Συμβουλεύουμε καί παρακαλοῦμε τίς Κυρίες καί Δεσποινίδες μέλη τῆς Βοηθητικῆς Ἀδελφότητος Η ΠΑΝΤΑΝΑΣΣΑ καί ὅσες ἄλλες ἐπιθυμοῦν, ὅπως ἑτοιμάσουν τήν παραδοσιακή βασιλόπιττα γιά την Πρωτοχρονιά καί τή μνήμη τοῦ Ἁγίου Βασιλείου τοῦ Μεγάλου. Θά ἀναμένουμε νά τίς φέρετε στήν Ἐκκλησία τήν παραμονή ἤ τήν Πρωτοχρονιά γιά νά εὐλογηθοῦν, νά κοποῦν καί νά διανεμηθοῦν στούς πιστούς.
Archive for Δεκέμβριος 2013
ΚΑΤΑΣΚΕΥΗ ΒΑΣΙΛΟΠΙΤΤΑΣ
Posted in Ανακοινώσεις on 23 Δεκεμβρίου, 2013|
ΚΗΡΥΓΜΑ ΣΤΟ ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΟ ΤΗΣ ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗΣ ΠΡΟ ΤΗΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ ΓΕΝΝΗΣΕΩΣ
Posted in Διακονία / Diaconia on 23 Δεκεμβρίου, 2013|
«Βίβλος γενέσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, υἱοῦ Δαυΐδ, υἱοῦ Ἀβραάμ. (Ματθ. α΄ 1)
Μᾶς καλεῖ, ἀγαπητοί ἀδελφοί, καί πάλι ἡ Ἐκκλησία νά μεταφερθοῦμε νοερά στήν Ἁγία Γῆ, ὅπου πάνω ἀπό δυό χιλιάδες χρόνια πρίν ἔλαβαν χώρα τά γεγονότα τῆς ἐπίγειας ζωῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος Χριστοῦ καί τῆς δικῆς μας σωτηρίας. Τά ἱερά εὐαγγέλια διηγοῦνται τά γεγονότα τοῦ ἐρχομοῦ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καί Λόγου τοῦ Θεοῦ στή γῆ καί τῆς προσλήψεως τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως ἀπό τόν ἄσαρκο Λόγο τοῦ Πατρός, ὥστε νά μᾶς πλησιάσει σαρκοφορεμένος, γιά νά μποροῦμε νά τόν δεχθοῦμε καί νά μήν ξαφνιαστοῦμε ἤ φοβηθοῦμε.
Μέσα στούς δύο γενεαλογικούς καταλόγους, αὐτόν τόν ὁποῖο παραθέτει ὁ εὐαγγελιστής Ματθαῖος καί ἐκεῖνο τόν ὁποῖο παραθέτει ὁ εὐαγγελιστής Λουκᾶς, διαβάζουμε γιά τούς κατά ἄνθρωπο προγόνους τοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἡ ἀναφορά τοῦ πλήθους τῶν ἑβραϊκῶν ὀνομάτων δέν εἶναι καθόλου τυχαία. Μέσα σέ αὐτά τά πρόσωπα ὑπάρχουν μεγάλοι ἅγιοι ἀλλά καί μεγάλοι ἁμαρτωλοί. Αὐτά μᾶς ὑπενθυμίζουν ὅτι ὁ Χριστός ἦλθε στόν κόσμο «σῶσαι πάντας ἀνθρώπους».
Ὁ Θεός μετά τήν παρακοή καί πτώση τῶν Πρωτοπλάστων, Ἀδάμ καί Εὔας, καί τήν ἔξοδό τους ἀπό τόν Παράδεισο, ἔδωσε στόν ἄνθρωπο ὑπόσχεση μέ τό πρωτευαγγέλιο ὅτι ἀπό τόν ἀπόγονο τῆς γυναίκας ὁ σατανᾶς θά δεχόταν ἦττα. Ὅταν ὁμιλεῖ γιά ἀπόγονο τῆς γυναίκας, ὑπαινίσσεται καί προφητεύει τή γέννηση τοῦ Μεσσία ἀπό τήν Παναγία.
