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1 Saint George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church 1250 Oakdale Avenue West Saint Paul, Minnesota Parish Website: Very Reverend Archpriest Thomas Begley, Pastor Right Reverend Archimandrite Duane Pederson, attached Reverend Priest John Chagnon, attached V. Rev. Archpriest Paul Hodge, Assisting Priest Reverend Archdeacon Russell Hodge, Assisting Deacon Reverend Deacon John Mikhail, Assisting Deacon Reader Leonard Soroka, Director of Music Church Phone Pastor s Phone cell: December 21, 2014 THE SUNDAY BEFORE THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST THE GENEALOGY TONE: 3 EOTHINON: 6 Commemorations: Virgin-martyr Juliana of Nicomedia; Martyr Themistokles of Myra in Lycia; Peter, metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia. THE DIVINE LITURGY OF ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM RESURRECTIONAL APOLYTIKION IN TONE THREE Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad, for the Lord hath done a mighty act with His own arm. He hath trampled down death by death, and became the first-born from the dead. He hath delivered us from the depths of Hades, granting the world the Great Mercy. APOLYTIKION OF THE FOREFEAST OF THE NATIVITY IN TONE FOUR Be thou ready, O Bethlehem; for Eden hath been opened for all. Prepare, O Ephratha; for the Tree of life hath blossomed forth in the cave from the Virgin; for her belly did appear as a noetic paradise in which is planted the divine Plant, whereof eating we shall live and not die as Adam. Verily, Christ shall be born, raising the likeness that fell of old. APOLYTIKION OF SUNDAY BEFORE THE NATIVITY IN TONE TWO Great are the accomplishments of faith; for the three holy youths rejoiced in the fountain of flames as though at waters of rest. And the Prophet Daniel appeared a shepherd to the lions as though they were sheep. Wherefore, by their pleadings, O Christ God, save our souls. Now sing the apolytikion of St. George our patron saint. KONTAKION OF PREPARATION OF CHRIST S NATIVITY IN TONE THREE Today the Virgin cometh to the cave where she will give birth in an ineffable manner to the Word Who is before all the ages. Rejoice, therefore, O universe, when thou hearest it heralded: Glorify Him, with the angels and the shepherds, Who chose to be seen as a new-born babe, the God Who is before all the ages.

2 Prokeimenon: Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our Fathers. For you art just in all that you have done. EPISTLE: The Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Hebrews (11:9-10, 32-40) B rethren, by faith Abraham sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city which has foundations, w whose builder and maker is God. And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, and put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, illtreated of whom the world was not worthy wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. GOSPEL: The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew (1:1-25) T he book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, and Aram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the fatherof Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa, and Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, Who is called Christ.

3 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ were fourteen generations. Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call His Name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and His Name shall be called Emmanuel (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him; he took his wife, but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called His Name Jesus..HOLY BREAD Holy Bread is offered for the health and welfare of George, Brigitte, Katrina, the Geier, Weber, & Ferren families, and for Rosa Neimy & family, and all St. George Parishioners. And in loving memory of Adam & Catherine Geier, John & Katharina Geier, Laurent & Katherine Weber, and all departed members of the family, and the newly departed servant of God Bashaar and all the departed members of St. George. MEMORIAL Today we will serve a Memorial Service in loving memory of Craig Michael s parents Anthony & Gertrude Michaels. COFFEE HOUR Coffee hour this morning is offered by the George Khoury family. Please join us for this time of fellowship. WELCOME to all our guests and visitors. We are delighted to have you visiting and worshipping with us this morning and hope that you return soon. We invite you to participate in the Divine Liturgy, but, sadly, due to the divisions in Christianity, only baptized/chrismated members of the Orthodox Church who have made their Confession before an Orthodox priest and prepared themselves by fasting may receive Holy Communion. Please come forward after Liturgy to venerate the Cross and partake of the Antidoron - Holy Bread. Please join us in the Parish Hall for Coffee Hour after the Liturgy. Also, please turn off your cell phones and all electronic devices. PRAY FOR THE SICK Please pray for Lorraine DeFlorin, Wally & Maria Golden, Allen Golden, Yasmin Kakish, Jakob Kakish, Carol Haddad, Betty Ablan, Ted & Camille Goll, Kh. Vergin Khoury, Kyle Krache, Mary Saba, Erma Ziton, Jackson & Hunter Golden, Mavis Aussey, Margaret Boalbey, Gracie Holmes, Dn. Russell & Phyllis Hodge, Sarah Vanlerberghe, Kh. Vera Proctor, Rick, Kh. Amy Hodge, Beryl Toms, Mya Lee, Ellie Brynjulfson, Edgard Siouffy, Lorraine Hartwig, Berhane Haliemichael, Pat Burbank. If you are ill and wish to be remembered in the Liturgy and daily prayers of the priest, please contact Fr. Tom. THIS WEEK

