Saint Elizabeth the New Martyr Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
Rocky Hill, New Jersey

Current Bulletin

THE ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAINT ELIZABETH THE NEW-MARTYR

Volume XXI                                                                                                                                           Number 49

3 / 16 August 2020

TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (Tone IV)

Our Venerable Fathers Isaacius, Dalmatus, & Faustus

 

 

SCHEDULE OF SERVICES THISWEEK

10TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (Tone 1)

Saints Isaac, Dalmatus, and Faustus

Saturday, 15 August (2 August, o.s.)

       6:00 PM    Vigil Service;

                        Confessions

Sunday, 16 August (3 August, o.s.)

       9:10 AM   Third and Sixth Hours

       9:30 AM   Divine Liturgy

 

TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD

Tuesday, 18 August (5 August, o.s.)

       6:00 PM    Vigil Service;

                        Confessions

Wednesday, 19 August (6August, o.s.)

       9:10 AM   Third and Sixth Hours

       9:30 AM   Divine Liturgy;

                        Blessing of Grapes, Apples, & Fruit

 

11TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (Tone 2)

Afterfeast of Transfiguration; Martyr Lawrence

Saturday, 22 August (9 August, o.s.)

       6:00 PM    Vigil Service;

                        Confessions

Sunday, 23 August (10 August, o.s.)

       9:10 AM   Third and Sixth Hours

       9:30 AM   Divine Liturgy

 

 

 St Elizabeth’s Church is observing the restrictions of the civil authority which currently require us to have a gathering of no more the 25% of normal capacity, which we conservatively estimate at this time to be twenty (20) persons, who can space themselves six (6) feet apart, with the wearing of face coverings strongly encouraged. Parishioners are asked to takes turns attending the services offered in church. The Parish is using an internet service called ‘Sign-Up Genius’. With this tool we allow the first 20 who register to attend a service inside All others will participate in the services from the pavilion, where we have a live video and audio feed of the service as it happens inside the church. The link for the St Elizabeth’s Sign-Up Genius page is:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904054aaaa82ba0f58-service

 

 

 

FASTING DAYS

Week of 16 August

Day of Week

Date

Commemoration and

Type of Fast

Sunday

16 August

(3 Aug, o.s.)

St Isaac, Dalmatus, & Faustus

Fast: wine & oil permitted

Monday

17 August

(4 Aug, o.s.)

Holy Seven Sleepers of Ephesus

Xerophagy (No oil)

Tuesday

18 August

(5 Aug, o.s.)

Forefeast of the Transfiguration

Xerophagy (No oil)

Wednesday

19 August

(6 Aug, o.s.)

TRANSFIGURATION

Fast: fish, wine, & oil permitted

Thursday

20 August

(7 Aug, o.s.)

St Dometius of Persia

Xerophagy (No oil)

Friday

21 August

(8 Aug, o.s.)

Ss Zosima & Sabbatius of Solovki

Fast: wine & oil permitted

Saturday

22 August

(9 Aug, o.s.)

Apostle Matthias

Fast: wine & oil permitted

Sunday

23 August

(10 Aug, o.s.)

Martyr Lawrence of Rome

Fast: wine & oil permitted

 

 

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Week of 16 August

Su

10th Sunday after Pentecost

10th Resurrectional Matins Gospel: John §66 (21:1-14)

1 Cor. §131 (4:9-16)

Mt §72 (17:14-23a)

11TH WEEK after PENTECOST

M

2 Cor. §171 (2:3b-15a)

Mt §94 (23:13-22)

Tu

2 Cor. §172 (2:14-3:3)

Mt §95 (23:23-28)

W

2 Cor. §173 (3:4-11)

Mt §96 (23:29-39)

Th

2 Cor. §175 (4:1-6)

Mt §99 (24:13-28)

F

2 Cor. §177 (4:13-18)

Mt §100 (24:27-33, 42-51)

Sa

1 Cor. §123 (1:3-9)

Mt §78 (19:3-12)

Su

11th Sunday after Pentecost

11th Resurrectional Matins Gospel: John §67 (21:15-25)

1 Cor. §141 (9:2b-12)

Mt §77 (18:23-35)

 

 

THIS WEEK’S ANNOUNCEMENTS

Reader Patrick Hinds has been accepted as a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) student at Holy Trinity Orthodox Theological Seminary in Jordanville, New York, for the Fall term. Because of New York State quarantine regulations, he must go to Jordanville quite soon. His last day with us at St Elizabeth’s will be 16 August.

As a parish, we are fundraising for a scholarship to help fund Reader Patrick’s theological education at Holy Trinity Seminary. The total cost of tuition, books, and room-and-board is about $15,000 per year. We are hoping to raise at least $11,000 towards this purpose.  We currently have $9,600 pledged from various donors towards this work.  We want as many of our parishioners and friends as possible to contribute toward this worthy effort. Please give what you can, even if you can only afford a small amount. The most important thing is that this be a scholarship from all of us at St Elizabeth’s. Patrick is our first parishioner to go to Jordanville. If you cannot give right now, but would like to support this work, please let Subdeacon Daniel know the size of your pledge and roughly when it can be expected. 

