SAINT JOSEPH THE
BETROTHED
Melkite-Greek
Catholic CHURCH
725 W. Mt. Hope Ave,
Lansing, MI 48910
517-575-6264
FMailing Address: 921 Westover Circle, Lansing, MI 48917E
Rev. Father James
K. Graham, Pastor frjamie@earthlink.net
Rev. Protodeacon
Joseph Daratony 248-719-5169
Phone or
email Fr James with items for the bulletin by Thursday night.
Kontakion of the
Cincture of the Theotokos (Tone 2)
O Mother of God, the cincture that encircled your
body that had borne the Son of God is for us an object of glory, a treasure
abundant in grace. You are the Mother of
God, the only ever-virgin mother.
31 August 2014—12th
Sunday after Pentecost. Placement of the
Cincture of the Theotokos in Calcoprateia.
(Tone 3)
Readings Apostolos: Hebrews 9:1-7 Gospel:
Matthew 19:16-26
10:30 am Orthros (Morning Prayer)
11 am Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom
for the health and salvation of Fr Albert Wehby, Jason Bowman, Sarah
Katherine Bateh, Michel Skouri, Samira El-Chaer, Awatef
Chahine, Raymond Rashid, Ann Rashid, Bonita Saba, Griffin Barna, Jim Covello,
David Georges, Elias Atallah, Ralph Farhat, Robert Kuri, Nick Nakfoor, Pam
Nakfoor, Isaac Salim, Iva Butler, Wayne Gowdy, Lucy Palmer, Kelsey Andrews,
Elaine & Eva-Genevieve Scarborough, Michael Maslowski, Clay Thomas, Michael
Harmuth, Elias Haggar, Dn. Joe Daratony, Fr John Leonard, Fr Joseph Haggar, Fr James
Babcock; in memory of George Kossaifi
(Metri & Jacqueline Souri), Louis
Zarka (Bishara & Florence Gedeon), John
Rashid (Simone Ayoub), Archimandrite
Januarius Izzo, OFM, Vicki Lynn Bailey, and Patricia
Graham (3rd anniversary by Fr James).
6 September 2014—No Great Vespers.
7 September 2014— Celebration
of the Feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Sunday before the Exaltation of the Holy
Cross. Holy Martyr Sozon. (Tone 4)
Readings Apostolos: Philippians 2:5-11 Gospel: John 3:13-17
10:30 am Orthros (Morning Prayer)
11 am Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom in
memory of Louis Zarka (Joe Bulos), John
Rashid (Mr & Mrs Raef Rahme), Abdallah Haggar
and William M. Graham (22nd
anniversary by Fr James).
Troparia and Kontakion for Today
- Troparion of the Resurrection, in Tone 3, Liturgikon, page 185.
- Troparion of Cincture of the Theotokos, in Tone 8.
- Troparion of St Joseph, in Tone 4, page 30A.
- Kontakion of the Cincture of the Theotokos, in Tone 2.
Our Offerings to the Lord
The collection taken
in the Liturgy is part of our worship.
We offer the Lord our lives, our prayers, our gifts of bread and wine,
and our financial gifts. Last Sunday, about
85 people attended the Liturgy. Our
offering totalled $1469 in the ordinary collection and $12 for the bookstore. Not everyone can make an equal gift,
but everyone can make an equal sacrifice.
Please make a generous sacrifice to support your church in proportion to
the many blessings God has given you.
Meetings
Ladies Society.
Tuesday 2 September, 7 pm in the parish hall.
Parish Pastoral Council. Wednesday 10 September, 7 pm in the parish
hall.
Many Thanks to All who Helped with Parish
Work Day
We are very
grateful to all those who came out on Saturday to work at the church, weeding,
trimming bushes, patching holes in walls and ceilings, cleaning storage spaces,
sewing, and preparing for the Fall Food Festival. Many hands make light work, and also make our
church look good.
Memory Eternal: George Kossaifi
Dr George
Kossaifi, brother-in-law of Metri Souri, husband of Matilda Souri, slept in the
Lord after a brief illness with cancer.
He was 68 years old and had worked for the UN in Lebanon for over 40
years. Our condolences to Metri and all
his family. May God have mercy on the
soul of his departed servant George, and may his memory be eternal!
Patriarch Asks for Prayers and Fasting for
Safety in the Middle East
His
Beatitude Patriarch Gregorios III has called all Melkites to increased “prayer
and fasting, starting in September [the beginning of the Church year], for the
safety and security of all our people and our countries, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon,
Jordan, Palestine, Gaza, and Egypt.” His
Beatitude’s request came during the historic visit of five Patriarchs to Arbel
in north Iraq on 20 August 2014 to show support for the beleaguered Assyrian
Christian community and to call attention to the cultural genocide that is
being committed against Christians by the Islamic State. Joining His Beatitude Gregorios III in
visiting and praying with the Christian refugees were Maronite Patriarch
Bechara Boutros Rai, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Moran Mor Ephrem II Karim,
Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Lous Rafael Sako, and Syriac Catholic Patriarch
Ignatius Joseph III Younan. Patriarch
Gregorios said “this tragedy needs prayer and fasting.”
Parish Council Election Postponed for Lack
of Candidates
Because only one person has agreed to be nominated and four seats on the
Parish Pastoral Council must be filled to replace members whose terms have
expired, the election has been postponed for one month so that more candidates
can be found. Any registered, supporting
parishioner over the age of 21 may serve on the Council. The Council represents the people, voicing
their opinions about the operations of the local church. Attendance
at the monthly meeting is the minimum requirement—about three hours a month. Council members are also expected to take on
other responsibilities, according to their time and talents. Being a Council member does not necessarily
take a lot of time away from your family and other commitments. Dalida Raad and Edward Eid are the nominating
committee. To run, or to nominate
someone, as long as he or she agrees, please inform Ed or Dalida.
Prayer at State Capitol, Saturday 6
September
A Solemn Prayer Assembly will be held on the State Capitol Steps on Saturday 6 September from 2to
4 pm to pray for grace & guidance:
- To safeguard and protect vulnerable humanity—from conception through death
- To restore marriage as God’s institution and its gifts to civilization
- To restore Religious Freedom under God and end the persecution of people everywhere because of their faithWe are invited to join concerned Michigan citizens to pray for God’s grace, counsel, and blessings for Life, Marriage & Family, and Religious Freedom. Su Butler will coordinate participation from St Joseph Church. Contact her if you would like to attend or if you have any questions.
“Voices Across the Divide” Will be Shown on
12 September
The
Israeli/Palestinian conflict is one of the most prominent and hotly-debated
issues in the U.S. today. Powerful
forces and organizations control our access to objective information about the
conflict. If you would like to explore a
forgotten people’s history and better understand one of the most complex
conflicts of our time, come to St. Joseph’s at 6 pm on Friday 12 September to
view and discuss the documentary film “Voices Across the Divide” by Dr. Alice
Rothchild & Sharon Mullally. The
free program will begin with dinner presented by the Al-Bassa Community of
Lansing. After supper, from 7 to 8 pm,
the film will be shown, and from 8 to 9 pm there will be a question and answer
session with Nimer Haddad, one of those interviewed in the film. Be sure to invite friends, co-workers, and
others who might be interested. For more
details about the film go to www.Voicesacrossthe divide.com
