+ a Parish of the +

Orthodox Church in America www.oca.org

Most Rev. Archbishop Benjamin, Diocese of San Francisco & the West

www.dowoca.org

VRev. Fr. Archpriest John Armstrong frjohnarm@hotmail.com

+ Worship Services +

Saturdays, 6:00 pm Great Vespers & Confession

(3rd & 6th Hour Prayers, 9:10 am) Sundays, 9:30 am

Divine Liturgy

Feast Days (See Monthly Calendar)

+ Parish Prayer List +

Please pray for and ask the Lord to have mercy on:

Hieroschemamonk Ambrose (Young) Mother Theodelphia Archpriest Michael Oleksa Archpriest Lawrence & Matushka Sophia Matushka Lauren Matushka Priscilla Matushka Alice Peter & Katherine Anderson Andrew & Rachel Benjamin, Justus, & Kalena Kathryn Birmingham Jeanie (Mary) Cooper Agnes Craig Kafa Dalal George Eckert The Gaines Family Lee Anthony; and, Adam Goodman Maria Gorsevski; and, Lauren Hansen Gary “Paul” Jollie Ronald Maue & Rhonda Grace Joshua & Shannon Joyce Mikita Shaun & Cheryl Charles; and, Patrick Matthew; Oleg; James; and Joshua Barbara Murray John & Michael Palmer Clergy and Parishioners of our Mission parishes:

of St. Anthony, St. Elijah, St. Sophia, and St. Tikhon Jonathan Paul Natalia Perrin Jack & Glenda Pyle and family John & Sophia Martha Rapso Irina Reynolds; Nadezhda; and, Lynita John Russell; and, John Salmon Sona, Mardig, & Seta Esther Schafer Barbara Payne; and, Kathleen Smith Joel Snyder; and, Lyall Spargo Christopher Sprecher Mary Streech; and, Dana Such Tina Sylvester Jack Whitaker Natalia Zolotoochin

Missionaries & Ministries: OCMC: Michael, Lisa, and Liam Colburn; Fr. David Rucker and family; James Hargrave and family; OCPM: Fr. Steven Powley; “Dipes & Wipes”

Catechumens: Troy (Vladimir); Chad (Christopher) Spjut

Memorial: Gregory Stefanick (4/6)

Saint Herman

Orthodox Church

991 West Prentice Avenue Littleton Colorado 80120 303-798-7306 www.sthermanoca.org

+ Pastoral Ministries +

Please contact Fr. John anytime for any of the following: Confession; Hospital Visits / Holy Unction; Memorial Services; Slavas; Moliebens; or, just to talk… You can call me at: 720-971-5931; or email me at: frjohnarm@hotmail.com

Saint Herman Orthodox Church

April 1, 2018

6th Sunday of Lent, Tone 1 Entry of Our Lord into Jerusalem;

St. Mary of Egypt (4/1)

Scriptures: Philippians 4:4-9; St. John 12:1-18

Greeters Schedule for April

Today, April 1, Kevin Donahue April 8 (Pascha): Any volunteers??? April 15, Christine Baker April 22, Jeny Hardin April 29, Olga Thomas

Handmaidens Schedule for April

Today, April 1, Tori & Katherine Pyle April 8 (Pascha): ??? April 15, Nicole & Eugenia Hillburger April 22, Elizabeth & Juliana Gaines April 29, Nika & Sophia Bergbauer

+ Today + April 1, 2018

Welcome to St. Herman Orthodox Church! We’re glad you joined us for prayer & worship!

Patron Saints: St. Mary of Egypt (4/1);

St. Patriarch Tikhon (4/7)

Anniversaries: Gordon & Deana Spencer (4/3)

Birthdays: Colton (Gregory) Marshall (4/1);

Daniel Bergbauer (4/2); Katherine Gaines (4/5)

“Preserve them, O Lord, for many years!”

Fish Lunch & Potluck

6:30 pm, Bridegroom Matins for Great & Holy Monday

+ Great and Holy Week +

Great & Holy Monday, April 2, 6:30 pm, Bridegroom Matins for Holy Tuesday

Great & Holy Tuesday, April 3: • 4:00 pm, Bridegroom Matins for Wed.

• 6:30 pm, Presanctified Liturgy and Lenten Potluck

Great & Holy Wednesday, April 4: • 4:00 pm, Matins for Holy Thursday

• 6:30 pm, Holy Unction (assumes that you’ve been to Confession recently)

Great & Holy Thursday, April 5: • 10:00 am, Vesperal Liturgy

• 6:30 pm, Matins w/12 Passion Gospels

Great & Holy Friday, April 6: • 9:30 am, Royal Hours of Holy Friday • 3:30 pm, Burial Vespers for Christ • 6:30 pm, Matins of Holy Saturday w/

Lamentations at the Tomb of Christ • 9 pm, Grave Watch at Χρ’s Tomb, until...

