Our sincere thanks to the outgoing members of the Parish Council who completed their 3 year terms:  Jean Brideau, Laura Chadwick, and Nardi Tollkuçi.

We congratulate the members of our Parish Council for 2013 as they took the oath of office today with the blessing of Archbishop Nikon:  James Bowe, Luba Csernica, Peter Dacey, Joseph Galich, Louise Karoli Gallagher, Bob Lazar, Mary Nikola, Kim O’Brien and Joann Soter.   Many Years! Për Shumë Vjet!

Here are the officers of our Parish Council for 2013:  James Bowe, President; Peter Dacey, Vice President; Kim O’Brien, Treasurer; Luba Csernica, Financial Secretary; Louise Karoli Gallagher, Recording Secretary; Mary Nikola, Corresponding Secretary; Bob Lazar, Building and Grounds, interior issues; Joseph Galich, Building and Grounds, exterior issues; Joann Soter, Trustee.  Many Years! Për Shumë Vjet!

St. George will be participating again this year to support the 2013 Monroe/Trumbull Relay for Life cancer fundraiser event to be held June 7th & 8th at Trumbull High School.  Sue Galich and Janet Caliendo have volunteered to be the Team Captains for our team, and Sharon Buzi is the Honorary Chairperson of the whole event.  Congratulations and best wishes to Sharon, Sue, and Janet.

Thanks to everyone who prepared and served the food at the Spooner House on Tuesday evening, January 29th: Greg Buzi, Greg Buzi II, Janet Caliendo, Pauline Dionis, Jennifer Goetz, Nancy & Wallace Hurd, Patty & Kiril Ivanov, Maribeth Martino, Jeanette Nichio, and Fr. Dennis Rhodes.  Click Here to view more information about the Spooner House.

Many Years! to Matthew & Jeannine Masek and Michael and Megan Masek as they have their marriages blessed in the Orthodox Church.  Matthew and Michael are the sons of Albert & Karen Masek and grandsons of Zoe Michael.

We learned that Andrew Yapo passed away early this morning. We offer our condolences to his wife, Nancy, and their children, and to his sister, Nancy Hurd, and her family.

Our fund-raising Brunch on March 17^th raised a total of $1,794. This money will be used to cover the expenses for snow removal after the last major snow storm and the installation of the new stove in the kitchen.  Thank you to all!

Pan-Orthodox Vespers were held at St. George on the 2nd Sunday of Great Lent.  Sunday Vespers services are rotated through the various Orthodox Churches of the Greater Bridgeport region during Great Lent each year.  We express our gratitude to everyone who helped to prepare for the service, especially the ladies who cooked and served the meal afterward.

Click on the More Information link below to view a video from the service.

On Sunday after Divine Liturgy, the parish presented an Icon of St. George as a good-bye gift to Liliana and Boro Kerma, who are leaving our parish and returning to Albania.  May God Grant them Many Years!

Our thanks go out to Joe Galich who refinished the front doors to the church.

Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen! is the Orthodox Christian Paschal greeting.  Click Here to view the Paschal greeting in numerous languages. The St. George community recently completed the service cycle of Great Lent, Holy Week with the celebration of midnight Pascal Liturgy.  Click on the more information link below to view some photos.

We extend our thanks to the many people who helped to make Lent, Holy Week and Pascha a beautiful and meaningful celebration:   Pandora Dionis for decorating the Holy Cross for the Petafi; The “Myrrhbearing Women” who decorated the Petafi on Holy Friday morning; Mary Dilulio for replacing the ribbon the the Resurrection banner; Cheryl Themel and Jennifer Goetz for decorating the Church for Holy Pascha; Ron Dougiello of Commerce Hill Funeral Home in Bridgeport for the flowers that beautify the inside of the church; The Teuta Ladies Society for the beautiful red eggs; Cantors Van Michael and Charles Soter and their assistants Jim Bowe and Greg Buzi II for their dedication and singing at every service; The choir for their preparation and singing throughout Holy Week and Pascha; Our volunteer readers; Bob Lazar for his assistance in the sanctuary; The altar servers for their time and assistance; Sue Galich and Janet Caliendo for organizing the Children’s Egg Hunt and Coffee Hour; Those who simply came to pray and celebrate the services.

Cantor Van Michael was acknowledged on his 80th birthday after Divine Liturgy for his faith and dedication to the church.  The choir donated an Icon of the Last Supper to the church in his name and luncheon was served during coffee hour to celebrate the occassion.  May God Grant Van Many Years!  Click onto the more information link below to view two photos.

On Sunday at Divine Liturgy the parish of St. George remembered all of the living and departed mothers, grandmothers and godmothers of our parish community in prayer.  Our thanks go out to Ron Dougiello of Commerce Hill Funeral Home, who donated long-stemmed roses which were given out as a gift to all mothers in attendance.

On Sunday after Divine Liturgy, St. George remembered in prayers all those who gave their lives in defense of our country.  Memory Eternal! I Përjetshim Kujtimi!

