As we observe Thanksgiving Day, may this be a day of giving thanks to God for His grace, and may His abundant blessings be on each of you and your families.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving Day.
The Divine Liturgy of St. Katherine the Great Martyr will take place on Wednesday, November 24th at 6:00PM.
WE ENCOURAGE ALL OF OUR PARISHIONERS TO WEAR MASKS INDOORS. All unvaccinated parishioners must continue to wear protective masks indoors. The last two rows of pews in the church will be reserved as “Social Distance” seating with a mask requirement.
To find the prayers for each service and to follow along, visit the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s Digital Chant Stand at https://digitalchantstand.goarch.org.
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:
Mon., Nov. 29th – Great Vespers for St. Andrew the First Called Apostle Celebrated by His Grace Bishop Apostolos of Medeia at St. Andrew’s, Randolph, NJ – 7:00PM
Tues., November 30th – St. Andrew the First Called Apostle………Orthros & Div. Lit. 8:30AM
GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA ARCHIEPISCOPAL ENCYCLICAL:
Prot. No. 258/2021
Archiepiscopal Encyclical for Thanksgiving November 25, 2021
My Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As we prepare to celebrate the National Day of Thanksgiving, our American holiday that calls us to the mindset of gratitude for all of God’s blessings in our lives and in our Country, I note with great satisfaction and thankfulness the recent Apostolic Visit of His All-Holiness our Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Although there were moments of concern for the health of His All-Holiness during this scheduled visit, we can all breathe the proverbial sigh of relief, with profound gratitude to God that our Ecumenical Patriarch has received the appropriate medical attention, rebounded to his extraordinary self, and returned to the Queen of Cities.
His Thirty Years on the Patriarchal Throne should surely be cause for us all to give thanks unto the Lord, for we have had the unprecedented opportunity to have such a long tenure of such a holy man. The advances in the preaching and the teaching of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ under His All-Holiness are truly remarkable; for he has spared no effort of his office, and no labor of body, mind and spirit, to steer the Sacred Ship of the Orthodox Church through some of the most difficult to navigate waters in recent history. As Eastern Europe emerged from the ravages of Communism and Atheism (ravages that still gravely impact these lands), His All-Holiness has manifested wisdom and prudence, as he guides the Church aright.
This Thanksgiving, let us add to our tables that are laden with tokens of our gratitude to God, and say a special prayer of thanks for the Spiritual Father of us all, our Ecumenical Patriarch. He shoulders great responsibilities and burdens on our behalf, because of his genuine love for all people, and especially for the rational sheep of the Flock of Christ.
With much paternal love in the Lord,
† ELPIDOPHOROS Archbishop of America
ΙΕΡΑ ΑΡΧΙΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΗ ΑΜΕΡΙΚΗΣ ΑΡΧΙΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΙΚΗ ΕΓΚΥΚΛΙΟΣ:
Ἀριθ. Πρωτ. 258/2021
Ἀρχιεπισκοπικὴ ἐγκύκλιος γιὰ τὴν ἡµέρα τῶν Εὐχαριστιῶν. 25 Νοεµβρίου 2021
Προσφιλεῖς ἀδελφοὶ καὶ ἀδελφὲς ἐν Χριστῷ, Ὅπως ἑτοιµαζόµαστε νὰ ἑορτάσουµε τὴν ἐθνικὴ ἑορτὴ τῶν Εὐχαριστιῶν, µία ἀµερικανικὴ ἑορτή, κατὰ τὴν ὁποία ἀναπέµπουµε εὐχαριστίες γιὰ τὶς εὐλογίες τοῦ Θεοῦ στὴ ζωή µας ἀλλὰ καὶ στὴ χώρα µας, ἐπισηµαίνω µὲ µεγάλη ἱκανοποίηση καὶ πολλὲς εὐχαριστίες πρὸς ὅλους τὴν πρόσφατη ἀποστολικὴ ἐπίσκεψη τοῦ Παναγιωτάτου Οἰκουµενικοῦ Πατριάρχου κ. κ. Βαρθολοµαίου. Ἂν καὶ ὑπῆρξαν στιγµὲς ἀνησυχίας γιὰ τὴν ὑγεία τοῦ Παναγιωτάτου κατὰ τὴ διάρκεια αὐτῆς τῆς προγραµµατισµένης ἐπίσκεψης, µποροῦµε νὰ ἀναθαρρήσουµε ἀνακουφισµένοι, εὐχαριστώντας τὸ Θεὸ διότι ὁ Οἰκουµενικὸς Πατριάρχης µας ἔλαβε τὴν πρέπουσα περίθαλψη καὶ ἀνακάµπτοντας ἐπέστρεψε στὴ βασιλίδα τῶν πόλεων.
