where all misfortunes are concentrated,

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1 April 2015 A Monthly Publication Volume 16 Issue 4 Through this time of the passion of Christ, we witness His love through His willingness to be mocked, suffer, and die for us! He redeems us through His death and His third-day resurrection! Let us examine how great the love of God is. St. Philaret, a great Russian Saint, on Great Friday of 1816, remembering the crucifixion and Christ s death on the cross, gave the following homily on love. Is it now that some would speak of love? Is it now, when the fruit of hatred has ripened in the garden of the Beloved, when even the earth shudders from fear and the hearts of rocks are rent apart, and the eye of heaven has grown dark with indignation? Is it now that some might speak of love for the world, when the Son of God, who suffered in the world, was left without consolation and His prayerful cry My God, my God, why have you forsaken Me? (Matthew 27:46) without a fatherly answer? Yes, Christians! This is indeed a day of hatred and horror, a day of wrath and retribution. But if this is so, what will become of us when the earth shakes beneath us and the heavens above us become turbulent? Whither shall we flee from the quaking ground? Where shall we take refuge from the ominous heavens? Gaze more fervently at Golgotha, and there, where all misfortunes are concentrated, you shall find refuge. While the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken, because he was angry. (Ps 18:7) do you not see how firmly the cross stands there? Though the dead do not rest in their graves, do you not see how peacefully He who was crucified reposes on the cross? Christian! Let darkness cover the land! Let darkness fall upon the peoples! Arise from your fear and doubts! Shine with faith and hope! Y our Light Shines through the darkness (Is 60:1-2). Walk the path that opens up to you, the torn curtain of the mysteries, enter into the inner sanctuary of Jesus sufferings, leaving behind the outer courtyard, which was given over to the nations to trample upon. What do you find there? Nothing but the love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for the sinful and wretched human race. The love of the Father is crucifying love; the love of the Son is a crucified one; and the love of the Spirit is one that triumphs through the power of the cross. This is how God has loved the world! - quoted from: Orthodox Christianity, by Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev. This sacrificial love brings us forgiveness and salvation. In baptism we share in the death and resurrection of our Lord. We are united to Jesus Christ and will share in His glorious resurrection! This is the good news, earth and heaven rejoice for the Lord will make all things new! This Pascha and each Pascha we give thanks to God for His surpassing love! All glory be to Father, Son and Holy Spirit! Christ is risen! Indeed he is risen! LAST MINUTE ITEM FOR THE NEWSLETTER? to: ftbegley@aol.com By 4/20/2015 inside... Church School Page 3 SOYO Page 4 Fr. Hopko Page 10-11

