-NC Mission of the Eastern American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church-
"Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world."
-Psalm 18:4
(Septuagint)
-Full website coming soon!-
-Psalm 18:4
(Septuagint)
-Full website coming soon!-
NC Mission of the Eastern American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church
With the blessing of His Grace the Bishop of Washington-New York & the Eastern American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church the Right Reverend Kyr +IRINEJ
Weekly Bulletin - 10.19.26-10.25.26
Twenty First Sunday after Pentecost - Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council - St. Kosmas the Melodist - St. Simeon the New Theologian
Sunday Lectionary
EPISTLES
Epistle for the Twenty First Sunday after Pentecost
Galatians 2:16-20
Brethren, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Epistle for the Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council
Titus :8-15
This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned. When I send Artemas to you, or Tychicus, be diligent to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey with haste, that they may lack nothing. And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful. All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.
GOSPELS
Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Luke
Luke 8:5-15
“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?” And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.’ “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
Gospel for the Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council
John 17:1-13
After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by[c] that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.
Schedule
Saturday, October 24, 2026 / October 11, 7535
6:00pm - Great Vespers
7:00pm - Confessions
Sunday, October 25, 2026 / October 12, 7535
9:30am - Hours
10:00am - Divine Liturgy
11:30am - Coffee Hour
Weekly Reflection
Concerning the Reception of Holy Communion:
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Holy Communion is for those baptized and chrismated Orthodox Christians who live according to the Canons of the Church, have fasted, are in good standing, and have a blessing from their Spiritual Father to partake. If you are not thusly prepared, please do not approach, as it is “fire that burns the unworthy.” In accordance with the teachings of St. Nikodemus of the Holy Mountain and other Holy Fathers, frequent reception of Holy Communion is unto salvation. It is the expectation of every priest that all those Orthodox Christians in attendance at every Divine Liturgy will receive the Holy Mysteries.
However, this is rarely the case. While those who do not approach the Chalice due to unpreparedness do so rightly, determining whether one is prepared to receive properly is the prerogative of our respective Spiritual Fathers. How does one then know if his Spiritual Father has deemed him worthy to receive? Ask. How can the Spiritual Father make such a determination? After hearing a confession. It is absolutely paramount that each of us develops a relationship with our respective Spiritual Fathers so that we can establish a proper relationship with ourselves. We find a parallel in the field of medicine.
We are not all doctors. Therefore, it would be absurd for us to say that, since we inhabit our own mortal bodies, we are the sole experts on our physical health, and therefore we have no need of any doctors or medicine. The same holds true for the immortal soul. While we may be able to apply a band-aid on a cut or take over-the-counter medicine, who among us would be able to diagnose an illness that has us bedridden without any medical equipment or even perform surgeries on ourselves? Our Spiritual Father is the physician of our immortal souls.
We would never conceal symptoms we are experiencing from our doctor, would we? Would we not want our physicians weighing all the facts of our case before deciding how to treat our illness? Would we want our surgeon to schedule a hip replacement, when in reality we have the flu? Of course not. So, then, why do we adhere to this mindset when it comes to our immortal soul? Why do we take such good care of our mortal flesh while neglecting our souls, the true essence of our being? Guilt. Shame. Fear. Despair. Sloth. Wickedness. An addiction to comfort.
If we are not partakers of the Holy Mysteries, we are dead. If we partake of them unworthily, we are dead. Our mortal body does not die, no, but, rather, something far worse. Our immortal soul dies. We are held under judgment by our omniscient God. Come and be cleansed and be made anew at the sacrament of Confession, and be free from the burden and shame of sin. Whatever is confessed is lost to time thereafter. We will not have to answer for it on the day of judgement. Church doesn’t end after Liturgy on Sunday. It only begins.
Please reach out to Fr. Sava to schedule an appointment. Bear in mind that, while no one will be turned away from Confession, a healthy frequency is once a month.
News
Submit Lists of Orthodox Names for Liturgical Commemoration
We are currently compiling a master list of all names to be commemorated at the Divine Liturgy. These can be submitted through a form on the website (Resources>Forms). Please submit the names of all your Orthodox family members, godparents, and godchildren, living and reposed. Ideally, one list of living and reposed per family.
All names will be compiled into a parresia, or parish name list, and commemorated at each proskomidi and at the other appropriate times during the services. When the priest serves proskomidi, a portion is taken from the prosphora for each name provided and later placed into the Chalice with the prayer “wash away, O Lord, by Thy Holy Blood, the sins of all those commemorated here, at the intercessions of Thy Saints.”
Catechism
Our catechism program arrives Saturday, November 21. Catechism for those seeking to join the Ark of Salvation and be united to the Body of Christ through Holy Baptism, that is, join the Orthodox Church, will take place in three stages.
Phase I - Fundamentals of Orthodoxy: For Inquirers & Existing Catechumens
Selections from the comprehensive catechetical work The Law of God have been curated for the instruction of our inquirers and existing catechumens in the fundamentals of the dogma of Orthodox Christianity. It is the goal of these readings to both inform those seeking the Truth of the tenets of the Faith as well as facilitate the natural conclusion of theology: the dogma of the Church is not synthesized by man, but rather God’s revelation to man concerning reality.
Beginning Saturday, November 21, we will convene at 5:00pm, an hour before vespers, to discuss the week’s readings, which will be sent out a week in advance. There will be 16 such sessions. A new email group will be created for catechism. Questions about the week’s material can be submitted during the course of the week and discussed at the Saturday session. This is very highly encouraged.
During the next cycle of catechism, the Fundamentals course will be offered to all inquirers as a prerequisite to entering the Catechumenate.
Phase II - Orthodoxy as a Way of Life: For Catechumens
Upon the completion of the Fundamentals of Orthodoxy course, and with careful pastoral discretion, those inquirers who have come to understand the dogma of the Church will be inducted as catechumens. At this point, the emphasis of catechism falls on the very heart of Orthodoxy, the lived Orthodox experience and implementation: Orthopraxia. This is the core of formation as an Orthodox Christian. Catechism will no longer be conducted in a group setting. Catechumens will be encouraged to meet regularly with the priest in private consultations similar to Confession.
Phase III - Baptismal Instructions
At the discretion of the priest, those catechumens who are properly prepared may be baptized and become members of the Orthodox Church. Before being baptized, a last period of instruction and counsel will be offered, rooted in the Baptismal Instructions of St. John Chrysostom. Thereafter will be scheduled a baptism. Everyone moves at their own pace, and so there is no set length of time that one might be a catechumen, though historical precedent would indicate that this is a journey that is not completed in a matter of months. Just as the Lord fashioned every soul individually, so is the path of each soul unique.