12 - St. George Greek Orthodox Chuch | Saint George Greek ... · PDF filethe pagan...

V O L U M E 1 9 , I S S U E 1 1 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 3

12.13 St. George Greek

Orthodox Church

St. Paul, Minnesota

in this issue

Don’t Pre -Ce lebra te P.2

Reg is try P.3

Par ish News P.4-5

Youth P.7

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ:

As we enter into the

month of December we are

already two weeks along in

the Advent Fast. I hope that

we are using this time well

to prepare for the Feast of

the Nativity of our Lord on

Dec.25th by fasting from all

meat and dairy products,

spending time in personal

reflection, moral self-

inventory, repentance and

confession, and communal

worship. These ascetical

efforts will help Jesus Christ

be incarnate in the world

through our words and ac-

tions.

Looking back on the

month of November we

hope to hear good reports

on the Family Camp held

Nov.15-17; the Philoptochos

Bake Sale on Nov.23-24, and

the Pan-Orthodox Thanks-

giving Eve Liturgy on

Nov.27th. In advance I wish

to thank all who made these

events possible and success-

ful.

Looking ahead we invite

everyone to participate in

the Philoptochos Advent

Luncheon and Family Night

on Saturday December 7th,

Fall Parish Assembly on

Dec. 8th, Loaves & Fishes on

Mon. Dec. 9th, Church

Cleaning on Sat. Dec. 14th,

Parish Council Elections on

Dec. 15th, Bible Study on

Tue. Dec. 17th, and the Na-

tivity services on Dec.24-

25th. Thus, there are numer-

ous opportunities to get in-

volved.

Just a reminder that we

are well into our season

(October through May) of

Saturday Vespers services

which begin at 5pm and last

about 45 minutes. Partici-

pating in the Vespers wor-

ship is a great way to pre-

pare for Sunday Divine Lit-

urgy but is an acceptable

substitute if not able to

attend Sunday liturgy.

They, along with weekday

services provide a slightly

different atmosphere (fewer

people, more quiet) to expe-

rience the presence of God

and bow down before Him.

All this could be said about

Sunday morning Orthros

(year round) too, that begins

at 8:15 am. I encourage eve-

ryone to make a point of

participating in these wor-

ship services at least a few

times a year.

As usual, I will be visiting

sick and home-bound pa-

rishioners the week or two

before Christmas. If you

would like to also visit them

or have me bring a gift to

them, please let me know. If

there is someone that needs

a visit, please let me know.

Visitations are one of the

core ministries of our par-

ish. Please pray for those

who are not able to attend

worship and fellowship ac-

tivities.

As we reflect on the Birth

of

our Savior, much of our

time this season, like previ-

ous years, will be spent go-

ing to holiday parties, fami-

ly get-togethers and shop-

ping. All of these are rooted

in the celebration rituals (Continued on page 6)

A Word from Father Rick

Don’t Pre-Celebrate Christmas!

By Fr. Andrew George,

edited for Orthodox Family Life by Phyllis Meshel Onest

The Advent Season, which began

for us on November 15/28, is a

time for anticipating the "Good

News" of the Lord's Birth. As with

all things in life, Scripture reminds

us that we must be careful of be-

ing "in the world, but not of the

world". This is especially true of

the celebration of Christmas.

Many lament that the stores are

decorated for Christmas from the

end of October - an example of the

over-stressing and "early-

stressing" of this great Christian

Holy Day. But what do we do in

our homes? I have noticed that on

the Friday and Saturday after

Thanksgiving, people begin to put

up their decorations and turn on

their Christmas lights and trees.

Our Orthodox Advent tradition

gives us some guidelines of which

many of us perhaps are not aware.

Within this 40-day preparation

period, a slow progression of

events and remembrances un-

folds. This is seen in the general

attitude, hymnology, prayers, and

fasting practices which begin to

intensify on the Feast of St. Nicho-

las (December 6/19), and progress

through the feasts of St. Spyridon

(December 12/25), St. Daniel

(December 17/30) and St. Ignatios

(December 20/January 2). The

latter is specifically called "the day

of preparation". What do you

think this tells us?

