December 26th, 2021
Stump the Priest: Question: “Did Christmas originate from a pagan holiday?” Click here for the Answer.
If you have a question you would like to ask, e-mail frjohnwhiteford@gmail.com
Saints of the Day for Sunday and the coming week, and other edifying reading:
https://www.saintjonah.org/bltn/pent27.pdf
Requires Adobe Acrobat reader (which is free to download):
http://get.adobe.com/reader/
Propers for the Sunday Liturgy (Sunday, December 26th):
https://www.saintjonah.org/lit/lit_hffathers_december13.htm
You can find propers for other upcoming Liturgies by clicking here, and upcoming Rubrics for services by clicking here.
Schedule of Service for the Coming Week:
| Saturday, January 1st | 5:00 p.m. Vigil |
| Sunday, January 2nd | 9:00 a.m. Hours & Liturgy |
Announcements
We will be taking a special collection to help the ROCOR mission parish in Lubbock, Texas, this Sunday. If you write a check, or send in a payment electronically, please put “Lubbock mission” in the memo line.
The 2022 wall calendars have arrived. We have them in English only, as well as in Russian/English. We ask that you make a $5.00 donation per calendar to cover the costs, if you can.
We will have a marriage seminar in June of 2022, and so will be restarting the Event Planning Committee. If you would like to be on that committee, and help make that event a success, please let Fr. John Whiteford know.
We will have our next Bible study on the Book of Acts, in the parish hall on Tuesday, December 28th, at 7:00 p.m. We will have Small Compline at 6:15 p.m., followed by refreshments and then start the Bible Study at 7:00 p.m. However, for those who cannot come in person, they can participate via Google Meets by logging in at 7:00 p.m. at this link: https://meet.google.com/ogk-town-emr
The next online Catechumen Meeting will be Wednesday, January 12th, at 7:00 p.m. and will be held via Google Meets: https://meet.google.com/eom-bwhp-hye
The next Parish Council Meeting will be on Wednesday, January 26th, at 7:00 p.m.
The next Slavonic Liturgy will be Saturday, January 29th, at 9:00 a.m.
You will find texts for reader services that you can do at home through the 29th Sunday after Pentecost (January 9th), here:
https://fatherjohn.blogspot.com/2021/12/reader-services-through-29th-sunday.html
Bookstore News: Over 50 new icons from the Damascene Gallery have arrived. We also have Christmas cards for sale, that would be nice.
Sisterhood News: The next Sisterhood meeting will be held on Sunday, January 16th, after Trapeza.
Parish Finances:
Calendar year to date total (01 January thru 31 November 2021):
Tithes: $178,645.00
Building Fund: $272,123.00
For November 2021:
Tithes: $15,409.00
Building Fund: $925.00
Average Monthly Expenses $13,252.00
Recommended Reading for the week:
You can read “The Appalachian Tradition of “Old Christmas”,” here:
https://southernorthodox.org/the-appalachian-tradition-of-old-christmas/
Recommended Listening for the week:
You can listen to the sermon “A Full House: The Parable of the Great Banquet Luke 14,” by Fr. Josiah Trenham, here:
https://thearena.sounder.fm/episode/a-full-house
Rotations
Trapeza (to pick your weekend, sign up here):
This Sunday: 12/26/21 (Fast: Fish, wine, and oil permitted): Matushka Genevieve Companik and Lydia West.
Next Sunday: 1/2/22 (Fast: Wine, and oil permitted): To be determined.
Cleaning Teams:
Currently: (Ending on): 12/26/21 – Team Nation.
Next (Ending on): 1/9/22 – Team Chebotko.
Vigil Reader:
This Saturday: 12/25/21: Rdr. Kodratus Bornejko.
Next Saturday: 1/1/22: Rdr. Moses Munster.
Liturgy Reader:
This Sunday: 12/26/21: Rdr. Kodratus Bornejko.
Next Sunday: 1/2/22: Rdr. Moses Munster.
Servers (Not including Adult Servers):
This Sunday: 12/26/21: Team B: Padraig McIsaac, Ezra Wilkinson, Ezekiel Wilkinson, Alex Kettner and Andrew Kettner.
