Spring 2012
Christ Is Risen! Indeed He Is Risen!
THE SV OICE .G OF
T
EORGE
WINTER 2013
St. George Serbian Orthodox Church
Western American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church in North & South America 3025 Denver Street • San Diego, CA 92117 telephone: (619)276-5827 web: http://saintgeorgeinsd.com
During these days remembering and celebrating the Nativity, we especially honor the prototype of faith, love, service, humility, and knowledge—the Virgin Mary. She managed to combine the virtues that both Mary and Martha had, especially faith, love, and service. She served Christ, her Son, and cared for His needs like any good mother. She also learned from Him every opportunity she had. She had such love for Him that she followed Him to the foot of His Cross (John 19:25). And her faith in His Resurrection was so unwavering, she did not go with the other women to His tomb to anoint Him. She knew He Lived. Examples of this faith and dedication can be found today in the women of every parish, the ones who carry the burden cheerfully of raising funds for many good causes, of serving on parish committees, of planning and cooking for countless events in the parish, of teaching Sunday School, heading folklore groups, directing the choir, of singing in the choir, and much more. Without these women’s efforts, our parish would perish! To the women of St. George, thank you and God bless you. Mir Bozji! Hristos se Rodi!
Church Officers & Staff PARISH PRIEST
V. Rev. Protopresbyter Bratislav Krsic email: frbratso@sbcglobal.net PARISH DEACON
Rev. Deacon Paul Germain CHURCH OFFICE VOLUNTEER
Dorothy Vukotich PRESIDENT
Vladan Trifunovic VICE PRESIDENT
Vojkan Popovic TREASURER
Linda Alemany SECRETARY
Milos Belcevic MEMBERS-AT-LARGE
Jack Milasinovic, Toma Jovanovic STEWARDSHIP MINISTRY
Toma Jovanovic AUDITING BOARD
Miro Copic, President; Sean Wright, Dusanka Urosevic TUTORS/VESTRYMEN
Mico Lukic, Jeffrey Wilgus, George Skaljac, Vojkan Popovich, Miro Copic, Milan Miljkovic S.S.S. ST. GEORGE CHOIR
Velimir Jovanovic, President CIRCLE OF SERBIAN SISTERS (KOLO)
Snezana Pantovich, President CHURCH SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT
Mira Jovanovic MORAVA FOLKLORE ENSEMBLE
Dobrila Undheim, Director ADULT ORTHODOX FELLOWSHIP
Nemanja Selezan VOICE OF ST. GEORGE
Marsha Jovanovic, Editor (619)988-0650 • FAX (619)588-5767 email: marsha@marshaj.com Srdjan Dragic, Cover
In this issue... Reflections On The Nativity Of Our Lord, God And Savior Jesus Christ 3 Changing the holiday season into Holy Days season 6 A letter from Deacon Paul Germain... 8 The Blessing of Homes with Holy Water 12 From the President... 14 FOCUS Ministry 14 SOTAYA—for the 21st Century 15 CHURCH CALENDAR 2014 16 Sunday Church School 17 The Kolo Sisters’ Corner 18 St George Choir 19 MORAVA! 20 Stewardship at St. George Parish is our common endeavor 23 Treasurer’s Report 2013 25 The Book Club at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church 26 First Annual St George Year-end Fundraiser 27 Playground Protective Surface Project December 2013 28 Sebastian Press 28
Reflections On The Nativity Of Our Lord, God And Savior Jesus Christ I behold a new and wondrous mystery. My ears resound to the Shepherds’ song, piping no soft melody, but chanting full forth a heavenly hymn. The Angels sing. The Archangels blend their voice in harmony. The Cherubim hymn their joyful praise. The Seraphim exalt His glory. All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth, and man in heaven. He Who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below; and he that was lowly is by divine mercy raised. Bethlehem this day resembles heaven; hearing from the stars the singing of angelic voices; and in place of the sun, enfolds within itself on every side, the Sun of Justice. And ask now how; for where God wills, the order of nature yields. For He willed, He had the power, He descended, He redeemed; all things move in obedience to God. But what shall I say? What shall I utter? Behold an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Mary is present, who is both Virgin and Mother, Joseph is present, who is called father. He is called husband, she is called wife. The names indeed are lawful, but there is no other bond. We speak here of words, not of things. He was espoused to her, but the Most High overshadowed her. Hence, Joseph, doubting, knew not what to call the Infant. He would not dare to say that It was conceived in adultery; he could not speak harshly against the Virgin; he shrank from calling the Child his own. He knew well that here was something unknown to him; how or whence was this Child born? And being anxious because of this, there came to him a message, by the voice of an angel, which said: Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Spirit. ...I behold a new and wondrous mystery. My ears resound to the Shepherd’s song, piping no soft melody but chanting forth a full heavenly hymn. The Angels sing. The Archangels blend their voice in harmony. The Cherubim hymn their joyful
praise. The Seraphim exalt His glory. All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth, and man in heaven. He Who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below; and he that was lowly is by divine mercy raised. This day He Who Is, is Born and He Who Is, becomes what He Was Not. For when He was God, He became man; yet not departing from the Godhead that is His. Nor yet by any loss of divinity became He man, nor through increase became He God from man; but being the Word, He became Flesh, His nature because of impassability, remaining unchanged. This day, He Who was ineffably Begotten of the Father, was for me born of the Virgin: in a way no tongue can tell. Begotten according to His nature before all ages from the Father; in what manner He knows Who has begotten Him; born again this day from the Virgin, above the order of nature, in what manner knows the power of the Holy Spirit. And His heavenly generation is true, and His generation here on earth is true. As God He is truly begotten of God; so also as man is He truly born from the Virgin. In heaven He alone is the Only-Begotten of the unique Virgin. Though I know that a Virgin this day gave birth, and I believe that God was begotten before all time, yet the manner of this generation I have learned to venerate in silence, and I accept that this is not to be probed too curiously with wordy speech. For with God we look not for the order of nature, but rest our faith in the power of Him Who Works. And what shall I say? And how shall I describe this Birth to you? For this wonder fills me with astonishment. The Ancient of Days has become an infant. He has decreed that ignominy shall become honor, infamy be clothed with glory, and total humiliation the measure of His Goodness. For this, he assumed my body, that I may become capable of his Word; taking my flesh, He gives me His Spirit; and so He bestowing, and I receiving, He prepares for me the treasure of Life. He takes my flesh, to sancVOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 3
tify me. He gives me His Spirit, that He may save me. Come, then, let us observe the Feast. Come and we shall commemorate the solemn festival. It is a strange manner of celebrating a festival; but truly wondrous is the whole chronicle of the Nativity. For this day the ancient slavery is broken, paradise is unlocked, the curse is taken away, sin is removed from us, error driven out, truth has been brought back, the speech of kindliness diffused, and spreads on every side, a heavenly way of life has been implanted on the earth, angels communicate with men without fear, and men now hold speech with angels. Why is this? Because God is now on earth, and man in heaven; on every side all things commingle. He has come on earth, while being Whole in heaven; and while complete in heaven, He is without diminution on earth. Though He was God, He became Man; not denying Himself to be God. Though being the impassable Word, He became flesh; that He might dwell among us, he became flesh, He did not become God, He was God. Wherefore He became flesh so that He Whom heaven did not contain, a manger would this day receive. He was placed in a manger so that He, by Whom all things are nourished, may receive an infant's food from His Virgin Mother. So, the Father of all ages, as an infant at the breast, nestles in the virginal arms, that the Magi may more easily see Him. Since this day the Magi too have come, and made a beginning of withstanding tyranny; the heavens give glory, as the Lord is revealed by a star. From the Nativity homily of St. John Chrysostomos, Archbishop and Patriarch of Constantinople, 354-407 AD
He Who sits upon the sublime and heavenly Throne, now lies in a manger. And He Who cannot be touched, Who is simple, without complexity, and incorporeal, now lies subject to the hands of men. He Who has broken the bonds of sinners, is now bound by an infant's bands. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice: for the Son who is co-eternal with the Father, having his throne and like him without beginning, in his compassion and merciful love for mankind has submitted himself to emptying, according to the good pleasure and the counsel of the Father; and he has gone to dwell in a Virgin's womb that was sanctified beforehand by the Spirit, O marvel! God is come among men; he who cannot be contained is contained in a womb; the Timeless enters time; and strange wonder! His conception is without seed, his emptying is past telling; so great is this mystery! For God empties himself, takes flesh, and is fashioned as a creature, when the angel tells the pure Virgin of her conception: ‘Hail, thou who art full of grace; the Lord who has great mercy is with thee.’ From a sermon of St. Cyril of Alexandria, Patriarch of Alexandria, + 444 A.D The Birth Of Our Lord The birth of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is one of the most staggering facts of history. I have said staggering because our finite minds cannot fully comprehend what is involved in the birth of Jesus Christ from the Virgin Mary in a town called Bethlehem. It is a mystery, the mystery of godliness, as one of the sacred writers calls it. For the Son of God to be incarnated in human flesh and blood, becoming a man, taking upon Him our human nature, is more than our finite intellectual capacity can understand. However, we fully understand the meaning, the purpose underlying the birth of the Savior. From His blessed lips we have the answer. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him shall not perish,
but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). And in Luke 19:10, “The Son of man came to seek and to save the lost,” to quote scripture in this connection. But to accomplish this, God needed the cooperation of men. God’s divinity and man’s humanity jointly wrought out the miracle. Always God holds the initiative. God was first in creation. He was also first in redemption and in every contingency of life. Thus we learn that the Christian life, in order to realize its full maturity, must be linked with God, thus God becomes partner with man if the latter accords Him His rightful place. The birth of Jesus takes us back to fundamentals, to beginnings, for if we were to have an enduring moral structure that could withstand the storms of life, understand and solve the complexities and problems of living, then we would know that man minus God cannot achieve a successful Christian living. One may succeed educationally, materially and in every other aspect of living — and yet if he were to by-pass and ignore God he would be committing the most monumental blunder! What is going on in the world today is proof of the fact that most people are void VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 4
of the knowledge that life is a partnership with God. How can we account for the ungodly practices that transpire here, in Christian America and elsewhere throughout the world? Man’s inhumanity to man, the friction, the lack of peace, harmony and unity have their origin in man’s rebellious attitude with regard to the will of God. Let us consider at this blessed season of the year what had transpired on that day long ago to achieve our redemption —Joseph and Mary journeyed to the Village of Bethlehem, which had been the home of their ancestors, to enroll their names in a census that had been ordered by the Roman Emperor, Augustus Caesar. When they reached Bethlehem, there was no room for them in the inn and they were obliged to seek rest and lodging in an adjoining stable. In this humble place was born to Mary the son which the angel promised her. In the crude hewn stone grotto, attached to the inn as stable, among the hay and the straw spread for the food and rest of the cattle, weary with their journey, far from home, in the midst of strangers, in the chilly winter’s night, in circumstances so void of all earthly comfort or splendor that it is impossible to imagine a humbler nativity, Jesus, the Savior was born. Then and there the Virgin Mother brought forth her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger. Beyond this announcement of the bare fact, the gospel narrative draws a veil over that most sacred mystery. But as we pass from the sacred gloom of the stable out into the night, its sky all aglow with starry brightness, there is nothing now to conceal, and although no glories of earthly greatness celebrated the Messiah’s coming, heavenly glory shone upon the scene, and choirs of angels hymned the praises of the new-born King. Shepherds were amazed
and dazzled by the manifestation of the heavenly glory and at the direction of the angels they came to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph as well as the famous Babe. But how little the shepherds realized the greatness of the power and love that slumbered in the child or dreamed of the mighty events, in the coming ages, that should flow from the scene they had witnessed. To a meditative mind it is curious to pause over any cradle where an infant sleeps, and, as we look on the face so calm, and the little arms folded on the blessed breast, to think of the mighty powers and passions slumbering there, to think that this feeble nursling has heaven and hell before it that this immortal in mortal form is allied to angels, and that the life which has begun shall last when the sun is quenched, enduring throughout eternity. Much more wonderful the spectacle the manger offers, where shepherds bend their knees and angels bend their eyes. Here is present, not the immortal but the eternal, here is not one kind of matter united to another or a spiritual to an earthly element but the Creator to the creature, divine omnipotence to human weakness, the ancient of days to an infant of a day! What deep secret of divine wisdom, power and love lie here wrapped in swaddling clothes, Mary holds in her arms, in this manger with its straw, what draws the wondering eyes and inspires the loftiest songs of angels! If that be not God’s greatest and therefore glorifying work, where are we to seek it? In what else is it found? The depth said, “It is not in me,” and the sea said, “It is not in me.” Were we to range the universe to find its rival, we should return like the dove to the ark, to the stable doors and the swaddled babe, there to mingle human voices with the heavenly choirs, singing, “Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace and good will to all men!” Beloved brethren, at this time in human history when the world seems to be tottering on its foundation, when the universe appears to be in the hands of a great monster, toying with it and about to throw it in oblivion, the most desirable, important and essential thing today is unity, creative good will and love. Disunity in the ranks of Christian people is inconceivable. Our churches, our homes and in all our social gatherings, we should manifest love, loy-
Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Irinej, conducting Divine Liturgy on Christmas day last year.
ality and sincerity. How can we hope to achieve success if we exhibit a spirit of dissension and ill will. I appeal to you hereby as God-fearing Orthodox men and women, boys and girls to promote the dignity of our holy faith and to do nothing which generates ill will, lack of understanding and sympathy. Archpriest Michael Baroudy, Vicksburg, Mississippi
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 5
...our finite minds cannot fully comprehend what is involved in the birth of Jesus Christ from the Virgin Mary...
