CHRIST THE SAVIOUR ORTHODOX CHURCH A PARISH OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA (OCA) DIOCESE OF EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA

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1 CHRIST THE SAVIOUR ORTHODOX CHURCH A PARISH OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA (OCA) DIOCESE OF EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA 5501 OLD LOCUST LANE, HARRISBURG, PA OFFICE: HALL: FAX: WEB: CTSOCAHBG@AOL.COM HIS EMINENCE, ARCHBISHOP TIKHON OF PHILADELPHIA REV. STEPHEN VERNAK, PASTOR V. REV. DANIEL D. RESSETAR, PASTOR EMERITUS SVERNAK@HOTMAIL.COM V. REV. DR. MICHAEL G. KOVACH, ASSOCIATE Celebrating 49 years of Proclaiming the Truth of Orthodox Christianity 49 SUNDAY NOVEMBER 11, rd SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST Tone 6. Martyrs Menas of Egypt, Victor at Damascus and Vincent of Spain. Martyr Stephanida of Spain. Ven. Theodore the Confessor, Abbot of the Studion. Repose of Bl. Maxim, Fool-for-Christ and Wonderworker in Moscow. Ven. Martýrii, Abbot of Zelénsk. Repose of St. Stephen Dechani of Serbia. St. Martin the Merciful, Bishop of Tours. Epistle: Ephesians 2:4-10 Gospel: Luke 10:25-37 UPCOMING SERVICES AND EVENTS: Nov 11, Sun: Martyrs Menas, Victor, Vincent & Stephanida. Adult Ed -8:30am; Divine Liturgy -9:30am; Church School 11am; Fellowship -11:15am; Banks/Crabb Wedding -1pm Hour Readers: 3 rd Hour: Joseph Russian 6 th Hour: Jeremy Soroka Nov 13, Tue: St. John Chrysostom. Choir Rehearsal -7:30pm Nov 14, Wed: Holy Apostle Philip. Bible Study (22 N 2 nd St) noon; Vespers -6:30pm; Bible Study -7pm Nov 15, Thu: Beginning of Nativity Fast. Parish Council Meeting -7pm Nov 16, Fri: Nov 17, Sat: Holy Apostle Matthew. 3 rd in the Agia Sophia -5-9pm; Marriage & Life Agia Sofia -7-8:30pm Community Maintenance Day -9am; Gabrielle Sylex Murphy Baptism noon; Vesper & Confession -6pm Nov 18, Sun: St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow. Adult Ed -8:30am; Divine Liturgy -9:30am; Church School -11am; Fellowship -11:15am; Annual Parish Meeting-noon Hour Readers: 3 rd Hour: Scott Staller 6 th Hour: Chris Dupkanick ANCIENTFAITHRADIO.COM - 24 hour Orthodox Internet Radio OrthodoxyinAmerica.org (Traveling or Going on Vacation?) check it out! WELCOME TO OUR VISITORS!!! Please join us for fellowship in the church hall following the service. If you are interested in becoming a part of our community please ask to speak to Fr. Stephen. Please note: Only those faithful who are Orthodox Christians and have properly prepared themselves by fasting (from all food and drink from midnight), prayer, and recent confession; and who were present for the reading of the Epistle and Gospel, should approach to receive the Eucharist.

