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Mother Paula at her Tonsure |
Upcoming Major Event at the Hogar in Guatemala — New dormitories for the children at the Hogar will be blessed next year on the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord – February 2, 2013. — Full info on our Hogar page...
Dear Parish Faithful,
CHRIST IS BORN!
GLORIFY HIM!
The Upcoming Week:
Liturgical Services
Mon. Dec. 31, New Year's Eve: Great Vespers with Special Petitions and Prayers for the Civil New Year at 6:00 p.m.
Tues. Jan. 1 – Divine Liturgy at 9:30 a.m. for CIRCUMCISION OF THE LORD; ST. BASIL THE GREAT; CIVIL NEW YEAR
Sat. Jan. 5 – Baptism of Gabriela Friery at 10:00 a.m.
Great Vespers on the eve of Theophany at 6:00 p.m.
Sun. Jan. 6 – THEOPHANY; Great Blessing of the Waters immediately following the Liturgy
Cultural Event
Sun. Jan 6 — Romanian Heritage Dinner in the church hall following the Liturgy & Great Blessing of the Waters
Requested donation: $7.00 per person; $20.00 per family
Do you “celebrate” the beginning of the (civil) New Year? Are you scheduled to go to a party or social event? Do you plan on “toasting” the New Year? Do you plan to “eat, drink and be merry?” Do you want the New Year to be a “happy” one? If so, then I would strongly encourage you to first come to church and seek the blessings of God for the upcoming Year of our Lord 2013. Let secularists and pagans celebrate without God. But let Christians put God first. Do not “fit” God into your schedule; but “fit” your schedule into your active faith in God. Perhaps that is a good resolution for the New Year: to be resolute about putting God first in your life. There will be a service this evening, and a service tomorrow morning. The LORD is inviting you to “come and worship.” What invitation could conceivably take precedent over that one?
Dear Parish Faithful,
CHRIST IS BORN!
GLORIFY HIM!
“Meet and Right”
It was “meet and right” that the church was filled with worshippers and the communion line was long yesterday at our Christmas Day Liturgy. It was a beautiful and truly festal service that was appropriate for celebrating the Advent of our Savior into the world. The Lord’s Nativity on December 25 properly begins with glorifying the eternal Son of God who became man as our Lord Jesus Christ within the context of the Divine Liturgy. To first come and worship Christ is not to delay our celebration of Christmas, but rather to inaugurate it at its deepest level. Our respective domestic celebrations are therefore an extension of what began in church as we were able to “depart in peace” to our homes and family traditions. I hope that one and all had a blessed day.
The Third Day of Nativity
For those who for whatever reasons were unable to be at the Liturgy yesterday; and for those who would like to extend that experience further; we will continue to celebrate the Nativity of Christ with a Liturgy tomorrow morning (Thursday). This day is called the Third Day of Nativity and we also commemorate the Protomartyr Stephen on December 27. The Liturgy will begin at 9:30 a.m.
Sunday After Nativity
For this coming weekend, our regular cycle of services will continue to mark the Feast of the Nativity: Great Vespers on Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. And the Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m.
Church School to Resume on January 13
There will be no Church School classes on Sundays, December 30 and January 6. The second of those dates is Theophany and the students always remain in church on that day for the popular Blessing of the Waters which comes at the end of the Liturgy.
Dear Parish Faithful,
Final Prefeast
Today, December 20, is the beginning of the four-day Pre-festal period before we arrive at the Nativity of Christ on December 25. This short period is something of an equivalent to the Holy Week that precedes Pascha. Now is the time to respectfully continue or begin the Nativity Fast in preparation for the impending Feast.
Our schedule of liturgical services from now until the Nativity are as follows:
Saturday – Great Vespers at 6:00 p.m.
Sunday – Divine Liturgy at 9:30 a.m.
Monday – First Royal Hour at 9:00 a.m. & Third Royal Hour at 10:00 a.m.
Festal Nativity Matins at 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday – NATIVITY OF CHRIST: Divine Liturgy at 9:30 a.m.
Thursday – THIRD DAY OF NATIVITY/St. Stephen the Protomartyr: Divine Liturgy at 9:30 a.m.
