In November each of our young people in grades 4-12 received a youth Orthodox Study bible. Our parish is joining the E100 reading challenge. The goal is to get the young people to read 100 passages.  Each week we will give the youth 5 readings.  Each week there will be discussion questions for families to discuss about the readings.

Each year the Greek Archdiocese holds the annual Oratorical Festival.  The festival is a great way for our youth to learn about their faith and speak about the faith and how they live it!  Youth in grades 7-12 are asked to choose a topic and prepare and give a speech on it.  Each division has different guidlines, both being similar but can be found on the link provided below.  The junior division is for 7-9 graders and senior division is 10-12 grade.  It is my prayer we can have a few of our youth participate in this year’s festival. 

Our parish festival will be held sometime in March.  Our district festival will be held on Sunday, April 22 in Modesto. The Metropolis festival will be held on Saturday, May 5 at St. Nicholas Ranch and Retreat Center.  The Archdiocesen festival will be held June 8-10 in Bethesda, Maryland.  We will send two participants from our Parish to the district festival in Modesto, the rest is up to how the kids do in their speaking. 

If you are interested please contact me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Below is the updated list of lyrics for this year’s Christmas play. 

Links to hear the music for the Romanian Song, Apolitikion of the Nativity, can be found below.  The rest have music links next to the title of the song. 

Romanian Carol:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6ub0FBA17o
Apolitikion of the Nativity (Greek): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOpr70ClwUg&feature=related

Our Junior High and High School group learn about a new saint a week through “Saint Projects.” These projects are an opportunity for our young people to research and discuss the lives of the different saints of the Orthodox Church.  Each week at GOYA one member shares the story of the saint they chose. They speak from 3-5 minutes and share an icon of the saint and submit a short biography of the saint.  Each week we will post the biographies the youth share.  This was our first week and we had a good presentation by Nikki Menas. 

It has been a true blessing to be at such a thriving parish.  I enter my third year here at St. Anna’s with excitement for all of the new projects and activities our parish will be participating in.  I look forward to working with all of our youth and families! 

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.  (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.)  And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,  and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.  When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,  and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.  But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke2:1-20

The Retreat will be hosted by the St. Timothy Chapter of the Fellowship of St. John the Divine, which is a Young Adult ministry within the Antiochian Archdiocese. With the blessing of Bishop JOSEPH and our Parish Priest, V. Rev. Father Silas, we will host this one-day retreat at St. Timothy’s on Sunday, November 27th.

A blessed Feast of the Holy Archangels to all of you! 

OCF is a college based ministry and can be found on a variety of campuses across the country.  The mission of OCF is “to support fellowships on college campuses, whose members experience and witness to the Orthodox Christian Church through community life, prayer, service to others and study of the Faith.”  One of OCF’s biggest events each year is the College Conference.  The conference happens simultaneously in three areas across the country, The West (West Coast), East (East Coast) and South. 

Who: GOYA
When: Feb. 16-18
Where: Boston, MA