ST. GEORGE ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH THE NOVEMBER 2014 NEWSLETTER The Church is our Mother! The Church is the fullness of Christ's Body on earth. She was established to look after Her children … caring, protecting, tending and nursing them in His divine life. And, the Church is being sustained by the presence and power of Almighty God to fulfill Her role as our Mother! Fr. Thomas Hopko adds that the Church is also catholic. Namely, She is: “ … full and complete, all-embracing, and with nothing lacking.” … “ T h e original Jerusalem Church of the apostles, or the early citychurches of Antioch, Ephesus and Rome … were catholic. … because nothing essential was lacking for them to be the genuine Church of Christ. God Himself is fully revealed and present in each through Christ and the Holy Spirit, acting in the local community of believers with its apostolic doctrine, ministry (hierarchy), and sacraments, and thus requiring nothing to be added to Her, in order for Her to participate fully in the Kingdom of God.” … Another theologian tells us that ‘God created man for life within the Church’ He stresses that in Her fullness is communion with God Himself Who is the source of all life vis-à-vis chasing after material things, recognition and power or seeking the good times. The Church exists to help restore the image of God within each person. We’re created for a life in communion with God! By earnestly and genuinely participating within the life of the Church one is becoming more deeply united with the Lord, living in the glory of God and experiencing salvation. I t ’s e v i d e n t t h a t t h e Orthodox Church was established by Christ, and is, "the pillar and bulwark of the Truth." For no other group has safeguarded the Truth as She has. The Orthodox Church hasn’t added to these Truths, nor reduced or changed the unalterable revealed Truths that were handed down to Her. One Orthodox priest warned his parishioners: “don’t be fooled by anyone, even an angel of light, preaching a different Gospel which will lead away from the Body of Christ, the Orthodox Church.” Our sacred Orthodox faith teaches us that we indeed have God as our Father and the Church is our Mother. The Church exists to nurture and feed and teach and shelter and protect, just as a Mother does for her children. St. Cyprian of Carthage wrote: “He who has turned his back on the Church of Christ shall not come to the rewards of Christ.... You can’t have God for your Father if you don’t have the Church for your Mother.” There’re many sincere people who claim to be seeking Christ, but don’t know where to find Him as He has been and continues to be revealed within the Church. Some within Her walls have abandoned Her, and, are therefore unable to reap the full benefits and promises of Christ. You see, the Church isn’t our Mother merely by virtue of our baptism. She’s our Mother when we’re showing our love for Her through respectful obedience, caring uncritical attitudes and willingness to learn and embrace the Truths that She teaches. For She exemplifies love … teaching to love the Lord and continued on page 8 St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church 1073 Saunders Settlement Rd., Niagara Falls, NY 14305 Office: 716-297-2668 email: [email protected] Fax: 716-524-2261 Website: www.stgeorgenf.com Our new mailing address is: P.O. Box 1073, Grand Island, NY 14072 ~~~ THE PARISH COUNCIL ~~~ VERY REV. FR. PAUL R. SOLBERG, PASTOR OFFICERS Chairperson: Scott Slaiman; Vice Chairperson: Colline Doyle Recording Secretary: Kathy Fadel; Corresponding Secretary: Rose Kargatis; Financial Secretary: Dot Lombardi; Treasurer: Scott Slaiman OTHER MEMBERS Juris Arajs, Raymond Bailey, James Filosofos, Edward Haddad, James McPhall, Lorraine Pealer, Steve Sargent Supervising Hierarch: +JOSEPH Archbishop of New York, Metropolitan of All North America Auxillary Bishop: +ALEXANDER Bishop of Ottawa and Assistant to the Metropolitan Subdeacons: Thomas Slaiman, Paul (Regis) Woodward, Kevin (Elias) Kensinger Chanter: Samir Haddad - Lifetime Parish Council Member: Daniel Bishara PARISH ORGANIZATIONS Altar Servers Elias Kensinger 804-3010 Antiochian Women Lorraine Pealer 285-6449 Catechist & Educ. Coord. Gregory Derek Witty 585-245-1733 Choir Director Drew Burke Church School Margaret Ewing 