4 THANK YOU! We wish to thank Myrna Rezcallah and the Sunday School children for an entertaining program as well as the parents and teachers! We all enjoyed the visit and presents from Santa! A special thank you for all who participated in the potluck for a delicious luncheon. Lamese McDowell wishes to thank the Ladies of St. George for helping with the green beans and rice, the frahney and for the delicious desserts sent for Fred's mercy meal. Thank you to the choir who sang beautifully at his funeral. May his memory be eternal! MEMORY ETERNAL Our condolences to Lamese McDowell on the falling asleep of her husband Fred. Fred was a close friend of our St. George Parish. May his memory be eternal! We were saddened to hear from Seidy Menke that her father Roberto Barrientos fell asleep in the Lord this week. Please keep Seidy and her family in your prayers. May his memory be eternal! Our condolences to Boshra Haddad and her family. Boshra s youngest brother Bashaar fell asleep in the Lord this past week. Boshra is with the family in Sweden. Please pray for them. May his memory be eternal! ATTENTION Fr. Thomas will be out of town from December 17 through December 22. If you have a pastoral need please contact Fr. John Chagnon or Dn. John Mikhail. CHRISTMAS SERVICES Our Christmas services will be held on December 25. Matins 8:50 A.M. and Liturgy 10:00 A.M. A blessed Nativity to you and your families! INVITING ALL ST. GEORGE LADIES Please join us for our Holiday Party/Reunion, on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2014, at 11:00 A.M. at Southview Country Club. Come enjoy an afternoon filled with fellowship, family and friends! Sign up in the hall or call Michelle Apman or Sarah Larson by today, December 21, VESPERS We will celebrate Vespers Saturday, December 27, at 5:00 P.M. ANNOUNCEMENTS CONFESSIONS If you would like to receive confession before the Nativity of our Lord, please plan to come during Matins or before or after Vespers. You may also call the church office to schedule a confession. Fr. Tom will be out of town a few weekends so you may also want to schedule with Fr. Duane or Fr. John. CHURCH CALENDARS Please pick up your church calendars by the bulletin board, only one per family so we know every family will get one! STEWARDSHIP ENVELOPES Your stewardship envelopes are available on the table by the bulletin board. Please pick up your box/boxes. If you have any questions please contact Willy Percy.

5 KITCHEN USE We are a very active parish and our kitchen gets heavy use. The Parish Council has determined that anyone wishing to use the kitchen at any time must contact George Khoury to reserve their date and time on the kitchen calendar. THE NATIVITY FAST The Nativity Fast began on November 15th and continues through December 24th. This Fast is divided into two periods: The second period of the Forefeast, December 20th through 24th, the traditional fasting discipline is observed Monday through Friday, with katalysis for wine and oil only on Saturday and Sunday. TALENT SHOW We are planning a talent show for December 28 following Divine Liturgy. We wish to focus on the children of the parish but adults are also welcome. We have a nice group of individuals taking part. We think this will be a great event! A NIGHT OUT IN THE NORTHEAST - Bowl. Eat. Drink. Give. An evening to benefit FOCUS Minnesota Elsie's Restaurant, Bar and Bowling Center 729 Marshall St Ne, Minneapolis Minneapolis, MN Sunday, December 28, 4-8 p.m. Tickets now available. Suggested donation $30 For more information, contact Janey Neumann at janey.neumann@gmail.com Will YOU donate a jacket to a young person in need? FOCUS Minnesota is partnering with two local high schools - The High School for Recording Arts, and the Minnesota Internship Center Charter High School - for youth at risk, boys and girls ages If you have kids, you might have a spare or unused jacket in your house right now. It does not need to be new, but it must be clean and in working order. Please consider this easy way to help a young person in need this winter. The days have been mild but the nights are chilly and, as we all know, soon it will be absolutely freezing! Call Vera Proctor with any questions: PASTA AND PASTA SAUCE COLLECTION FOR FOCUS MN In addition to our Food Drive for Neighbors, in which we help out persons in the West St. Paul community, we are again this year helping stock the shelves at FOCUS MN. Please donate pasta or sauce (any type of tomato base will do; sauce, paste, or actual pasta sauce are all welcome). Please place these items on the left side table outside the church hall and if possible label the bag FOCUS. NEIGHBORS INC. Please remember Neighbors during this Nativity season. Friends, Our elves tell me that they are completely out of boys mittens and gloves. They ve got tons of girls mittens (watch that comment reach up and bite me when I least expect it) but nothing for boys. If you are encouraging your congregations to help with Neighbors Christmas programs this is an immediate need. UPCOMING EVENTS

