This Sunday, we commemorate the Transfiguration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Gospel reading from Matthew reminds us that Peter, James, and John were privileged to witness the divine glory of Christ on Mount Tabor, where they saw him transfigured into a brilliant light surrounded by Moses and Elijah. This extraordinary event serves as a preview of Christ’s glorious Second Coming.
As we celebrate this feast, we keep Tone 4, a season of spiritual growth and repentance. During the week, Wednesday’s evening Vespers marks the commemoration of the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-giving Cross. All are welcome to join us for the Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning, and those who cannot attend in person can watch the live stream on Facebook and YouTube.
Come and pray with us as we honor this significant event in our Lord’s life, and may His glory be revealed to each of us anew. The services will also be streamed live on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/stnicholasjoliet) and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@st.nicholasjoliet).
✦ About this Sunday
Today, we reflect on the parable of the unforgiving servant, which serves as a poignant reminder of the boundless mercy and forgiveness that our Lord has shown to us. As we consider the consequences of our own failures and shortcomings, let us also recall the profound humility of those saints who have gone before us, exemplifying the virtue of meekness in their lives of service to others. Through their examples, may we be inspired to seek a deeper understanding of God’s loving mercy and compassion towards all people.
☩ Today — August 16th, 2026
✦ Afterfeast of the Dormition
✦ Translation of the Image “Not-made-by-hands” of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople (†944)
✦ (Third “Feast of the Savior in August”)
✦ Holy Unmercenary Physician Diomedes (†298)
✦ Ven. Cherimon of Egypt (†4TH c.)
✦ The “Feodorovskaya” Icon of the Mother of God (1239).
✦ Services
9:10 am Third & Sixth Hours · Confession
9:30 am Divine Liturgy
11:10 am Fellowship Hour
☩ Week Ahead
Sat
Aug 22
Sun
Aug 23
5:00 pm
Vespers
9:30 am
Divine Liturgy
St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, Joliet IL, 1000 Barber Ln, Joliet, IL 60435, USA
11:30 am
Fellowship Hour
☩ Coming up in Orthodoxy
Mon, Aug 17 Afterfeast of the Dormition
Tue, Aug 18 Afterfeast of the Dormition
Wed, Aug 19 Afterfeast of the Dormition
Thu, Aug 20 Afterfeast of the Dormition
Fri, Aug 21 Afterfeast of the Dormition
Sat, Aug 22 Afterfeast of the Dormition
Sun, Aug 23 Leavetaking of the Dormition
✦ Announcements
119TH Anniversary
Save the Date! On the weekend of September 27TH we will celebrate the 119TH Anniversary of our Parish and our Annual Picnic. Please, invite your family, friends, neighbors and coworkers to join us and share the joy of the Parish Feast.
Many Thanks To
♦ Sophia Beckwith for hosting todays fellowship hour. ♦ Serhiy Hadzhula for cleaning coils in church and rectory AC units. ♦ Serhiy Hadzhula for trimming shrubs around our church.
The Feasts of Our Savior in August
The Orthodox Church celebrates three feasts of the Savior, known as the Three Spas. The first, on August 1, commemorates the Procession of the Life-Giving Cross and is called the Honey Savior. The second, on August 6, celebrates the Holy Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ and is called the Apple Savior. The third, on August 16, commemorates the transfer of the Icon of Christ “Not-Made-by-Hands” and is known as the Nut Savior or the Savior on Canvas.
Backpack Blessing
Students and educators are encouraged to bring their backpacks and briefcases to church on August 16TH to be blessed! Also, on that day we will have a Ice Cream Social. All participants will receive an icon card to keep in their backpacks or their icon corner.
Upcoming Projects
We are preparing to begin the replacement of the flat roof on our church building, a much needed project with an estimated cost of over $30,000. Your generous gifts to the Capital Improvement Fund (CIF) make projects like this possible and help preserve our parish for future generations. We humbly ask for your continued prayerful support of the CIF.
✦ Parish Celebrations
✦ Many Years! ✦
Birthdays & Namedays: Happy Birthday to James Ferencak (August 18), Thomas Beckwith (August 19th)
✦ Stewardship
$2,382.75
Stewardship Corner
Sunday, August 9th
Thank you for your generous stewardship
☩ Please Remember in Your Prayers
We lift up the following in prayer, that God may grant them healing and grace:
In today’s hymns at Vespers, the Mother of God is praised as “only created being to pass from earth to heaven in the flesh.”
