Saint Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church and Shrine

SAINT NECTARIOS GREEK ORTHODOX

CHURCH AND SHRINE

        General Assembly Meeting will be to review church business and progress, secure a nomination committee, audit committee, and take nominations from the floor for the Parish Council Board for 2020. A quorum must be present for the meeting.   A quorum is 95 members. If a quorum is not present a second meeting date has been set, without any other notification, for: November 24th, 2019

VOTING DAY WILL BE:

DECEMBER 8th, 2019

 Voting for Parish Council members will take place on December 8th, 2019 in the church hall after liturgy.

 Attending and voting in a General Assembly requires that you be a member in good standing and/or have paid your due up to date.   Good standing dues are required at $500 per family per year, unless approved by Father Kostas.

 ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA - GREEK ORTHODOX                            METROPOLIS OF SAN FRANCISCO

His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco

Greek Orthodox

Ladies Philoptochos Society

The Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, is the philanthropic arm of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America that has offered eighty years of philanthropy through a multitude of programs that make a difference in the lives of   people in the United States and throughout the world.  The Society was established in November 1931, by the late           Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I.

Philoptochos fulfills its mission to “help the poor, the destitute, the hungry, the aged, the sick, the unemployed, the orphaned, the imprisoned, the widowed, those with disabilities and the  victims of disasters through its National and Metropolis Boards and its 26,000 members and more than 400 active chapters,   nationwide.

 LADIES PHILOPTOCHOS SOCIETY:

·         Saint Nectarios Local Chapter

-   Chapter Number: 4030

-   Address:  20340 E. Covina Blvd. Covina CA 91724

-   Telephone Number:  626-967-5524

The Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, Inc., is the duly accredited women's philanthropic society of the Greek Orthodox   Archdiocese of America. 

We invite all ladies of our Church to come and join our Ladies Philoptochos Society.  Dues are $50. Husband as well as their teenage kids are welcome to join too, but they would not have voting privilege.

Greek School

We are pleased to announce that in our church we will offer Greek language classes for children and adults, once again this year. Let's seize this unique opportunity, especially for our children and grandchildren, to learn to speak, read and write Greek and to discover the thousands of Greek words hidden in the English. Greek school helps children to keep their Greek heritage, as also to be-come familiar with Greek culture and civilization. The school starts Friday, September 16, 2016.

Please click this link to download the registration form

To visit our Greek School page from this website, please click this link.

Altar Boys Needed

Summer is almost over! Now is the time for ANY YOUNG MAN, ages 7 and up, interest in becoming an altar boy. This is a very rewarding and spiritually enriching experience for all young men that will cherish their whole life.

To volunteer on our Acolytes program, please click here.

Sunday School (Religious Education)

Sunday School, is the School, which gives the opportunity to get acquainted with the truth, our faith, and Christ, and also, to discuss on fundamental issues of life. Sunday School, for our children, is as           necessary as the air they breathe. Ιt is more important now, In such a   challenging time, when our kids are “bombarded” with violent “role models”, in a society that promises much but delivers little, and finally many dangers are lurking. Our parish and society’s future are at our kids ‘hands. We have an obligation as parents to lead them and teach them according to God’s will. Otherwise, others will get the opportunity to drive them to disasters or to unwanted situation, to say the last.

HELP WANTED!!!

WE NEED SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS FOR SEPTEMBER, 2019 UP TO MAY, 2020 SCHOOL YEAR. TEACHING EVERY SUNDAY OR EVERY    OTHER SUNDAY WITH OTHER TEACHER. IF INTERESTED, PLEASE SEE OR TALK TO PETER KLENTOS. HIS CONTACT NUMBER IS 714-466-0356 OR email PETER.KLENTOS@SBCGLOBAL.NET         

YOUTH MINISTRY — GOYA

The GOYA ministry welcomes all youth in High School. The Greek Orthodox Youth of America, or GOYA, is the ministry to teenagers of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Since GOYA is ministry, the orientation and implementation of the program should reflect the Orthodox Christian Faith, Tradition and Life. GOYA is ministry to high school Orthodox Christian teenagers.

MISSION AND GOAL OF GOYA MINISTRY

The mission and goal of GOYA ministry is to lead our young people into experiencing the Holy Orthodox Faith. By developing a relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and becoming active sacramental members of the living Church, and learning about the Faith, our youth will be equipped with tools necessary to assist them in their journey toward salvation.

The Four Characteristics

The National Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries recommends that GOYA ministry be based on the following four characteristics: 

Worship (Liturgia) - as Orthodox Christians, we believe that God reveals   Himself through Holy Tradition and Scripture. Worship is the sacramental expression of these, and is thus a very important element in ministering to our young people. It is important for GOYAn’s to be active sacramental members of the Church.

