Sunday, December 24, 2017-Sunday of the Patriarchs

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1 St. Nicholas Orthodox Church American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese Ecumenical Patriarchate 1123 East Avenue Erie, PA Parish Website: stnicholaserie.org Diocesan Website: Rev. Fr. Nicholas Mihaly Rectory: (814) Cell: (203) Sunday, December 24, 2017-Sunday of the Patriarchs Schedule of Services and Events: Sunday, December 24 9:30 AM; Divine Liturgy Tuesday, December 26 3:30 PM; Emmaus Soup Kitchen Sunday, December 31 9:30 AM; Divine Liturgy Since the first Sunday of January is Christmas, I will be hearing confessions prior to Liturgy next Sunday, December 31. If you have not yet gone to confession this Advent Season and would like to, please come to one of the evening services or make an appointment with Fr. Nick.

2 UPCOMING EVENTS December 26 - Emmaus Soup Kitchen January 7 -Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord January 13 - Pro-life Breakfast January 14 - Feast of St. Basil January 19 - Theophany January 20 - Blessing of the Bayfront Waters off of Dobbins Landing Please join us on Tuesday evenings at 6:00 PM for an adult education class. The class is open to anyone who wants to learn more about our Orthodox Faith. To begin, we will be reading through The Orthodox Way by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware. It is an excellent book which reviews the basic tenets of our Faith. Please bring yourselves and any friends who might be interested in learning more! There are some icons in the church hall, please help yourself! There are some household items from the rectory in the church hall. The parish is asking for a donation if you would like them for your own home. Thank you to everyone who helped set-up and clean-up for the St Nicholas Brunch. It was a lovely event which brought our parish family closer together. I look forward to many more events with everyone!

3 On January 20, we and other local Orthodox Churches, will be meeting at Dobbins Landing to bless the water of Presque Isle Bay for the feast of Theophany. Please plan to attend and tell your friends and family to be present at this great blessing for our region! Birthdays & Anniversaries Dec 26 Jayden Gaydosh 31 Helen Douglas If you would like Many Years to be sung for you or a loved one, please let Fr. Nick know prior to the beginning of Divine Liturgy

4 Parish Prayer List Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects. James 5:16 For the Health of Fr. John Baranik, Fr. John Gido, Fr. Nicholas Palun, Fr. John Zboyovski, Fr. David Smoley, Pani Donna Smoley, Pani Connie Miloro, Pani Eleanor Pribish, Ann Burdick, Emma Burkell, John Candia, Tom Candia, James DeHaven, Mary DeHaven, Ann DiMarco, Peter Dimitriadis, Helen Douglas, Irene Fendya, Miko Jovanovich, John E. Kelley, Laura Klepek, John Kloss, Richard Koerner, Jean Kramer, Don Kuzmin, Olivia Kuzmin, Serge Mihaly, Barbara Scheibeck, Irene Schwab, Elizabeth Skalko, Isabella Smith, Cheryl Walker, David Walker, Katlyn Wyant, George Yurcan through the prayers of St. Nectarios the Wonderworker & St. Panteleimon the Great-Martyr and Healer For the Repose of Fr. Charles Sunderland, Pani Ann Kozar, William Demyanovich, Maria Keim, Paul Meaden May their memories be eternal! If you have someone you would like to be added to the prayer list, please see Fr. Nick

5 To Ponder The Orthodox Church prepares its faithful to welcome the Nativity of Christ in a worthy manner by means of a 40-day Nativity fast, which lasts from November 28th to January 6th (by the new calendar). Besides generally known reasons, the Nativity fast is also undertaken by Orthodox Christians in order to venerate the suffering and sorrow undergone by the Holy Mother of God at the hands of the scribes and the Pharisees just prior to the sacred event of Christ s Nativity. Holy Tradition tells us that shortly before the righteous Joseph and the Holy Virgin set off for Bethlehem, they were subjected to the following tribulation. A certain scribe by the name of Ananias, entering their home and seeing the Virgin pregnant, was severely distressed and went to the High Priest and the entire Jewish council, saying: Joseph the carpenter, who has been regarded as a righteous man, has committed an iniquity. He has secretly violated the Virgin Who was given to him from the temple of God for safekeeping. And now She is with child. Then the High Priest s servants went to Joseph s house, took Mary and Joseph, and brought them to the High Priest, who began to denounce and shame the Most-blessed Virgin Mary. But the Holy Virgin, crying in deep sorrow, replied: The Lord God is My witness that I am innocent and have known no man. Then the High Priest accused the righteous Joseph, but the latter swore on oath that he was not guilty of this sin. Yet the High Priest did not believe them and subjected them to the trial that was customary in those times, (when a woman suspected of violation was given to drink bitter water that had been cursed by the High Priest). However, the trial just served to confirm the innocence of the Holy Virgin and the righteous Joseph. All those present were amazed at this, unable to understand how a Virgin could simultaneously be with child and yet remain inviolate. After that the High Priest allowed the holy couple to go home in peace. The righteous Joseph took the Virgin Mary and went to his house, joyously glorifying God. But this was not the end of the Holy Theotokos trials. It is well known that afterwards she shared with Joseph the toil of a three-day journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. And in Bethlehem there was no place for the Holy Virgin either in an inn, or in some home, and since night was already approaching, She was forced to seek shelter in a cave which served as a resting place for cattle. In this