2 PARISH PRAYER LIST: Please remember the following persons during your daily morning and evening prayers. Names will be listed for 2 weeks unless requested. Submit names to the office by Wednesday for inclusion. AILING: PARISHIONERS: Archpriest Michael Kovach; Frank Skirpan; Salwa Shunnara; FAMILY AND FRIENDS: Jean Watt (mother-in-law of Dana); Joan Sysak; Luke Spassef; Pani Anne Marie Slovesko; Valerie Gyrisco, Mr. & Mrs. William Brunner (friends of John R. Barns); Michael Sysak; Gina Rosso & John Hawranick Sr. (friends and family of Bill Kuchta); Dona Beshore & Christopher Mitchell (friend & family of Bob Drozd); Carrie Faust, Landon Payne, Dr. James Kipp (friends of Jerry & Ann Cole); Irene Priggin s (Christine s mother); Theodore & Nicholas Demopolous (Samantha s father and cousin); Diane Chambers (Anna Doray's daughter); infant Elizabeth Ruzanka; Jamie Krempasky & Irene Pagel (George's great niece, daughter and friend); Keturah Faust (J. Barns and L. Shuga s friend); Joseph Salvadia (Libby s nephew); Matthew Kocsis, John Fatich & Catherine Fatich (Janet Kuzupas family); Joseph & Steven Demchak (Suzanne s brothers) HEALTH & WELL-BEING: PARISHIONERS: Joseph Moe Mazurek, Natalie Schilling Murphy, Daniel Bretz; Elizabeth & Paul Pellegrini; Robin Kuzupas HOME-BOUND & IN CARE FACILITIES: Betty Danko; Agnes Risser; Millicent Russell; Shirley Sass; Nicholas Essis; EXPECTANT MOTHERS: Viviana Sysak, Lorina Leija; and the children to be born of them; COLLEGE STUDENTS: David & Yelena Ambartsumian, Jessica Drebot, Matthew Hadginske, Paige & Skye Hisiro, Jennifer Krider, Magdalena Newhouse, Anastasia Nikolaeva, Alexandra & Nicholas Pawlush, Dimitri & Sophia Ressetar, Mariah Schware; Mike & Sarah Somple, Evelyn Staller, Jessica Taleff; MILITARY: Jeremy Fetsko; Stephanie King; Matthew Pylypciw; Steven Heberle; Thomas Shingara; Nathaniel Lubliner ADOPTED SEMINARY FAMILY: Fr. Dn. Matthew, M. Elizabeth, Elias & Genevieve Brown; OCMC MISSIONARY TO ROMANIA: Christina Semon; FAMILY AND FRIENDS: Archpriest Alexander Atty; V. Rev. John Onofrey; Joseph & April Parsons; Gregory Sysak; William Scheaffer (brother-in-law of John R. Barns); Christine Kihm, Charles Klein, Margaret & Cecilia Hunt (Larry Smith s friend, aunt & cousin); Addison, Judy & Greg (Christine Priggins family); Mattie Martin; Diane Broskey; Willard Brown; Thomas Ridenour (Sue Mioff s son); David & Barbara Drillock NEWLY DEPARTED: V. Rev. Michael Rachko (our founding pastor) Nov 5; Joseph Anderson (father of Kristen Iwancio) Oct 25; Joseph McGinnes, Sr., Deborah s father-in-law Oct 12; Pauline Lapinsky (Janet Kuzupas sister) Oct 11; ANNIVERSARIES OF DEPARTED: All Veterans, especially those who gave their life in defense of freedom throughout the world; George Dimza, Nov th ; Angelo A. Branoff, Nov th ; Anna Russian, mother of Joseph, Nov th ; John Sass, brother of +Russell, Nov th ; Myles Cameron, grandfather of Marina, Nov th ; Alexander Burcz, Barbara Cain s brother, Nov th ; Ira Lee Shenk, Alice Mallick s brother, Nov 14 4 th ; Patriarch Pavle of Serbia, Nov 15 3 rd ; Hubert C. Broskey, brother-in-law of Elizabeth Hancher, Nov th ; G. Warren Barns, uncle of John, Nov th ; Donna Facynic, wife of Rudolph, Nov 17-9 th ; CANDLE OFFERINGS: To purchase commemoration candles, please go to the candle desk or speak with one of the vestrymen. Please note: offerings must be in the office by Wednesday for inclusion. Seven Day Votive is offered for the Health & Salvation of all the Veterans of our parish Two Large Decorated Candles (behind Center table) are offered in the Health & Salvation of the Sysak, Mischak, Podolak, & Hubiak families, from Harry & Dottie Two Decorated Candles (on Center table) are offered in the Memory of Hagos Tesfazion, father of Yorusalem MANY YEARS: Please submit to ctsocahbg@aol.com by the preceding Wednesday. NEWLY BAPTIZED: Nichole Crabb Nov 8 BIRTHDAYS: Frederick Womer Nov 11; Sophia Ressetar Nov 12; Benjamin Zart Nov 13

3 PARISH NEWS AND EVENTS: Wedding Banns: Christopher Banks & Nichole Crabb announce their intention to partake of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony on Sunday, November 11 th at Christ the Saviour Orthodox Church. Annual Parish Meeting: is NEXT Sunday, November 18 th following the Divine Liturgy. The Agenda is posted and meeting packets are available TODAY. Please review the reports before the meeting. Thank you: I would like to thank everyone for their cards & prayers following the death of my sister. Thank you & God Bless, Sincerely Janet Kazupas. THANKSGIVING ITEMS for the NEEDY: Turkeys, food boxes, and supermarket gift cards can be dropped off at the hall basement kitchen by Sunday, November 18 th. Fr. Stephen & Fr. Daniel will distribute them to the needy the week of Thanksgiving. As we pray during the Divine Liturgy: Bless those who remember the poor, and upon us all send forth Thy mercy! Christmas Nut Rolls: Orders for nut, poppy and apricot rolls are due by Mon., Nov. 26 th. The rolls are $ To order, please call Jean Dotsey at or Dotty Fedetz at Please get your orders in as soon as possible, for our limit is 1,200 rolls. After we reach that amount, we can no longer take orders. Sales Desk: St Tikhons pocket calendars have arrived with all the Orthodox holidays noted for 2013, and are available at $3.00 each. Daily Saints calendars (365 days) have also arrived and are available at $ Please see Evelyn Krempasky during Fellowship Hour, or call to purchase or reserve your copy. Gertrude Hawk: Christmas candy is for sale, order forms are located by the umbrella stand and are due Nov 22 nd ; for more information please see Dave Martin. Christmas Gift Card Program: On Sunday, Dec 2 nd tables will be set up during Fellowship to assist you with placing your orders the Christmas season. The gift cards are a poplar gift item & Christ the Saviour earns a percentage of what you spend. The one stop shopping can save you time & help out the parish. If you have any questions please see Alice Mallick. Parish Hockey Outing: The game is on Wednesday, Dec 19 th. At that game, each person will receive a one-day pass to Hershey Park (valid until Jul 4 th, 2013). The passes make a great Christmas gift! Tickets are only $18 and there are 10 tickets still available. Please see Alice Mallick or call if interested. Alaskan Pilgrimage (August 2013): The trip will include a three day pilgrimage to Kodiak Island and Spruce Island plus sightseeing in Anchorage (Sunday, Aug 4 th - Sunday, Aug 11 th ). If you are interested please see Alice Mallick. Fellowship Hour Schedule: Parishioners are asked to help by bringing at least 48 servings of baked goods and to serve them during their assigned fellowship hour. Please check the dates below and mark your calendar accordingly. The complete list through next May 2012 is available at the parish hall. If you are unable to be at church on your scheduled date contact Nadzia Schilling at Nov 11: Jr. O Club Christmas Soup & Bake Sale Nov 18: Anna Doray Donna Bretz Dave Martin Nov 25: Sandy Wood Marianne Wood Vicky Henry LAST SUNDAY LITURGY ATTENDANCE: 132