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The Mystery of Confession |
Dear Parish Faithful,
Time to Confess
Another reminder that I will be in the church from 9:00 a.m. – Noon tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 15) morning to hear confessions, primarily of our Church School students, but of anyone else who would like to come at that time. Please contact me ahead of time if you would like to come at that time.
Memorial Service
We will have a memorial service for Matthew Krueger on Sunday following the Liturgy
In Need of Readers
The Royal Hours for Nativity will be chanted and sung on Monday morning, December 24, at 9:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. & Noon respectively. Each of the Royal Hours is about twenty-five minutes in length. And each of the Royal Hours requires a reader. If you would like to volunteer to read one of the designated hours, please get back with me. Though scripturally rich – with psalms, prophecies, Epistle and Gospel - these services are very poorly attended, and I am not going to schedule an Hour without a designated reader ahead of time
Scripture Reading for Sunday’s Liturgy
Epistle: COL. 3:4-11
Gospel: LK. 14:16-24 (Forefathers)
Church School Curriculum
Parable of the Sower (MK. 4:1-20; MATT. 13:1-23; LK. 8:4-15)
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See below for description... |
Dear Parish Faithful,
St. Nicholas Day Pageant and Charity Dinner
A final reminder for this Sunday’s St. Nicholas Day events. I strongly encourage every parishioner to stay, participate, enjoy and support the Church School. The children very much enjoy putting on this program on an annual basis and they hope, in turn, we enjoy their performance as the parish “grown-ups.” The charity dinner to follow allows the Church School to make their contribution to the charitable activities of the parish. The meal has a modest price of only $7.00 per person, and $20.00 per family. The money collected will be distributed to those in need. Again, stay for the sake of our children and our commitment to support others in need. This is a community event, so your presence and supports and strengthens our community spirit.
Lazarus Baskets Were Filled
Our three consecutive Lazarus baskets that were collected in October were very generously filled. The total collected in the three baskets was $2422.00. That is probably our best collection to date. Most of the funds have been distributed. Locally, in Cincinnati, there is a family with a child (the child Alice who we have been praying for) who is quite ill – a heart condition for one - and in the hospital undergoing various surgeries and other procedures. The parents have medical bills that are exceeding their insurance coverage. I am personally acquainted with the mother and know that their needs are more than legitimate. We donated $1000.00 to them to help with some of their expenses. After Mother Paula’s visit here earlier, we sent the monastery close to $700.00. We also purchased Kroger cards to distribute locally in Norwood during Thanksgiving. The remaining funds will be used further on a local basis for Christmas requests for support that will certainly come.
May God bless all of our donors who recognized the many Lazaruses in our midst!
Session IV to Meet on Monday Evening
Due to the nature and depth of our current topic in our Fall Adult Education Class, we will continue to discuss the Orthodox approach to death and eternal life on Monday evening, finishing our assigned essay. We came to the conclusion that it concerned everyone present, because we all acknowledged our own limitations and eventual mortality. We also affirmed our faith in the Risen Lord. Nothing like group consensus over literal life and death issues to enliven a discussion! If you are ever overcome by “intimations of mortality,” or strengthened by “intimations of immortality,” please feel free to join us. We will meet at 7:30 p.m.
Report of Pledging to Date
We have received 39 pledges to date out of a potential number of “about” 85 pledging units. That is around 46% which means we have a long way to go. Since we were hoping to collect all of the parish pledges by November 26, this clearly indicates that we are behind in our schedule. You would be fulfilling a great service to our treasurer and to the parish as a whole, by turning in your pledge as soon as possible. This allows for careful and accurate planning well before the Annual Parish Meeting in the new year. If aiming at 100% participation may sound overly-idealistic, we believe that the practice of sound Christian stewardship should be able to lift us upward toward that goal. Please turn in your pledge to Steve Joachim or Steve Mayhugh.
Regarding the Iconographic Humor
A day late, but I could not resist sharing this with you. St. Nicholas aggressively resisted Arius the heretic at the First Ecumenical Council, which the above icon and text is alluding to.
