OUR OWN PART IN ALL THIS (based on a sermon on the feast, 11/21/07) In the Church, we know that the Christmas season is fast coming upon us when we get to the feast we have just recently celebrated—that of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple. In those days when we could offer Matins on Sunday mornings, we noticed that we had started singing hymns of the Nativity from that date—a sure sign that, even as we have been fasting since 11/15, the Church at this feast turns a corner heading to the celebration of the Lord’s birth and manifestation in the flesh.
Among the lessons to be learned from the story of this feast, one may be that Mary’s Entrance into the Temple is, in fact, OUR feast as well. In the toddler Mary being brought to serve in the Temple, we can see what our lives are called to be, what is to be the driving force in our lives, and what we have to expect in the coming of her Son.
Consider that, as the story (admittedly non-Scriptural) goes, at the age of about 3, Mary’s parents, Sts. Joachim and Anna, bring her to the temple to consecrate her life to the Lord’s service; and that she will remain in the Temple learning to serve until she reaches marriageable age. We already know that, from that marriageable age, Mary’s life was consecrated to God’s service; we see here that such was the case even from her earliest days. Her life was filled, then, with the Presence of God, with love for Him, and in His service. Because of that, she was then able to take her part in making the Word of God present in the world by giving birth in the flesh to the Only Begotten Son.
Now also consider just what the Temple was supposed to be. It was the place where God dwelt among His people—the place of His special presence. Mary’s life, then, was equated with that idea of God’s Presence, and , in fact, Mary’s body became the special place of God’s Presence—His Temple—as she held the Christ Child in her womb (hence: “…your womb He made more spacious than the heavens” in the hymn to her sung at St. Basil’s Liturgy in Lent, and the icon based on that hymn).
This aspect of Mary’s life is reflected in the services of the feast. Several of the usual readings for her feast days are replaced by those referring specifically to the Temple and its furnishings (Exodus 40 at Vespers actually refers to the Tabernacle in the desert; III Kings 7 & 8 at Vespers and Hebrews 9 at Liturgy refer to the Jerusalem Temple itself). We see the Temple in these readings as prefigurings of Mary, which is why we often refer to her in hymns by the titles of some of those furnishings: The Candlestick, the Lamp, the Ark, the Fountain, etc.
Poetically, of course, this is all very nice. We should come away from this feast, though, aware that everything we see about Mary in this feast of her consecration to God is for us, too. Our lives are to be filled with God’s Presence. Our lives are to be taken up with our love for Him and in His service. We have been consecrated by our baptism. For some of us, that has
been the content of our lives from as early as we can remember (often thanks to the zeal and prayers of our parents, godparents, grandparents, etc.).Others’ souls are filled with His love at a later age; still others struggle with the whole idea throughout our entire lives.On the feast of the Entrance, though, we can learn that God calls us to consecrate our lives to Him, fill our lives with His love, occupy our time, whatever our state in life, in His service, and make Him present in the world.Only Mary has given birth to the Child Jesus in the flesh, but we are all called to carry Him in our hearts, minds and souls and bring His saving Presence to those around us.Just as Mary was called, all of us are called to be His Temple, His dwelling place, among His people.
One more aspect of this feast needs to come to our attention.According to the story, Mary was so thrilled to be going up to the Temple, so taken by what she could see and hear of the worship of the Almighty God, that she broke from her parents and ran all the way up the Temple steps to the high priest.As we see her joy as “Mary goes to Church” (as a very young student of mine once described this feast), we can ask ourselves if we share in the sheer joy of gathering to worship God “in spirit and in truth.”We can easily see that many of our children do.Do we encourage them?Can we follow their example, and thereby follow the example of the Mother of God, who, so early in her life, totally united her being to her Lord?
If we can simply resolve to make the effort to answer God’s call, we will be preparing for yet another feast we may call “ours,” the feast that commemorates the coming of the Only Begotten Son and Immortal Word of God in the flesh—the Holy Nativity of Our Lord.Mary did her part to make our salvation possible by uniting her life and will to God’s, thereby making His Son present to the world.We imitate her great example by uniting ourselves to Christ and joyfully dedicating ourselves to His service.To observe the Nativity Fast in this way would absolutely be our best preparation for the feasts to come!
NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
The November 11, 2007 Annual Parish Meeting was postponed until November 18 due to lack of water and heat in the church.Congratulations to the new Parish Council:President – Gene Aleshin; Vice-President – Dennis Powell; Treasurer – June Aleshin; Secretary – Stacy Evanisko; Past President – Alison Cloonan; and Members-at-large – Nancy Williams, Peter Mazikins, and Kirill Sergueev.And many thanks to Mike Castelgrande for his many years of service on the parish council but whose business is now keeping him from being able to continue to contribute his time.
