Dece mber; 2009/Monthly Bulletin of the Orthodox V Charitable Association

EditorÛAlona Sergeeva

     TtHhEe  EeNnTtRrYy  IiNnTtOo  TtHhEe  TtEeMmPpLlEe  OoFf  TtHhEe  MmOoSsTt  HhOoLlYy  

MmOoTtHhEeRr  OoFf  GgOoDd   happened, according to the preserved
accounts of Holy Tradition, in the following manner. The par-
ents of the Virgin Mary, Righteous Joakim and Anna, in pray-
ing for a solution to their childlessness, gave a vow that if a
child were born to them, they would dedicate it to the ser-
vice of God.
When the Most Holy Virgin reached three years of age, the
holy parents decided to fulfill their vow. Having gathered
together their kinsfolk and acquaintances, and having
dressed the All-Pure Mary in Her finest clothes, and with the
singing of sacred songs and with lighted candles in their
hands they carried Her to the Jerusalem Temple. There the high-priest with a throng of priests met the
maiden of God. In the Temple, the stairway led up fifteen high steps. The Child Mary, so it seemed, could not
Herself make it up this stairway. But just as they placed Her on the first step, strengthened by the power of
God, She quickly made it up over the remaining steps and ascended to the highest.
Then the high-priest, through an inspiration from above, led the Most Holy Virgin into the Holy of Holies, and
herein of all people it was only the high-priest that entered one time a year with a purifying sacrifice of blood.
Therefore all those present in the Temple were astonished at this most unusual occurrence.
Righteous Joakim and Anna, having entrusted their Child to the will of the Heavenly Father, returned home.
The Most Blessed Mary remained in the domicile for girls, situated near the Temple. Round about the Temple,
through the testimony of Holy Scripture (Exodus 38; 1 Kings 1: 28; Lk. 2: 37), and also the historian Josephus
Flavius, there were many living quarters, in which dwelt those dedicated to the service of God.
The earthly life of the Most Holy Mother of God from the time of Her infancy to the time of Her ascent to
Heaven is shrouded in deep mystery. Her life at the Jerusalem Temple was also a secret. "If anyone were to
ask me, ± said Blessed Jerome, ± how the Most Holy Virgin spent the time of Her youth, ± I would answer:
that is known to God Himself and the Archangel Gabriel, Her constant guardian".
But in the Church tradition there were preserved accounts, that during the time of the stay of the All-Pure Vir-
gin at the Jerusalem Temple, She grew up in a community of pious virgins, read diligently the Holy Scripture,
occupied Herself with handcrafts, prayed constantly and grew in love for God. In remembrance of the Entry of
the Most Holy Mother of God into the Jerusalem Temple, Holy Church from ancient times established a sol-
emn feast day. The decretals for the making of the feast in the first centuries of Christianity are found in the
traditions of Palestinian Christians, where mention is made that the holy Empress Helen built a church in
honor of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Mother of God.
In the IV Century there is mention of this feast by Sainted Gregory of Nyssa. In the VIII Century Saints Ger-
manos and Tarasios, Constantinople Patriarchs, delivered sermons on the feast day of the Entry.
The feast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Mother of God ± foretells the blessing of God for
the human race, the preaching of salvation, the promise of the coming of Christ.
holytrinityorthodox.com

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 Meeting  between  Pope  and  Patriarch  Kirill  is  possible.  
Relations between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic
Churches are improving and a meeting between Pope Benedict
  XVI and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, may be on
 
the cards, a Russian Orthodox bishop said.
 
"Today it can be said that we are moving to a moment
when it becomes possible to prepare a meeting between the
Pope and the Patriarch of Moscow," Archbishop Hilarion of
The Primate of the
Volokolamsk, the head of the Department for External Church
Serbian Orthodox
Relations, told reporters in Moscow.
Church Patriarch "There are no specific plans for the venue or timing of such
Pavle, 95, died in a a meeting but on both sides there is a desire to prepare it,"
Belgrade hospital on Sun- the Archbishop said.
day morning, BBC reports. Preparations for such a meeting must involve finding "a com-
mon platform on all remaining points of dispute," the
Patriarch Pavle was admit- Archbishop said.
ted to the city's military One such issue are relations between the Uniate community
and Orthodox believers in Ukraine. In the early 1990s, "the
hospital two years ago,
fragile interdenominational balance was upset and a serious
as he reportedly suffered
situation took shape that still exists," Archbishop Hilarion said.
from heart and lung con- At the same time, conversion of Orthodox believers into Ca-
ditions. tholicism is less of a problem today than it was a decade
ago, he said.
Patriarch Pavle was a re- Benedict XVI is "a very reserved, traditional man who does
spected theologian and not seek the expansion of the Catholic Church to traditionally
linguist, known for per- Orthodox regions," the Archbishop said.
sonal humility and mod- When Benedict XVI, shortly after being elected Pope, met
esty. with Metropolitan Kirill (the present Russian Patriarch, then
head of the DECR), a papal visit to Russia "was taken off the
agenda as now it appears to us to be impossible," the bishop
He was elected the Pri-
said.
mate of the Serbian Or- After Metropolitan Kirill has been elected Patriarch, "one can
thodox Church during the hope for further steps" in Orthodox-Catholic dialogue because
fall of communism and the the Patriarch "will continue the line on relations with Christians
war in Bosnia followed by of other denominations that he pursued as part of his former
activities," the Archbishop said. Interfax