Fellowship (Koinonia) - is the way Orthodox Christians integrate their faith with daily life. It is sacred when Orthodox Christians gather together in our Lord’s name. The relationship of the Holy Trinity is the perfect model of Fellowship. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share perfect communion and exist in perfect love. By gathering together in fellowship, and by   experiencing this love, we emulate the relationship of the Trinity, and develop our life in Christ.

Service (Diakonia) - Christ came to serve, not to be served. Young people are urged to do the same. Therefore, we can honor and glorify God by loving and serving humanity in His name. Young people should use their God-given charismata (gifts) to serve.

Witness (Martyria) - Man is both a spiritual and physical being. The spiritual reality is not always expressed in the material world. In order to be true to oneself and to the Orthodox Christian Faith, young people should strive to exemplify faith. They must be a witness to their faith, offering a convincing word and verbal expression of this faith, to those they come in contact with.

DECEMBER 15

CHRISTMAS CAROL PROGRAM

Children from Greek School will be having their Christmas Carol Program on December 15^th, 2019 which is currently organizing and coordinating by Ms. Katya Drakou. She is currently             in-charge and the teacher of the Greek School Program. Lunch will be served at $10 per person. 

The incomprehensible and inexplicable Nativity of Christ came to pass when Herod the Great was reigning in Judea; the latter was an Ascalonite on his fathers' side and an Idumean on his mother's. He was in every way foreign to the royal line of David; rather, he had received his authority from the Roman emperors, and had ruled tyrannically over the Jewish people for some         thirty-three years. The tribe of Judah, which had reigned of old, was deprived of its rights and stripped of all rule and authority. Such was the condition of the Jews when the awaited Messiah was born, and truly thus was fulfilled the prophecy which the Patriarch Jacob had spoken 1,807 years before: "A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a prince from his loins, until there come the things stored up for him; and he is the expectation of the nations" (Gen.49:10).

Thus, our Saviour was born in Bethlehem, a city of Judea, whither Joseph had come from Nazareth of Galilee, taking Mary his betrothed, who was great with child, that, according to the decree issued in those days by the Emperor Augustus, they might be registered in the census of those subject to Rome. Therefore, when the time came for the Virgin to give birth, and since because of the great multitude there was no place in the inn, the Virgin’s circumstance constrained them to enter a cave which was near Bethlehem. Having as shelter a stable of irrational beasts, she gave birth there, and swaddled the Infant and laid Him in the manger (Luke 2:1-7). From this, the tradition has come down to us that when Christ was born He lay between two animals, an ox and an ass, that the words of the Prophets might be fulfilled: "Between two living creatures shalt Thou be known" (Abbacum 3:2), and "The ox knoweth his owner and the ass his master's crib" (Esaias 1:3).

But while the earth gave the new-born Saviour such a humble reception, Heaven on high celebrated majestically His world-saving coming. A wondrous star, shining with uncommon brightness and following a strange course, led Magi from the East to Bethlehem to worship the    new-born King. Certain shepherds who were in the area of Bethlehem, who kept watch while tending their sheep, were suddenly surrounded by an extraordinary light, and they saw before them an Angel who proclaimed to them the good tidings of the Lord's joyous Nativity. And straightway, together with this Angel, they beheld and heard a whole host of the Heavenly Powers praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men" (Luke 2:8-14).

APOLYTIKION

Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, hath shined the light of knowledge upon the world; for thereby they that worshipped the stars were instructed by a star to worship Thee, the Sun of Righteousness, and to know Thee, the Dayspring from on high. O Lord, glory be to Thee.

ΑΠΟΛΥΤΙΚΙΟΝ

Ἡ γέννησίς σου Χριστὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, ἀνέτειλε τῶ κόσμω, τὸ φῶς τὸ τῆς γνώσεως, ἐν αὐτῇ γὰρ οἱ τοὶς ἄστροις λατρεύοντες, ὑπὸ ἀστέρος ἐδιδάσκοντο, σὲ προσκυνεῖν, τὸν Ἥλιον τῆς δικαιοσύνης, καὶ σὲ γινώσκειν ἐξ ὕψους ἀνατολήν, Κύριε δόξα σοί. 

Bake sale!!!

Our ladies of Philoptochos are organizing their Christmas bake sale on

December 15^th,

&

December 22nd, 2019

 make your orders and

Be ready for Christmas!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Attention to all Philoptochos Members!!

There will be a meeting on December 29th, 2019

Please attend.

The Feast of the Protection commemorates the appearance of the most holy Theotokos in the Church of Blachernae in Constantinople in the tenth century, as recorded in the life of Saint Andrew the Fool for Christ's sake. While the multitudes of the faithful were gathered in church, Epiphanius, the friend of Saint Andrew, through the Saint's prayers, beheld the Virgin Mary above the faithful and spreading out her veil over them, signifying her unceasing protection of all Christians. Because of this we keep a yearly feast of gratitude, imploring our Lady never to cease sheltering us in her mighty prayers.

