April; 2009/Monthly Bulletin of the Orthodox V Charitable Association

EditorÛAlona Sergeeva

Happy Easter!!!
On Easter morn, we celebrate our Savior;

Whatever people seek in Him, they find.

In history, there has never been another

So holy, sacrificial, good and kind.

His resurrection makes us all immortal;

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Happy Easter! Jesus Christ is everything!

 If  any  man  is  a  devout  lover  of  God,  let  him  enjoy  this  fair  and   Christ is Risen!!! Indeed He is Risen!!!
radiant  triumphal  feast.  If  any  man  is  a  wise  servant,  let  him  
rejoicing  enter  into  the  joy  of  the  Lord.  If  any  has  labored  long  in  fasting,  let  him  now  receive  his  recompense.  If  any  
has  wrought  from  the  first  hour,  let  him  today  receive  his  just  reward.  If  any  has  come  at  the  third  hour,  let  him  have  
no  misgivings;;  because  he  will  in  no  wise  be  deprived  thereof.  If  any  has  delayed  until  the  ninth  hour,  let  him  draw  
near,  fearing  nothing.  If  any  has  tarried  even  until  the  eleventh  hour  let  him,  also,  be  not  alarmed  at  his  tardiness;;  for  
the  Lord,  who  is  jealous  of  his  honor,  will  accept  the  last  even  as  the  first;;  He  gives  rest  to  him  who  comes  at  the  
eleventh  hour,  even  as  to  him  who  has  wrought  from  the  first  hour.  And  he  shows  mercy  on  the  last,  and  cares  for  
the  first;;  and  to  the  one  he  giveth,  and  upon  the  other  he  bestoweth  gifts.  And  he  accepts  the  deeds,  and  welcomes  
the  intention,  and  honors  the  acts  and  praises  the  offering.  

Wherefore,  enter  you  all  into  the  joy  of  your  Lord;;  and  receive  your  reward,  both  the  first,  and  likewise  the  second.  
You  rich  and  poor  together,  hold  high  festival.  You  sober  and  you  heedless,  honor  the  day.  Rejoice  today,  both  you  
who  have  fasted  and  you  who  have  disregarded  the  fast.  The  table  is  full-­laden;;  feast  you  all  sumptuously.  The  calf  
is  fatted;;  let  no  one  go  away  hungry.  All  of  you,  enjoy  the  feast  of  faith:  receive  all  the  riches  of  loving-­kindness.  Let  
no  one  bewail  his  poverty,  for  the  universal  kingdom  has  been  revealed.  Let  no  one  weep  for  his  iniquities,  for  par-­
don  has  shone  forth  from  the  grave.  Let  no  one  fear  death,  for  the  Savior's  death  has  set  us  free.  He  who  was  held  
prisoner  of  it,  has  annihilated  it.  By  descending  into  Hell,  he  has  made  Hell  captive.  He  angered  it  when  it  tasted  of  
his  flesh.  And  Isaiah,  foretelling  this,  did  cry:  Hell,  said  he,  was  angered,  when  it  encountered  You  in  the  lower  re-­
gions.  It  was  angered  for  it  was  abolished.  It  was  angered,  for  it  was  mocked.  It  was  angered,  for  it  was  slain.  It  was  
angered  for  it  was  overthrown.  It  was  angered,  for  it  was  fettered  in  chains.  It  took  a  body,  and  met  God  face  to  face.  
It   took   earth,   and   encountered   Heaven.   It  took  that   which   was   seen,   and  fell   upon  the   unseen.  O   Death,   where   is  
your  sting?  O  Hell,  where  is  your  victory?  

Christ  is   risen,   and   you   are   overthrown.   Christ  is   risen,   and   the   demons   are  fallen.   Christ   is  risen,   and   the   Angels  
rejoice.  Christ  is  risen,  and  life  reigns.  Christ  is  risen,  and  not  one  dead  remains  in  the  grave.  For  Christ,  being  risen  
from  the  dead,  has  become  the  first-­fruits  of  those  who  have  fallen  asleep.  To  Him  be  glory  and  dominion  unto  ages  
of  ages.  Amen.  7KH IDPRXV ³(DVWHU 6HUPRQ´ RI 6W -RKQ &KU\VRVWRP LV WUXO\ RQH RI WKRVH
"classic"  texts  that  cannot  be  read  enough!)  