Add to this the tradition of the

"Twelve Days of Christmas" that

begins on Christmas Day, and

runs to January 5/18, the day be-

fore Theophany, the next great

feast. The 'food fast' is most in-

tense on the 12 days preceding

December 25/January 7, and there

is no fasting on the 12 days after

Christmas, not on Wednesday or

Friday! Again, what do you think

this tells us?

It is interesting to note that histori-

cally we do not have an exact date

of Jesus birth. The date of His Na-

tivity was specifically selected by

the early Church to coincide with

the pagan celebrations held in late

December, They were rather riot-

ous and foolish in nature, not be-

coming of a follower of Christ.

Thus this date had a duel purpose:

(1) to mark the Lord's coming to

earth in human form, and (2) to

do it at a time which would help

defeat an attitude and lifestyle

which went against the Lord's

teachings. The early Church lead-

ers knew that these Christians

struggled with the temptation to

return to their former ways. Once

again, what would you think this

tells us? The Orthodox tradition is

clearly not to "pre-celebrate"

Christmas, but rather to withhold

the celebration until the designat-

ed time. Once it arrives, we are to

celebrate it joyously, not with over

riotous activity as did the pagans.

Some 40 or 50 years ago here in

America, people decorated their

Christmas trees on Christmas Eve.

Slowly, through the influence of

merchants and media, we started

to put up our decorations and

trees earlier and earlier each year.

As a result, we take them down

earlier and earlier, not waiting for

the Theophany observances of

January 5-7 [January 18-20], which

are specifically part of the 12-day

cycle beginning on Christmas.

Every year there are more and

(Continued on page 6)

Fr. Andrew George is the pastor of An-nunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Cranston, RI.

Registry

40-day Churching

October 7, 2013 Brittany (Anna) Plunkett and her daughter Victoria (Zoe).

Baptism

October 20, 2013 Tokhiao, son of Dimitra

Osterman and Khiao

Keodouangdy, was

baptized with the

Christian name

"Evangelos." Godparent

is Nouna Alice Kappos.

Address Change

Eleni & Jeff Brandt 4065 White Bear Ave N White Bear Lake, MN 55110-4304

Mario & Heather Hangistmoulos 2693 Benlana Ct Maplewood, MN 55119-7112

Lydia Lekka 2885 Knox Ave. S Apt# 802 Minneapolis, MN 55408-1854

Church Staff and Office Hours

Church Office Hours

(Mon., Wed., Thurs. & Fri.)

8:00 AM—2:15 PM

(Tues.)

Noon—6 PM

Rev. Fr. Richard Demetrius Andrews, Presbyter

(651) 222-6220

Email: [email protected]

Administrative Assistant

(651) 222-6220


Tom Lampros,

Parish Council President

(651) 644-3924


Reva Adkins,

Philoptochos President

(651) 337-1118


Lani Hattling,

Sunday School Director

(763) 551-4876


Stella Hofrenning,

Greek School Director

651-917-2668

Jennifer Argeros,

Glad Tidings—Editor

Email: GladTidings

@stgeorgegoc.org

Andrea Faches & Eric Chadwick,

Loaves and Fishes Coordinators


Submissions for upcoming issues

are due by the 11th of the preceding

month.

page 3

St. Paul. MN

Please donate a Festal Icon (11" x 14") in memory of a loved one. The cost is $75.00

per icon. The icons are displayed in the church nave and are put out for veneration

on the Feast Day of the Saint or event they represent. To donate an icon, fill out a

form (found on the bulletin board by the kitchen) and return it to the office.

Festal Icons Needed

Deborah the Righteous Rebecca the Righteous

Parish Assembly Notice

The Fall Parish Assembly meeting will

be held after Divine Liturgy on Sun-

day December 8th. Agenda includes

Budget 2014, Capital Improvements,

Updates on Projects, Accomplish-

ments in 2013.

Parish Council Elections The elections for six two-year terms

(2014-2015) will be held after Divine

Liturgy on Sunday December 15th.

Positions Open The Youth Minister and Administra-

tive Assistant positions are open to

applicants. If interested please send a

resume and cover letter to Fr. Rick.

For more info you may also contact Fr.

Rick.

