Seven men and five women were brought before the Roman proconsul Saturninus in Carthage, North Africa (modern day Tunisia) on July 17, 180 AD. He asked them to recant their faith in Christ:

"You can win the indulgence of our lord the Emperor, if you return to a sound mind."

Speratus, the apparent leader of the small group of faithful disciples, answered, 'We have never done ill, we have not lent ourselves to wrong, we have never spoken ill, but when ill-treated we have given thanks."

"We too are religious," answered the proconsul, "and our religion is simple, and we swear by the genius of our lord the Emperor, and pray for his welfare, as you also ought to do."

"The empire of this world, I know not," explained Speratus, "but rather I serve that God, whom no man has seen, nor with these eyes can see. I have committed no theft; but if I have bought anything, I pay the tax; because I know my Lord, the King of kings and Emperor of all nations."

"Be not partakers of this folly," said the proconsul.

Cittinus, one of the faithful, said, "We have none other to fear, save only our Lord God, who is in heaven."

"Do you then persist in being a Christian?" asked the proconsul.

"I am a Christian," he answered. All the others agreed...

The proconsul Saturninus then read the decree [their sentence] from a tablet:

"Speratus, Nartzalus, Cittinus, Donata, Vestia, Secunda and the rest having confessed that they live according to the Christian rite, since after opportunity offered them of returning to the custom of the Romans they have obstinately persisted, it is determined that they be put to the sword."

"We give thanks to God," said Speratus. "Today we are martyrs in heaven; thanks be to God," added Nartzalus.

The proconsul then gave the order that their sentence be publicly announced by the herald: "Speratus, Nartzalus, Cittinus, Veturius, Felix, Aquilinus, Lætantius, Januaria, Generosa, Vestia, Donata and Secunda, I have ordered to be executed."

They all said in unison: "Thanks be to God."

We wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Begin your day with due praise and thanks to God. Please join us on Thanksgiving morning with Divine Liturgy. (St. Katherine will be commemorated as well.) D

Divine Liturgy, 9:30 a.m.

Please note: as specified in Governor Northam's most recent Executive Order, (EO67), religious services are not included in the maximum numbers restrictions. The Church is open and are having in person services. The following safety precautions are in place.

• Please arrive early and register prior to entering the sanctuary. 
• If you have been exposed to anyone who has contracted the Coronavirus, please stay home and watch our services via YouTube.
• Wash or sanitize your hands before entering the sanctuary. 
• Please wear a mask. Masks will be required.
• Sit socially distanced from others. Only immediate families will be able to sit together.
• When receiving Holy Communion, open your mouth wide and tilt your head back so that communion may be dropped into your mouth without touching. 
• Antidoron will be given out using plastic baggies.
• Reverence but do not kiss any icons or the hand of the priest. Do not shake any hands or hug your friends and do not congregate outside following the liturgy. 

The Church will be open between 6 and 7 p.m. every Wednesday for personal prayer and meditation. All are welcome.

This year, there will be no coordinated collection and purchase of poinsettias to decorate the sanctuary. However, if you would like to brighten up the church by bringing plants to place before the altar, your contribution would be welcome and appreciated.

Thank you all who participated in the Salvation Army Angel Tree project this year! Don't forget that this year, after you do your shopping, you need to deliver your gifts directly to the Salvation Army office at 216 Ironbound Road (the old VA Gazette building) by December 7th. If using Amazon to purchase gifts, don’t forget to link your account to Amazon Smile (see below) so that Saint Demetrios can benefit as well!  Contact Christina Kokolis (757-784-4697) with any questions.

During this pandemic, more people are Christmas shopping on line. You can help St. Demetrios by doing so. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church whenever you shop on AmazonSmile. Same products, same prices, same service, but we get a donation. Click the link below to learn more.

https://smile.amazon.com/ch/20-4454773

There will be no Study Group on Thursday, Nov. 26th, Thanksgiving. We will meet via Zoom for the Orthodox Study Group next THURSDAY at 7 p.m. Please log in and join us.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85443892141?pwd=U283M1VRcUhCTXFRM0d5WXJIeGxuUT09

Meeting ID: 854 4389 2141
Passcode: 315679

Elias Paparis: Receiving treatment in Erie, PA

We will not have in-person Sunday School classes at this time. However, parents, you are encouraged to "home school" your children in matters of the faith. In reality, this is a great opportunity to spend time with your children and learn more about the Faith together. Below is an excellent resource: https://tending-the-garden.com/virtualsundayschool/  

Although Church services are available now, we are still in need of your weekly stewardship offerings, perhaps more now that ever. With limited attendance, our collections are way down. In addition, please complete a stewardship card so we can plan for remainder of 2020.

You can continue to give through our web page www.stdemva.com or send your weekly offering checks by mail. We have PayPal for your convenience.

If you or a loved one needs help with grocery shopping, picking up prescriptions, or other needs that do not involve personal contact please call Tom Coghill at 757-784-6410. Also, volunteers are needed to help.

Now that we have returned to our beloved Church to worship together. Many of you are again well aware that our sound system is not the best. The parish Council has investigated and have a reasonable bid to upgrade and improve the system. As this is "off budget" we would like to raise the money from donations. $2005.00 has already been donated. About $ 3,000 more is needed. If you are among those who cannot hear Father's sermons, or want to help others who have a hard time hearing, you might wish to contribute to this cause. Please send your donation earmarked for SOUND SYSTEM to the Church Office. And thank you.

Updates on Orthodox Church news items can be found on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=saint%20demetrios%20greek%20orthodox%20church%20-%20williamsburg%20va.

We now have a Go Fund Me page for St. Demetrios. Help spread the word on it, share it with friends and boost it if you can.  That can be on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.