Saints Constantine and Helen West Nyack NY

Today we commemorate our beloved Saint Phanourios, the Great Martyr and patron saint of things lost.

Blessed Dormition fast to all! Join us for Paraklesis during this time, every night at 7pm with a special visit from Bishop Athenagoras on Friday, August 2nd. Check our website for our schedule: https://www.saintsconstantineandhelenwestnyack.com/news/calendar

Our Goyans had a wonderful evening last night at their end of year BBQ!

Today was a beautiful day for our Joy 'water park' event!

Glory to God! What a weekend!
We were so incredibly blessed with great weather to allow everyone to come out and support us but more importantly, we are so blessed to have an amazing network of support. We are speechless.
This festival is truly a labor of love. Not all heroes wear capes; and in the instance of our festival, our heroes wear aprons as our cooks and bakers; our heroes also wear blue tshirts as our volunteers; our heroes also wear suits as our corporate sponsors; and our heroes also wear street clothes as our patrons. We appreciate each and every one of you - and we could not do this without you!
We cannot say it enough: Thank you, thank you, thank you!
We hope to see you again next year! June 5, 6, 7 & 8!

With this year's festival weekend in the books, we extend another heartfelt thank you to our sponsors! Our festival would not have been such a success without their support!

Diamond Sponsorship:
Boulis Construction


Gold Sponsorship:
Alma Bank
Anthos Properties
BCB Bank
Franklin Street

Silver Sponsorship:
Acrisure
Charles Schwab
Mivila Foods
Nyack Pediatric Dentistry

Bronze Sponsorship:
Bags Galore & Cleaning Supply Corp.
Brandt, Dani & Brooklyn Cybul
Gyro Point Plus
HUB International
Next Stop Foods Inc.
Ourania Pizzolato
State Farm - Debbie McGuinness
The Milliaressis Family
Tsigonia Paint and Hardware

We reopen at 12pm today until 8pm!
Joining us in the vendor tent will be George Psomas, the author of the new children's book Manoli the Greek Mouse. Meet the author and purchase a signed copy of his debut children’s book!

Stop by for dinner, we're open until 10 and again tomorrow from 12 until 8!

As we get ready to kickoff tomorrow at 5:30, we wanted to take a moment and thank our sponsors for this year's festival! Your support is deeply appreciated and helps make our festival a success year after year!

Diamond Sponsorship:
Boulis Construction


Gold Sponsorship:
Alma Bank
Anthos Properties
BCB Bank
Franklin Street

Silver Sponsorship:
Acrisure
Charles Schwab
Mivila Foods
Nyack Pediatric Dentistry

Bronze Sponsorship:
Bags Galore & Cleaning Supply Corp.
Brandt, Dani & Brooklyn Cybul
Gyro Point Plus
HUB International
Next Stop Foods Inc.
Ourania Pizzolato
State Farm - Debbie McGuinness
The Milliaressis Family
Tsigonia Paint and Hardware

One more day until the start of our festival!

Wonderful graduation ceremony today from our Greek school students!

“Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

"Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" (John 4:29)

The Sunday of the Samaritan Woman by Jacob's well (5th Sun. of Pascha) commemorates the woman who, tradition tells us, was named Photini (or Photine, Photina, Svetlana), which means "light" (Φωτεινός). She is sometimes called the first evangelist since after her encounter with Christ at the well, she told her townspeople that she had met the Christ.

"Now if a woman of Samaria is so eager to learn something profitable; if she stays with Christ though not yet knowing Him, what pardon shall we obtain? ... We know Him ... yet are unable to endure anything that is said, but are jaded in our knowledge.
+ St John Chrysostom

Great-Martyr Photini, Equal-to-the-Apostles, pray to Christ for the salvation of our souls

Who's ready? 😍

Χριστός Ανέστη! Christ is risen! We hope you have a blessed Easter!

Good and Holy Friday
Service of the Lamentations and Procession of the Epitaphio

Beginning on the evening of Palm Sunday and continuing through the evening of Holy Tuesday, the Orthodox Church observes a special service known as the Service of the Bridegroom. Each evening service is the Matins or Orthros service of the following day (e.g. the service held on Sunday evening is the Orthros service for Holy Monday).

Traditionally, the icon of Christ the Bridegroom (Gr: O Nymphios/Ο Νυμφίος) is brought to the front of the church on Palm Sunday evening, where it remains until Holy Thursday. In the icon, Christ's wedding garment is the robe the soldiers gave Him. His wedding crown is the crown of thorns. His head is bowed low and his arms are crossed in humility, laying down His life for His Bride. The wedding will be His Crucifixion on the Cross just behind Him. We are invited guests to the wedding. This is a week for us to prepare.

"Behold, the Bridegroom comes in the middle of the night,
And blessed is the servant He shall find vigilant;
But unworthy is he whom he shall find neglectful.
Beware therefore, O my soul, lest you be weighed down by sleep,
Lest you be given over to death and be closed out from the kingdom;
But rise up crying out: 'Holy! Holy! Holy are You our God;
Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, have mercy on us.'”
(Troparion of the Bridegroom Service)

Blessed Palm Sunday to all!

Congratulations to Emmanuel Moustakakis for placing 1st and Hayden Aiello for Honorable Mention at the District Level, held on April 20th at St. Nicholas Shrine Church in Flushing, Queens. Manny will next represent our district at the semi-finals next month. Bravo, Manny! You and Hayden make us very proud!

