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, AUGUST 3, 2008
SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST AND SEVENTH SUNDAY OF MATTHEW
TONE:
6
On this day, we commemorate: The Venerable Isaac, Dalmatos & Faustus of the Dalmaton Monastery; Venerable Theoklites & Theodora; Salome the Myrrh bearer; Venerable Anthony the Roman, Wonder-worker of Novgorod.
DIVINE LITURGY
TODAY
During and after the Little Entrance with the Gospel Book, sing the Troparion of the resurrection in 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.
Then sing the
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: O Lord, save Your people, and bless Your inheritance.
EPISTLE: The Reading is from St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans
(15:1-7)
B
rethren, we who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves; let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to edify him. For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached thee fell on me.” For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures, we might have hope. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, So that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ has welcomed you, for the
glory of
God.
THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW
AW
(9:27-35)
t that time, when Jesus was passing by, two blind men followed him, crying aloud and saying: “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” When He entered the house, the blind men came to Him; and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then Jesus touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly charged them, “See that no one knows it.” But they went away and spread His fame through all that district.
As they were going away, behold, a dumb demoniac was brought to Him. And when the demon had been cast out, the dumb man spoke; and the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”
And
Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues
and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and
every infirmity of the people.
HOLY BREAD
Holy bread is given for the
health and welfare of Sean, Lisa, Scott, Sierra, Megan Rudquist and
Mary, Anna Sophia, Myrna, Anthony Rezcallah. It is given in memory of
George Zakatm, Father Essa and Khouria Olympia Kanavati, Father John
Khoury, Raymond and Doris Rudquist Arthur and Lillian Kranz.
COFFEE HOUR
Coffee Hour will follow the Divine Liturgy. 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.
DORMITION FAST
The Dormition Fast is from
August 1 through August 15.
CHOIR PRACTICE
We will have choir practice
following the service of the Transfiguration.
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!
VESPERS
Vespers will be served at 5:00
P.M. Saturday, August 9.
FEAST OF THE DORMITION OF THE THEOTOKOS
We will celebrate the Feast
of the Dormition of the Theotokos Thursday, August 14 at 6:30 P.M.
Choir practice will follow the service.
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.
AUGUST 24th CHURCH PICNIC
Mark your calendars for our
annual church picnic that will start after the Divine Liturgy on Sunday,
August 24th. The location will be announced soon. Hamburgers and hot
dogs will be provided. Bring a salad or dessert to share. Bring your
own beverage. We hope you can join us for this fun family event!
CELEBRATION OF THE GLORIFICATION OF ST HERMAN
All are welcome to join the faithful of St Herman's Orthodox Church (OCA) celebrate the Glorification of St Herman, their patron saint, on Saturday, Aug 9, with a Divine Liturgy at 9 am. In honor of the feast, the faithful of St Herman's are pleased to welcome as their special guest Fr Nathan Kroll, pastor of Holy Myrrh-bearers Orthodox Church in St Cloud. Following the Divine Liturgy and brunch, from around 11 am - 12 noon, Fr Nathan will share with us a presentation on evangelism and missions, drawing from his experience in Calcutta, INDIA, with OCMC. Fr Nathan will be returning with OCMC to INDIA this September. A free will collection toward his travel expenses will be taken following his presentation.
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.
GREEK FESTIVAL
St. George Greek Orthodox Church
on 1111 Summit Avenue, St. Paul, will hold their Greek Festival; August
16, 11:00 A.M to 8:00 P.M. and August 17, 11:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.
OPA!
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 cooking 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) they 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.
PLEASE SIGN UP TODAY ON THE JOB
LIST IN THE CHURCH HALL!
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