FEBRUARY 8 2015

EPISTLE 1 Corinthians 612-20 (135)st

GOSPEL St Luke 1511ndash22 (79)TONE 2

St Innocent Orthodox ChurchZ Founded in 1967 Z Patriarchal Parishes Z

23300 W Chicago _ Redford MI 48239 _ 313-538-1142 _ Fax 313-538-8126

Church Web Site wwwstinnocentchurchorg _ E-Mail frromanfirebirdvideoscom

St Innocent Monastic Community 9452 Hazelton Redford MI 48239 _ 313-535-9080

PASTOR Rt Rev Mitered Archpriest ROM AN STAR

Dean Central States Deanery Patriarchal Parishes

Cell Phone 313-319-0590

ASSISTANT PRIEST Rev DANEIL SHIRAK _ 313-295-3073

DEACON Rev Dn Michael Comerford

ATTACHED Sister Ioanna

CHOIR DIRECTOR Elizabeth Star

READERS Robert Joseph Latsko

George Hanoian

FOR THE Estelle amp Joseph Star Ellen Starinshak Anna amp John Witkowski Michael Sramp Margaret Rusko Mary Andrew

REPOSE OF Daniel Michael amp Lottie Yakuber Ross amp Margaret Falsetti Helen John amp Carole Andrayko Peter amp Theresa

Harvilla Marc Dade Betty Martell Frances Smoly Todd Smoly Peter Glover Irene Adams Ethel Elizabeth amp

MEMORY Wayne Joshua deVyver David Horka Michael Rusko Anna Lichagina Yelena amp Zinaiumlda Korniyevskaya Joseph

ETERNAL Nossal Michelle Tucker Edwin Rusko Rose Mary amp Dean Hough

Archpriest Paul White (newly departed Sunday Jan 25 )th

Fr Deacon Basil Frenchek (newly departed Thursday Jan 15 ) Deacon at St Paulrsquos Dearborn Htsth

Todd Michael Comerford whose Anniversary of his repose was last Wednesday 4 February

FOR THE Archimandrite Roman (Braga) (cancer) Igumen Seraphim Archpriest Lawrence Bacik Archpriest Paul Waters

HEALTH OF Archpriest Thomas Hopko Priest Daneil Matushka Debra amp Corrina Shirak Deacon Michael Matushka Mary Ellen

amp Julius Comerford Matushka Melanya Sviridov Matushka Mary Donahue Reader Robert Latsko (safe travel)

Reader George amp Betty Hanoian Jordan Manier Rose Nossal Mary Glover Nancy Cupp Deborah Dade Vasiliki

Stamoulis Gerald Martell Jaime Truskowski Azbehat Donald Yakuber Carl deVyver Jo Anne Nicholas Joan

Rusko Daria Alice Ladhu(cancer) Helen Hall (cancer) Julia Korniyevskaya amp her unborn-child Matushka Barbara

Frenchek (for loss of her husband) Michael Benton Mike Rusko Jr

ALSO FOR Archimandrite Ilrsquoya (Barna) who is in the hospital or nursing home Dn Michael amp Mat Mary Ellen Comerford who celebrated their Anniversary last Friday 6 February

MAY GOD GRANT THEM MANY YEARS

_ 915 AM mdash HOURS amp AKATHIST CONFESSIONS _

_10AM mdash DIVINE LITURGY OF ST JOHN CHRYSOSTOM _

SCHEDULE FOR THE COMING WEEKTODAY SUNDAY 28 after Liturgy Panikhida for Deacon Michaelrsquos son Todd Michael

Wednesday 211 7pm MOLEBEN

Saturday 214 4pm GREAT VESPERS amp CONFESSIONS

Sunday 215 3rd Pre-Lenten Sunday (Triodion 3)mdash Meatfare amp Last Judgment Sunday

915am Hours amp Canon or Akathist Confessions

10am DIVINE LITURGY followed by Coffee Hour 100 Pot-Luck amp Discussion at Monastic Community

_ PRODIGAL SON SUNDAY _ 2 PRE-LENTEN SUNDAY nd _

COMMEMORATED TODAY Afterfeast of the Meeting (Presentation) of Christ in the Temple Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates (ldquothe

Generalrdquomdash319) Prophet Zachariah (ca 520 BC) St Sava II Archbishop of Serbia (1269)

CHRIST IS AMONG US HE IS NOW AND EVER SHALL BE

PRODIGAL SON SUNDAYA Sermon by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh

A Sermon Delivered on 19 February 1984

In the Name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit

Time and again I have occasion to preach on the Parable of the Prodigal Sonon the story of the Publican and the Pharisee and every time I notice how easyit is for me mdash not in fact not in reality but in imagination mdash to identify withthe sinner who has found his way to God with the publican who stood broken-hearted at the gate of the church unable to walk even into the holy space ofGod or with the prodigal son who in spite of grievous sin of incredibleinsensitiveness of cruelty still found his way home

And how rarely I was touched to the quick by the destiny of the pharisee bythe destiny of the elder son mdash yet God condemned neither of the two Aboutthe publican He said And this man went home more forgiven more blessedthan the other one He did not say that the pharisee went without the love ofGod accompanying him that God was forgetting his faithfulness his sense ofdutiful obedience

And again today we find ourselves face-to-face with the elder son All his lifehe had lived side-by-side with his father all his life he had made his fathersinterests his concern mdash he had worked hard faithfully forgetful of self without paying attention to tiredness withoutclaiming any reward just because he felt it was right to do so There was something indeed lacking in him mdash a warmtha tenderness a joy in his father But there was one thing which is so impressive in him mdash his faithfulness in spite ofthe fact that his heart was not aglow he remained faithful In spite of the fact that he received no visible reward or novisible acknowledgment he remained faithful he worked as he says mdash he slaved

How hard we are when we think of him as of one who deserves little of our sympathy but how few of us are capableof being so faithful so perfectly and steadily obedient to the call of duty as he was when we are not met withrecognition do not hear a word of encouragement do not receive the slightest reward because as the father did withregard to the elder son those who surround us those whom we serve for whom we slave perhaps those whose interestis at the very center of our life take it for granted Isnt it natural Isnt he my son Isnt he my father Isnt he mybrother Isnt he my spouse Isnt he my friend Doesnt all this imply total unlimited devotion which is its own reward

How cruel we are so often to the people who surround us and who are put by us in the position of the elder son mdash neverrecognized and always expected to do the right thing unflinchingly and perfectly

Indeed the prodigal son had warmth the prodigal son had come back broken-hearted he was ready to become newwhile the other one could only go on plod on with his stem faithfulness unless mdash unless confronted with the fatherscompassion he understood what it meant that his younger brother had been truly dead and had come to life had beentruly lost and was found

Let us think of ourselves We all of us have someone around us whom we treat with the same coldness with which wethink of the elder brother but also all of us have someone whom we treat as contemptuously and harshly as the elderbrother treated his younger brother whom he had written off who was no brother to him he had been unfaithful to theirfather he was unforgivable And yet here was the father the victim of the sons rejection light-mindedness crueltywho forgave wholeheartedly and tenderly

