St. George Russian Or thodox Church
Russian Or thodox Church Outside Russia
Twelve Great Feasts:
The Nativity of Christ the Savior
At the time of the reign in Judea
of Herod, who was under the power
of Rome, the Roman Emperor Caesar
Augustus sent out a decree that all the
world should be taxed. Every Jew had
to register in his own city, where his
ancestors lived.
Joseph and the Virgin Mary were
descended from the house and lineage
of David, and therefore went out of
Nazareth into the city of David, Beth-
lehem. Arriving in Bethlehem, they
were not able to find room in the inn,
and stayed outside the city, in a cave,
where shepherds drove their cattle in
bad weather. In this cave that night
the Holy Virgin Mary brought forth
Her Child - the Son of God, Christ,
the Savior of the world. She wrapped
the Divine Child in swaddling clothes
and laid Him in a manger, where they
put feed for the cattle.
The shepherds in Bethlehem were
the first to find out about the birth of
the Savior. On this night they were
watching their flocks in the field.
Suddenly an angel of the Lord came
upon them, and the glory of the Lord
shown round about them. The shep-
herds were sore afraid.
The angel said to them, "fear not.
I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people. For unto
you is born this day in the city of
David (Bethlehem) a Savior, which is
Christ the Lord. And this shall be a
sign unto you. You shall find the Babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in
a manger."
Suddenly there was with the angel
a multitude of the heavenly host prais-
ing God, and saying, "Glory to God in
the highest, and on earth peace, good
will among men."
When the angels were gone away
from them, the shepherds said one to
another, "Let us now go even unto
Bethlehem, and see this thing which is
come to pass, which the Lord hath
made known to us."
They came with haste, and found
Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying
in manager. They worshipped the
Child and told how they had seen and
listened to the angel. Mary kept all
these things in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned to
their flocks, glorifying and praising
God for all the things that they and
heard and seen.
Eight days after the birth of the
Savior, His Mother and Joseph, ac-
cording to the law, gave Him the name
Jesus, which had been given by God
through the angel.
~From The Law of God
CHURCH NEWSLETTER VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1
JANUARY 2010
S
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USSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
www.stgeorgeroc.org
IMPORTANT DATES TO
REMEMBER:
JANUARY 6 & 7
Nativity of our Lord:
6:30 pm
Vigil
10:00 am Divine Liturgy
JANUARY 10
YOLKA:
See Page 4 for more information
JANUARY 12
Scrapbooking:
See Page 4 for more information
JANUARY 13, 20, & 27
Catechism classes:
Will be held every Wednesday
from 7-8 pm after the Akathist
JANUARY 18 & 19
Theophany of our Lord:
6:30 pm
Vigil
9:00 am Divine Liturgy
Blessing of the Water
A LOOK AHEAD:
FEBRUARY 7
BLINI
FEBRUARY 12
A Russian Winter's Night:
See Page 4 for more information
FEBRUARY 15
Great Lent begins
Adoration of the Magi
While Joseph and the Holy
Mother of God and the Child Jesus
were still in Bethlehem, Magi (wise
men) from distant countries in the East
(Persia or Babylonia) came to Jerusa-
lem.
The Magi were scholarly people
who observed and studied the stars. At
that time people believed that upon
the birth of a great person there would
appear in the heavens a new star.
Many pagans, taught by the Jews in
dispersion, knew of the coming into
the world of the Messiah the Great
King of Israel, Who was to subdue the
whole world. Therefore they waited,
knowing that when He was born, there
would appear a new star in the heav-
ens. The wise men were pious people,
and the Lord, by His mercy, gave them
such a sign - in heaven there appeared
anew, extraordinary star. Having seen
this star, the wise men immediately
understood that the awaited King had
been born. They prepared for the
journey and went to the capital of the
Jewish kingdom, Jerusalem, to find out
where this King was born and to wor-
ship Him.
In Jerusalem, the wise men began
to ask, "where is He that is born King
of the Jews? For we have seen His star
in the east, and are come to worship
Him."
When King Herod heard this he
was troubled. He was in everything a
cruel and suspicious man. Because of
one of his suspicions he sent his own
children to execution. Now he was
especially terrified, afraid that they
would seize his power and hand over
his royal throne to the newborn King.
And all the people of Jerusalem were
agitated, upon hearing such news.
Herod gathered all the chief
priests and scribes of the people, men
learned in the books of the Holy
Scripture, and demanded of them
where Christ should be born.
They answered, "In Bethlehem of
Judea: for thus it is written by the
Prophet Micah."
Then Herod, hen he had secretly
called the wise men, inquired of them
diligently what time the star appeared.
He sent them to Bethlehem, and said,
"Go and search diligently for the
young Child; and when ye have found
Him; bring me word again, that I may
come and worship Him also." In so
doing Herod thought to kill the new-
born King.