C E L E B R AT I O N * D E D I C AT I O N * P R O G R E S S * V I S I O N Changing the holiday season into Holy Days season Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 1 Cor. 16:13
The Holy Apostle Paul addresses these words to the faithful in Corinth, the city located some 48 miles southwest of Athens, Greece. He wrote this letter to the Corinthians while in Ephesus around 55 AD. His purpose was to teach them that we are created for communion with God and each other. Having been informed of some problems and concerns in the community, the Apostle Paul writes to them the teachings of the Church on various aspects of community, family, and doctrine. These encouraging words of the Holy Apostle are equally relevant for us living in America today. We, too, need to be affirmed in our faith; we too need to be reminded of the various aspects of community life; we, too, need to be exhorted in our confession and proclamation of the Faith. We will celebrate the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on January seventh. Right about that time, all the “busyness” of the holiday season will be behind us. I am not sure though what this busyness is really all about when according to the Church calendar we are called to fast (pray more frequently, intensify our alms giving, minimize our worldly activities in order to elevate our minds to the level of the Church, practice our obedience to the Church by following a dietary restrictions, i.e., abstaining from meats, dairy, etc., participate in the services and the sacraments, etc.). However, it seems that we somehow forget about the Church calendar and follow the worldly calendar of holiday busyness and frenzied way of life. This could not
be more contrary to the teachings of our Holy Church. There is a plethora of temptations and lures to distract us from practicing our Faith. They are all nicely embellished with words such as “freedom of expression,” “modern way of life,” “new age thinking,” “individual rights,” etc. I ask, is not the Church of Christ the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow? Is not the Church of Christ our true Mother? Aren’t we children of the Heavenly Father? Aren’t we created in the image and likeness of Christ to live in communion with God? Yes and emphatically yes to all these questions. Then, “watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.” Our time is not any different from the time of martyrs of our Holy Church. They witnessed Christ (martyrdom) even unto death. They spoke with love and courage about Him whom they were asked to deny. They worshiped Him instead of false gods. They found a way to love when the rest of the world was full of hatred. In the end, they transformed the world or more correctly, Christ transformed it through their words and actions. We are called to transform this holiday season into a Holy Days season. It takes watchfulness, steadfastness, courage, and a strong faith to do just that. Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.(James 1:22)
Father Bratso Krsic, Parish Priest
Mir Bozji, Hristos se Rodi! Peace on Earth, Christ is Born! VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 6
Why the Nativity is Important The Nativity is widely celebrated as the birthday of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. While it is true that we are celebrating a birthday, the commemoration actually focuses on the incarnation. We often use this word, the incarnation, in discussing Christ, but what does it actually mean? And why is it so important? Incarnation means being clothed by flesh; the act of taking, or being manifested in, a human body and nature. Used by itself, the word refers to the fact that the only-begotten Son and Word of God became the God-Man Jesus Christ, who took on flesh and became a human being. While Christ is true God, simultaneously He is true man. He is one person, but had two distinct natures, meaning he is at once both God and human. This is confusing: how can Jesus be both God and human? It is easy to understand that Christ is the Son of God, as He performed miracles and He rose from the dead. But, at the same time, how can He also be a true human if He is God? Does His divine nature cancel out His human nature? This issue was heavily debated in the early Church and was discussed at the Council of Ephesus, the Council of Chalcedon and the Fifth and Sixth Ecumenical Councils because it is both overwhelming for human understanding and yet vital for our salvation. The Son and Word of God, the second Person of the Holy Trinity Who becomes incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth, is God because he is begotten from the Father, meaning He is eternally born from the Father and eternally shares His Father’s Divine Nature. He is without beginning and eternal as God. Yet in the incarnation the Son and Word of God takes on flesh and human nature from a woman, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, and is born as the Divine Christ-child Jesus in a cave in Bethlehem in Judea, in the time of Augustus Caesar. When we look at His two distinct origins, we can see how He was both God and human.
The incarnation reveals God’s love for us, as God became human to connect with His creation, so that we may connect with our Creator. While the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ opened a pathway toward salvation, this pathway could not have been opened without the incarnation. God became human so that we humans could enter into communion with God. The incarnation offers a bridge to our salvation, a bridge to union with God. When we celebrate Christmas, we are celebrating our Lord’s birthday, but most importantly we are honoring the possibility of salvation that emerged from the love of God through the incarnation. Christ’s human nature is comforting because it reveals that God fully shares the human experience with His creation. He became tired, frustrated and hungry. He had friends and family, and at times he argued with them and even became righteously angry (but without sinning). He felt sadness and loneliness. He went out with His friends and celebrated with wine and food. He had good days and bad days. He was just like us because He was a real person, subject to all of the emotions, urges, temptations, and influences of the world, but He experienced all of these without falling into sin. He shows us how we can also live as we are meant to live. When we pray, we must remember that we are praying to an ineffable God, but we are also praying to a God who knows us and identifies with us through the human experience of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Why God chose Mary. God selected Mary as the Mother of our Lord. Of all of the women in the world, she was chosen by God to give birth and raise the Son of God. Protestants tend to diminish her role, bringing her out only at Christmas as if any one woman could have been the Mother of our Lord. But she did not just happen to be the Mother of our Lord: God choose her, specifically her, because
she exemplified the life in service to God long before the incarnation. The Theotokos had a relationship with God and trusted God so that, when He asked her to be the Mother of the Lord through the Archangel Gabriel, she consciously said yes. She trusted Him. She followed Him in faith. We remember the Theotokos as being touched by Divine Grace, but at the same
time we have to remember that, like all humans, she had free will. She was Jewish, and a devout, sincere, and practicing Jew with a rich relationship with God. When an Angel came down from heaven, she did not run away or doubt her own sanity (let’s be honest: many of us would doubt our sanity if an angel came down from heaven). She knew God because she communed with God through her faith. She did not just blindly attend Synagogue because that was her religion, but rather she intentionally led a life that was pleasing to God and always sought to become closer and closer to God. She followed the teachings of her Jewish faith and prayed, speaking to God humbly, sincerely and fully. After the Annunciation, she kept the secret of God’s plan for her and entered a danger-
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 7
ous and daunting period of her life: a young, unmarried pregnant woman was socially unacceptable. People misunderstood her, accused her of cheating on her fiancé, Joseph, an act that was punishable under Jewish law by death. When she told God yes, she would be the Mother of the Lord, she had to trust him completely, as her life was truly at stake. She accepted the criticisms of others, trusting that God would protect her and keep her safe. She traveled to Bethlehem by donkey with Joseph. This was a long journey on bad roads and, since Mary was pregnant, this trip was dangerous. At this time medical care was very limited, and they would not be able to afford medical care if they even found it during their journey. She gave birth to the Lord among animals in a stable, the most humble place of all. Immediately, she accepted God’s command to flee into Egypt, a place she did not know for a reason she did not understand. The Theotokos did indeed have Divine Grace, but she carried out these actions in a real world—with real effort, sacrifice, pain, fear, and challenges. The Theotokos was not just any random woman, but she was the only woman in the world, of the billions and billions of women who have lived, to be selected by God to give birth to and raise His unique Son.
Prayer to the Most Holy Mother of God My most holy Lady, Mother of God, by Your holy and all-powerful prayers banish from me, your humble, wretched servant, despondency, forgetfulness, folly, carelessness, and all impure, evil and blasphemous thoughts out of my wretched heart and my darkened mind. And quench the flame of my passions, for I am poor and wretched, and deliver me from my many cruel memories and deeds, and free me from all their bad effects; for blessed art thou by all generations, and glorified is your honorable name to the ages of ages. Amen
A letter from Deacon Paul Germain... It has been some time since I’ve contributed to The Voice, our wonderful and inspiring publication of St. George Church. So Father Bratso blessed me to pen a few words regarding my activities over the past year and a half. As you all know, His Grace Bishop MAXIM blessed me to take a sabbatical or leave of absence which has been extended and continues for the time being. The word sabbatical is derived from the word Sabbath, which of course is a key Biblical term that means rest or cease from work. The modern meaning for sabbatical in the secular workplace has come to mean an extended absence to achieve some goal. In our particular case, I and my family desired to explore the spiritual experience in a large parish setting of more than 500 families. You might ask why this is necessary. The answer is quite simple—each one of us has a path to follow that is necessary for our salvation, with the ultimate goal of doing that which brings us closer to Christ through and in His Holy Orthodox Church. Consider the Saints of the Church and the diversity of their respective paths to Christ. Nevertheless, we all must follow where God leads us, and use the lessons He sets before us as a way to climb the spiritual ladder. Our family truly appreciates your patience as we continue on this journey in our spiritual life. We especially thank His Grace Bishop MAXIM and our dear Father Bratso for allowing us to take the time necessary. Lastly, we sincerely thank God for your love and understanding. You continue to be in our prayers daily, and we wish you the most blessed feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Deacon Paul Germain Why is the Nativity of Christ celebrated on January 7 (on Julian calendar December 25)? There are two main explanations as to why the Church chose to celebrate the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on January 7 (December 25 on the Julian calendar). The first says that the day was chosen to oppose the great pagan feast of the sun god, which was celebrated near December 22 at the Winter Solstice, the time of year when the days started to get longer again (at least in the northern hemisphere). It is believed that the Church chose December 25 (January 7), because it ensured that Christians would be fasting during the pagan celebration and would therefore not easily be tempted to participate. And also because it would help the pagan peoples to leave worshiping the false sun god and instead celebrate the coming of the True God,
“the Sun of Righteousness” – Jesus Christ. The second explanation says that the day was chosen in relation to the feast of the Annunciation, which was celebrated on April 7 (March 25 on Julian calendar) commemorating the supernatural conception of the Lord Jesus Christ in the womb of the Virgin Mary. The Annunciation was celebrated on this day because of the belief in the ancient world that great men died on the same day as they were conceived. Since the Lord was believed to have been crucified on April 7 (March 25 on Julian calendar), it also came to be believed that He was likewise conceived on this day. And since it followed that the Lord’s birth would be nine months after His conception, the feast of His Nativity was set on December 25 according to Julian calendar which falls on January 7 on Gregorian calendar.
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 8
The Serbian Orthodox Church follows the Julian calendar and so when it is December 25 on Julian calendar it is January 7 on Gregorian calendar when we celebrate the Feast Day of the Nativity of our Lord.
Saints and Feasts Celebrated during Winter The Holy Great-martyr Catherine— December 7
her and destroyed the wheel on which the holy virgin was being tortured. Afterward, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself appeared to her and comforted her. After many tortures, Catherine was beheaded at the age of eighteen, on November 24, 310. Milk, instead of blood, flowed from her body. Her miracle-working relics repose on Mount Sinai.
