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,
Today—August 29th—we commemorate the beheading of John the Baptist. St John—who prepared the people for the coming of the Lord through baptism—was taken prisoner by Herod and then beheaded by him. John is known as the last and greatest of the prophets of the Old Testament. When I was in Lebanon, one of the liturgies we served was for the nativity of St John and in the midst of that beautiful liturgy I could clearly see how St John—and all the Saints—point us to Christ. The order of the services: the hymns, the readings, the sermon all point in a unique way—unique to that Saint and person—to Christ. In what way then, does St John and the remembrance of his beheading point us to Christ and our life with Him?
I have talked many times about how “salvation” in the Orthodox Church is defined as union with God. What does it mean to be united to someone and how does that happen. It means, in part, that the cares and concerns of the other become our chief aim. In the context of the Church this means that we desire for our will to be our Lord’s will. In the beheading of St John we have an image (among other things of course) of how we must lose our will for the sake of our Lord—to bear witness to and profess His Truth.
Often it is “with our head” that we conceive of "making a choice." Do we always choose rightly? Of course not. In the book of Ephesians chapter 5 we hear that Christ is the head of the Church (made up of you and me). We could say in a sense then that we must allow Christ to be the head (lose our own head) in order for us to find this unity with Him. It is only in laying aside our own desires—our own will—that we can unite ourselves to our Lord.
How do we lay aside our own will? We defer to others (in most matters), we replace our own thoughts—most of which have our will and not God’s wrapped up in them in one way or the other—with the recitation of the Jesus prayer (Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me the sinner) because it is in this prayer that we, first bring our cares to the Lord, but then actually lay them aside and say, “Thy will be done.” So commit to saying this prayer as a way to literally lay aside your own cares for the sake of your love of Christ. Say the prayer whenever you remember to say it but also commit to setting aside specific time during the day where you say it repeatedly for 5, 10, 20, 30 minutes so that you can experience the joy of what it is like to be in this kind of “extended harmony”—if even only for a few minutes of the day—with the Lord.
As we then contemplate this feast—contemplate this mystery of how we set aside our own desires and will to replace them with those of the Lord—and how this spiritual reality can be lived out in our lives as Christians.
St John please pray for us!
With Love in Christ,
Fr John
*The new windows and doors have been installed and they make a huge difference! Thank you to those who donated! We would like to replace the 5 windows in the hall but we need to raise $3500 first. Some have already stepped forward to help. If anyone is interested in helping with these please be in touch with Mo Barbera or Fr John.
Services and Events
Sunday, August 31st—9am—Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy
Monday, September 1st—8am—Coffee w/the Fathers (Join us as we continue to work through Hymns on Paradise by St Ephrem the Syrian)
Wednesday, September 3rd—8am—Divine Liturgy
Wednesday, September 3rd—6pm—Paraklesis of St George
Friday, September 5th—8am—Orthros
Saturday, September 6th—5pm—Great Vespers followed by Bible Study (join us as we work through The Psalms)
Sunday, September 7th—9am—Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy Memorial for Wahib Barbera to follow Liturgy
Click to view our Upcoming Schedule
Eduction at St George
But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 2 Pet 3.1
Coffee with the Father's begins again 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 to learn some about the Feast of the Dormition
Click HERE for a great YouTube channel with Orthodox kids songs.
Did You Know...that Christ is Risen!...and...
*Metropolitan SABA has an Instagram account to connect with youth and young adults—@AskSayidna.
*Registration is now live for the fall semester for the Antiochian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Online Music School. Now in its second year, the school offers Byzantine and Choral music education for new and experienced Orthodox church musicians. It also offers special classes for clergy about intoning exclamations and the gospel, and chanting hymns for Sundays and feasts; as well as on the Typicon and how to organize divine services.
*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." For the next one—September 13th—we will be doing a "teaching Liturgy" where I will stop and explain to the kids what is happening at the different parts of the Divine Liturgy—mark your calendars.
*You can view the WORD magazine online. Click HERE.
*Read the annual reports of our Archdiocesan Ministries including the Archdiocese Financial Report
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, Samantha, Schuyler, Raphael and Kelly, Fayez, Kent, Rose, Justin, Anne, George, Nektaria, Matushka Margaret, William, Chris and our catechumens: Max, Ryan, Kathryn and Henry. All those traveling, 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, Fr Steven, 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.