CONGRATULATIONS to Deacon Adam Sexton, ordained to the Holy Diaconate on 11/11/07.Here is a link to see pictures of Adam's ordination to the deaconate http://www.stots.edu/
Please keep him and his family in your prayers.
SAVE THE DATE
February 2008 ~ John Rybicki has been re-scheduled after being cancelled in November due to the flooding in the basement.It will still be his presentation on the Didache "The Teaching," a 1st/2nd century guide for Christians. All are encouraged to attend and visitors are welcome.
Please keep the following parishioners and friends in your prayers:
·Michelle Rudy, daughter and step-daughter of Sharon and Dr. John Morgan, as she returns to health
·Khouria Ann Anderson’s brother, Robert, recovering from prostrate surgery
·Judy Cheezum who is recovering from congestive heart failure.
·Sophie Shepel, who is undergoing treatment for cancer and congestive heart failure.
·Don Christopher, who is being treated for scarring on his lungs.
·John Balutel, who is hospitalized with pneumonia.
·Nick Giannaris, who is being treated for Parkinson's Disease.
·Jim Hull, son of Bill Hull, currently serving with the Army Reserves in Baghdad, Iraq.
·Those who have fallen asleep in the Lord: Joy Chaney’s mother; Johanna Eckhart’s mother-in-law; Mike Castelgrande’s uncle Theophan; Lisa Holson’s grandmother, Oma; Fr. Daniel Donovan of Philipsburg PA and Watervliet NY parishes;Fr. Lawrence Mancuso, FOUNDER/ABBOT Of New Skete Monastery NY, Archbishop Kyrill, Pittsburgh; Teoctist, Patriarch of Romania
BASEMENT STATUS
The water and heat problems have been resolved in the basement and the nave!Many thanks to all who assisted in the clean-up and repairs of this.
BASEMENT RENOVATION FUNDRAISERS
The "Taste of Heaven" Cookbook is NOW AVAILABLE.All pre-orders can be picked up at the church or contact Linda Christopher.Cookbooks are $15.Please send your name, address, and phone #, along with the number of books ordered and a check made out to St. Catherine's Eastern Orthodox Church to: L. Christopher 2010 Starlight Ln. 1-B. Hagerstown, MD21740.In the "memo" area of the check please write the number of books ordered and for cookbooks:i.e.5 cookbooks. PLEASE OFFER THIS TO NEIGHBORS AND CO-WORKERS SO THAT WE CAN MAKE THIS A SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY!
A small version with recipes used for Boonsboro Days is available at the BookStore for $3.00.This is a good stocking-stuffer gift and the Taste of Heaven Cookbook will make a wonderful Christmas present!
Please note that all proceeds will go towards the basement renovation debt!
Newest Fundraiser:Chick-Fil-A 2008 Calendars are available for $5.Each calendar sold benefits the Basement Renovation Program.In addition to helping out St. Catherine's, each month has several coupons for savings at Chick-Fil-A to help you save, too!These are a great Christmas stocking stuffer!See Lydia Aleshin for details and to purchase.
Martin’s/Giant Gift Card Program:Do you buy groceries? Are you interested in a way for the Church to earn $5 for every $100 parishioners spend at Martin's or Giant grocery stores? Gift cards are sold in $25/50/100 denominations and used just as you would cash in purchasing your groceries.For every $100 dollars in Gift Cards purchased, St. Catherine’s receives $5.Savings add up just as fast as shoppers use them to buy groceries. Participation is not limited to members of St. Catherine’s. Grocery gift cards can be purchased by anyone at face value. This is a great gift to college students, for Thanksgiving baskets and Stocking Stuffers!Please see Stacy Evanisko or Nancy Williams for more information and to purchase your Martin’s/Giant Gift Cards today.
New choir members needed:We are looking for participants with a good singing voice.It’s helpful to be able to read music, but not necessary.Older children are welcome.The choir rehearses once or twice a month and can provide charts for those wishing to learn music at home.Please see Gene Aleshin.
The Dicocese of Washington and New York is forming a new chapterof Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) this year!The chapter serves college students attending Rutgers-New Brunswick, RiderUniversity, and the College of New Jersey.If any students from your parish attend any of these schools, please contact Christina Cassar at ChristinaCassar@msn.com.
Parish Photo DirectoryDr. John Morgan is prepared to start taking photos for the 25th Anniversary Parish (photo) Directory. Photos of complete families will be taken and pertinent family information, addresses, and e-mail information will be included. We will begin to contact members about having their pictures taken, and about reviewing the information that goes into the directory.
Special Thanks To:
All who assistedwith the water and heat problems in the church.We are pleased to announce that there is now both water and heat in all parts of the church.The sinks in both restrooms should be replaced shortly, also.