новембра 310. године. Из њенога тела истече млеко место крви. Чудотворне мошти почивају јој на Синају. The Holy Great-martyr Barbara— December 17
7. децембра —Св. вел. муч. Екатерина
Catherine was the daughter of King Constus. After the death of her father, she lived with her mother in Alexandria. Her mother was secretly a Christian who, through her spiritual father, brought Catherine to the Christian Faith. In a vision, St. Catherine received a ring from the Lord Jesus Himself as a sign of her betrothal to Him. This ring remains on her finger even today. Catherine was greatly gifted by God and was well educated in Greek philosophy, medicine, rhetoric and logic. In addition to that, she was of unusual physical beauty. When the iniquitous Emperor Maxentius offered sacrifices to the idols and ordered others to do the same, Catherine boldly confronted the emperor and denounced his idolatrous errors. The emperor, seeing that she was greater than he in wisdom and knowledge, summoned fifty of his wisest men to debate with her on matters of faith and to put her to shame. Catherine outwitted and shamed them. In a rage, the emperor ordered all fifty of those men burned. By St. Catherine's prayers, all fifty confessed the name of Christ and declared themselves Christians before their execution. After Catherine had been put in prison, she converted the emperor's commander, Porphyrius, and two hundred soldiers to the true Faith, as well as Empress Augusta-Vasilissa herself. They all suffered for Christ. During the torture of St. Catherine, an angel of God came to
Ћерка цара Консте. По смрти оца живела с мајком својом у Александрији. А мајка јој беше потајна хришћанка, која преко свог духовног оца приведе и Екатерину вери Христовој. У једној визији св. Екатерина прими прстен од самог Господа Исуса, у знак обручења Њему. Тај прстен до данас стоји на руци њеној. Беше Екатерина врло даровита од Бога и врло добро школована у грчкој философији, медицини, риторици и логици, а при том беше и необичне лепоте телесне. Када злочестиви цар Максенције сам приношаше жртве идолима и наређиваше другима да и они то чине, св. Екатерина изађе смело пред цара и изобличи идолопоклоничку заблуду његову. Видећи је цар јачу од себе у мудрости и знању, позва 50 најмудријих људи, да се с њом препиру о вери и да је посраме. Но Екатерина њих надмудри и посрами. Разјарени цар нареди да се свих 50 мудраца сагоре у огњу. Ови мудраци, по молитви св. Екатерине, пред смрт сви исповедише име Христово и објавише себе хришћанима. Када мученица беше у тамници, приведе у веру праву војводу царског Порфирија са 200 војника и саму царицу (Августу–Василису). Сви пострадаше за Христа. При мучењу св. Екатерине јави јој се ангел Божји, заустави и изломи точак, на коме света девојка би мучена; а по том јави јој се и сам Господ Христос и утеши је. После многих мучења Екатерина би мачем посечена у својој 18. години, 24. VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 9
This glorious follower of Christ was betrothed to Christ from early childhood. Her father Dioscorus was a pagan and was renowned for his position and wealth in the city of Heliopolis in Egypt. Dioscorus locked up his only daughter Barbara, brilliant in mind and of beautiful countenance, in a high tower. He surrounded her with every comfort, gave her female servants, erected idols for worship, and built her a bathing room with two windows. Looking through the window at the earth below and the starry heavens above, Barbara's mind was opened by the grace of God. She recognized the One True God, the Creator, despite the fact that she did not have a human teacher to bring her to this knowledge. Once, while her father was away from the city, she came down from the tower and, according to God's providence, met some Christian women who revealed the true Faith of Christ to her. Barbara's heart became inflamed with love for Christ the Lord. She ordered that a third window be Continued on page 10
Continued from page 9.
cut open in the bath so that the three windows would represent the Holy Trinity. On one wall she traced a Cross with her finger, and the Cross etched itself deep in the stone as if cut by a chisel. A pool of water sprang forth from her footprints on the floor of the bath, which later gave healing of diseases to many. Learning of his daughter's faith, Dioscorus beat her severely and drove her from the tower. He pursued her in order to kill her, but a cliff opened up and hid Barbara from her brutal father. When she appeared again, her father brought her to Martianus, the magistrate, who handed her over for torture. They stripped the innocent Barbara and flogged her until her entire body was covered with blood and wounds, but the Lord Himself appeared to her in prison with His angels and healed her. A certain woman, Juliana, upon seeing this, desired martyrdom for herself. Both women were severely tortured and with mockery were led through the city. Their breasts were cut off and much blood flowed from them. They were finally led to the place of execution, where Dioscorus himself slaughtered his daughter, and Juliana was slain by the soldiers. That same day, lightning struck the house of Dioscorus, killing him and Martianus. St. Barbara suffered in the year 306. Her miracle-working relics rest in Kiev. Glorified in the Kingdom of Christ, she has appeared many times even in our own day, sometimes alone and sometimes in the company of the Most-holy Theotokos. 17. децембра—Света великомученица Варвара Отац ове славне следбенице Христове, која се од раних лета уневести Христу, по имену Диоскор, беше знаменит положајем и богатством у граду Илиопољу Мисирском, а у вери незнабожац. Своју ћерку јединицу, мудру умом и красну ликом, затвори Диоскор у кулу високу, окружи је свим угодностима, даде јој слушкиње на службу, постави
идоле за клањање, сазида јој купатило с два прозора. Посматрајући кроз прозор куле земљу доле и звездано небо горе, Варвари се отвори ум благодаћу Божјом, те познаде јединог истинитог Бога Творца, иако немаде никога од људи за учитеља у томе. А када се њен отац једном удаљи из града, она изиђе из куле и, по Божјем Промислу, срете се с неким хришћанкама, које јој јавише истину вере Христове. Срце се Варварино распламти љубављу према Христу Господу. Она нареди, те се просече и трећи прозор на купатилу, да три прозора буду символом Свете Тројице; на једној стени у купатилу прстом нацрта крст и крст се удуби у камен као гвожђем урезан; из њене стопе на поду купатила прокључа извор воде, која доцније многима причини исцељење од болести. Узнав Диоскор веру своје ћерке, изби је сурово, истера из куле и појури за њом да је убије. Стена се једна раступи и сакри Варвару од суровог оца. Када се поново јави, отац је одведе началнику Мартијану, коме предаде ћерку на мучење. Невину Варвару разденуше и шибаху, док јој цело тело не би покривено крвљу и ранама. У тамници јави јој се сам Господ с ангелима и исцели је. Видевши то, нека жена Јулијанија, и сама пожели мучеништва. И беху обе страшно мучене и с поругом по граду вођене. Одсекоше им груди женске, и крв многа из њих истече. Најзад их изведоше на губилиште, где сам отац закла ћерку своју, а војници Јулијанију. Тога истог дана удари гром у кућу Диоскорову и уби и њега и Мартијана. Пострада света Варвара 306. године. Мошти јој се чудотворне налазе у Кијеву. Прослављена у Царству Христовоме, она се много пута јављала до дана данашњега, понекад сама, понекад у пратњи Пресвете Богородице.
Saint John Damascene—December 17
John was first the chief minister to Caliph Abdul-Malik and later a monk in the Monastery of St. Sava the Sanctified. Because of his ardent defense of the veneration of icons during the reign of the iconoclastic Emperor Leo the Isaurian, John was maligned by the emperor to the Caliph, who cut off his right hand. John fell down in prayer before the icon of the Most-holy Theotokos, and his hand was rejoined and miraculously healed. Seeing this miracle the Caliph repented, but John no longer desired to remain with him as a nobleman. Instead, he withdrew to a monastery, where, from the beginning, he was a model to the monks in humility, obedience and all the prescribed rules of monastic asceticism. John composed the Funeral Hymns and compiled the Octoechos (The Book of Eight Tones), the Irmologion, the Menologion and the Paschal Canon, and he wrote many theological works of inspiration and profundity. A great monk, hymnographer, theologian and soldier for the truth of Christ, Damascene is numbered among the great Fathers of the Church. He entered peacefully into rest in about the year 776 at the age of 104. 17. децембра—Свети Јован Дамаскин. Најпре први министар калифа Абдалмелеха, а потом монах у манастиру Светог Саве Освећеног. Због ватреног заступања иконопоштовања у време иконоборног цара Лава Исаврјанина, оклеветан би Јован од овога цара код калифа, који му одсече десну руку. Он
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 10
припаде на молитву пред иконом Пресвете Богородице, и рука му се састави и зарасте чудесно. Видећи то чудо, калиф се раскаја, но Јован не хте више остати код њега као великаш, него се повуче у манастир, где беше од почетка узор монасима у смерности, послушности и свима прописаним подвизима монашким. Испевао посмртне песме, саставио Октоих, Ирмологију, Месецослов, Канон пасхални, и написао многа богословска дела, с надахнућем и дубином. Велики као монах, и као песник, и као богослов, и као војник истине Христове, Дамаскин се рачуна у велике Оце Цркве. Упокојио се мирно око 776. године у стотину четвртој години свога живота. The Conception of the Most-holy Theotokos by Saint Anna—December 22.
The righteous Joachim and Anna were childless for fifty years of their married life. In their old age the Archangel Gabriel appeared to each one of them separately, telling them that God had heard their prayers and that they would give birth to a daughter, Mary. Then St Anna conceived by her husband and after nine months bore a daughter blessed by God and by all generations of men: the Most-holy Virgin Mary, the Theotokos. St. Joachim was of the lineage of Judah and a descendant of King David. Anna was the daughter of Matthan the priest, from the lineage of Levi, as was Aaron the high priest. Matthan had three daughters: Mary, Sophia and Anna. Mary married, lived in Bethlehem and gave birth to Salome; Sophia married, also lived in Bethlehem, and gave birth to Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Forerunner;
Anna married Joachim in Nazareth, and in old age gave birth to Mary, the Mostholy Theotokos. Joachim and Anna had lived together in marriage for fifty years, and yet had remained barren. They lived devoutly and quietly, and of all their income they spent one third on themselves, distributed one third to the poor and gave the other third to the Temple, and they were well provided for. Once when in their old age they came to Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice to God, the high priest Issachar reprimanded Joachim, saying: ``You are not worthy that a gift be accepted from your hands, for you are childless.'' Others, who had children, pushed Joachim behind them as one unworthy. This greatly grieved these two aged souls and they returned home in great sorrow. Then the two of them fell down before God in prayer, that He work a miracle with them as He once had with Abraham and Sarah, and give them a child as a comfort in their old age. Then God sent His angel, who announced to them the birth of “a daughter most-blessed, by whom all nations on earth will be blessed and through whom the salvation of the world will come.” Anna straightway conceived, and in nine months gave birth to the Holy Virgin Mary. St. Joachim lived for eighty years and Anna lived for seventy-nine, at which time they reposed in the Lord. 22. децембра—Зачеће свете Ане Праведни Јоаким и Ана беху бездетни за пуних педесет година свога брачног живота. Под старост јави им се архангел Гаврил, сваком од њих напосе, и рече им, да су молитве њихове услишане од Бога и да ће родити ћерку Марију. Тада Ана света заче од мужа свога, и после девет месеци роди ћерку, благословену од Бога и од свих колена људских, Пресвету Деву Марију Богородицу. У продужетку су житије светих Јоакима и Ане преузете из 22. септембра, дан после Рођења Пресвете Богородице.
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 11
Св. Јоаким и Ана. Св. Јоаким беше син Варпафира, из колена Јудина, и потомак цара Давида. Ана беше ћерка свештеника Матана, из колена Левијева, као и првосвештеник Арон. Тај Матан имаше 3 кћери: Марију, Совију и Ану. Марија се удаде у Витлејем, и роди Саломију; Совија се удаде такође у Витлејем, и роди Јелисавету, мајку св. Јована Претече; а Ана се удаде у Назарет за Јоакима, и у старим данима својим роди пресвету Богородицу Марију. 50 година живљаху у браку Јоаким и Ана, и беху бесплодни. Живљаху богоугодно и тихо, и од свих прихода својих једну трећину само употребљаваху на себе, другу раздаваху сиромасима а трећу жртвоваху храму. А беху имућни добро. Једном када под старост одоше у Јерусалим да принесу жртву Богу, укори их првосвештеник Исахар говорећи Јоакиму: „ниси достојан, да се из твојих руку прими дар, јер си бездетан". Тако и други, који имаху деце, гураху Јоакима позади себе као недостојна. То веома ожалости ове две старе душе, те с великом тугом вратише се дому своме. Тада обоје припадоше на молитву Богу, да и на њима учини чудо као некад на Авраму и Сари, и подари им једно чедо за утеху у старости. Бог им посла ангела свога, који им објави рођење „кћери преблагословене, којом ће се благословити сви народи на земљи, и кроз коју ће доћи спасење свету". И одмах Ана заче и у 9. месецу роди св. Деву Марију. Св. Јоаким поживе на земљи 80 а Ана 79 година, и представише се Господу.
