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, SEPTEMBER 14, 2008
THE ELEVATION OF THE HOLY CROSS
TONE:
On this day, we commemorate:
Repose of St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople; Venerable-Martyr
Makarios the New of Thessalonika; Venerable-Martyr Joseph of Dionysiou
Monastery on Athos.
DIVINE LITURGY
TODAY
During and after the Little Entrance with the Gospel Book, sing the Troparion of the Holy Cross in Tone 1:
Save, O Lord,
Thy people and bless Thine inheritance; grant Thou unto the faithful
victory over adversaries. And by the power of Thy Cross do Thou
preserve Thy commonwealth.
Then sing the Kontakion of
the Holy Cross in Tone 4.
Do thou, who of thine own good will wast lifted upon the Cross, O Christ our God, bestow thy bounties upon the new nation which is called by Thy Name. Make glad in Thy might those who lawfully govern, that with them we may be led to victory over our adversaries, having in thine aid a weapon of peace and a trophy invincible.
Prokeimenon: Exalt the Lord our God.
EPISTLE: The Reading is from St. Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians.
(1:18-24)
B
rethren, the word of the Cross
is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it
is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom
of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will thwart.” Where
is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age?
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the
wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased
God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For
Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified,
a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are
called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom
of God.
THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN
AW
(19:6-11, 13-20, 25-28, 30-35)
t that time, the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to
put Him to death; they led him to Pilate and cried out, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no crime in Him.” The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by that law He ought to die, because He has made Himself the Son of God.” When Pilate heard these words, he was the more afraid; he entered the praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where art Thou from?” But Jesus gave no answer. Pilate therefore said to Him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over Me unless it had been given you from above. When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called “The Pavement”, and in Hebrew, “Gabbatha.” Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. Pilate said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” They cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” Then he handed Jesus over to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus and led him away; and He went out, bearing His own Cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew “Golgotha.” There they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote a title and put it on the Cross; it read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Greek, and in Latin. Now standing by the Cross of Jesus were His mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother, and the Disciple whom He loved standing near, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then He said to the Disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the Disciple took her to his own own.
After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now fulfilled, said, “It is finished’; and He bowed His head and gave up the spirit.
Since
it was the day of Preparation, in order to prevent the bodies from remaining
on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews
asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be
taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and
of the other who had been crucified with Jesus; but when they came to
Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.
But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and at once there
came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony
is true.
HOLY BREAD
Holy bread is given for the
health and welfare of Lamese and Fred McDowell and their families. It
is given in memory of George, Magdalene, Shirley, Shames, Joseph, Jenny
and Alice Skaff, George, Marjorie, and Herbert Farho.
MEMORIAL
Trisagion is served for the repose of the soul of Mae Zaine, who passed away 50 years ago.
May her memory be eternal!
COFFEE HOUR
Coffee Hour will follow the
Divine Liturgy. It will be served by Lamese McDowell and Katie Price.
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, Nick & Julie, Jackson & Hunter Golden, George Saba, Joni Meister, Julie Funari, Denise, Robert & Barbara Hafiz, & Mavis, Reader Michael & Norman.
If you are ill and wish to be remembered in the Liturgy and daily prayers of the priest, please
contact Father
Tom.
CHOIR
Choir practice will be held
Wednesday, September 17, at 7:00 P.M.
NO VESPERS
We will not serve Vespers Saturday,
September 20.
ADULT CHRISTIAN EDUCATION CLASS
Please join us starting this
Sunday, September 14th, 2008, for our autumn Adult Education Class on
'Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God." The class
will be held from 8:45-10:00 Sunday morning from September-14th through
November 23rd in the Conference Room (unless otherwise noted). Experiencing
God books will be available the first day of class. Please contact John
Davenport (651-636-3535), with any questions.
MEOCCA CATECHISM
The MEOCCA catechism will begin
Septmeber 23 from 7:00-9:00PM at St. George Othodox Church. For
a schedule of the weekly classes please pick up a form & schedule
at the usher’s desk.
NOTICE - FESTIVAL
Every evening at 6:00 we will
be preparing for the Festival (except the 20th, which is Saturday).
We need volunteers to help out. Any questions, see Sue Perry or Anthony
Rezcallah. Thanks!
Dear Parishioners,
A need has come to our attention
and I wanted to share it with you and see if you could possibly help.