Let us find our own place in this tragic and beautiful parable because then we may find our way either out of being theelder son though perhaps so much less dutiful so much less honest so much less devoted to the interests of our fatherour friends our relatives or else perhaps can we find in our heart a creative sympathy for the younger son and learnfrom him first that there is never a situation out of which a honest repentance a turn-about cannot bring us and that thereis one at least mdash God mdash and probably one person or many who are ready to receive us redeem us restore us and allowus to begin a new life together mdash father younger and elder brother Amen

ST PAISIOS OF MT ATHOS ON HUMBLENESS AND PATIENCE

From Hermitage of the Holy Cross Wayne WV e-Newsletter for January 2015

ldquoGod opposes the proud but gives grace to the humblerdquo (Jc 46)

Father Paisios used to say

- When we patiently endure our problems and turn to Godfor help we notice that He gives us the best possiblesolution Unfortunately in our days people are veryimpatient We do not love patience at all Christ assured ushowever that only the ones who are patient will inherit theKingdom of God (ldquohellipthey are those who hearing the wordhold it fast in an honest and good heart and bring forth fruitwith patiencerdquo Lk 815- ldquobut he who endures to the end willbe savedrdquo Mt 2413- ldquoby your endurance you will gain yourlivesrdquo Lk 2119)

ldquoSometimes God allows for a relative or a fellow worker tocause us problems in order to exercise our patience andhumbleness however instead of being grateful for thechance God gives us we react and refuse to be cured It islike refusing to pay the doctor who is giving us a shot when

we are illrdquo

ldquoThe good Christian must also endure his corrupt supervisors for they are amazed by his good behavior while they arebeing unfair to himrdquo

ldquoGod does not want us His children to be pestered He gives us temptations and hardships in order to become perfectTemptations will cease to exist in our life when we reach the level of perfectionrdquo

ldquoWe Christians ought to love afflictions and not try to get rid of them afflictions are necessary means leading to ourperfectionrdquo

ldquoWhen people treat us unjustly we must be happy because Godrsquos justice which is superior to human justice will protectus We should either seek human justice or patiently wait for the justice of God We must be careful however not topursue an unjust treatment because this would be unfair on our part and would indicate lack of love towards otherpeoplerdquo

ldquoIt is for our own benefit to hope for divine justice when treated unfairly and not react to the injustice done to us Notonly we will profit from this but later on our children will be benefitted as well However the opposite thing happenswhen people curse us and the curse is justrdquo

ldquoWhen God sees that we are proud and arrogant He allows for the presence of temptations in our life He will take themaway from us only when He sees that we humble ourselvesrdquo

When I first went to the monastery I wondered ldquoShould I humble myself and obey only the elder or the fathers as wellas the novice monksrdquo

One day while discussing with Father Paisios a relevant subject he said to me

- My mind tells me that even the animals are better than me so I humble myself and obey them Very early this morningbeing tired from praying all night and exhausted because of my illness I lay down to rest After a while I heard a kittenmeowing outside my cell as if she needed something I really wanted to rest but I humbled myself and went against myown will I obeyed the kitten and replied to her calling I went to open the door It had started to rain and I let her in soshe wouldnrsquot get wet What do you think then Should I obey the animals or not My thoughts tell me I should

- Elder should we practice obedience with discretion or obey with complete trust without questioning

He replied

-After we voluntarily submit ourselves to a good spiritual father who is humble and giving then we should obey himwithout questioning I will give you an example so that you may understand the way God functions in our lives Supposethe abbot tells you to go to Iviron Monastery and take the boat to run an errand at Lavra Monastery And you answer himaccording to your own logic ldquoFather donrsquot you think it would be of greater spiritual benefit for me to walk through themountain since I would be alone The boat is very crowded and I might be involved in useless conversation that wouldspiritually harm merdquo The abbot might tell you to do as you like because he does not wish to upset you You howevermust realize that you are acting according to your own will and you are not under his obedience Thus God may allowfor a mishap while you will be walking through the mountain ie to be bitten by a snake to fall and hurt your leg or getlost in order to teach you to be humble and not look selfishly after your own good but instead let Him do so On the otherhand if you did not express your own will and obeyed your abbot by taking the boat to Lavra Monastery then God wouldhave protected you and He would see that your encounter with the other people wouldnrsquot have spiritually harmed you

We should unhesitatingly trust and obey our spiritual fathers If we think over and examine with our own logic whateverthey say to us then we should know that we are not obedient to our spiritual father but rather to our judgment andopinion We must bear in mind that the grace of God is attracted by the simple-hearted people who humbly trust theirspiritual fathers and do not have confidence in their own thoughts

The aim of complete and trusting obedience of a monk to his Elder is the perfect purification of his mind and the totalsubmission of his own will to divine grace When a monk is granted this gift then the goal of obedience has been fulfilledand ldquohellipagainst such there is no lawrdquo (Gal 523)

Father Paisios said that the spiritual work of a Christian should focus on the acquirement of humbleness

- God loves man very much He knows very well the problems of each one of us and wishes to help us before we ask Himto do so Since God is omnipotent there are no difficulties which He cannot overcome except one The difficulty Godfaces and I repeat it is the only one is that He ldquocannotrdquo help us when our soul is not humble God ldquofeels sadrdquo becausewhile He sees His creature suffer He ldquocannotrdquo offer any help Whatever help He offers it will harm the person becausehe lacks a humble mind-set

Whatever happens to man depends absolutely on his humbleness For instance we see a man striving and finally beingsubdued by one of his passions God allows this to happen for only one reason because his soul is filled with conceitedthoughts and pride Perhaps this man hates this specific passion and fights really hard to get rid of it He will not achieveanything however because God does not help him and He will not help him unless he humbles himself Although hehates this specific passion he is subdued by pride which is the passion that introduces man to all other passions ldquoPrideis the cause of every passionrdquo [says] St John of the Ladder

Man wants to progress spiritually and asks God to give him love prayer obedience and all virtues We should be awarethat God will not give us what we are asking for no matter how hard we try unless we humble ourselves If our only aimis humility then God will give us everything for free

God wants and desires only one thing from us our humbleness He does not need anything else just to humble ourselvesso He can actually make us partakers of His divine grace which was granted to us through the mystery of Holy BaptismAlthough we did not love Him yet neither had we struggled to acquire His grace He gave it to us as a gift out of Hisextreme kindness He is only asking from us to humble ourselves and respond out of gratefulness and appreciation to Hislove Thus divine grace which abides in us will be activated and function accordingly It will make us love God andget to know Him it will do everything for us if we only humble ourselves and allow for it to act The only obstacle tothe energy of Godrsquos grace is our pride our lack of humility

St Peter in chapter 5 of his 1 Epistle helps us clearly understand our fault and tells us what we should do ldquoClothest

yourselves all of you with humility toward one another for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humbleHumble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God that in due time he may exalt you Cast all your anxietieson him for he cares about yourdquo (1Pt 5 5-7)

