Oct. 12 – 18th Sunday after Pentecost. Tone 1

Ven. Cyriacus the Hermit of Palestine (556). Martyrs Dada, Gabdelas, and Casdoe of Persia (4th c.). Ven. Theophanes the Merciful of Gaza.

2 Cor. 9:6-11; Lk. 6:31-36;
Gal. 5:22-6:2; Lk. 6:17-23

Oct. 14 – The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.

Покров Пресвятої Владичиці Нашої Богородиці і Вседіви Марії.

Heb. 9:1-7; Lk. 10:38-42 – 11:27-28;

Oct. 19 – 19th Sunday after Pentecost. Tone 2

Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas (1st c.).

2 Cor. 11:31–12:9; Lk. 7:11-16;
1 Cor. 4:9-16; Jn. 20:19-31;

Апостол і Євангеліє - Gospel and Epistle of the Day

Дивіться у вказівках - See propers here

Venerable Kyriakos the Anchorite

Saint Kyriakos (Kyriákos)¹ was born in the Greek city of Corinth to the priest John and his wife Eudokίa. Bishop Peter of Corinth, who was a family relative, seeing that Kyriakos was a quiet and sensible child, made him a Reader in church. His constant reading of the Holy Scriptures awakened in him a love for the Lord, and made him long for a pure and holy life.

When he was not yet eighteen years old, Kyriakos was deeply moved during a Church Service by the words of the Gospel: "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me" (Matthew 16:24). He believed that these words applied to him, so he went straight to the harbor without stopping at home, got onto a ship, and went to Jerusalem.

After visiting the holy places, Kyriakos lived for several months at a monastery not far from Sion, in obedience to the Igoumen Abba Eustorgios (Eustórgios). Later, with the latter's blessing, he made his way to the wilderness Lavra of Saint Euthymios the Great (January 20). Saint Euthymios, discerning great gifts of God in Kyriakos, tonsured him into the monastic schema and placed him under the guidance of Saint Gerasimos (Gerásimos) (March 4), who trained him in asceticism at the Monastery of Saint Theoktistos (Theóktistos) by the Jordan.

Saint Gerasimos, taking into account the fact that Kyriakos was very young, ordered him to live in a cenobitic monastery with the brethren. The young monk easily fulfilled his monastic obediences: he prayed fervently, he slept little, and ate food only every other day, sustaining himself with bread and water.

It was customary for the monks to go into the Rouva wilderness during Great Lent, and return to the Monastery on Palm Sunday. Seeing the young monk's strict abstinence, Saint Gerasimos decided to take him along with him. In complete solitude, the ascetics redoubled their efforts. Every Sunday Saint Gerasimos imparted the Holy Mysteries to his disciple.

After the repose of Saint Gerasimos, the twenty-seven-year-old Kyriakos returned to the Lavra of Saint Euthymios, who was no longer among the living. Father Kyriakos asked for a solitary cell and there he devoted himself to ascetical contests in silence, speaking only to the monk Thomas. But Thomas was sent to Alexandria where he was consecrated as a bishop, and Saint Kyriákos spent another ten years in complete silence. At the age of thirty-seven, he was ordained to the diaconate.

When a rift occurred between the monasteries of Saint Euthymios and Saint Theoktistos, Saint Kyriakos withdrew to the Souka Monastery of Saint Kharίton (September 28). At this Monastery they received even tonsured monks as novices, and Saint Kyriakos was also received this way. He toiled humbly at various monastic obediences. After several years, Saint Kyriakos was ordained as a priest, and was chosen as the canonarch,² serving in this obedience for eighteen years. In all, Saint Kyriakos spent thirty years at the Monastery of Saint Kharίton (September 28).

Strict fasting and a complete lack of evil distinguished Saint Kyriakos even among the older ascetics of the Lavra. Each night he read the Psalter in his cell, interrupting his reading only to go to church at midnight. The ascetic slept very little. When he reached the age of seventy, Kyriakos went to the Natoufa wilderness, taking his disciple John with him.

