January 7, 2018

SAINT SOPHIA CATHEDRAL

MIAMI, FLORIDA

Sunday, January 7th, 2018

Synaxis of John the Forerunner

Saint John, the holy Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, whom the Lord called the great-
est of the prophets, concludes the history of the Old Testament and opens the era of the
New Testament. The holy Prophet John bore witness to the Only-Begotten Son of
God, incarnate in the flesh. Saint John was accounted worthy to baptize Him in the waters
of the Jordan, and he was a witness of the Theophany of the Most Holy Trinity on the
day of the Savior’s Baptism. The holy Prophet John was related to the Lord on His
mother’s side, the son of the Priest Zachariah and Righteous Elizabeth. The holy Forerun-
ner, John, was born six months before Christ. The Archangel Gabriel announced his birth
in the Temple at Jerusalem, revealing to Zachariah that a son was to be born to him.
through the prayers offered beforehand, the child was filled with the Holy Spirit. Saint
John prepared himself in the wilds of the desert for his great service by a strict life, by fast-
ing, prayer and sympathy for the fate of God’s people. At the
age of thirty, he came forth preaching repentance. He ap-
peared on the banks of the Jordan, to prepare the people by
his preaching to accept the Savior of the world. In church hym-
nology, Saint John is called a “bright morning star,” whose
gleaming outshone the brilliance of all the other stars, announc-
ing the coming dawn of the day of grace, illumined with the light
of the spiritual Sun, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Rev. Fr. Spiro D. Bobotas

Telephone 305- 854-2922 * Fax: 305-858-1854
Website: stsophiamiami.org
2401 S.W. 3rd Avenue, 33129

Mailing Address: 244 SW 24th Road Miami, Fl. 33129

Liturgical Guide

Apolytikion for the Resurrection– Tone PL 2

Ἀγγελικαὶ Δυνάμεις ἐπὶ τὸ μνῆμά σου
When the angelic powers appeared at Your grave, the soldiers guarding it feared and became as dead.

And standing by the sepulcher was Mary who was seeking Your immaculate body. You devastated
Hades, not afflicted by it. You went to meet the virgin, and granted eternal life. You resurrected from

the dead. O Lord, glory to You.

Apolytikion of the Afterfeast

Ἐν Ἰορδάνῃ βαπτιζομένου σου Κύριε, ἡ τῆς Τριάδος ἐφανερώθη προσκύνησις,

When Thou wast baptized in the Jordan, O Lord, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest; for
the voice of the Father bare witness to Thee, calling Thee His beloved Son. And the Spirit in the
form of a dove confirmed the certainty of the word. O Christ our God, Who hast appeared and hast

enlightened the world, glory be to Thee.

Apolytikion for Synaxis of John the Forerunner in the Second Mode

Μνήμη δικαίου μέτ' ἐγκωμίων,

The memory of the just is celebrated with hymns of praise, but the Lord's testimony is sufficient for
thee, O Forerunner; for thou hast proved to be truly even more venerable than the Prophets, since
thou was granted to baptize in the running waters Him Whom they proclaimed. Wherefore, having con-
tested for the truth, thou didst rejoice to announce the good tidings even to those in Hades: that God

hath appeared in the flesh, taking away the sin of the world and granting us great mercy.

Apolytikion for St. Sophia Tone 3

Χαίρει ἔχουσα ἡ Ἐκκλησία, σὲ καὶ τέκνα σου καύχημα θεῖον,

, Having you and your three daughters as a sacred boast, the Church rejoices and with gladness she
praises you, You are to me my pride and joy, as are the most precious relics of your children; Oh Glori-

u ous Martyrs: Sophia, Faith, Hope and Love, intercede to Christ our God to save our souls.

Kontakion






You appeared to the world today, and Your light, O Lord, has left its mark upon us. With fuller under-
standing we sing to You: "You came, You were made manifest, the unapproachable light."

Scripture Readings

Epistle Reading:

The reading is from Acts of the Apostles 19:1-8.

In those days, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country
and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, "Did
you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said, "No, we have never
even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." And he said, "Into what then were you bap-
tized?" They said, "Into John's baptism." And Paul said, "John baptized with the
baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after
him, that is, Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Je-
sus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and
they spoke with tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve of them in all.
And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, arguing and
pleading about the kingdom of God.

Gospel Reading:

John 1:29-34

At that time, John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of
God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes
a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.' I myself did not know him; but for
this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel." And John bore
witness, "I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him. I my-
self did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on
whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy
Spirit.' And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."

MEMORIAL

Paris Katsoufis
Remembered by his wife Fani, Children, George (Effie)& Lambros (Chryso)

Grandchildren and family & friends

STEWARSHIP CAMPAIGN 2018

Today is the beginning of our 2018 Stewardship Campaign. If you
have not brought your completed 2018 Stewardship Card with
you, please find one in the pews.
Your participation is vital.
Last Sunday, I spoke about the Importance of Giving and how
God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and
he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each

one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity;
for God loves a cheerful giver.

