Streaming
Worship Sunday Orthros 8:30am & Divine Liturgy 9:30am
Saturday Vespers & Weekday Services (see Online Calendar)
Confession (by appointment)
Our Mission “St. George Greek Orthodox Church is a Christ-centered
Community that:
Our Vision "Ascending together to the fullness of Life"
+NATIVITY FAST+
+ST. IGNATIOS THE GODBEARER
8:30AM ORTHROS
9:30AM DIVINE LITURGY
6:30PM SACRAMENT OF HOLY UNCTION (EUCHELION)
+ST. ANASTASIA PHARMOKALYTRIA
8:45AM Doxology
9:00AM LITURGY
Office Closed
+CHRISTMAS EVE
2:00PM ROYAL HOURS
4:00PM VESPERAL LITURGY
Office Closed
+NATIVITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
8:30AM ORTHROS
9:30AM DIVINE LITURGY
+NO FASTING+
+SYNAXIS OF THEOTOKOS
5:00PM Vespers
+ST. STEPHANOS PROTOMARTYR
8:30AM ORTHROS
9:30AM DIVINE LITURGY
10:30AM Virtual Fellowship Hour
Office Closed
Sunday before Nativity
The Reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 11:9-10; 32-40
BRETHREN, by faith Abraham sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city which has foundation, whose builder and maker is God.
And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets - who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, ill-treated - of whom the world was not worthy - wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
Sunday before Nativity
The Reading is from Matthew 1:1-25
The book of the Genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, and Aram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa, and Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.
Follow this link to sign up for services on Sunday, December 20 at 8:30/9:30am. Reminder, per Metropolis protocols, facemasks and physical distancing required.
Greeters: Yodahe Gamada & Bill Clemons
Follow this link to sign up for services on Thursday, Christmas Eve; Royal Hours at 2pm, Vesperal Liturgy at 4pm.
Follow this link to sign up for services on Friday, Christmas Day at 8:30/9:30am.
There will be NO classes today (December 20), December 27, January 10, March 21, May 2. The final day of classes will be May 9; Graduation Sunday will be May 16. Please contact Aida with any questions at aidaabebe1@gmail.com or 651-434-7826.
Let's close out 2020 by gathering virtually to prepare the family Vasilopita (St. Basil's Bread) for the New Year and the feast day of St. Basil the Great! New Year's Eve, December 31, at 1pm, we will meet via zoom to prepare the dough, create our 'flouri' (coin) and share St. Basil stories and activities. Later on, at 3pm, we will meet back to form and decorate our loaves while singing the kalanda (Christmas Carols)!
All youth are invited, and Teenagers- it's time to let your independence shine. Surprise your family with a Vasilopita made entirely by you! Please register Virtual Vasilopita Registration for the zoom link, to receive further info, and let us know what you may need.
(Please register before Christmas so we have time to snail mail materials for the activities and ingredients you may need.)
Today (December 20) is the last day to submit names of those you wish to memorialize. Donation forms can be found in the Bulletin Inserts section, on the church website, and in the November-December issue of Glad Tidings.
The office will be closed on the following days: December 24-25, December 28-29, January 1.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 6, 2021: skiing and snow tubing at Wild Mountain. Stay tuned for details!
Follow this link to sign up for services on Sunday, December 27 at 8:30/9:30am.
The choir of St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral invites you to tune in on their YouTube channel on Sunday, December 20 at 7pm for a virtual Advent Concert in celebration of our Lord’s Nativity. See flyer in Inserts section for more information.
The Minnesota Eastern Orthodox Christian Clergy Association (www.meocca.org), will hold the annual Theophany/Epiphany Blessing of the Waters service on the Mississippi River on Saturday, January 9, 2021, at 12:00 noon, at Hidden Falls Park, 1313 Hidden Falls Drive, St. Paul. The half-hour service is free and open to the public. The service will end with the local priests immersing a gold cross in the Mississippi River, symbolizing Jesus Christ’s baptism in the River Jordan 2,000 years ago.
Our MEOCCA sponsored, 12-week, Winter 2021 cooperative catechism course, Intro to Orthodox Christianity will begin on Monday, January 11, from 7-9 pm. The class is open to all; people interested in learning more about Orthodox Christianity, inquirers, catechumens, and current Orthodox Christians we well! The course is an excellent opportunity to deepen the knowledge of the Orthodox Christian Faith. Classes will be held virtually via Zoom to begin the semester. Register online at https://forms.gle/mrMdtTKJcSkPfjrw8 or www.meocca.org Feel free to join for an individual session as well!
This program, offered January-June 2021 by the Orthodox Christian Leadership Initiative, invites parish leaders such as clergy, Parish Council members and Ministry Chairs to problem-solve, share best practices, gather insight, and celebrate successes. Various cohorts of Learning Groups, centered around specific topics chosen by participants, will be led by trained facilitators on a monthly basis. Visit https://www.orthodoxservantleaders.com/peer-learning.html to learn more and to pre-register.
