is Saturday, April 16th between 11:30am – 1:00pm. If you have any questions, please contact a Philoptochos member.
Going Green Collection Program…Our parish will be participating in a recyclable program, but we are
not going to be collecting plastic bottles and papers. Instead, the recyclables we are collecting are
clothing, blankets and shoes. A GOIN’ GREEN Drop of box is placed on the Church grounds that will be
visible to not only our parishioners, but also to the general public. This is an opportunity for our parish to
give back to the community at large and to participate at recycling goods that will help those who are less
fortunate than us. So now, when we have clothes, blankets, coats or shoes that we don’t need anymore,
we can bring them to Church and drop them off in the GOIN’ GREEN Drop box. For more information
about this program, please see Fr. Sam.
IN THE HOSPITAL, LET FATHER KNOW… To assist Father in his pastoral duties, please inform him
if you or a family member has been hospitalized. Our hospitals DO NOT have a policy of informing the
church if they have a parishioner as their patient.
ADDRESS CHANGED…
Please help us keep our membership and mailings as accurate as possible by
notifying Father of address, name, or phone number changes. Thank you for your assistance.
If you would like to give a donation, stewardship commitment, candles or other
please click:
https://app.easytithe.com/app/giving/panagia
You can also click on pay pal below:
</for https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=GGGDHBCGXYFWG&source=url m>
Website: www.assumptiongreekorthodox.org
Facebook: assumptiongreekorthdoxchurch Homer Glen
15625 S. Bell Road – Homer Glen, Il 60491 Fr. Sotirios Dimitriou, Protobyrester
Sunday, March 6, 2022
Forgiveness Sunday (Cheesefare Sunday)
42 Martyrs of Amorion in Phrygia
Finding the Precious Cross by St. Helen
Hesychios the Wonderworker
Epistle Reading: St. Paul's Letter to the Romans 13:11-14; 14:1-4 Gospel Reading: Matthew 6:14-21
Service this Week: Monday, March 7th – Kathera Theftera(Clean Monday) Compline Service at 5:30pm Wednesday, March 9th, Pre-Sanctified Liturgy at 9:00am Friday, March 11th, 1st Salutations to the Virgin Mary at 6:30 pm Saturday, March 12th – 3rd Saturday of Souls Orthos 8:30am/ Divine Liturgy 9:30 am
Parish Council Duty: Harriette Condes Zervakis, Andrew Dimitriou, Marguerite Matthews & Dennis Mavragis
Ἀπολυτίκιον Ἀναστάσιμον Resurrectional Apolytikion
Τὸ φαιδρὸν τῆς ἀναστάσεως κήρυγμα, ἐκ τοῦ Ἀγγέλου μαθοῦσαι αἱ τοῦ Κυρίου Μαθήτριαι, καὶ τὴν προγονικὴν ἀπόφασιν ἀποῤῥίψασαι, τοῖς Ἀποστόλοις καυχώμεναι ἔλεγον· Ἐσκύλευται ὁ θάνατος, ἠγέρθη Χριστὸς ὁ Θεός, δωρούμενος τῷ κόσμῳ τὸ μέγα ἔλεος.
When the women Disciples of the Lord had learned from the Angel the joyful message of the Resurrection and rejected the ancestral decision, they cried aloud to the Apostles triumphantly: Death has been despoiled, Christ God has risen, granting His great mercy to the world.
Apolytikion of Synaxis of John the Forerunner in the Second Tone
Μνήμη δικαίου μέτ' ἐγκωμίων, σοὶ δὲ ἀρκέσει ἡ μαρτυρία τοῦ Κυρίου Πρόδρομε, ἀνεδείχθης γὰρ ὄντως
καὶ Προφητῶν σεβασμιώτερος, ὅτι καὶ ἐν ῥείθροις βαπτίσαι κατηξιώθης τὸν κηρυττόμενον. Ὅθεν τῆς
ἀληθείας ὑπεραθλήσας, χαίρων εὐηγγελίσω καὶ τοὶς ἐν ἅδῃ, Θεὸν φανερωθέντα ἐν σαρκί, τὸν αἴροντα
τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ παρέχοντα ἡμῖν τὸ μέγα ἔλεος.
The memory of the just is celebrated with hymns of praise, but the Lord's testimony is sufficient for thee,
O Forerunner; for thou hast proved to be truly even more venerable than the Prophets, since thou was
granted to baptize in the running waters Him Whom they proclaimed. Wherefore, having contested for the
truth, thou didst rejoice to announce the good tidings even to those in Hades: that God hath appeared in
the flesh, taking away the sin of the world and granting us great mercy.
Apolytikion of Dormition of the Theotokos in the First Tone
Εν τή Γεννήσει τήν παρθενίαν εφύλαξας, έν τή Κοιμήσει τόν κόσμον ού κατέλιπες Θεοτόκε, Μετέστης
πρός τήν ζωήν, μήτηρ υπάρχουσα τής ζωής, καί ταίς πρεσβείαις ταίς σαίς λυτρουμένη, εκ θανάτου τάς
ψυχάς ημών.
