Palm Sunday
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever!
Palm Sunday
April 13, 2025
Sat 4/12/25 4:00pm Vigil Divine Liturgy +Jim Jarvie by The Sychak Family
Sun 4/13/25 9:30am Divine Liturgy +Stanley Gawlikoski by Drew Moniot
Mon 4/14/25 7:00pm Presanctified Liturgy
Tue 4/15/25 7:00pm Presanctified Liturgy
Wed 4/16/25 7:00pm Presanctified Liturgy - Annoiting
Thu 4/17 7:00pm Vespers with Divine Liturgy
Fri 4/11/25 7:00pm Matin with 12 Gospels
Fri 4/11/25 7:00pm Vespers
Sat 4/12/25 7:00pm Resurrection Matins
Sat 4/12/25 8:00pm Divine Liturgy Resurrection of our Lord +John R Prokopchak by Prokopchak family
Sun 4/13/25 9:30am Divine Liturgy Resurrection of our Lord Parishioners of Our Parish
Variable Parts - Palm Sunday Festal Tone Pages 235 - 241
Epistle Philippians 4:4-9
Gospel John 12:1-18
Memorial Candle Request - No Candle Request
Epistle Readers 12-Apr John Baycura/Mary Motko 13-Apr Liz/John Pocchiari 19-Apr Mary Troyan 20-Apr Amanda Stavish
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, Ken Konchan, Beverly Zavacky
Attendance: 3/23 — 74 3/30 - 86; 4/5 — 20 4/6 — 92 Collection: 3/29 and 3/30 - $2,875.19; 4/5 and 4/6 - $3,404.00
Gibsonia Schedule
Sun 4/13/25 11:30am Divine Liturgy Palm Sunday
Thu 4/17/25 4:00pm Divine Liturgy
Fri 4/18/25 4:00pm Vespers
Sat 4/19/25 4:00pm Resurection Matins+ Divine Liturgy
Sun 4/20/25 11:30am Divine Liturgy Pascha
Salad Bingo Donations We are kindly requesting every family donate a salad and a prize for the Salad Bingo. There are signup sheets on the bulletin board. Salads and prizes may be dropped off all day Friday, April 25th until 8:00pm or Saturday morning, April 26th 9:00am — 11:00am. Thank you for supporting one of our biggest fundraisers for the upkeep of our church.
Salad Bingo: Please save the date on April 26th for Salad Bingo.
Passion or Great Week: "In the Byzantine Rite the week preceding Easter, during which we spiritually relive the mysteries of our redemption, is called Passion Week. It is also referred to as the Great Week, on account of the "great and indescribable benefits that have befallen us during this week (St. John Chrysostom). Consequently, each individual day of Passion Week is also designated as Great (St. Athanasius)." Source: https:/ /archpitt.org/the-holy-and-great-thursday-according-to-the-byzantine-tradition/
Good Friday Grave Visitation: The church will be open on Good Friday until 10:00pm for grave visitation.
• April 27, 2025: Archeparchial Youth and Young Adult Gathering: Believe in Hope: Archeparchial Youth and Young Adult Gathering 2025 AT THE Cathedral on April 27 at 4pm
• May 24, 2025: Save the Date for Service project for youth and young adults happening in Pittsburgh: Cleaning the cemetery - more information and sign-up form coming soon
• June 21, 2025: An evening of music with Emma Fradd (more information on a poster or on the website: The Office of Youth and Young Adults presents An Evening of Music with Emma Fradd June 21. Archeparchy of Pittsburgh; tickets are free but registration is required. The event is for people 21 and over.
Implication of the Palms: Palms were symbols of life among the nomadic tribes, who, when crossing the desert, rejoiced at seeing the palm tree as it indicated an oasis with life-giving water was near. Palms have long been a sign of victory, success and glory. Victorious armies or leaders returning from the battlefield or a long military campaign were welcomed by the populace jubilantly waving palm branches. Despite Jesus' peaceful manner, when the Jews waved the palms at Him and spread their clothing over which He rode, they were affording Him the honors of a conquering hero and simultaneously defying the Roman occupiers.
On Palm Sunday, we still go out to meet Him, carry the blessed palms, joyfully sing out our hosanna and join in His triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. But soon our joy turns to somberness as, clutching our palm, we hear the narrative of Christ's passion. We realize, once again, that His triumph, His true victory, will come through the cross. We know, as Jesus did, how Holy Week will end. We know that joy will turn to sorrow and back to joy. We know that through the horror of His suffering, followed by the glory of His resurrection, good will trump evil and life will trump death.
The palms we take home and put in a special place serve to remind us that Palm Sunday is not lost to the ages but that by Christ's victory we, too, can achieve everlasting life. "For us too, they [palms] must be symbols of triumph, indicative of the victory to be won in our battle against the evil in ourselves and against the evil which roams about us. As we receive the blessed palm, let us renew our pledge to conquer with Jesus, but let us not forget that it was on the cross that He conquered"
Reenacting Palm Sunday: Soon after the Resurrection, Christians wanted to visit the sites of Christ's passion and even reenact the incidents that had taken place, such as His entry into Jerusalem. But such activity would not be possible until the fourth century when Constantine became emperor of the Roman Empire and ended all religious persecution. Later in that century, a Spanish pilgrim named Eigera visited Jerusalem. In her diary, she recorded how Christians re-created the events of Holy Week. She wrote that they gathered outside the city on the Sunday before Easter and listened to one of the Gospels telling of Christ's triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. Then they marched together through the city gates while carrying olive or palm branches. Our Palm Sunday processions are akin to what Eigera witnessed 17 centuries ago. By the ninth century, the procession with blessed palms had expanded beyond Jerusalem and during the Middle Ages became widespread throughout Europ
