ST.

NICHOLAS ALBANIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE
SHRINE OF THE HOLY VIRGIN MARY
2701 NORTH NARRAGANSETT AVENUE CHICAGO, IL 60639 773-889-4282
stnicholasalbanianchicago.org

Urojm besimtart e Kishs s

Shn Kollit nj vit t bekuar me Zotin dhe
m shum shndet e begati

12th Sunday of Matthew

September 3rd, 2017
 Epistle Reading
St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 16:13-24
Prokeimenon. Mode 4.
Psalm 146.5;134.3
Great is our Lord, and great is his power.
Verse: Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good.
Brethren, be watchful, stand firm in
your faith, be courageous, be strong.
Let all that you do be done in love. Now, brethren, you
know that the household of Stephanas were the first
converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves
to the service of the saints; I urge you to be subject to
Gospel Reading
The Gospel According to Matthew
21:33-42
The Lord said this parable,
"There was a householder who
planted a vineyard, and set a
hedge around it, and dug a wine
press in it, and built a tower,
and let it out to tenants, and
went into another country. When the season of fruit
drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get
his fruit; and the tenants took his servants and beat
one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent
other servants, more than the first; and they did the
same to them. Afterward he sent his son to them,
ALEKSANDRI PAVLI JOAN
FANTINI VRIENA ASPASIA FIVIA
EFTERPI ELEAZARI ANTHIMI
such men and to every fellow worker and laborer. I
rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and
Achaicos, because they have made up for your absence;
for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give
recognition to such men. The churches of Asia send
greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in
their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. All
the brethren send greetings. Greet one another with a
holy kiss. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand.
If any one has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed.
Our Lord, come! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with
you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.
saying 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants
saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir;
come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.' And
they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and
killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard
comes, what will he do to those tenants?" They said to
him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death,
and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give
him the fruits in their seasons." Jesus said to them,
"Have you never read in the scriptures: 'The very stone
which the builders rejected has become the head of
the corner; this was the Lord's doing, and it is
marvelous in our eyes?'"
SIMEON EZEKIA MOISI
 MESSAGES FROM Fr. KOSTANDINs OFFICE
PRAY AND SUPPORT THE VICTIMS OF HURRICANE HARVEY
Dear brother and sisters in Christ. As good Orthodox Christians and immediate assistance to Hurricane Harvey victims and their
we should continue praying for the safety and well-being of those families. Thank you for making a difference. Time is due to show
affected by Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath. As your pastor I we are good Christians
encourage each of you not to stay indifferent, but helping with
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it
whatever you can to help all the people affected from this natural
is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, "Come
disaster. Giving, Sharing, Helping the One in need are some of the
back tomorrow and Ill give it to you"when you already have
most important virtue our scriptures teach us. Your donation will
it with you. Proverbs 3:27-28.
provide water, food, emergency supplies, shelter, building repair,
SHKOLLA E S DIELS BLESSING STUDENTS FOR A
SHKOLLA SHQIPE GRUPI ARBRIA SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL YEAR
At Kostandini dhe Kshilli i Kishs ftojn Fr. Kostandin is cordially
t gjitha familjet shqiptare pa dallim besimi q t requesting all parishioners to be
bejn rregjistrimet e fmijve t tyre n kto veprimtari present in Church together with their
jashtshkollore q mbikqyr Kisha e Shn Kollit. kids on the next two following Sundays, August 27 and
Si prindr t devotshm le t bjm detyrn tone pr tu krijuar September 3. On both these Sundays, after the Divine Mass Fr.
fmijve tan mundsin q t rriten me respektin pr besimin, Kostandin will be giving special blessings to all students for a
traditat tona dhe gjuhn e bukur shqipe. good and successful school year.

ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2017 - 125TH YEAR OF ORTHODOXY IN CHICAGO

Proclaiming 2017 as the 125th Year of Orthodox followed by an anniversary banquet at the Chicago Marriott
Christianity in Greater Chicago, the regions OHare, 8535 West Higgins Road, Chicago. St.
ruling bishops have endorsed a historic Nicholas is planning on renting a bus to transport
celebration to take place on Saturday, September our parishioners to each venue. Sign up
30, 2017. Sponsored by the Orthodox Christian information will be available shortly. If you would
Clergy Association [OCCA] of Greater Chicago, the like to place a listing in the commemorative
commemoration will include the celebration of a donor book or would like to reserve a seat at the
Pan-Orthodox Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at Lane banquet, please fill out the attached form and
Tech Auditorium, 2501 West Addison, Chicago, follow directions for payment and mailing.

