August 2, 2026

Translation of the Relics of the

Proto-Martyr Stephen the Archdeacon

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TO OUR VISITORS

Welcome! We hope your time with us is healing and worshipful. Please note that, although we have much respect for other Christian traditions, Holy Communion is reserved for properly prepared members of the Orthodox Church. Everyone is invited to partake of the blessed bread after the conclusion of the Liturgy. May God’s blessing be upon you!

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Hymns in Today’s Liturgy

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Resurrectional Apolytikion (Tone 8) 

From the heights Thou didst descend, O compassionate One, and Thou didst submit to the three-day burial, that Thou might deliver us from passion; Thou art our life and our Resurrection, O Lord, glory to Thee.

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​Apolytikion of St. Stephen the Archdeacon (Tone 8)

The crown of the Kingdom hath adorned the brow of thy head because of the contests that thou hast endured for Christ God, thou first of the martyred Saints; for when thou hadst censured the Jews’ madness, thou sawest Christ thy Savior standing at the right hand of the Father. O Stephen, ever pray Him for us, that He would save our souls.

Apolytikion of St. Mary of Egypt (Tone 8)
Through thee, the divine likeness was securely preserved, O mother Mary; for thou didst carry the cross and follow Christ. By example and precept, thou didst teach us to ignore the body because it is perishable and to attend to the concerns of the undying soul, Therefore, doth thy soul rejoice with the angels

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Kontakion of the Transfiguration (Tone 7)

Thou wast transfigured on the mount, and Thy Disciples, in so far as they were able, beheld Thy glory, O Christ our God; so that, when they should see Thee crucified, they would remember that all Thy suffering was voluntary, and could declare to all the world that Thou art truly the effulgent Splendor of the Father.

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THE EPISTLE

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I Corinthians 3:9–17

Brethren, we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s husbandry, God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise architect I laid a foundation, and another builds upon it. Let each one take heed how he builds upon it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; everyone’s work will become manifest; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire itself will test each one’s work of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which was built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as by fire. Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone corrupts the temple of God, God will corrupt him. For the temple of God is holy, whose temple you are.

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THE GOSPEL

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Matthew 14:22–34

At that time, Jesus made the Disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. And after He had dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, but the Disciples’ boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. But when the Disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately He spoke to them, saying, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.” And Peter answered Him, “Lord, if it is Thee, bid me come to Thee on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out His hand and caught him, saying to him, “O man of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly, Thou art the Son of God.” And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret.

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UPCOMING AT ST MARY OF EGYPT

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Sunday

Setup 08:30 @ Friedens

Orthos & Divine Liturgy 09:00 @ Friedens

Fellowship 11:15 @ Friedens

Ladies of St. Mary 11:30  @ Friedens

Christian Education  11:45  @ Friedens

Takedown 12:15 @ Friedens

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​​Tuesday

Adult Education / Catechism 19:00 @ Scotts'

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Wednesday

Book Study  19:00 @ Google Meet

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Sunday

Setup 08:30 @ Friedens

Orthos & Divine Liturgy 09:00 @ Friedens

Fellowship 11:15 @ Friedens

Parish Council 11:30  @ Friedens

Christian Education  11:45  @ Friedens

Takedown 12:15 @ Friedens

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On the Road: We are now meeting on Sundays in Hayden Hall at:

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Friedens United Church of Christ
8300 S Meridian St
Indianapolis, IN 46217
///fluent.cheaply.scrawl

 

for Orthros and Divine Liturgy at our normally scheduled time of 09:00. Please arrive at 08:30 to help set up. 

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Our mailing address is:

St. Mary of Egypt Orthodox Church
480 N Town Center Rd PMB 210
Mooresville, IN 46158-1379

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Parking Lot Construction: The main entrance at Friedens will be closed for about one more week for renovation. We're told that work on the parking lot should not affect our access on the weekend but please allow extra time to park and walk in just in case.