When they heard the King, the
wise men departed; and lo, the star
which they saw in the east went before
them, till it came and stood over where
the young Child was.
At that time the holy elder Joseph
and the Most-holy Virgin Mary with
the Child lived in the city, in the house
where they moved from the cave, as
people after the census had begun to
disperse.
The wise men came into the
house and saw the young Jesus with
His mother. They fell down, and wor-
shipped Him, and presented His gifts:
gold, frankincense (incense), and
myrrh (expensive fragrant oil).
By their gifts, the wise men signi-
fied that the newborn child Jesus is
King, and God, and man. Gold they
brought to Him as King (as a tribute,
or tax); incense, as God (as incense is
used during worship services); and
myrrh, as a man who must die (be-
cause the deceased were then anointed
and rubbed with perfumed oil).
Afterward the Wise Men wanted
to return to Jerusalem to Herod, but
they were warned by God in a dream
that they should not return to Herod.
Then they departed into their own
country another way.
Tradition preserves the names of
the wise men, who then became Chris-
tians: Melchior, Gasper, and Balthasar.
Their memory is celebrated in the
Orthodox Church on December 25th/
January 7th. For this great feast we
prepare ourselves by keeping the fast,
which is called the Nativity Fast.
The Flight into Egypt and
the Slaying of the Innocents
When all was fulfilled according to
the Law concerning Jesus in the Tem-
ple in Jerusalem, and the wise men
were already on the road to their
home, and angel of the Lord appeared
to Joseph in a dream and said, "Arise,
and take the young Child and His
Mother, and flee into Egypt, and lie
thou there until I bring thee word, for
Herod will seek the young Child to
destroy Him."
Joseph immediately arose, saddled
his donkey, quickly gathered the neces-
sary things, took the young Child and
His Mother and the same night went
into Egypt. According to tradition,
James, son of Joseph, accompanied
them on this journey.
In the meantime, Herod impa-
tiently awaited the return of the wise
men. When the wise men did not re-
turn from Bethlehem, he concluded
that the wise men, not finding a new-
born king, were ashamed to return to
Jerusalem. For the time being, Herod
was tranquil.
But after forty days the news
spread throughout Jerusalem that
Mary had presented in the Temple
Her newborn Son, and that the aged
Simeon had come to the Temple to
meet this Child and had prophesied
that He was the Christ. Then Herod
realized that the wise men had figured
out his evil intent and had purposely
avoided returning to him. He was
exceedingly angry.
Not knowing how to find the
Christ Child, King Herod gave the
disastrous order to kill all the children
that were in Bethlehem and its sur-
roundings from two years old and un-
der. He hoped that among these chil-
dren would be killed the Christ. Thus
Continued on page 3
CHURCH NEWSLETTER VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1
JANUARY 2010
S
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G
EORGE
R
USSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
www.stgeorgeroc.org
hy Naiviy, O Christ our God,
hah shined upon he world he light
of knowledge; for hereby, hey hat
worshipped he stars were taught by
a star o worship hee, he Sun of
Righeousness, and o know hee,
he Dayspring rom on high.
O Lord, glory be o hee
~Troparion of he Naiviy
Continued from page 2
he calculated according to the time
when he had diligently questioned the
wise men. The soldiers sent by Herod
killed 14,000 children. Everywhere
were heard the howls and screams of
the mothers, whose crying for their
children, innocent children, killed by
the order of the brutal king would not
be comforted. They were the first
martyrs to spill their blood for Christ.
Soon after this Herod was pun-
ished for his cruelty. He came down
with a terrible illness. His body rotted
alive and was eaten by worms, and he
died in terrible torment.
After the death of Herod, an an-
gel of he Lord appeared to Joseph in
Egypt and said, "Arise, and take the
young Child and His Mother and go
into the land of Israel; for they are
dead which sought the young Child's
life." Joseph did as he was told and
took his family into the land of Israel.
But when he heard that Archelaus
reigned in Judea in the place of Herod
his father and that he was just as cruel,
Joseph was afraid to go there. Being
warned of God in a dream, Joseph
turned aside into the parts of Galilee,
into his native city Nazareth. There
Joseph dwelt with the child Jesus and
His Mother.
The child Jesus grew and became
strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and
the grace of God was upon Him.
From the earliest years of His child-
hood, Jesus Christ exhibited unusual
intelligence and remarkable sanctity in
all His action.
~From The Law of God
Twelve Great Feasts:
The Baptism of the Lord
Jesus Christ
During the time that John the
Forerunner preached on the banks of
the Jordan River and baptized people,
Jesus Christ reached thirty years of
age. He also went from Nazareth to
the Jordan River to John, to receive
baptism from him.
