St. George is honored to host the faithful of the Houston

Transcription

1 MARCH 2016 St. George is honored to host the faithful of the Houston area as we join to pray Great Vespers on Sunday, March 20 at 5:00 pm. Following the service and sermon by Fr. Luke Palumbis, all are welcome to break bread together in the Fellowship Hall with a Lenten meal provided by our devout and hard-working Ladies Altar Society. The Sunday of Orthodoxy is the first Sunday of Great Lent. The dominant theme of this Sunday since 843 has been that of the victory of the icons. In that year the iconoclastic controversy, which had raged on and off since 726, was finally laid to rest, and icons and their veneration were restored on the first Sunday in Lent. Ever since, this Sunday has been commemorated as the "Triumph of Orthodoxy." The Seventh Ecumenical Council dealt predominantly with the controversy regarding icons and their place in Orthodox worship. It was convened in Nicaea in 787 by Empress Irene at the request of Tarasios, Patriarch of Constantinople. The Council was attended by 367 bishops. Almost a century before this, the iconoclastic controversy had once more shaken the foundations of both Church and State in the Byzantine empire. Excessive religious respect and the ascribed miracles to icons by some members of society, approached the point of worship (due only to God) and idolatry. This instigated excesses at the other extreme by which icons were completely taken out of the liturgical life of the Church by the Iconoclasts. On the other-hand, the faithful believed that icons served to preserve the doctrinal teachings of the Church; they considered icons to be man's dynamic way of expressing the divine through art and beauty. The Council decided on a doctrine by which icons should be venerated but not worshiped. The decree of the Council for restoring icons to churches added an important clause which still stands at the foundation of the rationale for using and venerating icons in the Orthodox Church to this very day: "We define that the holy icons, whether in color, mosaic, or some other material, should be (continued on pg. 2) St. George Orthodox Christian Church 5311 Mercer Street Houston, TX (713)

2 Sunday Of Orthodoxy/Lenten Services/Generations/Vacation Bible School (continued from pg. 1) exhibited in the holy churches of God, on the sacred vessels and liturgical vestments, on the walls, furnishings, and in houses and along the roads, namely the icons of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, that of our Lady the Theotokos, those of the venerable angels and those of all saintly people. Whenever t h e s e r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s a r e contemplated, they will cause those who look at them to commemorate and love their prototype. We define also that they should be kissed and that they are an object of veneration and honour, but not of real worship (latreia), which is reserved for Him Who is the subject of our faith and is proper for the divine nature. The veneration accorded to an icon is in effect transmitted to the prototype; he who venerates the icon, venerated in it the reality for which it stands". baptisms February 6 Mahdieh Parizi L E N T E N S E R V I C E S Forgiveness Vespers Sunday, March 13 at 5:00 pm Sunday of Orthodox Vespers Sunday, March 20 at 5:00 pm Great Compline Mondays at 6:00 pm Presanctified Liturgy Wednesdays at 6:30 pm followed by Lenten Pot Luck Akathist to the Theotokos Fridays at 6:30 pm followed by discussion Vacation Bible School at St. George June 6-10, :30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. February 13 Sophie Habayeb daughter of Jay & Maggie Habayeb weddings February 6 Mark Makarios & Marian Saleh February 14 Salim Saad & Mariam Essoh Page 2

3 A Meditation On The Family/Mother s Day Celebration A Meditation on the Family The Late Mother Theresa of Calcutta here does this love begin? In our own family. In our own home. How does it begin? By praying together. A family that prays together, stays together. And if you stay together, you will love one another as God loves each one of you. Today, in the world there is so much suffering because of that wont of prayer and unity in the family. So today when we are together, let us make one strong resolution that we will bring prayer into our family, that we will teach our children to pray and pray WITH them. And you will see the joy and the love and the peace that will come into your hearts. Because the fruit of prayer is the deepening of faith. And the fruit of faith is love. And the fruit of love is service. And the fruit of service is peace. Works of love are works of peace. Let us bring the tender love of God into our families. W Page 3

