Sunday of the Ointment-Bearing Women
Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!
3rd Sunday of Pascha: Sunday of the Myrrh Bearers
May 4, 2025
Sat 5/3/25 4:00pm Vigil Divine Liturgy Souls in Purgatory by Marian Luther
Sun 5/4/25 9:30am Divine Liturgy +Frank Pickier by The Fizer Family
Wed 5/7/25 7:00pm Liturgy for Healing Pauline Olen by Cindy Hills
Fri 5/9/25 7:00pm Resurrection matins
Sat 5/10/25 4:00pm Vigil Divine Liturgy +Mary Semanco-Gornik by Tina Soley
Sun 5/11/25 9:30am Divine Liturgy +Karen Bohin by Andy Bohin and Family
Variable Parts Sunday of the Myrrh Bearers - Tone Pages 177 - 180
Epistle Acts 6:1-7
Gospel Mark 15:43-16:8
Memorial Candle Request - Brock, Herbert, Pubis and Zavacky Families by Rich and Mary Ann Pribus
Epistle Readers 3-May Mary Troyan 4-May Mike Dancisin 10-May John Baycura/Mary Motko 11-May Kathy Moyta
Please Pray for: Ole J. Bergh, Erik Bergh, Liz Moyta, Fr. Michael Huszti, Fr. Laska, Susie Curcio, Teresa Milkovich, Robert Saper, Anna Habil, Martha Sapar, Mike Dancisin, Karen Smaretsky Vavro, Diane Sotak, Anna Pocchiari, Larry Hamil, Beverly Jones, Marilyn Book, Maryann Russin Schyvers, Nick Russin and Ken Konchan
Attendance: 4/26 -19 4/27 - 68 Collection: 4/26 & 4/27 $2,129.00
Ladies Guild: The Ladies Guild Spring Installation Banquet will be on Thursday May 15tha t Rachel's Roadhouse. The slate of officers for the 2025-2027 Guild Year are: President — Stephanie Dano, Vice President — Shari Allen, Secretary — Elizabeth Pocchiari and Treasurer — Tina Pounds.
The Salad Bingo made a net profit of $2,421.50 which will be matched by the GCU. Thank you to everyone who helped in any way!
Please let Tina know if you are coming to the banquet by May 4th. She may be reached at 571-243-7370. Ladies Guild members pay $15.00 each.
David Schaffner RIP: Parish sympathies to Mary Motko, whose brother, David Schaffner, passed away recently. May his memory be eternal!
May 24, 2025 : Service project for youth (12-17) and young adults (18-39) happening in Pittsburgh: Cemetery Cleanup (St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cemetery, Bethel Park);, lunch will be provided, people need to sign up; at: https://archpitt.org/
June 21, 2025 : An evening of music with Emma Fradd (more information on the website:. ; tickets are free, but registration is required. Please. The event is for people 21 and over. Register at : https://archpitt.org/
June 27-29, 2025: Young Adult Retreat, St. Thomas More House of Prayer, more information coming soon.
The holy Great Martyr Irene was born in the city of Magedon in Persia during the fourth century. She was the daughter of Licinius, the pagan ruler of a certain small kingdom, and at birth her parents named her Penelope. Penelope was very beautiful, and her father kept her isolated in a high tower from the time she was six so that she would not be exposed to Christianity. He also placed thirteen young maidens in the tower with her. An old tutor by the name of Apellian was appointed to give her the best possible education. Apellian was a Christian, and during her lessons, he told the girl about Christ the Savior and taught her about the Christian Faith and Christian virtues. When Penelope reached adolescence, her parents began to think about her marriage. Penelope refused marriage because she wanted to be dedicated to Jesus, was baptized, and named Irene (peace). When Licinius learned it, he was furious. He attempted to turn her from Christ by having her tortured. She was tied up and thrown beneath the hooves of wild horses so that they might trample her to death, but the horses remained motionless. Instead of harming the saint, one of the horses charged Licinius, seized his right hand and tore it from his arm. Then it knocked Licinius down and began to trample him to death. This caused a great deal of confusion among the people there but Irene consoled them with the words of Christ: "All things are possible to the one who believes" (Mark 9: 23). And indeed, with wondrous faith, she prayed and through her prayers Licinius rose unharmed in the presence of many eyewitnesses with his hand intact. Then, Licinius and his wife were baptized as Christians, along with almost 3000 others who turned away from the worship of idols. Licinius abandoned his domain and lived in the tower he had built for his daughter. There he spent the rest of his life in repentance.
When Sedekias , the new prefect of the city, heard of the miracles performed by the saint he summoned her to him and urged her to stop preaching about Christ. St Irene staunchly confessed her faith before the prefect, not fearing his wrath. By order she was thrown into a pit filled with vipers and serpents. The saint spent ten days in the pit and remained unharmed, for an angel of the Lord protected her and brought her food. Sedekias ascribed this miracle to sorcery, and he subjected her to many other tortures, but she remained unharmed. Under the influence of her preaching and miracles even more people were converted to Christ.
Next, the saint went to the city of Callinicus, (in Syria). The ruler of that place was King Numerian. When she began to teach about Christ, she was arrested and tortured by the pagan authorities. They enclosed her inside three bronze oxen, one after another, which were heated until they were red-hot. When the Great Martyr was placed within the third ox, it began to walk about, and then it split asunder. Saint Irene emerged from it as if from the fires of hell. This resulted in thousands of souls converting to the faith of Christ. By 330, the Persian king Sapor 11 (309-379) to prevent Saint from winning more people to Christ, arrested her, beheaded, and then buried. However, God sent an angel to raise her up again, and she went into the city of Mesembria. After seeing her alive and hearing her preach, the local king was baptized with many of his subjects.
Wishing to convert even more pagans to Christianity, Saint Irene went to Ephesus, where she taught the people and performed many miracles. The Lord revealed to her that the end of her life was approaching. Then Saint Irene left the city accompanied by six people, including her former teacher Apellian. On the outskirts of the town, she found a new tomb in which no one had ever been buried. After making the Sign of the Cross, she went inside, directing her companions to seal the entrance to the cave with a large stone, which they did. She also told them that that no one should move the stone until four days had passed. Apellian returned after only two days, and found that the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty.
There are conflicting accounts about her death. According to the Western Martyrologies, St Irene was martyred in Thessaloniki after being thrown into the fire. St Irene led thousands of people to Christ through her preaching, She is invoked by those wishing to effect a swift and happy marriage.
