It is with much disappointment that we announce the cancellation of this year’s Christmas Pageant. Out of an abundance of caution and in recognition of the rising number of COVID-19 cases within our community the difficult decision has been made to cancel the pageant. Church school classes will take place as usual on Sunday, December 19th. Sunday, December 26th will be a family worship Sunday; classes will not be in session.
Our Greek School will still be hosting a Holiday Coffee Hour following the Divine Liturgy. However, NO PANCAKES will be served. Free will donations for the Greek School are greatly appreciated!
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 Holiday Coffee hour hosted by our Greek School and supported by the Tzakis & Protopapas families in memory of their beloved family members.
Memorial Services Today For
Nicholas Tzakis – 6 months Panagiotis Protopapas – 2 years
May their memory be eternal.
The Artoclasia Service today is offered by Mr. & Mrs. Mike & Anna Sakellakis in honor of the feast day of the Conception by St. Anna of the Most Holy Theotokos and for the health and well-being of their family.
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. Fr. Peter will be preparing a second chalice and offering Communion at the end of Liturgy for those with health concerns. Those who want to receive with a separate spoon may wait in the first pew until after the distribution of the andithoron.
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:
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:
On Sunday, December 12th we held our Parish Council Elections. We would like to congratulate the 7 nominees that were voted into the Parish Council (in alphabetical order): Alec Alexiades, Sophia Constandinou, Matthew Delaney, Spyro Demetropoulos, Dean Kyriacou, Diana Pitsikoulis and George Scordilis. They join Tina Anastos, Andy Dakos, Nick Dessipris, John Foukas, Mike Halkias, George Orfanakos, Harriet Panagakis and Morfia Sokolic.
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.
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!
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.