On the Sunday that occurs on or immediately after the eighteenth of this month, we celebrate all those who from ages past have been well-pleasing to God, beginning from Adam even unto Joseph the Betrothed of the Most Holy Theotokos, according to genealogy, as the Evangelist Luke hath recorded historically (Luke 3:23-38); we also commemorate the Prophets and Prophetesses, and especially the Prophet Daniel and the Holy Three Children.
Saint Ignatius was a disciple of Saint John the Theologian, and a successor of the Apostles, and he became the second Bishop of Antioch, after Evodus. He wrote many epistles to the faithful, strengthening them in their confession, and preserving for us the teachings of the holy Apostles. Brought to Rome under Trajan, he was surrendered to lions to be eaten, and so finished the course of martyrdom about the year 107. The remnants of his bones were carefully gathered by the faithful and brought to Antioch. He is called God-bearer, as one who bare God within himself and was aflame in heart with love for Him. Therefore, in his Epistle to the Romans (ch. 4), imploring their love not to attempt to deliver him from his longed-for martyrdom, he said, "I am the wheat of God, and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found to be the pure bread of God."
Saint John of Kronstadt was a married priest, who lived with his wife in virginity. Through his untiring labours in his priestly duties and love for the poor and sinners, he was granted by our Lord great gifts of clairvoyance and miracle - working, to such a degree that in the last years of his life miracles of healings - both of body and of soul - were performed countless times each day through his prayers, often for people who had only written to him asking his help. During his lifetime he was known throughout Russia, as well as in the Western world. He has left us his diary My Life in Christ as a spiritual treasure for Christians of every age; simple in language, it expounds the deepest mysteries of our Faith with that wisdom which is given only to a heart purified by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Foreseeing as a true prophet the Revolution Of 1917, he unsparingly rebuked the growing apostasy among the people; he foretold that the very name of Russia would be changed. As the darkness of unbelief grew thicker, he shone forth as a beacon of unquenchable piety, comforting the faithful through the many miracles that he worked and the fatherly love and simplicity with which he received all. Saint John reposed in peace in 1908.
Through December 18, $201,929 of our 2020 goal of $257,500 in Stewardship contributions have been received.
As 2020 comes to a close, St. George is forever grateful to those of you who have supported our church through Stewardship! We are so close to our year-end goal of $257,500 to fund the mission of our church. If you can help before year-end, we would be grateful. A blessed Christmas season to you and your loved ones.
Stewardship Response Fund
Thank you all for your generous support! We are thankful to announce that we met our 2020 Stewardship Response Fund goal of $15,000! Final numbers will be published soon.
The Pastoring Church in the days of the Pandemic
Children's Bulletin for Sunday, December 20
Sunday, December 20 at 7pm
December 20 - Final Day!
Winter 2021 Class Schedule
The Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations is pleased to announce a four-part webinar series on Greening the Parish launching in January 2021.
The golden coin with an image of St Basil, comes with “The Story of the Vasilopita,” a recipe for the sweet bread, and traditional cutting instructions. A thoughtful gift for those starting or continuing a beautiful holiday tradition.
"Comfort Food for Families Advent Series" is alternatively offered by the GOA Center for Family Care staff members every Monday at noon beginning on November 9th and ending on December 28th. Each brief video message highlights elements of the Nativity Fast to support families as they prepare to celebrate Christmas.
Iconography : Session #3 Saint Josephine Bakhita taught by Debra Korluka Virtual Event March 20 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm CDT $170 – $243 Saturdays, March 20,27, (skip April 3), April 10,17 10-12 pm CT live via Zoom...Read More |
Wet Paint to Host Virtual Iconography Classes 2021/ Session 2- February 10th-March 17th
Iconography : Session #2 The Most Holy Theotokos -She Who is Quick to Hear taught by Debra Korluka Virtual Event February 10 @ 7:00 am – 9:00 pm CST $170 – $243 Meets 4 Wednesdays, February 10, 17, (no class 2/24) March 10, 17 from 7-9pm live via Zoom...Read More |
Wet Paint to Host Virtual Iconography Classes 2021/ Session 1- January 13-February 3
Wet Paint is pleased to host Korluka Studio’s Iconography classes for the 2021 term. Iconography : Session #1 The Holy Face taught by Debra Korluka Virtual Event/ information and registration at https://info.wetpaintart.com/index.php/event/iconography-session-1-the-holy-face-taught-by-debra-korluka/ January 13 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm CST $170 – $243 Meets 4 Wednesdays, January 13th -February 3rd from 7-9pm live via Zoom Holy Face |
Virtual Demo Hosted by Wet Paint Sunday December 13, 2:00 p.m.Debra will discuss the history of iconography and her own spiritual and artistic practices within this sacred art form. She’ll also demo the materials she recommended for our Custom Iconography Set and tell you about the Iconography classes she teaches in the Twin Cities and virtually in 2021. December 13, 2020 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm CST/ virtual/ please register at link below Information at : Icon Painting Kit: https://wetpaintart.com/debra-korluka-icon-painting-kit/...Read More |