We extend our gratitude to Don & Shirley Jordan, George & Toni Barmashi and Bill & Debra Kovachi for replacing the walkway to the main entrance of the Church.

On Sunday, June 16th, the parish celebrated Father Dennis' 65th birthday with a luncheon in the Church Hall after Divine Liturgy.  Jim Bowe, the Parish Council President, presented Fr. Dennis a gift from the parish, and the parishioners prayed that God Grant him Many Years.  Father Dennis' daughter Sarah and her family traveled up from the Philadelphia region to join the parish for the day and the celebration.  Click on the more information link to view a few photos.

On Sunday during Divine Liturgy, St. George recognized Father's Day with prayers for all the living and departed fathers, grandfathers, and godfathers of the parish community.  Our thanks to Ron Dougiello of Commerce Funeral Home who supplied a small gift to "toast" the day for all the fathers in attendance.

Thank you  to everyone who helped to make our third annual Summer Food Festival a success: all those who cooked, baked, sold, set up and cleaned up.   In particular, we want to thank Laura Denisevich who kept all our food preparations organized and on track!   As of last Sunday, our income from the Festival was $4,585.00!

The following is a list of our young adults who recently graduated from high school, college, or graduate school.  We extend our continued best wishes to them for continued success!

High School: 

Luiza Tollkuci – graduated from Newtown High School.

Kellie Hurd – graduated from Trinity Catholic High School (Stamford)

College/Graduate School:

Chris Adams –  in December 2012, received his Masters Degree in Actuarial Science at the University of Connecticut. 

Rebecca Chadwick – Graduated from the University of Bridgeport with a MS in Education.

Steve Csernica – Received his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University (Pennsylvania). 

Emily Cryan –  Graduated from St. Michael’s College (Vermont) with BA in History and English, and a minor in Classics.

Julia Garfalo – Graduated from Boston University with a major in Architecture. 

Sarah O'Brien - Received her Master of Science from the School of Education at the University of Bridgeport.

We extend our best wishes to Jeanne and Jim Brideau, whose son and daughter-in-law, Eric and Jill, gave birth to a baby boy, Dylan James, on June 25^th.

We welcomed to Saint George Church Father James Parnell who celebrated Divine Liturgy for us while Father Dennis was away.

We offered special prayers today for Gregory Buzi II who is leaving on Wednesday, July 31st for an Orthodox Christian Mission Center trip to Guatemala.

We were informed this week of the deaths of William Poist, former Lay Vice Chairman of the Albanian Archdiocese, and William Batura, father-in-law of Susan (Jordan) Batura.  May their memory be eternal!

We congratulate Amy Jaworski, daughter of Jeffrey and Carol Jaworski, and Brian Leighton who were united in marriage at Saint George Church on Sunday, August 4^th.   Many Years!   Click on the more information link below to view a few photos.

Sharon Buzi received the following update from her son, Greg, working in Guatemala:   After a couple of back-breaking days trying to dig out some trenches to pour concrete for a roadway, and making very little progress, Paul decided to investigate if we could hire a bulldozer/backhoe. Turns out we could. We have to pony up about $500 for this, but doing that allowed us to guarantee that we can complete the road as well as the other projects while we’re onsite. If you feel led to help us with that expense, you can donate through the OCMC site link on this page:  http://www.ocmc.org/about/view_team.aspx?TeamId=118 Click on the more information link below to view a few photos.

St. George held a special Service of Prayer on Wednesday, August 21st to ask for God's blessing and healing for the community of our sister parish of St. John the Baptist Church in South Boston.  A  fire destroyed the St. John the Baptist church building on Wednesday morning.  Fortunately, no one was in the building at the time, although some of the firefighters were injured.  We ask God’s blessings on the parish Rector Archpriest John Scollard, the faithful community and future of Saint John the Baptist Church, as well as the injured firefighters.

We extend our gratitude to David Denisevich who helped to install the new Vigil Lamp over the Royal Doors of the iconostasis, and the new Eternal Candles on the altar and in front of the iconostasis.  Thank you!

The following is a status of some of our young adults currently enrolled in college.  We give our Best Wishes for their continued success!

Kelly Coughlin - Junior at the College of New Jersey majoring in Criminology.

Sarah Csernica - Senior at the University of Connecticut majoring in Accounting.

Allison Cryan – Junior at Housatonic Community College (Connecticut) pursuing a General Studies program.

Andrew Cryan – Pursuing an Associates degree in General Studies at Gateway Community College (Connecticut).

Nicholas Demetri - Second year at Porter & Chester Institute in Stratford, CT.

James Denisevich - Senior at the University of Connecticut majoring in Mathematics and minoring in Music.

Kellie Hurd – Freshman at the University of Rhode Island.

James Lazor - Sophomore at Boston University.

Victoria Nichio – Junior at the University of Rhode Island majoring in Nutrition.

Jennifer Nikola - Graduate School at Fairfield University pursuing a Masters Degree in Sociology.

Tyler Nikola - Senior at Elon University (North Carolina) majoring in Law.

