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St. Sava Boston Newsletter September 19, 2015 St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church 41 Alewife Brook Pkwy, Cambridge, MA 02140 USA +1 6176744035 Upcoming Events: Serb Fest Saturday, September 19: noon to 10 PM Sunday, September 20: noon to 6 PM First Day of Classes: Sunday School & Folk Dancing September 27, 2015 Registration and signup immediately following Liturgy St. Sava Church and Church Hall Jedinstvo Choir (Banjaluka, Bosnia) Concert October 2, 2015, 7:30 PM St. Sava Church Hall Merima Njegomir Folk Concert October 17, 2015, 7:30 PM St. Sava Church Hall Circle of Serbian Sisters Celebrate St. Petka Slava Kumovi Bugarinovic Family, Misic Family and Trifunovic Family October 25, 2015, 10 AM St. Sava Church Luncheon to follow, Church Hall Church Anniversary Gala Celebrating 10 Years in Cambridge November 14, 2015 Church Hall Our Community Announcements: Email [email protected] to submit your listing. Births: Veljko Maksim Sikirica was born June 18, 2015 to Petra and Slaven Sikirica. Philip Lazar Glisic was born July 18, 2015 to Kessa and Ognjen Glisic. Larisa Mircevski was born September 12, 2015 to Bojana and Dejan Mircevski. Marriages: Danilo Grkovic and Anne Baldwin were married on August 22, 2015. Paul Tomic and Elaina Hancock were married on August 24, 2015. Graduations: Milos Branisavljevic graduated from Berklee College of Music in June, 2015. A Message from Father Aleksandar Vlajkovic: Dear parishioners, I hope you had a good summer. It may seem that in our parish during summer time there were not any big events, but in reality there was a lot going on. During the summer, we replaced two flat roofs above the office that have leaked for years. Preparations for the annual SerbFest are ongoing. I hope to see most of you at the festival. After almost a year of renovation, our hall is completed and we began to use it just in time for Vidovdan. We now realize how much we missed it. In this message I would like to emphasize two things in our parish: Education both children and adults Stewardship care for the parish

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Page 1: St. Sava Boston Newsletter

St.  Sava  Boston  Newsletter   September  19,  2015  

St.  Sava  Serbian  Orthodox  Church    41  Alewife  Brook  Pkwy,  Cambridge,  MA  02140  USA  +1  617-­‐674-­‐4035  

Upcoming  Events:  Serb  Fest  

Saturday,  September  19:  noon  to  10  PM  Sunday,  September  20:  noon  to  6  PM  

First  Day  of  Classes:  Sunday  School  &  Folk  Dancing  September  27,  2015    Registration  and  sign-­‐up  immediately  following  Liturgy  St.  Sava  Church  and  Church  Hall  

Jedinstvo  Choir  (Banjaluka,  Bosnia)  Concert  October  2,  2015,  7:30  PM  St.  Sava  Church  Hall  

Merima  Njegomir  Folk  Concert  October  17,  2015,  7:30  PM  St.  Sava  Church  Hall  

Circle  of  Serbian  Sisters  Celebrate  St.  Petka  Slava    Kumovi  Bugarinovic  Family,  Misic  Family  and  Trifunovic  Family  

October  25,  2015,  10  AM  St.  Sava  Church  Luncheon  to  follow,  Church  Hall  

Church  Anniversary  Gala  Celebrating  10  Years  in  Cambridge  

November  14,  2015  Church  Hall  

Our  Community  Announcements:  Email  [email protected]    to  submit  your  listing.      Births:    Veljko  Maksim  Sikirica  was  born  June  18,  2015  to  Petra  and  Slaven  Sikirica.    

Philip  Lazar  Glisic  was  born  July  18,  2015  to  Kessa  and  Ognjen  Glisic.    

Larisa  Mircevski  was  born  September  12,  2015  to  Bojana  and  Dejan  Mircevski.    

