Dear St. George Family,
As we reflect on the past year we are reminded of the many challenges that we have faced in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Our “normal” lives were transformed and in an instant, we needed to adopt to a new way of life. However, despite all of these challenges, we never ceased to actively exercise our faith. Through our faith, there were some very important lessons that we learned as a community. We realized that our most important “essentials” is our Lord, our families and our strength as a community. With these “essentials” we are triumphant. Let us rise above our present condition and reach Him.
As we are in this holy season of Christmas, let us pause to reflect and thank God for His great love for us. We thank Him for our first-responders, medical workers, and especially our clergy who risked their lives in-order to save others. We thank Him for the leadership of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros who was able to implement safety protocols and procedures in-order to protect our faithful.
We realized through this pandemic that even though much has changed certain things stayed very much the same. Our love, compassion and need for one another still remains strong.
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ let us reflect on the importance of not only on His family in the nativity scene with Mary and Joseph but on all of our families and communities. Having received the gift of Christ, let us pass that gift along to our loved ones.
May this Christmas season bring peace and joy to all of you and your families.
Respectfully yours,
Protopresbyter Andreas Vithoulkas
Chancellor
“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High”
Luke 1:30-32
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We are having our first ever virtual General Assembly meeting which will take place on December 13th at 4pm where we will elect the new members of our Parish council for 2021, approve a capital campaign to restore the façade of the Church and approve our By-Laws among other items (Link at bottom of bulletin).
Link for virtual General Assembly meeting - December 13th - 4pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://goarch.zoom.us/j/96661936365?pwd=SCswbVkvUkJrZ0lRbzhPSFdwSkJiZz09
Meeting ID: 966 6193 6365
Passcode: 029733
One tap mobile
+16468769923,,96661936365#,,,,,,0#,,029733# US (New York)
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Please visit our new website and follow us on our social media pages.
- Website: http://www.saintgeorgenyc.org/
- Stewardship and Light a candle: https://stgeorgenyc.square.site/
- Livestreaming: https://www.facebook.com/SaintGeorgeChurchNYC
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Join us for Sunday Worship
Matins 9:30 AM & Divine Liturgy 10:30 AM
Worship is conducted in English & Greek
Fellowship & Refreshments follow Sunday Worship
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Services on Christmas Eve will be held on Thursday December 24th at 6pm.
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MARILENA'S MEALS: I was hungry and you fed me." Matthew 25:35
Our Marilena’s Meals program is not currently distributing meals, but we are still finding ways to actively support our most vulnerable members of NYC; those without food and shelter.
We have partnered with the Antonio Olivieri Drop-In Center at 257 West 30th Street, as they are continuing their efforts to give aid to those in need.
With the funds donated in September, October and November, we purchased 58 pairs of sweatpants and 38 sweatshirts, as we were alerted that those are the items that are most in need for the men and women receiving services at the center. We also purchased gloves for when the weather turns cold.
For December 2020, we donated our Marilenas Meals funds to Philoxenia. Philoxenia will be arranging for dinner for the residents of the Jan Peek House in Peekskill, NY, a shelter for about 25 individuals who are homeless https://www.chhop.org/. They provided 40 meals for the residents so that they can have a second serving and so that there is enough food for any walk-ins. Visit https://philoxenia.org/ for more information.
We hope to resume our monthly program of making and distributing meals as soon as it is safe to do so.
We are actively looking for sponsors and other donations. Please contact May Vlachos for information on sponsorship and donations: marilenasmeals@gmail.com
2020 Program:
September 2020 - Sponsored by an anonymous donor and dedicated with love and gratitude to God for helping their mother live a cancer-free, long and healthy life.
October 2020 - Sponsored by Irene Gregov and her family, in loving memory of her mother Popi Stefanidis, a faithful long time parishioner of St. George.
November 2020 - Sponsored with love by May Vlachos, in celebration of her godchildren Peter Bounougias, Jack Theodore Venditto and Sophia Anna Onesto.
December 2020 - Dedicated in loving memory of our grandparents: Theodore Vlachos, May Vlachos, James Karitenos, Amelia Karitenos, Panagiotis Nictas, Marianthi Nictas, Nicholas Mikedis and Anna Mikedis, by Ted, Maria, Ioanna and Eleni Vlachos.
Sponsorship opportunities available for 2021!