Meghan Maria Quinn – Junior at Keene State College (New Hampshire) with a dual major in Dance and Business.

Lauren Rubis - Sophomore at Marist College (New York).

Anne Snedegar - Senior at the University of Maryland majoring in Graphic Arts. 

Caroline Snedegar - Senior at James Madison University (Virginia) majoring in Sports & Recreational Management.

Julia Snedegar – Graduate School at the University of Rhode Island pursuing a Doctorate in Physical Therapy.

Tyler Tallcouch - Senior at Keene State College (New Hampshire) majoring in Exercise Science.

Ryan Taylor - Senior at Fairfield University (Connecticut).

Luiza Tollkuci – Freshman at the University of Rhode Island.

We have been informed that Eva Karajani the 16-year-old daughter of Kocho and Irena Karajani, passed away on September 14^th.   Her funeral services were held at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Hartford since her family lives in Newington.  Memory Eternal!  I Përjetshim Kujtimi!

Our heartfelt thanks go out to Father Dennis Rhodes who donated a new icon to St. George Church.   A copy of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God, which visited our parish in 2011 was donated in memory of Robert Rhodes, Marion Levisee Rhodes and Leon Cotter and John and Lydia Tichy.  It will hang over the candle stand in the vestibule of the Church.  May God Grant Fr. Dennis Many Years!

We congratulate Timothy Coughlin, husband of Laura Coughlin, who is being received into the Catechumenate today in preparation for officially entering the Holy Orthodox Church.  Many Years, Tim!

We extend best wishes to Arjana Vllahu and Alfred Bettencourt III who were united in marriage at Saint George Church. Their sponsor was Priscilla Carameta.  Many Years! Për Shumë Vjet!

We were saddened to learn that Eva Demetri passed away on Saturday, October 5th.  Our condolences go out to sons Robert and Charles, and grandchildren Nickolas and Victoria.  May her memory be eternal!

We offer our congratulations to Nathaniel Lewin who was received into the Holy Orthodox Church on October 19th through the Holy Mysteries of Baptism and Chrismation. Cory and Ashley (Stockel) Federline were the godparents.  Nathaniel is the son of Benjamin and Michelle (Stockel) Lewin, the granddaughter of Sharon and Craig Stockel and the great-granddaughter of Della Theodos.  Many Years!

We were saddened to learn that Elsie Marko, the widow of the late Vangjel Marko, and sister of Diana Michael and Florence Chala, passed away on October 27th.   We extend our condolences to her family.  May her memory be eternal!

The Teuta's Ladies Society held it's annual Fall Bazaar on Saturday, October 26th.  We extend a heart-felt “Thank you!” to everyone who helped to make the Bazaar a success.

Early Friday, November 8th we learned that Kay Thanas departed this life.  The members of St. George extends our condolences to her family.  May her memory be eternal!

On Sunday, November 10th, the parishioners of St. George recognized and asked God's blessings to the Veterans of the parish.  God Grant them Many Years!

On Sunday, November 10th, the parish recognized Nick Hotova's 95th birthday.  The Parish community asked God's blessings, and celebrated with a coffee hour provided by the family.  May God grant him Many Years!

Van and Diana Michael are pleased to announce the recent marriage of their son, Jonathan Michael, to Sanja Gerskovic in Bath, Maine.  Many Years!

Congratulations to Jessica Chadwick and Kevin Baird on the birth of their daughter Caelyn Audrey. Congratulations as well to Grandparents Joe and Laura Chadwick and Great Grandparents Jim and Vi Bowe.

Elsie Gartsu reports that the $1,000 collected in our Charity Collection for the Little Flower Orphanage in Korçë, Albania, was used to buy shoes and diapers for the children. “Thank you, Saint George parishioners.”

The Teuta Ladies’ Society donated $100 to International Orthodox Christian Charities towards disaster relief in the Philippines.

Congratulations to the Nani Family on the birth of their third son.

We offer thanks today for the blessings God has shown to the Albanian people and nation on the occasion of Albanian Independence Day known as Ditë e Flamurit or Albanian Flag Day, observed on November 28th.

On Wednesday evening, Dec 11^th, the Mystery of Holy Unction was celebrated in Saint George. The service was sponsored by the Orthodox Clergy Association of Greater Bridgeport; Eight priests and one deacon celebrated the service. Additionally, the service was blessed with the presence of the Myrrh-streaming Icon of St. Anna, Mother of the Virgin Mary. Click on the more information link below to learn more about the Myrrh-streaming Icon of St. Anna.

Christ is born! Glorify Him!  Krishti U-Lind! Lavdërojeni! are the traditional Orthodox Christian Christmas greetings in both English and Albanian. The St. George parish community recently completed the service cycle of Advent with the Christmas Eve Compline (including a traditional singing of Christmas Carols after services), and Divine Liturgy for the Nativity of the Lord.

We extend our best wishes to Timothy Coughlin who was received into the Holy Orthodox Church through the Mystery of Chrismation. His Godfather is Gregory Buzi.  Many Years!