Marriages:  Danilo  Grkovic  and  Anne  Baldwin  were  married  on  August  22,  2015.    Paul  Tomic  and  Elaina  Hancock  were  married  on  August  24,  2015.    

Graduations:  Milos  Branisavljevic  graduated  from  Berklee  College  of  Music  in  June,  2015.    

A  Message  from  Father  Aleksandar  Vlajkovic:  Dear  parishioners,  I  hope  you  had  a  good  summer.  It  may  seem  that  in  our  parish  during  summer  time  there  were  not  any  big  events,  but  in  reality  there  was  a  lot  going  on.  During  the  summer,  we  replaced  two  flat  roofs  above  the  office  that  have  leaked  for  years.  Preparations  for  the  annual  SerbFest  are  ongoing.      I  hope  to  see  most  of  you  at  the  festival.      After  almost  a  year  of  renovation,  our  hall  is  completed  and  we  began  to  use  it  just  in  time  for  Vidovdan.  We  now  realize  how  much  we  missed  it.  In  this  message  I  would  like  to  emphasize  two  things  in  our  parish:  Education  -­‐  both  children  and  adults  Stewardship-­‐  care  for  the  parish  

Page 2: St. Sava Boston Newsletter

(A  message  from  Fr.  Alex  cont.  from  previous  page)    For  successful  and  high-­‐quality  education  in  our  parish  we  need  the  cooperation  of  those  who  teach,  the  children  and  their  parents.  We  will  continue  to  do  our  best  to  create  a  strong  program  in  Sunday  School  but  in  order  to  be  successful  we  need  the  full  support  of  parents.  A  small  number  of  children  in  the  last  year  attended  catechism.      I  am  asking  parents  to  please  help  their  children  to  grow  in  their  faith  by  encouraging  them  to  attend  Sunday  School.    Please  take  responsibility  for  your  child’s  attendance  and  escort  them  to  class  directly  after  service.    The  teachers  cannot  be  expected  to  chase  children  in  the  church  hall  and  force  them  in  the  classroom.  It  is  the  role  of  a  parent.  We  have  a  huge  blessing  in  that  we  have  an  exceptional  and  highly  qualified  instructor  for  folklore.  Let  us  ease  his  work  with  the  children  by  volunteering  our  time  with  folklore  and  bringing  our  children  to  class  on  time.  My  hope  this  year  is  that  all  children  take  full  advantage  of  our  Sunday  School  program  and  all  who  attend  folklore  also  attend  religious  education  classes.          I  want  you  to  pause  and  ask  yourself:  Am  I  a  good  steward  of  my  church?  Is  your  church  your  second  home?  A  great  amount  of  work  was  completed  around  the  church  hall  and  we  are  happy  that  we  can  use  it  again.    There  is  still  a  lot  of  work  to  be  done,  and  we  can  use  your  talent-­‐  so  please  tell  us  where  you  can  help.  The  Serbian  Festival  is  one  of  those  events  where  we  should  all  participate  and  work.  If  you  have  not  signed  up,  it  is  not  too  late.  Do  it  today.  I  hope  to  see  you  soon,  Yours,  Father  Aleksandar  

St.  Sava  Church  Board  2015    Branko  Glisovic,  President  Alexander  Pogorzelski,  1st  Vice  President  Aleksandar  Lekic,  2nd  Vice  President  Ognjen  Glisic,  Treasurer  Danilo  Grkovich,  Financial  Secretary  Christopher  Tehlirian,  Recording  Secretary  Jakov  Djurkovic,  Member  at  Large  Petar  Ojdrovic,  Member  at  Large    Srdjan  S.  Nedeljkovic,  Auditing  Board  Bozidar  Kuljic,  Auditing  Board  Zvonko  Ilic,  Auditing  Board  

St.  Petka  Circle  of  Serbian  Sisters  Board  2015    

Ankica  P.  Koldzic,  President  Nada  Jovanovic,  Vice  President  Pamela  Tomic,  Vice  President  