282-6579 Jackie Fadel 282-8243 Church Store Ann Salhany 754-1657 Gayle Fadel 284-1771 Custodian Michael Slaiman 754-4417 Endowment John Moshides 741-4790 Flowers Joyce Haick 731-3328 Food Pantry FSJD 628-4730 Parish Council Scott Slaiman 417-6565 Photographer Ken Salhany 754-1657 St. Ignatius Sob Haick 731-3328 St. John the Divine Sexton Ushers Beth & Juris Arajs 628-4730 Tom Sharpe 352-5972 Ron Chambers 297-7241 The Newsletter is published by St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church each month of the year EDITOR Very Rev. Fr. Paul R. Solberg Business Advertising in the Newsletter is patronized by members and friends of our community. Advertising rates are available upon request. Contact the church office at 297-2668 or email [email protected] to submit your news. Deadline for the next issue is: November 25, 2014 How to submit articles, text, photos, and advertisements for the Newsletter: Limit articles, reports, and features to one page if possible. All articles should be submitted in electronic format as WORD, or text file. Graphic arts, digital photos and ads should be submitted in jpeg, WORD or pdf. Material submitted for publication maybe edited for brevity, space and errors. Materials received after the deadline will not be accepted for that issue. Coordinator: Denise Filosofos The Buffalo Bills win in stunning fashion! It’s the day before the game, and you are putting together some food so that everyone can enjoy tomorrow at the game. It's all set and you are totally prepared to get a good night sleep because you have to be up early tomorrow morning. I mean, come on! You have a Bills game to go to tomorrow! So, the alarm goes off and you jump out of bed. All you can think about is getting together, to have a great time at the game and celebrate a great Bills victory. You gather everything together, put on your favorite Bills jersey, load the car, and you and your friends are out the door, right on time, to meet up with other fellow bills fans. You arrive at the stadium, tailgate, and then it’s time to enter “The Ralph”. You sit down at your seats with your program and the feeling is awesome! The names of Buffalo Bills greats line the outer edges of the stadium, the crowd and atmosphere is unbelievable. It's kickoff time folks! The game looks like it’s going to be a blowout and just another crushing defeat. By halftime we are down and out (sound familiar?). The mood has changed and people are starting to panic, but you stay strong. Something deep down inside is telling you that maybe, just maybe, we can get back into the game. All hope can’t be gone, right? Well, as unbelievable as it seems the unbelievable happens. We are cheering together and our beloved Buffalo Bills stared defeat right in the face and come storming back to victory! You are in a state of euphoria, the moment is so surreal. No one really thought that they could come back from a deficit that big but they did and you were there! You leave the game and all you can think is “we were there", to celebrate a great Bills victory”! I think we all know where I’m going with this buffalo bills game analogy or any other Sunday activity, and that is preparing and going to church. The night before church the Lamb is brought into the church and we pray, repent and prepare together at great vespers. We wake up in the morning from our fast and prepare again to receive the body and blood of CHRIST. We arrive at the church all together, grab a bulletin and light a candle. We proceed to our seats and are surrounded by the icons of the Saints, and all Orthodox Saints in spirit. We commune, pray, and are thankful together while in preparation for the journey that our Lord is leading on. We receive the Eucharist together and proclaim the greatest victory of them all, CHRIST's victory over death! In conclusion, as Orthodox Christians we are called to "be there", to commune with the Lord. The Lord trampled down death for us and the least we can do is prepare ourselves to be there with Him and that includes myself. I hope that every one of my brothers and sisters in CHRIST are there with me for the greatest victory of them all. For some reason when thinking of the church right now the words of Marv Levy come to mind as he prepared the Bills for their first super bowl, and those words