A photo exhibition "The Mission of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Modern
World" opens in the building of the European Parliament in Brussels.

"We find it very important to display our national values, and the values of the Russian Orthodox
Church at the common European arena. We share many European values, however, we have
some of our own, which we would like to demonstrate to the European citizens," head of the
Moscow Patriarchate Publishing House Archpriest Vladimir Silovyev said to Interfax-Religion.

The Moscow Patriarchate Acting Representative at the European Union Archpriest Antony Ilyin also
noted to the agency that the exhibition dedicated to the Russian Orthodox Church "is held by the
European Parliament for the first time in its history."

The displayed works of photographers feature "The basiɫsocial concept of the Russian Orthodox
Church": the visitors will learn about the Church's position regarding family and social problems,
the challenges of globalization and secularism, the problems of bioethics and environment protec-
tion, and the participation of Christians in public, political and charity work. The works on the
themes of secular sciences, culture and education demonstrate the need to restore the lost links of
scientific thinking with the religious values. Interfax

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Famous  Orthodox  priest  killed  in  Moscow  
 
The famous priest Daniil Sysoyev, the rector of the St. Thomas Cathedral,
has been killed in Moscow, a source in law enforcement agencies told
Interfax.

The priest received gunshot wounds to the head and chest, his assistant
Vladimir Strelbitsky was wounded in the chest, he said.

"I do not recall a priest being killed in Moscow, let alone shot at by an
assault rifle," the source told.

The priest died on the surgical table at 0:15 a.m. Moscow time, a source in medical circles said.
His aide is in very critical condition.

A criminal case has been launched over the priest's murder.

Father Daniil was 35 years old.

 
         One  more  Russian  Cathedral  is  built  in    
                                                         Thailand  
The building of Russian Orthodox Cathedral of All Saints in
the city of Pattaya (Thailand) is finished.

The church has been built in eight months for donations of

believers. The consecration of the church will take place
under the celebrating of decade of Orthodoxy in Thailand
on December 20 this year.

As it was told, another church in Thailand of the Ascension of Our Lord will be build on Samuy is-
land. The local arrival has already made a decision to buy the ground area which is located on the
mountain slope near the sea.

There is also a wish to open the Russian cultural centre and a school at an Orthodox Cathedral of
the Holy Trinity on the Pkhuket island in Thailand.

Recently the Russian Church has received the state registration in the country . interfax

The Orthodox theological seminary is opened in Paris. It became the first

Russian theological school in Western Europe.

The school will prepare students for scientific, interchurch, missionary and dip-
lomatic activity of Russian Orthodox Church. Studying in the seminary will last
for five years: three years of a bachelor degree and two years of a magis-
tracy.

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia mentioned in his greeting during the
opening ceremony that the Russian Church "especially requires highly educated, well knowledgeable
experts in scientific, interchurch and diplomatic spheres and also in clerics who could make the ser-
vice on foreign grounds adequately".
interfax

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 St. Prince Alexander Nevsky (1220 - 1263) was the Prince of
Novgorod from 1236 to 1251 and Prince of Tver from 1247 to
1252. From 1252 on he was known as the Grand Duke of Vladi-
mir, son of Prince Yaroslav II Vsevolodovich. Alexander was an out-
standing Russian military commander and diplomat. Through his vic-
tories over Sweden on the Neva river (1240), after which he was
given the name of Nevsky, and over the knights of the Teutonic Or-
der (1242) he secured Russia's north-western borders. Thanks to his
clever and skillful diplomacy the burden of Tatar-Mongolian occu-
pancy was eased.

Alexander Nevsky is said to have been a man of prayer, and

shortly before his death on 14 November 1263 he became a
monk.
He was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1381. This
canonization was never approved by the Papacy, probably in part because Alexander
refused to take religious lessons from the Papal legates.

Alexander Nevsky is a patron saint of Russian warriors and of the Russian city St. Peters-
burg( Leningrad).

