Bible STudies

Pastoral Letter 4 From Fr Leonard

Dear Friends,

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

In his letter to the church community in Rome St. Paul says, ‘For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Romans 8, 38-39).

I would add to this list Covid-19, the pandemic that has the world in its vice-like grip in increasing numbers yet again. This virus will not separate us from the love of God, nor in our life in the Holy Spirit will it separate us from each other. Our strength together is more than just our meeting together, though being together gathered around the holy table, side by side, is our royal calling as the baptized holy people of God. We pray for that day when this is possible again.

In response to the current developments of the virus the Government has issued new restrictions for places of worship. These restrictions are in place first and foremost to keep us safe. This is how it affects our own situation.

St. Paul’s will be closed for public worship during this period of lockdown. Sunday services will continue on Zoom either from my apartment or occasionally from St. Paul’s Church.

You can access Zoom by going to the St. Paul’s Anglican Church Athens website where you will find the link. It will be the same link each week. In addition Deacon Christine and I will offer additional worship and spiritual resources for you. Chris will offer something weekly on Facebook. Please contact her directly about this. I will make arrangements for a mid-week evening service on Zoom. It will be 4 Wednesdays in November beginning at 19.00 and I will build in time for a chat afterwards. The link for this will be on our website also. The order of service for this will also be on the website.

We will work on ways to keep the monthly raffle draw going.

As we approach the time when the legendary Christmas Bazaar, a great social occasion as well as fund-raiser, would normally be taking place we are all once again reminded of the need to address the loss of income to St. Paul’s. Please use internet banking for your donation, if you possibly can. The details are on our website. Contact me if you have any questions about financial giving to St. Paul’s. If you cannot use the bank, please put aside your normal weekly offering and bring it with you when you next come to St. Paul’s, whenever that might be.

Stay safe and well, and remain thankful to God for his blessing of love, from which nothing can separate us.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen.

Father Leonard

Skipton-remembrance poppies

A Service for Remembrance Sunday – 8 November 2020

Welcome to our Zoom service, especially on this Remembrance Sunday. A particular welcome to Her Excellency Kate Smith CMG, British Ambassador, and Captain Tim Ferns, Defence Attache. This Worship is led by The Revd. Canon Leonard Doolan, Senior Chaplain, who is also the preacher. The Noon ceremony at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery at Alimos is cancelled.

 

Please make sure you unmute if you are to speak during the service.

Christina will play some music before we begin

Priest:      Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you

All:            and also with you.

Priest:      O Lord, open our lips

All:            and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Priest:      Give us the joy of your saving help

All:            and sustain us with your life-giving Spirit.

 

Fr. Leonard then welcomes people informally and then prays:

Ever living God, we remember those whom you have gathered from the storm of war into the peace of your presence; may that same peace calm our fears, bring justice to all peoples, and establish harmony among the nations, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Live Zoom Service for Sunday Worship

New Covid 19 restrictions recently announced means that unfortunately St Paul’s has to close its doors once more to public worship.

This Sunday’s Remembrance Day services both at the Church and at Alimos Cemetery are cancelled, but there will be a Zoom Service broadcast live from the Vicarage.

Services for the next eight weeks will also be Zoomed either from the Vicarage or the Church.  Keep checking the website and our Facebook Page for further information.

Please keep checking the website and Facebook Pages for further updates.

The login details for the Zoom Service are given below:-

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All Saints

Feast of All Saints – 1st November 2020

 

Welcome to St. Paul’s. If you are visiting, or here  for the first time. Due to Covid restrictions we must wear masks at all times in church and garden.

Check our website for information regarding future weeks.

 

Presiding Priest & Preacher: The Revd. Canon Leonard Doolan  

Deacon: The Revd. Deacon Christine Saccali

 

Entrance Hymn or Organ
Priest:            In the name of the Father, and of the Son,

and of the Holy Spirit.