The Blessing of Homes with Holy Water To schedule the blessing of your home with the holy water, please contact Proto Bratso at frbratso@sbcglobal.net or 619-2765827 or cell phone 619-316-2362. Thank you!
Q. Why are the homes of Orthodox Christians sprinkled with the holy water? A. In one of the prayers we use during the blessing of water, we hear the following words: “For those who will take of this holy water for the blessing of their homes, let us pray to the Lord that this water might be for the cleansing of the souls and bodies of those who, with faith, will take of it and will drink of it, let us pray to the Lord.” The blessing of the water and sprinkling of our homes therewith and drinking thereof is neither just a tradition nor a superstition, but rather a living and visible sign of God’s presence among us. The drawing and keeping of Holy Water, the sprinkling therewith and
Освећење Домова са Богојављенском Водицом Позовите проту Брацу да закажете термин за освећење вашег дома Богојављенском водицом, frbratso@sbcglobal.net , 619-276-5827, мобилни 619-3162362.
Питање: Зашто се Светом Богојављенском Водом кропе домови православних хришћана и уопште, како се и зашто она користи? Одговор: У једној од молитава које се читају на Великом водоосвећењу чујемо и ове речи: ``За оне који је (Свету воду) захватају и црпе ради освећења својих домова, Господу се помолимо. Да она буде на очишћење душа и тела свима који је вером захватају и пију, Господу се помолимо.`` Освећење воде и кропљење наших домова том освећеном водом и пијење Свете воде
drinking thereof, is one part of our response to God’s goodness to us. Every time during the year when we feel the need (not just during illness), we should draw from the holy water and use it, for that is why we keep it in our homes. Q. In what way and how long do we keep holy water? A. Every home should have a specific glass container which is used only for the preservation of Holy Water. Holy Water cannot spoil nor change in any way and could be preserved and used during an unlimited period of time. If we still have Holy Water left over from the previous year, we can simply add the new Holy Water to it, and continue to do so from year to year. Holy Water should not be thrown out! Q. Why does the priest visit the home and bring Holy Water with him? A. Entering the homes of Orthodox Christians, the priest first of all brings God’s blessing. The priest never goes anywhere in his own behalf, but is always on a mission; for with his words,
није тек само једна у низу многих традиција, или нешто што се `ваља`, већ је то пре свега живи и видљиви знак Божијег присуства међу нама; то је примање Божије благодати која нам се даје у Светој води. Питање: Како се и колико дуго чува Света Вода? Одговор: Сваки дом би требало да има једну посебну стаклену и пластичну посуду (флашу) која ће се користити само за чување Свете воде. Света вода није подложна кварењу нити ма каквим променама и може се чувати и користити неограничено дуго. Ако нам је преостало свете воде од претходне године, њој се само додаје новоосвећена вода и тако из године у годину. Света вода се не сме бацити нити просути. Питање: Зашто свештеник долази у дом и доноси свету водицу? Одговор: Улазећи у домове православних хришћана свештеник,
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 12
deeds, and especially with the Holy Rites, he preaches Him Who has said: “God and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Visiting the homes of his parishioners, the priest, as an instrument of God’s grace and as a spiritual father, brings Christ’s peace with him. Visiting every home in his parish, the priest, in fact visits the home church, for every home is “called” to be a small church. Receiving the priest in their homes, the Orthodox Christians receive God’s grace which the priest brings to them, the grace which is given through Holy Water as well as the saving power of the Holy and Precious and Lifegiving Cross. Q. What all needs to be prepared for the priest’s coming to our home? A. It is important that on a clean table we prepare the following: a bowl of water (into which the priest will pour Holy Water), a candle, an icon (of Lord Jesus Christ, or Blessed Mother of God, or your Slava Icon), and a list of names (of the living and deceased family members).
пре свега, доноси Божији благослов. Свештеник никада и никуда не иде у своје име. Он је увек у мисији, јер речју, делима и нарочито свештеним радњама проповеда Онога који је рекао: ``Идите и начините све народе мојим ученицима`` (Матеј 28:19). Посећујући домове својих парохијана, свештеник, као инструмент Божије благодати и као духовни отац, доноси Христов мир са собом, док пак парохијани примају благодат која се даје кроз Свету воду и благодатну силу Часнога Крста. Питање: Шта треба спремити за долазак свештеника у дом? Одговор: Потребно је, на чистом столу, припремити, суд са водом, свећу, икону и мали поменик (списак живих и у Господу уснулих чланова породице).
Распоред Богослужења за јануар 2014
Schedule of Services for January 2014 Monday: Christmas Eve
6. јануар
Понедељак: Бадњидан-Вече
7:00 pm
Great Vespers Blessing of Yule Log Children’s Program/Arrival of Santa Claus Dinner & Fellowship
19:00
Вечерње са петохлебницом; Освећење бадњака Дечији програм Долазак Деда Мраза-Св. Никола Посна Вечера
January 7
Tuesday: Nativity of our Lord/Christmas
7. јануар
Уторак: Божић
10:00 am
Divine Liturgy Lunch and Fellowship
10:00
Света Литургија Ручак у Сали
January 8
Wednesday: Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos
8. јануар
Среда: Сабор Пресвете Богородице
10:00 am
Divine Liturgy
10:00
Свете Литургија
January 9
Thursday: Holy Protomartyr Stephen
9.јануар
Четвртак: Св. Првомученик и архиђакон Стефан
10:00 am
Divine Liturgy
10:00
Света Литургија
January 12
Sunday: Ven. Mother Theodora of Caesarea, Holy Virgin, Martyr Anysia
12.јануар
Недеља: Света Муч. Анисија; Преподобна Теодора
10:30 am
Divine Liturgy Sunday School & Lunch
10:30
Света Литургија Веронаука и Ручак
January 14
Tuesday: The Circumcision of our Lord Jesus Christ, St. Basil the Great Julian calendar New Year
14.ануар
Уторак: Обрезање Господње, Св. Василије Велики; Нова Година по Јулијанском Календару
10:00 am
Divine Liturgy
10:00
Света Литургија
January 18
Saturday: Holy Cross Feast Day
18.јануар
Субота: Крстовдан
10:00 am
Divine Liturgy
10:00
Света Литургија
January 19
Sunday: Theophany
19.јануар
Недеља: Богојављење
10:30 am
Divine Liturgy and the Great Blessing of Water Parish Annual Assembly
10:30
Света Литургија; Велико Освећење Воде Ручак и Годишња Скупштин
January 20
Monday: Synaxis of St. John the Baptist
20.јануар
Понедељак: Свети Јован Крститељ-Јовањдан
10:00 am
Divine Liturgy
10:00
Света Литургија
January 26
Sunday: St. Sava, First Archbishop of Serbia
26.јануар
Недеља: Светосавска Прослава
10:30 am
Divine Liturgy St. Sava Celebration (Blessing of the Kolach and Children’s Program) All are invited
10:30
Света Литургија; Светосавски Програм (Сечење Колача и Дечији Програм) Учтиво позивамо све парохијане да нам се придруже на прославу
January 27
Monday: St Sava Feast Day
27.јануар
Понедељак: Свети Сава, Први Архиепископ Српски
10:00 am
Divine Liturgy
10:00
Света Литургија
January 6
Please, visit our website for complete January 2014 calendar
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 13
From the President... Dear Fellow Stewards
The Prayer of Stewardship Lord Jesus Christ, Thou are the Good Steward, who redeemed Adam and Eve of their failed stewardship by offering Thyself for the life of the world. Thou didst teach us in the feeding of the multitudes that whatever we give to God is returned to us manifold. Thou didst praise those good and faithful servants in the parable of the talents who returned to the Master their gifts multiplied. So help us to learn the joy of stewardship, remembering that everything we have comes from Thee. For Thou art the Good Steward and to Thee we offer thanksgiving, praise and glory, together with Thy Father who is everlasting and Thine all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit now and ever and onto the ages of ages. Amen
I write this final Voice article as the President of the Executive Board of St. George, a position that I am honored to have held for these past two years. I am grateful for all the support that has been afforded to me, by the not only Proto Bratso and the executive board, but the stewardship as a whole. Together we completed the children's play area, brought back the Serbian Festival, hosted the SNF Golf Tournament, hosted the SSF Singing Festival, established the St. George Scholarship Fund, and started construction on a new lounge area, all made possible by incredible team work and sacrifice. The selflessness by which our stewardship contributes is nothing short of remarkable and, I would like to recognize some extraordinary people for their hard work and dedication over these past years, making my job that much easier: • Sylvia Ivanovic and Snezana Pantovic for their tireless efforts both personal and with the KSS.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Orthodox Christian Stewardship is… …a lifestyle choice that recognizes that everything is a gift from God. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ taught that our responsibility as disciples is to recognize that God is the provider of all that we possess and that our call is to be generous givers. An Orthodox Christian steward contributes his or her time, talent, and financial resources with a willing and joyful spirit. Being a generous giver is a spiritual response to God’s goodness and love.
• Dobrila Undheim and Marina Skendžić along with the Senior and Junior. Morava Dance Groups. Not only are your performances spectacular, but you have become wonderful ambassadors for St George and the Serbian culture as a whole. • Veljo Jovanovic, Kate Thickstun, and the entire St. George choir. You always answered my call to help without condition, without reservation. • To Pam Naughton, Lydia and Howard Rhoads. God only knows where we would be without your “special” help. I cannot possibly thank you enough. You are truly a blessing to St. George.
In the past I have tried to avoid thanking individuals for fear of forgetting someone. But I feel compelled to mention a few people who have touched me with their incredible generosity over and over again—Vladimir Grijakovic, Stevan Ruzic, Ratko Jovanovic, Alex and Seka Kinac, Bafa Morrison, and Vesna and Dan Radojevic. Your constant generosity and words of encouragement will not be forgotten. It has been a memorable last few years, and I thank you for the privilege of allowing me to serve. I encourage everyone to find time to participate in the upcoming elections and take a seat on the board. Your church needs you. There are so many exciting things happening in St. George. Please be a part of it. The Lord will bless you richly for your effort.
Vladan Trifunovic, President St. George Serbian Orthodox Church Board
FOCUS Ministry FOCUS is an acronym for Fellowship of Orthodox Christians United to Serve. FOCUS San Diego is a local chapter of FOCUS North America, a non-profit 501c3 domestic charitable provider organization headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. FOCUS North America is the only national PanOrthodox Christian agency working operationally on pervasive and persistent issues of poverty in our communities in conjunction with the Orthodox Church in North America. FOCUS San Diego is an outreach of the Orthodox Christian churches in San Diego. Inspired by the Orthodox Christian tradition of championship of the poor and oppressed, FOCUS San Diego’s mission is to the under-served homeless and working poor with food, occupation help & counseling, clothing, emergency assistance (of various kinds), and help with housing (by way of referral to other providers). We will serve in conjunction with other providers, faith-based and secular. St George serves every third Wednesday of the month the homeless and needy at God’s Helping Hand Mission. Contact Mira Jovanovic or Father Bratso for more information.
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 14
Serbian Orthodox Teachers and Youth Association—SOTAYA— for the 21st Century With the Blessings of the Episcopal Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America and the support of the Central Church Council, we announce the reestablishment of the Serbian Orthodox Teachers and Youth Association. The purpose of this ministry is to unite young adults and youth members of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Dioceses throughout North and South America. It is a special forum in which people will be brought closer together through a ministry of faith and fellowship. Today’s societal norms and advancements in technology make this a complex and difficult time in history for young people to grow and be shaped into men and women without the bombardment of negative and destructive influences. Members of SOTAYA will be brought together through Church-related as well as social and cultural events. The three-fold purpose, orientation, and implementation of SOTAYA is designed to 1. Reflect the Orthodox Christian Faith, Tradition, and Life in today’s society 2. Offer members opportunities to nurture and enhance relationships within this framework and 3. Encourage one another to collectively “commend ourselves and all our life to Christ, our God.”