Adopt-A-Family Our community will be adopting sev-

eral families from FOCUS to provide

gifts and household items for Christ-

mas. A poster with sign up is located

in the social hall. If you are not able to

get to a store, you can donate money

and gift cards will be bought. All

items are due the morning of Sunday,

Dec. 8. Please contact Presbytera Jane

with any questions. Thank you for

your generosity!

Typhoon Relief

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of

America is organizing relief efforts to

help the people of the Philippines who

need food, shelter, medical care and

other basic necessities. One can con-

tribute by writing a check with

"Philippines Relief Fund" in memo or

by making direct contributions at

www.goarch.org. Thank you!

Consider an IRA Gift to Church The beauty of giving from one`s IRA

is that it is pretax dollars. This law

will possibly end by the end of 2013. It

is a great pretax way to give if you are

70.5 years of age or older. The check

must go directly to the charity to meet

the requirements of the IRS. Contact

Alexis Bighley for more info: abigh-

[email protected].

Donate Now!

Please remember that you can support

our parish by using the "Donate Now"

link our website to make a contribu-

tion using Paypal. It`s an easy way to

further the ministries of St. George

Church. Thanks!

Twin City Pilgrims to the Holy Mountain

Tom Rudquist will present a slide

show of the 2013 visit of seven Twin

City Pilgrims to the Holy Mountain

on Sunday, December 1st at St.

George Antiochian Orthodox Church

1250 Oakdale Ave West. St. Paul at

1:00 p.m. (After Sunday Coffee Hour)

The Ministry of Iconography Icon Art Studios will pre-

sent classes on iconogra-

phy. Session 1-"The Holy

Face." Thursdays 5:30 to

9:30pm on January 16, 23,

30 & February 6. Cost

$135.00 plus materials. Session 2-

“Christ in Majesty.” Thursdays 6-9pm

on February 20, 27, March 13, 20 &

April 3 & 10. Cost $195.00 plus materi-

als. Both sessions will be held at St.

Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church. Ses-

sion 3- “Sacrament of Baptism & Icon of

St. John the Baptist” at Catholic Basilica

of Saint Mary in Mpls, 9am - 1pm on

Saturdays during Great Lent; March 8

& 15 & April 5 & 12; cost includes ma-

terials $295. Register by sending a de-

posit of $75.00 to Icon Art Studios,

13921 127th Street North, Stillwater,

MN, 55082. Questions e-mail at

[email protected] or at 612-889-5868.

St. Mary Grief Support Group

Holiday Luncheon Get-Together Dec.

1st 12pm at It`s Greek To Me. No res-

ervations required.

Philoptochos Christmas Dinner Join us Saturday, December 7th from

11am-2pm at Mendakota Country

Club 2075 Mendakota Dr. Mendota

Heights, MN 55120. RSVP by Wednes-

day, December 4th with your pay-

ment, name and entrée choice. Con-

tact Mary Georgantones 651-690-1302

or Reva Adkins 651-337-1118.

Theological Minds Speakers On Dec. 5 Rick Wagner, PhD, Chemis-

try, U of M will present From Nanobi-

otechnology to the Early Church Fathers:

A Perspective on Christ, Creativity and

Science. Meetings at MacLaurin CSF,

1337 Cleveland Ave. N. across from

St. Paul UMN campus.

Please Visit or Call

Mr. Samuel Tsepelis is in hospice care

at his home and is welcoming prayers,

calls and visits from parishioners—

651-407-0222.

Parish Parish

NewsNews

St. Paul. MN

page 5

Congratulations!

Alex Boosalis received his commission

as a Second Lieutenant in the US Ar-

my and is attending Infantry Officer`s

Course at Fort Benning, Georgia that

includes Ranger and Airborne School.

Thank you from Debra Korluka

Thank you for the warm welcome at

your church last Sunday. It was won-

derful to share my book recently pub-

lished in Russia with you. I truly ap-

preciate your patronage in support of

my work and your generosities in

thinking of the Hodge family during

the book sale. I look forward to my

next visit!

Local iconographer Debra Korluka presents a copy of her new book to the St . George library on Nov. 10.

Volunteers of the Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry of MN gathered for a retreat with Dr. Albert Rossi in October.