In the desert the hermits ate only bitter herbs, which were made edible by the prayers of Saint Kyriakos. After five years, a certain man found out about the ascetics and brought his demon-possessed son to them, and Saint Kyriakos healed him. From that time, many people began coming to him with their needs, but he desired complete solitude, and fled to the Rouva wilderness, where he dwelt five years more. But the sick and those afflicted by demons also came to him in that wilderness, and the Saint healed them all with the Sign of the Cross and anointing them with oil.

In his eightieth year Saint Kyriakos fled to the remote Sousakim wilderness, near two dried up streams. According to Tradition, the holy Prophet David mentioned Sousakim: "Thou hast dried up the rivers of Etham" (Psalm 73/74:15). After seven years, brethren of the Souka Monastery came to him, beseeching his spiritual help during a period of debilitating hunger and illness, which God allowed. They implored Saint Kyriakos to return to the Monastery, and he settled in the cave where Saint Kharίton had once lived.

Saint Kyriakos provided great help to the Church in the struggle with the spreading heresy of Origenism. By prayer and by word, he brought the wayward back to the true path, and strengthened the Orthodox in their faith. Cyril, the author of the Life of Saint Kyriakos, and a monk of the Lavra of Saint Euthymios, was a witness when Saint Kyriakos foretold the impending death of the chief heretics Nonos and Leontius, and said that soon the heresy would cease to spread.

The Most Holy Theotokos once appeared to Saint Kyriakos in a dream, along with Saints John the Baptist and John the Theologian, ordering him to preserve Orthodox doctrine in its purity. She refused to enter his cell, however, because in it was a book with the writings of the heretic Nestorius. "My enemy is in your cell," she told him.³

At the age of ninety-nine, Saint Kyriakos went to Susakim again and lived there with his disciple John. In the desert, Saint Kyriakos was served by a huge lion, which protected him from robbers. The animal did not bother the brethren, and it ate food from the Saint's hand.

The ascetics had stored some water in the hollow of a rock during the winter, but in the heat of summer, all the water dried up. Since there was no other source of water, Saint Kyriakos prayed, and the rain fell, filling the hollow with water.

Saint Kyriakos returned to the Monastery two years before his death and settled once more in Saint Kharίton's cave. Until the end of his life the righteous Elder preserved his courage, and prayed with fervor. He was never idle, he either prayed or he worked. Before his blessed repose, Saint Kyriakos summoned the brethren and blessed them all. He fell asleep in the Lord, having lived for 109 years.

Footnotes

1 His name is derived from the Greek word Κύριος, which means Lord, or one who belongs to the Lord.

2 A Canonarch is the lead chanter, or Reader. He ensures that other Readers chant from the correct texts and use the proper Tones. He also preserves the canonical order in the liturgical services, according to the Typikon.

3 The appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos to Saint Kyriákos is commemorated on June 8.

Преподобний Киріак Палестинський, пустельник

Преподобний Киріак († 556 р.) народився в Коринфі в сім'ї пресвітера соборної церкви Іоанна і дружини його Євдоксії. Родич пресвітера Іоанна єпископ Коринфський Петро, бачачи, що Киріак зростає тихим і розсудливим отроком, поставив його читцем у церкві. Постійно вправляючись у читанні Святого Письма, юний Киріак всією душею поринув до Господа і з молодих років намагався проводити богоугодне життя.

У віці вісімнадцяти років, будучи присутнім на церковній службі, Киріак був глибоко зворушений, почувши слова Євангелія: «Якщо хто хоче йти за Мною, зречись себе, і візьми хрест свій, і йди за Мною» (Мф. 16:24). Зрозумівши свій шлях, Киріак звершив молитву, вийшов із церкви і, не заходячи додому, таємно відправився на пристань. Там він сів на корабель і вирушив до Єрусалима.

У віці тридцяти семи років він був висвячений у сан диякона. У сорок років преподобний Киріак був рукопокладений в сан пресвітера і призначений канонархом. У цьому званні він трудився вісімнадцять років. Загалом він пробув в обителі святого Харитона тридцять років.

