SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2018

GREAT AND HOLY PASCHA

SAINT ELIAS ORTHODOX CHURCH

408 E. 11TH STREET • AUSTIN, TX 78701 (512) 476-2314

www.sainteliaschurch.org

WELCOME…to all our visitors worshipping with us! Please be sure to sign the Guest Book or fill out a Visitor’s Card and drop it in the collection plate (or give it to a greeter). Please be our guest downstairs in the Fellowship Hall for coffee and refreshments after the service this morning. We look forward to meeting you and welcoming you personally to Saint Elias.

We’re glad you’re here!

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ST ELIAS ORTHODOX CHURCH A Parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America

and the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America METROPOLITAN JOSEPH, PRIMATE BISHOP BASIL, BISHOP OF WICHITA

Parish Office: The Parish Office is located at: 12731 Research Blvd, Ste. A110 Austin, TX 78759

Church Office Phone: (512) 476-2314 Church Hall Phone: (512) 476-2316 Office Hours: Tuesday–Friday 10:00 AM–4:00 PM Church & Clergy email addresses: Office: office@sainteliaschurch.org Very Rev. Fr. David Barr, Pastor frdavidbarr@gmail.com Rev. Fr. Raphael Daly, Assistant Pastor synaxis@gmail.com Very Rev. Fr. Traian Buican tbuican@yahoo.com Reverend Archdeacon Niketas Sanders niketas@yahoo.com Reverend Deacon Gregory Farman gregfarman@gmail.com Reverend Deacon Elisha Long rlongsummer@gmail.com

Parish Council:

Officers: Mark Cherry, Chairman Philip Gunter, Vice Chairman Adam Wall, Treasurer Imad Zaccak, Secretary

Members: Nesreen Khoury Dn. Elisha Long David Jabour James Mercier Michael Friends Alexandre Rourk Sam Ibrahim

Organizational Representatives: Choir: Bill Attal Church School: Dn. Elisha Long OYA: Adam Wall Ladies Guild: Danielle Wolf

Check out our parish website: www.sainteliaschurch.org Sacraments: Baptism, Matrimony, Adult Initiation Contact the Church Office and set up an appointment with the Pastor to discuss the arrange-ments for these sacraments.

Pastoral Care of the Sick Please call the Parish Office with names of the sick and hos-pitalized of the parish so they can receive proper pastoral care.

Offering the Holy Bread Sign up to offer Holy Bread by calling the Church Office.

Become a Member of St. Elias We would love to have you be a part of our community! Please talk to the Pastor or call the Church Office to get an information packet on becoming a member of the parish.

Times for Confession: Confessions are heard before Vespers on Saturday evenings, and by appoint-ment during the week. One of the priests will be available in the church starting at 5:00 PM prior to Vespers. You may also call the church office or email one of the priests to set up an appointment for confession. To indicate your desire to go to Confession, come to the front right pew and wait for the priest.

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The Midnight Office, Rush Procession, and Paschal Orthros: Please follow the order of tonight’s service as found in the booklet entitled The Services of the Glorious Pascha located in the book rack in the back of the pews. You may join the chanters in singing the Paschal Canon with the extra booklet entitled with music and text entitled.

The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom: The propers for the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom are found in the booklet entitled The Services of the Glorious Pascha. The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is found in the white Visitor’s Liturgy books or the red Service Books found in the pews.

Today’s Commemorations Prayers are requested for the repose of Layla Farah by her daughter Lina

Bitar. Prayers are requested for the repose of Tristan Alexander Holmes by

Victoria Deyeaux (his mother). Prayers are requested for the repose of John Dalack, long time secretary

of the archdiocesan Board of Trustees. Prayers are requested by Bishop BASIL for Bishop Antoun,

Metropolitan Antonio, Metropolitan Paul of Aleppo, Syria, and the Syrian Orthodox Archbishop Youhanna (John), also from Aleppo, Metropolitan Saba and the clergy and people of our sister diocese of Bosra-Hauran, Father Michael Abdelahad, Marie Dunaway-Bell, Khouriya Elizabeth Bethoney, Father Michael and Khouriya Angelina Keiser, Father John & Khouriya Cheryl Morris, Archdeacon George and Shamassy Linda Palmer, Khouriya Joan Walinski, and Khouriya Jody Williams.

Prayers are requested for the repose of Nicholas Charles Flanders (†4/8/1993) and Charles A. Zegub (†4/16/2004). These names are from the parish dyptichs—the record of those who have been buried from St. Elias. May their memory be eternal.

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Pascha Flower Donations: Saint Elias Church would like to express its appreciation to the following individuals and families for their generous donations toward the Pascha flowers. Fadi Diab& Family In memory of Joseph, Monam, Antoun, Adel, Rafle Diab Stephan and Patricia Rudawski In memory of Jack & Lillion Nahas and Stephen & Teresa Rudawski Michael & Teresa Shannon In memory of Pat Matt, Faith & Calvin Wilson In memory of Melissa Read and David Swisher Bob & Janet Bennett For the health of Doris Aden Bennett In memory of Charles & Lila Kerr and Robert L Bennett Sr. Dn. Elisha, Sh. Nina & Family For the health of St. Elias Orthodox family In memory of Dealton Long Melisa Anderson In memory of my father Stephen Mihaly Daniela Marianthy Trifon In memory of Marianthy Trifon, neé Konukova Jan & Phillip Gunter For the health of Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Augustine and Benjamin

May God bless your generosity!