Angela Mortari & Fr. Rick receive Richard Norris award on behalf of St. George Church from LexHam Commu-nity Council on Oct.28th.

Philoptochos Presi-dents Reva Adkins of St. George and Andrea Tiggas of St. Mary re-ceive gifts from Me-tropolis of Chicago Philoptochos president Irene Arsoniades and VP Marilyn Tzakis on Nov. 2nd.

surround the Feast of Jesus’ Nativity.

But how many of them actually spe-

cifically outwardly remember and

acknowledge that fact? Unfortunate-

ly, some go in the opposite direction.

Some holiday parties involve raucous

revelry with excess eating and drink-

ing. Some families gather but not at

church for liturgy on Christmas Day.

Some shopping is for those who have

more than enough while starving,

hungry, homeless people remain so.

Some gift-giving does not include

generosity to the Church in thanks-

giving for God’s great gift of His only

-begotten Son, born in the flesh.

While lamentable, all these things

are easily overcome by turning our

hearts and minds back towards God

through renewed habits of heart and

mind leading to new habits of behav-

ior. It’s called repentance and it’s a

never-ending task of our lives in rela-

tionship to God. The fleeting happi-

ness of worldly events can be turned

into a deep, enduring joy through a

life in communion with our Creator.

It’s what He seeks; it’s how He made

us; it’s where our true home is. Let us

be like the Magi, the three Wise Men,

who intently listened for the signs of

a coming Savior; who diligently

searched for the mysterious King;

who brought Him gifts and bowed

down before Him.

For the year 2014, the Archdiocese

Stewardship theme highlights the gift

of the Magi. You may have already

received your stewardship pledge

card and brochure. Please consider

your commitment prayerfully. Also,

please give generously during this

month of December in order for all of

us to work together to fulfill our sup-

port the ministries of our parish, Me-

tropolis of Chicago, Archdiocese of

American and many charitable organ-

izations. Kala Xristougenna!

In Christ,

+Fr. Rick

(Continued from page 1)

more parties held during the

height of the Christmas Fast, in-

stead of during the festive period

of December 25-January 5 [January

7-18]. On the day after Christmas

we hear people say that Christmas

is over, and the Christmas trees

are out on the curb. Since they

have pre-decorated and pre-

celebrated and feasted, in their

minds "it's over", when really it

should just be beginning.

I offer the following practical ap-

plications of our Orthodox theolo-

gy and practice:

The Scriptures instruct us: "In all

things be not like the pagans, but

rather calm, joyful in praise and

giving of love to glorify Christ

who came for us." Since we Chris-

tians are called to be "in the world,

but not of the world", we are to

transform the world and not have

the secular world transform us.

Secularism has crept into our

Christmas observances. It is up to

us as individuals to purify the cel-

ebration. This begins with our

families, our households, doing

the more proper and fitting things

and teaching others to do likewise

by example. I urge you to plan for

a Christmas observance that will

hold true to our Orthodox view

and pattern for celebration.

© 1999 by Orthodox Family Life and the original

author(s). http://www.theologic.com/oflweb.

(Continued from page 2) Do decorate, but don't pre-

decorate. Use the December 6-20

[December 19-January 2] guide

as a starting point.

Do celebrate, but don't pre-

celebrate. Use the December 25-

January 5 [January 7-18] time-

frame for your festivities.

St. Paul. MN

Sunday School Christmas Program Rehearsals will be immediately follow-

ing Sunday School on December 8 and

December 15th. The Christmas Pro-

gram is scheduled for Sunday, Decem-

ber 22, immediately following Liturgy.

Family Night Saturday, December 7th starting with

Vespers at 5:00 p.m., potluck dinner at 6

p.m., and activity/discussion 6:30 p.m.,

wrap-up 7:30 p.m., and finish by 8

p.m. This Family Night's theme is I Am

the Bread. "I am the bread of life. He

who comes to Me shall never hunger,

and he who believes in Me shall never

thirst." John 6:33.."

For the potluck dinner, please bring

a fasting dish to share. All families are

welcome. There are activities planned

for all ages.

Going forward, Family Nights will be

planned for generally on the First Satur-

day of the Month, unless a significant

conflict arises. Please contact Lani

Hattling at 763-227-1544 or Georgia

Bruer-Panopolous at 952-404-9437.