4 EVENTS AROUND OUR ORTHODOX COMMUNITY Marriage & Family Life Seminar: Fr. Kosta Petrogeorge, Dean of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church will host a Marriage & Family Life Seminar on Friday, Nov 16 th from 7pm to 8:30pm at Agia Sofia Coffee House. More information is also posted in the vestibule & fellowship hall. TOO MANY BOOKS?: Are you finding your bookshelves cluttered with old books? Those school classics that you or your children read once. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Hemmingway's Old Man and the Sea. Dickens' Great Expectations. The Diary of Anne Frank. Thoreau's Walden. And so on. The Manager of Agia Sophia Coffeehouse and Bookstore (225 Market Street) wants to expand the shop's offering of gently used books (sold for $5) to include such established classics (paperback or hardback). She will come to our church to collect any donations on Tuesday, 12/4, and Tuesday, 1/22. Please look over your books at home prior to these dates for any appropriate old classics you may wish to donate to the coffeehouse. (Used Bibles are also welcome)." 13 th Annual Charity Banquet of the OCCSP: Will be held on Sunday, Nov 25 from 5pm to 7:30pm at Sts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church in Reading, PA. The guest speaker is Father Martin Ritsi, Executive Director of the OCMC. Donations are $25.00 a person or $ for a table of 8. Please see the flyer in the vestibule for more information. Advent Spiritual Retreats: St. Nicholas Serbian Church in Harrisburg will host an Advent retreat on Saturday, Dec 1 from 11:30am to 4pm. The guest speaker is V. Rev. Alexander Atty, Registration fee is $ Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, in Lancaster will host their Advent retreat on Saturday, Dec 8 th from 9am to 12:30pm. The guest speaker is George Stavros. Registration fee is $5.00 in advance (before Dec 3 rd ) and at the door is $ You can find more information in the vestibule. 76 th Novogodny Ball: Will be held Sunday, January 20 th. More information is posted in the fellowship hall.

5 WHY FAST BEFORE NATIVITY? Taken from Questions and Answers on OCA.org QUESTION: I was wondering why we fast before Nativity? The Lenten fast seems more obvious. Also, from what foods do we normally fast from during the Nativity fast? ANSWER: We fast before the Great Feast of the Nativity in order to prepare ourselves for the celebration of Our Lord s birth. As in the case of Great Lent, the Nativity Fast is one of preparation, during which we focus on the coming of the Savior by fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. By fasting, we shift our focus from ourselves to others, spending less time worrying about what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat, and so on in order to use our time in increased prayer and caring for the poor. We learn through fasting that we can gain control over things which we sometimes allow to control us and for many people, food is a controlling factor. [We live in the only society in which an entire TV network is devoted to food!] While fasting from food, however, we are also challenged to fast from sin, from gossip, from jealousy, from anger, and from those other things which, while well within our control, we all too often allow to control us. Just as we would refrain from eating a lot before going to an expensive restaurant for dinner if we ruin our appetite we will enjoy the restaurant less so too we fast before the Nativity in order to more fully feast and celebrate on the Nativity itself. During the Nativity Fast, we are called upon to refrain from meat, dairy, fish, wine, and olive oil. At the same time, we are challenged, within this framework, to fast to the best of our ability, and to do so consistently. If we must modify the extent to which we fast within this framework, it is of course possible, but in every instance our fasting should be consistent and regular, for Christ does not see fasting as an option, but as a must. In Matthew Christ says, WHEN you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, not IF you fast or IF YOU CHOOSE to fast. Finally, it seems quite odd that in our society a society in which people gladly and freely spend huge sums of money for diets, most of which recommend that one refrain from red meats and dairy products fasting is not more widely embraced. How odd that a Jenny Craig consultant or diet guru or physician will tell us to refrain from eating meat or cheese or butter and we will gladly embrace and pay large sums of money for his or her advice, while when the Church offers the same advice [at no cost ] we tend to balk, as if we were being asked to do the impossible. NATIVITY FAST: November 15 December 25