were, “Where else would you rather be than right here, right now”? See you at Church! Scott Slaiman Hello St.George Family! This past month was quite a busy one for the church. The hafli and the Breast Cancer raffles and pound auction were a success and I want to thank ever yone who assisted and supported both functions. We also purcha sed the ne w sto ve which everyone seems to be enjoying as well. As for the this month we have a few things going on as usual. First, on Nov. 2nd is Outreach Sunday! Bring your family and friends to be part of the Divine Liturgy. Second, is the cemetery/church constitution meeting on Nov. 3rd at 7 pm. Third, is the Illusionist dinner show on Saturday, Nov 8th starting at 6 pm. Please see myself for tickets as mentioned in the flyer. Forth, is the beginning of the Advent fast on Nov. 15th, preparing ourselves for the birth of Christ. Last, but not least, is the "Hanging of the Greens" on Nov. 29. where we decorate the church together for Christmas from 2-5 pm. Vespers will be at 5pm and we will have a pot-luck dinner and fellowship afterwards. I hope ever yone has a blessed month and will see you in church! Scott Slaiman Parish Council Chairperson Memory Eternal! Gail A. Rainville (nee Fenger) On October 8, 2014, Gail Rainville, passed away after a short illness. She was the loving mother of Paul (Karla) Rainville, David Rainville, Kelleylynn (Kevin) Barberg, Kimberly (Vincent) Bovo and the late Jacques J. Rainville; sister of Guy, Peter, John, Larry Fenger and the late Susan Di Pirro. Also survived by 14 grandchildren, many nieces and nephews. Visitation was held at St. George Orthodox Church, 1073 Saunders Settlement Road, Lewiston, NY 14305, where funeral services were held Monday, October 12th. Gail was a member of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Lewiston while residing with her daughter, Kelleylynn Barberg and family. Rev. Raphael Barberg, her son-in-law presided over her funeral service along with the Very Rev. Fr. Paul Solberg. Interment was at St. Vincent de Paul Cemetery in North Evans, NY. Memory Eternal November 1 November 3 November 4 November 5 November 6 November 10 November 11 November 14 November 16 November 17 November 19 November 21 November 22 November 23 November 26 November 27 November 29 Robert M. Kinan Naif Shahin Sam Kinan Lorraine Galabinski Ryan W. Snyder George Bishara Mabel Slaiman Selma K. Anderson Dolores J. Mazhir Gerald Slipko George Kinan Agnes A. Fadel Julie K. Delaney Catherine Milkie Mary E. Bishara Anton Giannoula Kontos Ernest Fadel Albert P. Mezhir Sylvia Haick Angelo Costas Samuel Delaney Thomas Petrakis 1987 1975 1954 2004 2010 1956 1978 1959 2009 2013 1984 2009 1979 2002 2011 1973 1974 1997 2010 1973 1980 2003 Jack Lawrence Kensinger, 66 of Acton, MA passed away peacefully, Tuesday, October 21, 2014 in his Acton, MA home after a courageous battle with ALS. He was born in Niagara Falls, NY on August 12, 1948 to Najla Nellie (nee Kinan) and the late Lawrence Kensinger. A Niagara Falls native, Jack was a graduate of Trott Vocational High school and received his BA in Industrial Arts from Buffalo State Teachers College. Jack worked for many years for GTE in Boston as a program director retiring in the late 1990s. Jack enjoyed golfing, but his real love was music. He was an accomplished musician, and together with his musical partner, Ellen Schmidt, traveled the entertainment circuit in New England as the Two for the Show performing at many coffee houses, nursing homes and for many charity events for well over 25 years. He was once quoted as saying, Music is the reason for getting up in the morning, thus he passed his music legacy on to his nieces and nephews. He is survived by his mother, Najla Nellie (Kinan) Kensinger of Niagara Falls, NY; two brothers, Donald G. (Betty) Kensinger and Kevin (Tracey) Kensinger, both of Niagara Falls, NY; a sister, Lynelle (Bruce) Barbaro of Birdsall, NY; his longtime companion, Michele Boule and her son Peter, both of Acton, MA; and many loving nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. Jack was predeceased by his father, the late Lawrence Kensinger. The family was present to receive friends Sunday at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, 1073 Saunders Settlement Rd., Lewiston, New York where the Funeral Liturgy was held Monday morning, October 27, 2014 with Rev. Fr. Paul A. Solberg, officiating. Burial was in Oakwood Cemetery, Niagara Falls, NY. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Jack's memory to the ALS Association, PO Box 6051, Albert Lea, MN 56007 or St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church. Arrangements by SPALLINO-AMIGONE FUNERAL HOME, 1300 Pine Ave., Niagara Falls, NY. News from Sunday School We have had a wonderful kick off for the start of Sunday School this year, the children are learning much more about our beautiful Orthodox Christian faith. We look forward to another wonderful year of learning. In October we went on a harvest field trip to Becker Farm. Great fun was had by all, children and adults! The Sunday school celebrated the accomplishment of all the children that participated in the creative festival. We had twenty-two entries and 11 winners. The Sunday was complemented by Bishop Alexander for our many entries and winners. We also had an Art Show in which we could showcase our talents in Art, Writing, Poetry and Photography. On Sunday, December 14, we will have our Holiday Pageant with a twist. We are going to have a reunion with all our past pageant participants! More details to follow. Please remember that our children are the future of our beautiful church and we as a parish have the best of the best. Friendly Reminder… As a friendly reminder, all Organizational Meetings should be following the normal parish protocol which is: * All meeting times are to be coordinated with the priest inorder to insure that there are no parish-wide scheduling conflicts including the available of the priest’s attendance. * According to the Antiochian Or thodox Archdiocese, ‘the priest is the presiding officer for every organization.’ * Agendas are to be submitted to the priest in advance for his inputs and approval. * Reasonable efforts should be extended to notify the priest within 24-48 hours concerning the organization’s deliberations. This may be accomplished via written correspondence, email or verbal communication. If you have any questions, please contact Father Paul in person or call him at 297-2668 or 983-1145 or email him at [email protected] . PLEASE NOTE!! Our new mailing address is P.O.Box 1073, Grand Island NY 14072. FYI to those looking for the Lost and Found at St. George - it has been moved to the front entrance closet. ALSO, PLEASE TEXT, CALL OR EMAIL FR. PAUL WHEN SOMEONE IS ILL OR IN THE HOSPITAL. Outreach Sunday - FSJD On Sunday, November 2, 2014, the Fellowship of St. John the Divine and the entire St. George Parish will host Outreach Sunday. As St. John Chrysostom said in 396 AD, “Each of us has an apostolic mission to arouse the fervor of the Spirit in our brothers and sisters.” Each of us knows a family member or friend who has fallen away from active participation in the life of the Church or who might be looking for a new church home. We encourage all active members to reach out to inactive family members, Orthodox friends and nonOrthodox friends and family to join us for a special Divine Liturgy followed by fellowship in our church hall. Ddi you know that family members have the greatest influence in persuading an unchurched person to come to church? Who will you bring to Family Outreach Sunday? ****** The Fellowship of St. John the Divine is taking donations of gently used winter coats, boots, scarves, gloves, etc. They will be distributed through Niagara County ministries. See Beth or Juris Arajs. There will also be the “Hanging of the Greens” on Saturday, November 29th, from 2pm to 5pm. There will be vespers and then a potluck dinner following. There is a big need for some “manly men” to help with the decorating and hanging of garland from the ceiling. So, if you can, come on out and help make our church look beautiful for the holidays. Save the Date!! The Antiochian Women’s Club is in the process of making plans for their Annual Christmas Party. This year’s event will take place on Sunday, December 7th. Mark your calendars now!! More details to follow as they become available. The Ladies had a meeting of the Executive Board on Tuesday, October 28 at Lorraine Pealer’s home where agenda items were discussed over a delicious dinner prepared by Lorraine. The Ladies have a number of ideas for events