ORTHROS BEGINS AT 8:30AM
WE ENCOURAGE ALL OF OUR PARISHIONERS TO WEAR MASKS INDOORS. All unvaccinated parishioners must continue to wear protective masks indoors.
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. Please join us after the Divine Services in our Fellowship Hall for our Hospitality Hour hosted by the Skounakis & Sokolic families in memory of their beloved family members.
Memorial Services Today For
Ilias Skounakis – 1 year Sakellarios Pilatos – 1 year
Mario Sokolic, Sr. – 25 years
May their memory be eternal.
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:
Sunday, December 12th ………………….Parish Council Elections
St. Paraskevi Philoptochos Sandwich Sunday
Wednesday, December 15th …………….St. Paraskevi Philoptochos Christmas Gatherimg
Thursday, December 16th ……………….Metropolis of NJ Christmas Tree Lighting at 6:00PM
Sunday, December 19th ………………….Sunday School Christmas Pageant
Greek School Hosts Christmas Brunch
Monday, December 20th ………………….Orthodox Life Institute Meets in Person – 7:00PM
Tuesday, December 21st ………………...Christmas Youth Celebration with His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros at St. Athanasios in Paramus, NJ at 6:00PM
December 23rd, 24th, 29th & 30th ………….Church Office Closed
Parish Council Elections:
Please note that elections will take place on Sunday December 12, 2021 for seven (7) seats on the 2022-2023 Parish Council. Voting will begin after the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, in our Fr. John & Presvytera Margaret Orfanakos Fellowship Hall, and will end at 2:00 PM. You must have fulfilled your 2021 Stewardship obligation in order to vote. The following are the candidates:
Alec Alexiades, Anthoula Bozios, Denise Cecchini, Sophia Constandinou, Matthew Delaney, Spyro Demetropoulos, Gus Haritos, Nora Kokozos, Dean Kyriacou, Phyllis Magiros, Elaine Manoliadis, Diana Pitsikoulis, George Scordilis
Annual Church School Christmas Pageant – December 19th:
All Church School students from Little Angels through 8th grade will be invited to participate. We encourage only those who are interested and willing to join us. This is the children’s opportunity to bring the miracle of our Lord’s birth to life! Please see our flyer for additional details. Wishing you all a blessed 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. This year, we are asking families to help make a difference in one of two ways for those less fortunate this holiday season. Red Angels will support Human Needs in Montclair by providing warm clothing for local families in need. Green Angels will assist Warm the Children with needed donations to cover shipping costs which will allow them to continue sending warm clothing to Orthodox orphanages in Eastern Orthodox countries.
Church School Christmas Card Sale:
St. George Church School will be selling Christmas Cards to benefit the IOCC (International Orthodox Christian Charities). All cards are $5.00 and were created by our Church School students. 100% of all donations will be matched by our St. Paraskevi Philopotochos and sent to the IOCC. Cards will be on sale Sundays following the Divine Liturgy and will deck our fellowship hall for the Christmas season!
St. Paraskevi Philoptochos Sandwich Sunday:
Sandwich Sundays was begun with the goal of preparing sandwiches for the homeless. We try to make a minimum of 225 sandwiches each time. Anyone interested in making a donation to defray the cost, please complete a donation form and return it to the office. It is a wonderful way to remember a loved one, or a special occasion. This month's sandwiches are donated by the Protopapas family in memory of their parents, Panagiotis and Maria. Feeding the hungry is an important tenet of our mission to help the needy.
St. Paraskevi Philoptochos Annual Christmas Gathering:
It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year! All are welcome to celebrate with us on Wednesday, December 15th at 6:00pm at Lumi’s Restaurant in Fairfield, NJ. A donation of $65 is requested which includes a sit-down dinner. Reservations can be made on Sunday during our Hospitality Hour or by contacting Effie at 201.790.1902 or Anthoula at 973.714.8124. Please RSVP by December 13th.
Prayers to Heaven Memorial Tree:
Prayer Angels adorn the Christmas tree inside our church. Please take the opportunity to make a donation in memory of a departed loved one this holiday season. The memorial names will be read at a special Trisagion service during the Liturgy on Sunday, January 2, 2022. The ornaments will be given to the family of the donor after the service.
Young Adults – Let us know! YAL Fellowship Volleyball Event – Jan. 7th:
Calling all young adults ages 18-25! St. George is excited to host the first YAL volleyball fellowship event on January 7, 2022! See flyer in the online bulletin with more details. We are asking all young adults who are interested to forward their email address to YAL@stgeorgeclifton.org to be included in emails about this event and future YAL events. We are thrilled to begin this new ministry at St. George!
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 14th. 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! Look for the flyer and order form in our online bulletin. 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!
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. We would like to thank Nicholas & Lisa Marcopulos for sponsoring December 6th in honor of the feast day for St. Nicholas; Christina Kyriazis for sponsoring December 12th, the feast day of St. Spyridon, in honor of her birthday and for continued health; and Morfia, Christina & Mario Sokolic for sponsoring December 18th in memory of Mario Antonio Sokolic, Sr.. With the advent season upon us please consider sponsoring the following feast days: The Nativity of our Lord, St. Stephen, St. Basil, the Epiphany or St. John the Baptist. 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.
Orthodox Life Institute:
****PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FINAL CLASS OF THE SEASON WILL MEET IN PERSON IN OUR DOWNSTAIRS HALL ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 20TH.
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.