CANDLES FOR LAST SUNDAY 1 FEBRUARYCHURCH VIGIL LAMPSRoyal Doors Lamp In Memory of Husband Joe Son Kenneth parents Michael amp Margaret Rusko amp John amp Martha Nossal by Rose NossalAltar Candles In Memory of Nicholas and Susan Yakuber by son Donald YakuberIconostasis Lamps In Memory of Irene Adams by daughter Eileen AdamsCandles on the Solea In Memory of Pete amp Theresa Harvilla Norman amp Monica Holst amp Ricky Ellis by Jason amp Debra TruskowskiNave Reliquary-Icon Lamps (1) In Memory of Ross amp Margaret Falsetti by daughters Margie Martell amp Rose Ann EverhardtNave Reliquary-Icon Lamps (2) In Memory of Edwin Rusko by the Nossal FamilyTable of Oblation Lamp In Memory of parents Helen amp John Andrayko Sr amp sister Carole Andrayko by John Andrayko Jr

IN MEMORY OF (MEMORY ETERNAL)Joseph amp Estelle Star by son Father Roman and familyPaul amp Alexandra Yupco Basil amp Ellen Starinshak by grandson Father Roman and familyJohn amp Anna Witkowski by daughter Matushka Rose Marie and familySamuel amp Mary Kupec by granddaughter Matushka Rose Marie and familyParents Helen amp John Andrayko and sister Carole Andrayko by John AndraykoMy husband Joe my sisters Margaret amp Ross Falsetti Anna amp Mike Elaschat Theresa amp Pete Harvilla Irene amp brothers Michael John amp Edwin Rusko niece Rose Mary amp Dean Hough (newly departed) Joersquos brothers Raymond amp Walter Nossal amp sisters Theresa Florence amp Helen Nossal by Rose NPete amp Theresa Harvilla by Mary Ann amp Kay + + + My husband Michael Rusko by Joan RuskoParents Ethel Elizabeth amp Wayne Joshua deVyver David Horka Olive Brower Nina I Marion P Fr Photius Mo Benedicta Dn Basil by Sr IoannaNicholas amp Susan Yakuber (Memory Eternal) by son Donald Yakuber Sue amp Mary Wakefield (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber John Joe Rock (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber Nicholai amp Yelka Yakuber (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber Kathy Sedor (newly departed) (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber Pam Wright (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber Megan Madoffer (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber

FOR THE HEALTH OF (MANY YEARS)Elizabeth Lawrence Caitlin amp Zachary by parents amp grandparents Father Roman amp Matushka Rose Marie Gregory amp Tamiko Star by parents Father Roman amp Matushka Rose MarieChildren amp Grandchildren Monk Fr Tikhon (Dade) by Rose Nossal Father Roman amp Matushka amp family Sister Ioanna John Andrayko Nancy Mary G Jo Anne N Grandson Joey (in the Navy Reserves) amp all people in the Armed Forces amp all the people of St Innocent Church by Rose Nossal + + + My Mom Jaime Truskowski by Kay TFamily amp Friends Aunt Rose by Mary Ann H amp Kay + + + Brother Greg amp Donna Gregory amp Liz amp Alex by Mary Ann H amp KayArchimandrites Roman Nafanail amp Gregory Igumen Seraphim Fr Roman amp Mat Rose Marie Fr Lawrence amp fam Fr Daneil amp fam Dcn Michael amp fam Mat Melanya Sviridov Mat Mary Donahue Carl Fr Tikhon Sdn Andrew Rdr Robert Robert M David Samuel amp Sky Jo Anne amp Nick Martha Athanasius John A Lena N Jillian J Ed amp Tiffany Vasiliki Rose Emil amp fam Azbehat Yulia amp un-born baby Mat Barb F by Sr IoannaJay Nossal by Rose Nossal + + + John Andrayko (May God watch over him) by Rose Nossal + + + Rose Nossal by John AndraykoJune Rock (God Bless) by Donald YakuberNancy Cupp (God Bless) by Donald YakuberPat amp Jerry Wright (God Bless) by Donald YakuberTom Trail (God Bless) by Donald Yakuber

PROSFORA FOR TODAY IS OFFERED by Matushka Rose Marie amp Fr Roman

in Memory Eternal of Joseph amp Estelle Star Paul amp Alexandra Basil amp Ellen John amp Anna Samuel amp Mary Thomas amp Rose Olga Joseph

Marsha Richard Tom Marsha Julia George George Olga Joseph Ellen and all departed family members amp parishioners of St Innocent

and for the Health of Fr Roman (B-day 24) Mat Rose Marie (B-day 223) Elizabeth (B-day 223) Larry Caitlin Zachary Thomas

(B-day 33) Barbara Harry Gregory Tamiko all family members amp parishioners of St Innocent

PROSFORA SCHEDULE

2015 February Matushka Rose Marie March Libby Glover-Booher April Deborah Hartz May Vasiliki Stamoulis June John Andrayko

July Matushka Rose Marie August Sister Ioanna September Deborah Hartz October John Andrayko November Sister Ioanna December

Nicholas Family Thank you to Prosfora donors for 2015

ANNOUNCEMENTS(1) MONTHLY CALENDARS FOR FEB amp MARCH AVAILABLE ON WEBSITE at httpwwwstinnocentchurchcomcalendarhtml

(2) A RETREAT FOR ORTHODOX MEN ldquoA Spiritual amp Practical Look at Private Confessionrdquo led by Fr John Fenton Begins w

Vespers this coming Thurs 212 amp ends w Vespers on Sat 214 At Dormition Monastery Rives Junction $50 donation for meals amp lodging

requested See flyer at wwwcoccdetroitcom OR httpcoccdetroitcomfilesFlyers2015-event-flyersAd---Mens-Retreat-on-Confessionpdf

(3) OCW ANNUAL LUNCHEON Sunday Feb 8 200pm at St George Romanian Cath Southfield $25 See flyer atth

wwwcoccdetroitcom

(4) THE COCC SUNDAY EVENING LENTEN VESPERS SCHEDULE IS AVAILABLE See the PDF flyer at httpcoccdetroitcom

filesFlyers2015-event-flyersCOCC-2015-Lenten-Vespers-flyer-1pdf OR page 8 of the Jan-Feb ldquoGood Worksrdquo for a simpler easily printable

format httpcoccdetroitcomfilesGood20WorksCOCC-Good-Works- Jan-Feb-2015pdf

(5) THE JAN-FEB ISSUE OF THE COCCrsquoS BEAUTIFUL BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE ldquoGOOD WORKSrdquo IS NOW

AVAILABLE IN FULL-COLOR ON-LINE VIEW IT AT httpcoccdetroitcomgoodworkshtml Printed copies to be available soon

ST PAISIOS OF MT ATHOS ON HUMBLENESS AND PATIENCE

From Hermitage of the Holy Cross Wayne WV e-Newsletter for January 2015

ldquoGod opposes the proud but gives grace to the humblerdquo (Jc 46)