Στό πρόσωπο τοῦ Μεσσία ἐκπληρώθησαν καί ἐπαληθεύθησαν ὅλες οἱ προφητεῖες, οἱ ὁποῖες εἰπώθησαν διά μέσου τῶν αἰώνων καί ἀναφέρονται στόν Ἰησοῦ Χριστό. Πάρα πολλές λεπτομέρειες γύρω ἀπό τό πρόσωπο τοῦ Μεσσία πληροφορούμεθα ἀπό τόν προφήτη Ἠσαΐα, ὁ ὁποῖος καλεῖται πέμπτος εὐαγγελιστής. Μέ τήν πάροδο τῶν αἰώνων ὅλη ἡ ἀνθρωπότητα προσέβλεπε στήν ἐπερχόμενη λύτρωση. Ἄν ὁ ἰουδαϊκός κόσμος προετοιμάσθηκε μέ τίς προφητεῖες, ὁ εἰδωλολατρικός κόσμος προετοιμάσθηκε μέ τό σπερματικό λόγο τῶν φιλοσόφων, γιά τόν ὁποῖο μᾶς ὁμιλεῖ ὁ Ἅγιος Ἰουστῖνος ὁ φιλόσοφος καί μάρτυρας.
Μέσα στά ἑορταστικά πλαίσια τῶν ἡμερῶν αὐτῶν καλούμεθα νά ἐπιδείξουμε φροντίδα καί ἀγάπη γιά τούς γύρω μας καί ἰδιαίτερα γιά ὅσους ἀδελφούς μας εὑρίσκονται κάτω ἀπό ποικίλες περιστάσεις καί ἀνάγκες, ὅπως ἀσθένειες, πτωχεία, χηρεία, ὀρφάνια, ἀπογοητεύσεις καί μοναξιά.
Μέ αὐτές τίς λίγες σκέψεις προσκαλούμεθα νά ἑορτάσουμε καί ἐφέτος τά Γενέθλια τοῦ Σωτῆρος Χριστοῦ. Καλούμεθα νά ἐκκλησιασθοῦμε μέ τήν οἰκογένειά μας, νά προετοιμασθοῦμε μέ νηστεία, μετάνοια καί ἐξομολόγηση γιά νά μεταλάβουμε τῶν ἀχράντων, ζωοποιῶν καί φρικτῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ Μυστηρίων «εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν καί ζωήν αἰώνιον» καί νά ἀποδώσουμε λατρεία στό Θεῖο Βρέφος τό τεχθέν, τόν οὐράνιο Λυτρωτῆ μας. Ἀμήν!
K O I N O T I K A N E A
ΒΑΠΤΙΣΕΙΣ: Τό Σαββατοκύριακο, τῶν 14ης καί 15ης Δεκεμβρίου 2013, ἐγένοντο μέλη τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς Ὀρθοδόξου Ἐκκλησίας, μέ τό μυστήριο τοῦ βαπτίσματος, τό ὁποῖο τελέσθηκε στόν Καθεδρικό μας ναό, οἱ ἀκόλουθοι:
Ἡ Ὀδύσσεια-Ἐλισάβετ, θυγατέρα τῶν Παντελῆ Ἰωσήφ καί Buffy, τό γένος Wood, μέ ἀνάδοχο τό Χριστόφορο Ζαχαρία.
Ὁ Ross-Mark, υἱός τῶν Mark Candy, καί Lorraine, τό γένος Stephen, μέ ἀναδόχους τούς Διονύσιο Λιβέρα καί Ἐρωτοκρίτα Λιβέρα, καί
Ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος-Νεοκλῆς, υἱός τῶν Ἀνδρέου Ἀντωνίου καί Ἄνθιας, τό γένος Μιχαηλίδου, μέ ἀνάδοχο τό Χριστόφορο Κυπριανοῦ.