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At the Divine Liturgy during the Great Entrance, we normally commemorate only Orthodox Christians by name among the living and departed since this is the Church praying for the Church. Non-Orthodox are remembered liturgically in prayers at Vespers and other intercessory services of the Church.

On Receiving Holy Communion in the Orthodox Church: Only Orthodox Christians who are prepared through prayer, fasting, and a recent sacramental confession should approach the Chalice for the Eucharist. The Orthodox Church does not practice “open communion” and has no intercommunion with other churches (non-Orthodox). If you have any questions concerning this, please talk to one of the priests before taking communion.

And Remember… …to receive Holy Communion, one should be present at the Divine Liturgy no later than the time for the Epistle and Gospel readings. We feed both our minds and our hearts as part of the Orthodox Christian life. To feast on the Lord without listening to his words is disrespectful.

Here are several versions of the Paschal Troparion that we will be singing tonight:

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PASCHAL GREETINGS & RESPONSES: Arabic: Al-Masseeh Qam! Haqan Qam!

English: Christ is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen!

Eritrean: Christos Ten-si-ou! Ba-Ha-ke Ten-si-ou!

Georgian: Kriste Agzdga! Cheshmaritad!

German: Christus ist auferstanden! Er ist wahrhaftig auferstanden!

Greek: Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti!

Romanian: Hristos a înviat! Adevarat a înviat!

Slavonic: Christos Voskrese! Voistínu Voskrese!

Spanish: ¡Cristo ha Resucitado! ¡En Verdad ha Resucitado!

ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR SUNDAY, APRIL 8 …Next week's greeters bob and Janet Bennett (8:30) and Margaret Jabour (10:30). Thank you for this important ministry of hospitality.

Paschal Baskets… …will be blessed immediately after the dismissal from the Church. After you have come to receive your egg from the priests and venerate the cross, go directly into the Hall and wait for the clergy to come and bless the baskets and the food. Please put your baskets on the tables on the stage of the hall for the blessing. With the number of people in the Hall, it isn’t possible for the priest to get to every table.

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Food for Pascha Don’t forget that we traditionally have a Paschal Pot Luck Breakfast (a real Break the Fast) after the Paschal Divine Liturgy. Come downstairs afterwards and enjoy the feast!

Please do not take the Pascha Booklets

lease leave the booklets entitled The Services of the Glorious Pascha at the church so they can be picked up and used again next year.

Thanks for your help!

Agape Picnic and Vespers at 2:00 PM ur Pascha Picnic begins at 2:00 PM followed by the Paschal Agape Vespers at 4:00 PM. Come for a wonderful time of food and

fellowship and stay for the Paschal Agape Vespers. This is a joyful service with the proclamation of the Gospel in as many languages as we can find speakers. Bring your picnic lunch with you along with your own drinks. And bring some dishes to share as well. A grill will be going for cooking meats. And, we should have fresh roasted lamb on a spit as well! Come and continue the celebration of our Lord’s Resurrection.

Return your Full Alms Boxes emember to return your FULL Lenten Alms Boxes soon. We had boxes for the Orthodox Christian Missions Center, Cash for Caritas

and Food for Hungry People. We would like to have all in within the next couple of weeks. What? You forgot to fill one up? Checks are also welcome for these worthwhile programs.

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Sunday School Schedule

April 15 The Ascension April 22 Pentecost April 29 Epistles of St. Paul May 6 Epistles of St. Peter May 13 The Writings of John May 20 Church School Party

Coffee Hour Schedule

April 1: A-C April 8: D-I April 15: Pascha! April 22: R-Z April 29: Everyone brings! Mark your calendars for your week and participate in this ministry of fellowship

in our parish. And remember, help clean up afterwards on your Sunday Are you on our E-News email list?

f you aren’t, sign up is easy. Simply email us at the office and we can put you on, or go to our website and follow the links at the bottom of

the Announcements page (http://www.sainteliaschurch.org/announce.htm). We want to do the best we can to keep you informed of what is happening at St. Elias!

Choir Members Needed e need your help! Our choir is always looking for new members who can carry a tune. Interested parties should talk to Bill Attal.

Don’t bury your talent! 2018 DOWAMA Parish Life Conference Santa Fe, NM • June 13-16th • Eldorado Hotel & Spa Holy Trinity in Santa Fe is this year’s host of the PLC 2018! To learn more go to www.SantaFePLC.org Vacation Church School – Save the Date!

t looks like the week of July 30-Aug 2 is going to be our week for Vacation Church School this year. This year we’ll be learning about the

Apostles! Contact Christina Folger vcfolger@gmail.com. if you’d like to volunteer.