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Dec 9: St Nicholas Dinner/Pageant |
Dear Parish Faithful,
Recovering at Home
Vasilka Bitsoff has been struggling with “cardiac and pulmonary” issues for the last two weeks or so. She seems to be doing better, so we ask that everyone keep her in your prayers. She is resting at home.
Fall Adult Education Class to Resume
Session III of our class will resume on Monday, December 5, at 7:30 p.m. As I wrote earlier in the week, this should be an important discussion about the Orthodox approach to death in the light of our faith in Christ. We will try and discuss the topic as extensively as possible. The only way that you would be unqualified to attend the class is if you were not going to die (meaning here physical/biological death). But if that was the case, perhaps you could come to the class and share your secret with us. If, however, the death rate for everyone continues to remain steady at 100%, then this class may just be for you.
St. Nicholas Day Pageant and Charity Dinner
Looking a bit ahead, Sunday, December 9, will be the day for this year’s St. Nicholas Day celebration. Following the Liturgy, we will be treated to a Church School production, to be followed by our traditional charity dinner. All of the money collected for the dinner is donated to a charitable cause.
Click here for our full-color event flier, in printable, PDF format.
We have tentatively planned a Vesperal Liturgy on Wednesday evening, December 5, at 6:00 p.m., for the actual feast day of St. Nicholas.
St Nicholas Giving Tree
Our St. Nicholas Giving Tree still has tags on it with requests for donations for the Dragonfly Foundation. This Sunday (12/2) will be your last chance to pick up a tag. Please bring your donations to church on Sunday, Dec 9th, in honor of St. Nicholas. Donations need to be in their original packaging and cannot be gift wrapped.
If you will not be at church this Sunday and want to donate please email me (becauseimthemom@gmail.com) and I will send you a couple of donation requests. For more info visit our Ministries page.
Thank you for helping the children struggling with cancer treatments at CCH.
Looking for Tech Support
We recently purchased a new HP printer for the office. I do not trust my own competence for properly installing it. Is there anyone in the parish who would like to give it a try? If you think that you do have the necessary level of competence, please let me know, and we can work out a time to get together here in the church.
Scriptural Reading at Sunday’s Liturgy
Epistle: EPH. 5:9-19
Gospel: LK. 18:18-27
Church School Curriculum
St. Nicholas Program rehearsal.
Dear Parish Faithful,
Yesterday’s Announcements
Some of us will be going up to Dayton this evening to hear Bp. Alexander of Toledo give a lecture on the Dead Sea Scrolls at St. Paul Orthodox Church. The talk begins at 7:00 p.m. Our Fall Adult Education Class for this evening will be cancelled.
For this coming week, we will serve Vespers at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
“Trampling Down Death by Death”
When we resume our Fall Adult Education Class next Monday evening (December 3), we will be reading and discussing a fascinating article entitled “The Meaning and Place of Death in an Orthodox Ethical Framework,” by Perry T. Hamalis. Inevitably – because death is inevitable - over the years, many people ask me questions about death and dying. Some of these basic questions are the following:
- How do we understand death?
- What happens when we die?
- What do we mean by the separation of soul and body at death?
- What is the relationship between Christ’s death and resurrection and our own deaths?
- What “part” of us – if any – continues to exist until the resurrection of the dead at the end of time?
- Why do we pray for the departed?
- Will we be united with our loved ones after death?
- What exactly does “trampling down death by death mean?”
- How does the fact that we will die impact the way that we live?
- What is an ethical approach to the reality of death?
In my humble opinion, those sound like important questions to me! And these questions have an Orthodox Christian response to them. The essay that we will use for our discussion is quite well-written and filled with insight after insight into the Church’s understanding of the meaning of death and “life after death.” Come and join us for this discussion. You can still order and receive a copy of the book in time to read for next Monday evening. The book is entitled Thinking Through Faith – New Perspectives From Orthodox Christian Scholars (SVS Press). Or, I could photocopy the article for you if you are interested. Please let me know.
Perry Hamalis quotes Archimandrite Sophrony in his article, who says: “Our one and only war … is the sacred battle with the common enemy of all people, of all mankind – against death (I COR. 15:26). In effect man has no other enemy. Our fight is for resurrection – our own and each of our fellow men’s.”