Протягом цього часу преподобний Киріак віддавався великому подвижництву, яке ретельно приховував. Утримання і лагідність його були надзвичайні. Щовечора преподобний Киріак читав у келії Псалтир до того часу, як лунав благовіст до полуношного співу.

Досягнувши сімдесяти років, преподобний вирішив вести ще суворіше життя. Він пішов у пустелю Натуфа, взявши з собою свого учня Іоанна. У пустелі відлюдники харчувалися лише гірким зіллям, яке по молитві святого Киріака робилося солодким, стаючи придатним до споживання.

На вісімдесятому році життя преподобний Киріак віддалився до місця, яке знаходилося за сотню верст від Сукійського монастиря. У цьому сокровенному місці, званому Сусаким, сходилися дві висохлі річки. За переданням, це місце згадував святий пророк Давид у своєму псалмі, кажучи: «Ти висушив річки, що не пересихали» (Пс. 73:15). У цій далекій пустелі преподобний Киріак прожив сім років. Потім до нього з'явилася братія із сукійського монастиря, просячи його духовної допомоги в годину голоду і смертоносних хвороб. Вони благали святого Киріака повернутися до обителі. Преподобний, зворушений благаннями братії, повернувся і оселився в печері, де раніше подвизався преподобний Харитон.

На дев'яносто дев'ятому році життя преподобний Киріак знову пішов у Сусаким і там жив з учнем своїм Іоаном. У цей час його знову відвідав чернець Кирил. Цього разу преподобний пробув у Сусакимі вісім років.

В останні роки його перебування в пустелі Господь відкрив преподобному Киріаку, що він не один служить Богу у своєму усамітненні, а є інші таємні раби Божі, які підносять до Нього свої молитви і про яких світ не знає.

Відкрито це було так. Одного разу учень преподобного Іоанн і його друг Парамон ішли із обителі до преподобного в його пустелю. Дорогою вони побачили вдалині, в глибині пустелі, людину, яка втекла від них до печери. Підійшовши до неї, вони довго стукали, просячи жителя печери розповісти їм про себе. Зрештою зсередини печери, так і не виходячи до них, на їхні голоси відгукнулася відлюдниця, яка просила братію залишити її. Але вони благали її відкрити їм своє ім'я і сказати, чи давно вона тут спасається. Відлюдниця сказала, що її ім'я Марія, а живе вона цілком на самоті вісімнадцять років. Ніхто ніколи не приходив до неї, і ніхто не знав про її подвиги, які залишилися в таємниці.

Блаженна Марія просила молитов преподобного Киріака і просила його учнів, щоб на зворотному шляху від преподобного вони ще раз до неї зайшли. Коли учні сказали про це святому Киріаку, він віддав подяку Богові за те, що є стільки святих, які приховані від людей і служать Йому, не тільки чоловіків, а й жінок.

Коли настав час його смерті, преподобний Киріак, покликавши братію, всіх благословив і зі всіма попрощався. Потім він глянув на небо, простягнув руки, помолився і тихо відійшов до Господа у віці ста дев'яти років.

St. John's Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund

In the two months since the red carpet was rolled out in Anchorage, Alaska, for Vladimir Putin—an indicted war criminal shunned by the free world—Russia's daily attacks on Ukrainian civilians have escalated to new levels of death and destruction in our ancestral homeland.

At the same time, the U.S. administration has quietly pivoted from its earlier calls for a ceasefire in the war against Ukraine. It has failed to impose new sanctions on Russia—sanctions that have been repeatedly promised, then delayed or abandoned.

While the people of Ukraine continue to defend their freedom and sovereignty with extraordinary courage—fighting for their very survival—America, once the leader of the free world, has stepped aside, watching as Putin escalates his long-running war on Ukraine and intensifies hybrid attacks against our NATO allies in Europe.