2 Birthday in April 1 - Josiah Kakish 1 - Tatiana Kojack 2 - Jennifer Buddensiek 4 - Deanna Jubran 6 - Willard Percy 6 - Robert Worrall Jr. 7 - Terry Conway 7 - Melissa Ann Zaine 10 Youssef Haddad 11 - Rosa Neimy 11 - Jon Jiryis 15 - Denise Scott 16 - Erland Lukanen 17 - Jo Anne Droubie 17 - Norma Haddad 18 - Craig Michaels 18 Mabel Rose Percy 20 - Joseph Etoll 20 - George Bchara 20 - Hala Bchara 20 - Nighisti Weldeamlak 22 - Joseph Karos 23 - Nicholas Golden 23 - Sable Hafiz 23 - Fadi Bchara 24 - Heeyab Berhane 25 - John Burbank 28 - George Bittar 29 - Anthony Rezcallah 30 Deb Korluka NEW ICON INSTALLED A beautiful icon of Christ between Sts. Martha and Euphrosynus was recently blessed following the Divine Liturgy. The new icon has been installed in the social hall. This icon has been created as a result of a Minnesota Traditional and Folk Arts Grant awarded to Deb Korluka in the event of a master/apprenticeship program with Michael Etoll apprenticing in Byzantine iconography. They were also assisted by Eva Etoll in the writing of the icon. Birthdays & Anniversaries Anniversary in April 26 - Alex & Deb Korluka 28 - Paul & Cynthia Karos 29 - Christopher & Seidy Menke The Parish of St. George joins in wishing each of the celebrants congratulations and best wishes for a joyful, peaceful, healthful year. (Updated 2/2012) Each month we endeavor to provide a complete list of Birthdays and Anniversaries so that we will know who to commemorate in our prayers and to greet on their special day. If we have inadvertently omitted someone, please let Father Tom know so that we can include you. The purpose of the list is to be inclusive rather than exclusive. Please help us keep the list updated. Thank you and all our prayers MOVING?? OR HAVE YOU MOVED? Don t forget to tell your church about your new address. Please contact Joannie Alevizos so she can update our mailing list. THE WORD MAGAZINE Anyone interested in receiving the WORD Magazine please contact Fr. Tom. Any member of St. George may receive the WORD free. HOLY BREAD SCHEDULE If you would like to offer the Holy Bread in memory of loved ones or for the health of your family, etc., call Joannie Alevizos to secure a date in advance. The same is true for the Memorial Wheat. NOTE: STAMP FOR HOLY BREAD NOW RESIDES IN THE CHURCH KITCHEN. If you would like to host a coffee hour by yourself or with someone, sign up on the schedule sheets, or contact Sanaa Jubran to reserve a date. All that is asked is that hosts strictly follow the Fasting traditions of our Holy Orthodox Church. And as always everyone is invited for this period of fellowship. THANK YOU ROSA NEIMY! We have been blessed to have Rosa Neimy as our sunshine lady for many years. She has done a great job. I want to thank her for all her help and for sending out so many cards on behalf of our church. May God bless you Rosa and grant you many years! I have appointed Brigitte Khoury to be our new Sunshine Lady. If you know of anyone to whom a card should be sent, please call Brigitte at: Fr. Tom

3 CHURCH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER April, 2015 St. Raphael of Brooklyn: Good Shepherd of the Lost Sheep in America Focus Dinner 3/22/15 Thank you to everyone who donated their time and/ or money to feed the hungry at Focus MN on Sunday, March 22 nd. Over twenty-five St. George faithful helpers showed up to serve the dinner. A final tally showed that we served 177 meals! With over 100 pieces of chicken remaining, Zossima kindly took the extra chicken to Harbor Light, a shelter for the homeless. By the end of the evening the snow was falling and the temperature was dropping. As he suspected on such an unpleasant night the shelter had filled and those left without a place to stay had been allowed inside a vestibule to escape the cold. These were the recipients of the chicken and they were extremely grateful. Creative Arts Festival A total of 26 children participated in this year s Creative Arts Festival and turned in close to 50 projects! The projects were displayed for viewing on Sunday, March 15 th in our church hall under the big banner of the same theme. Those done by anyone grade one and up have since been sent on for regional judging. Thank you to all who participated. Lazarus Saturday Activities April 4 th After Lazarus Saturday s liturgy we have a special day planned for the youth in the church. There will be palm weaving, cross making, candle assembly for use in the Palm Sunday services, and other Lent and Pascha crafts. Please plan on attending. Remember- Palm Sunday is Sunday, April 5 th Holy Pascha is Sunday, April 12th Keep filling your Food for Hungry Banks Keep stocking the Food shelves ++No Church School on Pascha++ Page 3

4 TEEN SOYO It was a time for sharing and fun as the St. George Teen SOYO gathered together with a pan- Orthodox group to rest and enjoy each other's company in the middle of Lent. Part of spiritual growth is finding and developing a group of friends who will share your values and build a network of support for your Orthodox Faith in the years to come. That, by the way, is also good for adults as well! Our SOYO may be the only Orthodox in their school and our hope is that by taking time to meet, greet, and develop relationships we can help make being an Orthodox teen less "lonely". Thank you for your prayer and support of our young people. Fr. John Chagnon INTERNATIONAL ICON CONFERENCE Deb Korluka will be participating in the Ninth International Conference of Iconographic Studies University of Rijeka, Croatia, June 1-4, 2015 at the Museum of Russian Icons, Clinton, MA, USA, June 11-13, This conference is sponsored jointly by The Museum of Russian Icons, USA The University of Rijeka, Center for Iconographic Studies, Croatia The American University of Rome, Italy The Institute for the Study of Culture and Christianity, Belgrade, Serbia. With the cooperation of The Harvard University Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, USA Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Please contact Deb if you wish to also travel and participate in this conference Page 4