Ὁ Θεοφιλέστατος Ἐπίσκοπος Τροπαίου κ. Ἀθανάσιος τέλεσε τό μυστήριο τῆς βαπτίσεως τοῦ Ross-Mark.
Συγχαίρουμε γονεῖς καί ἀναδόχους καί εὐχόμεθα στούς νεοφώτιστους νά ζήσουν.
ΚΗΔΕΙΕΣ: Στόν Καθεδρικό μας ναό ἐψάλη ἡ ἐξόδιος ἀκολουθία τῶν ἀειμνήστων Ἀνδριανῆς Χατζηπέτρου, τή Δευτέρα, 16η Δεκεμβρίου καί Ἑλένης Τσαγκάρη, τήν Πέμπτη, 19η Δεκεμβρίου 2013. Προσευχόμεθα γιά τήν ἀνάπαυση τῶν μεταστασῶν καί συλλυπούμεθα τούς οἰκείους των.
ΣΥΝΕΣΤΙΑΣΕΙΣ ΗΛΙΚΙΩΜΕΝΩΝ: Τούς προσφιλεῖς καί σεβαστούς ἡλικιωμένους μας δεξιώθηκε τήν Τρίτη, ἡ Δίδα Ἐρωτοκρίτα Λιβέρα, στή μνήμη τῶν γονέων της Ἀνδρέου καί Ἄννης. Ἡ Ἐπιτροπή Προστασίας τῶν Ἡλικιωμένων συγχαίρει καί εὐχαριστεῖ θερμά τή φιλογενῆ δωρήτρια.
ΔΙΑΚΟΠΗ ΓΕΥΜΑΤΩΝ: Τά γεύματα πού προσφέρονται πρός τιμή τῶν προσφιλῶν μας ἡλικιωμένων θά διακοποῦν κατά τή διάρκεια τοῦ ἁγίου δωδεκαημέρου. Θά ἐπαναλειτουργήσουν τήν Τρίτη, 7η Ἰανουαρίου 2014.
ΜΙΚΡΑ ΗΜΕΡΟΛΟΓΙΑ: Μπορεῖτε νά προμηθευτεῖτε τό μικρό ἡμερολόγιο τῆς Ἀρχιεπισκοπῆς ἀπό τούς δύο ναούς καί τό γραφεῖο τῆς κοινότητος. Τιμή £ 1.50.
ΚΑΤΑΣΚΕΥΗ ΒΑΣΙΛΟΠΙΤΤΑΣ: Συμβουλεύουμε καί παρακαλοῦμε τίς Κυρίες καί Δεσποινίδες μέλη τῆς Βοηθητικῆς Ἀδελφότητος Η ΠΑΝΤΑΝΑΣΣΑ καί ὅσες ἄλλες ἐπιθυμοῦν, ὅπως ἑτοιμάσουν τήν παραδοσιακή βασιλόπιττα γιά την Πρωτοχρονιά καί τή μνήμη τοῦ Ἁγίου Βασιλείου τοῦ Μεγάλου. Θά ἀναμένουμε νά τίς φέρετε στήν Ἐκκλησία τήν παραμονή ἤ τήν Πρωτοχρονιά γιά νά εὐλογηθοῦν, νά κοποῦν καί νά διανεμηθοῦν στούς πιστούς.
ΘΕΙΕΣ ΛΕΙΤΟΥΡΓΙΕΣ
23η Δεκεμβρίου Δευτέρα Τῶν ἐν Κρήτῃ δέκα μαρτύρων. Νήφωνος ἐπισκόπου Κωνσταντίνης. Τήν παραμονή Ἑσπερινός ὥρα 4.00 μ.μ. Τήν κυριώνυμη μέρα Ὄρθρος καί Θ. Λειτουργία ὥρα 9.00 – 11.00 π.μ.
24η Δεκεμβρίου Τρίτη Παραμονή τῆς Χριστοῦ Γεννήσεως, Εὐγενίας ὁσιοπαρθενομάρτυρος καί τῶν σύν αὐτῇ. ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΙΑ ΤΩΝ ΜΕΓΑΛΩΝ ΩΡΩΝ. Μέγας Ἑσπερινός καί Θ. Λειτουργία Μεγάλου Βασιλείου ὥρα 8.30 – 11.30 π.μ.