Next Sunday: 1/2/22: Team A: Jonah Companik, Daniel Companik, Jens Yates, Nikolai Pino, Eric Lickwar, Ivan Kuzmin.
Commemorations from the past week:
Christina Marie Companik’s Birthday – Tuesday, December 21st.
Anja Gesche Peña, Anna Liese Peña, Hannah Morgan, Eleanor (Ann) Wandke & Renee (Anna) Nahlous’s Name day – Wednesday, December 22nd.
Daniel Companik’s Birthday – Thursday, December 23rd.
Lucia McAvoy & Luciana Wilkinson’s Name Day; Subdeacon Romanos Wren’s Birthday – Sunday, December 26th.
If you have corrections or additions, e-mail frjohnwhiteford@gmail.com
Prayer Requests:
Orthodox:
For the Servants of God, Archimandrite Benedict (Nelson); Archpriest Andre Papkov; Matushka Margarita Pardo; Thekla Podrasky; Ann (Eleanor) Wandke; Ann (Sonia) Shepherd; Zoe Wren; Denise (Leslie) Barnett; Marina Watson; Demetra Durham; Sophia (Cynthia) Hirsch; Joan Marie Pennings; Katherine Garbett Casanova; Renee (Ann) Nahlous; Merilee (Mary) Eidson; Jerry (John Herman) Spires; Michael Murphy; Valentin, Rada and Florentina, Sophia Petropoulos, and John Gentry, who are ill.
For Nikolai, who is struggling.
For the safety and salvation of those in Kiev: Vladimir, Yelena, Tatiana, Alexei, Maria, Ivan, and Artem.
For the newly reposed Thomas, Angelina, and the Orthodox who have perished in the pandemic, and those slain in the violence in Syria, Lebanon, Ukraine, and the Holy Land.
Expectant Mothers:
Daria Pino, Xenia Evind, Lydia Martin, Nina Bernardi.
Catechumens:
Jonathan Cantao, Tristan Scott, Jessica Kravtsov, Marcus Ballentine, Piotr Fraczek, Tyler Barrett, Ethan Peterson, Annie Nowak, Danny Gonzalez, Jayden DeRosia, George Hixson, Jennifer Diaz, Michael Mahoney, Howard Segal, Ryan Thomas, Ben Dixon, Michelle Jimenez, and the Powell (James, Katie, James, Everett, Charles, Russel, Henry, and Samson) and Walling (Levi, Avie, Mac, Wells, Bayla) families.
Non-Orthodox:
For the Servants of God, Aiden, Shawna Hiu; Misty; Harold Wren; Melissa Munster (Moses Munster’s mother); Heather Tolliver (Melissa Holloway’s daughter); Pam Morris (Eleanor’s niece); Zee Eidson, Michael and Brenda Eidson, for the child Mason Eidson, Gene and Beth Beggs, Scott and Carol Phillips, Jerald Spires, Anthony Osinski, Shane and Tami Peacock, Larry West, who are ill.
For Aki and family; and Johnnie, Damon and Elisabeth Myers, and their child, Dorothy, Scott and Shannon Eidson and their family, James Franklin and his family, Wayne Bo Peacock, Vince Powell, and his child, Rex, Richard, Teresa.
The newly reposed Marilyn Perry (a friend of the Whiteford family), Bridgette Dunlap (Matrona Marsh’s cousin), and Earlene Lewis and Stanley Harrison (Paul Jackson’s aunt and uncle).
If you have prayer requests you would like announced, please e-mail frjohnwhiteford@gmail.com
Sunday School:
No Sunday School this week.
The Schedule for November 2021 through January 2022:
https://www.saintjonah.org/bltn/november21-january22.htm
You can also see our online parish calendar of events and services here:
https://saintjonah.org/calendar/
Fasting in the Coming week: Monday, December 27th; and Wednesday, December 29th, are normal fast days. On Tuesday, December 28th; Thursday, December 30th; Saturday, January 1st; and Sunday, January 2nd, fish, wine, and oil is permitted. On Friday, December 31st, wine and oil are permitted.
Click here for Miscellaneous Items of Interest.
St. Jonah Orthodox Church
2910 Spring Cypress Rd, Spring, TX 77388
www.saintjonah.org
281-467-0264