SOTAYA is a ministry to young adults, ages 18-35 towards their greater integration into the life of their parish. Often, young adults feel isolated or overlooked in their own parishes. The impact of rapidly-advancing technology, and particularly the rise of social media opportunities, cannot be discounted, as young adults begin finding their way, discovering their gifts, wondering how or if they fit into society and for that matter, the Church. SOTAYA is an opportunity to reach out to our young adults and give them a chance to connect with their peers as well as their faith. It is the spiritual arena where they have the opportu-
nity to explore how to belong and participate more fully in the life of the Church in worship, in various ministries of the Church and in camaraderie with one another. What or who is most influential in one’s faith journey? While there may be different responses to this question, there is one overriding commonality: the power and significance of relationships for forming and nurturing faith. Parents, grandparents, spouses, bishops and priests, teachers, family and non-family, and friends are important persons whose faith “rubs off” onto others in the daily interactions of life together.
• Have one meeting or so every month where we participate in some sort of fun activity • Establish leaders to help make needs met and set up events • Meet with other SOTAYA members around the Americas in trips and events • Have Church fundraisers • Help us establish a platform to achieve these goals!
Ideas for activities and community participation; • 1-day Mexico project • 1-day/weekend project here in San Diego helping the poor
Therefore, the mission and goal of the SOTAYA ministry provides a forum for our young people as they are led into experiencing the Holy Orthodox Faith. By developing a closer relationship with our Lord, His Church, and one another, members of SOTAYA will become more active sacramental members of the living Church and thereby better equipped to meet the challenges of our time.
• Volunteer at a Nursing Home
SOTAYA at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church
• Anything that encourages unity, fellowship, and can better our community and ourselves in some way
We want to hear from you! Our desire is to facilitate a setting to help each other and encourage one another to achieve our spiritual goals and reinforce our faith as a priority in our daily lives. Ultimately, not to feel alone on our Orthodox Journey, because we are not. Other than our exceptional Morava dance group, there is an absence of organization amongst young members of our Church. We want to establish a fellowship that gives everyone purpose and a sense of belonging and community.
This is our Church, but your spiritual journey. It doesn’t have to be completed alone. Help us to create a fun and welcoming place to learn and share with others in our Church and community. Please contact Fr. Bratso frbratso@sbcglobal.com or Andrew Marin avincentmarin@yahoo.com with any questions or to sign up.
• In our beginnings as a group, all ages should all meet together. Eventually, we would like to have a senior and junior group set up for meetings and activities, but have both groups participate together in community service and Church projects • Form a large group of like-minded individuals to share and learn from one another
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 15
• Take on a project here at our Church • Watch movie/s at Church or at the theater • Upon completion of Church bar, meet to watch sporting events • Go to a theme park or fun destination (zoo, balboa park, 6 flags, USS Midway, sports game etc.) • Volunteer at a nonprofits
CHURCH CALENDAR 2014 JANUARY 6
Badnje Vece/Christmas Eve
7
Bozic/Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
19
Annual Stewardship Meeting
26
St. Sava Celebration
31
Tablic Tournament & Przene Girice—MORAVA fund raiser, Friday
FEBRUARY 15
Meeting of our Lord Feast Day
23
Meatfare Sunday
MARCH 2
Cheesefare/Forgiveness Sunday
3
First day of the Great and Holy Lent
9
Sunday of Orthodoxy
16
Second Sunday of the Great Lent
23
Third Sunday of the Great Lent
30
Fourth Sunday of the Great Lent
APRIL 6
Fifth Sunday of the Great Lent (Pan-Orthodox Vespers at St. George AOC )
13
Palm Sunday – Cveti
18
Great and Holy Friday
19
Midnight Matins
20
Pascha/Vaskrs
MAY 4
Church Slava
29
Ascension of our Lord - Spasovdan
JUNE 8 13-15
Pentecost MORAVA Folkfest
16
Apostles Fast begins
28
Vidovdan
29
Vidovdan Celebration and Honoring of Graduates
JULY 13
Diocesan Summer Camp; http://www.campstsava.org Week One
20
Week Two
27
Week Three
AUGUST 4
Semi-Annual Stewardship meeting
14
Dormition Fast Begins
28
Dormition Feast Day
29-31
Diocesan Days Weekend at St. Sava Church in Jackson, CA - Church Closed
For more information please call Fr. Bratso Krsic at 619-276-5827 or visit www.SaintGeorgeInSD.org
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 16
Sunday Church School Dear Parents and Parishioners of St. George Parish, We have an exciting Church School program planned for the children this year, and we pray you will make it a priority for your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and kumovi—all who are willing and open to learning and growing in the Holy Orthodox Faith! We are ever so grateful to God for blessing us with loving and caring teachers and parents. We, of course, look forward to all parents getting involved in teaching, so please, don’t be shy, step forward and volunteer some time in our classrooms. Please see below for the exciting programs we have planned. • Annual Children’s St. Sava Program, January 26, 2014 • Rehearsals begin on January 10 and will be held during class time • Scholarships available to qualified students (for attendance three out of four Sundays; four out of five Sundays). • Tuition to Diocesan Summer Camp in Jackson, California • Tuition to the National Serbian Orthodox Youth Conference • Other Outreach and ministry activities will be planned throughout the year!
Thank you for supporting our youth and for bringing your children to Church School. We look forward to a blessed and exhilarating and grace filled growth in our Orthodox Faith.
Bring your children to Sunday Church School! , Grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, or kumovi, bring them! Learn about the Orthodox Faith, cultural traditions, Christian music, the Serbian language, and much more.
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 17
Radojevic, Dorothy Vukotic, and Milica Vasic. Zivele na mnogaja ljeta.
The Kolo Sisters’ Corner Dearest fellow parishioners of St. George: On Sunday, September 22nd, Kolo Srpski Sestara celebrated their slava —The Nativity of the Most-Holy Theotokos—“Mala Gospoina” and the 60th anniversary since the Kolo was established in 1953 in St. George church. As always members of the Kolo prepared a delicious lunch. A Big Thanks goes to Mira Jovanovic, Ljubinka Plavsic, Nada Milicevic, Dusanka Amanovic, and Protinica Bozana Draskovic. Thanks also to Milica and Milos Plavsic, Christina Zuber, and Ana Miletic, that everything was done very well. (Pictures below.) On that special day both living and departed members of the Kolo were honored and remembered with great respect and heartfelt thanksgiving for their never ending love, dedication, and hard work. Honored Kuma for the occasion was Radmila Kasic, who is a long standing member iiof the Kolo. Thank you Kuma. We also honored our senior members Protinica Nadezda
Kolo supported and cooked for our wonderful Serbian church festival on October 12, and all the food turned out good, and we made a very good profit for one day. Our church needs us and we will always be there. Thank you to all for the help. Without you we it would have happened. Also I would like again to thank all the families who have supported and cooked Sundays lunches. They are wonderful, with ladies showing off there culinary talents. With 2014 approaching, we will be scheduling elections for Kolo. So if you are interested to take a position and be active, please let me know, and I will start to make a roster for elections. Merry Christmas, and God Bless you all. With Love, Snezana Pantovic, Kolo President
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 18
St George Choir The St. George Choir started practicing for the Christmas holidays, including the special Serbian songs and carols. Our Vice President, Rankin Fisher, just printed a collection of the Serbian songs and carols that we sing on the Badnje Vece and Christmas. He also printed a new edition of the of the choir books, the responses at the Liturgy and holidays. We are thankful to him for both endeavors. Our Choir Director, Kate Thickstun, also became the Choir Director of the Pacific Women’s Chorus and their first concert under her direction was held November 17, 2013 at the San Dieguito United Methodist Church. We are very proud of our Choir Director, and we wish her great success also at the
Pacific Women’s Chorus. She has a rare talent of directing our Choir and singing the soprano part at the same time. Our Choir performed with the St. John of Kronsdat Choir during the vesper (bdenije) service on December 3 in our Church on the eve of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos (Vavedenje Presvete Bogorodice). This included a combination of Serbian and Russian chants, and some in English. Our choir sang at two weddings.And we made a $500 donation to this year’s St. George Serbian Festival. Velimir Jovanovic, Choir President
Mir Bozji! Hristos se Rodi! Funerals
Stole Report for 2013 Baptism & Chrismation As many as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ! Alleluia!
We congratulate and welcome the following into the Holy Orthodox Faith: • Sasa Aleksandar Roksic • Maksim Viktor Roksic • Audrey Mila Anastasia Nedic • Robert Aleksandar Ford • Natalia S. Valenti
Grant eternal rest in blessed falling asleep O Lord, to Your departed servants, and make their memory to be eternal!
Awaiting the Resurrection †Radmila Medved
Kate Thickstun and her son Dylan Leff
Marriages O Lord our God, crown them with glory and honor!
We congratulate the following couples who were united in Holy Matrimony at our cherished St. George Church.
†Ljubisav Miladinovic
• Jeffrey Nicholas Lawrence Schrandt to Natalia Sergeyevna Valenti
†Tonska Dorothy Andolsek
• Bernard Chanel Lebel to Tatyana Ivanova
†Stoyan S. Shterew
• Nelson Afyan to Mila Milton
†Ruja Vasich
• Pace Alexander Rommel to Silvan Silvy Rakich
†Danilo “Dan” Katich
• George Djordje Topalovic • Tesla Spanovic • Lazar Krimerman • Mina Arijana Djordjevic • Marko Djordjevic • Emma Kirilova Yanakiev • Izabella Rajlin Pantovic • Aleksandar Mikic • Marko Mikic
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 19
MORAVA! Dear Friends and Supporters,
Morava has been in full swing performing and representing the St. George Serbian
2014 is a full schedule ending with our 27th Annual Summer Folkfest on June 14 and then a trip to Niagara Falls, Montreal, and Hamilton, Canada, dancing at SFE Kolo's annual summer concert and picnic in Hamilton on July 6, 2014. As you all are aware, Morava has been lucky to have Laki Ruzicic (on loan from Talija) as instructor. Laki joined us at the end of August and will be staying to the end of February. Under his instruction,
community. • September was a wonderful trip to Boston at the invitation of our friends from Gracanica Folklore to perform at St. Sava's festival for the weekend. A great time was had by all and friendships were made and perpetuated. • October kept us busy with the Serbian Festival, SD Symphony Hall and the Opolo Wine Harvest Festival in Paso Robles. • In November, Team Morava competed in Cevap Challenge with team captains Nikolina Lazic and Cristina Dukovich mixing up a batch of cevaps and getting 3rd place for People's Choice! Great job ladies! • December was busy with Morava's annual Christmas party, serving at the first annual year-end fundraiser at St. George and then a performance for the Black Tie Cigar Club of San Diego at their holiday brunch in Rancho Santa Fe.
TABLIC TOURNAMENT! $25 buy-in – 50/50 split Przene Girice (fried smelts) Friday, January 31, 2014 - 7:30pm How to sign up for the Tablic Tournament? See rules on next page Contact Cristina.Dukovich@gmail.com
to 1! Morava is a great avenue to get a great workout while at the same time creating new and lasting friendships. If you are about 16 years of age or older, please consider joining. It is a guaranteed fun time! Practice is held on Thursdays from 7pm—9pm. Morava Folklore was established in 1987, and its mission is to perpetuate Serbian culture through song and dance in North America. As an auxiliary organization of St. George Serbian Orthodox Church, Morava is a non profit organization. Your financial contributions are necessary to continue to develop the foundation of Morava Folklore and to support the many needs that are required. Please consider making a goodwill donation. Any donation you make to “St. George Morava” is greatly appreciated and is tax deductible as allowed by law. Ziveli Svima!
