Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation Modesto

Divine services from the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Modesto, California: Matins and Divine Liturgy - Sunday of the Canaanite Woman; Our Venerable Father, St. Avxentios

Divine services from the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Modesto, California: Great Vespers - Sunday of the Canaanite Woman; Our Venerable Father, St. Avxentios

Happy New Year! 6th Day of Theophany <><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><...Continue reading

On this day, the 12th of February, we commemorate our venerable father among the saints: St. Meletios of Antioch... Saint Meletios, Archbishop of Antioch, was Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia (ca. 357), and afterwards he was summoned to Antioch by the emperor Constantius to help combat the Arian heresy, and was appointed to that See. St. Meletios struggled zealously against the Arian error, but through the intrigues of the heretics he was thrice deposed from his cathedra. Constan...Continue reading

Dearly beloved in the Lord: Of all the holy works, the education of children is the most holy Today, the most pressing issue in family life is the educational environment of our young people. The above words, written by St. Theophan the Recluse (feastday January 10), provide a fundamental understanding of the Church’s view of education: It is a holy work!...Continue reading

Live services from the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Modesto, California: Great Vespers for the Sunday After Theophany - St Gregory of Nyssa

Happy New Year! 3rd Day of Theophany <><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><... On this day, the 8th of January, we commemorate our venerable father among the saints: St. George the Chozebite... Saint George the Chozebite was born on the island of Cyprus toward the end of the sixth century. After the death of his parents, he went to Palestine to worship at the holy places. Here he entered into the monastic community of Chozeba between the River Jordan and Jerusalem, and he later became head of this monastery. St. George presented the monks example in fasting, vigil and physical efforts. Having lived as an angel upon the earth, he died in peace. Through his holy intercessions, Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us...Amen! <><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<>< Having been baptized into Christ, and having put on Christ, you have been conformed to the Son of God, for God desires us to be His adopted children and made us to share the likeness of Christ’s glorious body. - St. Cyril of Jerusalem

8th Day of Theophany <><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<>< On this day, the 13th of January, we commemorate the 8th Day of the Afterfeast of the Theophany of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ ... On this day, we commemorate the holy, glorious and victorious martyrs: St. Hermylos and St. Stratonikos the Holy Martyrs... The Holy Martyrs Hermylos and Stratonikos, Slavs by origin, they lived at the beginning of the fourth century during a persecution against Christians by the emperor Licinius (307-324). St. Hermylos served as deacon in the city of Sigidon (Belgrade). Condemned by Licinius to imprisonment, he was long and cruelly tortured for Christ, but he remained unyielding. St. Stratonikos was a jailer and a secret Christian. Seeing the agonizing torments of his friend, he was unable to keep from weeping, and he revealed that he was a Christian. They also subjected him to torture. After the torture, they put the martyrs into a net and threw them into the Danube. On the third day, the bodies of the saints were found by Christians on the bank of the river and buried near Sigidon. Their venerable heads were in the Church of Hagia Sophia, where the Russian pilgrim Anthony saw them in the year 1200. Through their holy intercessions, O Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us...Amen! <><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<>< St. Dionysius the Areopagite: It was pleasing to our Divine instructors to allow infants to be also baptized, under the sacred condition that the natural parents of the child should entrust him to someone among the faithful who would instruct him well in Divine subjects and then take care of the child as a parent...and as a guardian of his eternal salvation. This person, when he gives the promise to guide the child in pious life, is compelled by the bishop to utter the renunciations and the sacred confession.

Happy New Year! 7th Day of Theophany <><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><...Continue reading

Live services from the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Modesto, California: Small Supplication Canon to the Theotokos

On this day, the 28th of October, we commemorate the holy, glorious and victorious martyrs, St. Terentios and St. Neonilla and their children... The Martyrs Terentios and Neonilla and their children: Sarbelos, Photios, Theodoulos, Hierakos, Nita, Vele and Eunike suffered martyrdom during a persecution of Christianity under the emperor Decius (249-250). They zealously confessed Christ and denounced idolatry. For this the pagans subjected the entire Christian family to terrib...le tortures and torments, but failed to get them to renounce the true Faith. So, the holy martyrs were beheaded, and received crowns of martyrdom. Through their holy intercessions, O Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen. <><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<>< There is no obedience beyond obedience to the Church. And if we only wipe the floor in the Lord’s house with a rag, this is set by God higher than any other work. There is no obedience higher than the Church. And everything done it, no matter what - both as you go in and go out everything must be done with fear and trembling and with never ceasing prayer, and nothing should ever be spoken in church, save that pertaining to the church which is absolutely necessary. - St. Seraphim of Sarov