25η Δεκεμβρίου Τετάρτη ΤΑ ΓΕΝΕΘΛΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ.
Ὄρθρος καί Θ. Λειτουργία.
Ναός Ἀποστόλου Βαρνάβα ὥρα 9.00 – 12.00 μ.μ.
Καθεδρικός Ναός Παναγίας ὥρα 9.00 – 12.30 μ.μ.
26η Δεκεμβρίου Πέμπτη Ἡ Σύναξη τῆς Ὑπεραγίας Θεοτόκου.
Τήν παραμονή Ἑσπερινός ὥρα 4.00 μ.μ. Τήν κυριώνυμη μέρα Ὄρθρος, Θ. Λειτουργία καί Ἀρτοκλασία ὥρα 9.00 – 12.00 μ.μ.
27η Δεκεμβρίου Παρασκευή Στεφάνου Πρωτομάρτυρος καί Ἀρχιδιακόνου, Θεοδώρου τοῦ Γραπτοῦ.
Τήν παραμονή Ἑσπερινός ὥρα 4.00 μ.μ. Τήν κυριώνυμη μέρα Ὄρθρος, Θ. Λειτουργία καί Ἀρτοκλασία ὥρα 9.00 – 11.30 π.μ.
28η Δεκεμβρίου Σάββατο Ἑσπερινός ὥρα 4.00 μ.μ.
29η Δεκεμβρίου Κυριακή μετά τήν Χριστοῦ Γέννηση. Τῶν θεοπατόρων Ἰωσήφ τοῦ Μνήστορος, Δαυΐδ τοῦ Βασιλέως καί Ἰακώβου τοῦ Ἀδελφοθέου, τῶν ὑπό τοῦ Ἡρώδου ἀναιρεθέντων νηπίων.
Ὄρθρος, θεία Λειτουργία καί Ἀρτοκλασία.
Ναός Ἀποστόλου Βαρνάβα ὥρα 9.00 – 12.00 π.μ.
Καθεδρικός Ναός Παναγίας ὥρα 9.00 – 12.30 μ.μ.
ΕΙΣΦΟΡΕΣ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΚΟΙΝΟΤΗΤΑ
Στέλιος Τσαγκαρίδης £ 84.00 Ἀνώνυμος £500.00
Νῖκος Γιαννῆ £ 30.00 Ἀνώνυμος £250.00
Κώστας Καραβίας £ 40.00 Ridgeway Hotel £ 50.00
Πρεσβ. Σταυρούλα Γεωργίου
στή μνήμη συζύγου της πρεσβ. Θεοδώρου £100.00
Ἑλένη Εὐαγγέλου στή μνήμη συζύγου της Γεωργίου £2,000.00
Ὁ Ἐπίσκοπος καί τό Διοικητικό Συμβούλιο τῆς Κοινότητος εὐχαριστοῦν θερμά τούς εὐλαβεῖς δωρητές.
CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS AND THANKS
Posted in Ανακοινώσεις on 23 Δεκεμβρίου, 2013|
Once again Christians all over the world celebrate with sacred pride the Birth of Christ the Saviour. In this festive atmosphere the Bishop, Presbyters of St Barnabas’ Community, the Archon Officials, Trustees, Chair Persons and Members of the Church Council, the Chair Persons and Members of the Ladies’ Auxiliary Society of PANTANASSA, the School Governing Body, the Parent/Teachers’ Association and the Committee for the Elderly, hasten to fraternally greet you all, embrace you with active love and to express their respect.