Oratorical Festival, Sunday, March 2, 2014 Introduced in 1983, the St. John Chrysos-

tom Oratorical Festival provides Greek

Orthodox teenagers the opportunity to

write and talk about their faith. The Ora-

torical Festival Program begins at the Par-

ish Level and is divided into two divi-

sions; the Junior Division for students in

the 7th to 9th grades and the Senior Divi-

sion for teenagers in the 10th to 12th

grades.

The top speakers in each division advance

to the district level and, if selected, be-

come one of two finalists in their division

to represent their district at their Metropo-

lis Oratorical Festival. The top speaker in

each division is then selected to partici-

pate in the Archdiocese Finals, which is

hosted by a different Metropolis each

year.

All eighteen finalists at the Archdiocese

Finals participate in a weekend of activi-

ties, the highlight of which is the delivery

of their speeches on Saturday morning.

The Oratorical Festival Scholarship Foun-

dation provides college scholarships in

the amount of $2000, $1500, and $1000 to

the top three speakers in each division. In

addition, those finalists who receive a

rank of Honorable Mention are awarded

an IPad Mini. Each finalist also receives an

additional scholarship from FAITH: An

endowment for Orthodoxy and Hellen-

ism.

Just released! Download the St. John

Chrysostom Oratorical Festival Manual:

2014 Edition today to learn about the new

Essay and Poetry categories, as well as

many other updates. Also, check out the

Topics, Tips & Resources, or just

the topics for the 2014 St. John Chrysos-

tom Oratorical Festival. Like the Festival's

Facebook page to keep up-to-date on it

all!

On June 13–15, the 2014 National Oratori-

cal Festival, will be hosted by the Metrop-

olis of Pittsburgh and Annunciation

Church in Cleveland, Ohio.

St. St. St.

George George George

YouthYouthYouth

Participants in Family Night on November 2nd gather

around an outdoor fire pit.

St. George Youth participating in the 2013 Oratorical

Festival.

ST. GEORGE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

1111 Summit Avenue

St. Paul, Minnesota 55105

Phone 651.222.6220 Fax 651.225.9276

www.stgeorgegoc.org

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Non-Profit Organization

U.S. Postage PAID

Twin Cities, MN

Permit No. 177

Glad Tidings December 2013

REGULAR WEEKLY SERVICESREGULAR WEEKLY SERVICESREGULAR WEEKLY SERVICES

Holy Confession: By Appointment

Vespers: (Sept. - May) Saturday 5:00 pm

Orthros: Sunday 8:15 am

Sunday School: (Sept. - May)

following Communion

Divine Liturgy: Sunday 9:30 am

WEEKDAY WORSHIP SCHEWEEKDAY WORSHIP SCHEWEEKDAY WORSHIP SCHEDULEDULEDULE

St. Nicholas Divine Liturgy—12:00pm

Friday, December 6

Nativity of Christ Divine Liturgy—12:00pm Wednesday, December 25

~ December 2013 ~ Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 +PROPHET AARON

14TH SUN. LUKE

8:15am ORTHROS

9:30am LITURGY

12pm-1pm Greek School

2 6pm Parish Council

3 1:30pm-3pm Philoptochos Meeting

7pm-9pm Catechism Class

4 +FAST DAY

+ST. BARBARA & +ST.JOHN DAMASCUS

5 +ST. SAVAS

7pm-9pm Theological Minds w/ Dr. Carston Rick Wagner (MacLaurin CSF)

6 +FAST DAY

+ST. NICHOLAS

9:00am LITURGY

7 9am-11am Liturgy (Eau Claire, WI)

11am-2pm Philoptochos Advent Luncheon

5pm VESPERS

6pm-8pm Family Night

8 10TH SUN. LUKE

8:15am ORTHROS

9:30am LITURGY

12pm-12:30pm Acolyte Training


12pm-1pm Parish Assembly Mtg.

