December 2018 NATIVITY OF OUR LORD 681
About fasting The Church of Christ commands its children to have a moderate lifestyle, highlighting the days and periods of mandatory abstinence / fasting. Old Testament saints were fasting as well as Christ Himself. (Matt.4.). Weekly fasting days (with the exception of weeks of continuous fasting) are Wednesday and Friday. The Wednesday fast was set in remembrance of the betrayal of Christ by Judas, and Friday for the crucifixion sufferings and the death of the Savior. On these days it is forbidden to eat meat, dairy products, and eggs. During the period from All Saints' Week (the first Sunday after the feast of the Trinity, also called Pentecost) to the Nativity, on Wednesdays and Fridays one should also abstain from eating fish. There are 4 multi-day fasts in a year. The most important and strictest fast is Great Lent, which lasts seven weeks before Easter (Pascha). The strictest weeks are the first and the last, Holy Week. Great Lent is set at 40 days to commemorate the forty-day fast of the Savior in the desert. Close to the discipline of the Great Lent is the Dormition fast, but it is shorter - August 14-27 th (G.C.)* (see below) and August 1-14 th (J.C.)* (see below). With this fast, the Holy Church honors the Most Holy Theotokos, who, coming before God, invariably prays for us. Fish can be eaten only three times the aforementioned fasts - on the feast of the Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady (April 7 th (J.C.) and March 25 th (G.C.)), the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (one week before Easter/Pascha) and the Transfiguration of Our Lord (August 19 th (J.C.), August 6 th (G.C.). The Nativity Fast lasts 40 days, from November 28 th to January 6 th (J.C.) and November 15 th December 24 th (G.C.) During this fast fish is allowed, except Monday, Wednesday and Friday. After the feast of St. Nicholas (December 19 th (J.C.) and December 6 th (G.C.)), fish can be eaten only on Saturdays and Sundays, and during the period from January 2 nd to January 6 th (J.C.) and December 19 th -24 th (G.C.) one should strictly fast. The fourth fast is the Holy Apostles (Petrov) fast. It begins on the Week of All Saints and ends on the day of the memory of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul - July 12 th (J.C.) and June 29 th (G.C.). The charter on nutrition during this fast is the same as during the first period of the Nativity Fast. The days of strict fasting are Epiphany Eve (January 18 th (J.C.) and January 6 th (G.C.)), feast of the Beheading of John the Baptist (September 11 th (J.C.) and August 29 th (G.C.)) and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 27 th (J.C.) and September 14 th (G.C.). Some relief in the severity of fasting is allowed for sick people, as well as for the people involved in hard labor, pregnant and lactating women. This is done to ensure that fasting does not lead to a sharp decline in strength so that Christian has the strength to pray and do necessary work. A fast must be not only physical, but also spiritual. Fasting is not a mere matter of diet. True fasting, - St. John Chrysostom teaches, - is to put away all evil, to control the tongue, to forbear from anger, to abstain from lust, slander, falsehood and perjury. The body of the fasting person, without being burdened by food, becomes light and strengthens to receive the grace-giving gifts. Fasting tames the desires of the flesh, softens temper, suppresses anger, restrains the impulses of the heart, invigorates the mind, brings tranquility to the soul, eliminates incontinence. As St. Basil the Great says, by auspicious fasting, moving away from the sin committed by all senses, we perform the pious duty of an Orthodox Christian. J.C. Julian calendar, also known as Old style G.C. Gregorian calendar, also known as New calendar PARISH LIFE: Important dates: December 12 th Church cleaning December 25 th NATIVITY OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST (Gregorian calendar) January 6 th THEOPHANY: THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD (Gregorian calendar) January 7 th NATIVITY OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST (Julian calendar)