Nicholas P. Papas for permitting us to use our St. Catherine Icon on our Website!St. Catherine's Bookstore was privileged to be able to purchase a few copies of our 25th Anniversary St. Catherine icon written by Nicholas P. Papas.
They are approximately 8" x 10" and are available for $25. This will be a wonderful gift or addition to your icon corner!There is a smaller version that is available also!
They are available in the BookStore in our parish hall or can be ordered from Vicki Hughes at vjhughes@netstorm.net
St. Catherine BookStore Nook
Christmas items such as Nativity Cards and many items for gifts and stocking stuffers, including icons and DVDs and cassettes are now available in the BookStore.In addition, special request orders can be made through the bookstore director, Vicki Hughes.
We were privileged to be able to purchase a few copies of our 25th Anniversary St. Catherine icon written by Nicholas P. Papas.(See under “Special Thanks”)
SISTERHOOD NEWS
The next meeting will be our Annual Christmas Dinner and White Elephant Gift Exchange.This will be at a restaurant to be determined on a date to be announced.Please stay tuned for the announcement of this information.Also, the election of officers will be held at the meeting on January 18, 2008.
ChurchSchool News
Dear Parents and Friends of the ChurchSchool,
This year, we are asking the children and their families to donate items that will be sent to Saints Cosmas and DamianHumanServicesCenter in Staten Island, New York. The following items are requested by the Center:
The Center has both male and female adult residents. Please bring your donations to church by Sunday, December 16 at the latest, so that I can get them mailed in time for Christmas. There will be a labeled box in the church hall for your donations.
The children are also asked to bring some of the above items as donations to the annual St. Nicholas Party this Saturday, December 1, so that they can learn about the blessings of giving to others at this time of the year. The party will be in the church hall, , followed by Vespers.
In addition to the above, the children are asked to collect money for the International Orthodox Christian Charities; they will be given envelopes for the collection. The money will not be due until the Sunday after the Nativity.
Thank you, and may you have a Blessed Nativity.
Yours in Christ, Vicki Hughes
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
REACH Cold Weather Shelter
2007-2008 Season Needs List
Ground Coffee - They say it's "good to the last drop", and we're about to find out; we'll soon be without the "best part of waking up", with an empty cup!Also in short supply: - Powdered Milk - Hot Chocolate - Paper Towels - Toilet Paper- Other supplies from our regular needs list also gratefully accepted!
All donations may be dropped off at: REACH/140 W. Franklin St., 3rd Floor/(Rear of the Aspiring to ServeBuilding next to WIC)Monday thru Friday (Other times possible by calling ahead)
Washington County Hospital is offering a Medbank Program to WashingtonCounty residents.This free program helps those without prescription insurance and those that do not qualify for assistance through any State of Maryland program.Please contact the Western Maryland Medbank Program, Phone: 301.393.3441 or see flyer posted on Church Hall bulletin board.
Interfaith Coalition of Washington County Roundtable Discussion~ discussions on matters of belief and worship
Location: WashingtonCounty Free Library, Time: Parking: Main Library LotRefreshments will be served! Inquiries & to Register: Rev. Ed Poling @ 301-733-3565
December 4: "Darwin's Theory of Evolution-Science or Faith", Mr. Salih V.Yumlu Is Darwin's theory of evolution based on faith or science? How does this determine our ethical choices?
PAN-ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN SINGLES
SATURDAY, January 12, 2008- from till - WELCOME, HAPPY
2008 PARTY 9716 Lindsay Blake Lane, Great Falls, Va.
Beginning at , with BEVERAGES; APPETIZERS; MUSIC; DANCING;BILLIARDS; AIR HOCKEY; DARTS; etc.A "DJ" will be present the entire 'Party time' with a dance floor (so PLEASE BRING your favorite Ethnic DANCE MUSIC).!!!From 9 to about Dinner will be served of: Veal Delight, Chicken Marengo, Baked Ham, Vegetarian Lasagne, Ceaser & 7-layered Salads, vegetables & several desserts.
PLEASE RSVP with your POSITIVE attendance to 703.759.1551SOON, so we can complete our party item purchases!!! THANK YOU!ANY SINGLE ORTHODOX Christian of 21 years of age & up is INVITED to ATTEND!!!!
Future Scheduled Events :
Feb 15-18 2008Ski Weekend at Whitetail (This includes Vespers followed by a meal and evening of fun provided at St. Catherine Orthodox Church in Hagerstown).
Sat, May 17, 2008Odyssey Dinner/Dance Cruise ($15 person)
BIRTHDAYS, ANNIVERSARIES – GOD GRANT YOU MANY YEARS!
Orthodoxy in America