PROTOCOLS FOR OUR PARISHES IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19:
Except where these GOMNJ Reopening Guidelines are more restrictive, each Parish must also follow the orders and directives of their State, County, and Local Authorities. Regulations NOW allow us to open with a maximum of 100 people.
PARISH SAFETY REQUIREMENTS:
- Parishioners must wear protective masks throughout the Service.
- There are to be no gatherings of any kind after the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy.
- There will be no access for parishioners to enter other buildings or areas, other than where the Liturgy is being celebrated, except for use of the restroom.
- Parishioners must sanitize their hands upon entering the Church.
- Parishioners upon entry must register their attendance with their full names and contact information.
- Parishioners must adhere to the social distancing guidelines of keeping a 6 foot distance from other parishioners at all times in the pews and throughout the Church. The only exception being for families that have quarantined together, as they will be able to sit together in a designated section of the Church.
- Parishioners are not to wander in the Church, in the Parish facilities, or outside on the parish grounds.
- Parishioners must leave the Church premises, including the parking lot and exterior grounds, upon conclusion of the Divine Liturgy.
- The traditional practice of receiving Holy Communion will not be changed.
Parishioners MUST register online at St. George's website in order to attend services. Please visit stgeorgeclifton.org and click on "CHURCH SERVICE RSVP" on the home page. The deadline to register for Sunday services is by Friday at 12:00pm. Orthros will begin at 8:30 am and the Divine Liturgy at 9:30 am. If you have difficulty registering online, please call the Church office at 973.779.2626 to register.
Follow us on our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Stgeorgeclifton.org/ or on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJEO_34m3S9yKpiFfzZQo5A or visit the church's website at www.stgeorgeclifton.org for online streaming links. To find the prayers for each service and to follow along, go to agesinitiatives.com.
To light a candle or make a donation follow this link https://st-george-greek-orthodox-churchand-the-shrine-of-st-nectarios.square.site/.
The mission of our beloved parish of St. George is to put into practice our Orthodox faith for our spiritual growth while creating fellowship and ministries for all the faithful. It should be our mission to spread the word of the Gospel and build harmony and love within the community and be the example of our Orthodox faith for our youth.
Memorial Services Today For:
Effrossini Doris - 40 Days
Olympia Pandazis - 3 years
Maria & Xaritos Nicolaou - 13 years
May their memory be eternal.
Liturgical Schedule:
Thursday, Dec. 24 The Nativity of our Lord
Morning - Great Hours, Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great (with Holy Communion)….…………….7:30am
****FROM THE HOURS OF 10:00AM UNTIL 6:00PM THE CHURCH DOORS WILL BE OPEN FOR OUR PARISHIONERS AND FRIENDS WHO WOULD LIKE TO COME AND LIGHT A CANDLE OR SAY A PRAYER.
Evening - Orthros, Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (with Holy Communion)….….........................6:30pm
Friday, Jan. 1 New Year’s Day & Saint Basil the Great
Orthros & Divine Liturgy……..................8:30am
Tuesday, Jan. 5 Eve of Epiphany Feast Day
Orthros, The Great Hours, Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great and Great Agiasmos………….…........8:00am
Wednesday, Jan. 6 The Holy Epiphany Feast Day
Orthros, Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom and Great Agiasmos………………..............................8:30am/9:30am
Thursday, Jan. 7 Saint John the Baptist
Orthros & Divine Liturgy……..................8:30am/9:30am
Mark Your Calendar:
December 24th & 25th…… Church Office Closed
December 30th & 31st………Church Office Closed
Sunday Memorials, Artoclasias and Other Blessings:
Please inform the church office well in advance of Sunday mornings for all memorials, artoclasias, 40 day blessings and other blessings so as not to disrupt the Divine Liturgy. If any requests or lists of names are received after the Great Entrance they will have to wait until the following Sunday.
****Additionally, in order to preserve the sanctity of the Divine Liturgy, please wait to light candles in the St. Nectarios Chapel at the correct time. If one arrives after the Great Entrance, they will have to wait until the end of Liturgy, while the Andithoron is being given out, to light candles in the Chapel.
Holy Confession:
If you wish to partake in the Sacrament of Holy Confession, please feel free to call the Church office or Fr. Peter to arrange a time.
Church Office:
For all matters, please make sure to call the office directly or email directly rather than using texts or various forms of social media. Office hours are limited so please leave a message and we will respond as soon as possible. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
Parish Council Elections:
Elections for eight Parish Council members were held on Sunday, December 13th following Church services in our fellowship hall. We congratulate the following candidates who were elected to serve on the Parish Council: Tina Anastos, Jerry Cammarata, Nick Dessipris, John Foukas (tied), Gus Haritos (tied), Vasilios Manoliadis, George Orfanakos, Harriet Panagakis, Morfia Sokolic.
Prayers To Heaven Memorial Tree:
This Christmas the church will have a memorial tree where we will place Prayer Angels on it as a way to commemorate our deceased loved ones. We will have 100 Angels that can be donated and we are asking for a free will offering for the Angels. On Sunday, January 3, 2021, Fr. Peter will have a Trisagion after Liturgy for the names on the tree and then the ornaments will be given to the family of the donors. Please see any Parish Council member for more information or contact the Church office.
Church School Christmas Pageant:
Since our traditional Church School Christmas pageant is not possible this year, we invite you to take a walk down memory lane via two video links. The first link is a beautiful slideshow of Christmas pageants from years past created by our Little Angels Teacher, Andreas Dimitratos. The second link is of Father Peter reading the Christmas Story which our Church School students would normally bring to life in our pageant. We hope you enjoy!
https://youtu.be/ON7zLjDoaIk Photo Slideshow
On behalf of St George Church School we wish you all a very Merry Christmas!
