Sunday, March 2^nd,, 2008

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Troparion for St. Nicholas – Tone 4

Thy work of justice did show thee to thy congregation a canon of faith, the likeness of humility, a teacher of abstinence, O Father Bishop Nicholas. Wherefore, by humility thou didst achieve exaltation, and meekness, richness.  Intercede, therefore, with Christ to save our souls.

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+ The Epistle +

Verse:  The Lord is my strength and my praise.

The Lord chastising hath chastised me, but He hath not delivered me over to death.

The Reading is from the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians. (8:8-9:2)

Brethren, food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. Only take care, lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if any one sees you—a man of knowledge—at table in an idol’s temple, might he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak man is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of my brother’s falling, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to fall. Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. +

                       Parking: Where Can You Park Around The Church?

Over the years, questions have been asked as to where can parishioners and visitors to Saint Nicholas Church park their vehicles on Sunday’s and special events held at Saint Nicholas?

           Here is the definitive answer as of June 27^th:

Ø      McDonald’s Parking Lot. According to the agreement between the church and the management of McDonald’s, you may park your vehicle in the 20 spaces facing St. Dominique Street, between the entrance of the McDonald’s Parking Lot on St. Dominique Street and the apartment building only. Parking in any other section of the McDonald’s Parking Lot will result in your car being towed at your expense. Please do not park in the following sections of the parking lot: the middle section; along the apartments; facing McDonald’s or next to Petro Canada.

Ø      In the event the allotted parking spaces are full, you may find parking in the following locations around the church:

Ø       Renaissance Parking Lot.  Sundays Only from 10.00AM – 1:00pm.   Instructions – enter from 7545 rue Clarke – Park in front of number SIGNS 1 to 14 only.  Leave by St. Laurent Blvd. EXIT ONLY.

St. Laurent Boulevard. Plenty of free parking exists between Jean Talon Street and De Castelnau Street.

Jean Talon Street. Within a two block radius of the church there is normally metered parking available ($1.00 per hour).

Residential Streets around the Church (De Castelnau, St. Dominique, Casgrain, etc).

When looking for parking please have consideration for our elderly and handicapped parishioners when parking at the McDonald’s Parking Lot.

Please remember that parking at the McDonald’s Parking Lot is available only through the generosity and good will of the McDonald’s management. Please do not abuse their generosity and good will.

ü      ‘Lenten’ Donation – Sponsor a New Icon!

With the Great Fast (Lent) & Holy Week approaching, many people like to donate a bit extra towards the Altar. We are looking for Sponsors for our new upcoming set of 24 Large Size Veneration Icons made at Sofrino Orthodox Monastery in Russia. Very Beautiful! We are asking for a generous donation of $100.00 for each Icon, that covers the cost of the Icon, Shipping & Handling, Canadian Customs Fee, and a humble donation to the Altar of St. Nicholas Church. Tax receipts will be issued. And the Sponsors will be acknowledged and thanked in the Sunday Bulletin, where they can offer them for the good health & eternal memory of their loved ones. The following is the present Icon Selection, to reserve which Icon(s) you would like to sponsor, please contact Fr. Mark.

v      The Nativity of Christ

v      The Presentation of Christ to the Temple

v      Holy Theophany (Baptism of Christ) 

v      The Annunciation to the Theotokos

v      Palm Sunday – Entrance of Christ into Jerusalem

v      Holy Pascha – Feast of the Resurrection of Christ

v      The Ascension of Christ

v      The Transfiguration of Christ

v      The Nativity of the Theotokos

v      The Presentation of the Theotokos to the Temple

v      The Dormition of the Theotokos

v      Feast of the Holy Cross (Finding the Holy Cross)

v      The Holy Trinity

v      The Theotokos & Christ (Child) standing on a Cloud surrounded by Angels

v      Christ blessing (standing on a Cloud surrounded by Angels)

v      The Holy Napkin (Detailed Close-up of the Face of Christ)

v      Christ the Bridegroom (Wearing the Crown of Thorns)

v      The Theotokos (Paraklesis Icon) wearing a red and gold veil holding Christ (Child) while surrounded by a Cloud.

v      The Theotokos (“The Unfading Bloom”) with Christ (Child) wearing golden crowns and surrounded by multi-coloured flowers & Angels.

