• Confessions and Hours, 8:30AM
• Holy Divine Liturgy, 9AM
• (Prayers for all our Living and Departed Parishioners)
• Vespers followed by Confessions, 5PM
• Following Services there will be a Reception and Greeting with Archbishop JOB and Guest.

Sunday, November 9th

• Greeting and Vesting of Archbishop JOB, 9:30AM
• Following the 9:30AM Holy Divine Hierarchal Liturgy there will be a Reception in our Parish Hall.
• Banquet Celebration at Deluca's Place in the Park, 12:30PM

Comments on the Hierarchical Holy Divine Liturgy

We have called the bishop a ruler and monarch, but these terms are not to be understood in a harsh and impersonal sense; for in excercising his powers the bishop is guided by the Christian law of love. He is not a tyrant but a father to his flock. The Orthodox attitude to the episcopal office is well expressed in the prayer used at a consecration:

Grant, O Christ, that this man, who has been appointed a steward of the episcopal grace, may be an imitator of thee, the True Shepard, who didst lay down thy life for thy sheep. Make him a guide to the blind, a light to those in darkness, a teacher to the unreasonable, an instructor to the foolish, a flaming torch in the world; so that having brought to perfection the souls entrusted to him in this present life, he may stand without confusion before thy judgement seat, and receive the great reward which thou hast prepared for those who have suffered for the preaching of thy Gospel.

The relation between the bishop and his flock is a mutual one. The bishop is the divinely appointed teacher of the faith, but the guardian of the faith is not the episcopate alone, but the whole people of God, bishops, clergy, and laity together. The proclamation of the truth is not the same as the possession of the truth; all the people possess the truth, but it is the bishop's particular office to proclaim it. Infallibility belongs to the whole Church, not just to the episcopate in isolation.

In general, the Bishop's Liturgy is older than the normal Liturgy. The Hierarchical Liturgy (Bishops) has several obvious differences preserving many ancient traditions that have disappeared from the celebration as performed by the parish priest:

1. The vesting at the beginning shows that the Church adorns the one who is our spokesman (Bishop) to the Lord, such as a bride is dressed for her wedding by others.
2. The worship begins in the middle of the church, showing that the prayer is a progression upwards and forwards towards the Holy Altar, beginning and ending in the center of God's people.
The rather lengthy Great Entrance occurs because in contrast to a normal Sunday when the Gifts (Bread and Wine) are prepared before the time of our beginning the service, the bishop takes the time to remember each clergy, altar servers, deacons, and as many persons as he can reasonably recollect, living and departed, just before the Entrance is made.
3. The bishop holds the staff (or it rests on the icon screen) as the sign of a shepard, as is Christ the Good Shepard.

Some Points of Etiquette with the Bishop

1. When meeting a bishop, we should cup our hands, right over left, palms up to receive his blessings. After he has bestowed his blessings, he places his right hand on yours, and then kiss his hand. In Russia and Greece and other Orthodox cultures, generally the same is done when meeting a priest. The practice has somewhat fallen into disuse here but it is still universally observed with bishops. We kiss the hand that has been ordained to symbolize and confer God's blessings.
2. When we address a bishop, we should not call him 'bishop' or 'father', but 'your Grace.' In Russian usage, faithful will call their bishop 'Vladika' which means the same as in Greek 'despota' used in services; these words mean 'master' or 'ruler.' In English, it seems more comfortable just to say 'your Grace'. When we address a metropolitan, because of his higher rank we say, 'your Beatitude.'
3. Eis Polla Eti Despota - We hear this exclamation many times throughout the service at which a bishop presides. It means, "Many years, Master." Why do we sing it in Greek? It's one of those things, like 'Axios!' at ordinations, that the Church has preserved from its Greek language heritage. In the Early Church, Greek was the dominant common language of the Roman Empire. People of many different nations from one end of the Empire to the other communicated in Greek. Even in Rome, Greek and not Latin was used in the Liturgy until the Fourth Century. We are speaking here of the Greek language, not the nationality. To recognize our heritage, the "ethos" of the Early Church, from which our bishops have received their apostolicity, we sing in Greek: "Eis polla eti despota."
4. When a bishop enters or leaves a room or rises to speak, all present stand ormakes a formal entrance.

Sharing Your Thanksgiving Dinner...

I was HUNGRY YOU gave me food,
I was THIRSTY and YOU gave me something to drink,
I was a STRANGER and YOU welcome me,
I was NAKED and YOU gave me clothing,
I was SICK and YOU took care of me.
Matthew 25:35

Project 1

For more than 15 years, we have collected "Brown Cotton Work Gloves" for the homeless that come everyday for food and clothing to Saint Herman's Monastery in Cleveland. Those type of gloves are most functional for the homeless, according to Father John Henry, Abbot of the Monastery. We have a collection basket in the Church Hall.

Project 2

We ask you again in your busy holiday schedule to donate one or more COOKED, UNSTUFFED Turkeys for Saint Herman's Orthodox Monastery of Cleveland. From Thanksgiving Day until New Year's Day, the Monastery will feed over 5,000 people regardless of their religous faith. Last year, with a combined effort of Saint George Serbian Orthodox Church, we provided and delivered over 85 cooked turkeys to the Monastery along with canned goods and paper products.

Individually, you may deliver your Thanksgiving gifts to the monastery (4410 Franklin Blvd., Cleveland) before or after Thanksgiving Day. Or you may deliver your turkeys, etc. on Wednesday, November 27th by 6PM to SAints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church Rectory (2238 East 32nd Street, Lorain) to the back porch. Our parish will provide a large van to transport our Thanksgiving gifts to the Monastery. Why not prepare your turkey(s) a few days earlier?