Morava has learned a new dance from Bosna and hopes to present it to you in the near future. Next on the list of dances is a new Vlaske that we hope to learn before Laki leaves. We are happy to announce that Morava is growing, and new female dancers have joined. We need to recruit more male dancers. The girls outnumber the boys 2
Dobrila Undheim Director, Morava Seniors Dobrila@cox.net
Find us on Facebook!
we’ll be dancing
MORAVA FOLKLORE ENSEMBLE - 2014 CALENDAR
Right into 2014
(Season runs from August 15, 2013 through July 7, 2014) Rehearsals are Thursdays from 7– 9pm Fr
January 31
Sa
February 15
Su Th
February 23 April 17
Su Su Sa Sa Fr/Sa/ Su Fr
April 27 May 4 May 10 May 17 June 13 - 15 Jun 27–Jul 7
Fried Smelts and Tablic Tournament Fundraiser Kalamegdan Kolofest
7:30pm
St. G
Nations of SD No Practice – Holy Week – (Easter 4.20.14) The PGK Project SD ArtWalk (tentative) St. George Slava Slovak Heritage Festival Bacon and Wine Tasting Fundraiser 27th Annual Summer Folkfest
2 & 7pm
St. Sava, San Gab Coronado
CANADA-Niagara Falls, Montreal, Hamilton SEASON ENDS
1pm Noon 5pm 7 -11pm Sat 4pm
Little Italy St. G La Mesa ST. G Garfield Theatre
Subject to change
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 20
merry christmas & happy new year! srecan bozic & nova godina! MORAVA FOLKLORE ENSEMBLE SIGN UP TO PLAY IN THE FIRSTEVER TABLIC TOURNAMENT! Email cristina.dukovich@gmail.com to save your spot! FRIDAY, January 31, 2014, 7:30PM Morava Tablic House Rules! Tablic is a very popular card game. It’s usually played with two or four people. It is played with a single 52-card deck. Card value King (K) is worth 14, Queen (Q) 13 and Jack (J) 12. The rest of the cards are face value. The Ace (A) is treated specially. Its value can be either 1 or 11, depending on the desire of the player. Goal. The goal of the game is to take away the highest possible amount of cards from the table, specifically the highest amount of points. Cards are taken away by throwing a card away from your hand and using it to pick up the card of the same value; or multiple cards, whose sum is equal to the card thrown. The cards that are taken are collected by each player and kept in a separate pile so they can get totaled at the end of the game. Dealing. The dealer deals 6 cards per player (3 at a time) and places 4 cards face up on the table. The cards on the table must be separated. The rest of the deck is placed to the side. When all the players throw all the cards they had, the
dealer takes the deck from the side and again deals 6 cards to each player. When all the cards are out, and there are no more left in the deck, the next player becomes the dealer. The game The first player to play is always the one on the dealer’s right side and the order is counter clockwise. In every round, each player discards a single card from their hand. With this card he can, but doesn’t have to, take away a card from the table. In case he does, the player picking up the cards turns them upside down and places them on his pile, so the other players wouldn’t be able to see which cards have already been played. In case the player can’t pick anything up with his card, the card he throws down remains on the table. When the game is over, if there are leftover cards on the table, the player that picked up the cards last gets to take the leftover cards. When the player picks up the rest of the cards (currently on the table) with one of his own, he is given a tabla, worth one point. When a player takes away the rest of the cards because he was the last one to pick up cards, he does not get a tabla. Scoring Each player or pair is scored by the number of the cards picked
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 21
up and the points. The maximum number of points is 25 + the number of tablas won: • for every 10, J, Q, K or A, one point is received • for the 2 of clubs, one point is received • for the 10 of diamonds, two points are received • the one with the most number of cards receives “on cards” (3 extra points).
If both players own the same number of
cards, no one receives “on cards” Game end. The game ends when the player reaches 101 points. The game does not stop in the middle of a deck. If at the end of a 52-card deck, both players have more than 101 points, the one with the most points wins.
• Jovanovic, Misha and Marsha
• Pantich, Tom and Helen
Stewardship List—Adults, for 2013
• Jovanovic, Ratko and Koka
• Pantovic, Nada
• Jovanovic, Slavica
• Pantovic, Snezana and Dole
• Alemany, Lazar, Linda and Family
• Jovanovic, Toma and Vesna
• Papac, Wayne and Sandie
• Amanovic, Diana
• Jovanovic, Velimir and Mira
• Petakovich, Deyan and Natasa
• Andolsek, Tonska+
• Jovanovic, Verica
• Aud, Matthew, Laurie and Famil
• Kasic, Rade and Radmila
• Petakovich, Proto Velimir and Protinica Ljubinka
• Basic, Stevo and Stana
• Kinach, Alex and Seka
• Begovich, Michael and Samantha
• Klacar, Neven
• Belcevich, Milos
• Kostic, Tordis
• Borojevich, Mildred and Wally
• Kovacevic, Biljana
• Bradic, Aleksandar and Jelena
• Krsic, Proto Bratso and Protinica Lisa
• Brucker, Mitch and Lidija
• Kukich, Branislav
• Caric, Brigitte and Family
• Kunac, Maria and Dusan
• Connor, Evelyn
• Lazovic, Alexander and Carole
• Copic, Miro, Laura and Family
• Lukic, James-Ljuban and Petka
• Cronemeyer, Jamie and Zorica
• Lukic, Milos
• Denton, Natalie
• Masic, Milenko
• Dimich, Marlene
• Markley, Scott and Nada
• Ducich, Nick and Tia
• Marin, Mike, Tina and Family
• Drakulich, Persida
• McCarthy, Svetlana
• Draskovic, Proto Bozidar and Protinica Bozana
• McKienzie, Sally-Ann
• Elez, Sladjana
• Melnick, Stanley and Pauline
• Freeman, Lillian
• Mihailovic, Gordon
• Fulton, Jeff and Radmila
• Mikler, Zora
• Germain, Deacon Paul, Natalija and Family
• Milanovich, Jennifer
• Gavrilov, Gleb • Glusac, Milena • Gregovich, Ljubica • Grijakovic, Vladimir • Hjembo, Karl and Alyssa • Ilic, Boris • Ilic, Petar and Rosa • Irick, Olga • Ivanovic, Mirko and Sylvia • Janich, Marcia • Jaich, Dennis, Rhonda and Family • Jojic, Dobrinka • Jojic, Julijana and Vesko • Jorling, Joe and Nina • Jovanovic, Marko and Dijana
• Medigovich, Samuel
• Milasinovich, Zeljko and Marija • Milicevic, James and Melanie • Milicevic, Nikola and Nada • Miljkovic, Milan and Diane • Miljkovic, Vecki and Miodrag and family • Milovancev, Miroslav, Mira and Family • Mitrovich, Desanka • Mitrovich, Jelena • Mitrovich, Predrag and Family • Mitrovich, Risto and Linda • Mrja, Millie • Naughton, Pamela • Nedel, Ned and Naden • Nedic, Sava and Spomenka • Nikolic, Dragan and Gordana • Orlich, Petar
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 22
• Petric, Alex, Shari and Aci • Petric, Milovan and Jelena • Petrovic, Djordje • Plavsic, Milan and Ljubica • Plavsic, Mara-Seja • Plavsic, D. Dee • Popa, Cornelia • Popovic, Darko and Family • Popovich, Dolly • Popovich, Vojkan and Nada • Potkonjak, Michael, Sheila and Joseph • Pugh, Zachary and Milica • Purlia, Sam and Gloria • Raicevic, Vladimir, Silvana and Family • Rakic, Marko, Vera and Family • Radojevic, Slobodan and Dr. Vesna • Radojevic, Protinica Nadezda • Radomirovic, Vladimir • Radovanovic, Dragoslav and Ljiljana • Raicevic, Vladimir, Silvana and Family • Rhoads, Howard and Lydia • Ruzic, Stevan and Marija • Saathoff, Ron and Stephanie • Savchuk, Nikolaj and Olga and Family • Schrandt, Jeff and Natalia (Valenti) • Sedy-Miletic, John and Ana and Family • Selezan, Nemanja • Serdar, Sophie • Skaljac, George and Bernadette • Smith, Justin, Zorana and Family • Starr, Tatyana • Stojadinovic, Djordje and Julijana • Stoyanoff, Jordan and Beatriz • Thickstun, Kathryn • Topalovic, Vojkan, Maja and Family • Trifunovic, Alexandra
• Trifunovic, Dr. Robert, Simona and Family • Trifunovic, Vladan and Milica and Family • Tully, George • Undheim, Robert and Dobrila • Urosevic, Branislav and Elaine • Vasich, Branko and Ruja • Vasic, Milica • Vlasovich, Milanka • Vladic, Milan • Vucelic, Inge • Vukotich, Dorothy • Vukotich, May and Stefan • Vukotich, John and Jean • Vuksanovic, Dusan • Yancey, Peter • Zivkovic, Miodrag and Sarah • Zivkovic, Tina and Jovan
Stewardship List—Children
Stewardship at St. George Parish is our common endeavor It's that time of year again when seemingly every non-profit organization is asking for your donations. And while there are numerous worthy causes out there, I wanted to make sure that St. George is in your thoughts as you decide where to donate your hard-earned money. Your generous donations support our parish ministries, and make it possible for this small but active Serbian Orthodox community to survive and prosper. Unlike some other faiths, we don't require or suggest how much you should donate for stewardship. It is up to you to determine how much your second home means to you. Thank you to everyone who has already filled out a 2014 stewardship pledge card. If you haven't filled one out, please do so soon so that we can plan our budget for the following year. As always, your donations to St. George are 100% tax-deductible.
Several people have asked me where they stand as far as fulfilling their 2013 pledges. If you would like to know where you stand, please email me at tomasjovanovic@hotmail.com, and I will let you know right away if you have any outstanding for 2013. You can also email me or Father Bratso if you need a stewardship pledge card for 2014. Thank you once again for your support. Sincerely, Toma Jovanovic, Stewardship Chairman
• Krsic, Anastasija • Krsic, Luka • Krsic, Nikolaj • Leff, Dylan
If we have overlooked or misspelled anyone’s name, please, inform our church office (619-276-5827), and we will immediately make the necessary corrections. Thank you!
Stewardship Reflections This year, the Standing Committee for Stewardship Ministries of the Serbian Orthodox Church in America is reflecting on CARE and it's importance in our daily life. This is the first in a series of meditations on CAREing and Christian Stewardship. CARE of the Divine Liturgy
Your generous donations support our parish ministries
We also thank You for this Liturgy which You are pleased to accept from our hands though there stand by You thousands of Archangels and hosts of Angels, the Cherubim and Seraphim with six wings and many eyes, who soar aloft, borne on their pinions, singing the triumphant hymn, shouting, proclaiming and saying, ‘Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord of Sabaoth, Heaven and earth are full of Your Glory! Hosanna in the Highest!’ (Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom).
