ST. GEORGE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF ST GEORGE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH KEARNEY, NEBRASKA

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1 EST MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF ST GEORGE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH KEARNEY, NEBRASKA IN THIS ISSUE PAGE 2 HAPPY NEW YEAR ECCLESIASTICAL CALENDAR PAGE 3 & 4 LETTERS, WE GET MAIL PAGE 4 BIRTHDAYS ANNIVERSARIES DONATIONS PAGE 5 MINISTRY UPDATES PAGE 6 ST. GEORGE SCRAPBOOK SAVE THE DATES SEPTEMBER 2 Sunday School Open House after Potluck - Ice Cream! SEPTEMBER 8 Nativity of the Theotokos SEPTEMBER 9 1st Day Sunday School SEPTEMBER 14 Elevation of the Holy Cross OCTOBER 26, 27, 28 Pilgrimage 100th Anniversary of the repose of Father Nicola Yanney OCTOBER 28 No Sunday School DECEMBER 5 St. Nicholas Day (games and activities for children to follow church service) Chronicle ST. GEORGE A PRAYER FOR SEPTEMBER 11TH: O Lord Jesus Christ our God, who art thyself, the Hope of the hopeless, the Help of the helpless, the Savior of the stormtossed, the Haven of the voyager, the Physician of the sick: Be all things to our land which seventeen years ago on this date was devastated by the hateful acts of false martyrs who imitated wicked Herod in his slaughter of the fourteen thousand innocents, whose only crime was to be born at the me of thine incarna on. To those who lost loved ones, grant the comfort thou didst impart to Mary and Martha before thou didst raise their brother Lazarus from the dead, and care for them as thou didst care for thine own Mother from the Cross, pu ng her in the care of the holy Apostle John the Theologian. To the survivors, grant healing in every sense, as thou didst strengthen and heal the Confessors. To those related to and aiding the survivors and the families of the fallen, grant the strength and compassion thou didst ins ll in Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, thy guardian in thine earthly youth. To those who died, grant remission of their every sin in thy great compassion; both those The Very Rev. Christopher Morris Pastor who like the Wise Servant and the Wise Virgins, constantly prepared themselves to enter the heavenly banquet at any hour; as well as those who emulated the Rich Fool, preferring to enjoy only earthly pursuits. To us, grant the realiza on that while the devil s ll manipulates our divinely-given free will to his own ends in this world, his power is flee ng and ul mately void, as thou hast already crushed his dominion, leaving to him only those who freely choose him. As thou didst speak to Pharaoh concerning Moses and the Hebrews, so so en the hearts of those who seek our destruc on. Save and protect, O Lord, those who protect us, the armed forces, law enforcement agencies and all first responders, from despondency, disillusionment, and any thing which would Softener of Evil Hearts undermine their righteous calling to protect us in the manner of our Guardian Angels, and care for us in the manner of the Good Samaritan. All this we ask of thee our all-powerful and all-loving Savior, giving glory to thee together with Thine unoriginate Father and thine all-holy and good and life-giving and Comfor ng Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen." *** (see page 8 for information about this icon) ST GEORGE ORTHODOX CHURCH, KEARNEY NE

