|
|
Announcements – November 2008 Fr George Lardas, Rector – Telephone 203 / 386-9516
Rectory Emergency: 203 / 209-9374 Web Site:
StNicholasStratford.org This Bulletin Sponsor the Bulletin: If you wish to sponsor any future issues in whole or in part, please contact our treasurer, Anastasia Milligan or ask at the Candle Desk. You may donate in memory of a departed relative, or for some milestone, a birthday, anniversary or other celebration. The cost of the Bulletin is approximately $125. Services Daylight Time Ends on 2 November: By Act of Congress the start of Daylight Time has been moved from the last Sunday in October to the first Sunday in November. Therefore please set your clocks one hour behind on Saturday night 1 November. It may help to remember which way to set your clock by the saying “Spring Forward, Fall Behind”. Let us at any rate enjoy our extra hour of sleep this weekend.
St Demetrius Pannychida: A general pannychida for Orthodox Christians fallen in battle will be served at 3 pm Saturday 1 November. Second Anniversary of Fr. Vladimir’s Repose: After the Liturgy on Sunday 2 November the Papov family invites all our parishioners to a pannychida to mark the second anniversary of the repose of Fr Protodeacon Vladimir Papov, and also to commemorate Matushka Kathryn’s and Galina Rudins’ parents, Archpriest Fr Platon and Matushka Eudokia. The pannychida will followed by a memorial meal in the church hall downstairs. Early Vigil: On the third Saturday of the month we serve Vigil in the afternoon so that those who cannot drive at night, but wish to attend the evening service, may do so. Therefore Vigil will be at 3 pm on Saturday 15 November. This is an opportunity for those people to pray and confess and prepare for Holy Communion the following day. Thanksgiving Day: A Moleben of Thanksgiving will be served at 9 am on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday 27 November. Let us remember why we celebrate this day, and dedicate it to thanking the All-Good Lord for all the benefits He has bestowed on us this past year. Please remember that this year Thanksgiving day is the last day before the Nativity Fast, and so whatever non-fasting foods are not eaten that day should be frozen and saved until Christmas, 7 January. Nativity Fast (Advent): The Nativity Fast begins on Friday 28 November and continues until Christmas Day, 7 January. During this time we abstain from meat, eggs and dairy products. On Wednesdays and Fridays we also abstain from fish, wine and oil. Some keep a strict fast Mondays. The fast becomes stricter on the day after Ss Spyridon and Herman, 25 December, after which we do not eat fish until Christmas Day. Molebens: We will serve a moleben for the lesser holy days in November. Molebens on weeknights will begin at 6:30 pm: Wednesday 5 November, St James the Brother of the Lord; Friday 14 November, Ss Cosmas and Damian; Friday 21 November, St Michael and All Bodiless Powers; and Monday 24 November, St Menas the Great Martyr. Molebens served on Saturdays will begin at 5 pm: Saturday 8 November, St Demetrius; and Saturday 22 November, St Nectarius of Pentapolis. Talking in
Church: It has been brought to
our attention that people have been holding conversations at the back of the
church during the Divine Liturgy, especially toward the end. It is never proper to talk during the
services, as it is a distraction to the people who are praying and it is
disrespectful to God. We are
therefore asking our Parish Council members, and especially those on duty
at the Candle Desk, to remind people to remain silent until the final
dismissal at the very end of the service.
Silence is to be maintained even during the
sermon. Russian Festival Our 2008 Annual Russian Festival was a great success. We raised over $5000. Many thanks to all who helped! Those of you who would like to see a detailed breakdown of the event please see our Treasurer, Anastasia Milligan for the details. She will be happy to share them. Our
Country Your
Vote: We are blessed to live in a free country
where we have a say in who governs us and sets the direction that our
country will follow. With that
freedom comes moral responsibility. Although the Church must remain above
politics, we remind our faithful that the various candidates do differ
on moral issues, and we are responsible for those that we vote for. In particular, the candidates
differ on the protection of the most defenseless part of our society: the
unborn. It is a fact, for instance,
that some of the candidates voted against protecting full-term infants
from the cruel and inhuman practice of partial-birth
abortion.
