Saint George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church
1250 Oakdale Avenue
West Saint Paul, Minnesota 55118
Parish Website:
http://www.saintgeorge-church.
Very Reverend Archpriest Thomas Begley, Pastor
Right Reverend Archimandrite Duane Pederson, attached
Reverend Deacon Russell Hodge, Assisting Deacon
Reader Leonard Soroka, Director of Music
Church Phone - 651-457-0854 Pastor’s Phone - 651-882-7809
SUNDAY, JULY 27, 2008
SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST AND THE COMMEMORATION OF THE HOLY GREAT MARTYR AND HEALER PANTELEIMON
TONE:
5
On this day, we commemorate: The New Martyr Christodoulos, Clement of Ochrid, Bishop of Greater Macedonia; Anelar, Gorazd, Nahum, and Sabbas, Disciples of Cyril and Methodios
DIVINE LITURGY
TODAY
During and after the Little Entrance with the Gospel Book, sing the Troparion of the resurrection in Tone 5:
Let us believers praise and worship the Word coeternal with the Father and the Spirit born of the Virgin for our salvation. For He took pleasure in ascending the cross in the flesh to suffer death and to raise the dead by His glorious resurrection.
Then sing the Troparion of
the Saint Panteleimon in Tone 3:
O holy prizewinner
and healer Panteleimon, intercede with the merciful God that He grant
unto our souls forgiveness of offences.
Troparion of
St. George
Kontakion of
the Transfiguration in Tone 7:
Thou wast transfigured on the mountain, O Christ God, and thy disciples beheld thy glory as far as they could bear it; so that when they would behold thee crucified, they would understand that thy passion was voluntary and would proclaim to the world that thou art truly the Radiance of the Father.
Prokeimenon: The righteous shall rejoice in the Lordl.
EPISTLE: The Reading is from the Second Epistle of St. Paul to St. Timothy
(2:1-10)
T
imothy, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier on service gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to satisfy the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will grant you understanding in everything.
Remember
Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David, as preached
in my gospel, the gospel for which I am suffering and wearing fetters
like a criminal. But the word of God is not fettered. Therefore, I endure
everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain salvation
in Christ Jesus with its eternal glory.
THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW
AW
(9:1-8)
t that time, Jesus got into a boat, crossed over and came to His own city. And behold,
they brought to Him a paralytic,
lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith He said to the paralytic,
“Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.†And behold, some of
the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.†But Jesus,
knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?
For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say,
‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority
on earth to forgive sinsâ€â€”He then said to the paralytic—“Rise,
take up your bed and go home.†And he rose and went home. When the
crowds saw it, they marveled, and they glorified God, Who had given
such authority to men.
HOLY BREAD
Holy bread is given by Tim,
Tanya, Timothy, Olympia, and Sean O'Brien for their health and the health
of Mercedes Sikaffy, Rose Boulous, Thomas and Mary Rudquist and family,
Charles and Dottie O'Brien and family. In memory of Father Essa
and Khouria Olympia Kanavati, Raymond and Doris Rudquisr, Aurthor and
Lillian Kranz, Father Khoury and Zuzu and Elaine Jirik.
COFFEE HOUR
Coffee Hour will follow the Divine Liturgy. It will be served by Jane Chagnon, Ginny Toms. & Sarah Larson. Everyone is invited for this period of fellowship.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
W
ELCOME to all our guests and visitors. We are delighted to have you visiting and worshipping with us this morning and hope that you return again soon. We invite you to participate in the Divine Liturgy, but due to the sad divisions in Christianity only baptized/chrismated members of the Orthodox Church who have made their Confession before an Orthodox priest and prepared themselves by fasting may receive Holy Communion. Please come forward after Liturgy to venerate the Cross and partake of the Antidoron - Holy Bread - at the end of the Service. Please join us in the Parish Hall for Coffee Hour after the Liturgy.
PRAY FOR THE SICK
Please pray for Lorraine DeFlorin, Wally Golden, Nicholas Marinkov, Yasmin Kakish, Mary Saba, Erma Ziton, Peter Hafiz, John Etoll, Nicholas Bolt and John Feilmeier, Renee, Nick & Julie, Jackson & Hunter Golden, George Saba, Joni Meister, Julie Funari, Denise, Christine, Robert & Barbara Hafiz, & Mavis, Reader Michael.
If you are ill and wish to be remembered in the Liturgy and daily prayers of the priest, please
contact Father
Tom.
CHOIR PRACTICE
We will have choir practice
Wednesday, July 30, at 7:00 PM.
BAKING-MAKAROUN - FESTIVAL
We will be making Makaroun
for the Festival on Wednesday, July 30th, at 9:00 AM. For information,
contact Ellie Hafiz, Joannie Alevizos,or Lamese McDowell.