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“The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (Acts 11: 26)

1559 North Woodlawn Street, Wichita, KS 67208-2429 (316) 687-3169 Phone BpBasil@aol.com (316) 636-5628 Fax

H O L Y P A S C H A 2 0 1 8

Beloved and Christ-loving Clergy, Monastics and Laity of the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America:

I embrace and greet you with a holy kiss in the Name of the Resurrected Theanthropos

Jesus Christ, and, together with you and Orthodox Christians throughout the world, I joyfully proclaim that Christ is risen! Christós anésti! Al-masíh qaam! Christós voskrésse! Hristós a înviát! Crísto ha resucitádo!

As we delight in the brilliance of the Resurrection, the dawn of the New and Eighth Day, I

offer for your consideration the following words of the late Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church in Great Britain, the Most Reverend ANTHONY Bloom (1914-2003):

For the Apostles, Great Friday was the last day of the week and the last day of life as they had known it; on the following day, the day which preceded the Resurrection, the darkness was as dense, as obscure, as impenetrable as it had been on Great Friday, and if the Resurrection had not happened, all days of the year and all the days of their life would have been days of total darkness, days when God was dead, when God had been conquered, when God had been definitely and radically exiled from the community of men. And if you bear in mind the unity which was gradually created between Christ and His disciples, so that the life they lived was His life, in Him and through Him they moved, saw, perceived and understood, you will grasp that His death was not only this total and irremediable darkness of Great Friday – for them the last day of history – but it was also their own death because Life had been taken away from them; they could no longer live but merely exist. Thus you will understand why, for the Apostles, the Resurrection was such a complete renewal, such a decisive event ... The joy of the Resurrection is something which we, too, must learn to experience, but we can experience it only if we first learn the tragedy of the Cross. To rise again, we must die. Die to our hampering selfishness, die to our fears, die to everything which makes the world so narrow, so cold, so poor, so cruel. Die so that our souls may live, may rejoice, may discover the Spring of Life ... Because Christ is risen, because we do not see in the Lord Who walks ahead of us the defeated prophet of Galilee as He was seen by His tormentors, His persecutors. We know Him now in the glory of the Resurrection. We know that every word of His is true. We know that the Kingdom of God is ours if we simply follow Him.

Wishing you and your families a glorious Paschal season, looking forward to being with you all at our Diocesan Family Reunion in Santa Fe (June 13th-16th), I remain

Your Father in the Risen Christ,

+Bishop Basil Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America

ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN ARCHDIOCESE OF NORTH AMERICA

His Eminence The Most Reverend

Metropolitan JOSEPH

The Right Reverend Bishop BASIL

Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of

All North America

Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America

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Did You Know? April 8, 2018

How is the somber, Lenten interior of the church transformed now that Pascha has arrived? After the procession around the church, the doors are thrown open and we reenter to a brightly lit church adorned with flowers. This symbolizes the heavenly bride and the empty tomb. The clergy have changed to white vestments and the Pascha icon, showing Christ destroying the gates of hell, is displayed. The cross is empty and lilies, a symbol of the Resurrection, adorn the church. Bells ring, red eggs (another symbol of the Resurrection) are in abundance, and the service which follows is punctuated joyously by: Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

Fr. Daniel’s Class he adult education after the first liturgy will resume next Sunday. Fr. Daniel will be covering the schism of 1054.

About Paskha Cheese Yet another indispensable element of the Paschal table that is just as aromatic and beautiful is cheese pascha, whose symbolism is also deeply rooted in Holy Scripture. A land of milk rivers flowing through kissel banks is one of the most widespread archetypes characteristic of the most diverse cultures. Milk rivers flowing along kissel banks were an eternal dream of Russian peasants, which was manifest in stores and folk songs. The Lord, addressing Moses, promises His chosen people a good land and large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey (Ex 3:8). This characterization of the promised land persists throughout the entire story of the Passover, the passing over of the Jews from Egypt to Palestine. It is a prefiguring of the Heavenly Kingdom, the path to which is for a faithful person more difficult than the forty-year journey of the Jews. Its “milk and honey” is an image of the endless joy, the blessedness of the saints found worthy of salvation and eternal sojourn before the throne of God. Thus cheese pascha is a symbol of Paschal joy, the sweetness of paradisiacal life, blessed Eternity, which is not an endless continuation of time, a senseless repetition of the same thing but, according to the prophecy of the Apocalypse, “a new heaven and a new earth.” And the “hill,” the form into which pascha is made, is a symbol of the Heavenly Zion, the enduring foundation of the New Jerusalem – the city in which there is no temple, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it (Rev 21:22).

-by Fr. Mikhail Vorobiev

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This Week at St. Elias

Sunday, April 8 GREAT AND HOLY PASCHA 2:00 PM —Picnic at the Church 4:00 PM — Agape Vespers Sunday, April 15 Thomas Sunday 8:10 AM — 3rd & 6th Hours 8:30 AM — Divine Liturgy 10:30 AM — Divine Liturgy