Let us not forget the Lord pronounced judgement on the nation of Judah in
the Old Testament and gave them over to Babylonian captivity and the
destruction of their nation for no less a reason than that they filled
their land with the blood of innocents in sacrificing babies to Moloch,
Baal, and the rest of the abominable pagan pantheon instead of keeping
His commandments. Our American
nation sacrifices babies on the altar of the god Convenience. The people we elect choose the judges
who countenance this bloodshed.
God will not hold us guiltless if we permit this to continue. It is estimated that a million and a
half babies are killed each year in abortion clinics in this country, and
this is done in the name of this American people. In
Another issue that is under consideration is the meaning of marriage and
the family. We Orthodox Christians
cannot be indifferent to the continued assault on the sanctity of
marriage. The candidates
differ on this issue also, and they choose the judges who will force a
revolutionary and radical redefinition of marriage by judicial fiat without
your consent. This is now a
fact here in While many issues are important –
the economy, foreign policy and others – these moral issues are
also important. What does it
profit us to live in prosperity if we lose our soul and destroy our country
morally? Our Parish Brotherhood Roast Beef Dinner: Come one, come all! – to the Brotherhood Roast Beef Dinner! This will follow the Divine Liturgy on Sunday 9 November. Please support our Brotherhood and their fund raiser!
Brotherhood Leaf Cleanup:
The annual Brotherhood leaf cleanup will be held on the Saturday
after Thanksgiving, 29 November at 9 am. We ask the help of all able-bodied young
people in our parish. Many hands
will make this light work. Please
also bring a rake. If you wish to
help, speak with Martin Hudobenko. Many
Thanks: Fr George thanks the
Sisterhood and the Parish for their kindness in posting a notice in the
Connecticut Post on Clergy Appreciation Day, Sunday 19 October, and also for the
cake and their good wishes on his birthday.
Ordination and Tonsure:
On Friday 10 October, Joseph McLellan, brother of Matushka Ann
Lardas, was tonsured a monk of the small schema with the name Joasaph (Ioasaf) at Holy Trinity Monastery. The next day, Saturday 11 October, monk
Joasaph was ordained to the diaconate.
Both the tonsure and the ordination were performed by Metropolitan
Hilarion. We congratulate
Hierodeacon Joasaph, and wish him all success in his new
endeavor.
Trip to the Monastery:
On Sunday 7 December, Archimandrite George (Schaeffer) will be
elevated to the episcopacy.
Bishop George’s first episcopal act will be to ordain Hierodeacon
Joasaph, brother of Matushka Ann Lardas, to the priesthood. After serving forty consecutive days as
a priest, the newly-ordained hieromonk Joasaph will be sent to the Russian
Ecclesiastical Mission in the
Yolka: A short
traditional Russian Yolka will be held in our parish on Sunday 18 January 2009
after coffee hour. If your child
would like to perform in a skit, or simply prepare a poem, song, or dance at
home and perform it in the Yolka, please let Masha Peavy know.
Tupperware: It is not
too late to order Tupperware. If
you wish to place an order, browse the websites: http://catalogs.shoplocal.com/tupperware
and www.my.tupperware.com/kcallaghan and contact
Kathy Kendall-Callaghan at 203 / 374-6791.
A portion of all sales will be donated to our church. Tupperware
remains the same durable product, with a lifetime guarantee and now boasts
all sorts of new product lines with lots of really refreshing and up to
date colors. Candle
Desk Duty: Please see or call Walter
Wolog (203 / 795-4610) if
you wish to volunteer for Candle Desk Duty. We need one person for Vigil, and two
for the Divine Liturgy. Please
remember that you need to be at church half an hour before the start of the
service – 6 pm for Vigil and 9:30 am for
Liturgy. Consider the Church in Your Will: Please consider including St Nicholas Church in your will. There are many advantages in making the Church one of your beneficiaries. It is possible to structure the bequest so that there is little loss to the estate. Please contact our Starosta, Dexter Peavy, for more information. Utilities:
Please remember that on the first Sunday of each month there is a special
collection for utilities. Parishes Slavic Food
Festival: This will be held on
from 11 am to 2 pm Saturday 1
November in the Fellowship Hall at St John the Baptist Orthodox
Church, Talk on the Most
Holy Theotokos: With the
blessing of Metropolitan Hilarion, the distinguished lecturer and
theologian, Dr George Gabriel, will give a talk on the Mystery of the Ever-Virgin Mary and her
Veneration in the Orthodox Church on Saturday 8 November at the
Orthodox Church of St John the Russian,
Craft Fair: Our
sister parish of St Nicholas in Springfield is holding a Craft
Fair from 9 am to 4 pm Saturday 8 November at the AHEPA Hall, 193 St James Ave,
Chicopee, Massachusetts. The
event will feature high quality hand-crafted items made by parishioners and
other artists, gift items, baked goods, candles, greeting cards and decorations,
and more. There will be a
children’s corner and refreshments.
