Trapeza for Sunday 12/1 will be Lenten potluck.

Setup/Cleanup Team - Olga C., Olga N., & Olga S.

Cookie Sale Prep Sessions will take place on Saturday, November 30th, at 10:00 am, Wednesday, December 4th after Liturgy, and Friday, December 6th at 10:00 am. Your help is very much needed in the process of preparing baked goods for the sale so that this important parish fundraiser will be a successful one. Please come and lend a hand at one or more of the sessions.

Synodal Cathedral Restoration Collection -  A special collection will be taken on Sunday, December 1st,  to benefit the Synodal Headquarters Building Restoration Fund.  The Synodal Headquarters Building, which houses the Cathedral of the Sign as well as St. Sergius of Radonezh Mission in the lower church, is also the home of the Wonderworking Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God. Over the years it has been the site of the glorification of saints (including the New Martyrs and Confessors or Russia), the enthronements of First Hierarchs, and episcopal meetings with the participation of great ascetics such as St. John (Maximovitch) of San Francisco. The building is in need of approximately $15 million worth of major repairs. The proceeds from our collections will be forwarded to the restoration fund in the name of our parish,  noting that our donation is in honor of the 10th anniversary year of the episcopacy of Metropolitan Nicholas.

Sunday School for our children under 10 years of age will begin on Sunday, December 1st, after trapeza. Classes for the older children are already in session.  A page has been set up on our website for our younger children and their parents to help them prepare for the upcoming classes, so please review that material before the end of this week. You can access the page via the “Resources” tab on our website, or by clicking HERE.

The Annual Christmas Cookie Sale sponsored by the Parish Sisterhood of Sts.  Elizabeth & Barbara will take place on Saturday, December 14th, 2024 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. The event will feature homemade fancy & favorite cookie trays & tins, frozen pierogi & stuffed cabbage, imports, crafts, and other gifts for sale.  Please come and show your support for this important fundraiser.

A Word on Confession & Communion - Because so many of our parishioners are coming to confession and Communion on a regular basis (which is a wonderful thing), I ask that you try to attend the evening Vigil and confess at that time, even if you can’t stay for the entire service. If you’re unable to make the Vigil then you can always confess before Liturgy, but please arrive as early as you can and line up before 9:30 am (8:00 am on weekdays) so that we can begin the Liturgy on time. Confessions are also available on Wednesdays from 5:30 to 6:00 pm whenever an Akathist is scheduled. A reminder that those who receive Communion at Divine Liturgy should have made a confession no longer than a week prior.  As always, if you’re in need of confession at any other time, please contact me and we’ll make arrangements.

Pledges -  As we approach the end of the year it’s a good time to plan your parish stewardship pledges for 2025. Your generosity is always deeply appreciated,  and your donations help keep the parish financially healthy. Pledge forms are available on the desk in the hallway, or you can see Dick or Laura for a copy. Our parish also accepts online donations through Tithely for one-time or recurring contributions, and you can access the Tithely page through the “Donate” button on our website homepage.

Parish Group Text -  The parish has a text messaging group on the Signal Messaging App that allows us to communicate with each other in real time  That’s especially important when time-sensitive news has to be distributed, such as in the event of an unexpected cancellation of a church service (major snowstorm, etc.) or an urgent prayer request, but group texting can be used for many other purposes as well, such as to send routine parish news updates or spiritually edifying material. Signal is a free and secure application that’s available in both mobile and desktop versions. If you don’t have the Signal App, you can download it HERE. If you already have the app you can join the group HERE.

In Christ,

Fr.  Stephen