Ñåðäå÷íî â³òàºìî íàøèõ ãîñòåé, ÿê³ ìîëèëèñü ñüîãîäí³ ç íàìè. Áóäåìî ðàä³ áà÷èòè Âàñ ó íàñòóïíó íåä³ëþ. Íåõàé Âàñ îáåð³ãຠÃîñïîäü.

Priest: Let us be attentive! Peace be with you all!

Reader: And with your spirit! Priest: Wisdom!

Reader: The Prokimen on tone 1. Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us / as we have set our hope on Thee. Verse: Rejoice in the Lord, o ye Righteous! Praise befit’s the just! Priest: Wisdom!

Reader: Brethren, the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth, finding out is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them of secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, saying and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Priest: Peace be with you reader. Reader: And with your spirit. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. Verse: God gives vengeance unto me, and subdues people under me! Verse: He magnifies the salvation of the king, and deals mercifully with Christ, with David and his seed for ever.

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Congratulations to Andrew Tarcha, today he will become an alter boy. Today he will enter the Holy Alter. Congratulations to Andrew’s parents, Nicholas and Patricia. May God bless you!

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Thank you Mary Ann Klish for setting up the Christmas display again this year, at Roberson Museum. Please come and invite your friends to look at the beautiful display.

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Thank you Jeffrey Hatala for trimming the bushes around the church.

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Thank you Mildred Bogdan for donating the icon of Archangel Salaphiel, in memory of her father Theodore Kovatz, her husband George Bogdan, and her grandson James Bogdan. Also in honor of Mildred Bogdan”s children and grand children.

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Dear parishioners if you would like to publish any information or future events, please give this information to the priest who will publish it in the Sunday Bulletin.

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Good luck to our teams.

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Jr. UOL will have a candy bar sake to help offset medical bills for a student Luke Zuber struggling with cancer. Please buy candy.

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Please let Father know who is in need of visiting, prayers

or receiving of sacraments. Visits can be any time.

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O who loves Nicholas the saintly, O kto, kto Mikolaja l’ubit,

O who serves Nicholas the saintly, O kto, kto Mikolaju sluzit,

Him will Nicholas receive, Tomu svjatyj Mikolaj,

And give help in time of need, Na vsyakij chas pomahaj,

Holy father Nicholas, Nicholas. Mikolaj, Mikolaj.

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At this same time, the Bishop of Myra died. A council of bishops was called to select his successor, and as they could not agree on a candidate, they turned with prayer to God for help in selecting a bishop. The elder bishop in a dream heard this commandment from and angel of the Lord: “Stand by the doors of the Church during the night and see the first man that enters. Take him and make him the bishop. This man’s name will be Nicholas” the bishop did as he was bidden to do and when the time for serving Matins came, early in the morning, there came Nicholas. The bishop stopped him and asked him his name. Nicholas said, “Nicholas, a humble servant to your blessedness.” The bishop took him by the hand and said: “Follow me, my son” He brought him before the bishops and said, “This is he whom God through the Holy Spirit has selected to be your bishop of the city of Myra” Nicholas first refused, but after the Patriarch insisted, he accepted. There is a tradition that before his ordination, he had a dream in which Christ appeared handing Nicholas the Holy Gospel, and the Holy Virgin Mary handing him the bishop’s stole. You may see this pictured on some of the icons of St. Nicholas.

Now began his life as a bishop. He eagerly fulfilled his duties in preaching and taking care of the Church and the poor. Soon a great catastrophe came. Emperor Macsimian with Diocletian began to persecute the Christians. In the city of Nicomedia they burned the Church in which thousands of Christians had gathered to pray on Christmas Eve. This persecution came to Lycia, too, but St. Nicholas did not stop his preaching, and as a result was through into prison. Even there he gave courage to the Christians and asked them not to deny Christ. While in prison he suffered greatly from hunger and the taunts of the pagans. When a new emperor, Constantine the Great, came to the throne, he freed all the Christians, and St. Nicholas was able to return to his flock as bishop. Another disaster threatened the Church when a priest in Alexandria in Egypt, Arius, denied Christ‘s Divinity. He soon had many followers, so it was necessary to call an Ecumenical Council of all the bishops to discuss the matter. Emperor Constantine called it together at Nicaea in 325 A.D. a total of 318 bishops, including St. Nicholas, came for the Council. When St. Nicholas heard how Arius was preaching blasphemy against Christ, he could not restrain his anger, and struck Arius across the mouth. For this action, the bishops decided that he should be denied his office as bishop; he broke the rules of the Church which state that the servants of the Church must not physically punish any person, but must use the word of God, instead. During the night many bishops had a vision which showed Christ giving back the Gospel to St. Nicholas and the Virgin returning the bishop’s stole. The next day the bishops called a council and explained their vision, and St. Nicholas was restored to his office. This was the same Council that gave us the first section of our Nicene Creed which we read to the present day in our Churches during Divine Liturgy.

Upon returning to his flock, St. Nicholas performed many good deeds and miracles for his people. Once there was a famine in Myra and no grain was available for bread. St. Nicholas appeared in a dream to a merchant who was sending grain by ships to another city, appealing to him to turn his ships around and bring the grain to Myra. Thus, the city was saved from starvation.

Many more instances are recorded of St. Nicholas’ great mercy and service to those who were in need. He lived to an old age and died on December 6/19 342 A.D. We should follow this saint’s example of generosity and steadfastness in the faith of the Lord. And we should plan to do something for someone we see in deed.

