Visiting clergy were: Hieromonk Jovan (Babic), diocesan chancellor; Fr. Velimir Petakovic, retired parish priest who was ministering at St. George when the church was being built; Fr. Bozidar Draskovic, retired parish priest; Fr. Ramon Merlos, Our Lady of Kazan Russian Orthodox Church; Fr. Jerome Cwiklinski, chaplain from Camp Pendleton (OCA); Fr. John Reimann, St. Anthony Antiochian Orthodox Church; Fr. Blasko Paraklis, Nativity of the Theotokos parish from Orange County; Fr. Andrew Cuneo, professor at St. Katherine Orthodox College and parish priest at mission parish in Encinitas, California, and readers from the local Orthodox parishes. The host priest Fr. Bratso Krsic and the parish deacon, Paul Germain, and St. George parishioners were spiritually invigorated by the presence of parishioners and the local Orthodox clergy and faithful.

The program on Saturday evening was opened with the Pascha and St. George Feast Day Troparion and the performance by St. George choir and Morava Senior Folklore group. The music for dance and celebration was performed by Srbija orchestra from Phoenix, AZ.
On Sunday morning, the Matins and the Liturgy started at 9am with the Lytia and the blessing of the Slava Kolach. Since the Feast day of St. George fell before the Feast Day of the Ascension of our Lord, the services had many hymns from the Pascha canon, making them a continuation of the resurrectional joy and radiant light from the Empty tomb.

St. George parishioners honored the following families and individuals as kumovi for the 60^th anniversary and St. George Slava: Fr. Velimir Petakovic and Protinica Ljubinka, Predrag Mitrovich, Dusko Martinovich, Velimir and Mira Jovanovic, Alex and Seka Kinach, Dorothy Vukotich and Milanka Vlasovic.  Among the many guests present at the Liturgy and banquet was one of the first secretaries of the Church Board, Milica Millie Medigovich. Recognized for their exceptional example of zeal for the Orthodox Faith and ministries of St. George parish were, Mico Lukic, tutor of St. George parish of more than three decades and the children’s and adult choir director, Kate Thickstun. Both of them received the Episcopal Gramata from His Grace Bishop Maxim who congratulated the both of them asking them to continue their ministries at St. George with the hope that others would emulate their example.

Many parishioners spend countless hours working prior, during and after the celebration.  Simona Trifunovich and her kitchen crew prepared delicious dinner and the banquet food. To all volunteers we express our heartfelt thanks.

The Church Board president, Vladan Trifunovic, in his greeting remarks congratulated everybody on the successful and most joyous celebration of the sixty years calling everybody to participate in the ongoing ministries of the church just as the founders of St. George parish did six decades ago. Fr. Bratso reiterated those same words adding that our goal is the same as that of the founders, that is to build the church; the founders built the church of bricks and mortar, and we today are called to build a living church, of souls and bodies.

60^th Anniversary of St. George Serbian Orthodox Church,

San Diego, California

With the Blessing of His Grace Bishop Maxim, St. George Parish Cordially Extends the Warmest Invitation to You, Your Family, Kumovi and Friends to 60^th Anniversary and St. George Church Slava on May 5^th and 6^th, 2012.

Schedule:
Saturday, May 5^th, 2012

6:00pm Vespers
7:00pm Dinner, Program, Entertainment and Dance (Music by Srbija from Phoenix)

Sunday, May 6^th, 2012

9:00am Matins
10:00am Hierarchical Divine Liturgy
12:00pm Blessing of the Slava Kolach, Banquet and Program (Music by Srbija from Phoenix)

All are welcome!

Troparion of St George (Tone 4): As the deliverer of captives and the protector of the poor, as the physician of the feeble and combatant of kings, holy champion and great martyr George, intercede with Christ our God to save our souls.

Tropar: Jako pljenih svoboditelj i niščih zaštititelj, nemoščstvujuščih vrač, carej poborniče, pobjedonošče velikomučeniče Georgije, moli Hrista Boga, spastisja dušam našim.

Tropar: Kao oslobodilac zarobljenih i zaštitnik sirotih, lekar nemoćnih, careva pobornik, pobedniče, velikomučeniče Georgije, moli Hrista Boga, da spase duše naše.