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6 FALAFEL DINNER SAINT GEORGE ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH FR. JOHN KHOURY S 40 TH ANNUAL FALAFEL DINNER MARCH 22, 2015 REPORT This is the 40 th year of the Annual Falafel Dinner, begun in 1975 by Father John Khoury. It was passed on to Joseph Khoury and Family (BEIRUT RESTAURANT), who has since, sponsored the event every year during LENT. I would like to thank Joe and John Khoury and their Families for a great job and a delicious meal year after year. Dad would be (IS) very proud of how you have honored him. I know you do this from your HEART, but thanks again. This was a very good year. We sold 186 ADULT tickets and 14 CHILDREN. At $10 for Adults x 186 = $1, $5 for Kids x 14 = $70.00 Donations = $70.00 That gives us a total of $2, I do believe this is one of the best years yet. If possible, the money should go to the Building Fund. Respectfully Submitted, George Khoury, as directed by John Khoury. Page 6

7 ANTIOCHIAN WOMEN NEWSLETTER APRIL 2015 Our NAB Humanitarian project of making hygiene kits for IOCC to send to Syria was a huge success. We mailed 228 kits. Thank you to Denise Ferraro and Vicky Michaels who coordinated this project and to all who donated and participated in this worthy cause. This was a record breaker. We raised $ to be able to buy supplies. We are truly blessed. Thank you. The ladies prepared a delicious fish dinner for the Annunciation! Thank you to all who helped as well as those who made the macadoun at the bake session led by Patty Burbank. Look for our next bake date in the future. Monday, April 6 th,, we will make our Easter Kaack at 10:00am. Please come and join in on our fun bake sessions. We will also make gift bags for those who do not get out often. If you know of anyone who needs a visit, please let Joannie Alevizos or Aurelia Peterson know. The Parish Life Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan is June 24 th to 28 th. Who plans to attend? This is so much fun and nice to share ideas with our sister parishes in our Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest. May you have a blessed Pascha. Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen! Heaven and Hell A man spoke with the Lord about heaven and hell. The Lord said to the man "come, I will show you hell". They entered a room where a group of famished people sat around a huge pot of cooking stew. Everyone in the room was starving and desperate. Each person held a spoon that reached the pot but each spoon had a handle so much longer than their own arms that it could not be used to get the stew into their own mouths. The suffering was terrible. "Come now, I will show you heaven" the Lord said.. They entered another room identical to the first, the big pot of stew, the group of people and the same long-handled spoons. But here everyone was happy and well nourished. "I don't understand" said the man. "Why is everyone happy here and miserable in the other room? Everything is the same." "Here," said the Lord "they have learned to feed each other " Humility is the key to the Kingdom of Heaven. Love opens the door. A humble person loves God first, neighbors second, self third. A humble person does not think less of himself. He thinks of himself less. Thus saith the Lord. (This was presented by Mary Rudquist at the last Antiochian Women Meeting) Page 7