This is a fundraiser for their Building
Fund.
Community Exhibition: Two Museums | One
Culture: The Museum of Russian
Icons in Clinton MA is celebrating its second anniversary by hosting a
display of rare icons from the State
Tretyakov Gallery of Moscow, opening on 16 October and on exhibit through 1
May 2009. This is the first time
some of these masterpieces have ever left St Herman Conference From Fr Alexis
Duncan: The St Herman of Alaska
Youth Conference will be held this year in We encourage all our
young people to attend. If you are thinking of going, please contact Fr
George. Please remember that a
passport is now required for crossing the border into Orthodox Pilgrimage to St Nicholas: With The Blessing of Archbishop
Kirill, of Православная Италия Паломничество к Св
Николаю: C благословения
архиепископа Сан-Францисского и Западно-Американского Кирилла, протоиерей
Ярослав Беликов приглашает всех желающих присоединиться к паломнической
поездке: В Православную
Италию с 15 по 27 июня 2009 года.
Во время паломничества предполагается посетить Падую,
Венецию, Равенну, Рим, Неаполь, Помпею
и Бари (где находятся мощи Св Николая). Паломническая группа посетит
исторические христианские святыни Италии, имеющие особое значение для
Православного паломника, памятники Византийской Цивилизации и наиболее
известные руины Римской Империи. Ориентировачная
стоимость поездки, при 25 участниках, 4,500 долларов США, включая перелёт, или
3,000 долларов США, без авиабилета. В стоимость поездки включено
проживание в гостиницах, транспорт, экскурсии, входные билеты и, частично,
питание. Крайний срок записи на
поездку 30 января
2009 года. Заинтересованные – звоните
отцу Ярославу по номеру 415 / 379-4837 или пишите по адресу fatheryaro@hotmail.com. From the Fathers
What does the daily invocation of
the saints signify – of different ones each day, during the whole year, and
during our whole life? It signifies
that God’s saints – as our brethren, but perfect – live, and are near us – ever
ready to help us by the grace of God.
We live together with them in the house of our Heavenly Father, only in
different parts of it. We live in
the earthly, they in the heavenly half; but we can converse with them, and they
with us. God’s saints are near to
the believing heart, and are ready in a moment to help those who call upon them
with faith and love. –
On the Christian Life With this issue we
will have a series of articles on the Christian life, with an emphasis on
basic things. Since many do not
know how to approach Confession, and how to prepare for it, we will start with
the instruction on Confession taken from the back of the Russian edition of the
Jordanville Prayer Book, pp 396-412.