"Beauty Will Save the World"
My favorite author—Fyodor Dostoyevsky—has a quote, "Beauty will save the world!" What in the world could this mean?! Well, this could be quite a big discussion but I think part of the answer is that as human beings we delight in what is beautiful and not only take delight in but find healing when we encounter something beautiful. Beauty is such a big part of our worship as Orthodox Christians. Orthodox worship engages our senses with beautiful smells, sights and sounds and this matters because God's creation is good and beauty helps us to understand this reality.
Have you ever wondered what you could do to help beautify our church. Here are some ideas:
*15-20 Icons (16”x24” $400 per icon) Pick your Saint!—https://legacyicons.com/saint-paisios-of-athos-icon-s184/
*Curtain for Holy Doors ($850) https://www.churchembroidery.net/product-page/holy-door-curtains-katapetasma
*Curtains for Deacons Doors ($1500 each) churchembroidery.net (custom order)
*Epitaphios of Panaghia ($1800) https://www.churchembroidery.net/product-page/fully-embroidered-orthodox-epitaphios-shroud-of-the-most-holy-theotokos-3
*Two Mosaic’s for outside ($5000 each—is my best guess) (Theotokos and St George)
*Chandelier for above Altar ($500) https://nioras.com/product/church-chandelier-frames-with-orthodox-icons-13-electric-lights/
*Three Mount-Athos style Chandeliers for the nave (the space where the people stand during the service)
Sunday, August 31, 2025
THE SYNAXARION (Plain Reading)
On August 31 in the Holy Orthodox Church, we commemorate the Placing of the Sash of our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos in Constantinople’s Halkoprateia district during the reign of the emperor Theodosius the Younger.
Verses
Like an all-golden garland, O august Virgin, I set thy sash on the year’s end as adornment.
On the thirty-first, they enshrined the Sash of the All-pure.
At her Dormition, the Most Holy Mother of God left her Sash to the Apostle Thomas. This Sash was later taken to Constantinople and kept there in a sealed casket in the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae. This casket was never opened until the time of the Emperor Leo the Wise (886-912). Leo’s wife, the Empress Zoë, was taken sick in soul and, as the result of a mysterious vision, desired that the Sash of the holy Theotokos be placed upon her. The Emperor asked the Patriarch, who opened the casket and found the Sash completely whole and undamaged by time. The Sash was taken out and placed upon the sick Empress, who immediately recovered. They sang hymns of thanksgiving to the Most Holy Theotokos, and then returned the venerable Sash back into the casket and resealed it.
On this day, we also commemorate our fathers among the saints Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople; and Hieromartyr Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage. By the intercessions of Thy saints, O Christ God, have mercy upon us. Amen.
Parish Financial Summary—Fiscal Year 2024/25
Help us Reach our Goal of $132,000—Our estimated budget for the 2024-25 Fiscal Year
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF ST GEORGE!
Giving for Week of 8.24.25—$--
Online Donations for Week of 8.24.25—$0
Falafel Fundraiser 3.30.25—$1054
Parish Halfi 4.25.25—$9087.95
Broadview Bank Balance as of end of July: $50,064.57: $41,614.54 (Operating Fund); $7,160.17 (Memorial Fund); $1,136 (Charity Fund)
Merrill Lynch Mutual Fund as of end of August 4th, 2025: $402,551
Merrill Lynch Money Market Account as of end of August 4th, 2025: $31,213
Total Giving for fiscal year to date (October 24–September 25)—$81,117.29
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)—3
Families who have contributed over $1,000 for fiscal year to date (October 24–September 25)—28
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
58th saying of the 3rd Century (100 Sayings) on Love
Just as parents have a special affection for the children who are the fruit of their own bodies, so the intellect naturally clings to its own thoughts. And just as to passionately fond parents their own children seem the most capable and most beautiful of all - though they may be quite the most ridiculous in every way - so to a foolish intellect its own thoughts appear the most intelligent of all, though they may be utterly degraded. The wise man does not regard his own thoughts in this way. It is precisely when he feels convinced that they are true and good that he most distrusts his own judgment. He makes other wise men the judges of his thoughts and arguments - lest he should ran, or may have ran, in vain (cf. Gal. 2:2) - and from them receives assurance.