8 ANNOUNCEMENTS Special prayers were said for the St. George catechumens after liturgy on Sunday, March 8. We particularly pray for the catechumens in the services of Great Lent. (See photo on the left) CONGRATULATIONS Our congratulations to Ken and Jennifer Lehnen and their five boys who joined the Orthodox Church Saturday, March 14, through the sacrament of chrismation. (See picture above) They each took a baptismal name: Ken Mathias, Jennifer Genevieve, James Constantine, Dominic Ambrose, Mathias kept his name, Nick Gabriel, Mike Valentine. Their godparents are Dn. John & Lisa Mikhail. DIRECTORY CHANGES: PHONE NUMBER LEHNEN, Ken and Jennifer to: (952) PLEASE ADD: HODGE, Joe and Linda Fairfield Road West Minnetonka, MN H C lindannjoe@comcast.net AGAPE VESPERS The Agape Vespers on April 12, has been moved to 2:00 P.M. Please make this change on your calendars. Please pick up your revised schedules for Lazarus Saturday through Pascha, on the ushers desk. Lenten/Pascha Events Donations for flowers and candles: Please make a supreme effort to donate for flowers and/ or candles for Pascha/Easter this year. Please give your donations to Willy Percy. Lazarus Saturday, April 4: Please think about coming to the 9:00 a.m. Liturgy and staying to help prepare palms for Palm Sunday, April 5. Good Friday, April 10, 12:00 noon: One-hour luncheon and discussion entitled "The Cross: A Curse, then a Boast," presented by Dr. Michael Lotti, in the St. George Hall following the 10:00am Royal Hours Good Friday service. Dr. Lotti is the author of the novel, St. George and the Dragon, published in 2014, and is a parishioner at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in St. Paul. He has taught for 15 years at the middle school, high school, and collegiate levels. He is also an accomplished business and academic writer. St. George and the Dragon is his first novel. Following the Resurrection Service, at midnight Saturday April 11/Sunday April 12: Break the fast with pizza and chicken in the church hall. Please bring as much chicken as you can. (We always run out.) Easter basket hunt: After the 2:00 p.m. Agape Service at St. George. Pascha/Easter celebration party: After the 2:00 p.m. Agape Service (please note the time change to 2:00 p.m. not 3:00 p.m. as in previous years): at the home of Thomas and Mary Rudquist, 7465 E. Concord Boulevard, Inver Grove Heights. (Please feel free to share, bring a hot dish, salad, hors d ouevres, or a dessert.) Page 8

9 ANNOUNCEMENTS ECUMENICAL PRAYER SER- VICE FOR ALL THE MAR- TYRS OF FAITH April 24, 2015, marks the 100 th anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian Genocide. To commemorate this event, an ecumenical prayer service is planned for Saturday, April 18, 2015, 3:00 P.M., at the Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Avenue. This service, which pays tribute to all who have been martyred, is co-hosted by the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, the Minnesota Council of Churches and St. Sahag Armenian Church. For information call St. Sahag Church at , or visit BASKETS NEEDED FOR SI- LENT AUCTION! As you begin your spring cleaning, please keep in mind that we need your gently-used baskets for our silent auction and consider donating them. (Minimum bottom base inches and no Easter baskets, please) Contact Sarah Larson for more information. ST GEORGE PANCAKE BREAKFAST The St. George Men s club will sponsor a Pancake Breakfast in memory of Jimmy Hafiz, Sunday, April 26, They will be serving pancakes, sausage, fruit cup, juice or coffee. Costs: Adults $8.00, Children under 12, $2.00. Coordinated by Rob Hafiz, Assaad Haddad and Paul Abrass. COUNCIL CORNER HIGHLIGHTS FROM MARCH 2015 MEETING Treasurer s report for FEBRUARY 2015 was approved. It shows: Stewardship donations; down 40% from Budget. Total Income; down 38% from Budget. Total Expense; Up 9% from Budget. Accounts Balances as of February 15, 2015: Checking: $9,112.25, Savings: $22,355.23, Building fund: $12, Accounts Total= $43, and Mortgage Balance of $ Stewardship donations from month to month are inconsistent, so we have to take money from savings to cover the operating account. With that in mind, $3, was transferred from savings to checking in February. The SIX MONTH REPORT shows; Stewardship, DOWN 7% from Budget. Total Income, UP 6% from Budget (Includes uncategorized income). Total Expense for the SIX MONTHS, ON BUDGET. TOTAL STEWARDSHIP: First 3 months; $35,629.29, Second 3 months; $48, A Total of $84,403.34, we budgeted, $89, Page 9