Aleksandra  Milasinovic,  Treasurer  Kessa  Glisic,  English  Secretary  

Vera  Vlajkovic,  Serbian  Secretary  Ines  Cirkic,  Stewardship  Secretary  

 Sylvia  Bartel,  Auditing  Board  

Milica  Pogorzelski,  Auditing  Board  Photo  by  Sasha  Lekic  

Page 3: St. Sava Boston Newsletter

SEPTEMBER:  A  Fresh  Start      September  marks  the  start  of  the  new  school  year,  as  our  Church  celebrates  the  beginning  of  the  Ecclesiastical  New  Year  on  September  14,  2015.    With  this  comes  much  excitement  as  we  recently  reopened  our  Church  Hall  on  Vidovdan  after  nearly  ten  months  of  extensive  renovations,  and  we  will  be  once  again  able  to  gather  and  host  events  on  our  campus  this  school  year.  As  September  begins  and  our  attendance  increases  after  everyone  returns  from  camp  and  summer  vacation,  we  are  reminded  of  the  joy  that  comes  with  being  a  part  of  the  greater  Boston  Serbian  Orthodox  community,  and  participating  in  Liturgy  and  church  activities.      Looking  back  over  the  past  year,  it  is  clear  to  see  how  fortunate  we  are.      On  July  28,  2014,  a  massive  flood  in  Somerville/Cambridge  resulted  in  sewer  water  backing  up  into  the  Church  Hall,  damaging  much  of  our  supplies  and  equipment,  our  walls,  stage  and  floors.    After  almost  4  months  of  negotiations  with  our  insurance  company  and  with  the  aid  of  a  referral  from  Brian  Milosh,  we  were  able  to  complete  the  bulk  of  the  rebuild  with  insurance  funds  and  a  special  donation  effort  from  you,  our  parishioners,  that  resulted  in  almost  $100,000  including  a  key  contribution  from  our  partner,  the  International  School  of  Boston.      Other  key  donations  in  time,  expertise  and  effort  came  from  the  leadership  of  Alex  Pogorzelski  and  much  of  the  Church  Board,  Father  Alexander  Vlajkovic,  Don  Pogorzelski,  Brian  Fairbanks  for  his  engineering  design  work  on  the  outside,  back  wall,  Sinisa  Beric,  Vlado  Ristanovic  and  Jakov  Djurkovic,  and  Marinko  Samardzic  and  his  crew  for  the  twelve  hour  day  they  spent  with  us  painting  the  hall.    The  kitchen  committee  –  Kessa  Glisic,  Milica  Pogorzelski,  Vera  Velickovic  and  Vera  Vlajkovic-­‐  the  stage  committee  –  Misha  Milojevic,  Srdjan  Nickovic,  Luc  Van  Anderlecht,  Sasha  Velic  –  the  bathroom  committee  –  Ankica  Koldzic  -­‐  all  donated  countless  hours  planning,  researching,  negotiating  and  in  the  instance  of  the  stage  committee,  tremendous  amounts  of  time  installing  the  final  products  we’re  going  to  enjoy  for  years  to  come.    Thank  you  for  your  hard  work.    Contractors  who  worked  hard  to  complete  the  renovations  were  lead  by  Srdjan  Nickovic  who  worked  non-­‐stop  daily  for  over  six  months  to  complete  the  work.    Steva  Jordanovich,  Neshko  Nickovic,  and  many  others  also  donated  time,  effort  and  energy  to  the  renovation.      The  end  result  of  their  thoughtful  planning  and  labor  includes  a  new  heating  and  air  conditioning  system  for  the  hall  and  Church.    We  replaced  our  30-­‐year-­‐old  boiler  (that  finally  gulped  its  last  breath  two  days  before  we  commissioned  the  new  system  in  March!!)  with  a  high  efficiency  boiler  for  the  Church  and  a  second  system  for  heating  and  cooling  the  hall.    We  installed  ceiling  duct  work  in  both  ends  of  the  hall,  moved  the  air  handlers  to  less  conspicuous  places,  boxed  them  in  and  insulated  them  to  manage  the  noise  better,  relocated  the  outside  condensers  and  refurbished  the  condenser  on  the  side  of  the  Church  opposite  the  parking  lot  to  mitigate  the  damage  caused  by  the  flood.    As  you’ve  no  doubt  noticed,  the  hall  temperature  is  much  more  comfortable  than  before.    We  anticipate  the  same  for  the  winter  with  heating.    The  stage  has  been  completely  re-­‐done.    New  lighting  controlled  by  computer,  new  sound  in  the  front  and  back  of  the  halls,  new  microphones,  new  curtains  on  donated  tracks  and  rollers  (Thank  you,  Ankica),  a  formal  stage  curtain  and  valence,  a  handicapped  ramp  leading  to  a  raised,  professionally  finished  (vinyl)  floor  all  contribute  to  a  professional  level  performance  area.    We  will  be  excited  to  see  it  put  to  use.  