Stewardship is an act of faith. When we believe, stewardship follows. Stewardship is faith in action; action motivated by humble gratitude to God for his blessings in our life. (Fr Jim Kordaris)
To make your pledge, you can go to the below link or inquire within the church office for a stewardship form:
https://www.saintsconstantineandhelenwestnyack.com/about/become-a-steward

On this Sunday of the fifth week of great and holy lent, we commemorate our Holy Mother Mary of Egypt. Through chanting her Troparion, may we acquire her penitance for our sins and the angelic purity which she attained.

In you, O Mother Mary, the faithful image of God shone forth, for you carried your Cross and followed Christ. You taught by your deeds how to spurn the body, for it passes away, and how to value the soul, for it is immortal. Wherefore your soul is forever in happiness with the angels.

Troparion - St. Mary of Egypt

Last Sunday, students from our Sunday School delivered inspiring speeches at the Parish Level of the 2024 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival. Elementary (non-competitive) Division participant Susannah Biniaris and Senior Division participants Hayden Aiello and Emmanuel Moustakakis impressed our community with their wonderful presentations.  Hayden and Emmanuel will next represent our parish at the District Level at St. Nicholas Shrine Church in Flushing on April 20th. Bravo to all!

3rd Sunday of Great Lent: Veneration of the Cross

"Now the flaming sword no longer guards the gates of Eden; it has mysteriously been quenched by the wood of the Cross!"

In the Cross of Christ Crucified lies both “the power of God and the wisdom of God” for those being saved (1 Cor.1:24).

Save the date!

May we find stillness in our hearts and live the Jesus prayer this lent.

A hymn to St. Gregory Palamas from the Divine Liturgy:
O light of Orthodoxy, teacher of the Church, its confirmation; O ideal of monks and invincible champion of theologians; O wonder-working Gregory, glory of Thessalonica and preacher of grace; always intercede before the Lord that our souls may be saved.

Did you know Saint Gregory Palamas’s defense of hesychasm and the Jesus Prayer is a second “Triumph” of Orthodoxy?

Saint Gregory’s feast day is November 14, and he is also commemorated on the Second Sunday of Great Lent to celebrate his theological victory of hesychasm (prayer of the heart) over rationalism in the 14th Century as a second “Triumph” of Orthodoxy.

Hesychasm (from the Greek word ησυχία) is the art of being still and knowing God (Psalm 45:11/46:10). The Jesus Prayer (Greek: η ευχή) is the primary way we can use to grow in this stillness and knowledge in order to be in communion with Christ. It is not only a prayer but also a profession of faith and a way of life — praying without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). When we live the prayer (“Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.”) we confess that God is our Creator (“Lord”) who became man (“Jesus”) to save us (“Christ”) and we are asking for His mercy (“have mercy”) to be given to us (“on me”). The word “me” includes ourselves, others, and all of creation.

Saint Gregory defended the Orthodox Church’s distinction between the “essence” of God (the way God relates to Himself) and the “energies” of God (the relational activities of God to man). His opponents taught that man seeks God through intellectual reasoning (“scholasticism”) — thus making God personally unknowable — and not through prayer of the heart (hesychasm). They taught that grace was not God but a creation of God — thus making man spiritually incurable. But through the Jesus Prayer, we receive healing, peace, and joy.

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Our next JOY Game Night is this Monday, 3/25, from 5:15-6:15! Snacks will be provided. Please rsvp to [email protected]
Families are welcome to stay for the Compline service at 6:30.

Did you know that Clean Monday is our first day in the wilderness of Great Lent?

Clean Monday (Greek: Καθαρά Δευτέρα) is the first day of Great Lent and an official holiday in Greece. On this day, we ceremoniously leave behind all sinful thoughts and practices, “clean” out all non-fasting food and drink from our diet, and enter into the wilderness of repentance.

On this day’s third scripture reading, we hear: “Wisdom cries aloud in the street; in the markets she raises her voice” (Proverbs 1:20). One cannot help but think of Saint John the Baptist, who was described as “the voice of one crying in the wilderness” (Matthew 3:3). The Forerunner of the Messiah was called to prepare the way for the coming of Christ by preaching: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2).

This is what we are all called to do during Great Lent: repent and prepare the way — within our hearts and lives — for the coming of Christ at Pascha (Easter). We do this through prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and forgiving everyone.

Even Christ Himself was led to be tested in the wilderness (also described as “desert”) for 40 days. It was necessary for Christ (the “New Moses”) to succeed where the first Moses and the old Israel had failed through their disobedience to God’s Law, so that the Church (the “New Israel”) would not die in the wilderness (desert), but receive the promises of God.

In the liturgical season of Great Lent, we spiritually accompany Christ in the wilderness (desert) to battle with the enemies of our flesh, the world, and the evil one, in order that we may emerge victorious with Christ at Pascha (Easter).

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We will be having daily services throughout lent. Additional lenten services can be found on our website calendar at www.saintsconstantineandhelenwestnyack.com/
Καλή σαρακοστή!

Are you ready to carry your cross?

Today is Cheesefare Sunday (Forgiveness Sunday), and the Gospel reading where we learn about Christ’s teachings on forgiveness, prayer, fasting, and giving. It is the last day before we begin our journey through Great and Holy Lent.

How can we best prepare for Lent? And reconnect with Christ during this holy period?

→ To find out, read today’s Sunday Sermon Series from the Department of Religious Education (DRE): www.goarch.org/departments/religioused/sermons

SUNDAY SERMON SERIES is an easy-to-download weekly sermon on the Sunday Gospels with insights and analyses about the readings.

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