All:                  Amen.                                                                                                                      

 

Priest:            The Lord be with you

All:                  And also with you

 

Words by Jonny Baker, taken from the book: ‘The Hospitality of God’ by Michael Perham

Deacon:        All are invited, all are included

All are made welcome, none are excluded

This is the table of Christ

Come if you’re young, come if you’re old

Come if you’re broken, come if you’re whole

Come if you’re weary of the trials of life

This is the table of Christ.

 

Introduction The priest welcomes everyone and introduces the service

 

Confession

There will be a short moment of silence as we bring to mind our wrongdoings

 

Deacon:        Lord, you are gracious and compassionate:

Lord, have mercy.

All:                  Lord, have mercy.

Deacon:        You are loving to all and your mercy is over all your creation:

Christ, have mercy.

All:                  Christ, have mercy.

Deacon:        Your faithful servants bless your name and speak of your glory:

Lord, have mercy.

All:                  Lord, have mercy.

 Absolution: Almighty God, who forgives all those who are truly repent, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness and keep you in life eternal; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Gloria:  Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God, the glory of God the Father. Amen. AMEN.

 Collect

The Priest then prays the collect for the day

God of holiness, your glory is proclaimed in every age: as we rejoice in the faith of your saints, inspire us to follow their example with boldness and joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

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Cinnamon Sticks C

Christmas Online Bazaar

Due to current Covid restrictions, and our precarious financial situation, we will not be able to hold a Christmas Bazaar this year – the first time in over 60 years.  HOWEVER, our beautiful Christmas Decorations, and Sweets will be on sale online and at the Church after the services.  Browse through our gallery of decorations here.  You can purchase them online through Paypal on our Donations page and collect them in a couple of weeks at the Church.  Don’t forget to indicate which item you are purchasing!

 

Candles cost  €8.00  and come gift wrapped and bagged.  Cinnamon Stick decorations cost €7.00.

 

 

St Paul's Logo f.i.

Last Sunday after Trinity (Bible Sunday) 25th October 2020

Welcome to St. Paul’s Athens especially if you are here for the first time or visiting Athens. Welcome if you are joining us on Zoom. Please take this sheet away with you to use during the week. Our Harvest celebration has been postponed. The presiding priest and preacher is The Revd. Canon Leonard Doolan. The deacon is the Revd. Christine Saccali. Covid 19 restrictions apply in the church AND in the garden.

 

Entrance The organ will play

Priest:     In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

The Lord be with you.

All:          and also with you

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Picture Trinity 17

St. Luke the Evangelist (18th October 2020)

Welcome to St. Paul’s Athens especially if you are here for the first time or visiting Athens.   St. Luke is associating with the healing ministry. Your collection should be placed in the envelope provided and placed in one of the offering bags as you leave. There are individualized worksheets for children – please ask. 

The presiding priest is Fr. Leonard. The deacon and preacher is Deacon Chris Saccali.

 

Entrance Hymn:  32

Priest:    In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

All:         Amen

Priest:    The Lord be with you

All:         And also with you

 

The priest then welcomes the people of God and the deacon leads us into Confession.

Deacon: The saints were faithful unto death and now dwell in the heavenly kingdom for ever. As we celebrate their joy, let us bring to the Lord our sins and weaknesses, and ask for his mercy.

 Silence and stillness follows

 Deacon: The saints were faithful unto death and now dwell in the heavenly kingdom for ever. As we celebrate their joy, let us bring to the Lord our sins and weaknesses, and ask for his mercy.

 Deacon:  In the wilderness we find your grace: you love us with an everlasting love.

                 Kyrie eleison

All:           Kyrie eleison

Deacon:  There is none but you to uphold our cause; our sin cries out and our guilt is great.

                 Christe eleison

All:           Christe eleison

Deacon:   Heal us , O Lord, and we shall be healed; restore us and we shall know your joy

                  Kyrie eleison.