At the same time they wish to thank you for your continuous co-operation and admirable contribution towards our communal affairs and to congratulate you for the lofty stance of responsibility with which you face the progressive life of the esteemed community of St Barnabas which we all serve willingly, selflessly and humbly. Finally, may the Divine Baby of Bethlehem bring peace and blessings to the souls of all people and grant us all a prosperous New Year 2014.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND CHRONIA POLLA
A SERMON ON THE GOSPEL ON THE SUNDAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Posted in Διακονία / Diaconia on 23 Δεκεμβρίου, 2013|
|
|
Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Newly-Born Lord,
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.” (Matthew 1: 1)
Our Church invites us, once again, to transfer ourselves mentally to the Holy Land where more than 2,000 years ago, the events of the life on earth of Christ the Saviour and our salvation took place. The Holy Gospels narrate the events of the coming of the Son and Logos of God to earth, the fleshless Logos of the Father, taking on the human nature, so that He would come to us bearing flesh in order for us to be able to accept Him and not be surprised or afraid.
Within the two genealogical lists, that which is presented by Matthew the Evangelist and that which is presented by Luke the Evangelist we read about the forefathers of Jesus Christ. The reference to many Hebrew names is not coincidental at all. Within these persons there are great saints and great sinners as well. These remind us that Christ came to earth to save every man.
God, after the disobedience and fall of the progenitors, Adam and Eve, and their exile from Paradise, gave to man the promise through the pre-announcement of Good News (the Protoevangelio) that Satan would be defeated by the offspring of woman. When it speaks of the offspring of woman it implies and foretells the birth of the Messiah from the Virgin Mary.
In the person of the Messiah all the prophecies which were foretold through the centuries referring to the person of Jesus Christ were fulfilled and proven to be true. Many details about the person of the Messiah come from the prophet Isaiah, who is called the fifth evangelist. As the centuries were passing, the whole of humanity was expecting the coming Redeemer. If the Judaic world was prepared through the prophecies the heathen world was prepared through the spermatic words of the philosophers, about which St Justin the philosopher and martyr speaks.
|
|
Within this festive atmosphere we are invited to show care and love towards the people who surround us and especially for all our brothers and sisters who are going through a variety of peristases and needs, such as illness, poverty, widowhood and the plight of the orphans, disappointments and isolation.
With these few thoughts we are invited to celebrate this year also, the Nativity of Christ the Saviour. We are invited to attend church with our families, to prepare ourselves with fasting, repentance and confession, to receive the spotless, life-giving and awesome Sacraments of Christ for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life and to offer worship to the newly-born Divine Child, our heavenly Redeemer. Amen!
C O M M U N I T Y N E W S
MEALS FOR THE ELDERLY: The meals for the elderly during the month of December were subsidised by the following: Soteroula Nicolaides in memory of her beloved parents Nicolas and Meropi; Erotokrita Liveras in memory of her beloved parents Andreas and Anna and the Ladies’ Auxiliary Society of PANTANASSA. We thank all the kind donors for their generosity and consideration towards this worthy cause.
CESSATION OF MEALS: We would inform all our respected elderly that the meals will cease on Tuesday, 17th December 2013. They will resume again after the Christmas festivities on Tuesday, 7th January 2014.
RENEWAL OF SUBSCRIPTIONS: The subscriptions for the Community (£50.00), Pantanassa (£25.00) and the Archdiocese Magazine (£15.00) are now due. If you have not already paid your subscriptions or wish to subscribe to any or all of these you may contact our Community’s offices.
SUNDAY SCHOOL: We remind all the families of our Community that Sunday School sessions for the children take place each Sunday during the Divine Liturgy at both our Churches. We kindly ask all parents and grandparents to bring the children to church every Sunday.
END OF SCHOOL LESSONS: St Barnabas Greek Schools will stop their lessons for the Christmas festivities on Saturday, 21st December 2013 and will resume once again on Saturday, 11th January, 2014.
|
SMALL CALENDARS: The Archdiocese’s small calendars for the new year 2014 are now available. These may be purchased either from our churches or from the office. Price: £1.50 each.
VASILOPITTA: We kindly request from the ladies of the Community to prepare Vasilopitta for the New Year and for the commemoration of the Feast of St Basil the Great. You may bring it to the church on the day before or on the 1st January 2014. Following the blessing and the cutting, the Vasilopitta will be distributed to the faithful for celebrating and exchanging greetings and best wishes.