MIRNJOHJE Q DO T PRCILLET N BREZA

A new book published commemorating our own George Shamata, one of our Church Benefactors
M 15 Tetor 2017 do t promovohet Prve ndihmess s tij t shquar n kt drejtim, ndihmesa e tij
libri me titull MIRENJOHJE QE DO TE ka qen tejet e rndsishme n momentet m kritike t historis
PERCILLET NE BREZA, kushtuar jets dhe s Kishs s Shn Kollit n Chicago. Emri dhe kujtimi i tij do t
veprimtaris s biznesmenit t shquar mbetet t i prjetshm n panteonin e Benefaktorve t Kishs
shqiptar George Samatas. Nj libr i Shqiptare Orthodhokse t Shn Kollit.
prgatitur n shqip nga shkrimtari i njohur Ftojm t gjith besimtaret dhe dashamirs t tjer t
Kostaq Duka. Nj libr q duhet lexuar nga lexojn dhe t marrin pjes n ket veprimtari. Libri do t jet pr
ata q kan pasur fatin ta njohin dhe t shitje n St. Nicholas Book Store. T ardhurat nga shitja e librave
tjer, pr t njohur m mir George Shamatn dhe gjit at do ti dhurohen Kishs s Shn Kollit. Pr t porositur librin
plejad mrgimtarsh shqiptar dhe prpjekjet e tyre titanike pr kontaktoni z. Josif Kotemelo (thea@msn.com).
ruajtjen e traditave mbajtjen gjall t vlerave t komunitetit ton.

We want to remind anyone that generosity of WELCOME TO ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH

your donations and membership dues allows us
to continue to provide our unique services and BE PART OF OUR ALBANIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY
operational upkeep. Donations to our church are
vital to support and to keep our mission strong.
We envision a community where individuals
with disabilities and their families have a network that supports
independence, Choice and personal success. The services and
activities we offer would not be possible without the continued
and generous support of our community.
All donations are tax deductible and MUCH APPRECIATED. Service in English and Albanian Flitet Shqip

St. Symeon the Stylite
Commemorated on September 1
Our righteous Father Symeon
was born about the year 390 in a
certain village named Sis, in the
mountain region of Cilicia and Syria.
Having first been a shepherd, he
entered the monastic discipline at a
young age. After trying various kinds of
ascetical practices, both in the
monastery and then in the wilderness,
he began standing on pillars of
progressively greater height, and
heroically persevered in this for more
than forty years; the greater part of this
time he spent standing upright, even when one of his feet became
gangrenous, and other parts of his body gave way under the
strain. He did not adopt this strange way of life out of vainglory, a
charge that some of his contemporaries made against him at the
first: because he was already famous for his asceticism and
holiness before ascending his first pillar (in Greek, style, whence
he is called "Stylite"), many pious people came to him wishing to
touch his garments, either for healing or for a blessing; to escape
the continual vexation they caused, he made a pillar about ten
feet high, and then higher and higher, until the fourth and last
was about fifty feet high. The Church historian Theodoret of
Cyrrhus, an eyewitness of his exploits who wrote of him while
Symeon was yet alive, called him "the great wonder of the world."
God gave him the grace to persevere in such an astonishing form
of asceticism that multitudes came to see him from Persia,
Armenia, South Arabia, Georgia, Thrace, Spain, Italy, Gaul, and the
British Isles. Theodoret says that he became so famous in Rome
that the Nomadic Arabs by the thousands believed in Christ and
were baptized because of him; the King of Persia sent envoys to
inquire into his way of life, and the Queen asked to be sent oil
that he had blessed. He also was a great defender of sound
doctrine, and confirmed the Orthodoxy of the Holy Council of
Chalcedon for many who had been beguiled by the teachings of
the Monophysites, including the Empress Eudocia, widow of
Theodosius the Younger. After a life of unheard-of achievements
and struggles, he reposed in peace at the age of sixty-nine, in the
year 459.

