Christ ’s Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem - Palm Sunday!

MARCH 25th

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

April 1st PALM SUNDAY DL 10AMHoly Week Begins in eve.BridegroomMatins 6PM

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BridegroomMatins 6PM

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BridegroomMatins 6PM

4LAST DAYFOR CONFESSIONS

Holy Unction6PM

5 Divine Liturgy 8 AM

12PassionGospels 6PM

6 Royal Hours8 AM

FridayVespers6PM

7 Divine Liturgy 8:00 AM10 Chrismations1 Baptism to FollowPASCHAL MATINS7:00 PM

8 PASCHA!Christ is Risen!DL 10:00AMBlessing Paschal Foods to follow!

9 Bright MondayDL 9AM

10Bright TuesdayDL 9AM

Parish Board Meeting

11Fast Free

12 13Fast Free

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15 DL 10AMThomas SundayBlessing Graves2:00PM!

16 17Priest Convocation

18Priest Convocation

19Priest Convocation

20Priest Convocation

21 Fr. Stephen Freeman TalkPalos Hills, IL

CHRIST THE SAVIOUR

1802 Pershing Ave. Rockford, Illinois 61109 - Father Jonathan Bannon Phone: 815-721-4952 www.CTSROCKFORD.org

M O N T H L Y S E R V I C E S C H E D U L E :

PROSFORA MINISTRY: TODAY’S PROSFORA IS OFFERED BY MICHELLE VanSchelvenSunday April 1st: PALM SUNDAY HOLY WEEK BEGINS AT Bridegroom Matins 6:00PM (Fish allowed)

Monday April 2nd: Bridegroom Matins 6:00PM Tuesday April 3rd: Bridegroom Matins 6:00PM Wednesday April 4th: Sacrament of Holy Anointing 6:00PM Thursday April 5th: Divine Liturgy of St. Basil 8:00AM (Last Supper - Institution of the Holy Eucharist) 12 Passion Gospels - Matins - 6:00PM Friday April 6th: Royal Hours 8:00AM Friday Vespers w/ burial procession 6:00PM Saturday March 31st: 8:00AM Baptisms of Ryan Kwosek and Mark Berger and Chrismations of Steve Litteral and his 2 children Sophia and Caleb / Jeremy and Sarah Erber and their 4 children Caroline, William, Grace and Jack / and Karen Anderson. Divine Liturgy of St. Basil 8:00AM to follow. Sisterhood dying Red Eggs after Services.

Saturday March 31st: Paschal Matins 7:00PM CHRIST IS RISEN! Sunday April 8th: Holy and Great Feast of Pascha! Divine Liturgy 10:00AMMonday April 9th: Bright Monday Divine Liturgy 9:00AM Tuesday April 10th: Bright Tuesday Divine Liturgy 9:00AM and Baptism of Michael Hammes Jr and his 2 children Weylin and Luna. Sunday April 15th; Blessing Graves at 2:00PM at Greenwood Cemetery. We need more members to attend!

PASCHAL AND LITURGICAL DONATIONS:Please consider making an offering with the liturgical needs from incense to charcoal and also the Paschal flowers! Sign Up is on the candle stand!

NEED A PASCHA BREAD? Our Sisterhood Vice-President Nadya Opri is offering to make the special bread that goes into the Pascha Basket that represents our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Who is the living bread of Heaven. Please see Nadya if you need one! COME TO CHURCH April 7th at 8:00AM Do not let anything keep you from being with those joining your church of Christ the Saviour this morning in Baptism and Chrismation. In the first centuries this is the service where people became Christians! Holy Week is a time where Church comes before all else. What other time of year is like this? Give the Lord your Saturday morning and pray with these families as they become Orthodox. - Fr. JonathanMAKING TIME FOR HOLY WEEK:This the most sacred season of the Church, a time of extra services and extra prayers. Each day we walk with Christ from the upper room, into the Garden, to Cross, the Tomb, to Hades even, and then to rise up with His Life and Glory! Nothing should be more important to us than this week all year. So I encourage you to be strong and come to as many services as you can! Do you have children? If timing is an issue with school then see Fr. Jonathan for a note to give the school and take them out early. This is the Orthodox faith and our children will see how important it is to be near the Lord in this sacred week. FASTING DURING HOLY WEEK:1) Medical needs always take precedence with

fasting, so please see Fr. Jonathan if you have any concerns.2) All of Holy Week should be meatless. Try to Go dairy free and above all: love others and pray. Baked Goods: There will be baked items for sale to help Chrysanthi (Sarina) Goldie and George (Jared) Wiederholtz attend the Chicago Crossroad program. They must collectively raise 1700 for this 10 day Orthodox Retreat that is life-changing. Consider purchasing some cookies downstairs to help them out!

MEN’S BOOK-STUDY GROUPApril Book: Laurus - Russian NovelPARISH FAMILY BOOK STUDY:May Book: Parenting towards the Kingdom

Mother’s Day Lunch Sunday - May 13th: offered by the Brotherhood! (Men of the Church)Please join us as we honor our Grandmothers, mothers and Godmothers and women care givers of this Church.Sharing in the Joy of our Members:Chrysanthi (Sarina) Goldie will be awarded the highest honor in Girl Scouts (Gold Award) on April 28th and there will be a hometown Freeport celebration where everyone is invited! Dates/Times to come. ALSO, Chrysanthi has been selected out of over 100 nominations by the Commissioners of The Serve Illinois Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service to receive the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award! Ceremony Wed. April 18th Old State Capitol, Springfield, IL.