Our first installment covers preparation for
Confession. Instruction on How to Confess so as to Before confession everyone should try to recall all one’s sins which he has committed knowingly or unknowingly. One must carefully examine one’s life so as, if possible, to remember all one’s sins, not only those done since the last confession, but also the older ones which were not confessed due to forgetfulness. Afterward, with compunction and contrition of heart, stand before the Cross and the Gospel and begin to confess your sins. 1. Confess your sins openly, remembering that you confess them not to a man, but to God, Who already knows your sins, but only desires that you acknowledge and admit them. And there is no reason to be ashamed before your spiritual father: he too is a man as are you, and he also knows human weakness well, and man’s inclination toward sin. Therefore your spiritual father cannot be to you a dread judge. But are you ashamed before your spiritual father because you fear to lose his good opinion of you? To the contrary, if you only accept his good opinion of you, your spiritual father seeing your sincere confession will all the more nurture a greater love for you. Furthermore, if you are ashamed and fear to reveal your sins before one spiritual father, how will you endure that shame when you appear before the Dread Judgement Seat of God, where all your sins, if you have not cleansed yourself of them by sincere repentance, will be open before God Himself, the angels, and all people, acquaintances and strangers alike? 2. Confess all your sins in detail, and each sin separately. St John Chrysostom says, “Do not only say, I have sinned, or I am a sinner, but also reveal each kind of sin,” i.e., every sin must be named. “The uncovering of sins,” says St Basil the Great, “is subject to the same law as is the declaration of bodily ills…” The sinner is spiritually ill, but the spiritual father is a physician or a healer; consequently, one must confess or describe one’s sins to a spiritual father just like one who is ill in body describes his bodily infirmities to a physician, desiring to obtain healing through him. 3. Do not involve other persons in your confession, nor complain against anyone, or else what kind of confession is it? It is not confession, but judgement, and that means yet another sin. 4. Try not to justify yourself in confession in any manner, such as: weakness, habit, etc. In confession the more one justifies himself, the less he will be justified by God. For this reason one must not justify oneself in confession, but, on the contrary, accuse, reproach and judge oneself all the more, so that one may be vouchsafed to receive forgiveness from the Lord God.
To be continued in the next
issue. Наставление о том, как От
Молитвослова, изд Св-Троицкого Монастыря, Джорданвилль, Ню Иорк, 2005 г.,
стр 396-412. До исповеди каждый
должен постараться привести на память все свои грехи, какие кто сделал
вольно или невольно, должен повнимательнее проследить жизнь свою, чтобы, если
можно, припомнить все грехи, не только сделанные после прошлого дня исповеди, но
и давние, по забвению неисповеданные. Потом, с умилением и сокрушением сердца
приступить ко Кресту и Евангелию и начинай исповедывать грехи
свои. 1.
Исповедуй грехи свои откровенно, помня, что
расказываешь их не человеку, но Самому Богу, Который уже и так знает твои грехи, но только
хочет твоего признания в
них. И духовного твоего отца стыдиться
нечего: он такой же человек, как и ты, он хорошо знает и немощи
человеческие, и удобопреклонность человека ко греху, а потому духовный твой
отец на исповеди не может быть твоим страшным судиею. Но ты стыдишься духовного отца не
потому ли, что опасаешься потереть
его доброе о тебе мнение?
Напротив, духовный отец, если тебе только приятно его о тебе доброе
мнение, видя твою искренюю исповедь, гораздо больше будет питать любовь к
тебе. Притом, если ты стыдишься и
боишься открыть свои грехи перед одним духовником, то как перенесешь тот
стыд, когда явишься на страшный суд Божий, где твои грехи, если не очистишься от
них истинным покаянием, откроются перед Самим Богом, ангелами и всеми людми,
знакомыми и незнакомыми? 2.
Исповедуй все грехи свои подробно, и каждый грех отдельно. Св Златоуст говорит: «Не только должно
сказать: согреших, или грешен есмь, но и каждые виды грехов изъявлять»,
т.е. каждый грех должно наименовать.
«Обнаружение грехов», говорить Св Василий Великий, «подлежить тому
же закону, как и объявление телесных немощей...» Грешен есть душевно-больной, а отец
духовный есть врач, или лекарь; следовательно, должно исповедывать, или
рассказывать свои грехи духовному отцу так же, как больной телесно
рассказывать свои телесные болезни врачу, желая чрез него получить
исцеление. 3.
Не вмешивай в исповедь других лиц, не жалуйся ни на кого, а то какая же это
исповедь? Это не исповедь, а
осуждение; значить – новый только грех. 4.