2 Pilgrimage... will you join us? HAPPY NEW YEAR! September 1st MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THESE VERY IMPORTANT ORTHODOX FEAST & CHURCH DATES pil-grim-age noun. a journey, especially a long one, made to a sacred place as an act of religious devotion. Dear Parish Family, WE NEED YOUR HELP! PLEASE SEE SARAH F. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO REGISTER FOR THESE EVENTS Friday, Oct. 26th 5:30 p.m. Akathist to St. Raphael service at Saint George Church 6:30 p.m. Dinner and Symposium with His Grace Bishop BASIL, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, Hieromonk Phillip Vreeland, and Orthodox historian Ma hew Name, loca on TBA Saturday, Oct. 27th 10:00 a.m. Trisagion Prayers, graveside of Fr. Nicola Yanney, Kearney Cemetery A er the graveside prayers, follow in the footsteps of Saint Raphael on his 1899 journey to the Yanney homestead. Lunch and a ernoon on your own. Historical displays and church tours available a er lunch. 5:00 p.m. Great Vespers at St. George Church 7:00 p.m. Banquet Dinner with His Grace Bishop BASIL and keynote speaker Ma hew Namee Sunday, Oct. 28th 8:45 am Orthros 10:00 am Hierarchical Liturgy with His Grace Bishop BASIL Lunch provided by St. George Ladies Society to follow Liturgy Sunday services and lunch to be held at St. George Church All events and meals are being offered free of charge, but an RSVP is requested (register online or with Sarah F.) so we can plan accordingly for meals and mee ng spaces. Thank you! Ecclesias cal Calendar Pascha and The Twelve Great Feasts of the Church Great and Holy Pascha is known as the Feast of Feasts and Fes val of Fes vals. It is the Day of Resurrec on, the feast of complete joy, hope, and renewal. Twelve other great feasts highlight important events in the life of Christ and His Mother, the Theotokos. Twelve Great Feasts The Na vity of the Theotokos September 8 The Eleva on of the Holy Cross September 14 The Presenta on of the Theotokos November 21 The Na vity of Christ December 25 The Epiphany (Theophany) of Christ January 6 The Mee ng of Christ in the Temple February 2 The Annuncia on of the Theotokos March 25 Palm Sunday Sun. before Pascha The Ascension of Christ 40 days a er Pascha Pentecost 50 days a er Pascha The Transfigura on of Christ August 6 The Dormi on of the Theotokos August 15 Moveable Ecclesias cal Dates Sunday of Zacchaeus February 10 Sunday of the Publican & Pharisee February 17 Sunday of the Prodigal Son February 24 Sunday of Last Judgment (Mea are Sun) March 3 Sunday of Forgiveness (Cheesefare Sun) March 10 Great Lent Begins - Clean Monday March 11 Sunday of Orthodoxy (Bring your Icons) March 17 Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas March 24 Sunday of the Holy Cross March 31 Sunday of St. John the Ladder April 7 Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt April 14 Saturday of Lazarus April 20 Palm Sunday April 21 Holy (Good) Friday April 26 Pascha (Our Easter) April 28 Ascension June 6 Pentecost, The Descent of the Holy Spirit June 16 Holy Apostles Fast Begins June 24 (lasts 4 days) Western Easter April 21 ST GEORGE ORTHODOX CHURCH, KEARNEY NE

3 WE GET LETTERS... Hello parish family of St. George, Gree ngs from Orlando, Florida. In 2012 I received a blessing from Fr. Christopher and Bishop Basil to pursue the diaconate. To that end, under Father Christopher s recommenda on, Bishop Basil ordained me as a reader. At the same me, I enrolled in the Saint Stephen Course of studies at the An ochian House of Studies. I completed this in I then was approved for the Master of Theology thesis program, also through the House of Studies. I successfully completed this in February of this year. My thesis was approved and I will be awarded a Master of Theology degree in Applied Orthodox Theology at the end of August with a blessing from Metropolitan Joseph. The degree is the combined efforts of the An ochian House of Studies and the St. John of Damascus Ins tute of Theology, both cons tu ng the graduate program within the University of Balamand (Lebanon). No accomplishment occurs in a vacuum. I received tremendous support and encouragement from Father Christopher and the members of St. George in my work toward this degree, even a er I le in I cannot begin to thank everyone enough. Sandee and I have kept track through occasional visits, social media, and by the Chronicle of all the growth/accomplishments of St. George and take pride that we were there. We are now part of a mission church in Orlando, FL whose patron Saint is St. John the Merciful, known for his generosity. We were mindful of the hospitality of St. George parish as being a guide for us in exhibi ng mercy towards others. Your prayers, Reader Thomas (Mark ) Buchman Thank You! UPDATE Since receiving this le er from Mark, His Grace Bishop BASIL has announced that Mark has been approved for ordina on to the holy diaconate. His ordina on as a deacon will take place at St. James Orthodox Church in Port St. Lucie, FL on November 4th. The Chronicle sends Blessings to you! God has called you to share in the ministry of Jesus. May you be sustained by His grace. tell your story - Archbishop Michael Where love is, there is Christ Love and where humility exists, the Grace of God takes up permanent residence, God reigns, and the earth is ultimately transformed into Paradise. Where love and humility are absent, there the devil the enemy takes up his abode and people live in hell with the devil already in this life, continually worsening their place in the next life, in the eternal fire. Saint Paisios the Athonite NATIVITY OF THE theotokos Feast Day - September 8 It is truly meet to bless thee, O Theotokos, everblessed, and allblameless, and the Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare, than the Seraphim. Thou, who without corruption didst bear God the Word, and art truly Theotokos: we magnify thee. ST GEORGE ORTHODOX CHURCH, KEARNEY NE