Father Paisios used to say

- When we patiently endure our problems and turn to Godfor help we notice that He gives us the best possiblesolution Unfortunately in our days people are veryimpatient We do not love patience at all Christ assured ushowever that only the ones who are patient will inherit theKingdom of God (ldquohellipthey are those who hearing the wordhold it fast in an honest and good heart and bring forth fruitwith patiencerdquo Lk 815- ldquobut he who endures to the end willbe savedrdquo Mt 2413- ldquoby your endurance you will gain yourlivesrdquo Lk 2119)

ldquoSometimes God allows for a relative or a fellow worker tocause us problems in order to exercise our patience andhumbleness however instead of being grateful for thechance God gives us we react and refuse to be cured It islike refusing to pay the doctor who is giving us a shot when

we are illrdquo

ldquoThe good Christian must also endure his corrupt supervisors for they are amazed by his good behavior while they arebeing unfair to himrdquo

ldquoGod does not want us His children to be pestered He gives us temptations and hardships in order to become perfectTemptations will cease to exist in our life when we reach the level of perfectionrdquo

ldquoWe Christians ought to love afflictions and not try to get rid of them afflictions are necessary means leading to ourperfectionrdquo

ldquoWhen people treat us unjustly we must be happy because Godrsquos justice which is superior to human justice will protectus We should either seek human justice or patiently wait for the justice of God We must be careful however not topursue an unjust treatment because this would be unfair on our part and would indicate lack of love towards otherpeoplerdquo

ldquoIt is for our own benefit to hope for divine justice when treated unfairly and not react to the injustice done to us Notonly we will profit from this but later on our children will be benefitted as well However the opposite thing happenswhen people curse us and the curse is justrdquo

ldquoWhen God sees that we are proud and arrogant He allows for the presence of temptations in our life He will take themaway from us only when He sees that we humble ourselvesrdquo

When I first went to the monastery I wondered ldquoShould I humble myself and obey only the elder or the fathers as wellas the novice monksrdquo

One day while discussing with Father Paisios a relevant subject he said to me

- My mind tells me that even the animals are better than me so I humble myself and obey them Very early this morningbeing tired from praying all night and exhausted because of my illness I lay down to rest After a while I heard a kittenmeowing outside my cell as if she needed something I really wanted to rest but I humbled myself and went against myown will I obeyed the kitten and replied to her calling I went to open the door It had started to rain and I let her in soshe wouldnrsquot get wet What do you think then Should I obey the animals or not My thoughts tell me I should

- Elder should we practice obedience with discretion or obey with complete trust without questioning

He replied

-After we voluntarily submit ourselves to a good spiritual father who is humble and giving then we should obey himwithout questioning I will give you an example so that you may understand the way God functions in our lives Supposethe abbot tells you to go to Iviron Monastery and take the boat to run an errand at Lavra Monastery And you answer himaccording to your own logic ldquoFather donrsquot you think it would be of greater spiritual benefit for me to walk through themountain since I would be alone The boat is very crowded and I might be involved in useless conversation that wouldspiritually harm merdquo The abbot might tell you to do as you like because he does not wish to upset you You howevermust realize that you are acting according to your own will and you are not under his obedience Thus God may allowfor a mishap while you will be walking through the mountain ie to be bitten by a snake to fall and hurt your leg or getlost in order to teach you to be humble and not look selfishly after your own good but instead let Him do so On the otherhand if you did not express your own will and obeyed your abbot by taking the boat to Lavra Monastery then God wouldhave protected you and He would see that your encounter with the other people wouldnrsquot have spiritually harmed you

We should unhesitatingly trust and obey our spiritual fathers If we think over and examine with our own logic whateverthey say to us then we should know that we are not obedient to our spiritual father but rather to our judgment andopinion We must bear in mind that the grace of God is attracted by the simple-hearted people who humbly trust theirspiritual fathers and do not have confidence in their own thoughts

The aim of complete and trusting obedience of a monk to his Elder is the perfect purification of his mind and the totalsubmission of his own will to divine grace When a monk is granted this gift then the goal of obedience has been fulfilledand ldquohellipagainst such there is no lawrdquo (Gal 523)

Father Paisios said that the spiritual work of a Christian should focus on the acquirement of humbleness

- God loves man very much He knows very well the problems of each one of us and wishes to help us before we ask Himto do so Since God is omnipotent there are no difficulties which He cannot overcome except one The difficulty Godfaces and I repeat it is the only one is that He ldquocannotrdquo help us when our soul is not humble God ldquofeels sadrdquo becausewhile He sees His creature suffer He ldquocannotrdquo offer any help Whatever help He offers it will harm the person becausehe lacks a humble mind-set

Whatever happens to man depends absolutely on his humbleness For instance we see a man striving and finally beingsubdued by one of his passions God allows this to happen for only one reason because his soul is filled with conceitedthoughts and pride Perhaps this man hates this specific passion and fights really hard to get rid of it He will not achieveanything however because God does not help him and He will not help him unless he humbles himself Although hehates this specific passion he is subdued by pride which is the passion that introduces man to all other passions ldquoPrideis the cause of every passionrdquo [says] St John of the Ladder

Man wants to progress spiritually and asks God to give him love prayer obedience and all virtues We should be awarethat God will not give us what we are asking for no matter how hard we try unless we humble ourselves If our only aimis humility then God will give us everything for free

God wants and desires only one thing from us our humbleness He does not need anything else just to humble ourselvesso He can actually make us partakers of His divine grace which was granted to us through the mystery of Holy BaptismAlthough we did not love Him yet neither had we struggled to acquire His grace He gave it to us as a gift out of Hisextreme kindness He is only asking from us to humble ourselves and respond out of gratefulness and appreciation to Hislove Thus divine grace which abides in us will be activated and function accordingly It will make us love God andget to know Him it will do everything for us if we only humble ourselves and allow for it to act The only obstacle tothe energy of Godrsquos grace is our pride our lack of humility

St Peter in chapter 5 of his 1 Epistle helps us clearly understand our fault and tells us what we should do ldquoClothest

yourselves all of you with humility toward one another for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humbleHumble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God that in due time he may exalt you Cast all your anxietieson him for he cares about yourdquo (1Pt 5 5-7)

CANDLES FOR LAST SUNDAY 1 FEBRUARYCHURCH VIGIL LAMPSRoyal Doors Lamp In Memory of Husband Joe Son Kenneth parents Michael amp Margaret Rusko amp John amp Martha Nossal by Rose NossalAltar Candles In Memory of Nicholas and Susan Yakuber by son Donald YakuberIconostasis Lamps In Memory of Irene Adams by daughter Eileen AdamsCandles on the Solea In Memory of Pete amp Theresa Harvilla Norman amp Monica Holst amp Ricky Ellis by Jason amp Debra TruskowskiNave Reliquary-Icon Lamps (1) In Memory of Ross amp Margaret Falsetti by daughters Margie Martell amp Rose Ann EverhardtNave Reliquary-Icon Lamps (2) In Memory of Edwin Rusko by the Nossal FamilyTable of Oblation Lamp In Memory of parents Helen amp John Andrayko Sr amp sister Carole Andrayko by John Andrayko Jr