 All:           Kyrie eleison

 

Absolution: Almighty God, who forgives all those  who truly repent, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

Gloria:  Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father,

we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God,

you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us;

you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,

you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,

in the glory of God, the glory of God the Father. Amen.

 

Collect:  Let us pray    (remain standing as the priest prays the Collect of the Day)

Almighty God, you called Luke the physician, whose praise is in the gospel, to be an evangelist and physician of the soul; by the grace of the Spirit and through the wholesome medicine of the gospel, give your Church the same love and power to heal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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Trinity 18

18th Sunday after Trinity October 11th 2020

Welcome to St. Paul’s Athens especially if you are here

for the first time or visiting Athens. Masks must be worn at all times in the church and in the garden. We must keep a 1.5metre distance from each other. People from the same household can sit normally together. One of the sidespeople will direct you forward for Holy Communion. Your collection should be placed in the envelope provided and placed in one of the offering bags as you leave. There are individualized worksheets for children – please ask. There is coffee after the Liturgy (€1,00 to help church funds!) Trevor and Lynn will be Admitted as Wardens today. The presiding priest and preacher is Fr. Leonard. The Deacon is Deacon Chris Saccali.

 

Entrance Hymn   238

Priest:   In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

     All:         Amen

Priest:   The Lord be with you

     All:         And also with you

 

The priest then informally welcomes the people of God and the deacon leads us into Confession.

(A short period of stillness and silence)

 

All:  Father eternal, giver of light and grace, we have sinned against you and against our neighbour, in what we have thought, in what we have said and done, through ignorance, through weakness, through our own deliberate fault. We have wounded your love, and marred your image in us. We are sorry and ashamed, and repent of all our sins. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, who died for us, forgive us all that is past; and lead us out from darkness to walk as children of light. Amen.

 

Absolution: May Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon us, pardon and deliver us from all your sins, confirm and strengthen us in all goodness, and keep us in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

Gloria: Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God, the glory of God the Father. Amen. AMEN.
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Bible Study Blog

PASTORAL LETTER 3 – 6TH OCTOBER 2020

Dear Friends at St. Paul’s

This is the third Pastoral Letter I have issued since the lockdowns began back in March 2020. This time some of you will receive it as a voice recording – and my apologies if you receive it in a printed version also.

With Greek Government Covid-19 restrictions in place, we have been blessed compared to most other countries in that we have been permitted to hold public worship since May 17th. After a cautious start we have slowly built up our worship experience again – I am stressing familiarity rather than normality, as we are far from what we knew and loved up until the beginning of March this year.

As I reported before, Zoom has become a familiar feature in the worshipping, praying, and studying life of many in our congregation and with our wider and much cherished group of friends and supporters. Even after we could begin to worship publicly again, we continued to have Zoom Sunday services until the end of June, as well as weekly Evening Prayer, and a weekly bible study. These possibilities have been warmly welcomed and appreciated. I am delighted to say that since the 4th October (St. Francis Day) we can now ‘live Zoom’ our Liturgy from St. Paul’s. The sound is not perfect – we have to negotiate a complex mix of microphones, organ playing and congregational responses and gentle singing. However it is a wonderful way of keeping in touch with the Sunday worship.

 

These weeks and months of 2020 have been challenging. We are all in one way or another feeling spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically ‘abused’ by this potent virus. It is stretching us and billions of others to their limits, and we are nowhere near resolving its capricious impact on human life. Many are in isolation – either by choice or by imposition. Over a million are sick with the virus, and hundreds of thousands have died.  Many are fearful. Although we have every right to have human responses to this pandemic, as Christians we have to reflect also on the words of Christ, spoken when his fishermen disciples were terrified in the eye of a storm, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ (Matthew 14, 27). Sunday 18h October is the Feast of St. Luke – we will include the ‘anointing with oil’ for healing of body, mind and soul, within our Sunday Liturgy.

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