Translation of the Image “Not-Made-By-Hands” of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third “Feast of the Savior in August”
The Transfer of the Icon of our Lord Jesus Christ Not-Made-by-Hands from Edessa to Constantinople occurred in the year 944. Eusebius, in his History of the Church (I:13), relates that when the Savior was preaching, Abgar was the ruler of Edessa. He was stricken with leprosy all over his body.…
Holy Unmercenary Physician Diomedes
The Martyr Diomedes (Diomḗdēs) was born in Tarsus in Cilicia, and studied the medical arts. His scientific knowledge did not make him proud, but he retained the piety in which his parents raised him. And since the Lord, the Physician of bodies and souls, "spoke to them about the Kingdom of God,…
Venerable Cherimon (Chaeremon) of Egypt
Saint Cherimon was an ascetic in Egypt in the Skete desert monastery, either at the end of the fourth century, or the beginning years of the fifth century. His name is remembered in the Lausiac History of Palladius and in the alphabetic Paterikon. His cave stood at a distance of 40 stadia from…
Icon of the Mother of God of Saint Theodore
Tradition ascribes a very ancient origin to this famous Icon. It is regarded as one of the icons painted by the Holy Evangelist Luke. It is not known by whom or when the Icon was brought to Russia, but at the beginning of the XII century it was kept in an old wooden chapel near the city of Kitezh.…
Saint Anthony of Martkofeli
No information available at this time.
Martyr Christopher of Guria, Georgia
It is commonly believed that Saint Christopher Guruli was martyred, but little information exists about him to prove this. Christopher’s name has been preserved in the nation’s memory, and he is commemorated in the Church calendar. The Georgian ancestry of Holy Martyr Christopher is…
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Martyr Isaac of Karnu, Georgia
No information available at this time.
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Martyr Joseph of Karnu, Georgia
No information available at this time.
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Saint Joachim of Osogovo
Saint Joachim of Osogov was one of four great hermits of Bulgaria. He inspired hundreds and thousands of people to Christian asceticism by his ascetic efforts. He lived in the eleventh century, unknown by anyone, in a cave on a mountain of Osogov.
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Saint Roman of Banat
No information available at this time.
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Saint Eustathius of Serbia
No information available at this time.
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Saint Raphael of Banat
No information available at this time.
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Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos of Meteora
Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos of Meteora struggled in Thessaly, and suffered in the year 1551.
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New Martyr Stamatius of Volos
The New Martyr Stamatius was a native of the city of Volos, Thessaly. They accused him of accepting Islam, but he bravely confessed himself a Christian and was beheaded by the sword at Constantinople in 1680.
Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia
Saint Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia was born in the village of Trikkala in the Peloponessos. As a young adult, he became a monk on the island of Zakynthos. On the Holy Mountain he became a schemamonk and studied with the ascetics of Mt Athos. Receiving a blessing from the Elders, the monk…
Saint Constantine Brancoveanu and those with him
The holy Prince Constantine Brancoveanu, the son of Prince Matthew Basarab, was born in 1654. When his parents died, he was raised and educated by his uncle, Constantine Cantacuzino. When another uncle, Prince Serban Cantacuzino died on on October 19, 1688, Constantine was chosen to succeed him as…
▶ In Case You Missed It
Father invited all those present to consider making our parish their spiritual home, and he welcomed everyone warmly to worship with us today. He also reminded the congregation that this Friday marks the Eve of the Dormition of the Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary, for which we will be having a special Vesperal Divine Liturgy at 6:30 PM on August 14th.
▶ Watch last Sunday’s sermon — Sermon — Divine Liturgy, August 9, 2026
tonsure — The tonsure is a sacred ritual in which a Christian receives the mark of their spiritual order by shaving a portion of their hair, typically from the crown of the head. This act signifies the individual’s commitment to a life of prayer, service, and obedience to God and the Church. The shaved circle serves as a visible reminder of their vocation and devotion to their faith community.
Bulletin Sponsor: August – Smith Family for the health of Nemo