4 WE GET LETTERS... continued I pray this finds all in the St. George Family well. The enclosed check is for: 1) The health of my precious Uncle Nick Shada. 2) In loving memory of Cousin Victoria. May the Sunday School year be filled with the Holy Spirit's blessings. Love, Judy Yacio All the Saints are our helpers, but above all is the Panagia. She has the riches of great compassion. She has great love for mankind, especially for sinners. For this reason she never ceases to mediate to her Son, and the Son takes great joy when His mother intercedes on behalf of mankind. For this reason He brought us His mother and granted her to us that we may have her as a source of salva on. St. Anthimos of Chios B rthdays September 4 Amy Hadley September 10 Alexis Hadley September 17 Kollins Maloley September 23 Darren Theesen September 24 Mary Maloley September 27 Amanda Denny Mark Buchman GOD GRANT YOU MANY YEARS happy anniversary September 1 Steve & Danielle Wolf September 24 Torri & Jared McCracken 2019 DOWAMA PARISH LIFE CONFERENCE OUR 2019 PLC will be hosted by Saint Peter Church of Fort Worth, TX, Wednesday through Saturday, June 19th-22nd which is the fast-free week following Pentecost. The Conference theme is "The An ochian Village Past, Present and Future: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." The study topics for the Bible Bowl are the Epistles of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Ephesians, the Philippians and the Colossians. The Oratorical theme is "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). Our featured guest speaker will be FATHER JAMES COLES of Saint Igna us of Mesa, Arizona. Plan now and mark your calendars for next year! ************************************************** Let us hear from you. We welcome your comments, ideas, photos and any info you would like to share with your St. George family. Send additions or corrections to: stgeorgechronicle@yahoo.com Happy New Year! Sept. 1 Save The Date Donations Gratefully Received A dona on to the St. George Chronicle newsle er from Anonymous In Memory of A generous dona on given to St. George Church in memory of Nick Abood, from Kay Abood and family. A tree will be planted in the front of the church in memory of Nick. In Honor of A dona on to the St. George Chronicle newsle er in honor of Joe Maloley, and his 80th Birthday from Nimir & Margo Maloley. A dona on to the St. George Church in honor of Amanda Denny, and her offering to share her home for the Ladies Book Study, from anonymous. ST GEORGE ORTHODOX CHURCH, KEARNEY NE

5 MINISTRY UPDATES St George BOOKS ORE Junior Youth Group We kicked off the start of Youth Group, grades 4-7, this year with our first mee ng on August 19th. We enjoyed intercessory prayers together, followed by fellowship me. Ice cream sundaes were carefully constructed by everyone with their own favorite toppings. A er ea ng our ice cream crea ons, we walked to a nearby park where we spent me swinging and talking. Laughter was soon heard throughout the park as we played the game called "Watch Ya' Mouth." Each player read from a card while wearing a plas c mouthpiece, making it hard to talk. The teammate had to guess what the speaking team partner was trying to say. A fun, spontaneous water fight sprang up among some of the girls, ending the me together with more laughing. Our next mee ng will be Sunday, September 16th. We will meet again for intercessory prayer together, followed by fellowship me at the "Sleuth Escape Room" in Kearney. Parents, please contact Amanda Denny by September 5th (at the latest) if your child plans to a end in September so we can make a mely reserva on. Thank you! The first day of Sunday School is September 9th. Miss Amy, Miss Ronda, and Miss Amanda will teach ages 3 through Grade 1 in the basement classroom of the St. Raphael house. Miss Sarah will teach grades 2-5, and Kh. Anastasia will teach grade 6 and above (both classrooms upstairs at the St. Raphael house). We are excited to start the new year with your kids! Come See Your Sunday School Teachers! Sunday School Open House Sunday, Sept. 2nd St. Raphael House *** Come tour the Sunday School classrooms, see the results of the 2018 Crea ve Arts Fes val entries, and enjoy some ice cream following potluck lunch! The Sunday School teachers and students invite YOU, our church family, to the St. Raphael House to see the classroom spaces and projects. Come join the fun!! NEW! JUST IN! Car Window Stickers $3.00 St. George Kearney est Our new st. george Logo is now a Sticker for your car! Color: Frosted White on Clear Vinyl (2) types of S ckers: For nted windows, s cker goes on outside of window. For non- nted windows, s cker goes on the inside of car. Direc ons included - easy! Women s Book Study Our Fall schedule will begin August 27th at the Denny home. We will meet every other week at 4:15 pm. Our mee ng dates for September will be the 10th and the 24th. This next session we will u lize two books, The Beginnings of a Life of Prayer and The Prac ce of the Presence of God. Our first session was well a ended with good discussions and insight shared. All ladies are invited to a end, bring a friend. We would welcome seeing you! ST GEORGE ORTHODOX CHURCH, KEARNEY NE