January 19 th THEOPHANY: THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD (Julian calendar) From the desk of Fr Nazari Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, This year, taking advantage of the preparation of our Parish Leaflet before the Nativity Fast, I would like to wish you all a successful and prayerful Nativity Fast, which begins according to the Gregorian calendar on November 15 th and ends on December 25 th, and according to the Julian calendar it begins on November 28 th and ends on January 7 th. I want to remind everyone that your prayer, attendance during church services, and communion of the Holy Body and Blood of Our Lord are the main elements of Christian fasting. To these virtues, according to the teachings of the church, we add abstinence from certain kind of food. For this reason, I want to draw your attention to the article at the beginning of this bulletin About Fasting. May Our Lord help and strengthen us all and bless us to celebrate the blessed feast of the Nativity of Jesus Christ! November turned out to be rich in parish events and church services. I want to thank everyone who took an active part in organizing our Annual Slavic Festival, and I want to especially mention the chairman of the Slavic Festival Committee and Parish Council member subdeacon Andrey Aristov, the Sisterhood, which, as always, prepared an extraordinary amount of delicious food, Ekaterina Solovskaya and Anna Semenova for organizing the entertainment, and everyone who took part in the preparation and realization of this event. God bless you all! My dear parishioners, many of you wonder why all the icons that have been displayed in our church before the floor renovation were not placed back in the church after the floor project was finished. As it was announced in the previous Parish Leaflet, in the process of preparing for the renovation of the church building, we found that the walls need major repairs. I hope that with God's help and your support, we will be able to start these repairs in the very near future, and therefore not all the icons are being displayed in the Temple to simplify the process of preparing for the repair of walls. As you understand, we cannot start repairs without having enough funds to complete it, and therefore I once again ask you to open your hearts and help us bring our Temple to a worthy condition. God save you all for your prayers and understanding! God bless you all. Archpriest Nazari Polataiko Sisterhood news The last few months we have been constantly repairing and purchasing appliances. Our kitchen dishwasher, the rectory s dishwasher, purchasing a new stove for the rectory, and now we had to replace two oven thermostats for our kitchen stove. Luckily the job was completed before the Food Festival and the ovens are baking our food beautifully. As usual, we donated 125 piroshki for the event and many of our ladies worked the day helping at the Festival. We were pleased at how lovely the rugs looked when they were returned after the cleaning. They look like brand new rugs. Irene Gregory Christmas Bazaar/Bake Sale/Luncheon These will be held on Sunday, December 9 th, in the Church Hall. We are looking for donations of homemade baked goods for the Bake Sale, Christmas and other items for the Bazaar and luncheon and dessert treats. Please see Tanya Timohovich regarding the Bazaar, Ann Chach regarding the Bake Sale and Alla Bobrov for luncheon and dessert items. They are in the Church Hall after liturgies. We hope everyone can participate and get in the Christmas spirit! Please see the attached flyer. Fundraising Committee Saturday School Students, teachers and parents of Saturday school confess on December 8 th and 15 th. On December 15 th there will be Liturgy with the communion of Saturday School. After the Liturgy, everyone will be offered a fasting dinner in the New Year s traditions. Saturday school most active members will decorate Parish Hall for Christmas. A large Christmas tree will be installed, which was purchased last year. It will stay in the Parish Hall till the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord. The Russian language classes for adults began (elementary level). Everyone who is interested please contact Irina Usova via phone 323-413-7877. Irina Usova, Coordinator Charity Committee Our December 2nd charity collection will go to the Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry. This agency of the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops brings the light of Christ into prisons by the dedication of its donors and volunteers who have chosen to follow our Lord's words when he stated "I was in prison and you came to me [Matthew 