We are delighted to announce St. George Scholarship of $1,000.00 for graduating high school students of St. George Parish. This will be an annual scholarship.

Interested students are encouraged to review the enclosed application and follow the guidelines in submitting for consideration.
Fr. Bratso Krsic, Parish Priest
St. George Church Board

Download application here [PDF]

Palm Sunday Evening

Matthew 21:18-43.

This evening’s service calls to mind the beginning of Jesus’ suffering. The gospel describes the plotting of the priests and elders to trap Jesus into convicting Himself as a religious heretic. Through parables, Jesus tells us of His coming betrayal, trial, conviction and execution by crucifixion. The hymns of this service commemorate two things; the first, the prophetic figure of Joseph, who, while virtuous, nonetheless suffered unjustly at the hands of his brothers before being greatly rewarded, and the second, the parable of the fig tree, which in failing to bear fruit, became a symbol of fallen creation, and of our own lives, in which we also have failed to bear spiritual fruit.

Holy Monday Evening

Matthew 22:15-46; 23:1-39.

This evening’s theme is the need for watchfulness and preparation, lest we be called unprepared before the awesome judgement seat of Christ to render an account of ourselves. The gospel reading contrasts the efforts of the Pharisees to trick and discredit Jesus, with the forceful resistance which Christ mounts against their evil. The hymns remind us of the parable of the Ten Virgins, in which the faithful Christian is exhorted to vigilance.

Holy Tuesday Evening

John 12:17-50.

The need for true repentance is the concern of Tuesday evening’s service. This transformation from the life of sin to a life of faith and obedience is exemplified for us in the person of the sinful woman who received the gift for forgiveness when she anointed Jesus with myrrh and washed His feet. The highlight of the service is the hymn written in honor of this woman by St. Kassiani. The Gospel meditation foretells of the coming suffering of Christ and recalls His inner struggles and agony.

Holy Wednesday Afternoon and Evening

Epistle readings: James 5:10-16, Romans 15:1-7, I Corinthians 12:27-31-13:1-8, II Corinthians 1:8-11. Galatians 5:22-6:2, I Thessalonians 5:14-23. Gospel readings: Luke 10:25-37, Luke 19:1-10, Matthew 10:1 & 10:5-8, Matthew 8:14-23, Matthew 25:1-13, Matthew 15:21-28, and Matthew 9:9-13.

The primary theme of Holy Wednesday is our human need for the healing and forgiveness that comes into our lives when we establish a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We are reminded that the way to this relationship is to be found, above all else, through the life of prayer. In the Sacrament of Holy Unction, the faithful are anointed and thus, healed both physically and spiritually. They are also reconciled to God and one another so that they might receive the gift of the Holy Eucharist instituted by Christ at the Last Supper.

Holy Thursday Morning

Matthew 26:2-20, John 13:3-17, Matthew 26:21-39, Luke 22:43-45, and Matthew 26:40-27:2.

On Holy Thursday morning, we ascend Mt. Zion with Christ and the Twelve, and enter into the upper room. Once there, we witness the awesome moment when, at the Last Supper, Christ abolishes the ritual practice of the Old Covenant and establishes the ritual of the New Covenant, prophesied by Jeremiah, through the Sacrament of Holy Communion. The faithful receive Holy Communion at that Holiest of Liturgies.

Holy Thursday Evening

In this service, we commemorate the undeserved suffering of Jesus Christ, endured for our sake, so that we might be reconciled anew to God our Father. The Gospel readings witness for us the betrayal and arrest of Jesus, his trial and conviction, and finally his torture, crucifixion and death at the hands of a sinful humanity. This evening’s service also includes the procession representing Christ carrying His own cross along the Via Dolorosa, and ends when we see before us the King of Glory crucified. The Gospels are as follows:

1. John 13:31-18:1
2. John 18:1-29
3. Matthew 26:57-75
4. John 18:28-19:16
5. Matthew 27:3-32
6. Mark 15:16-32
7. Matthew 27:33-54
8. 23:32-49
9. John 19:25-37
10. Mark 15:43-47
11. John 19:38-42
12. Matthew 27:62-66

Holy Friday Afternoon

I Corinthians 1:18-2:2, Matthew 27:1-38, Luke 23:39-43, Matthew 27:39-54, John 19:31-37, and Matthew 27:55-61.