6 humblest of shelters the Most-blessed Virgin remained in prayer and divine contemplation. It is here that She painlessly gave birth to our Lord Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world. We can see from all of the above that the days immediately preceding the Nativity were not days of rest and comfort for the Holy Mother of God. In those days She suffered various sorrows and trials, but did not leave off her prayers and contemplation. The Holy Church appeals to the faithful to participate, at least to some small degree, in the Holy Theotokos spiritual labor, constraining one s flesh during the Nativity fast and nourishing one s soul with prayer. However, the Church warns us that external fasting only is not enough. We must also apply ourselves to internal fasting, which consists of shunning malice, deceit, wrath, worldly bustle, and other vices. During this fast, as at all times, we must show works of love and mercy to our fellow beings, doing all we can to help those in need and in sorrow. Only then will our fasting be genuine and not hypocritical, only then will it be God-pleasing, and only then will we know the true joy of the bright feast of Christ s Nativity. From Orthodox Russia, No. 21, 1999

7 WEEKLY OFFERINGS Sunday, December 17, 2017 DONOR $2.00 WEEKLY CANDLES FOR HEALTH GIVEN FOR Tamara Kloss Husband John Kloss Phyllis Tarasovich Herself and Family Themselves and Family Merry Christmas to Family Members Ann DiMarco George Yurcan John & Donna Novak James & Nancy DeHaven Mothers Mary DeHaven and Louise Butts James & Nancy DeHaven All Sick & Shut-ins of St. Nicholas Church John Lipchik Jr. & Kathleen Boyce Uncle Peter & Aunt Marge Sima Kathleen Boyce Families of Brother John Lipchik Jr. and Husband Gary Boyce DONOR $2.00 WEEKLY CANDLES FOR THE DECEASED GIVEN FOR John & Tamara Kloss Her Parents Very Rev. Proto. Ronald & Pani Dolores Hazuda Douglas & Jean LaBoda and Family His Father Michael LaBoda Douglas & Jean LaBoda and Family His Mother Virginia LaBoda George Yurcan Parents Wasyl & Aniela Yurcan and Deceased in Family Richard & Susanne Demchak Beloved Parents Joseph & Susan Demchak Dr. George & Kitty Kuzmishin Beloved Family Members Janet Belliveau Parents Douglas & Anne Liebel John Lipchik Jr. & Kathleen Boyce Parents John Sr. & Helena Lipchik David Lipchik Parents Steve & Ann Lipchik Phyllis Tarasovich Deceased in the Tarasovich and Kelley Families Reader David & Debra Tarasovich Grandson Carter Robert Egloff Mark & Jenny Beskid His Father Peter Beskid s 22nd Anniversary of Death, Dec. 19 Michael & Sandra Sekerak His Mother Mary Sekerak s 17th Anniversary of Death, Dec. 27 DeHaven Sons & Wives Father George DeHaven CATEGORY AMOUNT CATEGORY AMOUNT Candles Hall Rental Loose Change Cemetery Lots Regular Envelopes 1, Perpetual Care Christmas Donations Christmas Flowers Total Income 2, Thank you to St. Nicholas ACRY Chapter #49 (Christmas $100, Christmas Flowers $50) and the St. Nicholas Ladies Altar Society (Christmas $100) for their donations to the church. ATTENDANCE Adult Education Class (Tue., Dec. 12): Canceled, Snow Moleben for the Nativity Fast (Wed., Dec. 13): 4 Vespers for St. Nicholas (Sat., Dec. 16): 0 Divine Liturgy (Sun., Dec. 17): 35

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9 St. Nicholas Orthodox Church Christmas Schedule East Avenue Erie, PA Friday, January 5; 6:00 PM-Royal Hours of the Nativity of Our Lord Saturday, January 6; 8:00 PM-Vigil Service on the Eve of the Nativity of Our Lord Sunday, January 7; 9:30 AM-Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord Monday, January 8; 9:30 AM-Divine Liturgy for the Synaxis of the Virgin Mary Tuesday, January 9; 9:30 AM-Divine Liturgy for the Feast of St. Stephen