The Holy and Divine Liturgy is the pinnacle of a Life in Christ—of the Life of a Steward. It is the hard work of the People of God, the Church, gathered before God’s Holy Altar. The Grace of the Holy Spirit
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 23
enables us to participate in this work— even though there are a multitude and hosts bodiless powers to serve God. Human beings can accomplish no greater work than to participate in this work of Christ which unites us to Him—and in so doing to the Holy Trinity. Stewardship is taking seriously the enormity, the profundity and the richness of this unifying Gift of God—the Holy Liturgy. Therefore, we should treat such important work with the utmost respect and care. This article will consider some of the ways in which we may exercise our love for God and good Stewardship of the Divine Liturgy by examining three separate aspects of our liturgical experience: liturgical movement, liturgical music and liturgical space. LITURGICAL MOVEMENT. The movement of the Divine Liturgy is the eternal Dance of Isaiah—a joyous motion celebrating the Love of God present in our Lord, Jesus Christ. And, like any dance, we must be there on time to begin properly. The care of liturgical movement Continued page page 24. the Liturgy begins withonentering before begins. Not fifteen minutes late. Not just
Continued from page page 23.
before the Holy Anaphora. Not just in time for antidiron/naphora at the end of the Liturgy. A dance is greatly disrupted if it is interrupted as it is going on—so too is the Holy Liturgy. When we make our Life in Christ a priority, we ensure that we begin on time. The Divine Liturgy officially begins at the proclamation of the deacon: “It is time to begin the service to the Lord.” However, there is the liturgy prior to the Liturgy called the “Proskemedia” or the Liturgy of Preparation. It is during this time that the priest prepares the offering. It is also at the end of this preparation that the entirety of the Church—the temple, the offering, and the people—are incensed and blessed. Care of liturgical movement also means that we are paying attention to what is going on at the Holy Altar. We are to ensure that there is no reason to rush, nor to move in an unusually slow manner, but to maintain a regular, joyful and prayerful pace. For this we must allow adequate preparation. Again, it is important to remember that there is a rhythm present in the Divine Liturgy. LITURGICAL MUSIC. This rhythm is made manifest in the exchange between the clergy ordained to serve at the Holy Altar and those leading the people in responding, be they cantors or a full choir. The liturgical music of the Holy Liturgy provides the vehicle through which we human beings may join in the song of the Angelic Host sung at the throne of God, through the Gift of Himself of Jesus Christ and the Grace of the Holy Spirit. We are all musicians in the Divine Liturgy, for we are all directed to “make a joyful noise to God…” Those who have received musical gifts are called to help lead the rest of the congregation by participating in the choir, as a cantor, or both. This leadership should be one of service (as all Christian leadership truly is), dedicating oneself to God through practicing and preparing this musical gift as an offering. Choir members should
make every effort to attend rehearsals and to prepare for the singing of the Liturgy. Cantors should prepare the hymnography and have rehearsed it so that it might offer glory to God and not distraction. God’s gift is only ‘potential’ until it is actualized in practice. However, as was mentioned earlier: we are all called to respond and sing the Holy Liturgy. In fact, the Divine Liturgy may not even be served if there is no one to respond. It is essential that there be at least one or two to respond to the priest’s petitions or the Liturgy may not be served. This point is reinforced by the fact that the first active verb in the entire liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is sung by the people during the Anaphora: We praise You, we bless You, we worship You, O Lord, and we pray to You, O our God. LITURGICAL SPACE. The praise and worship of God as it is accomplished in the local community takes precedence in the life of a Christian Steward. It is the means by which we are empowered to act as Christ’s Body—the Church. Thus, the space in which the Divine Liturgy is realized must be given the utmost loving care. We treat the Church Temple the same way that we treat our own bodies: as the Temple of the Holy Spirit that it is. We clothe it properly, adorning it with proper vestments covering the Holy Altar, the Table of Oblation and the liturgical stands. We clothe it with the majesty from on high with the Holy Icons upon the Iconostasis and Walls. We clothe it by vesting those serving at the altar or at the kliros/pjevnica (reader’s stand) with the appropriate robes as well. We ensure that the Temple is clean for every Liturgy. We clean our kitchens at home after using them; and we probably would not cook in a dirty kitchen. Nor would we serve our food upon dirty plates. So, it stands to reason that the most important spiritual food of which we can partake, Holy Communion, should be prepared and served with the utmost care as well. This means that the entirety of the Temple: the altar, the sanctuary, the nave and the narthex should be kept spotless. We never should walk into a Church and see VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 24
Each of us is called to a relationship with God cobwebs in the corners and crumbs on the carpet. In the same manner, when we are truly caring for our Life in Christ, neither should we leave the dirt of sin to defile our soul—but should regularly “clean house” through preparing for the Holy Mysteries of Confession/Repentance and Communion! The rewards of cleaning both our Church and our souls are plenty—there is no joy like that of an unburdened soul free to worship God! CARE OF THE LITURGY. Each of us, as Christian Stewards, is called to an intense and loving relationship with God through participating in the Holy Liturgy. This relationship has an infinite potential for growth. However, its growth is limited if we do not care for our participation in the Divine Work of the People. Ensuring that loving care is given to liturgical movement, liturgical music and liturgical space helps us to care for the Holy Liturgy so that it may care for us. And we all have unique and special gifts given by God to offer in this most important work—in this pinnacle of the Life in Christ! As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (I Peter 4: 10-11).
Father Christopher Rocknage
Treasurer’s Report 2013 Dear St. George faithful and friends, As we move towards the end of the year, we thank everyone who helped the parish in 2013 thru their generous contributions. I will be presenting and communicating our 2013 financial report and position to our leadership and congregation at our annual Stewardship Meeting on January 19, 2014, so I encourage everyone to be present at this important event. As I look at the report from January thru the end of November 2013, I would like to share the total income and expense figures for this period. Our total income so far is $257,484.48 and our expenses
are $225,772.38. It is fair to mention that $18,200.00 from the income was spent on paying in full, a loan borrowed from endowment in prior years, in order to complete the previous remodel phase. This leaves the parish with a profit of $31,712.00 so far this year. Now, that we have began the next phase of the Bar remodel a couple of months ago, and with our profit margin you can imagine that it is not possible to accomplish this, unless, we generate more revenues than the 31K noted above. We rely heavily on Social Fund Raising Events each year in order to bring in one third of the church's yearly income. The other two-thirds of our income are generated thanks to the continued generosity and commitment of our active parishioners and stewards who make regular offerings.
Fundraising Events Event
Income
Expenses
Net Profit
Badnje Vece/Christmas Eve
$5,747
$755.08
$4,991.92
Bozic/Christmas Day
$ 3,761
$176.36
$3,584.64
St. Sava Celebration
$ 2,308
$1,187.93
$1,120.07
SNF Golf Tournament
$12,000
**
**
$14,871.75
$5,691.53
$9,180.22
Church Siava
$ 3,564
$861.86
$2,702.14
Morava Folkfest
$ 7,227
**
**
Vidovdan Celebration
$2,346
$211.00
$2,135.00
Church Serb Festival
$29,276.50
$12,608.13
$16,668.37
$ 8,631
$ 3,005.64
$ 5,625.36
Easter Sunday
Cevap Challenge
** Net income cannot be determined due to bar supplies expenses
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 25
Our church is sustained and continues to grow thanks to all of you. See the table for all the results of those special social fundraising events totals for the year 2013 Please know how grateful we are for your investment in our church. Every gift, large or small, makes a significant difference. Our Bar remodel completion depends on our ability to cover the costs and expenses, and without your support, we could not make this happen. For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Most sincerely, Linda Alemany, St George Church Treasurer
The Book Club at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church
The Search for Truth on the Path of Reason
The Book Club finished reading and reflecting on the writings of several contemporary Orthodox theologians, hierarchs and spiritual fathers. The Book Club Meetings will resume again in February of 2014. For more information, please contact Fr. Bratso at frbratso@sbcglobal.net or 619-276-5827. Living Orthodoxy in the Modern World
Orthodox Christianity reveals the unbroken truth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from the time of Pentecost to the new millennium and beyond. Orthodoxy is increasingly valued among Christians for its depth of spirituality and theology, its commitment to prayer, and the beauty of its liturgy. But the Orthodox Church's reputation for clinging to tradition often gives the impression that it has no message for contemporary society. This book brings together twelve lay and ordained Orthodox writers, who provide profound and fascinating insights into the role and mission of the Church in today's world. While prayer and worship are considered the highest callings of all believers, the issues covered here range far more widely, including family life and bereavement, ecology and consumerism, politics, medical ethics and psychology.
The book also includes a description of how Igumen Nikon (Vorobyev), who was Prof. Osipov’s spiritual guide and instructor from an early age, came to a sure and direct knowledge of God after desperate years of fruitless searching through science, philosophy, and psychology. He finally found the truth in his native Orthodox Christian religion; he then embarked upon the infinitely fulfilling study of the “science of sciences,” found in the unanimous experience of the fathers of our Church. Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
The Search for Truth on the Path of Reason is a classic of Christian apologetics by Professor Alexei I. Osipov of the Moscow Theological Academy. The author is possibly the most widely known professor of Theology in Russia today. Prof. Osipov presents an overview of Western philosophy, the roots of religion and atheism, the relationship between religion and science, different forms of paganism, spiritual experience, and other related topics. He clearly delineates between all the various religious experiences, contrasting them with Orthodox experience and patristic teaching. The Western philosophies and systems of thought described in this overview have left such a deep impressions on our society as well that we can scarcely see beyond their influence. Osipov shows also the flip-side of Western rationalism, which is the various forms of mysticism and paganism that continually reproduce themselves in different guises. This book can help us to discern all of these trends, manifestations, and world views from an Orthodox, patristic perspective.
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 26
This book discussed the many teachings of Elder Thaddeus, such as “Until you have suffered much in your heart, you cannot learn humility” and “Joy is thankfulness, and when we are joyful, that is the best expression of thanks we can offer the Lord, Who delivers us from sorrow and sin.”
Sam and Gloria Purlia, One of St George’s Senior Stewardship Member Couples With a shared heritage as first-generation children of the 1920s, Sam and Gloria Purlia have also shared a long and wonderful life full of cherished family, fond friendships, and a wealth of memories. (see photo at right.) Although they were raised just miles apart in a tiny Arizona mining town, as children their paths rarely crossed. Gloria, the first of four children, was a year older and departed for college when she was just 16. Sam, the youngest of five, was three grades behind. Gloria was voted queen of her college, Sam—a late bloomer—was scrawny as a twig. The Purlia’s lived in the valley, the Fernandez family, in the foothills. Gloria’s father owned a thriving market, while Sam’s father toiled in the mines. They had different friends, attended different churches, and—as children—spoke different languages! Few in the town would have predicted that Sam and Gloria would eventually meet, marry, and produce four children. At the age of 19, Sam went overseas and flew P-38s in World War II, eventually achieving the rank of Captain. Back home Gloria, worked in her parents’ store, completed her education, and became a school teacher. The war ended, Sam returned home, and as fate would have it, the two were reintroduced by a fellow teacher, Sam’s sister Olga. Now a decorated war veteran in a sharp and shiny officer’s uniform, skinny little Sammy Purlia—the grammar school boy who had been far outside of Gloria’s radar—had what it took to capture (and keep) Gloria’s attention! They were married in 1949 and began their life together in Tucson, where Gloria taught art and Sam attended pharmacy school on the GI Bill. Soon, the young couple moved west settling in San Diego. They worked hard, started their family, and eventually built a successful business—Purlia’s Owl Rexall—a drugstore in Serra Mesa that endured for
more than 30 years. The store became a training ground for the four Purlia children (Gina, Marianne, John, and Danilo) as they learned the benefits of hard work, fair business practices, and strong community involvement. Following his “retirement” in the late 1980’s, Sam continued to work as a part-time pharmacist, finally hanging up his white jacket for good at the spry old age of 85. Sam and Gloria were early members of St. George Church, and through the years they have contributed to the great success of our congregation and local Serbian community, pitching in on a wide variety of efforts: serving on the church council, fundraising, donating Christmas toys and Easter sweets, and peeling mountains of garlic for feasts and celebrations. As the foundation of our church was being laid, Sam and Gloria were there to see bricks placed and concrete poured, tiles set and stained glass crafted. They and countless other founding members of the parish were there to offer support, encouragement, and prayer to the skilled craftsmen and tireless clergy who built the magnificent place of worship that is the heart of our Serbian fellowship. Now married 64 years and counting, Sam and Gloria are enjoying their wellearned retirement in the Alpine home they’ve shared since 1965. Their greatest joy has always been and continues to be precious time spent with the people they most love. Though—at 89 and 91 years young!—they don’t get out quite as much as they once did, it is their love of family and friends that continues to bring them great pleasure and add to their evergrowing trove of treasured memories.
