NATIVITY 2016 РОЖДЕСТВО 2016 Monthly Bulletin 658 Приходский листок Holy Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Cathedral Свято Богородицкий Русский Православный Собор 650 Micheltorena Street Los Angeles, CA 90026 (323) 666-4977 www.hvmla.org
Nativity 2016 Christ is born! Glorify Him! Being citizens of the Empire of Spirit, and citizens of the Earth, to unite the ground and sky so that the ground has been penetrated by Divine presence and by spirit of life (St. Maximos the Confessor) Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ! Please accept my sincere Nativity greetings! In His Nativity, Our Lord Jesus Christ brought Peace, and Love to all humanity. He brings us salvation by bringing God to mankind : God is with us Hoping for Divine blessing of Lord, who came to the world in the flesh as Son of Man, our Saviuor Jesus Christ, I prayerfully wish you the everlasting help of the incarnate Word in your Christian life. I hope, and pray that Newly Born Christ will bless your celebration of the Nativity, the Feast of Jordan, and grant you a good, and prosperous New Year. With respect, and love in Newly-Born Christ, Archpriest Nazari Polataiko Рождество Христово 2016 Христос Рождается-Славте! От всего сердца поздравляю Вас с Рождеством Христовым. Eдинородный Сын и Слово Божие изволил спасения нашего ради воплотитися от Святыя Богородицы и Приснодевы Марии. Своим пришествием в мир Он явил великую милость ко всем нам. Родившись от Девы, Господь воспринял наше естество, дабы грешное человечество вступило в общение с Богом. Молитвенно желаю, чтобы Ваш путь христианской жизни и молитвы изобиловал благодатью о Господе, благоволившем принять имя «Емануил, что значит: с нами Бог» (Мф.1,23). С любовью о Христе Новорожденном Протоиерей Назарий Полатайко
Spiritual Father: how to search, why do you need one, and what to do if you do not have one. How obligatory is the decision to become a spiritual child, does it leave us free? Which attitude towards the confessor is wrong? What to do if you do not have a spiritual father yet? Is it possible to have a "confessor by correspondence"? What if a husband and his wife have different spiritual fathers? Is it possible to change one confessor for another? What makes relationships between spiritual father and his spiritual child special? Here we are discussing these and other topics with an experienced pastor. Obedience and Freedom - Strictly speaking, absolute obedience is a monastic category. And what is a degree of obedience for a common man? - Of course, you must take into account the possibilities of a man. There is a certain range of problems - not very diverse and extensive - that people usually put in front of us, priests. These questions mostly relate to the moral code of Christian life, and when it comes to these questions a spiritual child must be obedient. Well, for example, let s take so-called "civil marriage", the relationships which are not recorded with civil authorities and are not blessed by the Church. It is adultery. Some people say: "I'd rather get married but will not register." But these people do not realize that before the revolution, the church combined two institutions: the registrar (metrical records) and the Church institution itself, where the sacraments were administered. And, of course, a person who wants spiritual relationships must listen to you and stop illegally cohabit. Or they have to legalize it. There are problems of a different level. For example, transition from one job to another is it right or wrong? I know that the elders never advised to just switch to another job without any reason, for example, due to a higher salary, but recommended their spiritual children to stay where they are. And, in general, experience shows that it is usually correct. Why so? When a person transfers to another job, one has to adapt, but if they cannot, they could be dismissed. It is not worth it! - Shall a person discuss different aspects of his/her family life with their spiritual father? Why not to solve the problems yourself? - I think that any discussion should begin in the family. There are questions or issues that both husband and wife can handle themselves. And there are issues which should be discussed with the confessor, for example, when a husband does not agree with the point of view of his wife or vice versa. At the same time one should understand: I ask this question only if I am ready to fulfill the blessing of the confessor. If I do not, because I do not like the answer, it is profanity of relations. It is better not to approach your spiritual father and live on their own, then to ask and not to obey to execute. To be continued Faith, "FOMA in Ukraine", September 2016. (With the editor s changes)
