Calendar

Parish Calendar

January 26 to February 2, 2025

Sunday, January 26

15th Sunday of Luke

8:15AM Orthros

9:30AM Divine Liturgy

10:45AM Church School

11:30AM Education Wing & Youth Design Meeting with Architects (after Church School)

11:30AM Greek Festival Meeting

12:00PM Basketball Practice (after Church School)

Monday, January 27

+Translation of the Relics of St. John Chrysostom

7:00PM Catechism #3 - Mankind: Creation, the Fall, Messiah

Tuesday, January 28

+St. Ephraim the Syrian

6:00PM Icon Class

Wednesday, January 29

+Fast Day

5:00PM Great Vespers

6:00PM Greek School

Thursday, January 30

+The Three Hierarchs Sts. Basil, the Great, Gregory the Theologian, & John Chrysostom

7:00PM Book Group

Friday, January 31

+Sts. Kyros & John the Unmercenaries

+Fast Day

Western Region Family Basketball Tournament

Sunday, February 2

+Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple

Sunday of the Canaanite

8:15AM Orthros

9:30AM Divine Liturgy

10:45AM No Church School Classes Today

Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Plagal 2nd Tone

The angelic powers appeared at your tomb, the soldiers guarding it became as dead men, and Mary stood at your grave seeking, seeking your most pure body. But you made hell a captive; you were untouched by its might. You came to the virgin and granted life. O Lord, who rose from the dead, glory to you.

Apolytikion for St. George in the 4th Tone

As the deliverer of captives, and the protector of the poor, a physician of the sick, the defender of kings, O Great Martyr Saint George Victorious; intercede to Christ our God, to save our souls.

Seasonal Kontakion in the 1st Tone

For our salvation you took flesh and you sanctified the Virgin's womb; you blessed the aged Simeon as you lay resting in his arms, and having come to save us all, O Christ our God, to these troubled times, bring your lasting peace. Give strong and undaunted faith to all your people, O only lover of mankind.

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

15th Sunday of Luke
The Reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to Timothy 4:9-15

Timothy, my son, the saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and suffer reproach, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things. Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Till I come, attend to the public reading of scripture, to preaching, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophetic utterance when the council of elders laid their hands upon you. Practice these duties, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress.

Gospel Reading

15th Sunday of Luke
The Reading is from Luke 19:1-10

At that time, Jesus was passing through Jericho. And there was a man named Zacchaios; he was a chief collector, and rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaios, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today." So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." And Zacchaios stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost."

Announcements

Greeters

Theodora Bischof & Dylan Eisenhuth

Prosfora

Andrea Faches

Fellowship Hour

Thank you to Connie Byers for hosting today's fellowship.

Design Meeting with the Architects

Join us after Liturgy in the conference room for a design and feedback meeting with our architects for the Capital Project.

-Education Wing and Youth Meeting - Sunday, January 26 at 11:30 am (conference room)

Greek Festival Meeting

Join us in the social hall after Liturgy for a meeting to discuss our Greek Festival.

Daughters of Penelope Meeting

Today after Liturgy, the Daughters of Penelope will be having a meeting. All are welcome to join us.

2025 Church Calendars

The 2025 Church Calendars are now available. They will not be bulk mailed this year, so please see the table in the exonarthex outside of the bookstore to pick one up today. Please let Dylan know if you need one mailed to you.

Western Region Family Basketball Tournament Jan. 31 - Feb. 2

Last Practice this Sunday Jan. 26

Parents and Players, please be sure to fill out the Waiver forms that are located at https://www.greekbball.com/ before traveling to Libertyville. Failure to do so may disqualify the team. Completed forms can be sent directly to St. Demetrios or given to coaches at the first game or during registration. Thanks to the players that have already filled out their Waivers!

Last practice today January 26, at Highland Park Elementary School (approx. 3 miles from church) 1700 Saunders Ave, St. Paul, 55116

All the best to our St. George Teams!

Intro to Orthodox Christianity Catechism Course - Winter 2025

Join us for our MEOCCA catechism course, Intro to Orthodox Christianity. Catechism is open to all: people interested in learning more about Orthodox Christianity, inquirers, catechumens, and current Orthodox Christians as well. Classes will be held on Monday evenings from 7:00-9:00 p.m. in person (1111 Summit Ave., St. Paul, MN) or online via Zoom. Register online at https://forms.gle/727eGvE3nn44k1am8. Learn more at www.meocca.org.

