SUNDAY, AUGUST 11 - NO MORNING ORTHROS  The Divine Liturgy will be celebrated beginning at 10AM.  See you then!

HONOR THE HOLY DORMITION FEAST - VESPERAL DIVINE LITURGY, WEDNESDAY EVENING, AUG 14  A Vesperal Divine Liturgy will be offered at 6PM this Wednesday evening in celebration of this Holy Day.  Please fast from food and drink from 11AM to prepare for Communion.  

WELCOME TO OUR VISITORS Whether you are new to Bangor or if you're just passing through - welcome! Please don't hesitate to introduce yourself to someone you've never met and consider staying for some refreshments and fellowship after the morning service. If you would like to receive mailings or otherwise stay in touch, please leave your contact information (name, address, phone, email) with the person in the church office.

CHOIR MEMBERS, WE NEED YOU  As you all know, this is vacation season.  Choir, we ask you to keep this in mind and make every effort to be present to offer the Divine Liturgy every Sunday during the summer season, especially.  Thank you!

THE MOTHER OF GOD IS THE MOTHER OF ALL CHRISTIANS  She is a strong ally and protection for God's children.  Give her your love and devotion, she is more than deserving of every laud we can raise to her name.  As a good and loving Mother, she is always there for us and comes to our aid when we call out to her.

WE'RE STILL IN THE MIDST OF THE DORMITION FAST  The fasting period for the Holy Dormition began on Thursday, August 1 and continues through Wednesday, August 14.  The fast is broken on the Feast of the Panagia's Holy Dormition, Thursday, August 15.  The Church guides us to fast as during Great Lent, that is, eat a vegan diet (no meat, fish or dairy products during this period), although fish is permitted on Tuesday, August 6 for the Feast of the Holy Transfiguration.  Seafood is always acceptable during fasting days / seasons.  The Church guides us wisely--roughly half the year is spent following a vegan diet which more and more people realize is to our health's benefit.  Not only is it to our health's benefit, but it is also a great spiritual benefit.  Places you can look on-line for recipe ideas:  https://plantbasedcookingshow.com/ and YouTube.com--look for the channel "Heavenly Fan."  Fan follows a vegan keto plan and has had much success over a number of years.  Both cooks--Jill from the Plant Based Cooking Show and Fan of the Heavenly Fan channel are both excellent cooks with tasty recipes.

IF YOU ARE NOT YET FAMILIAR... make an effort to learn to chant the small paraklesis service to the Mother of God (the Holy Theotkos) during the Dormition Fast this year.  It is customary to offer paraklesis prayers to the Mother of God on the weekdays of the Dormition Fast.  The Orthodox choral group, Eikona, has made this beautiful service accessible to us in the English language.  You can listen to the prayers being chanted at this link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?=YbfD6pYWu5g.  If you print out the text, you can learn to chant along with Eikona.  The words are here:  https://hrmonline.org/documents/2016/10/Paraklesis%2020161021.pdf.

OUR RELIQUARY  The Saints' relics entrusted to our church are often available for veneration when you enter the nave. They are in the front of the church, in the reliquary on the table before the icon of St. George.  You may approach to venerate them when you arrive.  You will sometimes find they emit a sweet fragrance on their own.  One of the Saints whose relics are in the reliquary is St. Timothy, Archbishop of Evripos, the Wonderworker, from the 16th century.  His relic is on the left side of the box (all the relics are labeled). St. Timothy's Feast Day is this Friday, Aug 16.  Let us honor his holy relics which bring grace to our modest church!  Also the center relic in our reliquary is a relic of St. George (this is a great honor for our church which is named for him)!  The relic on the right side belongs to the Sainted monastic martyrs of Sinai and Raithu.  There were two martyrdoms which occurred at those sites--one in the fourth century, one in the fifth.  This group of martyrs is remembered on January 14 each year.  Learn more here:  https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/01/holy-fathers-slain-at-sinai-and-raithu.html.  Wondrous is God in His Saints!

WOULD YOU BAKE SOME PROSFORA?  Our supply of breads is running low.  If you can bake prosfora, would you kindly let Fr. Leo that you will bake some bread for the Holy Offering?

PRAYER REQUESTS   Please continue to remember two Orthodox "sisters in Christ" recovering from strokes (slow, but sure), Panagiota (Jaye) and Seraphima (Linnea).  Also, please remember Pat Egan whose eyesight is limiting her options.  Your prayers for these dear women will be of great assistance.  We also ask supportive prayers for Fr. Scott from Christ the Savior in Brewer who is recovering from a surgery with unexpected complications.  He is back at home now.  God grant him needed strength and a quick, solid recovery!

WEEKLY FELLOWSHIP HOUR  THANK YOU to everyone who brings something to share at table during fellowship hour.  Fellowship hour is that much more pleasant with refreshments thanks to your thoughtful generosity each week!

A REQUEST TO FIND AN ACCOMMODATION   The son of an Orthodox family (known to us) will be a student at Eastern Maine Community College studying diesel mechanics this fall.  The family lives a little too far away for a daily commute and are hoping their son could find a suitable small apartment or room in someone's home while he's a student.  Would anyone be able to offer him a rental arrangment for the coming academic year?  Please contact Fr. Leo 207 385 3000 (text) or Presbytera (her phone is out of commission, so please use email:  [email protected]).  Either of them can put you in contact with the family.  Thank you!  

PLEASE HELP ST. GEORGE RAISE A BIT OF EXTRA INCOME by turning in bottles and cans for redemption at Damon's Beverage and Redemption Center at 700 Hogan Road in Bangor.  Last year St. George received just shy of $400 for the year by this redemption method--every little bit helps.  Thank you! 

FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE - Donations can be made online.