IN MEMORY OF (MEMORY ETERNAL)Joseph amp Estelle Star by son Father Roman and familyPaul amp Alexandra Yupco Basil amp Ellen Starinshak by grandson Father Roman and familyJohn amp Anna Witkowski by daughter Matushka Rose Marie and familySamuel amp Mary Kupec by granddaughter Matushka Rose Marie and familyParents Helen amp John Andrayko and sister Carole Andrayko by John AndraykoMy husband Joe my sisters Margaret amp Ross Falsetti Anna amp Mike Elaschat Theresa amp Pete Harvilla Irene amp brothers Michael John amp Edwin Rusko niece Rose Mary amp Dean Hough (newly departed) Joersquos brothers Raymond amp Walter Nossal amp sisters Theresa Florence amp Helen Nossal by Rose NPete amp Theresa Harvilla by Mary Ann amp Kay + + + My husband Michael Rusko by Joan RuskoParents Ethel Elizabeth amp Wayne Joshua deVyver David Horka Olive Brower Nina I Marion P Fr Photius Mo Benedicta Dn Basil by Sr IoannaNicholas amp Susan Yakuber (Memory Eternal) by son Donald Yakuber Sue amp Mary Wakefield (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber John Joe Rock (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber Nicholai amp Yelka Yakuber (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber Kathy Sedor (newly departed) (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber Pam Wright (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber Megan Madoffer (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber

FOR THE HEALTH OF (MANY YEARS)Elizabeth Lawrence Caitlin amp Zachary by parents amp grandparents Father Roman amp Matushka Rose Marie Gregory amp Tamiko Star by parents Father Roman amp Matushka Rose MarieChildren amp Grandchildren Monk Fr Tikhon (Dade) by Rose Nossal Father Roman amp Matushka amp family Sister Ioanna John Andrayko Nancy Mary G Jo Anne N Grandson Joey (in the Navy Reserves) amp all people in the Armed Forces amp all the people of St Innocent Church by Rose Nossal + + + My Mom Jaime Truskowski by Kay TFamily amp Friends Aunt Rose by Mary Ann H amp Kay + + + Brother Greg amp Donna Gregory amp Liz amp Alex by Mary Ann H amp KayArchimandrites Roman Nafanail amp Gregory Igumen Seraphim Fr Roman amp Mat Rose Marie Fr Lawrence amp fam Fr Daneil amp fam Dcn Michael amp fam Mat Melanya Sviridov Mat Mary Donahue Carl Fr Tikhon Sdn Andrew Rdr Robert Robert M David Samuel amp Sky Jo Anne amp Nick Martha Athanasius John A Lena N Jillian J Ed amp Tiffany Vasiliki Rose Emil amp fam Azbehat Yulia amp un-born baby Mat Barb F by Sr IoannaJay Nossal by Rose Nossal + + + John Andrayko (May God watch over him) by Rose Nossal + + + Rose Nossal by John AndraykoJune Rock (God Bless) by Donald YakuberNancy Cupp (God Bless) by Donald YakuberPat amp Jerry Wright (God Bless) by Donald YakuberTom Trail (God Bless) by Donald Yakuber

PROSFORA FOR TODAY IS OFFERED by Matushka Rose Marie amp Fr Roman

in Memory Eternal of Joseph amp Estelle Star Paul amp Alexandra Basil amp Ellen John amp Anna Samuel amp Mary Thomas amp Rose Olga Joseph

Marsha Richard Tom Marsha Julia George George Olga Joseph Ellen and all departed family members amp parishioners of St Innocent

and for the Health of Fr Roman (B-day 24) Mat Rose Marie (B-day 223) Elizabeth (B-day 223) Larry Caitlin Zachary Thomas

(B-day 33) Barbara Harry Gregory Tamiko all family members amp parishioners of St Innocent

PROSFORA SCHEDULE

2015 February Matushka Rose Marie March Libby Glover-Booher April Deborah Hartz May Vasiliki Stamoulis June John Andrayko

July Matushka Rose Marie August Sister Ioanna September Deborah Hartz October John Andrayko November Sister Ioanna December

Nicholas Family Thank you to Prosfora donors for 2015

ANNOUNCEMENTS(1) MONTHLY CALENDARS FOR FEB amp MARCH AVAILABLE ON WEBSITE at httpwwwstinnocentchurchcomcalendarhtml

(2) A RETREAT FOR ORTHODOX MEN ldquoA Spiritual amp Practical Look at Private Confessionrdquo led by Fr John Fenton Begins w

Vespers this coming Thurs 212 amp ends w Vespers on Sat 214 At Dormition Monastery Rives Junction $50 donation for meals amp lodging

requested See flyer at wwwcoccdetroitcom OR httpcoccdetroitcomfilesFlyers2015-event-flyersAd---Mens-Retreat-on-Confessionpdf

(3) OCW ANNUAL LUNCHEON Sunday Feb 8 200pm at St George Romanian Cath Southfield $25 See flyer atth

wwwcoccdetroitcom

(4) THE COCC SUNDAY EVENING LENTEN VESPERS SCHEDULE IS AVAILABLE See the PDF flyer at httpcoccdetroitcom

filesFlyers2015-event-flyersCOCC-2015-Lenten-Vespers-flyer-1pdf OR page 8 of the Jan-Feb ldquoGood Worksrdquo for a simpler easily printable

format httpcoccdetroitcomfilesGood20WorksCOCC-Good-Works- Jan-Feb-2015pdf

(5) THE JAN-FEB ISSUE OF THE COCCrsquoS BEAUTIFUL BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE ldquoGOOD WORKSrdquo IS NOW

AVAILABLE IN FULL-COLOR ON-LINE VIEW IT AT httpcoccdetroitcomgoodworkshtml Printed copies to be available soon

- Elder should we practice obedience with discretion or obey with complete trust without questioning

He replied

-After we voluntarily submit ourselves to a good spiritual father who is humble and giving then we should obey himwithout questioning I will give you an example so that you may understand the way God functions in our lives Supposethe abbot tells you to go to Iviron Monastery and take the boat to run an errand at Lavra Monastery And you answer himaccording to your own logic ldquoFather donrsquot you think it would be of greater spiritual benefit for me to walk through themountain since I would be alone The boat is very crowded and I might be involved in useless conversation that wouldspiritually harm merdquo The abbot might tell you to do as you like because he does not wish to upset you You howevermust realize that you are acting according to your own will and you are not under his obedience Thus God may allowfor a mishap while you will be walking through the mountain ie to be bitten by a snake to fall and hurt your leg or getlost in order to teach you to be humble and not look selfishly after your own good but instead let Him do so On the otherhand if you did not express your own will and obeyed your abbot by taking the boat to Lavra Monastery then God wouldhave protected you and He would see that your encounter with the other people wouldnrsquot have spiritually harmed you

We should unhesitatingly trust and obey our spiritual fathers If we think over and examine with our own logic whateverthey say to us then we should know that we are not obedient to our spiritual father but rather to our judgment andopinion We must bear in mind that the grace of God is attracted by the simple-hearted people who humbly trust theirspiritual fathers and do not have confidence in their own thoughts

The aim of complete and trusting obedience of a monk to his Elder is the perfect purification of his mind and the totalsubmission of his own will to divine grace When a monk is granted this gift then the goal of obedience has been fulfilledand ldquohellipagainst such there is no lawrdquo (Gal 523)

Father Paisios said that the spiritual work of a Christian should focus on the acquirement of humbleness