John did not consider himself
worthy to baptize Jesus Christ and
began to shrink back from Him saying,
"I have need to be baptized of Thee,
and comest Thou to me?"
But Jesus, answering, said to Him,
"Suffer it to be so now," that is, do not
hold back from me now, "for thus it
becometh us to fulfill all righteous-
ness," - to fulfill everything in the Law
of God and to set an example for peo-
ple. Then John obeyed and baptized
Jesus Christ.
Upon completion of the baptism,
when Jesus Christ came out of the
water, suddenly the heavens were
opened over Him; and John saw the
Spirit of God descending like a dove
and lighting upon Him, and heard the
voice of God the Father from Heaven
saying, "This is My beloved Son, in
Whom I am well pleased."
Then John was finally convinced
that Jesus was the expected Messiah,
Son of God, Saviour of the world.
The Baptism of our Lord Jesus
Christ is celebrated in the Holy Or-
thodox Church as one of the great
feasts, on January 6/19. The celebra-
tion of the Baptism of the Lord is also
called Theophany, or the Manifesta-
tion of God, because at the time of the
baptism God revealed Himself to peo-
ple as the Holy Trinity in this way:
God the Father spoke from Heaven,
the incarnate Son of God was bap-
tized, and the Holy Spirit descended in
the form of a dove. Also, at the time
of baptism, for the first time people
could see that in the person of Jesus
Christ there appeared not only man,
but also God.
The day before the feast is an es-
tablished fast day. The same strict fast
is observed and the same types of serv-
ices are celebrated as on the Eve of
Christ's Nativity. Because the Saviour
by His own baptism sanctified the wa-
ter, on this feast there is a blessing of
water. On the day before, water is
blessed in church, and on the feast
itself under the open sky, in rivers,
lakes, pools and wells. This Blessing of
the Waters is often called "The Proces-
sion to the Jordan."
~From The Law of God
CHURCH NEWSLETTER VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1
JANUARY 2010
S
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G
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R
USSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
www.stgeorgeroc.org
Building Project Report:
The building committee has received four bids from various construction companies in the area. All bids were unanimous in estimating
higher construction costs for the current design of the church than the established budget of $1.1 million. The bid with the lowest esti-
mated cost is $1.3 million, which was submitted by Bruns General Contracting Inc. This company is currently building St. Mina and St.
Abanoub Coptic Church in Miamisburg, OH. On Saturday, January 2nd, our Parish Council with both of our priests, Fr. Paul and Fr.
Pavel, met with Jim Ross, the Senior Vice President of Bruns General Contracting, at that church to see what construction methods and
materials the company uses and to discuss ways of bringing the cost of our new design down to within the established budget. Even this
budget (of $1.1 million) requires us to obtain a loan from a bank and to have enough cash flow to cover day to day expenses of the
church and the mortgage payment.
~Fr. Pavel Akmolin
When Thou wast baptized in
the Jordan, O Lord,
the worship of the Trinity
was made manifest; for the
voice of the Father bare
witness to Thee, calling Thee
His beloved Son. And the
Spirit in the form of a dove
confirmed the certainty of
the word. O Christ our God,
Who hast appeared and hast
enlightened the world,
glory be to Thee.
~Troparion of Theophany
Parish Upcoming
Events...
YOLKA:
This year's Yolka will be held at the
Blue Ash Recreation Center after
Divine Liturgy. Suggested donation
will be $10 per adult and $20 per
family. Please see the sign-up sheet
that is posted in the trapeza area to
sign-up to bring a dish. Parents
should bring a gift for their child/
children. Father Frost and the Snow
Maiden will be visiting!
Scrapbooking:
Inviting all scrapbookers to bring
your pictures and supplies for a fun
afternoon at the church on Tuesday,
January 12th from 1:30-4:30 pm.
House Blessings:
Please call to schedule a house bless-
ing as soon after Theophany as pos-
sible.
Catechism classes: These classes are
for all who are interested. They will
be every Wednesday from 7-8 pm.
CHURCH NEWSLETTER VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1
JANUARY 2010
S
T
.
G
EORGE
R
USSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
www.stgeorgeroc.org
Any changes or additions
to the newsletter
Give to Fr. Pavel or
Mat. Bethany by January 20, 2010
St. George Russian
Orthodox Church
(513) 791-6540
www.stgeorgeroc.org
M o r e v o l u n t e e r s a r e
needed to prepare food for
the meals following Liturgy
o n S u n d a y m o r n i n g s.
Please contact Matushka
Barbara if interested. The
more people on the list the
less often you have to
cook!
Sunday Lunch Schedule
January 3
Friesel/I. Kanaris (Fast)
January 10
YOLKA
January 17
King/Baier
January 24 Thompson/Polusmiak
January 31
Oakley/Zabaglio