25:36]." November 18 through December 23 we are collecting Christmas gifts for needy children. You are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy or sporting good to the collection box in the Parish Hall annex. Through your generosity, Holy Virgin Mary Cathedral will provide joy to a child who might otherwise go without any gifts this holiday season. Gardening Committee We are setting up a gardening committee to do maintenance in the church yard. Anyone interested should contact Marina Burgmeier after church on Sunday or via e-mail at marina_burgmeier@hotmail.com There is so much work to do in the church yard such as thinning out areas, weeding, etc. Once we get a committee together we can decide on when to meet, how often to meet, and what to accomplish at each meeting. I look forward to hearing from you. God bless, Marina Burgmeier
BAPTISMS: FUNERALS: Emily Newstodt.......November 18 th Many years! Raymond M. Barp Jr........October 6 th Memory eternal! Prayer Request list: Irene Gregory, Marina Dobis, Alexander, Maria, Elena, Theodore, Ann Brown, Marie (Lynn) McEntire The Parish Council Would Like to Thank the Following Persons for their BUILDING Fund and CENTENNIAL Fund Contributions Anonymous... 1,000 Igor and Tatiana in memory of parents Mr and Mrs Timohovich, Mr and Mrs Lee... 600 Evgeniy Foust Trust in memory of Glen, Jim, George, Ekaterina, Gregory... 300 Timohovich Productions, Inc. in memory of parents Mr and Mrs Timohovich, Mr and Mrs Lee... 100 Mr and Mrs Stasevich... 100 Nina Perrinelle... 100 DECEMBER 2018 1 Sat 5:00pm Vigil 2 Sun 10:00am Divine Liturgy 27TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 4 Tue 10:00am Divine Liturgy at St. Barbara Orthodox Monastery at 15799 Ojai Rd., Santa Paula, CA 93060 The Feast of the Great Martyr Barbara (Gregorian calendar) 7:00pm Akathist before the icon of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos Rescuer of the Perishing 7 Fri 10:00am Divine Liturgy Greatmartyr Catherine 8 Sat 5:00pm Vigil 9 Sun 10:00am Divine Liturgy 28TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST Bake Sale, Christmas bazaar, Luncheon (after Liturgy) Pre-Concert Lecture and Q&A with Dr. Vladimir Morosan Camerata Rus: Prepare, O Bethlehem Concert 2-2:30pm 3:00pm 11 Tue 7:00pm Akathist before the icon of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos Rescuer of the Perishing 12 Wed 9:00am Church cleaning 13 Thu 10:00am Divine Liturgy Holy Apostle Andrew the First-called 15 Sat 5:00pm Vigil 16 Sun 10:00am Divine Liturgy 29ST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 17 Mon 10:00am Divine Liturgy Greatmartyr Barbara 18 Tue 7:00pm Vigil St. Nicholas the Wonderworker 19 Wed 10:00am Divine Liturgy 22 Sat 5:00pm Vigil
23 Sun 10:00am Divine Liturgy 30TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 24 Mon 10:00am Royal Hours 7:00pm VIGIL NATIVITY OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR 25 Tue 10:00am DIVINE LITURGY JESUS CHRIST (Gregorian calendar) 29 Sat 5:00pm Vigil 30 Sun 10:00am Divine Liturgy 31ST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 31 Mon 7:00pm New Year s Eve Moleben JANUARY 2019 5 Sat 5:00pm Vigil & water blessing 6 Sun 10:00am Liturgy & water blessing THEOPHANY: THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD (Gregorian calendar) 5:00pm VIGIL 7 Mon 10:00am DIVINE LITURGY NATIVITY OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST (Julian calendar) 8 Tue 7:00pm Akathist before the icon of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos Rescuer of the Perishing 12 Sat 5:00pm Vigil 13 Sun 10:00am Divine Liturgy 33 rd SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 14 Mon 10:00am Divine Liturgy The Lord s Circumcision; St. Basil 15 Tue 7:00pm Akathist before the icon of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos Rescuer of the Perishing 18 Fri 7:00pm VIGIL & water blessing THEOPHANY: THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD 19 Sat 10:00am 5:00pm LITURGY & water blessing Vigil (Julian calendar) 20 Sun 10:00am Divine Liturgy 34 th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 22 Tue 7:00pm Akathist before the icon of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos Rescuer of the Perishing 25 Fri 10:00am Divine Liturgy Martyr Tatiana of Rome 26 Sat 5:00pm Vigil 27 Sun 10:00am Divine Liturgy 35 th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST PLEASE CHECK OUR UPDATED SCHEDULE ON OUR WEBSITE WWW.HVMLA.ORG