Church School Angel Tree:
The Angel Tree, where students and families take an “Angel” off the Christmas Tree in the atrium and purchase the gift listed is an annual Church School tradition. COVID however, has forced us to reinvent this practice in an untraditional way. This year, we are inviting St. George families to “be an angel” and help make a difference in one of two ways for those less fortunate this holiday season - without leaving home!
Frosty’s Friends is an easy way to give a gift to a child in New Jersey who may be in a shelter or is receiving assistance. Children submit their gift wishes which you can fulfill via Amazon. Please follow the link to participate: https://www.jerseycares.org/Frostys_Friends
Warm the Children sends much needed clothing and supplies around the world. Monetary donations are needed to cover the expensive shipping costs. Checks can be made payable to “Warm the Children” and sent to St. George.
Thank you! Wishing everyone a safe and blessed Christmas!
St. Paraskevi Philoptochos:
Our PHILOPTOCHOS regrets to announce that this year’s vasilopita sales have been cancelled. The sisters at Agia Skepi have informed us that due to COVID restrictions, they will not be able to bake this year. If you submitted a check, please void for your records. All checks received will be shredded. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
Toys for Tots:
The Daughters of Penelope and Maids of Athena are currently accepting donations of new, unwrapped toys this Holiday Season! You will find a Marine Toys for Tots Foundation drop box inside the atrium of the church were you can leave your donation. The donation box will remain there until Sunday December 20, 2020. Please contact Christothea Pandazis if you have any questions at 973 202-7745.
St. Paraskevi Philoptochos Blood Drive News:
The St. Paraskevi Philoptochos WILL NOT be hosting their Annual Blood Drive this January of 2021. We recommend you contact the blood bank directly to arrange an appointment. Blood is the most precious gift that anyone can give another person - It is The Gift of Life!
Now more than ever, a decision to donate your blood is important because maintaining an adequate blood supply in our community secures blood transfusions for patients during the pandemic. If you are able to donate blood, please consider doing so during these times. There is a GREAT need for blood. Blood Banks are testing blood, platelet, and plasma donations for COVID-19 antibodies. The test may indicate if the donor’s immune system has produced antibodies to this coronavirus, regardless of whether an individual developed COVID-19 symptoms. Antibody tests will be helpful to identify individuals who have COVID-19 antibodies and may now help current coronavirus patients in need of convalescent plasma transfusions that may help patients who are actively fighting the virus.
Both staff and donors are required to wear a face covering at blood drives or donation centers. Appointments are strongly recommended. Please contact www.vitalant.org to arrange an appointment at Lincoln Park, Montvale, Paramus or Parsippany or the Red cross at www.redcrossblood.org.
Thank you for your support.
Sponsor A Day Program:
As a church community, it is our ambitious goal to meet our operating budget through Stewardship. It is estimated that the operating expenses of our church average to be $1,400 per steward/family. If this average were to be reached, then the Church would be able to pay all its bills only with Stewardship donations. All other funds collected from candles, trays, raffles, fundraisers, etc. could be used towards capital improvements. One way to bridge the gap is through our “Sponsor a Day” program. We encourage our parishioners to select a day that has special meaning to them like a birthday, feast day, anniversary or a memorial and make a $250 donation. We would like to recognize Andreas Dimitratos for sponsoring December 25th in honor of the Nativity of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ; and Michael & Stacey Halkias for sponsoring December 29th in honor of their wedding anniversary. With the advent season upon us please consider sponsoring the following feast days: St. Spyridon, the Nativity of our Lord, St. Stephen, St. Basil, the Epiphany or St. John the Baptist. Remember that as Orthodox Christians, we are also stewards of our Church family – those with whom we worship, fellowship and serve the community. In the same way that we care for our immediate family, we also care for our Christian brothers. For more information about the program, speak to one of our Parish Council members, Ministry Leaders or call the church office.
Virtual Bedtime Bible Stories & Adult Bible Study With Fr. Peter:
The final Adult Bible Study of the year was on Thursday, December 17th at 7:00pm. We will begin again in the New Year on Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 7:00PM. Additionally, Fr. Peter will again have his "Bedtime Bible" storytelling for our youth in grades Pre-K to 4th grade. The first meeting will be on Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 6:30PM. We will notify everyone through a separate email to join the meeting with a ZOOM invitation so that all the faithful can join us in learning.
Orthodox Life Institute:
We have moved our lessons online to Wednesday nights at 7:00pm through ZOOM. If you would like to join us virtually, send your email address and contact information to Lisa Marcopulos at lmarcopul@gmail.com and we will send you the ZOOM invitation. The last class of this year was on December 16th. Classes will begin again next year on January 20, 2021. Dr. Peter Salierno and the class has completed the Book of Enoch and will now continue with the study of the four novellas in the Old Testament which are the books of Judith, Deborah, Ruth and Esther.
PanHellenic Scholarship Foundations:
We are pleased to share with you that the PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation will once again offer $250,000 in scholarship awards to 40 exceptional Greek American undergraduates. More information can be found in the Flyers section of our bulletin. The application is currently available on our website, and the deadline to apply is Sunday, January 31, 2021. The scholarships will be distributed at our Awards Ceremony and Gala, which will be held on Saturday, June 19, 2021. Our scholarship awards are available to all undergraduate students of Hellenic descent. They are offered to recognize students of high scholastic achievement for their accomplishments, and to provide support to those in financial need. $200,000 are awarded to 20 students based on financial need and academic achievement. $50,000 are awarded to 20 students based solely on academic achievement. $20,000 are specifically awarded to music and arts majors. The Foundation strives to promote education which, combined with the values of our Faith and Heritage, encourages and guides our scholarship recipients to become significant achievers and contribute meaningfully to society.