Τὰ τριάντα ἔτη ποιµαντορίας του στὸν πατριαρχικὸ θρόνο µᾶς προδιαθέτουν νὰ ἀναπέµψουµε ὕµνους εὐχαριστίας στὸν Κύριο, γιατὶ µᾶς χάρισε αὐτὸν τὸ σοφὸ Πατριάρχη ὡς τὸν µακροβιότερο στὴν πατριαρχικὴ καθέδρα ἀπὸ τὴν ἵδρυσή της. Ἡ διάδοση τοῦ κηρύγµατος καὶ τῆς διδασκαλίας τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Κυρίου ἡµῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ κατὰ τὴν πατριαρχία τοῦ Παναγιωτάτου εἶναι πράγµατι ἀξιοσηµείωτη. Διότι δὲν φείδεται κόπου καὶ χρόνου, οὔτε αὐτῆς τῆς πολύτιµης ὑγείας του, ἄγρυπνος καπετάνιος τῆς ἱερῆς κιβωτοῦ τῆς Ὀρθόδοξης Ἐκκλησίας, νὰ τὴν καθοδηγεῖ σὲ ἀσφαλῆ λιµένα, µέσα ἀπὸ τὰ πελώρια κύµατα τῆς σύγχρονης ἱστορίας µας. Ἀκόµα καὶ ὅταν τὰ κύµατα τῆς ἀθεΐας καὶ τοῦ κοµµουνισµοῦ κατέκλυζαν τὴν Ἀνατολικὴ Εὐρώπη (ἀκόµη καὶ τώρα ἐπηρεάζουν αὐτοὺς τοὺς τόπους), ὁ Παναγιώτατος ὁδήγησε καὶ ὁδηγεῖ τὴν Ἐκκλησία µὲ περισσὴ σύνεση καὶ σοφία.
Αὐτὴν τὴν ἡµέρα τῶν Εὐχαριστιῶν, ἂς προσθέσουµε στὸ τραπέζι ποὺ εἶναι στρωµένο µὲ ὅλα τὰ καλὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, µία προσευχὴ εὐχαριστίας ἀφιερωµένη στὸν Πνευµατικὸ Πατέρα ὅλων µας, τὸν Οἰκουµενικὸ Πατριάρχη. Σηκώνει στὶς πλάτες του µεγάλες εὐθῦνες καὶ προβλήµατα ἐκ µέρους ὅλων µας, ἐξαιτίας τῆς εἰλικρινοῦς ἀγάπης γιὰ ὅλους τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ ἰδιαιτέρως γιὰ τὰ λογικὰ πρόβατα τῆς ποίµνης τοῦ Χριστοῦ.
Μετὰ τῆς πατρικῆς ἐν Κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ ἀγάπης,
† ὁ Ἀµερικῆς Ἐλπιδοφόρος
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.
Is Any Among You Sick? - James 5:14:
If you are sick or hospitalized and need prayers or a visitation, or have any other pastoral need, do not hesitate to call Fr. Peter. He can always be reached by calling the church phone number, 973.779.2626. If he is not in, please leave a message.
Mark Your Calendar:
November 24th – 26th...…………………Church Office Closed - Thanksgiving
Sunday, December 12th …………………Parish Council Elections
Sunday, December 19th …………………Sunday School Christmas Pageant
Greek School Hosts Christmas Brunch
St. George Christmas Pageant – December 19th :
We are happy to announce that our Christmas Pageant has returned and will take place on December 19th! We encourage all our children to participate in this wonderful experience of portraying the birth of Jesus. Being part of this program reminds us all of the real reason for this beautiful season. We will hold practices for grades K-5th on December 5th and 12th immediately following the Divine Liturgy. Each practice will last about 20 minutes. Please submit your child’s sign-up form or, email ChurchSchool@StGeorgeClifton.org to participate.
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 expenses 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. With the advent season upon us please consider sponsoring the following feast days: St. Katherine, St. Andrew, St. Barbara, St. Nicholas, 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.
BE AN ANGEL TO A CHILD AND SPREAD YOUR LOVE AROUND THE WORLD:
Warm the Children is in dire need of cash donations to cover shipping costs in order for us to continue sending warm clothing to Orthodox orphanages in Eastern Orthodox countries; Belarus, The Ukraine, Romania, Russia and Greece. Cost for 14 Christmas boxes will be approximately $1,400. Any help will be most appreciated. Please make check payable to “Warm the Children” and give to Angela in the Church office.
GOYA 100 for 100 TOY DRIVE:
Please help us spread a little holiday cheer to children less fortunate this year! In honor of the 100th anniversary of our church, the GOYA Outreach Committee is hoping to collect 100 new, unwrapped toys for children ages 5 through 16. Collection will run through December 16th. Donations can be left in the atrium.
Greek School Greeting Card Fundrasier:
We will be running a greeting card fundraiser until DECEMBER 9th. Each box of cards costs $30 and contains at least 30 cards (the holiday box contains 50). You will have the convenience of never again having to run out at the last second to buy a greeting card, and you'll be supporting our St. George Greek School!!! The cards will arrive a couple of weeks after the sale ends, and will be distributed at the church. Please feel free to pass out the information to family and friends and place your orders as soon as possible before 12/9! Please send your final order to Andrea Cartwright at kevinnandrea@gmail.com. Checks should be made out to Andrea Cartwright. Our children thank you in advance for your support!
St. John Commandaria Communion Wine:
One of the traditions or customs in the Orthodox Church is to donate the Communion wine for sacraments, memorial services, or Church Feast Days. The preferable choice is St. John Commandaria. Anyone wishing to make an offering of communion wine can contact the church office. The donation for each bottle of wine is $30.