javs. E Diela, gjithmon i sht kushtuar Ngjalljes s Krishtit. T

FILLIMI I VITIT
KISHTAR
Ndonse 1 Shtatori sht
konsideruar si fillimi i Vitit Kishtar,
prapseprap, sipas kalendarit t
Kishs Orthodhokse, qendra reale liturgjike e ciklit vjetor t
adhurimit, sht festa e Ngjalljes s Krishtit. T gjith elementt e
devotshmris orthodhokse drejtohen e burojn prej Pashks,
kremtimit t Pashks s Re t Krishter. Madje edhe "festat e
palvizshme" t Kishs, si Krishtlinda e Uji i Bekuar, t cilat
kremtohen sipas nj date fikse n kalendar, e marrin formn e
tyre liturgjike dhe frymzimin prej fests s Pashks. Cilki i
adhurimit Paskal fillon me periudhn e Kreshms s Madhe,
paraprir nga t Dielat para kreshms. Rregulli i adhurimit t
Kreshms s Madhe e prmbush vetveten n Javn e Madhe dhe
n Ditn e Madhe t Ngjalljes s Krishtit. Mbas Pashks jan
pesdhjet ditt e kremtimit paskal, deri n festn e Rushajeve
(Pentekostis). do jav e vitit sht konsideruar n Kish si nj e
"Diel pas Rushajeve". Javt numrohen n kt mnyr (E Diela
e Par, e Dyt etj.), prderisa t filloj periudha para kreshms,
gjat s cils javt marrin emrin e prmbajtjes kryesore t
adhurimit, duke pasur parasysh kthimin vjetor t Pashks.
Pr ciklin e adhurimit Paskal ka dy libra t veant
liturgjik, Triodi dhe Pesdhjetorja. Quhet Triod, sepse ka "tre
ode", t cilat kndohen shpesh gjat shrbesave t ksaj
periudhe. T dielat dhe javt q pasojn Rushajet, kan gjithashtu
nj libr t veant, q quhet Oktoeku, q literalisht do t thot
"tet tingujt (tonet)". Oktoeku prmban shrbesat pr do dit t
Mrkurat dhe t Premtet prkujtojn vuajtjet dhe Kryqzimin e
Krishtit. Tema e s Hns sht pr engjjt, "fuqit pa trup". E
Marta i sht kushtuar Joan Pagzorit, e Enjtja apostujve dhe
Shn Nikolls dhe e Shtuna Hyjlindses dhe prkujtimit t t
vdekurve. do dit e javs, fillon me vigjiljen (Mbrmsoren e
Madhe t s Shtuns) e Dits s Zotit dhe shrbesat kndohen n
t njjtin "tingull (ton)" ose melodi muzikore. Jan tet seri
shrbesash, n tet "tinguj" t ndryshme (nga ku vjen edhe emri
Oktoeku) dhe kndohen me radh gjat tr vitit. Kshtu, n t
Dieln e 2-t pas Rushajeve duhet t jet Tingulli i 1-r; t Dieln
e 3-t mbas Rushajeve, Tingulli i 2-t; t Dieln e 4-t mbas
Rushajeve, Tingulli i 3-t e kshtu me radh, deri n t Dieln e
10-t, ku fillon prsri Tingulli i 1-r. Ky cikl "tingujsh" sht pr
t gjitha javt e vitit, ndonse, kur afrohet periudha e Kreshms
s Madhe, theksi bie prsri n prgatitjen e kremtimit t
Pashks.
Prve ciklit t adhurimit Paskal me javt "pas
Rushajeve", n do dit t vitit prkujtohen disa shenjtor ose
ngjarje t shenjta. do muaj ka nj libr t veant, q quhet
Mujori (Mineon), i cili prmban shrbesn e veant t do dite t
atij muaji. Kisha ka dymbdhjet festa t mdha: Lindja, Epifania
(Uji i Bekuar), Paraqitja e Zotit n Tempull (Ipapandia), dhe
Shprfytyrimi i Krishtit; Lindja, Ungjillizimi, Paraqitja n Tempull
dhe Fjetja e Shn Maris; Lartsimi i Kryqit; dhe, nga cikli Paskal,
festa e Hyrjes s Zotit n Jerusalem, festa e Ngjitjes s Zotit
(Shestja) dhe festa e Rushajeve. Pashka nuk numrohet ndr
dymbdhjet festat e mdha t Kishs, meqense ajo sht
konsideruar si "festa e festave".