- God loves man very much He knows very well the problems of each one of us and wishes to help us before we ask Himto do so Since God is omnipotent there are no difficulties which He cannot overcome except one The difficulty Godfaces and I repeat it is the only one is that He ldquocannotrdquo help us when our soul is not humble God ldquofeels sadrdquo becausewhile He sees His creature suffer He ldquocannotrdquo offer any help Whatever help He offers it will harm the person becausehe lacks a humble mind-set

Whatever happens to man depends absolutely on his humbleness For instance we see a man striving and finally beingsubdued by one of his passions God allows this to happen for only one reason because his soul is filled with conceitedthoughts and pride Perhaps this man hates this specific passion and fights really hard to get rid of it He will not achieveanything however because God does not help him and He will not help him unless he humbles himself Although hehates this specific passion he is subdued by pride which is the passion that introduces man to all other passions ldquoPrideis the cause of every passionrdquo [says] St John of the Ladder

Man wants to progress spiritually and asks God to give him love prayer obedience and all virtues We should be awarethat God will not give us what we are asking for no matter how hard we try unless we humble ourselves If our only aimis humility then God will give us everything for free

God wants and desires only one thing from us our humbleness He does not need anything else just to humble ourselvesso He can actually make us partakers of His divine grace which was granted to us through the mystery of Holy BaptismAlthough we did not love Him yet neither had we struggled to acquire His grace He gave it to us as a gift out of Hisextreme kindness He is only asking from us to humble ourselves and respond out of gratefulness and appreciation to Hislove Thus divine grace which abides in us will be activated and function accordingly It will make us love God andget to know Him it will do everything for us if we only humble ourselves and allow for it to act The only obstacle tothe energy of Godrsquos grace is our pride our lack of humility

St Peter in chapter 5 of his 1 Epistle helps us clearly understand our fault and tells us what we should do ldquoClothest

yourselves all of you with humility toward one another for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humbleHumble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God that in due time he may exalt you Cast all your anxietieson him for he cares about yourdquo (1Pt 5 5-7)

CANDLES FOR LAST SUNDAY 1 FEBRUARYCHURCH VIGIL LAMPSRoyal Doors Lamp In Memory of Husband Joe Son Kenneth parents Michael amp Margaret Rusko amp John amp Martha Nossal by Rose NossalAltar Candles In Memory of Nicholas and Susan Yakuber by son Donald YakuberIconostasis Lamps In Memory of Irene Adams by daughter Eileen AdamsCandles on the Solea In Memory of Pete amp Theresa Harvilla Norman amp Monica Holst amp Ricky Ellis by Jason amp Debra TruskowskiNave Reliquary-Icon Lamps (1) In Memory of Ross amp Margaret Falsetti by daughters Margie Martell amp Rose Ann EverhardtNave Reliquary-Icon Lamps (2) In Memory of Edwin Rusko by the Nossal FamilyTable of Oblation Lamp In Memory of parents Helen amp John Andrayko Sr amp sister Carole Andrayko by John Andrayko Jr

IN MEMORY OF (MEMORY ETERNAL)Joseph amp Estelle Star by son Father Roman and familyPaul amp Alexandra Yupco Basil amp Ellen Starinshak by grandson Father Roman and familyJohn amp Anna Witkowski by daughter Matushka Rose Marie and familySamuel amp Mary Kupec by granddaughter Matushka Rose Marie and familyParents Helen amp John Andrayko and sister Carole Andrayko by John AndraykoMy husband Joe my sisters Margaret amp Ross Falsetti Anna amp Mike Elaschat Theresa amp Pete Harvilla Irene amp brothers Michael John amp Edwin Rusko niece Rose Mary amp Dean Hough (newly departed) Joersquos brothers Raymond amp Walter Nossal amp sisters Theresa Florence amp Helen Nossal by Rose NPete amp Theresa Harvilla by Mary Ann amp Kay + + + My husband Michael Rusko by Joan RuskoParents Ethel Elizabeth amp Wayne Joshua deVyver David Horka Olive Brower Nina I Marion P Fr Photius Mo Benedicta Dn Basil by Sr IoannaNicholas amp Susan Yakuber (Memory Eternal) by son Donald Yakuber Sue amp Mary Wakefield (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber John Joe Rock (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber Nicholai amp Yelka Yakuber (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber Kathy Sedor (newly departed) (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber Pam Wright (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber Megan Madoffer (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber

FOR THE HEALTH OF (MANY YEARS)Elizabeth Lawrence Caitlin amp Zachary by parents amp grandparents Father Roman amp Matushka Rose Marie Gregory amp Tamiko Star by parents Father Roman amp Matushka Rose MarieChildren amp Grandchildren Monk Fr Tikhon (Dade) by Rose Nossal Father Roman amp Matushka amp family Sister Ioanna John Andrayko Nancy Mary G Jo Anne N Grandson Joey (in the Navy Reserves) amp all people in the Armed Forces amp all the people of St Innocent Church by Rose Nossal + + + My Mom Jaime Truskowski by Kay TFamily amp Friends Aunt Rose by Mary Ann H amp Kay + + + Brother Greg amp Donna Gregory amp Liz amp Alex by Mary Ann H amp KayArchimandrites Roman Nafanail amp Gregory Igumen Seraphim Fr Roman amp Mat Rose Marie Fr Lawrence amp fam Fr Daneil amp fam Dcn Michael amp fam Mat Melanya Sviridov Mat Mary Donahue Carl Fr Tikhon Sdn Andrew Rdr Robert Robert M David Samuel amp Sky Jo Anne amp Nick Martha Athanasius John A Lena N Jillian J Ed amp Tiffany Vasiliki Rose Emil amp fam Azbehat Yulia amp un-born baby Mat Barb F by Sr IoannaJay Nossal by Rose Nossal + + + John Andrayko (May God watch over him) by Rose Nossal + + + Rose Nossal by John AndraykoJune Rock (God Bless) by Donald YakuberNancy Cupp (God Bless) by Donald YakuberPat amp Jerry Wright (God Bless) by Donald YakuberTom Trail (God Bless) by Donald Yakuber

PROSFORA FOR TODAY IS OFFERED by Matushka Rose Marie amp Fr Roman

in Memory Eternal of Joseph amp Estelle Star Paul amp Alexandra Basil amp Ellen John amp Anna Samuel amp Mary Thomas amp Rose Olga Joseph

Marsha Richard Tom Marsha Julia George George Olga Joseph Ellen and all departed family members amp parishioners of St Innocent

and for the Health of Fr Roman (B-day 24) Mat Rose Marie (B-day 223) Elizabeth (B-day 223) Larry Caitlin Zachary Thomas

(B-day 33) Barbara Harry Gregory Tamiko all family members amp parishioners of St Innocent

PROSFORA SCHEDULE

2015 February Matushka Rose Marie March Libby Glover-Booher April Deborah Hartz May Vasiliki Stamoulis June John Andrayko

July Matushka Rose Marie August Sister Ioanna September Deborah Hartz October John Andrayko November Sister Ioanna December

Nicholas Family Thank you to Prosfora donors for 2015

ANNOUNCEMENTS(1) MONTHLY CALENDARS FOR FEB amp MARCH AVAILABLE ON WEBSITE at httpwwwstinnocentchurchcomcalendarhtml

