Trapeza for Sunday, December 14th, will be a memorial meal provided by Dr. Olga. Please bring vegetables, Lenten side dishes, fruits, and deserts to supplement the meal. Fish and oil are permitted on that day.

Trapeza Team:  Olga C., Olga N., & Olga S.

Trapeza Donation Needs:  For our weekly trapeza needs we’re in short supply of regular ground coffee, decaf coffee, bottled water, 10 inch paper plates, non-dairy creamer, and 100% fruit juices. Your donations according to your means are always greatly appreciated.

Cookie Prep Sessions - Help Needed! -  Lots of help will be needed this Friday, December 12th at 5:00 pm to pack and prepare trays for the Sisterhood’s Christmas Cookie Sale. If you’re able, please come down and lend a hand.

Christmas Cookie Sale - The Sisterhood of Saints Elizabeth and Barbara will hold their Annual Christmas Cookie Sale this Saturday, December 13th, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. An assortment of homemade cookie tins and trays will be available for purchase, as well as pierogi, nut rolls, imports, and Christmas crafts. You’re help is needed that day, but if you’re unable to work then please come and support the Sisterhood’s fundraising efforts, and invite your family and friends as well. 

“Angel Bags” Packing -  Our Church School students will pack their “Angel Bags” after trapeza this Sunday, December 14th.  As usual, the bags will be brought to St. Vincent de Paul Place in Norwich to be distributed to the homeless and needy families of our community.  For those students who were given cards to create at home, please bring them to church on Sunday in order to complete the project. 

A Request From Our Church School Students & Teachers - The 2026 church wall calendars should be arriving shortly, but before you discard your 2025 calendar please cut out the icon of the Holy New Martyrs on the top and deposit it in the box located in the trapeza hall. They’re going to be used for future Church School projects.  

St. Nicholas Visit - St. Nicholas will visit our children during trapeza on Sunday, December 21st, which is the Sunday immediately following his Feast Day. Make sure to be there, since all of you are on his “nice list”. 

A Word About Confession: -  I ask for your understanding in that the line for confession on Sunday morning must be cut off by 10:00 am, or as soon as the bells are rung. It’s essential that we begin the Divine Liturgy on time in order to be respectful of the Divine Services and considerate of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Remember that confessions are also heard while the Canon is being read during Vigil on Saturday evening, and everyone should be in attendance at the scheduled Vigils for as much as it’s possible. If at any other time you have an urgent need for confession, or if you have a special circumstance, please let me know so that we can make arrangements.

Parish Calendar & Chat Group -  Our parish has a public Google calendar that you can attach to your personal one, so that our schedule of services and events will always be at your fingertips. Also, we have a parish group chat using the free Signal app that’s available for both Android and iPhone, in addition to having a desktop version. The group chat is a good way for us to communicate in real time, make prayer requests, or share any type of  information. The URL for the calendar as well as the link for the group chat are both available on our website homepage. 

A Benefit Ball for St. Seraphim Youth Camp will take place on Friday, January 16th, 2026 from 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm at Whitby Castle, located at the Rye Golf Club, 330 Boston Post Road in Rye, NY.  This is a black tie event.  For more information and tickets please click HERE.

In Christ,

Fr. Stephen