In this service, we are once again reverent witnesses to the undeserved suffering of Christ, to his terrible passion and death. What is remembered in a special way through liturgical commemoration and procession, is the faithfulness and love of Joseph of Arimathea who tenderly removed Christ’s body from the cross, wrapped it in clean linen, and carried it to his own unused tomb for burial.

Holy Friday Evening

- Ezekiel 37:1-14, I Corinthians 5:6-8, Galatians 3:13-14, Matthew 27:62-66. On Good Friday evening, the theme is Christ’s descent into Hades during which the Gospel of repentance and reconciliation with God is shared with those who died before Christ’s saving dispensation in the flesh. The service begins with lamentations sung as we stand before the tomb of Christ commemorating His unjust punishment and the shedding of His innocent blood. But the service ends on a note of joy and hope, with the reading of the Prophet Ezekiel in which he describes his vision of our resurrection yet to come; in the midst of despair, we are told there is hope, for not even death can separate us from the unfailing love and power of God. Death is about to be conquered and faithfulness rewarded.

Holy Saturday Morning

Romans 6:3-11, Matthew 28:1-20.

On Holy Saturday morning we celebrate the theme of faithfulness receiving its reward. The crucifixion is over, Christ is buried, the twelve apostles and other disciples are scattered and defeated. And yet, three myrrh-bearing women come in faithfulness to perform the last act of love–to anoint Jesus according to the Jewish burial custom. Their unwavering devotion is rewarded–they are the first to share in Christ’s triumph over evil and death. They are the first witnesses to the Resurrection. This joy is commemorated through the scattering of bay leaves and rose petals by the priest.

Holy Saturday Evening and PASCHA/Easter Sunday Morning

Mark 16:1-8.

The lamentations of the previous night are repeated and the church is plunged into darkness to symbolize the despair and defeat experienced before the dawn of Christ’s victory over the Enemy of our salvation. Precisely at midnight, a single light emerges from the altar representing the victory of Christ over death, the defeat of the Prince of Darkness by Jesus, the Light of the World. As the light is passed from person to person, it pushes back the darkness of the church and defeats it completely. The Resurrection is proclaimed in song and triumphant procession, and after the Liturgy, its light is carried into our homes so that they too might be filled with its light and warmth and triumph.

Easter Sunday Morning

John 20:19-25.

Christ’s Resurrection and victory is affirmed in this morning’s theme. The Gospel is read in several languages to illustrate the universality of the Good News of the Resurrection and its proclamation to the very ends of the earth. Love, forgiveness, reconciliation, triumph and joy–these are the gifts which we receive because Christ lived and died and triumphed for our sake.

GLORY BE TO HIM FOR ALL THINGS, AND MAY YOUR PASCHA BE BLESSED

Dates for 2012:    February 27 – April 14

About Great Lent:

The forty days of Great Lent begin on a different date each year because the Feast of the Lord’s Resurrection occurs on a different date each year.  The fortieth day is the Friday before Lazarus Saturday – Lazarus Saturday and Holy Week are not counted as part of the forty days.  Great Lent is not meant to be a time of gloominess but rather a time of joyful purification – a special time to prepare for the feast of the Resurrection of Christ-Pascha, especially by reminding ourselves to live according to the two great commandments recognized by our Lord: loving God and loving our neighbors.

Family suggestions for Great Lent:

1) Check St. George parish calendar and attend at least one of the special and beautiful services of Great Lent.  2) Read together the daily Bible passages that are provided in the parish bulletin.  3) Abstain from things as much as you can, not only from certain foods but from things that distract our minds and hearts from focusing on God, including things like not using an iPod or a computer as much as usual. 4) Volunteer to help someone in need, like at a homeless shelter.

How does Great Lent apply to me? 

If you play sports, or an instrument, or act in a school play, you know how important discipline is: it is what keeps you practicing and preparing even on days when you don’t want to, because you are thinking of how great it will be when the special day of the event arrives; part of the great feeling that day is thinking back on how valuable all the preparation was.  The same is true for Great Lent and the Feast of Christ’s Resurrection: The more you and your family partake in the suggestions above, the more glorious the actual feast day will be – celebrating Christ’s resurrection and the promise of our own!