(2) A RETREAT FOR ORTHODOX MEN ldquoA Spiritual amp Practical Look at Private Confessionrdquo led by Fr John Fenton Begins w

Vespers this coming Thurs 212 amp ends w Vespers on Sat 214 At Dormition Monastery Rives Junction $50 donation for meals amp lodging

requested See flyer at wwwcoccdetroitcom OR httpcoccdetroitcomfilesFlyers2015-event-flyersAd---Mens-Retreat-on-Confessionpdf

(3) OCW ANNUAL LUNCHEON Sunday Feb 8 200pm at St George Romanian Cath Southfield $25 See flyer atth

wwwcoccdetroitcom

(4) THE COCC SUNDAY EVENING LENTEN VESPERS SCHEDULE IS AVAILABLE See the PDF flyer at httpcoccdetroitcom

filesFlyers2015-event-flyersCOCC-2015-Lenten-Vespers-flyer-1pdf OR page 8 of the Jan-Feb ldquoGood Worksrdquo for a simpler easily printable

format httpcoccdetroitcomfilesGood20WorksCOCC-Good-Works- Jan-Feb-2015pdf

(5) THE JAN-FEB ISSUE OF THE COCCrsquoS BEAUTIFUL BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE ldquoGOOD WORKSrdquo IS NOW

AVAILABLE IN FULL-COLOR ON-LINE VIEW IT AT httpcoccdetroitcomgoodworkshtml Printed copies to be available soon

CANDLES FOR LAST SUNDAY 1 FEBRUARYCHURCH VIGIL LAMPSRoyal Doors Lamp In Memory of Husband Joe Son Kenneth parents Michael amp Margaret Rusko amp John amp Martha Nossal by Rose NossalAltar Candles In Memory of Nicholas and Susan Yakuber by son Donald YakuberIconostasis Lamps In Memory of Irene Adams by daughter Eileen AdamsCandles on the Solea In Memory of Pete amp Theresa Harvilla Norman amp Monica Holst amp Ricky Ellis by Jason amp Debra TruskowskiNave Reliquary-Icon Lamps (1) In Memory of Ross amp Margaret Falsetti by daughters Margie Martell amp Rose Ann EverhardtNave Reliquary-Icon Lamps (2) In Memory of Edwin Rusko by the Nossal FamilyTable of Oblation Lamp In Memory of parents Helen amp John Andrayko Sr amp sister Carole Andrayko by John Andrayko Jr

IN MEMORY OF (MEMORY ETERNAL)Joseph amp Estelle Star by son Father Roman and familyPaul amp Alexandra Yupco Basil amp Ellen Starinshak by grandson Father Roman and familyJohn amp Anna Witkowski by daughter Matushka Rose Marie and familySamuel amp Mary Kupec by granddaughter Matushka Rose Marie and familyParents Helen amp John Andrayko and sister Carole Andrayko by John AndraykoMy husband Joe my sisters Margaret amp Ross Falsetti Anna amp Mike Elaschat Theresa amp Pete Harvilla Irene amp brothers Michael John amp Edwin Rusko niece Rose Mary amp Dean Hough (newly departed) Joersquos brothers Raymond amp Walter Nossal amp sisters Theresa Florence amp Helen Nossal by Rose NPete amp Theresa Harvilla by Mary Ann amp Kay + + + My husband Michael Rusko by Joan RuskoParents Ethel Elizabeth amp Wayne Joshua deVyver David Horka Olive Brower Nina I Marion P Fr Photius Mo Benedicta Dn Basil by Sr IoannaNicholas amp Susan Yakuber (Memory Eternal) by son Donald Yakuber Sue amp Mary Wakefield (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber John Joe Rock (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber Nicholai amp Yelka Yakuber (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber Kathy Sedor (newly departed) (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber Pam Wright (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber Megan Madoffer (Memory Eternal) by Donald Yakuber

FOR THE HEALTH OF (MANY YEARS)Elizabeth Lawrence Caitlin amp Zachary by parents amp grandparents Father Roman amp Matushka Rose Marie Gregory amp Tamiko Star by parents Father Roman amp Matushka Rose MarieChildren amp Grandchildren Monk Fr Tikhon (Dade) by Rose Nossal Father Roman amp Matushka amp family Sister Ioanna John Andrayko Nancy Mary G Jo Anne N Grandson Joey (in the Navy Reserves) amp all people in the Armed Forces amp all the people of St Innocent Church by Rose Nossal + + + My Mom Jaime Truskowski by Kay TFamily amp Friends Aunt Rose by Mary Ann H amp Kay + + + Brother Greg amp Donna Gregory amp Liz amp Alex by Mary Ann H amp KayArchimandrites Roman Nafanail amp Gregory Igumen Seraphim Fr Roman amp Mat Rose Marie Fr Lawrence amp fam Fr Daneil amp fam Dcn Michael amp fam Mat Melanya Sviridov Mat Mary Donahue Carl Fr Tikhon Sdn Andrew Rdr Robert Robert M David Samuel amp Sky Jo Anne amp Nick Martha Athanasius John A Lena N Jillian J Ed amp Tiffany Vasiliki Rose Emil amp fam Azbehat Yulia amp un-born baby Mat Barb F by Sr IoannaJay Nossal by Rose Nossal + + + John Andrayko (May God watch over him) by Rose Nossal + + + Rose Nossal by John AndraykoJune Rock (God Bless) by Donald YakuberNancy Cupp (God Bless) by Donald YakuberPat amp Jerry Wright (God Bless) by Donald YakuberTom Trail (God Bless) by Donald Yakuber

PROSFORA FOR TODAY IS OFFERED by Matushka Rose Marie amp Fr Roman

in Memory Eternal of Joseph amp Estelle Star Paul amp Alexandra Basil amp Ellen John amp Anna Samuel amp Mary Thomas amp Rose Olga Joseph

Marsha Richard Tom Marsha Julia George George Olga Joseph Ellen and all departed family members amp parishioners of St Innocent

and for the Health of Fr Roman (B-day 24) Mat Rose Marie (B-day 223) Elizabeth (B-day 223) Larry Caitlin Zachary Thomas

(B-day 33) Barbara Harry Gregory Tamiko all family members amp parishioners of St Innocent

PROSFORA SCHEDULE

2015 February Matushka Rose Marie March Libby Glover-Booher April Deborah Hartz May Vasiliki Stamoulis June John Andrayko

July Matushka Rose Marie August Sister Ioanna September Deborah Hartz October John Andrayko November Sister Ioanna December

Nicholas Family Thank you to Prosfora donors for 2015

ANNOUNCEMENTS(1) MONTHLY CALENDARS FOR FEB amp MARCH AVAILABLE ON WEBSITE at httpwwwstinnocentchurchcomcalendarhtml

(2) A RETREAT FOR ORTHODOX MEN ldquoA Spiritual amp Practical Look at Private Confessionrdquo led by Fr John Fenton Begins w

Vespers this coming Thurs 212 amp ends w Vespers on Sat 214 At Dormition Monastery Rives Junction $50 donation for meals amp lodging

requested See flyer at wwwcoccdetroitcom OR httpcoccdetroitcomfilesFlyers2015-event-flyersAd---Mens-Retreat-on-Confessionpdf