PARISH LIFE: Important dates: December 11 th Christmas bazaar December 18 th Parish Council meeting December 25 th - NATIVITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST (NEW CALENDAR) January 5 th Eve of Theophany (NEW CALENDAR) January 6 th THEOPHANY: THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD (NEW CALENDAR) January 7 th NATIVITY OF OUR LORD AND GOD JESUS CHRIST (OLD CALENDAR) January 8 th Parish feast day Yolka 18 января - Eve of Theophany (OLD CALENDAR) 19 января - THEOPHANY: THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD (OLD CALENDAR) January 22 nd ANNUAL PARISH MEETING From the Desk of Fr. Nazari. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, From the bottom of my heart I thank you all for your prayers, greetings and gifts on the occasion of my Name s Day and over a period of my pilgrimage. By your prayers and with the blessing of Holy Virgin Theotokos, I successfully completed my pilgrimage to the Holy Mount Athos, where I had an opportunity not only to pray next to the world-known Holy sites and relics to venerate many wonderworking icons, but also to serve the Divine Liturgy in two largest monasteries of the Holy Mountain: the Chapel of the wonderworking icon of Theotokos, Quick to Hear in Docheiariou monastery and Serbian Monastery Hilandar. During these services and other worships I had an opportunity to pray for the health of all our parishioners and for all those who gave me commemoration notes for this trip. Christ save you all. I ask for your prayers as well. Upon completion of my pilgrimage and with the blessing of our Church Hierarchy I visited St. Catherine's Church in Moscow representation of Orthodox Church in America and was a member of the delegation of our Church participating in the celebration of the 70th Anniversary of His Holyness Kirill Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus. While I was absent our Fundraising Committee successfully organized John Sokolov s concert, and I am grateful to all who participated. This issue of monthly bulletin (Parish Leaflet) is the last one this year, in this regard, I would like to greet you on the occasion of the upcoming Nativity celebration (new calendar) and the beginning of a New Year, to thank you all for your prayers and donations last year that helped our parish a lot. I wish you health, happiness and success in the new year and call you for an active, prayful life in our parish. God help you in all good endeavors. May God Bless you! Archpriest Nazari Polataiko. Special Nativity Offering envelope is included for your Nativity donation. Please be generous and may God repay you with spiritual gifts, love, peace, and good health! Cleaning of the Church in preparation for the Nativity Feast is scheduled for Monday, December 12, at 9:00 am. This is the annual cleaning where we will be dusting, removing wax from the candle stands, polishing the woodwork, vacuuming the rugs, etc. Please try to come and help prepare our Temple for the Feast. Even if you can spend only a few hours, it will help. A light lunch will be served. Sisterhood News. This past month we were surprised to find out our new garbage disposal was not working and the new aerator on the kitchen faucet broken off. The first plumber call said the damage was not repairable. We had to have a person recommended from the company to come out and repair the unit. When he took it apart, sponges and metal screw were jammed in the disposal. Thank goodness it is working again. We are asking all those using the kitchen to be more careful with all the appliances and equipment. It's disappointing to find that some of our new purchases are treated so poorly. Irene Gregory Fundraising committee A fundraising concert held on November 11th, by John Sokoloff and his band was a great success. Thank you John for the most enjoyable evening! Many thanks to all who participated and worked hard to make the event successful. Bake Sale, Christmas Bazaar, Luncheon. These events will be held on Sunday, December 11th, following the Divine Liturgy. Please see the flyer enclosed. Please support our Parish by
attending and participating. Anything you can do to make these events successful, we would appreciate. Thank you. Ways and Means Kiosk-Bookstore Plan to do some of your Christmas shopping in the Kiosk! We not only have a large selection of Coffee Table Art Books on sale for gift giving, but also well over a hundred religious classics in our marked down Clearance Sale. Looking for an icon? We have around 50 larger sized icons, along with the ever-popular 3 x 4 inch small ones which make thoughtful little stocking gifts that will be appreciated and treasured for years to come. As always, we have a large selection of Christmas books for children that I will be putting out this week. Most of them have been marked down for holiday giving. It seems every year fewer and fewer people are sending Christmas cards, so I am stocking cards for individual purchase, rather than by the box of 10-12 cards. That way, you can pick up those cards for the few very special people that you will be sending cards to or enclosing with gifts. We will be receiving incense, more icons and commemoration books from Russia that Fr. Nazari has ordered for us and they should arrive soon. Some people have told me recently that they have just visited the Kiosk for the first time and simply had no idea how much we have in there-all on Orthodoxy! Some are parishioners who have been here for years and never been in to see it. Spread the word around about our Kiosk! As always, I invite you to Come and See! Cornel can help you find just the perfect gift! We now have calendars for 2017 in English and Russian both old and new style. Sister Elizabeth Saturday school On Saturday, December 17 - the day of communion and confession at Russian Saturday School. Right after the service