Great & Holy Saturday, April 7: • 9:30 am, Vesperal Liturgy for Great &

Holy Saturday (with 15 OT Readings)

• 10:30 pm, Reading of the Book of Acts • 11:30 pm, Nocturne of Holy Saturday

Great & Holy Pascha, April 8: • 12:00 am, Matins of Pascha • 1:00 am, Paschal Divine Liturgy • 2:30 am, Kiss of Peace, Bless Food, Eat!

• 2:00 pm, Agape Vespers • 3:30 pm, Pascha Picnic

+ Synaxarion +

Entrance of Our Lord into Jerusalem (aka Palm Sunday). On Sunday, 6 days before the Passover of the Law, the Lord came from Bethany to Jerusalem. Sending two of His disciples to bring Him the foal of an ass, He sat thereon and entered into the city. When the multitudes heard that Jesus was coming, they straightway took up branches of palm trees in their hands, and went forth to meet Him. Others spread their garments on the ground, and yet others cut branches from the trees and strewed them in the way that Jesus was to pass; and all of them together, especially the children, went before and after Him, crying out: “Hosanna! Blessed is He that comes in the Name of the Lord, the King of Israel!” (John 12:13). This is the radiant and glorious festival of our Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem as our great Messianic King that we celebrate today.

The branches of the palm trees symbolize Christ’s victory over the devil and death. The word Hosanna means, “Save me, I pray,” or “Save now!” The foal of an ass and Jesus’ sitting thereon, and the fact that this animal was untamed and considered unclean according to the Law, signified the former uncleanness and wildness of the Gentile nations, and their subjection thereafter to the holy Law of Christ’s holy Gospel. St. Mary of Egypt (April 1). The recorder of the life of this wonderful saint was St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem. A hieromonk, the elder Zossima, had gone off at one time during the Great Fast a twenty-days' walk into the wilderness across the Jordan. He suddenly caught sight of a human being with a withered and naked body and with hair as white as snow, who fled in its nakedness from Zossima's sight. The elder ran a long way, until this figure stopped at a stream and called: 'Father Zossima, forgive me for the Lord's sake. I cannot turn around to you, for I am a naked woman’. Then Zossima threw her his outer cloak, and she wrapped herself in it and turned around to him. The elder was amazed at hearing his name from the lips of this unknown woman. After considerable pressure on his part, she told him her life-story. She had been born in Egypt and had lived as a prostitute in Alexandria from the age of twelve, spending seventeen years in this way of life. Urged by the lustful fire of the flesh, she one day got into a ship that was sailing for Jerusalem. Arriving at the Holy City, she made to go into one of the churches to venerate the Precious Cross, but some unseen power prevented her from entering. In great fear, she turned to an icon of the Mother of God that was in the entrance and begged her to let her go in and venerate the Cross, confessing her sin and impurity and promising that she would then go wherever the Most-Pure led her. She was then allowed to enter the church. After venerating the Cross, she went out again to the entrance and, standing in front of the icon, thanked the Mother of God. Then she heard a voice: 'If you cross the Jordan, you will find true peace’. She immediately bought three loaves of bread and set off for the Jordan R., arriving there the same evening. She received Communion the following morning in the monastery of St. John, and then crossed the river. She spent 48 whole years in the wilderness in the greatest torments, in terror, in struggles with passionate thoughts like gigantic beasts. She fed only on plants. After that, when she was standing in prayer, Zossirna saw her lifted up in the air. She begged him to bring her Communion the next year on the bank of the Jordan, and she would come to receive it. The following year, Zossima came with the Holy Gifts to the bank of the Jordan in the evening and stood in amazement as he saw her cross the river. He saw her coming in the moonlight and, arriving on the further bank, make the sign of the Cross over the river. She then walked across it as though it were dry land. When she had received Communion, she begged him to come again the following year to the same stream by which they had first met. Zossima went and found her dead body there on that spot. Above her head in the sand was written: 'Abba Zossima, bury in this place the body of the humble Mary. Give dust to dust. I passed away on April 1st, on the very night of Christ's Passion, after communion of the divine Mysteries’. Zossirna learned her name for the first time, and also the awe-inspiring marvel that she had arrived at that stream the previous year on the night of the same day on which she had received Communion — a place that he had taken 20 days to reach. And thus, Zossima buried the body of the wonderful Saint, Mary of Egypt. When he returned to the monastery, he recounted the whole story of her life and the wonders to which he had been an eyewitness. Thus, the Lord glorifies repentant sinners. St. Mary is also commemorated in the 5th Week of the Great Fast. The Church holds her up before the faithful in these days of the Fast as a model of repentance. She entered into rest on April 1st in about 530.