These challenging times make it all the more important for Saint John's Ukrainian Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance Committee and our partners to continue standing in solidarity with Ukraine. Our community's outreach and fundraising efforts truly make a difference. Like our brave brothers and sisters in Ukraine, we must remain focused and resilient in our advocacy — engaging elected officials and expanding our outreach programs to raise awareness of Ukraine's fight for freedom within our community.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who took part in the flag-raising ceremony at Binghamton City Hall commemorating the 34th Anniversary of Ukraine's Restored Independence, as well as those who attended the Komuna Lux performance and the Valeriia Vovk concert. We are deeply grateful to our donors whose generosity has enabled us to provide significant support to UOC of the USA's Aid to Ukraine, Blue Check Ukraine, Together for Ukraine Foundation, Revived Soldiers Ukraine, and SEED: Support for Education, Empowerment, and Development of school children in Ukraine...

As we close our third quarterly report, we also wish to thank all who sustain the work of our humanitarian committee through prayers and financial gifts made in eternal memory and honor of loved ones. May God bless you all for your Christian love, compassion, and generosity.

Vichnaya Pamyat – Memory Eternal: Eugenia Arson, Marianne Lawryk, Phyllis Hatala, Stephanie Gorick

In Honor of: Alfred Gorick's Birthday, Don Karn's Birthday x 3

Thank You!

A huge thank you (and a big "Дякую!") to the incredible team of volunteers who spent their day expertly crafting hundreds of delicious pirohy! Your dedication to keeping this beautiful Ukrainian tradition alive is truly inspiring.

It takes a community to make this happen, and we are so blessed by yours. Thank you for your hard work, your joyful spirits, and for sharing a taste of home with all of us!

St. John's Famous Holubtsi and Pirohy Sale

Zoe for Life!(R) Southern Tier Diaper Drive

Did you know that newborn babies up to 3 months use an average of 8 to 12 diapers per day? Older infants from 3 to 6 months of age need 6 to 8 diapers per day, and toddlers, from 6 to 12 months, go through about 5 to 7. The cost of diapers varies by brand, but it all adds up to quite a bit for families who are already struggling financially. Babies are very small, but their needs are great. ZOE for Life!(R) Southern Tier is asked frequently by our growing number of clients for help with diapers, and our inventory is running low. We especially need sizes 4-7. Please consider ordering diapers online and having them shipped to:

Zoe for Life!(R) Southern Tier
c/o 612 Nelson Rd
Johnson City, NY 13790-4927

Questions? Contact Matushka Marge Kappanadze, mkappanadze@gmail.com

St. John's Social Club Fall Party

Let's Help Ukraine!

St. John's Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund is accepting donations to help Ukrainians during war. Donations will go to provide food and other humanitarian needs.

To make donation online click here

We accept checks as well.

Please make the checks to St. John Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund

Mailing address:

1 Saint John's Parkway
Johnson City NY 13790
 

Cash is accepted in church

Pray for Ukraine!

Prayers for Ukraine are done during each service. To see the schedule click here.

Молитви за Україну проводяться під час кожної служби. За розкладом дивіться тут.

May God bless and protect Ukraine!

Please Note!

• Only Orthodox Christians may receive Holy Communion or other Sacraments.
  
• If you have not been to confession in over a month, please go to confession before receiving the Holy Gifts.
  
• We fast from all food and drink (including water) from bedtime (the previous night) until we receive the Holy Gifts during morning Divine Liturgy. That also means no coffee, no cigarettes, no gum, candies in the morning and during Divine Liturgy.

Happy Birthday

No birthdays this week.

* If your or someone else's birthday is missing or incorrect please let Fr. Ivan know right away.

Please Pray for the Servants of God

John, Rose, Solomiia, Bob, Melodye,
Nancy, Hristos, John, Jane,
Mary, Zenna, Douglas, Ivan,
Melanie, William, Marion, Helen,
Mariann, Robert, Jean, Ronald, Brian,
Fr. James, Scott, Andriy, James, William,
Pipinos, Fr. Gabriel and PM Susan, Vasyl

Upcoming Readings