TRISAGION SERVICE
Trisagion service will be served
Thursday, July 31st at 6:30 PM for the repose of the soul of Joseph
Hodge. May his memory be eternal!
VESPERS
Vespers will be served at 5:00
P.M. Saturday, August 1.
DORMITION FAST
The Dormition Fast is from
August 1 through August 15.
FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION
We will hold the Feast of the
Transfiguration Tuesday, August 5 at 6:30. This is a major feast
day of our Lord!
CHURCH SCHOOL
Anybody with a child 4 years
or older by September of this year, who is not enrolled in the Church
school program and would like to be, please contact Lisa Mikhail (952-888-8419)
or JoAnne Droubie (651-457-4218) so they get added to our class lists.
BUILDING LOAN UPDATE –
As of today, July 27, 2008, the building loan balance is $242,000. Since the beginning our of fiscal year (September 1, 2007), $144,855 has been paid for the loan. $126,470 has been paid directly toward the principal and $18,385 toward interest. The current monthly interest only payment is $1362.51
BENEVOLENCE FUND
Each month we ask our parishioners
to make a free will donation to a worthy cause. We have set a goal of
ten dollars each month for those who chose to participate. From June
through August we will be supporting Neighbors, Inc. Due to the rapid
growth in the need for service to our local community, Neighbors finished
the past year with a $15,000 deficit. Let us act in Christian love and
support those in need in our community! Please mark your donation to
the Benevolence Fund.
SAINT GEORGE CHURCH FALL FESTIVAL AND BAZAAR 2008!!
SAVE THE DATE!!! Exciting news! We are preparing for the Bazaar 2008 which is held simultaneously with the Fall Festival. Again we are looking for more people to help out. If you can not donate your time to help out with the preparation. Donations will be greatly appreciated and will help support the event. Bake Dates will be set up for the beautiful bake sale which will be in the Church Hall. Dates and times will be posted for the cookies. Please sign up on the sheets posted in the Church Hall. If you would like to Head Up a cookie and/or learn from our experts, please let us know. Bread dates will be Friday early AM the day of the event through Sunday. Please help our Bread Leaders out and sign up. Again, if you want to learn how to make Syrian Bread, please come. We want to involve everyone.
Please start collecting items for the Variety Booth which is held in the Church Hall. We need more donations than last year. If you can, look for items on sale and brand new ones. Last year we sold out on Saturday.
If anyone would like to be a Sponsor, do an Advertisement, Business Card or in Memory or in Honor of a Loved One Donation, please let us know. Please inform your friends, family, co-workers to SAVE THE DATE!!. We are all working on this together.
MOST IMPORTANT, the Church Tours and Book Store with Christian Educational Material on Orthodoxy are the Most Important aspect of who we are. We bring Orthodoxy to our guests through Icons, Church Tours, Religious items in the Book Store and welcoming them to our Parish. We want to reach out to others and spread the Word of Orthodoxy. Let us show our guests the Spirit of Saint George Church. Our parishioners make it happen!! We need to think ahead and get everything organized to enjoy this Special and Exciting time together. To make this event a Huge Success, we need everyone’s support. Thank you for making a difference!! God Bless, Sue (Bazaar Co-Chair), Anthony and John K. (Festival Co-Chairs) will keep you posted on the Festival Activities.
The weekend dates for the Festival and Bazaar Event are Sept.26th, Friday, Noon until 10.00PM, Sept. 27th, Saturday., 11:00AM until 10:00 PM, and Sept. 28th, Sunday after Divine Liturgy noon until 8:00 PM.
VARIETY BOOTH
We are looking for donations
for the Variety Booth. If you ate shopping and see a good buy, please
remember we need many donations of various themes including children’s
toys, household goods, stationary items, snacks, etc. Please make sure
items are NEW and in good condition. Any cash donations are also welcomed.
You can bring items to the church anytime and give them to Lisa Mikhail.
I am also looking for an adult interested in running the booth on the
Saturday and Sunday of the Festival/Bazaar as I will be unable to attend
those days. Please let me know if you can help. Lisa Mikhail - 952-888-8419.
LADIES MEETING INFORMATION
Because there are a few empty
slots for Coffee Hour, it was decided at the Ladies Meeting that the
Circles will cover Coffee Hour when there is no host. The leaders of
the Circles are - Sandra Heuer & Pat Burbank, Sandy Brown &
Sue Lukanen, Denise Ferraro, Sana Jubran, Joannie Alevizos. Your circle
leader will contact you a few days ahead of the time to ask for your
participation. Thanks for your cooperation.
