Welcome to the Greek Orthodox Churchof the Annunciation

1230 Newfield Avenue, Stamford, CT 06905 (203) 322-2093www.AnnunciationOfStamford.org

May 15th, 2016

' oSunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women

Pachomius the GreatAchillius the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Larissa

Barbaros the Myrrhbearer of Kerkyra

Orthros: 9:00am Divine Liturgy: 10:00am 11:30amFather Evan Evangelidis, Proistamenos

"Our Church Family worships the Holy Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and every Sunday, the Lord's Day, we commemorate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Our mission is to live the Holy Gospel in accordance with the Orthodox Faith; towards sanctificationthrough God's grace in worship, the Divine Liturgy and the Sacraments; glorifying God through all joysand struggles; and as a Church Community, in Christian love, we seek to do His will so that through His

mercy, we may attain his Kingdom"

Memorial Services Today:Theodore Athanasoulias 1 Year

Vasilios Seitaridis 1 Year Memory Eternal ...

Parish NewsParish NewsUpcoming Memorial Services:Irene Giangos 40 Days (May 22)

Vasilios Seitaridis 1 Year (May 15)Chrysanthi Evangelidis 1 Year (May 22)

John Bakes 1 Year (June 5)

Come join us TODAY at 1pm after church for fun at our 2nd Annual ELPIS 2k Walkathan & Family FunDay at the Italian Center Picnic Grounds. It's ok if you haven't pre-registered, you may walk in and register.

Simply arrive 15 minutes earlier to sign in. There will be BBQ, refreshments, DJ, Bouncy House, FacePainting, Volleyball, Games & more. Registration is $35/adult & $15/child which includes admission to

family fun day free.

We are also searching for Vendors for the Festival and to contact Rebecca Boutsikoudis if interested.Prospective vendors must have a CT Tax ID number to participate. You may contact Rebecca at

203-249-2683 or rboutsikoudis@gmail.com.

2016 Stewardship information has been sent out, please contact the church office or the Parish Councilfor any questions. We appreciate your continued support of our beloved Annunciation Church.

Upcoming Services Upcoming ServicesSaturday, May 21st Constantine & Helen:

Orthros & Divine Liturgy8:30am 10:30am

Sunday, May 22nd Sunday of the Paralytic:Orthros & Divine Liturgy

9:00am & 10:00am

xiiiEpistle Reading: 6:1-7

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Acts of the Apostles 6:1-7

The Lord is my strength and my song.The Lord has chastened me sorely.

IN THOSE DAYS, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists murmuredagainst the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. And thetwelve summoned the body of the disciples and said, "it is not right that we should give uppreaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you sevenmen of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty. But wewill devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word." And what they said pleased thewhole multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip,and Prochoros, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaos, a proselyte of Antioch.These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands upon them. And the wordof God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a greatmany of the priests were obedient to the faith.

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Gospel Reading: 15:43-47, 16:1-8

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The Gospel according to Mark 15:43-47; 16:1-8

At that time, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who wasalso himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate, andasked for the body of Jesus. And Pilate wondered if he were already dead; andsummoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And whenhe learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph.And he bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linenshroud, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock; and he rolleda stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother ofJoses saw where he was laid.

And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James,and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very earlyon the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. Andthey were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from thedoor of the tomb?" And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back; for itwas very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the rightside, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, "Do notbe amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is nothere; see the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that heis going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you." And theywent out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come uponthem; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

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The third Sunday of Holy Pascha is observed by the Orthodox Church as the Sunday ofthe Holy Myrrhbearers. The day commemorates when the women disciples of our Lordcame to the tomb to anoint his body with myrrh-oils but found the tomb empty. As thewoman wondered what this meant, angels appeared proclaiming that Christ had risenfrom the dead.

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A 1500-Year-Old Underground Byzantine Church Is Found in Turkey

Unearthed in the central Turkish region of Cappadocia, the unique church contains remarkablefrescoes

Last February, archaeologists unearthed a unique rock-carved underground church in Nevsehir, in thecentral Turkish region of Cappadocia. The church was decorated with never before seen frescoes depictingJesus Ascension, the Final Judgement, Jesus feeding the multitudes, and portraits of saints and prophets.

The discovery, made during excavations and cleaning operations in an underground city recentlyuncovered as part of an urban project in Nevsehir, is located within a castle that might date back to the fifthcentury. Authorities expect it will make Cappadocia an even more important pilgrimage center forOrthodox Christians.

Semih stanbulluolu, the archaeologist who heads the works for both the underground city and the church,explained that the walls of the church collapsed because of snow and rain, but that they will be fixed as partof the restoration project. Frescoed sections will have to be collected one by one and pieced together.

When uncovered, the church was filled with earth. Ali Aydin, another member of the archaeological teamin charge of the Nevsehir discoveries, said that because of the humidity underground the church has to bedried slowly in order to prevent even more damage to the frescoes. We have stopped work in order toprotect the wall paintings and the church. When the weather gets warmer in the spring, we will wait forhumidity to evaporate and then we will start removing the earth. Only a few of the paintings have beenrevealed. Others will emerge when the earth is removed. There are important paintings in the front part ofthe church showing the crucifixion of Jesus and his Ascension to Heaven. There are also frescoes showingthe apostles, the saints, Moses and Elijah.

Christian pilgrims and tourists have long visited Cappadocia for its famed cone-shaped rock clusters thatserved as hermitages for early monks. The newly unearthed church is proof that the regions geographyshelters still more hidden treasures of faith.

http://aleteia.org/2016/05/11/a-1500-year-old-underground-byzantine-church-is-found-in-turkey/

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Attention Shoppers:

Please visit our booth to support your church by purchasingshopper cards for:

Shop Rite Grade A Stop and Shop Stew Leonards

There is NO ADDITIONAL COST to you and your church will earna 5% REWARD from the supermarkets. For example, if you buy a$100 shopper card, the church gets $5. It's a WIN-WIN for

you and for your church.

Please note that only cash or checks can be accepted so rememberto bring your checkbook to Church each Sunday. If you forget, noproblem: JUST STOP AT OUR NEW ATM conveniently located atthe bottom of the stairs leading to the church hall. This is theCHURCH's ATM so your security is protected and the modest

surcharge helps the church too.