Page 4: St. Sava Boston Newsletter

At  the  other  end  of  the  hall,  the  kitchen  was  expanded,  re-­‐plumbed  for  a  new,  code  compliant  sink,  a  professional  680,000BTU  gas  range  featuring  6  burners,  2  ovens  and  a  grill  a  hood  for  the  range,  new  refrigerators  and  freezers,  a  cutting  area  for  meat,  2  pantries,  a  fire  suppression  system  and  code  compliant  fire  alarm  system  (that  resulted  in  us  having  to  upgrade  our  entire  fire  alarm  system  for  the  Church-­‐  a  good  thing!),  2  code  compliant  hand  wash  sinks,  a  dishwasher,  new  stainless  tables,  expanded  hot  water  capacity  (more  than  double  the  previous  volume!),  a  new  ceiling  and  lighting  that  we  think  will  continue  to  allow  our  Kolo  sisters  to  continue  to  be  our  primary  source  of  income  for  the  Church.    Needless  to  say,  it’s  a  kitchen  we  can  be  proud  of!    The  bathrooms  also  received  a  long  overdue  facelift.    New  sinks,  automatic  faucets,  soap  and  towel  dispensers,  a  baby  changing  table  in  the  handicapped  bath,  new  stall  dividers,  mirrors  and  an  expanded  ladies  room  all  adding  to  the  upgraded  facility  we  now  can  enjoy  for  years  to  come.    We  can’t  thank  the  folks  who  did  the  volunteer  work  enough  –  jack  hammering  the  kitchen  and  bathroom  floors  for  the  new  plumbing  to  accommodate  the  kitchen;  schlepping  bucket  after  bucket  of  broken  concrete  out  to  dumpsters,  demolition  of  walls,  old  cabinets  and  closets  in  the  stage  classroom,  patching,  priming  and  painting  every  bit  of  wall  and  ceiling  surface  in  every  nook  and  cranny  of  the  hall;  our  architect,  Eric  Parkes,  who  helped  us  with  design,  code  compliance  and  helped  us  with  our  inspectors  and  permits;  Angela  O’Brien,  a  kitchen  designer  who  helped  us  immensely  pro-­‐bono!,  no  less.    We  could  not  have  completed  the  kitchen  on  our  own.    We  owe  Angela  a  sincere  “Thank  You”  for  her  hard  work  on  our  behalf.    While  I  could  go  on  and  on  –  Sasha  Velic  for  referring  MCS,  our  HVAC  company  to  us,  Steva  Jordanovic  for  referring  our  outside  wall  contractor  and  the  tile  company  and  working  hard  with  Alex  Pogorzelski  and  Neshko  Nickovic  the  day  after  the  flood  for  draining  the  hall,  Eric  for  his  referral  of  Jim  Russo,  the  plumber  who  also  installed  both  new  flat  roofs  on  the  Church  this  past  month,  Srdjan  Nickovic  for  being  himself-­‐jack  of  all  trades,  master  of  all  trades!!,  Alex  P.  for  the  countless  hours  spent  “negotiating”  with  the  insurance  company  in  order  for  us  to  get  what  was  clearly  due  to  us,  particularly  when  the  consensus  was  ‘don’t  waste  your  time,  give  it  up!’,  Fr.  Alex  for  all  his  work  doing  so  many  things  to  help-­‐-­‐-­‐we  will  simply  say  the  project  was  a  labor  of  love  and  the  folks  deeply  involved  will  walk  into  the  hall  for  the  rest  of  their  lives  and  know  the  roles  they  played  getting  us  back  on  our  feet.    No  words  will  replace  that  sense  of  accomplishment  and  contribution.    Thanks  to  all  and  we  look  forward  to  sharing  many  exciting  and  comfortable  events  in  our  newly  renovated  Church  Hall.    