On this day, the 27th of October, we commemorate the holy, glorious and victorious martyr: St. Nestor of Thessalonica... In the time of the suffering of St. Demetrios the Myrrhgusher, there was a young man of Thessalonica, Nestor, who learned the Christian Faith from St. Demetrios himself. At that time Christ’s enemy, Emperor Maximian, organized various games and amusements for the people. The emperor’s favorite in these games was a Vandal by the name of Lyaeus, a man of Goli...ath-like size and strength. As the emperor’s gladiator, Lyaeus challenged men every day to single combat and slew them. Thus, the bloodthirsty Lyaeus amused the bloodthirsty, idolatrous Maximian. The emperor built a special stage for Lyaeus’s battles, similar to a threshing floor on pillars. Spears, points upward, were planted beneath this platform. When Lyaeus defeated someone in wrestling, he would throw him from the platform onto the forest of spears. The emperor and his pagan subjects cheered as some poor wretch writhed in torment on the spears until he died. Among Lyaeus’s innocent victims were many Christians: when no one volunteered to duel with Lyaeus, by the emperors orders Christians were arrested and forced to duel with him. Seeing this horrifying amusement of the pagan world, Nestor’s heart was torn with pain, and he decided to come forward for a duel with the gigantic Lyaeus. But first, he went to prison to see St. Demetrios and sought a blessing from him to do this. St. Demetrios blessed him, signed him with the sign of the Cross on the forehead and on the chest and prophesied to him: You will defeat Lyaeus, but you will suffer for Christ. Thus, young Nestor went to duel with Lyaeus. Maximian was present with a multitude of people; everyone felt pity for the young Nestor, who would surely die, and tried to dissuade him from dueling with Lyaeus. Nestor crossed himself and said: O God of Demetrios, help me!" and with God’s help, he overcame Lyaeus, knocked him down, and threw him onto the sharp spears, where the heavy giant soon found death. Then all the people cried out: Great is the God of Demetrios! But the emperor, shamed before the people and sorrowing for his favorite Lyaeus, was greatly angered at Nestor and Demetrios, and commanded that Nestor be beheaded and Demetrios run through with lances. Thus, the Christian hero Nestor ended his earthly life and took up his habitation in the Kingdom of his Lord in the year 306. (Written by St. Nikolai Velimirovich) Through his holy intercessions, O Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen. <><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<>< "Perhaps each of you will say to himself: I have believed, therefore I shall be saved. He speaks true if to his faith he joins good works. That is indeed true faith which does not deny in work what it professes in word." - St. Gregory the Great

Dear Friends of the Annunciation Family, The Coat Drive for Gospel Mission Deadline for new coats is actually November 13th. The coats will be distributed on Thanksgiving Day at the Mission along with their "to go" turkey dinner. Please help us fill the barrel with coats and jackets and keep everyone warm. They can be dropped off at the Annunciation Church during the week or on Sunday before Divine Liturgy.

Live services from the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Modesto, California: Matins and Divine Liturgy for the Holy, Glorious, and Victorious Great Martyr - St. Demetrios the Myrrh-Flowimg

Greetings in the Name of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ... As we celebrate the feastday of St. Demetrios the Great-Martyr, I would like to wish all those celebrating a Happy Nameday - May God grant you many years! May our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ bless everyone on this day and every day......Continue reading

One of the beautiful places we have visited on our pilgrimages is Thessalonica. In the New Testament, we have the two epistles St. Paul wrote to the Church in Thessalonica. This is also the city of St Demetrios the Myrrh-flowing and Great-Martyr and St. Gregory Palamas. On Monday, October 26, we will celebrate the memory of St. Demetrios the Great-Martyr with Divine Services beginning at 8:30 am. We invite you to join us in celebrating the feastday of St. Demetrios. We wish a very blessed and happy nameday to all who have been named after St. Demetrios. May Christ bless you all and keep you in His love, through the intercessions of St. Demetrios.

Live services from the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Modesto, California: 6th Sunday of Luke - Matins and Divine Liturgy for the Holy, Glorious, and Victorious Martyrs, Sts. Marcian and Martyrios the Secretaries