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ST. GEORGE ORTHODOX CHURCH OF PRESCOTT (928) 777-8750

Priest: Fr. John A. Peck Emeritus: Fr. William John Clark

Parish Council: Dr. George Rizk, Raymond Zogob, Kris Wells, Kally Key, Bob Hunt, Robert Frisby, Dr. Andrew Gusty, Jelena Timotijevic, Liz Winney. Choir Director: Pres. Deborah

Find us online at www.prescottorthodox.org

!../5.#%-%.43 + + +

This is the Fifth week of Great Lent. Make time to participate in the events of this week!

Wed. April 6 6:30 pm Pre-Sanctified Liturgy

Thurs. April 7 6 pm Choir Practice at the Church

Fri. April 8 10 am Pre-Sanctified Liturgy

Sat. April 16 10 am Lazarus Saturday Liturgy w/ Baptisms and Chrismations of Catechumens

Sun. April 17 10 am Palm Sunday Liturgy w/ Festal Procession

Sat. May 14 11 am Food Storage & Emergency Preparedness

for Orthodox Christians

+ + +

The Peck Family will be moving into their new home this Monday & Tuesday at:

7447 N. Viewscape Dr.

Prescott Valley, AZ 86315

Phone numbers remain the same.

Sunday commemorating

St. John of the Ladder Sun. April 3, 2011 Tone 4

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Matins Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20

Resurrection Hymn - Tone 4 Having learned the joyful message of the Resurrection from the angel, the women disciples of the Lord cast from them their parental condemnation, and proudly broke the news to the Disciples saying, “Death has been spoiled! Christ God is risen, granting the world great mercy!”

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to

the Holy Spirit,

Hymn of GreatMartyr George - Tone 4

Liberator of captives, defender of the poor, physician of the sick, and champion of kings, O trophy-bearer, Great Martyr George, intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.

now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Hymn of the Theotokos - Tone 4 The mystery which was hidden from everlasting and was unknown of the angels, O Theotokos, was revealed through you, to those who dwell upon the earth. In that God, having become incarnate, In unconfused union of His own good will, accepted the Cross for our sake, whereby he raised again the First-Created and has saved our souls from death.

Prokeimenon in Tone 4 (Ps 103)

O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! In wisdom hast Thou made them all!

Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, Thou art very great!

Epistle: Hebrews 6:13-20

B RETHREN, 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 con-vincingly 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 encouragement 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 Melchizedek.+

Date Readers

4-3 Jelena Timotijevich & Virgil Aurand

4-10 Virgil Aurand & Mike Winney

4-17 Mike Winney & Bob Frisby

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Alleluia in Tone 4 (Ps 44)

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Go forth and prosper and reign, because of truth and meekness and righteousness!

You love righteousness and hate iniquity!

Gospel: Mark 9:17-31

4 HE LORD SAID, 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 generation, 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 enter 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 anything 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, saying 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."+

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LIVING: : : :

Ameliana Gusty, Japanese Orthodox Church, Samson Winters, Samin, Chad, Aidan, Victoria, Anastasia, Basil, Cassian, Luke, and Garet Trenham, Carrie, Griffin, Nolan, Gray-son, Olivia Salicos & family, Kathy Hunt, Scott & Katie Windsor, Benjamin Peck, Gail & Vicki Brannock, Jennifer, Diane Berkholtz, Jerry Spires, Fr. Thomas Williams, Robin Hy-duke, Nathan & Merilee Peck, Dan Thanos, Stephan Landis, Connie, Crystal, Tom & Kymie Bowden, James Anthony, Jim Burns, Alex, Sandy, Adrian, Melanie Schlapfer, Bill Mueller, Judy Raessler, Viola Hammerstrom, Kris Wells, Helen Vlahakis, Ovi Lungu, Bill Kountanis, Darrell and Patty Bostic, Deon Christensen and family, Helen Ko, Campbell Mackenzie, Betty Dudney, Will Degenhart & family, Stephen & Cassandra Landis, Sky Rizk, Dumitri Popita, Susan Hill, Tanya, Darlene, Glenn, Fr. Hans & Susan Jacobse, Fr. Bill Clark, Steve Brooks, Tom & Geris Kourkoumelis, Kristi Thanos, Philip Winney, Lindsay, George Peter Rizk, Barbara Wright, Marnie Butts, Luke Glen, Charity Books, the Borza family, Elizabeth, Seraphima, Macrina, Mary, Silas, Susana, Robert, Kayla, Briana, Joel, Kelsey, Shaun, Theresa, Chris’ 2 grandmothers, Raymond Zogob’s father, Diane Robert-son, Kathy & Chris Hough.