Years ago as some of you will remember, we had a priest here by the
name of Father Simon. He had I think three kids and was here as a priest
before Father Khoury. We just learned that his son Danial, is in the
navy and is serving in Japan, and he has six children, some of you may
have met at church camp this summer, that are being cared for by his
parents Father Simon and his Wife Eileen. The mother left and the kids
were going to be put in foster care, and Father and his wife took all
of them in and are caring for them. Now Father and his wife are older
and six kids would put a burden on anyone's budget. They need our help.
The help they are asking for is Food. We are going to be collecting
food to bring to them this month. Better yet if you want to get a gift
card to Cub or Target or some place that would be great and they could
get what they need. Also if you have a surplus of fresh veggies from
your yard that would be also a great gift. Any food we can give them
would be great. They are living on Blackhawk road in Eagan. Feel free
to give your donation to Vicky Michaels and I can bring it over to them.
I met these kids at church camp this summer and they are darling. Thank
you for any help you can give this family.
COLLEGE STUDENTS
If you know of any college
students, please give their address to Beverly Zaine, 457-6885. We would like
to have their addresses so we can send them the monthly newsletter and
other mailings to keep them informed.
FESTIVAL/BAZAAR
If anyone has empty ice cream
buckets, gallon size, please bring them to the Church Hall. We need
them for the Festival.
FESTIVAL/BAZAAR
IMPORTANT UPDATES:
A couple weeks before the Festival/Bazaar,
we will need teens to hand out flyers in the surrounding areas in the
neighborhood with Adult supervision. We will need parents to drive the
Teens and Pre-teens to West St. Paul, So. St. Paul, IGH, Mendota Hgts.,
and more. If anyone would like to help, please let the co-chairs know.
Please take Festival flyers, that are located in the hall by the sign
up sheets, and hand them out at work, friends, and in your neighborhood.
We need to get people to this event to make this a Huge Success!!!
Please take ownership and help out in anyway you can. We plan on your
support for this Exciting Event. This involves the Church members and
non- members, your friends, family, co-workers. We all can make
a difference by working together for our Church. Thanks!!
BAZAAR BAKE SALE MEETING
On September 21st, during coffee hour, we will have a Meeting in the Conference Room regarding the Bake Sale. This is our first year having the Bazaar with the Festival. We need to all be on the same page and discuss the Bake Sale. Think about individual prices of each cookie as well as package prices by the dozen or half a dozen. We plan to have a table set up outside for individual cookie sales that will hopefully bring people inside to by the cookies in packages. Any suggestions will be well received. Thank you.
Boushra, Bake Sale Coordinator, and
Sue, Bazaar Co Chair.
BAKE SALE
We would like homemade bake
items for the Bake Sale. Please take time to bake cookies, breads, cakes,
brownies, bars, cupcakes, pies, etc. We will have a beautiful display
of assorted bake goods. We need help packing these items on Thursday,
Sept. 25th, starting at 9:00 AM as well as setting up the tables with
the delicious Bake Goods. If you have any extra paper or plastic bags,
bring them to the hall. Boshra Haddad will coordinate the Bake Sale.
Come and share this day with your friends to make the Festival/Bazaar
the BEST EVER!!
FESTIVAL/BAZAAR-FREEZER
Due to the lack of freezer space, we are looking for a -deep-chest freezer to put items in. Please let Anthony Rezcallah or Sue Perry know if you have one.
It will really be appreciated!!
Thank you!!
VARIETY BOOTH
We are looking for donations
for the Variety Booth. If you are 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.
Family Camp 2008:
Practical parenting strategies for everyday life...continue!
Dr. Philip Mamalakis from Holy
Cross Seminary returns to continue sharing his valuable experience on
the much requested topic of parenting. Family Camp 2008 will be held
October 10-12 Camp Wapogasset in Amery, Wisconsin. More information
and registration forms are available at http://stmarysgoc.org. If you have questions, contact Cindy or
Paul Karos at ckaros@visi.com or (952) 929-6371.
CHURCH SCHOOL STARTS SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 14TH
Today is the first day of Sunday
school. Students should gather in the church by 8:45 for a group meeting
with Father Tom. At 9:00 the students will split into their separate
classes. The commissioning of the Church school will follow the Divine
Liturgy. All students, parents, grandparents, and godparents are
encouraged to be in attendance.
SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE
Are you buying school supplies
this year? If so, why not help area school children by throwing a few
extra items in your shopping cart? St. George Church is sponsoring a
school supply drive to benefit low-income students. New pens, markers,
notebooks and glue sticks can help students feel ready to start the
new year. Supplies needed include backpacks, markers, colored pencils,
crayons, bottled and stick glue, loose leaf paper, pencils, pens of
blue, black, and red ink, erasers, scissors, etc....Donations will be
accepted through September 28th. All donations are appreciated!!!
SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR ST. GEORGE MEMBERS
SILENT AUCTION
We have a Special Silent Auction
Item Oct.12th, Sunday thru 19th, Sunday 2008, to stay at a Gold Crown
Resort in Orlando, Florida, Vacation Village at Parkway Resort. This
Villa sleeps 8 people. 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, and Full kitchen. It is located
less than 5 minutes from Disney World. We wanted to put this in before
the Festival/Bazaar, so you can check airfare. If interested please
let Anthony or Sue know. The value for the week is $1,378.60. The Bid
start at $800.00 with $25.00 increment bids. A sign up sheet will be
posted in the Church Hall. If no winning Bid is received by the time
of the Festival, the offer will be included in the Festival Silent Auction.
HOLY BREAD
Boshra Haddad has volunteered to take
over the scheduling of Holy Bread for Sundays and Feast Days.
ST. MARY ROMANIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
St. Mary Romanian Orthodox
Church will celebrate its 95th Anniversary on the weekend
of September 20-21, 2008 with Archbishop NATHANIEL, please see the information
on the bulletin Board
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!!
Dear Father,
Greetings in the name of Our Lord and Savior,
I am writing to you with the
blessing of Metropolitan Philip, as President of the Board of Directors
of the Balamand Educational Foundation, to remind you of the monumental
event described in the attached announcement. We kindly ask that you
forward this information to all members of your parish.
The Foundation is hosting “An
Evening of Celebration” on the occasion of the 20-year anniversary
of the University of Balamand. His beatitude, our Patriarch Ignatius
IV will join us in a rare visit to the USA. His Eminence, Sayedna
Philip, will be honored at the event and a scholarship designated for
deserving and needy Balamand students will be established under his
name.
The celebration will take place on November 1st, in the Westin Copley Hotel in Boston. A hierarchical divine liturgy with our Patriarch will take place the following morning.
We look forward to your participation
and would appreciate your leadership in passing this information around to
every parishioner in our blessed Archdiocese.
Additional information and invitation cards are available on the Foundation's website at:
http://www.
Tickets can be purchased by
calling 708-752 5199 or via email: events@balamandef.org
Thank you in advance for your
support and your prayers. We look forward to seeing you on November
1st. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any
questions or feedback.
In Christ,
Elias Arous, MD
Glory be to Jesus Christ!
By contemplating the glory of the fall season, those of us who are preparing for icon class might just be wondering how to again replace our mundane distractions by aspiring to enter into the task and discipline of iconography which truly seeks the vision of a harmonious life and which possesses strength and the ability to arrange all human experiences in their proper order. May God be with us. Perhaps the hymn for the Holy St. Martyrs Menodora, Metrodora and Nymphodora in remembrance of their feast day today will provide us with a prayer as we prepare:
"In you the image
was preserved with exactness, O Mother; for taking up your cross, you
followed Christ, and by your deeds you teach us to overlook the flesh,
for it passes away, but to attend to the soul since it is immortal.
Therefore, O righteous Menodora, your spirit rejoices with the Angels."
Fall icon class sessions will be held at St. Maron Maronite Church,
winter class session will be held at Westminster Presbyterian. Please
call me to register at 651-439-4850, your deposit will be your registration.
Tuition and material fee 290.00. Class schedule is as follows:
Thursdays from 6:30-9 p.m. on Oct. 9,16,23,30,Nov. 6 and 13 at St. Maron Maronite Catholic Church, 602 University Ave. NE.,Mpls. 612-379-2758
Tuesdays from 6:30-9 p.m. on Feb. 17,24,March 10,17,24,31 at Westminster Presbyterian Church,1200 Marquette Ave.,Mpls. 612-332-3421 These classes will be offered in conjunction with a series of adult education classes for the parish and an icon exhibition in the Westminster Gallery.
In coming together, the joy of my work truly is being in the midst of all our work forming a mosaic of the icon of Christ. The greatest icons are people, the act of painting icons cleanses and purifies us to become a living icon striving to share and commune in the life of Christ. Please do not be afraid to feel you are unworthy of this task, this task does not call us to be perfect before God. It calls us to be ourselves and to love and to most of all receive all of creation by which all of creation participates, is made anew, and through our cooperation with God we participate in the transformation of material things to become a spiritual reality.
Christ is in our Midst!
Deb
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
UPCOMING ICON CLASSES, LECTURES AND OPEN STUDIO ACTIVITIES!!
A monthly newsletter is released
from my website at www.icon-art-studios.com