NOTICE
We are looking for a volunteer
to take over contacting parishioners for the Bread List (Liturgy). Sandra
Heuer has done this for a long time, and she feels it is time to move
on. If you are interested in doing this, please contact her at 651-646-4898.
Thank you!
COFFEE HOUR
If you would
like to host the coffee hour on Sunday after liturgy, please call Sana
Jubran (651)-731-2988. We need people to host coffee hour.
Also, please consider hosting the coffee hour the same day that you
offer the holy bread. Thank you.
DANCE PRACTICE
We will have dance practice
after coffee hour for 15+ minutes each Sunday. We will discuss and practice
the Dubkee Dances for the Fall Festival and Bazaar. which is held September
26th, 27th,28th. Those who wish to join the Dance Group, please attend
also. We need your talent!!
SUMMER GREETINGS!
I greet you in the brightness and lightness of the summer season. I hope that you are all happy in your prayer and work!
I have just returned from a
splendid stay in Ukraine and Russia. The next travel event in Russia
is the pilgrimage in collaboration with United Theological and scheduled
to take place from January 14th to the 25th, 2009. This program has been developed
with a number of colleagues in Russia; Tamara Mikhailova, Nadia Kolesnikova
and Slava Benois Rogalski of the Benois Institute. The Benois Institute
is a private non-commercial project to promote education in the area
of fine arts and history of culture. It delivers specialized services
for students, post-graduates, educators dedicated to Russian art, culture
and history as well as establishing contacts between people of different
cultural traditions. Relationships form cooperative efforts with the
University of Saint Petersburg, the Hermitage, the Russian Museum, and
the Mariinsky in the development of such programs. In addition to that
mentioned, the January pilgrimage will receive lecture from priests
at St. Alexander Nevsky Monastery, and will visit parishes that are implementing
social programs. Space for this pilgrimage is still available. Please
obtain the brochure on the web site or from United Theological Seminary
of the Twin Cities http://www.unitedseminary.edu/
Icon classes will be held at St. Maron Maronite Catholic Church this fall. Dates are: Thursdays from 6:30 to 9:00 on October 9,16,23,30 November 6 and 13. Please call Deb at 651-439-4850 to register. Class information will be posted on the web site. Tuition and material fee for new students- $290.00. Tuition fee for return students- $125.00 (materials extra).
A busy fall and winter calendar is shaping up. We can look forward to the Basilica of Saint Mary's Icon Festival, another new exhibit with icon classes scheduled at Westminster Presbyterian, and activities associated with many pending commissions. Please stay tuned.
I dedicate this letter in closing
to my many mentors in Ukraine and Russia. In periods of social upheaval,
it is not easy to hold on to the will to work, to stay true to traditions
and also oneself. The tensions become exhausting in the struggle to
survive and create real art in the realm of commercial success and yet,
self sacrificing oneself to preserve the values and concerns of the
past . My Russian and Ukrainian colleagues continue to exemplify that
suffering and self-sacrifice is the true lot of any thinker and artist.
They constantly teach me that a genuine seeker of truth and creativity
will always suffer in company of his fellow humans. This return to my
mentors is always given to me when I feel that what has been achieved
in my work is incomplete. I continue to realize that the destination
that I seek through my art and iconography is the joy revealed in the
My good wishes. Fall and winter calendar additions will be updated by August 1st!
- Deb Korluka
IMPORTANT
Fr. Tom has a friend who desires to
come to the Twin Cities to pursue a monastic vocation. The friend’s
greatest concern at this time is to find a home for his dog Buster,
which would then enable him to come to the Skete in Fridley. Hopefully,
we will have a picture of Buster soon.
If you are interested please contact
Fr. Tom
He describes his dog in this way: Buster is a Bridle Terrier. He is about knee high. Slender in build with good muscle tone. Buster is a very loving dog. Buster is very loyal. He is good with other animals and seems to be good with people in general, old and young. He can be hyper but will calm down on command. He can do high five’s, shake, and lie down on command. He knows the word treat and gets excited by the word treat. He is kennel trained and will go to the kennel on the command word cage. I do take him to the dog park here in Sioux City at Bacon Creek park and he interacts very well with other dogs. Buster also interacts well with cats.