DEPARTED:

Boyd Jackson, Irene Teneralli, Julianne Windsor, Allan Fairbanks, Robert Dery, George Nassimos, George Komashko, Archpriest Antony Vladimir, Lambrini, Dominic Tener-alli Sr., Dominic Teneralli Jr., Rose Bachmann, Janine, George Hicha, Lola Christie, Jackie Pelkey, Helen Shugrue, Eugenia, Elizabeth Higbee, Janet Maissen, Nat, Amanda, James, Abp Job, Abp Anthony, Don, Anastasia Jones, Jack Christensen, Ethel Hunt, Child Nicholas, John, Delores, Lydia (Letitia) Preda, Fr. Gabriel Cooke, Richard & Larry Peck, Chuck, Lisa Covington, Andrew Lubnick, Dennis Kountanis, Julia Sedon, Ariel Borza, Michael Hicha, Tom Pallad, Peter Rizk; Demos Vlahakis; Rhonda Dawson; Nicholas, Peter, Kay, Shirley, George Cosmakos, Andrew Degen-hart, Annuncio Aaflaq; Bishop Innocent (Gula); Fr. Michael St. Andrew.

Parish Prayer List

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Visitors We are happy that you joined us today, and we want you to know the following;

• Visitors and children are always welcome at all of our worship services.

• You won't be asked to do anything that would make you uncomfortable.

• We don't expect visitors to contribute anything financially to support our parish.

• Our children worship with us, and we love having them here.

If you are an Orthodox Christian, please introduce yourself to Fr. John before the ser-vice begins, so that, if possible, you may receive the Holy Mysteries of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you are not an Orthodox Christian, we invite you to partake of the blessed bread distributed at the end of the service, to fill out a “Welcome” card (available in the Narthex), and to join us after the service for some hospitality!

The Sundays Before Us Each Sunday in the Lenten and Paschal cycles is devoted to a particular theme.

Next Sunday: Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt - The theme of this final Lenten Sunday is the story of St. Mary, a great sinner who became a great saint, and teaches us that the time to repent is now. Even at the eleventh hour, God receives those who repent, and lovingly grants them great grace to overcome every adversity!

Palm Sunday The Entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem is one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Christian Faith, and celebrated with great honor. We commemorate his entrance into His saving Passion for us, and like the Apostle Thomas, prepare ourselves to “go and die with Him,” following the services of Holy Week which follow. A grand procession of palms will take place during this Sunday’s service.

PASCHA! The Great Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! This is the King of Feasts, the Holy Day of Holy Days! This is the greatest event in the history of mankind, Christ has opened the door to Resurrection for all. On this day, we proclaim the festal song, “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!”

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Every year when the Burial Shroud of Christ is brought out and placed in the flowered Tomb, we begin to keep Vigil by reading the Psalms. By this, we show our willingness to stay awake with Christ, praying rather than sleeping.

The sign up sheet is now up.

Will you not stay awake with Christ for one hour? We’re Orthodox; Three hours! Sign up today.

From the Vespers of Good Friday (starting at 2:30 pm Friday) until the Paschal Vigil on Saturday night (Holy Saturday at 11:30 pm) we will need you to come and gently chant the Psalms over the Tomb of Christ.

Whatever you decide, sign up today.

Suggestions, from years gone by:

� Select a period of 3 hours or more (making the time worthwhile)

� Sign up in groups, with friends, couples, Fathers with sons, Mothers with daughters, teen girls, teen boys, etc.

� Bring some water, and warm, comfortable clothing.

And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and He said…

"So, could you not watch with me one hour?”

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There will be no confessions heard after Lazarus Saturday

Sun. April 17 10 am Palm Sunday Liturgy

w/ Procession of Palms

Holy Week Services Begin

Sun. April 17 6:30 pm Bridegroom Matins

Mon. April 18 6:30 pm Bridegroom Matins

Tue. April 19 6:30 pm Bridegroom Matins

Wed. April 20 6:30 pm Service of Holy Unction

Thurs April 21 10 am Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil Commemoration of the Institution of the Holy Eucharist

6:30 pm Matins of Holy Friday

Fri. April 22 2:30 pm Vespers of Good Friday

Vigil at the Tomb begins

6:30 pm Matins of Holy Saturday

with Lamentations

Sat. April 23 10 am Holy Saturday Liturgy

11:30 pm PASCHAL VIGIL w/Blessing of Pascha Baskets & Paschal Feast!

Sun. April 24 12 Noon Paschal Vespers

St. George Church of PRescott

Holy Week Schedule

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St Innocent (Veniaminov), Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomensk (August 26, 1797 - March 31, 1879), was glori-fied by the Russian Orthodox Church on October 6, 1977. He was born in the village of Anginsk in the Irkutsk dio-cese.

The Apostle of America and Siberia proclaimed the Gos-pel "even to the ends of the earth": in the Aleutian is-lands (from 1823), in the six dialects of the local tribes on the island of Sitka (from 1834), among the Kolosh (Tlingit); in the remotest set-tlements of the extensive Kamchatka dio-cese (from 1853); among the Koryak, Chuk-chei, Tungus in the Yakutsk region (from 1853) and North America (in 1857); in the Amur and the Usuriisk region (from 1860).

Having spent a large part of his life in jour-neys, St Innocent translated a Catechism and the Gospel into the Aleut language.