In birth, you preserved your virginity; in death, you did not abandon the world, O Theotokos. As mother
of life, you departed to the source of life, delivering our souls from death by your intercessions.
Κοντάκιον. Kontakion
Τῆς σοφίας ὁδηγέ, φρονήσεως χορηγέ, τῶν ἀφρόνων παιδευτά, καὶ πτωχῶν ὑπερασπιστά, στήριξον, συνέτισον τὴν καρδίαν μου Δέσποτα. Σὺ δίδου μοι λόγον, ὁ τοῦ Πατρός Λόγος· ἰδοὺ γὰρ τὰ χείλη μου, οὐ μὴ κωλύσω ἐν τῷ κράζειν σοι· Ἐλεῆμον, ἐλέησόν με τὸν παραπεσόντα.
O guide to wisdom, provider of prudence, disciplinarian of fools, and defender of the poor, fortify and discipline my heart, O Master; You, give me a word, O Word of the Father. For behold, I will not hinder my lips from crying to You: O merciful Lord, have mercy on me who have fallen.
Epistle Reading: St. Paul's Letter to the Romans 13:11-14; 14:1-4 Brethren, salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed; the night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
As for the man who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not for disputes over opinions. One believes he may eat anything, while the weak man eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains pass judgment on him who eats; for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for God is able to make him stand.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 6:14-21 The Lord said, "If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
"And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Cheese Fare Sunday
Biblical Story
The Sunday of Forgiveness, the last of the preparatory Sundays before Great Lent, has two themes: it commemorates Adam’s expulsion from Paradise, and it accentuates our need for forgiveness. There are obvious reasons why these two things should be brought to our attention as we stand on the threshold of Great Lent. One of the primary images in the Triodion is that of the return to Paradise. Lent is a time when we weep with Adam and Eve before the closed gate of Eden, repenting with them for the sins that have deprived us of our free communion with God. But Lent is also a time when we are preparing to celebrate the saving event of Christ’s death and rising, which has reopened Paradise to us once more (Luke 23:43). So sorrow for our exile in sin is tempered by hope of our re-entry into Paradise.
The second theme, that of forgiveness, is emphasized in the Gospel reading for this Sunday (Matthew 6:14-21) and in the special ceremony of mutual forgiveness at the end of the Vespers on Sunday evening. Before we enter the Lenten fast, we are reminded that there can be no true fast, no genuine repentance, no reconciliation with God, unless we are at the same time reconciled with one another. A fast without mutual love is the fast of demons. We do not travel the road of Lent as isolated individuals but as members of a family. Our asceticism and fasting should not separate us from others, but should link us to them with ever-stronger bonds.
The Sunday of Forgiveness also directs us to see that Great Lent is a journey of liberation from our enslavement to sin. The Gospel lesson sets the conditions for this liberation. The first one is fasting—the refusal to accept the desires and urges of our fallen nature as normal, the effort to free ourselves from the dictatorship of the flesh and matter over the spirit. To be effective, however, our fast must not be hypocritical, a “showing off.” We must “appear not unto men to fast but to our Father who is in secret” (vv. 16-18).
The second condition is forgiveness—“If you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you” (vv. 14-15). The triumph of sin, the main sign of its rule over the world, is division, opposition, separation, hatred. Therefore, the first break through this fortress of sin is forgiveness—the return to unity, solidarity, love. To forgive is to put between me and my “enemy” the radiant forgiveness of God Himself. To forgive is to reject the hopeless “dead-ends” of human relations and to refer them to Christ. Forgiveness is truly a “breakthrough” of the Kingdom into this sinful and fallen world.
A BRIEF MEDITATION ON LENT
All of us lead lives so filled with the demands of work and family that little time is left to us to cultivate the garden of our soul. In our preoccupation with the ceaseless business of life, our spirit, if not completely forgotten, is often sadly neglected. When we do find the time to look at ourselves honestly, we soon discover that the spirit of the world has gradually and imperceptibly eaten away at our good intentions; we have become shopworn by the cares and self-centered spirit of the world.
Fortunately for us, the church recognized from its earliest days that we would need regular periods of reflection and renewed effort if we were to free ourselves from the relentless grip of worldly cares, to once again imitate the example of Christ and reflect it in our lives. It did so by developing the season of Lent, a season which invites us to renew our concentration on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving which lie at the very heart of Christian living.
Through the discipline of quiet prayer, we acknowledge and affirm the sovereignty of almighty God in our lives. In doing so, we surrender the notion of living according to the principle of power; we accept that we are not the measure of all things. In the practice of fasting, we seek to overcome the power that material things have gained over us; we strive to be servants of the sacred and not merely masters of the material and profane. Finally, we are called to almsgiving, through which we share the fruits of our labor
with those in need, and thus surrender our natural tendency to be self-seeking. Prayer which unites us to God, fasting which curbs our ceaseless desires, almsgiving which allows us to actively love our neighbor as ourselves --- these are the transforming gifts of Lent.
