Parish News
November 1, 2026
Cosmas & Damian of Asia
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!
Hymns in Today’s Liturgy
Resurrectional Apolytikion (Tone 5)
Let us worship the Word, O ye faithful, praising Him that with the Father and Spirit is co-beginningless God, Who was born of a pure Virgin that we all be saved; for he was pleased to mount the Cross in the flesh that He assumed, accepting thus to endure death. And by His glorious rising, He also willed to resurrect the dead.
Apolytikion of Ss. Cosmas & Damian of Asia (Tone 8)
O holy Unmercenaries and wonderworkers, visit our infirmities; freely ye received, freely give to us.
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.
Ordinary Kontakion ( Tone 2)
O protection of Christians that cannot be put to shame, mediation unto the Creator most constant, O despise not the suppliant voices of those who have sinned; but be thou quick, O good one, to come unto our aid, who in faith cry unto thee: Hasten to intercession, and speed thou to make supplication, thou who dost ever protect, O Theotokos, them that honor thee.
THE EPISTLE
I Corinthians 12:27–13:8
Brethren, you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the Church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
THE GOSPEL
LUKE 16:19–31
The Lord said, “There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, full of sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried; and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”
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UPCOMING AT ST MARY OF EGYPT
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 12:45 @ Friedens
Monday
Byzantine Chant Class 18:30 @ Joy of All Who Sorrow
Tuesday
Catechesis / Adult Education 19:00 @ Scotts'
Columbus Orthodox Fellowship 18:00 @ Columbus, IN
Wednesday
Book Study 19:00 @ Google Meet
Byzantine Chant Class @ Joy of All Who Sorrow
Thursday
Indy Orthodox Homeschool Co-Op 10:45 @ St. George, Fishers
Saturday
Men of God Retreat 09:00 @ St. George, Fishers
Sunday
Setup 08:30 @ Friedens
Orthos & Divine Liturgy 09:00 @ Friedens
Fellowship 11:15 @ Friedens
Christian Education 11:45 @ Friedens
Takedown 12:45 @ Friedens
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On the Road: We are now meeting on Sundays in Hayden Hall at:
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.
Our mailing address is:
St. Mary of Egypt Orthodox Church
480 N Town Center Rd PMB 210
Mooresville, IN 46158-1379
Intercessory Prayer Group: We have begun a new intercessory prayer group to pray for our parish and the world. If you are interested in joining, please contact Mark and Paula Scott.
Byzantine Chant Class: Fr. Gabriel is teaching a Byzantine Chant class on Monday evenings 18:30–20:00 and Wednesday evenings 19:00–20:30 at Joy of All Who Sorrow, 1516 N Delaware St, Indianapolis IN 46202‑2419. The content will be the same on both Mondays and Wednesdays so participants need only attend one evening each week. Those interested should email Fr. Gabriel. The cost is $20 per 90-minute lesson.
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.
Profile Photos and Information: Please be sure to upload a current photo and check your information in Realm to be sure that it's correct; if it's not and you need assistance updating it, please contact Fr. Peter.
Giving: Giving in Realm has now been implemented. There are presently three ways to give via Realm:
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Log into Realm and select “Giving”
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Visit https://onrealm.org/StMaryEgyptOrth/Give in your browser
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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.
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.
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.
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!
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 13:00 sharp.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
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 Kathy Herkamp for more information.
Benevolence: Protodeacon Michael Walker's daughter-in-law has had her home declared unsafe for occupation due to flooding. She has two autistic daughters and they need financial assistance with renovations. If you would like to support this cause, please visit their GoFundMe page.
DATES TO REMEMBER
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
14 Nov IPA Service Day The Lord's Pantry at Anna's House
14 Nov St. Stephen's Dinner & Dance Primo Banquet Hall
16 Nov Youth Mental Health First Aid Training Fishers, IN
21 Nov «Ethnic» Bake Sale St. Stephen
4–5 Dec Christmas Market Joy of All Who Sorrow
10 Dec Holy Unction Holy Trinity
12 Dec Nativity Retreat South Canaan, PA
30 Dec–2 Jan Winter Retreat (HS & college-aged) Martinsville, IN
2027
2–5 Jan OCF UPSTREAM Wewoka, OK
15–18 Jan Winter Camp St. George Strawberry Point, IA
15–18 Jan Winter Family Camp Antiochian Village
27–30 Jan Youth & Camp Conference Titusville, FL
25–28 Feb Ancient Faith Singles Retreat (30+) Antiochian Village
28–30 May Ancient Faith Singles Retreat (45+) Chicago, IL
4–10 Jul Camp St. George Strawberry Point, IA
19–25 Jul 2027 Archdiocesan Convention Riverside, CA
PARISH PRAYER REQUESTS
Living: Metr. Nicholas, Archpriest James, Archpriest Joseph, Archpriest Petar, Archpriest Philip, Archpriest Zachariah, Priest Peter (12‑04), Dcn. Lucian, Sdn. Alexander, Abraham, Alexander, Amal (11‑15), Amira, Anastasia & child (02‑19), Barry (11‑30), Blaine (11‑15), Chuck (12‑21), Craig (12‑04), Elen, Elena, Eve (11‑07), Evgueni, Hannah, Ioanna, Jake (11‑18), Janice (11‑30), Josiah (11‑19), Judy, Kelly, Kylie (12‑07), Lee, Lynn, Lynn, Micaiah & child (12‑24), Michael (11‑07), Michael (12‑02), Morgan & child (12‑15), Nathan, Nikolai, Octavian (11‑26), Rachel (11‑15), Ryan (11‑26), Steve (11‑25), Tim (11‑18), Tom (11‑03), the 40 survivors of the terrorist attack on St. George, Hamoud, and their families (12‑01)
Departed: Archpriest Athanasius (11‑19), Priest Anthony (1993), Kh. Anastasia (2019), Debra (11‑05), Elizabeth (11‑10), David (11‑18), David (11‑26), Dave (11‑28), Katy (11‑29), Alaa (12‑01), Asem (12‑01), Fadi (12‑01), Ihab (12‑01), Khalid (12‑01), Maher (12‑01), Marwan (12‑01), Mazen (12‑01), June (2021), Edgar (2023)
Please, notify Fr. Peter of any new prayer requests by Wednesday for inclusion in the bulletin.
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SYNAXARION
On 1 November, in the Holy Orthodox Church, we commemorate the holy and wonderworking Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian, the sons of Theodota of Asia.
The two Unmercenaries, from earth departed,
Yet again, as before, fill the earth with wonders.
November first, they flew from earth, O healing Light
The brothers were from Mesopotamia in Asia Minor. After the death of their pagan father, their Christ-loving mother Theodota reared them in piety and in all manner of virtue and had them instructed in every science, especially that of medicine. This became their vocation and they went about healing every illness and malady, bestowing healing freely on both men and beasts alike; because of this, Cosmas and Damian are called “Unmercenaries.” They fulfilled Christ’s command: “Freely have ye received; freely give” (Matthew 10:8). And thus, having completed the course of their life, they reposed in peace. Even after their deaths, Cosmas and Damian worked healing miracles for all who called upon their names.
On this day, we also commemorate the Venerable-martyr James and his disciples James the deacon and Dionysios of Prodromou Skete on Athos; and Venerable David of Evia in Greece.
By the intercessions of Thy saints, O Christ God, have mercy upon us. Amen