v      St. Nicholas Blessing (Gold Background) (Medium Size – High Quality)

v      Christ Blessing (Gold Background) (Medium Size – High Quality)

v      The Theotokos & Christ (Gold Background) (Medium Size – High Quality)

v      The Crucifixion of Christ (Greek-Byzantine Style)

v      Pentecost (Greek-Byzantine Style

+ The Holy Gospel +

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew. (25:31-46)

The Lord said, “When the Son of man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and He will place the sheep at His right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the King will say to those at His right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see Thee hungry and feed Thee, or thirsty and give Thee drink? And when did we see Thee a stranger and welcome Thee, or naked and clothe Thee? And when did we see Thee sick or in prison and visit Thee?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ Then He will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see Thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to Thee?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to Me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” +

+ Schedule of Services +

Every Sunday: Matins at 9:30 a.m. & Divine Liturgy at approx. 10:45 a.m.

Confessions:  Sundays 9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. (Or By Appointment)

Lenten Schedule of Services - Soon to Come…

-         ANNOUNCEMENTS –

ü       St. Nicholas Orthodox Church Bulletin Sponsorship

Each year, St. Nicholas Orthodox Church pays approximately $1,800.00 just for the publication of our beautiful weekly bulletin for the parishioners. We are looking for a generous sponsor to relieve  the Church of this fee for this year 2008. (The sponsor will be acknowledged and thanked in every issue of the bulletin for the year and will receive a tax receipt for the donation). Please contact Fr. Mark or the Church Office for any concerns or inquiries.

ü      Sponsorship for ‘The Good Shepherd’ Newsletter

St. Nicholas Orthodox Church pays approximately $700.00 to publish and mail-out our Official . Newsletter “The Good Shepherd” (formally known as ‘The Saint’) to ALL of our registered parishioners. We are looking for a generous sponsor for our upcoming “Holy Pascha 2008 Edition”,  which will be mailed-out hopefully before Great Lent begins next month. The Sponsor will be  acknowledged and thanked in the Newsletter and will receive a tax receipt for the donation). Please  contact Fr. Mark or the Church Office for any concerns or inquiries.

ü      March is Antiochian Women’s Month 

During the month of March, the Antiochian Women of our Church are called to volunteer and serve in the Church as a sign of their dedication, and as an encouragement for other ladies to follow their good example.

Our Volunteers this Sunday are: Candle Stand/Donation Table: Donna Jazzar; Ushers: Susan Hanna Kouri, Barbara Lawand; Epistle Reading: Mabel Silva, Sermonette: Susan Hanna Kouri; Tray Collectors: Rosette Habak, Salwa Abou-Assaly, Donna Jazzar and Barbara Lawand.

+ Memorial (Trisagion) Service +

This Week

Ø      40 Day Memorial Service for George Gharib.  Offered by the Gharib Family.

Ø      40 Day Memorial Service for Naheeba (Dolly) Kalil.  Also to be remembered Nash & Dick Kalil and Alan George.  Offered by the Kalil Family.

Ø      40 Day Memorial Service for Najibeh Zakhem Isa.  Offered by her Husband Richard Isa and her daughters Anna-Maria, Alexandra and Leila.

Ø      1 Year Memorial Service for Salwa Nessrallah.  Also to be remembered Ness, Sara, Elia, Jack and Philip.  Offered by the Nessrallah Family.

Next Week

Ø      40 Day Memorial Service for Edward Aziz.  Offered by his wife Diana, son Michael and Family.

Ø      1 Year Memorial Service for André Elias Coutya.  Offered by his daughter Lucianne and his brother Gabriel.

May their Memory be Eternal!

Let us Pray to the Lord…

“Pray for one another, that you may be healed.

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16)

Please Remember in Your Prayers…

The Servants of God: Nahia Aboud, Mary Barakett, Michael Charles, Antoine Eid, Charles Gabriel, Nagi Gerges, Mona Ghattas, Sheri Grimm, Amal Abdo Haddad, John Haddad, Isabelle Helal, Doreen Jazzar, Karim Kachami, Henry Marcus, Helga Marcus, Rose Salhany,  Clifford Shamy, Marina Tabah.

May the Lord our God who is the Physician of our souls and bodies, restore Thy servants to health of soul and body, that they may glorify His Name.

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