to pursue for the coming year. Stay tuned for more information. Remember, ALL women of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church are automatically members of the Women’s Club and are encouraged to attend the meetings and functions held by them. There are no membership dues. Pinktober Celebrates Breast Cancer On Oct. 10, The Hard Rock Café, Niagara Falls USA, hosted their 15th annual Pinktober event. Along with the American Cancer Society, the Canadian Cancer Society, Erie County Medical Center, the ECMC Lifeline Foundation, the Buffalo Bills and Nicholas Picholas of WKSE "Kiss" 98.5-FM, the Hard Rock gathered survivors, Bills fans and musicians to raise awareness and funds in a united front against breast cancer. The evening began with guests and survivors gathering along the Rainbow Bridge, connecting the U.S. and Canada. In a powerful symbol of the two countries' unity in the fight to end breast cancer, participants created a living ribbon across the bridge while Niagara Falls was lit up with pink lights. The evening continued with an outdoor concert outside the Hard Rock along with many vendors and breast cancer information. Lisa Dudley and her husband Mike attended this year and had a great time mingling with the Bills and their families. 8th Annual Celebration of Life a Success! The month of October is designated as Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the Antiochian Women have tried to bring awareness to this disease by having a Celebration of Life: A Tribute to Breast Cancer Survivors. For the past 8 years, we have had a small basket auction and pound auction to raise money for breast cancer awareness. A couple of years ago, we started to celebrate during the entire month by having a dessert raffle each week of the month. This has turned into a great event that everyone looks forward to. This year was no exception. A dessert raffle was held each week and on October 21 we had our Basket / Pound Auction and 50/50 raffle. We had a good crowd on Tuesday night who were very enthusiastic and bid heavily on the auction items. A lot of great “prizes” were unveiled! The evening was a lot of fun for all!! This year we were able to raise $1,260.00 and the proceeds will go to the Susan G. Komen Western New York Affiliate. Thank you to all the ladies who baked each week and donated items to raffle off. Also, a big thank you to all those who bought raffle tickets and won those delicious desserts and to all the ladies and men who came to the celebration of life! Your support is greatly appreciated! HOLY BREAD November 2 November 9 November 16 November 23 November 30 Tom Slaiman Jackie Bshara Lana Michaels Mitchell & Corana Haick No sponsor Contact Lorraine Pealer 285-6449 if you would like to be a Holy Bread sponsor. COFFEE HOUR November 2 Lana Michaels November 9 Mickey Mokhiber November 16 Donna Crawley/Shahin Sisters November 23 Steve Sargent November 30 Need Sponsor Buffalo Bills quarterback E.J. Manual with breast cancer survivor Lisa Dudley of Grand Island. Contact Patty Chown 283-3037 if you would like to sponsor a coffee hour. Enthronement of Metropolitan Joseph The Enthronement of His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph and the visit of His Beatitude Patriarch John X, is scheduled to take place Friday, December 5th thru the 7th at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn, NY. Preparations are under way and hierarchs and guests will be attending from across the world. If you are planning on attending the Banquet, tickets are $200 per guest and can be obtained by mailing a check made out to “St. Nicholas Cathedral” to: St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral, 355 State Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217, Attn: Banquet Committee. Please print the names of those attending as well as a phone number and email address if possible, so we can acknowledge your reservation. You may also purchase banquet tickets with a Visa or MasterCard on the Cathedral website. Be sure to note in the memo section the same information above. Please not that this is for baquet tickets only and not for journal ads. Deadline for banquet reservations is November 21, 2014. The public schedule of events is: Friday, December 5th: 6:30pm Great Vespers with Artoklasia for the Feast of