That is really what it is all about. We are all in this together. And deep down we all know it. The Christian response to this reality is called “Gospel” or “Good News.” That Gospel is the heart of our faith. That is what keeps us as members in the Church and coming to church. We will now have the opportunity to discuss these issues in a group setting that is meant to invite questions, shared perspectives, concerns, further discussion, etc. Seize the moment and take advantage of these opportunities. Presenting these opportunities is one of the major purposes of our shared life as a parish community.
Pick Up Where We (May Have) Left Off
If necessary, it is time to resume our season of preparation leading us to the cave in Bethlehem and the Nativity in the flesh of our Savior. That would mean entering back into the spirit and practice of the Nativity/Advent Fast if that was interrupted by the long Thanksgiving Day weekend.
There are many worthwhile articles and materials available on our Nativity Resource Page.
Much to Give Thanks For
Class Postponed on Monday
Resume Our Usual Cycle
Scriptural Reading for Sunday’s Liturgy:
Epistle: EPH. 4:1-6
Gospel: LK. 13:10-17
Church School Curriculum:
Sermon on the Mount: MATT. 5-7
In Search of Orthodox Believers
Giving Thanks
The service will begin at 7:00 p.m.
Dear Parish Faithful,
Schedule of Services and Events
For those who were not at the Liturgy yesterday, the following is the schedule for this week:
Monday, Nov 19: Session II of our Fall Adult Education Class: “The Foundations of Noetic Prayer” at 7:30 p.m. (No Vespers)
Tuesday, November 20: Vesperal Liturgy at 6:00 p.m. – The Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos Into the Temple
Wednesday, November 21: Service of Thanksgiving at 7:00 p.m.
Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit
This is the Bishop Alexander that I heard will be appointed as the locum tenens of our Midwest Diocese as we await resolution on the status of our diocesan bishop. I would like to hear his talk next Monday evening, for Bishop Alexander has the reputation of being an excellent scholar; so we will postpone our Session III of the Fall Adult Education Class until Monday, December 3. Please let me know if you would like to attend the talk next Monday evening.
Dear Parish Faithful,
Stewardship Ministry to the Parish
The parish depends upon every member’s goodwill offering of a generous pledge that will continue the tradition of generosity that has marked our parish throughout the years. Our goal is one-hundred per cent participation in our current pledge drive for 2013.
Upcoming Assembly and All-American Council
Preparing for the Savior’s Nativity
The fall leaves have not all fallen, but we will soon begin our preparation for the Nativity of Christ. The forty-day Nativity/Advent fast will begin next Thursday, November 15. Instead of being alarmed that there will only be forty more shopping days until Christmas, it may prove more spiritually fruitful to begin planning your domestic goals for observing the fast in a serious and sober manner.
- Fr Steven
Fall Adult Education Class
Lazarus Basket
Mother Paula
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Dear Parish Faithful,
Stewardship Presentation on Sunday
Parish Liturgical Life
Parish Bookstore to Open on Sunday!
Scriptural Reading for Sunday’s Liturgy:
Epistle: II COR. 11-12:9
Gospel: Lk. 8:5-15
Church School Curriculum
The Meeting of our Lord in the Temple (LK. 2:22-38)
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Mother Gabriela of Holy Dormition Monastery |
Monastery Pilgrimage
A final quick reminder that Presvytera Deborah and I will be leaving for the Dormition Monastery later today. We will return late Saturday evening. Great Vespers for tomorrow is cancelled. Sunday morning, the Hours at 9:10 and the Liturgy at 9:30 as always.
We are going up for the consecration of the new church at the monastery. Jennifer Haynes and Amanda Wheelock are also making the journey, so please keep us all in your prayers.
I can be reached at 513-462-8062.
Lebanese Heritage Dinner
Next Sunday, October 14, we will be treated to a Lebanese Dinner following the Liturgy. I was asked to include the menu ahead of time so that you may spend a week in anticipation of a wonderful meal. Here is the menu as it was presented to me:
Kafta (lamb & beef)
Rice
Green Beans
Tabouli
Hummus
Baba Ganoujh
Cabbage Rolls
Bread
Baklava
Zlaby (doughnuts)
This is a Sisterhood fund-raising dinner/event. Ticket prices will be: $7.00 per person; $20.00 per family.