We are in the midst of the Dormition Fast, which began on 14 August (n.s.) and continues for fourteen days until the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God on 28 August (n.s). We eat no animal products (meat, meat products, eggs, and dairy products) throughout the two weeks. The general rules for this period are as follows: weekdays, Monday through Friday are normal fast days; on Saturdays and Sundays, wine and oil are permitted The only day on which we may eat fish, wine is the Feast of the Transfiguration, 19 August (n.s.).

The Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (6 / 19 August) is one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Church, and is the second of the three Feasts of the Saviour in August (the first being the Feast of the Procession of the Holy Cross on 1 / 14 August and the last being the Feast of the Icon of Christ Made-Without-Hands on 16 / 29 August). On this day our Lord Jesus Christ took with Him His three Apostles Peter, James, and John to the top of Mount Tabor and was transfigured before them, thereby revealing to them His Divine Nature. The Apostles witnessed the Prophets Moses and Elias conversing with the Saviour in glory, thereby coming to a knowledge of Christ as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. And finally the Apostles heard the voice of the Father from heaven proclaiming the Lord Jesus as His Son in Whom He was well pleased, and thereby understood the unity in essence of the Father and the Son. This vision of the God-Man was given to the Apostles a short while before His saving Passion to strengthen their faith in the face of His seeming defeat. May the celebration of this Great Feast also strengthen our faith in our Saviour Who triumphed over sin, death, and Satan. May we ‘hear Him’ today.

It is customary to bless grapes on the Feast of the Transfiguration. In northern climes like Russia, where grapes historically were in short supply, the blessing of apples replaced the blessing of grapes. At St Elizabeth’s we bless grapes, apples, and all other types fruit on this Holy Day. Parishioners are urged to bring a basket of fruit to be blessed at the end of the Divine Liturgy on the morning on the Feast.

The Feast of the Transfiguration is also called by Russians the ‘Apple [Feast of the] Saviour’ Many of the faithful follow the pious custom of waiting each year to eat apples and other fruits until this day, in order that new fruit of the summer season be sanctified in church, as an image of participation in the celebration of the future transfiguration of all flesh, when there will be a new earth and a new heaven.

We do not kneel or make prostrations either in services at church or during prayer at home on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The Great Feasts of the Saviour, (Christmas, Theophany, the Ascension, the Transfiguration, etc.) are the same as all the Sundays of the year in this respect. Following a tradition that comes down from the holy Apostles, Orthodox Christians have ever held that kneeling is incompatible with the Resurrection joy we experience on the Lord’s Day. The Great Feasts of the Master are so important that their liturgical services completely displace the Resurrectional service if they fall on a Sunday. Our joy in celebrating these Feasts is as incompatible with kneeling as the Resurrection joy of Sunday. Whenever we would ordinarily kneel or make a prostration during prayer on these days, we make a bow from the waist (metania) instead.

Concerning Confession and Holy Communion: Those who have been to Confession during the past two weeks may receive Holy Communion at the Liturgy on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, provided that no serious sin has been committed which would require another Confession and that the other usual preparations for Holy Communion are observed (i.e. attendance of the Vigil Service the evening before Holy Communion, reading the Pre-Communion Prayers, and the forgiveness of others). Likewise, those who have been to Confession for the Feast of the Transfiguration may receive Holy Communion at the Liturgies the following two Sundays and on the Feast of the Dormition under the same conditions.

The Feast of the Lord’s Transfiguration is celebrated for eight days, from the Feast Day itself through the Apodosis (Leave-taking) of the Feast on 26 August (n.s.). The troparion and kontakion of Transfiguration are chanted or read at all the services of the Church during this period. The texts of these hymns are found in the Jordanville Prayer Book. To celebrate the Feast at home, the Troparion of the Feast (‘Thou wast transfigured on the mountain…’) can be sung instead of the ‘Our Father’ before meals, while the Kontakion of the Feast (‘On the mount Thou wast transfigured…’) can be sung instead of the usual thanksgiving troparion after each meal. It would also be most appropriate to sing the troparion and kontakion of the Feast at the end of our morning and evening prayers at home.

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Upcoming Services
Tuesday, 20 November / 3 December
6:00 Vigil Service; Confessions
Wednesday, 21 November / 4 December
ENTRANCE OF THE THEOTOKOS
9:10 3rd & 6th Hours
9:30 Divine Liturgy
Saturday, 24 November / 7 December
Great-martyr Catherine
6:00 Vigil Service; Confessions
Sunday, 25 November / 8 December
24TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Apodosis of the Entry
9:10 3rd & 6th Hours
9:30 Divine Liturgy; Trapeza (coffee hour)
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St. Elizabeth the New-Martyr Orthodox Church
38 Princeton Ave; Rocky Hill, NJ 08553
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