St. Nicholas Saturday, December 6th: 9:00 am Orthros; 10:00am Divine Liturgy for the Feast of St. Nicholas, Patron Saint of the Mother Cathedral; 4:30pm Great Vespers and Enthronement of Metropolitan Joseph; 7:00pm Reception at Brooklyn Marriott; 8:00pm Gala Banquet at the Brooklyn Marriott. Sunday, December 7th: 9:15am Orthros; 10:30am Patriarchal Divine Liturgy Deadline for hotel reservations at the Brooklyn Marriott is November 7th and the rate is $299.00 per night plus tax. There are also a small block of rooms at the Marriott Courtyard LaGuardia Airport Hotel for $99.00 a night plus tax. This hotel is about 10 miles from the festivities and about 15-45 minute drive, depending on traffic. Any questions you can contact Archpriest Thomas Zain by email at [email protected] or call at 917.771.4120. For anymore information, you can go the the Archdiocese website and there is everything you need. St. George Wish List At Home: Clara Bishara - 934 James Ave., Niagara Falls, NY 14305 Souad Bitar - 2250 N. French Rd., Getzville, NY 14068 Jim McPhall - 560 Riverwalk Dr.,Youngstown, NY 14174 In Nursing Homes: Elaine Baia - Our Lady of Peace, 5285 Lewiston Rd., Lewiston, NY 14092 Lorraine Bialek - Crestwood Health Care Center, 2600 Niagara Falls Blvd., Niag. Falls, 14304 Shirley Daniels - 2680 N. Forest Rd. Unit 226, Getzville, NY 14068 Stephen Daniels - 2700 N. French Rd.,Unit 210, Getzville, NY 14068 Nellie Kensinger - Schoelkopf Nursing Home, Tenth St., Niagara Falls, NY Eleanor Kinan - Northgate on Nash Road, Wheatfield George Pappas - Our Lady of Peace, 5285 Lewiston Rd., Lewiston, NY 14092 Marguerite Aswad - Alterra Sterling, 6741 Nash Rd., Wheatfield, NY 14120 * * * * * * * * * Platitera (Icon of the Theotokos and the Christchild) 30 Quart mixer for the kitchen Ceramic tile (marble in appearance) for the altar Dome icons of Gospel writers and Archangels New festal icons (11 x 14 inches) Trim around wall festal icons Drapery Artistry under wall festal icons Children’s playground Storage shed and /or Garage ~~ F.Y.I. ~~ Father Paul: cell phone: 983-1145 email: [email protected] Church Office: 297-2668; fax 716-524-2261 Church Email: [email protected] Website: www.stgeorgenf.com Bulletin: [email protected] Newsletter: [email protected] MOPS: [email protected] The Church is our Mother! continued from page 1 each other. Within Her walls we can be made true members of one family. United with Christ and truthfully participating in the life of the Church, we find help for resisting temptations and enduring adversity on our journey to eternity. Our Lord God didn’t choose the marketplace nor the places of leisure to reveal Himself. He designated the Church. St. John of Kronstadt wrote: "as the Lord is the way, the truth and the life (John l4:6), so also is the Church, because She is one and the same with the Lord, His body, of His flesh and of His bones (Eph. 5:30) .... Never represent the Church apart from the Lord Jesus Christ; from the Father and the Holy Spirit." The Venerable Bede wrote: "Just as all within the ark were saved and all outside of it were carried away when the flood came, so when all who are pre-ordained to eternal life have entered the Church, the end of the world will come and all will perish who are found outside Her." In the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church there’s power and life and love today and unto all eternity. Come, taste and see and embrace the life of Christ in His Body, the Church! She’s here with arms open wide waiting to embrace you! Pray for me a sinner, Father Paul Annual Christmas Card Once again it is time for our annual Christmas Card. For only $15.00 everyone at St. George receives a Christmas greeting from you. The profits benefit the Sunday School children. This is the primary fundraiser for the Sunday School All orders for cards must be received by Nov. 23rd And again…please list only people living in the same household under each order. Thanks for your cooperation in this matter. Please make check payable to St. George Church. Remember: you can list either family name or you can list “in memory of” Please return this order form with your check or cash to Robin Bishara, 746 Mary Lane, Lewiston, NY 14092 A Great Big Thank You from the Sunday School! Name: ____________________________________________________ Address: __________________________________________________ Paid: $15.00 cash check # Card to read: ______________________________________________ 2014 NOVE MBER SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 Chanters Prac 4pm GV 5pm 2 Matins 9:15am DL - 10:30am 3 4 MOPS 9:15-11:15 5 6 7 8 Chanters Prac 4pm GV 5pm 9 Matins 9:15am DL - 10:30am 10 11 12 13 14 15 Chanters Prac 4pm GV 5pm 16 Matins 9:15am DL - 10:30am 17 18 MOPS 9:15-11:15 19 20 Great Vespers 6pm for Entry of Theotokos 21 22 Matins 9:30 DL 10:30 27 28 23 Matins 9:15am DL - 10:30am ____________ 30 Matins 9:15am DL - 10:30am 24 25 26 Chanters Prac 4pm GV 5pm 29 Chanters Prac 4pm GV 5pm DECE MBER SUNDAY 2014 MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 2 3 4 5 6 Chanters Prac 4pm GV 5pm 7 Matins 9:15am DL - 10:30am 8 9 MOPS 9:15-11:15 10 11 12 13 Chanters Prac 4pm GV 5pm 14 Matins 9:15am DL - 10:30am 15 16 17 18 19 20 Chanters Prac 4pm GV 5pm 21 Matins 9:15am DL - 10:30am 22 23 MOPS 9:15-11:15 24 Great Vespers 5pm Lessons & Carols 7pm 25 26 MERRY CHRISTMAS Matins 9:30am DL 10:30am 27 Chanters Prac 4pm GV 5pm 28 Matins 9:15am DL - 10:30am 29 30 31 NEW YEAR’S EVE Guidelines for The Nativity Fast November 15 thru December 24 The Nativity Fast is one of the four Canonical Fasting Seasons in the Church year. This is a joyous fast in anticipation of the Nativity of Christ. That is the reason it is less strict than other fasting periods. The fast is divided into two periods. The 1st period is November 15th through December 19th when the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, fish, wine, and oil) is observed. There is dispensation given for wine and oil on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Similarly, fish, wine, and oil are permitted on Saturdays and Sundays. The 2nd period is December 20th through 24th when the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, fish, wine, and oil) is observed. There is dispensation given for wine and oil only on Saturday and Sunday during this period. Here are the guidelines: Meat Dairy Fish Wine Oil beef, chicken, pork, turkey, elk, veal, lamb, deer, rabbit, buffalo, and so forth milk, eggs, cheese, butter, yogurt, cream, and so forth fish with a backbone (not including shrimp, octopus, shellfish, squid, or other seafood. (some include all types of alcohol in this category) (some include all types of oil in this category) Abstain. Abstain. Permitted only on Saturdays and Sundays before December 20. (some permit fish Tuesdays and Thursdays also) Permitted only on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, & Sundays before December 20. Permitted only on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, & Sundays before December 20. Abstinence includes refraining from the food and drink mentioned above, as well as from smoking. The Eucharistic Fast means abstaining from at least the previous midnight for communing at a morning Liturgy. The Purpose of Fasting The purpose of fasting is to focus on the things that are above, the Kingdom of God. It is a means of putting on virtue in reality, here and now. Through it we are freed from dependence on worldly things. We fast faithfully and in secret, not judging others, and not holding ourselves up as an example. • Fasting in itself is not a means of pleasing God. Fasting is not a punishment for our sins. Nor is fasting a means of suffering and pain to be undertaken as some kind of atonement. Christ already redeemed us on His Cross. Salvation is a gift from God that is not bought by our hunger or thirst. • We fast to be delivered from carnal passions so that God’s gift of Salvation may bear fruit in us. • We fast and turn our eyes toward God in His Holy Church. Fasting and prayer go together. • Fasting is not irrelevant. Fasting is not obsolete, and it is not something for someone else. Fasting is from God, for us, right here and right now. • Most of all, we should not devour each other. We ask God to “set a watch and keep the door of our lips.” Do Not Fast • between December 25 and January 5 (even on Wednesdays and Fridays); • if you are pregnant or nursing a newborn; • during serious illness; • without prayer; • without alms-giving; • according to your own will without guidance from your spiritual father.
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