A Special Visitor
We will be hosting our former parishioner and dear friend, Mother Paula, over the last weekend of October. Mother Paula will be with us in church over the weekend, and she will address the parish during the post-Liturgy discussion on Sunday, October 28. She will update us on the life and projects of the Monastery of the Transfiguration.
Coffee Hour List
I am in the process of updating the coffee hour list for the upcoming year. Please let me know if you would like to be added to the list and if there are any dates that you would like for your coffee hour date, no later than the beginning of November.
In Christ,
Presvytera Deborah
Scriptural Reading for Sunday’s Liturgy
Epistle: II COR. 9:6-11
Gospel: LK. 7:11-16
Church School Curriculum
The Birth of our Lord – MATT. 2; LK. 2; JN. 1:1-18
Dear Parish Faithful,
Supporting the OCMC
It is my privilege on behalf of the Macdonald family, the Hargraves and all here at the Mission Center to thank you for your generous support and prayers for the international missionary ministries of the Orthodox Church. Your parish is truly an example of being a faithful witness of Christ not only in your “Jerusalem,” but to the ends of the world. I thank God for your faithfulness to this holistic vision. You are becoming His disciples while at the same time participating in making disciples of “all peoples.”
We are yours because of Christ,
Fr. David
The following is a repost of the original announcement from August 22:
Monastery to Consecrate New Church
Recent news from September 24:
AAC Delegate Selected at Special Parish Meeting
“It is Time to begin the service to the Lord”
While we are at it
Glory to God for All Things!
Glory to You, Who called me to life,
Glory to You, Who have shown me the beauty of the universe,
Glory to You, Who have opened before me the sky and earth as an eternal book of wisdom,
Glory to the eternity of You, in the midst of the world of time,
Glory to You, for Your hidden and evident goodness,
Glory to You, for every sigh of my sadness,
Glory to You, for every step of my life, for every moment of joy,
Glory to You, O God, unto ages of ages.
(Ikos 1 of the Akathist Hymn, “Glory to God for All Things,” chanted yesterday evening in the church)
Election of Parish AAC Delegate
The lay delegate must:
a) Be elected by a parish meeting;
Nativity of the Theotokos
For the first major Feast Day of the new liturgical year, we will celebrate the feast with these services:
Friday, September 7 – Great Vespers with Blessing of Loaves and Anointing with Oil at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 8 – Divine Liturgy at 9:30 a.m.
Our Special Festal Resource Page has more about this blessed feast of the Mother of God.
This Week’s (Full) Liturgical Schedule
This evening: The Akathist Hymn “Glory to God for All Things” at 7:00 p.m.
Friday – Great Vespers with Litiya at 7:00 p.m. (Nativity of the Theotokos)
Saturday – Divine Liturgy at 9:30 a.m. (Nativity of the Theotokos)
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Parish-Wide Collection
Church School Information
Labor Day Weekend
Are you traveling this Labor Day weekend? If so, please let me know so that you can be prayed for during the Liturgy.
Scriptural Readings at Sunday’s Liturgy
Epistle: I COR. 16:13-24
Gospel: MATT. 21:33-42
Dear CTS faithful,
The St. Nicholas 'Giving Tree' has been set up in the parish hall. This year our charity is The Dragonfly Foundation. This non-profit organization helps children at Cincinnati Children's Hospital that are under going treatment for cancer and other blood diseases. There are dozens of tags on the Giving Tree with requests for a wide range of gifts. Some of the requests are very practical ( chap stick, soft tissues, soft toilet paper, gasoline gift cards) and some are more typical ( video games, music CD's, board games) but all the requests are very important to the children and families at CCH.
Please take home as many tags as you wish and bring back your gifts by Sunday, December 9th. Sunday, December 2, will be the last Sunday for you to pick up a tag. We will be hosting our St. Nicholas play and charity dinner that Sunday and would like to have the gift collection completed on that day.
Please DO NOT Gift Wrap your donations. Also, all gifts must be new and in their original unopened packaging since they are being taken into a hospital setting.
If you have any questions about the Giving Tree please email me at becauseimthemom@gmail.com.
In Christ,
Terrie Sauer