       

Photos  by  Fr.  Alex  Vlajkovic  

Page 5: St. Sava Boston Newsletter

ST.  SAVA  CHURCH  CHOIR  by  Pamela  Tomic    

Glory  to  God!    Our  St.  Sava  Choir  is  blessed  to  have  the  opportunity  to  serve  our  Serbian  Orthodox  Community.    Participating  in  divine  worship  services  through  the  choir  is  a  sacred  responsibility.    In  Orthodox  services  the  Choir  represents  the  laity,  responding  to  the  Liturgical  dialogue  set  by  the  priest.    This  places  a  sacred  responsibility  on  the  Choir  during  our  worship  services,  to  be  ever  improving  our  knowledge  of  the  hymns,  responses,  and  correct  order  of  the  services,  to  be  spiritually  focused,  and  to  strive  for  beauty  as  we  offer  up  our  worship  to  God.  We  are  committed  to  the  music  because  we  are  committed  to  our  Faith.    Most  of  our  members  are  not  trained  musicians,  able  to  read  music  or  experienced  with  singing  in  a  group.  Anyone  can  join  the  Choir  who  is  willing  to  commit  to  rehearsals  and  to  regular  participation  in  the  life  of  the  Church.    We  are  very  fortunate  in  our  volunteers,  especially  this  year  when  we  once  again  have  had  a  core  group  of  young  people  who  bring  a  special  energy,  enthusiasm,  and  musical  talent  to  our  ensemble.  A  very  special  thanks  to  our  graduates  Katya  Van  Anderlecht,  May  Tomic  and  Milos  Branisavljevic,  who  we  hope  will  visit  us  often.  We  have  also  been  blessed  with  participation  from  several  parents  who  have  made  arrangements  to  have  their  children  supervised  in  Church  so  that  they  can  sing  with  the  choir.    This  year  the  Choir  continued  to  expand  its  repertoire  with  a  beautiful  Cherubic  Hymn  by  the  Russian  composer  Aleksey  Kastorsky  (1869-­‐1944).  The  Cherubic  Hymn  is  sung  during  the  Great  Entrance,  the  moment  in  the  Liturgy  when  the  Priest  appears  from  behind  the  iconostasis  bearing  the  Holy  Gifts  of  bread  and  wine  to  show  them  to  the  congregation.  The  initial  prayers  are  accompanied  by  the  initial,  slow  verses  of  the  hymn.  After  the  priest  intones  a  number  of  prayers  for  the  patriarch  and  the  faithful,  the  Choir  sings  “Amen”  and  the  last  verse  is  sung  allegro  as  the  priest  moves  back  behind  the  iconostasis.  The  words  to  the  hymn  provide  a  suitable  anthem  for  our  choir  as  we  continue  to  strive  to  grow  musically  and  spiritually.    Great  God  who  reigns  on  high,  to  whom  the  cherubim  sing,  Almighty  King,  Sing  they  "Holy,  holy,  holy".  Now  the  heav’nly  host  in  triumph    Laud  and  praise  the  Holy  Trinity  "Great  God  we  worship  Thee".  Praise  from  the  cherubim,  Praise  from  the  seraphim,  To  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost.  Amen.    Cherubim  and  seraphim  fall  down  before  Thee,  Prostrate  fall  before  Thee,  Which  wert  and  art  and  evermore  shall  be.  Alleluia!    