6 HOLY BREAD LIST December 25, (Christmas) Sonia Yovtcheva December 28, Lina Smith COFFEE HOUR LIST (Christmas) Lina Smith To schedule holy bread and/or memorial, please contact Joannie Alevizos. It is completely proper to have more than one memorial or Holy Bread on a Sunday. When signing up for Holy Bread, please indicate yes or no if you will also be providing coffee hour. If you would like to host a coffee hour please contact Sanaa Jubran. It is important to or call Fr. Tom or Brigitte Khoury bgkstgeorge@gmail.com by Tuesday prior to the Sunday of your memorial, with your information in order to print the bulletin in a timely manner. ICON CLASSES Please register by sending a deposit of $75.00 to Icon Art Studios, th Street North, Stillwater, MN, All inquiries can be sent via or by calling The schedule of 2015 classes are as follows: All sessions concentrate on technique, along with a spiritual and theological study on the prototype. Session 1 Session 1 will concentrate on the prototype of The Holy Face. St. Mary s Greek Orthodox Church on Lake Calhoun, 3450 Irving Ave. South, Minneapolis Thursdays from 5:30 to 9:30 on January 15, 22, 29 and February 5. Tuition cost is $ plus materials. Session 2 Session 2 will study and write an icon of The Theophany/ Baptism of Christ. St. Mary s Greek Orthodox Church on Lake Calhoun, 3450 Irving Ave. South, Minneapolis Thursdays from 6:00 to 9:00 on February 12, 19, March 5, 19, 22, and 31. Tuition cost is $ plus materials. Session 3 Session 3 will contemplate the sacrament of Baptism and will study and write and icon of The Visitation. The Basilica of Saint Mary, Hennepin at Sixteenth Street, Minneapolis From 9:00 am to 1:00 pm on Saturdays during Great Lent; February 21, 28, March 21 and 28. Tuition including materials: $ DEAR MEMBERS OF ST. GEORGE CHURCH The Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) chapter at the University of Minnesota is looking for people to potentially bring meals to meetings which we hold every other Thursday throughout the school year. The meetings are held at Saint Lawrence Catholic church (address is: th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414). The meals typically consist of: a main course, a salad, a dessert, and some bottled water. I know most of you do not have a student at the U of M currently, but it would mean a lot to the OCF if you considered bringing a meal to share with the students! If you are willing to do so please contact Jerrius Jubran at: jubr0002@umn.edu or via text/call : (651) WORLD FOOD DAY 2014 Our Archdiocese is one of the sponsoring organizations for the National Committee for World Food Day. This program is designed to heighten public awareness of food and hunger issues around the world. Each parish will distribute the food to the needy in their local community. The

7 canned goods brought to the church between October 5 and December 28, will be counted for this program and used at the food banks of our choice.

Merry Christmas. Welcome to St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral

Merry Christmas. Welcome to St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral Welcome to St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral Merry Christmas Sunday, December 21, 2014 Orthros 9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m. Sunday School 10:00 a.m. Last Sunday s Contributions Trays $271.00 Candles