Apolytikion of Holy Protection of the Theotokos

Fourth Tone

O Virgin, we extol the great grace of thy Protection, which thou didst spread out like a bright cloud beyond all understanding; for thou dost invisibly protect thy people from the foe's every assault. Since we have thee as our shelter and certain help, we cry to thee with our whole soul: Glory to thy great deeds, O most pure Maid. Glory to thy shelter most divine. Glory to thy care and providence for us, O spotless one.

Kontakion of Holy Protection of the Theotokos

Third Tone

Let us the faithful hasten to the Theotokos now and venerate her sacred veil, as we chant unto her, singing hymns to praise and honour her, as is fitting; for she shelt'reth with her shelter and all her faithful flock and preserveth them unharmed from all calamities, as they cry to her: Rejoice, Protection most radiant.

Saint Nektarius was born in Selyvria of Thrace on October 1, 1846. After putting himself through school in Constantinople with much hard labour, he became a monk on Chios in 1876, receiving the monastic name of Lazarus; because of his virtue, a year later he was    ordained deacon, receiving the new name of Nektarius. Under the patronage of Patriarch Sophronius of Alexandria, Nektarius went to Athens to study in 1882; completing his theological studies in 1885, he went to Alexandria, where Patriarch Sophronius      ordained him priest on March 23, 1886 in the Cathedral of Saint Sabbas, and in August of the same year, in the Church of Saint Nicholas in Cairo, made him Archimandrite. Archimandrite Nektarius showed much zeal both for preaching the word of God, and for the beauty of God's house. He greatly beautified the Church of Saint Nicholas in Cairo, and years later, when Nektarius was in Athens, Saint Nicholas appeared to him in a dream, embracing him and telling him he was going to exalt him very high.

On January 15, 1889, in the same Church of Saint Nicholas, Nektarius was consecrated Metropolitan of the Pentapolis in eastern Libya, which was under the jurisdiction of Alexandria. Although Nektarius' swift ascent through the degrees of ecclesiastical office did not affect his modesty and childlike innocence, it aroused the envy of lesser men, who convinced the elderly Sophronius that Nektarius had it in his heart to become Patriarch. Since the people loved Nektarius, the Patriarch was troubled by the slanders. On May 3, 1890, Sophronius relieved Metropolitan Nektarius of his duties; in July of the same year, he commanded Nektarius to leave Egypt.

Without seeking to avenge or even to defend himself, the innocent Metropolitan left for Athens, where he found that accusations of immorality had arrived before him. Because his good name had been soiled, he was   unable to find a position worthy of a bishop, and in February of 1891 accepted the   position of provincial preacher in Euboia; then, in 1894, he was appointed dean of the Rizarios Ecclesiastical School in Athens. Through his eloquent sermons his unwearying labours to educate fitting men for the priesthood, his generous his generous alms deeds despite his own poverty, and the holiness, meekness, and fatherly love that were manifest in him, he became a shining light and a spiritual guide to many. At the request of certain pious women, in 1904 he began the building of his convent of the Holy Trinity on the island of Aegina while yet dean of the Rizarios School; finding later that his presence there was needed, he took up his residence on Aegina in 1908, where he spent the last years of his life, devoting himself to the direction of his convent and to very intense prayer; he was sometimes seen lifted above the ground while rapt in prayer. He became the protector of all Aegina, through his prayers delivering the island from drought, healing the sick, and casting out demons. Here also he endured wicked slanders with singular   patience, forgiving his false accusers and not seeking to avenge himself.  Although he had already worked wonders in life, an innumerable multitude of miracles have been wrought after his repose in 1920 through his holy relics, which for many years remained incorrupt. There is hardly a malady that has not been cured through his prayers; but Saint Nektarius is especially renowned for his healings of cancer for sufferers in all parts of the world.

Apolytikion of Nectarios the Wonderworker

First Tone

O faithful, let us honor Nektarios, divine servant of Christ, offspring of Silivria and guardian of Aegina, who in these latter years was manifested as the true friend of virtue. All manner of healing wells forth for those who in piety cry out, "Glory to Christ who glorified you; glory to Him who, through you, wrought wonders; glory to Him who, through you, works healing for all."

 Kontakion of Nectarios the Wonderworker

Plagal of the Fourth Tone

In joy, let our hearts praise the latest shining star of the Orthodox, the newly erected rampart of the Church. For, glorified by the work of the Spirit, he abundantly pours forth the grace of healing to those who cry out, "Hail, Father Nektarios".