For  more  information  or  to  join  the  choir,  contact  Pamela  Tomic  at  [email protected].  Rehearsals  are  held  on  Sundays  at  9am  in  the  Church  Hall.    St.  Sava  Church  respectfully  asks  that  those  wishing  to  participate  in  choir  during  church  services  to  please  attend  rehearsals.

Photo  by  Lana  Balach    

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SERMON  ON  THE  NATIVITY  OF  THE  THEOTOKOS  By  Protopresbyter  Alexander  Schmemann  September  21,  2015    The  Church’s  veneration  of  Mary  has  always  been  rooted  in  her  obedience  to  God,  her  willing  choice  to  accept  a  humanly  impossible  calling.  The  Orthodox  Church  has  always  emphasized  Mary’s  connection  to  humanity  and  delighted  in  her  as  the  best,  purest,  most  sublime  fruition  of  human  history  and  of  man’s  quest  for  God,  for  ultimate  meaning,  for  ultimate  content  of  human  life.    If  in  Western  Christianity  veneration  of  Mary  was  centered  upon  her  perpetual  virginity,  the  heart  of  Orthodox  Christian  East’s  devotion,  contemplation,  and  joyful  delight  has  always  been  her  Motherhood,  her  flesh  and  blood  connection  to  Jesus  Christ.  The  East  rejoices  that  the  human  role  in  the  divine  plan  is  pivotal.  The  Son  of  God  comes  to  earth,  appears  in  order  to  redeem  the  world,  He  becomes  human  to  incorporate  man  into  His  divine  vocation,  but  humanity  takes  part  in  this.    If  it  is  understood  that  Christ’s  “co-­‐nature”  with  us  is  as  a  human  being  and  not  some  phantom  or  bodiless  apparition,  that  He  is  one  of  us  and  forever  united  

SHADELAND  CAMP  by  Mia  Cirkic    In  August,  I  attended  a  church  camp  in  Pennsylvania  and  this  camp  is  called  Shadeland.    There  are  four  weeks  in  which  children  may  go,  I  usually  go  fourth  week,  which  is  called  “Tammie  Week”.  During  this  week,  we  learn  Serbian  dances  and  songs  and  have  practice  everyday  and  then  on  Sunday  we  have  a  huge  performance.  We  also  have  a  new  activity  every  night  at  camp.  We  have  a  carnival,  go  bowling,  go  to  an  amusement  park,  etc.  Every  morning  and  afternoon  we  attend  church  with  everybody.  During  church  everybody  gets  involved  by  reading  and  singing.  My  favorite  part  of  the  week  this  year  was  our  religion  classes.  I  have  learned  so  much  about  the  Serbian  Mission  to  America  this  year  and  I  believe  my  knowledge  about  the  topic  has  grown.  Every  year,  there  is  a  new  topic  to  talk  about  in  our  religion  classes.  Shadeland  is  such  an  organized  camp  and  it  keeps  you  busy  throughout  the  day.  It  is  a  huge  camp  in  which  we  have  a  lake,  basketball  court,  volleyball  area,  and  a  playground.  At  camp  you  meet  so  many  different  people  from  all  around  America  and  Canada.  We  all  share  a  common  thing  at  camp  and  it  is  our  Serbian  culture.  Shadeland  creates  such  strong  friendships  and  bonds  between  the  children.  These  friendships  will  last  a  lifetime  because  even  though  it’s  only  a  week,  you  feel  like  you’ve  known  these  people  your  whole  life.  Once  you  come  to  camp,  you’ll  never  want  to  leave.      St.  Petka  Circle  of  Serbian  Sisters  of  St.  Sava  Boston  offers  partial  scholarships  to  all  children  interested  in  attending  camp.    Please  email  us  if  you  are  interested  in  learning  more  about  camp.          