Sam & Gloria Purlia
First Annual St George Year-end Fundraiser More than 100 St George parishioners and friends were treated to an evening of Bach, Strauss, Rachmaninoff, and a few classic Serbian songs presented by soprano Maja Markovic and the San Diego Chamber ensemble, and pianist Vladislav Celik. Stewardship member Stefan Vukotich with Marko Rakic and May Vukotich prepared a gourmet lenten menu, featuring baked salmon and finishing with baked apple. Nemanja Selezan spearheaded the event, which was totally sponsored by a new San Diego business enterprise: Westpac Wealth Partners —Nenad Subotic, president; Alex Jakovljevic, vice president, and Igor Asimovic. Because Wealth Partners covered all expenses, St George Church was able to make $10,000 on the event, all of which goes into the church’s remodeling project fund. Members of the senior MORAVA Folklore Ensemble skillfully served the meal to the guests, and Vojkan Popovic tended bar. See page 31 for a few pictures of the evening. Voice editor
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 27
Playground Protective Surface Project December 2013 Mission accomplished! Thanks to your generous donations, we were able to install a first-class rubber safety surface at our Church playground in September. As you can see from the list of donor’s, this was truly a collaborative effort, and an example of what we can accomplish when we pull together. Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen and for your support and patience through the fundraising period. This project started before I was got involved, so if I don’t have you on the donor’s list because you donated prior to 2013, I apologize, but know that it was not intentional. On a side note, I want to ask to everyone to help clean up playground area if your kids eat/drink there, and also to request that you remove your heels or spiked shoes before going on the playground surface. Heels can puncture the top surface, which will cause it to quickly degrade.Thanks again! Tomas Jovanovic
Church Destroyed on 9/11 to Rebuild A gleaming, monumental and unmistakable symbol of Orthodox Christianity would rise at the south end of the National September 11 Memorial under plans drawn up for the new St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. The church, which will include a nondenominational bereavement center, will stand in sharp contrast with its predecessor, next to the World Trade Center. The original St. Nicholas Church was crushed on Sept. 11, 2001, when the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed. Plans to replace it on the grounds of the new trade center, across Liberty Street from the memorial, have sputtered, stopped and crept ahead in the intervening years.
Playground Safety Surface Donor List Jovanovic
Marko & Dijana
Jovanovic
Misha & Marsha Jovanovic
Jovanovic
Tomas & Vesna
Jovanovic
Velimir & Mira
Petakovich Petakovich
Deyan & Natasha Prota Velimir & Protinica Ljubinka
Rakic
Vera & Marko
Mantis
Kristina
Irick
Olga
Thickstun
Kate
Mrja
Millie
Ducich
Nick & Tia
Trifunovic
Vladan & Milica
Radivojevich
Jovanka
Copic
Miro & Laura
Begovich
Samantha & Mike
Topalovic
Maja & Vojkan
Milicevic
Jimmy & Melanie
Sedy
John & Ana
Trifunovic
Simona & Robert
Stojadinovic
Djordje & Julijana
Savchuk Krsic
Nikolaj & Olga Prota Bratso & Protinica Lisa
Rhoads
Lydia & Howard
Ojdanic
Milanka
Milicevic
Nikola & Nada
Grijakovic
Vladimir
Marin
Tina & Michael
Srbich
Jeanette
Sebastian Press Sebastian Press Publications, which bears the name of the great Orthodox Christian missionary in North America, Archimandrite Sebastian Dabovich, has enriched Christian literature in the English language during the last few years with its valuable translations of the interesting and resourceful works of Serbian theologians to English. Among the authors translated into English are the works of St. Bishop Nikolaj of Zicha (Velimirovic), St. Abba Justin VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 28
of Celije, Bishop Atanasije Jevtic, Bishop Danilo Krstic, Bishop Ignjatije Midic, Bishop Maxim Vasiljevic, Dr. Nenand Milosevic, Fr. Dr. Vladan Perisic, Bogoljub Sijakovic, Fr. Radovan Bigovic, and there are also books of significance by Christos Yannaras, John Zizioulas, Archimandrite Emilijan of Simonopetra and Fr. Stamatis Skliris. This publishing endeavor is of great significance, not merely because contemporary Serbian theological thought is presented to English speaking readers, but because of the fact that the English language is like the old Greek language during the time of Alexander the Great – a means for global communication, conversation, traffic between continents and nations, among people throughout the globe. The fact that many esteemed Orthodox theologians worked and wrote (and still work) in English speaks of the significance of the English language today – the modern koine language or the lingua franca. For example, Bishop Nikolaj Velimirovich, during his mission in Great Britain, wrote and published his works in English at the beginning and mid 20th century. V. Rev. Alexander Schmemann, Fr. Georges Florovsky, Fr. John Meyendorff — corypheuses of Orthodox theology, initiators of the Orthodox theological awakening in the 20th century — published their most influential and most famous works in English. Metropolitan John Zizioulas, one of the greatest living theologians today, writes also in English. With the publishing endeavor of Sebastian Press, Serbian theology becomes accessible in a global sense. The publisher has made an effort to literally allow this accessibility—offering books to readers also through online order, books may be purchased in the virtual bookstore on the website of the Western Diocese - http://www.westsrbdio.org/ SEBASTIAN_PRESS/ Sebastian_Press.html. Besides being available in the traditional format, books are also available electronically, on the Kindle book reader...
CONVERSATION WITH BISHOP MAXIM: How did you arrive at the idea of publishing books in English? Very spontaneously and naturally, I felt it as some sort of obedience to the Church. While on the one hand in the Serbian community we have a flash of theological dynamism hidden in the heart of our Tradition, at the same time in the Anglophone world there is an absence of serious theological books by Serbian authors. Of course, our publications are not limited to only Serbian authors. We have published significant works by Christos Yannaras, John Zizioulas, Archimandrite Aimilianos of Simonos Petras and Fr. Stamatis Skliris, and in a few months a book by the former abbot of Iveron Monastery, Fr. Vasilios Gondikakis, will be available. With the publications of “Sebastian Press” (together with Serbica Americana) we wish to present not only to the American but to the entire Anglophone world and beyond the written works of Serbian and other Orthodox theologians. With this the “view” of boundaries and distances of space and time are abolished. We receive orders from throughout America, Canada, Australia, Europe and even Asia. At the recent meeting of the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops in America, our publications were praised by Archbishop Demetrios, and we all sang the Tropar to the Holy Emperor Constantine in English out of the translated book by Bishop Atanasije (Jevtic). What significance do the published works in English of these esteemed Orthodox thinkers have for Serbian theology and Serbian culture? The Church theologizes with its entire being, as well as with its written activity. The goal of this activity is so that contemporary man, reading the works of Saints Justin of Chelije and Nikolai Velimirovic, as well as our contemporary theologians-spiritual fathers Atanasije, Metropolitan John Zizioulas, Archimandrite Aimilianos of Simonos Petras and others, might be taught how to be in our all complex world. I believe that these works lead to a rapprochement with the
Serbian tradition which has its specific ethos and beauty; at the same time it leads to the adoption of the “logic” of the World to come of which from which drops of comfort – already here and now – descend upon the heart of man living anywhere in the Western hemisphere. The many reactions from readers speak to us of this and it means a lot to us. The significance is multi-linked: the Anglophone world becomes familiarized with the theological thought of our theological and churchmen as well as with a theological tradition of which they have more or less heard, and now they can approach more closely. Theological measurement leads to the experience of the presence of the Resurrected One among us. Thus, that which was foreign and unknown becomes close and desirable. What challenges have you encountered while preparing and publishing these books? We did not encounter challenges and difficulties precisely because this was and is a collective work. We feel God’s help continuously sent to us through living persons. This work gives us rest and it offers hope. Is the translation from one language to another potentially dangerous because in the process much of that which is important can be lost? Are there certain terminological ambiguities, and is it possible to express theological thought in the modern English language? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the English language? I think that the English language is actually very suitable for expressing the theology of the Church. There are many indications that in North America there is a real theological flourishing that surpasses other geographic areas. Furthermore, our translators are highly capable, and in the end each book goes through a professional proofreading (Brotherhood of the Monastery of St. Herman of Alaska in Platina, California, and Sarah Anna Boyle). In essence, every human act needs to serve as a signpost that leads to the Truth. The Truth is not on the VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 29
pages of the book but outside of them. The value of the written word is in a complete guide toward eternal life in Christ, in transformation toward the "abundant life" so that "no one fears death" (Saint John Chrysostom). I am convinced that the English language with this spiritual labor (podvig) of theological translations – because it is required to “construct new terminology” (Saint Gregory the Theologian) – gains a new ethos of terminology, achieves gracefulness and chromaticity, and with that, of course, a spiritual richness which it did not previously possess. What are the plans for the future and will “Sebastian Press” in 2014 delight Serbian and English audiences with new releases? We will soon publish works by: Bishop Ignjatije (Midic), Monk Maximos Constance, Professor Bosko Bojovic, Professor Bogdan Lubardic, Father John Erickson, Vladislav Puzovic, etc. We plan to publish the collected works of Archimandrite Sebastian Dabovich and the monumental edition of the book, The Legacy of Kosovo in English. Sebastian Press has started a bilingual edition in French and Serbian. In this regard recently at the Serbian Cultural Center in Paris we held a promotion of the book of poetry by Jovan Ducic. We have already published The Collection of Works from the International Symposium on St. Maximos the Confessor (held in Belgrade in October 2013), and in December of this year we will publish the Serbian version of it. Sebastian Press will publish some titles for children and youth next year. In the longer term, I think that these publishing activities will carry out perhaps a more fruitful mission after us than at this given time. Additionally, it is planned to publish works for young people who have an insatiable thirst for the truth, but it is up to us to discover the path toward them.
Insuring your life helps protect their future. Vladan Trifunovic, Agent Insurance Lic#: 0G31333 928 Fort Stockton Drive 6DQ 'LHJR &$ Bus: 619-296-6502
It can also provide for today. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll show you how a life insurance policy with living EHQHĂ&#x20AC;WV FDQ KHOS \RXU IDPLO\ ZLWK ERWK ORQJ WHUP DQG VKRUW WHUP QHHGV GET TO A BETTER STATE. &$// 0( 72'$< ÂŽ
In the Green: St George Recycling Program In an effort to gain much needed revenue and to help the environment, we are actively recycling at St. George. Did you know that every time you throw a water bottle, aluminum can, or glass beer bottle into the garbage instead of recycling it, you are throwing money away? Each can or bottle that is not recycled equals five cents gone forever. While five cents may not seem like much, every can and bottle quickly adds up. Please remember to put all plastic and glass bottles and aluminum cans into the blue recycling containers that are located both inside the hall as well as outside. In 2012, over 17.2 billion containers were recycled in California, saving natural resources, conserving energy, extending the life of our landfills, and helping to reduce emissions of harmful greenhouse gases. Let us be good stewards of the beautiful Earth we have been given!
6WDWH )DUP /LIH ,QVXUDQFH &RPSDQ\ 1RW OLFHQVHG LQ 0$ 1< RU :,
6WDWH )DUP /LIH DQG $FFLGHQW $VVXUDQFH &RPSDQ\ /LFHQVHG LQ 1< DQG :,
%ORRPLQJWRQ ,/ 1203087
Fr. Bratso encourages you to:
Voice of St George Advertising Rates Full page color $200 per issue Full page B&W
$100 per issue
1/2 page B&W
$50 per issue
1/4 page B&W
$25 per issue
â&#x20AC;˘ Send your email address to: frbratso@sbcglobal.net if you would like to be placed on a church information email list so that you get updated announcements of important changes or events during the month between monthly and quarterly mailings.
All stewards receive one free ad when placing in four consecutive issues. Send your copy or information to the Voice Editor at marsha@marshaj.com or contact Father Bratso.
Voice of St George Spring Issue Please submit all articles & reports, events, news, photos, announcements, ads, etc., ON or BEFORE March 8
â&#x20AC;˘ Let him know when people are sick so that he can call or visit them if they want him to do so, and add their names to the weekly prayer list. â&#x20AC;˘ Call him at any time; with questions, with concerns, with suggestions. If itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to you, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to him!
Our Bookstore has many items on sale! Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to shop in our church bookstore. We have many items: gold crosses, gold chains, prayer books, books on various topics, tapes, video tapes, DVDs, icons, prayer ropes, etc. Stewardship Pledges Did you forget to submit your stewardship card or perhaps misplaced it somewhere, or do you simply need some more offering envelopes? Call our church office 619-276-5827 and we will immediately send you a stewardship cards and envelopes.
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE â&#x20AC;˘ WINTER 2013 30
First Annual Year-end fundraiser at St George
Westpac Wealth Partners sponsors of event—Nenad Subotic, president; Alex Jakovljevic, vice president, and Igor Asimovic with St George Steward, Nemanja Selezan
Music - Maja Markovic & San Diego Chamber Ensemble Dinner by y Chef Stefan Vukotich
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from Misha Jovanovic & family —make 2014 your year of travel—
Misha Tours / Firstworld Travel
619-588-5811 / 619-588-4644 misha@mishatours.com
Cora Jovanovic VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • WINTER 2013 31