We do not give because we have to we give but rather because we
understand what it means to be a good manager of what God has

given us..
All things belong to God and we are called to be
Good Stewards of that which He has entrusted to us.

Please give sacrificially of your time, talent
& treasures

SAINT BASIL ACADEMY MISSION STATEMENT

The Saint Basil Academy is a national not-for-profit philanthropic center of the Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of America which provides love, shelter, food, education, protec-
tion and a home for her horphans, children of chronically ill or destitute parents or chil-

dren from broken homes.

HISTORY

Archbishop Athenagoras, of Blessed Memory, founded Saint Basil Academy in 1944
with the valuable assistance of the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society. On
March 15, 1944, the Philoptochos purchased the 400-acre Jacob Ruppert estate in Garri-
son New York, on the shores of the Hudson River, overlooking West Point Academy for
only $55,000.
The Archbishop dreamed of establishing an orphanage or children's home ever since his
arrival in the United States in 1931. The Philoptochos purchased the Ruppert estate with
the proceeds of two years of the Vasilopita celebrations. The Academy, as envisioned by
the late Patriarch Athenagoras, has expanded in scope to be a well equipped Residential
Child Care Center, with modern dormitories, a gymnasium/auditorium, indoor swim-
ming pool, beautiful chapel, library and all the necessary comforts of a loving home.
The Academy was named for Saint Basil, who was the founder of many orphanages,
hospitals, and homes for the elderly in fourth century Caesarea, Asia Minor. He is con-
sidered one of the greatest philanthropists of the Church and founder of the modern-day
hospital concept.
The National Philoptochos has responded to the needs of the Academy and its resident
children for over 60 years, with support of the operating budget through the Annual Va-
silopita appeal and the sisterhood of Saint Basil for special needs.
The Academy is also the home to the late Archbishop Michael's tomb. Archbishop Mi-
chael had a special love for the Academy, and under his leadership, the Academy flour-
ished in the 1950s in an era of growth and capital improvements..

VASILOPITA

One of the most beautiful and inspiring traditions and customs of the Greek Orthodox Church is the
observance of Vasilopita. It is this annual family observance, together with many other traditions of our
Church, which joins our Orthodox Faith and heritage with the history of the Christian religion itself.

The word Vasilopita is a compound Greek word which means the sweet 'bread of Basil'.
Background
This age old tradition commenced in the fourth century, when Saint Basil
the Great, who was a bishop, wanted to distribute money to the poor in his
Diocese. He commissioned some women to bake sweetened bread, in which
he arranged to place gold coins. Thus the families in cutting the bread to
nourish themselves, were pleasantly surprised to find the coins.
The Annual Home Observance
This original event which happened in Cappadocia of Caesarea in the last half of the fourth century, is
very much alive in our Orthodox homes each year on January 1st.
According to tradition, special sweet bread (in some areas of Greece, it takes the form of a cake) is pre-
pared both in the Orthodox homes and in the Church community which is called Vasilopita. Sweets are
added to the bread which symbolize the sweetness and joy of life everlasting. It also symbolizes the
hope that the New Year will be filled with the sweetness of life, liberty, health, and happiness for all
who participate in the Vasilopita Observance. When the Vasilopita is prepared, a coin is usually added
to the ingredients. When the bread is cut and the observance begins, the individual who receives that
portion of the Pita which contains the coin is considered blessed.
This tradition adds joy to the celebration at the beginning of the New Year, which everyone hopes will
bring joy to all. Many Orthodox Christians enjoy the Vasilopita at home with their loved ones during
the New Year celebration. The head of the family cuts the pieces of pita for all members of the family.
Since Saint Basil loved the poor people, a special piece is cut for the unfortunate of the world, which
symbolizes our concern for the poverty-striken people of all nations.

Another look as the Christmas Pageant of 2017

EPIPHANY CELEBRATION
AND CROSS DIVE 2018
WEST PALM BEACH

The Goya will be holding their Annual
Super bowl for Caring at the end of
the month. This includes a canned
food drive, the passing of a tray in the
last week of January and a Can Art
Competition. This is to benefit those
less fortunate.
Far Right: Saint Sophia’s Can Art Pro-
ject which one them 1st Place last Year

UPCOMING EVENTS

Sunday, January 7th Synaxis of St. John the Baptist Matins 9:00 AM
Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM
10:00 AM
Saturday, January 13th Epiphany Celebration @ WPB
& Cross Dive 9:00 AM
10:00 AM
Sunday, January 14th Sunday after Epiphany Matins

Divine Liturgy

40 DAY BLESSING

Jessie Pelletier & Matilda Eleni Kalaveshi
present their daughter
Ella Marie Pelletier

for the Traditional 40 Day Blessing