Milica  Vlajkovic,  Ana  Milojevic,  Mia  Cirkic,  Gia  Vlajkovic,  Katarina  Cosic,  Tijana  Cosic,  Katya  Van  Anderlecht  

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to  us  through  His  humanity,  then  devotion  to  Mary  also  becomes  understandable,  for  she  is  the  one  who  gave  Him  His  human  nature,  His  flesh  and  blood.  She  is  the  one  through  whom  Christ  can  always  call  Himself  “The  Son  of  Man.”    Son  of  God,  Son  of  Man…God  descending  and  becoming  man  so  that  man  could  become  divine,  could  become  partaker  of  the  divine  nature  (2  Peter  1:4),  or  as  the  teachers  of  Church  expressed  it,  “deified.”  Precisely  here,  in  this  extraordinary  revelation  of  man’s  authentic  nature  and  calling,  is  the  source  that  gratitude  and  tenderness  which  cherishes  Mary  as  our  link  to  Christ  and,  in  Him,  to  God.  And  nowhere  is  this  reflected  more  clearly  that  in  the  Nativity  of  the  Mother  of  God.    Nothing  about  this  event  is  mentioned  anywhere  in  the  Holy  Scriptures.  But  why  should  there  be?  Is  there  anything  remarkable,  anything  especially  unique  about  the  normal  birth  of  a  child,  a  birth  like  any  other?  The  Church  began  to  commemorate  the  event  with  a  special  feast…because,  on  the  contrary,  the  very  fact  that  it  is  routine  discloses  something  fresh  and  radiant  about  everything  we  call  routine  and  ordinary,  it  gives  new  depth  to  the  unremarkable  details  of  human  life…And  with  each  birth  the  world  is  itself  in  some  sense  created  anew  and  given  as  a  gift  to  this  new  human  being  to  be  his  life,  his  path,  his  creation.    This  feast  therefore  is  first  a  general  celebration  of  Man’s  birth,  and  we  no  longer  remember  the  anguish,  as  the  Gospel  says,  “for  joy  that  a  human  being  is  born  into  the  world”  (Jn.  16:21).  Secondly,  we  now  know  whose  particular  birth,  whose  coming  we  celebrate:  Mary’s.  We  know  the  uniqueness,  the  beauty,  the  grace  of  precisely  this  child,  her  destiny,  her  meaning  for  us  and  for  the  whole  world.  And  thirdly,  we  celebrate  all  who  prepared  the  way  for  Mary,  who  contributed  to  her  inheritance  of  grace  and  beauty…And  therefore  the  Feast  of  her  Nativity  is  also  a  celebration  of  human  history,  a  celebration  of  faith  in  man,  a  celebration  of  man.    Sadly,  the  inheritance  of  evil  is  far  more  visible  and  better  known.  There  is  so  much  evil  around  us  that  this  faith  in  man,  in  his  freedom,  in  the  possibility  of  handing  down  a  radiant  inheritance  of  goodness  has  almost  evaporated  and  been  replaced  by  cynicism  and  suspicion.  This  hostile  cynicism  and  discouraging  suspicion  are  precisely  what  seduce  us  to  distance  ourselves  from  the  Church  when  it  celebrates  with  such  joy  and  faith  this  birth  of  a  little  girl  in  whom  are  concentrated  all  the  goodness,  spiritual  beauty,  harmony  and  perfection  that  are  elements  of  genuine  human  nature.  Thus,  in  celebrating  Mary’s  birth  we  find  ourselves  already  on  the  road  to  Bethlehem,  moving  