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Parish T-shirts: If you don't already have an official St. Mary of Egypt parish t-shirt, now's the time to get one for only $20. These shirts are great to wear to parish events, to other parishes' festivals, or just about anywhere! They're available in sizes from S to 3XL, so please let Barry know how many you want.

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Men of St. Mary: The Men of St. Mary will be volunteering at Second Helpings on Saturday, 2026‑08‑15 08:30–12:00. Registration and specific attire is required so please click here for more information.​

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Young Adults: Holy Trinity, Carmel, invites all young adults 18–35 on a trip to the Indiana State Fair on Tuesday, 2026‑08‑11 18:00–21:00, and an Indy Eleven soccer game on Tuesday, 2026‑09‑15 19:00–21:30.

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VanScoy-Hill Wedding: Their wedding registry may be found here on Amazon. They're also hoping for contributions towards purchasing The Orthodox Study Bible Companion.

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Profile Photos: The following is shamelessly stolen from Fr. Mark McNary of St. Peter, Fort Worth:

Dear Family in Christ,

One of the top 5 reasons we went to Realm Connect for our Parish communications and management was the consistent cry for a constantly updated Parish Directory. As we have grown rapidly over the past number of years, so many longed to match faces to names.

Realm Connect provides a way for a constantly updated Parish Pictorial Directory by simply putting in a profile picture for your profile and for each in your family. You can access this anytime in Realm Connect. However, we have a great many profiles that do not yet have pictures, and we need your help.

I would ask that everyone please take the few short moments it will take and upload a profile picture into Realm Connect. Marshall Sherman has, once again, put together a simple instruction sheet with screenshots that will help you do this.

I greatly appreciate your efforts in this. And please contact us if you run into any problems trying to upload a picture to your profile.

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Giving:  Giving in Realm has now been implemented. There are presently three ways to give via Realm:

1. Log into Realm and select “Giving”

2. Visit https://onrealm.org/StMaryEgyptOrth/Give in your browser

3. Text STMARYINDY to 73256, followed by your gift amount, to give online through text.*.

At present, we have 1 person who has received Realm invitations who has yet to respond. If you have not yet received a Realm invitation or have misplaced yours, please contact Fr. Peter. If you need help signing in or have general questions, please contact Jason.

**Standard text message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. Text HELP to 73256 for help. Text STOP to 73256 to cancel.

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Building Program: We have signed an agreement with Northpointe Engineering & Surveying for $34,000 to obtain easements for sewage, water, stormwater drainage, and road expansion. More updates will be issued as work progresses.

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Fellowship Hour:  This week, group A (led by Amal Hanania) will oversee Fellowship Hour; next week, group B (led by Bobbi Cornelius) will oversee Fellowship Hour.

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We need more volunteers to help with Fellowship Hour! If you are not currently in a provider group and would like to join, please contact Amal. If you’d like to bring something one Sunday, please feel free!

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​Please also remember that, as guests of Friedens UCC, we do not currently have the use of a kitchen so everything we bring in must be taken out when we leave. We must also be finished in plenty of time to clean up and take down so that we are out of the building by 12:30 sharp.

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COMMUNITY OUTREACH

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Canned Food: We are continuing to collect low salt and low sugar canned goods for Johnson County Senior Services. At this time, they are also in need of instant potatoes, spaghetti sauce, cereal (all kinds), soup beans (like pinto and navy), and boxes of mac and cheese. Please contact Aimee Robinson or Kathy Evans for more information.

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Hair Styling: Morgan Beaven is a professional hair stylist who is willing to offer a discount for her services, especially to our senior ladies who have trouble getting out and about. Please contact Morgan for more information.

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Benevolence:  In these increasingly tough economic times, we are constantly being approached by those in and around the community asking for financial help. If you would like to donate towards this cause, please contact Amal.

