If you are feeling at all ill today, we ask that you refrain from attending today’s Church assembly. If you have recently returned from travel, we respectfully ask that you observe a 14 day voluntary quarantine period before returning to services at St. George. This is in line with current CDC guidelines.
We are doing our best as a Community to protect the potential spread of Covid-19. We ask you to exercise caution and care for your health at this time.
Parishioners who cannot attend due to illness or voluntary quarantine are encouraged to visit this web site https://www.goarch.org/live-broadcasts to prayerfully follow the Divine Liturgy from home.
God knows your intent and your health. May you be blessed with renewed health before long! If your health requires the need to be Communed at home, please contact Fr. Leo to make arrangements: 207-385-3000. Thank you.
TODAY HAS BEEN DECLARED A NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER in light of Covid-19. Let us pray for those affected and for those who are working to protect and bring healing. Let us also pray that the virus’ potential to spread and harm be mitigated by the mercy of God. https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/national/coronavirus/president-trump-declares-sunday-national-day-of-prayer-amid-coronavirus-pandemic
ARCHBISHOP ELPIDOPHOROS’ ENCYCLICAL about Covid-19 to the Greek Orthodox of America can be read here: https://www.goarch.org/-/encyclical-covid-19-pandemic. Also, Greek Reporter article: https://usa.greekreporter.com/2020/03/07/greek-orthodox-archdiocese-of-america-issues-coronavirus-statement/
CDC (Center for Disease Control) link for Covid-19 information: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
SUNDAY SCHOOL AND COFFEE HOUR ON TEMPORARY HIATUS – Sorry, let’s exercise caution for a while. Hopefully, it won’t be long lasting. Thank you.
TODAY IS THE SUNDAY OF ST. GREGORY PALAMAS
XRONIA POLLA! to Pat C. and Patrick who will be celebrating their Name Day on Tuesday, March 17. Many years to Brigid, too, whose birthday is tomorrow (Monday).
SUGGESTED – BRING YOUR OWN LITURGY BOOK from home for a time. Books have been temporarily removed from the pews at the Archdiocese’s direction, a health precaution.
NOTE: The Divine Liturgy will be served as usual each Sunday with Orthros preceding the service. There are no changes as to how the Divine Liturgy is to be served at this time except that the priest will not distribute the antidoron by hand at the end of the service. We are following the instructions given by the Archdiocese and will carry on as routine. Please see the guidelines below.
CHANGES TO THE ACTS OF REVERENCE – For a time, the Archdiocese has directed the clergy not to offer their hand for reverencing and that icons & blessing cross be reverenced by bowing, rather than kissing. Again, this is a health precaution, not intended to be permanent changes. Please see the guidelines below.
SERVICES THIS WEEK
Pre-Sanctified Divine Liturgy Wednesday @ 6PM
Friday Evening – Third Salutations Service @ 7PM
Saturday Evening – Great Vespers w/Paraklesis to St. George @ 7PM
(Yes, the difference in service times is correct)
PARAKLESIS TO ST. GEORGE The emphasis of this service is to ask our beloved Patron’s intercessory prayers for the children of our church families, those both of young and adult ages. Please join us for this service, if possible. When you come, bring a written list of the names of all your children so Fr. Leo can have them handy for the commemoration part of the service. Thank you.
NEXT SUNDAY IS CROSS VENERATION SUNDAY Donations of fresh basil and a decorator to prepare the tray with the cross are needed. Basil donations can be brought next Saturday evening and placed in the fellowship hall frig. The decorated tray must be ready for the priest no later than 9:30AM next Sunday. If you will offer this loving act of service for the veneration of the Holy Cross, please let Fr. Leo know. The Cross Veneration occurs during the period between the end of Orthros and the beginning of the Divine Liturgy.
PLEASE REMEMBER YOUR STEWARDSHIP during these weeks of uncertainty due to the Covid-19 concerns. We realize some people may not attend due to illness or voluntary quarantine related to travel. We only ask that you keep the financial concerns of the parish in mind if you are away. And please pray for those of us who are here carrying on with possibly fewer people than usual. Thank you!
IF FASTING SEEMS HARD FOR YOU For those who have health concerns and feel that a Lenten diet is too strict, we encourage you to look at the Nutritarian eating plan by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. This is an eating plan that allows a person to stay within the Lenten fasting food options and still maintain very good health and oftentimes recover lost health. Dr. Fuhrman’s plan is a healthy plant-based diet and it is not a fad diet. Lots of science backing up the success of this plan. Learn more here: https://hellonutritarian.com/nutritarian/ Dr. Fuhrman has written a number of books, among them The End of Diabetes and Fasting and Eating for Health. We are not advocating that this is a “must do,” rather it is something you can investigate on your own and possibly adopt during the Lenten season. In short, it is a resource for you.
THE BOOKSTORE – There are some worthy reads on the shelves of the bookstore for our Lenten journeys. Please take some time to review what is there. Prayer books will be back in stock as early as next Sunday. We also have some special Lenten/Paschal items coming in the pipeline. Be looking for new things within the next couple of weeks. Thank you for your continued support of the bookstore ministry!
LEE SPERONIS HONORED Needless to say, we are very proud of our Parish Council President who, at the 2020 Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Dinner, was awarded the Arthur Comstock Professional Service Award. https://www.facebook.com/SutherlandWestonInc/videos/
HOUSE BLESSINGS Fr. Leo will be glad to visit your home to bless it with holy water from the recent great feast. All you need do is call him at 207-385-3000.
ARCHDIOCESE GUIDELINES
Directives to be followed by the Clergy dealing with Covid-19 (Coronavirus), until further notice, based on the instructions of the US Center for Disease Control (CDC)
1) All parishes will provide stations in the Narthex and/or Nave for the Faithful to disinfect their hands as they enter the Church.
2) Signs will be posted at the entrance that recommend sick persons not attend the Services, but participate via television or the Internet (URL should be posted as well)
3) The clergy will not offer their hands to be reverenced and will refrain from touching the faithful either through handshakes or an embrace.
4) Signs will be posted recommending that honor be shown to Icons and the blessing cross by only bowing.
5) No books – Liturgical or Scriptural, will be kept in the pews. Parishioners will be instructed to bring their own books from home.
6) The Faithful will not receive the Antidoron from the Clergy, but on their own as they leave the church.
7) In the case of the use of flowers (Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross, Palm Sunday, Holy Friday), the Faithful will take them on their own as they leave the church. On Holy Wednesday (Holy Unction), each priest will anoint each Faithful using separate cotton-tipped swabs.
8) The Eucharist will be distributed as per usual.
9) After every service, all liturgical objects and surfaces to be thoroughly cleaned.