4 Country Western Dance & Barbeque Dinner Page 4

5 Country Western Dance & Barbeque Dinner Page 5

6 Lenten Retreat At St. Joseph How ought Orthodox Christians think about Islam? What have been the contours of our 14 century relationship with Muslims? What is the call of the hour for Christian-Muslim interaction today in America? A native Southern Californian, Fr. Josiah attended Westminster Seminary California receiving his M.Div. in 1992 while studying under some of the most influential teachers in the Reformed tradition. In 1993, he was ordained to the Holy Orthodox Church and in 2004, he was awarded a Ph.D. in Theology from the University of Durham, England. Fr. Josiah has served as the pastor of St. Andrew Orthodox Church in Riverside, California since Fr. Josiah has published numerous articles and two books. He is also the founder of Patristic Nectar Publications, a non-profit ministry. His weekly homilies are available on his podcast, The Arena, produced by Ancient Faith Radio. Page 6 Saturday, March 26 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Presentations LUNCH 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Presentations; Q&A 5:00 PM Great Vespers Registration $35/person Child care provided $10/child Registration forms available at St. Joseph Church office or online at St. Joseph Orthodox Church Hammerly Blvd. Houston TX 77043

7 Tulin Bennett Baptism Welcome Home Tulin Febronia Bennett That day in November 2014, when I wandered into St. George in obvious need of something which I couldn't quite grasp at the time, was the very beginning of my journey to Orthodoxy I was raised by physician parents who stressed the importance of the arts, culture, education and an ambition for success. Unfortunately, I did not grow up with religion or a sense of who God really was just that I should read up on every religion and make up my own mind. Needless to say, I was young and dumb and chose NOT to have religion; instead choosing a bohemian, secular way of life full of reckless abandon and arrogant self-regard. The fact that I didn't perish in the midst of my transgressions, sins and wretchedness is truly a blessing and the wakeup call most people who squander their lives don't necessarily receive. I am the Prodigal Son, the woman wiping her tears with her hair off the feet of Christ Jesus, the before and after. That Saturday in November I walked in on a certain baptism, Fr James knows the one. But I paid more attention to the majestic sight of the Theotokos and Christ child, both with arms wide open in unimaginable compassion and an understanding of how and why I happened to come into this particular church. That evening I cried myself to sleep, full of shame, regret and torment at the choices/consequences of my life. My first service at St. George was Vespers the following Wednesday. I've been attending ever since. The chanting, the beauty and the tradition of worship from the early Church Fathers were immediately embraced and there was an indescribable reason why it all seemed so familiar and just right. Hearing Rejoice O Unwedded Bride chanted from the angelic voice of Kh. Gigi was sublimely moving. My first friend, who walked up to me after Liturgy and ultimately became my dear Godmother, Dounya Baayini was instrumental in my understanding of Orthodoxy and who God really is. She is not only my sister in Christ, she is my sister. I've since made many beautiful friends, many with whom I share a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern background as I'm of Turkish-Serbian descent on my father's side, Albanian on my mother's. St. George is my sanctuary, my hospital and my resplendent home. Fr. James and Fr. Symeon, you have both been beacons of guidance, patience and learning. Every sermon, every lesson is etched weekly into my very core and corner of my brain. Nothing is diminished or trivialized, and I am truly grateful for your blessings on my becoming Orthodox. My baptism was the single most emotionally overwhelming & glorious day of my life. My patron Saint Febronia, the virgin martyr, while still a teenager, suffered unspeakably physical tortures while I suffered unspeakable tortures of the spiritual nature. I am and will always be unworthy. Page 7

8 St. George Orthodox Christian Church 5311 Mercer Street Houston, TX (713) CHURCH STAFF Pastor V. Rev. Fr. James Shadid Associate Pastor Rev. Fr. Symeon Kees Pastor Emeritus V. Rev. Fr. Joseph Shahda Youth Director George Katrib Secretary Octavia Odom