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An Open Letter from Our Parish
Council’s President
Dear friends and family,
I was happy to see you all coming and celebrating together our Patron
Saint Name day.
It was a meaningful and very special event to all of us who love Saint
Nectarios the wonder worker, and who are grateful for his intercession
for us with the Lord.
Thanksgiving passed and I hope you all had a great thanksgiving holiday
and ready to celebrate Christmas and the new year.
This season is a wonderful time of embracing our family and close
friends and giving thanks to the
Lord for all the gifts he has bestowed upon us. This time especially,
we have to remember the less fortunate ones that need our help and
support. Please open your hearts and be generous donating to the needy
families, to the sick and their families, and opening your homes to
host friends, neighbors and others that have no family to celebrate the
holidays with, or no financial means to afford it.
All we have is a gift from God! So, let's love one another and share
the blessings this holiday season, and continue through the new coming
year.
Kala Christiana, and a Blessed happy and healthy new year!
With Love,
Mary Yaffa
Iacobsohn
Parish Council President
Mary
Yaffa Iacobsohn
Parish Council President
Saint
Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church and Shrine
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December 25th
The nativity of our
lord and
savior, Jesus Christ
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.
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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
DECEMBER 16th
Children from Greek School will
be having their Christmas Carol Program on December 16th, 2018 which is currently
organizing and coordinating by Ms. Katya Drakou. She is currently
in-charge and the teacher of the Greek School Program.
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Bake sale!!!
Christopsomo Greek Christmas Bread
Our
ladies of Philoptochos are organizing their Christmas bake sale on
December 16, and
December
23, 2018
make your orders
and
Be ready for Christmas!!!
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Attention
to all Philoptochos Members!!
There will be a meeting on December 30,
2018
Please attend.
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ΟUR GREEK FESTIVAL 2018
& SAINT NECTARIOS FEAST 2018
We had a successful
festival celebration of our Patron Saint Name Day. We want to thank everyone that helped
prepare food and pastries, donated materials or goods and money, all the
workers that donated their time and energy during the festival and Saint Nectarios
Feast, all sponsors of ads and booths, and everyone that supported the
festival in any way and especially our guest attendees and donor who won
the auction during our 2018 Spiritual Symposium.
We realize that it takes
everyone working together to make a successful festival and celebration
of Saint Nectarios Feast to make them successful. God has favored us and
gave us the health to continue His work.
Thank you again for
everything that you contributed and did, and may God continue to bless you.
Parish Council
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Covina Greek
Festival 2018
The Covina
Greek Festival hosted by Saint Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church and Shrine
was a success. We sold more Greek foods, pastries, wines, liquors, as
well as religious articles. It was held on October 5, 6, and 7, 2018. A
lot of visitors were able to enjoy that weekend of delicious Greek food,
music, dancing, and great fun for the whole family.
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Oxi Day, October 28, 2018
Children from Greek School
did spectacular performance during Oxi day
celebration under the guidance and coordination of Ms. Katya Drakou.
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2018 Saint Nectarios
Feast Days
It was a
great week of events started on November 5th, Monday through November
10th. Paraklesis or Supplication Services were rendered from
November 5th, Monday through November 7th. Then on the next day we had
8:30 am Divine Liturgy dedicated for the Holy Archangels and then on the
eve of the Saint Nectarios Name Day (November 8,2018) a Great
Hierarchical Vespers with Artoklasia to Saint Nectarios was held which
was presided by His Eminence Metropolitan of San Francisco Gerasimos
along with His Eminence Metropolitan of Sweden Kleopas.
A delicious dinner was served afterward.
On Friday morning,
November 9, 2018, a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was held which was
presided by His Eminence Metropolitan of San Francisco Gerasimos along
with His Eminence Metropolitan of Sweden and all Scandinavia Kleopas.
A delicious dinner was served afterward.
On Saturday evening, a
Great Hierarchical Vespers was held which was followed by delicious
dinner followed by the speech of His Eminence Metropolitan of Sweden and
all Scandinavia Kleopas as a form of
Spiritual Symposium followed thereafter by the dancing performance Saint
Nectarios Youth. Auctions were made to sell the two Holy Icons.
To view the movies for
this event, please go to our website at www.saintnectariosshrine.org and click “Calendar”
tab and then select the “Saint Nectarios
Annual Feast”. There are
three links you can click.
· November 8, 2018—On the Eve of Saint Nectarios Name
Day
· November 9, 2018—Saint Nectarios Name Day
· November 10, 2018—Spiritual Symposium
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2018 Spiritual Symposium
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2019 Apokriatiko Dinner Dance Flyer
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Saint Nectarios Parish
Council is organizing Apokriatiko Dinner Dance 2019. Above, is a copy
the official flyer that will be printed for distribution.
It will be held on February
9th, 2019.
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SAVE THE DATE AND MAKE YOUR PLAN WITH US!!!
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