1

The Patriarchal Parishes Meeting was held
on Saturday February 28/09 in Chipman church
after the Divine Liturgy, which leaded His Grace
Iov,     Bishop of Kashira, Administrator of the
Patriarchal Parishes in Canada. Concelebrated
him minister parishes of Orthodox V father
George Sergeev, minister of St. Barbara Russian
Orthodox Cathedral in Edmonton father Sergey
Kipriyanovich and minister parishes of Ortho-
dox IX father Igor Kisil.  
Three Christians killed in Eri-
trea for refusing to denounce
faith.
International Christian Concern (ICC) reports that
three Christians have been tortured and killed in
Eritrea for refusing to denounce their faith.
Eritrea's one-party communist regime has report-
edly arrested around 2,000 Christians since
2002 and often imprisons them in metal contain-
ers. The country is listed ninth on the ICC Hall
of Shame, which lists the worst persecutors of
Christians in the world.
The three latest victims of the regime were ar-
rested because they were not members of one of
the approved Christian churches in the country -
the Roman Catholic Church, the Eritrean Ortho-
dox Church and the Eritrean Lutheran Orthodox
Church.
 On March 6 in Chipman church there
was a meeting of different Christian
confessions within the framework of-
World Day of Prayer, which was de-
voted to women-Christians of Papua
New Guinea. The rector of the church a
priest George Sergeev made a report
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After the prayer meeting in which
about 80 people took part, there was a
lunch organized by the ladies of our
parishes.
ICC said one of those killed was a
woman who was tortured until she
was given the option of being killed
or signing a document denying her
faith. Two men were also given the
same choice.
Two of the three victims were deliber-
ately exposed to malaria and offered
medicine if they denied their faith. ICC
said all three refused the offer and
have been killed.
ICC is calling on Christians to remem-
ber the victims of persecution and their
families in their prayers.
Chriistian Today, 12 March 2009
2
His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill expressed
hope that relations between Russia and Canada would develop in a
number of directions.

On Tuesday (March 10) there was a

meeting of the embassador of Canada in
Russia Ralph Lisishin with the Patriarch in
his residence in Chysty Lane. The Patriarch
said that Russia and Canada had many
common features, in the first place the life
of people in severe northern conditions
and the necessity to fight with frost, the
infrastructure and the culture are also simi-
lar.

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noted.

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tions with Christians of Canada and reminded that there were several parishes of the Mos-
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able conditions make it possible for the Orthodox clergy and believers to follow freely
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Special thanks from father George, Alona and Kirill!

Dear brothers and sisters!!!

Thank all of you for your prayers, attention, love and cares in
that time, when Alona was in hospital and thank all of you for
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Two autos clashed on the road, one driven

Prison governor says to the pastor:
- I've just received the documents: the convict
to death is granted pardon.
x Oh, what a pity! I prepared him so well.
- Dear, I retire to a cloister
-. Wow! Should I dine in the cloister now?
by a Protestant pastor, and another with a
Jesuit at wheels. The pastor feels sick, and
the Jesuit is a little better. The Jesuit takes
out a bottle of whiskey and offers a drop to
the pastor: "Brother, I see you are unwell.
Please, have some whiskey..."
Whiskey does not makes the Protestant any
better, and the Jesuit offered him some
more, and more, and more... So the pastor
almost finished the bottle. He felt much bet-
ter and said:
- What about you, Father? Have a drink, get
warm!
- Why? I'm waiting for the police...

3
Palm Sunday
The day is the sixth and last Sunday of Lent and the be-
ginning of Holy Week calls Palm Sunday. The feast com-
memorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in
the days before his Crucifixion and Resurrection.
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crowd heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they
went out to meet Him. He came, riding atop a donkey.
Some people spread garments in the way, others cut
down branches from the trees and strewed them along
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Blessed is he Who comes in the Name of the Lord; Ho-
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Two thousand years ago it was not uncommon in the Middle East for people to
use palm branches in triumphal processions.

The various names for the Sunday before Easter come from the plants used o
palms (Palm Sunday) or branches in general (Branch Sunday, Domingo de Ramos,
Dimanche des Rameaux). In most countries of Europe real palms are unobtainable,
so in their place people use many other plants: olive branches (in Italy), box, yew,
spruce, willows, and pussy willows. In fact, some plants have come to be called
"palms" because of this usage, such as the yew in Ireland and the willow in Eng-
ODQGSDOPZLOORZDQGLQ*HUPDQ\3DOPN¯W]FKHQ7KH*UHHN&KXUFKXVHVWKH
names "Sunday of the Palm-carrying" and "Hosanna Sunday."

From the use of willow branches Palm Sunday was called "Willow Sunday" in
SDUWVRI(QJODQG3RODQG5XVVLDDQG8NUDLQHk9HUEQD\D1HGHO\Dl2QWKLVGD\
pussy willows, which symbolize new life are blessed and distributed to the faithful
and use for decoration of the Church.

 The Day before Palm Sunday calls Lazarus Saturday. Lazarus was Jesus' friend
and the brother of Martha and Mary. When he became very sick, his sisters informed
Jesus. But before He was able to visit him, Lazarus died. Shedding tears for his friend,
Jesus hurried to his tomb and brought him to life again.
This foreshadows Christ's own Resurrection and serves to remind us of the new life in
Christ.  