6 FR. ANDREW STEPHEN DAMICK VISITS ST. GEORGE PARISH JUNE 6th 2018 SATURDAY SUPPER AFTER VESPERS Junior Youth Group August 19 Join the St. George Fellowship Group for supper a er Great Vespers on Saturday evenings! This has been a fun way to get to know each other, and get to know the guests who a end Vespers and accept the invita on to supper. We rotate hos ng and it's potluck style. We'd love to have you join us when it works in your schedule, and if you'd ever like to host, please talk to Sarah or Levi. We will announce loca ons by and Facebook. ST GEORGE ORTHODOX CHURCH, KEARNEY NE

7 F potluck o o d Nee d e d As salt is needed for all kinds of food, so humility is needed for all kinds of virtues. St. Isaac the Syrian 6 Times to Make the Sign of the Cross in the Car When you get in the car......for fair weather and safe travel. When you pass a Church......to honor your God and Savior. When you pass a Cemetery or Funeral......to remember the departed. When you see or hear an Ambulance......to strengthen the sick or dying. When you pass an accident......to comfort those in peril. When you pass a police car......to protect them (and to avoid a cket). WHEN: Sunday, OCT. 28th - a er Liturgy Time to dig out your favorite recipes for a our Best Pot Luck ever! Let's show off that famous St. George hospitality during our pilgrimage potluck on Oct. 28th. Please be generous and remember that we will most likely be serving at least 150 people. A main dish will be provided. Sugges ons include: Side dishes, Salads, Vegetables, Rice, Fruit, Appe zer Snacks, Desserts! Perhaps some Vegetarian op ons and fun food choices for the kids. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! SAINT GEORGE -WANTED- YOUR FAVORITE SIDE DISHES ST GEORGE ORTHODOX CHURCH, KEARNEY NE

8 Chronicle st. george Volume 4, No. 9, Sept Monthly Publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Church 1505 Ave. G. Kearney, Nebraska A parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America The Right Rev. BASIL, bishop The Very Rev. Christopher Morris, pastor stgeorgekearney@yahoo.com Contact: Joanie Klein stgeorgechronicle@yahoo.com Church Office Phone: (308) Church website: 100th Repose of Father Nicola Yanney A N NIV E RSARY $ October 26-28, 2018 St. George Orthodox Church Kearney, Nebraska ALL EVENTS ARE FREE BUT PLEASE R.S.V.P. Help us plan meals and adequate mee ng space by registering today Thank you. Click here for INFO & REGISTRATION: or visit: ST. GEORGE Year-to-date for 2018 FINANCIAL REPORT As of AUG We have received $57,172 of the $91,410 we have budgeted for pledges. As of AUG We have received $15,516 of the $20,000 we have budgeted for trays and candles. Thank you for your continued stewardship to Saint George our fasting discipline - september The Tradi onal fas ng discipline is observed during the month of September. We fast from meat, poultry, eggs, fish, dairy products, wine, and oil on Wednesdays and Fridays during this me. The Eleva on of the Cross, Thursday, September 14th is a strict fast day. FatherNicolaYanneyPilgrimage LODGING INFORMATION HURRY DEADLINE A block of rooms has been reserved at: Holiday Inn Kearney 110 South 2nd Ave. Kearney, NE (308) MAKE YOUR ROOM RESERVATIONS TODAY $ nightly rate if booked by 9/15/18 and mention St. George event. Why So ener of Evil Hearts? The origins of the icon are unclear, though it appears to come from South-Western Russia in the 18th and 19th centuries. Just as Christ would be pierced with nails and a spear, so the soul of Mary would be pierced by sorrow and pain in the heart, when she saw her Son s suffering. A er that, the heretofore hidden thoughts of the people regarding the Messiah would be revealed, and they would face a choice: to be with Christ, or against Him. Thus, Simeon s prophecy is completely fulfilled: Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. For those who cannot help but be moved by the sufferings of Christ for us, and the sufferings of Mary as His earthly mother, contempla on of the Lord s Passion guides their prayers. Thinking on the Passion, they are unable to condemn their enemies in prayer; it s impossible because the words of Our Lord on the Cross forgive them resonate too strongly. The same is true when we contemplate the Mother of God s sufferings, which are immeasurably deeper than any pain we receive from those who offend us. Indeed, very o en the insults we receive are embarrassingly slight in comparison. Icons provide a focus for these medita ons, as our minds are wont to produce images if none are present. And so, the So ener of Evil Hearts is the Icon the wisdom of the Church recommends we pray in front of to dispel anger against our enemies. It is discovered that when Chris ans pray for their enemies before such icons, their feelings of enmity are so ened, and that internecine strife and hatreds abate, giving way to kindness. When we pray for before such an icon we are not accusing our enemy of evil, but confessing the evil in our own hearts, and asking for help. source: oca.org And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. Acts 11:26