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 safely socially distance a maximum of 140 people in our Church.
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:
Nerantzo Maratou – 9 days
Sofia Routoulas – 40 days
Therapon Papatherapontos – 40 days
Last Sunday a 15-year memorial was held for Leonidas Rigas and was mistakenly omitted from the bulletin.
May their memory be eternal.
Liturgical Schedule:
Monday, March 15th – Compline ………………………………6:30PM
Wednesday, March 17th – Presanctified Liturgy……….6:00PM
Friday, March 19th – Salutations to the Theotokos………6:30PM
Saturday, March 20th – 3rd Saturday of Souls……………Orthros & Divine Liturgy 8:30AM
Communion Guidelines:
Baptized and Chrismated Orthodox Christians who have properly prepared, according to the Holy Orthodox Church guidelines, may receive Holy Communion. Please allow families with young children to receive Holy Communion first and wait for the ushers to dismiss your row.
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.
Blessing of Homes and Businesses:
If you would like to have your home or business blessed by Father Peter, please contact the Church office to schedule a visit.
Mark Your Calendar:
Monday, March 15th ………Church Office Closed – Clean Monday – Lent Begins
Wednesday, March 17th....….Lenten Lecture Series via ZOOM following Liturgy
Orthodox Life Institute via ZOOM at 7:00PM
Thursday, March 18th.….……"Bedtime Bible Stories" via ZOOM at 6:30PM
Adult Bible Study via ZOOM at 7:00PM
Sunday, March 21st………….Fasolada Fundraiser from 11:00am - 1:00pm
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.
St. Paraskevi Philoptochos Community Lenten Project:
With Great Lent quickly approaching, St. Paraskevi, with the support of all St. George ministries is proposing a community wide Lenten Project. Each week, beginning with March 21st, Sunday of Orthodoxy, a different charitable cause will be highlighted. For March 21st we ask for donations to be placed in our “Agape Box” which will go to benefit the seminarians at Holy Cross Hellenic College and for our Sandwich Sunday to benefit St. Paul’s Men’s Shelter in Paterson, NJ. We are hoping to have everyone in our Saint George family participate in this worthy endeavor. Please see flyer at end of bulletin for more information.
Lenten Lecture Series:
During the first 5 Wednesdays of Lent, immediately following the service of Pre-sanctified Liturgy, Fr. Peter will conduct a Lenten lecture via ZOOM at 7:00PM. Those attending the Liturgy are welcome to remain in church for the presentation.
Church School Update:
It has been one year since we last met for in-person Church School classes. We miss you all, and we hope to see you all soon, happy and healthy. In the meantime, we have been running virtual lessons and are planning a few in-person Lenten lessons and opportunities for our youth to assist and get involved during Holy Week. We welcome you to come and worship on Sunday where our church is now able to have up to 140 parishioners. If you haven't done so already, please consider renewing your Church School registration for 2021 or making a donation. The registration fee has been reduced by 50% and is only $20 per family. Your support is greatly needed and will enable us to continue our religious education program under these challenging circumstances. Thank you in advance and we look forward to seeing our youth back in church on Sundays!
Saturday of Souls:
This THIRD Saturday of Souls is on March 20th. Please bring your own dish of Koliva to the church by 8:45am and place it on the table and submit your list of names with your offering. If you would like to order Koliva, we are asking for a contribution of $20 per order which will be for a large communal tray of Koliva. Please contact the church office and make arrangements by Thursday before the Saturday of Souls. 973-779-2626 or office@stgeorgeclifton.org.
Oratorical Festival – March 28th:
The St. George parish Oratorical Festival is scheduled to take place on March 28th. The St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival is a wonderful program for teenagers where they develop a short speech about their faith from approved topics. We are planning a small, in-person event where all 7th – 12th graders are welcome to participate. Registration is online through the following link: https://religioused.formstack.com/forms/sjcof_participant. Church School teachers are available and eager to assist with speechwriting. Topics, along with hints and resources for preparing a speech can be found at https://www.goarch.org/ORATORICAL. If anyone has any questions, would like more information or assistance with a speech, please email Morfia Sokolic at msokolic@verizon.net.
Church School Sunday of Orthodoxy:
As our churches slowly reopen, we are anxious to welcome families back for in-person services! Sunday, March 21st marks the first Sunday of Great Lent where we celebrate the Sunday of Orthodoxy. In keeping with our usual tradition, we invite all Church School students to come to church with their favorite icon to participate in the icon procession around the church. Families wishing to attend/participate must register as usual at http://www.stgeorgeclifton.org beginning March 15th. Please be sure to indicate if your child will be participating in the procession so we can plan accordingly. Students will be instructed at the appropriate time by Father Peter and Parish Council members on how to proceed. Please note that COVID protocols will be in place and attendance is limited to the first 140 people based on capacity limits. We hope to see many families back in church!
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. 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.
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. 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.
Please visit our Bookstore:
It will be open on Sundays after Liturgy. We have items for your religious needs and if you do not see what you need, we will be glad to special order it for you!
Church Office:
For all matters, please make sure to call the office directly or send and email rather than using texts or various forms of social media. Office hours are from 10:00am to 3:00pm, Monday through Friday. So please leave a message and we will respond as soon as possible. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.