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.
WE WELCOME EVERYONE TO OUR COMMUNITY!
We are grateful that you have joined us for prayer and worship.
Liturgical Schedule:
Monday, April 5th – Compline …………………………………………………………….....6:30PM
Wednesday, April 7th – Presanctified Liturgy…………………………………….………...6:00PM
Friday, April 9th – 4th Salutations to the Theotokos……………………………………….6:30PM
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.
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.
Mark Your Calendar:
Sunday, April 25th ……………Palm Sunday
GOYA Lantern Sale – Last Day to order
St. Paraskevi Philoptochos Tsoureki Sale – Preorders Only
Sunday, May 2nd …………….Great and Holy Pascha
Virtual Bedtime Bible Stories & Adult Bible Study With Fr. Peter:
The last class during the Lenten period was held last Thursday. We will resume both sessions again after Pascha.
Lenten Lecture Series:
During the Wednesdays of Lent, immediately following the service of Pre-sanctified Liturgy, Fr. Peter will conduct a Lenten lecture via ZOOM at 7:15PM. An email will be sent to the community with the ZOOM information.
St. Paraskevi Philoptochos Community Lenten Project:
As we continue our Saint George Community Lenten Project, this week we are collecting toiletry items to benefit Passaic County Women's Center. The Center works with women and children who have experienced homelessness and/or domestic violence. If you have any items you wish to donate, please drop them off in the Atrium before or after Liturgy on Sunday. Look in the flyers for next week's collection to benefit Saint Peter's Haven. We thank our Saint George family for their generosity.
Church School In Person Classes:
We are happy to announce our “Lenten Lesson” schedule for in-person church school classes. We are eager to see our students back in church and hope many of you take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. Classes are as follows:
April 11th - Sunday of St. John Climacus: Elementary Grades K - 4 will have a lesson about Palm Sunday & the Last Supper.
April 18th - Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt: High School Grades 9 - 12 will have a lesson about Holy Week.
April 24th - Saturday of Lazarus: Middle School Grades 5 - 8 will have a lesson and make Palm Crosses.
Classes will take place in the lower hall immediately following Holy Communion and will last 30-40 minutes. RSVP for each class is required via the church website at http://www.stgeorgeclifton.org. Please note that the registration link opens the Monday before each class and only allows registration for that week. Be sure to indicate the names of the students who will be attending class. COVID protocols will be enforced and masks must be worn at all times. 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!
HOPE & JOY Bunny Baggies:
Get some treat filled bags for your children for Easter. Each bag is $15 and includes 10 eggs filled with toys, treats and candy. Orders are due by Sunday, April 18th and pick-up will be on Saturday, April 24th from 11:00am – 3:00pm. Payment is by cash or check made out to St. George. For more information email Fotoula at foto1081@gmail.com.
Anastasi Lantern Sale:
The St. George GOYA is selling “Anastasi Lanterns” through Palm Sunday. A beautiful and safe way to transport the Light of the Resurrection home on Holy Saturday night! After Easter, these decorative lanterns can be used year-round both inside and out. Lantern is 8¼” tall and comes with tealight (4hr burn time) ready for use. Lanterns are only $10.00 each and make wonderful gifts! Pre-order yours for pick-up by Holy Week. Lantern sale ends on Palm Sunday so don’t miss out! Our GOYAns will be in the atrium with a sample and available to take lantern orders every Sunday following the Divine Liturgy. Completed order forms with payment can also be dropped off at the church office.
Tsoureki Sale:
The ladies of the St. Paraskevi Philoptochos will be busy baking traditional troureki for Easter. Only pre-orders will be sold! The cost is $20 each. Please make checks payable to St. Paraskevi Philoptochos. Orders must be received by April 18. Tsoureki will be available for pick-up on Sunday, April 25th after Liturgy. For more information look for the flyer in our electronic bulletin or contact Anthoula Bozios at abozios@optonline.net.
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, feastday, anniversary or a memorial and make a $250 donation. We would like to thank Dominick & Barbara Pepe for sponsoring March 28th in memory of their beloved fathers, Constantine Sougelas & Anthony Pepe. 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.
Great Lent, Holy Week and Pascha Donations:
We would like to thank the following who have made donations thus far:
John & Panagiota Baltgian, Christina Kyriazis, Nick & Lisa Marcopulos, George & Kristina Mihalis,
Antoni & Margarite Papamarkos, Dominick & Barbara Pepe, Vasili & Chris Pilarinos, Suzi Podimatis,
Ivan & Alexandra Popov, Morfia Sokolic
Open Gym Nights:
St. George is hosting Open Gym Nights for members of our community and their families. Children and young adults ages 12 - 21 are invited to attend. There is a maximum of 15 players per Basketball / Volleyball session plus two adult supervisors. Waivers must be filled out and submitted prior to participating. Temperatures will be taken at the door and masks must be worn when not actively playing a game. Please visit our website at www.stgeoregclifton.org to register.
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 are now studying the book of Esther, one of the four novellas in the Old Testament. We will continue with the books of Ruth and Deborah. After the novellas we will be studying the books of the Macabbees.
St. Paraskevi Philoptochos Virtual Mother’s Day Fundraiser:
The St. Paraskevi Philoptochos will be having a Mother’s Day fundraiser. You will be able to send e-cards to all the women in your life: (Mother, Wife, Yiayia, Nouna, Mother-in-Law, Daughter, Daughter-in-Law, first time Mother, Mother-to-Be, Sister, Friend.) “Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope” (Maya Angelou). Send a thoughtful e-card on Mother’s Day, May 9, 2021 to express your unconditional love to all the women in your life & support the Philoptochos at the same time. For more details contact pmagiros@verizon.net. Orders are due by Monday, May 3, 2021.
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!