Buster is a lover. He loves positive feed back, kind words. He also loves kisses and if you tell Buster to give you a kiss he will. I feel Buster is fairly socialized and Buster has been around other animals and people since being a pup. Buster was the runt of his liter. He was so very small as a pup that I did not think that he would make it. I bottled fed him because I did not think he was eating like he should. Buster gets scared from thunder storms. Buster loves the outdoors but also loves and enjoys being with his master. He is a very social dog. He greets me at the door when I come home. He is fully potty trained. As an interesting note, Buster when sick will go to his kennel to get sick. I have never had to clean up throw up or the other when he has been sick, which was only once. Buster is very special, I feel. He loves just to be loved and he really does think he is a lap dog. He loves to play and take car rides. He will play fetch but, often times does not bring the stick back to you. He is a very active dog and his new owner will also have to be active, maybe even more so than what I have been. Also Buster can sit on command. He also knows what you mean when you say, you want to go potty? That is how I potty trained him by saying, you want to go potty? Buster is very smart and I am sure there are so many things he could be taught. Buster is at least two years old, I will double check. I am not looking to sell him but to just give him away to the right owner, an owner that likes and loves Buster and who Buster will like and love. Buster is a gift and as such should be given to a loving home. I am thinking that I will come to the Skete by the end of this summer.
Please contact Fr. Tom if you, or someone you know, would like to have Buster. He would be a great dog for a child and would allow our brother Anthony to come to the Twin Cities and take up the monastic life. Thank You! Fr. Tom
BOOKSTORE/GIFTSHOP
I'LL be back from Ukraine and Russia on June 29th and will have all new and beautiful articles in the store and ready to purchase the first Sunday in July
I will be checking my e-mail, so please feel free to e-mail me if you have any last minute requests!
Missing you all and See you
in July!!!
I will be checking my e-mail, so please feel free to e-mail me if you
have any last minute requests! akorluka@aol.com
Missing you all and See you in July!!!
UPCOMING ICON CLASSES, LECTURES AND OPEN STUDIO ACTIVITIES!!
A monthly newsletter is released
from my website at www.icon-art-studios.com
Thou hast raised up
in Bethany Lazarus that was four days dead; for as soon as Thou camest
to the tomb, Thy voice became life to the dead man. Groaning aloud,
Hades released him in fear. O mighty miracle! O Lord of many mercies,
glory to Thee.
Tone 1:
While the stone was sealed by the Jews, and the soldiers were guarding Thy most pure body,
Thou didst arise on the third day, O Savior, granting life to the world. For which cause the
heavenly powers cried aloud unto Thee, O giver of life. Glory to Thy Resurrection O Christ,
glory to Thy kingdom, glory
to Thy providence, O Thou Who alone art the lover of mankind.
Tone 2:
When Thou didst submit Thyself unto death, O Thou deathless and immortal One, then Thou
didst destroy hell with Thy
Godly power. And when Thou didst raise the dead from beneath the earth,
all the powers of heaven did cry aloud unto Thee: O Christ, Thou giver
of life, glory to Thee.
Tone 3:
Let the heavens rejoice and
the earth be glad for the Lord hath done a mighty act with His own arm,
He hath trampled down death by death and become the first born from
the dead. He hath delivered us from the depths of Hades granting
the world the great mercy.
Tone 4:
Having learned the joyful message
of the resurrection from the angel the women disciples of the Lord cast
from them their parental condemnation and proudly broke the news to
the disciples saying death hath been spoiled Christ God is risen granting
the world great mercy.
Tone 5:
Let us believers praise and
worship the Word coeternal with the Father and the Spirit born of the
Virgin for our salvation. For He took pleasure in ascending the
cross in the flesh to suffer death and to raise the dead by His glorious
resurrection.
Tone 6:
When Mary stood at thy grave
looking for thy sacred body, angelic powers shone above they revered
tomb and the soldiers who were to keep guard became as dead men.
Thou led Hades captive and wast not tempted there-by. Thou didst
meet the Virgin and didst give life to the world, O thou who art risen
from the dead, O Lord, Glory to thee.
Tone 7:
Thou dist shatter death by Thy cross,
Thou didst open paradise to the thief, Thou turn sadness of the ointment
bearing women into joy, and didst bid thine apostles proclaim a warning
that Thou hast risen O Christ, granting to the world the great mercy.
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.
To the people of St. George
Orthodox Church,
The church council has approved the use of GoodSearch. Good Search is
a search engine on the internet just like Google and Yahoo! In fact
GoodSearch is powered by Yahoo! The difference is, with every search
on GoodSearch, St. George will receive a donation. The people at GoodSearch
receive sponsor/advertisement money and in turn give a portion of that
money back to churches and other non-profit organizations listed with
them. Here is how it works. Have GoodSearch as a bookmark and when you
need to do a search, list the subject to be searched in the box provided
and then click on St. George Orthodox Church in the dropdown right below
the search box (The first time using the search you will have to type
in St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church. Click on our church and for
future searches the name will appear). Simple and easy, plus you are
providing needed funds to the church. St. George is approved and on the
GoodSearch list ready to use today!