If they are to convey their wonderful grace, however, we must make them the tools by which we deepen and enrich our faith and relationship to Jesus Christ. That, truly, is what it means to be a Christian. The wisdom of the ages invites us once again to this marvelous opportunity to find God in our lives; let us take care that we not waste it
Smile When You See Them: Assumption Community Members
Katherine Kyriacopoulos
Excellent teachers are dedicated, caring, patient, and blessed with a sense of humor. Katherine Kyriacopoulos has all these qualities and more, which make her an asset to the Assumption Parish Council.
Katherine was recently re-elected to the Parish Council and is now serving as Recording Secretary. She is the daughter of George and Jackie Panagos, long time members and pillars of the Assumption Church.
As a member of the Panagos family, Katherine has been involved in our church throughout her life. During her teenage years, she taught Sunday School classes in Olympia Fields. As an adult, she joined Philoptochos and the Parish Council. Katherine has been a key organizer for events such as Mardi Gras luncheons and Dinner With Santa. When asked what she liked best about Assumption, Katherine said she loves participating and bringing everyone together, “the sense of community.”
Katherine holds a BA degree from the University of St. Francis in Elementary Education and an MA degree from Olivet University that makes her a reading specialist. Currently she is an elementary school educator teaching fourth grade students in New Lenox.
Katherine married Aristides Kyriacopoulos at the Assumption Church in Olympia Fields. They are the proud parents of beautiful Zoe, who has been a “mirofora” at Good Friday services.
During her leisure time, Katherine enjoys reading, exercising, and “traveling to warm places like Greece.”
Please greet Katherine when you see her!
Donations Needed for Great Lent & Holy Week... As Great Lent approaches, we need various items that are required during the Lenten period. The following items are needed:
Flowers for the Epitaphio - Donated
Flowers for the 5 Salutation Service Icon @ $80
3 Stefania for Holy Thursday evening - $135 each
4 dozen Rose Pedals
2 Bottles Rose Water
100 eggs
10 dozen Yellow Flowers (Jonquils) for the 3rd Sunday of Lent
Flowers for the Nymphio Icon - $130
Flowers for the Large Resurrection Icon $130
Flowers for the Small Resurrection Icon $110
Bay Leaves for Palm Sunday - $300
Palms for Palm Sunday - $175
Incense - $50
100 Chocolate Easter Bunnies for Sunday of Agape.
Easter Lilies
If you would like to donate one of the items listed above, please see Father Sam.
Community News
The Ladies Philoptochos,,, wants to say Thank You to everyone who came and supported their Mardi Gras Pick Up last Sunday. All those who ordered food, cooked, cleaned and helped in every compacity. They especially would like to Thank Mr. John Cacis for donating the meat for the event.
Membership Tea… Assumption Philoptochos is having their Membership Luncheon on Sunday, March 6th, 2022, immediately following the Divine Liturgy. It will be at the Kefi Restaurant in Palos Heights,
Koulouma Dinner… Assumption Church is having their Koulouma Dinner on Kathera Theftera(Clean Monday) March 7th immediately following the Divine Liturgy.
Pan-Orthodox Vespers… Triumph of Orthodoxy Pan-Orthodox Vespers will be held on Sunday, March 13th 6:30pm at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Cicero, IL. Speaker will be His Grace Bishop Maxim.
Lenten Services… The Southside Churches once again will be having the Lenten Services and Reflection services. The first service will be March 14th, at Holy Cross church in Justice with guest speaker Fr. Sotirios Dimitriou.
Fish-Skordalia Dinner… The Ladies Philoptochos is having a Fish Skordalia Dinner on Sunday, March 20th, immediately following the Divine Liturgy. The cost is $20.00 per person, make your reservations by March 13, 2022, by calling Mary Liontakis 708-481-6764 or Jackie Panagos 815-469-6242.
Easter Bake Sale… Orders will start to be taken for the Philoptochos Easter Bake Sale. Orders are due by Sunday, April 10th and pick up date is Saturday, April 16th between 11:30am – 1:00pm. If you have any questions, please contact a Philoptochos member.
Going Green Collection Program…Our parish will be participating in a recyclable program, but we are
not going to be collecting plastic bottles and papers. Instead, the recyclables we are collecting are
clothing, blankets and shoes. A GOIN’ GREEN Drop of box is placed on the Church grounds that will be
visible to not only our parishioners, but also to the general public. This is an opportunity for our parish to
give back to the community at large and to participate at recycling goods that will help those who are less
fortunate than us. So now, when we have clothes, blankets, coats or shoes that we don’t need anymore,
we can bring them to Church and drop them off in the GOIN’ GREEN Drop box. For more information
about this program, please see Fr. Sam.
IN THE HOSPITAL, LET FATHER KNOW… To assist Father in his pastoral duties, please inform him
if you or a family member has been hospitalized. Our hospitals DO NOT have a policy of informing the
church if they have a parishioner as their patient.
ADDRESS CHANGED…
Please help us keep our membership and mailings as accurate as possible by
notifying Father of address, name, or phone number changes. Thank you for your assistance.
If you would like to give a donation, stewardship commitment, candles or other
please click:
https://app.easytithe.com/app/giving/panagia
You can also click on pay pal below:
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Website: www.assumptiongreekorthodox.org
Facebook: assumptiongreekorthdoxchurch Homer Glen