(3) OCW ANNUAL LUNCHEON Sunday Feb 8 200pm at St George Romanian Cath Southfield $25 See flyer atth

wwwcoccdetroitcom

(4) THE COCC SUNDAY EVENING LENTEN VESPERS SCHEDULE IS AVAILABLE See the PDF flyer at httpcoccdetroitcom

filesFlyers2015-event-flyersCOCC-2015-Lenten-Vespers-flyer-1pdf OR page 8 of the Jan-Feb ldquoGood Worksrdquo for a simpler easily printable

format httpcoccdetroitcomfilesGood20WorksCOCC-Good-Works- Jan-Feb-2015pdf

(5) THE JAN-FEB ISSUE OF THE COCCrsquoS BEAUTIFUL BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE ldquoGOOD WORKSrdquo IS NOW

AVAILABLE IN FULL-COLOR ON-LINE VIEW IT AT httpcoccdetroitcomgoodworkshtml Printed copies to be available soon

SCHEDULE OF UP-COMING SERVICES FEASTS amp EVENTS

(In addition to regular weekly 7pm Wednesday Service 4pm Saturday Great Vespers 10am Sunday Liturgy)

TODAY Sunday February 8 Prodigal Son Sunday PANIKHIDA FOR DN MICHAELrsquoS SON AFTER LITURGYth

Sunday February 8 2pm Annual Feast Day Luncheon of the OCW (Orthodox Christian Women) St George RomCath Sthfld $25th

Tuesday February 10 7pm COCC Monthly Meeting at Ss Peter amp Paul Romanian Church Beech Daly Dearborn Htsth

Thursday February 12 - 14 A Retreat for Orthodox Men ldquoA Spiritual amp Practical Look at Private Confessionrdquo led by Fr John th th

Fenton at Dormition Monastery in Rives Junction ($50 donation requested for room and meals) begins amp ends wVespers

Saturday February 14 10am SOUL-SATURDAY MEMORIAL DIVINE LITURGY FOR THE DEPARTED (1 of 4)th

Sunday February 15 Last Judgment amp Meatfare Sunday (last day to eat meat until Pascha fish amp dairy allowed Wed amp Fri this week)th

Sunday February 15 After Coffee Hour (100) Monthly Pot-luck Lunch amp Discussion at St Innocent Monastic Communityth

Sunday February 22 Cheesefare Forgiveness Sunday (last day to eat fish eggs and dairy products until Pascha)nd

930am GENERAL EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE CONFESSIONS amp ABSOLUTIONS

Immediately after Liturgy Forgiveness Sunday Vespers

Monday February 23 THE GREAT LENTEN FAST BEGINSrd

630pm CANON OF ST ANDREW OF CRETE amp GREAT COMPLINE

Tuesday February 24 630pm CANON OF ST ANDREW OF CRETE amp GREAT COMPLINEth

Wednesday February 25 630pm PRESANCTIFIED LITURGY 1 at St Paulrsquos Beech Daly Dearborn Hts pot-luck meal followsth

Thursday February 26 630pm CANON OF ST ANDREW OF CRETE amp GREAT COMPLINEth

Sunday March 1 1 Sunday of the Great Fast Triumph of Orthodoxyst st

6pm COCC LENTEN VESPERS 1 St Maryrsquos Livonia Speaker Fr Michael Aleksa (from Alaska)

Wednesday March 4 630pm PRESANCTIFIED LITURGY 2 at St Innocent pot-luck meal followsth

Saturday March 7 10am SOUL-SATURDAY MEMORIAL DIVINE LITURGY FOR THE DEPARTED (2 of 4)th

Sunday March 8 2 Sunday of the Great Fast St Gregory Palamasth nd

930am GENERAL EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE CONFESSIONS amp ABSOLUTIONS

6pm COCC LENTEN VESPERS 2 St Stefan Decanski Warren Speaker Fr Radomir Obsenica

Wednesday March 11 630pm PRESANCTIFIED LITURGY 3 at St Paulrsquos Beech Daly Dearborn Hts pot-luck meal followsth

Saturday March 14 10am SOUL-SATURDAY MEMORIAL DIVINE LITURGY FOR THE DEPARTED (3 of 4)th

Sunday March 8 3 Sunday of the Great Fast Veneration of the Holy Crossth rd

6pm COCC LENTEN VESPERS 3 St Thomas Farmington Hills Speaker Fr Michael Butler

Wednesday March 18 630pm PRESANCTIFIED LITURGY 4 at St Innocent pot-luck meal followsth

Saturday March 21 10am SOUL-SATURDAY MEMORIAL DIVINE LITURGY FOR THE DEPARTED (4 of 4)st

Sunday March 22 4 Sunday of the Great Fast St John Climacus (of the Ladder)nd th

930am GENERAL EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE CONFESSIONS amp ABSOLUTIONS

6pm COCC LENTEN VESPERS 4 Ss Constantine amp Helen Westland Speaker Fr Stratton Dorozenski

Wednesday March 25 GREAT FEAST OF THE ANNUNCIATION (Services TBD)th

Wednesday March 25 630pm PRESANCTIFIED LITURGY 5 at St Paulrsquos Beech Daly Dearborn Hts pot-luck meal followsth

Thursday March 26 630pm CANON OF ST ANDREW OF CRETE amp GREAT COMPLINE W LIFE OF ST MARY OF EGYPTth

Sunday March 29 5 Sunday of the Great Fast St Mary of Egyptth th

6pm COCC LENTEN VESPERS 5 Descent of the Holy Ghost Warren Speaker Fr John Fenton

Wednesday April 1 630pm PRESANCTIFIED LITURGY 6 at St Innocent pot-luck meal followsst

Saturday April 4 10am GREAT FEAST OF LAZARUS SATURDAY DIVINE LITURGYth

Sunday April 5 GREAT FEAST OF PALMWILLOW SUNDAYth

930am GENERAL EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE CONFESSIONS amp ABSOLUTIONS

FR ROMANrsquoS ADDITIONAL SCHEDULE

Thursday February 19 noonndash200 Monthly Meeting Redford Ministerial Alliance at Our Lady of Loretto Churchth

Tues amp Wed May 5 amp 6 Spring Meeting of the Central States Deaneryrsquos Clergy at St John Chrysostom Church Grand Rapidsth th

THANK YOU to JASON TRUSKOWSKI for taking care of the church sidewalks and plowing the church parking lot last Sunday this

weekend and last Monday and to ALEX for helping him shovel the sidewalks on Monday We also thank the long-time friend of the Parish

and Monastic Community SDN ANDREW STOIKO who was nearby on Monday and also helped by doing considerable shoveling after

Sunday-Mondayrsquos big snow-storm Thank you very much mdash all your labors are most appreciated

LAST WEEKENDrsquoS 2 MINI-SEMINARS VERY

SUCCESSFUL Here are a few photos of Fr Roman with Fr

Stephen of the Prison Ministry and with Fr Jerome at St

Innocent In a day or 2

articles and photos about both

mini-seminars that Fr Roman

was instrumental in having

should be on our church web

site and also the English

Patriarchal website