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Mon. Dec. 11 - 7:00 pm Finance Committee Meting.

Wed. Dec. 13 - The time has changed 6:00 - 7:30 pm Basketball Practice at St. Michael’s Church.

Sat. Dec 16 - 12:30 pm Jr. UOL bakes cookies for collage students. 1:30pm decorate the church for the Nativity, all Junior and Senior UOL members and parents are invited to help.

Sun. Dec. 17 - St. Nicholas day. Lunch following Liturgy. During the lunch a collection will be taken to raise money to buy dental equipment and donate it to a orphanage in Zalucchia, Ukraine. You can pick up information about this fundraiser at the front of the church. Thank you.

Mon. Dec. 18 - 7:00 pm. Parish Board Meeting.

Tue. Dec. 19 - 9:30 am Divine Liturgy. St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Sun. Jan. 7 - Nativity Concert, and lunch following Divine Liturgy. Bring a friend to church day. Those friends who come to church can take part in the concert. During lunch Jr. UOL will make a collection for our new chapel’s iconography project in Emlenton PA.

Sat. Jan. 13 - 7:00 pm to 12:30 am. Malanka at the Memorial Center. Call 797-7008, 798-7591, 729-0079. Tickets $15.

Fri. Dec 22 - 6:00 pm Jr. UOL will meet at the hall to go caroling at Broome Developmental Center. Everyone is invited to attend.

Dec. 31 and Jan. 6 - Shop for Charity Fundraiser at the Giant Food Markets. Jr. UOL will be passing out the coupons.

Wed. Jan. 8 - 7:00 pm Revenue Generating Committee Meeting.

Tue. Jan. 9 - 7:00 pm 2008 UOL Convention Committee Meeting, to discuss promotional gifts, favors and convention bags. Please come with ideas. Everyone is invited.

Sun. Jan. 21 - Jr. UOL Meeting following Sunday School.

Mon. Jan. 29 - Come at 5:30 pm or 6:30 pm Texas Roadhouse Dinner at St. John’s Memorial Center. Menu: 6 oz. Sirloin or 8 oz. boneless chicken breast, child size 4 oz. sirloin or 4 oz. chicken, baked potato with sour cream and butter, fresh roll with cinnamon honey butter, salad with Italian or Ranch dressing, brownie alamode with chocolate sauce. Coffee, tea, or soda. Beer and wine for sale. Adult $ 14.00 Child price $ 7.00

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Pray for the sick. The Lord said: “Do unto others as you would want them do unto you.” So if we will be sick, we will ask help from God, we will ask priests and people to pray for us. In order for the Lord to listen to us when we are sick, we need to pray for those who are sick. O Lord our God, Who by Your Word alone healed all diseases; Who cured the Mother-in-law of Apostle Peter of fever; Who chastises with pity and heals according to Your goodness; Who are able to put aside every malady and infirmity: Do You the same Lord, now relieve Your servants: Fr. Michael Michalopolos, Scott Shirk, Laurel Shirk, Audrey Klym, Valerie Melnychenko, Kevin Terpak, Emilia Lewkowicz, John Karaim, Mildred Charnetsky, Mary & Walter Gulachok, Mary Gormish, Olga Gooley, Mary Ford, Mary Mihalko, Margaret Klish, Marlyn Klish, Cypryan Klish II , Sophia Malowicky, Helen Charnetsky, Genevieve Sadowitz, Michael Sr. Duby, Anne & Karen Girnis, Paul Laszko, Julie Sadowitz, Catherine Dobransky, Maria Dudack, Pelahia Kit, Charles Stasko, Stephania Moroz, Mildred Bogdan, Natalia Boser, Wasyl Krawecki, Meghan Scannell, Olga Drost, Mary Evanchoff, Marion Kaspryk, and cure them of the sicknesses which grieves them; lift them up from their beds of pain, sending down upon them Your mercy; and if it be Your will, give to them health and a complete recovery. For You are the Physician of our souls and bodies, and to You we ascribe glory: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages, Amen.

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Dear brothers and sisters for those who do not attend confession (repentance)

and Holy Communion, please participate in these sacraments. This is for your own salvation, for the remission of sins and life everlasting. Please do not wait till the last minute, it could be too late. We never know when God will call us. Today we are here tomorrow we will go into eternity, and will stand before God’s judgment.

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Pray for those who in the service of our country and especially: Chief Warrant Officer Scott Ketchuck (Serving in Iraq), Major Gerald C. Seaman Nathaniel Kulikowski, Aviator Mechanic Enoch Braisher, Sabrina Schimmelfing. Pray for world peace

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March 9 - 11, 2007 - U.O.L. Retreat. Bethlehem, PA. The retreat will focus on the Major Feast Days of the Orthodox Church. Speakers His Beatitude Metropolitan Constantine and His Eminence Archbishop Antony. Contact: Oleg or Natalie Bilynsky (610) 982- 7315

March 16-18, 2007 - U.O.L. Lenten Retreat. All Saints Camp Contact: Melanie Nakonachny (440) 842-3820

Sat. April 15, 2007 - (Saturday of St. Thomas Sunday) U.O.L. Educational Seminar. South Bound Brook, NJ Contact: Natalie Bilynsky (610) 892-7315.

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