there will be general meal for all students and teachers in the Parish Hall. Dear parents, please do not forget that on this day your kids preparing for communion, go to school with an empty stomach. Parish feast day "Yolka", prepared by the whole team of teachers and students of our school will be held on Sunday, January 8 th in the Parish Hall right after the morning Liturgy. The program includes a Christmas play "Zimushka-Zima" (from the fairy tale "Morozko"), the arrival of Father Frost and Snegurochka, games, gifts, refreshments. Everyone is welcome! Head of Studies, Irina Usova Sunday School. Dear Parents and Families, Sunday School classes will meet in December on 12/04 and 12/18. Classes will meet in January on 1/22 and 1/29. We are still a little short staffed, so if you can commit to two Sundays a month as an assistant, or are available as a substitute teacher, please contact Marie McEntire at the following email address: Lmcentir@gmail.com Thank you again for your continuous prayers and support. Marie McEntire, Coordinator L.O.V.E.S. We would like to thank all those who came and partook of our lovely Thanksgiving dinner. Thanks to all who attended in making it a success. I personally would like to thank all those who helped in making it a success, your hard work paid off. Thank you for all monetary donations and food donations. Thank you to all the workers and those who prepared the food. Hope to see you all there next year. God bless, Marina Burgmeier, President BAPTISMS: Eva Karadeniz... October 25 Many years! FUNERALS: Christopher Apostal... November 19 Memory eternal Prayer Request list: Tatiana Simakova (in need of a donor kidney); Marina Dobis (in need of a donor kidney) Mary Kokayko, Alexander, Maria, Elena, Theodore, Ann Brown The Parish Council Would Like to Thank the Following Persons for their BUILDING Fund Contributions Mike Dendrinos in memory of Helen and Gene Dendrinos... 300 Nina Perinelle in memory of Vadim Tikhomirov... 180 Maria Kaljakin in memory of her parents Nikolai and Klaudia... 100
Zara and Karina Markarian in memory of Christopher Apostal... 100 Gedda Ilves in memory of Father and Mother Gizetti... 100 Gai and Tamara Krupenkin in memory of Christopher Apostal... 100 Zinaida Shalygin for good health of Father Nazari... 50 Irene and Leo Gregory in memory of Christopher Apostal... 50 Anonymous... 10 DECEMBER 2016 3 Sat 5.00 pm Vigil 4 Sun 10.00 am Liturgy 24 th WEEK AFTER PENTECOST 6 Tue 10:00 am Liturgy Meeting of FORUM; movie night St. Alexander Nevsky (old calendar) St. Nicholas (new calendar) 9 Fri 10.00 am Liturgy St. Innocent Bishop of Irkutsk (old calendar) Conception of Holy Theotokos by Righteous Anna (new calendar) 10 Sat 10:00 am Saturday School confessions Icon of the Theotokos Of the Sign 5:00 pm Vigil 11 Sun 10.00 am Liturgy Christmas bazaar 25 th WEEK AFTER PENTECOST Sunday of Forefathers (new calendar) 12 Mon 9:00 am Church cleaning 13 Tue 10:00 am Liturgy Meeting of FORUM; Reader George Abuelkhair Bible study Lecture 3 Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (old calendar) 15 Thu Moleben to Theotokos followed by discussion 17 Sat 10:00 am Liturgy Great Martyr Barbara (old calendar) 5:00 pm Vigil 18 Sun 10:00 am Liturgy 26 th WEEK AFTER PENTECOST 1:30 pm Parish Council meeting 19 Mon 10.00 am Liturgy St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (old calendar) 20 Tue 24 Sat 10.00 am 7.00 PM 25 SUN 10.00 AM LITURGY Meeting of FORUM; presentation (See next issue of the bulletin for more information) Royal Hours and Liturgy GT. COMPLINE/MATINS Eve of the Nativity (strict fast) NATIVITY OF OUR LORD AND GOD JESUS CHRIST (NEW CALENDAR) 26 Mon 10.00 am Liturgy Synaxis of Most Holy Theotokos (new calendar) 31 Sat 5.00 am Vigil
JANUARY 2017 1 Sun 10:00 am Liturgy of St. Basil Great The Lord s Circumcision; St. Basil the Great (new calendar) 3 Tue Meeting of FORUM; movie night 5 Thu 10:00 am Royal Hours and Liturgy Vigil w/great water Blessing Eve of Theophany (new calendar) 6 Fri 10:00 am 7 Sat 10:00 am 5:00 pm LITURGY of St. Basil Great with Great Water Blessing Vigil LITURGY Vigil THEOPHANY: THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD (NEW CALENDAR) Nativity Eve (old calendar) NATIVITY OF OUR LORD AND GOD JESUS CHRIST (OLD CALENDAR) 8 Sun 10:00 am Liturgy Synaxis of Most Holy Theotokos (old calendar) Parish feast day Yolka 10 Tue Meeting of FORUM; Reader George Abuelkhair Bible study Lecture 4 14 Sat 5:00 pm Vigil 15 вс 10.00 am Liturgy 30 th WEEK AFTER PENTECOST 17 Tue Meeting of FORUM; presentation (See next issue of the bulletin for more information) 18 Wed Vigil w/great water Blessing THEOPHANY: THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD (OLD CALENDAR) 19 Thu 10:00 am LITURGY of St. Basil Great with Great Water Blessing 21 Sat 5:00 pm Vigil 22 Sun 10.00 am Liturgy 31 st WEEK AFTER PENTECOST ANNUAL PARISH MEETING (after Liturgy) 24 Tue Meeting of FORUM 25 Wed 10:00 am Liturgy Martyr Tatiana (old calendar) 26 Thu Moleben to Theotokos followed by discussion 28 Sat 5:00 pm Vigil 29 Sun 10:00 am Liturgy Zaccheus Sunday 30 Mon 10.00 am Liturgy Ven. Anthony the Great (old calendar) Synaxis of the three Holy Hierarchs: Basil the Great, John Chrysostom and Gregory the Theologian (new calendar) 31 Tue Meeting of FORUM; presentation by Fr. Nazari