Next Sisterhood Meeting Sun. April 29th

April’s 3rd Basket offering helps our local food pantry: Carpenter’s Place

Orthodox Church

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY When the Lord cried: 'Lazarus!' the man awoke and lived. The Lord knows the name of each of us. If Adam knew the name of each one of God’s creatures, how could God not know each of us by name? Oh, sweet and life-giving voice of the only Lover of mankind! That voice can make sons of God out of Stones. How can it not wake us from the sleep of sin! -- St. Nicholai of Zica

PARISH PRAYER LIST: Mission Churches: St Nicholas Orthodox Mission, Kamloops, British Columbia

Living: Rev. Deacon Janke and Nina, Stephen, Jacob, Yvonne, Lamont, Lidia, Jamie, Sarah Sherry’s 33rd Military Police Battalion, Father Daniel Mathewson, Kira Wiederholtz, Tony, Victor, Roger, John, Amy Stokes, Lawrence, (Colleen: young

person with cancer for 2nd time) Glen and Kevin (Cancer) , Weira, Maria, Lidia, Mark(Fr. Jonathan’s brother), Simon + Family in Lebanon and Shawn, Kostas and Katina, Kirk. Pani Cyndi Ellis’s mother Cindy King and their families,.

For the Soul of the Recently Reposed: Maria. Lawrence, Valerie, Scott. Please pray!

Palm Sunday April 1stEVENING Bridegroom Matins 6PM

(Holy Week Begins)(Procession of Bridegroom Icon)

Holy Monday April 2nd

EVENING Bridegroom Matins 6PM

Holy Tuesday April 3rd

EVENING Bridegroom Matins6PM

Holy Wednesday April 4th

EVENING Sacrament of Holy Anointing 6PM

Holy Thursday April 5thMORNING Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil 8AM

(We celebrate the Last Supper in the Upper Room where Christ instituted Holy Communion

EVENING Matins of Holy Friday 6PM(Reading 12 Passion Gospels)

Holy Friday April 6thMORNING Royal Hours 8AM

EVENING Vespers 6PMChrist’s Crucifixion (Burial Procession)

Holy Saturday April 7thMORNING Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil 8AM (Harrowing of Hades - Christ enters Hades

bringing Life to Adam, Eve and everyone bound there!)

(Vestments Change from Black to White)(Throwing of Rose Petals / Bay Leaves)

1 BAPTISM AND 10 CHRISMATIONSto follow Liturgy!

EVENING Holy Resurrection Matins 7PM(Christ is Risen! Outdoor Procession w/Candles

SUNDAY APRIL 8th GREAT AND HOLY PASCHA

DIVINE LITURGY 10AMCHRIST IS RISEN!

CHRISTOS VOSKRESE!

Blessing of Pascha Baskets to follow.

Fellowship/Agape Meal in

Fellowship Hall Please Join us and invite visitors!

GREAT AND HOLY WEEK SERVICES EXPLAINED

DAY SERVICE SOMETHING ABOUT THE SERVICE:

SUNDAY NIGHTMONDAY NIGHT TUESDAY NIGHT

BRIDEGROOMMATINS

In Scripture we hear the Lord’s parable of the 10 wise virgins, 5 of whom prepared their lamps with oil, waiting for the Bridegroom to come for the wedding feast and 5 were not prepared and were not allowed in. No one knew when the Bridegroom would arrive so they had to be prepared and watchful. Christ as our Bridegroom marries humanity with divinity through coming to the cross and rising from the dead bringing us back to Paradise. We honor his Passion and love for us in these services that call Him Bridegroom.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT

HOLY UNCTION

(SACRAMENT)

Just as Christ’s feet were anointed by the sinful woman who was a harlot, preparing Him for His death (as the dead were anointed) we too are invited to be anointed. In this healing service of 7 gospels and 7 epistles we hear of Christ’s healing and forgiveness.

THURSDAY MORNING

DIVINE LITURGY

Thursday morning we meet Jesus in the upper room and celebrate the moment He initiated the Mystery of Communion offering bread and wine to become His Body and Blood for the first time as He communed with His Disciples.. Take and Eat.. Drink of this…

THURSDAY NIGHT

12 PASSION GOSPELS

Thursday evening we read every account of Christ’s passion and death on the cross which was on a Friday. Each day of Holy Week is celebrated a day early because we anticipate with joy the Lord’s coming.

FRIDAY MORNING

ROYAL HOURS

Friday morning we hear (First, Third, Sixth and Ninth Hours) read together as one service with the special Old Testament Prophecies, Gospel Accounts and Epistle Readings of Christ’s death.

FRIDAY NIGHT VESPERS(Procession)

The last sad moment of Great Lent: Friday night After Christ is taken down from the cross, we place Him in the tomb after the burial shroud procession outside. This is a service to God not to be missed

SATURDAY MORNING

VESPERAL LITURGY

(FIRST RESURRECTION)

Saturday morning is filled with JOY!! We hear many readings of Old Testament accounts that foreshadowed Christ’s rising form the dead like with Jonah and the Whale. Black vestments are changed to white and rose petals and bay leaves can be tossed showing the joy over Christ bringing His Light and Life to those in the tombs!!

SATURDAY NIGHT

PASCHALMATINS!

Tonight the message of Christ’s resurrection is read outside as it can not be contained by the walls of the church!! We process with candles and are watchful in hymns, wearing white vestments, the doors of the church are knocked on three times, as Christ knocked on the doors of hell that opened by His pure Life and freeing those held captive. CHRIST IS RISEN!!!!!!!!! CHRISTOS VOSKRESE!!