His Eminence Metropolitan SABA Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America His Grace Bishop Alexander
Pastor: Fr John Vazquez| fatherjohnvazquez@gmail.com | stgeorgealbany.org | 1 St George's Pl Albany
Office Hours: Mon/Fri 10am-5pm/Confessions: After weekly services or by appointment
Parish Council Leadership: Chair—Michella Rizk, Treasurer—Ranya Palmer, Secretary—Daniel Palmer, Vice Chair—Linda Grady
Beloved,
As I sit in the airport in Amman Jordan and write this message I think about how amazing it is that I can be half way across the world and then—thank God I have arrived home—end up Albany, NY. We have many ways that we can connect as human beings and I thank God for that. Connection for us a human beings is essential and in a very real way "life-giving." We feel invigorated when we connect with others and it is this spirit that we receive from others that sustains and supports us. As important as connection is for us as human beings though our connection is often limited due to space and time.
This thought process then leads me to think about how amazing it is that God allows us to know Him and connect with Him in many different ways: We can read the Holy Scriptures, we can pray, we can serve others, we can be eager to be obedient, we can go to confession, we can go to the Church services. All of these connect us to God and unlike the connection to our neighbor—which is limited through space and time—we can have this connection with God at any time. Let us take advantage of this great gift of access to God because it is this gift that gives us true and eternal life because our Lord is Life.
I look forward to seeing you all again.
Please bring a dish for this Sunday as we will have a potluck meal following the Divine Liturgy. We have a Trisagion (Memorial) Service for Fr Gregory and Will Carragan scheduled and this will be a good way for us to connect after what seems like a long time.
With Love in Christ,
Fr John
Services and Events
Saturday, July 5th—5pm—Great Vespers followed by Bible Study (join us a we study the book of Psalms)
Sunday, July 6th—Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy and Memorial for Fr Gregory DesMarais and Will Carragan—Potluck Meal to Follow
Wednesday, July 9th—8am—Divine Liturgy
Wednesday, July 9th—6pm—Paraklesis of St George
Friday, July 11th—8am—Orthros
Saturday, July 12th—3pm-5pm—Youth Day
Saturday, July 12th—5pm—Great Vespers followed by Bible Study (join us a we study the book of Psalms)
Sunday, July 13th—Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy and Memorial for Rita Rizk
Eduction at St George
But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 2 Pet 3.1
Please Read Metropolitan SABA's weekly reflection HERE. This week's article is titled: On the Interpretation of the Scriptures Part IV
Coffee with the Father's on hiatus until September 1st. Get some caffeine for the soul with Coffee with the Fathers. Join us at ALIAS COFFEE on N. Pearl St in Albany as we study Hymns on Paradise by St Ephraim the Syrian.
Study the Scriptures with us—Bible Study Saturday evenings at 6pm after vespers. We also are doing localized bible studies in peoples homes on Wednesday evenings and Friday afternoons and evenings—in an attempt to provide an opportunity for as many people as possible to attend. Check the calendar for locations.
Click HERE for a great article on advice for mothers and HERE to see how the women of the Church serve as keepers of Tradition.
Click HERE for a resources page on the feast of Pentecost.
Did You Know...that Christ is Risen!...and...
*Metropolitan SABA now has an Instagram account to connect with youth and young adults—@AskSayidna
*We plan to have a "Youth Day" at the Church once a month which will include kids of all ages. The purpose of these days is to offer education, fellowship, wholesome fun and a chance for the kids to "ask Abouna." Here are the dates for the next several: May 3rd, June 7th, July 12th and September 13th—mark your calendars.
*This year our Archdiocesan Convention is in Chicago July 20-27th. Wondering what that involves?—check things out HERE.
*You can view the WORD magazine online. Click HERE.
*You can help support the families of the victims of the bombing at St Elias Church in Damascus, Syria HERE.
Parish Prayer List
"Remember Me O Lord When You Come Into Your Kingdom." Lk 23.42
Please include in your daily prayers the following. Contact me to have someone added to the list. These are the names that will be remembered during the Divine Liturgy.
Living:
Bishop Alexander, Fr Gregory Potter, Fr Joseph, Fr Andrew, Fr Pat, Fr Meletios, Fr Terrance, Fr Michael, Dn Jorge, Dn Horia, Leila, Helen, Lew, Marsha, Mary, Anastasia, Hassib, Callie, Shannon, Jennifer, Schuyler, Raphael and Kelly, Elise, and our catechumens: Max, Ryan, Kathryn and Henry. All those suffering from illness, violence and want in this country and throughout the world and especially those in Ukraine, Russia, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and the middle east
Departed:
Fr Gregory DesMarais, Fr Alvian, Fr John, Will, Camile, Raymond, Ruth, Dolores, Agnes, Ed, Bassir, The New Martyrs of Syria those who have lost their lives and who have no one to pray for them, those who have passed in the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Sunday, July 6, 2025
THE SYNAXARION (Plain Reading)
On July 6 in the Holy Orthodox Church, we commemorate our Righteous Father Sisoës the Great of Egypt.
Verses
When he died, this was written upon the tablet: Sisoës, the tablet of the Divine Spirit.
On the sixth, Sisoës went blameless from earth to Heaven.
Sisoës was a disciple of St. Anthony the Great. Imposing difficult ascetic labors on himself in the wilderness for 60 years, Sisoës humbled himself so much that he became meek and guileless as a lamb. God endowed Sisoës with abundant grace so that he was able to heal the sick, drive out unclean spirits and resurrect the dead. Sisoës taught those who visited him: “Regardless in what way temptation comes to man, a man should give himself to the will of God and to recognize that temptation occurred because of his sins. If something good happens, it should be said that it happened according to God’s Providence.” Sisoës died peacefully in extreme old age in 429.
On this day, we also commemorate the Apostles Archippos, Philemon and Onesimos of the Seventy.
By the intercessions of the Holy Apostles, O Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.
Parish Giving Summary—Fiscal Year 2024/25
Help us Reach our Goal of $132,000—Our estimated budget for the 2024-25 Fiscal Year
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF ST GEORGE!
Giving for Week of 6.29.25—$...
Online Donations for Week of 6.29.25—$155
Falafel Fundraiser 3.30.25—$1054
Parish Halfi 4.25.25—$9087.95
Total Giving for fiscal year to date (October 24–September 25)—$68,990.04
Families who have contributed for fiscal year to date (October 24–September 25)—71
Families who have contributed over $5,000 for fiscal year to date (October 24–September 25)—2
Families who have contributed over $1,000 for fiscal year to date (October 24–September 25)—16
A Note to our Visitors
WELCOME!
We are blessed by your presence! Join us for fellowship after. Please note, in the Orthodox Church only baptized and chrismated Orthodox Christians who have properly prepared with confession, fasting (no food from the night before until communion), prayer and forgiveness can partake of the Holy Eucharist. All others may come forward for a blessing with the chalice held over their head and receive a piece of blessed bread from the altar servers.
A Word From the Fathers
St Maximus the Confessor
10th saying of the 3rd Century (100 Sayings) on Love
If a man loves someone, he naturally makes every effort to be of service to that person. If, then, a man loves God, he naturally strives to conform to His will. But if he loves the flesh, he panders to the flesh.
