The parish newsletter
JANUARY 2008
The Nativity of the Mother of God Russian Orthodox Church
A parish of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad 518 869-3932
Mitred Protopriest Wsevolod Drobot
The Rev. Michael Fritz
Deacon Michael Soloviev
www.albanyrocor.org
THE SCHEDULE OF SERVICES AND MEETINGS FOR JANUARY
Saturday Vigils: 6:00 p.m.
Vigils of Feasts: 6:30 p.m.
Sundays and Feasts: 9:30 a.m. Hours, 9:50 a.m. Divine Liturgy
January 6
Sunday of the Holy Fathers
January 7 (Monday)
Nativity of our Lord Jesus
January 13
St. Joseph the Betrothed
The annual Yolka luncheon and children’s party after Liturgy.
January 19(Saturday)
Theophany
January 20
Synaxis of St. John Baptist
The Parish Council will meet following lunch.
January 27
St. Nina
The Sisterhood will meet following lunch.
JANUARY NAMES’ DAYS
4 Anastasia Gonyea
Anastasia Nikiforov
9 Stephen Taylor
1st Sunday after Nativity David Taylor
Abigail Taylor
Abigail Welsh Jacob Welsh Stephen Sherokey
13 Melanie Taylor
18 Foster (Phosterius) Kinnear
20 Ivan Krayniy
Ioann Popov
25 Tatiana Taylor Tatyana Kosovskij Tatiana (Frantsov) Scott
27 Nina Fedorov Nina Federow Nina Aldre
Nina Clark
Nina Krayniy
Nina Verpritskaya
28 Paul Turaev
30 Anton Krayniy Anthony Mazzucco
CHRISTMAS CHOIR REHEARSAL SCHEDULE IN THE PARISH HALL
Sunday, December 30, 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Friday, January 4, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, January 6, after Liturgy, 1 hour maximum
ANNUAL TIMELY REMINDER
Our appreciative treasurer Margo reminds every parishioner to
be sure that their dues are paid up-to-date by year’s end.
NEWS OF THE SISTERHOOD
Elections: The January 27 meeting will be important,
because a vice-president and a secretary must be elected for
a two-year term. Sisters should make every effort to attend.
Yolka: The Sisterhood will sponsor the annual Yolka on
Sunday, January 13, with a potluck luncheon and a children’s
party. Shura Sinkevich, Barbara Nikiforov, and Margo Beighey
are in charge of the meal; Alexandra McClure is organizing the
party. If there are any parents who still want their children to
perform at the party, please contact Alexandra at 875-6392.
Sisters’ night out: The sisters will go out to dinner at the
Barnsider on Sand Creek Road in Colonie on Tuesday, January
15 at 6:30 p.m. At the last meeting it was decided that each
person attending will pay for her drinks and will contribute $10
towards the dinner. The rest of the tab will be covered by the
Sisterhood. Nadja requests that anyone planning to attend the
dinner contact her at 785-6780 at least three days ahead of the
date so that a timely reservation may be made.
Pirogi for the Pashka Sale: In anticipation of our Pashka
Sale (probably on Thursday, March 20) Margo has chosen two
consecutive Tuesdays, January 22 and 29, for the first two
pirogi-making sessions. Please mark your calendars and come
to help, if you possibly can. Please note the new procedure we
will try for better coordination of efforts: RaeLynn Gonyea will
phone each sister prior to each session to see if she would be
able to help on that day. If ‘yes’, wonderful!—but if that sister
needs to cancel her participation, she would be responsible for
getting a substitute. It is hoped that this will eliminate some of
the problems that have been encountered in the past.
2007 Dues: Finally, Nadja reminds all sisters that she is still
gratefully accepting dues of the year 2007.
January 2008, page 2
Our Annual Parish Meeting will be held Sunday, May 18, 2008.
A MONTHLY LITURGICAL TIP
After the Cherubic Hymn, the Royal Gates are opened and the
priest carries the Chalice in his hands and says the words, “and
all of you Orthodox Christians may the Lord God remember in
His Kingdom”; then one must say softly, “and may the Lord God
remember your priesthood in His Kingdom always, now and
ever, and unto the ages of ages.”
source: The Law of God, Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy
ADULT RELIGIOUS STUDIES
Father Michael Fritz teaches and answers questions about our
faith on the first Wednesday of each month at the church hall
from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Please contact Julianne Bouton at
JULZEBE@aol.com or 356-3263 (for those without computers)
and include your e-mail address and phone number. If the
class is cancelled for any reason, she will notify you between
4:30 and 5:00 p.m. on the day of the class.
DEADLINE FOR THE FEBRUARY ISSUE: THURSDAY, JANUARY 24
Please submit items to me in writing or by e-mail. Thank you.
Charlie/Vas Murn BACVAS@dishmail.net
January 2008, page 3
A READING FROM THE WORDS OF AMMA SARAH
Sarah was a spiritual woman who lived in the desert of Egypt.
It was related of Amma Sarah that for thirteen years she
waged warfare against the demon of fornication. She never
prayed that the warfare would cease, but she said, “O God,
give me strength.”
Once, the same spirit of fornication attacked her more
insistently, reminding her of the vanities of the world, but she
gave herself up to the fear of God and to self-denial and went
up onto her little terrace to pray. Then the spirit of fornication
appeared in a body to her and said, “Sarah, you have
overcome me.” But she said, “It is not I who have overcome
you, but my Master, Christ.”
from Orthodox Christian Readings
(Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry)
SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD
½ lb. butter
½ cup sugar
2 cups flour (1 ½ cups unbleached white and ½ cup rice flour)
Cream the butter and sugar. Sift the flour twice and add to the
mixture. Knead by hand. Press into a round cake pan; slice it in
wedges, flute the edges, and prick with a fork in a decorative
manner. Place in top half of oven at 325 degrees. Bake for
about 1 hour, or until edges start to brown. Cool on wire rack.
This recipe was given to your editor about forty years ago by an
old Scottish lady. She and her husband had been servants in
the home of a daughter and son-in-law of J. Pierrepont
Morgan. The light texture is due to the combination of the
flours, the double-sifting, and the slow baking.
The Nativity of the Mother of God Russian Orthodox Church
617 Sand Creek Road
Albany NY 12205