10 MEMORY ETERNAL! The Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko dean emeritus of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, and noted Orthodox Christian priest, theologian, preacher, and speaker, fell asleep in the Lord on March 18, He was a friend to many in the Twin Cities. The group above gathered at the Karos home a year and a half ago to share some treasured time with Fr. Tom. The following are reflections from Fr. Tom; Fr. Thomas Hopko s 55 Maxims On Living a Christian Life 1. Be always with Christ and trust God in everything. 2. Pray as you can, not as you think you must. 3. Have a keepable rule of prayer done by discipline. 4. Say the Lord's Prayer several times each day. 5. Repeat a short prayer when your mind is not occupied. 8. Practice silence, inner and outer. 9. Sit in silence 20 to 30 minutes each day. 10. Do acts of mercy in secret. 11. Go to liturgical services regularly. 12. Go to confession and holy communion regularly. 13. Do not engage intrusive thoughts and feelings. 14. Reveal all your thoughts and feelings to a trusted person regularly. 15. Read the scriptures regularly. 18. Be an ordinary person, one of the human race. 19. Be polite with everyone, first of all family members. 20. Maintain cleanliness and order in your home. 21. Have a healthy, wholesome hobby. 22. Exercise regularly. 23. Live a day, even a part of a day, at a time. 24. Be totally honest, first of all with yourself. 6. Make some prostrations when you pray. 7. Eat good foods in moderation and fast on fasting days. 16. Read good books, a little at a time. 17. Cultivate communion with the saints. 25. Be faithful in little things. 26. Do your work, then forget it. 27. Do the most difficult and painful things first _Houston_Antiochian_Convention&utm_medium= Page 10

11 Coming Events Face reality. 29. Be grateful. 30. Be cheerful. 31. Be simple, hidden, quiet and small. 32. Never bring attention to yourself. 33. Listen when people talk to you. 34. Be awake and attentive, fully present where you are. 35. Think and talk about things no more than necessary. 36. Speak simply, clearly, firmly, directly. 37. Flee imagination, fantasy, analysis, figuring things out. 38. Flee carnal, sexual things at their first appearance. 39. Don't complain, grumble, murmur or whine. 40. Don't seek or expect pity or praise. 41. Don't compare yourself with anyone. 42. Don't judge anyone for anything. 43. Don't try to convince anyone of anything. 44. Don't defend or justify yourself. 45. Be defined and bound by God, not people. 46. Accept criticism gracefully and test it carefully. 47. Give advice only when asked or when it is your duty. 48. Do nothing for people that they can and should do for themselves Have a daily schedule of activities, avoiding whim. 49. Have a daily schedule of activities, avoiding whim and caprice. 50. Be merciful with yourself and others. 51. Have no expectations except to be fiercely tempted to your last breath. 52. Focus exclusively on God and light, and never on darkness, temptation and sin. 53. Endure the trial of yourself and your faults serenely, under God's mercy. 54. When you fall, get up immediately and start over. 55. Get help when you need it, without fear or shame. We all die, but we can t die anymore because Christ has filled death with Himself and it has been transformed into the victory which is our faith. So every time we stand before that cross, that s what we know and God has His ways and only when we surrender to them do we understand. Fr. Thomas Hopko, Sunday of the Cross 2014 WEBSITE Please check out the St. George Website: We have now updated the calendar, bulletins and newsletters. If you think there is something missing on the church calendar or if you would like to see something new on the web- site, please give Fr. Tom a call to add to the calendar or for suggestions. An updated website is important if it is to be viewed by friends and parishioners. Announcing the 8th Annual St. George Middle Eastern Festival This year we will hold our 8th Annual Middle Eastern Festival on July 17th, 18th and 19th, Please plan on joining us for a fun-filled weekend of fantastic food, great entertainment and the best hospitality in the Twin Cities! Silent auction, pastries and sweets, Middle Eastern marketplace and much, much more! Visit us online at and on Facebook at mideastfest. SEE YOU AT THE FESTI- VAL! THANK YOU! Thanks to the Antiochian Women for making and serving a delicious Fish Dinner after Church for the Annunciation of the Theotokos. The donations collected will go to the Antiochian Women projects. We thank all our women for their dedication and hard work for the church, especially for their help during Women s Month in our Archdiocese. May God bless them for their sacrificial work for our church. Page 11

12 St. George Antiochian Church 1250 Oakdale Ave. West St. Paul, MN ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. Postage PAID Twin Cities, MN Permit No inside... St. George Newsletter 4/15 * Falafel Dinner Report * Antiochian Women Report * TEEN SOYO