In 1833, he wrote in this language one of the finest works of Orthodox missionary activity

THE INDICATION OF THE WAY TO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

In 1859, the Yakut first heard the Word of God and divine services in their native lan-guage. Twice (in 1860 and 1861) St Innocent met with St Nicholas the Apostle to Japan (February 3), sharing with him his spiritual experi-ence.

A remarkable preacher, St Innocent said,

"Whoever abounds in faith and love, can have mouth and wisdom, and the heart

cannot resist their serving it."

Having begun his apostolic work as a parish priest, St Innocent completed it as Metro-politan of Moscow (January 5, 1868 - March 31, 1879). He obeyed the will of God all his life, and he left behind a theme for the sermon to be preached at his funeral: "The steps of a man are rightly ordered by the Lord" (Ps 36/37:23).

Glory to God for All Things!

SAINTS ALIVE The lives and deeds of the heroes of our Faith

St. Innocent of Moscow

The saint who served the Church of Christ near and far.

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Paschal

Preparations

Repent. (okay, you knew that already)

Paschal Flowers

If you would like to donate Paschal Flowers, or offer for the memory of a loved one, see any Parish Council member. We need Pascha flowers - and lots of them (!) to decorate the Tomb of Christ on Good Friday, and to adorn the Church Temple for Pascha (Easter Lillies).

Pascha Baskets

See the insert on Pascha Baskets on the next few pages.

Morticias

Remember Morticia Addams, who was always clipping the heads off of her rose blooms? We need someone to donate a total of 2 or 3 dozen white roses ($6.99/doz at Albertsons!), and pull off all the petals for the services of Holy Saturday. The more the merrier, especially at Pascha!

See Fr. John if you can help!

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What goes in my Pascha Basket?

After the Paschal Vigil, our Pascha baskets are brought out

for blessing (the origin of the “easter” basket) filled with the

things we have fasted from for the last 40 days. These

baskets have been carefully prepared and include several

foods with a traditionally symbolic significance.

� Sweet bread is always included, leavened with yeast. This is a symbol of the

New Covenant; the Jews made unleavened bread, and we, the Children of the

New Covenant, make leavened bread. The braided form of this bread is a

display of the Trinity.

� Pascha Cheese is a figure of all the sweetness of the Kingdom, and remind us

of the earthly gifts that come from God. Pascha cheese is normally included, and

there are many good recipes for it in the parish. If you don’t have one, ask

someone. (Pres. Deborah has a great recipe, too)

�

� Butter - shaped into a figure of a lamb, or small cross. Like the

Pascha Cheese, it represents the bountiful blessings poured out

on us because of the sacrifice of the Lamb of God.

� Bitter herbs, usually horseradish, represents bondage, a reminder of the first

Passover (horseradish is eaten as a traditional part of the original Passover

meal) and of the bitter sufferings which Christ endured for our sake. Sometimes

the herb is colored red with beets, symbolizing the Blood of Christ.

� Meat represents the bounty of God, and by it we remember that Christ, the

Lamb of God, the New Passover has superseded the sacrifice of the Old

Testament Passover. Lamb, veal, bacon and ham are favorites, as well as spicy

sausage, loaded with garlic. These are usually cooked in advance so that during

the festivity of the day, no one will be burdened with preparation. Meat after our

40 day fast reminds us of God’s great generosity.

� Red eggs are likened to the tomb from which Christ arose. This is

because of the miracle of new life which comes from the egg, just as

Christ miraculously came forth from the tomb. Traditionally

decorated “pysanki” eggs are sometimes included.

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� Wine symbolizes spiritual knowledge, and for us, the knowledge of the Holy

Resurrection of Christ our God!

� Salt serves as a reminder to us that we are "the salt of the earth." This feast

does not end, but is completed as we share the joy of the Resurrection with the

world, and all who will hear it. Salt reminds us of our duty to others, and in

preaching the Gospel and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ!

� An Icon or icon card is frequently included in the basket. Usually

an icon of the Resurrection or some other icon of Christ is used.

After all, we are the true witnesses to His Resurrection!

� A Candle reminding us that Christ is the light of the world, and we

must bear His light with joy especially during this “Bright” season.

This candle is lit at the end of the Paschal Vigil, just prior to the

blessing of baskets.

The Basket is now decorated with ribbons, usually white or festive, in honor of the

Bright Feast of the Resurrection, and left open, so that during the blessing, each

item in the basket may come in contact with the Holy Water. Every family brings

their basket to the Vigil.

The Blessing of the baskets takes place immediately after the Paschal Vigil. The

priest will indicate that it is time to bring forward the baskets, and where they are

to be placed. Once they are blessed, the feast begins!

Some families include their favorite treats and candies for the children, just as has

been retained in the modern “Easter” basket. Other family treats are especially

appropriate, based on family favorites.

Each of the foods in the Pascha basket have a rich meaning, as does

everything in Orthodox Christianity. Preparing the Pascha basket is a

family affair. Take the time to prepare them together!

Get ready for a glorious Pascha!