Icon Art Studios, Inc. 2025 Winter Icon Class Dates

Session 1- The Holy Face here at St. George GOC & Zoom: Tuesday, January 28 from 6-9 pm

Session 2- Icon of a saint of the student's choice (full figure) here at St. George GOC & Zoom: Tuesdays, February 4, 11, 18, & 25 from 6-9 pm

Please contact Deb at [email protected]/612-889-5868 or Steve Arsenault at [email protected]/ 612-206-7369. Cost for tuition and supplies approx. $298. Cost of tuition only $155

Philoptochos Fundraising Results: Sunday Best Coffee

THANK YOU to all our coffee loving parishioners for your continuing support of our Philoptochos Charities! Together with our Sister Philoptochos Chapters in our Minnesota Vicatriate, funds raised in 2024 have been donated to: FOCUS MN, “YES” (Youth Equipped to Serve, a program of FOCUS North America), Philoxenia Charities, Cook Lions Club (for Northern MN floods), and IOCC’s Hurricane Relief Fund. Your sips are serving others in very tangible ways!

Our next "Coffee Exchange Sunday” will be: February 2nd. Visit our yellow cart in our Fellowship Hall and place a pre-order. Or email an order to: [email protected]. New for the New Year: Decafs are now available in Whole Bean (12 oz bags only, at this time)!

Loaves and Fishes 2025

All are welcome to help serve our first meal of 2025! Please come out Monday, February 3rd at St. Matthew's Church in West St. Paul from 4:30- 7:00ish. The work is easy and rewarding as we serve those in need. This will be our Church's 38th year serving continuously! Sign up to reserve your spot. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D49ADA623A0FCC70-54568795-february

Sanctuary Painting

Our sanctuary will be painted the week of February 10-15. We will need volunteers on Sunday, February 09, after church to remove the small festal icons hanging in the church. Due to painting, Vespers on February 11 is canceled.

St. George Classical Readers

Fellow readers of classical literature, join us for fun and engaging conversation about some great American literature—short stories from Flannery O’Connor! We’ll be discussing her works on February 13, February 27, and March 13. We meet at 7 p.m. both in person at church and via Zoom. Reach out to Grant Oldre at [email protected] to get the specifics on each week’s readings.

YAL Chicago Conference- Donations Needed!

Many of you attended conferences back in the day, met some of your closest friends, and maybe even met your spouse at a YAL event. Oftentimes we hear the question, “Where are the youth in the church?” The answer is here. There is a movement and desire to be connected with other Orthodox young adults and people in this age group look forward to these weekends each year. This year's YAL Chicago Conference is Feb 14-17. To keep ticket prices down (it costs YAL over $500 per participant for food, entertainment, transportation, service project materials, etc!) We are looking for various forms of sponsorship and donations including food and drink, merchandise, and monetary gifts. If you can sponsor or donate visit this page: https://chicago.goarch.org/yalconference2025-support/ or scan the QR below.

Twin Cities YAL

YAL is a Orthodox ministry group that serves young adults, ages 18 to 35 year old; married or single. YAL is based on four pillars of Worship, Witness, Service, and Fellowship. It is a wonderful opportunity for those who want to get more involved with our Orthodox faith and make connections with other Orthodox young adults in the Twin Cities area. We look forward to a great 2025 and invite young adults to get connected by filling out this contact form: https://forms.gle/a772Kmz3gYYvSnDC8 also available by scanning the QR below and following us on instagram @TwinCitiesYAL

Glad Tidings Q1 2025 Now Available Online

The first of our quarterly Glad Tidings Newsletters for 2025 is now available online. You can find it on our website or by following the link below.
https://www.stgeorgegoc.org/assets/files/glad-tidings/JAN-FEB-MAR-2025%20GT.pdf

Announcing 2025 Roselawn Program Prices

Advance planning can give you and your family peace of mind and is also cost effective. Annual cost increases are typically at least 2% and have risen over 29% since 2013. The St. George Roselawn Cemetery Program continues to offer lots at Roselawn in Roseville for a 15% discount off list prices. All revenue from lots support our church and its ministries. These lots are in the St. George section, adjacent to the “Greek” section, and easily identifiable by the monument/altar table. Contact the church office for more information.