Не старайся на исповеди оправдывать
себя каким-либо образом,
как-то: немощию, обычаем, и т.д. На
исповеди, кто чем более себя оправдывает, тем менее будет Богом оправдан. Поэтому должно не оправдывать себя на
исповеди, а, напротив, более обвинять, обличать и осуждать, дабы сподобиться от
Господа Бога получить прощение. Проложается в следующем
номере. Milestones Baptized: On Saturday 18 October,
Vladislav, born in
Many years to the newly baptized, his parents and sponsors! Mnogaja
ljeta! Prayer Requests Reminder: If you need a hospital visit or wish Fr
George to visit a sick relative, please call and let us know. Hospitals no longer give out information
to non-relatives without express permission, so if you want the priest
to know your or your loved one’s condition you must inform the hospital or
nursing home in writing. Pray
for our Soldiers: Although we do not have any members
of the St Nicholas community on active duty now, there are many Orthodox
Christians in the Armed Forces and serving in the War. Please keep them and all our
soldiers in your prayers. Among those we should
pray for is Brad Blessig, son-in-law of our parishioners, Boris and
Natalie Timoshin, as well as for Elena Timoshina Blessig, his wife stationed in
Korea with him. Elena always helped
out with our Pray for the Sick: Please remember in your prayers those who are sick – Bishop Daniel, Archbishop Paul (Pavlos), Protopriest Theodore Shevzov, and our parishioners, Nina Boldyreff, Nina Denisevich, Tamara Dimitruk, Maria Hancin, Emilia Hramov, Ann Franklin, Martin Hudobenko, Nadezhda Jakovenko, Martha Madzik, Kiril (Charles) Nettle, Mary Nettle, Alexandra Norwood, Olga Paradiso, Galina Penchuk, Olga Pivazyan, child Viacheslav Rakov, Galina Rudina, Angelina Schneider, Elena Skorik, Irina Stettinin, Joachim Wertz, Anastasia (Esther) Whitney, Anna Winogradow, Denis Zimbalkin, Veronica Wlodarski (non-Orthodox), Tatiana Sergievsky, and her daughter Sophia Sallitan (also non-Orthodox). Prayers have also been requested for the following (all Orthodox): Elisabeth Tsarnas (Fr George’s aunt – cancer), Yvette (Eve) Girard, Peter Nelson (cancer), Desislava Dimitrova, Ognjan, Margaret, and the servant of God David. Is Anyone Sick? “Let him call the presbyters,” as it says in the Epistle of St James. If you know anyone who needs attention please let Fr George know. Is Anyone Better? If you have submitted any names for the list of prayers for the sick and that person has recovered, please let us know so that we can keep the list to a manageable length. Administrative Become a Member: If you attend services but are not a member, would you please consider joining? The cost is not great - $125 per adult, or $250 for families with two adults and any number of children. This amounts to about $10 a month per person. We have an introductory rate for students. The
Bulletin by Email: Since it often
takes as much as $1.00 to produce and mail paper copies of the Bulletin, we ask
our readers with internet access to consider receiving the Bulletin by
email, which costs nothing to distribute.
If you receive this Bulletin by U.S. Mail and wish to change to
email, please let us know so that we can add you to the email distribution
list. You can do this by
emailing Fr George at glardas@cs.com. We also invite our readers to support
this Bulletin by donations. Do you wish to be
taken off our mailing list? If you do not wish to receive this
bulletin for any reason, please contact us and we will remove your
name from our monthly bulletin mailing. Email
Addresses: If you wish to receive this
bulletin by email instead of a paper copy, please let us know. Write to Fr George at glardas@cs.com
and we will put you on our email distribution list, and at the same time we
will remove your name from our monthly bulletin mailing. It takes as much as $1.00 to produce and
mail paper copies of this Bulletin, so
every email subscription saves greatly on
costs. Deadline for
Submissions: Notices from
parishioners or parish organizations must be submitted to Fr George by
the 18th of the month for inclusion in the next Bulletin. They may be submitted either by
email, telephone, or in writing. Mark Your Calendar Please
mark these events of the coming
months in your calendar: Friday 19 December – Parish Feast, St Nicholas Day Sunday 21 December – St Nicholas Day Dinner Wednesday 7 January – Christmas, Nativity of Christ Sunday 18 January – Yolka, Children’s Christmas Party Sunday 18 January – Theophany Eve, 1st Blessing of Waters Monday 19 January – Theophany, Blessing of Waters Sunday 25 January – Sisterhood Pelmeni Dinner Sunday 1 February – General Parish Meeting Sunday 22 February – Bliny Dinner Sunday 1 March – Forgiveness Sunday Monday 2 March – Lent Begins Sunday 10 April – Palm Sunday Sunday 19 April - Pascha | HOME PAGE | MONTHLY BULLETIN
| |
