THE FALLING ASLEEP OF THE THEOTOKOS

The first two weeks of August are set aside each year by the Orthodox Church as a fasting and prayer period in Commemoration of the Falling Asleep of the Virgin Mary, Birth-giver of God. The fasting ends with the celebration of the Feast itself.

The Lord’s Mother, representing the race of mankind in God’s redemption, has found a great place in the hearts of the Orthodox Christian believers. Being one of us, she was chosen to give flesh to the Only Begotten Son of God. Surely, it is no wonder that Orthodox Christians have always accorded her honor and love. Something that is beautifully reflective in the services, hymns and prayers of the Church. Therefore, once more, we have come to observe this feast day, which records the final act in the life of the Lord’s Mother. Let us join our voices to that of St. John of Damascus, singing:
“Come. Let us rejoice in Sion, the divine and fertile hill of the living God, behold the Theotokos; for Christ hath transcended her to the most worthy and divine abode, in the Holy of Holies, for she is His Mother.”

The feast day of the Theotokos is known as the Koimisis of Theotokos. Koimisis literally means “asleep”, the Christian word for death. We call the graveyard “cemetery” – a derivative of the Greek word “Koimisis”.

In a lifetime, a man and a woman will be confronted with a number of crises. The greatest of these is a serious illness of a loved one or even yourself. At this critical period, the thought of the sick person not recovering often passes through our minds. It often gives us a helpless feeling. To whom do we turn?

There are many reflections into the past of people who were critically ill and were not expected to live, and it was the prayers of their loved ones or the lighting of a candle in their church that seemed to make “miracles” happen.

In the Supplication Service to the Theotokos there are many prayers to the Lord’s Mother that can be used throughout the year for help and consolation. There are prayers to relieve suffering; to remove our ills; to deliver us from tribulations; to pray for a painless, blameless and peaceful ending when death is inevitable; and many others.

In our time of need, not only do we have our loved ones to pray for us, or we pray for them, but we have our Blessed Theotokos in Heaven to plea for our souls.

In His Service,
Fr. John Cusulos

Parish News

Upcoming Fundraiser

We will be participating in International Day on July 11th. We are utilizing the same menu as we did last year. To accommodate the food items and the bake items, we will be running two spots and will need lots of extra hands and help.

The fundraising committee will be calling and recruiting parishioners for this event. We will need people for food prep, transportation of food to Bunning Park, to set up, clean up and work the booth. Please think about how you can help!

Congratulations

Congratulations to the high school graduates of the parish for 2015! They are Maggie Fischer, JD Richardson, Jack Kallas, Katelyn Peroulis, and Paula Gaviotis. All of these young individuals have a bright future ahead of them and we will pray for guidance and success as they embark on this new journey!

Kitchen Project

The planning phase of the kitchen remodel is well on its way. The construction committee is putting together plans and gathering contractors. The estimate for the project is coming in at approximately $100,000. This figure does not include a cushion for extras that we may run into during the project. We currently have $37,672.13 dedicated toward this project. Our goal is to raise an additional $65,000 by December 1, so that we can get this project off the ground and moving. Our bakers and cooks put their heart and soul into the bake sales and dinners. The kitchen is what supports our church and keeps the doors open. Please, please, please open your hearts and help us get to this goal!

Spring General Assembly Meeting

The General Assembly Meeting will be held on Sunday, July 12. If a quorum of parishioners in good standing is not present on July 12, the General Assembly and Election will be held on July 19. We will be appointing an Elections Board and an Audit Board. We will also be updating everyone on the progress of the kitchen remodel.

The requirements that must be met to participate in a General Assembly Meeting are as follows”

(2007 UPR Article 31, Parish Assembly:Section 2: Notice of a Parish Assembly shall be mailed to all Parishioners in good standing at least ten (10) days prior to the Assembly and shall include the agenda. The agenda shall be prepared by the Priest and the Parish Council and shall include all items to be discussed at the Assembly.)

(2007 UPR Article 31, Parish Assembly:Section 4: The quorum for a Parish Assembly under local By-laws shall be as high as possible in such number of parishioners in good standing as its By-laws may determine. If a quorum cannot be achieved, no vote can be taken. If a quorum is not present, the Parish Assembly shall be called a second time within twenty-one (21) days. At such time, decisions may be taken by the number of parishioners in good standing present, with the exception of matters pertaining to the purchase, sale or encumbering of Parish property, in which case a quorum of parishioners in good standing shall be required.)

**Please recall the requirements that need to be met to be considered a member in good standing. If you have any questions, please call Father John.