2025 Discounted Prices for Parishioners:

$7,395 = Monument Lot (2 Graves)

$5,270 = Flat Lot (2 Graves)

$2,805 = Flat Lot (1 Grave, Limited Availability)

(These prices reflect a 15% off Roselawn Retail Price)

This continues to be one of those great opportunities where you can support the church, save some money and create a legacy for your family all at the same time.

Lots for both monument and marker (flat) stones are still available, however, limited monument lots remain available.

Please follow Roselawn regulations for care and beautification of your loved one’s lots.

The table-like monument marking our area from Victoria street is visible on google maps and google satellite view at the links below and can be found on the church website.

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.9930459,-93.1389199,69m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.9931192,-93.1393733,3a,37.5y,107.59h,84.79t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sWsyLYEQ6btgc3SJkAxjgbg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en

Make Your 2025 Stewardship Pledge

Click here to make your 2025 Stewardship Pledge https://forms.gle/6vxvhwVdiEBPg6D27. Thank you for your support of the work of the church.

Make a Stewardship Donation Online

https://onrealm.org/StGeorgeStPaul/give/online

Host a Fellowship Hour

Please host an upcoming coffee hour! Individuals, families, or even groups can sign up to host or co-host. Remember that coffee is now provided, courtesy of Thrivent Financial, so your commitment can be as simple as picking up some cookies! Thanks to all who have already hosted this year! Use this URL to sign up.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4CA5AD2BABFF2-46964197-fellowship#/

Silent Auction

Remember to check out the Silent Auction in the hall. Proceeds support our Missions and Benevolence ministry. New items are added regularly. If you would like to donate items that are new with tags or something else valuable, such as theater/sports tickets, please contact Angela Mortari at [email protected] or text 651-280-7123.

Wisdom of the Fathers

For Christ's presence is like that of some life-giving, scented balsam which restores health, enriches life and gives savor to the soul, the thoughts, the words of a man. In brief, distance from Christ means corruption and death, and closeness to Him means salvation and life.

Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic

Prolog, 4 February

Christ is the salvation that comes, and Zacchaeus is the house to which He comes.

Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic

Prolog, 4 February

Welcome Visitors!

Thank you for joining us in worship. Whether you are an Orthodox Christian or this is your first visit to an Orthodox Church, we are pleased to have you with us! Although Holy Communion is offered only to baptized and chrismated Orthodox Christians, all are invited to receive the Antidoron (blessed bread) at the end of the service. The Antidoron and fellowship hour are reminiscent of the Agape Feast that followed worship in the early Church.

One does not have to be of Greek descent nor speak Greek to be an Orthodox Christian and member of our parish. All people of any background are welcome to join the Orthodox Church. For those interested in learning more about the Christian Faith or becoming a member of our church, please see Fr. Perry after services or contact him at [email protected] or (651) 222-6220.

We hope you will join us in our hall upstairs this morning after services for fellowship and refreshments!

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Prosfora (Offering Bread)

Thank you to those who make the prosfora/offering bread for Liturgy. If you would like to sign up to bake and make an offering of bread to the church, please get in touch with Krisandrea at [email protected].

“Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” John 6:27

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Content for the Bulletin

All content for the bulletin (flyers, blurbs, calendar events, etc.) is due Wednesday each week. Content submitted after Wednesday will be included in the bulletin for the following week.

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Reimbursements

To our ministry leaders and volunteers, please save receipts when making purchases for church activities. A reminder that reimbursement forms are located on the tower outside of the admin and treasurer’s office. Please make sure to submit the form with a copy of your receipt (you keep the original receipt). Finally, please make sure to submit for reimbursement contemporaneous with the expense(s). Although we do not have a set cutoff date for reimbursements, please do your best to have all prior year reimbursements submitted before the end of January of the following year. Please contact Lani if you have any questions at [email protected].

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Charitable Donations to Philoptochos, Missions & Benevolence, Church School, Youth, Priest Discretionary Fund, Greek School, & other St. George Ministries

Thank you to all who continue to support our parish ministries! For those who would like a receipt of their donations to a particular church ministry for tax purposes, please make all deductible contributions directly to the church, noting a designation of the gift in the memo line. For example, you might put in the memo line "2025 Stewardship" “2025 Philoptochos Stewardship” “donation to Missions and Benevolence,” "priest discretionary fund," etc. Resources will be earmarked and distributed to the ministry you note, and your donations will be included in your end-of-year statement. Thank you again for your commitment to the work of the church!