                     4
  
The Saturday of the Akathist
Hymn is the day, in which the Akathist to the Theotokos is read
during Matins. This Akathist to the Theotokos (Great Akathist) is the only
one recognized by the Typicon and used formally in Divine services;; all oth-
ers, nearly all of which are of late Slavic origin, are para-liturgical and
properly used only in private devotions. Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware) in his
introduction to the Lenten Triodion writes that this Akathist is one of the
greatest marvels of Christian religious poetry. The Akathist Hymn is a pro-
found, devotional poem, which sings the praises of the Holy Mother and
Ever-Virgin Mary. It is one of the most beloved services in the Orthodox
Church. It was composed in the imperial city of Constantinople, "the city of
the Virgin," by St. Romanos the Melodist, who reposed in the year 556. The
Akathist Hymn has proven so popular in the liturgical life of the Church
that many other hymns have been written following its format. These in-
clude Akathists to Our Lord Jesus Christ, to the Cross, and to many Saints.

The Akathist hymn consists of praises directed to the Mother of God, beginning with the salutation of the
Archangel Gabriel: "Rejoice." As the hymn is chanted all of the events related to our Lord's Incarnation pass
before us for our contemplation. The Archangel Gabriel marvels at the Divine self-emptying and the renewal
of creation which will occur when Christ comes to dwell in the Virgin's womb. The unborn John the Baptist
prophetically rejoices. The shepherds recognize Christ as a blameless Lamb, and rejoice that in the Virgin
"the things of earth join chorus with the heavens." The pagan Magi following the light of the star, praise Her
for revealing the light of the world.

The word "akathistos" means "not sitting," i.e., standing;; normally all participants stand while it is being
prayed. The hymn is comprised of 24 stanzas, arranged in an acrostic following the Greek alphabet. The stan-
zas alternate between long and short. Each short stanza is written in prose and ends with the singing of
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about the birth of Christ, the worship of the Shepherds and Magi, the flight to Egypt and the visit to Saint
Simeon in the Temple. In the third part the hymn directs our attention to the renewal of the world by
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Son. The fourth and the last part is once more a lyric and rhetorical appraisal of Virgin Mary, whom the poet
adorns with the most beautiful of adjectives asking her to accept his poetical offering and to intercede for
the salvation of human race from the earthly sin.

 
SPECIAL SERVICES
 
Holy Friday (Holy Shroud Services) Holy Saturday (Blessing of Paschas)

10:00AM - Chahor 1:00PM - Chahor

12:00PM - Skaro 3:00PM - Lamont Aux. Hospital
1:00PM - Wostok 4:00PM - Wostok
2:00PM - Farusi 5:00PM - Farusi
3:00PM - Serediak 6:00PM - Serediak
4:00PM - Mundare 7:00PM - Shishkovtzi
5:00PM - Shishkovtzi 8:00PM - Chipman
6:00PM - Chipman 9:00PM - Skaro

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 Schedule of Services
For April 2009
01 Wednesday Annual Ortho V Bake Sale

04 Saturday - Confession - North Star

05 Sunday - (Tone 1)  5th Sunday of Lent ² Confession - Spirit River

05 Sunday - ( Tone 1)  5th Sunday of Lent ² Confession Chahor, Bishop Iov

11 Saturday - Lazarus Saturday - Confession ²Shishkovtzi

12 Sunday - PALM SUNDAY ² Confession  ±Serediak  

16 Thursday - Holy Thursday - Reading of 12 Gospels -  Serediak.  7:00  PM  

17 Friday -Holy Friday See page 5

18 Holy Saturday - Blessing of Easter Baskets See page 5

19 Sunday -EASTER SUNDAY ,RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST -Mundare ²8:00 AM

25 Sunday -(2th after Easter) -1ST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER - 10:00PM³Skaro 3:00 PM ²Wostok
 
Orthodox feasts (prazdniki)
in april
4 April n Saturday  of  the  Akathist  Hymn  

7 April - The  Annunciationof  our  Most  Holy  Lady  the  Theotokos  (one  of  the  12  High  Holidays)  

11 April - The  Saturday  of  Lazarus  

13-18 April - Passion/Holy  Week  

19 April - Easter Sunday. Holy Pascha (the Greatest Christian Feast)

20-26 April - Easter  Week  

28 April - Radonitsa  ("Day  of  Rejoicing").      This  day  is  a  general  memorial  for  the  departed.

If  you  have  any  questions  or  proposals,  please,    Contact  us:  

 
Priest    Father  George  Sergeev    780-895-21-49
Email: www.sergal07@yahoo.com. / PO Box 483 Lamont Alberta TOB 2R0
 
 President  Yakim  Lopushinsky  (780-895-26-67
 Vice  -ăPresident  Jim  Nemirsky 780-896-23-47    
   Secretary  John  Tkachuk    780-576-30-73
 Treasurer  Fred  Pewarchuk    780-895-21-59

Or  visit  our  website²www.orthodoxfive.org  

     
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