 

DATES TO REMEMBER​

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17–20 Aug    Village Up North    Vandalia, MI

20–21 Aug   Indy GreekFest   Holy Trinity

20–23 Aug    Do You Want to Be a Priest?   Antiochian Village

4–6 Sep   DoxaMoot   Raleigh, NC

4–7 Sep   Adult Camp   Antiochian Village

12 Sep   Indy Serb Fest   St. Nicholas

17–19 Sep   OCAMPR Conference   Mundelein, IL

18–20 Sep   Middle Eastern Festival   St. George, Fishers

8–11 Oct   Centennial Celebration

10 Oct   Emmaus Retreat   Martinsville, IN

20–23 Oct   Midwest Clergy Synaxis   Brown County State Park

22–25 Oct   Youth & Young Adult Ministry Summit   Antiochian Village

24 Oct   VanScoy-Hill Wedding   Holy Trinity

6–7 Nov   Doxacon Prime 2026   Washington, DC

6–8 Nov   Midwest Basketball Tournament   Canton, OH

6–8 Nov   Orthodox Christian Laity Conference   Washington, DC

7 Nov   Men's Retreat   St. George, Fishers

12–15 Nov   Ancient Faith Women's Retreat  Antiochian Village

4–5 Dec   Christmas Market   Joy of All Who Sorrow

 

2027 ​​​

25–28 Feb   Ancient Faith Singles' Retreat (30+)   Antiochian Village

19–25 Jul    2027 Archdiocesan Convention    Riverside, CA

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PARISH PRAYER REQUESTS

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Living: Metropolitan Nicholas, Archpriest Athanasius, Archpriest James, Archpriest Petar, Archpriest Philip, Archpriest Zachariah, Deacon Lucian, Sdn. Alexander, Sdn. Victor (08‑14), Aaron (08‑22), Abraham, Alexander, Alise (08‑06), Amira, Anastasia & child (02‑19), Barbie (08‑15), Brian (11‑01), Butch (08‑15), Caitlin & child (12‑15), Carl (08‑19), Charmaine (08‑15), Christina & child (11‑01), Demetrius (08‑21), Elen, Elena, Evgueni, Hannah, Ioanna, Judy, Kelly, Lee, Lynn, Lynn, Michael (09‑25), Morgan & child (12‑15), Nikolai, Paula (08‑02), Rachel (08‑13), Renee (08‑02), Robin (08‑14), Ryan (08‑15), Steve (08‑04), Tanya

 

Departed:  Priest Alexander (08‑04), Mikhail (08‑03), Mother Macaria (08‑21), Kh. Susan (08‑27), Anna (08‑05), Dan (08‑07), Andrew (08‑13), Tad (08‑14), Brett (08‑15), Timothy (08‑19)

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​​Please,   notify Fr. Peter  of any new prayer requests by Wednesday for inclusion in the bulletin.

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SYNAXARION

On 2 August, in the Holy Orthodox Church, we commemorate the recovery of the sacred relics of the holy Proto-martyr and Archdeacon Stephen.

A great many strange and divine things hast thou, O Zion:

So give Constantine’s city the dead body of Stephen.

On the second Stephen’s corpse was removed.

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When the wicked Jews stoned Stephen to death, they left his body for the dogs to eat. After two nights Gamaliel, Paul’s teacher and a secret follower of Christ, came and took his body to Caphargamala, and buried it in a cave. Eventually, Gamaliel’s friend Nicodemus, his nephew Abibos and he were laid to rest in the same cave. The graves were forgotten, but in 415, in the time of Patriarch John of Jerusalem, Gamaliel appeared three times in a dream to the Priest Lucian, in Caphargamala, and told him the exact location of the burial place. With the Patriarch’s blessing, Lucian and others dug up the graves. A strong and fragrant odor from the relics of these saints filled the cave. Stephen’s relics were solemnly translated to Zion and there buried with ceremony, and the relics of the others were taken to a hill above the cave and laid to rest in a church there. Later, Stephen’s healing relics were translated to Constantinople.

 

On this day, we also commemorate the Venerable Photini the wonderworker of Carpasia in Cyprus; and Blessed Basil the fool-for-Christ, wonderworker of Moscow. By the intercessions of Thy saints, O Christ God, have mercy on us. Amen.