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Support the Metropolis of Chicago Vision Campaign

Annual giving to the Metropolis Annual Vision Campaign supports current Metropolis programs and ministries to directly impact parishes and leadership. As operations are covered, the Metropolis can direct GOA Parish Allocations to our parishes to fuel growth locally. His Eminence invites those who have already become active stewards of their local parish, to give to this campaign. Click here to support the campaign: https://chicago.goarch.org /donate /

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Let's Connect!

St. George has moved to a new social media platform designed specifically for parish life. Here, we communicate more dynamically regarding specific ministries, events, and stewardship. For those who haven't, please use the QR code here to sign up! If you have any questions or have issues, please contact Dylan at [email protected].

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Text Message Reminders - Sign Up for Youth & Family Events!

We have some AWESOME Youth & Family events, and you don't want to miss out. Join our text message system Remind to stay up to date with all of our communications. Join by visiting https://www.remind.com/join/stgyandf

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Parish Email List Sign-Up

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Please Note

St. George GOC broadcasts its worship services live on the internet. Your presence in the church is subject to audio and video recording.

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Saints and Feasts

January 26

Xenophon & his Companions

This Saint, a wealthy nobleman of Constantinople, was filled with piety toward God. He had two sons, Arcadius and John, whom he sent to Beirut to study law. But they were shipwrecked during their voyage; barely saved, they forsook all things and departed for Palestine. Saint Xenophon and his wife Mary, ignorant of what had happened, went in search of their sons. On finding them in Jerusalem, dressed in the habit of monks, they also took up the monastic life. And thus, having completed their lives in holiness, they departed for the Lord about the beginning of the sixth century. Saint Xenophon and his sons reposed at Saint Sabbas Monastery, and Mary at the Monastery of Saint Theodosius.

January 28

Ephraim the Syrian

Saint Ephraim was born in Nisibis of Mesopotamia some time about the year 306, and in his youth was the disciple of Saint James, Bishop of Nisibis, one of the 318 Fathers at the First Ecumenical Council. Ephraim lived in Nisibis, practicing a severe ascetical life and increasing in holiness, until 363, the year in which Julian the Apostate was slain in his war against the Persians, and his successor Jovian surrendered Nisibis to them. Ephraim then made his dwelling in Edessa, where he found many heresies to do battle with. He waged an especial war against Bardaisan; this gnostic had written many hymns propagating his errors, which by their sweet melodies became popular and enticed souls away from the truth. Saint Ephraim, having received from God a singular gift of eloquence, turned Bardaisan's own weapon against him, and wrote a multitude of hymns to be chanted by choirs of women, which set forth the true doctrines, refuted heretical error, and praised the contests of the Martyrs.

Of the multitude of sermons, commentaries, and hymns that Saint Ephraim wrote, many were translated into Greek in his own lifetime. Sozomen says that Ephraim "Surpassed the most approved writers of Greece," observing that the Greek writings, when translated into other tongues, lose most of their original beauty, but Ephraim's works "are no less admired when read in Greek than when read in Syriac" (Eccl. Hist., Book 111, 16). Saint Ephraim was ordained deacon, some say by Saint Basil the Great, whom Sozomen said "was a great admirer of Ephraim, and was astonished at his erudition." Saint Ephraim was the first to make the poetic expression of hymnody and song a vehicle of Orthodox theological teachings, constituting it an integral part of the Church's worship; he may rightly be called the first and greatest hymnographer of the Church, who set the pattern for these who followed him, especially Saint Romanos the Melodist. Because of this he is called the "Harp of the Holy Spirit." Jerome says that his writings were read in some churches after the reading of the Scriptures, and adds that once he read a Greek translation of one of Ephraim's works, "and recognized, even in translation, the incisive power of his lofty genius" (De vir. ill., ch. CXV).

Shortly before the end of his life, a famine broke out in Edessa, and Saint Ephraim left his cell to rebuke the rich for not sharing their goods with the poor. The rich answered that they knew no one to whom they could entrust their goods. Ephraim asked them, "What do you think of me?" When they confessed their reverence for him, he offered to distribute their alms, to which they agreed. He himself cared with his own hands for many of the sick from the famine, and so crowned his life with mercy and love for neighbor. Saint Ephraim reposed in peace, according to some in the year 373, according to others, 379.