- What do you have in December that you don't have in

any other month ?
- The letter "D" !
Sometimes women are overly suspicious
of their husbands. When Adam stayed
out very late for a few nights, Eve be-
A minister told his congregation, "Next week I plan to
came upset. "You're running around with
preach about the sin of lying. To help you understand
other women," she charged.
my sermon, I want you all to read Mark 17."
"You're being unreasonable," Adam re-
The following Sunday, as he prepared to deliver his
sponded. "You're the only woman on
sermon, the
earth." The quarrel continued until
minister asked for a show of hands. He wanted to know
Adam fell asleep,
how many had read Mark 17. Every hand went up. The
only to be awakened by someone poking
minister smiled and said, "Mark has only sixteen chap-
him in the chest.
ters. I will now proceed with my sermon on the sin of
lying."
It was Eve. "What do you think you're
doing?" Adam demanded.

"Counting your ribs," said Eve.

 
 
God grant many years to all our With the Saints give rest, o Christ, to the
parishioners who celebrate their souls of Thy servants, where there is neither
birthdays and anniversaries in the sickness, nor sorrow, nor sighing, but life
month of December! We wish everlasting. Memory eternal to people, which
you all good health, long life were our parishioners and departed to God
and happiness!!! in the month of December!!!.

                     4
 We all know that the legend of Santa Claus is
based on the real life great SsAaIiNnTt  NnIiCcHhOoLlAaSs  TtHhEe  
WwOoNnDdEeRrWwOoRrKkEeRr,  which was born sometime around
280 A.D. and was the bishop of Myra, a city in Ly-
cia, a province of Asia Minor in modern-day Turkey.
But did you know that the first gifts were to help 3
girls?

One of the best known of the St. Nicholas stories is

that he saved three poor sisters from being sold into
slavery or prostitution by their father by providing
them with a dowry so that they could be married. Saint Bishop secretly tossed a bag of
gold through the poor man's window on three separate occasions, thus enabling the daugh-
ters to be married.

Over the course of many years, Nicholas's popularity spread and he became known as the
protector of children and sailors.

Much admired for his piety and kindness, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends.
It is said that he gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping
the poor and sick.

The name of the great saint of God, the hierarch and wonderworker Nicholas, a speedy
helper and suppliant for all hastening to him, is famed in every corner of the earth, in
many lands and among many peoples. In Russia and Ukraine there are a multitude of ca-
thedrals, monasteries and churches consecrated in his name. There is, perhaps, not a single
city without a church dedicated to him.

The first Russian Christian prince Askold (+ 882) was baptized in 866 by Patriarch Photius
(February 6) with the name Nicholas. Over the grave of Askold, St. Olga (July 11) built the
first temple of St. Nicholas in the Russian Church at Kiev.

Many of the churches devoted to the saint were those established at market squares by Rus-
sian merchants, sea-farers and those who traveled by land, venerating the wonderworker
Nicholas as a protector of all those journeying on dry land and sea.

Many slavonic village churches were dedicated to the wonderworker Nicholas, venerated by
peasants as a merciful intercessor before the Lord for all the people in their work. And in
the Russian land St. Nicholas did not cease his intercession. Ancient Kiev preserves the
memory about the miraculous rescue of a drowning infant by the saint. The great wonder-
worker, hearing the grief-filled prayers of the parents for the loss of their only child, took
the infant from the waters, revived him and placed him in the choir-loft of the church of
Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) before his wonderworking icon. In the morning the infant was
found safe by his thrilled parents, praising St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

St. Nicholas is commemorated on December 19 and May 22.

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 Schedule of Services
For december 2009

06 Sunday -Tone 1 - Chipman 10:AM / Scheduling meeting

13 Sunday - Tone 2 - St. Barbara Feast Day - Edmonton 10:AM

20 Sunday - Tone 3 - Skaro 10: AM

27 Sunday - Tone 4 - Wostok 10:AM

 

Orthodox feasts (prazdniki)

in december

04 December - The  Entry  of  the  Most  Holy  Theotokos  into  the  Temple.  

06 December - St.  Alexander  Nevsky,  grand  prince  of  Novgorod  

07 December - Great-­martyr  Catherine  of  Alexandria  

10 December - Icon  of  the  Most  Holy  Theotokos  named  "Znamenie".  

13 December - Holy  and  All-­praised  Apostle  Andrew  the  First-­called  

17 December - Great-­martyr  Barbara  

19 December - St.  Nicholas  the  Wonderworker,  archbishop  of  Myra  in  Lycia  

If  you  have  any  questions  or  proposals,  please,    Contact  us:  

 
Priest    Father  George  Sergeev    780-895-21-49
Email: [email protected]. / PO Box 483 Lamont Alberta TOB 2R0
 
 President  Yakim  Lopushinsky  (780-895-26-67
 Vice  -ăPresident  Jim  Nemirsky 780-896-23-47    
   Secretary  John  Tkachuk    780-576-30-73
 Treasurer  Fred  Pewarchuk    780-895-21-59

Or  visit  our  website²www.orthodoxfive.org  

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