VESPERS AT THE ARCHDIOCESE: In accordance with the custom, on New Year’s Eve, the Service of Vespers takes place in the Chapel of the Annunciation in our Archdiocese at 6.30 p.m.
The Service will be presided by His Eminence, Gregorios, Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain, who will bless, cut and distribute the Vasilopitta. His Grace, Athanasios, Bishop of Tropaeou will deliver the annual homily.
THE VISIT OF THE HOLY CROSS: Towards the end of the year we had the privilege to enjoy a visit of the Holy Cross which came to us from the Holy Land. The visit of the Holy Cross in the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain, lasted for about fifteen days. As a result a good number of our communities as well as of the Russian Orthodox Church were blessed to benefit from the visit of the Holy Cross.
The faithful responded willingly and with profound devotion in venerating the Holy Cross. Our Community was blessed to open the doors of its two churches on the 11th December, from very early in the morning until about 3.00 p.m. The clergy celebrated the Divine Liturgy whereas our faithful came as families, individuals and community members to express their enthusiasm and offer their contribution towards the Church of Jerusalem.
LARGE CALENDARS: We trust that before the end of the year the large calendars of the Archdiocese will reach London and be distributed to all our communities so as to enable the faithful to acquire them. The price of each calendar is £6.00.
A SERMON ON THE GOSPEL ON THE FOURTEENTH SUNDAY OF LUKE
Posted in Διακονία / Diaconia on 18 Δεκεμβρίου, 2013|
THE BLIND MAN CONFESSES THE TRUE MESSIAH
“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”(Luke 18: 38)
The Lord, dear Brothes and Sisters, was on his way to Jericho. Somewhere on the edge of the road sat a blind man, who with an outstretched hand, sought help from the passers-by in order to meet his needs. When he heard the sound of the multitude and the footsteps of the throng, he sought to know what was going on. He was informed that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by.
As soon as the blind man heard this, he called out with a loud voice: Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. Those who preceded the multitude told him to keep quiet. Instead he began to shout even louder: Son of David, have mercy on me. Jesus then stopped and asked for the blind man to be brought to him.
When they brought the blind man to Christ, the Lord asked: What do you want me to do for you? The blind man replied: Lord, I wish to gain my sight. Jesus then replied: Gain your sight! Your faith has saved you. Immediately the blind man received his sight and became a disciple and a follower of Christ, offering praise to God. All the people who saw him praised God also.
One may ask whether the purpose of the narration of this miracle was to add yet another miracle to so many others, which the Lord performed, out of pity towards God’s people. The answer to this question is given by the prophet Isaiah, who, speaking eight centuries before the coming of the Messiah, mentions that the blind will see, the deaf will hear and the lepers will be healed.
One may ask whether the purpose of the narration of this miracle was to add yet another miracle to so many others, which the Lord performed, out of pity towards God’s people. The answer to this question is given by the prophet Isaiah, who, speaking eight centuries before the coming of the Messiah, mentions that the blind will see, the deaf will hear and the lepers will be healed.
Also, when John the Prophet and Baptist sent his disciples to ask the Lord if He was the expected Messiah, the Lord, instead of an answer, said to those who were sent to tell John: “The blind see and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” (Matthew 11: 5)
With these words from the Lord, John the Baptist, who knew the Scriptures, would indeed understand that they referred to the True Messiah and, therefore, he would be aware that his preparatory role was coming to an end.
In the same way when the Lord first appeared at the synagogue in Nazareth following His baptism in the River Jordan, He asked and read the following: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind. To set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4: 18-19).
It is important to emphasise that the healing of the blind man has not so much bearing as the fulfillment of the prophesies in the person of Christ, and the undoubted confirmation that the Lord is the expected and the true Saviour of humankind. Amen!