Stewardship  Reflection  "For  many  are  called,  but  few  are  chosen."  Matthew  22:14    As  we  reflect  on  today's  Gospel  reading,  the  theme  focuses  on  the  king  who  called  many  to  the  feast,  but  few  were  able  to  attend  due  to  other  commitments.  God  does  the  same  with  us  -­‐  He  calls  us  to  be  Stewards  -­‐  to  provide  of  our  Time,  Talents  and  Treasures  -­‐  but  we  always  have  excuses  not  to  participate  in  the  Heavenly  banquet  He  has  prepared  for  us.  As  we  approach  the  beginning  of  the  Church  New  Year,  let  us  consider  how  we  can  make  Stewardship  become  A  Way  of  Life.  This  focuses  on  daily  activities  to  include  prayer  and  reading  of  the  Scriptures  as  well  as  taking  responsibility  for  our  Salvation  and  how  we  conduct  ourselves.  

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 Luncheon  Schedule  2015        If  you  would  like  to  sign  up  to  cook  lunch  on  an  open  date,  or  are  available  to  help  plan  and  execute  the  November  14th  Church  Gala  event,  please  contact  Suzana  Forkapic  at  [email protected].    Also,  as  the  parish  is  growing  Kolo  Sisters  are  looking  for  more  people  to  team  up  with  existing  teams  of  two  to  help  cook  during  busy  months.  If  you  are  able  to  join  a  team  September-­‐  December,  or  in  the  weeks  leading  up  to  Easter,  please  let  Suzana  know.      Thank  you  for  your  continued  support.                  If  you  would  like  to  contribute  content,  announcements  or  photos  to  the  newsletter,  please  contact    Ankica  P.  Koldzic  at  Ankica.Pogorzelski@gmail.  com.  

Dates   Notes   Name   Name  September 27th     Xenia Dancevic Dragana Jovanovic

September 27th     Marija Antic

October 4th     Jelena Tehlirian Stana Smiljanic

October 11th     Violeta Jeliazkova Bulgarian Parish

October 18th     Ljiljana Vrankovic Biljana Reljic

October 25th St. Petka Kolo

Slava Kolo Event Group 4 Kuma Borjana Misic

Yasmina & Slavojka Kuma Tanja Bugarinovic Kuma Mira Trifunovic

November 1st Gordana Cosic Lidija Milojevic

November 8th

Dragica Mihailovic Olivera Tanasijevic

November 14h(Sat) Church

Anniversary Event Group 5 Jelena D. Ksenija,

Snezana

November 15th Sanja Stojkovic Vanja Burke

November 22nd Maja Amovic Rista Amovic

November 29th Nativity Fast / Post Trajanka Milojevic Jelisaveta Nickovic

December 6th Nativity Fast / Post Mary Grgurevich Bata Milosh

December 13th Nativity Fast / Post Vildana Velic Aleksandra Milasinovic

December 13th Nativity Fast / Post Danijela Sokolovic

December 20th Nativity Fast / Post Miljana Vrankovic Vesna Reljic

December 27th Nativity Fast / Post Marija Ilic Olga Mucic

Event  Groups  

St. Petka October

25th

Church Event

November 14th

Christmas Eve

January 6th

January After-

Christmas Dance

Kuma Bojana Misic

Jelena Djurkovic

Suzana Forkapic Jelena Glisovic

Kuma Tanja Bugarinovic Ksenija Zlatic

Stoja Krstanovic

Dragica Mijailovic

Kuma Mira Trifunovic

Nevena Cikojevic

Irina Stojanovic

Slavojka Sheehan

Aleksandra Milasinovic Dragana Ilic

Yasmina Spector Pamela Tomic Miljana Bovan

Dragana

Jovanovic Borjana Misic

Goca Cosic Ines Cirkic

Marija Ilic

Vojka Gajica

Dragana Gajica

Stanislava Ristanovic

Zorica Arbutina

Zana Milicevic (kids gift bags)

Faith Milicevic (kids gift bags)