4pm-7pm Feed the Hungry (FOCUS MN)

9 +CONCEPTION OF ST. ANNA

5pm-7pm Loaves & Fishes (Faith Lutheran Church)

7pm-8:30pm Choir Practice

10 11 +FAST DAY

12 +ST. SPYRIDON

12pm MEOCCA Meeting (St. Mary Romanian)

6:30pm-8pm OCF, University of Minnesota

13 +FAST DAY

+ST. HERMAN OF ALASKA

14 9am-12pm Church Cleaning

5pm VESPERS

15 +ST. ELEFTHERIOS

11TH SUN. LUKE

8:15am ORTHROS

9:30am LITURGY

11:30am-12:30pm Parish Council Elections



16

17 +ST. DIONYSIOS & PROPHET DANIEL

7pm-9pm Bible Study (Fr. Rick's Home)

18 +FAST DAY

19 7pm Ahepa Mtg

20 +FAST DAY

+ST. IGNATIOS THE GODBEARER

21 5pm VESPERS

22 +ST. ANASTASIA PHARMOKALYTRIA

SUN. B4 NATIVITY

8:15am ORTHROS

9:30am LITURGY

11am-12pm Youth Christmas Program


23

24 +CHRISTMAS EVE

8:00am ROYAL HOURS

10:00am VESPERAL LITURGY

Office Closed

25 +NATIVITY OF CHRIST

9:30am ORTHROS

10:30am LITURGY

Office Closed

26 +SYNAXIS OF THEOTOKOS

NO FASTING

27 +ST. STEPHANOS PROTOMARTYR

NO FASTING

28

NO FASTING

29 SUN. AFT. NATIVITY

8:15am ORTHROS

9:30am LITURGY

NO FASTING

30

NO FASTING

31 +APODOSIS OF NATIVITY- ST. MELANIE

NO FASTING

Coming in January… 1 CIRCUMCISION OF OUR LORD / ST. BASIL THE GREAT

5 EVE OF THEOPHANY- STRICT FAST

6 THEOPHANY

11 Family Night

20 Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Holiday

25 ST. GREGORY THE THEOLOGIAN

26 Parish Townhall-Style Meeting

30 THREE HIERARCHS


1111 Summit Ave., St. Paul, MN, 55105 • Tel.: (651) 222-6220 • Fax:

(651) 225-9276

Web: www.stgeorgegoc.org • E-mail: [email protected]

November 25, 2013

� St. Katherine the Great Martyr & All-wise

Re: PARISH ASSEMBLY NOTICE for December 8, 2013 meeting.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

We write to inform you of a Parish Assembly meeting scheduled for Sunday

December 8, 2013 following the Divine Liturgy. The agenda for the meeting will

be as follows:

1. Review and vote on 2014 Operating Budget Recommendation.

2. Capital Improvements.

3. Various Updates on Stewardship, Roselawn, Sanctuary Renovation /

Iconography program, and 2013 Accomplishments.

We hope you will join us for this important meeting to ensure a quorum of forty

(40) people.

In His Service,

Tom Lampros, Parish Council President

� Rev. Fr. Richard Demetrius Andrews, Presbyter


1111 Summit Ave., St. Paul, MN, 55105 • Tel.: (651) 222-6220 • Fax:

(651) 225-9276

Web: www.stgeorgegoc.org • E-mail: [email protected]

November 25, 2013

� St. Katherine the Great Martyr & All-Wise

Dear Parishioners:

This year's elections for the Parish Council will be held on December 15th.

The Parish Council members whose terms are ending are the following:

Nanette Gomez

Jon Kennedy

Michael Merkouris

Frank Nemeth

Sophronis Mantoles

Joe Weiser

The new candidates running for election to the Parish Council are the following:

Nanette Gomez

Jon Kennedy

Frank Nemeth

Sophronis Mantoles

George Mastrogiorgis

Joe Weiser

Absentee Ballots:

Requests for an absentee ballot must be made by Monday December 9th. Absentee ballots must be

received in the mail or in person by Saturday, December 14th. Please contact a Board of Elections

member to receive an absentee ballot. If you request an absentee ballot, you must use an absentee

ballot to vote and will not be able to vote in person on Election Day, December 15, 2013.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact one of the committee members below.

Board of Elections

Stella Hofrenning

Lisa Jordan

Rita Kanavati

Mary Makredes

� Rev. Fr. Richard Demetrius Andrews, Presbyter

Mr. Tom Lampros, Parish Council President

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