C O M M U N I T Y N E W S
|
MEALS FOR THE ELDERLY: The meals for the elderly during the months of October and November were subsidised by the following: Anastasia Sophocleous in memory of her beloved husband Athanasios; Christos Joannides on the occasion of the feast of St Sozomenos; Nicos and Alice Koumettou; Stelios Tsangarides on the event of his name-day and the Ladies’ Auxiliary Society of PANTANASSA. We thank all the kind donors for their generosity and consideration towards this worthy cause.
RENEWAL OF SUBSCRIPTIONS: The subscriptions for the Community (£50.00), Pantanassa (£25.00) and the Archdiocese Magazine (£15.00) are now due. If you have not already paid your subscriptions or wish to subscribe to any or all of these you may contact our Community’s offices.
FORTY DAYS OF DIVINE LITURGY: In the Community of St Barnabas, for forty days prior to Christmas, the time of fasting, Divine Liturgy is celebrated daily. During the Liturgy names of loved ones, living and departed, are read in the Holy Prothesis. If you would like to offer the names of your loved ones for prayer during this time, you may bring the list of names and give it either to one of the clergy or bring it to the office.
SMALL CALENDARS: The Archdiocese’s small calendars for the new year 2014 are now available. These may be purchased either from our churches or from the office. Price: £1.50 each.
SCHOOL CHRISTMAS BAZAAR: On Saturday, 30 November 2013, St Barnabas Greek Schools held their Christmas school bazaar. The Parent/Teachers’ Association worked very hard to make this a very successful event. Parents, pupils, staff and friends of the school participated on the day. The event raised the amount of £935.00. We congratulate and thank the members of the PTA for their hard work to make this event a happy occasion.
SCHOOL CHRISTMAS CONCERT: St Barnabas Greek Schools are preparing their Christmas School Concert which will consist of plays, poems, songs and short dialogues. The concert will take place at 4.00 p.m. on Sunday, 15th December 2013. We hope that parents, guardians and friends will attend in order to encourage and support the pupils’ efforts in their endeavour to celebrate the feast of Christmas.
HOLY CROSS FROM JERUSALEM: It is our pleasure to inform our parishioners that a piece of the Holy Cross has been brought to the United Kingdom from the Holy Land. The Holy Cross relic has been taken to various churches as well as to the Russian Orthodox Churches. In our Community we will have the honour and the opportunity to receive it on Wednesday morning, 11th December 2013 at St Mary’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Everyone will be welcome to attend in order to pay our respects and homage to the Holy Cross. May the grace of the Holy Cross overshadow and strengthen all of us.
HOLY COMMUNION: We would advise all families to prepare appropriately their members with fasting and confession and come to Church to attend the Divine Liturgy and receive the Body and Blood of the Newly-Born Lord. In this way we will celebrate Christmas in the correct way, benefit spiritually and revive their faith in the Lord. In limiting our activities to clothes and food, our Christmas celebrations will be lacking and incomplete.
YOUR DONATIONS TOWARDS THE CHURCH: As Christmas is approaching we take this opportunity to remind all our faithful that our Churches need your love and support in many ways as well as financially. Those of you who are tax payers can, if you wish, fill in the appropriate form, so that the Church would be able to claim back the tax as Gift Aid.
MEMORIALS: Many of our faithful ask about the memorial services when they are going to stop for the Christmas celebrations. We therefore, wish to inform everyone that the last day they can bring kollyva for memorials is the Sunday, 22nd December. After the celebrations of the twelve days of Christmastide they will start again from the 7th January 2014.
THE ORDER OF THE MEMORIALS: The custom of holding memorials for our departed brothers and sisters during the Church services, is as follows: On the first day of their departure, on the third day, on the ninth day, on the fortieth day, at three months, at six months, at nine months and on the year. Thereafter every year. These are the fixed days according to the tradition.
Of course, those who feel the need to remember and respect their departed relatives and loved ones can hold a memorial service at any other time they feel the need, provided this does not coincide with any day the Church does not officiate memorials. It is advisable for those holding memorials for their beloved to prepare themselves through fasting, confession and prayer and receive Holy Communion on the day they have memorials.
Ελληνορθοδοξη Κοινοτητα Απ. Βαρναβα Wood Green 